First Day of School Poem

I wrote this poem to introduce my classroom to my students.

Now

This…
This is the NOW.
Not the then, not the soon, not the past or the future,
not the could have been or the might still be
This is the NOW.

Who you are right NOW is the reason I am here.

I’m not here to talk about
what you did
how you ranked
who you don’t like
why you don’t care
That’s not why I’m here.

I’m not in the position to decide
who you’ll be
what you’ll become
where your path leads
why you will succeed
That’s not why I’m here.

I’m here for the NOW.

“OK, so…what do we do NOW?” You ask. “What is this all about?”

Well…this is not about YOU
but it’s not about ME either.
This is about US.

It’s about respect; it’s about community; it’s about caring for each other;
It’s about … oh – blah, blah, blah, blah!

You’ve heard this all before!
NOW, we’re gonna own it.

This is about moving forward
not backward, not backsliding, not backpedaling,
not back anything!

This is where we’re
responsible for our actions
AND
accountable for our choices

This is where things make sense;
where nonsense is not welcome.

This is about creating a place that has
what we need
what we want
and what we hope for

THIS IS THE NOW.

So,
let’s do this
let’s be this
let’s become this
Because no one else is gonna do this for us.

This is ME. This is YOU. But…this is really US.

And it’s time to get started.

just…

about…

NOW.

What I Learned Today #3 (Pluto and Plasma - Admitting you're wrong)

They Might Be Giants recently released a CD/DVD called Here Comes Science (the third in their "Here comes..." series). My wife and I have loved this band since college, and now our two children have become huge fans as well. For a long time, they have performed a great song called "Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)". My family loves singing along to this oddly catchy ode to the sun's atomic properties.

However, with the release of this new disc, the band has issued a retraction (in a manner of speaking). While the original sun song is still present, there is now an additional song called "Why Does The Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma)" that follows it immediately. The second song updates the scientific facts, discussing the nature of the fourth state of matter (plasma), and tells the listener in its lyrics to ignore what you learned in the previous song. Sample lyric: "Forget that song/They got it wrong/That thesis has been rendered invalid" Check out this link for a more detailed explanation.

In addition, they've recorded a great song that discusses the true nature of our solar system, indicating Pluto's new status along with other named dwarf planets. Taken with the songs about the sun, these choices by They Might Be Giants have led me to what I've learned today as a teacher: When you have taught something wrong, don't just admit that you're wrong; start to make things right.

As a teacher, I have certainly taught things wrong or provided inaccurate information before. Many times, I don't figure this out until after my work with those students is done (usually as I prepare the material again the next year), but I often catch my mistake while I'm still working with the students. It is at that moment that I need to make the choice: Will I ignore the mistake, admit to the mistake, or work to fix the mistake? Each choice holds its own merits, but the lesson from this children's album points to best practices in education, namely:

What to do when you make a mistake (courtesy of They Might Be Giants):

1) Admit to the mistake immediately. This may involve the students losing an illustion that we are infallible, but that can actually lead to a better situation in a classroom. Students who see teachers that are willing to admit mistakes become more likely to admit their own mistakes.

2) Explain why the mistake was made. Rather than just saying, "Forget that, it's wrong!", point out what was wrong about the previous information and why people might have believed that at the time.

3) Correct the mistake by replacing the wrong ideas with the right ones. Too often, we ask kids to disregard information that we taught them, but it's still lodged in their memories (and it will often emerge inconveniently after we thought they knew it was wrong). By replacing "wrong" information with "right" information, we won't just address the issue; we'll make sure that it doesn't come back.

So, this fall, I am going back to school prepared to admit my mistakes and to help my class learn from my mistakes (as I learn from them myself). However, I wonder how many students around the world will be taught that there are 9 planets in our solar system, revolving around a nuclear reactor of a sun, just because it's easier to teach that (and use the "My very educated mother..." phrase) than to update our knowledge.

There's something about August!

As the calendar rolled over to August, I managed to find my way back to my classroom. There's something about this time of year that fills me with excitement for the return of the students. And this year is especially exciting, given that I have switched levels (to sixth), changed classrooms, and established a "digital classroom" in which my students will also be learning. I read the other day that the best modern classrooms are not constrained by the walls within the building and allow for learning at any time, not just during the school day. This year, my students' learning spaces will match those goals. In fact, I have already had students in contact with me this summer (mostly just checking in, but a new development, to be sure).

All of this makes me think about "year-round school". As more and more districts nationwide move in this direction (and our President makes it clear that he's in favor as well), I find myself personally considering this new option. The time I'm going to spend over the next few weeks preparing in my empty classroom will certainly be used well; it's obviously easier to do certain things without having students around. However, I also find myself on August 11th wishing that I had some students here working with me. My classroom (and digital spaces) has always been collaborative, so I feel like I'm missing something as I work here alone: namely, the other workers with whom I share this space. I find myself wanting their advice on how the room should be set up and what I should be planning for this fall, and it makes me realize how long two months can be.

I've never had much trouble with the "summer drop-off" in September, so my lean toward more school isn't really so much about making sure the students don't "lose what they've learned". Instead, I really enjoy working with them, and it strikes me that 180 days isn't enough for what I want to do. Maybe next summer will be different; once the kids are a full part of our digital classroom, I will be able to keep going past June if we choose. Year-round school? Maybe not in my building. But if I don't focus on the building, the possibilities are endless!