Wednesday, February 15, 2017

A Plea For Social Studies







Friday, December 2, 2016

Is A Granola Bar Healthy Snack?

Earlier this year I attended my own kid's curriculum night.  The teacher went through the usual snooze fest of information about how he grades and how many minutes he wants the kids to read each night.  Then he got to the slide about snack time.  Being an educator myself, I had already predicted the canned Power Point slide about snack needing to be healthy- ya know, carrot sticks, apple slices, granola bars, but no candy, pop, or chips.  But for the first time all night, the teacher surprised me. 

"You can send a healthy snack with your child. You're the parents.  Whatever you feel is healthy, is fine by me.  If you want to send chocolate cake with your child because that meets your definition of healthy, be my guest."

This is brilliant!  No one can truly agree on what is, and what is not healthy- including doctors in many instances!  The government counts ketchup with high fructose corn syrup as a vegetable! Are food with oil good for you?  Is meat a healthy protein or a cancer causing nightmare?  Is a granola bar healthy?  This fruit roll up says it's made with 'real fruit flavors'.. is that okay?  What about 'flavored' water?  Chocolate milk?  Dairy in general.. good or bad?  Too much fruit is bad because of the sugar, right? Nuts are high in fat and sodium. Goldfish crackers are baked and made with REAL cheese, so I KNOW that's healthy! Boys shouldn't eat things with soy in them or they turn into girls I heard... 

Show one study that says anything is healthy, and I could show another that refutes it (sorta like educational studies...).  So why, on top of everything teachers & schools have become responsible for, do they now bring it upon themselves to be the health police (while at the same time, I'm pretty sure educators are the top consumer group for cakes, donuts, cookies, and diet soda...)?  Why are we potentially causing conflict with students and/or parents, and potentially challenging (often passionately held) belief systems?  My child's teacher took that hassle out of his life in one fell swoop. 

Believe me, I understand the role proper nutrition plays in a students ability to learn and grow.  I'm glad school cafeterias have become more conscientious about what they offer, and most classrooms have wisely allowed students to have water bottles throughout the day.  But when it comes to what parents send their own children with to eat, let's save our confrontational bullets for something worth the fight. 

And now, having said all that, I'm off to enjoy a couple bottles of wine- since I've read that drinking wine is healthy...     

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Georgia On My Mind

During one of the first few days of the school year I bumped into a 3rd grader in the hallway and inquired about how her summer had been. 

"Did you take any vacations?"

The little girl said she didn't, but then updated her answer by saying, "Well, just Georgia. My mom's side of the family lives there."

Knowing this was a divorce situation, and sensing her lack of enthusiasm for the topic, I decided to shift the topic to something else.  "Well, did you read lots of books this summer?"

"No.  Georgia really doesn't have many books."

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Cell Phones In The Classroom

Mike Archie was the type of teacher that absolutely everyone, himself included, could not wait until he retired.  He was a physical education teacher at a middle school who had clearly smelled too many locker room aromas and no longer had any passion for kids or athletics.  He was simply a crabby old man who students hated, and colleagues avoided. 

This particular incident took place in early 2000s when cell phones were just beginning to become an item that every person owned.  Schools predictably were unsure where to go with the whole cell phone thing and defaulted to the stock approach to all things unknown- prohibit them.  Students caught with cell phones had the phones confiscated and were subjected to possible disciplinary action as well.

One thing crabby old teachers who need to retire are excellent at is dispensing discipline according to the handbook.  No gray area or breaks with this group!  So when Mike saw Cordero Williams holding a cell phone, he was on him like flies on shit.  Rather than ask the kid to put the thing away, he charged up the bleachers of the gymnasium in a fashion that might suggest that this phone threatened the safety of the President of the United States. "Gimme that phone Williams!" 

Most tough guy middle schoolers generally don't enjoy confrontation with adults.  Cordero became visibly upset and pleaded with his teacher that the phone wasn't even real.  Mike would have none of it, and snatched the phone out of his hands, and dragged the kid out of the gym and down to the Dean's Office.

