"Let's hear it for the boy . . . "

Our good friend and my colleague Kyle McClure was honored as Monrovia Teacher of the Year this year.  And then he went on to become Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year.  And recently he was named as a finalist for California State Teacher of the Year!

This week he was honored at an open house in his home and later the Monrovia School Board honored him at a board meeting.

Kyle is a great teacher.  I have watched him in action, and he has all the right moves!!

And he has a lovely wife and three beautiful daughters!!

We are proud of you Kyle - and glad to call you friend!

About 7 years ago, a young man came into my classroom and did not impress me favorably at all.  In fact, I came to dread seeing his face.  I was disturbed that he was so difficult to like, and I wondered how I could possibly help him.

 

He had some disgusting habits that were a definite turn off.  He was pretty bright and articulate, however, so I had to deal with his cleverness also.  One of his mothers often wept at the meetings we had - she felt that her son had been passed over and misunderstood for too long.  And they called for lots of meetings - lots of times!

 

I like to think that I am professional enough to overcome inherent dislikes and to give every student what he or she deserves.  So I kept trying to see the best in him.  I tried to praise every good thing he did - which did happen occasionally.  I tried to ignore lots of what he did and said that was so odious.

By 7th grade, he was receiving fewer services because he really was bright enough for general ed classes when he was willing to work at it.  I only had him for Study Skills.  And by 8th grade, he had "earned" the right to an elective, so he was only on watch and consult.  I recall waving to him at promotion  and wishing him well.  That fall, a teacher who had seen him at summer school reported to me that he seemed to be a changed boy - he was actually acting like a regular kid.  I was glad to hear that he seemed to be doing so well.

I heard nothing more until today when I received a high school graduation announcement in the mail.  It was sent to Mrs. Barbara Terrill care of Clifton.  The boy and his family had moved to Northern California.  By the looks of the graduation photo that was enclosed he is doing very well.

Sometimes you just never know.

A day in the life . . .

Today was Bailey's last day of student teaching - and her birthday!!

It seemed to be the perfect reason to have a party!!

We "partied" all day long!! (Actually, we just had a little celebration for each class throughout the day, so it 's not quite so decadent as it sounds!)

I gave all the students note cards and instructed them to write a note to Ms. Porter telling her the one thing they will remember most about their experience having her as their teacher for the last 10 weeks.

One rather short boy wrote "I will remender that you are the tallest teacher I ever had!"

Another boy wrote, "You are a very nice and kind teacher. Not that Mrs. Terrill isn't."

Bailey did an outstanding job - I will miss her - and the students will miss her too. It has been a growing experience for both of us.

It's good to know that we are always learning!

(And yes, the box contained an apron I made her. Two boys said to Bailey, "Did Mrs. Terrill make that?" When she said yes, one said, "But it looks like what you buy in a store.")

Funny how looking "store bought" is a compliment!!

And the plate had pumpkin bread - a big hit. I never cease to be amazed at how hardly anyone doesn't like pumpkin bread!

Waiting For Superman

Dad and I went and saw Waiting For Superman tonight. I had read some reviews and was intrigued, mainly because it was about the state of schools today. I also found out that the teacher's union had encouraged us to boycott the film. So then I was really intrigued!

It's a documentary by the same guy who did An Inconvenient Truth, and it's quite well done. When you read the critics, there are many who take exception to the film's message. And it may be a somewhat simplistic message. But it was profoundly moving on many levels. And it resonated with me because of experiences I have had lately with kids who have essentially "given up."

I'm not sure what value "boycotting" would have. Even if you totally disagreed with the film makers, there are some genuine human stories told here, stories that give you pause.

I say check it out - and let me know what you think!!

Another sad notice

Got an email this week that Mrs. Conte, who was Hannah and Eliza's 5th grade teacher, had died over the weekend. She died of cancer that was related to her decades of smoking, which is even sadder.

