ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 138, Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Today I attended, with about 1000 young students, the annual Children's Concert by the Coast Guard Academy Band, and, oddly enough, I learned something about teaching English. The narrator of the concert talked to us about the importance of improvisation in jazz, and, as she spoke, I began thinking about writing essays in my classes. When my students write an essay, they are, in a sense, improvising. They choose a thesis, or main idea, for their essay, and then they improvise on that thesis, trying to generate ideas of all kinds that are somehow related to the main idea. In a way, writing an essay should be as playful an activity as improvising with a piano or a clarinet. My students should feel free to 'mess around' with their thesis, to amuse themselves with it so that it leads to some truly interesting sentences and paragraphs. Of course, in the end there must be some overall order in the essay, some structure that holds it all together, but the same is true, I'm sure, in jazz. The jazz musician freely plays with the main theme, but ultimately brings the music back to where it started, just as my students must do with their essays.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 137, Monday, April 28

Today I made a snap decision that brought both favorable results and a feeling of bewilderment. The 8^th graders were due to turn in their Washington scrapbooks, and, at the beginning of the first class, on impulse, I told the students they could take five minutes to quietly look at each other’s books. They were obviously grateful for this permission and took good advantage of the free time, browsing through the scrapbooks with comments and laughs. As I watched them milling around the books, I felt slightly bewildered. Why hadn’t I been doing this for the past 30 years? Why hadn’t giving an occasional ‘free time’ to the students been an integral part of my teaching style? Why did it take me this long to realize that a few free, relaxing minutes in the midst of the severities of English study can be extremely valuable?

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This morning one of my students asked to leave the room to see the nurse about a headache. After she was gone about fifteen minutes, I grew concerned, and so I excused myself from the class and walked down the hall to the nurse’s office. I talked to the girl and the nurse for a few minutes, and then walked back to the room. I had been gone long enough for teenagers to grow restive and rowdy, but when I walked down the hall, I could hear that my students were just as quiet as they were when I left. As I entered the classroom, the students looked like they were quite ready to get back to serious English work. As I do dozens of times each day, I felt grateful to be teaching in a school where a teacher can so thoroughly trust the young people in his charge.

NOTE:
If readers would like to follow the 2008 Pine Point Poetry Madness Tournament, click here. Brackets for the tournament can be found here.

ONE TEACHER’S ALPHABET

C is for Counteraction

Here is a quote from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park that turns my thoughts to teaching: “A counteraction, gentle and continual, is the best safeguard of manners and conduct.” Isn’t that what a conscientious teacher of adolescents occasionally has to be – a “counteraction” to the sometimes unruly habits of his students? The students’ rambunctious energies often flow in unhelpful directions, but the teacher’s “gentle and continual” contrasting energies gradually steer the students in more advantageous directions. Of course, for me the most important word in Austen’s sentence is “gentle”. The diligent teacher always prefers leading by kindness rather than by fear – and not in sporadic bursts, but as “continual” as a quietly flowing river.

Audio Moblog

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Students: Click on the audioblog above to listen to these lines read in the original Middle English language. Then, do your best when you read it to the class in the original language next Monday.

THE OPENING LINES OF THE CANTERBURY TALES
by Geoffrey Chaucer

1: Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
2: The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
3: And bathed every veyne in swich licour
4: Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
5: Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
6: Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
7: The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
8: Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,
9: And smale foweles maken melodye,
10: That slepen al the nyght with open ye
11: (so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
12: Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
13: And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
14: To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15: And specially from every shires ende
16: Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
17: The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
18: That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 135, Thursday, April 24, 2008

I was pleased to see today that the 9th graders seem to fully understand how serious I am about producing 'perfect' essays for their collaboration projects. I've set very high standards for the essays, and the kids seem to believe that I'm totally in earnest about expecting flawlessness. Not only that, they seem to think they can do it -- and that's what really pleases me. They believe in themselves as serious readers and writers, as talented and resolute students of high school English. For two years, I have held them to the highest standards, and as a result they now expect it of themselves.

