"Teacher of the Last Abyss"

(drafted yesterday)
What kind of a title of a blog post is THAT?
Ha!
Let me explain.

There are moments and experiences during the teaching and learning journey that are difficult to put into words. Today, and all throughout today, that occurred.

We're publishing a class book. Today we continued idea gathering. As I've done in time past, I modeled for them the thinking, drafting, idea-gathering process. I asked each class (I teach 3 ELA blocks of 5th grade students) to give me an idea. They had ideas up the wahzoo! In one of the classes, one student gave me the idea of "the last teacher on Earth". BAM! From there I demonstrated my thinking in coming up with a title, characters, setting, and major conflict. (That last sentence seems so blah #boring, but it really was fun!!)

Based on each classes ideas I, with their influence, came up with the following titles in order to walk them through a possible creative avenue or stream of thought for their individual narratives.

Class 1's Title: Let Me Find Out! A tale of a battle for popularity among students, the Tablewares and the Appliances. Setting: Kitchen Middle School

Class 2's Title: The Teacher of the Last Abyss - A tale of the last teacher...ever. Chapter One, The Last Lesson Plan, Chapter 2, The Teacher of Ruin. Setting: The South Pole and the darkness of the abyss

Class 3's Title: The Year Christmas was Kidnapped - December 24^th came and went without a single issue. Kids were excited. Parents were content. Everything was going well until the calendar switched to December 2------SIXTH! Wai---wha???

To be continued...

This Week in the RearView...

Every now and then I sit and reflect on the day or the week gone by. Not all the time do these thoughts make it onto a page or onto Twitter. This time they will.

On Monday a few of us made our way to the Maplewood Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to make new friends and read to them! We went after school and had a great time. We plan on going back.

This past week, I also taught the classes some self-regulation strategies, mainly for fluency. I wasn't required to do so, but since the school district makes us "AIMSweb" the kids and makes major decisions about them based on it, I decided to teach them how to monitor their own fluency. They actually liked the exercises we did. They've been partnering up all week as an extension of our pleasure reading time.

Thursday I noticed a student was peering for an extended time into one of our autistic support classrooms. Instead of "Can you keep up with the class," I pulled him aside and asked if he'd like to volunteer in there from time to time. He said "yes" excitedly. After school I spoke with the teacher and she, too, was onboard. So we'll be working something out in the days ahead.

Friday was writing work day. Let me add that this was the plan, not an after-thought; this dedicated time to write. (I could say more, but real teachers know how it is sometimes...*wink*) As one who loves to write, I understand the need for time just to get thoughts down onto paper. Since we'll be publishing books through Studentreasures Publishing, we dedicated time to brainstorm ideas and begin drafting. This was an extension of a previous homework assignment. The time was also used to fine tune our understanding of poetic devices like similes and metaphors. Many took great advantage of this work time.

As I reflect further on the week gone by, there are lots of moments that occur each and everyday, such that if I were to enumerate them all, we'd be here for a minute! There were, however, some things that kids said that were memorable for one reason or another. It's important to note that I overheard much of what they said. The statements were not directed to me, making them all the more genuine.

• Student whispers, "Yes!!" when I called him over to the table for some one-on-one reading/instruction with me.
• While listening to a Flocabulary video, a kid whispers, "Oh I get it now!"
• Student, while at the nursing home, "Man, this place is way cleaner than John B. Kelly!"

Also memorable were some funny moments we had. Like the few who made up some LIES about my hairline! HA! First, close followers of my tweets know that I don't play about keeping my jawn sharp! Second, I had just got a fresh boi the day before. Third, I ain't some wack teacher who ain't gonna come back with a bangin' teacher #clapback! This teacher right here will grind you all the way up!! Bruh! AND I did!! LOL!! Shoot! Got me chop! You know it's good when the class goes "OOOOHHHHH" Then we got back to work now that we all had an understanding what the deal was! 

