You Owe Me a Coke!

I love that Josie equated caring with asking a question.  Thank you for asking such a caring question.        

What are some of your favorite routines that give you a glimpse into a student’s life

as a reader?

I have been thinking about this and there seems to be several obvious responses, like using reading surveys, talking about favorite books, graphing places and people that we like to read with.

But the most important way that I find about a student’s reading life isn’t really a routine at all.  Or is it?

For me, it’s the casual conversations that often happen on the way from the classroom to my reading classroom and back.  But could it happen more often?

The other day I was in the middle of reading a book with Brandon.  We were doing word work with –ed endings.  Just for fun, since it is October, the last word we looked at was ‘haunted.’  When I told him the word, we both laughed and said, Ooooo, it’s spooky!” at the same time.  We laughed some more and then Brandon gently squeezed the sleeve of my shirt and said, “Pinch, poke.  You owe me a Coke.”  

Do you know what we wrote in his journal that day?  Yes!  It was “Pinch, poke.  You owe me a Coke.”  And he wrote it with joy, urgency, and willingness.  This casual and spontaneous conversation thing was like a magic motivation pill.

So how can I make casual conversation more of a regular routine?  I think it goes back to the caring questions that Josie spoke about.  But I also think that it’s sharing something that you love and enjoy.  It’s easy to forget about the fun part of reading and writing when you are preparing for tests that continue to change with each passing year.  But the fun part is like the middle of an oreo.  You just need it to hold everything together.

What fun have you been able to put into your teaching?

I’m still stuck on the Cody series.  I just love her unusual way of looking at the world and bringing lightness and happiness to herself and others.  This is the second book of the series and I would say that the biggest strength in this series is getting to know the characters.  Tricia Sprigstubb does refer back to character traits from the first book, so it is more meaningful if the books are read in order.  This has been my own personal fun for October.  Thanks, Tricia and Cody!

A Question Can Feel Like Caring

Mary Kate, in her last post asked, “What’s the best book that you’ve read this summer and what does it show about your reading life?” Her question was recently followed by another reading question when I hosted a sleepover for my nieces and nephews.  As we sat at the breakfast table the youngest asked me, “What is your all time favorite book?”  That’s such a hard question for me, but as I think about it, the important thing was that he asked.  He cared.  As I turned the question back to him, he talked about his all time favorite book. Not surprisingly it was a book that marked him as a more sophisticated reader.  He justified that it wasn’t a challenging book but it was the first easy chapter book he could read and he reread it several times.  From there our breakfast table exploded into book talk. 

Both Mary Kate’s question and my nephew’s question have me thinking about the questions that many of us ask readers at the beginning of the year. 

As a reading support teacher and literacy coach I have the honor of learning about many readers.  As we complete our first weeks of school, many Developmental Reading Assessments (DRAs) are being give. Before I start a DRA I always ask the young reader to read a book from his or her book box that they love to read.  Just watching first and second graders dig through their boxes for that one book they can’t wait to share brings joy.  We usually chat for a bit about that book and then I listen to the child read.

I love the first steps for administering the DRA, with the focus on discovering more about the reader’s identity, a built-in reading conference.  You learn what are some of the student’s favorite kinds of books, you ask how books are chosen, about reading preferences such as would you rather read in a group, with a partner or alone, and for the earliest readers who do you read with at home.   Wow!  There is so much power in listening to these answers.  Not surprisingly, we uncover some challenges, as when students say they don’t have books at home or that their parents don’t speak English.  And the questions remind us of the power of our teacher words as when one girl told me that she reads to her baby brother because her teacher told her it would help him learn to read.

The best part of these conversations is watching their faces become animated as they talk about characters, books, or about reading to their dad.  And yes, sometimes these conferences reveal a reading identity that is concerning as when the young one is already thinking that reading is hard and feels that his or her reading isn’t good enough.

As I reflect on each of these young people and their responses I know I have been given a gift from each child.  Each one has revealed what brings him joy in reading.  Now my job, our job, is to keep that joy alive.  Yes, to nudge them as readers, to stretch and to introduce them to new authors and genres, but to also honor them as readers who have already developed interests and passions. 

Also, as I think about the questions we are asking readers about their identity perhaps the reader feels like I did when my nephew asked me about my favorite book. Or when Mary Kate asked about our summer reading. Someone cares enough about you to want to know about you as a reader.  I can only hope that our young readers feel that same way.  Yet I know it is through our continued teaching and interactions with that child, the building of the tools and strategies as well as the building upon their interests that will let them all know we do care about their preferences, about them as readers, about them period.

When Mary Kate and I started this blog we agreed to end each post with a question.  Later I asked if we could break that format.  Mary Kate wisely talked through the benefits of ending with a question.  Today I'm realizing the power in a question if we truly listen to the answer - a genuine question can translate to caring. And so I'm wondering...

What are some of your favorite routines that give you a glimpse into a student’s life as a reader?

