We have been enjoying a beautiful fall break here in Minnesota for the past two days. The leaves are turning gorgeous shades of crimson, orange, and gold; the sun is shining; and the temperature is perfect - not too cold and not too warm. I've had the windows open at times and have heard the neighborhood kids enjoying this relative warmth - maybe for the last time. But, even with all of this beauty around me, I still think of school and my students. (I truly wish I could shut it off at times, but I can't. If you know how, please let me know.)
First off, one particular 8th grade student has stuck with me the last two days for one reason and one reason only - I haven't connected with her. Writing this does not make me proud, but it does make me honest. I take pride in getting to know my students and usually find it fairly easy to do, but this kiddo has me stumped so I've shied away from her, which is wrong, wrong, wrong. She is failing all of her classes, seems like a lost soul, and puts her head down in my class - all the time. When I go over and talk to her, she ignores me, so I walk away. That definitely sends the message of "I don't care." I can't let that message be the one making its way to her anymore, so I need to do something different - and it has to be very subtle. I'm thinking of putting little positive notes where she sits to start with and also setting books by her that she might like/find interesting. When she gets to the classroom door, I plan on asking her how her day is going, what plans she has after school, etc. Maybe these little things will help me be able to slowly get to know her. I don't know if they will truly help, but I need to try.
Secondly, I'm still questioning grades. There has to be a better way to have kids learn without making grades the focus. Sarah Donovan, @MrsSJDonavan, has helped guide my thinking about assessment and evaluation (follow her if you don't already), but I feel like giving feedback with assessment is impossible to do at out school. Kids and parents and admin and staff want to see grades in the electronic grade book . . . because how are the kids learning if they don't have grades? My question is: How are they learning with grades? One of my students has every single formative assessment as missing in the grade book for another class, but this students has "earned" a 3 on the only summative for that class so far so is passing that class with a decent grade. That summative has nothing to do with actual learning the content, but it's a way to make it so kids pass the class. (I'm not even upset with this teacher. This teacher does not want to have students failing, like the rest of us, so this teacher "adjusts" the grade book. If students are failing, that looks like the teacher failed the kids, right? No teacher wants to be that teacher.)
But that's just as bad as not giving grades - maybe even worse because the grade doesn't represent any learning. To help with this conundrum I'm in, I'm going to have students start self-evaluating themselves more. (Thanks, @mrskellylove, for your gentle reminder about self-evaluation. Readers, follow her if you don't.) To do this I need to slow down. Let kids enjoy their independent reading, think about their independent reading, write more, think about their writing more, share their thinking, writing, and reading with one another. I don't need to be the sage on the stage. I need my students to take ownership of their learning; to do that, I need to trust them more.
So . . . next week, we are going to slow down, have fun, and enjoy learning with each other - even though the kids need to take a pre-assessment on Reading Standards 1 & 2 for our PLC. At least it's a story they will find entertaining and creepy.
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