Solving the Problem

Have you ever asked yourself what's wrong with a story? Well, Vivian Vande Velde did, and I (as well as my students) have thoroughly enjoyed the results of her ponderings. I found this small book purely by accident when I was in the library one day. I was looking for a short story to read aloud to my sixth graders in honor of "National Tell a Fairy Tale Day," when I came across this treasure. I previewed the book quickly, and the author hooked me from the very beginning.


The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde is the author's attempt to explain how a girl ends up sitting in a room trying to spin straw into gold and why anyone would believe that she could. I mean, when  you think about the story, it doesn't quite make sense how someone could end up in that kind of predicament and end up making deals with Rumpelstiltskin.

The book is actually six different stories, or alternate explanations, of how the whole story came to be. In other words, nothing is as it truly seems in the fairy tale we've been told all this time. Velde creates six completely different versions of how that maiden ended up in the tower with the straw and Rumplestiltskin. I enjoyed all of the explanations. I chose two of my favorites to read aloud to my sixth gradeers over a few days. They loved them!

So, you know how we often say, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, we really shouldn't judge them by their size, either. While this is not a big book, it is a worthy read. I also think it makes for a great writing lesson to students. They can see how you take the same players in a story, but change their circumstances, their motives, and their reactions with a humorous result. 

If you like fairy tales, as I do, you should definitely read this one,...no matter what age you are. It's good for a laugh and written quite well.

I hope to be back in my regular reading mode soon. Life is going by much too quickly for me lately, and I am barely keeping up. Hopefully, life will be back to normal (or close to it) in another week or so. I'm anxious to start on my next Jo Nesbo book,...now that I've unpacked almost all the moving boxes and found it! 

Happy reading!

Still Here...

I'll be brief. (I don't have any other choice.)

School is back in session, and I have my hands full. Unless you are a sixth grade English, Language Arts, and Reading teacher in Texas, you wouldn't fully understand. I would explain to you the difference in what I do, as a teacher, that's different because of the grade I teach and the content I teach and,...well,...many other things,...if I had the time.

Instead, let me say this:

As full as my hands are right now, my heart is overflowing! My students are precious and anxious to learn. We're getting to know each other quickly, and we've already read three chapters in our class novel, and we're working on a project for it. Good things are happening, and we're all excited to be together, learning together.

Life is BUSY, but life is GOOD!

(And I promise to post about books this weekend!!)

Happy reading!

Signing In to the Next Chapter

Yesterday was the last day of school for my sixth grade students. They are now, officially, considered seventh graders. While I will miss them, I am very proud of them and know they are ready for the next grade level. I look forward to watching them learn and grow over the next two years in middle school.

There is a time-honored tradition in my classroom that the students look forward to at the end of the year. It's something I came up with my first year of teaching, and I have followed through with it every year. It means as much to me as it does to my students.

I have two big boards in my classroom. One is a whiteboard at the front of the room and one is a chalkboard on the side of the room. I don't allow students to write on my boards in the classroom unless we're doing work. No one writes on my boards "(insert name) was here!" or "Luv u!" between class periods, before/after school, or during any clubs in my classroom.

Wait.

Did I say no one? 

Well, that isn't true. Seventh and eighth grade students are allowed to come in anytime (when class isn't in session, of course) and write on either of my boards, anywhere they like and write anything they like. Sometimes, they even draw pictures. They enjoy their 'honored status' in my classroom. I enjoy giving them that honor, as well.

Does this sound like I'm being cruel or unfair to my sixth grade students? I assure you I'm not, though it sometimes feels that way to them in the beginning. I'm actually teaching them something. I'm teaching them how to enjoy anticipation and how to truly enjoy earning their own rewards. I'm also teaching them patience and respect and honor. And, believe it or not, I'm also teaching them what it feels like to be cherished.

