Teacher Donna T

OK – picture this – a relaxing boat ride in the Finger Lakes on a warm, sunny day – a cool breeze, calm waters, and interesting people.  Wasting away in Margaritaville?  Not quite - Science on Seneca! 

The Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges sponsors Science on Seneca as an educational outreach program.  It is meant to enhance the teaching of environmental science in the region, introduce students to the field of environmental studies in an authentic floating laboratory, provide useful content and standards-based curricula for teachers, and expand the understading of the Finger Lakes Watershed through long-term monitoring of Seneca Lake.  I highly recommend taking advantage of this experience.

The program is open to in-service teachers, with a limit of 20 per day.  The day begins with a classroom-based overview, then it’s 3 hours on the lake learning how to collect samples and run a variety of tests on them.  It is hands-on and minds-on.  After returning to the classroom and a good sandwich, the instructors introduce a variety of lesson plans and other resources available to teachers.  The lessons include chemistry, biology, earth science and interdisciplinary topics. After completing the program, teachers are eligible to bring their classes for field trips for a nominal fee of $15 plus transportation. 

The lesson plans and loads of information are available at http://fli.hws.edu/sos/.  There are a few limitations to be aware of.  First, the boat can only hold 22 warm bodies, so you’ll need to limit your group size.  Up to two trips can be arranged per day.  Second, there is a mandatory ‘tour’ of campus for the students either before or after the boat tour.  Third, there are strict policies regarding footware, behavior, clothing, and insurance waivers – these are meant to assure safety for the students.  Lastly, there are very few weather conditions that result in cancelling of the boat trip, so your students (and you) will need to tough it out if it is cold/rainy/windy.  You may want to bring some ginger or other potions for those who are prone to sea-sickness.

I learned a tremendous amount today about zebra mussels and other invasive species, their impact on the local environment and the controversy that surrounds taking measures to reduce their numbers.  I also re-learned how to use a Secchi disk and how to test for dissolved oxygen chemically instead of using an ion-specific electrode.  It was science at its best!  I hope to bring a group of students next year to share the experience. 

I won’t be joining my classmates in the mock-interview process on April 13th, due to a significant family responsibility.  So….I’ve been asked to post my teaching philosophy as a substitute experience.  Because it is Easter Sunday, I decided to use a semi-Biblical theme loosely entitled the ‘10 commandments of teaching’.  Comments welcome!   

Ten Commandments of Teaching

#1 – Thou shalt not enter the practice of teaching unless thou has a true and enduring passion for it.  It is a very demanding profession that is not for the uncommitted.

#2 – Thou shalt always begin a lesson by assessing students prior knowledge.  Know thy audience and their conceptions/misconceptions.  Adapt your instruction accordingly.

#3 – Begin with the end in mind.  Thou shalt determine objectives and assessments first and foremostest, and design appropriate assessments to gauge learning before designing lessons.

#4 – Thou shalt use the Understanding by Design approach and your own life experiences to develop lessons that will engage the unique set of students in your classroom.  Make it real and make it relevant to them.

#5 – Use student-centered approaches as much as possible.  Thou shalt encourage students to take ownership of their own learning.  

#6 – Bring real science to the classroom as much as possible.  Thou shalt allow students to experience the inquiry-based, collaborative, iterative, messy and controversial stuff that is science. 

#7 – Assess early and often.  Use thouest formative assessments to adapt your instruction along the way.  Mix formal and informal assessment methods.   Be sure students assess their own learning and encourage metacognition.

#8 – Thou shalt keep an open mind and reflect on how lessons could/should be improved after each implementation.  Useth these ideas the next time. 

#9 – Thou shalt, above all, guard the physical and emotional safety of thy students.  Do no harm.  

#10 – Thou shalt, guard thy personal physical and emotional safety too.  Trying to be a martyr helps nobody.  Maintain a ‘half-full’ vs. ‘half-empty’ philosophy.  Look for the small wins each day and celebrate them.  You are making a positive difference. 

