It is so common for kids to idolize athletes and label them as their heroes. When I was growing up I was the biggest Walter Payton fan (funny, because I am a long time Chargers fan). My favorite team was the Chargers (and I could name every single player), but my favorite player by far was Walter Payton. He was the best. I remember going to the Navy Exchange every Saturday with one mission in mind - get a Walter Payton poster. After many weeks of heartache, finally the slot had one poster. I quickly grabbed it and hid it cleverly behind the display so no one could take it. I had to find my mom, who was always in the sewing section, and beg her to buy me the poster. She did.
That poster hung on my wall for many years despite, ripped corners, numerous tack and staple holes, tears and fading, 'Sweetness' was the focal point of my decor. Ultimately, the arrival of Cheryl Ladd (aka Kris Monroe of Charlie's Angels) knocked Payton from the wall.
I no longer have the Payton poster, or the Cheryl Ladd poster. A more collectible signed 8x10 of Walter Payton hangs in the spare room with all the other collectibles that a over-40-year-old nerd has hanging around.
Not far from the Payton picture is a used bat. This bat I picked up because is was a Tony Gwynn Louisville Slugger. Tony Gwynn...
Tony Gwynn wasn't my childhood hero. I was a young adult when he came on to the scene. My admiration and awe for Mr. Padre was built as I followed him and the Padres through the 1980s and beyond. His excellence with the bat was a sight to see. As his career progressed and ultimately came to a close, it was easy to take his accomplishments for granted. His first ballot election to the Hall of Fame, was the ultimate cherry on the sundae. Now everyone knew that Tony Gwynn was one of the best hitters to every play.
Well, Tony Gwynn passed away this past week. I was very sad to hear the news. In retrospect, he was probably one of the biggest reasons I am a Padres fan. Sure, I live in San Diego, but so do a whole-heck-of-a-lot of Dodger fans. Being a Padres fan isn't easy (neither is being a Chargers fan btw). I think that I continue to follow the Padres and proudly don their colors is because of Tony Gwynn. A few years ago, I took my daughter with me to a local car dealership to get my bat signed. We stood in line for 4 hours and with a dozen or so people in front of us Tony left. He stayed 30 minutes longer than he was scheduled. You could tell that he wanted to stay, but just couldn't. We were a little disappointed but I always thought next time.
Tony Gwynn. Walter Payton. Two sports icons that performed at a very high level. They worked hard. Harder than the average person would probably realize. I remember watching a story about how Payton ran up this hill to keep in top shape during the off-season. At first he started doing by himself. As years passed and other players saw his success, other players asked to join him. He worked on that hill to the point of exhaustion, all to increase his endurance so he would be the most conditioned athlete on the field on Sundays. Gwynn, spent hours and hours watching video of himself at bat. Then he would hit balls of the tee for hours to make adjustments in his swing. He also studied pitchers to make him an even more productive hitter. Both men had a work ethic that did not stop at signs of success. In addition, the two were fast to offer guidance and advice to other players. This made them better too. There was always something they could do to improve.
While Gwynn and Payton were at the top of their profession, it wasn't just their performance on the field that made fans adore them so much. They dedicated themselves to their community as well as their profession. People of their cities, Chicago and San Diego, had an icon that truly knew their responsibility to be a positive role-model for children. Each made time to connect with people and make their hometowns a better place. Payton was awarded the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1977. This award was renamed the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award after he passed away. Gwynn received the MLB Roberto Clemente Award in 1999. These accomplishments were bestowed on them for their outstanding character and contribution to their communities. Ironically, both athletes stayed with their teams for their entire career which is almost unheard of now.
I couldn't have picked any better athletes and people to honor on the wall of my home. I am glad that I can tell my daughters who they were and why I loved them so much. Unbelievable talent on the field, tremendous work ethic and caring individuals. Walter Payton (1954-1999) and Tony Gwynn (1960-2014). Gone too soon. Rest In Peace.
So, it's been a while since my last post. To be honest, this one wouldn't be getting done without a little push (actually a shove!) from @barb_montfort. She just moderated #satchatwc on Twitter this morning. Great learning on digital literacy. Soon after my phone blows up with a Blogamonth challenge, http://blogamonth.weebly.com/ .
"I'll sign up next month".... "TODAY!" .... ....
"Yes, Sensei"
Just after a chat where I even tweeted that we need to model digital literacy, it took a huge push to get me to blog. It's something we have to do. I get it. If we want our students (and teachers) to become digitally literate, we, as instructional leaders have to lead the way. It is not that I don't want to blog, but it is actually getting down to write. I have great ideas everyday, especially on the drive home, that I plan to blog about. But for some reason or another, it just never happens. No excuses. I just don't make it a priority.
