The Wonder of Boys: Part 3: How to Raise a Boy

Guiran opens the third piece of the book with an in-depth look at discipline.  He explain the importance of discipline in context with all parts of the boys life.  Discipline isn’t just about punishment or reprimand, but about helping the child feel good about himself.  Discipline needs the following:

• consistency
• If the behavior is immediately dangerous, stop it.
• Identify the boy’s mistake and effects of his mistake; letting the boy know the error builds his confidence.
• Provide a natural or punitive consequence
• Consistently enforce the consequence
• Ritualize the end of the consequence with a show of renewed acceptance like hugging
• leadership
• respect
• variety
• recrimination
• spiritual context
• choices
• respect for feelings
• authoritative structure
• early, ongoing and adaptive use

Guiran also points out the that disciplinarian “provides two forms of leadership by both modeling and teaching through which the boy learns how to act and how to feel about himself in return. Then, as a result, the child learns to respect the disciplinarian.  The disciplinarian must distinguish between crisis discipline (sudden dangerous situations) and everyday discipline (daily challenges). It is imperative that boys see how their actions affect the larger world and population.  I really liked how Guiran specifies the difference in disciplining the action of the child versus the feeling. We need to teach the child his action is wrong, not the feelings he is experiencing.

Guiran identifies twelve techniques for healthy discipline:

1. Show the boy the effects of his inappropriate action

2. Redirect the boy’s aggressive energies from an animate to an inanimate object

3. Use a stern tone of voice

4. Give the boy or you a time-out when necesssary

5. Choose diversion and distraction first

6. Ignore his refusal and give sixty seconds to do the task

7. Negotiate and provide choices: this shows the boy we trust there is worth in his point of view and we are willing to explore it.

8. Take away privileges and tyos

9. Use positive expectations

10. Make things into games whenever possible

11. Focus boys on the specific challenge of tasks

12. Teach through mistakes and failures

How do these apply to adolescence?  The focus is not to let up when the boy is maturing but rather to help them refocus the boy’s energies, “ We give him structures for his energy. We give him constant activity and then time to recharge. We give him experiential learning through games and tasks. We give him work. We expect him to take up a lot of space in his gangly experiences with life, and we teach him, through task, work, game, activity, and experience how to use that space. Above all, we give him mentoring and supervision that respects and teaches his gifts, his visions, even his shadowy inner demons.”

Through adolescence, some specific techniques of discipline:

1. Be consistent and clear about expectations and punishments.

2. Ignore the youth’s acting out when it is harmless charter and dissing.

3. Do not allow harmful disrespect to go unnoticed or unchallenged.

4. Give primary authority to the style of discipline that is most effective: this means letting the fathers be in charge if that is what works best.

5. Build many of the expectations by talking with the youth.

6. Take away privileges as a primary means of family discipline.

7. Let the youth choose his own punishment when possible.

8. Never hit.

9. Spend as much time as possible with younger adolescents, doing what they like to do.

10. Help youths find games, sports, tasks, and other systematic structures in which to build their own disciplines.

11. Follow stages of discipline, especially reacceptance of the youth once the punishment is finished.

12. Be consistent.

13. For every piece of freedom you give a youth, give him a similar piece of of responsibility.

14. Always let him know you’re there for him.

Guiran closes his piece on discipline saying, “ the greatest gift a parent can give a youthful, then and adult child is respectable and trustworthy authority.”

Guiran moves on to speak about the importance of morality and spirituality in boys’ lives. We need the three tribes to come together to help teach our sons who to live their lives.   Everyone is responsible for the moral upbringing on the boys.  Guiran advocates use literature and stories of heroes or hero’s journey to teach these moral lessons.  Stories of kings, warriors, explorers, lovers and magicians can give boys and upbringing firm in moral lessons to give parents an opportunity to dialogue with their sons, “Showing (a boy) what happens to a hero who isn’t responsible empowers, teaches, guides him. He identifies with the hero and gains energy from the hero’s journey...showing him, in story, how to transform himself works much better.”