She had taught in MUSD from 1963 to 2000 - that's a lot of years of teaching! There were those who didn't like her, but I thought she was a great teacher - she certainly did well by our kids who had her. I know she had strong opinions - and her own way of doing things - but then, lots of teachers are like that.

I believe she gave Eliza and Hannah some great skills that have served them well in their educational and academic pursuits. I couldn't find Eliza's class picture, hence only Hannah's is posted. I hope my memory isn't playing tricks on me and it turns out Eliza didn't have her or something!!

Veterans Day

When I began substitute teaching many years ago, one of the first things I noticed was that many, if not most, students were sadly lacking in what I call "common knowledge." This is not to be confused with what I call "popular culture." I am fairly conversant with the former; I am sadly lacking in the latter. (However, I'm not sure that's really a flaw!)

Once I started teaching and getting a credential in Special Education, I discovered that awareness of "common knowledge" is actually one of the markers that is tested in establishing intelligence and ability levels. (This is the arena where much controversy occurs - and it's fodder for many another post - but suffice it to say, someone who can't recognize the Parthenon or the Lincoln Memorial is at a distinct disadvantage on certain tests.)

Joseph Ambrose, an 86-year-old World War I veteran, attends the dedication day parade for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982, holding the flag that covered the casket of his son, who had been killed in the Korean War.

This apparent lack manifested itself especially on the recognition of significant days in history - and not just U.S. History. For awhile, everyone knew about December 7th being Pearl Harbor Day because a movie of the same day came out and was quite popular for a time. Ditto for the Titanic. However, even those days produce "duh?" responses from students now!

So I began using holidays as ways to introduce some elements of common knowledge. There is a plethora of material out there to use with students - and most of it can be integrated nicely into the California State Standards governing language arts. This year I decided to use poetry to help them understand more about Veterans Day. (A note here, the U.S. has adopted the attributive case - no apostrophe - rather than the possessive case - lest you think I'd forgotten the apostrophe - since it is the day of the veterans!)

Another note: Most of my students were truly perplexed as to why we were having a holiday in the middle of the week. Veterans Day has been celebrated since 1921 - although then it was called Armistice Day - but in 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act changed it to the 4th Monday in October. Veterans protested that the holiday was losing its true meaning, so in 1978, Congress established it once again as being observed on November 11th (if it's a Sunday, we do get Monday off though!!)

The poem I used this year is "In Flanders Fields" by Lt.Col. John McCrae. He wrote it after watching a colleague die in battle. He wasn't satisfied with it though and tore the page out of his notebook and tossed it in the trash. A fellow soldier retrieved it and sent it to the British magazine Punch, where it was published to great acclaim. McCrae died within the year - ironically from complications of the Great Influenza epidemic.

It is not only recognized as being significant and well-written, it is also now imbedded in "popular culture." Wikipedia noted its inclusion in The Simpsons, Charlie Brown, the song "Marieke" by Jacques Brel, the film Mr. Holland's Opus and the Herman Wouk novel City Boy, to name just a few.

And the line "To you from falling hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high" is written on the wall of the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room!

Here it is, for your reading pleasure. Please note the use of alliteration, personification, symbolism,metaphor, and imagery.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


On a proud note, I must be succeeding, since many of my students could indeed find those literary devices.

Final side note: Disabled veterans used to make and sell paper poppies near and on Veterans Day - I remember having them to pin on our clothes. There was no mention of this in the sources I checked - but I still remember it!

And thank you to all veterans everywhere for your service to God and country!

Some late night thoughts on teaching school -

I started teaching students in the Resource program - a division of Special Education - in the fall of 1997. I was only teaching half-time - in Room 2 at Clifton Middle School. I shared the room with Dalene Johnson, so was the program director in the afternoons. I didn't know much about Special Ed - I was in a credentialing program at APU but had just started. I came to school at 11 and taught until 3. I only had 3 classes - two Language Arts and one Study Skills. Dalene was often at her desk checking papers or setting up for the next day, and she gladly shared knowledge and experiences with me. I felt like I was learning to be a real teacher.

