Entry #22 - February 15, 1999

"The counselor asked kids to write something about the open-ended questions in order to receive 'credit' and because they wanted to please us so much, they did. At that point, I popped two Advil and asked them if they wanted to help me stuff envelopes."

Testing is done for the time being. Watching the special education students try to take the reading sections was a headache waiting to happen. (See last week's entry.) One boy, a non-reader, finished close to 200 multiple choice questions in fifteen minutes! He made a pattern on his answer sheet and called it a day.

When I asked him to try the open-ended questions, he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. Needless to say, I wanted to share a few choice sentiments with the "powers that be," right about then!

Another student told me he couldn't do any more after the first seven items. He explained how he was scanning the answers to see if he could find the same words in the text. He couldn't read them, but he just might spot them... If he found a match, he figured it was the right answer. I was impressed by his strategy and respected his recognition of the futility of this exercise.

The counselor asked kids to write something about the open-ended questions in order to receive "credit" and because they wanted to please us so much, they did. At that point, I popped two Advil and asked them if they wanted to help me stuff envelopes.

After the testing period was over I invited the group to watch ANTZ with me during lunch. I thought they had earned a break after what was essentially an abusive experience.

All of this testing made me think about some reading I did last week about brain research and learning. It was Ed Leadership from last November, and the article was called, "Teach Me, Teach My Brain: A Call for Differentiated Classrooms" by Carol Ann Tomlinson and M.Layne Kalbfleisch.

Ever since my father had a benign brain tumor removed about 16 years ago, I've been fascinated by the brain and the ways we learn and remember things. After the surgery, my Dad would/could only speak Italian, at first, and it was a shocker to me. His long term memory came back days before his short term did. I didn't even know he was fluent in Italian and here he was asking me questions...and getting upset when I didn't answer!

In any case, while I still haven't learned Italian, I have taken to reading brain research, in semi-diluted form. One of the articles I read was talking about the release of chemicals which block learning. According to the authors, when we feel threatened for any reason, our bodies produce chemicals to protect us from the real or perceived threat.

I thought about all the reasons a child might feel unsafe in school from bonafide physical problems to peer pressure, learning problems and or language barriers. Finally, I considered the additional layers presented by racial, economic, gender and age differences and I began to marvel that we get through to each other at all!

Right about now I felt like my own head was about to explode from an overload, but I promised myself to work on being more explicitly welcoming the next day. I already greet everyone in the morning, but now I'm making sure to get out in the hall before every class comes in the room. The kids usually treat me like I'm crazed in Sept., but you can tell they get into it after a few weeks. They comment on my bizarre earrings etc. and it does make for an easier transition into our classwork.

It's too soon to say if this small step is making a difference yet, but it did refocus me on the need for a tone of decency throughout the school. Now that testing's over I'm going to talk about this with my kids and co-workers. Sure, some will groan and think I've really gone 'round the bend, but it just might open some doors...we'll see.

A few separate notes this week-- First, I went to a sneak preview of "October Sky" last Saturday night. It's about independent learning, succeeding in the face of obstacles, a teacher who inspires kids...all the stuff that reminds you of why you teach. It also includes a science fair, but the whole audience clapped at the end and they couldn't all have been science teachers or I would've recognized someone!

Second, on a more personal note, my son, the student teacher, remarked in an offhand way that he'd told his supervisor about how I was an excellent resource for him and how we really talked things over etc. This reminded me of why I love being a mom and how even though I had to wait for twenty three and a half years for that feedback, it still felt really good!

And finally, my "Ask the Girls" group meets after school on Fridays. It's a good way to end the week because it means I always go home on a positive note. We've been building these little wooden cars for a few weeks using LINKX materials. Well the word has spread and my group of 8 has become 20. The girls are so involved with the sawing, drilling and assembling that there's not a lot of talk going on, but the energy in the room is amazing!

I can't wait to get the conversation going to see what the girls have to say about this experience. I may videotape them next week as part of my documentation for Wellesley and my own school. I know they're having fun, but I really want to figure out together why it's been such a powerful activity. We also need to plan our Women's History Month activities, including our annual SHERO (female he-ro) celebration. March is almost here!


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