Why the "Worst" Students Need the Best Teachers

Imagine having a daughter with chronic illness. Perhaps you have already tried medication or surgeries to no avail, and it is clear that resolving their ailment will be a struggle.

Naturally, you seek out the best physician you can find- an experienced specialist with an outstanding record of success. 

Now, what if upon examination, the doctor decided that they had "served their time" with difficult patients like your daughter and they wanted only serve the most amenable? 

Your little girl would be left in a state of "needs improvement" while the healthiest patients got expert, specialized care. While I hope the contrived scenario does not exist in the healthcare profession, it is certainly alive and well in secondary education. 

There is an unspoken hierarchy in high schools I've experienced during my 12 years in education: the newest teachers in a school get the hardest-to-handle classes, are more likely to teach inclusion courses, and have less power over which subjects they will teach.

As I have heard veterans say, only after "serving your time" (as if it were a prison sentence), can you work your way up to teaching advanced classes or the electives where classroom management is less of a burden and intrinsic motivation is high. 

The neediest (both cognitively and socioeconomically) children are often scorned by the the educators most qualified to assist them via increased pedagogical knowledge and well-established classroom management practices. 

"I can't relate to those kids."

"I just don't have the patience anymore."

"I want to teach students who actually want to learn."

I have shared these sentiments in the past, so no judgement.

Although a humorous meme, there is often a
sobering, underlying reason for "bad" behavior

I, too, am coming from a place of teaching all Advanced Placement and honors courses, and I formerly felt entitled.

I started my high school teaching career floating around the building with no classroom while working with the lowest pupils in the school, but I had "proven myself" and enjoyed no longer having to battle incessant talking, high absenteeism and student disrespect. 

I resolutely evidenced myself capable, and now "those students" were a task for the newcomers. 

In addition to pay and workload issues, I have no doubt that this practice contributes to the 20% attrition rate of teachers in their first three years.

As I changed schools mid-year this past January, I found myself to be the "new teacher" for the first time in over a decade, and as such, I was placed teaching the lowest classes. 

Been there, done that. 

I was so happy to have a job close to home and with decent pay and benefits that I put my ego aside and took up the task wholeheartedly.

I had forgotten some of the frustrations that come with at-risk students- taking work to ISS, contacting parents more frequently, having hallway conferences with belligerent kids only to learn of some fresh hell going on in their home lives, and most importantly, how to teach struggling learners with deficits in reading and prior knowledge.

Getting kids to pass the AP Chemistry exam is a cakewalk in comparison.

However, I had also forgotten the joy of really making a difference with students that need it most. In the last three months I have had the pleasure of the following experience with the kids in the "worst" classes at my school:

Seeing a English language learner student's face light up brighter than the bulbs in his circuit last week as he feverishly put the wires and batteries together and blew his friends away. Even though he has to use a translating app on his phone for the most basic tasks, he could probably teach me a thing or two about electricity.

Watching a young lady on probation consistently score the highest grade on tests and quizzes. She had told me of her time in jail, and I have rarely had such a gratifying experience in the classroom than telling her that she was working her way to freedom in more ways than one.

Seeing the look of pride on a gifted young man's face who had failed his two previous science classes as I tell him how wonderful he's doing and how certain I am that he could have a career in science. I was told he ruin my class by previous teachers, and he certainly tried to initially, but I can now add him to the list of children I have positively impacted.

I could share more, but hopefully you see my point.

My skills and experience should be used where they are needed most, not as a justification for teaching the easiest classes and "best" students. 

The "worst" students are wonderful, kind, smart, and capable and they have already made me a better, happier teacher. If you have found yourself at the top of the instructional pecking order at your school, I would invite you to remind yourself of that occasionally as well. 

Cheers,

Brandie
   

Why I Give My Students a Postcard the First Day of Class

When's the last time you received a honest-to-goodness handwritten correspondence from someone? I'm not talking about junk mail, bills, or Christmas cards, but a actual personal message penned just for you? 

How did that make you feel? Important, emotional, humbled?

Sure, email is more efficient and verbal exchanges can be powerful, but everyone loves a note of affirmation or thanks. 

And... that is why I give each new pupil a postcard on the first day of class.

Writing a note to each student in the formative days of a new semester can nurture fledging relationships and help your students feel seen and significant. 

This year, I used "Women in Science" themed 
cards I loved! (found here)

I figure I can make the choice to write a welcoming note to each student when classes begin OR write up discipline referrals once classes get into full swing. I prefer the former, especially if I have the opportunity to make a young person's day.

Sounds rosy and idealistic but too time-consuming, right? Not necessarily. 

