Oh, and if you’re interested, we’ve discussed excerpts from Christopher Emdin’s book For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood...and the Rest of Y’all Too, articles on race, bias, and stereotypes as those things are related to education, and part of an episode from the Code Switch podcast from NPR. We’ve got other things in the works, for we are not done. Not even close.
One of the things I get to do this year is lead a small learning cohort on equity and communication. It is personal and professional work that pushes us to confront and talk about our individual biases and stereotypes--and how those things might interact (for better or worse) with the students and families with whom we interact as educators. Each time we meet, there is conversation about where we are, but there also is a deep desire to DO something. In our meeting last week, we all agreed that the work feel so heavy and overwhelming, and I couldn’t help but think about how well timed School Psychology Awareness Week was--especially given the theme for this year. I reminded my group that small steps, together over time, add up to big things. And when we’re feeling overwhelmed by the size or weight of the task, the best thing to do is the next small thing. Because it’s movement in the right direction. And because small steps change lives.
Oh, and if you’re interested, we’ve discussed excerpts from Christopher Emdin’s book For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood...and the Rest of Y’all Too, articles on race, bias, and stereotypes as those things are related to education, and part of an episode from the Code Switch podcast from NPR. We’ve got other things in the works, for we are not done. Not even close. One of the hallmarks of the job of a school psychologist is variety. No two days are ever the same. When I arrive to work each day, I have a list of things to do and a plan for how to do them. Inevitably, by the time the students enter the building, I’m on Plan D. By the time the bell rings for them to be in class, I’m on Plan G. There are students to test, reports to write, observations to do, meetings to attend, data to review, and adults with whom to consult to improve student outcomes. Some days, there are crises requiring response--and often mean clearing my schedule for the rest of the day. The big things on the To Do List rarely get crossed off in a day--I’m lucky to get some of them done within the span of a week. But each day I show up, I do lots of little things all day that, hopefully, lead to larger positive changes for students. This year’s theme for School Psychology Awareness Week is Small Steps Change Lives. It is a reminder to students and adults that small actions can add up to larger positive changes.
In light of current events--and the already busy and demanding nature of life--it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. These seemingly small, everyday things that we do in our work can have a profound impact on students and our school communities. We can model coping and resilience and ways to interact and engage with the world. We can help students grow academically, create compassion, build understanding, and become more resilient. We can work to make our students and colleagues feel more connected to one another and to take steps, individually and together, to change things for the better. One small step at a time. *Special thanks to www.NASPonline.org for some the language around the theme for this year Saturday morning, I laced up my shoes, strapped on my fuel belt, and headed out the door into the early morning darkness. My training plan had prescribed 15 miles for me that day. Considering I was supposed to do 14 the week before and struggled to make it through 12, I had my reservations. When I had to do some walking less than a quarter mile into my run, I had a feeling things were not going to go well.
