Bonus: Bookworm Bookmarks

Need:

-Small amount of worsted yarn

-crochet hook size K

-bead or button

-googly eyes

-sewing needle

Directions: 

1) Chain 80 stitches.

2) Skip one stitch, then single crochet six stitches into the next chain to make the head.

3) Double crochet six stitches into the next chain stitch. Repeat this step nine more times. (One "body circle" = 12 stiches, so if striping, change color every 12.)

4) Single crochet six stitches into the next chain to close up the worm.  (You have only used 12 chain stiches.)

5) Work in yarn ends.

6) Finish tail with bead or button on the end.

7) Glue on googly eyes.

Controlled Choreography: On the Dance of Anger

Day 20: What is one life lesson that you are thankful for having learned?  

About 15 years ago, I was introduced to William Glasser's control theory. This simple theory was revolutionary in changing how I approached everything in my life, including my teaching. If you are unhappy, you have two basic choices within your sphere of control 1) change what you're doing in order to get what you want or 2) change what you want. Simple, no?  Identifying what's within my control helped me cope better with the things that are not.

According to Glasser, most behavior choices are made in order to satisfy one or more of these basic needs: freedom, fun, belonging, or power. This information was taught to sophomores at Cedar Falls High School as part of a growing up unit. It provided a psychological lens through which to analyze fictional characters. However, many of my students found this to be applicable to their own lives as well. I had to learn this content well in order to teach it well, and so I read multiple works by William Glasser including The Quality School Teacher and The Quality School, as well as his seminal work Control Theory. 

I found it useful to apply this kind of thinking when working with students whose behavior I didn't understand. When I discuss behavioral choices, both wise and unwise, with students, they understand their own behavior choices better, and I find that they are capable of making better decisions next time when they can put a name on their motivations.  Also it keeps behavior choices in proper perspective. Most misbehavior is not malicious. It is simply the student's need for fun trumping their need to be free during detention. It's usually not about me at all.  This is a lesson that plagued me in my early teaching because I took so much misbehavior personally to heart.

Today, I took control of a situation with a student with whom I have struggled to get along all year. We'll call him Bruce. Bruce asked me last week why I always seem so angry with him. It was certainly a legitimate question. And I've been thinking about it since. Why AM I so angry with this student? And is that anger improving the situation? It made me think of a related book that touches on control: The Dance of Anger. While I cannot control this young man's choices, I can control my own response to those choices. As The Dance of Anger says, you can't change your partner's moves, but you can change yours, and then he has to respond to your changes. So, today I wrote Bruce a note in which I observed that he'd been working harder recently to improve his learning, his behavior, and his attitude. I thanked him for making that choice. I told him I've been thinking about his question and that I felt like my anger stemmed from feeling like I was sometimes working harder for his success than he was--that I could see his brightness and potential, and it hurt to listen to his negative self talk. I was angry because he gave up on himself too easily.  But over the past week, I had seen him change. I valued his increasing persistence over the past week, and I wanted to recognize him for it. I told him that because of this new growth mindset and positive leadership, he had earned a bookworm of the color of his choice. (You wouldn't believe how popular those crazy things are!) And so he came up to me after class with the note and said, "So what do I do about this?"  

Thinking he was a bit daft, I said, "Well, the note's for you. You can keep it."  

He said, "No, the bookworm." 

I smiled at this new earnest intensity. "What color do you want?"

He asked if he could have blue and orange. And then wondered how soon I could be finished. I promised it would be done the next day. He is a Chicago Bears fan. It's plastered all over his blog page. So I had to make sure to get the right shade of blue and orange. A special trip to the yarn store was required. And I made it happen. Never underestimate the transformative healing powers of yarn.

By changing my interaction to a more positive tone and behavior on my part, he has responded in kind. This has been his best week since school started, but I hope it's not the best week of his year. That lies ahead.

When in doubt, asking a student "How are you doing?" or "Are you okay?" usually yields a more positive and productive interaction than jumping on a student about breaking the rules or having their head down. Put your assumptions away. Instead, pull out your curiosity and kindness whenever possible. Remember, you reap what you sow.

Chuck: The Teaching Widow

Day 19:  Tell someone you know how grateful you are for the work they do. Share your story here.

