A Look Back #Flems2015

Undoubtedly, this time of year causes most of us to reflect on the year that was (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and to move with anticipation into the year that is just over the horizon!

My professional 2015 was rife with challenge after challenge, but also plentiful with victory and feel good moments! I'm choosing to place more emphasis on the good!!

Honored
There was the honor bestowed upon me and many other young education professionals
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/04/thanks-for-honor-billypenn.html

3rd Grade Lawyers
I cannot forget how proud my 3rd graders made me last year when their imaginative teacher took them on a field trip to court!!!
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/05/order-in-court.html

3rd Grade Geographers
There was also that time when my kids showed off....again!! (In a good way, on another trip!!)
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/05/they-showed-off-at-grumblethorpe.html

My summer teaching
I cannot forget about the summer. I taught middle and high school English to adjudicated youth. One good moment came when I heard one of my former students dropping some science on some of the younger ones. Ironic.
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/08/working-with-adjudicated-youth-part-4.html

Then this school year got started and the feel good moments continued.

This group of 3rd grade entomologists
We're entomologists for a portion of the school year. By this post (http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/11/beetle-break.html), we'd been entomologists for a couple of months.

8th Annual Read In
This "Read In" may have been the best one yet!
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/12/8th-annual-read-in.html

1st Book Fair in Years
3rd Grade sponsored a book fair (1st one in years)
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/12/we-remember-book-fairs.html

FORMER STUDENTS
I am genuinely happy to connect with former students, especially when they are doing well!!
I run into them and write about it (twitter/blog) frequently.
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/12/it-never-gets-old.html

Then there were these..

They took Saleem West, smh
Sometimes and in some of the places where I run into former students, tears well up in my eyes. The day I found out one of my former students was gunned down on the streets of Philadelphia. Not. Good.
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/11/saleem-west.html
http://articles.philly.com/2015-11-04/news/67990390_1_beer-gardens-north-philadelphia-philadelphia-police-department

Death of my Pastor
This and other moments were not so welcomed. The passing of my Pastor this past summer, just before school started was like a rug being snatched from under me/us.
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-hiatus.html

Then there was the stupid stuff. I chose not to blog about all of the professional negativity this past year. These two posts will represent the others and those I chose not to write about.
I'm not even going to dignify these with a sous-titre 

Post one is about my cardinal sin (or so you'd think)
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/05/learning-objectives.html

Post two is just......just...read...
http://myclassroom105.blogspot.com/2015/11/add-this-to-nonsense-column.html

2015, thanks for the memories!
2016, see you in a few!

(There were other great moments, very exciting might I add!! I may (or may not) share at some point. lol)

Another Young Life Lost

I know I'm not the only one sick of hearing about the murder of our youth by folks other than neurotic and rogue police officers. {Pauses and waits for the attacks}

Every time (almost daily) I hear of some youth being gunned down in the streets of Philly, I brace myself for the possibility that I'll be going to the funeral of another young man or woman I know, have taught, know of, or met once.

It would be untrue and irreverent to say that I'm relieved when I find out it's no one I know. My outrage is just the same! For it could have been a young man or woman I knew, have taught, knew of, or met once had our paths taken slightly different turns at some point.

More often than not, a young black life.
More often than not, taken by another young black life.
More often than not, a mother left to mourn a lost son.
More often than not, names soon forgotten once the newscast is over.....unless of course it was someone else who did the killing.

{Pauses and waits for the attacks}

That's different Flem. You drank the Kool Aid Flem.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

This isn't an argument against current social justice movements, most of which have my support. But so, too, do the students I once taught whose classmates took a bullet and left us! They, too, deserve my support.

Flem, it's unfair to say we don't care about those young lives too!
I'd love to retweet.
I'd love to reply with an "AMEN" to those tweets too.
I'd love to "favorite" those tweets too.

{Pauses and waits for the attacks}

This isn't in reply to whatever the latest miscarriage of justice might be; to whatever cop felt s/he should be cop, judge, jury and executioner. I don't know the latest yet.

This is in response to a teenager being shot and killed tonight in Philadelphia. Another one.