Mike's anger at this offense was obvious by the way he filled out the discipline referral.  He pressed so hard I'm amazed the pen didn't break, and are five exclamation points ever really necessary?  When he was done, he taped the cell phone to the referral and noted below it, "Student tried to tell me the phone wasn't real!!!!!"  With that, he placed the referral in the dean's box and left Cordero to wait, fully embarrassed from the experience of getting dressed down by a teacher and dragged out of class in front of his peers. 

When the Dean of Students returned, he read the referral and examined the phone taped to the paperwork.  The 'phone' was actually a piece of chocolate with foil wrapping colored to look like a phone.  I couldn't make this up.  A three year could have told you this wasn't a real phone.  Hell, anyone could.  Well, anyone except Mike Archie. 

Friday, April 15, 2016

The Power Of Teacher Bias

As a standard practice at our school (and I'm sure many other schools), when we get a new a student during the year, the teacher reaches out to the former school for information about the student that may be helpful in better teaching them.  But is this information truly helpful?  Or does it create bias about the students abilities and personality before they've been given a chance to demonstrate otherwise?

Mrs. Fontenot reached out to Jerome's former school when he arrived a few months back.  Phone messages were not returned, and e-mails received no response.  Jerome was a little rough around the edges when he arrived, but in a matter of weeks his effort in class began to increase, his quality of work improved, and his behavior was a non-issue.  He went from one of the lower small groups for reading to one of the higher groups is less than a quarters time.  Mrs. Fontenot confessed he had become one her favorite students, and certainly one that she had immense pride for his accomplishments.

Then she heard from his former school.  Jamal's former teacher had been out on a maternity leave.  She apologized for not getting back sooner, and commented that by now, Mrs. Fontenot had no doubt learned that Jamal was lazy, often disruptive, and disrespectful when re-directed.

Imagine if the teacher had heard these things before Jamal had been in class a week?  Would the teacher have had lower expectations?  Would she have treated his minor misbehaviors different ("I'm going to set a tone with him right away!")?  A bevy of research suggests it would have- to the detriment of Jamal.

While collecting information to help better understand students is done with sound logic and wonderful intentions, the unintended consequences of this habit deserve reflection.  Different adults connect with different sorts of kids in different ways.  Because a students second grade teacher couldn't stand him/her, does not mean that a different person a year later will feel the same.  Schools that systematically organize conversations between former and future teachers, or have teachers call former schools are seriously jeopardizing children's opportunities to find success in a new environment. 

Low expectations are already a hurdle many students have to overcome.  Let's be cautious as a profession about creating such expectations in advance.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Viva Las Vegas?

Randall was a sweet likable boy, despite his cognitive challenges.  Teachers enjoyed having him in their classrooms over the years despite the extra work he required. 

While in 4th grade,  the students were working on providing evidence for writing.  The assignment was for students to write about their dream vacation while providing support for their decision.   Randall struggled with basically all writing.  Further, coming from poverty is was unlikely he had ever visited any places located more than an hour from wherever his family was living at the time, and it was additionally unlikely that Randall had ever even been on traditional vacation.  Thus, the teacher was caught of guard when Randall announced during small group instruction that he wanted to go to Las Vegas for his dream vacation.

"Um, well ok.  But Randall, now you have to explain your reasons for wanting to go to Las Vegas for your readers.  Why did you pick Las Vegas?"

"Cuz I wanna go to a strip club!"

Careful what you ask for...

Friday, December 11, 2015

Down With The Sickness

I recently completed my doctoral work (a distraction largely responsible for ignoring my writing here).  My staff made a big deal about the accomplishment including an announcement that I was now "Dr. TalesInEducation."  Of course, elementary school aged children generally don't understand this, most confusing it with being a doctor of medicine. 

A particular sweet 4th grade boy named Bryan came up to me, said "Congratulations, Dr. TalesInEducation", and gave me a hug almost stumbling over the doctor part in his sentence.  He then looked up at me and said, "I don't understand why you're a doctor." 

I replied by explaining that I was a doctor of education, not a doctor who helps people who are sick.  After a slight pause, the Bryan looked back up at me and said, "But you could fix education if were sick, right?"

It was my turn for a pause.  "It is definitely sick Bryan.  And I'm not so sure I can cure it all...."

And away I flew like the down of a thistle, to my favorite watering hole.... Happy Friday, educators!