The Lie of "College & Career Readiness"

Last week our student council arranged a day for students to dress up to look like whatever career they would like to have when they grow up.  One of our most gifted sixth graders dressed up like a construction worker.  This is a bright kid, from a great family, not a tike still stuck in a Bob the Builder phase.  He's thought about this.  He's verbalized it around people he cares about and had an opportunity to see their reactions and possibly hear what they have to say.  And there's nothing wrong with it... unless you're in education.  To the education field, non-college pursuits represent failure, and in this gifted child's sense, a possible tragedy.

The last two decades school district's have continuously yapped about "preparing students for college and career readiness."  It would be a terrific goal for all schools if only it weren't a lie.  When your school or district tells you they are preparing kids for 'college and career readiness', what they mean is 'college readiness'.  Schools don't get 'paid' in their test data for those who choose jobs working with their hands.

Students who elect to pursue a career without attending college, particularly if paired with average or below average standardized test scores ultimately represent a strike against teachers, schools, and district compiling data which often sets college readiness as the benchmark.  To support this, rhetoric was created in many places suggesting that blue collar jobs were going away because of technology and college was a student's only hope of having a career and earning a living.  Imposing these sorts of scare tactics on children and their parents is despicable.  How ironic that high school offerings of shop, welding, auto, cooking, and other hands on classes are in major decline.  College AND career?

Schools should absolutely attempt to grow all children and help all children have the opportunity if they should so choose, to attend college.  Those who explore a different path should not be looked down upon as failures because of their impact on success rate data or for failing to support the fictional narrative that not going to college means you'll live with your parents forever.  Most laborers I know earn significantly more than most school social workers.  Some people do not enjoy school.  Some people enjoy working with their hands, being outside, and hate wearing ties or high heels.  There's room for both here.  Let's support both, rather than raising our nose at one.

Schools should be offering a well rounded variety of academic options, which expands further as they reach high school, where then students can begin to discover what areas they have passion for.  Besides, if we are really interested in preparing students for life, the emphasis should be on developing skills in problem solving, collaboration, and creativity- not over emphasizing standardized math results.  If you are a teacher, please make when your class talks about careers, that all sorts of careers are celebrated and promoted because at the end of the day, nearly all college certified teachers need a mechanic...

     

The Homework Battle & Why It Must Be Won For Kids

Students at my elementary school receive a small amount of homework each night.  This mostly consist of independent reading and a few minutes of math fact practice.  The work and the effort are never graded, and they are never held against the student in terms of loss of privilege or even a hallway scolding ("We've talked!  You KNOW homework is important).  We encourage kids to read every night, and we also encourage them to play outside, to join sports, music, and church programs, do good deeds, and to eat dinner together as family.  Our school has regularly scored above the district and state averages in both reading and mathematics.  The junior high indicates that our children and regularly the most prepared feeder school.  And I'm hated by a measurable percentage of people.

My daughter goes to a school with a long 'traditional of excellence' that has them very proudly stuck in pedagogical and assessment practices that are way outdated.  They affluence of the feeder  neighborhoods allows them to overcome bad practice and believe, that in spite of ignoring most modern research in the field, they're doing a great job (translation: the parents are really good at 'helping' with homework).  Predictably, we fight through hours of homework nightly with our 5th grade son.  We rarely can eat together.  He had to quit the swim team to keep up with homework demands.  My spouse is effectively his math teacher.  She cries regularly.  She drinks wine nightly.  My son hates his teacher.  He hates school.  This is the experience my school's parents are fighting me over denying them?

How can educators- particularly administrators- work with families and school boards who continue to cling to the outdated and many times over disproven notion that lots of homework equates to high standards, rigor, and preparation for 'the real world?'

Part of the challenge stems from the fact that we've become a data horny field with completely reckless use of information many don't even understand.  "My child got a 'developing' on Smarter Balanced Assessments! This is because he didn't have more homework!"  This is same blocked-headed reactionary thinking that sunk us into this mess following Sputnik and later the 1983 report A Nation At Risk.  The difference is, now we've tried the kill em' with homework approach and have a mountain of evidence to show that it's not effective. So why are we still do it? More isn't always better.  Not everything can be counted.  I'd argue learning is one of those things.

These are hard conversations to have.  Most of the time, the resistance to modern assessment practices and homework reduction come from people who have already made their mind up.  After all, since they attended school, they too possess expertise (or they fear the advantage of white privilege will be negated by allowing someone else to re-do an assignment for full credit).

