IdeaPaint

About a year ago, my wife and I had a piece of furniture painted by the owner of Designer Depot in the Key Twin Shopping Center.  On the interior, she painted the panels of the piece with chalkboard paint, virtually turning the inside into a writable/erasable surface.  I had heard of chalkboard paint before and thought the idea sounded pretty cool.

Except for this: who the heck uses chalk anymore?

I mean, the last time I saw a piece of chalk was back in 4th grade when I was assigned to be the kid who took the erasers outside and bang them into oblivion, huffing loads of chalk dust along the way.  (I am still waiting to be involved in some sort of class action lawsuit on that one: "Teacher Cashes In Big Over Chalk Dust."  I'm looking at you, Heavy Hitter.)

But what about whiteboard paint?  Especially if one could paint it on clear to cover a surface without there being any detection of shenanigans?

Well, look no more: IdeaPaint is the thing!

I am thinking of painting my classroom door and perhaps the tops of some of my desks with this stuff.  Thoughts?  Is there anywhere else this could be useful?  Furthermore, when might this be used in the classroom?

I look forward to your comments below.  Have a good one!

~Mr. D

Summer Traditions

Phineas and Ferb lied: there are not 104 days of summer vacation, especially summers in Russell County after surviving a Snowpacolypse.  Due to a large amount of snow days in the Spring semester of last school year and a fairly early start date for this upcoming school year, we will seemingly have about 104 minutes of summer vacation.

Alas, despite the seeming brevity of our break, there are some things that I find myself doing each and every summer.  Since I love lists, I have compiled one for you below:

1. Watching Back to the Future and every conceivable "extra" on the DVD box set my wife gave to me on our wedding day because why wouldn't I?
2. Watching copious amounts of Boy Meets World  - deep down, I really want to be Mr. Feeny.  Just younger.
3. Spending at least one day watching absurd amounts of old game shows on the Game Show Network - it reminds me of spending summer days at my MawMaw's house.  
4. Going to both minor and major league baseball games.
5. Listening to Kentucky Sports Radio every day, even though there really isn't a lot going on  in the world of Kentucky sports during the summer.
6. Travelling - at least one new place in our great state of Kentucky, one new place in the U.S., and, hopefully when our children are a bit older, one new place in the world.
7. Thinking of at least one thing to add to my classroom each year.
8. Reading - I try to get in one book per week during the summer.  
9. Drinking Arnold Palmers - half sweet tea, half lemonade.  Duh.  
10. Playing golf - not that I am any good; I just love walking around nature while hitting things.  

What about you guys?  What are some of your summer traditions?

~Mr. D

2016 Summer Reading List

Summer is a glorious time for a student: staying up late, subsequently sleeping in late, playing way too many video games, and watching a ton of Netflix. 

However, none of those things will get you paid in life. 

None of them.

What I suggest is to up your intelligence and reading comprehension levels by engaging in little moments of literacy throughout the summer.  In other words: check out some interesting books.

Some of you may already have some books in mind that you have been wanting to read for quite some time.  Others of you may need some help.  That's where this post comes in handy. 

THIS is my summer reading list as it pertains to young adult literature.  To be clear: I have NOT read these books to this point.  However, I have been told by people I know and trust to check these books out.  So, I guess we will find out if they are any good or not together.

Fever, 1793

During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out.

Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.

The Carnival at Bray

This promising debut, set in the heyday of grunge, tells the story of Maggie Lynch, a displaced Chicagoan and grunge music fan, living in a quiet town (Bray) on the Irish Sea. Maggie was uprooted from her friends, her music scene, and her beloved Uncle Kevin when her romantically fickle mother married her latest boyfriend, resulting in a move to his hometown. During her time of difficult adjustment to Ireland, Maggie falls in love with Eion the very moment a devastating loss hits her family, leading to rebellion and a journey to Rome to see Nirvana and fulfill Uncle Kevin's wish for her. Foley sets the scene vividly, writing that Bray has a "soggy sort of grandeur" and weaving in the tiny cultural differences that Maggie has to navigate as an American. The narrative voice is clear and compelling, but Maggie often makes decisions that feel incongruous to her character. She has an independent spirit, but Eion only joins her on the journey because she needs a rescue. A self-professed Nirvana fan, which is critical to the plot, she never seems to like the band as much as she is trying to impress Uncle Kevin. However, the secondary characters are complex and sympathetic: Foley has also populated Bray with a host of quirky, loving, and memorable background characters, which enriches the story. Recommended for teens who enjoy travelogue romance stories or novels about rock music.

