13th Read-In, a celebration of books-n-chill

For a 13th year now, I'm engaging my students in a pre-winter break Read In.* One student replied, "That's decent" when I first announced it year one! Boom! Onto something! They bring books, comics, and magazines. I bring hot chocolate, cookies, and some years, gifts.

Over the years, we've welcomed journalists from NBC 10 and KYW News Radio. We've also welcomed members of my family including my adult baby brother and my mother, former colleagues, Councilwoman Cindy Bass, and mentees who call me "Unk," two of whom are now teachers themselves.☺ (Black men in Philly's public schools, btw)

This celebration of "books-n-chill" continues in 2020! Yup. 2020. Students will still bring their books, comics, and magazines to our Zoom classroom. They'll all receive Dunkin Donuts gift cards a few days ahead of time for hot chocolate and donuts.

This year we even have a couple of extras planned including taking a class pic. On Zoom. They've had ample notice.📸 Also, this year we are excited to partner with two of Philly's elementary schools. A few of my students will be reading with students at both Pennell Elementary and Gideon Elementary!

On Tuesday, December 22nd, we invite you to grab a book, the paper, or a magazine, some hot chocolate and maybe a little snack and read as well. Our class time is from 10am-11:30. If you feel so inclined to chill with a book during that time, tag me on Twitter, @kellygrade6 with the title. No pressure. Just a thought.

*As a middle grades elementary school ELA teacher, I engaged the students in choice reading daily. Our annual Read-In was/is an extended time to read for enjoyment while sipping our hot chocolate and nibbling on our cookies.

A little note on reading instruction

"Oh my goodness, we gotta read a paragraph??"

"Yooooo, I DONT FEEL LIKE READING THIS PARAGRAPH!!! You drawlin!!"

"ugghhhh!!!"

"You do the most!"

"I ain't readin' this *&@^#!!!"

These were some of the responses I received this past week for what really was one paragraph my students had to read along with the 5 questions they had to answer. The paragraph was taken from a chapter in a book, that we're reading and that most of us are enjoying.  We had already read this particular chapter, by the time of the quiz, so it wasn't new. But even if it was...

This book has already generated a great deal of in-depth conversations about self-esteem, acceptance, and colorism. The book is The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake. After completing a multiple choice section about some of the vocabulary, the students had to read a single paragraph and respond to 5 multiple choice questions. But what the students saw was that they had to *read* and they were having none of it!

BUT, before you judge them too harshly, I firmly believe that the test-prep, data-laden (or did I mean 'driven'?), mundane approach we take to reading instruction from kindergarten on up has created an aversion to any type of reading outside of Instagram posts and 140 (or is it 280?) characters. I believe that creating an overall culture where reading is a subject 'done' in school and a task that we have to do and for which they receive a grade instead of it being a relaxing, engaging, or informational activity 'done' at home, on the bus, on in the park, churns the disdain for it. Many kids hate the very idea of it.

That's. Not. Good.

We've test-prepped them straight into a hatred for the idea of picking up a book or magazine and reading . We've assessed them right into running in the opposite direction when faced with a single paragraph. That we read already. In a single chapter. In a book we're reading together. And enjoying.

Normally, I wouldn't be giving them something like that before creating a culture in our classroom where WE enjoy reading. I believe in starting off my reading/English classes with 15 minutes or so of students reading whatever they want. I believe in a well-stocked, robust, diverse, and welcoming classroom library and that a classroom library isn't for decoration or checklist purposes. I believe in school libraries and school librarians/teacher-librarians. I believe in carpeted areas, pillows, book shelves, plants, pet fish (or Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches...don't ask). I believe in us discussing what they read; in them drawing about what they read in an illustrative summary; in them writing about what they read; in them speaking to each other about what they read; in building up that "reading trust", so that when I must go into the stuff that I'm supposed to do, we can do so with a little less contempt. This approach works, even by the inappropriate measure of standardized testing scores. This approach has worked. That's not to say I haven't had to tweak the process depending on the class, but overall, it has worked.

However...

I was told one year that these first 15-25 minutes were "a waste of instructional time." Another year I was told that I needed to "assess" them on what they're reading during this time. Another time I was told that I needed to use only the books that the school district purchased. For a long time I pushed back because of the results that I've seen. I've seen students go from hating the idea of picking up books and reading to them LOVING it! I've seen those beloved test scores (*cough*) go up year over year as a group. I've heard the comments they'd make when they thought I wasn't paying attention; the smirk at something they just read; the intensity with which they are turning the pages; the "Mr. Flemming, 5 more minutes!". I've seen them RUN into the classroom to grab a book before someone else did. 6th graders!! I've seen them HIDE books so that they knew where it was for the next time. A colleague noticed that students were sneaking to read in her math class. We speak of it to this day. Years after I had one student, he approached me on the street and said, "You still the best English teacher I ever had."