You see, these students have watched my former students visit my classroom from time to time and sign my boards. They see the messages they leave, and they look up to the older students. Now and then, when given the chance, the older students pass on good advice to younger ones. My former students set a good example for my present students. By the time my sixth graders are ready to sign my boards at the end of the year, we know each other very well. They have come to understand the importance of earning rewards, respect, and honor. And they certainly know how much I love and cherish them.

Do you think I'm overstating the power of this very small, daily lesson that extends over the whole school year? If so, then allow me to share with you what I experienced yesterday, and what I experience every year on "sign in" days...

The last two days of school are exam days. Only after students have completed their final exam in my classroom do I consider them seventh graders. Once everyone is done testing, I congratulate them on their accomplishments and hand them a chalk or a marker to "sign in as a seventh grader" on my boards. They get so excited and their faces beam! They know they've earned it, know it's time to move forward, and know I now expect them to be the examples that lead my next class of sixth graders.

It's a very big deal to my students.

Most of my students take this opportunity to leave me one last message, a few just want to sign their names. All of them want to know how long it will stay there. I tell them the boards will be cleaned at the end of the week for the summer, but that I always photograph everything they've written with the camera on my phone, to have it with me wherever I go, and with my 'nice' digital camera to keep on my computer.

You see, it's a very big deal to me, too,...because my students are a VERY big deal! :)

Lessons in Letting Go...

Normally, I try to blog once a week (at least) and usually try to do it on Sunday. This weekend, though, I had my hands full doing a number of things - some of them fun, some of them work (but still enjoyable). It's a busy time of the year for me.

You see, our school is almost out for the summer. My classroom needed some "pre-purging" on Saturday, and I needed to prep more than usual for this week's classes. It gets a little complicated the last week of school. Not grades, really, more with students needing my time and attention...and assurances.

Let me explain. I teach sixth grade in a middle school. Contrary to what you may have heard about students in this age range, they are a joy to teach if your heart has a calling for these precious and awkward children stuck in those "tween" years. My heart doesn't just have a calling, it has a solid commitment and love for these students. On my worst day, I love my students and love what I do! The day I don't feel that way, I'll quit...because they deserve better.

The reason they need more of my time and attention this week? For all their hoopla about summer vacation almost being here, they begin to worry about leaving me behind. They have already started getting a little long in the face, hugging me more than usual, smiling sad smiles, drawing me more pictures, and writing me notes. It is all very touching, and I love them for it.

This happens every year, and I know it's coming, so...I do my best to prepare to be more available to them. This isn't a time to need to do last minute grades or rush them through something or be too busy to stop in the hallway. No. This isn't an ordinary week for them. They need me to help them through the process of letting go and help them know they'll do great when they move on.

Now, don't let me fool you. As much as I love summer vacation, it's also a difficult time for me. I will miss them. We have shared our days together for the last nine months. I know from looking at one of my students if they are having a good day or not. I know which ones need extra encouragement, and which ones need a lesson, from time to time, on how they should treat their friends or mind their manners. I know which students I need to make sure ate breakfast in the morning and which ones might need money for lunch.

There is so much teachers do outside of actually teaching and grading and lesson planning. We have our ear to the ground and our finger on the pulse of our community of children...always. It's important. They are important.

I am sad that my time is over with this group of young people, but I love that I get the pleasure of watching them continue to grow in seventh and eighth grade. I'll get to pass them in the hallway next school year, share a smile now and then, cheer them on as they branch out into different interests and areas along the way, and - yes - I will always ask how they're doing, and if they're keeping their grades up. What can I say? Once their teacher, always their teacher. ;)

By the way, my students are unaware I am teaching them lessons in how to let go...

and, every year, I am very aware that my heart never does.

The Pied Piper of Poetry?

We had "Electronics Day" at school last week for the sixth graders. As a reward, they were able to bring small electronics to school and enjoy them during the day. Most of the students brought something that played music (MP3 players, cell phones). All day long students kept coming up to me in the hallways and in the classroom to show me that they had the song "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons on their music device. They had the biggest smiles on their faces.

