“If you touch a rock, you touch the past. If you touch a flower you touch the present. If you touch a child, you touch the future.”
~ Author unknown
Today I’m handing the Mic to my best friend and wife. We are teaching a writer’s workshop for fourth graders starting this afternoon, and celebrating with her very first guest post. Daisy’s ready to write full time now. Starting on Monday, you can catch her three times a week in her office over at Namas Daisy.
When it comes to setting goals and realizing results, there are 3 certain conclusions.
Mia’s principal gave a keynote address on Back to School night with an overview of student achievement. We saw the overall picture of the school’s academic performance; growth, decline, and yearly progress by grade in math, reading and language arts.
These numbers made perfect sense to me and I naturally honed in on the high stakes year – fourth grade. Fourth grade is where the rubber meets the road. It’s considered a high stakes testing year because it is the first one when students take a writing exam in addition to general testing. Fourth grade standardized scores are used as one indicator to determine placement for middle school programs such as GATE (gifted and talented) and special performing arts programs.
Students are given a writing task and accompanying prompt. The prompt may be “Narrative Writing,” “Summary Writing,” or “Response to Literature.” The students do not know which genre will be administered, and the teacher’s goal is to ensure they are prepared for whatever is tested by the state. This year’s exam falls on March 10th.
Mia’s principal noted the decline in scores in English-Language Arts. Sean and I looked at each other… he knew what I was thinking… this is how we could give back to our school.
Every parent signs a school-home compact agreement requiring parents to pledge the following: “As a parent at _______ school, I know that knowledgeable, involved, encouraging parents have children with positive attitudes toward school. As the parent/guardian, I will do the following…
There is a list of 6 things you agree to do. I won’t bore you with all 6, but #4 on the list, “contribute at least 10 hours of support to the school,” sent sirens through my mind. We need to teach a writer’s workshop for the 4th graders, I thought, crunching test scores in my head. Since my last position in a public school was teaching 35 4th graders how to make a habit of lifelong writing, it seemed natural for Writer Dad and I to roll up our sleeves and get busy modeling some good old fashioned nuts and bolts.
What do good writers do? What does good writing look or sound like, and how do you get there?
Needless to say, our principal was thrilled with our action plan to assist 30 students for 10 weeks in an endeavor to make them more proficient writers. Tomorrow is day 1 of our journey. We have our mobile classroom (a small carry-on with wheels) packed with writing tools and an agenda to bulk up, buck up and attack a prompt with confidence. Max and Mia will be in the back of the classroom writing along with the class.
Why not? Start early, finish strong.
We are all teachers with or without a degree. Teachers wield influence, volunteer your time to a school. You may be the only stable adult in a child’s life, the only person passing on culture or hope. The only ones who dreams for them that they might find a brighter tomorrow.
Daisy
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About Sean Platt
That sounds great. Could you come to my class. I teach Grade 4 too.
I really like how you closed this entry. Everyone has something that they can offer to their child’s school. I wish more parents were involved in their children’s education. It would be nice to see members of the community in the school sharing their knowledge and expertise more often.
It takes a village to raise a child is an old cliche but the phrase has stuck around because there is truth in it.
Good luck you two. Have a great day. I’m sure the students will love you.
Chase March’s last blog post..Love is a Mix tape
That sounds great. Could you come to my class. I teach Grade 4 too.
I really like how you closed this entry. Everyone has something that they can offer to their child’s school. I wish more parents were involved in their children’s education. It would be nice to see members of the community in the school sharing their knowledge and expertise more often.
It takes a village to raise a child is an old cliche but the phrase has stuck around because there is truth in it.
Good luck you two. Have a great day. I’m sure the students will love you.
Chase March’s last blog post..Love is a Mix tape
Ok, you guys need to move to where I teach so that you can do the same thing. While our test scores went up, we still struggle with English and Language Arts because we have a growing number of English Language Learners. You guys probably are experiencing the same issue in your district.
Chris’s last blog post..Seventy Years
Ok, you guys need to move to where I teach so that you can do the same thing. While our test scores went up, we still struggle with English and Language Arts because we have a growing number of English Language Learners. You guys probably are experiencing the same issue in your district.