Funny Moments from the "Read In"

Some of the more funny moments from my 8th Annual "Read In"

1.  Kid to news reporter about me, "Sometimes he (me) loses his marbles!!" (this is what I get for indirectly introducing idioms? lol) Our news reporter was quick when he replied, "Sometimes I lose mine too!" (Thanks for saving me from that awkward moment bruh lol)

2.  "Mr. Flemming, your mom is cute!"

3.  Watching the guest readers stumble over those alliterative sentences and phrases in some stories

4.  Noticing the guest readers wonder why we're all in pajamas and a couple of them saying, "You know, I wasn't gonna ask..."

5.  Listening to one of the kids say "mee-oow" when one of the girls came in her pjs. (Caught me COMPLETELY off guard and I don't *think* it was intended to be suggestive)

6.  A few guests commented that the school seemed like an endless maze to get to our classroom. One door way that lead to another, followed by another, then steps, twists, and turns....sheesh!! (Those who know my school, know that it's one big circle)

My 8th Annual "Read In"

Eight years ago, as the third teacher in a 3-way teaching cycle, teaching 6th grade English/Language Arts, I had an idea! Read. All. Day. And. Make. It. Fun.



To a 6th grader, that doesn't sound too promising, but add hot chocolate and cookies? Ahhh! When one girl said, "Oooo, that's decent!" I knew I was onto something! So I called it a "Read In", from the idea of historic "sit ins"

Since I started, I've taught three different grades, been a part of a two-teacher and three-teacher cycling team, was a  content area teacher (Science/Social Studies), and a self-contained third grade teacher! I've remained at the same school and experienced three different principals through the eight years of this event and as a 9th year teacher at the school.

Every year it got better and better. It morphed from a simple extended reading session with teacher-provided snacks into an experience that has included: gifts, new books for the day of the event itself (the Bluford Series which they loved), a little "commercial" I created, and homemade cookies by my big sis, Ms. Vanessa. One year our local councilwoman even came to read to them!

This year may have been the biggest metamorphosis yet!
My 8th Annual, "Mr. Flemming Read In"
(couldn't call it 6th grade "Read In" anymore, what, with all the changes and all)

I invited several guest readers to come and take part in the event by reading a story or two to the kids. Among the guests were my own mother and a local news reporter for our NBC affiliate!!

Mom brought goodie bags!
Mrs. Boehner, a retired librarian, brought class gifts including books!
Mr. George from NBC10 brought a little of what he does along with a story he did, in which I was interviewed.
And the college guys, my "nephs", fresh off the books for the semester, brought their hardy appetites! lol, jk (sorta)

Each guest read a book. In some cases, my students helped in choosing a book they wanted read to them!

Ms. Vanessa baked over a hundred cookies for the kids (and staff) to enjoy and ummm.....ENJOY, they did!! #Scrumptious!!! Chocolate chip was their favorite while many of my colleagues satiated their appetite with the oatmeal raisin and the chocolate on chocolate!!

For the past two years, "Mr. Flemming's Read In" has coincided with our school-wide Polar Express and Pajama Day! PERFECT!! We can come in pj's and read all day while enjoying snacks and listening to others read to us!!!

Last year, Cookie Monster pj's for me.
This year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

The day was great!!
(Personal thanks to my mom and to George, "Kate", Vanessa, Jeremiah, Eric, Marsalis, Ashley, "Principal" (nickname for a mentor of mine not associated with the school), and the parents of my kids who contributed one way or another!!

Interspersed throughout this post, you've undoubtedly noticed the flyers advertising the annual event down through the years. Here are additional ones, followed by this year's announcements!

This year:

This year:

Our PD

This past Friday was a half day from the kids while teachers were treated (cough) to a half day professional development session. A large portion of the PD at oir school was dedicated to special education.

Pedagogy? Nope.

Best practice for working with children who are autistic? Nope.

Great things that have been done teaching children with multiple disabilities? Nope.

How to avoid law suits...

It Never Gets Old

Catching up with former students never gets old!!

