Twenty Years Ago: June 2003

January may be the official beginning of the calendar, but for a teacher, it really starts in August and ends in June. Teaching is a profession that has clear cycles. As a young parent and teacher in June of 2003, cycle was the operative word.  

As we get to the end of the school year, all of the conflicts and issues of the semester move to the foreground. I hate grades. I hate the effect they have on students, their families, and what they do to relationships. It is one of the reasons why I have never used an averaged grading system. 

In 2003, I was using a portfolio grading system. Students would demonstrate their growth by analyzing their work throughout the semester and evaluating it on our skill-based rubrics. Of course, this meant that they had to complete that work. 

There was one student in particular who had failed to turn in so many assignments that demonstrating growth was nearly impossible because there was so little to see. I met with him almost every day on his free period and helped him with missing work. My goal was not a “good” grade by a passing one! I noted in my journal, “It is amazing that this boy is not sick of me yet nor has he become mad at me. It is clear that he needs attention. I have given him opportunities to tell me to stop supervising him so closely but he does not say it. He wants this kind of close attention.” Throughout my career, I met many students like this young man. 

Grades weigh heavily on me. I err on the side of the higher grade if a student is on a bubble. Students used my evaluations and their own and their work to demonstrate what grade they thought they deserved. Most students are surprisingly accurate. Many are harder on themselves than I am. 

For some students, grades are critically important – but not for all. But they were ALL important to me, “I am spending too much time thinking about these kids’ grades and what they want, and how they’ll feel and react. I need to move to a grading system that takes it out of their and my hands more – a more objective system. That will be helpful.” That is why so many teachers use a purely numeric system: it is easier when it is cut and dry. It is also inaccurate and unfair. So, for my entire teaching career, grading was a process, conversation, and a pain in the mind.

If you are related to a teacher, you know that the end of the year is the busiest and most stressful time of the year. That spills into all parts of my life. I developed another cold. I had to close down websites so people would not think we were in school to reply to their requests. At the time, in addition to my own teacher website, I was also “webmaster” for the English Department, the Counseling Department, Peer Helping, StageWrite, and recommended reading websites. I was also putting together a new website for my new class: Humanities. 

June is also a time to say goodbye to retiring colleagues. I have attended every retirement celebration that the school has thrown while I worked there. At the time, the school retirement party was held after graduation. Thus, it was never particularly well attended. People from the retirees’ departments and older teachers would attend, but many people had just spent a day teaching, an afternoon at graduation, and needed to get home to their families. It was certainly one of our most challenging daycare days. Thankfully, my parents had our kids and we celebrated three wonderful careers. 

I was delighted at how our principal talked about each of the three retirees warmly and in great detail with few notes. There was a stark contrast between the two classroom teachers, one of whom was in my department, and the retiring department chair. I wrote about how narrow the teachers’ scope of influence. Neither had sponsored clubs or coached sports. Neither was that involved in building committees or projects. They were very focused on their classrooms, kids, and courses. This was not the case for the department chair, whose influence was far-reaching.

If the year ends in June and starts again in August, then the time in-between is not a “break,” it is project season. Every year I taught I had a list of things that got pushed into summer. I start trying to hit this list as soon as the last bell rings: everyone has their yearly doctor and dentist appointments, all home improvement projects are scheduled, and preparations begin for the next school year. 

My kids were keeping doctors in business that spring. I worked on my new course preparation a few hours every day. We had a new roof and siding put on the house and remodeled a bathroom. Summer was a blur! I wrote, “I don’t feel like I am on break. I worked at the building most of the day yesterday. I straightened out the English website. I think I have a handle on that now. I worked on putting my computer back in order and doing a few other bits and pieces.” I even served on an interview team to fill a spot in our department. 

Speaking of cycles, my son learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels! My brother and aunt visited and it was good to see them. The kids started day camps. We had workmen at the house six days a week! I had a planning session with the Sunday School faculty. Each day was very busy and I noted that I was falling asleep quickly and sleeping soundly. Consequently, my journal entries were often short. I talked about a great deal -but briefly.  

I was planning a summer vacation; my wife and I always took an “annual honeymoon” and the kids stayed with my parents. It was almost always in July. I took a school workshop learning to use Adobe Illustrator. I used it to improve graphics on my websites and to create some functional and fun posters for my classrooms. 

