Time for an Update

Well...I have a lot to update you on and...today was a remarkable day! I have been so busy fixing the problems of my own making that I haven't had time update cyberspace. However, some things happened today that made me want to write on here all day...but I didn't feel right doing it on district computers.

First, the finale to the depressing last post. I was nervous all morning the next morning, but I decided that the best thing to do would be to apologize to my students. So, the next day I told them that after reading their reflections I felt so bad. I apologized for the way it came out, that I had intended to just understand what was going on but had instead just caused frustration and hurt feelings. That was an ice breaker and we were able to talk about it. I showed them the results of my analyzing their reflections and asked some questions. It was very rewarding. There was dialogue, many students contributed and we clarified what we both need to do better. And, that started a process that I've been working with in all my classes since that point. We decided to have food on Thursdays (which is often the problem day) to wake up 1st period (and to build community so that they're not so shy). And, more importantly, I gave them a multiple intelligences test and then the next day they made a profile of themselves on a card that outlines their highest intelligences and more specific characteristics of how they fit in that intelligence. It has been soooo good! Not only do the kids seem excited about finding out how they do things best, but they like seeing what other students are. And, we're all excited about what we can do to change the lessons I have to teach them. The next step in the process will be having the intelligence groups gather together to brainstorm activity/lesson modifications. It's gotten a very positive response with the students and...wow, I don't hate 1st period now.

Now...for the exciting stuff. Today.

The plan:

• finish up a really awesome lesson on Athens/Sparta where I get to tell stories--there are two high schools, SHS and AHS. Basically they morph from understanding these two high schools into thinking about them as "schools of thought" and therefore, understanding the ideology behind the two city-states of Athens and Sparta.
  
• show a great video from PBS, The Spartans. The kids haven't had a video yet. They'll be excited. And I get 50 minutes to not teach or plan.
  

The Reality:

• Got to school and went to get DVD from library (where I saw it behind the desk yesterday) and the DVD wasn't in the case!!!
• 7:10 AM (20 minutes before school starts) I race, wild-eyed, into the hallway, where I meet Keith and Nate. They saved my butt by putting over an hour's worth of activities into my hands (good ones too, with no prep work needed. I just made copies and they worked great, the kids enjoyed them, and it taught to their multiple intelligences. Man, someone up above was looking out for me today!)
• 7:15 AM as I'm scrambling to get my copies and pull together this extra 50 minutes...Nate walks in to my room looking like he'd seen a ghost. "Have you checked your email?"
  
• 7:16 AM I check my email. From Mike Riley (our superintendent...the curriculum web is his baby and he's the one who said that the teachers don't matter, just the kids) I see an email entitled, "Farewell, Bellevue." Shocked, my eyes grow huge, I take a HUGE breath, turn around and shout (after which I covered my mouth in horror since one of my students was taking a test), "NO WAY!"
  
• 7:17 AM we run into the hallway. The rest of our colleagues had just found out. 7 of us were standing in the hallway shocked. It's less than 15 minutes before school start...and you should have seen us!! It was like...difficultly-controlled glee. Grifan squealed. Karen couldn't believe it. Rob just kept grinning and giggling. We stood there in the hall, dumbfounded and joyful. I know that sounds awful, but it was like...freedom. Mike Riley has manipulated and pushed and threatened and controlled to the extent that our amazing teachers were dropping like flies from our district, that teachers were hating our jobs, and that students were being force-fed a sub-par curriculum just because it was standard. Mike Riley being gone, to us, means the curriculum web we've been fighting...is dead. HURRAY!!! Granted, they won't just abandon it. But, Mike Riley was the force and the drive. With him gone, no one else can keep it going...especially not with the universal resistance of the teachers.
  
• Somehow we all managed to go back to work...but we were grinning all day. Everywhere I went teachers were whistling and grinning and giggling (I'm serious, they kept giggling to themselves! Me too!). The kids even noticed! Sadly, we were all overjoyed to hear our superintendent was leaving. However, we do know how unprofessional it would be to discuss that with our students. The only one I told was the girl who was trying to take the test when I had my outburst and she was shocked, but glad too.
  
• For the rest of the day I kept humming, "Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead" and realizing how fitting that song is as a victory song, the cadence, the notes, etc. I wasn't the only one humming it either, I counted at least 2 others...so sad.
  

ANYWAY, VICTORY IS OURS!!

But, that's not all!

In gov I showed them a video on Mao (which is awesome). The kids loved it, they were happy I showed them a video and it generated the best discussion.

Then, tonight I went to a lecture at UW on Russian Petropolitics, the 2nd part in a 4 part series. They had the premier expert on Russian Foreign and Oil policy speaking and it was a public lecture. So, I invited my students (ok, so I bribed them with extra credit).

There were mixed results, but the benefits outweigh the negative aspects. The lecture was more confusing for them than I had anticipated and longer than it was supposed to be...but... around 40 of my students showed up!!! They were excited to be there! They kept waving at me and calling my name. That made me embarrassed. I wanted them to act professional but Keith pointed out to me that it was the first time they'd been to something like this and they probably all felt like they were in college (which, they did...I found out after). So, they were more giggly than I'd ever seen them and...they kept waving and calling my name before the lecture started, which wasn't professional. Then, some ended up coming late and having to walk in behind the renowned speaker (which was also embarrassing) but, they all payed attention (even when it was so difficult for them to understand), if they talked I couldn't hear them, and only 4 left early (although I was crossing my fingers and praying really hard that after the first 4 the rest wouldn't follow before the guy was done). Afterwards they were still all excited, wanted to talk to me about what he said, and were relaying that they'd all been trying to get one of them to ask a question. I was actually surprised Andrew didn't ask a question, and he said wanted to but just couldn't get up enough guts.

Anyway, despite the minor embarrassments...I'm pretty darn proud of my students. My heart welled with pride when I saw them all filling the back rows and I just...I just love them. I'm so proud of them. I can't blame them for getting antsy, it went 45 minutes longer than it was supposed to and...besides, they are 17-year-olds. But they acted very professionally during the talk and...well, they were not grumpy or complaining at the end.

I want to do this again. It's good to see my students outside of school and I can see them developing into students who are more deeply interested in the world. Yes, I offered extra credit, but there were kids there who didn't need it. Next time we'll work on getting there on time and not going in and out while the speaker is talking.

ANYWAY...I solved the problem with my freshmen by apologizing and deviating from the mandated curriculum. Today our superintendent announced his resignation, which means that the claws have been taken out of the mandated curriculum and my gov students and I had a meaningful learning experience in and out of the classroom.

Reflection: Sometimes hard work does pay off. It also helps to have amazing students and amazing colleagues.

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