Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Our Last Read Aloud

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 13

Today, we finished our last read aloud of the school year.  It is always bittersweet to finish that last book.  Read Aloud is always such an important part of our days together and it's been the one time during this online/pandemic teaching that most students have shown up every day and we've rebuilt our community.  From what parents have shared, our daily 11 am read aloud was a time many students looked forward to. Which makes me happy. My big goal during all of this was connection and relationships and some sense of normalcy and joy and I think read aloud accomplished that for many students.

One thing I notice was that students were less willing to talk. They were far more passive than they usually were in the classroom.  They seemed to need a different experience with read aloud---one that was just about connecting and community.  One where they could just listen in mostly.   One student said midway through the book, "We know if we don't talk, you'll just keep reading and we just want to hear the story." (Something they never asked for in our classroom as the talk and thinking together was always as important as the story for most students). So, I went with that. And it seemed right.

Our last read aloud was The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. I chose this as our last read aloud for several reasons and I think it was the perfect pick. Many students had heard The One and Only Ivan as a read aloud in 3rd or 4th grades so they were familiar with the characters. They had shared some excitement about this new book when I shared the cover reveal months ago.  I hoped going back to characters we already knew and loved might be comforting. I also hoped that some kids would want to reread The One and Only Ivan (which several did or are planning to.). And finally, I knew the movie is scheduled to come out soon and I figured this would be another great memory/connection in the fall when they watched the movie.

The book is fabulous, and I highly recommend it for a summer read or a class read aloud. We read it over a 2-3 week period but we could have read it in about 1-2 weeks as the chapter are short, and the kids just beg to keep reading more as there is some suspense throughout.  Students loved the story and the characters and the fact that we got to know this fabulous character Bob a bit better.  My students also say they'd recommend this to everyone as a summer read. Most liked pretty much everything about it.  And as a teacher, I took comfort in reading more about characters I've known and loved for years.  (I think this would also make a good first read aloud of the school year. Even for students who haven't read The One and Only Ivan, I think this stands alone and Bob is a fabulous character --there is plenty to think and talk about throughout the story.)

Katherine Applegate does an amazing job with this story and it was such a wonderful way to end our read aloud time together this year.

Peggy Oxley: Teacher, Mentor, Friend

We are all the teachers we are because of the communities of teachers we are part of.  I have always known how lucky I am to have landed in Central Ohio and to have become part of the community of literacy educators here. I cannot imagine teaching without the kindness and brilliance of our local community of teachers.

This week, many of us in Central Ohio and beyond, are heartbroken because we lost an anchor in our community. Peggy Oxley, incredible teacher, mentor and friend, passed away this week.  You can read about Peggy here--a lovely obituary that reminds us of all that she did and all that she was committed to in her very full life.

I can't really remember for sure when I met Peggy. She's someone that, once you meet her, you feel like you've always known her, that she's always been there cheering you on, supporting you, teaching you, learning beside you. I think I met her first at our fabulous local Children's Bookstore, Cover to Cover. We both happened to be shopping on the same day, which happened quite often:-) I think Sally Oddi introduced us. And then of course I knew her through attending the Literacy Connection events for years and then I became a member of the board and had the opportunity to get to spend more time with Peggy--to see the power in her kindness and belief in people and literacy and education.

If you've ever been to a Literacy Connection event, you know Peggy. Peggy is the person who has led this group for decades. Even before teacher-created professional development and inquiry were part of the work teachers did, Peggy knew that inquiry and community and professional reading and teacher agency were critical to teacher learning and she created a community around those beliefs. She brought together a group of people who were committed to doing the best work we could for children. If you live in Central Ohio, you have most likely benefited from her vision.

All that Peggy did, she did with intention and joy.  Which meant that the Literacy Connection events were filled with intention and joy. Which is why this group, under Peggy's leadership, has lasted for such a long time. It is a critical community of learners for so many of us. Not only did she create a professional community but because of Peggy, so many of us have become good friends--she built circles of friends wherever she went.

Although Peggy was very involved nationally, she knew the importance of coming together locally, of learning together, of thinking together, of friendship.  The Literacy Connection events are held twice each year and they are full of the best energy out there. Peggy's vision, her commitment to bringing the best speakers to Central Ohio and to yearlong study around classroom work is unique and so treasured.  I know personally, Peggy invited me into this incredible community of educators and gave unconditional support and love (professionally and personally) for decades. I know she did this for so many of us.

