Head or Heart? Why Must I Choose?

Recent events, John Thompson's recent blog, and my own reflections about the end of my teaching career have all combined to make me think about this dichotomy...head or heart? Which rules our teaching?

"No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship." I've heard this attributed to Ruby Payne and others, but it's actually James Comer who said it.The moment I read this quote, I instantly recognized its importance in my own life, both as a learner and a teacher. There it is -- the single most important element of my own academic life. I thought about my own schooling, and the teachers who touched me, inspired me, challenged me. They were the teachers who invested in me...who got to know me. That's what I strove for in my own teaching.

This is the way I've tried to conduct my career: build relationships. Give every student universal positive regard. Respect students first; earn their respect day-by-day with my actions and attitudes. Grade and respond to student work with honor. Find ways to encourage a little more. And then a little more. Support every attempt toward independent learning. Celebrate achievements. I hope my students see this in our work together.

That's the heart of my teaching -- but I am comfortable assessing, grading, holding students accountable for their learning. I enjoy writing test questions that will allow students to look at their own learning and articulate their strengths. I've used standardized tests to pinpoint areas of growth and areas of weakness. I track student growth and can diagnose concerns.

But, that's not what reformers mean by 'head' -- they want nothing but standardized tests, evaluation of teachers based on student tests, grading schools by tests. They want to throw out relationships and educator judgments. They want to make data king. This has begun to poison everything that happens in schools, and is stretching teachers' values to the utmost.

I have heard a school administrator chide teacher education programs for teaching preservice teachers all 'that developmental nonsense.' The administrator said, out loud, 'we have to get them to pass tests, we can't worry about development.' This leads to schools that cut recess for elementary students so they can do more test prep.

I know high schools are now telling parents that their children should take every AP class the schools offer, no matter what students' interests, passions, or aptitudes are. I've had a friend lament that if she doesn't push her child into all these classes, she'll be doing her child a disservice. This push isn't for the benefit of students. The more students enroll in AP and advanced classes, the better schools will 'look' in school evaluations.

School administrators are desperate to 'earn' high grades from the Oklahoma State Department of Education. They are saying things and doing things diametrically opposed to what they know about education, learning and teaching. Yet, they say them and they do them. They pressure teachers, who are forced to pressure students, to say and do that which we know is wrong. But we all feel trapped by those 'reformers' who value the head and not the heart...they even ignore educational research if it doesn't fit their scheme.

How do teachers and educators hold onto the bedrock values that have inspired and led us throughout our careers? How do we adjust to new times, and still hold onto these values? A friend said it best: "How do I weave my moral imperative with my will to survive?" How indeed.  How do we respond to the demands of the 'reformers' who pretend to care? How do we keep the climate in our classrooms and schools safe for learning?

I read the original piece linked to John's blog. I saw no evidence that Roterham gives a rip about kids...that he even KNOWS students. His 'heart' conflicts are abstract, amorphous. They're bogus. He doesn't look into the eyes of struggling students who are giving us their all. He doesn't listen to a mother doubt her own parenting. He doesn't sit with a teacher who struggles to do the right thing. He's comfortably ensconced in his ivory tower think tank...lamenting heart vs. head education. He has no idea what's it like to build a relationship with a young person, to watch her grow, to celebrate with her the small steps toward success. He'll never experience the joy of truly knowing a student, of being allowed into HIS heart. He'll never experience the deep satisfaction of knowing you've ended the day giving your students your best...your heart and your head.



Polonius was a blow-hard for sure in Hamlet. But he accidentally stumbled upon one of the most important truths for a life of honor: "To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not be false to any man." That will be my touchstone. I will hold true.

So, for the last weeks of my career, I will let my head be ruled by my heart...I trust both. They, together, will lead me to the right decisions for thirty-eight years. They'll lead me to decisions that will allow me to sleep comfortably every night, knowing I did the best I could for every student and parent.

