Chalk Talk: If We Want Our Voices Heard, We Have to Engage in the Conversation

We are strong proponents of growing readers through interest and choice. Our reading workshop is filled with opportunities for authentic interactions with text.  Unfortunately, we sometimes find ourselves in difficult conversations about the teaching of reading.  We have to speak back against scripted programs, assigned reading, and extrinsic motivators.  We have to defend the amount of picture books and graphic novels we have in our classroom.  It is SO important that we are able to have these conversations in a thoughtful, intelligent manner.  We want to have open dialogue with our colleagues.  We strive to be well-read on the research and prepared to engage in dialogue about our practice.   

If you have not checked out Heinemann’s series “Not This, But That”, we highly recommend you take a look.  (http://www.heinemann.com/series/72.aspx) This is a great series to help us grow our practice and provide some intelligent points when we find ourselves in conversations with colleagues and parents.  I know that when I read No More Independent Reading Without Support it didn’t change my practice in a revolutionary way, but it did help me refine what I was already doing in my classroom.  It also, and possibly more importantly, refined my ability to speak to what I was already doing in my classroom.  I am currently reading No More Reading for Junk and really wishing it had been in my purse during a recent conversation with a colleague and friend.  She was so excited about her campus’ (my former campus) newly adopted points-based reading program.  When she saw the look on my face, she knew how I felt about it.  When I was still at that campus, I spoke out about adopting the program.   I was familiar with some of the research and I knew that the program, while showing results in the short term, hasn’t shown success in growing life-long readers.  Back then I didn’t have an easy way to convey the rationale for keeping the program off of our campus, but as I dig into No More Reading for Junk I find it all laid out for me.  The majority of the book is focused on what we should be doing instead.  This is an essential (and more important) part of our professional conversations.  We need to be proactive if we want to be agents of change.  We can’t just say “that’s bad” and then have nothing to lay out as an alternative.  It is our responsibility to engage in conversation in a way that encourages reflection and an exchange of ideas.  We can’t outright reject other ideas, but instead need to open a dialogue that allows us to share informed opinions.

The two of us have had countless conversations about our obligation as professionals to act as such.  As teachers, we complain that our profession is undervalued and underappreciated.  We must take it upon ourselves to be informed in order to grow our practice and speak intelligently about it.  If we want our voices to be heard, we have to say something important.  In order to do that, we must take the time to do our own research and engage in conversations that push us to think critically.  We also need to step into leadership roles and position ourselves in ways that allow us to listen, speak, and consider the many ideas out there.  We can’t allow others to speak for us.  We have to be the strongest voices because only we can truly speak about our profession from the classroom perspective.  We are doing the hard work, so we should be engaged in the dialogue.

ChalkTalk: Teachers Are the Solution, Not the Problem

During the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump Jr. stated that our schools are “like Soviet-era department stores that are run for the benefit of the clerks and not the customers."  Translation: our system favors teachers’ jobs over students’ educations.  Anyone who says that our education system benefits the teachers more than the students has never met an actual public school teacher. We are working in one of the hardest jobs in the world and we are devoted to our students and our profession. We spend our own money (LOTS of it) to stock our classrooms with school supplies and books. We stay late (far beyond our paid hours) to prepare and confer with parents. We work weekends and sacrifice time with our own families in order to take care of the students in our classrooms. We spend our "summer break" reading professional books, catching up on current children's literature, and attending professional development.

We do all of this and are underpaid. If the system really benefitted us more than the kids, I would hope we would be making out like bandits. We are not. I have an advanced degree just like my husband, but unlike my husband, that degree has earned me less than $1,000 more per year than my colleagues without it. On that note, my 15 years of experience mean that I make a few thousand dollars more per year than a novice teacher. The educational system doesn't seem to value my educational experience and expertise.