Here's how I do it:

1. I give out postcards on the first day of class, and have students write their name and address as part of their warm-up. 

This will keep you from the tedious part of sending home mail*- looking up each kids' information in the computer. UGH!

Tip: you may want to have an example on the board. Even some of my 16-year-old AP students don't know how to write their own address!

Message to an Earth Systems student who shared 
career goals including architecture on 
their "Getting to Know You" sheet

2. Next, I have each student fill out a "Getting to Know You" questionaire so I can get a idea of their attitudes about science and their aspirations and interests. Here's the file I use.

This will give you content for your message, help you to get to know your new classes, and immediately demonstrate to your new students that they are valued.

Bonus: it keeps them busy while you are taking attendance and showing everyone their seats :)

Sample message to a Physical Science student 
who I already LOVE- he wants to be a rapper, 
so I tried to make a connection with him 
using a (very corny) rhyme

3. After I have learned my students' names, I spend some time reading over their "Getting to Know You" responses and composing the postcard memos. It typically takes me 1-2 minutes per student. With a 4x4 block schedule and 3 classes per term, my total time commitment per semester is about 2 hours. I spread it over a few days. 

To make my Fitbit happy, I hop on my treadmill, throw a board across the handrails, and write my notes while walking at a blazing (ha!) 2 miles per hour. 

I get in a little cardio and a whole lot of warm-fuzzies as I peer into each kids' soul a bit. 

Multitasking at its finest!

I also imagine the smiles on their faces as they realize someone cares enough about them to send them a postcard. 

Y'all, this is what teaching is all about!

4. Finally, I take the cards to my school secretary and have them affix the postage and drop them off in the mail. Done!

If the idea catches on, your school can even have cards made such as the ones at my previous school. 

"Good News" cards courtesy of 
Woodland High School

If you missed the chance to start the new year with postcards, it's not too late!

 The first time I used this technique, I kept the cards in my desk and wrote a few each week as I "caught" each person doing something helpful, studious, or out-of-the ordinary. This is also a great way to cheer yourself up after a hard day or avoid an extra, bulky task at the beginning of a new semester. 

Cheers,

Brandie 

*Props to the amazing math teacher, Melinda Wilder, who shared this brilliant time-saver with me a few years ago! 

A sample message for a student who shared 
no career goals, interests, or anything unique. 
This happens sometimes, and they are the 
ones who need the cards the most!

The Power of Altering a Single Word

"I have to go back to work tomorrow. Ugh."

If you follow other teachers on social media, I'm sure you scrolled past similar derivations of this statement as July ended and the freedom of summer break drew to a close. Perhaps you even penned a similar post yourself.

Teaching is hard, and breaks are a beautiful and much-needed reprieve. Believe me, I get it. 

But, the nuances of how we phrase our thoughts and words can be life-changing. A blog post I read last year on the topic catalyzed a paradigm shift in the way I speak to myself and others. 

It's simple: turn phrases that begin with "I have to" into "I get to."

Do you believe you make a difference in the lives of children? Is being an educator meaningful to you and the future of our world? 

Then,

You get to go to back to work tomorrow.

Imagine how that simple change in self-talk frames your experiences and how others perceive your attitude.

This doesn't just apply at school, rather, it has pervaded all areas of my life. 

I have to give Charlie a bath.
I get to watch Charlie giggle in the bathtub.

I have to stop and get gas.
I get to refuel the vehicle that takes me where I want to go.

I have to grade these papers.
I get to provide feedback for the work my students completed.

I have to go to the gym.
I get to exercise my body so I can stay healthy.


I have to go to bus duty.
I get to be the smiling face that sends students home.

I have to go to the grocery store.
I get to visit a miraculous repository of items and purchase what I need.

I have to do the laundry.
I get to toss my clothes into a machine that cleans them.

Okay, maybe I am still struggling with that last one... 

Alas, the buzzer on the dryer has just beckoned me, so I will take my own advice.

I get to go put the masses of clothes I own in the closets that store them. 

But before I end, let's be honest with each other- our have-to's usually involve privileges that most of the world will never experience. 

Can you imagine the excitement from someone in a developing country if they were to switch lives with you for a day? Cars, homes, schools, and stores... what luxuries! 

Fortunately, you're the one that gets to be in your shoes. So, I pray that your next steps find you in a new mindset. 

As I have since 2015, I would like to dedicate this school year to my sister, Brittany, who never got to be a educator. While working on her undergrad with aspirations of becoming an elementary teacher, she passed away after an asthma attack. 

Brittany (top left) with her last Pre-K class. Her passion was truly #teachergoals

Every year, I get to walk into my classroom and live her dream. 

