Pick Us! We're Your Partner!

Carrying out three teacher bags full of textbooks and walking four kids to my car (two are mine, two are friends of my kids) I think to myself, "All this money and this too could be yours." That's right, folks. It's textbook adoption time. Every six years whether we need it or not! Of course, this round's textbook adoption is all about the Common Core standards. Did you know all three textbook presenters said their material was created for the Common Core in mind, and no one else could make that claim? Crazy, right? Did you know all three have famous educators who have worked with their textbook? Unbelievable! Most of all, did you know all our ipad compatible! Blow me away! Okay, so I share with teachers that they should avoid sarcasm with kids, so I will spare the rest of the sarcasm.

But, in all seriousness, you and I both know that the next great textbook adoption isn't going to suddenly make us have 100% of our kids pass the I-READ test or 100% pass ISTEP+ or make adequate growth on NWEA. Please know, I am not anti-textbook, anti-testing, anti-books. But, I have to ask myself, "What is going to increase our reading scores? It is more likely by the way we the use the resources that are available to us. Don't get me wrong. I think all three presenters were genuinely passionate about their product. But, here's the problem. I am genuinely passionate about my students.

What I want doesn't come in the form of a cool textbook, a box of leveled readers, or even an iPad app. Nope, what I want from readers comes from the heart of you, me, the child, and the family. Reading isn't about which phonics skills are taught when. It's not about whether you agree with whole language. It's not about the running record. It's about the amount of time we spend in the reading process.

Give me a stack of books, 20 volunteers, and 20 kids. Now, let's go town. That's what changes readers. My students need to be read to, read with, and listened to each day. When you read to the special child of yours, stop and tell them what you think while you are reading. Model how you solve words. Make a great prediction based on what has happened in the story. Analyze what the author was really trying to say when he was using metaphors.

What would happen if we even took this notion of reading and brought in volunteers into our schools. If you had a group of 25 members from a service organization, community, or business, give just 1 hour a week. That's like adding almost 3 teachers in one day to a school each week. Imagine if all they did was just read with kids. We could change the world!

Swing the bat. Swing the bat. Swing the bat. That's how you create hitters in baseball.
Shoot the free throw. Shoot the free throw. Shoot the free throw. That's how you win ball. Ask IU. Read. Read. Read. That's how you create readers.

Be Their Cheerleader

The last two weeks was state testing in the state of Indiana. Next week is state testing for reading for third grade. Don't worry, in case you missed it, another round hits at the end of April. I could record my recollections on all the testing, the 5Ws and an H (as a good journalist would), but I am going to embark on a conversation that does not required an extended response, a checklist, or even marking a bubble. But, it's the most important part of the test.

But, let's see how well you would do on a test question. It may have been a while since you have taken a test question, so do your personal best.

Directions: Select the answer the best completes the statement.

1. ______ is most important part of the test for our students.
   A. The Right Answer
   B. Confidence
   C. Noting the key words in the sentence.
   D. A and C.

Tricky question, right? But, the correct answer is B.

Confidence is how we change learning from the Inside Out. If we can help our students believe they can achieve, they will. It's really that simple. I have found myself reflecting on how can I be that cheerleader in the classroom upon every time I enter a classroom. While I have many duties, my number one duty is to my children. I feel very fortunate and blessed to carry the burden of impacting the instructional direction for 450 students daily. I have 180 days to support each child in their quest to become a responsible, caring citizen.

I find that I can do that best by being the child's cheerleader. So, for this round of ISTEP+ testing, I took the knowledge of building confidence, episodic memory, and had some fun. I visited each third, fourth, and fifth grade classroom with a cheer Lincoln shirt, knee high black socks, shorts, and a bandanna. You may or may not have seen me standing on a student's desk (yes, I specifically chose the student who I chose to stand on for that extra bump in confidence), and gave them their cheer:
              E-E-E-A-G, L-L-L-E-S, EAG-LES, EAGLES! EAGLES! EAGLES!

That was followed by a 1-2-3 mini lesson on test-taking tips to build confidence. It was not about how to solve a multi-step math program, read a passage, or write a novel. Simply put, it was a quick and easy way to let them know they can be the best they can be. Then, they made a cheer out of it!

Isn't that the job in education? Letting children know they can be the best they can be.
Inside Out. Cheer On!

"Arg!" and "Read!"

"Arg!" Today was the day when I realized the power of one. Today was the day I realized education can be changed from the inside out. I think I have always known this deep down. However, the responsibilities of the educator seemed to be hidden by data warehouses, data mining, forms, reports, and graphs. Yet, beyond the colorful charts are 20 faces in a classroom that are more than reports. They are the future of education. I often become annoyed with the rhetoric and the cliche comments in education, but yet, I am drawn to the infamous pendulum shift of education. Somewhere between data warehouses and students' first there has to be a common middle ground. It is the responsibility of us all to make education what we want it to be. I have a message to send, and I plan to send it.

Read Across America Day celebrates the pure joy of reading. Celebrating Dr. Seuss' Birthday, each classroom across America found unique and creative ways to recognize reading! At Lincoln Elementary School, I chose to celebrate Lincoln readers as one of my favorite literary characters of all time...the infamous and misunderstood Captain James Hook from the Peter Pan author  J.M. Barrie.

The look of joy, excitement, and fun was evident by all students (and staff). This was one of the most fun days I had in my role as an educator. I think it is safe to say that my students and staff had a very enjoyable day during Read Across America Day. Upon returning to school this week, I still see the finger hooks of students, "arg!" being shared, and heard about the favorite stories from the students.

What does this tell me? Two things: One, we can have fun and do school at the same time (who knew!). Second, kids like to see the adults whom they look up to and admire imitate reality and fiction.

We change schools from the Inside Out by bringing literature alive!