"You think I can rap...?"

http://5starempire.com/category/hip-hop-international/

I'm a public high school English teacher by day and an adjunct reading professor at a local community college by night. As my accelerated reading course began recently, I assigned an article for my students to read that we'd later discuss. I was demonstrating an article discussion assignment that would be required of them soon when one of my students whispered a question to me. "You think I can rap about what we're talking about one day?" I can't begin to express my excitement! This young man didn't realize that the instructor before him TOTALLY believes in multi-modal teaching and learning experiences! Needless to say, my answer was a resounding YES! We then discussed how his rapping could be incorporated into some of the lessons and his class presentations. I think this young brotha is hooked!

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

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