Well, it is time that I do. I just signed up (#82). We all need the push to do things we are not used to doing. Hope others join me..
Lately it is been hard for me to get in any sort of rhythm at work. I want to get in classrooms. I want to be part of grade level collaboration. I want to co-teach and help with instruction. As most coaches (and administrators) know stuff can get in the way. That stuff for me has been various meetings, the flu taking my family hostage, covering for teachers, daughters' soccer tryouts, helping with discipline and so forth. It all piles up and somehow creates this overwhelming feeling of 'blah'. It happens. I know.
Recently, my fellow coaches and I were asked to reflect on some questions: ·How are your classroom visits impacting instruction? ·How are your coaching messages impacting instruction? ·How are your coaching messages impacting student learning?
Well, in my current state, my answer would be "not very well". Feeling 'blah' I look at the negative.
But, that's how I feel right now. If I take the time to really look at where we started from and where we are now, my answer would have to change. I am willing to guess that most academic/instructional coaches go through this same type of 'slump' from time to time (I really hope that's true). Even though we've been reminded to look at the positive impacts of our work, for me at least, it is very difficult to truly give myself credit. Learning the Common Core, leading the learning, and modeling it; is challenging work. It is going to take time. Lots of time. If I dwell on the road ahead and not take the time to remember the highlights of journey, I'll be in this slump for a while.
Sharing my thoughts with other coaches, my principal and Director of Instructional Services, really helped to start getting my mind right. We all need to have people to talk to, share challenges and successes with. Knowing that others are going through or feeling the same things as you helps. From my conversations, I know I have to push through the challenges. I can create some short-term SMART goals to address some areas of need. I can take time to reflect on the positives. I can acknowledge the fact that this is a long road that in the end is about student success.
Our work isn't easy but we try our best, learn along the way and keep moving forward....
I am not a stranger to social media. Liking a picture of a friend's baby; enjoying a Kid President video; and retweeting a good quote from Stephanie Harvey are part of the routine. I have discovered the power of the hashtag and have found many good resources around coaching and the Common Core. However, actively participating in social media has somehow not come very quickly. I have participated in professional development around using and being active in social media and am comfortable with the routine, but I never really made the plunge.
I have recently read that we have to acknowlege ourselves and the work that we have done for teachers and students. Although I reflect often on the work that I do as an academic coach, it usually is about what I can do to be more effective and better support teachers in meeting expectations that will benefit students. I have rarely taken the time to think about the successes I have experienced and how I am making a difference. It feels weird to pat yourself on the back. That may be the reason that I haven't participated in twitter chats or other interactive media forums. I didn't think I had anything to offer.
Well, last night as I was checking up on how the Bulls did on twitter, I came across the #educoach chat that occurs every Wednesday. There were many good ideas and resources being shared by some very experienced and enthusiatic educators. I will usually lurk and just be on the outside looking in, but for some reason I found myself typing on my phone to respond to a question. Well, it didn't happen that fast. I typed something then deleted it. Wrote something again then paused. Finally I just got the courage to hit 'tweet'. BAM! Just like that my Professional Learning Network began to grow. I started following more people and people started following me, I didn't know what was happening, but it was good.
I didn't solve the any problems or blew anyone away with some awesome epiphany, I just joined a conversation with dedicated learners that made me stretch my thinking. It was cool. People acknowledged my thoughts, added theirs and even asked questions to make me think (thanks @kathyperret ). If it wasn't for social media I would have never been able to learn from these people that are scattered all over the country. This resource is here; I'm going to start using it!
I know that I am going to go through a learning curve on how I am going to participate in these learning experience more often, but now that I have tried, I want to make time for it. I even put the #educoach chat on my calendar, "repeat every week". As leaders of learning, we are asking our teachers to stretch themselves and try new things that are outside their comfort zone. I have to do the same. Being an active participant in a twitter chat with people I don't know fits the bill and I definitely learned from it.
I don't remember the last time I picked up a book and read it cover to cover. Well, I do, but comic books don't count. Yesterday, I began reading Wonder, by R.J. Palacios, as I was sitting in the orthodontist office waiting for my daughter. I knew I was going to be there a while and I didn't want read about Kanye and Kim, or how the Chargers lost to the Broncos so brought this book that I heard about. Before I knew it, I was startled by a hand on my shoulder and a voice telling me it was time to go. The time flew by, I was lost in a story I knew I had to finish.
In Wonder, you meet August Pullman, a boy who was born with a rare facial deformity. The book tells his story of going to school for the first time as a fifth grader at Beechar Prep. As you share in his experiences of middle school, every chapter pulls on your heart strings. As we all know, middle school can be a very turbulent and emotional ride. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for a boy like August. Once you embark on this journey, be prepared to set aside several hours.
