New Term Resolutions

*I will work smarter, not longer hours.

I once took a survey that asked me to figure out how many hours I actually work as a teacher, including planning, grading, and attending meetings and training. It averaged 45-50 hours a week...FOR 50 WEEKS A YEAR! I LOVE my school children, but I also LOVE my home children, who happen to be growing up without me. For them, I WILL find a way to assess English skills in many ways other than JUST essays. I will create multiple choice tests and grade things in class and host writer workshops. I will grade essays WITH students to make it happen DURING class (and to make the feedback more meaningful for the writer). No longer do I want to say, "Oh my word! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. How are you?" to my own sons. No more I-didn't-see-the-sun-today-because-I-got-to-school-before-it-rose-and-didn't-leave-until-it-was-long-gone days. Or, at least, a great reduction in the number of those days (of which there were FOUR last week because I was behind in grading).

*I will plan for grading. 

Despite tweaks to my assessment techniques, grading will still occur weekly on my own time. I will plan which assignments I'm taking, and I will plan when I will grade and return them. I will not take a trunk-full of projects home on weekends or holidays. I will not grade work in the last week of the term. When I have more hectic personal weeks, I will take less work (or send more back with a check mark). By planning for my students' assessment needs and balancing it with my family's personal needs, I will have enough of the right kind of grades to measure my students' growth without going weeks without seeing my family. (I really, really hope.)

one-man-band-source yoga-source

*I will stop and allow a few minutes for closure before the bell. 

I always feel enormous--admittedly self-derived--pressure to have kids actively engaged and LEARNING until a few seconds AFTER the last bell. I panic when they start packing up as the bell approaches. I will do anything to get them to focus for another minute or two (or our last few seconds together). I will sing, dance, flip (or if I'm in a bad mood, yell, demand, hold after the bell) to keep them in the room mentally and physically. I have realized that we all need time to process and connect (and put our books back in an organized fashion instead of leaving my room looking like a post-Katrina Louisiana, for which I have to form a nightly, heartfelt, contrite me a culpa for the poor facilities staff who must all hate me). Instead of a tension fraught battle of wills over the no-man's-land of the academic period, I will turn these final few minutes into a decompression chamber with assigned tasks that transition students from my class to the passing period. I will have them do things like stand-up, hand-up, pair-up to share things they learned during the lesson. I will have them put sticky notes on the various wall charts to track our learning. I will have them write reflections (that I will NOT grade).

Hopefully these three things will help me to improve my progress monitoring and data management while improving student learning without being arrested for child abandonment.

Have you tried any of these resolutions? Do you have any advice for me on how to manage these issues? What coping mechanisms do you use to balance home and school?

The Five Steps of Homework (Part 3 of 3)

The student knew the assignment, found the time space, and materials to complete it successfully, put the work in his/her book bag and got it back to school. Mission accomplished! We're golden! Actually, success is no more guaranteed at this point than a run is guaranteed to a baseball player on third base.

sources: "Good job!" "F"

 
I have an unfortunate personal example for the importance of this last step.

One of my homework strugglers (a home child, not a school child) garnered regular calls home from a disgruntled teacher. She complained that he never did his homework. She actually made quite a nuisance of herself because she made it clear that the calls were to gloat over our failures--mine as a parent, his as a student. She called again to inform us of another huge project that he wasn't going to turn in and all the deleterious effects that would have on his already lackluster grade. The b**ch was crowing with anticipatory glee at my baby's imminent failure.

Of course, I immediately set about thwarting her. We went to the school in person and got multiple extra copies of the assignment. We went from there to the store where we bought all necessary supplies and materials. We instituted a routine for working on that project specifically, and the whole family got in on it (encouraging, praising, supporting). We all made arrangements to be late on the due date, and we all rode together to drop him off at school, at which point we all got out of the car, handed him his glorious, complete, better-be-an-A-and-bring-up-his-grade project, and applauded him loudly and enthusiastically until he was out of sight.

