Summer Time .... Preparing for the New Year

I often have parents ask what students can do over the summer either to remediate their work from the school year or to prepare for the year that lies just around the corner.  While students may NEED to beef up their fact practice, it is not my first preference for summer studies.

My greatest fear is that students will practice their math facts, or work through multiplication problems, or long division, or other algorithms and make mistakes that no one catches.  I encourage kids who want to work on those base skills to use a program online that will correct them immediately like ixl.com or KhanAcademy.org.  If they are using pencil and paper, please correct the problem as soon as they are done.  I would rather that they do 3 problems and correct them immediately, find their mistake or know that they are going in the right direction than an entire page of problems all done incorrectly and no one ever knows.  Math practice can hurt you if you aren't careful.

My preference, however, is to let kids BE mathematical.  Talk to them about how far, how much, how many as much as possible.  Problem Solve, cook, garden.  Share equally (or not) and talk about how fair or not fair something is.  What are the chances of something happening?  Play board games and card games and make up new games.  That is what I prefer for my students in the summer time, and always.  It is wonderful to be great at calculating and fantastic if you know all of my multiplication tables through 12, but it doesn't necessarily make you mathematical.  Being mathematical is about thinking and questioning and problem solving.  Estimating, predicting and creating....these are the tools mathematicians really need to fine tune over the summer.  If you and your child spend time thinking mathematically, you will quickly see that they are, in fact, practicing their math facts without even realizing it.  When students are being mathematical and thinking mathematically, they NEED to calculate, estimate and check to see if they were accurate.  Those things have purpose...and when they realize that...they will be ready to come to school in the fall and be mathematical with me.

Opportunity for All...

A colleague and I sat after school tonight going over the data for two classes of students.  I had created a spreadsheet that included all NWEA testing data for the last four years for each child.  I had shared the document so teachers had been given an opportunity to add anecdotal notes about the individual strengths, weakness and observations about each child.  I had color coded students that had performed above the 50th percentile in increments of 10% points, a different color for each band.  Attendance issues were noted in a separate column.  Our job was seemingly simple; identify students who should be accelerated to the next course.

We are continuing the implementation of Proficiency Based Education in our school.  Our middle school is completely proficiency based.  We are now moving to our intermediate team and they are facing the challenge head on and with the excellent support of our curriculum coordinator.  Our intermediate team is looking at their students in a completely different way then they have in the past.  They aren't thinking about 3rd graders, 4th graders and 5th graders.  Instead, they are thinking about where students are academically in each area of the curriculum.  They are carefully evaluating where students are in each course rather than how old they are.  It isn't as easy as it sounds.  Every decision is agonizing.  What if you haven't seen a child's potential and place them too low.  What if they aren't ready for the challenge and are placed too high?  These students are more than people who come and go out of our classrooms.  This is what brought us to this point; looking at accelerating students to the middle level math program.

So we sat with our spreadsheet tonight and talked about kids.  We reviewed the data for every single child, talking about how that child could best be challenged and whether or not acceleration into my program would be appropriate for them.  Every child, regardless of their current or past scores were considered carefully and completely.  We talked about kids who performed well on standardized tests but are failing in the classroom.  We wondered what we could do better in the classroom to inspire them to show us their potential every day instead of just once or twice a year.  They went to the top of the list.  That is a first for us.  It is easy to move those extremely bright, cooperative, well supported students.  You know they will be successful.  Advancing a child without a parent advocate but with a behavior problem, that is more of a risk.  That didn't stop us from seeing that child's potential and putting them forward as a candidate.

We spent a lot of time talking about kids with anxiety and whether or not this would be the right thing for them.  Is an acceleration right for a child that will stress about getting correct answers or should we keep them where they are comfortable?  Ultimately we decided to provide the opportunity and talk with the parents to decide what would be best.  Denying a child the opportunity due to any condition doesn't seem to fit what we are trying to do.