I have not really been able to process this loss. It is a hard time to grieve and many of us are sad that we can't be together, that we can't give Peggy the tribute she so deserves. I am heartbroken today to have lost a teacher, mentor, and friend.  I know that Peggy's legacy will live on in so many people, but really, I cannot imagine this world without Peggy in it.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: The End of The School Year

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 11.

This is our last full week of school. I knew it was coming.  I thought I was ready.  Saying goodbye and ending the school year is always hard. Usually on the last day of school, I can hardly breathe, and I don't take a full breath until the buses have pulled away. I thought this year would be different because we knew--we've known for weeks--that we wouldn't be able to say goodbye in person. And we've settled into this remote/pandemic learning.  And it's been okay.

But then I started to plan this last 7 days with my students--trying to make it feel like a celebration, but without actually being together. And it is hard.

Then I saw this tweet from Jen Schwanke:

And I realized that yes, it is like time stopped. As much as I thought we'd be out of school for more than the 3 weeks that the governor announced on March 13, I certainly assumed we'd be back at least for a bit of time. I never thought we'd never be together in our classroom again--in the room we had created together. I never thought that kids wouldn't have the chance to do those things that we ask them to do so that the goodbyes are bearable and that they leave knowing how loved they are. I never thought I'd be cleaning the room, their room, alone.  

This week, with last day virtual celebrations being planned and end-of-year checklists being shared, it hit me that we are going to have to say goodbye on Google Meet. And I got really sad. I realized that usually, during this last week of school, we clean and we talk and we read and we have extra recess and we look at old photos and that even though we can do some of this from our homes, and in Google Meet, it isn't the same.

I started meeting with kids this week--to have final celebrations and conversations. None of us know how to end the school year like this.  But we are doing our best.

I have admitted how difficult this remote/pandemic is from about day 2 but nothing has been as hard as this last week of trying to close out a year without having all the time we were supposed to have.  Dismantling something alone that we weren't finished creating together. Thanks for the warning, Jen.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Summer Reading

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 10.

As we go into our last full week of school/remote learning, I am thinking about Summer Reading. In the classroom, I always dedicate a lot of time these last few weeks helping students create a summer reading list.  And I always do the same. We preview books, we share titles, we read reviews, we visit websites, we take recommendations from others.

For the past several summers I've participated in Donalyn's summer #bookaday and I spend time counting the days and thinking about books I'll start with.  Summer is always a great time for me to catch up on so much reading and I make it a priority.

But I am finding that I am not reading as much these days. When this stay-at-home started, I figured I'd read a book a day.  I have plenty of books at home and plenty of time.  But I've really been struggling with reading. I've managed about a book a week most weeks but those are mostly read in spurts.

When I talked to my students about their reading, I am finding similar things. They are missing reading as much as they did, but they are not able to read as much.  And without being in school--having access to our classroom library, the school library and our amazing  public libraries, they are a little lost.  

We've spent some time over the last few weeks talking about this-how and what are we reading during this time. And I've noticed that for so many of my students, reading habits are changing. Some students aren't making the time for reading and are in a reading slump. But others are discovering new things.  Students who would never reread a book are now rereading books they have at home. Books they love.  Students who were adamantly opposed to eBooks have given them a second chance and realized that checking out and reading an eBook from the library is better than not having new books to read at all. My own 20-year old daughter has discovered audiobooks during this time at home. 

I'm wondering about these reading habits--which ones are just getting us through this crisis and which ones will stick. And I'm wondering how best to help my 5th graders think about summer reading during our last week together.   I'll still share some books and some sites for finding new books, but I think much of our talk will be around our habits and how we might have to build new reading habits during this time.  

As I think about summer #bookaday, something I've been committed to for years, I wonder how that might work this year.  Typically, I pick up a stack of books each week from the local library, but this year, that is not possible. So, I am rethinking what "counts" as reading. We are so lucky to have hundreds of authors reading their books aloud online. Does watching a video of that "count" toward my bookaday?  And I've never reserved picture book eBooks from the library--is that even a possibility? If so, I need to learn how to do that. And I wonder how I might build audiobooks into my life with so little driving (I typically listen to audiobooks on the drive to work but am wondering how I build those into my life at home.)