My husband Chuck is a teaching widow.  

I come home from work and continue working til 10 or 11 every night.  He usually cooks and cleans and does laundry while I respond to student work, create learning opportunities, write or read or knit. Even when it doesn't look like I'm working, I am--running through scenarios, making lesson plans, thinking, thinking, thinking, and what-if-ing.  My mind is open 24/7 and working on hyperdrive. 

Every day, my German general husband organizes our son Tommy and I, two Scots-Irish layabouts. If we lived in medieval times, Tommy and I would be traveling bards and Chuck would be running a castle, if not a kingdom. He packs the swimming bag, he warms up my truck when it's cold, he tells me what to put on my calendar and when and where I need to be to pick up or drop off our super-busy boy.  

When he's not organizing us, Chuck is an active leader in the Boy Scout troop.  He is an unofficial leader of the 4H First Lego League group.  He devotes a serious amount of time to the activities that are closest to our boy's heart.  Last weekend he organized and supervised a weekend camping trip for the Boy Scout troop. He spent Friday-Sunday cooped up on the coldest weekend of the year with a large group of boys under age twelve. He even whittles silly totems for them.

In addition, we have numerous sheep, pigs, and horses who need tending.  He's responsible for that, too, attended to by both dogs who think he's the most amazing human on the planet.  Dogs usually have good judgment. I'm not even sure what he does all day out in the barns, but his to-do lists are miles long, and he is always behind. Last weekend, a snow fence appeared on the west boundary, and I didn't even notice it.

He works full-time as a loan officer with a local bank.  He manages the money and pays the bills. Even when I owe Amazon more than he likes for books for my students. And Tommy. And me.  Or Target for yet more bookshelves for the classroom.  It's embarrassing to add up what I spend out of pocket, but he understands my passion and respects my purpose.

He spoils me with homemade cookie dough, he listens when I'm rambling, and when I'm working late in my classroom, he usually shows up with pizza so we can still have a family dinner.  If I do any kind of domestic chore, he thanks me profusely. This is embarrassing to admit.

A mutual friend told him a year she wished she'd had an inspirational English teacher like me, but she wondered what the cost was.  To my husband.  To my son.  To me.  The compliment was so heart-warming, but the cost?  That gave me serious pause.

The cost is high, my friends.

I've seen the investment pay off again and again in my students. But I hope the investment pays off for my son and husband.

Chuck is steady and predictable and reliable.  Yet after 24 years together, he's still capable of surprising me.  And he's still making me laugh. "Thank you" hardly seems sufficient recompense for 

all he does.  I am reminded of a line in the spoken word poem "Origin Story" by Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay that best encapsulates how I feel, "I have seen the best of you, and the worst of you. And I choose both."

Thank you, lovey, for choosing both.

June 21, 1996 on Mom's front porch in Storm Lake, Iowa

Scenes from My Little Utopia

November 18: What do you appreciate about your colleagues?

They take care of me when I'm sick.

Sara (to me in the ladies room): Jen, are you okay to drive? I went to the office and got you a sub. You're covered for the rest of the day.  Go home.

They are generous with their planning time.

Cathy: There are Scratch cupcakes in the lounge.  Go get one.

Me: But--

Cathy: Take Jesse-Lee (student teacher) to the lounge and get cupcakes!  I'll teach your class till you get back.

They keep me organized.

Leesa: I ordered all the copies for the unit for you.

They value my experience.

Megann: Let's plan Socratic Circles out on Monday in PLC.

Amy: Yeah, I want to learn more about that.

Cathy: Me, too.

Me: Leesa, we're talking Socratic Circles on Monday. Are you in?

Leesa: I'm so in.

They forgive my errors.

Assistant Principal Dave (as he tries to unlock my door): Has the door been acting up lately?

Me: It's been kinda glitchy.  Umm.  (Pause.  Blushing.)   But I slammed it fourth hour when I was mad at my class because they wouldn't listen, and now it won't open.

Assistant Principal Dave (smiles and pats me on the shoulder): Well, we all have those days.  (lock finally pops)  I wouldn't lock it again until it's fixed.  Have a better rest of the day!

Boston: A Wicked Good Time

Day 17: One thing that's different from a year ago that I'm grateful for..