In the wider world, a new musical called Wicked premiered. The Mars rover was launched. I put our car phone, cell phone, and home numbers in the brand-new National Do Not Call List from the Federal Trade Commission. 

But like that list, June was a long parade of all the things that didn’t fit well during the school year. I suppose a teacher’s two seasons are not winter and road construction but the school year and everything else you need to get done! 

2000 Days of 10,000 Steps or More

A few years ago, after I mentioned my morning workouts in conversation, a co-worker looked quizzically at me and said, “You work out?” Yes. I do. I may not be buff, slender, and sculpted, but I am fit. I work out every day. I have worked out daily for more than thirty years – and I hate it. 

When I began working out, I went to a gym on my way home from school. I was self-conscious and nervous, but I didn’t have any equipment at home and I didn’t know what I was doing. I needed the trainers to show me how to use the weights and machines. 

In addition to weights, I swam. I like swimming, partially because it doesn’t feel like I am sweating when I am all wet. It is clear that I am when I stop. I thought of swimming as my aerobic exercise. 

One day, I got to the gym and found that the pool was under construction. It would be under construction for a long time. Impulsively, I got on one of the stationary bikes and used that instead. I found that I liked the bike. I watched the news on the gym televisions or listened to music. It was clear to me that I was getting a better workout on the bike than I got in the water. Then it occurred to me: I could buy a stationary bike and work out at home! 

From that moment, I did at least a half hour on the bike every morning. I worked hard. It was my concession to physical fitness. It was like taking vitamins or eating vegetables. But watching my recorded TV shows made it tolerable and I didn’t have much time to watch TV.

A few years ago, I figured out that my iPhone was counting my steps. It didn’t count steps when I was on the bike, but it did keep track of my steps throughout my day. So I made a goal to get at least 10,000 steps daily. I realize that 10,000 is an arbitrary number, but I needed some kind of benchmark. 

After a year of doing this, I wanted to do better. I increased both the number of steps I took a day and the average steps per week and month. And I started using our home treadmill in addition to my stationary bike in the morning. 

I got a majority of my steps at school. I would have about 9000 steps by the end of sixth period. My last two periods of the day were usually my freshmen. They needed a lot of attention. When the day ended, I would usually have about 13,000 steps. Yes, flying around classrooms with students who needed attention was worth around 4000 steps! 

When I retired, my goal was to maintain my amount of movement. I had more time, so I increased the length and intensity of my treadmill walks. I walked longer and, as the walk continued, I increased the speed. 

During the pandemic, my children came home. My daughter brought her dog and I became a dog walker. In addition to my treadmill workout in the morning, I walked the dog at least two times a day. Even after my daughter and her dog went back east, I still take one or two additional outdoor walks each day in almost all weather. 

Since the end of January 2017, I have walked at least 10,000 steps a day. My monthly averages have gone up steadily and now are in between 16,000 and 18,000 steps a day depending on the season. It is sometimes too cold or wet for outdoor walks and I will take an easier treadmill walk in its place. My neighbors joke that I need a dog. No, thank you. 

I still don’t look great in a bathing suit. I am not a muscular hunk. I am a little flabby, but when the nurse took my EKG at my physical, she said, “You must be a runner!” I told her, no, I am a walker!

Reading for Treasure: February

Reading for Treasure is my list of articles that are worth your attention. Click here for an introduction! Here are some articles to read discussing how we can both mentally and physically protect our children and ourselves:

10 Reasons Teens Have So Much Anxiety Today: This quick article from Psychology Today lists specific reasons that teens today may be much more anxious than we were at their age. It is a good checklist for parents!

Teach Your Kids To Value Empathy Over Tenacity: Years ago, my congregational rabbi’s High Holiday sermon asked, “Would you rather your children be successful or good?” Kids know what we really value by our behavior, even if our actions don’t always match. This short Lifehacker article provides a good example of why empathy should be higher on most parents’ lists.

Encourage Teens to ‘Speak Before You Send’: This Lifehacker article is a great companion to the one above. I think we hear language very differently than we see it. When I just read my text or email in my head, it sounds fine. When I read it aloud, I hear it very differently. This is makes reading aloud a great editing tool – not only for writing skills but for empathy as well.

