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The Courtesy Contract: Building Community ‘Til the Bitter End

heather — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:10:00 +0000

As the school year comes to an end, I wanted to share one of my favorite activities: something I call, The Courtesy Contract.

In my book for EyeOnEducation Publishing, due out in early 2011, called Tips for Tween teachers by Tweenteacher, I include advice about the importance of building community in a middle school classroom. In fact, it isn’t something you do once and then check it off your list. The fact is that building community is an ongoing process. Heck, even towards the end of the year I am working to fine tune and tweak their respect of each other, the classroom, of education, and ultimately, of themselves.

And that’s the key. If you can find ways for students to be leaders, to surprise themselves in their own abilities, and to respect themselves, then your impact as a teacher will extend beyond your classroom and the year you’ve had with them.

The Courtesy Contract is a very special activity I save for the end of the year. I have contracts from every kid for the last 9 years (when I came up with the idea), from Honors to At-Risk, from those aspiring to be surgeons, to those merely hoping to graduate high school, from those who want to be rock stars, to those who want to study rocks.

But let me back up. In my classroom library sit two tomes, huge books of contracts that students, over 2000 students ranging in age from 11 years old to 18 years old, have contributed to. These pages represent contracts, promises that my students have made to try to be decent in their lives beyond my classroom. They vow to take the feeling they’ve had here, and remember what it felt like when they are tested in life.

Of course, I model my own courtesy contract before asking them to write their own. And by modeling my own, and by showing them the buy-in from all of the other students over the years, they always write the best damn pledge of their tween lives.

Does every student end up changing their lives in my classroom? Of course not. But you want to build Camelot, a place where, “for one brief shining moment,” they thought they could be the best they could be wherever they go. And if they fall short of that goal? Who cares. Falling short at least meant that they reached higher then that had before they tried. I’ve included excerpts from some Courtesy Contracts through the years, ending with the example of my own which, of course, I share with my students before asking them to write their own:

I, Heather Wolpert-Gawron, do hereby vow to be the best teacher, wife, and mother I can be. I pledge to continue my own education so that I can always teach my students in ways that help them, challenge them, and prepare them for their futures. I promise to TRY to be a wife that chooses her battles so that my husband and I don’t fight over silly things like who gets to choose the next Wii game. I promise to be my son’s first teacher. I pledge to challenge myself in life, for “a life lived in fear is a life half-lived.” But I also promise to never jump out of a plane again. I know I did it to challenge myself, but What was I thinking?! I can’t promise that every classroom lesson with be yippie-yahoo-fun, but I do vow to sharpen my teaching practice like a knight with a sword, year after year; and when the time comes that I don’t enjoy teaching, I will gracefully leave the classroom, waving my hand like a Homecoming Queen. I promise to push through the difficulties of life, reminding myself that everything’s temporary. But I also vow to try to linger in the good chapters of life, cherishing them so that I can remember them when times get rough. I pledge this on this day, May 30, 2010.

Signed

H. Wolpert-Gawron

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Post tags: Character Education, community building, courtesy contract, Curriculum, k12, middle school

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Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching

heather — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Occasionally, I repost this article so that new readers can find it more easily. Based on some very enthusiastic feedback, it has since morphed into a book proposal called The Top Secret New Teachers Handbook. I’ll share more as it evolves…

I’ve been developing this Top 10 list of ways to take control of your teaching even in the face of, well, teaching. It’s an advice list on how to encourage respect, and, if necessary, how to demand it as a means to make sure you aren’t being taken for granted.

Let’s face it, if you are feeling appreciated, you will be happier in this difficult job. Consequently, your students will be happier, and quite frankly, if they are happier, they will be more successful. After all, an unhappy teacher’s room has the smog of misery in it, and for a student, it hovers like a stench that affects their own victories. And while it benefits a school to keep its teachers happy, it is a teacher’s responsibility to demand those things that make this challenging job better than tolerable.

I think that finding those tricks or strategies to keep in your pocket is important in any career; but in education you need them even more so. Otherwise, the day-to-day duties of the job will eventually grind your enthusiasm to a halt and it won’t just be you who is affected, your students will be affected as well.

