Nine years ago, the word rigorous was pounded into my head. I needed to make sure that my lessons were rigorous (challenging), but they also needed to be world based. In other words, the students needed to be able to apply this to the world around them. The principal who told me this started me down a road where I would constantly think about how to incorporate that into my lessons.

Socratic circles were incorporated into my lessons. Debates were incorporated. Research based on problems were incorporated.

Hands on activities were my students’ favorite. When giving them a project, it involved writing, research, and an output that allowed them to be creative. To keep things achievable, I let them know that being an artist was not the goal. If I saw them working diligently, using their time wisely, and producing a quality product, then they did what I asked them to do.

Prior to that time period, I was unsure how PBL would fit into an ELA classroom. There were plenty of ways for it to fit into a Science, Math, or even Social Studies class, but ELA? It took me realizing that utilizing a problem (an argument about pollution, overpopulation, and food choices in the cafeteria) fit into the curriculum. Reading a novel could provide students with an opportunity to create a project based on the reading. With Restart, they did a project around bullying. When I taught The Giver, they gave each other jobs based on their personality traits and researched those jobs.

In the past, we’ve created board games to teach grammar, movies to create book trailers of favorite books, and held character trials. These are all project based. The challenge isn’t in the what. It’s in the how.

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Each year, at the beginning of the year, I share with my students that I write. I have written numerous books. I have a website online that some will eventually find that has links to my books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I even have copies of my books in my classroom.

This year, a handful of my homeroom students became infatuated with trying to read all of my books. They also provided me with the encouragement I needed to finish a book that I’d been struggling to finish for almost three years. I was stuck. I shared with them an idea I was toying with, and they said, “Do it!” So I did. I changed up my point of view, and the book practically finished itself easily. I even dedicated the book to them.

I have fallen into a vicious cycle of devouring every genre of book I can get my hands on through Kindle Unlimited and writing. Reading and writing have taken over my life. I keep a notebook handy for jotting down important things I have to do and scribbling inspiration when it strikes. My students have asked about the notebook, and I tell them that when you have something that you believe in, you should find a way to achieve it. Hence, my notebook.

If I am in the middle of my day and inspiration strikes, I write it down. Everything goes in that notebook.

1. To do lists
2. Conversation ideas
3. Book ideas
4. Blog post ideas
5. Things that I need to learn to improve
6. Research
7. Chapters I’ve written to type up when I get home (written during my lunch)

I started a Goal book this year that has, currently, 68 things that I want to accomplish this year with room to write down up to 140. If something strikes me as I want to do this, it goes in my goal list. I can transfer my goal list to next year. So far, I have accomplished quite a few of my yearly goals. It’s a win for me. I’ve also read nearly 47 books this year. When I tell my students, they look at me in awe.

We should all have goals and passions that we are working toward. At the beginning of the year, I had my students write down their goals. Some will find that they have strayed far away from their goals. Some will find that they are on track to accomplish their goals. Staying passionate about who you are and what you want to do is the key to success.

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I think I have tried everything possible with these students, and it had become clear that what had worked in the past would not work with these students. This is a different generation of student. One that has come through Covid. One that no longer has the intrinsic motivation necessary to become successful students, and extrinsic rewards do not appeal to them. Plus, behavior is horrible.

Now, not all teachers have the issues with the students that I have. Those teachers have either another teacher in the room with them, or they have taken on the role of a stern teacher from the beginning. My mistake is that my reputation precedes me. I have tried to be the one who seeks out the problem and take a kind approach, but what I’ve learned is that my reputation is one of a “pushover,” and you can do what you want in her class.

There was a change this week. My newly medicated self (thank you, ADHD meds that make me feel like I’m on top of my game) has taken a complete 180. I’m fully aware. I have my stuff together and organized. I am more than capable of pulling myself together rather than feeling like a tightly wound ball of anxiety.

I started on Tuesday reading and discussing Cisneros’s “Eleven.” It’s short enough to keep their attention. They can easily identify the fact that the teacher shouldn’t have pushed the sweater onto Rachel. They can also empathize with Rachel’s feelings about Sylvia who states the sweater belongs to Rachel. Plus, they can think about why Rachel states the fact that the teacher is right because she’s older. Later we will read an article on intentional and unintentional bullying by teachers and discuss that in reflection of this story. My biggest purpose is to make them think outside of the stereotypical bully by hinting at a teacher could bully or someone you don’t expect could bully.

Wednesday we talked about the problems around laws that address bullying. We also started a first glimpse at South Carolina’s Safe School Climate Act. They started talking about some of the forms of bullying, and I had them look into some vocabulary that they may not know. Friday we will completely unpack the law that addresses what schools need. From here on out, the SC law will be a frequent piece in the classroom as we read and discuss several text pieces. We have a Fall break coming up starting next week, and when we return from break, I am planning to start our novel study.

