I Taught a Lesson Today!

Posted by Jan Kragen on September 22, 2020
Current Affairs, Education, Elementary, Life in the Classroom, Web/Tech

It’s Tuesday, September 22, 2020. School started on September 2. We are three weeks in.

Due to health concerns, I moved from my fifth-grade classroom at a brick-and-mortar school to teaching at our district’s online academy. I get up and dressed for work each day. Then I walk down the hall to the study or the dining room table or the card table in the family room.

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Virtual Teaching… from where?

Posted by Mark Gardner on August 20, 2020
Current Affairs, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom | covid-19, distance learning, virtual learning

As we ready ourselves to start a new school year unlike any other in our history, many districts in our state are once again embroiled in debates about teachers-as-workers and the rights and protections we deserve.

A sticking point in many places strikes me as fundamentally confusing: Whether instructional staff should conduct distance learning or virtual teaching from their physical classrooms or whether they should be permitted the flexibility to do so from off site.

I gotta be honest: This feels like a no-brainer. If students are learning remotely, why should teachers not have the flexibility to do their work from the environment they feel is best for their and their family’s health and safety? Personally, I have decided that I will probably be heading into my classroom unless I’m told I cannot. My preference, though, isn’t shared by others. And those others have valid reasons for not wanting to leave the relative safety of their homes…and even if we as a society seem to have forgotten that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, my colleagues’ valid concern s are literally matters of life-or-death.

My biggest problems with the debate have to do with the reasons being given as to why teachers should report to their classrooms for virtual teaching. None of these reasons, to me, outweigh the personal health and safety of a teacher or a teacher’s family: If our work can be done effectively from a safe environment, why not? (Sadly, local news sources like to stir the pot on this issue, with at least three local outlets in the Portland/Vancouver area doing the old “hey viewer, what do YOU think?” about where and how I and my colleagues ought to do our jobs.) From district leaders, policymakers, parents and the public, I’ve noticed four common arguments for requiring teachers to teach virtually from an empty classroom:

Common Reason #1 for Requiring Teachers to Report to School for Virtual Teaching: The employer has the right to verify that the work they are paying teachers to do is actually getting done. Okay, on the surface, I don’t disagree. How did this happen in face-to-face learning? Admin drop-ins and observations? Stacks of student work or student art on the walls? Student and parent feedback? These, or something analogous, can and will happen in a virtual setting. In fact, a virtual setting inherently creates mountains more potential artifacts that a teacher is “putting in the work.” From last spring, I have hours and hours of videos, mountains of virtual folders of work still in my Google Drive, and electronic data trails far more enduring than much of what was produced by my face-to-face teaching (where there would be whole class periods that might go by filled with interactions, discussions, probing questions, and coaching conversations: none of which necessarily produce any immediately tangible evidence that these ever even happened).

Common Reason #2 is closely related: Last spring there were many teachers working triple duty to do their job well, while others for whatever reason (lack of skill or lack of will) skated by doing much less. In theory, getting every teacher in the building will help with that, since supposedly the administration will have nothing else to do but diligently oversee everyone’s work (sarcasm). This is a classic case of creating policy for all in order to attempt to force the fringes toward different behavior. This is also, however, exceptionally poor leadership. Are there teachers not doing as much as they should? Such a population exists in every profession and also existed in teaching before the world flipped upside down. Rather than create policy that constricts the many, it makes more sense to exert instructional and managerial leadership to remediate the few. Just as it is a disservice to my ready learners for me to engage in sweeping classroom micromanagement to forcibly compel compliance from reluctant learners, it makes no sense to adopt blanket personnel policy for all when what really needs to happen are tough, uncomfortable supervisory conversations with the few who may be shirking their responsibilities.

Common Reason #3: It will make the transition to eventual hybrid or face to face learning easier. Okay: How? I’ve yet to hear a convincing follow-up answer to this. I am concerned about how I can facilitate my students’ eventual transition, but I can handle relocating my own work if needed. The small number of teachers who can’t handle that? Again, like above, that’s a small group and is a management/supervisory issue.

Common Reason #4, the least persuasive: It is bad optics to have teachers working from home. I get that we are public schools. I also understand that the public will have strong opinions about anything and everything teachers do. But again: How many people are we really talking about? No matter what teachers do, ever, there will always be a faction of the public outraged and ready to take it to the supe’s office. Now would be a great time for our leaders to smile and nod at those complainers, and then consider policy that serves the physical and mental health of the employees…those same employees being charged with scaffolding up the physical and mental health of our students. (It is perpetually disheartening to see, nationwide, school systems that refuse to treat employees with the same essential care and humanity they expect those employees to provide for students.)