In terms of spirituality, Guiran explains that “when we speak of ‘spirituality’, we are speaking of universal connection, transcendent experience, our deep ‘sense of belonging’ in the world.” Guiran explains that for the parent to teach the child about spirituality, we must also identify where we are in terms of our own spirituality:

1. The WHO is about teaching boys who “God” is. Who created life?

2. The WHAT is about teaching boys what life is made of. Need to know the basic elements of being alive.

3. The WHERE is about teaching boys a sacred sense of place.  Get the boys outdoors- they are more in touch with their spirituality there.

4.The WHEN is about teaching boys to live in the NOW. There is nothing more important than slowing down and spending time together.

5. The HOW is about teaching creativity, and through it, mystery and faith.

6. The WHY is about teaching boys to search for meaning.

To help teach boys to be spiritual, we must practice spirituality by praying, modeling, conversing, recording our lives in journals, and giving boys spaces of solitude.

The Wonder of Boys: Part 2: What Boys Need

In part two of Guiran’s book, he advocates for essential pieces to help boys grow into successful empathetic men.  First, boys need to be part of three tribes:

• Family One: this is the child’s birth family including grandparents if they raise the child.
• Family Two: this is a child’s extended family- blood relatives, friends who are like family, day care providers, teachers, peers, and mentors.
• Family Three: Culture and community- media, church groups, government and other institutions.

Guiran’s words that most impacted me in this section is how important it is for young boys going through adolescence to “move away” from their mothers and come more under the influence of their fathers and other male role models in their life. To me, this was very interesting considering I am a female teacher of an all boys’ class. I see these boys five days a week, and see myself as their teacher of course, but also as a mentor guiding them through their academic journey as well as their emotional and behavioral journey. I want to help find for them a way to tap into their passions, and discover the ways they learn best. I do see myself as part of their family and an influential member of it. But, it all starts with building a successful and supportive relationship with them. Letting the boys know I care and can roll with them through the ups and downs.

Guiran isn’t saying throughout this that females aren’t important in male’s lives. Boys need to have both parents, or in my case, three parents, who can be there for them when they are angry, hurt or scared, and showing them unconditional love.  Additionally, Guiran points out time and again, how important it is to extend family beyond the traditional mode. Godparents, “aunts, “uncles” and friends and mentors need to help raise boys.  

Moms need a supportive network to help raise sons. With the right support, “moms are able to bond and attach well with a boys so that the boys grows up feeling he is loved and always deserves to be loved; allow the boy to separate from her as needed so he can develop his own identity from a secure base; work out her own issues with the help of the family and community members,so she doesn’t exploit the boys as the object of any physical baggage; receive hands on education from multi generational sources about boy biology and culture so she knows how to best raise a boy; model good teamwork with others; live with strong self-esteem so the boy can do so as well; provide empowered female guidance so that the boy learns respect for the feminine, provide discipline, rules, and structure so that the boy learns his limits; engage when the boys needs her to, in his activities; get help in selecting proper stimulations for her boy and getting help in steering him away from obsessive stimulations, have trusted allies who help critique and alter her own mothering techniques when necessary; and be able to love him unconditionally.”

Dads and sons are different, “a father raises his son in the father’s shadow, a shadow both dark and beautiful, in which the son will learn essential lessons about how to live, first as a boy, then as a man”...”for every son wants from his father to gain a sense of mission in life and receive permission from an elder male to pursue the mission; to feel a strong, loving masculine gorund beneath his feet so that he will not, once he’s an adult, have to say to his wide and his children or to strangers, ‘I don’t know what a man is, please teach me’; to be challenged toward a vision of faraway stars- impractical dreams and ambitions, that he may make, one day, possible; to learn what part of the sacred circle of human and spiritual life he will be responsible for; and to be mirrored by an intimate elder male and found, in that mirroring, to be a loving, wise and powerful man.”