Mockingbird (mok'ing-burd)

Caitlin has Asperger's. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon has died, and Caitlin's dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn't know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure- and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be black and white after all.

Trash

In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city.

One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat—boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money—to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

Andy Mulligan has written a powerful story about unthinkable poverty—and the kind of hope and determination that can transcend it. With twists and turns, unrelenting action, and deep, raw emotion, Trash is a heart-pounding, breath-holding novel.

A Break With Charity

Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice. Should she keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or should she "break charity" with the group--and risk having her own family members named as witches?

Happy reading!


~Mr. D

Students: Things to Do This Summer

#1) Read.  A lot.  (Suggested Reading List coming tomorrow.)

#2) Write.  A lot.  (See above.  Except that list will be about writing, of course.)

#3) If not on Twitter, consider joining and following me (@TheMrDShow), as well as some of your other favorite people on the planet.  Trust me, it's entirely more intellectually stimulating that Facebook.

#4) Tell your parents about this blog and have them follow it.  This will save me from begging them to do so myself at Open House in early August.  

#5) Have tons of fun.  However, be careful and make wise decisions.  Both can be achieved.

#6) Try something that you never have done before.  

#7) Spend time focusing on, and doing some things for, people other than yourself. 

#8) Have a meaningful conversation with someone quite a bit older than you, like a grandparent or, for those fortunate enough, a great-grandparent.

#9) Travel.

#10) Come into next year ready to have the best educational experience known to this universe. Having a positive attitude is worth its weight in (insert precious metal here). Also, having materials would be nice.  (List coming soon.)

Think I missed something?  Add to the list by commenting below.

Word.

~Mr. D

Turn the Page

I hate winding down a school year; it all seems to go by with a blink.  I know, I know: people are elated to count down the days until school is over.  I readily admit that I keep track of such on my calendar.  But instead of a countdown, it may be more appropriate to count up towards a climactic resolution: the crescendo of all things good in education. However, the breakneck speed with which the end of the school year passes does not allow for appropriate sentiments and sendoffs.

Hence, this blog post.

First and foremost, I want to personally congratulate the two winners of my ELA awards: Megan Back and Sarah Beth Lawson.  It's always a rewarding feeling when I have a tough time selecting the award recipient.  Please believe me when I say the following: this year was the hardest selection I have ever had to make.  There were students that were LITERALLY separated by HUNDREDTHS of points in the overall grade column.  But Megan and Sarah Beth are more than worthy honorees of this year's ELA classes.

Secondly, this may look familiar to some but I wanted to post these tidbits of parting advice for everyone to see:

1.      Defy apathy – It probably seems right now (at age 14, entering high school) that the process to get from where you are to where you want to be is a daunting one.  A generalized response to such a lengthy and challenging endeavor is to simply quit.  The act of giving up on your dreams can be justified by a creeping sense of apathy, a general “I don’t care” attitude.  Fight it.  Fight it with everything you have in you.  If there are people in your life who are feeding this monster, get away from them.  Do not be influenced by people in your life who are miserable with their own.  There are tons of people counting on you, people you don’t even know: future friends, future mate, future children, and, most importantly, your future self. 

2.      Embrace learning – Not just in school, for grades, but for you; try to learn something new every day.  And if people refer to you as a nerd, dork, geek, goody two-shoes, etc., embrace that, too.  Those monikers are titles for those in the future who GET PAID. 

3.      Love people – all people.  A wise man once said, “it is better to give than receive.”  When we love others, we are taking the self-centered focus off of us and shifting that to someone else.  There is nothing better.  I challenge you to love people better than you do anything else.  I promise you – you will not be sorry. 

If you would, I want to invite all of you to follow this blog to receive updates of future blog posts.  I would love to hear your comments/advice/reflections throughout the summer and even into next school year.  To follow, simply scroll down to the bottom right-hand corner of this screen, click on FOLLOW THIS PAGE, and follow the directions from there.  

Thank you for being you.  

"What can say more than this rich praise: that you alone are you?" 