When we were done we had a list of candidates who were identified based on their demonstrated ability, not attendance, behaviors, disabilities or conditions.   Every child was given the same consideration.  What's more, the children who are not accelerated will be placed in courses that are at the appropriate challenge level.  I'm pretty excited about the idea that every child will be given the right opportunity in each of their courses.

The Power of testing.....

You can find anti-testing posts very easily.  This isn't one of them.  

My students have finished the state MEA testing.  We did that a couple of weeks ago.  A lot of people are up in arms about it and the state seems to be running away from it as a result.  My kids had a great experience and appreciated the interactive nature of the test, the more relevant problems and the more rigorous content that more closely represents our work in the classroom.  But that isn't what this post is about.  

This past week my students have been working on their NWEA tests.  The NWEA tests are given in my school in the fall when students return, in the winter to check progress and in the spring to look for growth over the school year.  If I were king of the world, which I have been reminded I am not, I would not give returning students the test in the fall since we have their spring data but that's just me. I also would have year round school......

Anyway, my students took their NWEAs.  They are taken on the computer and give an immediate score rather than having to wait for weeks or months for feedback.  The kids have their scores, reports and breakdowns from each testing cycle.  The test is a total of 53 questions and allows them to work in all of the domains.  They can push the test beyond or below "grade level" depending on their actual skills.  Over time we get a pretty accurate picture of what they are capable of doing at that given moment in time.  

This spring as my students took their test, they consistently did a couple of things that made me very very happy;

1.  They wanted their previous scores from the year.  They had set goals and wanted to keep it in mind as they were working.  They knew where their weaknesses were in the past and have spent a lot of time this work working to build up weak areas.  They also have had opportunities to explore interests.  My algebra / "8th grade" students especially took advantage of this.  Several students have been exploring logarithms, sine/cosine/tangent concepts, and were into quadratics before we ever got there as a class.  They had noted on previous tests vocabulary and skills that they were given that they did not understand.  

2.  They asked for what they needed- they didn't wait for me to remember!  Students asked for markers, paper, gum, white boards, erasers....they didn't wait for me to notice or guess what they needed.  I happily replaced paper with white boards or vice versa , handed out more chewing gum or got snacks for the child who said they were hungry, and when I couldn't give them manipulatives for testing (not allowed :( ) I gave them extra paper so they could make their own.  I had several kids create their own algebra tiles!  

3.  They made changes in their seating and environment- several students switched seats multiple times during testing.  They weren't intrusive to other people so I stayed out of the way and let it happen.  They got drinks when they needed it.  They decided together, as the test began, to dim the lights some so they could really focus.  Sometimes students would stand and stretch, excuse themselves to the restroom and one student even asked to take a walk.  I said yes.  They used the wiggle cushions for their feet, their backs and to sit on.  

4.  They took their time.  We have 90 minute math blocks four days a week and 45 minutes once a week.  My students know how to focus and work efficiently but they also know how not to be pressured.  When they were done testing and brain tired for the day, they told me and we paused the test.  We worked on them another day.  That was easy for us to do because the testing takes place in my classroom on laptops that I have set up on the desks and tables.  

5.  I had a couple of students ask to listen to music.  This is one that I'm still not sure of and one that we certainly will have to be careful of to make sure that a) the music is appropriate for school and b) they aren't being given an unfair advantage by listening to anything that might help them with a question, like math formulas that they should know, etc.  The students raised their math scores significantly.......hmmmmmm. 

When the students finished many students wanted to know when they would get their reports.  Students who did not meet the end of course score began planning how they could demonstrate proficiency in those areas that were still low and how I could assess their mastery levels.  It began a dialogue that put the kids in control of how hard they are going to work for the remainder of the year. One student didn't feel that she would have time to finish her work before we let out for summer in late June.  She and I will continue to work over the summer if necessary.  Her idea.  I am happy beyond words.  

We are a proficiency-based program.  These assessments are one way that students can demonstrate growth over time as well as their strengths and weaknesses.  We need assessments.  We need assessments that give feedback to students, teachers and parents so that we can make adjustments and plan for next steps at the individual level right through the district level.  Without testing, I would have no idea if we were on track compared to other schools and states.  I want everything for my students, including their success no matter where they go or what they choose to be.  Every door, every opportunity; that is what I want for each and every one of them. Testing is one way to help us measure our steps on that path.  