As the s-word starts to bubble up for various reasons in school districts across the nation, when it comes to where we teach virtually from it feels like we (labor) are fighting a fight we should not have to. Has anyone out there heard valid, compelling reasons why teachers should not have the flexibility to teach from wherever they feel safest during distance learning? Despite what it might seem from this screed, I’m open to having my mind changed.

Heraclitus Got It Right!

Posted by Swan Eaton on June 16, 2020
Uncategorized

“The only constant in life is change.”

We all know that no two school years are alike. Students and situations are always changing. That being said, I keep a checklist throughout the school year of tasks I would like to add or update in the following school year. Toward the end of the school year, I begin to make the necessary changes. I try to do this before school ends because I know that by the time fall comes around, I will have forgotten the purpose of the changes.

I use the Notes function provided in my Outlook email. It appears as a virtual post-it. I use it to jot down my ideas throughout the school year. Usually, my notes consist of basic items such as updating parent/student letters, submitting print requests for the start of year math units, buying needed class supplies, and creating or updating classroom visual posters.

I finalized my semester grades yesterday. In reviewing the online program my students used, I was surprised to see that out of 108 students, I only had 11 who were unable to access the online resource during distance learning. My initial thought in reviewing this data is that during distance learning, students will always try to do the work, but this is dependent on their availability to do it.

Recently, I have been reflecting on my teaching methods and past practices. This coming fall’s school start-up will be dependent on what phase of reopening our county is in. Currently, my county still hasn’t progressed out of phase 1. So how do I best prepare for the unexpected?

My new checklist:

Mentally prepare that school might be 100% distance learning.
Create student and parent tutorials around my core 4 platforms of Teams, One Note, Stream (for asynchronous video), and Zoom (for Synchronous video that I will use to deliver instruction and create community).
Begin to merge school adopted curriculum to these platforms.
Create a video tutorial on regular and sketch note-taking for students.
Create a logistic questionnaire for students and parents on wifi/internet availability, cell phone reception, meal access, adult help with school work, and environment to do school work.
Create a teacher account on various social media platforms to distribute information to parents and students.
Participate in professional development that will strengthen my skills in teaching during distance learning.

The challenges I have faced during distance learning will help me plan for the following school year. When you begin to prepare for the fall 2020-2021 school year, ask yourself these few questions.

What is working?
What am I learning?
What do I knot know yet?
What should I continue to do?

By actively engaging in this process of learning, reflection, and planning, you will have laid the groundwork to emerge stronger in the year to come. Remember, everyone’s process will be different. I hope in sharing mine, it will help you formulate what will work best for you, your students, and their parents. And if, as you read this, you have begun or already have plans in place, please comment. Because through collaborating and sharing with others is how we all learn and grow.

Real Student Conversation

Posted by Swan Eaton on June 12, 2020
Current Affairs, Education, Equity, Life in the Classroom, Middle School, Social Issues, Uncategorized

I started last Wednesday’s zoom office hours assuming that my students would most likely ask questions around their statistics math work. I spent the earlier part of the week predicting which questions they may have complications with, creating problems with step-by-step explanation, and jotting down my calendar availability in case students needed extra support sessions.

I start all zoom meetings asking my attendees how their weekend was. Delightful conversation usually occurs around how we are all keeping busy while staying at home. Once all the students have had an opportunity to share, we switch topics and discuss math. This last Wednesday was NOT business as usual.

My first student asked, “Mrs. Eaton, did you hear there is going to be a protest down at Winco?”

I said, “Yes, I heard about that.”

The discussion quickly unfolded into a slew of questions. Math wasn’t spoken of at all during the day’s sessions.

Some of my students are very confused and scared about what is happening in our country. There were varying opinions on what students have been seeing on TikTok. It was interesting to discover that students receive much of their news from TikTok, the social media platform where people are sharing funny dance moves, challenges, and jokes.

Students discussed different TikToks they had seen and how they were affected. I asked students to think about the accuracy/validity of what they were viewing. Students defended TikTok and expressed they felt it was “unfiltered real news”. When I asked them what they meant by that, they unanimously replied that you can’t trust news from the television.

