The Middle School Mind is Figuring Things Out

In my second year of teaching sixth grade English, I have been more perceptive of student behavior, as I have been less worried about and more experienced with the day to day responsibilities of teaching. I have noticed moments that I think say a lot about the middle school mind, and it has helped me understand my students better and in turn have become a better teacher.
In the beginning of the year, we took a diagnostic test on the computer for reading. Before the students take the test, their full name appears on the screen (middle name included). We have all seen our fair share of embarrassing middle name issues, but I noticed a problem with a few of my Korean students that says a lot about where the middle school mind is. On three separate occiasions, I had Korean students cover up their middle name on the screen. These students often have American first names, more common last names such as Kim or Kwon, but also have more eclectic middle names. This is at a very diverse school, with a large percentage of Indian, Korean, and Middle Eastern students, full of names that are very different from yor average Sarah or John.

In addition to the diversity, this is an International Baccalaureate School, where Global Citizenship and International Education are emphasized. One would think that students would be comfortable with their own names in this environment, but they insist on covering up their more Korean-sounding middle names. Middle School students are at a unique stage where they have recognized that they are different from others (which they may not have done in Primary School), but have not yet owned their diversity like one would expect a high school or college student to do. They are at a stage in their personal development where they are afraid of anyone knowing about their "funny sounding name" or the fact that their parent's English might be weak, but they have their moments of cultural pride.
The same student who covered up her name on the computer screen was the one to sign her name in Korean to our class constitution. She has even taught me some Korean words. Here we see the middle school mind trying to decipher the difference between what it feels is unique diversity and embarrasing differences.  So what does this mean for educators? How should this change we interact with students?
I think educators should always embrace the diversity of our student body, giving students every chance they can to celebrate their culture and teach their peers. My school does an excellent job of this. We should work to help them along to the point where they can own who they are while continuning to work towards who they want to be. At the same time, we should not force them to own parts of themselves that they are not ready to own. That will damage our relationship and put them in a place they are not ready to be, like a cold call on a student where they have to sing. Just as we look for that zone of proximal development in a students acadmeic learning, we need to be sensitive to that same area of cultural and personal growth. I didn't make the students take down their hands, but I did try and communicate that I thought their Korean names were unique and interesting. Educators have a great opportunity to enhance and develop our students' ownership of their personal identity, let's make sure we don't waste our moments!

The Shrinking Middle: Is the strike in Chicago a reflection of politics in America?

We would not be much of an edublog if we did not weigh in on the teacher strike in Chicago. As someone who teaches in a district of charter schools that employ many of the reforms Emmanuel has been advocating in Chicago, I think I have an interesting perspective in how these things work.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/120911010941 -
chicago-teacher-strike-story-top.jpg

