Category Archives: Education

Hands-in Learning

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Education, Elementary, Life in the Classroom, Parent Involvment

Like many of the rest of you, I went from being a classroom teacher to also being continuous-education facilitator (perhaps a new state term?) of my own children in the blink of an eye. While I am still juggling the steep learning curve of being a virtual teacher for my brick-and-mortar students, I have had my own steep learning curve at home. 

This morning, we sat at the kitchen table and went through our “classroom norms” to start the day:

Breakfast eaten-check. Hair brushed-check. Teeth brushed-check. Pajamas changed into real clothes for the day-check. I double-checked…no pajama bottoms? Wow! We already had some of my “real” middle-school classroom norms beat! 

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Uncharted Territory

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Education, Middle School, Uncategorized

I had planned to write this blog on tier two interventions.  However, I believe many of us find ourselves thinking about our students and how to best teach them during this time.  The main question that plagues me is: How can I maintain equity for all my students during this time?

It isn’t fair that there are unheard student voices out there who are scared, upset, angry, confused and some who can’t communicate.  I know that teachers are in uncharted territory, but students are looking to us, their teachers, to establish normalcy. I have spent the better part of the school year getting to know and understand all of my students’ mathematical and social-emotional needs.  

I learned through classroom meetings that my students had busy lives with many obligations outside of school. When we received the news that the 16th would be our last day together, my mind was flooded with thoughts. 

A few days ago I surveyed my students.  Their names have been changed for privacy.

How would Melanie handle her math when I know she is the oldest sibling and will likely be taxed with the extra responsibility of keeping her siblings in check.  

“I’m kind of starting to like it less than I thought I would. My house is kinda crazy right now with my 6 siblings around all the time. I wish it was only 3 or 4 weeks. I have to help them with their school stuff and it’s hard.”

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No Right Answer

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Assessment, Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom

It is a classic “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

My own three children are in three different buildings in the same school district (one elementary school, one middle school, one high school; all in a different district from where I work). Technically, their teachers have been directed by district admin not to send homework yet.

My elementary schooler’s teacher has done so anyway, with the clear communication that it is optional. She has sent suggested math pages from the workbook, along with video guides. She has also video recorded herself reading aloud to kids. My son is in a Spanish-immersion program, so he is also charged with continuing his online practice program. I’m okay with all of this.

My middle school son was asked by his science teacher to finish up a project about natural disasters that they started before the shutdown. His math teacher has sent e-packets of worksheets. There hasn’t been a clear statement of “optionality” for these. We haven’t heard from his other teachers. I’m okay with all of this.

My high schooler? Radio silence from teachers. I’m okay this, too.

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau has stated that the largest school district in Washington will not transition to online learning in the immediate future. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles (LAUSD) school system is investing $100 million in making sure kids without online access are provided tech and internet during the shutdown. From one side, Superintendent Juneau is being praised for her pragmatic view of the access divide among Seattle students. The other side is quick to drag her publicly. (I’m not hiding my bias well, am I?)

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An Empty Classroom and a Full Heart

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Current Affairs, Education, Life in the Classroom, Middle School, Social Issues, Uncategorized | , , ,

Hey, teachers. How are you? Tough week, huh?

Me? I’m okay, just a bit lonelier than usual. I am alone in my classroom, alone with empty desks, blank whiteboards, and quiet halls. It is eerie and unsettling. It puts everything in perspective for me. I’m trying to consider it a gift, insomuch as I can in these difficult times.

As you know, all schools in our state are closed, but our local administrators have some leeway in the management of the closures. The situation is fluid, and changes daily, but this is what I am currently experiencing. The school buildings are closed to the public until at least April 27. We are delivering food and grade-level learning packets via bus routes. Families who prefer can call ahead and pick up meals and supplies at our school offices during abbreviated hours. Classified staff are still busy, at least part time, doing odd jobs, disinfecting the facilities, copying the packets, preparing the breakfasts and lunches, delivering the food and supplies, and providing childcare to local first responders and healthcare workers. 

As for the teachers, we are expected to work seven-hour days and log our activities daily. This week we are preparing the learning packets, creating activities that can help our students progress without our day-to-day contact. We are asked to stay in touch with families and make weekly calls to the students in our advisories. We can clean and organize our classrooms. We can sign up for online classes. We can read books or watch online professional development videos. We can work at home if we so choose.

I see other teachers in my social media feeds creating cool online resources for their students, but we are encouraged to plan for the many students in our district who won’t have internet access. We are rural, a bit remote, and we have a large population that is often displaced or even homeless. It’s complicated. Continue reading →

Homework is Dead, Long Live Homework

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Education, Education Policy, Elementary, Parent Involvment | , , , , ,

At the beginning of this year I interpreted at a parent-teacher conference for a Ukrainian third grade student. He was a second year English Language (EL) learner.  The teacher praised both his academic and social progress. His mother listened politely and nodded at the appropriate times. At the end of the conference, the teacher asked if she had questions. The mother asked,  “Why is my son getting so little homework?” 


A note written by a Ukrainian parent. Translated it states:
Please give my son more homework in all subject areas.

More than a decade ago, Alfie Kohn wrote, “The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing.” Stanford published a study in 2014 showing the pitfalls of homework. Other studies cropped up. All detailing the ineffectiveness and negative impacts of homework. With homework steadily gaining a bad reputation, my district and school decided to encourage teachers to decrease the amount of homework given to our K-5 students. 