My Summer Vacation Essay

I am lucky that in the school district where I work, teachers put together a 2-day workshop for new and current teachers to come and think together before the school year begins.  It’s simply called Leadership Academy.  I do think of these people as leaders because like many of us educators, this is all done on their own time and with no monetary reward. 

Dave Stuart, Jr. was the keynote speaker.  He is an teacher, father, educational blogger and author of the ebook  These Five Things, All Year Long.  He shared a story about Warren Buffet asking his pilot to write down 25 professional and personal goals.  Dave invited the audience to do the same and gave us a time limit.

I quickly began jotting down my goals.  The next part of this activity was to put a star next to the 5 most important ones.  And after that…

He shared Warren Buffet’s admonition to ignore the rest of the list.  The idea is that working on any of the other goals will take time and energy away from the top 5.

So, it’s in the spirit of less is more that I am narrowing down my focus from three questions to one.  Instead of:

1. How can I help my students build a reading life with purpose?
2. Can I help my student build reading connections with a more capable buddy outside of the classroom experience? 
3. Can goal setting be used to build independence and confidence with reading?

I want to think more deeply about question number 1.  I need to start by examining what my current purposes are for reading.  And NerdCampMI reminded about the most important reason.  As you might have guessed, it’s not easily measured and doesn’t make up any of the current standards or testing questions.  And I’ glad it doesn’t.

I was reminded how to find joy in reading again. Instead of just reading to find information, I remembered to read to find the joy in life.

In her last post, Josie asked:

What are you currently reading that supports your questions about teaching and learning?

I just finished reading the illustrated chapter book, Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb and let me tell you why this character makes me happy.  Tricia Springstubb has created a character that finds beauty and fun wherever she goes.  Cody is the epitome of the phrase “the joy of life.”  New visions of ordinary things take form through her eyes.  These are just a few:

• she is proud that her teenage brother’s number one talent is sleeping
• she has pet ants outside her house
• she meets a boy calling for his grandma’s deaf cat
• her favorite fact is that the lining of the gut replaces itself every three days and this means you may have your own new talents

My big revelation about my reading life didn’t come from standards or a district curriculum.  It came from the discovery of a shared look at the beauty of life.

I need to be ready to listen so I can get to know my students’ reasons for reading and to help them experience this delight in the discovery of literacy.

What’s the best book that you’ve read this summer and what does it show about your reading life?

Learning to Grow as a Team Member

In Mary Kate's last blog she invites us to choose three questions to consider this school year.  While I haven't constructed three questions, I do have one that I've been exploring this summer. How can I be a more productive and contributing member to all the grade level teams I collaborate with?  Luckily for me, another literacy coach in our district marked this book on Goodreads The Art of Coaching Teams - Building Resilient Communities That Transform Schools .  

 
What are you currently reading that supports your questions about teaching and learning?  

It was the subtitle that mainly grabbed me, "Building Resilient Communities."  Keeping with my self-promise of more reflection through writing I've been reading this book in small parts and recording my quick thoughts. 

Reading this book makes me even more thankful for those I get to collaborate with each day.  As a reading support teacher and literacy coach, I feel welcomed at team meetings.  I feel my voice is heard but sometimes worry that it could be overheard.  And if I'm truly honest, not all meetings are created equally.  There are those uplifting meetings, the less productive, the frustrating, the empowering, and all the in between.  I think we have all been there. 

So, the question is how can I personally help contribute more productively once the team has established the purpose for each meeting?

I am about a third of the way into this book and so far it focuses on what we can do as a team that will build our trust and help us become more productive toward our goals for student learning. Here are just a few of my notes and thoughts that this reading has guided:

•   I have to know myself as a learner and a person.  What qualities do I have to contribute to the team?  The author suggests that we know who we are and what we want to be.  I think that this is not always easy for educators.  As a whole it seems that educators are quick to express self-doubt and slow to admit our contributions or accept specific compliments.  

•   Work on keeping commitments and clearly state the purpose for the team meetings while keeping in mind different team meetings have different purposes.

•   Ask one another for feedback.  When teams get into the practice of regular feedback, members are able to be  more open with one another in monitoring progress.   

•   Reflect regularly as a team. Not only reflect on student learning but also reflect on how the team is functioning.

•   Continue to build a culture of listening

•   Celebrate Success - Big or little, we just can't get so bogged down that we forget to celebrate!

•   Acknowledge areas for growth - be honest with one another in a respectful way, in the spirit of keeping to team norms and reaching our purpose.

•   Practice appreciating one another and be specific.  

•   Play and have fun together! All of us can do that right?!  But in all honesty how often do we have the time or make the time to just have fun with those on our teams?

When I think about working with others whether that is with students or adults, 
I always think about trust.  I love that this book repeatedly reminds us that we have 
to work at building trust with one another no matter how long we have worked together.
Trust is truly at the core.