Three hours later, a very smug teacher called me to inform me that my child had not done his project and would fail the class. She advised that I begin making arrangements for him to recover the credit outside the classroom.

I was devastated. And confused. I actually left work early to pick him up and find out what happened. He was also devastated, confused, and very upset.

It turns out that the procedure for turning in projects is to have them on the desk when the bell rings. My son's project was larger than his desk. He worried about kids hitting it on the way to their seats, so he put it under his desk until the bell rang--at which point it was a zero. The assistant principal said that since the teacher had clearly defined and communicated the procedure and consequences, my son earned his zero.

I am a teacher, and I embrace my sovereignty in my classroom. I also believe that the structure of procedures and policies are necessary for students to feel secure and to succeed. However, below I will be offering tips for teachers that provide structure without tyranny and abuse. There are pointers for parents and suggestions for students as well.

Teachers:

• Have one place where all work is turned in
• Label it well and include visual cues and reminders
• Give students opportunities to turn work in after verbal reminders (my school children will try to take advantage of this to complete homework in class, but I try to catch them and discourage this)
• Post due dates on all communication portals
• Remind students if you see them in the hallway between classes
• Call/contact the parents of children who tend to get stumped at this point (NOT to gloat)

Parents:

• Remind your child
•  Help your child to set up some kind of reminder system (alarm on phone, sticky note on locker, string on finger or book bag, something to remind them to get the assignment in)
• Regularly ask about homework and projects AFTER they're due (did you turn it in today? what was your grade on ___?

Students:

• Know what's due in each class (use a planner, cell phone, etc.)
• Turn it in early in the day if the teacher will accept it
• Have a plan for when to get it from your locker to class
• Create a reminder system for yourself (alarm, sticky note, string, etc.)

The Five Steps of Homework (Part 2 of 3)

   In Part 1 of The Five Steps of Homework, we explored the students' need to understand the assignment itself in order to achieve success. Steps 2-4, the subjects of this blog, are more straightforward and usually fall under the purview of parents and students.

   (Yay! Something we teachers DON'T have to do! Wait, some of us are parents too. Darn.)

Step 2: Students need the time, space, and supplies to successfully complete their work.

   Parents could be held responsible for this, but we teachers know that not all of our students' parents are willing or capable. The Mattiacci family struggles with the time aspect. They provide a great space for study, but sometimes the family is out of the house 14-18 hours in a day. We teachers don't know what our students' home lives are like. A roof to sleep under could be rare or nonexistent, and supplies like sticky notes, highlighters, and poster boards may be unattainable luxuries.

   No matter what space parents and teachers provide, students must be responsible for bringing homework and supplies to the study space.Younger students will require this to be set up for them. Older students may be trusted to be more mobile (sometimes...maybe...).

   Students need the assignment, any of the materials associated with it (like the actual workbook page, for instance), things to write with and things to write on. There may be some adhesive requirements and/or cutting tools. Fun and attractive office supplies could either motivate or distract, depending on students' personalities. Display boards and computing devices will occasionally be called for as well.*

*Computers are both powerful tools and terrifying windows to an unsafe world. We strongly suggest that ALL computing, even academic computing, comes with established rules, regulations, and responsibilities from the beginning. You do not want to have to explain internet communication law to your 11-year-old alongside a Homeland Security team on the way to federal prison. This is also a double-edged sword because while our students cannot become productive citizens without strong technological knowledge, they are already better than us with technology. It can be EXTREMELY difficult to monitor computer use effectively. Maybe we'll feature a blog on computing safely and effectively for pre-Millennials. (Want to write it? Comment below, and we'll contact you.)

Step 3: Students must COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT

    Okay, so this one is clearly the sole responsibility of the student, right? Well, almost. Parents need to check the assignment for both completion and correctness. The act of checking (even if checking means letting your child tell you what you're looking at) reinforces the behavior and signals to students that their caregivers value homework and effort.

