A Good Book to Use with Reluctant Readers!

The Book That Will Make You Love Books by Francoize Boucher

The Book That Will Make You Love Books
(click here to purchase)

I attended the Illinois Reading Council Annual Conference in Springfield on March 12-14. I had a wonderful time! Of course, I go to reading conferences to learn how to better support their reading endeavors, but I'll be honest: I also go to reading conferences for my own secret obsession with books! Let me tell you - I was in heaven at this conference.

While sitting in a session about new and notable books for young adults, the woman presenting the session held this book and up said, "Do you have students who simply hate reading? Students who simply refuse to read? Hand them this and tell them to read it." Boucher's little book is quite impressive as it presents students with reasons to love reading and things to do with books if you do not enjoy reading (tear them up, burn them, stand on them, etc.).

This is a fun read - enjoy!

What Teachers Make

I started this book last night and finished it this evening. It's another educational piece that praises teachers and all the work that they do. I found it to be an excellent read!

What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali



Taylor Mali

Teacher. Writer. Poet. Teacher-Supporter. Motivational Speaker. Taylor Mali.

Before you read any further, click here to visit Mali performing his poem, "What Teachers Make" (which he's also used for the title of his book that I'm reviewing). Scroll down to read the poem.

Well, what do you think? Did it move you? Frighten you? Encourage you? Anger you?

It should have.

I first saw this same video during the Educational Psychology class I took in college. I was stunned, silent, had tears in my eyes and goose bump pimples covering my body. I never in my life had seen anything so beautiful and honest.

What Teachers Make
(click here to purchase)

Here's the full title of his book: What Teachers Make: In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World. I'm a teacher. I think, Wow. Someone is praising the very thing that I wake up to do every single day. Awesome! In his book, Mali goes through his poem in great detail almost line-for-line.

Mali explains why he never lets his students leave his classroom for any reason. (He expects students to push themself to stay in the lesson for the entire period.)
Mali explains that he never accepts anything less than a student's very best...ever!
Mali explains why teachers are underpaid and where the best teachers are needed and why students will work their hardest for you if you simply love them.

This guy knows what he's talking about. READ THIS BOOK.

What Teachers Make
by Taylor Mali

He says the problem with teachers is
What’s a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life
was to become a teacher?
He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true
what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests
that it’s also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite conversation.

I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor.
Be honest. What do you make?

And I wish he hadn’t done that— asked me to be honest—
because, you see, I have this policy about honesty and ass-­‐kicking:
if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor
and an A-­‐ feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time
with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won’t I let you go to the bathroom?
Because you’re bored.
And you don’t really have to go to the bathroom, do you?
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
Hi. This is Mr. Mali. I hope I haven’t called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something your son said today.
To the biggest bully in the grade, he said,
“Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?
It’s no big deal.”
And that was noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math
and hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you’ve got this,
then you follow this,
and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this.

Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
Teachers make a goddamn difference! Now what about you?

[Borrowed from www.TaylorMali.com]

Up the Down Staircase

Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman

If you visit my other blog (which can be accessed at the top right of my current blog), you will see book reviews of the many books I read. Seeing as my first book was related to teaching, I thought I'd share it on my Bliss blog as well. Enjoy!

Jay and I just returned for another wonderful holiday vacation in Buffalo, NY. This was my third Christmas visiting his family there, and it was by far the best! (Isn't it nice when things continue to get better and better?!)

Uncle Rick and I

If I haven't said this already, I'll say it again: Jay has the most amazing family in the entire world. From the second I met them, I immediately felt as if they were my own family. It's nice to spend a holiday away from my own family and yet still feel completely 'at home' with Jay's. There's no possible way to talk these people up enough, so I'll stop here, but I must add that I've grown
particularly fond of one man in particular - Jay's Uncle Rick.

Uncle Rick and I bonded instantly. While I was working toward finishing my education, I learned that Uncle Rick is a retired teacher. It was love at first sight, really. He was a constant encouragement to me as I struggled with the ups and downs of being a student of education, looking for a job, and then, FINALLY, obtaining my first job. I'm extremely blessed that Jay's family plays such a large role in my life.

Last year, Uncle Rick gave me plaque with the following words:

Let's eat grandma.

Let's eat, grandma.

*

Commas save lives.

Awesome, right? This year, Uncle Rick gave me something a little more...meaningful, powerful, sentimental - okay, this gift was freakin' awesome! He gave me a book I'd never heard of: Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase. It's the story set in the early 1960s about a young woman's new life as a teacher in a large and suffering metropolitan high school. Uncle Rick found me an original copy of the book and also included a DVD of the 1967 film version along with it. This was one of the first inspirational teacher movies that was created.