A few times a year, my district pulls cross-school department teams together for a ‘professional development’ (PD) day.  It is always enjoyable to connect with peers and share experiences, but our last PD Day was especially awesome.

What did we do?  Well – the original plan was to do some kind of development of ‘power standards’.  I don’t really know the details, but I have to confess it sounded like a real sleeper to me.  At the last minute, the original plan was scrapped and we were charged with developing chemistry labs that could be done by non-chemistry teachers at a facility where suspended students serve their “time”.  At first, we all thought ‘whoa – how are we going to do that??’.  No fume hood, no “real” chemicals – ??

Before long, though, the creativity started flowing.  We brainstormed examples of household chemistry and related concepts.  How about investigating pH of cleaners, beverages, and other liquids using litmus paper?  How about exploring percent composition using microwave popcorn and a triple-beam balance?  My favorite – how about manipulating density by creating and maneuvering a “submarine” made from a film canister and beads for ballast in a glass of water?  After narrowing our list down to a manageable number, we then divided responsibilities for assembling materials and writing the lab objectives, student resources, and teacher resources.   

By the end of the day we assembled 20 lab kits for use in the suspension facility that would rival anything you can purchase through Flinn Scientific.  Each of us realized the value of the kits and we hope to assemble the documentation in the form of an indexed electronic booklet for use in “normal” classrooms too. 

This was truly time well spent - we must have been in our ‘zone’ because everyone thought the day flew by!  It goes to show how much a small, dedicated team of people can accomplish.   I recommend this “lab challenge” activity to any science team that is looking for ideas on what to do for PD day. 

     I had the priviledge of co-coaching my high school’s science Olympiad team this year.  The New York State Science Olympiad (NYSSO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of science education in grades 5-12, increasing male, female and minority interest in science, creating a technologically literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science and technology. These goals are achieved by providing opportunities for teams of students to participate in 22 regional and state Science Olympiad tournaments across New York State.  You can find out more at the official website:  http://newyorkscioly.org/

     My first surprise of coaching was the level of time and energy required to recruit students to participate.  I thought we were off to a good start in October, but shortly after our first team meeting I was inundated by students cancelling.  It turned out that most of the students who would normally be drawn to the Science Olympiad competition were enticed away by the music department to participate in an out-of-state performance on the same weekend.  I guess a 4-day trip to Ohio with friends was much more appealing than an afternoon in Brockport, NY! 

     So, in November it was back to the drawing board with the team roster.  After many official and unofficial recruiting sessions, we finally assembled a team of 15 students willing (but frankly not very eager) to participate in Science Olympiad.  The coaches tried very hard to motivate the Olympians to prepare for their events – offering time after school, during study hall, cookies/pizza treats, whatever it took.  We didn’t see much interest on the part of the students until a few days before February 7th – the day of the competition.  This was difficult for me to understand – what were we (the coaches) doing wrong? 

     My disappointment continued when 3 of our students didn’t show up for the 7am bus on the day of the competition.  This required some creative scrambling to rearrange student schedules so that we did not forfeit any events.  I held several students captive on the bus ride, to talk about what to expect in the Environmental Chemistry and Disease Detective competitions.  My disappointment began to fade when I saw small sparks of interest in their eyes.

     When we arrived at the SUNY Brockport campus, our students realized that they were a little different from most of the other competitors.  We saw teams with matching lab coats carrying shiny safety goggles, forensics lab kits, and impressive graphing calculators.  One team was engaged in an animated discussion of the pros and cons of genetic therapy.  They were obviously very well prepared and practiced for the day.  I felt like a member of the Jamacain Bobsled team.  Although I was cautiously optimistic that the students would enjoy the day and hold their own, I was also a little worried that their lack of preparation would result in low scores and disenchantment with science – the very opposite of our reason for being there in the first place.  I kept fingers and toes crossed the entire time.