The teachers and the mayor were always pretty close on the money issue as well as the lengthening of the school day, it was the teacher evaluation and merit pay that seemed to be ruffling feathers. I work for a district that has some level of merit pay, where teachers are given a small bonus for high performances on their test scores.Our district employs longer school days, extended school years, and Saturday schools, all in the name of helping low performing areas work their way out of low performance. Much of the success or lack there of is based on high stakes testing, and research shows it is a very flawed way to evaluate the quality of an education, but difficult to fight due to entrenched interests at the state level. In my district, the stakes are not that high and they have found a happy medium. Our jobs are not on the line due to the testing, we receive ample coaching and a chance to improve before we are asked to leave. All of these factors should be essential in the reform efforts, and should be an encouragement to teachers facing these types of changes. Teachers, unlike many other businesses and their employees, are not completely in control of how well their students do on tests, and much of their home life will impact how well they score on a test on a given day. My wife is a doctor, and up to this point, she is not considered to be a worse doctor if her patient goes home and doesn't take her medicine (homework) and continues to be unhealthy (not studying for a test), but it seems like teachers are expected to do what doctors can't, for much less pay at that.
Michelle Rhee, former Head of DC Schools, is one of the major national advocates for this type of reform, and sounds off in support with a CNN education blog in an interview here. I think these types of reform get a lot about school improvement right. I think a little more time in a positive environment for kids who live in a negative one can be a good thing. The intentional culture of success and hard work created at schools can have a great impact on a student's commitment to work hard and do their best no matter the circumstances at home. She makes much of the U.S.'s poor test results when compared to other countries, and that seems to be her motivation for school reform. Diane Ravitch, Rhee's public foil and current professor of education at NYU, refutes much of these claims of international malaise in this article. Her points boil down to the fact that the U.S. has NEVER done well on these types of tests (even during our "Great Generation" in the 60s), and that when controlled for poverty, we do just as well as higher performing nations. The U.S. just educates a more diverse (and relatively poorer) population, and the results show in the international comparisons.She sights other systematic changes that fight the effects of poverty and offer students a holistic education as a place to focus school reform.
This brings us to the teacher strike. There are teachers advocating for more services for their students, higher pay, and smaller classes (which all teachers know make a difference), while school reformers advocate for a longer day and merit pay based on student test scores. I personally find it ironic that most of the countries to which we are often compared and lose don't employ these same high stakes tests to create their superior education, a point Ravitch makes in her article.Both sides make valid points, and my predisposition to assume good intentions makes me think they both just want the best for students. The real issue seems to be an inability to compromise, which has plagued this country for too long. Whether it is fiscal cliffs or the brink of nuclear war in the Middle East, it seems as if we have lost the ability to compromise. If I have learned anything in my year or so of marriage, it is the importance of giving some so you can get a lot. If I can't give up some but of short term happiness, then the marriage and my long term happiness suffers greatly; it is in my self interest to compromise. When the teachers and the system can't compromise, the ones who really lose out are the kids, which both sides claim to represent foremost. Can we find the middle, save our marriages, and the future of this country?

Multiple Perspectives in an International Classroom

by Susanna Pierce

“Teach with multiple perspectives.” This “new way” of teaching history compels students to analyze the past through not just a textbook, but through various primary documents within the discipline. This strategy integrates the stories of distinctive conquered groups with the opinions of the conquerors into the
classroom. By incorporating many voices from the past, students develop a clearer understanding of how historical events have shaped society today.

I completely agree with this urgency within social studies education, but I personally feel there is a greater urgency for all disciplines involving these educational “ bing words” multiple perspectives.

As an American social studies teacher working in an international school in Barcelona, Spain, I have had a new epiphany: a strong practice should include the interpretation and evaluation of multiple perspectives within the discipline, but ultimately, the best teaching practice should also embrace the multiple perspectives
within your own classroom.

Teaching with student perspectives strengthens your students’ identities and beliefs. In the first week of school, I wanted to learn my students’ opinions about several statements related to economics and politics. To do so, I facilitated a four corners discussion that forced students to think and defend their beliefs about these statements.

“Those who make more money should be taxed more money.” A large portion of the class migrated to the disagree corner, but one student from South Korea remained in the agree corner, alone. His peers in the opposite corner passionately explained how taxing those who “work hard” punishes strong work ethic. In response, my South Korean student clearly articulated, “There are many citizens in South Korea
who work hard in a factory all day. In fact, they work over twelve hour days, and then might even have a second job afterward this shift to support their family. Just because you work hard doesn’t mean you are rich,” he argued.

After he finished explaining his justification, I asked if any students wanted to change their position on the issue after hearing from their peer. Two students (both from Spain) moved to the corner by my South Korean student. Clearly, the richness of cultures in my own classroom helped students to understand the perspectives of others, and even led them to refine their own beliefs.

Moreover, the integration of student perspective into a classroom engages all students in a respectful classroom discourse. Before starting the year, I was forewarned that one particular student on academic probation would be a negative influence to my classroom environment. “He cares more about rugby and marijuana than his studies. Be careful.” As a person who thrives with challenges, I immediately
responded, “I think it will be fine.” Sure enough, during a classroom conversation about the purpose of schooling, he readily engaged. As he defended himself about how schooling should prepare you not only for a job, but also for the ability to function in your everyday life, it seemed as if something was changing in his
attitude. His peers intently listened to his response and agreed with his explanation. As a Spanish student amidst an economic crisis in his own country, he believes his school studies should prepare him to face any challenge in the future—whether it be obtaining a job, raising a family, or overcoming economic hardships. The integration of my “challenging” student’s perspective in my classroom not only engaged him
in the subsequent classes, it created a sense of respect and understanding between students then and continues to do so today.