Growing up in a family of all brothers, it surprises me that my brothers during their adolescence needed to move away from my mom and move more towards my father and his influences. My dad traveled a lot as my brothers were growing up, so I can only assume, when he was around, he must have set a good stage for them to follow since they always seemed to make good decisions.  And,  I can see now what wonderful men they have grown up to be as a result. How do I help foster this in my own sons and in my own students? I see boys that need more male mentors in their lives.  How can I find people to mentor my own sons and mentor my students in their journey?    Boys crave males to be around and I can definitely see this in my own sons. Whenever our friends are around, the boys flock to them wanting to wrestle, to show them what they know and what they can do, to be part of their lives.  We really try in our own family to build a new family of friends for our boys.  Luckily, being educators, our friends echo this value as well. We all are such a huge part of one another lives and our boys’ lives.

Additionally, Guiran advocates the importance of boys having a spiritual ground to stand upon. Time and again he explains the importance of giving boys purpose.  Spirituality helps the boys see their place in this world and surround them with mystery as well.  Moms can initially provide that guidance, but over time, men keep boys spiritual growth growing. And to keep boys spiritually growing, we need to create places of spirituality in our homes through prayer and rituals. Finally, to help boys grow, we must help them face their darker emotions. Boys grow from being able to confront their insecurities, their fears, their destruction, and their anger.  Facing all of this in quite challenging for boys, but they are capable of doing so when parents , mentors, and the tribes surrounding the boys have best equipped them to do so.

Ultimately, Guiran argues, if we give boys these three tribes(birth family, extended family, cultural and community) , then we are better able to:

1. Help boys express their needs rather than guiltily believing we know what they need.

2. Support boys in working hard for everything.

3. Teach boys to turn their failures into opportunities to grow.

4. Teach boys who they are and enable them to respect their gender.

5. Give boys discipline and structure so they know how to live their lives and love.

6. Give boys elders to model their lives after, learn from and believe in. This will teach them honor, respect, and integrity

7. Cut out influences that desensitize and dehumanize them.

8. Give them increased opportunities to develop skills with mentors.

9. Give them more adult time

10. Give them more time to serve.

The Wonder of Boys: Part One

The Wonder of Boys: Part 1

My next boy book is The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, mentors, and Educators Can do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men by Michael Gurian.  

Guiran begins his book explaining similar notions of Raising Cain.  Boys are in pain: emotionally.  Boys are suffering because society is not raising boys to be the best men; instead, society fails our boys time and again.  Through divorce, bad parenting, media, mothers who won’t let go and fathers who are absent, boys grow up disadvantaged and angry.  

I was surprised by Guiran’s exploration of brain differences in males and females. Males have larger brains focusing on spatial relationships and activity but females corpus callosum allows for females to be better at reading and interpreting emotions. Boys are better at focusing on single issues rather than multiple issues. I can easily identify with this in my all boys’ class.  Getting the gentlemen to do more than one task at a time is almost impossible without proper structure and scaffolding of the tasks.

Guiran expands on these issues of male and female differences later on by explaining the importance of females in young boys lives.  In their early years, mothers hold a special connection to their sons, creating and fostering the emotions of boys. Single mothers, of course, struggle more with this as a result of time and lack of support. However, once boys reach puberty, boys need to be “let go” by their mothers and guided by their fathers.  Some women really struggle with letting go which can be detrimental to the future growth of the boys.  The goal of both parents should be “we can teach him how to develop who he is with confidence, and towards a direction that contributes to our world. In this view, our best choices in nurturing him revolve around knowing who and what he is, then channeling his energy in ways appropriate to him” (Guiran 5).  Interestingly enough, “the single most important influence on our boys is how they see their parents be intimate” (Guiran 20).