The Nominations.....

Recently I was nominated for a couple of really fantastic awards.  It is an amazing thing to have another person take a look at your work and decide that you should be recognized.  That in itself is enough to make anyone's day.  To be told by a couple of people that you deserve recognition, well needless to say it made me feel pretty good.  But pretty weird too.

What do you say to something like that?  Thank you?  It isn't quite adequate to just say thank you when someone let's you know that your work is a model in their eyes.  It is an uncomfortable thing to put your own ideas, thoughts and accomplishments in the classroom down on paper in the form of what is ultimately, a competition.  It is doubly weird to have to justify each of your practices and decisions in your classroom knowing that a team of people will be critiquing everything you write, or don't write.

My first response was, no thanks, not worthy.  I do what I do and love it.  I feel like my work is rewarding and exciting and challenging, but award worthy?  I don't know about that.  So I did what I do when I need to sort out my ideas, I talked.  I process out loud which can drive people crazy, but that is what I need to do.  Thank goodness for a nice long ride to and from work.  I do a lot of processing on the road.  Ultimately, my talks with my husband put me on my current path.  He said, "You have an opportunity to get recognition for you, your students and your school.  You deserve it.
They deserve it. Do it."  And so I decided to go for it.

If you have ever been nominated for an award in education, the very first thing you find out is that anything dealing with education is going to mean paperwork.  For these two particular awards there is more paperwork than I have had to do for an entire course.  I had to video tape a class.  I had to document my school statistically, breaking my class out separately with a separate report.  I had provide a bibliography for all of my cited research and ideas, and provide evidence for everything I claimed.  I had to analyze second by second the lesson I submitted.  I had to write and write and write about various prompts, ideas and defend everything I have done.  I had to justify at every step.   It has been a struggle to say the least.  It has been demanding and time consuming and frustrating.

I have had to ask for letters of recommendation.  I hate asking for letters.  I always feel awkward when people say all of these nice things and build you up on paper.  I obtained four different letters from people that I work with and have struggled with and talked with and debated with...and they still wrote really nice letters for my applications.

So I have finally reached the submission point for one of the applications and am waiting in limbo to hear if I will progress to the next level with the other.  I have found something along the way as I have written and worked and researched and reflected on my classroom.  I have found that I really do love my work.  Really.  I love it.  I have found that it is not just "work" but that I feel great pride in what I do.  I feel great appreciation for my school community, my administration, my colleagues, my families- they have supported me as I have pushed the boundaries here and there.  Sometimes I have pushed really hard, and they still backed me up.  While I was writing up all of my required documents, I found myself fine tuning some of my practices and solidifying my ideas about some of the things that I chose for my students.  I have found through all of this, a greater sense of clarity about the work I do and why I do it.

Ultimately, I know that I may get a rejection letter or two.  I know that my applications could both stop right where they are and that someone else's application may progress ahead of mine.  I'm honestly okay if that happens.  This process has been rigorous and challenging.  I can honestly say that I have put myself through a lot to complete the required work for each  application.  But if my applications are not successful, I feel like I am walking away with a lot anyway.  I know that I have the respect and support of the people I work with.  I know that my decisions are based on best practice and sound research.  I am confident that the work that I do makes a difference for the students I spend my days with.  Taking the time to justify it on paper is a worthwhile thing to do.  It is uncomfortable, perhaps, to say that I feel I am doing a great job.  It is not uncomfortable to say that I am going to keep on working at doing the job even better.

Being reflective is something that all learners must be if the learning is going to continue at a steady pace.  This opportunity to reflect has caused me to ask more questions, connect with more people and extend myself in a new direction.  If I am lucky enough to be able to represent my school community through one of these awards, that will be really nice.  If I can use this opportunity to inspire, encourage or support someone else to become more reflective in their classroom practice, well, that would be the best thing of all.  I have gotten to the point where I feel like this has been wonderful professional development for me.  I encourage all of my fellow educators to take the risk and say yes to a nomination.  I guarantee that you will learn from it.