Tonight I saw one of mine from five years ago! When she saw me she grabbed me and hugged me tight, almost to tears! We chatted for a few seconds and I expressed how I will always support her and all my other former students!!

An hour later, re-ran into another one, who I saw Friday night as well! Glad I did, because I couldn't remember his major in COLLEGE!!! Yes sir, COLLEGE!!!

Major: Social Work
College: a major university in PA

Despite the edu-political obstacles,  THIS never gets old!! It keeps me going!! It let's me know that doing what's right over doing what's convenient for the sake of some administrator is the best way to go!!

A Pattern is Emerging

Germantown High/CLOSED PERMANENTLY

Fulton Elementary/CLOSED PERMANENTLY

Pastorious Elementary- CONVERTED/Mastery

Pickett Middle School - CONVERTED/Mastery

Wister Elementary- 6th grade taken and given to Mastery Charter prior to the 2013-2014 school year and now slated for conversion for the 2016-2017 (next) year! Guess who? Mastery Charter!

J.B. Kelly - 6th grade taken and given to
Mastery Charter prior to the 2013-2014 school year

Filter

Lingelbach

Roosevelt

The conjugal relations in Philly's sickening ed reform love affair scene have to stop! You're nasty! Just trifling! Love, money, and power! I can think of few to no other reasons as to why Philly moves full steam ahead with this nonsense! Somebody needs to start asking and demanding answers!!!

My Convo with 2 Bartram Kids

While off of work today, I made my way to Falone's, a cheese steak spot down Southwest Philly.

While there, I saw two high school age young brothers. I asked if they went to Bartram. Yes. (It was after school)

I then asked whether they had a new principal since the one appointed was removed after pushing a girl who spat on him. No new principal yet.

Curious about their opinion regarding the situation, I inquired. They had harsh words for the girl who ASSAULTED the principal! While they noted that they do not hit females, they also admitted they would've reacted, presumably, as ANYONE would!!
I cannot repeat the colorful language they used, but you can imagine how they would have reacted.

The conversation then shifted to what grade they were in and what their plans were for after high school. Both are juniors and both want to go to trade school, one to be an auto mechanic and the other didn't exactly know what field yet. "Do it!" was my reply. Go!

During the conversation, I did inform them that I was a teacher in the district and that I had considered a move to teach English at Bartram and hadn't dismissed the thought.
I, also informed them that there were teachers who supported the principal based on the facts we were presented with.

All three of us agreed that spitting on someone took it to a whole new level and was not at all acceptable. But, according to them she was back in school the next day. If that's true, that move was a slap.....or spit...in educators' faces throughout the city!!!

Even if it isn't true, it's plausible. Based on what I observe on a daily basis, the incredulous is no longer the incredulous, but rather the unacceptable new norm!!

To know me is to know I love working with and teaching the generation that is now, our youth. I enjoyed that 5 minute convo while waiting on my chicken cheese steak, little mayo, pepper and naked fries.
Here's how I know they were listening and really engaged in conversation and that I wasn't annoying them:
1. They kept speaking with me and THEY kept the convo going and...
2. After I thought I was finished, one asked what school I taught at again

I should've gotten their autographs....my beginning of the school year custom!

I wished them well and they said "ard" (the 'ard ole head' kind) as we parted ways.

Their pants saggin, thug look and language didn't intimidate me none. Take the time and chat, rap to some of these kids, it could mean the world to them!

Personal Day

Today I did something I had never done since becoming a teacher, took a whole personal day to do nothing. The last time I took a whole personal day (2010) I used it to go to court.

While I do take pride in my attendance and punctuality, this district has a way of stressing one out if one (I) allows it! So, while I struggled with taking the day off, because I know subs are rare these days...again...because of the district, I had to. Fighting takes energy and I'm good for nothing broken down and stressed!

Today was beautiful and I did whatever I felt, namely rest my mind and body!

Read A Story!

In an age when all knowing principals and district administrators (some of whom taught for all of two years---maybe---as Teach for America alumni) are directing teaching not to read aloud to children, what I did earlier today demonstrates why I may or may not listen to what said admins have to say!