Uncle Rick explained that he first read this book during his college education (and multiple times since then!), and so instantly the book became even more special to me. I just finished reading it this week. What a wonderful first book to ring in the New Year!

Up the Down Staircase
(click here to purchase)

In a school with a chalk shortage on the first day, more paperwork to fill out than a receptionist, and a janitor who, when teachers request his services, sends news that, "There's no janitor down here in the basement right now," what's a first year teacher to think about the education system? While I haven't experienced those exact problems during these past few months, I did however find myself relating to Ms. Sylvia Barrett's life in a new school: names to learn, school practices to adapt to, and bell schedules, to name a few. I found a strength in Ms. Barrett's character that only new teachers might pick up on.

Kaufman writes in such a way that she brings readers directly into Ms. Barrett's classroom. Through letters to her friend Ellen, intraschool communications with fellow teachers, and notes from her students' Suggest Box, readers not only see what happens at Calvin Coolidge High School but experience what happens with the teachers and students on a daily basis.

Bel Kaufman is alive and well at 102 years old! Here's a lovely photo of her below. I've included an excerpt from a fabulous article written two-and-a-half years ago: At 100 years old, Ms. Kaufman is still shpritzing jokes, Jewish and otherwise, which is in her genes. Her grandfather was the great Yiddish storyteller Sholem Aleichem, a writer who was able to squeeze heartbreaking humor out of the most threadbare deprivation and wove the bittersweet Tevye stories that became the source for “Fiddler on the Roof.” Click here to view the entire article, "Bel Kaufman: At 100, Still a Teacher, and Quite a Character."

Bel Kaufman at 102 years old
Photo taken from NYTimes.com

A Look Back @ 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 

First off, let me just start by saying that I PROMISE to be more active with my teaching blog. There is so much that I've learned in these past months that I want to share, but things, experiences, and opportunities have just been filling up and piling into my mind that all I can do is embrace them and enjoy. [Did I just make a New Year's resolution?! Oops.]

Yep, 2013 was pretty great (even though it had its ups and downs, but what year doesn't?!)! Let's look at some highlights, shall we?

• I landed my first-ever, full-time teaching position - my dream job teaching ESL English to high school students! It's been quite the journey, but I wouldn't change my life for anything! My students have made me appreciate this great world so much more, and I believe I learn more from my kids EVERY DAY than they do from me. Thanks, kids! Ms. Noonan loves yas!
• I read 46 books in 2013! I fell eight books short of my original goal, but I surprised myself by actually doing what I could to stick to my original plan of reading a book a week. Wow, the places I've traveled to and the people I've met this year. I love reading more and more each and every day that I'm alive!
• My brother and his now (as of January 1st, 2014) fiance moved back to Chicago from Mississippi, and our family has somewhat rekindled itself. We even put together an early family Christmas party (something that is usually quite difficult seeing as I travel to Buffalo, NY each year to visit Jason's family, not to mention every one else's holiday travel plans), which was simply wonderful! My brother and I had lost touch for a couple of years, but now that he lives close once again, he's become such a big part of my life all over again. I swear, the older I get, the more important family becomes to me, and I'm grateful to be experiencing such wonderful relationships with the people I'm closest to.
• I celebrated four wonderful years with Jason, my best friend and favorite person in the world.
• I attended a number of ESL and Literacy conference and trainings. In just the few, short months that I've been teaching, I feel that I've grown emotionally, professionally, and happily in ways that I never knew were possible. I'm like a sponge! I crave learning all that I can while I am still young enough and energetic enough to do it!

I've already begun reading my first book for 2014, and I'm so excited to tell you about it. It's very important because someone very special gave it to me. Stay tuned to read about it in my next blog posting :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

The IRC's Day of Reading (DOR) Conference!

This was the 37th Day of Reading Conference!

This past weekend, I attended my very FIRST Day of Reading Conference held by the Illinois Reading Council! Yes, it was extremely tough placing my trust (yet again) in another substitute teacher and leaving my kids for all of Friday, but both my students and I have really gained SO MUCH from my attendance at this conference. Click here to view information about it.

I spent two amazing day filled with information sessions presented by professionals, authors, teachers, librarians, and simple community people alike! From the second I arrived, I was welcomed by fellow lovers of reading - I found a place where I belonged. Joining the Illinois Reading Council (IRC) was the best gift I could have given myself as a first-year-of-teaching gift. As a part of both the Northern Illinois Reading Council and the Secondary Reading League, I feel that I have access to all the reasources I'll ever need in order to be a dedicated and successful educator.