I had not gotten mired in the minutiae of paperwork and IEP's and goals. I just taught the kids and enjoyed it. I only had 7 students in one class and 6 in the others. We still had the van, so I planned and executed field trips to the Holocaust Museum in LA, the Huntington Library in San Marino, and historical spots in Monrovia. Dad often went along with me as driver and assistant chaperone. His presence was pretty vital - everyone behaved!

Lily was one of my students. In fact, she was the only girl in her Language Arts class that year. She was in 6th grade. She was somewhat flighty but earnest. And she had a sad history I really didn't know about or understand. Suffice it to say her arrival in her family had not been eagerly anticipated. And her mom was critical of her and her efforts at school.


But I grew to love having her in my class. One time she asked why they had to learn the parts of speech. The standard answer would be that it's part of the California State Standards, but I told her, "Well, Lily, if I'm throwing words around when we are talking about grammar, you need to know what I am talking about." To which she replied, "Oh Mrs. Terrill, don't you know that you can't throw words!"

Lily became my star pupil. She insisted she couldn't do math without a times table chart - yet she could look up an answer faster than most people could do it in their head. She improved greatly in her writing ability, and learned to write a good, basic 5 paragraph essay. She learned to love reading books on tape - and tore through nearly everyone I had. I had high hopes for her as she headed off to the high school.

Lily got in with the wrong crowd though. It wasn't long before the SPED Director at the high school was calling me to tell me that Lily had gone to the continuation school - and wasn't even doing well there. I actually never saw her after middle school.

And then when she was 18 or 19, she took her own life. I have never felt quite so bereft as I did when I got the news. And even worse, her mother had moved away, and there was no family nearby. The district did not have any info for us to use in contacting the family. I felt unsettled whenever I thought of Lily.

Last year at a high school reunion, Bonny caught up with Lily's brother. She got me his email address, and I wrote him. He wrote me back, and finally I felt closure. I had been able to express my love and affection for Lily - and my sorrow at her passing.

So when I came upon this photo - from a fashion show at a summer sewing program Hannah attended along with Lily and others - I thought again about her. And I thought about the many students who have passed through my classroom. Many of them do well in life - but far too many do not. High school - and growing up - and adolescence - are difficult to deal with when you don't have any learning difficulties or other baggage. When you do, sometimes it seems to be too much to overcome.

Then last night I came upon this photo- of Haley - another student of mine - who sent me a graduation picture last June when she graduated from MHS. She was a wonderful little girl - figuratively too, since she was very short. She was always working hard - and had a very supportive mother. She went on to the high school and thrived. She sends me a Christmas card every year. And she's in college now.


So I keep working with kids. I keep trying to support, encourage, nudge, cajole, badger, hassle, drive, beg, and plead. I get discouraged at all the roadblocks that seem to block my path - uninterested parents, pushy parents, unmotivated kids, unmotivated parents. Red tape and endless forms. Keeping track. Keeping a paper trail. Keeping up with the law. Placating parents. Placating the other teachers. Explaining, explaining all the time!

But I also try to remember the good things that happen - a unit on Anne Frank where my students seemed to really understand - and read a book others told me was too hard for them. A sweet girl who gives me a hug every day and thanks me for helping her. Kids who improve. A 6th grade boy who said, upon looking at a copy of a book of mine that I'd put a return address sticker (that said Harry Terrill) on so they'd know it was mine and not the library's, "Did Mr. Terrill write this book?" A boy who came with a rap sheet a mile long from another school - and we haven't had one problem with him this year or last. Two autistic boys I run into at Von's all the time - who are pretty well mainstreamed into life and learning.

Maybe the good does outweigh the bad.

And maybe there are more like Haley, who can make it, than like Lily, who did not.

I guess that's why I stick with the job.