Final Notes

Final notes:

This final blog is a reflection of my frustration in attempting to teach ESOL students to write. In the midst of all our discussion about writing, the bottom line is that you have to know a tremendous amount of language in order to do what “regular” teachers assign as writing. I am more and more convinced that lots of reading is the key to beginning writing. I remember the sea of red ink that was on a paper I’d turned in for French class (FR 209). The teacher still thought it was a good paper, but it didn’t sound French – the syntax, even vocabulary was all wrong. We were supposed to read and respond to magazine articles, but we did not do an intensive amount of reading – just writing. There must be a certain amount of intuitive understanding of the language before you can write in depth. However, that being said, I must agree with Stephen King (who can argue with him?) that we must both read and write volumes if we are to be successful.

Perhaps the real problem is that writing is hard work, and many students do not want to work that hard. I’m going to do some soul-searching over the summer, come back to some of our discussions and readings, then map out some different strategies for my students. I’d like to implement blogs and podcasts to keep their interest; perhaps they would then have a reason to write.

Thanks for stretching us, Paula!

Nancy R

Reflection on chapters 4 and 5 from Teaching Adolescent Writers

Chapters 4 and 5 from Teaching Adolescent Writers

My hat is off to this teacher who has done such an amazing job of reflecting on his own practices of teaching writing and is so willing to share his conclusions. I especially appreciate his desire to move students away from a reluctance/incalcitrance/ horror/ fear

of writing to at least an acceptance of the knowledge that they do have something to write about. The author is all about modeling – sounds reasonable to me!

I really like his case to make writing more specific by narrowing the focus. Even as I made an assignment recently, I realized that students would have difficulty trying to sort out all the information we’d gathered in order to respond to it. I should have made the assignment more specific.

I was amazed at the difference in student writing after they’d been given a chance to look at a professional model. And I love the quote he uses from Stephen King: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all else: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of . . .”

OK, teacher – take this advice to heart!

Ciao!

Nancy R

"The Courage to Teach" by Parker Palmer

From “The Heart of a Teacher” by Parker Palmer

This chapter resounded with a “Yes!” in my soul – I shed tears as this teacher’s voice touched my innermost being. I have never heard other teachers express some of the same thoughts that I have. On page Parker writes, “But I came home that evening convinced once again that I will never master this baffling vocation.” How many times has my husband asked me when I plan to stop teaching, and I usually respond, “When I get it right!” However, teaching is not like a math problem with only one correct answer; it is an ever-changing entity full of struggle, defeat, and a few wins along the way. Less than a decade in the field, I am still fumbling to find my own teaching voice.

I know, however, that (as Parker says) a strong sense of personality infuses my work. My students are often with me for several years – they definitely know me, my strengths and weaknesses. And they should know that I really care about them personally. I am often perceived (I think) as more mentor than teacher. That fits precisely into Parker’s comment that we are drawn to a body of study because it sheds light on our identity. Years ago I took a career interest inventory which showed strong interest in teaching, foreign languages, and social work. Is ESOL a good fit for me, or what?

I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to read this chapter, and I plan to read the entire book as soon as possible. It won’t tell me what to teach, but knowing that I have a soul mate (and lots of them!) should make the difficult tasks seem less burdensome. There may even be a few “Aha!” moments along the way.

Thanks.

Nancy R

"The Last Lecture"

Response to “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch

It’s not often that people have a chance to write their own eulogies; this one was very powerful. I have to admit that I was watching the video intently, and didn’t take many notes. However, three ideas stand out:

1) When people give you feedback, listen! I think that’s hard to do, because our minds are racing ahead of the speaker, wondering what’s coming next. We may immediately jump on the defensive and not even hear the advice and/or concerns.

2) Brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. How hard are we willing to work to achieve our goals?

3) Never give up! I was so awed by Randy’s determination not to give up, even in the face of what appeared to be imminent demise.

In the end, I want to have been able to help other people fulfill their dreams – mine aren’t all that important.

Thanks.

Nancy R

Click here to watch "The Last Lecture"

After watching Randy Paunch's "Last Lecture" for the second time and reading selections from Parker Palmer, I am trying to learn how to have more patience with myself and others. As Lendy pointed out in class it is so hard to be up-beat all the time, especially when you work with teenagers.
Do you have any new thoughts about teaching and learning after reading Parker Palmer and watching the Randy Paunch lecture?

If you were unable to attend class, you can watch The Last Lecture by clicking on the link I have provided.

March 21, 2008

GOOD FRIDAY!
Honestly, I was aprehensive about having class this morning because I am having a severe case of Spring Fever, but it was wonderful.

Thank you to Nancy Rollison for the beautiful song/poem, Nancy M., Scott, Lee and Maria for the great strategy shares, and to Elizabeth for sharing the Four Letter Word book with us. I learn so much from you all every time we meet. I love the sense of community that we have established.

"If we have lost the heart to teach, how can we take heart again? How can we re-member who we are, for our own sake and the sake of those we serve?" p. 21

Please tell me what you think about the first chapter of The Courage to Teach.