I will be expanding on each of these over time, but in a nutshell, here’s my TOP 10:

(...)
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Sesame Street: Word on the Street

heather — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:37:52 +0000

OK, so as I write this I’m watching Sesame Street with my 2 year old. This big-feathered muppet just announced that the Word on the Street is, get this…Struggle. I kid you not. I guess times are tough even on Sesame Street. (...)
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Post tags: 100% accountability, 2008, blog, character, Character Education, Childrens Television, education, education policy, ELA, k-12, k12, madoff, middle school, school accountability, school funding, sesame street, teaching, TLN, tween, UCI, Writers Project

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God bless us, everyone…

heather — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:19:57 +0000

On Christmas Eve, my 2 year-old son and I were driving home to meet my husband, when our Honda CR-V was hit by another car. It was pretty bad. But it could have been much worse, for which we are very thankful.

While much of the gratitude that I initially felt is slowly being replaced by the growls of frustrations involved with getting on with life, I have, nevertheless, reflected on the actual accident, and realize that even at the time of the crash, there was a teachable moment.(...)
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Post tags: blog, character, Character Education, k-12, k12, middle school, tween, UCI

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Judging Websites for History Day

heather — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:08:02 +0000

Yesterday I was proud to judge a number of our group website entries for our History Day competition. Three of our history teachers use History Day as a project-based learning opportunity for all of their students. These students have their projects judged in their different categories by going through the process of oral presentation in front of a panel of teachers and administrators. From this group is selected those who will represent our school at the next level of the competition.

It was fascinating seeing my own students through a different lens. Groups of students came in front of my panel, some in suits, and some in the tuxes they perform in for orchestra, to present their websites. The theme this year was “Actions and Legacies: Individuals in History.” We saw websites about everything from Rockefeller to Ho Chi Minh.

The students for the most part used either Google or Synthesite to develop their free websites, which in regards to a competition is a little bit of a concern in that many competitors use more elaborate, paid-for sites that look far sexier. But our kids did what they could with what they could and the sites, for the most part, look good. And considering that they probably taught themselves how to create the site, the students should be commended.

We evaluated everyone’s site based on the visuals and the content. In general, there were notes that we gave that were universal. For one thing, the use of visuals to highlight specific points was an important concept the students needed to understand. Without multi-media, for instance, a website might just as well be an essay. It’s the visuals, the links, and the multimedia aspect of them that make them websites. Timelines, for instance, that combine both primary sources and links, are a great opportunity for visual impact.

In regards to content, there seemed to be an overarching lack of commentary. For middle schoolers, writing personal response can be hard. But what we’re trying to emphasize is that just delivering the facts is not an analysis. And if we’re looking to teach high-level thinking, there must be present that next step of information delivery – the evaluation.

Many of the students delivered the facts, but added no judgment. They were missing the higher levels of Bloom’s. They neglected the commentary.

When teaching history, it is vital that a teacher not just teach the facts, but give guidance in pulling back the lens and evaluating the bigger pictures. How did this figure fit into history and amongst their contemporaries? What is the impact that they made on those who followed them? What is your opinion of their contributions given your expertise in their accomplishments?

Commentary comes in many different ways, but including it is the difference between information regurgitation and true, deep comprehension.

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Post tags: blog, Character Education, commentary, competition, CUE, digital natives, history day, internet literacy, k-12, k12, Language Arts, online, teaching, Title I, tween, UCI, Writers Project

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Book Review: The Hunger Games

heather — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:48:56 +0000

Kids killin’ kids for TV viewing pleasure? Great tween reading fun!