Today they started building a case for how they feel about the punishment for bullying and whether that should be more strict. I pointed out on Wednesday that an author who was interviewed on NPR stated that labeling a bully could be a stigma that they couldn’t get rid of. My hope is to help them understand that all of us tend to bully, and we don’t want to be labeled as a bully. We want prevention. We want conflict resolution. We want to change the climate within the classroom and school. Not just “Here’s a law and if you don’t abide by it you will be punished.” The Safe School Climate Act specifies that schools have a set of rules in place, but how do you teach them? Just saying don’t do it isn’t the clear answer. Because of this, I love to teach this unit. It makes them think. It makes them take ownership in what we are doing and why we are doing it.

With that said, I can’t do it if they are not willing to listen. I had to put students out of my class this week because they were disrespectful. Not just to me, but to each other, as well. And some had to learn that what they asked for is a two way street. You can’t say to me, “You never stop so-and-so when they say stuff to me,” and then when I deal with it, you say something rude to them. It doesn’t work that way. Me handing out a consequence to them doesn’t give you a free pass to do it back thinking you won’t have a consequence.

I just hope that this new backbone holds strong. They’ve pushed me into a corner, and I don’t do corners.

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To help with this, I reached into my file cabinet and pulled out a graphic organizer from Education Oasis. They have a lot of different organizers on their website, and I have used their Story Map Organizer to take notes about a story and even to create their own stories.

When I introduced the students to the organizer, I had already discussed many of these plot elements. They know what each of these is about. We talk about the short stories we have already read and place those elements into an organizer. Then, I have them give me details for a story. They randomly give me setting details, character details, problem(s) and even solutions. The ending is usually a mystery on these because I plan to write and share them with the students.

By doing this, they have an idea of how to fill this out or they can borrow from mine. I even start my story on the same day by showing it to them on the overhead projector (Ipevo or Elmo) so that they know how to start their stories. Sometimes it is en media res and sometimes it is just describing the setting. I even show the other classes’ story maps that they gave me and the story I’m writing with it.

The great thing about an organizer is that students can utilize it simply even if they struggle to get started. I always take them back to the organizer if they are stuck. We fill in more details, or we work on the problem they are having. Any time we are writing, I try to sit at my small group table and allow students to come up to the table for help. Some want to camp out at the table, but unless they are absolutely having issues (I generally have on in each of my classes), they have to go back to leave a chair empty. Otherwise, I have 10 to 20 students trying to shove computers or paper in my face. And yes, it happens! Putting procedures in place for the writing conference table can be challenging the first time that I do it. By the end of the year, they know how it works and everything runs smoothly.

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In a class with multiple reading abilities, behavior abilities, and concentration abilities, plus handwriting abilities, I have to think about adaptations before, during, and after my instruction.

Before Instruction

Prior to teaching, when I am in the planning stages, this is the moment when I consider many of my accommodation needs. Some require lessons that do not involve writing (they cannot read their own handwriting), some require a lower Lexile, and others cannot be on the computer (they will not complete work on the computer). I have to plan out my instruction to meet all of these accommodations that are in their IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) to insure that students are given an opportunity for success in the classroom.

During Instruction

Depending upon the class, lessons must be chunked into smaller equivalents. Because attention spans vary, I keep instruction short, practice short, and have frequent short transitions. I keep an eye on my students to know when I can move on. Too much time practicing and behavior issues will crop up among those who are already struggling academically and looking for an escape. Too short, and the lesson is completely lost. Transitions are the same. They have to be kept short to avoid escapism behavior issues.

After Instruction

Reteaching is often a must with certain classes. I still need to pull students aside to work on various skills, but at the same time trying to do this with a classroom full of students who can’t sit still or concentrate is a difficult thing to do. While I can put them to working on something on their own, I can’t guarantee that they will remain focused. Working individually is not their strongest trait due to some students’ need to escape what they feel is difficult or where they don’t feel success. Finding ways to adapt instruction after the lesson often involves whole class reteaching, or pulling students from other activities. Pulling these students from recess or another needed class interrupts other needs (activity to help burn off stored energy or a much needed extra reading class).

When I have to reteach as a whole class, I try to find another way to teach the same lesson. Finding multiple ways for students to learn the skill that I need them grasp and learn can be difficult, but I’ve found that having a list to pull from eases the burden of creating new lessons on similar topics.

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I can recall the day when I’d have to open my computer, go to Google, and type in a sentence to discover the source just to check if it was plagiarized. Of course, when reading, it is easy to identify those papers whose writer’s voice does not match previous work. It would be wonderful if students actually grew in their writing overnight, but alas, it doesn’t work that way. Now, I don’t bother to read if the font and formatting is all over the place.