As uphill as these battles are, it's our obligation as educators to keep fighting these fights.  Squeaky wheels DO get greased.  Parents who do understand the harm of these practices need to be calling their principals, talking at school board meetings, and sharing their concerns with other parents.  Teachers need to have the courage to not do the wrong thing because it's the path of least resistance.    This just isn't the profession for it.  Our children deserve better.  

So That's How It Is In Their Family...

Dismissal is a hectic few minutes with quite a few moving parts for our school.  Kids are predictably rambunctious, parents are on the scene, there's the danger of moving cars, someone has always forgotten their flute inside (tying up the entire car line), and there's usually a bus driver who wants to have a discussion about arranging a make shift firing squad line to summarily shoot children until someone comes forward with a full confession as to who has been leaving Blow Pop wrappers on the bus floor. 

Dismissal is also a great time to make connections with kids and I try to filter as much of the other noise as I can during this time to chat with kids about their soccer practice, what they thought of last night's hockey game, or about the book they're reading.

John is a 4th grade boy who dresses in nothing but T-shirts which proudly express his fondness for Minecraft.  John is one these kids who has amazingly learned how to speak without pausing to breathe.  He shifts from topic to topic at lightning quick speeds, all while dancing a whirling dervish and subsequently assaulting classmates with his book bag or art project. 

As with many students excited for adult attention, John is unfazed by the challenge of competition.  Recently, during dismissal I needed to grab a couple PTA parents to briefly discuss an upcoming event.  John located me through the body traffic and came charging up, bull dozing his way into the group.

Immediately he loudly began hot breathed story about his families recent vacation.  "... and I had ice cream in a waffle cone!... and we stayed at this really great hotel!... they had a hot tub!....and they had a swimming pool and I swam for like 18 hours..."  I smiled gently at the other adults.  John was impossible not to like even if his manners needed a little tune up.   

"And they had GOLDEN SHOWERS! Wouldn't you love a GOLDEN SHOWER, Dr. Principal?!  I've never been in a GOLDEN SHOWER, but my mom went in the GOLDEN SHOWER and then my dad went into the GOLDEN SHOWER.  Have you ever been a GOLDEN SHOWER, Dr. Principal?!?"


Um, that's kinda personal, John.

A Plea For Social Studies

Political affiliation aside, most people I've spoken to would at least concede on some level that neither major party offered a particularly good option when it came to our most recent Presidential election.  Donald Trump, for good for bad, seems have successfully blended the circus and government, and is seemingly at the center of more controversy each passing day.  He's more entertainer than leader, and to his credit, didn't campaign as anything different.  Knowing all this, the American people still elected him, no doubt in large part to Hillary Clinton's own career (and her husband's) having been mired in scandal.

How the hell did we get here?  How did two lousy candidates become our only options?  How did a man who has openly offended every imaginable demographic, who seems more likely to be impeached than actually accomplish any of his goals, become the fucking President of the United States?  Well, perhaps schools are somewhat to blame.

No Child Left Behind was signed into law in January of 2002, and ushered in the age of school accountability, and with that, testing.  Lots and lots of testing.  These tests were used to judge individuals, schools, and neighborhoods.  They caused re-organization of some schools, were sometimes tied to salary or employment, and their results became the absolute measure of worth when examined by a public who often didn't understand what they meant.  This predictably lead to schools slowly adapting curriculum to better increase their odds of scoring well on tests(regardless of how mundane the instruction became), more text prep, and a re-allocation of time which focused more on the subject areas tested, typically, math, reading, & writing.  Social studies began to disappear.  It wasn't tested and thus became a necessary sacrifice in order to survive the judgments and consequences of government.   In many places where it still existed in some form, students were often pulled from it for RtI needs ("they can't leave math or reading, those subjects are tested!").

Students who were four years old, when NCLB was signed into law were eligible to vote in 2016.  This essentially an entire generation of voters who were likely to have receives less education on Social Studies, Civics, & History than past peers.  Wasn't a primary function of schools supposed to be to develop the future citizens of our country?  How can that occur when little emphasis is placed in this area?

Donald Trump has certainly made numerous ignorant statements.  But I'm disheartened to hear that extremist groups like the KKK and the American Nazi Party are strengthening again.  Hate feasts on ignorance.  If students are not given regular opportunities to study these events and discuss their impact with a trained adult, how can they be expected to understand the complex dynamics of race relations when they become an adult?  How can we have empathy today if don't know yesterday?  How could a generation of collective opinions support identifying and electing wise leaders of any party?  It's at least fair to consider that they cannot. 