This week, when we talk about summer reading, I want my students to think about options.  Temporary options--through this crisis.  know my summer reading life may not look like it has in the past and I have to assume theirs won't either.  And I don't know what it will look like--if libraries will open, if I can learn to love eBooks, if I will stick with summer #bookaday.  I know as readers, many of us are talking about our changed reading habits during this time.  As adult readers, we know that we are still readers, and that we'll get our "normal" reading lives back. I want my students to know that too, 

So, I think this year, as we prepare for summer reading, I'll continue to talk to kids honestly about their changing habits and the reading challenges so many of us are facing during this pandemic. I'll throw out some resources and hopefully help them expand on the possibilities. Rather than creating a summer reading list, maybe we'll talk about building in some new habits as readers --or at least building in the habit of trying new things as readers as we navigate this pandemic.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning : Learning from Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 9.

I have come to rely on the weekly NCTE Member Gatherings to keep me energized during this time at home.  As much as I love a live event, I realize how many people I have come to know because of these online events--people who I've never had a chance to hear in person.  Last week, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad (@GholdyM) was part of the NCTE Gathering and if you were not able to attend, you need to watch her talk. You'll probably want to watch it more than once. It's incredible.

She read a bit from her new book,  Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. I have a copy but haven't had time to read it yet. I am planning on it being a summer read and decided to join the Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club so that I have others to think with around the book,

In the video of Gholdy's talk, I keep replaying her words at minute 14:30 and listen over and over to the 60-90 seconds that starts there.  It is one of the most important minutes that we, as teachers need to hear.

In this segment, she talks about the stories we tell about our students. And how often when teachers start talking about students in a deficit lens, she stops them and says, "NO. Start again."

I have been thinking about these words all week--NO. Start again.--such powerful words that make us stop and think about the stories we are telling about a child, a family, a group of students.

So many times, in my 30+ years that these words would have been helpful.  I have gotten much better at speaking up against negative talk about children and families but there are still times when I just don't know what to say.  NO. Start again. Seems perfect.

More importantly, I am thinking about these words for my own self-talk. Without intending to, on days when I am tired or frustrated, I too start telling a story about a child (to myself or to others) that isn't the story of the whole child, that doesn't account for all of his or her genius.  These words, "NO. Start Again." will hopefully pop into my head now, reminding me that the story I am telling is not okay, not true and not necessary.

During this time of online/pandemic teaching and learning, social media is full of stories about children and their families. Let's think a little more deeply about the stories we tell about our students.
What stories are we telling about our students? What stories do we tell about their families? Do we start from a place of love and genius or do we start from somewhere else? And why? If we start from somewhere else, let's tell ourselves, "NO. Start again."

Thank you Gholdy Muhammad for this hour of brilliance and love.  I can't wait to read this book.

Poetry Friday

When
I think
about next
year, I panic.
So much is unknown.
Am I up for the task?
Stop. Breathe. You are not alone.
Learn from others, share when you can.
Breathe. Embrace the possibilities.
Prepare for creativity and joy.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2020


Even though National Poetry Month is over, I haven't stopped looking for The Flipside. We're almost to the finish line of this crazy school year, but what lies ahead...well, I can't even go there. One step at a time. One directive from Central Office at a time.

Michelle has this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Today's Little Ditty.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Creating a Time Capsule

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 8.

I've been thinking about how to help students capture this time in their life, without adding to the stress they may or may not be experiencing at home. I want to make sure that the have the opportunity to think and  make sense of all they are feeling if that is something that would be helpful for them right now. If I have learned one thing as a teacher for over 30 years, it is that students are ready to deal with things at different times and in different ways. I never want to push a child to deal with something difficult with an assignment that they are not ready to deal with.

So this week, I decided to assign a Time Capsule assignment for Social Studies.  I think this is an interesting way to have students think about how we learn about history and about primary sources of information. I know there are lots of prepackaged Time Capsule ideas out there but I wanted it to be more open-ended as I wasn't sure what each student would want to do.

