#YourEdustory

Go ahead: ask your students what they want to write about. They will amaze you!

On my first-day-of-school survey, I asked my 8th graders:

If you could write about anything this year, what would it be?

Their answers remind me why it’s so valuable to give students choice in their writing. I never would have guessed they would want to write about so many interesting topics. Here are some of their plans:

I would write about…

a kid who is anxious about the future.
equal treatment for everyone. Or mental health.
social difficulties and internal conflicts in the modern times because I can easily relate.
my dog because he’s really goofy.
Photo by Justin Veenema on Unsplash
an imaginary island.
people who are stuck in the wilderness, like in Hatchet.
a realistic fiction novel

(NOTE FROM THE TEACHER: WHAT 8TH GRADER SAYS THEY WANT TO WRITE A NOVEL?!? Must be an 8th grader who knows she will be a NaNoWriMo novelist this year!)

I would write about…

the U.S. military because it is something I want to be a part of.
Disneyland!
owning a corporation and the crazy antics that would follow because one of my dreams is to own a company.
politics and feminism.

Photo by Jerry Kiesewetter on Unsplash

the impact of a family that loves and supports you, compared to the opposite because I’ve always wondered.
natural disasters.
my friend Jack, who has Down Syndrome. He means the world to me.
history.
my puppy being able to talk. It would be really funny.
a family surviving in a bunker after the world ends.
different cultures. The stories we would learn would be very interesting and it would be nice to know about other people’s cultures.
having to evacuate my cabin over the summer due to the Carr fire. I think I can be very descriptive about what happened.

Photo by Denys Argyriou on Unsplash

current events. It’s important to know what’s happening in the world.
politics. There are a lot of political issues that need to be addressed.
intentional and unintentional racism in public schools. It’s a real issue.
mental disorders, because it’s a topic that nobody ever addresses.
my trip to Niagara Falls. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

An added bonus to giving students choice in their writing is how it affects our relationship. When I ask them to tell me about their topics, their faces light up with enthusiasm as they share about the puppy they rescued, the rally they went to with a friend, the business they started over the summer, or the post-apocalyptic world they’ve created. What better way to get students invested in their writing (which means they are more likely to write thoughtfully, proofread carefully, and invest in the final product) than to let them write about their passions? Go ahead, try it! What would YOU write about?

It’s not enough to #teach

Share #yourEdustory, week 2: Inspired by MLK: how will you make the world a better place?

It’s too easy to assume that because I’m a teacher, I make the world a better place. Everyone from Einstein to Steinbeck, Aristotle to Andy Rooney, Lee Iacocca to Steve Jobs to Bill Gates to Dr. Seuss has given us reason to believe that simply by being teachers, we are affecting the future, making the world a better place.

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But how much do I improve the world if I just teach my students to pass tests? Train my students to write formulaic essays? Motivate my students to read core curriculum books? Even instilling a love of learning isn’t enough to genuinely make the world a better place, is it? No, the world needs more than educated people. The world needs educated people who are passionate about how they can use their talents, skills and education to make the world a better place.

Prior to reading Steinbeck’s The Pearl, my students write about how their lives might change if they win the lottery. I push them to be thoughtful in this assignment, to consider honestly the pros and cons of great wealth, and how they and the people around them would change as a result of instant riches. Many students write that never having to get a job would be the best part of winning the lottery. That prediction becomes part of a class discussion.

“Why do we work?” I ask them. “What is the value of a job, a vocation, a career?” Most students respond with the obvious: money. They’ve heard the message their entire (relatively short) lives: get an education so you can get a good job, so you can buy nice things, so you can support yourself and your family. It’s a rare 8th grader who recognizes that our work can give us much more than financial security or luxury. Once in a great while, I read responses like these:

“Life would get so boring because I wouldn’t have to work for my money.”

“…even if I had everything in the world, I would still get bored and become unhappy.”

“Even with my wealth, I would need something in my life to keep me going. Without a job, I would have no reason to get out of my bed in the morning and no incentive to do anything.”

My students are a little young to understand the psychological benefits that come from finding our passions, using our skills to help others, and persevering through hard work. And that’s where I have the opportunity (the responsibility, even) to point them in the direction of finding the causes that will motivate them, the role models that will inspire them, and the gifts and abilities that will empower them to improve the world.

The quality of my teaching is reflected not in how highly educated my students become, nor how wealthy, but in whether or not they find their passions and pursue solutions to problems they see in their world. So that’s my challenge and my hope: to pass the torch of world-improvement on to my students, empowering them to tackle what will fulfill their lives more than what the world tells them they need.

#oneword for 2015

Share #yourEdustory, week 1: What is your #oneword for 2015?

In spite of the ongoing attacks on public schools and teachers; in spite of too many students in my room; in spite of too many papers to grade; in spite of never enough time or resources, my one word for 2015 is this:

POSITIVE

There are so many factors beyond my control that affect my work as a middle school teacher, that it is easy to whine, complain and be negative. But what good would that do? I’m not a Pollyanna, but I do know that each morning when I walk into my classroom, I have the choice to focus on what makes me smile or I can dwell on what makes my job difficult. And here’s the thing: if I am smiling and finding the joy in my days, there is a better chance that my students will also smile and find their joy, and that translates into a POSITIVE classroom environment, which means more fun and learning for all of us.

My #1 reason for staying POSITIVE in 2015 is my students: they are 8th graders, full of all that 8th grade brings, which means mood swings, enthusiasm, questioning authority, goofy giddiness and deep compassion. They can be hooked into a lesson by a silly grammar video just as easily as by one that exposes life’s tragic injustices. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and they need my POSITIVITY every day.

So how will I stay POSITIVE this year? One area of challenge for me is including lots of POSITIVE feedback on my students’ writing. With 160 students who need to do a lot of writing and who need lots of help strengthening their writing, it’s easy to fall into the habit of marking what needs improvement and ignoring what was done well. This year I aim to amp up my POSITIVE comments on my students’ work, building their confidence and boosting their self-esteem by honoring their successes, even those as seemingly tiny as one excellent word or brilliant sentence in an essay.

How do you stay POSITIVE in the classroom? What aspect of teaching challenges you the most to stay POSITIVE? Share below and let’s make 2015 a year of POSITIVITY!