HB1659 Will Strangle the Oklahoma National Board Program...Slowly

I should begin this post with a statement of deep gratitude to the state of Oklahoma, the Legislature, and
Education Leadership Oklahoma for giving me and so many others the opportunity to hold my practice up to scrutiny, to challenge myself to work to the highest national standards of teaching and learning devised. I was awarded a full scholarship to go through the National Board process, to video my classes, to analyze and reflect on my teaching. I have repaid my state by staying in the classroom, full time. I have worked with new candidates in support groups and other professional development settings. I have continued to be a reflective teacher and an asset to pubic education in our state. The state's investment in my expertise has been mutually beneficial. I've seen how important this program has been to students in our state; I know we are a national leader in the NBC world. I know how strong we used to be. Now, I'm watching it be slowly strangled to death.


It will be a busy week at the Capitol as lawmakers try to slide out from under their responsibilities to National Board Certified Teachers, transfer that responsibility as yet another unfunded mandates to school districts, and cut the current stipend for NBCTs to a $1000 line in the salary schedule.

Representative Denney's HB1659 will have its first hearing in the Appropriations and Budget Committee Monday morning. I have grave reservations about most portions of the bill, and need to share my concerns.

Historically, Education Leadership Oklahoma has awarded scholarships for the entire amount of the NBPTS portfolio fees of $2700. ELO provides, free of charge, intensive training and organized support meetings for all candidates -- those who received the scholarships and those who decided to pay their own way. Even those pay-your-own candidates were reimbursed for their fees when they attained NBC. Usually ELO awarded 400 scholarships and worked with first-year candidates and Advanced Candidates who have two more years of active candidacy. But, we have been working under a Legislative moratorium on scholarships for the past few years.

Because of that, the only candidates in the state are a handful of third-year Advanced Candidates. Last year, with no scholarships, and no hope of a stipend (the other part of the moratorium), only 9 candidates went through the process. We dropped from 400 candidates to nine. NINE.

Representative Denney's bill reinstates some of what we've lost...but with strings.

Now ELO will choose no more than 100 new candidates (the selection committee is cut from this bill, so ELO is charged to come up with some kind of rules of selection) to receive "a portion" of the fees for the process. Specifically, $1300 of the $2700 cost. Candidates will also receive a $500 payment for expenses. I'll be thrilled to see new candidates being supported by the state, but the amount of support might not be enough for many teachers who are trying to support their families. It troubles me deeply that new candidates will be expected to work under a different set of expectations than all the rest of us have. The law's changes will make pursuing NBC more difficult.

The troublesome phrase 'availability of funds' is literally stricken from the language. That's because Rep. Denney has cleverly figured out how to make the National Board Fund disappear. Under this bill, the state is no longer responsible for paying NBCTs anything. They won't have to worry about whether school districts have the money. Not their problem any more.

That will free up that $15 million to use as merit pay for the teacher evaluation program. We will be losing support of a nationally-recognized board certification, to be replaced by an unproven state patchwork program and the junk science of merit pay based on test scores.

But I digress.

HB1659 crosses out "no school or school district shall be liable for payment of bonuses.' That's because under her bill, the entire responsibility for 'bonuses' will NOW be the districts' She has added a line in the minimum salary schedule for NBC. For the year 2013-2014, instead of receiving the $5000 bonus promised to us by the state, NBCTs will receive a $1000 line in the salary schedule...to be paid by the districts. NO mention of any financial support for this burden from the state.

Let's do some math. The Legislature usually budgets between $12 million and $15 million for these bonuses. They now send the money to the districts, minus our FICA payment that the state, as our 'employer' SHOULD pay. The districts now bear the cost of processing and dispersing the bonuses to NBCTs. There are 3056 NBCTs in Oklahoma, not all are eligible for the bonus, and many have retired. But, let's pretend they're all full-time teachers in a public school in the state. NOW individual districts must come up with $1000 per NBCT to be in compliance with the law.