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In the 8th grade classes today, I set a very specific goal for the lesson: to find two writing techniques in the model essay that they could imitate in their own essays. Unfortunately, some of my lesson goals are not so specific, and therefore the kids, now and again, don't get a clear picture of exactly what they are supposed to accomplish. Today, though, there was no uncertainty about what the lesson was aiming for, what task I wanted the students to perform. They had a clear job to do, which made it much easier for them to do it.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 134, Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I noticed what I would call a good sense of proportion in my classes today. There seemed to be an agreeable relation between all the parts of the lessons, so that no one part dominated and all the parts interlocked with each other quite smoothly. Everything worked together harmoniously. We laughed occasionally, but the laughter always turned into quiet work fairly quickly. We were relaxed most of the time, but the relaxation was uniformly mixed with seriousness of purpose. There seemed to be a symmetry to everything we did: fun on one side, work on the other; smiles on one side, deep concentration on the other. I wish my teaching days could all be like this, but I guess that’s like wishing for 365 sunny and lovely days each year.

Day 133, Tuesday, April 22

I had two excellent classes with the 8th grade students today. I seemed to be able to relax and allow the lesson to work itself out in a natural and comfortable way, and the students seemed equally relaxed. Learning happened as it should happen, with peace and pleasure.

One thing I noticed, in the midst of our activities, was how effective it was to set the timer for our literary discussion. One of the students suggested that we do it, and it worked beautifully. I set the time for ten minutes, and asked the students to do their best at listening and discussing until the timer rang. Somehow that gave the students a greater sense of the importance of the discussion, as though they were under pressure to do something really special and beautiful in ten minutes. Their faces were intent and poised as the discussion proceeded, and many wonderful comments were made. When the timer rang, there were smiles of satisfaction on many faces, including mine.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 132, Monday, April 21, 2008

This morning, during a 9th grade class, I had the old familiar feeling that things weren't going well. I felt like a very mediocre teacher, like my lesson was kind of stumbling along, like I had no idea how to be a good English teacher. I was in a judgmental mood, and my judgment about my teaching was in no way positive. Providentially, about half way through the class a reassuring thought came to me in the form of some questions: "Does Nature ever think things 'aren't going well'? Does Nature ever think it's just 'stumbling along'? Does Nature ever berate itself for being 'mediocre'?" I realized pretty quickly that the answer to those questions is no. Whatever Nature does is ok, acceptable, suitable, up to standard, and somehow beneficial. Whatever happens in the sky, on mountains, in rivers, in the air, or in any animal is what must happen, should happen, and needs to happen. From my narrow human viewpoint, events in Nature might appear 'bad' or 'stumbling' or 'mediocre', but in the big picture there's nothing but rightness in what the universe does. This was a heartening thought, because I, in fact, am part of Nature, and therefore am part of the eternal appropriateness of all things. If I did things differently than I had hoped to in class this morning, they were no less necessary and somehow helpful than strong winds blowing through trees. The trees, and Nature, benefit in some way from the winds, and I and my students will somehow benefit from the surprising things that happened in the 9th grade English class today.

This weekend was a wonderful one for me – a little bike riding, a little reading, a little writing, a walk in the park with my son, a visit with friends. The weather was sunny, cool, and comforting, and the beauty of the blossoming trees and flowers was cheering. (See pictures above.) Best of all, I spent a few hours with my grandson Noah at my school on Friday. We drew on my white board, watched the huge machines excavate for a new building, climbed on the playground equipment, and flew my kite in the windy weather – a perfect way to start a perfect weekend.

NOTE:
If readers would like to follow the 2008 Pine Point Poetry Madness Tournament, click here. Brackets for the tournament can be found here.

