The Power of Compromise

Learning how to compromise can be challenging. This morning students had to agree to a decision they were all okay with regarding something they wanted to earn back. 

They were given 20 minutes to take a stance and convince classmates of coming to their side. We definitely have some future lawyers and judges in here! 

At first most of the class wanted seats back in groups. One student wanted the reading corner and hallway seating area back. A handful of agents chose the Chromebooks and non-assigned spots in line. Students went around giving valid points for why they should earn their chosen side back first. They were able to narrow it down to two: The extra Chromebooks and the groups of desks. 

However they could not come to an agreement. I talked to them about learning how to compromise. Students discussed their personal meaning of the word, offering insightful comments.

We then looked up the word. According to Google it means “an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions.” Students will need to make some concessions. When making compromise students might not love the choice but have to be okay with it. They are spending time thinking this through and working with their classmates to reach an agreement.

We debated a second time this afternoon, and again students could not come to a compromise. However, their arguments are getting stronger. 

The Chromebook kids argued that some parents donated money for the Chromebooks and they want to honor that. They also want to go back to everyone having their own computer versus having to share or wait. They respected the opinions of the other group, who felt sitting in groups was a life skill to learn. They are also frustrated by the difficulty of talking to neighbors. It is not as easy as it used to be. I heard a lot of I agree with your idea but . . . I understand your thinking . . . however . . . I can see your point but think about . . . These students are learning valuable skills through this experience.  I suggested they go home this evening and talk to a parent or sibling or friend about how best to convince someone of your idea.

The Drive to Inventions

Students are embarking on the Young Inventor’s Fair where they are challenged to wonder about how to make something that could change our world. The wheels are already turning in their young minds, and several are starting to think about personal problems to develop solutions to. Students are going through the patent process and asked to research their idea, as they cannot create something that already exists. They can make a current idea better, as this is a realistic process inventor’s attempt. In order to get students thinking big we watched Richie Parker’s drive.

We could learn more from him in about eight minutes about the need for innovations and inventions than me standing up and telling them. Students realized they could invent and solve problems for others. They saw the determination Richie Parker had to live and do things like many of us can. This short video showed possibility.

I asked students to think big as they begin their own journey!

Going Against My Pedagogical Grain

Independence, passion for learning, curiosity about our world, and creating/respecting community are things I pride myself on for providing a foundation for in our classroom home. I try everything to get students to work well as a community even if it means changing how I love to teach. Ask my now 19-year-old 3^rd graders. They will tell you all about how we went back to log cabin school! We sat in rows. I took everything I personally bought away from them. I remember the tears one student had over how hard using the crank pencil sharpener was. The common cliché still rings true: You do not realize what you have until it was gone. They had to work together to earn things back, debating over what privilege they wanted to be returned. These students learned to appreciate what they have, the importance of prioritizing, and valuable debate skills. I often still wonder if I did the right thing, but in my heart I know I did. We all became better people because of that.

On Monday I had to make a change. We went into rows and got assigned spots in line. I did not take away every privilege (and I hope I do not get to that point). The students recognized immediately something serious was going on. My comments all year of how this day would come if they could not learn to work together and be respectful to our school community no longer seemed empty. However, I felt strongly that enough instances had occurred where I had to do this. Sometimes as teachers we are left with no choice but to go against every pedagogical grain in our body to do what is best for kids (even if deep down I abhor teaching to students in rows). The room was the quietest voice volume it had been all year and fewer students were given consequences. I did have to point out that there was a clipboard put back (thanks to the agent who noticed it and returned it) covered in footprints. So we discussed what this meant. Several people walked right on it! The look on some students’ faces was priceless while others shrunk in their seats. Then a classmate found a deck of cards hidden under a keyboard. Someone decided this was the proper place rather then put them in the box and back in the cabinet. I also found several books on the floor and just stuffed on top of books in the reading corner. These clear examples showed students some of the things I was doing every day after school- cleaning and putting things away. They had no idea I did all this. Don’t get me wrong the change is not just because of these few things but rather a culmination of many things that have been happening since September, of which I have worked hard to discuss, model, reflect, and practice with students. And for those of you thinking of brain breaks, those epically failed because it took longer to regroup back to the lesson after one. At least I tried.

I sent an email to my parents, administration, and specialists so everyone knew what had happened. I did get some parent questions about returning individual privileges back, and I had to stress this was not about the individual. I have 23 amazing individuals who are still learning how to function as a unit. You can be an amazing individual at your place of employment but unless you are self-employed you still need to work together with diverse personalities. The real work starts now! Students are now tasked with creating a plan of how to earn things back. We will all have to agree on that plan. Involving students in the process of problem-solving and having them build the foundation makes them accountable for the learning. Instead of me telling them things need to change they are now saying here is what we have to do to change. Setting goals, reflecting, and then working together is the first step. It is up to them to carry the torch and decide for themselves what kind of group they want to be.

Students had time to reflect and think of ideas we could do to earn our classroom back to the way it was. Then they met in small task forces to determine which ideas were better. They combined ideas and modified them based on our needs. In order to pick the best plan, we needed to come up with a list of class tasks to work on. From there the plan was created. See all our thinking here! All students had a voice in this. I hope including them in the solution will help them take the onus of the problems and strengthen our community that we have worked so hard to build.

If you would like to see the chart we created click here! This will be updated in real time. Students need to earn 25 colored in cells for 5 days (not in a row) to earn something back. They will debate over what to get back each time. Great life skills going on! I cannot wait to see how this evolves! We reflected on the process, and I encourage parents to ask their child about it! 