In my district, Norman Public Schools, with 143 NBCTs, that means nearly $150,000 must be diverted from an already strapped budget to comply with the law. This in a time when the Legislature has consistently cut funding to public schools. Norman has lost $3.6 million since 2008, with 1500 more students. But, if Rep. Denney's bill becomes law, now Norman will have to cut programs, lay off teachers and support personnel, do something to find that $150,000 to pay NBCTs a portion of the stipend the state promised to pay. Instead of being a point of pride to have NBCTs employed in your district, now it will be a financial liability. Now, if the state would continue providing districts the funds for the NBCT payments, we could start a conversation -- beginning with the reminder that $5000 was the state's promise to us.

Now, remember the state's "generous" contribution toward the candidates' process? If a candidate certifies in the first year of candidacy, the $1000 bonus will not cover the teacher's costs of certification. It will take two years to recoup the money spent. Again, the rules will have substantially changed for any new candidates, and I'm saddened that new candidates won't have the same support I had, and that 3055 other NBCTs had.

There is no mention in the bill about support for Advanced Candidates, and the NBC process is designed to be a multi-year project. I guess Advanced Candidates will have to pay for any retake work themselves, making it even more expensive upfront, and for years after certification. These are all considerable issues for a teacher thinking about NBC.

Now, what's positive about this? Putting the 'bonuses' into the salary schedule allows teachers (I believe) to count this amount toward their teacher retirement. Stipends were specifically excluded. This would have been a help to me as I face retirement. But I would receive $4000 less each year. So, I think I'd've preferred the money in my pocket.

An intriguing statement on page 9 that is never referred to or explained: "It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education incorporate the National Board  certification portfolio development into all programs in education leading to a master’s level degree." We had an amazing program at Southern Nazarene University that did just that. The program died when it became apparent the State Legislature was backing away from its commitments to NBCTs and ELO. Now state universities are just supposed to trust them?

I understand the 'emergency' clause with which this bill concludes is just a formality, but it infuriated me. "It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage and approval" Emergency? Oh really? For whom? The Legislature who slid right out from under its responsibilities to the NBCTs of the state, or the school districts all over the state who will be faced with another crippling unfunded mandate?

There is little in this bill I can support. 

Oklahoma Senate Bill Will Rename National Board Fund

So far this legislative season, there are three bills proposed that will fundamentally change the landscape for our National Board teacher program, administered by Education Leadership Oklahoma. One, Senator Ford's SB316 will go to committee Monday.

I do not claim to be an expert in reading and translating legislative bills, but unfortunately I've had more experience in the past couple of years than I'd want. As my husband often points out, I'm much happier reading fiction. But with Common Core coming at us like a runaway freight train, it's time to do some close reading of these bills. The same close reading we'll be forced to impose on our students.

SB316 renames the National Board Certification Revolving Fund, proposing to call it the Oklahoma Teacher Performance Pay Revolving Fund. Yup. Performance Pay. Merit Pay. It does more than change the name of the fund. It modifies the purpose of the funds and redirects the payments.

Now, $15 million will be appropriated for the fund. I was intrigued with the phrase "The fund

shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations..." in the original law, funds were always 'subject to availability." Good change...except

NOW, after 'bonuses' to NBCTs are paid, all leftover funds will be paid out as TLE bonuses for teachers earning 'superior' or 'highly effective' ratings on their teacher evaluation. NO language here that spells that out. The teacher evaluation process has been a frustrating, moving target all year.

Furthermore, no 'bonus' amount is spelled out for NBCTs. In the original law, it was set at $5000. Nothing here. The TLE bonuses are set at $1000 for superior and $500 for highly effective evaluations.

Concerns? Oh, yeah! NBCTs have already been evaluated by the rigorous National Board process...a highly challenging journey of deep analysis and self reflection of our teaching. We've videotaped in our classrooms, we have analyzed our practice in and out of the classroom. We have produced a multi-component portfolio of our work, and have sat for timed tests. That process is much more demanding than the state evaluation, and yet, now the fund for NBCT stipends will be renamed and shared.

There is no mention of how long NBCTs can receive the stipends, or how much the stipends will be. We will just be sharing our fund with the unproven TLE evaluation system.