Parents noticed. 

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The Power of the 5 Minute Break

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Education, Life in the Classroom

It is very hard to teach or create an equitable culture of learning when a teacher is faced with students that have various behavior and emotional needs.  Although I have been in education for over a decade I am only a second-year teacher. The many roles I held allowed me to witness many different management styles towards these student needs.  Because of this my students have had opportunities not to just grow educationally, but emotionally and behaviorally.  

It is now common to have a classroom with not just one but many students who disrupt the learning environment.  At times it feels unfair that many students can’t just learn because the teacher needs to focus on recorrecting behavior.  The environment for learning has become compromised and all students are losing.

All teachers begin the year by addressing tier 1 intervention practices.  This would include discussing classroom expectations, routines, and appropriate behaviors.  However, in order to reach students, educators must consistently reflect on these practices in order to maintain realistic expectations that are equitable for all students.  

Tiered interventions should be flexible and ever-changing as the student begins to self-regulate.  An educator’s key objective is to understand the student’s unique needs as the base of tiered interventions. A tier 1 intervention that has worked in my classroom is the 5-minute brain break.  

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I Hate Black History Month

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Current Affairs, Education, Elementary

Don’t get me wrong, I love to teach Black history. I just think it needs to happen throughout the year.

Last year I taught early American history. I introduced the topic of slavery by first explaining that slavery was an accepted way of life throughout the world for much of human history. Prisoners of war became slaves as well as kidnapped members of rival tribes.

In the 1400s in the New World, so many enslaved Indians died that the Spanish priest Bartolomé de Las Casas—who felt bad for the Indians—suggested replacing them with Africans. He later regretted his recommendation when he saw how badly the African slaves were treated.

Throughout the 1700s, ships from northern US colonies sailed to the coast of Africa to purchase slaves from African slave traders.

So much of that brief summary surprised my students.  Blacks were first brought as slaves to the New World to replace the Indians? Northerners were involved in the slave trade? Africans captured other Africans to sell them as slaves?

That last especially horrified them. “How could they do that to each other?”

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Keeping Behavior Expectations High

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Education, Education Policy, Elementary

We sat in the thick of a heated discussion. Faced off in our groups of four, we discussed what approaches our schools would take in response to a student repeatedly refusing to comply with a teacher’s request to do their work. “We can’t expect the same level of behavior for all students. We need to be culturally responsive. Why push the issue? The kid isn’t really hurting anyone by not working.”  

I sat back, mouth a gape. Did I just hear what I think I heard?  And if I did, what does this mean for education? What does it mean for classroom culture? What does it mean for the future of our country? And no, that final question is not an exaggeration!

Not. Hurting. Anyone…?

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National Boards: An Odyssey of Collaboration

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Education, Mathematics, Mentoring, Middle School, National Board Certification, Teacher Leadership | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
NBCT Mentor

By guest bloggers NBCT Heather Byington and NBCT David Buitenveld

What happens when a middle school math teacher and an elementary teacher co-teach math to 5th graders for a quarter? David Buitenveld, a middle grade math teacher leader who recently received his National Board Certification, and Heather Byington, a veteran elementary teacher leader and long-time NBCT, discuss their journey of collaboration, with the Architecture of Accomplished Teaching as the common path.

NBCT Heather Byington and NBCT David Buitenveld

David (newly-certified NBCT and 5-year middle level math teacher):

During my NBCT journey last year, I spent more time than previously with the question “what do you know about your students?” and the answer, embarrassingly often, was “not that much.” Keeping that question present (a key takeaway from the National Board process) led me to realize that although I understood the mathematical ideas students encounter in elementary grades, I didn’t have knowledge of their lived experience of 5th grade, and how that experience affected their transition to middle school math. Co-teaching with Heather was a chance to experience 5th grade math and see their world in action.

Heather (long-time NBCT and 20-year teacher):

When David asked to co-teach math in my classroom, I wondered if it would be intimidating to work with a math expert. I quickly realized that he is more skilled at constructing inquiry-based discussion around a math concept, while I feel more comfortable with direct instruction. My first attempt flopped, while he watched! But David jumped in and helped me make more sense of the math for students! I learned from him that it’s okay to try new things and have them flop. When kids see that I try, fail, and keep trying, they’re willing to keep trying too.

David:

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The Wrong Kind of Tired

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Education, Education Policy, Elementary, Life in the Classroom, Mentoring, Professional Development

In December, I realized I was drowning. I was frequently getting sick, my class was spiraling out of control, and I would leave work so exhausted. I was facing overwhelming anxiety each day. 


When everything is a mess, it’s hard to know where to start. 

New teachers often find themselves in this position. It’s the position of not knowing what you don’t know. Looking back on my first year, it was incredibly hard to ask for help because it was impossible to pinpoint exactly what I needed. 

Entering my second year I felt much more confident that I had it down, but as the months ticked by my classroom management began falling apart. 

I reached out to one of my instructional coaches about what was happening in my classroom and she came in to observe a few times. While observing she never intervened, even when things got chaotic. We met a few days later to debrief. Surprisingly, she didn’t give me feedback on what she saw; instead, she just listened as I told her all of the things I felt were falling apart.

At the end of the conversation, she said to me, “You are the wrong kind of tired. You are exhausted because you spend your day putting out fires, not teaching. That’s called burnout and we are going to fix it.” 

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