But after being observed incessantly, both formally and informally; after three visits from a higher power above my administrator at the time; after all of the comments on the observations; after all of the heated conversations behind closed doors about my teaching philosophy being antithetical to the compliance cultures that are created in our schools, I threw up the white flag. Not because I wanted to, but because I'm working on other goals and need my mind free (Carter G. Woodson would say 'enslaved'). I need my mind enslaved. My sister says that I'm just "taking a nap"; chillin' in the cut; recalibrating to fight differently. 

So, I resolved to enter this school year being a compliant teacher. This time, however, it's a "do over" at a different school. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day, but I try to do everything that I'm asked to do. I apologize. (To whom do you think I'm apologizing?) One year I asked an administrator if they wanted me to teach or do what I'm told because they aren't necessarily synonymous activities. And speaking of that Carter G. Woodson, he would call me a "miseducated negro" (his words) this school year and the majority of this previous school year. Might he have a point? Judge ye. As quoted in Brown (2009) Woodson writes, "Taught from books of the same bias, trained by Caucasians of the same prejudices or by Negroes of enslaved minds, one generation of Negro teachers after another have served for no higher purpose than to do what they are told to do" (p. 420).

So, how is my resolution working out for the kids?
Well...

"Oh my goodness, we gotta read a paragraph??"

"Yooooo, I DONT FEEL LIKE READING THIS PARAGRAPH!!! You drawlin!!"

"ugghhhh!!!"

"You do the most!"

"I ain't readin' this *&@^#!!!"



Reference
Brown, A. L. (2009). “Brothers gonna work it out:” Understanding the pedagogic performance of African American male teachers working with African American male students. Urban Review, 41(5), 416-435. doi:10.1007/s11256-008-0116-8

Final Day at Maplewood

Sadly, today was our final day reading with the residents at Maplewood Manor Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center. As I mentioned in previous posts about our visits there, we establish an intergenerational bond with the residents while there and while reading with them.

Last time the kids and I will be reading with the residents here. The kids added a singing component. More later in a blog post #classongeek

— Stephen R. Flemming (@kellygrade6) June 5, 2017

With every visit, we add a little something, planned or unplanned, to the experience. The last time we visited, we sought to gather the stories of a few of the residents, write them up in a mini-biographical sketch and read them back to them. Well, if it can go wrong, it will. We started the process, but for a wide variety of reasons, we were unable to completely finish this mini-project. Undeterred, we pressed on.

As the kids were finishing the short stories and poems we brought along with us, one had the idea to sing to the residents. I can't lie, I was hesitant. I, however, was not going to be the one to stifle their excitement. So #onward...sing children! At first, a smaller group of them sang to the residents at one table. The song of choice, The Star Spangled Banner, which we're learning for our 5th grade Move-Up Day next Friday. Cute. lol That went well! I thought they'd be nervous, but nah! That must've been me.

Then another one of them got the idea to sing to all of those who were in the dining area. Ok. Now I'm even more hesitant. Were they going to stop us? Would the residents respond? What about those working in their offices? I'm not a worrier, so it bewildered me why I was worrying now. Still, I set aside my feelings and let them have at it. To overcome my apprehension, I gave them a quick public speaking, 10-second mini-lesson.

Introduce yourselves, especially for those with whom you didn't read.
Tell them where you're from. John B. Kelly Elementary School.
Tell them what you want to do. Sing.
Tell them what you're singing. The Star Spangled Banner and the Black national anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing.

As the children sang, those who hadn't read with us, moved their wheelchairs, got up from where they were seated, or looked up, and were quite the captive audience. My "allergies" started to act up when a grandfather and his two guests, moved to where I was seated and were moved by these young voices. One of his guests, "Ms. Alice", wanted to know more about who we were, where we were from, and why we were there. She stated that Mr. Resident (for privacy sake), really enjoyed what he heard and loves this sort of thing.

Another resident, with whom we hadn't worked before, really expressed his joy at having the opportunity to sit with one of students as they read and learned from each other. I overheard much of their conversation and I wanted to just sit in rapture.

I cannot quite put into words the connections WE made and how we felt. To know me is to know that I have a special place in my heart for those who are older and have had some experiences. It was good for the kids and me, all of us, to be a part of this intergenerational experience!

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!!

#207ReadsAloud

I am in my second year as a third grade teacher, having been reassigned to the primary grades from quite a few years as a teacher of middle school students (primarily 6th Grade ELA). It's been quite the adjustment and quite the journey. I honestly believe I'm becoming a better teacher because of it. This, because I want to be! Based on my observations and the feedback that I get from current and former parents of my third graders, the kids are learning quite a bit.