I see this as a cynical grab for the money set aside for NBCTs -- money, which quite frankly, we never know will be available (that is the only part of this bill I appreciate...the availability of funds language is struck.

So, the Education Committee will hear the bill on Monday. Look at the list of members, and if your Senator is on the Committee, contact him or her and express your concerns.

We must face the fact that we have little support in the Legislature for this program.

It is an incentive pay program, promising payment IF teachers would hold up their practice to the scrutiny of the National Board Standards. But, once legislators saw a way to strip this program, a national leader, and replace it with true "merit" pay that can be controlled at the state level, we knew NBC was doomed in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is still, even with our small population, in the top ten of states with NBCTs. 3056 NBCTs! Our leaders used to be proud of this fact, we used to provide scholarships for teachers to pursue NBC. Now, not so much.

Contact your Senator! Share your stories and evidence of student learning. Do it now!

"What Do We See? What Does it Mean?"

Those are my favorite questions to ask.I know some students are much more comfortable with focused, yes-no questions, questions with only one answer. But I'm not interested in them. I just read a blog that challenges teachers to stop asking questions to which we already know the answers. That's always been a pet peeve.

The greatest compliment a student ever gave me was an exasperated, "You don't ask questions like other teachers do...the answer depends on lots of things!" I'd asked him who would be the better leader, Brutus or Marc Antony, from Julius Caesar. He continued: "If you want a wimpy, Jimmy Carter leader, Brutus is your man." LOVE that encounter...and you can tell it occurred several years ago. I try never to ask yes-no questions and pose one that give students the right and responsibility to THINK.

I've loved my project this year with the stickies...I've loved watching students place theirs on the white board, then re-place them, then re-place them. I saw students first semester take ownership in their attitudes about reading, and in being good role models. I was eager to do the same thing this semester.

I learned that I'll need to give students a chance to do that final 'vote' and reflection earlier in the semester. I waited too long last January and lost a great opportunity to let students REALLY reflect on the entire semester. See, old teachers can learn!

This semester I have more students -- and 155 votes on the board. Once we had most of the votes set, I asked students those two questions: "What do you see? What does it mean?" Students who'd been in my class before were much more comfortable with my vague questions, and they got right to work. When newbies figured out there was NO right answer, they reflected too.

A summary of their insights:

Sixteen, mostly returning students, said the seven people who hate books hadn't found the right book yet. I loved that, because I do believe that's the key. Jim Trelease, author of  Read-Aloud Handbook, called these books our 'homerun books,' and far too many teens have NOT found theirs yet. At least one student saw it as a responsibility of us all to find good books to read and share. Several students talked about the fact haters probably didn't even know the kind of books they might enjoy. Again, this is in line with what I know about the class...

They talked about choice. "If more people could choose what they read, then they would probably read more." And "There are a lot of people who need a good book" And "Some students don't know there are a lot of good books, you just have to find one that appeals to you."

While I look at this chart and zero right in on the 'HATE' column, feeling already like a failure, students put it into perspective for me. "Starting out, we have over 50 people who love to read. That's brilliant." And "The charts two largest categories are LOVE and love." And "Twenty-six students LOVE to read and only seven HATE it." I know I have at least one challenge: "The most important thing [about the chart] is where my sticky note it. It's on the HATE column." One student put it this way: "Lots of people...are experience readers and can help influence others who don't like it." I am so excited to see comments like this...it shows my students understand we're building a reading community.

We made our reflections a couple of weeks after we placed our stickies, and several students talked about the fact that their attitude has already improved! Woohoo!

"Even after two weeks, I've grown to listen to those different authors I've never heard of or read before and now I want to read them."

"I think that over time people will enjoy reading more in this class. I know I already have."

"I feel like I already like reading more than I did when I first came here."

"I put, on the first day...a sticky... on 'don't like' to read. Now that I read every day, if I put on a sticky note, it would be on 'OK if I choose.' I used to hate reading but now I really enjoy it."

One of the things I love the most about these kinds of questions is I'll get the truth!