The conversation then switched to racism. Some of my students vocalized they wanted to demonstrate their support while under quarantine (still in phase 1 where we live.) Others were scared because undocumented older siblings were going to attend the protest. They feared the police would catch them and send them to a detention facility.

Many of my citizen students never considered that some of their classmates were not documented. An eerie silence filled the zoom room when a student asked another if they were born here. I interjected and asked my students to think about whether it is okay to discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or national origin?

I can’t help but wonder what this would have looked like in a regular classroom. Would students have been shy to speak up? Does the stop video function act as a courage button in allowing students to be more vocal? Does the chat function facilitate hearing the voices of students who, in a regular classroom setting, would have been overshadowed by outspoken students?

During distance learning our priority, as educators, has been intensely focused on providing equitable instruction. I have been researching best practices, planning, and preparing what the start of 2020-2021 will look like. It is easy to forget, at times, that our classrooms were safe spaces where students were able to ask non-academic questions.

The best thing I could do was listen and allow an open forum for their discussion. The honest truth is that in today’s society, teachers are assumed to be viewed as neutral or as a moderator when discussing such topics with students. Students look up to their teachers and are influenced by our views, regardless of how we stand on any issue.

I understand that there are many ways to dismantle institutional racism and other controversial issues affecting our country. However, let’s not forget that space must be provided for students to question and discuss these issues in a non-threatening environment. It is through moments like this that understanding occurs, unconscious biases are discovered, bias starts to be extinguished, and our society begins to change for the better.

“Political Speech”

Posted by Mark Gardner on June 4, 2020
Uncategorized

It is abhorrent that openly stating “Black Lives Matter” in your classroom or with your students could get you disciplined or your license revoked.

Teachers and the education system are part of the problem that perpetuates not only systemic racism in public institutions but also the individual racism of American citizens. One of the hopes I have about the current outrage over the murder of George Floyd is that our school systems will start to see that saying “Black Lives Matter” is not a political statement. It is the philosophy every school and educator should adopt and promote.

However, some educators do fear being “too political.” That fear, to this point, has been justified as there are examples where teachers have not been supported when deviating from approved curriculum to address supposedly “political” issues. The Washington ACLU has this site I’ve referred to often both for my own self-check and to support fellow teachers. From the link:

School districts have the authority to control course content and teaching methods. You are generally considered to speak for the school district when you are in your classroom. Therefore, your speech in the classroom does not have much First Amendment protection. This can be a murky area, however. Some courts have ruled that schools cannot discipline teachers for sharing words or concepts that are controversial as long as the school has no legitimate interest in restricting that speech and the speech is related to the curriculum. In general, you should exercise caution so as not to give the appearance that you are advocating a particular religious or political view in the classroom.
Washington ACLU

A review of teacher free-speech cases in the Phi Delta Kappan included that the US Supreme Court in 2006 “held that when public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties, the employees are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes; as such, the Constitution does not protect them from employer discipline. For example, when talking to students during classroom instruction, teachers cannot assume their speech is protected. ” Further, the article noted that “the First Amendment does not entitle public school teachers to cover topics or advocate viewpoints that depart from the curriculum adopted by the school board.”

This is why I asked my district leadership to develop a public statement that explicitly supports and defends teachers’ use of proactive antiracism in curriculum implementation and pedagogical choices.

I do not pretend to be an expert on antiracism. The kinds of things I’m thinking about, though, include teacher moves like these below. This is a woefully incomplete and potentially misguided list, of course, but I’m brainstorming…these are also admittedly “secondary” as that is my limited experience. Teachers of other levels or content areas, please share ideas in the comments.

In an English or Social Studies class, explicitly instruct about out how white privilege impacts the context in which a text was created, particularly if the author is white.
In English or Social Studies, explicitly teach about systemic injustice and racism to help establish context for text; assign work to students that requires them to confront present day evidence of systemic racism.
In math or statistics: Use the concept of composition index or disparate impact to teach about percentages as a segment in a data literacy unit.
In health or PE, teach how stereotypes about black athletes or that “white men can’t jump” is rooted in both systemic disparities in access to education as well as historic white fragility and fear of any challenge to white social dominance.
In art, deliberately explore how visual/performing arts have been used throughout history to express calls for justice, and how the censorship or control of arts (including deliberate propaganda) have been used to reinforce a racial hierarchy.

