This was a conversation I had with one of my 8th graders this morning.
Cody: Mrs. Wood, I don't know what you're doing, but you're creating some sort of superfreak readers in this school.
Me: Cody, what are you talking about??
C: All these kids, they've never read a day in their life, and you see them all walking around school with their head in a book.
Me: *stunned*
C: Like Ciara, I just saw her walking around, not even talking to her friends, she just had this giant book she was reading. And Beth, she rushes through her work in other classes because she just wants to read.
Me: Are you serious?
C: Yeah, your kids love to read.
Mrs. Wood -1 : Jerks who said you couldn't turn intensive students into readers -0
Thank you Cody for making my year.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
F-Day is upon us
Today I feel like a parent (duh, cuz I am one). More specifically, I feel like a parent dropping her child off for their first day of Kindergarten, hoping they'll do well, hoping that everything they've learned at home will be evident in their work. I sit now, watching a room full of anxious 8th graders, whose parents and teachers have knots in their stomachs today, knowing what this test means for them. I have knots in my stomach knowing what this test means for all of us.
For them, it tells their schools, teachers and parents how intelligent they are, even though it shouldn't. They will be judged by their results on this test for years to come. For their parents, it means a reflection of their home education. For us as a school, it means whether or not we prepared our students to face their greatest annual challenge. And for me as a teacher it means, did I do enough to educate and motivate?
Yesterday, I gave each of my students their pep talks, their FCAT goodie bags, and a personalized note of encouragement. Of the 85 students I've taught this year, only 2 are in my testing group. Those two practically brought me to tears this morning as they began their tests. Really, all the students did. Not one started reading the passage before previewing the questions. Then, they started previewing the article, marking up the test, eliminating wrong answers, restating the question for short response items. My God...those things we've worked so hard to teach them, they get them! They really get it. It was not in vain. They understand the value and have taken ownership of those strategies.
I wish so badly I could get those Florida legislative hotshots down here to see these kids. To see them sitting here for almost 3 hours, working their tails off to show what they've learned, despite being measured by a culturally biased and extremely boring test. Not only do they work their tails off now...but they can't even know the fruits of their labor until the results come back in LATE MAY! How's that for effective monitoring...that's 2 1/2 months from now, at which point most of these kids won't even remember what they did wrong, how they felt today, or how they could've done better. They'll just have a number. 1-5. The number that dictates which way they will go in life. It sure is F-day...just not the four-letter 'F' we normally associate with it.
For them, it tells their schools, teachers and parents how intelligent they are, even though it shouldn't. They will be judged by their results on this test for years to come. For their parents, it means a reflection of their home education. For us as a school, it means whether or not we prepared our students to face their greatest annual challenge. And for me as a teacher it means, did I do enough to educate and motivate?
Yesterday, I gave each of my students their pep talks, their FCAT goodie bags, and a personalized note of encouragement. Of the 85 students I've taught this year, only 2 are in my testing group. Those two practically brought me to tears this morning as they began their tests. Really, all the students did. Not one started reading the passage before previewing the questions. Then, they started previewing the article, marking up the test, eliminating wrong answers, restating the question for short response items. My God...those things we've worked so hard to teach them, they get them! They really get it. It was not in vain. They understand the value and have taken ownership of those strategies.
I wish so badly I could get those Florida legislative hotshots down here to see these kids. To see them sitting here for almost 3 hours, working their tails off to show what they've learned, despite being measured by a culturally biased and extremely boring test. Not only do they work their tails off now...but they can't even know the fruits of their labor until the results come back in LATE MAY! How's that for effective monitoring...that's 2 1/2 months from now, at which point most of these kids won't even remember what they did wrong, how they felt today, or how they could've done better. They'll just have a number. 1-5. The number that dictates which way they will go in life. It sure is F-day...just not the four-letter 'F' we normally associate with it.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
My dearest blog, I have neglected thee
Life has been busy, meaning blogging has taken a backseat, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things here. So I'll begin with a few random, run-of-the-mill, pretty standard updates.
I am astounded daily by the rate at which Collin learns new things. He floors me with his understanding of the world and the way it works. His latest thing is rhyming words. He learned this at "preschool" (aka Noggin-It's like preschool on TV) and has been running around finding rhyming words everywhere. He's also beginning to display many hard-headed tendencies. He has beliefs about the way things should be, and will accept nothing less than his way. He also has a knack for justification, making excuses and 'selling' his perspective.
In other news, Mia is slowly but surely showing her awesome little personality. She's finally started getting on all 4s, and she's SO close to crawling. She claps and delights in all the little things around her. She can pincer grasp food now and somewhat feed herself, and she's started pointing her chubby little finger at things that interest and excite her. Most of all she LOVES her brother. Everything Collin does is amazing in her book. Nobody can make her laugh like he can. I adore watching their relationship blossom.
In teacher world, FCAT testing starts Tuesday, which explains why I've been so busy. I decided to stop talking about the test last week, because anytime I would mention 'my least favorit F word' students would cringe and their stomachs would turn. It's bad enough that the state makes the test so high-stakes...I refuse to perpetuate the stigma in my own classroom.
On the home-front. We're moving. Saturday is our official move-in day to an awesome new house in Minneola! We're so excited to be closer to work and have more room than we've ever had! Pictures to come next week.
I am astounded daily by the rate at which Collin learns new things. He floors me with his understanding of the world and the way it works. His latest thing is rhyming words. He learned this at "preschool" (aka Noggin-It's like preschool on TV) and has been running around finding rhyming words everywhere. He's also beginning to display many hard-headed tendencies. He has beliefs about the way things should be, and will accept nothing less than his way. He also has a knack for justification, making excuses and 'selling' his perspective.
In other news, Mia is slowly but surely showing her awesome little personality. She's finally started getting on all 4s, and she's SO close to crawling. She claps and delights in all the little things around her. She can pincer grasp food now and somewhat feed herself, and she's started pointing her chubby little finger at things that interest and excite her. Most of all she LOVES her brother. Everything Collin does is amazing in her book. Nobody can make her laugh like he can. I adore watching their relationship blossom.
In teacher world, FCAT testing starts Tuesday, which explains why I've been so busy. I decided to stop talking about the test last week, because anytime I would mention 'my least favorit F word' students would cringe and their stomachs would turn. It's bad enough that the state makes the test so high-stakes...I refuse to perpetuate the stigma in my own classroom.
On the home-front. We're moving. Saturday is our official move-in day to an awesome new house in Minneola! We're so excited to be closer to work and have more room than we've ever had! Pictures to come next week.
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