                                                                              ~ William Shakespeare

~Mr. D

Heroes

In ELA Level III (8th grade English/Language Arts), our opening unit revolves around HEROES.  One of our guiding questions is simply,

What defines a hero?

At the end of the unit, students will be asked to write an informational essay on their personal definition of heroism.  Throughout the unit, students will be asked to read, research, and discuss different aspects of HEROISM, including varying strategies on how to go about the sometimes complicated process of defining more abstract and complex concepts.  Those strategies include:

• definition by FUNCTION
• This strategy focuses on ADJECTIVES (i.e. courageous, self-sacrificial) which describe the characteristics of a heroic person, as well as VERBS (i.e. saves the day, leaps into action) which outline what heroes do.
• definition by EXAMPLE
• This strategy focuses on SPECIFIC PEOPLE and their stories that helps to bolster the author's definition of HEROISM.
• definition by NEGATION
• This strategy focuses on the OPPOSITE of what a hero is, stating what a hero is NOT (i.e. selfish, cowardly).

In an effort to help CROWD-STORM this topic, our classes of the past have taken to PADLET to post their thoughts.  Check out what we have so far: Heroism Padlet

In addition, here is a copy of Oliver Stone's article, "Where I Find My Heroes" that we read as a part of this unit: "Where I Find My Heroes"

Last but not least, here an ed-TED talk on the subject by Matthew Winkler: What Makes a Hero?

In the comments section, write out your brainstormed thoughts on the guiding question from above: WHAT DEFINES A HERO?

Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

~Mr. D

Ghost Teaching

One of my least favorite aspects of teaching is preparing for a substitute teacher.  Although I have been fortunate enough to only miss school days for school-related activities for the past few years, having a substitute is a sometimes necessary part of the job.

One of the things I do not like about the process is that students will absolutely LOSE THEIR EVER-LOVING MINDS when a sub walks into the room.

Don't you remember when you had a sub in school?

Right?

So, yeah.  I don't like it.

However, I came across the idea below from the website UNIVERSE AS TEXT.  It involves a 21st-century approach to sub preparation that may make the process as successful as it can be from my end.  Here's the post:

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE

This strategy addresses a question that every teacher has asked him or herself at some point: how do I get my students to be productive, respectful, and engaged when there’s a substitute teacher in charge? I often get frustrated with a couple scenarios that frequently play themselves out when I need to miss a day in my classroom because of a training or professional development day.

Scenario 1: The substitute teacher assigned to my classroom is an excellent educator who follows through by working with the scheduled lesson. Students generally behave, but still take advantage of an opportunity to put forth minimal effort and turn in shoddy work.

Scenario 2: The substitute teacher lacks the content knowledge and/or management skills to execute the lesson, or may not even be too concerned with what the kids are doing as long as mayhem isn’t occuring. Students leave the room discombobulated, do not bother to turn in work, and don’t even seem to know what the assignment was by the following day.

Too often, it seems that students–even the ones who are normally dynamic and just generally awesome–morph into apathetic, learning-resistant slobs when a sub is in charge. So what to do? While I certainly cannot claim to have solved this debacle completely, I can share a slightly offbeat strategy that I tried last year. I call it “ghost teaching.” It requires a sense of humor, a little prep work, and a good relationship with your students. And it works better than anything else I’ve attempted when it comes to getting students to pay attention and do great work, even in my absence.

My conceptual framework behind the ghost teaching strategy is that I want my students to feel as if I’m there in class with them, even if I’m not. Now, at this point in time you may be thinking, “Control freak alert!” But hear me out. I truly believe that the teacher sets the tone, creates the atmosphere, and defines the expectations for every day in class. Students become accustomed to the specific “auras” of their teachers, and respond to them. When this aura is done well, it can be a very positive, motivational force. The point of ghost teaching is to keep that atmosphere consistent, even when the teacher misses a day. If all goes well, it makes things easier and more enjoyable for the sub, too. Everybody wins!

FOUR STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL GHOST TEACHING

1. Let the sub know what you’re doing. Take the time to write out a full note for the sub, explaining the procedure for each class step by step. Have copies of handouts made and organized. Also make the sub aware of the main rules of your classroom so that the students are getting consistent messages about what’s ok and what’s not (these are probably posted in your room already). Once students see that the sub is wise to the normal ways of the classroom, they’re primed for good behavior.