Connecting Guiran’s opening remarks about boys to my own class, I can see the importance of creating relationships with my students.  Boys need to feel valued in order to work hard for someone. They also need purpose behind what they are doing, or are asked to do in order to allow them to see where they are going. Boys need to be involved in the activity: make it a game, a competition, a goal, where they are to move around. Boys need to have a learning environment that allows for them to be open and honest with their emotions. That helps them develop a language to express those emotions.  How do boys experience feelings and emotions:

• Action released method: quick bursts of emotion
• Suppression delayed reaction method: solve problem then emotionally react
• Displacement objectification method: project emotions on other objects
• Physical expression method: space and objects to properly deal with emotions
• Going into the cave method: boys need time and space to process emotions
• Problem solving method:solving the problem releases emotive energy
• Crying method: boys only cry under very stressful and safe circumstances

Guiran identifies 7 principles that boys’ culture is based upon.

1. Competition: boys’ need healthy competition. Competition helps boys learn skills and feel success: two attributes that if boys don’t feel, they will feel “lost.”  Competition “is a form of nurturing behavior”.  This is why it is important for boys to participate in organized sports.  The competition must be appropriate for the boy by contributing to his positive self esteem and build his confidence.

2. Empathy: boys struggle with empathy. To teach a boy to be empathetic, Guiran encourages the modeling of empathy or making empathy part of the task in order for boys to grow.

3. Large group: boys prefer groups rather than 2s or 3s.  The more people who recognize and see the success of the boy, the more “empowered” the boy feels.

4. Independence: boys even in groups can still maintain their independence.  Many single mothers struggle in this area and many families need mentors to assist in fostering independence, “without nurturing by acceptance, discipline, role-teaching, , natural and acculturated tendency toward independent activity, and personal freedom within group functions, we will raise boys for whom independence becomes not soulful solitude but tragic loneliness, and freedom becomes irresponsibility” (Guiran 41).

5. Personal sacrifice: boys need to understand the power they have and that that same power must be connected with others and doing best by and for others.  We need to find a way to harness boys’ passion and purpose and direct it in a purposeful direction.

6. Male role models: elder males teach boys how to treat females; how to develop boundaries with females, how to deal with changes to their bodies, minds and souls.

7. Making sport of life and life of sport: boys need structure, skill and focus to deal with their aggressiveness.

Raising Cain

Raising Cain: Part 1
I started reading Raising Cain as the first book for my all boy series of literature.  Kindlon and Thompson argue throughout the book that boys today are not taught an emotional language in order to express their feelings accurately.  We mold boys to fit our traditional model of men: tough, emotionless, strong, and brave.  however, boys often encounter “a culture of cruelty” where they are harassed, demeaned, receive conflicting messages about their emotions, and have unbelievable pressure cast upon them from society to withstand it all.

So, what do we do about it? How do we help our boys become men that are caring, concerned, empathetic individuals?  Kindlon and Thompson use a variety of stories to showcase the work they have done with a multitude of boys ranging from abuse victims, kids that suffer from depression, anxiety, anger, etc... They even work with parents to help them navigate through the adolescent years in order to give space and a voice to their emerging young man.

Thompson and Kindlon divide up the book into sections dealing with discipline, culture definitions of boys, relationships between boys and their moms and dads, depression, drinking and drugs, anger, relationships with girls, and finally ending with a chapter discussing what boys really need. As I was reading the book, the thoughts in my head centered around my all boys class as well as my relationship with my own boys.  How can I be a better teacher, mentor and leader for these young men? How can I help to shape them into better versions of themselves so that they are empathetic, ethically responsible contributors to the world? How can I help them express their emotions in a way that is productive for them in the long run? How can I help them develop an emotional vocabulary that enables them to get through the tough times in life?

My take-aways helped me to answer some of these questions, but not with a clear concrete plan.  I appreciate the authors attempts at giving the reader tools to deal with angry boys and how to help boys develop a language to deal with the anger.  Thompson and Kindlon write, “ Our challenge as parents and teachers is to teach the lessons of emotional literacy that enable a boy to bend under emotional trials without breaking into a violent revenge:

• Life isn’t fair. learn to deal with it
• You can’t go around hurting people every time you get angry.
• You need to consider how your actions affect others.
• Don’t see threats where they don’t exist.
• You need to know that controlling your anger does not make you a sissy” (Kindlon and Thompson 222).