     In the end, the optimist won out.  The kids had a blast most of the day and came home very pumped up about science.  We earned achievement medals in 5 events.  We were near the bottom of the pack in overall score, but the competition is designed to recognize many types of ‘winners’, and individual as well as team excellence.  When our Environmental Chemistry team accepted their medal, they beamed like Oscar winners and immediately began texting their friends with the good news.  The day was a good lesson for all of us that preparation is important, but the nature of science welcomes the misfits and spontaneous competitiors too.  When I heard the kids talking on the bus ride home about elevated bridge design features and how to do even better in the competion next year, I knew that we ’done good’.      

With the Golden Globe awards behind us and the Oscars looming, I decided to do a movie review for this week’s post.  If you have not seen “Stand and Deliver” (vintage 1988), it is worth popping some popcorn and spending 108 minutes with it.   The movie portrays the work of Jaime A. Escalante, a second-career teacher who built an impressive AP Calculus program over the course of several years in a disadvantaged Los Angeles public high school.

I enjoyed watching the very real situations that Escalante encountered as a new teacher from the cushy corporate world.  He was hired to teach computer science, and found on his first day that the school had no computers.  His car radio was stolen.  Some of his students were thugs; others were responsible for caring for siblings or aging relatives as soon as they got home from school.  Many of the other teachers Escalante encountered had such low expectations of their students that they were unable to ignite any type of positive change in the classroom.   Despite these obstacles, Escalante built a solid math program that enabled 18 out of 18 students to pass the AP Calculus exam.  The results were so unexpected that the College Board accused the students of cheating and required them to repeat the exam.  (16 did and they passed).   

Sadly, the effort that Escalante put in to his teaching took a toll on his own health and the well-being of his family.  Although I’m sure some of the information in the movie has been exaggerated for the sake of a good drama, it is a thought-provoking film that is with lessons for students and teachers alike.

A more factual (but less entertaining) telling of the Stand and Deliver story can be found here:  http://www.reason.com/news/show/28479.html

     One of the topics we mused on in EDU434 last Monday was the concept of giving students a little downtime during class.  The folks at my table felt that using every single minute of class time for instruction is often counter-productive.  There is a growing movement to extend this idea beyond the classroom and reduce the amount of homework to make room for downtime (see http://stophomework.com/teenagers-drastically-need-more-downtime/71)  I agree whole-heartedly that downtime is important for students.  Just as importantly, I think it extends beyond students - teachers need downtime too.  Humans do.

     My ‘action reasearch’ this week involved unplugging myself from the computer and doing zero school-related work for two days.  That is unprecedented since the day I started teaching, and it felt absolutely great!  Forty-eight hours of bliss.  I spent quality time with my daughter painting and rearranging her room – she had outgrown the pink and peach flowers and went with a cool aqua/lime color scheme.  I talked to my son about college experiences and my newly-engaged step-daughter about marriage.  I walked hand-in-hand with my husband and marveled at the neighbors’ holiday light displays after dinner.     

     The bliss had to end today.  Instead of getting up at 5am to nail Black-Friday deals, I got up at the same time to grade papers and do my 434 lesson plan rubrics.  The good news is that after recharging my batteries the past two days, I was fairly clear-headed and way more productive than I would have been otherwise.  Lesson learned – I need to make down-time a priority for myself as well as my students.   

     I pulled out my U of R “Program of Study” today to figure out which class to register for in the Spring.  It hit me like a ton of bricks that I am supposed to graduate a year from now.  Yikes – how did that happen???  The endpoint seemed so far away when I started down this path towards a masters’ degree.

     It also hit me that between now and January 2010, I need to choose a thesis topic, do research, come to some novel conclusions, and write it all up in a document with flawless APA formatting.  That seems overwhelming at this point.  I know that people manage to do it all, but how??  So many topics, so little time.  I’m sure I will figure it out eventually, but sage advice would be appreciated……

     As a new chemistry teacher, I’ve been very fortunate to have 2 veteran peers who helped me tremendously in my first year and continue to do so in my second.  Although we don’t interact on a daily basis, I’ve come to count on both of them for suggestions and pearls of wisdom when I need inspiration or stress relief after a tough day.