Earlier in the school year, I had introduced the students to the song "Radioactive" as part of a poetry study. I had so many students who said they didn't like poetry that I wanted to show them poetry comes in many different forms. I let them listen to the song. I put the lyrics up on a screen and we analyzed them - talking about what the words meant and what the song was trying to say. My students really liked the song. I showed them the music video afterwards, and we compared our analysis of the lyrics to what the video showed. We discussed what the visual images represented and talked about the video's message.

"Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvTqknDobU

While I knew the students were familiar with the song from our study, it wasn't until later in the day that I truly understood what was really going on with everyone showing me that song on their playlist. In the afternoon, I had this conversation with a student that summed up what many of my students were thinking:


Student: Look at the song I have on my ipod!

Me: That's great! I'm glad you like it!

Student: The first time I ever heard it was in your class, remember? Remember when we studied it for poetry?

Me: Yes, I remember...

Student: Because we studied it in class, we liked it first AND we understand the song, AND now EVERYONE likes the song - it's EVEN on the RADIO! That means you are the coolest because you knew it was a good song first and you made it popular! 


Well, I had to chuckle (and was a bit flattered) that my sweet student thought that I had single-handedly made a song popular...and that I was "the coolest." I realized, though, there was something really important going on behind those big smiles and "thumbs up" I was seeing all day. I understood the "bigger lesson" my students learned from a song.

The BIGGER lesson:

Television and movies (and, in my opinion, society in general) bombards our young people with the message that being "dumb" or "the class clown" is funny...and that it's cool to be ignorant. They watch reality shows where people have no intellect, no common sense, and no talent (and, most of the time, no class)...but these people are popular (and on television) for being stupid and acting stupid. It sends a bad message. How often do young people ever get the message how great it feels to be smart?

The lesson my students learned was how great it feels to KNOW something, to UNDERSTAND something, and to FEEL GOOD about themselves for having that knowledge. They walked taller, they felt smarter, and they were proud to show what they knew and to share it with others who didn't know. "You don't know this song? Oh, we learned it in Mrs. H's class. Let me tell you what the song means, you'll really like it!"

The old saying, 'Ignorance is bliss' is a lie. Ignorance is just ignorance,...but knowledge?

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

If you don't believe me, just ask my sixth graders...

Words, Words, Words!

I love to taste delicious words, don't you? I love learning new words, saying them out loud to feel the power of the words. Words are powerful, you know! Words have built countries and kingdoms,...and they have torn them down. Never underestimate the power of the right words spoken at the right time!

OK, so, what's up with me and 'word love' today, eh? Well, we played with thesauruses in my classroom today, and my students inspired me with their choices. You see, they had to come up with words to describe themselves,...but I told them that I didn't want just any old words, I wanted fabulous words - words that would be hard to resist. You know, the kind you just HAVE to say out loud and see how they taste!

We studied Dunbar's "We Wear the Mask" poem, and they are having to make two masks. One mask uses words that describe the "mask" they show to the world (how other people see them). The other mask uses words that describes who they really are on the inside - how they see themselves. We discussed how Dunbar's powerful poem would not have packed such a punch without powerful words like "human guile" and "vile" and "myriad subtleties."

My sixth graders did not disappoint me in their choice of words and, even better, they really had a good time with it! They couldn't believe some of the words they found and how much more wonderful those words were than the "basic" words (the words they usually use that really have very little flavor in them - mad, sad, happy, funny, lazy). They decided it was fun to dump the plain, old, tasteless words and choose some with a little more pizazz! :-D

Here are just a few examples of what they found and used:

lazy: slothful, languorous, lackadaisical

talkative: babblative, loquacious, multiloquious, loose-lipped

funny: jokester, quipster, zany

kind: amiable, gracious, cordial

shy: demure, timid, bashful, coy

brave: dauntless, greathearted, plucky, valiant


The word play today was really amusing, and the students' exuberance over their masks was a splendiferous wonder to behold!

(Yep, I love words...) ;)