Friday Musings: Chunk it!

This was my sign for the Fair Funding Rally

The final weeks of school are here, and every day is booked with wonderful events. I told students that we were going to use the winning coach Bill Belichick's approach which is to chunk it--take it event by event until we reach the finish line.

The Fifth Grade Play
The focus of the next few days will be the fifth grade play. The students are giving it their best, and the musical will be welcome entertainment for the whole school and the students' parents and friends. I have to get my own costume prepared and practice my lines to be ready for the teacher cameo appearance too.

Biography Research
The projects are in the works, and there's lots of quiet reading, research, writing, and conferencing to do.

STEAM Series
The little seedlings are poking through the plant packets students made and stored in dark places. Next week, students will plant those seedlings, bring the plants home to a sunny windowsill for further growing and until they are ready to plant in a large pot or the ground. They'll also put together their solar ovens soon and then cook s'mores under the sun in those ovens.

Professional Events
Last night I had the chance to attend the Fair Funding Rally at the State House. It was a terrific show of solidarity with its objective as fair funding for all schools in Massachusetts. My sign encouraged those listening to invest in children because that truly is an investment in our future. I'd rather our state invest in the positivity and promise that children hold rather than having to pay the costs associated with a populous that has not had equitable opportunity and education.

I also had the chance to attend the

Teacher Collaborative Event in Boston. The Teacher Collaborative is a welcoming teacher education, professional learning, and collaboration group that forwards multiple events to bring teachers together and support their good work.

This morning I'll meet with a colleague(s) and the Superintendent of Schools to discuss a math data report I created. The report includes specific data and ideas to better and develop our math program in an effort to teach every child well.

Later in the day, after I attend to a family need, I'll attend a family member's art show--this will provide professional learning too since it will be an example of the intersection of art and a social story--the kind of interdisciplinary work we aim to do with our own students. I will be interested in how the event is organized and the timeline of effort that went into this work. I'll also be interested in how the final project is displayed and shared.

Over the weekend, there will be good time to attend to all the prep and planning for the busy and exciting weeks of teaching and learning ahead. The students have been incredible, and this is certainly a joyous, yet very busy, time in the school year. Onward.

Tomorrow's Focus: Teach Well

Tomorrow will be an incredibly busy day. We'll begin with a pep talk about play practice, and then all 65 students will practice for the play for a good two hours. After that students will have time to play, and then time to work on their biography portraits, more research, and more play.

We'll take a few minutes to talk about playing in the woods. The students love to play in the forest, but there isn't always enough supervision for that, so I'll outline when that's possible and when it isn't. We'll also review a few playground rules and acknowledge some playground successes too.

After school I'll attend the Fair Funding Rally in Boston, and then attend a professional learning event with a colleague. I am deeply committed to the need for our state to fairly fund all the schools in the state so that every child has a top-notch education and wonderful opportunity. To well support our state's children and their education, is to create a strong future for our state--a future where the citizens will be able to reach for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with confidence, knowledge, positive perspective, and ability.

What's most important about tomorrow is staying positive as everyone around me is working hard to promote good work, positive advocacy, and a strong future for themselves and others. Good energy, good outlook, and good support are all vital to that goal.

Lead with the perspective of what's best for children

I've often thought that the best way to end world conflicts is to begin with a conversation about what is best for children. If two powers are at odds, and they begin with this discussion, their answers would likely be the same including:

• good nutrition
• welcoming, comfortable homes
• safe neighborhoods
• quality education
• healthy recreation
• positive health care
• time to play and be a child
• adequate funds

And then if those powers were to truly believe in this, the next step would be figuring out how to make this happen for children in both arenas. 

If we lead with what's best for children, we would spend money much differently. There would be a lot less money, if any, spent on weapons, and a lot more money spent on good gardens, playgrounds, natural spaces, education, and building good homes. 

Instead, because children lack power, they are often overlooked and sometimes the victims of errant policy and decision making. 