School leaders- if social studies has slipped in importance in your school or district- I am requesting that you use your voice and talents to help it remerge in our schools.  The possible consequences of not doing so could be tragic. 

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...     

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."

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. 

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.

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...

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!

Last Tango In Grade School

The other day there was a mix up at the end of the day with one of our third grade students.  He was supposed to take the bus home but somehow wound up in the car line.  No big deal.

The challenge here though was that this kid's family was from the Ukraine and the only person who spoke any English in the family was the kid's mom.  The mom was an extremely attractive woman, with a great figure in all senses, and complimented such with a trendy wardrobe that generally included plenty of short skirts, high heels, and low cut tops.

It took us a while to track the mom down.  She was coming back from the airport and couldn't get to the school to pick her son up for about 30 minutes.  We assured her that he was fine and got the boy a snack while he waited.  I sent the secretaries home since we were having an Open House with ice cream served for kids that night and I knew they probably wanted to freshen up before coming back to work.

I was working in my office when the boy, Viktor, knocked and asked if he could throw his pretzel wrapper away.  He sort of lingered in my office, acting like he wanted to chat (poor guy was probably bored as hell) so I initiated things.

"So ya comin' to the open house and ice cream social tonight?"

"Ah.  No.  No we can't make it" he replied.

"Well, ya can't make everything, right?"

"Well it's my mom's birthday today" he shared.

"Oh wow!  So are you all going out for a nice dinner with mom?" I asked trying to apply the necessary enthusiasm surrounding birthdays that an eight year old would expect.

"No. My mom wanted to get a dance lesson for her birthday."

"Oh neat!  Are you going with her?" I asked.

"No. It's a tango lesson" he explained.

"Ah.  So probably just mom and dad for that one, right?" I said.

"No.  My mom broke up with my dad.  She told me it's a private tango lesson."


Don't wait up, kid.

Learning Is A Journey

The other day as my wife and I returned home, our neighbors walked across the street to chat.
"Hey, can you on your principal hat for a second?"  This is of course my favorite introductory question when I'm actually not on the clock.

She went on to explain that at her daughters school they're now 'doing this thing' where if you take a test and get a poor grade, you can re-take it and get a new score.  She didn't think this was a fair practice and was curious as to what I thought.  If you haven't guessed yet, her daughter is highly accelerated and easily scores well on tests and assignments without much remediation.

I explained to our neighbor that not only did I agree with this procedure, but that I held the same expectation in regards to testing/grading at my own building.  If you've had one of these debates, you can probably predict the sequence of the conversation.  "This isn't fair to kids who work hard the first time... not every kid deserves a trophy... this isn't how the 'real world' works... this isn't  teaching responsibility..." and then after dismissing all of these claims with logic, "Well,  I STILL don't like it!"

I wasn't upset by this exchange.  I'm used it as an advocate for practices which embrace learning as the target v. ranking/sorting children.  This was just another reminder of how much effort is necessary to properly educate parents on best practice.

This was an random conversation that took place in my driveway.  I've presented this same sort of thinking to passionate educated teachers in an organized pre-thought out manner and still had (many) people leave upset with what they were hearing.  Changing long held mindsets doesn't happen in a single outing.  People need time to reflect on what they've learned, privately explore their own biases, ask questions/clarification, see examples, and experiment on their own.  Immediately rejecting new thinking does NOT necessarily make the listeners dumb, ignorant, or stubborn (stubborn thinkers are valuable to have around...).

It's frustrating to give a strong, impassioned presentation to a group and watch the audience leave pissed off rather than cheering for you like the President at the State of the Union address.  That's just not how strong leadership usually works.  Changing outdated thinking is a constant obligation of school leadership.  The messages need to be heard regularly over time, and we should be realistic in our pace of change.  Some people will never change their thinking, and many who do will never acknowledge your guidance in the journey.  If you're waiting for that moment of "okay, YOU were right" you're missing the point.      

I'm confident my neighbor will understand eventually.  She's intelligent and just needs to see that other children learning and feeling good about themselves doesn't take anything away from her daughter or make her any less special in her giftnedness.  She'll eventually see how much less anxiety comes with that moment when her daughter scores poorly on a test, and can re-take it (this will of course happen eventually...).  Or maybe she won't.  But there would no chance of changing thinking if the leadership of the school district made decisions based off the initial reactions to new information.  The same is true when we work with our staffs or students.  Learning is a journey- not a moment.    

Screw Data.

I'm really hoping that we're close to another pendulum swing in education.