After finishing the book, I immediately wanted to talk to someone about it. Unfortunately, my wife and two daughters are awaiting their turn to read it. So here I am writing about it since I was told not to spoil anything for them. I can't wait to share the parts that I enjoyed and how I felt when I read them with my family. I also think that Wonder would be a book that I would definitely bring into the classroom.
The ideas and themes in the book are perfect for kids to think and talk about. I can imagine kids discussing their feelings and making connections to the text. There are many places where I could pick out certain areas of the book and ask, "Why did the auther choose to write this, or do that, and how did it effect the story?". Palacios switches the point of view of the story very effectively and seamlessly. Kids can read or write about how the different points of view helped them understand the narrative. Opportunities to talk and write about text are abundant. I am sure teachers will find many other ways to address Common Core standards with this mentor text.
I am going to have to say that I would add this title to must reads for the classroom with likes of Where the Red Fern Grows and The Watsons go to Birmingham. This book is very engaging and will definitely make kids ask for more.
The shift to Common Core has brought some buzz words back into fashion. One of these terms is 'mentor text'. Having rich, complex text in classroom instruction can be very valuable. For me, the first step in doing this effectively is to read and know the text. So, I decided to start with, Rick Riordan's, The Lightning Thief.
The 4th grade team was planning for Reading Literature 4.3 - Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions). The team decided to tackle one aspect at a time; the first being character. We talked about what the standard is asking our students to do and what skills they needed to do it. Kids would need to read and annotate text, cite evidence to support their description and infer meaning to be able to 'describe in depth'. In the first two pages of The Lightning Thief we are introduced to two characters, Percy Jackson and Mr. Brunner. The text provides many details about the characters. Some information was directly stated in the text. "My name is Percy Jackson. I'm 12 years old". There is also some descriptive writing that students could think and mold around their background knowledge to make some inferences about Percy. This is also true about Mr. Brunner. So, students can choose to describe either character. Or, we talked about a 'We Do' with Percy and a 'You Do' with Mr. Brunner. In the end, the team decided to use this text as a common formative assessment after their direct instruction with other text. We are learning to plan for and use mentor texts and it has been challenging because it is new. There are many texts that children are interested in to use as mentor text. We just have to jump in and try it. One of the most important lessons I've learned about mentor text is we have to know the text and what we want kids to do or learn from it. Anticipating what students will do, say or write will help develop questions to ask to get our students to make connections. Committing to read, all types, is something I definitely have to do to continue my learning around using mentor text.
To be honest, the last thing I thought I would be doing this Thanksgiving Break is writing. Reading. Yes. Writing. No. It does feel awkward to say that I going to do some writing when I don’t ‘have to’. Why would I take the time to write if there isn’t a purpose to it? Hmm… I just made the connection.
I don’t see writing as something enjoyable. I don’t see writing as something enjoyable. Wow.
Okay. Now, instead of beating myself up for all the obvious reasons (since I am an Academic Coach that is responsible for leading the learning at the school), I am going to write. I do, firmly believe, that by writing I will become a better writer. Insert inspirational writing quote here.
So, I have told many students that most people write so others can read. I have to say, it is a little scary to think that I am going to publish this writing. I'm going to be out there for all to criticize and judge. I'm sure that is what some reluctant writers in the class think too. Before we can really expect our students to write freely and with maximum effort; establishing a safe, positive writing community is essential. Students need to know that they will never be judged or criticized. Writing will be read and talked about with the intent to become better writers. And, more importantly, to build a love for writing.
When I was in the classroom, about 3 years ago, I was teaching writing via Writers Workshop. I really liked how my students (well, most of them) embraced their Writer's Notebooks. I only got to try it for a couple of years, and I really didn't get very efficient with it, but I did increase the amount of writing instruction in my classroom tremendously. I believe I was too focused on the final product that was going to be produced for our District Benchmark Exams, instead of using mentor text and practicing author's crafts. I did immerse them in the different text styles, but I didn't emphasize the text enough. We didn't mine for examples, or read text as writers. Now, I would do things differently. Not only would my writing instruction change, but I would be more deliberate in incorporating writing in all content areas, especially math (that's another topic).
Hmm... After writing for a bit, I can see how people can get lost in their thoughts. I have to build stamina. I write a little, then think, then get distracted. Then, come back, reread, revise. Funny how the writing process presents itself without intentionally thinking about it. As I continue, I have to heed the words of many teachers out there (including myself): "If you want to get better at something, you have to practice." I will keep writing, and I will get better.