I didn’t think these lessons need only to apply to girls as well. The authors, on multiple occasions, create the argument that we enable girls to have an emotional language to deal with their lives, but yet we hold boys to a much different standard, making it uncool, or sissy like to express emotions. This was totally my life growing up. I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen my father cry: after his father passed away, and when he talked to my brothers and I about what happened to him in Vietnam; he’s a Silver Star recipient if that gives you an idea.  I see this in my own life letting my daughter cry about issues that are heartfelt to her, but yet talking to my boys about toughening up when they are crying about not wanting to do something. I am not giving them the emotional language to know how to deal with their sadness or disappointment by shutting down their emotions. I think about this as a teacher as well and how many times I have had boys cry in my office or in my classroom about failures they have experienced. I have always been so shocked to see their upfront display of emotion.  But yet felt honored that they felt safe enough with me to be honest with how they were feeling.

Thompson and Kindlon leave us with seven tips: (italicized their words, normal my 2 cents)

1. Give boys permission to have an internal life, approval for the full range and human emotions, and help in developing an emotional vocabulary so that they may better understand themselves and communicate more effectively with others.
1. When kids see their parents, role models, teachers express emotion in authentic and meaningful ways, they know it is safe for them to do so as well. They learn from our examples- both men and women, dads and moms
2. Recognize and accept the high activity level of boys and give them safe boy places to express it.
1. Get those boys outside.  Boys have energy and need productive ways to manage their energy.
3. Talk to boys in their language- in  a way that honors their pride and their masculinity. Be direct with them; use them as consultants and problem solvers.
1. Boys need to be involved in solving their problems. Give them choices with adults leading the way.
2. If you listen to boys, they will listen to you.
3. I’m still working on this one :)
4. Teach boys that emotional courage is courage and that courage and empathy are the sources of real strength in life.
1. Boys need to learn about real heroes not just ones in TV, in books, or in movies.  Set up real examples of courage and emotional vulnerability for them. Show them fear is ok.
2. Show boys how to be empathetic.  Give them opportunities to care for others.
5. Use discipline to build character and conscience, not enemies.
1. Boys need direct and consistent discipline.  Focus on building off of love.
6. Model a manhood of emotional attachment.
1. Boys replicate the examples they see
2. boys struggle with real friendships; help foster long lasting relationships
3. Boys need times with just their dads and with men that are good role models
7. Teach boys that there are many ways to be a man.
1. Enough said.

And so, Thompson and Kindlon leave us with the lasting thought:

“Our boys are going to grow up to be many sizes, to possess many skills and to do a wide variety of things. We must not disregard their many offerings; we must not make them feel they do not measure up, that we disdain their contributions. We have to ask a lot of them, morally and spiritually, and we have to support them in their efforts to please us. And if they try to please us, we must communicate to them that they are not a disappointment to us. The only thing that will make growing up psychologically safe for our sons is for them to know that we value them and that we love them, and that we have every confidence that they will grow naturally into good men” (Kindlon and Thompson 257-8).

I need to make my boys, both at home, in my extended family and in my classroom, know they are worth it. They are valued people in my life, blessings to all around them.

Going back to school

I have been remiss in my blogging. I admit it. I can’t seem to find the time nor place to think about teaching. To take the time to reflect on what I am doing. It seems mostly as though I have not given myself permission to take a break. I really miss thinking about learning.

So, a few of weeks ago, I started looking into taking graduate school classes to do two things: one, give myself the permission and time to learn; and two, give myself a pay hike since for the next six years I won’t go anywhere on our pay scale. I found a program where I can design my curriculum with the help of another teacher. Luckily, I found a teacher who is a former Language Arts teacher and someone who teaches using technology. I am combining two aspects into my study: single gender education with boys and technology. 

Why? Well, for one, I am a sister of three brothers. I grew up in a male dominated household. I always had more boys that were friends than girls. I have two sons now, who dominate much of our household. Also, I have a husband, there’s another male. A dad- more male. Then, to top it all off, I teach a single gender class- ninth grade all boys. What would be more fitting than for me to study about being a better teacher, learner, parent, leader, coach and mentor, than for me to study about males.