Happy school year, teacher friends.

Cheers,

Brandie

Are You Stuck on the High Dive of Life?

Please allow me to introduce you to my new friend, Bev.

We met two weeks ago at Breathe For Change in San Fransisco, a mindfulness and yoga training programs designed especially for educators. In one of our first workshop sessions we discussed mindful listening, made partners, and shared with one another "what holds you back?"

The picture she had journaled resonated with me, and I was captivated by the accompanying story.

The ladder of the familiar, a "Pool of Dreams" and jumping in the unknown.

When Bev was 8 years old, she took swimming lessons at the local YMCA. Even though a few decades have passed, she still vividly remembers the day she climbed the ladder to the high dive, became paralyzed with fear, and couldn't bring herself to jump. Later she found the courage, but not in that moment. Instead, she chose to descend the stairs back to the safety rather than facing the foreboding water.

She realized that the pattern of rising to new heights with the support of family, friends and self-discipline can result in getting stuck on a high dive in life; our "pool of dreams" awaits below, but we would rather find our way back down to the comforting concrete of what we've grown accustomed to instead of finding ourselves in unknown waters.



As she spoke, my heart sank like a diver gracefully plunging toward the bottom of that pool. I immediately felt a connection to her story, and her wisdom washed over me as I held back the tears welling in my eyes waiting to wash down my face. 


You see, the day before I flew across the country to Breathe for Change, I had just taken my dream job, a truly once-in-a-lifetime position- increased diversity, smaller classes, a wellness program, graduate school assistance, more instructional time- you name it. After a decade of teaching, I was finally prioritizing self-care and finding a better work/home balance. I was ready for a change.

Practicing diver's pose with a beautiful group of teachers who are ready to change the world!

Before accepting the job, I now realize I had become stuck on a diving board in my career. I whole-heartedly fought my way up the same professional ladder many teachers face: I kept long hours and struggled for resources, and in spite of obstacles my students exceeded. 

But, once I had gotten to the highest rung, there was nowhere else to go.  Sure, the view was nice and safe, but when the possibility of a new position in a more supportive environment was made available to me, I knew I had to jump. If I didn't, I might find myself retreating with a descent of indifference, burn-out, and bitterness. 

The retreat to the comfort of the ground below is all too common with current teacher attrition rates in the United States.

That would not be my destiny. 

I held my nose, closed my eyes and leaped the platform that had held me up, but also held me stagnant. 

Even though I am still in a mid-air free fall until school starts in August, I cannot wait to make a splash and explore my own pool of dreams in a school full of diversity and means for sustaining my continued growth as an educator. 

Breathe for Change has reawakened the awareness of keeping my growth a priority. Not only did I get my Yoga Alliance 200-hour certification and attain skills for maintaining mindfulness and social justice in my classroom, I made lifelong friends. 

Breathe for Change Community Circle Yoga Poses Session. It's amazing what you can do with support!

Many conversations during the last 16 days, including the life-changing one with Bev, have helped me to more fully celebrate the diversity of others while giving me courage and a renewed hope for the future of education. 

Whatever diving board you find yourself on- whether it be the need to find a new teaching position, start graduate school, move into an administrative role, or beginning the journey of putting your needs first- I invite you to close your eyes and jump rather than withdraw back to the familiar.

Who knows what awaits in your pool of dreams?

Cheers and Namaste,
Brandie

Special thanks to the Svadhyaya sisters - my small mentorship group during the Breathe for Change training and it's leader, Robin (in front).

The 5 Best (and Worst) Things About Teaching Science

As we approach summer and leave our classrooms behind for a couple months, I realize that teaching science is an awesome gig, but it also has some pitfalls I've experienced firsthand this year. Indulge me while I reflect...

The Five Worst Things About Teaching Science

1. You may have to teach 30 students how to light a Bunsen burner incendiary device before they are old enough to drive a car.

2. The out-of-pocket costs for hands-on activities can get a little extreme, and you can catch some serious shade from the grocery store clerk for buying 32 bags of M&M's at the same time, even though you tell her they aren't all for you. 

3. Politics and opinions can inhibit your ability to objectively teach climate change, evolution, and deep time. 

"Mrs. Freeman, do you believe that dinosaurs actually existed?" 

Um, YES! 

4. The time required for prepping and cleaning up labs can rack up some serious overtime hours.

I wish it were as easy as adding food dye to flasks! SMH.

5. There's always one or two (or seven) kids that would rather walk across hot coals than wear safety goggles. 

Say it with me now, "PUT YOUR GOGGLES BACK ON!" 
Ah, a phrase I shall not utter again until August...