We were preparing for a walking trip to a local historical site. Because of a little miscommunication, we waited in the school library for quite some time. After a while (and after being told nicely to vacate a particular space), I directed children to another carpeted area and picked up a random book I hadn't read nor heard of before today. As, they were chatting among themselves, I started to read the title at a decibel slightly above their tones.  Magic!!!

My heart skipped a beat at the excitement on their faces and in what they said as they gathered around me without being told and as if on que, got very excited, all at once! Their teacher was reading a book to them. Nothing new, but it was happening.....again, and this time in the library, away from the classroom, and as we were waiting to go on the trip.

The books pages were tattered and yellow. The book was coming apart. And I think on some subliminal level, that added to the excitement!!

The book, One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian

It was great! I hadn't read it, so the kids and I all formed opinions, made predictions, checked predictions....aloud! It was actually a great story!!!

The experience of teaching and learning cannot be relegated to the four walls of a classroom or to some fictional "gradual release block", it has to be real, meaningful, and sometimes unintentional!

Connecting with the "Brothaz"

What a whirlwind week it was this past week. There was the wonderful book fair that my grade partners and I spearheaded, as we were still responsible for teaching our classes and holding report card conferences in the morning and on one of the evenings. (Never mind the carbon monoxide issue among others)

It's no mystery that the teaching profession is dominated by women, especially at the elementary level. It's also no mystery that during most parent/teacher interactions will likely involve a female parent or guardian.

Being a black male elementary school teacher, in a predominately black elementary school, I believe the connections I form with students and parents alike is a unique one (since black men only make up 2% of the public school teaching force). Bonds are also often formed and a sense of brotherhood realized whenever I interact with older brothers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other male figures in the (not just my) students' lives when they come into the school.

Two such occurrences happened this week and I believe it made the brothers comfortable. One was a grandfather and the other was a young father. We talked school, education, grades, and may have even veered off topic at times. And that's OK. I think it made them feel apart.

Teacher and 'brotha from anotha motha' occurrences aren't daily, but when they do happen I believe it sends a few messages on some subconscious level:
1.  Men are welcome in elementary schools and it's OK
2.  Men teach and it's OK
3.  Men can care for children and it's OK
4.  Men don't have to wait in lines for the restroom and it's OK!
(I think I just made some female colleagues nationwide upset with that)
{runs for cover}

But then there is that one bathroom that almost always become the unisex bathroom and we end up with "minus 1"....and I guess that's OK too!

lol

We Remember Book Fairs

Not since 2010 has our school organized and operated a Scholastic Book Fair. This past week, we did. The 3rd grade teachers organized the week long fair and 'excited' doesn't even begin to capture the feelings of students, parents, community members,  staff, and faculty alike!!!!!!!!

All day long, all week long, and during conferences, there was a steady stream of parents, students, and staff!

"Magical" is the word one 4th grade teacher described the literary ambiance; the sights and relaxing holiday music playing in the background!

"Relaxing" is another adjective a teacher used to sum up her thoughts as she passed through.

Many others reminisced and took small groups of teachers congregating near the copy machine back to childhood days, to book fairs and other ELEMENTARY school activities "back then".

School was a place we didn't dread coming to! We remember working hard. We remember drills and worksheets. We remember phonics. We remember morning and afternoon recess and recess at lunch. We remember gym, music, and art. We remember white 'daisy dukes' gym shorts for the guys and the blue gym jumpers for the girls.

We remember book fairs.

Day in the Life...

Unswept floors
Un-emptied trash
filthy/sticky floors
Unswept broken long light bulbs (from Tuesday and still there)
Unvacuumed library carpets
Trash all over the auditorium
Vomit allowed to dry from more than two Mondays ago
Bed bugs
staff locked out of the building on 3 different occasions including food service staff who must prepare breakfast
and now carbon monoxide leaks (no fire department called and staff left in the dark)

But, staff get called on house phones in the midst of all of this for:
1 - Student learning objectives that need to be inputted
2 - Whether or not a book fair will open (didn't want to set up while there was carbon monoxide and boilers being tended to)

Priorities?