Then there was one day I did a lil something different with the lay. Kid, "OK, Mr. Flemming, I see you with the fresh lay on! Let me find out! You look more educated." lol

There are some moments that I'd like to forget or would rather not deal with, but we see too much of that in the media especially for kids who look like me. So no, you won't hear a lot at all from me about those moments (except in cases of systemic injustice)! We have them. I deal with them as a concerned educator and human! #ByeFelicia

New Friends at Maplewood Manor Nursing Home

When I get the chance to sit and think, that can be dangerous....in a good way!

Yesterday, a few of my students and I, along with a few of my colleagues, went to Maplewood Manor Nursing Home to read to the residents there. We went to read and came out smiling!!

The facility is about a 15-minute walk from our school, right there in our community. It began as a thought about a month or so ago. I called Maplewood, left a message, received a call back and we set up a tentative date. We spoke of the possibility of making this a once a month thing as well. I sent out a survey to parents to gauge the interest level. There was interest.  Permission slips were sent out, I spoke with the principal, and boom!

The idea hit me like a ton of bricks that it would be better to go after school. Why? Just because. That little blurb was in the survey too. Still, there was great interest on behalf of the 5th grade families. (There were some kinks on my end that I'll have to fix for next time.  Long story short, me being too hype, I got unorganized and quickly)

We left the school around 3:15pm. But before doing so, the kids and I had a little chat. "This is the first time your teacher has done anything like this. We'll see how it goes. No matter what, just go with the flow. We'll speak, be polite, introduce ourselves and why we're there and enjoy ourselves."

On the way I allowed them to snap pics, and to snap, as in....this. Why? They're "snapping chatting" (lol) about going to read! Why not?!?

The staff was very warm, gracious, and welcoming! We entered the recreation area and immediately we all got to work introducing ourselves to the our reading buddies and the kids got to reading. My colleagues and I would only step in for a sec to move a kid closer or to slide the book between the two reading buddies. #SmilesAllAround

The kids loved it! They'd read to their new friend and in a couple of cases their new friends took the book and read back to the much younger buddies!! I even got the chance to read to a couple of the residents, "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes and "Green Eggs and Ham". Both were a hit!!

We stayed for about a half hour before heading back to school to the waiting arms and cars of parents! Wow! That's all I can muster right now. Wow!! It was one great experience for us all!

Today, during one of the classes we had a panel discussion. The students ran it. The panel (the students who went to Maplewood) took questions from their classmates about the event and they responded well.

The student panel

More than 24 hours later, I'm still sitting here reflecting in rapture! There isn't a test in the WORLD, no benchmark, no Pearson, no PSSA, no PARCC, nothing, that can capture the essence of that and myriad other experiences!!

The Lunchtime Sit Down

In addition to giving my students space to chat and let out their feelings about the election, minus the teacher's bias, I did inform one kid that I wanted to see him at lunch and speak with him some more. I had him as a 3rd grade student and was pleased as punch that I would be the opportunity to work with him again as his 5th grade English teacher.

In third grade he proved himself to be quite the presidential scholar, often choosing to read and speak about presidents during our times of SSR and the subsequent "book talks." We talked a lot when he was in 3rd grade and I was interested in this thoughts on this election now that he is in 5th grade. I've blogged about him before on here.

Lunchtime came. We sat and chatted about presidential politics like we were two old men. His favorite president was Kennedy "because he helped a lot of people." His least favorite was Nixon "because he got impeached and lied." When asked about his feelings regarding this election, he used the word "disappointed." When asked why, he enumerated the myriad reasons we all as adults have named. We then talked about taxes and what revealing them may uncover. He wasn't really aware of how that all worked, so I started small (very small) with what my returns would reveal. Donations to "do good" organizations like animal shelters, the church, etc. After my example and explaining what Trump's could say, he got it.

He also noted that he didn't like neither Clinton nor Trump, but of the two, Clinton would have been the better choice.

After several minutes he got up to leave and expressed how he enjoyed the chat and that we'd have to do it again. Agreed.

P.S. I'm a public school teacher in Philadelphia. He and I both share a heritage. Just an fyi just in case any other mental images were coming to mind.

In the Classroom the #MorningAfter Trump Won

So, there it is. D.J. Chum—ahem—Trump will be the 45^th President of the United States. I’m choosing not to go into the myriad reasons why I don’t agree with a clown taking the Oval Office. Instead, I’m going to focus on the fact that I am a public school teacher in Philadelphia who teaches students with opinions about these things.