I kept on, though, and found myself at the bottom of the first of a pair of hills that were long and steep--hills I’d only been able to run from bottom to top without stopping since late summer. I took out that first hill, just like I’d come to be able to do. At the bottom of the second, longer and steeper hill, I set off again, taking that beast one step at a time. One breath at a time. I’ve never run Heartbreak Hill in Boston, but there are hills near my house that have to be good rivals. With a lot of self-talk and focus on my breathing, I cleared the second hill. I went straight when I normally would have made the next turn, hoping that a change in my route would help get me through the whole thing. I texted my best friend to see if she was awake and if she wanted to run. She was but wasn’t up for the miles. I kept going. I spotted a two legged freak of an animal walking around one end of my small downtown, but wasn’t close enough to determine what it was. I found out later it was a rogue peacock roaming the streets. I headed through downtown, out to one of the main roads that cuts through our town and past it...knowing that the further I went, the more hills I would encounter. There was still so much walking interspersed with the running. Things were starting to hurt and I was only 6 miles in. I turned around and headed back toward town, taking another turn that put me on a road containing a monster hill that I’ve yet to beat. I started walking just shy of that hill and sent a text to my husband to meet me and drive me home. I knew I was done. I could have walked for DAYS but there was no more running. Not even after I cleared the hill and got to a flat and tried to run. There was no more running. And, it turns out, there was no ride. Hubs was taking care of the little person at home. I texted with my friend while walking the rest of the way home. Even with a short cut, it took a while. I made it back home having done only 9 ½ miles, most of which I walked. I hated it. It sucked. It was hard. I hate training for a marathon. I’m not built for a marathon. I’m not even sure I want to do this bucket list of an event. I started planning for Plan B and C races that take place the same weekend (I’m looking at you, Wicked 10k in VA Beach with your super cool shirt and race swag). But even during all of that, I kept moving my feet, one step after another...trying to figure out what was pushing me forward. And it WAS that bucket list of an event. The really cool race shirt I want to get but would never wear if I didn’t finish the race--or at least start it. Visualizing the packet pick up and the crowds lining the street. The race gear and swag. The medal. Being able to say, “I’ve done the NYC Marathon.” There are many things I can do well. There are many things that come fairly easily to me. But math, making pancakes and waffles, and running are things that are hard for me. And I’ve decided I can live without the math (at least the complicated stuff), and someone else can make the pancakes and waffles. But running. I can’t let it go. It’s HARD. I’m SLOW. It hurts some days. To train for a long distance race means committing exponentially MORE time than most runners to log the miles. It’s a mentally tough venture. Some days I really really really REALLY suck at it. And on Saturday, turtles stampeding through peanut butter had my number. But this morning, I laced up those shoes and set out into the early morning darkness again. I beasted those hills again. And as I did all of that, I thought about how hard running can be for me and how easy other parts of my life are. And isn’t it true for ALL of us? Some things will be easy. Some of the students I work with would SMOKE me in a race but really have to work at reading. And work at it again and again and again. And it may be a slow process. And they may look at me or you and ask, “Why is this so hard?” or, “Why I gotta work harder than everyone else?” And they may not feel success or have the drive to keep showing up. But I hear ya, kid. I ask the same questions just about every time I run. But when I take out that hill or finish that long run, when you read that text and understand it, when you finish that math problem and get the right answer--WITHOUT any help, when you stopped short of fighting with that peer even though they’ve pushed you to the edge, you have succeeded for that moment. It is worth celebrating. Because it means growth...change...is happening. And that makes it worth doing. Again...and again...and again. It's the start of a new school year for staff this week. I have spent time reconnecting with teachers at both of my schools and we all have participated in meetings to reflect on last year and thing about our purpose for the upcoming year. We've examined data and talked with one another about how to continue to improve student learning. We've laughed together. We've learned new things about one another. We've moved to a new level of communication with each other. And we are looking forward to seeing our students and their families.
I'm looking forward to some cool opportunities professionally this year as well. My goals are to expand my professional expertise, to integrate how we address academic and behavioral concerns of students as they come up, to provide some professional development with staff, and blog more regularly (as well as update this whole site) as one way to communicate with you. In the mean time, feel free to look around this site and feel free to contact me ([email protected]) with questions or topics you would like to see covered! In Dumb and Dumber, Jim Carrey's character is asking about his chances of dating Lauren Holly's character. She responds to his question by saying his chances were one out of a million and, in the iconic line delivered as only he can (though many have imitated), Carrey says, "So you're telling me there's a chance."