2. Leave an extensive, personal note on the board, addressed to the students. Students will pay more attention to a handwritten note on the board than the most extensive word processed printout or blog post of instructions. I like to write in all caps, use arrows, make little drawings, and throw in classroom inside jokes to get the students to read what I’ve written. The purpose of the note is to provide a step by step agenda for the class so that they can follow along and also to have that extra reminder that I am the one asking for them to do these things today; the sub didn’t just find some random handouts lying around in a drawer. I also include reminders about what they should hand in/prepare for in the coming days. I always try incorporate a message about how much I appreciate them and expect from them as well. Even the most thorny adolescents secretly want to know they are valued by their teachers. Part of my board typically looks something like this:

3. Leave a short video in which you introduce the day’s activities. It may sound a little bit strange, but this is a key part of leaving your teaching ghost behind. Students will respond to the same face, voice, and (in my case) cheesy jokes that they are used to. Really, it’s not so strange. This day in age, people use Skype video calls to chat and YouTube videos to express their thoughts about the world. It’s also extremely quick and easy to do. If you have access to a webcam-equipped laptop or a digital camera, and you have the ability to press the “record” and “stop” buttons, you’re over halfway to a video teaching broadcast of your own. I save the file to a flash drive that I leave plugged in to the computer for the sub, but a video could also be saved on your desktop, posted on a class website, or emailed. All the sub has to do is turn on the LCD projector, open the video file and press “play.” If you don’t have a projector, the students can huddle around the computer monitor. This is where the “ghost teacher” can truly emerge, and where students know, indisputably, that it’s going to be business as usual.

In my first video, I sat down in front of my webcam and envisioned my classroom and the kids in it. It actually felt pretty natural, since I said all of the same things I would have said had they been physically sitting in front of me. The first part of the transcript went something like this: “Hello, my wonderful friends from English 12! I’m sorry that I can’t be with you today in person, but you guys are so lucky, because you are here to bear witness to my very first teaching video broadcast. I’m SO pumped about that… and you should be, too. So, at this point in time, you’ve already responded to your writing prompt which was “If you were stranded on a desert island with only the people sitting immediately next to you, what rescue plan would you make?” Now I’m sure this has generated some interesting, fascinating, potentially disruptive discussion. Hopefully nobody got voted off the island. No matter how that has turned out, I will ask you to turn in your prompts as it is Friday and therefore the last day of the week. Ok. At this point in time, I’d like to explain your main activity for the day, which is something that I really think you’ll enjoy and really get into a little bit…  In keeping with the Senior Skills Scavenger Hunt unit, this activity is designed around a real life communication skill that you will need whether you’re headed for college or the workforce, and that skill is the ability to work with a group in order to solve a complex problem. Ok, so here’s what you’re gonna do…. etc. etc.” And I went on to explain the procedure for the lesson as well as several reminders and the reasoning behind the lesson as a whole.

I was very curious to see the student reaction to the first video that I did. I knew it was a success as I came into school the next day. The seniors smiled at me and shook their heads a little. They were very humored by the fact that I actually recorded a video of myself to instruct them, but I soon discovered that they definitely listened to it! One girl quoted a particular direction nearly word-for-word, and the average reaction was, “Not gonna lie: that was pretty cool, Ms. H.” In fact, I think some of my students may pay more attention to my sub day videos than my real time spoken instructions!

4. Finally, require a presentation of any assigned work on the following day. Instead of just turning in a written copy of work (which is easy to just notdo, since there’s no immediate consequence), I hold my students accountable by requiring them to read aloud, explain, or otherwise present their work from the previous sub day. This allows me not only to give an immediate response with descriptive feedback, but also makes things uncomfortable for students who did not act responsibly. I’ve found that for most students, mindful of my on-the-spot assessment before an audience of their peers, do indeed deliver under these circumstances.

***

Ghost teaching takes preparation. Please note, it’s not for the sick days when you wake up feeling like the reaper is nigh. However, if you are like many involved teachers, you may have event coordinating, training, or professional development that takes you out of your classroom on days when you really need the students to stay productive and not lose progress. In these cases, if you can get a little time to prepare in advance, your ghost teacher will make sure that you, your students, and your substitute will all go home happy!