The Five Best Things about Teaching Science

1. You can say things like "I need more alcohol for my lesson" and not get fired. 

2. You get to boggle kids' minds like a magician, but *bonus* you get to have the pleasure of explaining your tricks.

3. You get to wear a spiffy lab coat and goggles. Who else gets to look this cool at work?

4. Your lessons get to involve food! Whether it's making ice cream for a colligative properties lab, using goldfish in your data collection lesson, or popping corn to teach mass percent; other subjects may have class parties, but you you've got snacks with a purpose. 

5. You get paid to blow things up. Enough said.

Regardless of it's ups and downs, we all know science teachers have the best job. Happy summer, fellow science teachers!

Cheers,
Brandie 

3 Assignments to Keep Students (and Yourself) Engaged at the End of the Year

Across the nation, K-12 academic school years end sometime between the mid-May and mid-June. Toward the end of school, students take a variety of state and/or nationally standardized tests. Some are required (such as the end of course assessments required in 27 states) impacting both students’ grades and, in some cases, their potential for graduation, while others are optional, don’t return results for several months, and have the potential to earn students college credit (and, in the case of a recent national exam, an opportunity to roast certain politicians).

Unfortunately for teachers and students, these tests do not signify the true end to a class, and students can languish for two weeks to a month after their administration, wondering why they have to be at school, and especially why they have to do WORK, when the end-all, be-all, FINAL test (or tests) have past. Teachers, too, feel this crunch, as assistant principals, principals, superintendents, etc. admonish that students MUST continue to attend and LEARN. This edict leaves teachers feeling like:

To combat this feeling, here is my end-of-year advice: turn off the lights and watch movies.

I KID! I KID!

But truly, do consider capturing the students’ affinity for technology and, especially, social media with these three fun (and, sometimes, funny) activities.

1. Literature-related Playlist (AKA The Soundtrack)

Present this activity (requirements here*) as a legitimate opportunity to sit in class and watch YouTube. Students must first read a plot-driven text. Novels and longer plays take more prep time than short stories – which is perfect even before the test in the event you need to differentiate for that student who has opted out of any optional testing. Have the student select a theme or map the plot structure. Then, the student logs into and creates a playlist on YouTube of songs reflecting the theme or a soundtrack following the plot structure. Have them email you a link to the playlist. Here is an example from The Great Gatsby.

This activity can be accompanied by written rationales for their choices, complete with quotes from the text. If you want to grade fewer assignments (AND DON’T WE ALL), make it a group activity. Want to grade during class time? Have students present. Bring refreshments (i.e. have a “food day”) and your students will be as engaged as this cat:

Music. Food. Essentially, your last days have just become a party!

2. Character-based Social Media

An alternative (requirements here*) to the soundtrack assignment also suitable for fiction involves using students’ favorite time-waster: social media. Specifically,this example uses Instagram, but similar ideas for Facebook and MySpace exist. Figuring out how to use the SnapChat story function for this assignment is in the works - but requires quick turnaround on grading since the story disappears within 24 hours.

Whatever the platform, the essence of this project is images and captioning. A student chooses a character from some work of prose or drama (though a historical figure or author has potential too) and creates a social media profile as that character. Then, the student posts images related to that character’s development through time accompanied by captions and/or #hashtags as the platform requires. With more time, assigning characters from the same novel to grouped students could allow them to comment on one another’s profiles!

Written rationales for the images and the hashtags can provide evidence of depth of understanding. Once again, to reduce grading, make the assignment grouped and presented.

3. Memes

A final, and very popular assignment this year, is evident throughout this and many of the true Sustainable Teacher’s blog posts: creating memes! Memes are the 21st century’s bumper sticker. Students spend hours upon hours sharing and talking about memes that strike their fancy. Why not put this love (and their sense of humor) to use?

I require my students to use aphorisms (popular sayings of known authorship for those who aren’t rhetorically nerdy like myself); however, the same effect can be obtained with proverbs or quotes from any of the literary genres. If the students pair the right quotes and the right picture, the results can have hilarious effects:

This particular meme gave me the giggles when it was turned in. The authorship of the previous quote is none other than Ben Franklin. As an added bonus, all of these assignments also give student the opportunity to showcase their ability to cite resources and provide a platform for copyright infringement discussions.

Good luck, fellow teachers. May you keep your sanity and have a little fun as the year races to its close.

Cheers,

Tiffany

Guest blog written by Tiffany Post, AP Language and Composition Teacher at Woodland High School in Cartersville, GA.
*Adapted from the classroom of Tammy Queen