The Vacation Before the Vacation

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Absent,

I am sorry we missed Marcus right before Thanksgiving break – and winter break – and spring break. I hope your trips were everything you hoped. I have attached our daily class agendas, assignment sheets, homework, and handouts.

When my children were in elementary and middle school, I remember being very frustrated just before holidays. It seemed like the day or even the week before breaks was filled with parties, movies, and non-academic fluff. I wish that were the case in high school. Unfortunately, it is quite the reverse. We barely have enough time to cover the curriculum.

In high school, we do our really need every moment. In fact, instead of showing Finding Nemo seven times, students frequently have major assignments, tests, or other assessments due right before or after the breaks. Part of this is due to where these holidays land on the school calendar. Thanksgiving is almost the mid-point of the second quarter. Winter break comes only two weeks before final exams and the end of the semester. Spring break usually marks the end of third quarter. It is highly probable that Marcus will have several tests, papers, projects, and presentations during the days immediately preceding each of these major school holidays.

I’ve heard that flights and hotels are cheaper before the holiday. It is so much nicer at the resort when it isn’t so crowded. I can fully understand why you are so eager to get away. I wish I could join you. Marcus is fortunate to get that extra time. Rest assured that, even if Marcus is traveling instead of being in class, the other students are still learning– just without Marcus. I am sure Marcus will eventually catch up. He will have to either turn in work prior to leaving or make up work upon returning. Some teachers will also assign homework over the break, so please remind Marcus to do that as well. Although this might be stressful and difficult, no doubt the trip will provide the necessary relaxation.

I am hopeful that Marcus can figure out the material without the instruction I provide in class. The activities and experiences in class would make his learning easier, but I am sure you can help him, and there must be some resources at the resort. You probably did something vaguely similar to our unit of study when you were in school twenty or thirty years ago, so you are well prepared to assist your child.

And Marcus was so good at being proactive before his absences. It is fortunate that I overheard him talking to the other students. I am sure Marcus will be just as responsible when making up work after the vacation. I believe he is missing a few days on that end, too. Right? I will send those additional materials, but Marcus has already told me that there may or may not be an Internet connection at your resort. Besides, who likes to do homework on the beach?

As we approach the end of the marking period, I will be in touch about Marcus’s grade. No one likes that kind of surprise. By the way, Marcus is still missing work from his prior absences due to his doctor’s appointments, soccer tournaments, and that extra special trip downtown.

Have a wonderful holiday, enjoy the beach, and please help Marcus learn the skills listed on the daily agenda!

Yours truly,

Mr. Hirsch 

100 Essays Later

In May, 2009, I published my first blog entry. I’d been journaling for many years prior to starting the blog, and I wrote both fiction and non-fiction in various forms for much of my adult life. My blog, however, was my foray into making my writing regularly available to an unknown readership. It was scary and exciting. It was a brand new experience.

Although this is technically my 102^nd posting, it is my 100^th piece of writing. I have written 100 short pieces about topics from education to parenting, manners to technology. Why am I still doing it? I ask myself that about twice a month!

When I started this blog, it was an experiment. I have never actively promoted it beyond posts on Facebook and Twitter. I have received positive and constructive feedback, which I have found useful and rewarding. I titled my first entry, “ Talking to Each Other, Talking to Myself.” This blog is as much a writing practice platform for me as it has been a publishing vehicle.

And now, 100 pieces later, I am debating going further. This blog has been a great way for me to keep my writing skills sharp. I teach writing. I evaluate writing. I should write, too – right? People are reading my writing, even if it is only a handful of my friends and family. That is fine with me.

However, if I am to “put myself out there” and play with the grown-ups, I should go further. That is a little scary. I don’t know what will happen. I know I will encounter more discussion and dissent. How does one “promote” one’s blog? That is a research question I need to explore. I have a difficult enough time preparing two entries a month. How much time will “selling” the blog take?