 I am going to read a number of different books about boys. My former principal bought these books for me when I first started teaching single gender classes and I have not had the time to read them. Maybe the timing wasn’t right, but it is fitting in perfectly now. The books are the following:
 • Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys –Dan Kindlon, Ph.D and Michael Thompson, Ph.D
 • The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men- Michael Gurian
• Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy and Popular Culture- Thomas Newkirk
 • Bringing Up Boys: Practical Advice and Encouragement for those Shaping the Next Generation of Men-Dr. James Dobson
• Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood- William Pollack, PhD.

 I just finished Raising Cain. So, be on the lookout for my reflections and applications of what Kindlon and Thompson articulate regarding boys and meeting their emotional needs.

Smitty Awards for Best Movie Trailer

Period 5 Winner: Lindsey:Brave New World Period 3 Winner: Aly: Brave New World Period 5 Nominees: Scott:Cat's Cradle Monica:The Chocolate War Nate: Animal Farm Lindsey:<i>Brave New World Faith:Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes Kasi:We all Fall Down Period 3 Nominees: Haleigh:Perks of Being a Wallflower Zach: Clockwork Orange Bennet: The Sun Also Rises The Sun Also Rises Movie Trailer Aly: Brave New World Jake: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Aspen: Jumper Sophie: Lovely Bones David : Huckleberry Finn Copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Alexandra: Go Ask Alice Maddison: Slaughterhouse 5 Lena: Lolita Copy of Lolita Trailer

Dan Pink 2012

Check out our photos of the fabulous conversation with Dan Pink. Also, here are the links to the archived Ustream presentation (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ahsawnm) and the CoveritLive live blog conversation (http://smith9h1112.blogspot.com/2012/05/dan-pink.html). We are so fortunate that Dan Pink continues to foster this important and on going conversation with our students.

Visitors from Canada

The Toronto Public Schools' School Board and teachers came to visit Littleton Public Schools in early April to see examples of exemplary technology use in education. The group stopped by AHS for presentations from our 9th graders on the various ways we use technology to enhance our learning.  We created a presentation fair. The kids broke up into groups around the room with each group selecting one project or idea they wanted to showcase to the touring group.  Accolades were bestowed upon the kids numerous times from the group attending.  Way to rise to the challenge Warriors!

Renee Howell speaking with the students after their presentation

Maggie and Emily presenting on TED talks

Rachael, Cole, Brooke, Savannah, and Jordan presenting poetry

James, Madison, Bekah, Jacqueline, Sarah, Ellie presenting on Wikified Research Papers

Wikified Research Paper presentations

Presentation Fair: kids leading the way

Brian, Troy, Marco, and Lauren presenting about Loggel

Monica, Sam, Emily C and Jeremy presenting about scribing, Google calendar, and Google Presentation

Amanda, Meagan, Cassi, Hunter, Zoey, and Maddie presenting about QR codes and banned book movie trailers

Zoe and Mackenzie presenting about CoveritLive and skyping with authors

Sanjay, Andrew, and Colin presenting about Chicago 7, Marcus Yallow, and Ned Kelly presentations

Spirit of Littleton Dinner

On Saturday night, Littleton Public Schools held its annual Spirit of Littleton Dinner which benefits the LPS School Foundation.  Our kids have participated every year showcasing their tremendous work using technology to demonstrate their learning and understanding.

This year was no exception that our kids were one of the highlights of the night. One attendee after another complimented our presenters on their articulation, communication, personality and understanding of what they were presenting.  Our kids rocked as always. I am always so impressed by our kids' professionalism.  Way to go Warriors. We are so proud of you!

Lucid Chart

My all boys' class has been reading Mark Haddon's Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.  We also started our essential questions for our following units: Why are relationships so difficult?  What do relationships reveal about who we are and who we want to be?