I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins . It took me awhile to get a hold of it because the minute I brought it into my classroom library, there was a line a bazillion students long ahead of me. I had to pull strings and use my clout as the teacher in order to bully my way to the front of the line.(...)
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Post tags: blog, book review, Character Education, classroom library, ELA, k-12, k12, middle school

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Fundraising Mafia

heather — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:14:30 +0000

I’m being stalked by two of the tiniest, cutest 7th graders I’ve ever seen. Big eyes. High voices. You know the type. They are apparently the heavies for Yearbook, sent out into the wilds of 8th period to swing open classroom doors and announce, “You owe Yearbook $12.50.” Yes, the Yearbook Mafia Family is after me.(...)
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Post tags: blog, carnival of education, Character Education, competition, fundraising, k-12, k12, middle school, writing

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“Hit a Jew” Day. Um, er…

heather — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:41:05 +0000

I’m not sure what one can say about this latest story. AP reports that a number of students at a St Louis middle school are facing suspension for a spirit day gone awry. But how “Hug a Friend Day” de-evolved into “Hit a Jew Day” is beyond me. (...)
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Post tags: character, Character Education, critical thinking, diversity, Ed Tech, integration, life long learners, new teachers, reform, school accountability, student safe, technology, Title I, tolerence, writing

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The snail wins the race…with RSP

heather — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:11:59 +0000

Just a brief post of victory to share:

At the beginning of Sept 2007, I gave a pre-assessment to my class in order to learn their levels and begin the process of differentiation. I looked through the results and my gaze halted on one essay in particular. Thus began my fight to get help for a nice young man who was placed in my mainstream 7th Grade Language Arts class. This kid was sweet, respectful, earnest, and tried so hard with everything…until everything had its way with him. (...)
Read the rest of The snail wins the race…with RSP (376 words)

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Post tags: 100% accountability, 2008, blog, btsa, Character Education, differentiation, Ed Tech, education, k-12, k12, middle school, new teachers, rsp, special ed, tween, writing

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What’s my role in this debate?

heather — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:57:28 +0000

Dear Fellow Edubloggers,

Many of you have been blogging far longer than I have. I have many of you on my Google Reader and I admire your wit, your writing, and would now love your advice.

Last week, I posted a review of the Stephanie Meyer Twilight series. If you’ve read the review, you’ll see I was (to say the least) not a fan. The point of my post was to encourage parents and teachers to read what the kids are reading so that they can be a part of their dialogue. And, while I clearly didn’t like the book, I really like talking to people about all the new tween and teen literature out there and their opinions of them. (Hence, the crowds of kids in my room at lunch, each there to check out new books in my awesome classroom library, or just simply there to hang out and talk lit.)

Anyway, my posted review clearly hit a cord. Generally I try to respond to everyone who comments on my website (pretty easy when you could count your daily hits on one hand), but the response to this review has been a little intimidating and, frankly, freaky. (...)
Read the rest of What’s my role in this debate? (268 words)

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Post tags: blog, book review, carnival of education, Character Education, classroom library, description, dialogue, Ed Tech, education policy, ELA, k-12, k12, life long learners, teaching, Title I

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Oh, the Wells Fargo Wagon is a’comin…

heather — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:12:38 +0000

So, in a move reminiscent of a 12-year old girl caught up in the riot mentality of rumors, I believed the whisper I heard about not getting my Whiteboard for 2 months. But I tell you now: it was false, dear readers! Yes, not only have I heard that the boards have shipped, but the company even came after hours this week and brought me a borrowed board to use in the meantime. Props for service and courtesy.

So I write to you today as a contrite tweenteacher. Lesson learned. Don’t listen to the gossip in the teacher’s lounge.

So, in an attempt to bring this post around to some actual advice for all you educators out there, I want to reiterate that point: do not waste one minute of your time this year in a toxic teacher environment. This is different than a Toxic Teaching Environment which can be defined as anything that gets in the way of you doing your job: under-funding, lack of school wide discipline, fractured classrooms, etc…

No, I’m talking about a specific breed of pollution that is meant to choke the enthusiasm out of you: the Toxic Teacher Environment. (...)
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The Carnival #178 is in town!

heather — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:49:35 +0000

An (aspiring) Educator is hosting this week’s Carnival of Education #178. I’ve tweaked my How to Take Control of Your Teaching list and although it’s still in an evolving state, you can read it here. Enjoy the Carnival and the post.

