Literacy Now

Being a teacher means embracing constant change. Yet all too often, teachers are told when, how and why to change. In this monthly column, Mrs. Mimi takes on creating change for herself by rethinking old practices and redefining teaching on her own terms.

This post is to commemorate the importance and fabulousness of International Literacy Day. Thank goodness that there are smart people everywhere who recognize that the story is everything and want to unlock the power of story for each and every child.

So, sit back and let me tell you a story about a little boy who one day discovered the wonder and magic of reading.

Ahem.

Once there was a student. We shall call him Muppet. By the spring of first grade, Muppet had made progress as a reader, but it was slow. Painfully slow. For both of us. He received all the extra help I could beg, borrow and steal. Yet more and more of my little friends were graduating into more difficult books, while my Muppet stayed in books that were clearly super easy.

Although he never said anything to me, I knew it bugged him to be so far behind. There were days when I noticed him trying to hide his books from the other children at his table because his books were filled with big, colorful pictures and very little text. While his friends blissfully made their way through a chapter book, Muppet sat staring at the ceiling.

Did his embarrassment motivate him to spend more time reading? Of course not, but it did motivate the heck out of me to find what else I could do to help.

One morning, I presented Muppet with a nonfiction book about octopuses (octopi?). A few minutes later, I checked in with Muppet to see how he was faring. I was immediately thrown off because Muppet was totally engrossed in the book, studying each photograph-filled page as if it was pure genius. Muppet was intently working his way through each and every word. I watched him study the page, taking in all the labels and well....reading.

Me: So, how’s it going over here?
Muppet: Mrs. Mimi?
Me: Yes honey?
Muppet: Okay, wait. Wait. Wait. Okay, so you’re saying that I can read this book and actually learn stuff?
Me: (Um, what?) Well, yes. Of course you can.
Muppet: Even me?
Me: Of course even you.
Muppet: So, I can want to know about something, find the book and teach myself?
Me: Um, yeah. You can absolutely do that. That’s what we were talking about today.
Muppet: Cool!
Me: Do you want to know more about anything in particular? I could find some more books for you...
Muppet: Really, you would do that?
Me: (Are you freaking kidding me? You’re asking me for books? Uh, yeah, I’ll go get them.) Of course. Just tell me want you want to learn more about.

And just like that, Muppet decided that while he hated learning how to read, reading to learn was right up his alley.

If only I had figured this out three months ago! I gave him nonfiction book after nonfiction book and he devoured every single one. He read books about animals, books about people, books about places.

And almost every day, he would be desperate to show me something that he had learned in a book...all by himself.

Mrs. Mimi is a pseudonymous teacher who taught both first and second grades at a public elementary school in New York City. She's the author of IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE, which sprung from her popular blog of the same name. Mimi also has her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Being a teacher means embracing constant change. Yet all too often, teachers are told when, how and why to change. In this monthly column, Mrs. Mimi takes on creating change for herself by rethinking old practices and redefining teaching on her own terms.

As summer winds down for some of you out there, and all of us are subjected to back-to-school commercials that feel as if they are made simply to tighten that start-of-the-year knot in all of our stomachs, I think it’s time we get a little perspective.

May I get somewhat personal with you all for a moment?

I have had a tough summer. Tough with a capital “HOW IS THIS HAPPENING AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HAND ME A DRINK?!” I have worked hard to find a silver lining to all of these recent events, and have come up with something that I hope might be helpful to all of you Rockstar Teachers out there who are about to start a new year.

However, to be honest, every year I have tried to take on a shiny, new attitude about things. In the past, I would make declarations such as the following—let me know if any of these sound familiar:

“This is the year that I don’t get sucked into the gossip!” OR

“This year, I will read ten new picture books a week and catalog them on a spreadsheet!” OR

“This year, I will rewrite all of my author studies!”

And maybe you will. Or maybe you won’t. Maybe you will get an amazing class, and maybe you won’t. Maybe your classroom library will finally organize itself...or maybe it won’t.

Rather than creating an opportunity to possibly come up short against my overly specific and optimistic declarations, this year my Ode To Positive Thinking has taken on a new, less “it’s-only-a-matter-of-time-until-you-fail” tone.

This year, when I feel stressed and backed up against a wall with a to do list so long that it can be seen from space, I am going to ask myself three questions:

Will this (insert stressful event here) matter in three weeks?
Will this matter in three months?
Will this matter in three years?

And that, my friends, is how I am hoping to gain some perspective.

Let this be the year that you are kinder to yourself and let yourself off the hook just a little bit when that lesson on revision doesn’t go as well as you thought it would. Because honestly? You can come back the next day with a new and improved lesson that will revise the pants off anyone!

To all of you thoughtful, lovely, and dedicated teachers reading this, have a wonderful year. Together, with this new found thing called perspective, we’ll take steps toward becoming shinier and newer versions of our old selves.