So this week, I shared this assignment with students. (You probably won't be able to access the sound but you'll get the idea:-)

 I can tell by our informal conversations before read aloud today that students are really thinking hard about what to include and we've already had some great conversations around that.  Students talked about including special events that they've celebrated at home and capturing those in some way. Some students talked about including things they've learned and made. Some have been thinking about writing they may include. Some have considered what to include to show that schools were closed and learning was online.  Many were worried that they have to share this next week (our school year ends in 8 school days) and we talked about making this a living thing until the pandemic or the school closings are over.  That of course they might add things over the summer and many seemed very excited about that which tells me they see a real life purpose to this--a reason to do it beyond because it is a school assignment.

I have been thinking about what I would include in my Time Capsule if I end up creating one. I have many ideas and creating a time capsule reminds me a little bit of notebook writing--you live your life differently inside this piece of history, when you are constantly awake to what you might include, what is important to capture during these days at home. I am sure I'll get many more ideas as kids share their time capsules next week. 

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 7.

Early in this online/pandemic teaching, I wanted my 5th graders to have an opportunity to think and write about what was happening if that was something that would be helpful. I did not want to force an assignment to write about Covid19 and about staying home but I wanted to put an invitation out there that would let students do that if they needed to. I mentioned this in one of my first posts during this stay-at-home experience, but wanted to share a bit more.

If you don't know Six Word Memoirs, they are a great type of writing to invite kids and adults of all ages to do. If this is new to you, I'd suggest watching Larry Smith's TED Talk on Six Word Memoirs.

Writing a story in 6 words is a great experience.   I knew that if I asked students to write 6 word memoirs, they could focus on Covid19 and their stay at home experience or they could focus on anything else. I also knew that this type of writing invites art and I have lots of students who make meaning through drawing this year.  

I put the invitation out there and asked students to share their 6 Word Memoirs on a class Padlet. I was amazed at how quickly students shared 1, 2 even 6 of these pieces in a short amount of time. If you've ever tried to write one, you will find that you can't stop at just one--it's a bit addicting.

I wrote one myself first and shared it with students. 

Never imagined a world without libraries.

Some students wrote about their dogs, some wrote about staying home, some write about courage and strength in hard times. About half the students added art, while others added photographs.

As I think about the kinds of writing I am asking students to do at this point in the school year, I want to invite them to try new types of writing that helps them make sense of their worlds in some way--a type of writing that can be healing. I find 6 Word Memoirs to be that kind of writing.  6 Word Memoir writing asks writers to really think about the things that matter most right now, and to think about a way to share that story in very few words.  It is the thinking in creating that I find to be helpful.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning: Day 6

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 6.

Had you asked me 2 months ago what my favorite time of day was I our classroom, I would have said Read Aloud time. The time we sit together in our meeting area, in a circle, and share a story together. We do lots of thinking and talking during this time and it is the time that I see many children comfortable sharing their voices and perspectives.  It is a happy time the kicks off our afternoon literacy block.

So, when we moved to online/pandemic teaching and learning, I built in daily time for a Google Meet read aloud. I have not been surprised that most of the kids in the class (between 21 and 24 out of 28 most days) attend the live Google Meet.

But my favorite part of the day is no longer read aloud. (Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE read aloud time--what better way to spend time each day than sharing a great book with children) I am finding that Google Meet has not yet invited the same depth of conversation that in person read aloud does. BUT the 10 minutes before we begin read aloud have been my absolute favorites.

I started opening the Google Meet about 10 minutes early when we first started, worrying that we might have trouble learning to mute, we might have sound issues, kids might have time getting into the Meet. But what I found is that these 10 minutes, as kids straggle in, have become the best 10 minutes of my day.  Kids arrive 2-3 at  a time most days. Some seem to be there waiting for me to open the room and are there the second that I am. Others pop in sometime in that 10 minute window.  This gives us me time to say hello and to catch up with each child as they arrive.

This reminds me of mornings in our classroom.  Because 5th graders are busy with various responsibilities in the mornings--some are part of Crossing Guard teams, some are part of the middle school Orchestra and some go to other classrooms to help out to star their day, our mornings when we were in school were often quiet as kids arrived at various times across a 20 minute window, depending on their other commitments.  I used to stand at the doorway and greet every child but I found this year that if I sat at our big classroom table, I could greet each child and also have longer conversations with several each day. Every morning I'd chat with each child. Those kids who had something exciting to share or who needed some extra support seemed to make it over to our big kitchen table where a group always gathered to talk and catch up on each other's lives. The space seemed to be an anchor for community. Some students stayed only a few seconds to check in. Others sat for 5-10 minutes talking and listening. But that informal greeting time seemed important, thinking back, It seemed to offer conversations that we really don't "count" in a school day, but conversations that add up.