Ah, what a wonderful Saturday I have had -- first a bike ride to school and back in the warm spring air, passing so many blossoming trees and flowers, and then an afternoon of lazy reading next to a breezy window. I read some descriptive western poems by Carl Sandburg, and then a number of chapters in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. (The brave Fanny Price has my great admiration.) As usual, Austen's prose is matchless. Here are two of my favorite quotes from today:

“...how wretched, and how unpardonable, how hope-
less, and how wicked it was, to marry without affection.”

“So thought Fanny, in good truth and sober sadness, as she sat musing
over that too great indulgence and luxury of a fire upstairs; wondering at
the past and present; wondering at what was yet to come, and in a nerv-
ous agitation which made nothing clear to her but the persuasion of her
being never under any circumstances able to love Mr. Crawford, and the
felicity of having a fire to sit over and think of it.”

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 131, April 18, 2008

I had a few free minutes this morning, so I walked down to the Mitchell Building to see what was happening. Luckily, in the gym I came upon a group of pre-schoolers working with Judy, so I leaned up against the stage to watch. The children were following specific directions from Judy as they hopped and skipped around. "I see people blowing balloons," Judy would say, and the children would do their best to mimic that activity. I could tell by the big smiles that the kids were having a great time, but I could also see that they were working very hard. (Note: Hard work and smiles seem to be a familiar combination at our school.) They were listening carefully to Judy's instructions, thinking deeply about her instructions, and then making their young bodies mimic the designated activity. It was not easy for them. Judy was challenging them to do difficult tasks -- pushing them, making them reach a little. What seemed to make it easier for the kids was that it was an organized and methodical routine. It was a well-structured activity with specific rules and goals, which made it more comfortable for the students to take risks and try their best.

After a few minutes there was an interruption as a few older boys came to collect some equipment from beneath the stage. This is the kind of thing that might have thrown a class or a teacher off target for a bit, but not this class or this teacher. Judy kept teaching and the children (remarkably, I thought) kept listening and following her instructions. The controlled and systematic routine continued without a hitch.

The next activity was just as well-organized, a type of "baseball" featuring foam bats and balls. To me, this looked to be a very challenging activity for these 3-4 year olds, but again, they had a wonderful time because Judy explained exactly what to do, where to go, and what the goals were. She made it challenging but, because of the routine-like organization, it was a doable task for the kids.

Here's what I learned that can help my own teaching:

1) Make every activity challenging. Make kids stretch.

2) Be sure every lesson is carefully and precisely structured. Good structure makes it safe for kids to take risks.

3) Continually encourage the students to ignore distractions and interruptions.

4) Be in charge. (Judy definitely was.) Kids need to know that the teacher is the leader.

Thanks to the young children and their teacher for just the inspiration I needed.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 130, Thursday, April 17, 2008

For some reason, the fact that I have made many mistakes as a teacher this year became unusually clear to me today. I've tried to pay attention to my mistakes on a daily basis throughout the year, but today the totality of them, the surprising weight of them, really sank in. It's been a great year for me in many ways, but it's also been a mistake-ridden year. I've been a fairly successful teacher, but it was abundantly obvious today that I've also been a flawed one. Oddly enough, however, I don't find this disheartening. In fact, it's rather an uplifting truth to realize that I made many mistakes, because that means I'll have the chance to make many corrections next year. Because I went down a few unfortunate paths this year, I can have the pleasure of searching for better ones next year. If I feel like a somewhat defective teacher today, that simply means I will have the opportunity to feel the excitement of being a reborn, brand-new teacher next year. In a very true sense, I should feel grateful to my many mistakes as a teacher this year, because they have thrown open the door to improvement. Mistakes mean growth, so I'll be growing a lot next year.

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In one class today, there was less order and discipline than I like to see. The kids and I lost track, temporarily, of the importance of doing things in an orderly, efficient manner. There were times when all of us -- myself included -- were interrupting each other, raising our voices to be heard, and paying only scant attention to each other. It was a frenzied class, a disorderly jumble of half-cooked thoughts and half-heard words -- exactly the kind of class I hate.

Tomorrow will be much different -- guaranteed.