So you see why I have been so comfortable keeping things the way they are. To paraphrase Captain Picard, I need to give myself a kick in my complacency. It is time to move forward and boldly go where my blog has not gone before.

In addition to my usual two posts a month, I am going to try to include more short posts. I will try to share links, articles, videos, photos, and other related topics. At first, you may only see one of these a month. Give me time to make this a new habit.

I don’t know how to move my little neighborhood blog into the wider web world. If you have suggestions, I am open to them. Researching the project is at the top of my free time list.

Blogging has continued to be a great way for me to articulate my thoughts and clarify my views. This cross between public journal and opinion column has been and will continue to be my primary format.

I have not been too strident. I have expressed political views, but I have worked hard to be diplomatic and muted. That is another choice I am reevaluating. What do you think? After 100 essays about the topics listed on the right, I am ready to explore new avenues and ideas.

This piece of writing has asked more questions than it answered. It is more of a reflection than a statement.

Dear reader, thank you for journeying with me this far, and I beg your patience, indulgence, and collaboration on the road ahead! On to the next 100 posts!

Here's What's Wrong With Averaged Grades!

This chart presents the problem with averaged grades clearly:

This chart is part of a slide presentation created by the Muscatine (Iowa) Community School District that proposes a much better system of reporting students' learning. 

Learning with Computers: Chromebooks in my Classroom

Recently, schools all over the nation have been giving students their own computers: iPads, laptops, Chromebooks, or similar devices. Why do this? What does it mean for education and for these kids?

While some would like to keep our children and our educational system in amber and stop time, it is neither possible nor healthy. Regardless about how we feel about the digital age, it is our children’s home. We may wax sentimental about our own school days, but our experiences have less and less in common with present day students.

In short, it is irresponsible for educators to do anything less than get on this train. If we don’t, we leave ourselves, our students, and our communities behind, watching those on board bullet into the future. We live in a web infused, computer driven, technological world; our children must be ready for it.

So I signed on! For the past five weeks, my students have had their own devices: a Samsung Chromebook. I have been teaching for nearly thirty years, and using computers as a tool for almost as long. Yet, this month has given me a taste of the marriage of education and technology.

In the past, my Freshman English classes would make periodic trips to the computer lab. The computers were primarily for two purposes: writing and research. Technology was simply a replacement for typewriters and card catalogs.

Now, when my students arrive in my classroom, they retrieve these small laptop-like computers from a cart in the corner. It is a lightweight window to the web. It doesn’t have programs or applications on it. It has almost no storage. It can do one thing: connect to the web via the Google Chrome browser. It has transformed my classroom and is slowly doing the same to my students’ education.

I did research and received a little bit of training in the use of the equipment and in the pedagogical issues that came with it. I did my own reading and research. I had some hopes, goals, and questions when bringing this tool into my classroom. Yet, I am learning on the job.

My first goal was to enhance the goals that I already had for my students: teach them to become better readers, writers, speakers, listeners, and thinkers; to make them more effective communicators and critical thinkers; to engender a love of literature and language. It was my hope that daily technology would open up new avenues to reach these objectives.

I want to increase student independence and autonomy. I want to see if we can help students manage and direct their own learning more effectively. I want to teach students to help each other learn.

And of course there is the obvious: I want students to learn how to use the web and other technological tools to reach the targets I have listed above. Their smart phones, tablets, computers, and cameras can be far more than entertainment devices; they can use these tools for growth and good.

The addition of technology to my classroom also raised concerns: Will the focus be too much on the technology, and not so much on the processes that the technology should facilitate? Is the Chromebook a good choice for my students? Are there new technology skills that I must add to my curriculum to make sure that kids can use these tools in a productive and safe way? Will I see benefits commensurate with the time and effort it takes to adjust to this new world?