Teachers have a lot of work to do on ourselves, of course. White teachers in particular need to come to terms with our own privilege and how it manifests in what and how we teach. If our systems are working, every teacher would be able to explain the nuance between “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” and how the latter deflects from urgent issues and instead perpetuates injustice. Every teacher would be able describe ways their own race, gender, or socioeconomic privilege manifests (which means deeply understanding that privilege is an observable, documentable, study-able reality, not a political construct). These stances, whether deliberately woven into curriculum or addressed in-the-moment as situations arise, should not be considered political speech, and should receive the explicit support of our employers.

There are individual classrooms where all of this is already happening, of course. Many teachers are doing the good work of antiracism and have been for a long time thanks to the implicit support of their departments, schools, or districts…or their sheer strength of will and character. I’ve spent the last few years striving to shape my classroom practice and content toward overt antiracism. I have a long way to go still, and I make plenty of mistakes.

Now, though, is the perfect moment for districts to make perfectly and unequivocally clear that they will back their antiracist teachers.

Roll Up, Roll Up!

Posted by Jan Kragen on June 1, 2020
Current Affairs, Elementary, Life in the Classroom

For years I taught a 5/6 split. The students I had as fifth graders “graduated” into being sixth graders in my next year’s class. Half my class each year was made up of returning students; I called them my “vets.” Half my class was made up of incoming students; they were my “newbies.”

Now I teach a straight fifth grade.

Boy, I miss having a consistent roll up.

There are so many advantages to having a roll up or “looping” classroom.

ONE

When I taught in a roll up, I had every student for two years, increasing student-teacher connections. I saw more improvements. Kids who might be quiet the first year came out of their shell more the second year. They blossomed! They went from not wanting to answer a question in class to clamoring for us to take our class poetry readings on the road.

I remember one third grader announcing to me on the last day of school, “I hate doing work!” I watched him run to the bus and thought, We’ll see how long that lasts. It actually lasted all of fourth grade, but by fifth grade he turned the corner. He became a diligent student, happy to put in the effort because he loved seeing all the great things he could accomplish.

I can make a big difference in a single year. In two years I can do magic.

TWO

Students hit the ground running.

You know how you spend a long time in the fall teaching your class the routines and protocols of your classroom?

With a roll up I could do that so much faster.

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One Last Lesson: Mindfulness in Trying Times

Posted by Lynne Olmos on May 31, 2020
Education, High School, Life in the Classroom, Mentoring, Uncategorized | distance learning, education, mindfulness, relationships, social emotional learning

I cannot begin to tell you how special my 2020 seniors are to me. I feel like writing them a mass letter of recommendation, pinning the hopes of the world on their amazing shoulders. They are the inspiration I need these days, because their cleverness, their resilience, their awareness, and their kindness are what we need to solve problems and hold each other up.

Last week I had one more online class with them to plan, and I had to make it matter. They have been my students since seventh grade. They’ve heard all my stories; they know all my opinions. I’ve presented them with hundreds of lessons on literature and composition. If I haven’t taught them a skill by now, it really is too late, right?

2020 Mossyrock Seniors in Junior High

Bell to bell. I like to fill my students’ time with learning, which makes me an exhausting, high-energy, way-too-intense teacher for some folks, but they know to expect my expectations. And we were going to learn on the last day, too.

What was the lesson they still needed? We had dedicated most of the last semester of their dual-credit composition class to “skills for success”. We brainstormed what successful adults had learned – outside of school. We compared that to their collective knowledge, and then they dug into some research to create projects to share with their peers to expand their knowledge in the homestretch. They created research papers, multimedia presentations, and blog posts (see them here), as individuals and groups. It was relevant, dynamic, timely, and successful. And, in the middle of it, the pandemic happened.

Some of the Girls (Photo Credit: Amy Fitzhugh)

So what was the lesson I still owed them? It is one I am working on myself, and one we all need, especially with the isolation and the unfamiliar challenges of distance learning. I announced that I (their least relaxed teacher of all time) was delving into mindfulness techniques to manage stress in these strange times. I have been reading about stress and mental health all year, and I had just attended our CSTP Happy Hour that focused on mindfulness with special guest Christy Anana. All of the signs led to this topic. This topic chose itself.

I let my vulnerability show, telling my seniors I knew my mindfulness skills were awful, and my “vibe” was not the sort that a mindfulness teacher would have, but I also knew that it was a skill for success that we had bypassed in our research. It was too important to leave out.

Some of the Boys (Photo Credit: Sage Pereira)

So, we watched some videos: an explainer on stress and the brain; some videos of a high school teacher who helps her students “arrive” through mindfulness; and a video that led us through a mindful minute. We discussed how we felt about it, how our conservative community would react if teachers started teaching mindfulness regularly, and how we could use it in our lives to stay grounded and present.