After spending a bit more money than I had any right to, LOOK WHAT I WENT HOME WITH (not to mention endless packets, brochures, resources, etc.):

BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!

Yes, ahh, books! Tons and tons of books. Of course, I received these books with only my students' needs in mind... (NOT!)! I will absolutely share, but I also get to read a ton of new novels with my students! One of the presenters at the conference had TONS of her previous and current students' comments on all sorts of things to share. So I got this idea: Each time a students borrows one of my books to read, they have to fill out a "comment card" about their reaction to the book. I know what you're thinking - more work for the kids to do. And I would agree. Too often, students dislike reading simply because they view it as work! Whenever they are assigned to read something, they feel that their stinkin' teachers are going to require some sort of work from this. Unfortunately, this is true. Part of my teaching beliefs deal with getting students to read for pleasure, enjoyment, FUN! But rather than viewing my "comment cards" as work, it is my goal that by filling out a comment card (a 1-2 sentence reaction to the book), my current students will be sharing the gift of reading with future students. When I go to a book store, I really love reading testimony about books. I love seeing Staff Picks or "If you liked this, then try this..." recommendations. I could have no clue what a book may be about, but if I see that someone else has taken a second to share his or her reaction and testimony with me, I will almost ALWAYS pick up that book that I know has reached someone else. Anyway... "comment cards" are my next big movement in my world of reading. :)

Professional Development Reflection - September

Professional Development - Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching

September 17, 2013

As a member of the New Teacher Mentor Program with District 205, I am required to attend five professional development meetings. As a part of the program, I am asked to reflect on each of the meetings I attend, and with good reason. Reflection, to me anyway, is one of the most beneficial, meaningful, and healthy exercises that I can do to continuously check in with myself on how I am doing professionally and emotionally. In District 205, every teacher is evaluated at least once a year in accordance with the Charlotte Danielson model. There are four domains in which a teacher is evaluated on: Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities. This first professional development meeting went into further detail explaining each of these four domains more specifically.

The leader of the mentor program asked us to reflect on the following question: What insights have I gained from this meeting, and how will those insights impact my classroom?

I am glad to have learned more about the Danielson model. I learned what exactly is expected of me during my observations. (Since I am a new teacher and non-tenured, I will be observed THREE times with a summative evaluation at the end of the school year.) I want to tailor my teaching to align with the Danielson model not only for the purpose of my evaluation grade, but more importantly so that I know that I am a good and effective teacher.

__________________________

Updating this blog on October 30, 2013:

At this point, I have already been observed twice by an administrator, and on both observations, I received a Proficient mark (3 out of 4 points on the Danielson scale). My mentor and I are in the process of creating a goal for this year, and a part of that goal will entail striving to receive an Excellent mark (4 out of 4 points on the Danielson scale) on my third and final observation. Since I attended this first PD meeting, I've really been reading through and reflecting on the Danielson model. In preparation for creating this new goal, I am really thinking about Domain 3 in particular, which deals with Instruction. Administration will be looking to see whether or not I am a good teacher, but more than that, they will be looking to see how students respond to my lessons during classtime. Are students taking ownership for their learning? Are students motivated and involved with the lesson? What are students doing to ensure their successes? Domain 3 has five components:

3a Communicating With Students
3b Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
3c Engaging Students in Learning
3d Using Assessment in Instruction
3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

As I continue moving through this year, I will be working very hard toward increasing the meaning of my classroom instruction.

A QUARTER of the way there!

Well, it's official.

I've made it through my very first quarter of teaching!

Yes, it's true. This morning, I finished entering my grades for first quarter! I clicked the 'save' button, said goodbye to last quarter, and shouted hello to the future! In my first 10 weeks of teaching, there have been many ups and downs. Some nights I came home glowing, and others I stumbled through the door in tears. But through it all, I've discovered one extremely important thing: I am a teacher. I am a good teacher. And I am doing exactly what I was put on this Earth to do.

Gosh, I just can't explain the surreal-ness of going to a JOB that I am absolutely smitten with!

As I look back over first quarter, I am pretty happy with all that I've done during my first ten weeks as an educator. What I'm most proud of are the relationships I've formed with both my students and my colleagues. I am a part of a great team at East High School, and I couldn't have asked for better students!

Much more to come. Now that I've finally found my nich, I seem to have more free time, especially on the weekends, and I promise to blog as much as I can!

This was our first ESL social. We had just under 100 students
come out to the park for a picnic in last September. It was wonderful!