"The cynic in me wonders how many people actually LOVE reading."

"Maybe some people just wanted to please the teacher. Maybe some students said they hate it to be funny or make trouble."

"Some people may be trying to suck up a little."

The response that still has me reflecting is this: "...reading isn't a priority in our lives." How can we change that? I know my class, during the semester we're together, makes reading a priority, but what can we do as a school and a society to make certain every young person makes reading a priority?

Happy Teacher Dance -- Senior Discovers Books!

One of the exciting and frustrating things about teaching all semester classes is January and February. Saying goodbye to one group of students, introducing yourself to a new group; writing and administering and grading finals while planning first-week activities; finding the time to put the first semester into perspective while focusing on the new semester...it's daunting, and I've never done it completely successfully.

This year is no different. I tried something new this year, and I was eager to see what it meant. We constructed an attitude chart three times during the semester -- the first few days, at midterm and the last day. I goofed, because there wasn't enough time for students to reflect on the new data during the final exam. I'll do better this semester, and then the lesson will be lost. So, at the beginning of the semester, my kids told me what they thought of reading:

We reflected on the data, and what it meant. I was interested especially in one boy who proudly slapped his sticky under "HATE" and let me know, with words and body language and unwillingness to choose a book, that he was a hater. We had a great relationship, and he was never a behavior problem. He just let me know he wasn't going to be a pushover...but then, neither am I. I offered my 'tried-and-true' books: Chris Crutcher, Gary Paulsen, Paul Volponi, Walter Dean Myers...he rejected them all. I finally gave him a stack of 7 books and told him he would choose one of them as his first book, and then we'd go on from there. He did...he read...he wrote. He didn't love the book, but he prepared a book share over it. He complied. That's not enough if my goal is to help him change his mind about reading.

A friend suggested Ellen Hopkins' series starting with Crank. A bold move, one I wouldn't have predicted would be successful. But the friend knew something I didn't. This student has family who struggles with addiction, just as Kristina does in Crank, struggles. His Logs became insightful meditations on what he was learning about his own family dynamics by reading this book. He appreciated all the white space on the pages of poetry as a dedicated non-reader, but he GOT the story. This was his home-run book. And lucky for me there were two sequels!

At midterm, I cleaned the back white board of all stickies and gave students new ones. I am clear to them that I don't want to see them place their sticky because I want to make sure they feel comfortable being honest. My guy, tho, needed me to know some progress was being made. He asked if he could add a new category: "mraw", meaning he didn't HATE reading anymore, but was kind of indifferent. He knew it was progress, and I took it gleefully as progress.

We all kept reading. Students prepared elaborate book-sellers projects and talked to classmates about  their books. He volunteered for the first day, and talked about Crank. His presentation was confident and sure. He was at ease and honest about his interest. I encouraged him to write to Hopkins about what the book has meant...still working on that.

On the last day of the semester, during the final exam, I had students, for a third time, create our attitude charts, again anonymously. Again my student made sure I would know immediately where his sticky was. First the class chart. Notice...no HATE!!

 Woohoo! One of my missions accomplished. I still have one student who doesn't like reading, but even that student could have moved from "HATE" or "hate" -- I'd like to think so. Together we worked on reading and finding books. Students DID grow as readers and thinkers, and they could see their own growth.

You can't see my guy's sticky from this shot, but it's under 'like' now...He found his book. He found his author. He's learned to write about his books authentically. He knows how to talk about books that matter to him. He is now a reader!

And his last message to me about the impact of the class was there, on the board, under 'like':

In case you can't read: " I like it (reading) as long as it's Ellen Hopkins. Awesome, addictive author." Now, technically, this would put him in the 'OK if I choose' category for his new attitude, but I'm doing the 'happy teacher dance' thinking of the miracle I was allowed to witness last semester....Wonder which student will provide me with my last miracles in the classroom?

