Joy and Triumph on Graduation Day

One of the great benefits of teaching is seeing your kids graduate, whether it be from kindergarten, middle school, high school or college.  Having taught high school students the past few years, their respective graduations have come rather quickly: I've actually attended three in the past month.  Last week, I returned to Boston to see a group of my former students graduate.

I wasn't sure how I would be received.  I certainly had reason to be positive; after all, one of my students had sent me a text specifically to ask if I was coming.  When I said I would be there, she responded: "You made my f-ing life!"  Of course, she didn't censor it like that, giving me an early reminder of how much I missed my Boston students.  Many of them never had trouble expressing themselves in the most direct way possible, a byproduct of the emotional and mental toughness required to survive under challenging circumstances.

My appearance was a surprise to many, including my former colleagues, who greeted me warmly.  The students who had arrived early to help set up the auditorium at Bunker Hill Community College for the ceremony seemed grateful and happy that I had come.  Both students and staff alike seemed genuinely shocked that I had traveled from south Texas to Boston for no other reason than to witness this event and try to reconnect with my former students.  It seemed like a no-brainer to me.

As everyone began to file in for the ceremony, I was excited to talk with many of my kids.  I assured those who would be graduating next year that I would return for their ceremony, including the student who had initially contacted me.  Although she could have graduated this year under the school's unique credit system, she would have only been able to attend a two-year college.  Since that wasn't her goal, she decided to put off graduation until next year.  [Note: If this sounds like a radically different system than any you've heard of, that's because it is.  I'm happy to explain more if anyone is interested.]

She made sure to tell me that, "I still take the bus route you showed me every day," bringing me back to the time when she nearly lost her credits due to truancy.  She would have been set back another year at least, possibly not even finished high school, had she not taken my advice so she could get to school on time every day. 

Many students asked, "Mistah, where's your mohawk?"  While my guitar playing antics seemed to be the thing my former students graduating in the RGV recalled vividly, in Boston my mohawk experiment is clearly what I'll be remembered for most.  "You really helped a lot of students last year," another former student told me.  She and many others (including a few of the graduates) were eager to tell me how much better they had done in math this past year, which made me happy.

The ceremony itself was as powerful and emotional as any I have attended.  Several students spoke, each one recalling the massive obstacles they had overcome to get to that stage.  These were the kinds of things that I'm not sure I could have handled myself.  Almost all had been told that they would never graduate and might as  well get their GED or just drop out completely.  They were all sure to answer their past critics: I proved you wrong.  The joy, the tears and overwhelmingly positive electricity in the room was just amazing.

Perhaps it sounds cliche, but this was the kind of event that reminds me why I do what I do.  The twenty survivors on that stage were the embodiment of everything I've tried to help make possible over the years.  As with all of my former students, it is I who should be thanking them.  I learned more about myself, this profession, and the human spirit than I ever could have learned otherwise.  To all of my kids out there: thank you!

Goodbye, Boston!

Today I will be loading up the moving truck and cleaning up the last remnants of my life in Boston. While I'm very excited about returning to what really feels like home (the Rio Grande Valley), there were so many great things about Boston that I will absolutely miss. Here are my goodbyes and thanks:

To the students who were willing to fight for me to stay and protest on my behalf: I sincerely appreciate the thought and I will miss you. I'll do my best to get back to see so many of you graduate next year!

To the Boston Public Library system: I never thought I would actually love the library. Your collections, services and great people were amazing. Thank you especially to everyone at the Main Branch at Copley and the Honan-Allston Branch. The library was one of the first parts of the city where I really felt at home.

To everyone at the Dunkin' Donuts on Washington Ave & Sagamore Ave in Chelsea: Thank you for keeping me caffeinated and well fed! I enjoyed stopping by frequently (sometimes twice a day), and I know my students feel the same way.

To whomever made Boston so walkable, you've made me healthier, less stressed and more active.

To the guy who stands outside Haymarket Station at the Congress St. entrance every morning: Thank you for brightening my day. Maybe I'm crazy, but there's something to be said for somebody wishing you a good day and singing show tunes to themselves.

To the MBTA: Even with all the limitations and problems of the T, I never felt like I needed a car in Boston. I appreciated not having to drive, and being able to sit back and relax on my way to and from work (with the occasional hoping off one train and onto another, of course). I read as many books in my first few months of commuting on mass transit as I had read over the last couple of years in south Texas! I just hope you can get the Green Line moving a little bit more efficiently in the future.

To everyone and everything responsible for Boston's exorbitant cost of living: Thank you for making me appreciate everything I have a little better. I was forced to think about what was really important in life, and "stuff" was not on the list. I have simplified my life in so many ways out of necessity, but it's made me a better person as well. I will carry these lessons with me for a long time.

Thank you, Boston. And goodbye.