NOTE:
If readers would like to follow the 2008 Pine Point Poetry Madness Tournament, click here. Brackets for the tournament can be found here.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 129, April 15, 2008

Today I got to thinking about how much listening students have to do each day, and how difficult it must get for them. Since I have a hard time listening carefully during a 60-minute faculty meeting, I wonder what it must be like for 13-year-olds to have to listen to teachers talk for six consecutive 48-minute-periods? After a while it must become like the dull drone of background noise, a kind of steady hum that only occasionally catches their attention. For the students, it probably becomes, at times, the proverbial blah-blah-blah, words full of sound but signifying, well, not very much. I need to keep this front-and-center in my mind as I go about my teaching work. My spoken words should be carefully chosen and always economical. Every word I speak should have a specific purpose, and not a single unnecessary word should be spoken. When I've said exactly what I mean, I should be quiet. After all, the students need me to be quiet if they're going to have a chance to speak.

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On a related topic, today I was pleased that I usually remembered to refrain from speaking until all the students were silent and attentive. Often I charge right into my next topic while some kids are shuffling papers, whispering, closing books, etc. -- and no doubt those students completely miss some of my words. Today I waited until the room was silent. Perhaps it cost me fifteen seconds now and then, but it was certainly worth it. Words are precious and deserve a thoroughly attentive audience.

NOTE:
If readers would like to follow the 2008 Pine Point Poetry Madness Tournament, click here. Brackets for the tournament can be found here.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 128, Monday, April 14, 2008

Today something happened that every teacher loves: I stumbled upon a new and exciting activity for my students. Last week, just for fun, I asked the 8th grade students to write a sonnet, a type of poem that is challenging for even the most accomplished poets. I had never before given an assignment like this, mostly because I thought it would be far too difficult for my young students. My decision to offer the task last week was really a serendipitous one, just a wild idea that maybe the kids could have some fun with it, and maybe, who knows, a few good lines of poetry might emerge. Well, little did I realize how much formal sonnet-like poetry exists in these 13-year-olds. I was touched, inspired, and astonished by some of the poems they turned in. Many of the lines flowed like melodies, and a great number of the rhymes were done in a truly deft and subtle manner. I read a few of the sonnets aloud to the students, and I think they were as surprised as I was. Now, as I type my journal entry at my desk later in the day, I wonder how this kind of thing happens. How does a teacher who has been practicing his art for upwards of 30 years somehow happen, just by chance, upon a marvelous new teaching tool? Where has the tool been all these years? And how many more are there for me to discover??

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 127, April 11, 2008

I had some discouraging days as a teacher this week, so this weekend I’m working hard to get back in touch with the basic truth that teaching is not about me. It’s not about whether “I” am a good teacher – whether “I” created exciting lessons this week and challenged “my” students and kept “my” classes running smoothly and made “my” students happy to be in “my” class. All of that kind of thinking is what sends teachers down the ego-trip road. It’s what sets up unrealistic goals and causes real discouragement. This weekend I’m quietly reminding myself that teaching is not about a person called a teacher, but about a process called education. It’s not about some “me” who stands in front of students, but about a progression, an evolution, a constant growth called learning. An individual teacher is no more important to this process than one small breeze is to a great wind. An immeasurable force called education is at work in my classroom, and I and my students are merely participants in that force. To set myself up as the originator of that force, or as being responsible for keeping the force moving, is the height of foolish pride. It’s like one small wave in the ocean saying, “I’ve been a bad wave today, and therefore the ocean is not going to work as well.” Do I need to continue to try to become a better teacher, to examine my mistakes and improve my lessons? Of course, but I need also to humbly keep in mind that the process I’m involved in, whether called education, learning, growth, or some other term, is as vast and mysterious as the great rivers of the world. One small current in one part of the Amazon River doesn’t get discouraged, and neither should I.