On top of all of this, there is a general belief that I should reach beyond the classroom in order to "advance" myself. I should want to become an administrator or get my PhD because being "just a teacher" isn't enough. On a regular basis I have to defend why smart, talented teachers should stay in the classroom. We aren't staying because this is such a cushy gig. We lose so many teachers every year because what we do is challenging, and we often do it with little support. We have increasing demands and teachers leave because they can make more money in jobs that are much less stressful. Those of us that stay do so because we love what we do and what we do is important. Public schools open their doors to every single child in our country. As teachers, we care for and educate every single one of them. We do this because it is our career and we are passionate about children and learning. We aren't here for the paycheck. If the job security and salary were the driving force for teachers, we would have a lot of empty classrooms.

I am all for educational reform, but why don’t we talk about paying teachers what they are actually worth instead of blaming them for problems in the system?  Why don’t we talk about elevating the discourse when it comes to the profession of teaching instead of categorizing teachers as greedy or lazy?  Why don’t we talk about ways we can support and develop teachers instead of using them as scapegoats?  Why don’t we recognize teachers who are pouring their hearts and souls into their jobs instead of tearing them down and belittling their commitment?  Why don’t we have a real conversation about public education and invite the stakeholders who have shown the greatest commitment to the issue, the teachers?

School's First Day of School

School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex is a great way to start the year! First of all, we should begin with how much we love Adam Rex! He is an interesting, clever, and funny guy, and we use many of the books he writes and illustrates as mentor texts inside our reading and writing workshops.  His website is full of information sure to entertain you on its own! In School’s First Day of School, he partners with illustrator Christian Robinson, whose most recently illustrated Last Stop on Market Street, which received a Caldecott Honor. Robinson’s simplistic illustrations provide an accessible style for children to replicate. His books are great mentor texts in the classroom to use when illustrating their own books!

School’s First Day of School tells the story from the perspective of a brand new school brought to life with illustrations personifying the front of the school. Robinson’s thoughtful subtlety allows readers to make these discovery of the School's face on their own, which we know children love to do! The story will connect to any child (or teacher!) who experiences anxiety a new school year often creates, which makes for a great SEL lesson!  Robinson’s acrylic and collage illustrations reflect a beautifully diverse student body and follows a small freckled girl as she conquers her anxiety before the last pages turn. Rex creates a story with a very real plot for children, and he does it with perfectly placed jokes to give readers something to consider and a reason to laugh!  Perhaps the most heartwarming relationship is between School and Janitor. Janitor plays a nurturing role as he calms School’s anxiety before school starts. He is the expert in all things “school”, and he lovingly takes care of School to make it a special place for the children and teachers- Just like Ms. Norma and Ms. Nicolasa (a special shout out to our special friends who take such great care of our classrooms!)

Rex creates a story full of School’s internal dialogue, which is something we encourage our young writers to use in their stories. Internal dialogue mirrors real life, which creates voice and authenticity. Using internal dialogue is an effective way to elaborate, and it gives readers details they can’t acquire any other way. The collaborative work between author and illustrator make this book a great tool to use with children who want to try on personification and perspective as they write.

-- A must have for the beginning of the year!

Mentor Text Ideas: internal dialogue, perspective, personification,

Eight Great Ways to Savor Picturebooks

Eight Great Ways to Savor Picturebooks

Children have a natural inclination to savor a picturebook.  They read and re-read favorite books, noticing different elements every time.  Both of us learned from the great Dr. Nancy Roser one summer in a University of Texas graduate class, “The Art of the Picturebook”, and we dived into the deep, rich waters of Lawrence Sipe to learn more about the peritext features of books cleverly written for children to savor. As we share a picturebook with our students, there are many ways to help children slow down and appreciate. Enjoy our Eight Great.