Now, if I can just get that last document to upload before the final deadline.....

The power of words....

My daughter was recently retaking a quiz with her math teacher.  She cares deeply about her grades and sometimes it is very difficult for her to think straight when she is stressed.  Fatigue gets in her way if she has worried about an assignment or an exam.  It will haunt her all day if she doesn't do well.  I know all of this and more about my daughter.  I can feel in my gut what it felt like for her when her teacher got frustrated with her for taking so long to complete a problem and said these words, "Just give up.  You clearly don't know it.  Move on to the next one."

Do I believe that the teacher actually said this.  Yes, I do.  Am I angry at the teacher for hurting my child.  No.  I think I understand.  I don't like it, but I get it.

When I picked her up after school those were the first words out of her mouth.  She doesn't usually have a whole lot to say about school.  She's quite an introvert and processes much differently then I do.  What I am thinking is right out there.  She internalizes, agonizes, thinks and dwells.  At that point I might get a word or two about something that happened.  When something comes out directly, I know it is big and she is upset.  "She told me to give up...."

What my daughter heard and what her teacher said could easily have been two different things.  It could have been that her teacher wanted her to move on to the next question rather than stress about the one she was on.  She was stuck and maybe she was trying to unstick her.  Maybe the teacher was just frustrated that the after school minutes were ticking away and my daughter was getting upset at being unable to complete a problem.  Either way, the result was the same.  My daughter was wounded and now when she thinks of that class, those are the words that she hears.  It can't be undone.

I hurt for my daughter and I want to be angry at the teacher.  I want to blame and march in there and tell her what she has done.  But then I think about my own classroom and start to wonder what words I have said during the course of my time at school that could have done the same thing.  Did I rush someone?  Discourage them?  Did I inadvertently give anyone the message that I didn't think they could do the work?  I'm pretty sure that without realizing it, I could have.  Sometimes I forget that the little things I say and do can stick to a child and then, without meaning to, my classroom means something else to them.  I forget that they don't always hear things the way I think they do.

It is hard to be patient all of the time.  It is difficult to always say the right thing for each and every child and I fail more often than I would ever care to admit.  I'm going to try to hear my words more carefully and maybe, just maybe, avoid giving a child the wrong message.

I told my daughter that teachers make mistakes and maybe her teacher did just that.  I told her that her teacher cares about her.  I told her that I was confident that her teacher has no idea how badly she has hurt her.  I encouraged her to talk to her teacher, to give her teacher a chance to understand how she feels about the words she heard.  I hope she will.  I hope that she and her teacher talk and that the words can fade.....  I hope that, not if, but when I hurt one of my students this way, that someone will tell me.  And some how, I can make it right again, before they do the unthinkable, and give up. I never never never want that for any of my students, and especially not my daughter.

Personal Standards.......Personal Learning

We are a proficiency-based classroom.  All of our work is aligned with the Common Core State Standards which have been renamed in our state to the Career and College Readiness Standards which are measured by the SBAC test which has been renamed the Maine Educational Assessment.  I'll blog about how I feel about the renaming of everything another day......

Today I want to talk about students and standards.  We use Springboard for our grade 6-12 math program.  If you are trained in Springboard it is the greatest program ever.  If you are not trained in Springboard.  Get trained.  It isn't worth trying to use it if you don't understand the philosophy or how it is supposed to be implemented.  It drives me crazy that teachers try to use a program by winging it. If a program is research based, get the research, get the training and implement correctly.  End of rant.  Actually, one more thing.  A good program, a really good program, let's you meet the needs of your students.  It gives you options and choices and multiple avenues.  Springboard does that extremely well.  But you have to know how to use it.  Ok.  Now end of rant.  Dang.