Our 10 minutes in Google Meet before read aloud begins have started to feel like our morning arrival time in the classroom.  As students come in and I greet them and ask what's new, they share with others interested, just like they were at the big kitchen table in our classroom. Students who have been there for a few minutes, greet and ask questions of those as they arrive. Today we got to know a students' pet, we got to see photos of a students' newest baby sibling and we got to hear about a walk a student went on with his family.

I've been thinking about all of this because I've never really considered those first minutes of our school day--those minutes when kids arrive a few at a time-- because our day hadn't "started" yet. I never really gave it much thought.  Until our 10 minutes before read aloud started to have that same happy feeling.  Those ten minutes that we are waiting for everyone to arrive for read aloud that I may not actually "count". I don't think I could have planned a time for this to happen in Google Meet in an authentic way. I think there is something magical about the unplanned, informality of the sharing and greeting of each other that happens when we are waiting for everyone to arrive. I feel so lucky for those 10 minutes that just accidentally happened because I was worried about the technology.

Thoughts on Teaching & Learning..Day 5

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection trying to get this online teaching right.  I keep meaning to get my thoughts on paper but then get caught up in the day-to-day work of teaching in this pandemic era.  I know if I can catch my breath, there is a lot to learn and reflect on during this time. So, I decided that every day in May, I will share my thoughts on Teaching and Learning.  This is Day 5.

Covid Slide and Deficit Model thinking....

In the past couple of weeks, I have read this and this and this. I am so alarmed at some of the things I am reading about the "Covid Slide" and how "far behind" our students will be when this is all over and how this will require "aggressive remedial plans" when we return. I am worried for lots of reasons. First of all, when did this deficit model thinking become our norm? How did we get to the point, that in the middle of a global pandemic, we are worried that kids might not "make appropriate growth" during this time?

There are several things that can happen if we allow ourselves to think like this. First, we are setting ourselves up to look at students with a deficit model lens as soon as this pandemic is over. Instead of celebrating and seeing what they bring to us, we will see what they are missing.  If we focus on what kids will be "missing" we might miss stories like this.  We might forget about all of the many families who BernNadette Best-Green reminds us are showing up. We might not realize there is a child in our classroom who spent the entire quarantine working on a novel or another who spent hours learning about space, since he had more time than ever to dig in and learn. We might miss the stories of a student who cared for younger siblings while parents were at work or of the student who spent time making masks for others.  We will miss all the things they learned that can't easily be measured with data.

We are also fooling ourselves if we actually believe that kids make equal, incremental growth and that they all end up in the same place at the end of a normal year. This article considers some of this and is worth a read.

We are inviting more work on figuring out kids' gaps, creating plans to fill those gaps and thinking about remediation before we even look to see which skills kids do come with.

And let's talk about the "slide".  I do not want to minimize the devastation that closed schools are causing for children and families. Or the importance of students losing some skills that they've had in place. But I want us to be careful buying into this idea--these confident declarations-- that missing 8 weeks of school is going to call for remediation or a "lost generation".

Instead, what it will call for is us, as teachers, to get to know our students, see what they bring to the classroom, see which skills they have and to build on those. And to look at these children as whole beings, whole beings who have been through a crisis, who may come back to school needing social and emotional support. And children who will all need something different to meet their needs. It will not be time to look immediately for data to prove what a big problem we have because kids are reading 2 months below grade level (whatever that means) and to make remediation plans for all of the skills they don't have.  We can't go in with that mindset. Not for ourselves or for our students.

Our students, our families and our world are in a pandemic, a crisis.  And we are teachers and we will know how to nurture them. so they heal and grow academically. We will be able to teach in ways that fill in whatever gaps they have because of this current crisis.  But it will be so much harder to do if we start by believing all that has been in the media these last few weeks--that our kids will be too far behind. Now, more than ever we have to remember that life is learning and that each child will come back to school--whenever that may be--as they do every year--with gifts and strengths and areas for growth. And as we do every year, we will celebrate and build on what they come with, to help them learn and grow.

(I love this image from Create-abilities' Facebook page.)