On the Shoulders of Giants

Reading the Walls

Today I "caught" a student whom I would characterize as a reluctant reader reading the walls of my classroom to another student, who has also struggled a lot with reading this year.  Mind you, they were both supposed to be doing a different assignment at their tables.  While one part of me was about to redirect them both, I realized that this was a great moment I had no interest in interrupting.  They were reading together out of a genuine interest for the information on the walls.  Voluntary reading--the best kind. 

What was on the walls?  Students have been studying the history of the English language, how words get their meanings and how they change across time and place.  It has been fascinating.  One night for homework, I asked them to research their own names.  Where do their names come from?  What do they originally mean? How did they get their names?  What do their names mean to them?

The written responses shared with one another in class were wonderful. They beautifully reflected the diversity of the students and shared something special about each of them.  From a linguistics standpoint, it was illuminating to see the myriad ways that people arrive at names for their children, where these names come from and what they mean.  These stories echoed the word etymologies students had been studying in class at the same time.  

Finding the two boys reading the walls was a great reminder to me that for every student there is a way to voluntary reading. Sometimes the wall is the perfect medium for repackaging something from class--especially student voices--to reach more students.  Sometimes the timing is just right for reading, and the wall is a way to catch a child on a whim and create flexible opportunities for reading.  Finally, this reminded me that, though it takes time to update classroom bulletin boards, it is so worthwhile.    

Teacherpreneurship: A Real-Time Open Market for Teacher-Driven Ideas

That's the title that ISKME founder, Lisa Petrides, and I came up with after much deliberation for my Rapid Fire presentation at the 2010 Big Ideas Fest in December (by far the most challenging public speaking I've ever done).  And now, the video is finally posted for sharing! (Thanks, ISKME!)  

At the moment there is plenty of discussion and question about what exactly a teacherpreneur is.  This video presents a vision of what it could be like for me as a 27 year veteran teacherpreneur in the year 2030.  

Check it out:

 

[image credit: mindshift.kqed.org]

In Collaboration We = More Than The Sum of Our Parts

As I returned from the retreat at Center For Teaching Quality in North Carolina with the team of teachers who co-wrote Teaching 2030 and teacher advocate, Barnett Berry, I thought about the fact that when we collaborate well with others, the results are greater than the sum of the parts simply put together.  It is an old lesson, but it never ceases to amaze me.

We saw this happen when we first attempted to structure the book: after having a series of provocative and inspiring conversations together at our first face-toface retreat, we all went away and wrote essays on specific topics we'd discussed.  The result was a collection of interesting essays thrown together under the title Teaching 2030.  When we reconvened, we agreed that this format was not the realization of our vision of 2030.  It was a tired structure.  Turning this problem over and over, we decided the ideas might be better presented as a conversation between all of us.  We allowed our essays to be chopped, excerpted and remixed throughout with Barnett's narrative voice pulling it all together. The result, Teaching 2030: What We Must Do For Our Public Schools--Now and In the Future, is far superior to the original idea that kept our ideas separate and compartmentalized.

This visit was no different.  We were back in the same space to figure out how to move forward with the ideas in the book.  We intended for the book to be a place to begin the work of creating the schools we imagine, not an end to the conversation.  We had the amazing Sunni Brown with us, taking notes on everything we discussed in gorgeous visual form:

 We spent a long time discussing the idea of "teacherpreneur," which I wrote about in the book and presented a vision of at the Big Ideas Fest 2010. (Video coming soon...) In the picture above, we were sharing ideas about the various possible resumes and job titles of a teacherpreneur.  There is now a lively conversation going on at The Future of Teaching about what a teacherpreneur is and isn't, and how it might differ from a "teacher leader."  Check it out!  

In my next post, I will share some ideas on the future of teacher preparation, which I've been developing with a group of fellow Bank Street alums over the last few months and were pushed forward by great suggestions and questions from my TS2030 colleagues this weekend.

In the meantime, back home, I need some time to process.  It's been a whirlwind of collaboration, and I have a lot to chew on.  How does all this future talk affect me right now?  At present, am I a teacherpreneur?    

 

 

Where's the Teaching Career Path?

I presented earlier this year at the Big Ideas Fest in California on the idea of teacherpreneurship, a concept I helped to develop in co-authoring the book, Teaching 2030 and one that is gaining some momentum these days.  The video of that presentation is forthcoming.

Until then, here is a teaser video about this year's fest that can serve as proof that I was there...

While at the conference I was interviewed by KQED.  A clip of that interview, in which I talk about the need for a teacher career track is posted here on Mindshift.  And you can watch it right here (amusing opening frame...):

 

 

Ariel Sacks from MindShift on Vimeo.

Yoga At Work!

So I left work feeling unusually calm and energized at the end of a long day, almost like I was floating as I walked past the basketball courts and into my car.  Why?  Because I had just finished 75 minutes of yoga with a professional teacher and eight of my colleagues in a classroom!  Yes, that's fact.  My school is now offering a free yoga class every week to faculty and staff.  The art teacher at my school suggested it, polled the staff for interest, and my principal listened and set it up! The next thing I know, I'm doing yoga in the Spanish room after school!

It was a truly novel experience--a total departure from any normal school/work experience.  Kids were all gone, the classroom had been swept, and we pushed all the desks against the wall.  I was facing windows that look out onto a beautiful Brooklyn skyline, and it was still light out (Thank you, daylight savings.)  

You may be thinking, who wants to do yoga at work with colleagues?  The truth is, I really enjoy practicing yoga, but often don't prioritize it as I move through my week.  This really eliminated all of the logistics of it, and I have colleagues to remind and encourage me to go.  

Although this was my first class at my school, I'm sure there will be benefit of this is are going to be noticeable.  I wouldn't quite call it professional development, but free yoga is a real contribution to working conditions, which are notoriously difficult for teachers.  And mental, physical and emotional strength are actually very important for successful teaching.  Yoga is one way to build and support those things.  

I know yoga isn't for everyone, but I'm very happy about this.  If your school offered it, would you go?  If you are a school leader, can you imagine this being a good investment in the working conditions for your staff?

 

[image credit: cuppajolie.blogspot.com]