Mrs. Mimi is a pseudonymous teacher who taught both first and second grades at a public elementary school in New York City. She's the author of IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE, which sprung from her popular blog of the same name. Mimi also has her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Being a teacher means embracing constant change. Yet all too often, teachers are told when, how and why to change. In this monthly column, Mrs. Mimi takes on creating change for herself by rethinking old practices and redefining teaching on her own terms.

Happy Fourth of July! It’s summer! You made it! How is your love affair with the snooze button going? Or have you gone into full relax mode and (gasp) stopped setting an alarm all together?!

Either way, I hope you are enjoying the ability to be an independent being, free from the insane schedules, endless meetings, and mouse poop that tend to fill up our days and take us away from our students.

Speaking of independence…let’s take a moment (with or without a beverage of your choice) to rethink the idea of independence in the classroom, shall we? After all, it’s summer; we have a bit more time to think idealistically about these types of things. I find it’s easier to be all reflective at times when I’m sitting in my pajamas with nary a pile of classroom data in sight.

Can I tell you about one of the saddest moments of my year? A moment that I continue to replay in my mind wondering, “How can we better empower teachers?”

I was running a small discussion group for teachers working with high percentages of English Language Learners. We were wading in the fabulous muck that is the workshop model of teaching reading and writing when a teacher came up with a brilliant modification that had the potential to make a significant difference for her little friends.

Me: That is brilliant! I say yes! Do that.
Her: Yeah, but my principal would never allow me to do that.
Me (struggling with the use of the word “allow”): Have you talked to him or her about your ideas?
Her: No, but I know he prefers us to all do the same thing at the same time.
Me: What if you went to him and presented your thinking? Just like you did here. Explain what you’ve tried, how it went, what you’d like to change and why. You’re making a thoughtful and purposeful decision about instruction.
Her: I’m just really afraid to say anything or to stand out.
Me: …

And I am rarely speechless, people.

I am sure we can all agree that cultivating independent thinkers who have a love of learning is a pretty basic goal that most of us hold for our students. I know there isn’t a score on a test to measure that but still—it’s kind of important, no?

But how can we honestly hold our students to this standard, or preach about the importance of independent problem solving and being a creative thinker and blah blah blah when many of us are too afraid to do it ourselves in our own work lives?

Now, I know that many of us may work in school environments that make it difficult to take a strong stance about our teaching practices, but I’m not asking you to run into the main office and burn a teacher’s manual. I’m asking us to rethink the way that we model independent thinking and independent practice in our classrooms.

How does your classroom reflect your beliefs and ideals as an educator? How does the work of your students reflect their true independent skills and interests?

When I think about a truly independent learner, I think about a student who knows what to do when their pencil breaks (hint: it does not involve asking me for a new one), a student who can see multiple solutions to a problem, a student who isn’t afraid to try something new or get something wrong, a student who has a strong reading life, a student who can name the interests and passions that they want to pursue.

I do not think about a student who wants to know exactly how many pages have to be read (so they don’t have to spend an ounce more effort than necessary), a student who just wants to be told how to do something rather than give it a try or a student who comes to something difficult (um, like a new word) and just stops.

As professional educators, are we simply asking, “What should I teach tomorrow and how do I do it?” Or are we considering the curriculum in front of us and how we can adapt it to suit our needs? As teachers, are we creating an environment where our students are completing a series of tasks, or are we fostering them to demonstrate true independence in their work?

So, stay in your pajamas, head to the beach, sit in your favorite coffee shop, or really, do whatever you want because it is summer. But in the midst of your well-deserved relaxing, take a moment to think about your independence as an educator.

Who do you want to be and how can you take a few small steps to get there?

Mrs. Mimi is a pseudonymous teacher who taught both first and second grades at a public elementary school in New York City. She's the author of IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE, which sprung from her popular blog of the same name. Mimi also has her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Being a teacher means embracing constant change. Yet all too often, teachers are told when, how and why to change. In this monthly column, Mrs. Mimi takes on creating change for herself by rethinking old practices and redefining teaching on her own terms.

So how many days do you have left in your school year? Come on, I know you’re counting. You may even have a calendar with big black Xs marking the days in these final moments. It’s okay—I totally understand.

I always taught my little heart out until the bitter end because it was honestly easier for me to keep our routine intact than it was for me to completely let go. (Type A much?) Plus, I am one of those people who believe that June still means school and school means teaching and learning, not cleaning and chaos.

Regardless, even I, personal horn-tooting aside, could not keep everything going until the bitter bitter end. Every year I could pinpoint the exact moment when I was—how shall I put it?—all set. In my imagination, it was this moment where I stood in front of the room and dramatically declared, “SCENE! It’s a wrap, people!” In reality, it simply meant that I shifted gears and turned my focus to the coming year, packing up my classroom and spending the final moments of the year truly enjoying my little friends.