Bicyclists Should Be Shamed Into Wearing Helmets: This Chicago Tribune column takes a humorous angle on a very simple message: wear a helmet when riding a bike. I love the old man voice in this article. When my kids were growing up, we always said that you only needed to wear a helmet if you had something to protect…

10 quick thoughts on mobile phones in schools: This quick list from Dangerously Irrelevant really says that the problem is not phones. There are other issues and classroom phone struggles are really about teaching, the structure of schools, and the use of technology for learning. I agree!

I’m currently reading The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Price of Parking

In 1999, a parent of a Barrington High School student purchased a home next to the school. This parent had no intention of living in the house. The family already lived in the district. The only reason for this huge expenditure was to purchase the driveway. The parent had bought a parking spot for their child, a very expensive parking spot.

Setting aside the cost of the car, what does this choice mean? For most schools, including my own, there is either free or inexpensive bussing service available to anyone who lives more than a mile from the school. No child should HAVE to drive to school. Even those who live close form carpools.

What does it mean to spend thousands of dollars for a car and parking spot for a sixteen-year-old?

First, it means you are living well. This is an issue for affluent families.

Second, it says that convenience is important. Some parents don’t want the child to take another means to school. The bus is not a good choice for them. Why? What is wrong with carpools? They seem like a great way to share the cost. But financial cost is clearly not the key factor in these decisions.

We haven’t even thought about environmental considerations.

And what about safety?

Young drivers make mistakes. Young drivers are more likely to make mistakes when they are in a hurry. One hopes these errors are benign and easily repaired. Sometimes, young drivers are using devices or otherwise distracted. “Good” and “responsible” kids are still inexperienced drivers. Young drivers and teenagers in general need supervised practice. We must help them develop good habits.

If you were going to visit a high school and would be staying beyond the end of the class day, would you choose to park in the student lot or the faculty lot? Why? What about on a snowy day?

Having a group of inexperienced drivers in one place can be dangerous. The student lot at the high school is only one example. I live in a neighborhood that abuts our high school. Some of my neighbors allow students to park in their driveways. Many of these kids pay for that privilege. Of course, they are not charging Barrington prices, but again, between the cost of the car (and gas and upkeep) and the price of parking, this option is only available to families with means.

The high school allows most senior students to park for a fee in the student lot. Therefore, the parkers at my neighbors’ homes are most often younger, less experienced drivers. There are 152 homes in my subdivision. I don’t know how many kids are parking, but judging from the kids walking down my street after school, it must be more than twenty-five.

So, around 3:30, we have many young experienced drivers moving through our neighborhood. At just about the same time, the bus from the middle school drops off. Kids who are walking or biking are leaving the high school at that time, too. We are close enough to the elementary school that we do not qualify for free busing, so on nice days, we might also have younger students going home, as well.

A few years ago, a student of mine was riding his bicycle home. As he rode away from the school and down one of the streets in my neighborhood, a student driver who was “renting” a neighbor’s driveway pulled out a little faster than was safe. She cut off the cyclist and he hit her car. He was thrown over the car and landed on the street. When the EMTs arrived and treated him, they told him that, had he not been wearing a helmet, he might have had severe injuries  - or worse.

Most of the kids I see riding bikes to school are not wearing helmets.

I have been told by my lawyer friends that a homeowner would not be liable for actions of the student driver using their driveway. That doesn’t matter to me. If a child who was parking on my driveway hurt someone  - or worse – I would be very upset. I might not be legally liable, but I might see myself as at least partially responsible.

Kids make poor choices. Good and smart kids make mistakes. New drivers do dangerous things, not because they are foolhardy (although some are) but because they don’t know better.

There is no ignominy in taking the bus. Time with your child in the car (and their friends) is time to talk and get the news. It may be less convenient, but it is safer and healthier.

To my neighbors: please take these ideas into consideration if you are thinking about letting students park at your home. Please don’t sell out our safety. To parents: the way your child gets to school is more than a matter of convenience and affects more than just your child.

School's Cycles and Breaks

Returning to work after a vacation can be difficult. Going back to school after a break is often like diving into a cold swimming pool; it is a shock at first, but soon, you get used it. That is what I love about living in the world of education: the cycles. The academic calendar is built on a series of starts and stops, beginnings and endings. It is a constant spiral of cycles that never really repeat.

Each year I get a fresh set of faces in my classroom. Although I am teaching “the same” curriculum, it is never a rerun of the year before. Not only do my new students alter the way the class functions, I am never content to simply repeat what I did in the past. I must tinker and tweak, revise and improve my lessons. In fact, I spend much of the summer doing just that. I feel compelled to apply what I have learned one year to the next year.