It has only been a month, and I am discovering, changing, and figuring out the new landscape. It is a lot of work. Lesson planning is taking far more time than it has in the past. I would be foolish if I didn’t use this blog to think aloud about what is going on in my classroom. Stay tuned for the continuing drama of Chromebooks in Freshman English!

Driving Away

My younger child is learning how to drive. He has taken traffic safety classes, behind the wheel lessons, and is driving our family vehicles – under supervision, of course. We dread it and look forward to it at the same time.

I have very clear memories of my experience learning to drive. I didn’t take private traffic safety class. I started the second semester of sophomore year. It was January. When we got to school in the morning, it was cold but clear. During class, we drove around the back parking lot learning how to handle the car. I didn’t really push too hard on the gas pedal. I had my ten minutes and sat in the back while my classmates took their turns.

Sometime around lunch, it snowed. It snowed a lot and kept on snowing. My brother and I were in a theatre production, so we stayed after school for rehearsal. By the time my father arrived to pick us up, the snow was several inches deep and still falling; it was a snowstorm.

I slid into the passenger seat and my brother went into the back of the car, “I bet Dave would like to drive home,” he teased. My father looked at me, “Would you?” I shrugged, “Let me put it to you this way: I have pressed the accelerator twice.” With that, my father got out of the car and walked around to my door. I traded places with him and drove home.

Our five-minute drive took twenty minutes. My father said very little. He made some very calm suggestions and pretty much just let me drive. From that moment on, if I got into a car, I drove it. My parents instructed me gently, calmly, and in a manner that demonstrated that they had the greatest confidence in me.

Unlike my father, I have the benefit of already having taught a child to drive. I rode with both my daughter and my niece as they learned to drive. In both cases, my calm and supportive parents were my models.

Driving is our ultimate symbol of independence and power. It is frightening to parents for good reason. Let no one make fun of drivers education teachers. It is difficult enough to sit next to one’s own children when they are learning to drive. It must take stomachs of iron to teach other people’s kids!

My daughter and niece are good drivers, and my son is getting there. We moved slowly at first: starting in a parking lot, graduating to quiet neighborhood streets, and then Sunday mornings on major roads eventually heading to the highway. And there are moments: the overturns as we bump the curb, the near misses of parked vehicles, the turns into traffic that are saved by the good driving and graciousness of strangers.

Yet how we approach teaching our children to drive speaks so strongly about how we see our relationship. Handing my son the keys to the car is not only tremendous because he can now do damage on a grand scale, but because it communicates a host of messages. It says that I trust him. It says that I want him to be fully adult and independent. It says that is it okay to drive independently from those who love you. It is literally letting go.

And I don’t like letting go. I like control and I prefer my kids close. But this isn’t about me. This is about teaching my children that it is time take the wheel. Often while we are driving, my son asks me, “Which way should I go?” My answer is always the same, “You are the driver. You decide.”

Home(work) for the Holidays

“Teacher, I didn’t do my homework because…..” Every teacher has rolled his or her eyes at this line. However, there are times when school should accommodate the rest of students’ lives. Perhaps a dog’s wayward eating habits do not qualify, but what about religious holidays?

The Jewish High Holidays just ended, and my community has a significant number of Jewish families. Each year about this time, our assistant principal sends an email to teachers asking them “not to schedule assessments or major projects on the days immediately following Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, as many students will be unable to properly prepare due to family & religious obligations.” The assistant principal sends out similar notices for Easter, Ramadan, and a handful of other holidays.

It doesn’t matter.

Students report that they have quizzes, tests, and significant homework assignments due immediately following the High Holidays. When families are going to services, family gatherings, or traveling to be with relatives, time is tight. So the choice is to either participate in family and religious events or do homework.

I overheard two staff members talking in the teacher workroom.  One complained that his practice schedule was altered on the evenings before the holidays. He said that he made it clear to his athletes that it was okay if they needed to miss that practice or leave early. The second coach said something astute and sensitive: kids don’t want to disappoint the coach (or teacher). Although the practice may be noted as “optional,” kids fear that will reflect badly on them or cost them a chance at participating in the next contest.