Now, I don’t know what kind of year you’ve had. Maybe it’s been a grueling marathon of meetings, meetings, curricular changes, meetings, helicopter parents, and even more meetings. Or maybe it has been an absolute joy each and every day. Regardless, today I’m going to implore you to resist the urge to throw your books, pens and crayons in a box in a mad dash to your local watering hole to get a much needed after-work “soda” and instead use this as a reflective time.

Right about now, you might be shouting, “Yeah?! Well, reflect on this!” at your computer. I hope not. But if you are, I hear you.

Just take a breath and think about the fall. Think about unpacking those hastily thrown together boxes. It’s a grim picture, isn’t it?

While I know our collective energy levels are low, this truly is one of the best times to reflect upon your practice in meaningful ways and think about one area, just one, where you’d like to make an improvement. What kind of literacy teacher do you want to be next year? What aspect of your teaching do you want to focus on improving, retooling, or refreshing?

Whatever it is, think about it now. Begin the process now. Keep these ideas and goals in your mind now, and let them color time as you wrap up your year and plan for the next one.

Maybe that means finally re-organizing and updating your classroom library. Or creating a spread sheet of your favorite read alouds and their potential uses. Or finding pieces of short informational text to feature as shared readings in your science and social studies instruction.

When I think about the best, most impressive teachers I know, one common characteristic they all possess is the ability to critically reflect on their own practice and constantly find ways to improve and grow. So, as you complete hour about hour of mindless end-of-the-year paperwork, instead of letting your mind wander to think about what The Bachelorette is going to decide, let your mind wander into next year to think about what you are going to do now to improve and grow your talents.

Mrs. Mimi is a pseudonymous teacher who taught both first and second grades at a public elementary school in New York City. She's the author of IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE, which sprung from her popular blog of the same name. Mimi also has her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Being a teacher means embracing constant change. Yet all too often, teachers are told when, how and why to change. In this monthly column, Mrs. Mimi takes on creating change for herself by rethinking old practices and redefining teaching on her own terms.

Last month I visited a classroom where a teacher was using Google Docs to conduct writing conferences with her students. We’re talking live G-chatting with the teacher, amazing evidence of the evolution of a piece in the form of highlights and rewrites, plus a record of the phenomenal dialogue between a student and her teacher held in the comments section alongside the student’s actual writing.

Are you blown away yet?

Because you should be.

Now I know many of you are out there reading this while shaking your heads and thinking, “Well, I couldn’t do that because we only have four computers in my classroom. Three of them work okay, I guess, but the other one? It seems to only work every other Tuesday when the moon is full, so that just isn’t an option.” And to you I say, “I hear you. Some schools really need to step up their technology game.”

Maybe better technology in schools is similar to Kevin Costner’s FIELD OF DREAMS. “If you build it into our curricular plans, more reliable technology will come.” Or better yet (and perhaps more accurate because we teachers—including yours truly—have been known to get our complain on from time to time) “If you complain about it enough, more current technology will come…and you will have to use it!”

So let’s release ourselves from the budgetary upgrading nightmare that is getting all of our schools equipped with current, reliable, and worthwhile technological tools and instead focus on how we might just use them to improve our practice.

Let’s go back to the example of the rock star teacher who utilized Google Docs to transform her writing conferences with students. This teacher’s purpose was two-fold. First, she wanted a tangible record of her dialogue with students, something that went beyond your average conference notes. Second, she wanted to encourage her students to be more at ease with drafting and revising directly on the computer. So for this teacher, using Google Docs was purposeful—the result of a well thought out decision to integrate new technology into the classroom in meaningful ways.

I’m going to be honest with you for a moment—brutally honest. I like shiny new things. A lot. So when someone wheels in a new computer, a new scanner, a new digital camera, a new digital recording device, a new video camera…essentially anything new and shiny and still in its original packaging…I must use it and I must use it now. This love of all things shiny has not only led me astray in the form of bad impulse purchases at the mall, it has also created situations in my classroom where I used the technology just to say I was using the technology and….well, it’s so shiny!

While some technologies shaped my practice in exciting ways, others created headaches, confused my students, and added nothing substantial to my instruction.

Last week, I visited a classroom where the teacher was using an anchor chart on plain old chart paper. We’re talking Magic Marker, amazing quick reminders in the form of silly drawings, and phenomenal evidence of an instructional artifact that grew from the students themselves in the form of kid-friendly language.

This teacher’s purpose was two-fold. First, she wanted to create a resource for her students to refer to in meaningful ways as they worked independently. Second, she wanted this artifact to represent her students, their thinking and their process. So for this teacher, using Magic Markers and chart paper was purposeful—the result of a well thought out decision to integrate reliable teaching practices into the classroom in meaningful ways.

Are you blown away yet?

Because you should be.

Now I know some of you are reading this while shaking your heads and thinking, “Charts are so outdated! Magic Marker is a thing of the past.” And to you, I say, “Some things never change and isn’t that wonderful?”

Mrs. Mimi is a pseudonymous teacher who taught both first and second grades at a public elementary school in New York City. She's the author of IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE, which sprung from her popular blog of the same name. Mimi also has her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.