Sometimes Life Is Like That . . . It's Just Pants

Monster Queen was refusing to wear her glasses in the car on the way to school today. Big brother was trying to convince her that wearing them was the right thing to do. The explanation went like this:

“This is how life is sometimes . . . it’s like it’s your birthday, and you get this cool package. It is just the shape of the toy you want, and you are really excited to open it. When you tear the paper off, though, it’s just pants. Sometimes life is like that . . . it’s just pants and you have to pretend you like it.”

Preschool Premeire

Dear Preschool Staff,

Thank you, thank you for filling my daughter's first day of formal schooling with joy. I am forever grateful.

Love,

The Monster Queen's Momma

What was the best part of school today?

“Um, I like drawing . . . I like playing with the girls. We rode the bus. We just had to HOLD ON. I sat with my best friend.”

“Who was your best friend?”

“I don’t know her name yet.”

When you played outside, what did you do?

“I goed down the slide alot.”

What did you think of your teacher?

“I called her Mrs. Christian. She gots other teachers. They ring their bells and they’re the readers.”

What story did you read?

“Chicken one. She didn’t listen; she she thought she was on the farm and not at school. She thought the ball and bat were a nest and egg. She thought the pencils were straw. She was so funny.”

When dad came home . . .

“Dad! DAD! I have to tell you something. I went to school and I rode the bus and I holded on and I was awesome!”

Our Classroom Norms: C.A.R.S.

Posting rules in my classroom has not been my strength. It’s a back-to-school expectation, but I have always struggled with this duty. I was a loop-hole sort of kid myself, and I was very good at developing my own interpretations of the meanings of the rules. Many an exhausted teacher suggested that I save my talents for debate or law school. As a result, I managed a somewhat successful career without this traditional list on the walls of my little lab.

Today, a student addressed this predicament for me. A gifted (former) graffiti artist, he came to me with a piece of paper and asked how to spell, “confidentiality . . . attendance . . . safety . . . “ After I wrote them for him, I went back to addressing the needs of the American History students.

Later, the young man told me I needed to turn and look at the “CARS” he had created. I turned to see the following in beautiful lettering on the blackboard:

Classroom Norms

confidentiality

Attendance

Respect

Safety

This addition to the lab stimulated a great deal of discussion but not any dissent. The following points were discussed:

Confidentiality-

Somewhere to let your guard down and someone to talk to without fear that your vulnerability will be someone’s entertainment.

Attendance-

Showing up means something. Someone cares enough to make you miserable when you don’t show up.

Respect-

Everyone. Everyday. All the time.

Safety-

Physical. Emotional. Creative. Cognitive. You can’t reach your full potential without it. School may be the only sanctuary available.

I like it . . . all of it. I like it a lot. I found the term, “norms,” especially interesting. This isn’t a list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts;’ it’s simply the standard we have set for our community. Thank goodness I neglected to hang those rules.

The Gifts of Our Fathers

Sophomore English students are studying copyright laws and their evolution in our country. The conversation has carried into my classroom. We have reflected on the value our founders placed on creativity and the flow of ideas. It was apparent how closely they linked education, information, and liberty. The more we discussed; the more amazing our nation seems. Consider what these colonists were working with:

• Books were an expensive, luxury item. The family Bible was often the only book in the home. Many families were too busy working to focus on reading and education. Yet, those who sculpted our country thought to make provisions for the flow of ideas and information. These provisions still provide the foundation for today’s copyright laws.
• No internet. No phones (of any kind). No radio. No television. No telegraph. No national postal system. The colonists managed to Declare Independence, organize and fight a war, and create a new government. I wouldn’t be able to manage dinner.
• The most advanced transportation also created fertilizer.

Given enough time, it would be easy to fill pages with a list of barriers that the Revolutionists faced; yet, that’s not what we read about. These men and women had a vision, a passion so great; that they made it work. Countless men and women lost their fortunes, their security, their British citizenship, and their lives.

Do we honor their sacrifice? Have we extended their vision? When these men left their homes and families to form our government, did they intend for their descendants to invest these privileges in Cheetos and cable television? Do we have what it takes to maintain our nation’s ideals? Do we understand the meaning of discipline, honor, passion, and commitment? Perhaps this is one of history’s greatest lessons, we come from greatness; it is our responsibility to rise to the occasion.

Little Ears Are Listening

Halloween was a few days away, and I sat at the front of a circle created by 20 brown and 2 white faces. The children were excited and jabbered about their plans to Trick-or-Treat. As I listened to what they planned to dress as, my ears perked up when a young man with crimson hair innocently exclaimed, “My dad said we can go to lots of houses, but not our neighbors. They’re a bunch of Mexicans.” Before I could address the statement, the circle of Hispanic faces agreed with him and said they couldn’t go to Mexican houses, either.

• Dear God, forgive us for what we say to our children.

Take the Fall

I was initiated into the professional world of education as a preschool teacher in an ideal classroom with an ideal storage closet. This beauty was was a walk in with custom-made shelves for manipulatives, posters, and construction paper. There were drawers for storage, amazing overhead lighting, and plenty of space. It was larger than any of the bathrooms in any of the houses I have ever owned. If Sports Illustrated had a closet edition, this baby would have been the centerfold. Yes, I was in love.

As with any relationship, there was an obstacle. My full height is five foot nothing. For me to fully utilize this supermodel of storage units, I had to crawl the shelves and counters like a monkey. Of all the things I loved about this closet, the possibility of falling and cracking my head open did not top the list. I fretted and stewed about what I could stick on the top shelves that I did not need often, that was properly labeled, and would not cause a concussion when I dropped it on my head. My fear of falling off the top of that closet was a road block I had to maneuver around on a daily basis.

You know what’s coming . . . yep, about four years later, I was re-organizing, AGAIN. Convinced that through better organization I could get an additional nickel’s worth of space and completely enrich my life, I shimmied onto the top shelf to work some magic. I twisted a little too far and took the plunge; eight foot down, slowed by a bounce on the counter, and right on the end God padded.

Ya know what? I lived. A scratch, a few bruises, but it wasn’t that bad. I got up, finished the job, and lived to fall again. Sort of made me wonder why I was afraid in the first place.

What fall are you afraid of? Teaching a different grade, trying a new approach to writing instruction, video taping your classroom . . . ? What would you do if you weren’t afraid? What’s preventing you from climbing? Even worse, what are we modeling? If we constantly play it safe, teach the same lessons that we have always taught, using the same units we are comfortable with; what are we teaching our students? Maybe the fall isn’t as dangerous that the barriers the fear creates.

Fast Food Education

“I’ll take a #3 with fries and a Diet Coke.” It’s not good for us, but it fills our gut and keeps our hands and jaws busy for a few minutes. It doesn’t do much for us in the long run; no real nutrition to nurture our bodies, but it’s easy and we know what we’re getting.

Do we have fast food schools? Move the kids through, pour in a few facts, give them a test, and let them pee it out on down the road. Our children can not obtain the skills they need through empty, routine lectures and worksheets. Those who eat well and exercise benefit from increased health and energy. Students who are engaged will be prepared for life.