March Madness

March Madness is upon us! Our class voluntarily participates in the NCAA bracket challenge every year! Students have the opportunity to fill out their brackets early next week before the tournament gets under way! Filling out the brackets is a great at home conversation. Ideas to talk about are the seeds and the team statistics. Often students think the number 1 seed always win. However we all hear of those Cinderella teams who show us with heart, determination, and teamwork is all about! Students also learn about predictions in a real world context. I have heard over the years that weekends become fun filled basketball watching as families sit down to view some of the games. I always love this time of year and hope some of our students will join me in participating in March Madness!

We are also doing a little March Madness bracketology in reading! Students are working in small teams to determine the BEST picture book out of a stack of 16. Books were pitted against each other. Using a bracket similar to the NCAA bracket students are determining which books wins out of each pair. Then they will pair winners against winners until one book is left standing. There are some great titles such as Strictly No Elephants, I Love You More Than Moldy Ham, I Love You the Purplest, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, Probuditi, and Get Red to name a few. Students will go on an adventure with Knuffle Bunny, a bug detective, and Pedro Martinez. I cannot wait to see the students’ thinking around the book they choose! I encourage you to discuss this with them!

I wonder which book will win the tournament? I encourage you to ask your child about which books he or she likes and why or why not. They have very strong opinions of things.

Childhood is Different These Days

Today we had an impromptu open circle. I had observed some behaviors and wanted to address them. I am sure some of you have never seen these behaviors (hee hee). I had students do their BEST eyeball roll at their classmates. Then we did our best "UGH!" followed with an angry glare. I had students end up in a pile of laughter as they saw how this looked. 

Doing these actions to our classmates is counterproductive to build relationships. We discussed having empathy for others, how you really do not know what goes on in people's lives, and how they are one person in a community of 24. 

I then gave them a chance to reflect on the year and think of one thing as a class they would like to see us work on. Here are some of the things students shared:

• Being respectful to others.
• Not teasing boys and girls who hang out. They could be just friends, and if they are more than friends they still do not want to be teased. 
• Keeping the voice volume down. 
• Making more connections with students I might not know. 
• Being less judgmental.
• Think about perception. 

I loved their raw honesty. The whole time I thought about my Facebook status from the other day. Though I did not share this with students it rings very true. Molly Ringwald said so eloquently, "When you're a teenager, you're forever thinking: Do they like me? When you're a grown up, as anyone over the age of thirty can attest, the question becomes: Do I like them?" 

Our students are struggling with many things. Keeping the conversation open builds a trusting and honest place where we can all grow as people. 

The Not so Straight Line

We are expected to walk through the hallways with a 0 voice volume in a straight line, one person behind the other. For some students this is challenging. They end up on the other side of the hallway or walking into the rolls of butcher paper that magically appear. Others see it as a fine time to have side conversations. In the real world we do not walk through hallways in a single file line like dots on a line segment. We pass each other, and say hello. Some might stop and talk about a current event or that big sporting event. Adults have an easier time dealing with distractions. My class understands we need to be quiet in the hallways to respect the learning of others. However, today I asked them to be a team using a voice volume of 0. On our way back from health we did football drills down the hallway in anticipation of the BIG GAME this weekend. Students were doing foot drills, squats, throwing practice, and a knees up drill. The voice volume was not a 0 but people we passed understood what we were doing and smiled. The movement break got their minds ready for the rest of our day. They were excited about being able to try something new in a place they were not used to being so free.

Sometimes we need to switch it up! We need to move. We need to work as a team. We need to laugh, play, and have fun. And as we raised our knees and tossed our imaginary football we were reminded of that.

The Teacher Gave Herself a Warning

I remember in my undergraduate program there was no such thing as punishing a child anymore. What we were taught was to give consequences. In life we all have choices to make and sometimes we do not make the best one. In the classroom this could be throwing something, talking while someone else is talking, or not following directions. While I do not expect perfection and solider like behavior I do expect students to be respectful of themselves, each other, and our environment so we can all learn and grow. When I see something that is not respectful I give a child a warning. He or she writes his or her agent number on the board, so when other people come into our room they have no idea what those numbers are. If a child chooses to do something again then he or she writes a letter home to a parent. The third time I speak to someone is a one way cruise ticket to the office. Today I gave myself a warning.

GASP! The teacher gave herself a warning? I had a conversation with a student and had told him how to spell a word wrong. I Googled it, and the child was right. I apologized to him and told him to give me a warning. In that instance I needed to listen better. I am modeling my own consequences using myself. It is important for students to see that a teacher can be wrong or make mistakes too. I think it is humbling for us all and helps us grow as a community of learners.

Tomorrow is a new day. All those warnings erased. Letters home will be signed and returned. We start each day here with a blank slate. Please know if your child comes home with a letter it is a consequence based of his or her choices. I suggest talking to him her about those choices and processing them with him or her. It warrants a conversation. Maybe even offer up a time where you did not make the best choice and there was a consequence. I am often reminded of a choice I made when I was in the 6^th grade. I was annoyed about something and rather than go home and deal with it I kicked and screamed in the middle of the street.  This may or may not be on a VHS tape somewhere. We all have our shining moments we would like to forget. I would definitely have given myself a warning for that. If I had to write a letter home about it then it is still sitting in my father’s file cabinet with all the other letters I wrote to him about my behavior and choices. Some of these are keepers! The best part was tomorrow was a new day!