Today we were raising money at school, and kids could wear a hat for a quarter (yes, I believe a total of $10.75 was earned). The most darling kindergartener has been coming into my room to use our computers. He knows the password is “student” but has no idea how to spell it. Anyway, today’s deep conversation revolved around hat day. He wore this large cowboy hat with a huge “ostrich” feather. He happened to be playing an Indiana Jones game, and when I joked that his hat was just like Indiana Jones’ hat, he replied:

“No, Miss this is a bounty hunter hat. My grandpa gave me his bounty hunter hat.” 

My bad. Although I had a brief stint into bounty hunting…I clearly never got far enough to have my own hat. 

Here’s a highly recommended article on Chicago Public Schools. Some urban school systems are turning to the tough tactics businesses and law enforcement use to improve employee performance. The sometimes-contentious approach, known as performance management, has yielded promising results in Houston, New York and some other districts. In Chicago, it’s forcing city educators to embrace a cultural revolution in how they go about their work.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing that school districts are hiring more leaders from the corporate world and taking in millions of dollars from outside organizations that expect to see evidence that reforms are actually working. However, what businesses have that school’s don’t is choice. They can choose new products, tweak products that aren’t working, etc. BUT teachers accept all products. They take what they get and do what they can with their students. When we get a “bad batch” there’s no sending them back, calling the manufacturer, firing the line manager, etc. They are who they are and we continually evolve to best serve them. 

It’s hard for me to remember having the vivid imagination and lack of world knowledge that many of my students have…and speaking with the conviction they have that their stories are real. Lately, my only white student has been having an internal conflict over whether she’s from India or an Indian (Native American). She’s been checking out books from the library on the Apache - her people. And trying to speak Apache, the language of her people, instead of answering questions in class in English.

Avoidance technique?

Most definitely.

Does she think it’s cute and funny?

Most definitely. 

Today, we were practicing comprehension strategies. One of them was “locate yourself in the text and make a personal connection.” When I asked if any of them had a connection to the character in our story who was learning English and needed a tutor, hers was the first hand in the air. 

Reluctantly, I called on her knowing it would be a bit, shall we say otherworldly?

With the most conviction I’ve ever seen in a student she said, “My family and I had to learn English when we moved here from India.” 

With raised eyebrows I asked, “And how old were you when you moved here?” 

She looked me square in the eye and said, “shiba shaba aba daba — that’s Indian for two years old.” 

Culturally responsive teaching in action…

Me: Am I saying your name correctly? Is it Angel or Angel?

Student: Miss I am Mexican and American. That means you can say it either way and it’s right. 

——————

Student: Miss, how you not know Alesha and I are cousins? 

Me: Sorry, I had no idea.

Student: But we’re the only two black kids in class…of course we are cousins. 

Me: Cousins…or related cousins? [Yes, there is a difference.]

Student: Our moms are sisters and we get our groceries together. That means we’re real cousins. 

As an editor, in my former life, I’ve always been a bit of a grammar nazi. In my first placement, I was in a classroom where it was all about feelings and making connections. Now, in a more traditional classroom grammar is taught, practiced and enforced. I really struggled with the idea that because standardized tests rarely take off points for spelling/grammar it wasn’t necessary to focus on it. In my struggle to synthesize what I’m learning from placement 1, placement 2 and my masters coursework I’ve been spending some serious time at the local B&N.

It seems that Mary Ehrenworth and Vicki Vinten, who wrote The Power of Grammar, were able to somehow align the stars and write DIRECTLY to me! How did they harness their great work?

“Grammar is the gatekeeper to the culture of power.” 

AHA! Finally, a culturally responsive approach — dare I say Lisa Delpit approach?! — to the necessity of explicitly teaching grammar. Our children NEED  to be taught that if they hope to access the culture of power, which is essentially why they attend school (besides the whole state mandate hoopla).

Student: Miss I have a secret to tell you. Pinky promise you won’t tell?!

Me: Hm…ok?

Student: Before today my life was horrible, but now I’m in LOVE. 

Me: Love? 

Student: And he’s right over there!!! (Squeals and points into classroom across hall.) 

Supportive principals more than higher salaries.

Digital media more than textbooks.

Evaluations based on how much their students learn, rather than principals’ observations.

Those are a few findings from what’s thought to be the largest-ever survey of American public-school teachers, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Scholastic publishing company.