Professional Reading [The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy L. Sayers]

This forty-one page symposium on education inspired me to learn more about the classical approach to education. For one, as a student who went through this particular process, Sayers was especially persuasive, on point, concise, and obviously well educated herself. Overall I was impressed by her experience, ideas, and writing. Just that alone gave me the desire to dig deeper into these lost tools!

Aside from how it affected me, I do believe that this short (and yet deep, thick) read is a worthwhile endeavor for each and every educator. For her goal in education should be shared by every educator, "to teach men how to learn for themselves."

That short explanation of the purpose of education is worthy of remembering, but there was another quote I thought worth sharing (there are many, but I'll leave it at this for now...)

"For we let our young men and women go out unarmed, in a day when armor was never so necessary. By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and the radio, we have made certain that no aversion to reading shall secure them from the incessant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean; they do not know how to ward them off or blunt their edge or fling them back; they are a prey to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intellects." p.18-19

I love that last statement! "... they are a prey to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intellects." This book was published in 1947 and it's just as much true today as it was then! We are prey to our emotions and vomit words all over Facebook, Twitter, emails, &etc. - words that are emotionally impulsive, uninformed, and unkind. When we learn, we forget how we learned it and whether or not a source was credible. Reading this book was discouraging when I think of how we educate our young, and encouraging knowing that as an educator, I can do something about it. And doing something about it (even in a small group of young people) is better than learning and doing nothing. I cannot stand still after being filled with valuable tools such as this!

Professional Reading [What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard L. Allington]

A common misconception many secondary teachers hold onto is that we need know very little about the reading process. This ideal is false for so many reasons, but the two most important are these facts:

1. In every subject area, reading is required and assigned.
2. In every classroom across the United States struggling readers struggle through this assigned reading.

We cannot ignore the fact that in order to be good at any one thing we need only to be able to read. For it's in reading books and journals and articles that we gain knowledge about advancements, ideas, directions, instructions, information, discoveries, &etc. Albert Einstein once said that the only thing we really need to know is how to get to and use the library. Therefore, if we are ignorant enough to believe that the reading process does not add to our teaching, there is no helping the struggling students in your classroom.

With that very pointed point, there are many books every teacher should read - yes, including secondary teachers - and one of them is Richard Allington's What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs. It was required reading for my Diagnosing and Correcting Struggling Readers class, but it is well worth your time. You know it's a good book when my copy contains tabs of unbelievable ideas, quotes, and facts that I do not want to forget:

It is packed full of information readily available to use in the classroom. 

It debunks any misguided thoughts we have on reading intervention programs.

It tackles difficult issues such as standardized testing and Dibel's assessment with researched facts.

It offers research based strategies to help struggling readers that are easy to implement and simple to follow.

Overall this book has motivated me, given me confidence in what I know, built upon knowledge, and gave me the will to fight for what is best for students. 

It is one I will be returning to many times over as I fulfill the desire to become the very best teacher I can be. And I highly recommend it goes on your teacher-tool shelf as well.

Professional Reading [The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark]

This is one of those books that every teacher should read for professional development. There are 101 reasons why, but for the sake of time I'll only chat about a few of them and encourage you to read his book - be inspired!

Ron Clark offers example after example as to why we should never, ever have excuses for not making things happen. Each story he shared hit my heart effectively - inspiring me as a Christian, wife, mother, teacher, friend... that no matter what I do, do it well (and as he said, do it with wild abandon). My all time favorite quote that I do not want to forget,

We could be here all day with my favorite sections and quotes, so for the sake of summary these were some of my favorites:

• Don't destroy a dream.
• Not every child deserves a cookie.
• Define high expectations.
• Uplift each other.
• Listen.
• Give all that you've got.
• Get to know your students in nonacademic settings.
• Be selfless.
• Making excuses won't make it happen.
• Be excellent.
• Create moments.
• Love learning.
• Treat students as they were your own.
• Push innovation - beyond your imagination.
• Know names. (This is something I am terrible at remembering. I had the hardest time getting names to stick (until they did something naughty). So I found this particular section super convicting.)
• Use music.
• Know your students.
• No matter your circumstances - don't let moments pass you by.
• Make learning magical
• Do good - get good.
• Live fearlessly.
• Love what your students love. (I once went skeet shooting with a student and found a book on the topic, because I could not get the kid to read at all. I knew that I needed to know something about one of his interests in order to get him interested. That's one of my own examples of this one at work. Also, I found that I really enjoyed it and I'm pretty good at it!)
• Create lasting traditions.
• Create a culture for learners and love. (For the first two weeks we focused on expectations and loving one another. I did 2 weeks of bully training found here: Teachers Notebook and Teachers Pay Teachers
• Create a community environment.
• Encourage students to encourage each other.
• Use chants, kinesthetic learning, and music. 
• Stress the value of a strong work ethic.
• Realize the power of gratitude and appreciation (I've been working on a unit for that since October of this year and the more research I do on the power of gratitude I could go overboard on exclamation points for this one!)
• Set the bar high for parents, too!
• Ask the hard questions - "What do you want this school to be?" (They have to be prepared for the hard answers, if they want greatness, they must put forth greatness themselves!)
• The staff must love one another. "[The staff] knew that through loving one another they would really be helping children. When the kids come to our school they see nothing but a team of individuals who want to be at RCA and how love one another." p.261 I have been part of some amazing teams of teachers and I know when we work together for the success of the student, success doesn't seem unattainable. However, I have been part of some pretty terrible teams that fought and disagreed on everything. When attitudes stink and respect thrown out the window, the environment tanks. No one wants to be in that kind of environment and it's nearly impossible to create a positive learning environment.
• Build a powerful network and work hard to keep those people, "I tell teachers and schools that want to receive donations that they must realize it's all about building relationships and having the patience to start small, show appreciation, and then take the proper steps to increase the donation." (p.306) and the one question he always asks possible donors is one worth writing down, "What would you like to see from RCA in order to get your foundation to a point in the future where you might consider a gift for us?" (p.314)

Now these may seem like "duh" no brainer principles, but it takes a tremendous amount of effort to actually apply them day in and day out. Thankfully his book is full of excellent examples, shared alongside his fallibility. When he shared his failures, followed by his reflections and hindsight, I found him very relatable and thankful for his willingness to share those mistakes and what he learned from them.

If you're like me and find this list overwhelming you must know that from beginning to end two qualities were abundantly clear as he built a successful school: tremendous work ethic and to simply care. Everything on that list stems from those two characteristics. Resolve to work hard and care for your students and your co-workers. When you do those two things that list will just work itself out!  

One of my favorite parts of the entire book was the section for parents. Seriously, every parent in today's day and age needs to read this book. His knowledge and experience and expectations will help you do your important job well. Read it. This particular section is only a little over 40 pages long, a big whoop for all that this will rouse within you. Let me give you a pretty wonderful, motivational  example to wet your appetite,

"Currently at RCA, more than half of our school is scoring over the 90th percentile in math, and I can say, with full confidence, that it is largely due to the role the parents are playing in the preparation for the tests throughout the year." p.256

Teachers, why is parent involvement so important? I'll let Clark answer that with this amazing truth:

"The key is to open the doors of your school to the parents, to invite them in, and to make them feel like a part of their children's education. Once you have done that, it becomes so much easier to work with them on issues that are standing in the way of their child's success, and it makes dealing with any parent issues so much easier to handle." p.259

Another favorite topic (okay, I have many) is his discussion on a teacher's worth, a teacher's education, how much they should be paid and why, and his view on tenure. I think it's worth reading, considering, and joining the debate. I won't give all those details away, GO READ THE BOOK!

His vision for education is one to get excited about. Someday I'd like to visit, but for now it was wonderful seeing it through his eyes in his book.

"Our purpose is to create new and innovative ways to educate children and share our findings with others in a professional development setting." 

An Idea To Cultivate a Love of Learning From One Mom to Another (For teacher's too!)

My "Professional Development" book of the month is Ron Clark's The End of Molasses Classes: getting our kids unstuck: 101 extraordinary solutions for parents and teachers. So far this book has inspired me as a mother and a teacher - to step it up a notch (or 2, or 3, or 101). 