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Post tags: 2008, achievement gap, assessments, blog, book review, btsa, budget, Careers, carnival of education, character, Character Education, classroom library, collaboration, computers, concrete, contract, CORE, credential, critical thinking, CUE, Curriculum, curriculum design, curriculum development, differentiation, Ed Tech, education policy, ELA, electives, essay, essay starters, jobs, k-12, k12, Language Arts, life long learners, merit pay, metacognition, middle school, NCLB, new teachers, online, peer teaching, performance pay, PI, podcasting, powerpoint, professional development, Proficiency, school accountability, school funding, speeches, standardized testing, technology, tenure, Title I, TLN, top 10, union, voice, websites, Writers Project, writing

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How To Get a Job in Education That You Love

heather — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:37:08 +0000

The Pre-First Step in How to Take Control of Your Teaching is actively seeking out the right school for you.

GOAL: To love where you work and enjoy what you are doing

Too many teachers are miserable. Some of that can be attributed to the difficulty of the job, but a lot can be blamed on the fact that many teachers take what they can get because they are so grateful to have a job. That’s no way to be happy, and that’s the teacher’s fault.

OK, kiddos, it’s not too early to start the process of looking for a job. Whether you are unhappy in your current position or you are a newbie looking at the world of education with wide-eyes and bushy tails, you are entitled to work in a place that “gets” you, and wants what you have to offer.

In fact, the springtime is perfect for those who are looking for the best positions out there. So if you’re interested in being the one in control of the interviewing situation, start now. Looking for a job in education in the spring signals to a potential employer that you are NOT the bottom of the barrel. Yes, there are great teachers out there who get hired two days before the start of the fall semester, but if you want choice yourself, get going now.

Here’s a step-by-step guide in how to get a job in education: (Note, this is not for the faint of heart or for those who need to follow the system set up by the districts. This guide is only for those maverick job-hunters out there.)

(...)
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Post tags: 2008, achievement gap, blog, btsa, budget, Careers, Character Education, competition, computers, credential, curriculum design, curriculum development, differentiation, Ed Tech, education, employment, firing, interviewing, jobs, teaching

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Oral Presentation Rubric

heather — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:59:11 +0000

Here is a short Oral Presentation Rubric that I developed for my Teach the Teacher unit. Haven’t used it yet, but the students have heard all the terms and definitions before.

I’ll hand one out to each of the students to have on their desk before them to refer to as they all begin presentations. Each student is presenting a 10-15 lesson on an activity of his or her choice. I’ve scaffolded each of their multi-modal assignments (narratives, persuasive essays, posters, ads, recipes, powerpoints, etc…) that they could choose from. We’ve used Inspiration to create entire lesson plans to help guide the creation of our presentation note cards. I’ll walk you through the unit in another post. It was pretty cool this year, but I will definitely tweak things for next year to help scaffold the rigor even more.

Hope this helps with your own classroom needs.

ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC

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Post tags: Character Education, differentiation, education, ELA, essay, k-12, k12, learning, peer teaching, PI, ribric, speeches, teaching, Title I

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Cheering on the Demise of One’s Own School

heather — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:15:47 +0000

It seems that at every school there is always a small minority of teachers that don’t seem to like teaching, or kids, for that matter. And putting in more then the minimum is unheard of. But beyond that there seems to always be that one tenured teacher who actively cheers on the demise of one’s own school.(...)
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Post tags: achievement gap, Character Education, credential, education, middle school, physical education, PI, teaching, tenure, Title I

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UPCOMING CONFERENCES

heather — Fri, 09 May 2008 03:28:23 +0000

I am going to be presenting up in the Bay Area at the FETC/CUE conferencethis fall. My seminar is called “Podcasting with 50 Middle Schoolers – Are You Crazy?!” Six years ago I went to CUE for the first time on the lower tier of the tech savvy ladder. There, I was inspired.

I took what I learned there, left with the fairy dust of “What-if?” and created Bulldog Radio, a student-created, written, performed, edited, produced, published, and publicized radio network. I say network because the students, in fact, produce 3 different shows: The Daily Bulldog with School News, Globetrotting World News, and Teen Talk. I am excited to bring my ed tech interests up north.

Handouts will, of course, be available online at both the CUE website and www.tweenteacher.com.

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Post tags: Art, CCHE, Character Education, CUE, differentiation, Ed Tech, education, ELA, FETC, History, integration, k-12, k12, Math, teaching

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