The Best Laid Plans: I'm Moving Back to Texas and Looking for a Job

I have a problem with speaking and thinking in absolutes. As my mother could surely verify, the number of times I've said I was never going to do something is only outweighed by the number of times I've done it. I try to remember to say things like, "Right now, I think..." or "I'd really like to..." when I think out loud about big ideas and plans I'm making. The situation almost never works out the way I expect, of course, but I never stop dreaming.

The plan was to stay in Boston for at least two years, more if I really found a niche here. Not surprisingly, that's not at all how things will hash out. As soon as school is out, I'm moving back to the Rio Grande Valley, where I lived and worked for five years after graduating college. I'll be back there around July 1st.

I don't have a job, place to live, or mode of transportation yet. This was also not part of the plan; unfortunately what I've pursued thus far hasn't worked out. I can pay the bills for a few months, so I'm not worried about that. I do know this: I love the RGV, and I can't wait to get back. I've learned a lot in Boston, and I intend to publish a proper goodbye to the city on June 27th, the day I'll be leaving.

I want to let all of you know that I am also seriously looking into jobs outside the classroom. I want to believe that I shouldn't do anything other than teach, but I'd be lying if I said that's definitely what I want to do. This year could be the one where I transition to a life without teaching (at least in the traditional sense).

I can tell you that even considering anything other than being in the classroom is in an incredibly difficult decision, and one huge reason is the deep obligation I feel to the many readers of this blog. It's hard to reconcile all of this with the mission I set out with almost two years ago. I can also tell you I'm not ruling anything out, so rest assured that I am considering things very, very carefully.

Thank you to everyone who's ever participated in this website, and especially to those of you who have written to tell me you were inspired or informed in some way. I'll keep you updated on what happens.

Fundraiser for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

My girlfriend is currently fundraising to participate in the Boston 2009 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in May. In order to help her reach her goals and support this worthy cause, I've come up with a fundraiser here on I Want to Teach Forever.

For every donation of $10 or more towards her fundraiser, I will send you a free digital copy of my book Ten Cheap Lessons: Easy, Engaging Ideas for Every Secondary Classroom.

Here's how to participate: When you donate, go to the section marked "Personalize Your Gift." In the "Personal Note," include teachforever.com and your email address. I'll use that email to contact you so that I can quickly get you your copy of Ten Cheap Lessons.

My girlfriend is skeptical that my fundraiser here on the blog will be very successful, and I'd love nothing more than to prove her wrong!

Donate now for the 2009 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer!

On Failure, Part 4: Stressing Out

This is part of a two week series on my five biggest failures and five biggest successes as a teacher this year. This week I am focusing on failure, while next week will focus on success.

I don't think I anticipated how stressful this year was going to be. I'm not really talking about the numerous difficult challenges I've faced at work, because those have been there every year I've taught. It was outside the classroom that I really failed to thrive, which made everything more difficult. I failed to find enough outlets for stress relief this year.

Moving
My physical and emotional transition across the country last summer was incredibly stressful. I'm a seasoned veteran when it comes to moving--I've moved every year for the last six years (sometimes more than once in the same year). So when I say this move was the most stressful yet, that's saying something.

Finding an apartment was more challenging than ever, as we were restricted to areas with good public transit accessibility while trying to search from 2000 miles away. I had crunched the numbers to figure out how much rent I thought we could afford and still maintain a similar standard of living, and thought I knew exactly what I was doing. We ended up in a great apartment and location, but the rent was significantly higher than what I had come up with, which lead to a much bigger problem.

Money
I totally took for granted the low cost and high standard of living I had enjoyed in my five years in the Rio Grande Valley. My girlfriend and I have cut back everything to save money, I've sold almost all of my earthly possessions, and we've learned to appreciate getting by on far less (which is certainly a good thing).

It's not having to live more cheaply that makes things stressful; I actually enjoy that challenge. It's the very real possibility that I won't be able to pay the rent or other bills, or won't be able to pay off debts and save for the future. I hate how money has put a strain on my relationship with my girlfriend, how many pointless arguments it has fostered. It's taken most of this year for the constant tension about money to subside, but I still stress about it privately even if we don't fight about it any more.

Even though I've learned a great deal about what's really important to me this year, the high cost of things has made if difficult for me to indulge in anything I would normally do for stress relief.

No Relief
If I'm not at work I'm basically a shut in, because I can't afford to take advantage of many of the things I came to Boston for--access to tons of live music, theater, museums, major sporting events, great restaurants and bars or travel to nearby places. Even the local cafe is no longer a cheap respite for a few quiet hours out.

I used to watch every UFC PPV in a great local pool hall in the RGV, but the cover charge alone here could have paid for the entire night out before. I was even interested in taking a mixed martial arts class at a local school before I saw what the monthly cost would be. The same goes for a gym membership.