One of the ideas that I had to share was of a mom who found creative places for her children to study before a test. She listed all kinds of places that offered free admission and adventure to enjoy as a family and study the material learned for any particular lesson or unit (Clark included letters from parent's throughout his book, this idea was from Mrs. Nesmith, mom of Cameron, class of 2012, in chapter 31, Show them how to study; don't expect it to come naturally). I love that idea! As a reading teacher who began each year discussing and writing about a student's favorite place(s) to read - I took this mom's idea and made it my own. 

Before I go there (and encourage you to do the same) let me explain. I used this prompt (Where is your favorite place(s) to read your favorite book?) for two reasons:

1. It helped me determine my readers from my non-readers. Readers have favorite places to read. Non-readers typically have no idea this is even a thing.
2. It helped me cultivate a love for reading. As favorite places are discussed, written down and shared it always amazed me how quickly readers and non-readers alike got lost in their own idea of a favorite place. And eventually grew into this delightful bucket list of places they'd like to visit and read a book! As the year progressed, and their love for reading grew, they were able to talk about their favorite place to read. Encourage students to find a drink... grab a snack... pick a book about your favorite thing to do (for example, where I'm from, most boys picked hunting)... go to your spot... and enjoy. I loved hearing how they'd get lost in this place.

As a mom who wants to cultivate a love for reading in my own children, I couldn't wait to take this mom's idea and run with it! The idea of taking my girls on adventures - with a book - appealed to me on so many levels. I'm making it a goal to go to new places with snacks, drinks, and a book. Explore, learn and see something new, make memories and take the time to enjoy a book too. My brain is rolling... there's an old abandoned church out in the middle of a field I would like to see (bring a blanket, snacks, and books!), hiking trails with marvelous views (bring snacks and a book!), go to the Tin Roof Sundae (enjoy ice cream and - you guessed it - books!), the possibilities are endless and the result is memorable reading excursions. 

And that in and of itself is amazing.

Did you know that the majority of my non-readers or struggling readers had no memory of their parents reading to them? They also hand no positive memories or experiences that included books or stories. Be that parent who provides memorable moments surrounded by books. The most amazing gift you can give your children is wonderful memories surrounded by books and learning. Also, be that teacher who provides memories surrounded by books! Especially if your students possess zero memorable moments with books, make sure you give them one (or a hundred). Cultivate a love for reading beginning with the things and places they love the most! 

Parents and teachers, I'd love to hear how you pulled this off. Please share!

3 Supplementary Reading Tools I Use With My Kindergartener

Before teaching my 5 year old, I was a 7th and 8th grade reading teacher. I was hired to fill a position in a Title 1 school that did not have a curriculum and the school possessed limited resources. Needless to say, it was a tremendous learning experience.

Still, I have learned more as a teacher-mom than I ever did as a junior high teacher. Being a parent challenges and excites more than any other job. When she hits milestones or when I get to witness light bulb moments, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be apart of her reading journey! It's definitely had ups and downs, but compared to teaching a classroom of failing, struggling, angry-at-the-world, pre-teen readers I am enjoying this process immensely.

I'm sure I'll share more of this journey as the years progress, but for now these are the resources I use to supplement our reading curriculum:

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Mobymax.com is a free resource for teachers and homeschoolers. There are lessons for every subject area imaginable. It's easy to use, and while my daughter enjoys doing a 10 minute phonics lesson on the computer, she's also learning valuable computer skills. Win, win. There are many reasons to love this website, but I love this independent learning tool to gauge growth and offer practice, practice, practice in a different place/voice other than mom.

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The Pyramid Reading Game is a super simple activity that my emerging reader finds quite hilarious and fun. She ponders each sentence as it progresses and I enjoy hearing her think alouds - asking why, connecting, laughing. And as she practises CVC and sight words she's also working on fluency (voice inflection with punctuation, speed, accuracy) and comprehension. Every day she wants to do more than one. This is the general idea:

The

The dog

The dog ran

The dog ran to

The dog ran to me to 

The dog ran to me to hop

the dog ran to me to hop on

The dog ran to me to hop on my

The dog ran to me to hop on my lap
The dog ran to me to hop on my lap and

The dog ran to me to hop on my lap and lick

The dog ran to me to hop on my lap and lick my 

the dog ran to me to hop on my lap and lick my hand.