We have identified our promotion standards by working the progressions of standards from the graduation standards for our high school.  We are a local control state so it is possible (and is very likely) that all of our high schools in Maine will have different graduation standards.  Don't even get me started about how I feel about this.  Still, we are aligned completely and our work is based on the CCSS or the CCRS depending on who you ask.  Seriously, they are the same thing.

My students and I unpack the identified standards into performance indicators at the start of each of our trimesters.   We list out specifically what we need to know and be able to do.  We also do this with our Springboard work including units and assessments.  We want to know what to expect, what our targets are so that we can know when we get there.  Yes my students know what is on the test.    How else can they prepare for it?  I'm not sure why assessments are secret.  My kids know what they need to know.  And there is another blog in the making.....

Now there is a lot of jibberish about standards.  Parents and politicians sometimes want to rant and rave about the standards.  I hope that those same people remember that parents and politicians are the ones who demanded that they be put in place.  I don't think it is actually the standards that have people worried.  Although some feel that we are expecting too much.  I think our structure is expecting too much- we need to be looking at what kids need to be successful instead of trying to cram standards into an old structure.  Get rid of the grading / leveling system we have and let's meet kids where they are.  And there's another thing I can write about on another day....

Back to the kids.  We identify those performance indicators within each cluster so that we can have a clear direction.  It is all very linear.  It is neat and tidy and we do lots of formative checks to see how we are doing along the way.  We document learning and use MasteryConnect to keep track of where we are with each and every one.  But there is something missing.  Everything has been chosen for the kids.  Everything has been pre-determined and the kids have had no say.  Well, we just can't have that for my students.  If something isn't working for your students, your school, or your community, be a part of the solution.  In my room, kids have a say.  

I challenged each and every student in my middle school to come up with at least one personal standard.  I asked each of them to take some time and think about what interests them.  What are they curious about.  What is something that they don't understand or think they understand but want to know more.  What is something they disagree with?  What is something that makes them angry or frustrated?  What do they love? Then I set aside time each week- it isn't a lot- but time to think about, explore and learn about that idea that sparks something within them.  A personal standard to unpack and follow.

I told them the learning doesn't have to be pretty.  It doesn't have to follow a straight line.  They don't have to finish it.  It can meander and grow and shrink.  It can change completely.   The only thing it has to be is something that they are curious about.

I had them do this at the beginning of the year.  I encouraged them to think about it, work on it and explore it occasionally.  I gave them time to work on it each week.  I have reminded them about it throughout the year.  And now we are in the third term.  Next week, I have told the kids that I want them to put together a short presentation of their learning about their personal standard.

One of my top students brought me a paper she had written about her personal standard as a response to my "assignment" for her presentation.  It was lovely.  It was neat and well written.  She had pulled illustrations (and cited their sources) and explained it out fully.  She had done it ahead of schedule and wanted to turn it in and be done with it.   And I refused it.  She's never failed anything in her life.  She gives her best 100% of the time- and I said no.   She was not happy.

The work she gave me was complete.  But when I asked her what she learned and was she excited by it, she said no.  She hadn't really learned anything.  She just got it done.  She was honest with me- I love that about my students.  If I ask a question, they tell me what they think.  Sometimes it stings a little but I can count on them telling me straight out their opinion on anything.

So I stopped the class and we talked about our personal standards and the purpose of them.  We had a beautiful chart where we had listed them all out when we began but I had failed somehow to convey the real purpose behind the assignment.  I didn't want them to do something for me.  I wanted them to have at least one opportunity in their public school career where they got to say, 'I want to learn this thing for the sake of learning for me.  Not you.  Not the state. Not a report card. For me.'