Remembering that bit brought a little humor to my day as I was talking with an administrator about one of our students whose family is in crisis...and the kid is losing his mind in the classroom. We've had various sets of eyes on this kid, including someone who specializes in young child development. In the debrief between that person and the administrator, the two discussed what is happening in the classroom as well as the precipitating factors that are outside of the school completely--but having the most impact on this kid. There are a variety of issues that contribute to the family's current situation--factors over which it seems no one has any control. And then there's this fun fact: a child whose parent has been incarcerated has an 80% chance of being incarcerated themselves at some point. An 80% chance. And when you've invested so much time and energy into a child like this one (and so many others)--one who you might ultimately just want to take home because at least there is stability--hearing a statistic like that is a punch in the gut. And you wonder, as my person asked out loud, "what the hell are we even doing?" Because when you put all the factors on the table, it looks like we're fighting a losing battle. Or...we're fighting for that 20% chance. And I looked her in the eye and said that. We're fighting for that 20%. When we bring him up here for a rest time instead of sending him to his language class, when we look for ways to make the classroom environment a more comfortable place for him, when we put a brain trust together to develop a trauma response plan...we're fighting for the 20% chance. It's what we do every day in education when those kids walk through the door. They bring with them unfathomable things. They know about things many of us have never had to experience. And then we ask them to sit there and complete a math activity or read a book. We push them to do more and overcome. We ask them to do things they may not be ready to do in that moment because their mind is on other, much bigger things. And although we take those things into account--at least in the buildings in which I work--so much of our job can feel like we're fighting a losing battle for some of these students. Or...we're fighting for the chance that somehow, some way, they'll have something more than what they started with. And as hard as it may be, we keep showing up day after day, fighting to make a difference in the lives of students who may not otherwise have a model or the means for something more. Because you're telling me there's a chance. I was hanging out with one of my poppets earlier this week and we were talking about perspectives. During part of our time together, we read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. It's written from the perspective of the Big Bad Wolf...who contends that he was simply trying to borrow a cup of sugar from his piggy neighbors...and that he had a cold, which prompted the huffing and puffing that preceded a SNEEZE...which blew down those houses. (He also admits that he ate the little pigs....but that's neither here nor there.) I'm not sure if you've ever heard the adage "there are three sides to every story: his, hers, and the truth." The thing about it is, we each encounter situations and may experience the same situation differently than those around us. Our experiences build our perceptions of what happened...and our perceptions become our reality. And that's the reality from which we operate. It sets the stage for how we might react--or respond--to a situation. We've probably all seen what happens when those perceptions collide and conflict erupts. We all (kids and adults) need to learn to recognize that we may have different perspectives on a situation--and that's OK. But we also need to learn to listen to the other person's perspective...to try to see the situation from someone else's point of view. When we can do that, it is often much easier to talk about and work through our differences or any conflict that may arise. We are less likely to take things personally or, if we do, we can start to let some of those things go and really hear where another person is coming from. Perspecticles. I'm dusting off the ol' blog. Finally.
It's been a busy start to this year and I find that I'm involved in a variety of things at work. Thankfully, I'm spending my time doing things other than testing. I've done trainings for staff, started academic interventions with students, started teaching some social skills to a couple of other students, working with staff to help with making instructional decisions based on data teachers have collected about their students' academics or behavior. I even updated parts of this site. Because next week (11/10-11/14) is School Psychology Awareness Week and there may be some additional traffic over here. I hope so anyway. Because my colleagues and I can do SOOOO many things besides test children. Like write blog posts that may be helpful. In my spare time. When I have a minute. Idea. If you keep coming back, I'll keep posting things. And if you have ideas or questions, I'll try to include them on this site somewhere. What a year it has been.
Which is why this blog was updated only a handful of times. I spent the majority of my time testing and growing a baby, which left little time and energy for other things at work. I have spent some time in conversation with key people this week, talking about what next year might look like and how I might serve students in different ways. Of course, none of it is set in stone because there are changes on the horizon at both schools--coupled with another summer of uncertainty over what type of legislation the General Assembly will pass and how it will affect education. In the mean time, I'm continuing to read and learn and develop more professional skills--and get ready for a baby. I do hope you have a wonderful summer full of play and fun and books and time with family and friends. I also hope that I'll be coherent enough upon returning to work to blog more regularly and add content to this website along the way. When Read to Achieve was announced after the General Assembly’s legislative session last year, I held my breath and waited to see how it would play out. You may have done the same.