A Reading Life, 2012

I often say I have the best job in the world: they pay me to read! Reading for Pleasure is designed so we all read...most of the hour. I don't hold student conferences during class for a couple of reasons: I want students to see me reading and responding to my books. I want them to see me reading the books they recommend, and I want distractions in the classroom to be minimal. My room is designed for an occupancy of 24, and my smallest class this semester is 29! There's no room for a quiet conference without bothering someone.

So, I read when students read. I can remember reading Mem Fox for the first time and finding this quote. It is deep in my heart as I read with my students."We need, as teachers, to be seen reading and loving reading in front of children. We need to be seen laughing over books, being unable to put books down, sobbing over sob stories, gasping over horror stories, and sighing over love stories—anything, in fact, that helps our students to realize that there is some reward, that there are many rewards to be had from the act of reading."

I make it my business to laugh over books...we call that 'snorking', and crying. I lose track of time and need to be pulled from my books at times. I gasp out loud. I respond to my books. And often my books are those students have pushed onto me...insisting I read. They watch me slyly. Once, as I finished the end of Twelve, by Nick McDonnell, I was crying. I put the book down on my desk, and a girl in the front row quietly crept out of her desk, tip-toed to my desk, picked up the corner of the book and sat back down, with her new treasure. My tears and snorks and gasps sell books as much as my book talks. I know that.

I read with my students. I record all my books, with reviews, on goodreads.com. Some students are goodreads friends, but I tweet all my reviews using our hash tag:#northr4p. For the past two years I committed to the goodreads challenge. Last year, I challenged myself to read 160 books, the number I had read the year before. Kids kept me honest, as did goodreads. I reached my goal, and surpassed it! BTW -- cool goodreads graphic courtesy of my friend and fellow blogger, Jason Stephenson! Thanks for teaching me something new today.

I began 2012 finishing The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. It was a recommendation, and a loan from a student, so I had to get it back to her at the end of Winter Break. I ended the year with Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown. She is a favorite of my girls, and we'd read her first two. I brought it back to class after THIS Break, and it's already in the hands of a student.

Goodreads lets you rearrange your lists, and I organized my reads for 2012 by recommendations. I wanted to see what my top books were for the year. I ended up giving 43 books five stars. Fifteen Young Adult (YAL) books, Nine adult novels, four picture books -- mostly read to Kati, my five-year-old granddaughter. Hey, they count! Four nonfiction books earned five stars, as did seven professional books and four classics. 

I want to share the 'best of the best' -- the ones that will stay with me, haunt me, taunt me to reread them. Each has rewarded me. I was going to limit myself to ONE recommendation from each category, and of course I broke my own promise immediately...so. My top two (or so) from each category.

YAL -- What an amazing field this is now. When I was young, there were very few books with young protagonists...I only remember Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames (student nurse). My mother despaired my reading either...but I just wasn't emotionally ready for the adult fiction and classics she preferred.

My first two picks in YAL are two books that won't even be published until later this year. 

Period 8, by Chris Crutcher, has all the elements of a Crutcher novel: strong, smart, athletic boy who gets in big trouble by telling the truth. A recent addition to his fiction is strong, independent girls. And this one has a great female protagonist. Two new twists -- a teacher's point of view and a sociopath in their school. Several of us have torn through this. And, yes, scroll down on Crutcher's page...that's me, getting my books signed!

Game by Barry Lyga, is part of a new trend: serial killers and psychological thrillers. This is a sequel to I Hunt Killers. I was introduced to the series by one of my avid readers, and I'm sorry to say I used the bribe of reading Game after I had to extract some late work. The waiting lists for both of these books are insane, and we have a long wait for the third. We follow Lyga on Twitter, and he's already teasing us about the next book.

But, YAL published recently? Available for all readers? The Fault in our Stars, by John Green is magnificent. I read it twice, once with my North students, and again with my OU students studying YAL. We had deep conversations about this book in the classroom, and finally decided it was a grenade. The issues of cancer, and death and dying, are ones students suffer from...and we don't know how that book would be received as a class assignment. But we all agree Gus and Hazel have one of the world's best love stories.