I reminded them that their presentation might not be pretty.  It might just be a list.  It might not be complete.  It could just be a beginning.  In fact, what a powerful statement to have something that couldn't possibly be completed because you still had so many questions and ideas and things that you want to know.....  What I wanted to see was their path.  What questions and ideas did you start with and where did you go?  What did you learn along the way?  What happens when you are giving a choice that lets you choose what you learn?  Was it a silly assignment or do you think that students should always have a personal standard to think about?  Did you abandon your first choice? second choice? third choice?  Why?  What are you curious about now?  And then I took it one step further.  Since everything in life is really math based (I do believe this) then your topic does not have to be just math related.  It seriously can be anything....as long as it is appropriate for school.  (You have to set this limit with middle school kids because some of the things they are curious about are not going to be discussed in our classroom.  No thank you. :) )

Next week I am away from school for a couple of days for a conference.  I am attending the NCTM national conference and I can't wait.  I am going to learn learn learn.  My students will be working on this presentation and their portfolios.  I have no idea what they will come up with.  None.  I just hope that in the midst of it they are inspired to be curious.  If I can provide a venue for that curiosity, then my students will have a way to be life-long learners and isn't that the point of this entire educational system?   I'll let you know how it goes...

The "D" Word...

Differentiation.  You can spend a lot of money on books, read every article you can find online and talk to every teacher you meet.  Still, it can look different, is interpreted widely, and in some cases, avoided like the plague.  I like to think of differentiation as the "whatever it takes" that I try to make happen in my classroom.

This week my 8th graders have been messing around with factoring polynomials.  We use algebra tiles along with several other methods, but primarily when we start a new step we go to the manipulatives first.  I really like for them to have a picture in their heads about what it means.  When we use the algebra tiles, it simplifies things in a way you can't do verbally.  "It has to make a rectangle."  If you use algebra tiles, you know what I mean.  If you don't, you should.  Get some tiles.  They are fun.

Just like every new concept we take on, I have some students who get it right away and want to plow on and others who need some time to explore it in order to truly make it their own.  I always want to honor that.  However, finding a way to challenge students who are ready while simultaneously supporting students who are not, and also addressing the needs of every student in between, well, it's tricky.  I'll say that another way.  It's tricky for me if I try to stay in control of everything happening in the room.  I'm not trying to do that anymore.  It's a little scary but the results are awesome.

When I am working with the whole class, I often ask for a rating from them in order to know how they are feeling about their current understanding of the skills we are working on.  I use a 1-4 to match our rubric but I know some teachers use a fist to 5.  For me, a 4 means they have it and they are feeling confident enough to help a peer.  A 3 rating indicates that they feel they have a good understanding and they are independent. A 2 rating lets me know that they are making progress but not completely on solid ground yet.  A 1 rating is our signal for "I'm a little lost. Throw me a lifeline."

Having a student rate themselves is a risk and any teacher who uses this strategy needs to understand that if a student is willing to tell you that they are a at a 1 or a 2 with their learning they not only trust you, they trust their peers.  That's a big deal to me.  We take a lot of time to build a culture in our classroom that supports this kind of risk taking.  It is the most important work we do.  When you have that kind of trust and risk-taking, your students are unstoppable.  Mine definitely take risks and I praise them like crazy for it.  My fastest learners are sometimes at a 1 and not ashamed to say so.  My most timid math kids are sometimes at a 4.  I make sure to get a picture of their work or a copy of their papers for them so they can put it in their portfolios.  They don't tend to fib about where they are at.  If they do, they have a reason and I have to trust them to do what is best for themselves.  They have a responsibility to learn the material and to let me know if they need my help.  I have a responsibility to let them meet their own needs.

That philosophy, just presented in a nutshell, is what led me to say to the kids, "self select where you need to be.  I asked the kids, where are you on our 1-4 and they all over the place.  So I asked them to take care of their own learning needs.  I asked the 3's and 4's to move to one area of the room and the 1's and 2's to move to another.  It is one thing to ask a child to raise their fingers publicly.  To ask them to get up and move in front of their peers, I was honestly not convinced that they would do what they needed to do.

They moved.  I gave the "moving on" group a challenge problem that would require them to figure out next step without me.  It was almost half of the 22 kids in the class.   The other group I had working at another set of tables.  I had gotten the "moving on" group their challenge first thinking that I would spend more time with the kids who were struggling.  That isn't what happened.