It certainly comes from a good place. Research has shown that children who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade tend to experience some negative outcomes over the long term. Our leaders wanted to help prevent those negative outcomes. And though the legislation is flawed (all laws are), it is here and we have to live with it as it currently stands. Some of you are concerned about what it means for your child. You’ve heard that they are receiving help with reading at school, which likely takes various forms. Your child may have a personalized education plan (PEP) or Tier 3 plan for reading. There’s talk of progress monitoring data and mClass assessments and the TRC and your head may be spinning. Then there are students taking Read to Achieve assessments in addition to their Case 21 assessments and regular classroom tests. Your own stress may be up...and your child may feel the effects of not only your stress but their own as well. Here are some things that might help. 1. I have been spending a lot of time in third grade lately, simply because that’s where my job takes me these days. When I spend time in those classrooms, I see teachers working hard to help students learn new concepts and make connections between the information they are currently hearing and things they may have learned already. I’ve watched teachers turn students into detectives as they read different kinds of texts and look for clues to tell them what it means. I’ve watched teachers train little chefs to make really tasty inference sandwiches, combining what they have read with what they have experienced to explore what they read even deeper. Your children are in good hands. 2. You may be wondering if that’s enough. Maybe. But maybe not for every student. So what can you do? Well, I’m sure a standing homework assignment is to read for 20 minutes each night. And that’s a good thing. The more we read, the better we are at reading. The better we become, too, at things like spelling and writing. But is that enough? 3. I’ve been reading (which in my house makes people wonder what, exactly, comes next). A fellow psychologist and I were talking about books several months ago and she mentioned Einstein Never Used Flashcards was in her stack. As we talked more about the book, I knew it needed to go in mine as well. Because here’s the thing. We spend a LOT of our time pushing our kids to learn information--usually through drill and practice and...well...flashcards. And if it’s not that overt, we have tons of apps for that. On top of those things, the educational toy industry has exploded over the past few years. But do those things really work? Weeeeeellllll….kinda. If you want to teach rote skills, those things that are very concrete and never change like this is the letter A and 1+1=2, then yes. They work. If, however, you want your child to develop a rich language that they use to tell and write stories, if you want them to be interested in reading, if you want them to understand not just what is happening in the story but what might be underlying the elements of the story or how a character feels, those tools fall short. The authors of Einstein Never Used Flashcards draw on their own research and that of others to look at how our children play, how we help our children play, and the kinds of things they learn when they play and experience skills in context. Granted, much of the book centers on infants through early elementary age children, but I think there are things that might apply to older children and higher levels of literacy...and it’s not too late to incorporate these ideas into your routine. 1. When you read with your child, ask them what they think will happen in the story. They may use the pictures in the book (if there are any) to help them make predictions, or they may use information they have already read when pictures are not available. Keep reading and see if their predictions were correct. 2. As you read, ask questions about what they are reading. Ask what we call literal comprehension questions (the “who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?” variety) to make sure they are keeping up with the action of the story. More than that, ask what we call inferential questions. How did that situation make that character feel? How do you know? How would it make you feel? What would you do in a situation like that? What do you think the character will or should do? What did the character learn? How might the character use what he or she has just learned? 3. Take turns telling the story of your day or interesting things that happened. This helps your child recall and put events into the order in which they happened...and use words and vocabulary to tell you. They get to paint the word picture. From time to time, jot down the main points and have them write it down themselves. Both of these experiences, which happen in the context of the ordinary day, build storytelling (one of the building blocks of reading), comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills. 4. Pay attention to the things in which your child expresses interest. Build on that interest with concrete experiences as well as learning more information together about the subject. Your child may develop an interest in planes, for example. Head to the library to find books about different kinds of planes--including that book that tells you how to make paper airplanes. They get to read and learn information--which you can