The obsessive reliance on data in regards to decision making in schools and classrooms has exceeded it's value.  Just as teachers and principals have cried out that test scores aren't a measure of their effectiveness as educators- the same rule applies to learners as well.

What we're currently doing is the equivalent of looking at only a batters home run statistics to determine who the best baseball players are.  Learning is not, no matter how much we try, like money.  It can't be easily quantified, nor can it provide fast evidence of effectiveness or lack thereof.

I don't care what measure you're using.  None of them can account for the kid who walked away from drugs because of something a teacher said.  None of them can determine if a kid has stayed in school only because he feels safe with this teacher. None of them measure the blossoming of creativity, kindness, courage or collaboration (all 21st C. skills...) which teachers routinely foster.  And none of them can predict entirely if a child will or will not be successful in life.  However, most of the time, what they DO tell us, after loads of cost, time, and anxiety, is what any decent teacher already knew.  "He reads slowly?  Holy Shit!  I would have never known that despite teaching him for months!  I'm so glad we interupted several days of learning to lab test seven year olds!  Thank you AIMSweb!"

The data craze has numbed classrooms, and killed many spirits.  It's been great though for consultants and authors of educational books as we can now endlessly debate what 'rigor' or 'high standards' actually mean when determining cut scores and services for children.

Teachers should be encouraged to trust their instincts, embrace their passions while teaching.  I'm not in any way an advocate for drill & kill, endless memorization, or hours of homework.  Education has progressed and improved.  Data does have a place in our schools and classrooms.  However, 'data to inform decision making' should NOT effectively equate to "data to remove all use of the human brain.'  

School Registration Blues

Our school district has recently adopted an online registration procedure.  It is super simple and totally convenient for all parties involved.  In past years we've dealt with the consistent problem of families being on vacations during the designated registration periods.  Being unable to add them to the count until they return from Disney has the potential to impact hiring/recall of teachers who are anxious begin preparing for school.  Online registration essentially solves this headache.  It saves secretaries tons of data entry, and it is also far more 'green' as we are making less copies and printing less documents.  Everyone wins right?

Perhaps.  But as I go through registration, which now consists of only unique cases (families without computer access, residency question marks, second language families who need translation, etc.) being 'in person,' something feels missing.  Ultimately, it's the same thing we've given up in nearly every area we've moved to Internet based- relationships.

I miss seeing all the children and their families come in after being separated for months.  The look of excitement on the children's faces reminds me of why I entered the profession.  I got to catch up with parents and hear their hopes and concerns for the new school year.  I got hear about little league games and swim meets.  We got to know and create an immediate personal connection with new families and students. But no longer.  It was a ritual coming back together for our school, and now it's gone.

I get it.  It's 2014.  Hell, we're probably way late to the game on this one.  We'd look disorganized and out of touch with time if we continued to force families to stand in a slow line to accomplish what they could do in minutes from the comfort of their home.  Many parents (sadly) have no interest in having a relationship with me or anyone else at the school.

Still, teaching children is about relationships before all other things.  As a profession, we need to constantly evaluate the decisions we make and how they impact our ability to form quality relationships.  When we lose something like in-person registration, one of the few times every parent has to come to the school, we need to brain storm alternatives to get that valuable in-person contact.  I'd love to hear what other schools are doing to preserve their relationships in the on-line era.   

Stay At Home Mom

A note had gone home inviting parents to an end of the year event at our school.  Steven was a messy first grader who frequently lost such correspondence between it being given to him and his arrival at home.  He was also a little sneaky and thought he was more clever than he in fact was.  His teacher of course was aware of this.

"Steven, did you give your mother the note about parents night?"

"Oh, she's not coming" replied Steven casually.

"Steven- did you, or did you not, give your mom that note?" his teacher pushed.

Steven, becoming a little short, pushed back. "Okay!  I didn't give her the note, because I KNOW she's not coming!"

"Sweetie, how you know for sure your mom is not coming to an event she may not even know is happening?"

"Because" Steven confidently began, "I heard her tell someone last week that she's a stay at home mom!"

The High Cost Of Hygiene

Thomas was a mess of a little boy.  Besides being 'a picker' and spending more time in the nurses office with nose bleeds than in the classroom, he also had horrible hygiene.  Over the years different teachers had tried to talk to his mother about his shabby appearance, curious body aroma, uncombed hair, his frequent nose picking (and the after effort snack), and effect this had on his ability to make friends.  These pleas fell on deaf ears.  

Now in 6th grade, with a full face of acne, and recognizing the girls (and boys...) aren't interested in him, Thomas asked his teacher how he could get rid of all the pimples on his face.