With each passing year and with each group, the classes are different, even when I taught the upper grades!

This year...
"Mr. Flemming, can I be the teacher tomorrow?"
I have been asked this question more than once this school year and by more than one of my third graders. I finally figured out some way to begin working in the "student as teacher" idea on a small scale.

Read Alouds.

Teachers do it all the time. It's pedagogilese for "reading a story" to the class. "Fore-word" it with "interactive", Interactive Read Aloud, and you have pedagogilese for:

• asking questions along the way
• having conversations throughout the reading of the book
• having intentional stopping points.....etc etc.

Today was day one of our classroom read aloud series, hashtag #207ReadsAloud. It is completely voluntary. There are no grades. No extra credit. No zeros. No pressure. No hype.....well, maybe a little hype!

Young Mr. ABCDEFG (obvious pseudonym) went first and it was great. He wanted the kids on the carpet. Check! He took his place in the chair. Check! He read the book while holding it open for the class to see the pictures. Triple check!!

It all began continued (since they were the ones who started it by asking to be the teacher) yesterday with my asking for volunteers to read to the class. They each picked a date in January. I put their name in my Google calendar. They will pick a book that can be read in one sitting and they'll take the reigns of reading and go for it! Each day at 9am, #207ReadsAloud!

A Reading Teacher's Confession

So, I'm about to confess here.
I assigned a book recommended by another 3rd grade teacher for the kids to read the other day, this while I really needed to work with others one-on-one. The confession part, I hadn't read the book. My colleague had a class set of books and until now, hadn't gotten around to using them.

The kids LOVE the book and can't put it down. Sooooo, do you know what I'M going to do? Read it! Their excitement has made my a bit jealous and I want to know what it is about the book that makes it so interesting!!

I'm actually excited that *this* is my confession because they are LOVING the book and are letting me know that. They're boasting about what chapter they are on. The are sneaking and talking about it (I say sneak because there are times when we should enjoy relative silence when reading....but sometimes I pretend I don't hear them). One girl said to me as I was collecting them to put away for tomorrow, "Mr. Flemming, this is a really good book. I'm on chapter {whatever it was}." All I could do was smile!

Here's to taking the book home tonight and reading it for myself! lol

Young writers' and publishers' desks...

For a 6th year, I and some of my colleagues are publishing books with our students. I took my students to lunch and specials and loved the way that many left their desks...

Reading is only good for assessing...

When we were told that during the reading PSSA (PA's version of state-wide standardized testing) students could not take out a book or anything with words because "it might help them somehow" or that teachers couldn't wear shirts with words (pshh), I was done!

The idea that reading is only good for assessing is the not-so-hidden message that we send to children when we tell them things like "you can't take out a book when you're finished. It might help you" or when it's said that you cannot cover up your classroom with newspaper because it has "words on it".

The experience became all the more surreal and ridiculous one day when one of my voracious readers looked around, saw others reading books and blurted out to me, "oh we can read books today?"

smh

Note: this same voracious reader, doesn't take too kindly to standardized reading tests. I don't know this because s/he said as much, but based on other provincial benchmarks and standards of reading success -__-

Another note: the idea that "reading should only be assessed" is also evident in our district's spending of some million dollar grant money on DRA2 kits and not on magazine subscriptions, class sets of books, fun/interactive reading programs, librarians, etc.

Visual summaries

I did something today with my 3rd that I used to do with my middle-schoolers. We did visual summaries. I introduced it as a summary without words and just pictures. Our reading routine includes them reading a work of their choice, book, article, or magazine. Discussions with classmates about the reading follow.

Today, instead of conversing immediately afterward, they drew a "summary"; ideally, without words. After their visual summary was "written", they were to then converse about what they read using their visual representation. As classmates looked at what seemingly was nonsense, the illustrator would be forced to give details about what they chose to read.

With my middle schoolers, I would often say "draw or write about what you read". Not all the time would we share such summaries. With 3rd graders, I'm passionate about them moving and conversing quite a bit about what we're learning. I stay tucked away on a ledge somewhere as they talk, watching and listening carefully from my perch, a non-intimidating presence.

The Nike Shirt Mix up!

So, Nike put out a shirt that placed an outline of the state of South Carolina, labeled as North Carolina with a pic of the symbol for the NFL's Carolina Panthers on it.

Some "radical" and "ideological" teachers could make the case that we should be teaching more than just reading and math. Perhaps, umm, I don't know, uhhh, maybe SOCIAL STUDIES!!!!!!!!

Here's the story
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/16/nike-carolina-shirt_n_3606417.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003