I added the -ck and -nd ending blends to this one and she does so well reading it that the next set of pyramids I create will have more 4 letter words.

Buy 25 of them (just CVC and sight words) for $2 at my Teachers Pay Teachers or Teachers Notebook shops.

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Bob Books are a series of simple readers that encourage and motivate emergent readers! My daughter was so thrilled when she read her first book on her own that she wanted to jump on the opportunity to learn the words in the next book in order to read it too! How could I say no to that?! I've heard the argument, "aren't they just memorizing the book?" Isn't that what reading is? Memorization? You memorize the sounds each letter makes, you memorize sight words like "of" (phonetically - uv), you memorize new word meanings, and commit to memory the alphabet, sight words, cvc words, & crazy rules like, i before e except after c (unless it's words like weird). Reading is the act of training your brain to remember the letter sounds to recognize words automatically (ahem, memorization). If my child can memorize a word in one of these Bob Book's and then turn around to recognize it in another book, well then the books are doing their job! Plus, it's motivating her to want to continue to read! Those are all things worth accomplishing! In fact, she is so excited about it that she shows off her reading skills to daddy as soon as he walks in the door and to anyone else willing to listen to these "enthralling" (wink, wink) reads.

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Sometimes we spend so much time arguing about where to start, what resource to use or not use, that we miss the big idea: what works with one student may not work with another. And there is no absolute right or wrong way to teach a child to read. Are you teaching them the letters and the sounds they make and how to apply that knowledge when they open a book? Are you introducing them to a variety of text? Reading to them? There are countless resources out there that I'm sure will be wonderful supplements to your reading curriculum (if used as they were intended to be used). These are the resources I use and see success with and they are great for parents and teachers alike. I hope, if you decide to use them, that they offer the same results we have experienced.

P.S. The first two sources I wish I would have known about when I was teaching struggling readers the art of reading. Both would've been extremely helpful and I would recommend either of them to teachers struggling to teach struggling readers to read.

A Must-Read Book for All Educators!

My 5 year old missed the kindergarten cut off by just a few days. She recognized all the letters, shapes and colors, counted to 20, &etc. By all standards she was ready for phonics, basic math, an intro to science... Instead of sending her to preschool, we decided to experiment at home. Our questions were:

• Where is she academically? 
• Is she ready to master the kindergarten standards?

Five months into school and we have a reader. She is picking up books and reading them on her own! She is mastering the kindergarten standards! Academically she was ready for kindergarten, yet the age cut off would never have allowed that. 

Being in the classroom with 7th and 8th graders where over half of them came to me reading at or below the 4th grade, I became frustrated with the public school system in America. It's failing students. It inhibits potential. We refuse to look to nations with successful educational programs and learn from them, or hire educational professionals experienced in the field of education as our Department of Education leader, or, or, or, or, or...

Teachers recognize the problems and we all feel like our hands are tied. We pour all of our energy into our classroom (including the cash from our own pockets) that it leaves little left at the end of the day. Is it really possible to make a change for the betterment of our students? Where we could actually help our struggling students struggle less? Or challenge our high ability learners? Or reach every student in every lesson, in every classroom across America? Or teach a student where he/she is academically?

When I read Salman Khan's book The One World Schoolhouse: A New Approach to Teaching and Learning these questions were answered! His ideas are unique and inspire creativity. His student-to-teacher interaction, a common sense approach, was exciting. And he takes the life-long learning philosophy to a whole new level. Reading his vision for education inspired me in my own classroom and as a teacher-mom. I saw the faults in the educational system in a whole new light and for once there were answers to these questions for my own classroom, but also gave hope knowing that changes can be made to benefit our future students, including my own young student. 

Seriously, educators, read this book and be inspired!