Chris’s last blog post..Seventy Years
If you touch a child, you probably also touch snot. (Or worse!).
Especially during the winter, with all the colds going around.
(Have you ever heard Bill Cosby’s comedy album, talking about his sniffly kid? He called her a “Glazed Donut Monster”). :-D
If you touch a child, you probably also touch snot. (Or worse!).
Especially during the winter, with all the colds going around.
(Have you ever heard Bill Cosby’s comedy album, talking about his sniffly kid? He called her a “Glazed Donut Monster”). :-D
Out of the 30 students in each of my kids class we only see the same 4-5 kids parents in classroom activities and conferences. Too many parents are relying on this “village” to raise their kids.
Corey @ KidKaizen’s last blog post..CrazyLittleFingers keeps your work and temper in check
Out of the 30 students in each of my kids class we only see the same 4-5 kids parents in classroom activities and conferences. Too many parents are relying on this “village” to raise their kids.
Corey @ KidKaizen’s last blog post..CrazyLittleFingers keeps your work and temper in check
Hi Daisy,
A writer’s workshop for fourth graders – what a great project. It was a pleasure to read this post – I didn’t realize you were a writer too.
Vered
Hi Daisy,
A writer’s workshop for fourth graders – what a great project. It was a pleasure to read this post – I didn’t realize you were a writer too.
Vered
Bravo for putting the action behind the promise. This sounds fabulous. I designed ‘enrichment’ and artist in residence projects on visual literacy for a girls’ prep in New Orleans. The more blocks of creative time given at the middle school level, the more arrows in their quiver of response in any subject. All that aside, the enthusiasm you have for writing will be contagious…and THAT is a big thing for them to remember. It begins to be play… and that lowers the obstacles in tangible ways.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..January Pink Sale
Bravo for putting the action behind the promise. This sounds fabulous. I designed ‘enrichment’ and artist in residence projects on visual literacy for a girls’ prep in New Orleans. The more blocks of creative time given at the middle school level, the more arrows in their quiver of response in any subject. All that aside, the enthusiasm you have for writing will be contagious…and THAT is a big thing for them to remember. It begins to be play… and that lowers the obstacles in tangible ways.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..January Pink Sale
Hugs to Ms. Daisy on your first guest post! :D
I’ve often thought that “someone” needs to teach students how to think on their feet, how to persuade verbally and in writing, and how to work as a team all skills necessary in life, but not traditionally taught in schools). I’m sure your new “students” will learn all three in the next 10 weeks. You’re braver than I am, I wouldn’t dare tackle 30 fourth graders; they’d eat me alive! :)
Jamie Simmerman’s last blog post..Embracing Romance
Hugs to Ms. Daisy on your first guest post! :D
I’ve often thought that “someone” needs to teach students how to think on their feet, how to persuade verbally and in writing, and how to work as a team all skills necessary in life, but not traditionally taught in schools). I’m sure your new “students” will learn all three in the next 10 weeks. You’re braver than I am, I wouldn’t dare tackle 30 fourth graders; they’d eat me alive! :)
Jamie Simmerman’s last blog post..Embracing Romance
Hey, I didn’t know about this! Good luck to you guys.
Hey, I didn’t know about this! Good luck to you guys.
Nice post. The best in education results from a triangle created between parent, school and child. Those are some lucky kids… Enjoy the process!
Nice post. The best in education results from a triangle created between parent, school and child. Those are some lucky kids… Enjoy the process!
I was so inspired talking to you yesterday, Daisy. What an amazing gift you + Sean are giving to our students, to our school! Good luck, and thank you on behalf of our school family.
I was so inspired talking to you yesterday, Daisy. What an amazing gift you + Sean are giving to our students, to our school! Good luck, and thank you on behalf of our school family.
Leave it to you two to come up with such great ideas and then follow through on them. Those kids will have a blast and learn a lot. How wonderful!
B J Keltz’s last blog post..Operating Instructions
Leave it to you two to come up with such great ideas and then follow through on them. Those kids will have a blast and learn a lot. How wonderful!