The same scenario played out academically. As a teacher noted that his students were reporting lots of homework and tests the day after Rosh Hashanah, another teacher stated he made it clear that, if students were not able to get the work done, they just should tell him and he’d adjust their activities in class. But kids don’t like doing that. This teacher did note that few students had ever actually done this. I was not surprised.

I just learned that one coach had scheduled a field trip on the Sunday following Yom Kippur. The kids reported that it was “mandatory.” Given that some kids travel to celebrate the holiday, and Sunday after Yom Kippur is the primary day to get all that work done, this “field trip” was ill timed and insensitive.

School does not happen in a vacuum. There are many priorities competing for a child’s attention: activities, work, family, health, not to mention the emotional drama that is unfortunately part of many of our children’s lives. But none of that matters when we have to get through unit seven!

I am disappointed in some of my colleagues. Yes, it takes a little more planning and creativity to find a way to make a schedule work during the fall Jewish holidays – or the spring holidays when Easter and Passover come at nearly the same time. But it is important that we do so.

Kids do need to partner with their teachers. Students need to use assignment sheets to plan in advance. They can approach teachers and point out problems before they become issues. However, the adults have to give them these tools. If the test is announced on the Wednesday before Rosh Hashanah, the student has been put in an untenable position – and it is the teacher’s fault!

It is important that we acknowledge that school, specifically homework, is only one of many priorities for students when they leave the classroom. We can help kids manage the “crunch” times, whether they are religious holidays, the play, or playoffs. It is critical to teach them ways to juggle their lives outside of school and stay engaged in their studies. It is a give and take, and teachers need to be better at giving.

Tears at the Airport

“Don’t cry in front of your child,” was the advice a friend gave me. And I didn’t when we dropped our daughter off for her freshman year of college about a year ago. I had more than a few tears after we left the dorm. I had a rough time on the flight back home. And then I got used to the new situation, video chats, text messages, and visits every two or three months.

But this year it is different.

My daughter just left for Africa. This time, she will be away for four months and there will be no visiting. This time, she is in a foreign country far away from the familiar. This time, she is really on her own. This excites her, and it scares me.

She is capable, smart, and strong. I am very confident that she will be able to cope with the challenges ahead of her. I know that some of them will be significant, and some will be “growing experiences.” My fear is not rational. It is not about her; it is about me.

My daughter’s semester abroad is so much more than an extended vacation. A majority of the students we know study aboard in more conventional locations. Had she chosen to study in Europe, the weight of the distance would probably have been less. Maybe. Since she is traveling to a part of the world that is very different and very distant, it means that she is more on her own than she has ever been before. And I am less in contact and control.

Yes, I think that is what this is about. This is about the ever-present parachute, even when she is two hours away by plane. I could come to her rescue if she needed me. I could sweep in and play powerful parent. I haven’t done that. She hasn’t needed it. But I could. It is possible. Not this semester.

We want to protect our children. We want to shield them from emotional or physical harm. We don’t want to keep them in a bubble, but we don’t want scars or scares. I don’t know that this impulse ever goes away. I can’t imagine ever losing it. Yet, I must suppress it.

I cried at the airport when we dropped her off. We all cried at home before we left. I cried on the way home, too. And every so often an irrational fear hits me, and I have to fight that feeling.

There are many parenting turning points. Many seem to be related to increasing the distance between parents and children. They are about putting our children in the very positions we worked so hard to keep them from; placing them in harm’s way, stepping back, swallowing our anxiety, and letting them protect themselves.

And we want that. Right?

Yes, I want that. She is more than ready for it. She can do it, and I am going to have to step back, shut up, and let her go. Besides, she is in Africa.

Yet, I am not ready to let go, and that’s tough luck, because she is on her way. And I am crying.