And, as usual, like every other time, these kids impressed me. They were amazing, and already better than me at mindfulness.

The Home Team (Photo Credit: Amy Fitzhugh)

So, at the end, I gave them instructions as to how to write their final reflection and submit their portfolios. There was an awkward pause. I struggled to find some witty way to say my final goodbye, and I failed.

I just said, “I’m going to let you go.”

Pause. Long pause.

“Are you going to cry Mrs. Olmos?”

“Yes.”

That was the last lesson, the last gift I had to give those students. But, next year’s students, no matter what next year looks like, are going to get a more mindful teacher from the get-go.

One More for the Road (Photo Credit: Amy Fitzhugh)

Resources:

How Our Brains React to Uncontrollable Stress

Harvard Researchers Study How Mindfulness May Change the Brain in Depressed Patients

The Mindfulness Skill That Is Crucial for Success

Arrive – A Mindfulness Minute

Mindful Minute – Beach

Christy Anana on YouTube

Where is the Student Perspective?

Posted by Swan Eaton on May 30, 2020
Uncategorized

The 4th annual Washington State Teacher Advisory Council (WATAC) Spring Conference was held virtually on May 3, 2020. In this conference, educators learned from their colleagues, got to network, and shared with one another. WATAC provided a full day of sessions starting with opening speaker Amy Campbell, Washington State Teacher of the Year. Lynne Olmos, CSTP blogger’s article, “This Is Heavy: The WATAC Conference and Finding Meaning,” focuses on the presentations from the session speakers.

One of the few great things that have come from this pandemic is the shattering of distance boundaries with professional development. As an eastern Washingtonian, WATAC meant at least 20 hours of road travel, costly hotel stays, and an entire weekend away from my family. I want to say THANK YOU WATAC for doing the impossible and providing a virtual conference in such a short period of time. I hope the option to join conferences virtually continues post-COVID.

The WATAC break-out sessions offered a depth of perspective from multiple stakeholder panels. The student panel interested me the most. It was broken up into three student panel sessions, K-5th grade, 6th-8th grade, and 9th-12th grade. I attended the 6-8th grade student panel because I wanted to better understand the student perspective during this unique period of time. Students discussed what is and isn’t working during distance learning.

What Is Working
Students enjoy the control of waking up when they feel like it. Having the flexibility in allowing their bodies to receive adequate sleep without the pressure of needing to be at school by a certain time. This makes it easier for students to concentrate when they begin their school work.

Students appreciate when teachers respond quickly to emails. We have to remember, as adults, we have become accustomed to giving colleagues a 24-hour window to respond to our emails. However, we must not forget that students haven’t experienced frequent communication via email.

Suggested schedules were also requested by students. Many students feel somewhat lost since distance learning began. Students felt it would be helpful if a simple schedule were created by their teachers recommending when to work on lessons throughout the day or week. A recommended schedule would provide structure, limit student stress, and help them organize their ideas without having to scroll through assignments or emails.

What Isn’t Working
Too many technology platforms are being used. Students are frustrated in learning various ways to submit work, communicate with their teacher, and/or demonstrate their understanding. It has become a juggling act to remember which platforms to use for each teacher. They wish all their teachers would collaborate and decide to use the same platforms.

Students don’t feel they are getting enough work. Some students expressed that they are only receiving review work and haven’t learned anything new. Other students said they aren’t given enough work to do. This has been very irritating to them. Their big question was, “Why aren’t my teachers assigning new work?” Students want to be challenged.

Overwhelmingly, the student panel also let us know that they have friends with limited internet capability. Their friends aren’t able to receive the same level of education as students with no internet complications. Yes, students see the inequity in distance learning.

There are many workgroups forming that are focusing on the 2020-2021 school reopening. Remember it is vital to have representation from students and parents. This reminds me of what an 8th-grade student panelist said, “If teachers just understood us.” Moving forward, all educators need to make a concentrated effort in listening to the needs of students and parents.

The first step in understanding them is to talk with them and ask for feedback on what is and isn’t working. This knowledge will help educators tailor their teaching to better fit students’ needs. Their stories and feedback should be what we, as educators, listen to in order to determine the next steps in creating their best future.

Like Doc Brown said in Back to the Future: Part III, “Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has! Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one!”

Stories From School

Practice Meets Policy