B J Keltz’s last blog post..Operating Instructions
Chase: It would be a pleasure to visit your class. The infamous village cliche is true. It would be a different world in public education if we (parents) truly embraced the idea instead of expecting public education to do the heavy lifting. It was an amazing day and opportunity.
Chris: Model, teach and practice. If children do not experience language through discussion, sharing great literature, and putting pen to paper we cannot expect miracles. All learners need to have great reading and writing modeled and the process of thinking out loud to understand text. It is shocking how many parents stop reading out loud to their children once they enter the intermediate grades. Listening comprehension is a great skill to stay sharp and engaged with language. I love NPR for that very reason. It is awesome to hear a story out loud. The words come to life, our imaginations are stirred and then we pour our minds onto the paper.
Friar: Very funny and true. That’s why my second best friend is hand sanitizer. The mind movie I made in my head of a ‘Glazed Donut Monster” kept me in giggles the whole day. Thank you.
Corey: True that. It would be easier if everyone did a little something rather than the same dependable handful of volunteers that do everything. In Houston my school was sandwiched in between 2 housing projects. I was the teacher responsible for parent involvement and workshops/trainings. I started getting a cart out in the mornings with donuts, coffee, hot chocolate etc and stood outside the school by the curb inviting parents to chat. Word and buzz started to spread that I had free breakfast. Then I started creeping the cart closer to the entrance of the school and eventually into the cafeteria where I would have my parent workshop set up and ready to go. Once the trust was established for this particular neighborhood, parents started to feel empowered and part of the learning process rather than tourists watching everything go by.
Vered: I do love to write. It is easy to be inspired with Writer Dad by my side. He is so confident and encouraging. I look forward to sharpening my skills and keeping up with the pack.
Janice: Nurturing creativity and in middle school? You must be an angel. How fortunate for the girls to have the opportunity to tap into that part of their brain. Creative blocks of time do have a way of lowering the affective filter so that we can receive the must do’s along with the may do’s. We forget to just stop and be playful. Young people haven’t lost touch with that part of their spirit and thank goodness for people like us that haven’t either.
Jamie: Thank you for being my cheerleader. We use a lot of cooperative learning strategies so that everyone is involved before the actual writing process. If you can say it, you can write it. No free rides. Everyone is involved and expected to discuss, write, and share. We work in teams and with partners. My favorite is when students cannot edit their own paper, but if they partner proofread or do a 2 minute edit on the teacher’s intentional mistakes they are all over like white on rice.
kittytown: It’s fun, productive and free! We had a blast and Max and Mia participated also. I think Mia may have written better sentences than some of the 4th grade gentlemen at her table.
Trina: Love the triangle image. It is so obvious, but I never made that geometric connection. Thursdays are early dismissal days. It was pretty amazing that the students were willing to give up an hour of extra play time on the playground to write with us. They were so jazzed.
Leslie: It was a pleasure to share with you yesterday. Our little ones have been together since they were babies. The reciprocity that we share in our learning community is priceless. Looking forward to more projects and coordinating it with you and yours. You are a talented teacher and artist. That pretty much surpasses the two great tastes that come together in a Reese’s peanut butter cup or Skippy.
B J: Talk the talk and walk the walk. Skipping and smiling children after an hour of writing is all the fuel we need to repeat the process. Service with a smile.
Daisy’s last blog post..Those who can teach, teach. Those who cannot, move out of the way.
Chase: It would be a pleasure to visit your class. The infamous village cliche is true. It would be a different world in public education if we (parents) truly embraced the idea instead of expecting public education to do the heavy lifting. It was an amazing day and opportunity.
Chris: Model, teach and practice. If children do not experience language through discussion, sharing great literature, and putting pen to paper we cannot expect miracles. All learners need to have great reading and writing modeled and the process of thinking out loud to understand text. It is shocking how many parents stop reading out loud to their children once they enter the intermediate grades. Listening comprehension is a great skill to stay sharp and engaged with language. I love NPR for that very reason. It is awesome to hear a story out loud. The words come to life, our imaginations are stirred and then we pour our minds onto the paper.