A year ago today, according to my Facebook timeline which now serves as my memory, I was packing for a trip to Boston for NCTE and ALAN.  I had no idea how amazing this trip would be and how it would impact my life in big and small ways.  It was wicked good!

For one, I had yet to discover the most amazing food in the history of the universe: the Florentine cannoli from Mike's Pastry.  Where ya been all my life?!  Seriously, somebody please ship me a box!

I had not yet discovered the place I want to live if I ever leave Iowa.  Oh, Boston!  You had me when the sun magically appeared as I stumbled down the wrong street from the hotel and discovered Fenway!  See the angelic presence in the center of the picture? My whole trip had that halo effect. And I got to wander around this most charming of historical cities with several of my favorite people: Brenna Griffin, Abby Hendrickson, and Kirstey Ewald.

A year ago, I had not heard my childhood hero Judy Blume's genius advice on getting kids to read books you love: "Tell them they aren't ready for it yet.  And walk away."

All my teaching life of twenty years, I have revered the name Nancie Atwell.  She has been the shining light of reading & writing workshop in my classroom.  Her work In the Middle is amazing.  I have every versions.  A year ago, I had not met my teaching idol.

A year ago, illustrator Gareth Hinds had not completely changed the way I teach the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet.  His graphic novel interpretation creates a major contrast to the traditional climbing of the trellis.  This creative thinking demonstrates how the same idea is re-interpreted in multiple mediums.  Discuss the graphic novel frames of this scene in contrast to the Baz Luhrmann interpretation and kids will be hooked!

 

The YA novel Boy21 is my go-to book.  I've never had a student, male or female, honors student or reluctant reader, finish the first page without getting hooked.  Every student who reads it rates in their top 3 of the year. A tender and illuminating story about friendship,mental illness, race, grief, and basketball, it is one of my all-time favorite books.  I got to lavish all my praise in person on the gracious and inspirational author Matthew Quick (of Silver Linings Playbook fame.)  Q is an amazing human!

A year ago, I had yet to see the awesome Catching Fire premiere on Scholastic's dime.  With editor David Levithan. Okay, I wasn't WITH him.  He was two seats in front of me, but I COULD hear all his witty comments.

I attended the Adolescent Literature Assembly at NCTE, also know as ALAN, for the first time a year ago.  I heard amazing talks from so many wonderful authors, it was almost overwhelming. I had yet to hear the most inspirational thoughts on hope from Joan Bauer. I had yet to hear the wisdom of real truths from Laurie Halse Anderson.  I had yet to meet Rainbow Rowell, Bill Konigsberg, Chris Crutcher, Swati Avasthi, and a host of other wonderfully literate humans.  I had not yet heard Natalie Lloyd's awesomely delicious read aloud of her novel A Snicker of Magic.  Could anyone love words more than she does?!

A year ago, I had not figured out how to ship home thousands of dollars in free books for my students.

A year ago, I had not had an author respond to my Facebook posts WHILE I was reading his book, resulting in a meta-reading experience I will never forget and turning into an unforgettable school visit from the incomparable Matt de la Peña.

I have been to NCTE multiple times, but this was a halcyon moment.  I'm so thankful to my school district and to ICTE for supporting this trip and my professional development.

Did I mention the life-changing properties of the Florentine cannoli?

Power Connections: You are Not Alone

Today is a powerful example of the joys reaped in being a connected educator. I'm driving to Des Moines from Cedar Falls, meeting my friend Missy partway at The Boondocks so we can ride down together to meet Teresa and Allison. All are Iowa Council of Teachers of English (ICTE) board members. All are also united by our love of Billy Collins' poetry. I would not have met any of these people without The Iowa Writing Project (IWP) summer institutes and the fall ICTE conference. Due to time and distance, our friendships have been largely cultivated online. I'm not sure I would've driven alone this far to go to a poetry reading by myself, and I would've missed  hearing "The Lanyard" and "The Revenant" live, along with a lot of amazing quotes about writing and writers. And I would've missed the ride home with Missy where we remembered and recorded all the awesome things we wanted to share with our students on a Google doc.  Yes. YES.  I will share it with you! Tune in tomorrow!