Of course, now Word just allows us to go in and check the sources. It’s funny how students have not discovered this little hack. You can open it up in the editor, and it will show you how to fix it. It also shows teachers the exact website it came from. The paper above copy and pasted from 4 different websites, hence the different fonts.

How do you choose to handle it?

First and foremost, the student receives a zero. I could easily write the student up or have them serve a lunch detention, but instead I send home a letter with the following consequences: You have received a zero for your paper due to the fact that the paper has been plagiarized. Texts that are exactly like your paper were found on the following websites, and I have attached a copy. You have a choice. You will have five days to rewrite your paper or take the zero for a major grade. Turning in a second plagiarized paper will result in a discipline slip.

I have parents and students sign the letter. It is then kept as proof that I gave the student an opportunity to rewrite the assignment if a question of the zero happens to come up later. Most of the time, I never have another plagiarism incident from that student. And yes, I do check their work more frequently. Doing a search in Google with quotation marks around the query is a great way to get exact results fast.

I’m usually stumped by the fact that no matter how many times you teach them about plagiarism, students will still try to get around actually doing the work. They want to slap something on the paper and move on.

Is this something you see a lot of since technology is being used more? Let me know in the comments below.

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Except, it wasn’t that class that did me in. They were engaged in the lesson. They participated. I circulated the room and redirected, and offered assistance when they were stuck. They were fabulous, so I had high hopes for the rest of my day.

My next class, it went well. I redirected a few times, and students were surprised when I suddenly announced after the 5th transition that class was nearly over and they could pack up.

My honors class came in next, and I didn’t have to redirect as often. They are more capable of reading on their own and following directions with fewer explanations. It went smoothly. I began to feel this sense of great accomplishment. I had found the perfect lesson to keep students engaged from bell-to-bell and it was perfect.

Y’all, I got too cocky.

My last class rolled in after lunch and recess (basically free time), and immediately, I had to gain their attention 6 times to start my anticipatory set. I had to settle them down 5 times during that activity (which involved moving from one side of the room to another based on whether they agreed or disagreed with a statement).

When we transitioned back to their seats, I had to try 4 more times to get their attention and even raise my voice over theirs because they refused to quiet down. Once I explained what to do (with of course 5 more disruptions), I set my timer. They were reminded again that they were not to talk, but rather they were to be reading. Time was limited. Were they quiet? No. Same four students the entire class. I had chosen to stay near my student who constantly was up and down, but I’d go to the other side of the room, try to redirect before escorting my jack-in-the-box back into his seat.

The entire class, those students disrupted with talking or throwing things. Anything to avoid reading and writing.

I wonder why?

As I sat during my planning and looked over my list of students to pull for reading help, those 4 students were my lowest in the class.

Has it been so long that I have forgotten that many times disruptions come from those students who struggle, so they will act out to avoid doing the work? Only, I didn’t give them a free pass. I left jack-in-the-box with a classmate who started an intense debate on the subject, and I stood over those who weren’t working and reminded them that they were writing for the entire time (really only 10 minutes), and they were not allowed to stop. When I told them that spelling didn’t matter, but getting all of their ideas out onto the paper was the important part, two of the group decided to truly buckle down and write. This led the way for the others to follow.

I’m not sure why this one particular class is so difficult. They trash my room. They talk. They cut up. Not just those four. There are others who do the same. It’s frustrating. It makes my job feel like I’m living through a nightmare. I think to myself, “At least they will be 8th graders next year, and I won’t have to teach them again,” but I know that I have another group coming up that are the same way. New group. New needs.

Is it June yet?

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Differentiation sometimes looks like chunking it for all, and those who do not, can finish it faster.

Differentiation sometimes looks like providing the same accommodations for all students.

In this one class, the only thing that I can manage to differentiate properly is my reading. I can give the students texts on their level and then chunk the writing into smaller steps.

I will be teaching Argumentative Writing starting on Monday. I’m not thrilled because writing is my first period’s weakest area. It’s not that they can’t, it’s just that their ADHD prevents them from being able to get started. (I’ll have to elaborate more later on that subject)

My goal is to find articles on the same subject that is adapted to their level (Newsela is fantastic for this), and have them read and highlight with a claim in mind (what would support their claim). We are not going to just highlight and write (remember those ADHD children?). Instead, one small part of it at a time. I’m even going to give them a folder to keep all of their work in so that they do not lose it (because they will). It may take me two weeks to get through writing. I really want to be able to sit down with them one-on-one and give a good writer’s conference with each of them. I’m also planning to pull students for reading conferences this week (I hope!).