Friar: Very funny and true. That’s why my second best friend is hand sanitizer. The mind movie I made in my head of a ‘Glazed Donut Monster” kept me in giggles the whole day. Thank you.
Corey: True that. It would be easier if everyone did a little something rather than the same dependable handful of volunteers that do everything. In Houston my school was sandwiched in between 2 housing projects. I was the teacher responsible for parent involvement and workshops/trainings. I started getting a cart out in the mornings with donuts, coffee, hot chocolate etc and stood outside the school by the curb inviting parents to chat. Word and buzz started to spread that I had free breakfast. Then I started creeping the cart closer to the entrance of the school and eventually into the cafeteria where I would have my parent workshop set up and ready to go. Once the trust was established for this particular neighborhood, parents started to feel empowered and part of the learning process rather than tourists watching everything go by.
Vered: I do love to write. It is easy to be inspired with Writer Dad by my side. He is so confident and encouraging. I look forward to sharpening my skills and keeping up with the pack.
Janice: Nurturing creativity and in middle school? You must be an angel. How fortunate for the girls to have the opportunity to tap into that part of their brain. Creative blocks of time do have a way of lowering the affective filter so that we can receive the must do’s along with the may do’s. We forget to just stop and be playful. Young people haven’t lost touch with that part of their spirit and thank goodness for people like us that haven’t either.
Jamie: Thank you for being my cheerleader. We use a lot of cooperative learning strategies so that everyone is involved before the actual writing process. If you can say it, you can write it. No free rides. Everyone is involved and expected to discuss, write, and share. We work in teams and with partners. My favorite is when students cannot edit their own paper, but if they partner proofread or do a 2 minute edit on the teacher’s intentional mistakes they are all over like white on rice.
kittytown: It’s fun, productive and free! We had a blast and Max and Mia participated also. I think Mia may have written better sentences than some of the 4th grade gentlemen at her table.
Trina: Love the triangle image. It is so obvious, but I never made that geometric connection. Thursdays are early dismissal days. It was pretty amazing that the students were willing to give up an hour of extra play time on the playground to write with us. They were so jazzed.
Leslie: It was a pleasure to share with you yesterday. Our little ones have been together since they were babies. The reciprocity that we share in our learning community is priceless. Looking forward to more projects and coordinating it with you and yours. You are a talented teacher and artist. That pretty much surpasses the two great tastes that come together in a Reese’s peanut butter cup or Skippy.
B J: Talk the talk and walk the walk. Skipping and smiling children after an hour of writing is all the fuel we need to repeat the process. Service with a smile.
Daisy’s last blog post..Those who can teach, teach. Those who cannot, move out of the way.
Chase: It would be a pleasure to visit your class. The infamous village cliche is true. It would be a different world in public education if we (parents) truly embraced the idea instead of expecting public education to do the heavy lifting. It was an amazing day and opportunity.
Chris: Model, teach and practice. If children do not experience language through discussion, sharing great literature, and putting pen to paper we cannot expect miracles. All learners need to have great reading and writing modeled and the process of thinking out loud to understand text. It is shocking how many parents stop reading out loud to their children once they enter the intermediate grades. Listening comprehension is a great skill to stay sharp and engaged with language. I love NPR for that very reason. It is awesome to hear a story out loud. The words come to life, our imaginations are stirred and then we pour our minds onto the paper.
Friar: Very funny and true. That’s why my second best friend is hand sanitizer. The mind movie I made in my head of a ‘Glazed Donut Monster” kept me in giggles the whole day. Thank you.
Corey: True that. It would be easier if everyone did a little something rather than the same dependable handful of volunteers that do everything. In Houston my school was sandwiched in between 2 housing projects. I was the teacher responsible for parent involvement and workshops/trainings. I started getting a cart out in the mornings with donuts, coffee, hot chocolate etc and stood outside the school by the curb inviting parents to chat. Word and buzz started to spread that I had free breakfast. Then I started creeping the cart closer to the entrance of the school and eventually into the cafeteria where I would have my parent workshop set up and ready to go. Once the trust was established for this particular neighborhood, parents started to feel empowered and part of the learning process rather than tourists watching everything go by.