     This week I learned that one of the veterans, Ms. Gibraltar, will be moving out-of-state.  Her husband was offered a new job opportunity that was too good to pass up.  My initial reaction was joy for Ms. Gibraltar and her husband, and panic for the rest of us.  How would the school, how would I get along without her?  What changes were in store? 

     After the panic subsided ( this took several days ), I felt a little differently.  Having survived and thrived through many changes on the road of life, my more logical side told me that things would be OK.  Sure, we’d all need to learn more about the lab files, the chemical storeroom, AP chemistry, how to repair gas valves, where to buy supplies, etc. etc. etc.  Maybe that was not a bad thing? 

     We all tend to resist change because it is uncomfortable.  Like it or not, though, change is life’s constant.   In many ways, it is what sustains and energizes us.  Change nudges us to grow.  I keep telling myself to embrace change – “When you are through changing, you’re through” (Bruce Barton). 

On the day after an historic presidential election, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of student Barack Obama was in high school.  Was he anything like Albert Einstein, who was labeled as “slow” in his early school years?  Were there any clues he would become our country’s first African American president?

 Based on the information I’ve been able to find, there was something special about “Barry” Obama as far back as 1979.  He played a lot of basketball.  His high school team was called the Punahau Rat-Ballers, and they won the state championship with the help of #23.  Coach Chris McLachlin remembers that Obama wasn’t the best on the team, but he probably worked the hardest.  “I remember him being, probably, in the gym when he wasn’t supposed to be. When there wasn’t a teacher but he went there anyway, he just had to shoot.”  (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3082803&page=1 ) 

Obama didn’t have a traditional mom and dad type of family.  His grandparents played a big role in his upbringing.  In his memoir, “Dreams From my Father”, Obama reflected that his high school experience was a turning point in his life.  It was during that time that Obama honed his most important talent: his ability to communicate.   “He could beat anybody in a debate and we wouldn’t even realize we got beat because we’d end up agreeing with him,” his high school friend Dan Hale said. “He would be very straight to the point and then he’d just have a way of just getting people to agree.”

So, who knows?  Maybe that debate that you set up in your classroom this week will nudge another budding president on his/her path.   We really are fortunate to live in a country where all things are possible.

Tomorrow, I will be out of the classroom for the first time this school year in order to participate in a professional development session.  Leaving my students in the hands of another teacher feels a little bit like leaving my son in daycare for the first time.  Will they be OK?  They are in the middle of an important quantitative lab – will the data turn out?  Will the students who have been absent for a few days survive without me to help them catch up?  Of course the answer to all of these questions is ‘yes’.

There is a quiet pool of very accomplished substitute teachers out there.  They are amazingly versatile – filling in for all different subjects, all different grade levels –  at the drop of a hat.  Each one has their own story – some are retired veteran teachers, others are just starting out, still others had careers in other areas & are ’subbing’ on a temporary basis.  They don’t always get the respect they deserve, but I sure am glad they are there. 

I substituted for 3 months before teaching full-time.  It was a fantastic learning experience.  I expected to enjoy middle school more than high school – it turned out the other way around.  Good thing I figured that out before taking a full time job!  I also picked up all kinds of tips from other teachers – the little things like color coding classes to keep schedules, papers and attendance records separate, talking to students at their eye level,  creating a ‘while you were out’ folder for students who miss class, etc…..

Subbing gave me new confidence to deal with unexpected surprises - fire drill on the first day at a new school?  no problem…just follow the crowd.  Class without any lesson plan?  Not to worry – bring a DVD just in case – An Inconvenient Truth always managed to spark good debates.  Students who give you a false name just to test you?  - look them straight in the eye – they usually start laughing uncontrollably.  

The point of all of this rambling is to put in a plug for showing appreciation to substitute teachers.  Try to leave a map of the school so they can find the bathroom.  Be sure to prepare lesson plans that someone can follow in a hurry – they normally only have a few minutes before the bell rings to figure things out.  Most of all, talk to your students ahead of time about showing respect toward the substitute teacher – they surely deserve it.