When we make connections, we recognize the affirmation in thinking alike, and we delight in the wonderful surprise of thinking differently. Both of these types of encounters push us to become better educators. When I think of the people I've met over the years who have influenced me, whether by affirming and supporting or pushing back and playing devil's advocate, those connections were created through two organizations: Iowa Council of Teachers of English and the Iowa Writing Project. The people I've met through both organizations, and there's a lot of overlap between them, have shaped who I am today. They encouraged me to become not just an assigner of writing, but a writer who teaches writing. That stance has been the most profound change in my teaching practice because of coming into contact with these people and making these connections.

Another powerful aspect of being a connected educator is that euphoria you feel at a conference when you have a meeting of the minds that we can't achieve in a regular classroom setting.  I always left the fall ICTE conference wanting that euphoria to last, and while euphoria is by definition, not a lasting state, that connected feeling of reaching out and having somebody respond is essential to cultivate throughout the year in an organization, not just once a year. That's why I created the Facebook group for ICTE. (Join us!  You don't have to be Iowan!) Apparently, other people wanted to continue that connection as well because the group, which started in May, has grown over 250 people from all walks of the teaching life, at all age levels. The most important thing about being a connected educator is knowing you're not alone--that the problems you're trying to solve in your classroom are not so unusual that somebody else doesn't have some experience and advice to offer. You don't have to suffer alone. I repeat, you are not alone.

In a lot of school districts in Iowa and the Midwest, the English teacher is the English department, so if you don't have colleagues with whom to bounce ideas around, or you're not in a school culture where you feel nurtured enough to grow, you can create a personal learning network to help you. One recent example of the power of connectedness: my friend Russ Goerend posted in the group that he was having an issue with helping kids connect their evidence with transitions in an effective argument. Within a couple hours, there were multiple great resources at our fingertips from just one Facebook conversation. A number of people from different levels had chimed in.  It just so happens I'm starting to plan my argument unit, and this is a lesson I know I should teach my students.  I feel confident now with the resources suggested.  Even though it was Friday afternoon, when your brain is whack-a-doodle, we still put our heads together and helped Russ solve this problem.  Since the implementation of the Iowa Core, all of us benefit from more argumentation resources.  That is the power of connection: Solving problems before you even know you have them.

From Paper to Pixels

Day 15:  What tech tools are you most grateful for? How have they changed what you do?

The smartphone captures real time learning.  I snap pictures of everything from the whiteboard notes to student work examples and passwords to sticky notes. It's the most important organizational tool I have because all my documents, all my plans, all my student work, all my classroom library checkouts are literally at my fingertips. It's magic how all that paper has become pixels.

In addition to video and photo I use it to record audio. I have taught so many kids how to use talk to text to help them get started on their writing by transcribing a recording of their thoughts. I also use it for audio comments on student work. Heck, I can lie in bed and check papers by talking into my phone. That's basically how I did this blog post. I love my iPhone!

Having a learning management system (LMS) is also an important organizational tool. No matter which one you use, it's simply awesome to have all the materials, assignments, quizzes, tests, discussion boards, calendars and communication all in the same place. When students ask me a question about an assignment or due date, I always respond, "What does Schoology say?" It's a godsend for keeping me organized and keeping students on track, especially when they're absent. And when I'm absent, I can communicate directly to my students which is really helpful for subs.

The most recent technology experiment I've been using regularly in my classroom is blogging using Weebly. This year, through weekly blogging in regular writing groups or book clubs, students are beginning to develop a sense of audience. They are no longer writing just for me but consciously crafting their work for a group of their peers. Their voices are emerging in fun and fascinating ways. They look forward to this activity every week. It has been a game changer as far as writing motivation, and it supports learning in a growth mindset because it stores all their writing in an organized fashion from beginning to end. It contains their reflections about that work. Their portfolio is embedded into their blog, so it serves as a collection of their work and a tool for curating the work. And if I really start getting crafty, it can contain multimedia artifacts as well as their writing. There. I've thrown down the gauntlet for myself. I will have my students embed one multimedia item in their portfolios by Christmas. 

I use a ton of other tech tools, and I am happy to talk about any of them at length because it's one of my passions. Technology is truly integrated in my classroom, especially now that we are one to one with Chromebooks, but the smartphone, the LMS and the blog have probably changed my daily practice most.