NOTE:
If readers would like to follow the 2008 Pine Point Poetry Madness Tournament, click here. Brackets for the tournament can be found here.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 126, April 10, 2008

I substituted for a math teacher today, and the students spent most of the time working quietly on some exercises she had left for them. As I graded student essays at her desk, I occasionally looked around at the students as they labored on the assignment. The room was almost completely silent, save for the movement of pencils and the shifting of papers. The children seemed completely calm and comfortable as they worked. I'm sure there was some occasional stress in their minds as they tried to solve the assigned math problems, but it was probably a harmless kind of stress, sort of like we feel as we're working a crossword puzzle. It got me thinking about English class, and whether I could have my students do more of this kind of intense, but serene and solitary, work during class. The math students looked so peaceful and stress-free as they worked, and, most importantly, there was no sign of boredom on their faces -- which I often see on my students' faces. The kids were absorbed in their labor, which I would love to see more of in my classes.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 125, April 9, 2005

One successful strategy I've used this year is the 'break time'. In each class, I give the students a two-minute break about half-way through the period, and, surprisingly, it's proven to be one of my best teaching methods. Today during the break the kids lounged at ease in the back of the room, talking and laughing quietly. They looked unperturbed and happy, something that every teacher would like to notice in his students. When I tapped the chime to signal the end of the break, they immediately quieted down and returned to their places, and we continued with the lesson. The break, I think, serves the same good purpose as a "pit stop" on a long bike ride or a time-out during a wearing basketball game. It also gives the students the reassuring feeling that I actually care about them. Yes, we lose two minutes of work time, but I think what we gain more than makes up for it.

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I noticed many of the students thoughtfully pondering some of the poems in the tournament as I read them aloud. After reading, I would look up and see a girl staring at me with furrowed forehead, or a boy leaning forward with eyes squinting in careful deliberation. Merysa (a poet herself) has been an especially attentive listener. She takes in each poem like it's a gift of rare and uplifting magic.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 124, April 8, 2008

Today I noticed "the pond effect" again. In my first morning class, I felt somewhat ill at ease at the beginning, sort of insecure and hesitant, almost as though I was a new teacher just feeling my way in the profession. (Strange, that this feeling still occasionally comes to me after all these years.) I began to think this was going to be a very unsuccessful class, and perhaps an unsuccessful day, and I found myself settling in to a mild case of "the blues". However, before very long the students and I started settling in a different way. Like a pond that's been stirred up and then left alone, we slowly began to calm down and get to work. I started teaching in an efficient manner, and the students started being productive learners. Before long, the blues had left me and I was once again a happy and grateful teacher.

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Some of the 9th graders told me today that they can "see" Great Expectations better now that they've been to England. Georgina said seeing the Thames in person helped her visualize last night's chapter, when Pip and Magwitch encountered Compeyson on the river. Her eyes sparkled as she told me how much fun it was to picture the Thames in her mind as she read the chapter.

NOTE:
If readers would like to follow the 2008 Pine Point Poetry Madness Tournament, click here. Brackets for the tournament can be found here.

ONE TEACHER’S ALPHABET

W is for Words

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
-- 1 Samuel 3: 19

It’s an amazing truth that every word we speak has almost infinite ramifications. No word falls to the ground, but instead falls into a never-ending pond and starts sending out ripples that never stop. One spoken word starts a thought flowing in a hearer’s mind, which starts another thought, which starts another, which then becomes words for other hearers, and the ripples go on and on. Words that I spoke years ago are still, though almost imperceptibly, changing lives and changing the world. This is important to remember as I go about my teaching today. I will speak thousands of words to my students today, and each one will be like a pebble dropped into the lakes of their lives. In small but real ways, their lives will be forever altered by every word I say. At the end of class, their “lakes” will be rippling, rolling, undulating, and flowing in a very different way than at the beginning. Of course, not only my words will have this effect, but every word my students hear today. Any passing remark in the hall will faintly change their inner lives. Any words spoken by anyone will slightly, or perhaps considerably, modify their views of life. It’s a nonstop process, one I should keep in mind today as I drop the pebbles of my words into my students’ lives.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 121, Thursday, April 3, 2008

