Heading full throttle into October, many of us have probably tucked our "fluffy, get to know you activities" back into those September folders. "It's all business," we're probably thinking. "Content, interventions, and curriculum maps, oh my!" We're focused on data. We're focused on results. Expectations and demands are higher than ever, and as educators we are expected to do the impossible. These feelings, I contend, are very good feelings for learning communities to have. Why wouldn't we want to be the best we can be everyday? Why wouldn't we expect the kiddos to be the best they can be everyday? Why wouldn't we want to deliver the best possible results we can deliver?
An unfortunate side effect from these expectations??? Educators, feeling the pinch, have abandoned some of the more celebratory, "fun" activities and lessons that children adore. "There isn't time for that" has become a sort of motto for teachers since NCLB's inception. It tends to be the relationships between teachers and students that suffer the most from this new culture of teaching. In our haste to collect as much data as possible, students' names and faces are overshadowed by numbers, ESOL levels, benchmarks, xeroxed evidence, IEP goals and common assessments; all of which are vital in our quest to provide the best possible learning experiences for our children.
What's the balance? How do we stay connected to our children in this high stakes accountable environment. How do we make sure we know every possible thing there is to know about them (other than their recent DRA level?) I don't propose that I know all the answers, but I can assure you I know one. And it is a big one. When children write everyday, teachers and students grow together. Everyday is a "get to know you" day when we let kids write.
In 11 years of teaching, I have been moved in unimaginable ways through my students' writing. There isn't much you don't learn about a student when they write everyday - Fear from their first time on a roller coaster. Sadness from the loss of a grandmother. Inspiration from a little sister with Spina Bifida. Pride in their game winning homerun. Heartbreak from the loss of their home to a hurricane. I am so privileged to have heard these stories.
"That sounds great and all, but I don't have time to let my kids write everyday. Not to mention all the other standards I'm expected to teach." Ain't this the truth! You bet, now, more than ever, the amount of knowledge an elementary kiddo is expected to know is mind boggling. Our pacing and curriculum is bulging at the seams. However, which standards cannot be achieved through writing? Do you know of one? I don't.
Jessica, from the second grade team, engaged her students in a great brainstorming writing lesson, "Writing from the Heart". Students illustrated a heart on their paper, then filled the drawing with "pieces "of their heart. Moms, dads, Wii, sports, music, etc. filled up their heart. Wow, what a great way to see what is important to a child. What a great way to help students get to know each other. What a great way teachers can get to know children. And most importantly, the student now has several starting points for possible topics to write about. What a great spin on asking a child to write about something important to them. These students will make rich connections with one another. What about the connections Jessica will make with her students?Well, you can probably guess. What might happen if you had your students do something similar?
If you're not totally sold on this whole writing everyday thing, that is okay. I wasn't always either. If I could ask you to reflect on a few questions, it might help your thinking around the subject. Are there students that wouldn't benefit from writing everyday? Are there students whose lives wouldn't be enriched from hearing stories from their classmates and teachers? Are there teachers that wouldn't benefit from having a daily window into their kiddos' world? Are there classrooms that couldn't fit 10 minutes of writing into the day?
An unfortunate side effect from these expectations??? Educators, feeling the pinch, have abandoned some of the more celebratory, "fun" activities and lessons that children adore. "There isn't time for that" has become a sort of motto for teachers since NCLB's inception. It tends to be the relationships between teachers and students that suffer the most from this new culture of teaching. In our haste to collect as much data as possible, students' names and faces are overshadowed by numbers, ESOL levels, benchmarks, xeroxed evidence, IEP goals and common assessments; all of which are vital in our quest to provide the best possible learning experiences for our children.
What's the balance? How do we stay connected to our children in this high stakes accountable environment. How do we make sure we know every possible thing there is to know about them (other than their recent DRA level?) I don't propose that I know all the answers, but I can assure you I know one. And it is a big one. When children write everyday, teachers and students grow together. Everyday is a "get to know you" day when we let kids write.
In 11 years of teaching, I have been moved in unimaginable ways through my students' writing. There isn't much you don't learn about a student when they write everyday - Fear from their first time on a roller coaster. Sadness from the loss of a grandmother. Inspiration from a little sister with Spina Bifida. Pride in their game winning homerun. Heartbreak from the loss of their home to a hurricane. I am so privileged to have heard these stories.
"That sounds great and all, but I don't have time to let my kids write everyday. Not to mention all the other standards I'm expected to teach." Ain't this the truth! You bet, now, more than ever, the amount of knowledge an elementary kiddo is expected to know is mind boggling. Our pacing and curriculum is bulging at the seams. However, which standards cannot be achieved through writing? Do you know of one? I don't.
Jessica, from the second grade team, engaged her students in a great brainstorming writing lesson, "Writing from the Heart". Students illustrated a heart on their paper, then filled the drawing with "pieces "of their heart. Moms, dads, Wii, sports, music, etc. filled up their heart. Wow, what a great way to see what is important to a child. What a great way to help students get to know each other. What a great way teachers can get to know children. And most importantly, the student now has several starting points for possible topics to write about. What a great spin on asking a child to write about something important to them. These students will make rich connections with one another. What about the connections Jessica will make with her students?Well, you can probably guess. What might happen if you had your students do something similar?
If you're not totally sold on this whole writing everyday thing, that is okay. I wasn't always either. If I could ask you to reflect on a few questions, it might help your thinking around the subject. Are there students that wouldn't benefit from writing everyday? Are there students whose lives wouldn't be enriched from hearing stories from their classmates and teachers? Are there teachers that wouldn't benefit from having a daily window into their kiddos' world? Are there classrooms that couldn't fit 10 minutes of writing into the day?
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