Some Background about Ellen Berg
and Turner Middle School in St. Louis, MO
I am the sixth grade team leader and communication arts teacher at Turner
M.E.G.A. Magnet Middle School in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. We are
the middle school in a cluster of four computer animation magnet schools
(two elementary and one high school) that were designed to give students
comprehensive computer animation instruction for K-12.
In addition to the computer animation focus, we are also a Schools
for Thought school, a philosophy of learning based on inquiry and constructivism
largely promoted by the McDonnell
Foundation and its president, John Bruer, author of the
book, Schools for Thought. Prior to the 1999-2000 school year,
Turner Middle and the other schools in the cluster were racially isolated
(100% African-American) neighborhood schools. Although our majority population
is still African-American, we have recruited students of all races and backgrounds-Bosnian,
Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian-from across the city. During my five years
at Turner, I have taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade communication
arts, writing enrichment lab, and newspaper.
A kinship with adolescents
I didn't set out to become a middle school teacher. I originally wanted
to become a high school honors English teacher, but at the eleventh hour
I requested a middle school assignment for student teaching. At the time
I believed I would spend the rest of my life in a high school setting, but
something inside urged me on to see what middle school was all about.
The experience of teaching eighth grade communication arts on a team of
exemplary teachers was a revelation. I felt a kinship between myself and
kids who were in transition between childhood and adulthood. Instead of
being irritated by the extreme highs and lows adolescents go through, I
could empathize with their struggles and see them for who they are rather
than for that day's behavior. I've never regretted my decision to spend
my career as a middle school teacher.
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University
of Missouri-St. Louis. I am beginning my fifth year of teaching this year.
Prior to finding my position at Turner Middle School, I worked as a permanent
substitute teacher for two years at a high school in the suburbs of St.
Louis. During that time I taught every subject including P.E., shop, pre-calculus,
and all levels of high school English literature.
Although I have not begun my formal graduate education, I have taken several
graduate level courses with the Gateway Writing Project, the local chapter
of the National Writing Project. I am planning to begin my Master's this
coming summer, but I'm having a difficult time deciding what area I want
to focus on -- curriculum and instruction, or reading.
On the one hand, I love the idea of helping teachers develop their skills
and confidence as learners and instructors as a professional development
coordinator. However, I also see the desperate need for master teachers
of reading in each building as reading scores steadily drop and a wide gap
gets even wider between the haves and the have nots. Essentially it comes
down to a decision between working with teachers or with students, and I'm
not sure I'm ready to commit to giving up direct contact with my kids yet.
Helping my students develop confidence as learners
Like many teachers, I have many, many things I'd like to accomplish with
my students this year, but the wish list is long, and I think it's better
to focus on one or two goals whole-heartedly than to spread myself too thin.
More than anything I'd like to see my students develop confidence as learners.
My inner-city kids have experienced a lot of failure and a lot of unkind,
unfair treatment from the adults in their lives, many of them teachers.
Despite their outward display of strength and confidence, much of it is
an act designed to cover up their fear of being inadequate. This summer
I had a little girl crying on my shoulder because, "I'm just too stupid,
and I can't even read!" That broke my heart and made me more determined
than ever to help my students find success. My kids have a lot of ability,
and if I can just get them to try, they will succeed. If they experience
authentic success, it will build confidence, and the cycle will continue.
[See this e-mail from Ellen about
expectations.]
In the summer of 1998 I went to Costa Rica to learn inquiry-based teaching
across the disciplines. I had always believed that I was not good in science
because I struggled to earn even mediocre science grades. However, as the
instructors had us participate in and design various inquiries, I discovered
that I could succeed in science. I learned more about biomes, rainforests,
arthropods, and habitats in the two weeks I spent there than I ever had
before. More than that, I developed confidence in myself as a learner. I
want to give that confidence to my students.
Many of my kids are frustrated, angry and afraid to try
Part of helping my students succeed is creating a focus on reading instruction.
My sixth graders' reading levels run the gamut from second grade to ninth
grade with most students reading at about the fourth grade level. They are
frustrated, angry, and discouraged about their lack of skill, and it's difficult
to get them to drop their fear enough to try.
This year I'm continuing an action research project I began during the summer
to track the attitudes and achievement levels of my students. The project
began because my homeroom refused to read the novel the other communication
arts teacher on the team presented to them. When I asked my students what
the problem was and why some people didn't like to read, they came up with
answers like, "I've never read a 12-chapter book," and, "It's
too hard." However, the response that finally helped me understand
their reluctance to read was, "In a movie you can see the pictures,
but in a book, not everyone can see the pictures in their head."
That conversation pushed me to begin collecting as many reading strategies
as I could find. I have a hunch that if I teach them specific comprehension
strategies and when and how to use them, they'll have more confidence and
ability as readers. The bottom line is if my kids can't read they'll have
a difficult time in all subjects. I believe that as their reading improves,
their confidence in themselves will grow, and they'll have an easier time
tackling all other content areas.
I am where I'm needed most
I am excited about the chance to keep a public diary. I believe that to
be the best teacher I can be I must continually examine what I'm doing in
my classroom. The moment any of us stops learning, thinking, and growing
as practitioners or individuals, we become less effective in the classroom.
Everyone from the brand new teacher on up to the veteran one month from
retirement still has room to grow and learn. If we want our children to
become lifelong learners then we must commit ourselves to continue to learn
and model that as well.
I have made a conscious decision to stay at Turner as long as I remain in
St. Louis. Although the pay and resources are better in many of the surrounding
districts, I believe I am where I'm needed most. There are days when the
bureaucracy, social issues, and public scrutiny of teaching in the inner
city test my patience and resolve, but in the end, the rewards outweigh
the challenges. There's no place I'd rather be.
Read Ellen's first diary entry >>>
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