Finally, a practice that integrates student perspectives into learning challenges teachers to grow personally and professionally. The first day in my US History class, I asked students to draw what an American was to them. In a class full of non- Americans, I was interested the sort of responses students would create.

As I walked to hear students discussing at tables before completing the task, I was amazed by the similarity conversation within each group. I heard similar words from each group. Words like “arrogant” “stupid” “unhealthy” “patriotic” and “selfish.” Although I knew these stereotypes about Americans existed, it wasn’t
until I heard a class full of teenagers from Japan, Finland, Spain, Pakistan, and Syria say these words that this stereotype seemed real. Wow. The word really does think poorly of Americans.
The first presenting group stood and explained their image: “We drew a picture of a man standing on top of the globe with an American flag in one hand, and a beer and gun in the other hand.” They then proceeded to explain that their image had a man with a six-pack because “he is very concerned with his image and works out. Also, he thinks he is smart, which is why we have a light bulb,” concluded the Spanish
student. Then, my student from Finland concluded, “But he is actually extremely ignorant: he thinks that Finland is the same country as Japan, which is why we have this bubble with the flags.”

As these groups of ninth grade students made their presentations about who an American is, I made a new personal mission. As an American teacher who strives to never match this global stereotype, I would do everything in power to not reflect these virtues to students or any person I met during my time abroad.

Most people gain their understanding of a group of people from media—the Internet, the news, or Hollywood. However, in a classroom with students from multiple backgrounds, students can gain a new understanding about a concept, an idea, a culture, or any event from another peer or teacher in their classroom. Thus, the role of a teacher becomes even more crucial: they must break stereotypes or
previous perceptions to create a culture of understanding and mutual respect.

To me, it seems not just important, but truly essential to incorporate all perspectives—those of students from South Korea, Finland, Syria, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia Spain, Guatemala, Pakistan, India, Japan, France, Italy and teachers from America---into a classroom. By doing so, students and teachers constantly learn
about how past experiences shape the values and behaviors of society today. Embracing the perspectives from within the classroom will change the future perceptions and actions outside of the classroom.

Once a Pond of Time

The other day in class, while grading a comic strip where I asked my sixth graders to tell a story with the elements of plot, I came across a student who began with "Once a pond of time..." From certain students, I might have thought that this was a revolutionary metaphorical take on a played out beginning to a stroy (time being a pond upon which we all find ourselves, very Zen). But for this student, I knew he had only heard this phrase and not seen it written enough to know how it was spelled or what it actually meant. The student just knew that is how one starts a story. I could go on about the dirth of reading opportunities in today's screen transfixed generation, but today I want to talk about what IS catching this type of student's attention, if written books are not.
We took a field trip to an indoor ropes course/team building facility here in town this week, and I was brought back to why I became a teacher. Much like my first experiences with children at Laity Lodge Youth Camp, I saw kids engaged, attentive, and enjoying themselves as they never do in school. The students listen when they are supposed to listen, push themselves to do things they didn't think they could do, encourage each other and work together. Aren't these the lessons we want students to learn, the skills we want students to exhibit? All while done with some black light dodgeball (pictured) and some ropes course fun.
Schools work quite hard (usually unsuccessfully) to get students to do exhbit these skills while in school. High stakes testing (and most of the preparation involved) just don't inspire students in the same way. I know from my own experiences that it is days like these, both in school and out of school, that are the most impactful on my own educational development. I understand that we need to learn how to read and make a spreadsheet, but in my opinion the balance between relevant engagement and academic trials has been skewed by the decontextualized assessments pushed in the halls of government by large testing corporations. Intrinsic motivation and real world skills are lost in the numbing rumble of Scantron machines.

I try my hardest to make my class as much like the ropes course as I can. Creating a sense of drama about what we are doing, making each assignment an adventure and a challenge, and making the connections between our objectives and what they will need to do in the real world are ways that I try to bring the ropes course into my classroom. When school has created a situation where a sixth grader hasn't given enough attention to reading to be able to correctly spell "Once upon a time" (which doesn't really make that much sense anyways, if you think about it), but knows how to challenge himself with utmost attention and focus in the right setting, we are missing the point. I just hope too many generations go by before we realize it.