Advocating for our students: an update

An update on the meeting held with Sen. Nikki Setzler and Rep. Kenny Bingham:

Four of our Hispanic students met with these legislators recently. Included also in the meeting were Mr. Newman, Bonnie Byrd (DEC), Karen Stevens and Ia Williams from guidance, plus myself.
After introductions, Sen. Setzler and Rep. Bingham explained that the community was demanding change in S.C.'s handling of illegal immigrants. Most of the changes represented in the current bills are economic concerns, specifically using the e-Verify system to identify workers (Government contractors appear to the most affected.). Unfortunately, the refusal to admit children of illegal immigrants into our public state colleges became part of the bill, unchallenged and unquestioned.
Essentially, all that (still) remains for this bill to become law is for a small committee of senators and representatives to agree on some differences in language, especially the definition of "harboring."

Our students were somewhat overwhelmed, I think, but several of them offered some timely comments. I mentioned that the university fees (paid by international students) and requirements made college admission for undocumented students untenable at best, but the door would now be locked as well.

Mr. Newman was kind enough to provide lunch for everyone, so the students didn't think it was a complete loss! Mr. Bingham and Mr. Setzler spent over an hour with us and we deeply appreciated their willingness to come.

Not knowing where to turn, I called an immigration attorney the next day, who basically advised the students to stay put - their status is likely to change with a new administration, and the federal guidelines will supersede state guidelines.

The State newspaper never did print my letter - I think it was too long. I'll try again. Thank you for your interest!

Nancy

Literacy Stampede and more

Hi, everyone. I really enjoyed the book trailers, too, though I must admit that I'm still somewhat overwhelmed by the technology. Kudos to MarySusan and Lendy for all of their professional expertise!

It was good to re-visit the writing rights and wrongs and to evaluate my own teaching of writing. To be honest, I'm not really teaching adolescent writers, but rather beginner writers who get so frustrated just trying to come up with the words to say. That's why reading is sooo important! Paula and I came up with a strategy of using expert groups to share vignettes in House on Mango Street. Each person in a small group selected a different vignette and created a short PowerPoint presentation with an illustration, some questions, and a vocabulary list to share with the group. I'll definitely do this again, although the logistics need to be refined.

I've found some simple illustrations and examples of building topic sentences, adding support sentences and a concluding sentence just to build a paragraph. A number of students have been pleased with their results. I'm going to hit the "must teach" grammar items (our "green" sheet) briefly when we return from break to help students prepare for their HSAP and the never-ending ELDA tests!

By the way, did you notice that Gallagher doesn't like peer editing (although peer revision is OK)? I'd like to begin righting some "wrongs" - definitely doing more modeling/teaching/writing with my students.

Have a wonderful break!
Nancy R

I really enjoyed the book trailers. I think that it is a creative way to spike the interest of a student into reading a variety of books. Well as far as the stampede goes I am still in the running. I know how important writing is to the success of our students. It is the thing that can get you into the door of an opportunity to prove yourself otherwise.
It is also key to moving up in your current position. If we can get the business world to come into our classrooms and make writing apply to their future careers that's when the stampede will come to a screeching HALT-WHOA!!!
When you can convince a student that this has some relevance.....BCDIVA

March 10, 2008

The book trailers were amazing!!!! They were SOOO professional. I enjoyed seeing them. Don't you think our students would like to see them too?

I hope using the "I Remember" poem as a mentor text helped us see how beneficial modeling writing can be. I thought your golden lines were great windows in to each of your lives. Let me know if you use this engagement or some form of it with your kids.

Any new thoughts on the Literacy Stampede?

February 11, 2008

Nancy Rollison, thank you for showing us what you did with your students. It is hard to open up to students. I am glad modeling your own writing worked for you and your students. Please keep us updated with what happens with your advocacy.

Had you heard Pink and Say before? What did you think? Would you be able to us all or parts of it with your classes? I gave you the two poems to pair with it, but I am sure you could think of other connections that would work as well. When you are planning for students, always try to give them more than one connection to what is to be learned. The more connections the better!

You all clamored for time to work on your book trailers, so I hope the time allowed was enough to help you work productively with your group members. Let me know how things went.

Don't forget to do your reading in Teaching Adolecent Writers.

February 9, 2008

Lexington School Districts 2 and 5
Winter Literacy Conference

Well, what did you think? Did you learn anything new? If we have this conference next year, would you be willing to do a high school session for us? Have you tried anything you learned?

January 7, 2008

Happy New Year!

We got off to an exciting start. As always, the discussion was so important. Again, technology is at the forefront...How can we keep up? How can we use it to enhance students' educational experiences? All this technology makes me wonder if this is how people felt about cars when they were invented...
They'll be the death of us all. We'll be run over and never learn to operate them.
We have learned to navigate in cars, and we'll learn to navigate our way through the sea of technology. Should we be offering a "driver's ed." class for technology in our school?

Special thanks to Kate, Elizabeth and Phyllis for sharing with us. Don't worry, in our next study group time I will set aside working time for book clubs. Special thanks to Phyllis for offering her computers and expertise to us.

I am aware that the reading for this time is geared toward an English classroom. However, I want us to see how response groups worked for one teacher. If our students are to succeed, we have to help them figure out how to make meaning on their own.

Don't forget the date change:
The Winter Literacy Conference has been moved to February 9.