Holes

Did you ever dig a hole in the ground?  Not a little one where you planted petunias, but a hole that had some depth.  I recall digging, by hand, the foundation for a family room addition to my childhood home in 1983. That foundation was 48 inches deep and believe me, Dad had the tape measure in full use.  Mom and Dad decided to expand the house after the kids were gone – go figure.  Anyway, the work was pretty brutal under the hot August sun working with a single spade.  Although I was only 25 at the time, my muscles ached, my back was sore, and I was sweating like Mike Tyson at a Spelling Bee.  Periodically, my brothers and I would take a break to get some water.  We were faced with a dilemma.  There is no way that we could jump out of the hole that we made.  It was four feet deep and my vertical is slightly above the thickness of a credit card.  We found out pretty quick that it is not possible to jump out of a hole.  No way.  To get out of a hole, you have two choices:  (1)  crawl out of the hole or (2) have someone pull you out.  We used both.

Do you have any students who are in the hole?  Any students who have fallen behind?  Any students who have missing assignments?  Any students who are struggling?  Of course you do.  If not, take a deeper look at the data and reassess.  Okay, they’re in the hole. Now what? You – yes you, have three choices.  You could direct them to jump out of the hole by snapping to it, bucking up and making up for their transgressions.  Ain’t gonna work.  That leaves you with two choices.  You could make them crawl out of the hole because after all, they caused the problem, right?  Before you direct them to crawl out of the hole, make sure that they know how to crawl. If they can do the work, make them crawl by assigning working lunches until their crawling is complete and they are out of the hole.   If they are truly academically challenged with the material, you can ask them to crawl until the cows come home, but they won’t get out of the hole.  That leaves you with one final choice – you can pull them out of the hole.  Work with them so that they understand the material.  Make sure that they have it before you go “all punitive” on them. Find time in Resource Period or in Enrichment Period to intervene.  Kids will continue to work their way into holes and they will be in your classes.  It’s important to respond correctly. You don’t necessarily need to understand the hole, but rather who is in it.

Time to Show Up!

I enjoyed my tenure as Head Coach of a high school track and field team.  We enjoyed a great deal of success if success is measured by championships, school records,  and state medals.  We worked from a backward approach with the end in mind.  Practices were planned from the state finals and worked back to the start of the training season in late Fall.  The ultimate goal was always prevalent.  Along the way, there were short-term goals.  Adjustments in practices were made according to the progress that the kids made.  These were the “informal” assessments.  The “formative” assessments were all of the meets before the state meet, which was the “summative” assessment.  In all of this, there were many “pep talks”, both as a group or individually.  What you learn over time is that during that last week of the “Big Test” (State Finals), there really isn’t much you can do to get the kids in better shape or increase their level of fitness.  At that point in the season, it is really all between their ears.  That’s where your best pep talk comes into play.  It’s time to show up!

Much like the training plan described above, you and  your students have done the same.  Now, we attack the final round of ISTEP.  Hopefully, you worked from a backward approach by first identifying what the essential learning was to be and then setting long-range goals.  “Practice sessions” were held throughout the year with the end goals in site.  Along the way, there were daily goals.  These goals were connected to the long-term goals.  Adjustments in the instructional plan were made dependent upon the progress of the students.  There were informal assessments multiple times and formative assessments to measure if kids were “on track”.  There were some pep talks to your students, both as a team and individually.  Parents were brought on to the team.  We have made videos, we have served them breakfast, we have done daily announcements, we have worn the t-shirt, we have created carrots.  At this point, it is all between their ears…literally.  This is where your best pep talk comes into play.  It’s time to show up!

Movies and Bladders

What is the longest movie that you have ever sat through without taking a break of any kind?  No trip to the concession stand, no potty breaks, no skipping out and rounding up.  The Godfather Part II ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes.  Ironically, the same length of time that Taylor Swift has stayed in a relationship.  The Lord of the Rings:  The Return of the King lasted 3 hours and 21 minutes.  Ben Hur was 3 hours and 32 minutes including a 9 minute chariot race.  The Ten Commandments ran for 3 hours and 40 minutes – almost as long as Moses was actually in the desert.  Gone with the Wind lasted for 3 hours and 41 minutes.  I was gone before the breeze started.  Hamlet ran for 3 hours and 42 minutes.  Cleopatra was 3 hours and 48 minutes -  four academy awards and a bottle of 5 Minute Energy Drink.  Alfred Hitchcock was a genius in the film industry.  He directed such memorable films as Psycho, The Birds, The Rear Window, North by Northwest, Vertigo and many others.  Hitchcock’s movies typically ran under two hours because of his rule of thumb about films:  “The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”

What the heck does a full bladder have to do with teaching?  Not much…or does it.  The point that I wish to make is that the attention span of a “tweener” is sometimes slightly longer than a gnat.  I once read that all speeches should be 18 minutes or less because the human mind begins to wander after that duration no matter who is speaking.  You will never capture all of the attention necessary from your students if they come in, park their buns, and remain sitting there for 40 minutes listening to you pontificate (Remember Charlie Brown’s teacher).  It is important to have several activities planned each day with quick and smooth transitions.  Have something for them every day as soon as they walk in the door.  Mix it up.  Get them out of their seats.  Get out of your own seat.  Get them out of the classroom.  When you are competing against fast action video games, you can’t be the Science teacher from Ferris Bueller.  Short bursts of high-yield teaching will pay big dividends.  The length of a classroom activity should be directly related to the endurance of the attention of a 11-13 year old…perhaps their bladder endurance as well.