"Well let me ask you Thomas, how often do you take a shower?"

"Every two or three days."

"Don't you think you should be taking a shower every single night?"

Thomas laughed hysterically.  "Ha!  We've got better things to spend our money than water!"

One Nation Under God?

While doing my rounds, I stopped into the kindergarten room (always an adventurous visit) to see what was going on.  On that particular day, I was wearing a tie with an American Flag on it (the US Olympic hockey team had a big game that day).

One excited little girl quickly blurts out, "Oooo, I love your tie Mr. Anonymousprincipalperson!"

"Thanks! Children, does anyone know why I'm wearing an American Flag tie today?"

Every hand in the room, instantly, goes up.  Anyone who has ever been in a kindergarten classroom can confirm the previous statement.

I picked out a little boy sitting nicely with his hand raised.  "Because President's Day was a few days ago?"

I was actually pretty impressed with this answer from a 5 year old.  "Great answer!  I never thought of that!  But there's another I'm wearing an American Flag tie.  Who else has a guess?"  Every hand, including the kid who's already answered, shoots back up.

I pick another little boy sitting patiently.

"Because you belief in Jesus?!"

Um..., 

My Father Would Be Rolling Over In His Tomb...

Recently one of our second graders was shocked to learn that school was indeed in session on Valentine's Day.

Student#1: We have school on Valentine's Day!?  But everybody celebrates Valentine's Day.  We get President's Day off, but have school on Valentine's Day!  Nobody celebrates President's Day. That's crazy!

Student#2:  Valentine's Day is one of those made up holidays.

Student#1: Ohhh yeah.  Like Easter.

Fahrenheit -451, The Temperature At Which Schools Close

It's been a long winter for those on the East coast, the plains, and the Midwest in the United States.  My Twitter feed has been constantly filled up with posts about temperature (or the dashboard thermometer 'selfie' proving it's real damn cold where your at) and massive snow fall.  Many schools have been cancelled due to these circumstances.  However, many have not.

This is an impossible position for superintendents.  Cancelling school creates a ripple effect of other issues- most notably day care concerns.  While the occasional unexpected day off may be welcomed by some teachers, the extension of the school year later on is rarely popular.

Still I find it odd that in a country where New York has a limit on the size of soda you can buy, where seat belts & helmets must be worn by law, where most states have enacted smoking bans/limits of some sort, where metal detectors & cops are standard in school buildings, and where school districts are held to strict dietary cafeteria regulations- all in the name of safety and health, that superintendents are left to have to arbitrarily decide at what negative wind chill it's too low for a six year old to walk to and stand at a bus stop (is -25 degrees wind chill too low?  -30?).   How many inches of snow and freezing ice are unwise to send school buses (and staff) out on?

In weather as frigid as it's been this month in many parts of the country, frost bite can set in in under 10 minutes.  Is it more likely that one of our students DOES have a gun or DOESN'T have a pair of gloves?  Do our laws and procedures reflect the answer to that question?

I know, I know- we all walked to school in much colder temperature (uphill, both ways, barefoot...), kids are soft these days, blah blah blah.  Perhaps there's some truth there as well.  But when a five year old loses her fingers because his bus is late or a bus slides off an icy road, I can assure that 'meeting the demands of the Common Core' will be a very distant afterthought.

Some winters are tougher than others.  The number of days in question can probably be counted on one hand over the course of several years.  But on those days, I would urge leaders and policy makers to show the same concern for safety as we do when it comes to so many other areas.

Winter Break Revelations

We returned to school this week after our nondenominational winter pause.  The return of students after break reminds me of when my daughter spends the weekend at grandmas- all rules, guideline, and procedures, no matter how basic, need to be refreshed, re-modeled, and practiced.

Students are also super excited to share what they did over their respective breaks.  One of our third graders piped up right away on Monday.  "My auntie had to go to the hospital!"  The teachers showed concern and asked why (always a dangerous invitation with little ones...), and the child revealed her aunt had a baby over break.

Those who work with elementary students (particularly young ones) know that this exchange now invited 25 other children to raise their hands (or simply blurt out) anything that had to do with hospitals, doctors, babies, aunts, winter break, or anything else for that matter.

Little Xavier struck first.  "Yeah, we had to take to my sister to the hospital too."  The teacher was pretty much obligated to show the same concern and again inquire what had happened.

"Awww, she partied too hard and shook it till she broke it."

Having had all of this little boy's sisters, the teacher wisely elected to inquire no further.