work with them to make sure they understand--AND they get to have fun making paper airplanes and learn some playful lessons about motion and physics at the same time. 5. Play with words. Not only can you play games like Scrabble Junior and Boggle Junior (or the regular versions when it is developmentally appropriate), but I have had a blast playing Hangman with some of my small friends. When you’re driving in the car or in a store, play some I Spy games. “Can you find something whose name starts with the letter ‘m’?” They may come up with man, MarioKart, milk, or something else that fits the letter. (And when you’re in the car, a game like this may help reduce the number of times you hear, “Are we there yet?”) 6. Make reading a part of your life--and that of your child’s. The more your child sees you reading, the more likely they are to “catch” the importance--and interest--in the same activity. And when your child asks you to read the same book for the 30th time, go ahead and do it. Our children live each day with a lot of unpredictability. Knowing the story and hearing the familiar words help them have something that is predictable and under control. Allow your child to pick out his or her own books at the library. They are more likely to follow through with the activity of reading when they are interested in what they are reading. 7. Use stamps or those magnetic letters--or the sets of magnets that have words and phrases--to create letters, words, and sentences. It can be fun to build your own silly sentences as well as use your creativity to put words together in a way that makes sense. 8. Create an environment that has lots of literacy materials. Books. Markers or crayons and paper. Magnets. Stamps. Books of mazes (which help with the kind of fine motor skills you need to write letters and words). Magazines (I still love Highlights and desperately miss 3-2-1-Contact). Alphabet and number blocks. You name it. Let them explore and create with those things. They will engage their creativity and problem solving skills as well as some of the building blocks of reading and writing. 9. Start stories together and take turns keeping them going. You can start with something like “Once upon a time, there was a dog who lived in a jungle…” or “Imagination is when you’re lying in bed, you close your eyes and open them. You’re somewhere else instead…” and let your child take you to many wonderful places you might not ever think to go--or even knew existed. This kind of activity again develops creativity and problem solving, helps them use words to create a story, and provides another opportunity to ask questions about a story in which your child is interested. 10. Know that these are activities you can engage in with your child at any age or grade level...and it is another way to make reading fun and interesting instead of tedious and boring. And who knows, some of these things might just make your child strive to be a better--or even an avid--reader. And know that these are things that help build the foundation, in a way that is fun and playful, to growing a reader who keeps coming back for more. If your child needs additional, targeted help, chances are good that we know about it at school. We can provide the structure and the interventions and offer suggestions for similar activities outside of school. But you can provide the play that fosters and maintains the interest in reading that helps your child be prepared to engage in the more structured learning activities. And maybe, when we put these things together, our children will read not just to achieve, but because they have fallen in love with the very activity of reading. Last month, my husband and I headed out of town to spend the weekend with friends and celebrate his godson's first birthday. In one of the few down times of the weekend, we were talking with our friends about parenting and how people approach this very difficult job.
You have to know that one of those friends is of the opinion (albeit in jest) that the internet is a fad, still has a tube TV and only has a smartphone because his work provided it for him. One of the observations we all discussed is the extent to which people spend time on their smartphones or in front of some sort of screen and functionally choosing time with the screen over time with their children. It was ever more evident to our friend when he had to take his own son to Urgent Care when he was sick. My friend spent the time in the waiting room cuddling, soothing, and attempting to play with his son while so many others in the room where on their devices, leaving their children to feel miserable by their side. As the conversation progressed, our friend talked about his routine when he came home in the evening. The phone went on the charger in the kitchen and he spent as much time as possible playing and spending time with his baby and wife. Because he knows these moments are precious and fleeting...and, in the end, the most important thing. I'm not saying we should flush our devices down the drain. But we ALL should be more mindful of how we spend our time and with whom. Because the most important thing for our children is to spend time with them, playing and interacting. THAT'S the thing that helps them develop and grow, that makes them smarter, that helps them discover and appreciate the world around them, that turns them into incredible human beings. |
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