October Mourning was a shock to me. It's a novel in verse, but instead of being a romance, it tells the story of the horrific kidnapping and murder of Matthew Shephard. Leslea Newman, the author, was slated to speak to a Gay Rights group, including Shephard, just days after he was murdered. Each poem is in the voice of someone close to the crime, and each is written in a unique form. Possibilities as an English teacher were tacking as I was weeping reading this book.

I read lots of adult novels, but not many seemed to be 'fives'. The one I know will stay with me is J.K. Rowling's Casual Vacancy. I've tried to share it with other friends, and they have not been touched as much as I have been. I absolutely believe Rowling wrote this in revenge for all the snobby people who made judgments about her when she was living on welfare. There was a page in the book where characters are looking down their noses at people on welfare, and I could hear the discussion this summer about the 47%. Rowling gives a face to poverty. Several. No, the characters are not likable. No, not many of them are redeemed. But, this book knocked my socks off. It's no Harry Potter, but I didn't mind at all.

Nonfiction? My husband can't understand my love of fiction...I can count on one hand the number of novels he's read in our 45+ years together. I don't usually read nonfiction, but two impressed me this year. What I did love ended up being nonfiction narrative. I have stories in my DNA!

In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson, is about America's ambassador to Germany just before and during WWII. No one in the Roosevelt administration believed trouble was brewing and they gave the post of ambassador to an unexpected supporter who tried to contribute, but found himself at odds with people in his own diplomatic corps. Larson weaves history into compelling, accessible narration.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Slook had been recommended for years, and for years I'd steadfastly ignored those recommendations. When I finally found my copy again, I was dumbfounded by the ironies of this tale of a poor black mother whose cancer cells are somehow still alive, and still offering scientists the ability to do all kinds of research. Her children, tho? They can't afford health care insurance, and were unaware of the fact that a part of their mother was still alive. Slook spent her own money and years to research and write this story. Compelling storytelling.

My walking buddy and I read a classic every summer...this year it was The Sun Also Rises. But, we went on a Paris orgy...reading A Moveable Feast, both the fictionalized and nonfiction biography of Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, the Paris Wife...we wallowed in Paris all summer long in Norman, OK. I decided to reread Great Gatsby because Fitzgerald and Hemingway were so close those years in Paris. Every time I read this, I'm older and see something new. Now I'm ready for what one student called 'revisionist filmmaking' when the movie comes out.

Even though I'm months from retirement, I read professional books. Some say it's silly for me to read about Common Core and other reforms, but I'm impelled to do just that. But the two books that will inform my practice for the next months are not about CCSS.

Note and Notice by Beers and Probst gives an easy-to-understand framework to sharing tools for comprehension. They call the tools 'signposts' and these signposts will truly allow students to be independent comprehenders of text. I appreciated the authors' narratives about their test-drives in real classrooms. They give step-by-step guides for how THEY introduced, modeled, and gave students time to practice. BUT they absolutely understand each teacher must make the work her own. I'll be using this work next semester, wishing I had years to practice. Now I can tell my students to look for "aha moments" and "tough questions" and "memory moments" within their stories...to stop and reflect on those signs...

From Tired to Inspired by Mary Kim Schreck, was a gift...a friend of a friend asked me to read a galley proof, and possibly write an endorsement. Well, I was tired when I started...but inspired as I read. I love the subversive elements of the book: the total trust in the teacher, the creative lessons, and the underlying philosophy. Yes, our classrooms need rigor...but rigor means giving work to students and expecting the unexpected...unpredictable outcomes, creative outcomes should be the norm. I loved this book, but was worried I couldn't count it toward my 160 total. Petty, I know. But, my recommendation IS on the back cover! Woohoo!

Who didn't make the 'cut'? I'm ashamed to admit, Lois Lowry, Neal Shusterman, Patrick Ness, Matt de la Pena, Ellen Hopkins, Christopher Moore, Ernest Hemingway, Andrew Smith, Terry Trueman, Gillian Flynn. I could have easily chosen their books too...Lucy Calkins...

Maybe I should reconsider.

