Milobo’s Musings

I don’t go to the beach much, but whenever my nieces and nephews visit, you can bet we’ll spend at least a day or two there.  Where I live, the main commercial section of the beach is only about 6 miles from our home. Our favorite area to visit is a section of beach in the Gulf Islands National Seashore called Langdon Beach.  For the past 4 years, though, the road to Fort Pickens and Langdon Beach has been gone, the result of hurricane damage that literally scattered the road from one side of Santa Rosa Island to the other.

It seems building a road on a foundation of sand doesn’t stand much of a chance against a major hurricane….

Likewise, a classroom built on a shaky foundation— one that is not well organized, that’s missing compassionate policies, or that doesn’t consider best practices is destined to crumble too. I’ve become a fan of several blogs that help teachers think through their own classroom practices including Successful Teaching, Practical Theory, and Teachers at Risk.  All are good reads for new teachers or for those who want a new perspective on classroom practices.  Looking back at my own teaching career, I’ve discovered that there are a half dozen statements that have served as my guideposts.  They’ve evolved somewhat over the years, but they serve as my foundation – so much so that I used to write them at the front of my plan book every semester. I’m not in a classroom full time anymore, but these principles still guide my work.

My Foundations:

• Help students learn instead of teaching them a lesson. Early on in my career, I had the pleasure of teaching Eric.  Eric was a mustached fifth grader who should have passed onto middle school at least 3 years before. He towered over me and over his fellow fifth graders.  According to his previous teachers, he had a reputation for throwing desks at teachers and spending more time in the principal’s office or on suspension than in the classroom.  Great.  On the first day of class, I pulled Eric aside and asked “What do I have to do to help you stay in my class and keep from getting a desk thrown at me?” His reply? “Mrs. B, when I say ‘I’ve taken a mood’ just let me be.”  True to his word, whenever he’d utter that statement, we had an agreement that he could go to the back of the room until he was able to rejoin us.  I’m happy to say that Eric didn’t miss a day of class that year due to suspension. Plus, he competed in science fair, worked in groups and passed fifth grade; if not with flying colors, then at least with pride.
• Give second chances. We all fail sometimes.  It’s learning to deal with failure that means the most. Enacting compassionate policies in a classroom doesn’t make you a push-over; it makes you a realist. Kids mess up sometimes – they forget a book, miss a homework assignment. A “no-exceptions, no makeups” policy only teaches students that unless it’s learned according to a set schedule, it’s not worth learning. In my Algebra class, I used to allow students the opportunity to receive half credit for any test question that they reworked and turned in along with an explanation of their error.  It gave a student who failed a test the opportunity to pass if they were willing to put in a little extra effort. In the long run, they probably learned as much from their mistakes as they did from their successes.
• Leave room at the top. As many of you probably do, I often use rubrics to assess projects.  Sometimes, however, my rubric would end at the “B” level.  When students would ask what would earn them an A, I’d say “Amaze me.”  Funny how often they exceeded my expectations when I left room for them to go beyond.
• Be amazed. Be willing to show your awe when your students impress you. Look for the moments when they go beyond your expectations and celebrate them publicly.
• Be amused. Forget the rule “Don’t smile before Christmas.”  It’s not wrong to show students you care, especially if it’s backed with clear classroom expectations.  Smile at them and laugh with them when you get the chance.
• Never assume you are the smartest person in the room. Enough said.

Those are my foundation statements. What would yours be?

Picture from the National Park Service.