Day 13 – #AprilBlogADay – Literacy

How is literacy critical to the advancement of society today?

I’m going to assume we all believe literacy is critical to the advancement of society. Literacy is so multifaceted, though, I wonder what are all those facets of literacy needed to advance society?

Here are just a few random thoughts on this, a busy day in the middle of #AprilBlogADay!

  1. The world is so full of the artifacts of all of us literate people. It’s overflowing. Of course, writings, recordings, and videos can beautify, provoke, delight, challenge and ignite. But not all. Some harm. Some mislead. Some cause death and destruction. Some are banal and useless. More than ever before we need critical literacy to wade through the flood of what is available to us to consume.
  2. If we are to be heard, we have to also be able to produce literacy — writing, speaking, graphics, multimedia.
  3. Literacy in reading is so much more than just the letters and their sounds, plus sight words. I can teach my kindergarteners to sound out decodable words and memorize sight words. I’m reminded of this daily. If I’m not focused on comprehension, even at this early age, I’m doing them a disservice.
  4. We also need digital literacies, like in the ISTE Standards for Teachers (below) and Students. I wonder how long we will let teachers get away with saying, “I’m not very good at computers.” I’ve been hearing it for 16 years, since I went back to teaching, and each teacher had a computer in his/her room. Really, it’s time.
  5. What other literacies did I not think of?

14 April is Leaders for Literacy Day.

Day 12 – #AprilBlogADay – Passion

What’s your passion project?

I’m not sure it’s a project, but my passion is baking. I love to bake, anything really, but especially breads and cookies.

Over the past year, I have had a bit of a passion project. I had to find new ways to bake my favorite recipes with different pans, different ingredients, and different kitchen utensils and appliances in my new country of residence. Actually, this is still a project in process!

I love to bring my familiar favorites to share with my new friends. I’m always happy when I’m in the kitchen.

baking
The MOMs group baked cookies together.

 

Day 11 – #AprilBlogADay – Reading

What are you reading, either professionally or personally? Why?
If you aren’t reading, why not?

Ah, today I like that third question. When I’m not reading, I like to be reminded of it. I like to be asked that question. It reminds me that a book is the ax for the frozen sea within me. (F. Kafka)

Those times when I need it most are the times I stop reading. Most often, I blame my busy schedule.

Despite the busyness, though, I try to take a bit of time most days to read the Bible because I love Jesus and want to know God better. And there is no better ax.

Despite the busyness, I am reading kindergarten books because I spend my day with kindergarteners who love to hear stories and are learning to read decodable books.

However, in addition to those books that I am reading, I need to add others. I need a book that makes me think, challenging me and my small visions. I need a book that makes me cry, laugh, get-away-from-it-all, or hone my craft as a teacher. I want to do all the reading!

I’m glad you asked, #AprilBlogADay, because I love when I have a book I can’t put down. Now, I’m going to find a book and read it!

Day 10 – #AprilBlogADay – Something New

What have you NOT tried this school year that you WANT TO?

I have a blog that I started when I taught seventh and eighth grade. It’s a photo a day blog. After two years of quietly waiting, the blog finally got a new post. I recently posted a picture on it that I had taken.

What I want to do though, is have kindergarten photographers. I’d like to have a photographer of the day and see what it is they want to document. That is something I want to do this year that I haven’t tried yet.

Writing it here just may help me to accomplish that simple task.

Day 9 – #AprilBlogADay – Advice

What would you say to your beginning teacher-self?chief learner banner

I would give two pieces of advice to my beginning teacher-self.

  1. Don’t be such a know-it-all. You don’t know anything, really. It’s OK to not know. It’s OK to admit your ignorance. It’s OK to have questions. In fact, you will not begin to succeed until you become the chief learner in your classroom.
  2. Don’t do any harm.  Don’t take a child’s behavior personally. Hold your tongue. Hug instead. Only love.

Day 8 – #AprilBlogADay – Questioning

How should we foster question asking instead of answer getting?

Image by Roland O’Daniel (rodaniel), CC BY-SA 2.0

Ah, great question! Since I spend my days in school, I’ll consider it at the school level. Actually, just a string of random thoughts on the topic.

If we can make school a place that values questions more than having all the right answers, then eventually the world will be a safer and more peaceful place.

Autonomy, purpose and mastery–those are the things that motivate us. Not, worksheets with right answers. Students need to be invited to question and explore that which matters to them. They should be allowed to produce and create that which matters to them. Valuing questions will lead to less fearful and disengaged know-it-alls.

 

Day 7 – #AprilBlogADay – Champions

T-Rex
Public domain image found on Pixabay.com Check ’em out. Maybe you’ll want to buy ’em a cup of coffee.

Has anyone ever helped you in your career? Been your champion? How will you become someone else’s champion?

I’m thinking of Barb Davies. She was my instructional coach when I went back to teaching in 1999 after a ten-year baby raising break. My experience teaching in the 80s was very different. We were given textbooks and several teacher guides, and we taught what was in the textbooks.

Anyway, I came back to school in the new world of state standards, but I didn’t know. When I was hired, I assumed teaching was still the same.

I had a science book and a class of hungry-for-learning second graders. We did a picture walk through the whole science book, and I let them vote on which chapter they wanted to learn first. (I guess I could be a little innovative in the olden days.)

It didn’t surprise me when they chose dinosaurs. It was early in the year, our first or second week. We got to work making a bulletin board with 3-D trees and rocks. Paint was flying, kids were making dinosaurs. It was a big, beautiful mess.

In comes Barb after school for our first meeting. I thought she’d be impressed with the students’ mural. I’ll never forget our conversation that ended in my tears.

What?
What are state standards?
What do you mean second graders in Arizona don’t study dinosaurs?
Why would it be in our books if they don’t study it?

Anyway, it was a memorable point in my development as a teacher. Over the next three years, though, Barb helped me, like no one had before or since, to become a good teacher. To understand pedagogy like I had never understood it before. It was all good. She was a mentor and my champion.

Three years later, when there was a new reading specialist position opening at our school, she recommended me for the job. I’ll never forget you, Barb.

How will I become someone’s champion? That’s a good question to ponder. I suspect I have helped some people along the way, but I like the question. I need to do some thinking about who and how to do that in a more deliberate way, as Barb did for me.

Learn more about the #AprilBlogADay here.