Dec 23

So, very last reflections on an amazing experience. The last day was bittersweet for me. One student brought me a little present in a gift bag, an ornament plus a small candle! Our favorite juvenile delinquent who has to be walked through the hallways by an adult sang a little song to "Deck the Halls" that went something like "Dr. Leah has to walk me to class, Fa La La..." I handed out business cards (they were very impressed!) and a flier to our local community Christmas dinner in case they wanted to attend. I got a hug from the special ed teacher (and a gift!).

Overall, though, what did I learn? I learned about the difficulties of taking one-point-in-time assessments and making sense of those without really "knowing" the students. I learned about the issues, positives and negatives, of working with paraprofessionals, particularly those who have been in the field a long time. I watched a special-general education pair work together, and reflected on that within the context of what we know about team-teaching. I was able to see how curriculum and instruction can work within an overarching system, or how teachers plan within the context of other general education classes. I was able to see the growth and development of a new program, and how that played out with personalities involved. Overall, I the experience was an unparalleled opportunity to look at what we discuss in theory, in practice. I was so very lucky to be given the gift of a genuine involvement with children, their teachers, and their community.

Dec 17

Yesterday was THE DAY. I decided to give advice to the principal. Amazing how this Ph.D. gives me license to do that, despite my "youth" and lack of experience. So I did it. I took some notes with me, and she wanted a copy. And she listened. My advice was: (1) set some large goals, not too many; I suggested for this group writing as #1 and either fluency or comprehension as #2; (2) get some assistance -- e.g. from the school psychologist-- doing some assessment/pretesting; when we did it we were on target for some and not so much for others; (3) set short-term goals, and figure out how to meet those with instructional practices, i.e. amount of time spent on each, an instructional plan that adds up to what they want to achieve, such as starting with sentence structure and moving up toward paragraphs and essay structure; and (4) pay attention to the "team", make sure they're all on the same page with goals and roles.

Perhaps I did make a difference, and perhaps it was right there in the principal's office.

Dec 15

It struck me today how writing seems to make a difference. Our students who write seem to pass these tests, even if their writing quality leaves a bit to be desired. Others whose "essay" consists of three sentences fail every single time. A quality, build-on-it writing program is a necessity. We know writing is important, and we do plenty of writing, but I don't think we take the time to sit down and look at what each student actually needs in order to improve. By this point so many children have terrible attitudes about writing. I try to reinforce students who are writing, but they really aren't rewarded for it at all, and motivation is a huge issue.

Dec 14

This week we're "preparing" for the final. The two teachers didn't agree about what to put on the final, but unfortunately it's not any of the pretests we gave them. I think it's a comprehension test. I'd like to see fluency comparisons. Not that we did such a great job collecting data upfront, but it is very important to be able to see the same data at the beginning and end of the term. I'd also be interested to see how much time was spent at each "activity" (grammar, comprehension, fluency) so we could take a look at what seemed to make a difference.

Dec 10

Whew, was I sweating today! When I came in the teachers and parapros were discussing "those people" who "come in and think they have all the answers" despite lack of experience / not being in the trenches. I don't think they ever considered I was one of "those people." I felt like I should say something, but I didn't. Something like, apologizing for "those people," saying not all of "us" are like that, I don't know. I often miss these opportunities, but at least they don't see me that way.

It is incidents like the several they brought up that creates such a tension. And both sides are to blame. They were even talking about district-led inservices, whereas I usually feel that this tension is reserved for us profs in our "ivory tower." We should really discuss this in graduate education. A very real issue that needs to be disrupted for the good of all involved.

Dec 3

Today we watched what was to me a quite moving video in tribute to the four victims of the Birmingham Church bombing in 1963, the one that was mentioned in the book we're reading. As I was watching I was wondering whether the video makes any impression at all on these particular students, who are now a couple generations removed and who have no knowledge of any of these issues. As I wasn't born until 1974, I myself feel somewhat removed, and I can see it when I look at the faces of the paraprofessionals who remember those times. The video interviews the girls' parents and other relatives, and I would say it was probably made in the '80s. It seemed a bit old to me. What can we do to make this more realistic for children, esp perhaps those in rural, isolated all-white settings such as this? Just yesterday I confiscated something on which a student had fun writing KKK, Nazi symbols, n-word, etc. Does he know what that means? Do I? Can a video change that? What would change that? A visit to a museum? More graphic photos? A curriculum? We need to figure out how we can really teach history. As they say, those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.

Dec 2

Well, without a doubt, today was THE day. I forgot who I was until I was halfway home. Today I became "the teacher," with both teachers out, plus we were down a para. I learned so much today, and remembered what it's like to be "the one." I certainly felt for those in a substitute position even more than usual; at least I already knew the children and was there every day!

So what did I do that was special, you ask? I pulled out all the sped techniques. I was very direct about getting attention, explaining in advance what we were to be doing and how, I had my usual agenda on the board, used positive reinforcement. The main thing is that my eyes were everywhere instead of just on my group. I also trod very carefully around the substitute, who was of course officially responsible for the class. Things would have gone differently behaviorally without her there. A couple of students really need to be switched around, and a couple needed consequences, but I did not want to overstep my bounds. One of the issues is that there has not been a consistent behavior management plan in the past; it always seems to be worth putting one in place so students know what to expect every day. Expectations are the same, rules are the same, how the consequences are meted out are the same, period.

I loved today. Just the same though, wouldn't mind if a teacher showed up tomorrow!