Throughout our study of Curious Incident, I asked the kids to keep a relationship chart of all the characters. They needed to identify who the main characters were, give a description about the characters, how do the characters relate to one another, explain whether or not the relationship is an effective one or not, and why. Instead of writing this all out, I asked the kids to graphically show their understanding of these relationships.  Previously, I have used Webspiration for this project. However, this year I discovered Webspiration was no longer free. So, after speaking with Dana Levesque at our district office, she pointed me in the direction of LucidChart. She hadn't used LucidChart, but wanted to see what we could do with it.

It was fantastic!  It did exactly what the kids wanted it to do. They could assign shapes to characters (there is a plethora of shapes to choose from on the side bar), assign colors to relationships (Christopher, the main character in the book, assigns colors to good things and bad things so the kids wanted to mimic his likes and dislikes), create lines connecting the characters (they could use colored lines, dotted lines, arrows, etc...), add legends and keys to explain their thinking, etc... The kids could take the program exactly where how they wanted to showcase their learning and understanding about relationships from the novel.  Additionally, since we are a Google Apps for Education school, the kids could automatically sign in with their Google Account- no need to create a separate log-in! Finally, the kids can share their projects with one another. They can invite others to graph their charts collaboratively.

A couple of things that I would like to see different- it is hard to see all of your connections on one screen.  We are presenting 5 of the relationship connections in class right now, and we are having to move the mouse around to get to all the relationships they want to talk about. Secondly, LucidChart limits the number of connections a student can make on each chart.  60 pieces is all they are able to display.  Finally, under the free account, they are only able to create 3 charts and only share with three people.  However, it is a free program!

Here are screen shots of some sample kid projects:

Dan M- part 1

Dan M- part 2

Will B

Lou

Austin

V's TCAP speech

About a week ago, our fearless TCAP leader Kevin Kolassa, asked if I would give a speech to the school inspiring the students to do well on our standardized test the TCAP formerly known as CSAP. About 4 years ago, I was asked to do the same thing. At that time, I wrote a Star Wars themed speech. A few years before that, my friend Adam Wallace and I co-wrote a piece on the top 10 things worse than taking CSAP. After writing both of those pieces, I knew I wanted to do something more than just the standard inspiring quote driven speech.  I also knew I better not cross the line too much...

As my husband and I were talking about speech ideas, I asked him what he would think about me doing something based upon Guy Fawkes' speech from V for Vendetta. He thought it was a great idea. So over two dinners, help from a waiter, listening to a sermon and a lot of dictionary time, I wrote the following speech: (parts are borrowed from V's speech to Evey)

Evey:Who are you?


V. : Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.


Evey: Well I can see that.


V. : Of course you can, I’m not questioning your powers of observation, I’m merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.


Evey: Oh, right.


V. : But on this most auspicious of days, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace soubriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona.

Top of the Tuesday to you terrifically talented TCAPers!  Today you are tasked with a tremendously taxing testament of your tenacious take-aways from your talented teachers.  The tactics that you try today to transfer the tutelage of teaching to the TCAP test must be tip-top.  Take your time TCAPers!  Trusted treatment of the timely tenets must be taken with treasured tactics and no tangential turns.  To tackle the TCAP is to not be a tyro amongst timid test takers.  This test will surely indicate your test taking tenacity; no doubt, you will triumph!  This troupe of teens is tried and true. You are the top-most!  Do not allow the tick, tick, ticking of the time to deter your opportunity to teem your knowledge.  Tiny twinkles in your synapsis teem with tidbits of truth-bestow these on the TCAP!  Tell me, would Tim Tebow be timid at a time like this?  NO!, Tim Tebow would be a tour de force, a terminator of the TCAP simply turning the test to toast with his tell-tale Tebowing. 

TCAPers- tarry no longer; tame the TCAP.  Take down the TCAP!  This is a tribute to your true temperament in test taking. The pain is temporary; the glory is titanic!

Evey: Are you like a crazy person?


V. : I’m quite sure they will say so.

Remember, remember the sixth of March.