Today has been a discouraging day in the news. First the Governor of Alabama signed a very strict abortion law--a law that has the potential to harm lives rather than protect lives. I am a staunch supporter of the sanctity of life. Ideally I would like life protected on all fronts and in all ways, however, I know the world we're living in, and it's not that simple. 

For the Governor and lawmakers in Alabama to think that they can step into the very personal and complex decision that abortion is for a woman who is considering that and the physician that is working with her, is crazy and oppressive. When big complex medical decisions are made, decisions that affect the most personal sides of ourselves, there is no one-size-fits-all decision. Rather than strict laws, there should be tremendous support for making positive choices about life--choices that are life enriching rather than decisions that get too personal about individual rights and freedoms. 

Also Trump's continual war-mongering, self-serving, speak and ridicule related to the values we hold as a free nation are discouraging, dangerous, and worrisome. He and his cronies are tearing our good country apart piece by piece. Rather than leading with positive ideas, good collaboration, intelligence, experience, and a will to serve the people, Trump, his cronies, and their me-first, self-serving policies, decisions, and speak continually serve to burden the American people rather than serve them. Day after day his outbursts of lies, exaggeration, greed, and harmful quick-fix ideas bring our country down and display infidelity to the oath of office. I believe that impeachment should start sooner than later and it should bring to light the many ways that Trump has been unfaithful to his oath of office. 

We all have to push ourselves forward to do what is right and good--we have to dig deeply and learn broadly about what to do with the best of our ability. As we do that, if we work with the perspective of what is best for children, we will certainly direct our decisions in the right way. 

News Repetition; Brain Frames to Understand News

The news repeats same stories again and again, and typically the stories repeated are stories that are salacious and sensational. This repetition can confuse people with regard to how often events like that happen--people can become confused about the statistical truth of events when stories are repeated again and again. That's why we all have a responsibility to look behind the story at the stats to understand the severity of the story and how this story fits into the context of our times past, present, and future.

How can we make good change related to this?

We can begin to demand that stats become part of the story. For example with the horrible beheading story that's in the Massachusetts news this week, the stats could be included as to how often something this horrible happens and where that happens. The historical perspective could be added too. For example, stories could add how often events like that happened in the past and now, with speculation about why the change in stats over time.

The news needs to grow up, get better, and include a more holistic view of stories that include geography, stats, trends past and present, and more. Also people have to become better consumers of the news. As educators we have to teach students the brain frames they need to read, hear, and understand the news with accuracy and depth. Students need to address news stories with questions like these:

• Where did it happen?
• What is the frequency of the event past, present, and into the future?
• Is the story accurate? How can I research that?
• Does this story matter with respect to my life, my community, my world? Why or why not?

I know there are multiple resources out there to help educators do this. This is a critical need in our culture today.

Room Clean-Up; Room Set-Up

A big job for elementary school teachers is the room clean-up. Teachers have to put away all materials and clean up their classrooms. Also, if their rooms are undergoing extensive updates or are used for summer camp, teachers have to box their materials. That's a BIG job that requires extensive time and energy. Further with changes on the horizon with regard to classroom use by after school programs next year, the need to organize materials in ways that are safe and secure are very important.

With this in mind and with the knowledge that to do this work before the really hot weather strikes our rooms without air conditioning, it is good to have a plan and work at it step-by-step. What will I do?

Get rid of outdated, unused materials and books
When I have a few minutes here and there I'll get rid of materials that I no longer use.

Wash and store science materials
I'll work with students to lug the science materials to a nearby sink or hose and wash the materials, then put them away.

Organize materials by discipline. 
I want to organize the discipline materials in specific corners of the classroom for ready access by students and teachers.

As my room has morphed from a more traditional classroom to a more welcoming, creative, and community learning space, the organization has become better and better. This is an ongoing process, once that's important to attend to now before it gets hot and we get very weary at the very end of the year.