Today the mood around the school was somber. Staff and students alike seemed to be walking around in a daze, stunned that such a man could have possibly won the long 2016 election and is set to become the 45^th President of this country.

Instead of ignoring the feelings the students had, I allowed them time to express themselves. I didn’t get to do this with every class the way I wanted. But in their Social Studies class with my colleague, they also had the opportunity to express themselves. Many had strong opinions about both Trump and Clinton. Others didn’t have an opinion about the election at all. And when asked what advice would they give to Trump if he were to come into the classroom that very minute. One student said, “Quit!” #classdismissed

A Student's Art/Reading/Knowledge sketch

"Mr. Flemming, I have this drawing idea of a fist coming out of books with the title 'Knowledge is Power'. Can I bring it to you?" ~5th Grader

"Absolutely!!"

J. Smith, All Rights Reserved, 2016

Get the Kids' Opinions

image from store.scholastic.com

Dilemma: Only 5 Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in the classroom (new). Everyone likes to read them.

Solution: Get the kids' opinions on a fair way to distribute books during the time set aside for silent/relaxing reading.

May I also take time to thank some of my personal friends and family, who when they heard of my dilemma, offered to gather their own kids' used books or volunteered to pick up one or two or more!

I've maintained for some time that reading is meant to be enjoyed not tested! We have a ways to go, but in the interim, let's get them to love reading and letting the words take their imaginations to......wherever!!

"RACE" Movie Soundtrack in Class

Today I played one song from the 'RACE' movie soundtrack in class.
"Let the Games Begin"

Prior to the start, I read the lyrics poetically. As one class was settling down, the mood in the room instantly changed. I could hear quiet mumbles of affirmation and whispers of agreement and inspiration. The tone of the class period was set and you could cut the "we can do this" attitude with a knife if you wanted!

Let's gooooo!!!!! Let the games begin!! We got this!!!

Stuffed Animals and 5th Graders

Last year, near the end of the school year I had an idea and it worked. Read about it here. It involved adding stuffed animals to the classroom library. The idea caught on even as a personal friend of mine thought of me as she toured the NJ aquarium. She purchased a hippo from the gift shop to add to the collection.

While I'm sure teachers have been doing it for ages, you must remember I'm coming from middle school grades. This year, I'm trying it earlier and with my 90+ 5th graders. We'll see how they respond. They already love the idea of pillows.

The larger ones are on loan from a colleague. The smaller ones were purchased in the sale/(clearance?) section of a department store.

It IS in The Cards!!

Every school year I take the time and have my students write down what it is they desire to be “when they grow up”. Noted on index cards, I’ve also asked them to autograph and date the card. “Yes, ladies and gents, I want your autographs now! You will not grow up and do great things and deny you ever knew me!” lol I also ask them address it to me, a thought that hit me a couple of years into the tradition.

This year was no different and was something I was really looking forward to doing!

Signing of the index cards is preceded by a very real talk about hard work, goals in school and life, the ways of society, others’ thoughts about them, and my speaking words of life and empowerment into their lives, letting them know they are pearls of great price or another ‘symbolistic’/metaphoric ‘thingy’ I may use at the time!! These “chats” (as one former student called them) happen all throughout the year and at random times.

Those cards have become a “Mr. Flemming staple”. When old students come to visit, when I go to their games, graduations, or other events, “the cards” undoubtedly come up! “I still got ya cards!” That, followed by, “I’m tryna be at graduation to help you celebrate!”

Sometimes going back to the cards becomes emotional. Last school year, two former students lost their lives tragically. Going back to their cards, looking at what it was they wanted to be and do was all too surreal.

Hopes.

Dreams.

Cut off.

Too soon.

I put their cards on my classroom door last year, in some small hoping to honor their memory and dreams. One would have graduated this coming June. {sigh}

#SaleemWest

#QuronWillis

#SayTheirNames

On the complete opposite end of the pendulum of emotions, pure joy!