Step 4: Students must transport the assignment back to school

   We cannot tell you how many times Mrs. Mattiacci has heard "I did it! I swear! It's on my desk at home! (or locker or other class or parent's car...or, all time best, at a shelter where the student did community work in another city that is over 6 hours away)." Teachers can't grade work that is not there, no matter how much time, effort, and good intent was put into the previous three steps.

Below we will list some strategies for teachers, parents, and students to keep up with these three steps. Please note that this is a list of suggestions, not directions. Feel good for doing what you can/want, and work to improve later (or not, if you're happy).

Teachers:

   Time/space/supplies

• Provide a time where your room can be used as a study hall. This is not tutoring or even you talking. This is simply guaranteeing that every one of your students has access to study space and supplies.
•  Have a study supply checkout system where needy students can "borrow" a kit that contains everything they need to complete that night's assignment or an upcoming project.
• Gift needy students with success supplies

   Completing the assignment

• Create a special contract for struggling students
• Have individual/class reward systems in place for completion and/or correctness
• Contact caregivers early and often
• List assignments in a communication portal like your electronic grade book or teacher web site

   Getting work to school 

• Take late work to offer incentive for remembering tomorrow but with a point penalty that makes it clear that the work is expected on time. (Mrs. Mattiacci usually makes her assignments due on Tuesdays with Tuesday turn-ins starting at an A. Wednesday turn-ins start at C, not B, because students hear B and think A, however C feels like a substantial drop and a strong incentive for remembering today.)

Parents:

   Time/space/supplies

• Have a set homework and study time. Require children to organize or study even if there's no homework. If a child can get out of something easily with a little lie, they often will. If they are going to have to spend the exact same amount of time and energy but get no credit, they will usually(hopefully) fess up.
•  Have a study area with everything your children may need to be successful

   Completing the assignment

• Offer rewards
• Check your children's teachers' communication portals like the electronic grade book or teacher web site
• Check the homework

   Getting work to school 

• Make putting work in school bags part of the routine
• Remind children
• Ask children (after homework, before bed, in morning, before leaving front door, while still in the driveway, etc.)
• Neither request or expect exceptions for your child because you know the work was done in full on time (that shifts responsibility for the assignment from students, where it belongs, to teachers, where it does not)

Students:

   Time/space/supplies

• Have a system for getting the required work home and use the system every single time you get homework that needs something from school (textbook, printout, etc.)
• Tell your parents what you need as soon as you know (especially odd, hard-to-find, expensive, or really important items)
• Have a set homework and study time. Organize or study even if there's no homework.
•  Have a study area with everything you may need to be successful
• Keep your area clean, neat, and organized (or at least bug- and mold- free and functional)
• If you need a computer, be a good digital citizen.

   Completing the assignment

• Break it down into whatever size makes you comfortable so it's manageable
• Check your teachers' communication portals like the electronic grade book or teacher web site
• Check your homework
• Have a caregiver check
• Be honest with your caregiver when they ask about your homework
• If the computer is going to be more distraction than tool, don't use it until you are ready to publish (slide show due? Write all the slides and even include illustration ideas. Don't go to the computer until all that's left is the typing)

   Getting work to school 

• Make putting work in school bags part of your routine
• Put reminders up
• Actually physically check the location of your completed work when your caregivers ask about it (after homework, before bed, in morning, before leaving front door, while still in the driveway, etc.)
• Neither request or expect exceptions because you know the work was done in full on time (that shifts responsibility for the assignment from you, where it belongs, to teachers, where it does not)

  

The Five Steps of Homework (Part 1)

   When teachers/parents/caregivers direct students to "do homework," we're actually initiating a complex, 5-step process that can bring the night's homework production to a screeching halt at any point.

   I will admit that I was a terrible high school student. I just could not do my homework.Teachers made it sound simple, and students made it look simple. My parents screamed it simple: DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Somewhere along the line, between high school and college, I figured it out (though I'm still not sure how).