Ironically, one reason I moved back to the East Coast was for the opportunity to see my family more often to help me get away from things. Yet the increased cost of living has been so dramatic that I haven't been able to afford to visit them any more often than I did when I lived 2000 miles away.

I have learned to appreciate little things, had more time to blog, and found out I can do a lot by myself throughout this year. I just wish I could strike enough of a balance to make my tough job a little more tolerable.

In a Sentence
Find outlets for stress relief and always strive for a true work/life balance, no matter what.

I promise not to make the obvious joke about "higher" education

Boston news blog Universal Hub recently shared a story I just had to pass on: a case worker at a Boston private school was arrested after receiving a shipment of pot at school.

I sometimes get personal packages shipped to school, because either no one is home to sign for them so they don't leave them or they just leave them out in the open for anyone to steal. Somehow, knowing this kind of thing is going on makes me feel less guilty about having to do so.

Detroit, Boston and the Great Single-Sex School Debate

Living in Boston has brought up education issues that weren't part of the discussion in the Rio Grande Valley, giving me a lot more to think about. There's a wide range of innovative charter school models here (and indeed, I came here in part to work at one) and now Boston officials are considering a push for single-sex school options. The Boston Globe reported recently that city officials are looking at successes in Detroit, which seems to be a test bed of sorts, for inspiration.

Bostonist pointed out how Fark had labeled the idea "amusing" but ignored the issue at hand: Are single-sex schools a good idea? Can they be successful? I wasn't surprised to read many outraged comments, but some people acted as if this was being hailed as the solution to all of the problems in our education system or a sign of the end of gender equality. That seems to be taking it a bit too far.

No one was suggesting that coed schooling should end, or that single-sex schools would comprise anything more than one small option among many. I don't think kids should be forced in to it, especially by parents, because it will completely defeat the purpose. If it was offered as an option--perhaps two schools with parallel programs, curriculum design and funding, open to students via lottery--I don't see what the harm is. It won't work for all students (maybe even most students), but it would work wonders for some. With so many things working against the success of our students, isn't that a possibility worth exploring?

This article in Psychology Today quickly highlights two sides of the issues, but reading it lead me to think that all-girls schools might be more beneficial than all-boys schools, which is an issue I don't hear discussed a lot. Sometimes it feels like a debate I've heard before--about the merits and drawbacks of homeschooling. In the end, I draw the same conclusion: if it can be a successful option for some young people, isn't it worth trying?

There is no such thing as a one-step, all-encompassing solution to improve America's educational system. People seem to get upset when a partial solution is offered because if it doesn't solve every problem, its not worth pursuing. It's as silly as arguing that America's dependence on foreign oil would be solved by only wind power, only solar power, only electric cars, etc--we'll only be successful by embracing any and all technologies and implementing them where they'll be effective. The real answer to both problems is the same: we need as many options as possible, some big, some small, but with strong leadership striving to make it work for everybody.

I'm sure this will be another topic that stirs debate, as my post about social networking and the issues it brings up for teachers did last week, so here's some guiding questions:

1. Have you or someone you know attended a single-sex public or private school? What was your experience?
2. Have you taught at this kind of school? What insights can you share?
   
3. What should a single-sex school look like in 2009? What can we do to ensure a quality education in these schools?
4. What are some other innovative and/or controversial school models that might be worth exploring or expanding?

I'm looking forward to reading your comments!

Alternative Assessment Idea: New Version of "Students Become the Teacher"

Last week I replaced my usual weekly quiz with a new version of an idea I shared both here on the website (Slope-Intercept Project, Teacher for a Day) and in my book Ten Cheap Lessons, (Idea #8 "Students Become the Teacher"). In my new school there is less of a focus on teaching to the test, so I use very few multiple choice questions on my assessments. This was a central part of the original version of the lesson, requiring quite a bit of reflection and revision.

I've been very impressed by the progress of my classes this year, and I think their fundamental skills coming in are far beyond what I was expecting given the reputation and results of the school districts here. So I've been giving a lot more open-ended problems, which gives me a much better picture of where students are as we progress. It also means I had to scrap much of the original idea and create a framework to guide students in creating a much different kind of quiz.

The purpose of this kind of assessment is two-fold:

1. Student create a quiz with an answer key, proving they can answer questions about whatever it is you've been studying.
2. It promotes higher order thinking as students determine what type of questions to include, what they might look like, and the relative level of difficulty involved. This is especially true if they have to write word problems.

In addition, students may realize that being the teacher isn't the easiest job in the world (even if you don't explicitly mention that part). That's good for your classroom culture.

