I distinctly remember my 9th grade semester long composition course with Mrs. Russell. I remember my frustration and disdain at having to spend the better part of four months learning how to write. After all, had I not been writing since about the second grade? If I had been taught properly all the preceding years, why would I suddenly need an entire semester long class to teach me what I was sure I already knew? To make matters worse, as the child of two European educated parents, I was introduced to the Cartesian method of writing with a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis method with no specific, predetermined number of paragraphs.
I was always an excellent student. Could’ve been anything: a scientist, a lawyer, an astronaut, a chef, even President of the United States. For a time, when I was younger, I really wanted to become a pediatric dentist. I could pull teeth, pass out toothbrushes, and help children who were in pain.
Life, though, never seems to deal me a winning hand. I am often stuck with a pair of twos when I am looking for a royal flush to win. As Lady Luck would have it, I ended up in a profession that I never expected, one that often makes me wonder if am playing with a full deck.
Think about the best negotiator you know. Is it a businessperson who can close any deal? A lawyer who knows how to convince a skeptical jury? Or perhaps it’s a kid who always seems to end up with the front seat in the car or the last cookie in the jar. Whoever it is, I’ll bet they enjoy the art of negotiation that moves people forward.
As teachers of at-promise students, it is crucial that we also embrace this art of negotiating and moving people forward – as a matter of survival. We all know that in a full classroom of high-need students, negotiations can become unclear, confusing and sometimes downright messy – and getting mired in them can stall the learning at stake for everyone. We must understand how to negotiate efficiently and successfully in our classrooms, keeping up momentum with our students so we can get to teaching the content they need to understand for success in school and life.
Differentiating Difficult Texts for Struggling Readers
By Sarah Miller
I think Hamlet is the most amazing piece of literature ever written. I don’t expect everyone to agree, but I do anticipate that teachers can relate to how wonderful it is teaching something you truly love. With my busy schedule as Dean of Student and Family Support, I only get to teach one class a year, and it’s a 9-week course studying Hamlet. It’s glorious. Problem is, students walk in to my class not feeling confident enough, not being skilled enough, not thinking they’re interested enough to do the work. Some students pretend they don’t care, some just arrived in Boston from El Salvador, some try so hard to overcome their low reading levels, some are overcoming life circumstances I can’t imagine and all are in class together. What’s a teacher to do? How will they learn to love this story if they don’t get it? How will they gain confidence? How will they think deeply about literature?
Relax. They can do Shakespeare. Below are some simple steps that will help every teacher who ever wanted to tackle a dynamic and complex piece of literature reach all students. They can not only DO Shakespeare, but they might just love it, too.
As I was sitting in our co-teaching partners meeting last week, I admitted my short-coming to my partners. Lesson planning: No problem. Pacing guide: Easy breezy. High expectations and caring relationships: Got it. But extrinsic motivation for inclusive students: well, I know I don’t keep up with those systems. I can start, hype and remind, but keep up with it, maintain it so it works – not so well. My partner, Michael Madormo, got excited and responded, “No worries, I love those things.” With animated hands and wide-eyes, he continued, “I’ve got it.” The next day, he had poster draft, talk script, tickets, prizes and tracking system ready to go.
Here lies the underlying revolution of the co-teaching model at James Campbell High School (JCHS) in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. The teachers not only accommodate the fact that each teacher is different, they capitalize on these differences. The authors of Now, Discover Your Strengths, say this is in fact the way of great organizations.