   Now I have three kids of my own, and 67% of them struggle with doing their homework. I have students, and the number one reason for failure in my classes is homework neglect. I talk with other teachers, and they concur. Kids fail because they don't do their homework.

   What is the big deal? Are kids stupid? Lazy? Distracted by the treasures of the digital age?
I refuse to believe any of the above about my own progeny. First of all, how would they have inherited stupid? (Please don't really answer that. Although, if that is what it takes to break the comment barrier...) Okay, so I know where lazy could have come from, and the panoply of digital devices is quite a contender. However, I think it comes down to the complexity of the five step process required to complete a homework assignment for credit.

Step 1: Know the assignment

   If students don't know and understand the homework assignment, they cannot do it. I know that some of us practice backwards design, and we want our kids trying to work it out before class. I'm not talking about understanding how to do the assignment; I'm referring to what the teacher expects to collect as the homework assignment itself.

   When we adopted our dog, we also received this pamphlet of great tips to help us as first-time dog owners. The most profound advice reminded owners that dogs are not evil or malicious. If the dog is not doing what we want (or is doing something we don't want), confusion is the culprit. I think it said something along the lines of "There is no such thing as a BAD dog, only a CONFUSED dog." My most-used advice for teaching is "There is no such thing as a BAD student, only a CONFUSED student."

   Teachers work with humans, and humans don't usually exert the time and energy necessary for malicious intent. When one of my beautiful babies becomes a handful, I ask myself, "How is this child confused? What can I do to clarify." I am as human as the next...human, and I have bad days and lose my patience sometimes too. This mantra often helps me to depersonalize the situation before I become unreasonable, and it focuses my thoughts on what I can control: my choices and my actions.

   Below is a list of things teachers, parents, and students can do to facilitate this first step of the homework process.

Teachers:

• Have a set location in your room where students can see what is due and what is coming up
• Have regular assignments when possible
• Communicate the homework assignment clearly and specifically (and in writing whenever humanly possible)
• Answer questions about the assignment in class
• "Post" the assignment somewhere where students can see it outside of the classroom (your district communication portal, your personal website, etc.)
• Review assignments together in class to reward students who did it and to bring meaning to the assignment
• Be very strict about due dates (if you take work at the end of the term, you are training your students to wait until the end of the term to do their work)
• Expect students to do the homework
• Be very conscious of the purpose of the homework and explain the purpose fully to students (no busy work)
• Randomly ask students to reiterate the details of the assignment throughout the class period (and especially at the end of the period before parting)
• Establish a reward system for those who manage all five steps (if an A were enough of a reward, all of our students would be doing all of their homework)
• Teach these five steps explicitly in class
• Know who does and doesn't have their work
• Establish "no opt out" policies that prevent students from getting out of work by "taking a zero"
• Converse respectfully with students who struggle (Which part/s of the process is causing the issue/s? How can you work together to tackle those issues?)
• Contact support team (campus resources, student caregivers, etc.)

Parents:

• Know where to find and how to use the teacher's communication tools (websites, grade portals, etc.)
• Use those communication tools often
• Keep a written schedule of recurring assignments
• Ask your children about their homework every day
• Talk with your children about the homework process
• Determine obstacles
• Create strategies to overcome those obstacles
• Communicate your concerns with your child's teacher
• Do not be afraid to offer negative consequences for poor academic performance
• Be consistent
• Have a place established for school work (make sure it is pleasing to your children and that they have easy access to everything they need)
• Praise and reward children for knowing what the assignment is and informing you
• Make homework an important and integral part of your family culture
• Value education in both word and action

Students:

• Know the steps of the homework process
• Know where you struggle
• Create strategies to overcome your obstacles
• Recruit assistance from your support team (parents, teachers, siblings, family, successful friends, etc.)
• KNOW your homework assignment
• Write it down
• Photograph it with your phone (with teacher permission)
• Program it into your phone (with teacher permission)
• Ask questions if you don't understand the assignment
• Make sure the homework makes sense to you before you leave the room