Legislator Responds to my Letter Guns in Schools

I sent my letter to the two authors of the bill to allow teachers to carry weapons, and I cced it to all members of the Common Education Committees of the Oklahoma House and Senate. I also sent a copy to MY Representative; my Senator is a member of the Education Committee. I received three responses...from my Senator, a thanks, from one other member a thank you note. And from Representative Donnie Condit, I received the following note. I include my response to him. I realize I sent my note during Winter Break, but I hope more legislators choose to respond.

Ms. Swisher,

First, I want to thank you for your input. I am a member of the House Common Educ Committee. I'm also a retired educator with over thirty years experience in the McAlester public schools. My wife is also a kindergarten teacher with thirty-two years experience. 

If you do some research on the members of the State House of Representatives, I think you will be surprised how many are former educators. I mention this knowing that all of them are very much concerned about safety in our schools. When I was a building administrator, I would tell teachers and parents that my main concern was students safety. I believe that children cannot learn if they are concerned about their safety.

If you would also do some research on individuals with concealed carry permits, I think you will find that there are about 140,000 individuals in Oklahoma with a permit. It is estimated that over 10,000 teachers already have a concealed carry permit. I will never vote for a bill requiring anyone to carry a weapon. If I understand the proposed legislation correctly, it would be volunteer. If an administrator or teacher feels comfortable carrying a weapon, I believe that we should at least look at and discuss the possibility of allowing them. Many years ago legislation was passed making it against the law to have guns on school campuses. This was intended, back then, to prevent guns on campuses. The sad thing about it, now people (with mental disorders) see it as "open" game. They know that (by law) there should not be any resistance. I personally do not like guns on campuses either, but are we in a way putting our school officials at a disadvantage? Another thought, if you place armed police officers in each building, the shooter will know that if they take the officer out first, then they will have no resistance. 

I do agree with you that Oklahoma and all states need to start treating mental illness like another illness and get people help. 

Again, thanks for the input and good luck with the rest of hour school year.

Donnie Condit

Dist 18 State Rep

McAlester, Okla

And my response

Thank you for your response...your prompt, thoughtful response. I so often find our Legislators do not respond to our concerns. I know several other Legislators who are former educators, and I hope they, as you, help get our voice out there.

I was under the impression that the bill as it's drafted now will require CLEET training...as someone who does not own a gun or has any interest in carrying one, I'm not certain if the training for concealed or open carry are the same as the CLEET training. Others have told me that this training is more involved and demanding.

I am not at all comforted by the thought of my colleagues carrying weapons, concealed or not, into their classrooms. The parents I've talked to feel the same. What will your answer be to parents who threaten to homeschool their children rather than have them exposed to teachers carrying guns? I am concerned about the parents who will desert us. I know you'll say there are parents who will feel MORE secure with professional educators carrying weapons...so I don't have an answer. I hope your committee will ask for input from parents across the state, as well as educators. This is our workplace, and many of us feel guns will destabilize already stressful situations.

You mention a security officer who would not be available or a target in an attack. My school has over a hundred classrooms. There is no guarantee that a deranged crazy person with a gun is going to randomly pick an armed teacher's room to attack. And, again, since I know so little about guns, how can a teacher armed with a hand gun stand a chance against a gunman with the kind of weapon Adam Lanza used? To suggest the teacher stands a chance is nonsense. An FBI agent who was interviewed immediately after Newtown strongly recommended NOT arming teachers. He talked about the reaction time of the person who would be the target opposed to the original shooter. He said reaction time always lags 5 or so seconds behind action time. In those five seconds, children could be killed in a deadly gunfight...

IF this does become law, I hope the liability issues are resolved. I see this as a nightmare for our state in so many ways. 

I hope you will solicit input from parents and educators as this goes forward. 

I am not convinced armed educators will make the classrooms safer. I fear they will create new stress for all...

Again, thank you so much for talking to me. I tell my students I'm always eager to learn...to consider other people's points of view and test them against my own. Your note has helped me think through this.

Thank you!!