1. Is there a surprise under the cover?  We try to read the hardcover version of books whenever possible. Illustrators love to hide masterpieces underneath the dust jacket.  Before we even open the book, we unwrap it and check for a secret gift left by the illustrator.During a recent skype visit with the Fan Brothers, who wrote The Night Gardener, they mentioned the extra costs associated with adding the surprise under the jacket. This is probably why the surprises aren’t more common. Based on the response of our 2nd graders when they find one, the result is well worth the extra cost!
2. The Endpapers- I love this quote: “The artist and illustrator Will Hillenbrand likes to think of the endpapers (also called end pages) as the stage curtains for a play, which are the first thing the audience sees when it enters the theater, as well as the last thing seen when the play is over.”. (Sipe, 1998, p. 40). The endpapers provide a great way to lead the children into predicting mood, events, and themes.
3. How do the pictures add to the story? Have you read Klassen’s This is Not My Hat? This is a perfect example of the impact illustrations have on meaning. Try reading it to your class without showing the pictures. Allow them to experience the book a second time with the pictures and talk about how the pictures added value to meaning. When children learn to interact with both pictures and text, it changes the way they experience picturebooks. Their book talk changes because they now view the book as ornamental and see the moves authors and illustrators make as purposeful.
4. Medium- Michael, a sporty 2nd grader, was known for his skill on the basketball court. However, that is not how he saw himself. When we recently took our Nerdy Birdy (You have to read this book!) Picture, where each child dressed in a way that represented their true self, he dressed up as an artist. He is a brilliant sketch artist. Studying the medium choices illustrators make in picturebooks offered us another way to confer with our writers. Finding mentor texts to aid our illustrators as they, too, used pictures to amplify their text, armed our writers with tools to craft their own books.
5. Typography- Typography is so much more than font choice. Bold typed words, words taking shape to create action, dialogue assigned to characters by color and shape, and so much more add to the special effects typography can add to a story. Perhaps the most amazing example of typography use in a book belongs to The Night I Followed My Dog by Nina Laden. It is full of words taking shape like additional illustrations. Children love it, and it is sure to inspire some creative typography use in their own books!
6. Elements of Design- We love to use Molly Bang’s Picture This: How Pictures Work with our students. Through the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Bang, through her artwork, details how the elements of design in picturebooks tell a story on their own. Bang guides us all to learn more about how color, shape, whitespace, and line work to build emotion. Sharing this book with students elevated their book talk and added an analytical layer to the classroom.
7. Get to Know the Author/Illustrator Team- Children love to connect with the creators of the books they love. Studying their books help them find patterns in the body of work. This knowledge helps them try on various writing and illustrating styles as they develop their own skills. Building in Author and/or Illustrator Studies through book floods, video interviews, book trailers, skype visits, and visiting their websites all provide ways for young readers and writers to build their reading and writing identity.
8. Provide Time and Choice- Perhaps Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer, says it best:

“Without spending increasingly longer periods of time reading, they won’t build endurance as readers, either. Students need time to read and time to be readers.”

-Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child

Children need time to read and read and read. They need to be empowered with choice. Time and choice motivate readers to fall in love with books. Books have the power to transform lives, which is something we all need more of in our lives!

The Branch

The Branch, written by Mireille Messier and illustrated by Pierre Pratt, came in the mail today. Reading it reminded me of a beloved pecan tree I climbed countless times in Stephenville, Texas. My brothers and I built pulley systems to deliver items to the climber at the top of the tree.. The tree was a source of endless play transporting us to make believe lands. It empowered us to be creative and do the work of children- play! The story’s main character loves a tree which has offered her the same inspiration my pecan tree offered me as a child. Her heartbreak begins when an ice storm claims her favorite branch. Through her heartbreak,  she finds friendship, collaboration, and possibilities. The story honors the bond children have with their natural world and their ability to see potential in the smallest of things to add richness to the world of play.

As a teacher, I see so many possibilities with The Branch. It contains a small moment. Small moments are about one time/one place. Helping children find small moments that are meaningful to them opens writing up to emotion and voice. Following the small moment is a series of “how to” vignette pictures labeled with brief sentences. This combination coupled with Pratt’s rich, simplistic illustrations makes the book a perfect mentor text as you approach integrating small moments with a “How To” feature.

Mentor Text Ideas: Small Moments, How To Features, Vignette illustrations