I decided to use this in both my Algebra I and II classes (for different topics of course), and to give students a clear rubric in the form of a checklist. The list tells them:

• How many of each type of problem to include
• In Algebra I, I asked students to include some negative numbers, fractions and decimals to insure a higher level of difficulty on their quiz (those kind of basics are things we struggle with constantly)
• To include a complete, correct answer key, directions, and a heading as any assessment must have
• An extra credit question (as teachers like me are known to provide frequently)
  

What I had thought about providing, but didn't, was an example of a completed quiz as a model. I did give a few examples of what each problem might look like, and strategies for coming up with problems, but neglecting a complete model left many students lost. The class period wasn't long enough to complete the assignment either. This made the turn in rate really low, and is purely my fault.

On the other hand, I've learned over the past month that my students want a more traditional, straightforward approach in my teaching. This is mostly due to a complete lack of stability in the math department at my school--they've had eight different teachers over the course of 2 years, with varying degrees of effectiveness in their respective tenures. In Texas, I often had to use the kinds of alternative strategies I share because my students didn't get the material the first time around. Now, my students tend to get more of the material in less time, and appear to have an insatiable appetite for challenging material. It's a very interesting dynamic to deal with.

In any case, here's the two versions of the checklist via Google Docs. They are designed to fit two to a (landscape-oriented) page to save paper. The back of each half page would be a good place to put a full sample quiz or examples of appropriate questions.

You Make the Quiz (Algebra I version)
You Make the Quiz (Algebra II version)

Turning Teen Pregnancy into Low-Rent Political Theater

Recently the principal of Gloucester High School in Gloucester, MA made national headlines when he told Time magazine that 17 girls at his school had made a "pregnancy pact"--in other words, they had agreed ahead of time to get pregnant and raise their babies together. The media has been all over this story, but for all the wrong reasons.

What should be a story about an important issue facing our children has become little more than a tabloid shocker and low-rent political theater. Instead of discussing the issue, the media is focusing on the "controversial" statements by the principal, and the local government's swift and suspiciously fierce moves to respond (the mayor is adamant that there was no pact, as if that makes this all better). Some Gloucester High students and graduates have even started a Facebook group to vent their frustrations, some more constructively than others. No one is asking, "What does it mean? What does it say about our community and our school?"

Where's the critical assessment of the district's sex ed curriculum? Only The Phoenix seems to be willing to even approach these kinds of questions. Are these students taught about the economics of raising children, or any basic financial education? The answer in most states is no. What does the school district plan to do to help and support these girls and keep them from dropping out? I haven't heard any answer on that.

I'm shocked, but shocked about the focus of the media coverage and political maneuvering, not that high school girls got pregnant. In the Rio Grande Valley, where I taught for five years, this was a reality we dealt with on a daily basis. In one middle school, a friend of mine had a 7th grade student who was actively and openly trying to get pregnant. Mom knew, but was nonetheless clueless and powerless to do anything about it.

I learned very quickly that for the most part there was no stigma attached to getting pregnant and dropping out of school. Some adults would tell my young female students that they had no place in school anyway--women are supposed to get pregnant and raise children, not go to college and/or get a job. I have nothing at all against girls growing up and being a stay-at-home mom, but I do take exception to my girls being told that's the only option.

In another case, I had a bright, hardworking student who spent her time outside of school taking care of her younger siblings and maintaining the house while her single mother was out drinking most nights. She was strong, but even an adult could only take the kind of emotional abuse that her mother wrought, and she lashed out and got into serious trouble. When I talked to her later, she told me that Mom frequently told her, "You're no better than me! You're going to be pregnant before you're 15 and drop out just like me!"

I also have stories of hope. One of my former students got pregnant in the summer after she took my class. With a lot of encouragement from my fellow teachers, she not only stayed in school, but transfered to a special district program designed to help students in tough situations (forced to work or stay home to support a sick family member, returning drop-outs, and student parents/soon to be parents). Not only did she finish her sophomore year, but took advantage of an accelerated program and graduated! Did she get the full benefit of a high school education? Probably not, but she has her degree, time to raise her child and the opportunity to eventually fulfill her dream to go to college.

Finally, I had a student who was already a parent get pregnant again while she was my student. I've had many students simply disappear when this happens; those that still come to school tend to fail because they do so sporadically and can't keep up with their work (and, consequently, fail tests). She was different. She came to school sporadically, but she was smart and determined enough to pass her classes. I can't even actually share the other traumas this girl endured leading up to these experiences, and I to be honest I can't tell you if she is going to stay in school in graduate. But I'd be surprised if she didn't.

I shared these stories to give a little perspective to this issue. I don't have the solution. I do, however, know that we can't treat these 17 Gloucester High students like idiots or pariahs. We as a society need to use this as an opportunity to discuss how to support and education our young people, to give them the best chance at a good life.

UPDATE 7/4/08: Apparently one of the pregnant students appeared on Good Morning America to set the record straight (something left out of most of the local news reports). Read Perhaps "Unlucky" Is In the Gloucester Water? from The MindOH! Blog.