Intelligence, curiosity and TCAP.
I know of no reason why intelligence and curiosity should ever be forgot…

Hopefully, it inspired the kids to do well on their test. Many thanks to Maura for being my Evey!

Teachers helping teachers (and students....)

One of the best agreements we have come to in our 9th grade PLC  is asking fellow 9th grade teachers to come into our 9th grade classes and offer specific writing instruction on their unscheduled time. In the 9th grade, we have a large five paragraph persuasive research based paper we ask our students to compose. This is the first time in many of the students' lives they have ever written a paper of this magnitude. With many of our classes at 28-32 kids, our one to one time with our students is extremely limited especially to give immediate and focused feedback.   Typically, the writing unit takes six weeks of every day writing instruction.  This is an incredible amount of instruction time focused to writing the persuasive paper.

At our January PLC meeting, we addressed this problem. How can we give our students more writing feedback and, at the same time, not sacrifice additional classroom instruction time?  How can we best meet the needs of our struggling students who are falling behind in writing and, at the same time, push our advanced students ahead in their writing?  How do we give our students the one to one time they deserve?

In order to best facilitate the time our guest teachers were giving up to come into our classes, we have asked our students to prepare focused questions based upon their writing. Did they want help with organization? topic setences? thesis statements?  word choice? fluency?  connecting ideas back to thesis? etc....Then we broke up the class into equal sections based upon the number of teachers coming into class so each teacher had the same number of kids to work with.

Maura Moritz helping a student

Lauren Lee helping another student

Ethan Kuhlmann helping a student

Audra Buchwald helping a student

Abby Hancock helping a student

Greg Trotter helping another student

Although we have writing lab which is available on Tuesday and Thursdays to all students, and we peer edit in class, we realized we needed more direct instruction in class with kids who weren't seeking out additional assistance.  This was an amazing experience for the classroom teacher as well as the guest teachers. We all learned from this learning opportunity. The kids appreciated all the direct feedback and the guest teachers were able to let me know of issues they saw with specific kids, or of areas where they were really seeing kids excelling. I hope this is a tradition we will continue.

Google Map versus Google Earth

For the past few years with our study of The Odyssey and Into the Wild, I have had my students use Google Earth to trace their own personal learning journey along with the characters in the literary works we are reading. This assignment has evolved over time to now work with tracing Christopher McCandless' journey in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild.  At the suggestion of Dana Levesque, I switched from solely using Google Earth to this year using Google Maps.  The advantages were great.

Google Maps allowed for the kids to store everything online versus having to save folders and KMZ files with their Google Earth work. Additionally, they could collaborate on their maps with others. I didn't use this feature this year, but am thinking of adding it to the maps next year in order to foster collaboration with classmates.  This will also help them connect with one another and discuss McCandless's choices. We do each entry differently with some as formulated paragraphs, but others are images, quotes, and reactions.  Google Earth and Google Map allows for the entries to change and adapt to the individuality of the student. Here is the rubric I use for the Into the Wild Google Map/ Google Earth project.

Google Map examples:

Chase

Jack

Tyler

Google Earth example: 2012

Austin

Google Earth examples: old

Skype Session with Cory Doctorow

Today, we had another intellectual learning adventure. Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother, talked one on one with our 9th grade Honors students about issues ranging from Homeland Security, the English government, inspiration for the book, teenagers, connections to 1984, technology and his personal definition of trust. Our kids never fail to impress.

In the one hour session, they asked dynamic and thought provoking questions. Cory fielded each question with such intellectual purpose and directness, the kids were in awe of his intelligence. He truly lives up to his words he left our kids with, "Be intellectually curious!" He proved his point well by being himself.

 Thanks to Cory for making this possible and for Karl Fisch for supporting Maura and my efforts to connect the kids with real life examples of intellectual giants. I am so impressed by authors being their own person, by being upfront and at the same time charismatic with the kids, and by giving kids insight into what it means to live a life filled with challenging curiosity and passion.
 

Ustream of conversation

Cover it Live to conduct live blogging conversation

Tweets of Doctorow's comments and kids' questions