It will be weeks of small chunks. Small bites. Fifteen minutes or less then move on. If they have too much time to think, chaos erupts as their way of not wanting to do the work. Minilesson, do, transition, minilesson, do, transition, etc. It works with them. But you have to remember that you only have 5 minutes before they get antsy.

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Sometimes I look back on my past successes and feel less than before. Am I still not the same successful teacher I was back then?

I suppose that I could blame this new climate of student learning on the missed learning moments during Covid, but surely after this long we should be reaching the end, right?

I had to take my son to the doctor last week, and I decided to leave them with a packet with guided questions, and I even provided them with an oral reading. Me reading to them.

I was very proud as I felt as though I had truly accommodated my students who needed more help, and I even gave those who didn’t need it access to the same. It should have been an easy assignment that they could finish up the next day if they needed more time.

What happened?

The entire day I was bombarded with emails stating that they didn’t understand the assignment (read and answer the questions provided in the document- a document that had even more specific instructions on how and where to find the answers). They stated the assignment was too hard. Too difficult. They needed more information on how to answer. They had other assignments to do, as well, so it wasn’t like they had nothing to do. They had 3 to choose from.

How did I feel? I felt like a failure. My good feeling dispersed into the wind like scattered ash.

On Friday, when I returned, I decided to give those students who needed it (mainly everyone except for my honors class) a thorough modeling of what I had expected (i.e. I did it for them). I gave them the answers to the questions. We did things as a class. They answered the questions with great details. They knew this! They did it.

When it came to building the essay, I modeled introductory paragraphs, a body paragraph, and a conclusion. Things that I saw they needed based on their last essay for me. I gave them the formula. I typed it out with their help. For the body paragraph, you do the same with a topic sentence, evidence, and an explanation. They were responsible for only TWO body paragraphs! They could use mine or use mine as a reference to build their own. I wouldn’t mark off points if they used MY paragraphs. Everything would be due on Thursday. Planner (which we did as a class on Friday and Monday) and essay (which I did 3 of their 5 paragraphs for them) should be submitted on Thursday. As of yesterday (Friday) I still didn’t have them all turned in.

I had students who didn’t even have one of the paragraphs written and their planners were empty. How? How does this happen?

I gave them out grade reports for my class with a list of missing assignments. I warned them that progress reports come out in two weeks, and many of them had an 8 in my class. Most didn’t care. They knew we would be changing that to a 50 when report cards come out, and then to their parents it would look like they did so much to bring up that grade. (Except that some of us teachers now list the actual grade on the report card in the comments section)

Why the lack of motivation?

I feel like trying to motivate students is an exhausting uphill climb. Students are neither extrinsically nor intrinsically motivated to perform their best. They don’t care about anything other than their phones which they sneak to look at 30-40 times during a class. I’m not stupid. I know what they are doing. I really need to find a way to get them to perform to their potential. I need to get them to do their best each and every time. Trying to find a solution to this is going to be a long, uphill climb.

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One of my main goals this school year has been to challenge my students to use transition words when writing. Often, it’s difficult for students to use transition words in their writing with a purpose. I realized when I started to teach text structure in informative writing that my students didn’t understand what transition words were, and they certainly did not know how to use them. I had to find a way to make transition words accessible to them while helping them understand when to use them.

Each time we studied a text structure, I gave them a list of words that they would be somewhat familiar with, but I also made sure to give them some words that they may not have seen before. We would examine the list, and I would have students pick out words that they know they could easily use in a sentence. For example, when we were studying Cause and Effect, I gave them the following words: because, since, for, so, as a result, thus, therefore, and hence. I showed them examples of the words in use, and then I polled the class to see which words that they thought they would be able to use in their writing. In this example, most chose the word, “because.” I thought that they would choose that one because many are familiar with the word.

When selecting a transition word list, I managed to find one online that had everything broken down into their uses. The Smart-Word site has a pdf download that even includes conjunctions. I plan to create for my students a useful resource that they can use for future reference when writing. Since they have to write an essay for state testing, I always tell my students to find favorite phrases and words to always use. This is helpful when they are writing and cannot access their documents. By creating a memorized personal list, they will be able to write without having to look at a document.

What can be achieved through this writing challenge? Many of the transition words that they use allow students to write sentences that are more complex and extend beyond the short simple sentences. It gives them a chance to add variety to their sentence types thus creating a more pleasing auditory experience to their prose other than the short staccato of the simple sentences.

Overall, providing them with a challenge is an opportunity to expand their writing repertoire. I have had my students keep a writing journal so that we can collect interesting writing. Even lists can provide them with interesting nuggets to tuck away in their writing journal so that they can refer back to them often.

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