Today I noticed many small successes by many students. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to record the details of the different successes, but I observed them throughout the day. (I’m going to work on being a better recorder, or note-taker, during class.) There were kids who were ready with an answer, kids who remembered things we had learned long ago, kids who were very attentive, and even a few kids who were visibly excited by what we were doing in class. In each class, I think each student experienced some type of small victory, and, luckily, I was aware of many of them. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. I’m afraid on many occasions I am fairly oblivious to the triumphs my students experience in my class. I’m so intent on teaching that I forget to watch. In my obsession with covering the steps of the lesson, I miss the small miracles occurring right before my eyes. It’s rather like a man hiking through a spectacular forest and being so focused on the trail map that he’s blind to the marvels that surround him.

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Today, after I read a poem aloud in our Poetry Madness tournament, Joanna smiled and nodded her head. I turned to her and asked if she liked the poem, and she shyly smiled again and said yes. This was a big moment – for me and I think for her – because she is a girl who is generally not terribly interested in the things of English class. She’s a well-behaved and dutiful student, but she doesn’t show much enthusiasm during class. For her to spontaneously express excitement about a poem is a noteworthy event. I was cheered by it, just as Joanna obviously was by the poem.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 120, April 2, 2008

It continues to be interesting to me that I often completely forget to follow the steps in my lessons. I’m not sure why, but as soon as the students arrive I often lose track of the specific steps in the lesson, and instead, sort of ‘bounce’ through the lesson, hitting some steps and completely ignoring others. I think I manage to teach the main concepts of the lessons, but it’s strange – and unfortunate – that I sometimes don’t methodically cover each of the separate steps. What’s especially interesting is that, if my students behaved this way on their English assignments, I would come down hard on their grades. If a student, for instance, skipped steps 3, 5, and 7 in an assignment, it would be hard for them to receive a good – or even passing – grade. I would feel that they didn’t complete the assignment in a methodical and thorough manner – and I would be right. I have to apply the same standard to myself. If I can’t do each lesson in a systematic, disciplined manner, then I shouldn’t get a passing grade.

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Some of the 8^th graders came to class with excellent homework assignments, but I’m not sure I gave them enough positive feedback – enough ‘strokes’, as we used to say back in the 70’s. I need to remember to walk around the room and carefully check the homework, offering honest and specific praise where it is due. When students work hard at home at night, they are hoping the teacher will notice their accomplishments the next day in class. I don’t think I did that today.

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 119, April 1, 2008

Today Jenny came to me, a bit breathless, to excitedly tell me she had read, voluntarily, both Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice over vacation. She was obviously thrilled with her accomplishment. We spent ten minutes or so talking about the plays – our favorite parts, our interpretation of puzzling lines. I told her that in all my long years of teaching I have never had a student who read any Shakespeare play just for fun. Jenny was clearly thrilled to hear that, and she fairly bounced out of my room on her way to her first class.

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As so often happens, after yesterday’s very mediocre teaching, I had a perfectly wonderful day of teaching today. The four classes were among the best I can recall. The students were attentive and engaged, and I maintained an alert, helpful, and responsive attitude fairly constantly. Like the weather often does, my teaching changed dramatically from one day to the next – from gloomy and depressing yesterday to fairly bright and promising today.

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In an after-school conference today, the parents of one of my students complained quite strongly about one aspect of my teaching, and I’m glad they did. The only way I can learn to be a better teacher is by becoming aware of my shortcomings, and an easy and direct way for that to happen is for someone else to point them out to me. I have always benefited from – and appreciated –negative feedback. Yes, it’s hard to take at first, but almost always I find plain-spoken and honest criticism to be a great service to me. When someone I respect gets “in my face” and tells me the plain truth, I have a chance to learn and grow. Today these parents were sincere and straight-talking. They told me I had made a mistake, and I’m grateful for their honesty. I plan to learn from it.