Two such emotional moments came when I attended the class of 2016’s graduation ceremony to help these young men and women celebrate!! Big ups to that great kid who was in room 103 in 6^th grade for making sure I was able to come! For the first time, the cards accompanied me to the ceremony. Catching up with as many of my former students as I could, we reminisced, albeit briefly, over what they wrote six years prior. Many snapped pics of what they once wrote, some laughed at what they wanted to be, many still wanted to be it and others paused…

One graduate and former student softly said to me, “Thanks Mr. Flemming. That really means a lot.” Another started getting choked up as I showed him his card and as we hugged. His words, “I did it Mr. Flemming, I did it.” (Messed me all the way up when I got back to the car and starting to ‘allergy’ up my eyes even now)

We never know who is sitting in our classrooms. The next {insert à positive occupation/profession/position here} is that kid sitting right by your desk…or up in the front…or by the door…maybe even the window…or the one whose home life becomes dinner time banter over broccoli and meatloaf. *Hmph*

I jokingly tell each group of students that when they reach their goals and make it big and make tons and tons of money to come back and break me off some! (Sorta, kinda almost kinda not joking about that one lol).

As we are in this season of fresh starts and new beginnings, let’s recommit ourselves to the noblest profession on the face of the planet, the profession that makes all other professions possible, the journey of teaching and learning with our students!! Speak life! And more than just speaking it, act on it!!

Happy New Year!!

Let's go! Success is my only option!!

Why I'm Not Going to Work on August 31st!

In mid-July the school district, by way of administrators, sent an email to school employees informing us that September 1^st and 2^nd (the first two official days back for staff) would be days for professional development (PD) for new curriculum materials. Oh, and by the way, those two days of PD are off site. We’re not reporting to our home base, to our regular school buildings.

That left one day, Tuesday, September 6^th, for teachers to prepare our classrooms for the new school year, and no time to meet with our building principals and assistant principals about rosters, school year protocols, opening day events, etc.

The email reads in part:

We know that school staffs need time to conduct school-based professional development, goal setting and team building.  Therefore, we are providing an optional professional development day on August 31st for principals to work with their school-based staff at their local school sites. School-based staff will be paid at their daily rate.  Although we hope that those who need this time will take advantage of the opportunity, your participation in this day is optional. 

Although the money is tempting and I could use it (since we haven’t seen a raise since, 2012 or 2013, somewhere around there), I’m not attending for the following reasons:

1.  Every chance he gets a particular member of the School Reform Commission (SRC) takes the opportunity to excoriate teachers for not sharing in some burden and making sacrifices on behalf of the students in our care. I discussed that a few summers ago. But that same person and others on the SRC have been rude, crass, and have wasted countless resources in court in an attempt, albeit failed, to further chastise the teachers, which negatively impacts the very children for whom he and others claim to be champions! No, I’m not going in on the 31^st for PD!!

2.  In December of 2015, the SRC voted to adopt the calendar for school year 2016-2017. They had plenty of time to propose whatever adjustments they thought were necessary before mid-July came around! I don’t feel as though I should have to report back a single day earlier because of the poor planning on the part of the SRC and this district! No, I’m not going in on the 31^st for PD!!

3. Some, not all, administrators across this district have created such hostile work environments that teachers and staff are stressed out beyond measure and it takes every bit of the summer to bring that very real stress down! No, I’m not going in on the 31^st for PD!!

4.  Instead of encouraging teachers to go in for PD, why not meet with the negotiating team of the PFT and negotiate a fair contract??!! No, I’m not going in on the 31^st!!

5.  The money used for operations on the 31^st, could perhaps be used to ensure buildings don’t reek of urine first thing in the morning or on hallways and stairwells that don’t get swept on a daily basis, or on bright, attractive, warm, and welcoming school environments!! No, I’m not going in on the 31^st!!

Big ups to any principals out there who pushed back against the insane idea this district came up with to have the first two days back be off site PD days! I don’t know who you are, but we really could use more who will push back against the insanity! Rolling over without a fight is not a strategy for success!

Now it’s up to the district and principals to figure out a way to disseminate any pertinent information to staff who have every right to enjoy their final day of summer!

I’m sure I’ll go back before the 6^th to set up my classroom (or not) but it won’t be the 31^st, I can tell you that much!