My "strugglers" didn't want my help.  They wanted to be independent.  They were helping each other.  I kept offering.  They shut me out.  They pulled out the algebra tiles.  I watched, and learned.  They weren't needing anything from me really. Occasionally they let me be a part of their work.  Once and a while they would ask me a question.  But mostly, they just wanted time.  Turns out, they understand exactly what they didn't know.  They could articulate very well where they were getting stuck and they were telling each other.  I did nose my way in a few times to offer youtube videos, Khan Academy activities and few possibly-helpful suggestions, but mostly I stayed out of the way.

As I check in with the "moving on" group I find that they are really needing to push themselves.  They have been debating and arguing who is right and why (love hearing their reasoning and justifications).  As they start to think they have found the solution I check in.  It's not correct.  I look at their work and ask a few questions about 'what is the rule for this step' and 'does it make sense...' One of them sees where I am going and they are off to explain it to the group before I can finish my sentence.  Within a minute they have it fixed, down and asking for another problem.  I give them another one and they are off.  They went through several problems during the class.  They never would have gotten to them if we had stayed together.  My top kids would not have learned anything new.  I can't afford to let that happen.

There were a couple of students that I noticed found their own place in another part of the room.  I have 5 groups of tables and desks in my classroom.  These two girls had given themselves 1's and I was worried about seeing them sitting alone.  I offered to help them thinking that surely my wisdom would be needed.  When I checked on them, they did want a little support, but not much.  They wanted to work slowly.  They were taking their time and doing the work one step at a time.  They had written the steps out in their journal and they were moving through with each of the 10 problems they had to do.  I admit that I was, by this point, blown away by the work that was happening.

I honestly doubted the self-selection of one of the students.  I doubted that they should be in the "moving on" group.  I doubted that they were ready and I doubted that they were engaged.  I had no right to doubt them.  They were engaged.  They were working. And they were asking questions of their peers as they worked.  They were completely supported and taking a huge risk.  They wanted to try.  I shut my mouth and watched them work really really intensely.  They took notes.  They talked about the problem.  They used their white board.  They didn't necessarily solve the problem completely, but by the end of the class, they could factor polynomials.  I should mention, this student does not do well in school.  They do not always behave in other classrooms.  They don't always behave for me.  Maybe today has taught me something about this child....

The room, however, was noisy.  I can't close my door because my room overheats.  I run fans year-round.  It's just the room.  It's hot.  It's a new building (we are very lucky) but this room is just always warm.  I worry about our noise level all of the time.  So I stepped back to the center of the room ready to quiet the room down.  I was, in that moment, smart enough to listen to what was going on.  I'm not always smart enough to do that.  Usually I'm pretty sure that I know best and I don't stop to really listen to what they are doing.   There were a few comments here and there about middle-school-not-math things but mostly, the kids were intense with their work.  I choose to not quiet the room.  I chose to quiet me.

I am not an "old" teacher but I do have a few more "knowledge highlights" in my hair than I used to.   I find that as I get older, I am more sensitive to the noise.  However, I am determined to not let my need for order and control stop what is happening in my room.  Every single student in my class, an 8th grade group with students of all abilities, needs and levels; every single one of them factoring polynomials.  Dang.  I could cry I am so happy.  Now to some people, factoring may not be tear worthy.  To me, I am looking at a group of kids who have self-selected their work for their own reasons, they are engaged, they are intense and I am happy.

There are a few bumps here and there, which I am learning to find quickly and address.  That look from a child when they have gone off track and can't find their mistake.  The look from another child when they are approaching their own personal frustration level.  The look from still another child that says, "give me more, I'm bored."  Algebra is awesome because there is so much new to learn.  Kids feel powerful and smart and intrigued to find out that they can solve really complicated problems.  I love it when a student looks at their work and announces to themselves, "Wow, I'm really smart."  My biggest learning this week is that my kids know their needs better than I do and I need to trust them more.  What happened in my room today was pure magic.  It never would have happened if I had stood in front of that room and taken the group step by step.  It's their learning.  I'm going to keep looking for ways to let them own it.