CHRISLEISH in SF
This time I know I am too late because I just got the email announcing the SOL#12 on my email feed. Not quite ready to spring forward. Spent the day working on my national board component 4- take 2. This time I am wise enough, desperate enough, humbled enough to ask people who I know passed to read what I have written so far. Looking at the comments and time frame I am further humbled = and trying to figure out- how do you thank someone for taking the time out of their life to read your stuff and help you on your professional path? Liana your generosity and professionalism are remarkable. XOX
0 Comments
Writing from the west coast realizing the time change has not happened here yet, but I just realized it has already happened on the east coast maybe...
got my airbnb in west harlem, got my plane ticket, paid my tuition. I am going to NYC on the 16th of June and I am looking forward to it. Still have a push to finish my retake for the National Boards, but I have cleared the decks so I can write over spring break and might even get a sub for a few days to be sure i get it done. spent the day clearing clutter and cleaning shelves. I am going to bed physically exhausted, with a bit of a headache, but ready to start again tomorrow. woohoo. life is good. Woke up super early to get a head start on the day and the weekend. I just got word that I was accepted into the Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project Summer Writing Intensive. While I am SUPER psyched to go and get my mind blown and work my butt off, the lining up of airline tickets and deciding between hotel, hostel or Airbnb feels slightly overwhelming. I love traveling- I hate how much it costs. And as I am booking my plane ticket I am envisioning the getting up early, the lines at the counter, the time consuming security checks, the cramped seating for 5 1/2 hours and arriving both exhausted and exhilarated at JFK.
Last time I went to TCRWP, I was part of a team and the trip was largely paid for through a grant. This time I am solo and though my Parents Group is paying the tuition, the rest is up to me. I hate to go to NYC on a tight budget- it is just not that kind of place. The good news for my bank account is that the school day is long and there is always a lot of homework, so late nights are not as much of a temptation. But to go to New York and not see at least one play would just feel wrong. And so I plan...how to get a day longer on both sides of the week and then pick a location to stay that is train friendly, so I can zip off where I want to go without too much wasted time. And then to pick two or three must dos. Meanwhile, it is time to drink my coffee here in the SF fog and get ready for the last day of Parent Teacher Conferences. 11 weeks left of this school year...so much to do and I know the time will fly. We started the day with an AIMS concert (Adventures in Music) put on by the San Francisco Symphony. Today the music was from the Caribbean- Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba, Reggae, Salsa...Such a great way to start the day- wish we had it every day.
Floating through the day with music playing in my head. I realize that there is no reason not to play this music in the background when the students are working on writing or math if it doesn't get in the way...will try it out later and see what we think. I start each day with a word of the day and the kids complete a "Word Wizard". This week we have been working on some very juicy 5th grade words as part of our opinion genre literacy unit. We started the week with advocate (verb) and proponent (noun) and today I threw in a pre middle school concept- autonomy/ autonomous. Many of my students rely on adults reminders and prodding to get started. I have a small percentage of students who are self starters and motivated by a job well done. How do I TEACH that? I model it, I encourage it, I talk about growth mindset and fixed mindset, and I try to lead them rather than tell them the answer or where to go next. 10 is such a transitional year...going from child to adolescent...the cusp into independence.
Really starting to feel that we are on the downhill side of this school year. As I meet with parents for the final conference of fifth grade, and the students await the letters about what middle school they will be going to, I am aware that soon they will be crossing a stage and I will be preparing to serve another group of children. When I meet with the parents and I look at the work that we have been doing this year, I am aware of how much progress has been made. Why on a daily basis do I still focus on the hurdles yet to be jumped and the kids who have not jumped on board the quickly leaving train? I am not sure that retaining kids does any good- statistics say that it doesn't. But when I see three boys who are completely unprepared for the rigors of middle school and the maturity of first graders, I see the value of the one room school house. Everyone should progress at their own pace, and our grade breaks should not be so arbitrary. I know this is idealistic and I have no answer as to how to make it happen or assurance it would make things better, but I feel pretty sure somethings about the way we are "doing" elementary school is broken.
Today is the first day of parent teacher conferences. I know some teachers dread this week, but I feel quite the opposite. A chance to sit one on one with a student and their parent about who I see in the classroom and find out how similar that is to this child at home or outside of school. It puts a child in a broader context which helps me help them better.
Working on my National Boards this weekend was challenging, and I found myself having to force myself back to my desk. But, I have to say, today I see things in my manner and planning with the kids that I might not have recognized prior. This weekend was report cards, planning for the week, and looking ahead on the calendar for what is just over the horizon. And while I see spring break just a couple of weeks away, that is not a rest for me, that is a concentrated writing marathon as I redo one of the components for my National Board Certification. Writing my boards has been a big commitment, but I feel confident it has made me a stronger more thoughtful teacher. I was so disappointed when I got my scores back- I had passed each individual component, but my weighted score was a few points shy of what it needed to be. After licking my wounds, I sat myself down to see where I had scored well and which component I needed to work on. I was surprised at how low I scored on reflective teaching and professional learning communities- two areas that I would say are my strengths. But when I reread my entry, I realized why they had been scored the way they were. There was little evidence of what I do over the course of a unit to tweak my instruction and change course if the students are not engaged. I realize at how many points I am doing a formative assessment, though I would never have called it that. I just teach and adjust as the students need- isn't that what we are supposed to do? I believe fervently that teachers should be paid as well as other professionals, we work hard - harder and longer than most- and the work we do is so important. Why then is it hard to write about what I do, describing and analyzing the reasons I did things the way I do. I have decided that it is because so much of what I decide has to be done in the moment or in reaction to what I see- it is not always what I planned- it is what is needed. And that is why I think I am a good teacher, but it is why it is hard to identify the things I do sometimes. It is good to be forced to write theme down, look at them, and say- yup, that's me teaching.
Last night I went to dinner with colleagues that I admire and enjoy and want to know better. It was so lovely to get to talk about things school and things personal over delicious food and good wine. It was a restaurant I had always wanted to try and never had in the neighborhood, and it was just as I imagined it would be...a bit of Paris on the corner of Glen Park. How lucky I am to be able to live in this city and be able to afford such moments.
Despite the late hour and the overconsumption, I was so energized after, I walked from BART home in the cold drizzle and savored the evening a little longer. I am trying to keep up with my classroom Slice of Life as well as my personal, and it is proving challenging. The kids need help getting set up, spelling words correctly, and talking through ideas to get started.. "Ms. Leishman, can you please help me?" Of course, I love that they are enjoying the daily challenge of thinking of the stories in their lives. Some of them don't think anything is special. They have no idea how important every moment is.
|