Post date: Oct 10, 2010 4:16:32 AM
Good evening parents and kids and happy Friday.
As with most of my personal writings (journal, etc), when I re-read them later on, I wonder to myself just what I was so scared of at the time that I wrote. In this case I'm referring to last Friday night's email, in which I said that I was very nervous about having parents in the classroom and my insecurity as to how to best utilize their time and talents. Well, 5 schooldays later I am feeling anything but nervous, and also so very glad that I get to work in a school where parent involvement is integral to the programs. It was such an amazing thing to have parents work in reading groups as well as help me with various tasks (kid-centered or not) throughout the week. My most sincere thanks to the 10 parents who facilitated literature circles and helped the kids review and react to the book by "getting you up to speed on what you missed". It was a sneeky way for me to have them recap the content of each chapter as well as it's significance, all under the auspices of a necessary good deed. Every day another parent or two came to do whatever needed to be done on my list. I was also glad to see a few parents take initiative and suggest a project -- great to have parents and students who have been through this (many times) before! I've posted a few projects that need to be done on the "Parents" page of my website, and will continue to do so on an ongoing basis. I have a feeling that this (class) will be an extremely productive and organized system by the time we are done.
The next topic is a complex one worthy of a great discussion far beyond the monologue of an email, but it is valuable to scratch the surface here in order to clarify and communicate my thinking. Here's the issue: I'm putting a lot of time and energy into getting kids on task and in focus during class, and I'm noticing some resistance (both passive and overt) from some kids in both my classes. That isn't a bad thing, but it does bring up the question as to how much prodding/encouragement/threat do I offer versus letting the kids work (or not) at their own pace and with their own preferred level of engagement, intensity, and attention to quality. I am in conflict about this and have both sides of this argument battling in my head. One says that I have to tighten up the relaxed atmosphere, assign seats, and assert greater control over the social interactions that are competing with instruction and productivity. The other side of the argument reminds me that kids will engage at their own pace and in proportion with their developmental readiness, that autonomy is a rocky road, and that all learning should be interactive and take place in a comfortable, stress-free, and often social environment.
I know that you all have high expectations for your students and the quality of their experiences in class. I do too, and classroom atmosphere as well as student-management issuesare crucial components of the learning environment. I'd love to hear your perspective on this topic, so if you have a chance this weekend, please let me know where you feel a good teacher falls on that control-autonomy spectrum, how much energy and time should constitute the "grace period" for a student, and what positive actions or consequences might work best with your (or other) 8th grader(s). My preference, of course, is to have student self-control and communal responsibilities be enough to inform and regulate student behavior, but it often isn't. I, by no means, feel that my classes are out of control or unproductive, but it is loud at times and I find myself repeating instructions quite often and most often to those that chat at the wrong times. It is a big issue to me right now because I want to have my values clear and my policies well thought through before the need arises to impose increasing levels of control over student behavior, volume, accountability, and consequence.
Next week's highlights include the completion of Bridge to Terabithia, a trip to the Exploratorium, and (for me) the due date for a classroom grant that I'm writing in order to get some FlipVideo cameras for use in various physics lessons. Until then, have a fantastic weekend of good weather and great significance (Columbus's ships arrived in the west this weekend in 1492).
Chris
Excerpts from replies to parents who replied to my message:
I think that my email might have given off the impression that I'm having problems with class control or that I'm uncomfortable with the current atmosphere. I didn't mean to have that come across at all. The class atmosphere is one I've created and one that I think works well for the greatest number of kids, and me as a teacher. There is a natural pushing of boundaries and testing of limits that are "what kids do", and I'm fine with it. When I get the sense that things are out of balance, I'll re-establish it, and let them know when, how, and why I'm doing it.
... but it really isn't a big concern or "problem" -- just a visible dynamic of the classroom environment. Some groups of kids really enjoy sitting together but they also can take a long time to get onto the tasks and stay on them without mutual distraction. I'm one to heavily invest in student choice and the long-term outcomes of learning, so I'll let it continue for a while still, but I also want them to know that their productivity will determine their level of privilege regarding seat choice, etc. Each of the kids in the class is truly amazing -- kind hearted and happy. Their combined energy can move mountains, and I'm hoping to keep it focused in a positive direction.
... thank so much for your perceptive candor and acuity as well. The overall tone in the class is just as I (and the kids) like it, but for some it is at the cost of their own optimal productivity. I think that what I'm asking parents is whether or not that is ok with them. Class atmosphere is an ever-changing thing, and I want to be ahead of the game when I'll have to impose stronger limits of a few kids. I'll contact those few kids' parents directly and get their thoughts. Thanks again for writing back and have a great weekend.
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