As the year progresses, my students are no longer new. They become part of my family. As I plan, I ask myself, “How will James react to this?” or “Will this challenge Angela?” or “How can I make this work for Steven?” I tailor the instruction to the students in front of me. It is custom made and it will never fit another class like it fits the current one. That experience makes me a better teacher and I carry that into the next lesson and the next year.

Although I adore my students and my career, the days off and the three breaks are very welcome. They are rest notes in our beautiful academic symphony. Sometimes, they are short and they merely allow me to catch my breath. Sometimes, like winter break, they are long enough to divert me completely. Sometimes, they are long enough that, by the end, I am eager to return to my students and classroom.

The standard reply to the question, “how was your break?” is “not long enough.” However, the breaks accent the year in an important way. While there is debate about whether students should get homework over breaks (and similarly if teachers should grade over breaks), these breaks punctuate the learning experience and allow the learning “to sink in.”

People are not computers. We learn in a wide variety of ways. As we gain new skills, learn new concepts, we change. Especially for children (and their teachers), that process takes a ton of energy. I always know when my son is about to experience a growth spurt; he eats a ton and sleeps late. Learning is no different. Students need time to make connections, apply their learning to their daily experience and to gather energy for that next leap.

My entire professional career has been in education. I have never experienced a job that moves in a straight line. I watched my parents and friends and I think my cyclical career has advantages over the more conventional routine. Of course there are trade offs and many of those are all too obvious. However, as we finish this semester after winter break and a lovely three day holiday, I looked toward the renewal that comes after the breaks – and the breaks that come after the learning!

I'm in Love -Again!

I think I’ve fallen in love again. All the signs are there. I am obsessing. I am worrying. I find myself distracted easily. And I haven’t just fallen in love with one person. Oh, no. That would be far too easy. I have fallen in love with almost one hundred kids. Yes, for the twenty-somethingth time, I have fallen in love with my classes.

It may sound trite and silly, but it is true. As I spend the first long weekend away from my classes, I find I am thinking about them. More often than not, I am not thinking of them as a class, it is as specific individuals. I am reminded of them as I walk through my weekend. As I catch up on grading, I am upset with them, worried about them, or eager to talk to them. I debate whether I need to email them and remind them that we’ll be in the computer lab for the first time on Tuesday.

It is one of the most wonderful things about being a teacher: the cycle of the year. Yes, I know I am in the crush phase right now. I have just met these students and we are newly in love. The honeymoon will end just before Halloween. How timely. But for right now, we are still new to each other, still exploring who were are together.

I am trying to tailor the curriculum to fit my kids as precisely as possible. With each assignment, class session, discussion and activity, I am learning what they can do, who they are and what they seem to need. I am reading IEPs, talking to parents, and having conferences. The more I learn about them, the more eager I am to learn with them.

Yes, some of them are challenging. Yes, some of them are tough. Not only I am undaunted, but their prickles compels me even more to reach out and connect with them – especially now. The first few weeks of class are formative. One of the beautiful things about the new year is that even my most rigid and difficult students still have wiggle room at this time of year. They are willing to come to the relationship anew and try again. That is what the cycle is all about.

Unlike a day-to-day business, students and teachers in school move through a spiral path that promises growth, change and release. We love our breaks but we also know that, as we study together, we are changing and moving in a positive direction.

As optimistic as that may sound, I know I have students who dread coming to school. I know that many carry enormous baggage with them. I worry about them. I look for them and work on ways to support them. I am not all knowing, and they are not all sharing, so I often wonder and wait. And I am always hopeful that my optimistic enthusiasm will infect them and that can help, if only just a little.

The cycle will move forward. We will go from being shiny new friends into a more everyday routine. Yet, I believe that the way we form our relationship will have a profound effect on the routine into which we settle. The way I, as teacher, respond to these first few weeks will shape the course of our year together and our relationship beyond that.

In college, I remember reading excepts from a book called, Contact: The First Four Minutes. The thesis of this book was that, in the first four minutes when people meet, much of the future of their relationship is determined. While four minutes may be a short amount of time, I think a similar thing can be said for classrooms.

So despite the end of summer and the return to the work routine, I am eager to get back to the kids with whom I have newly fallen in love. I know it won’t last. It will turn into something far better and more important. That is why I do it, again and again and again and again.