Vered: I do love to write. It is easy to be inspired with Writer Dad by my side. He is so confident and encouraging. I look forward to sharpening my skills and keeping up with the pack.
Janice: Nurturing creativity and in middle school? You must be an angel. How fortunate for the girls to have the opportunity to tap into that part of their brain. Creative blocks of time do have a way of lowering the affective filter so that we can receive the must do’s along with the may do’s. We forget to just stop and be playful. Young people haven’t lost touch with that part of their spirit and thank goodness for people like us that haven’t either.
Jamie: Thank you for being my cheerleader. We use a lot of cooperative learning strategies so that everyone is involved before the actual writing process. If you can say it, you can write it. No free rides. Everyone is involved and expected to discuss, write, and share. We work in teams and with partners. My favorite is when students cannot edit their own paper, but if they partner proofread or do a 2 minute edit on the teacher’s intentional mistakes they are all over like white on rice.
kittytown: It’s fun, productive and free! We had a blast and Max and Mia participated also. I think Mia may have written better sentences than some of the 4th grade gentlemen at her table.
Trina: Love the triangle image. It is so obvious, but I never made that geometric connection. Thursdays are early dismissal days. It was pretty amazing that the students were willing to give up an hour of extra play time on the playground to write with us. They were so jazzed.
Leslie: It was a pleasure to share with you yesterday. Our little ones have been together since they were babies. The reciprocity that we share in our learning community is priceless. Looking forward to more projects and coordinating it with you and yours. You are a talented teacher and artist. That pretty much surpasses the two great tastes that come together in a Reese’s peanut butter cup or Skippy.
B J: Talk the talk and walk the walk. Skipping and smiling children after an hour of writing is all the fuel we need to repeat the process. Service with a smile.
Daisy’s last blog post..Those who can teach, teach. Those who cannot, move out of the way.
That is awesome! I would never have been interested in writing if not for my fourth grade teacher who introduced me to poetry. I loved when she read to us and when she gave us a chance to write. She encouraged me early and put one of my poems, about clouds, into the school newsletter. I remember picking up a copy at the principal’s office (where students went to get them to bring back to class). I must’ve read the poem 500 times as I skipped back to class.
Of course the fact that she was incredibly cute might have had something to do with why I wanted to impress her with my poems.
Great idea you have both started! Kudos!
That is awesome! I would never have been interested in writing if not for my fourth grade teacher who introduced me to poetry. I loved when she read to us and when she gave us a chance to write. She encouraged me early and put one of my poems, about clouds, into the school newsletter. I remember picking up a copy at the principal’s office (where students went to get them to bring back to class). I must’ve read the poem 500 times as I skipped back to class.
Of course the fact that she was incredibly cute might have had something to do with why I wanted to impress her with my poems.
Great idea you have both started! Kudos!
That is awesome! I would never have been interested in writing if not for my fourth grade teacher who introduced me to poetry. I loved when she read to us and when she gave us a chance to write. She encouraged me early and put one of my poems, about clouds, into the school newsletter. I remember picking up a copy at the principal’s office (where students went to get them to bring back to class). I must’ve read the poem 500 times as I skipped back to class.
Of course the fact that she was incredibly cute might have had something to do with why I wanted to impress her with my poems.
Great idea you have both started! Kudos!
“It’s the process of writing and life that matters… We are trying to become sane along with our poems and stories.” ~ Natalie Goldberg ~
You are giving those 4th graders a leg up on life that will resonate within them for years. Awesome gift to give!
SpaceAgeSage — Lori’s last blog post..Are you just a skipping stone?
“It’s the process of writing and life that matters… We are trying to become sane along with our poems and stories.” ~ Natalie Goldberg ~
You are giving those 4th graders a leg up on life that will resonate within them for years. Awesome gift to give!
SpaceAgeSage — Lori’s last blog post..Are you just a skipping stone?
“It’s the process of writing and life that matters… We are trying to become sane along with our poems and stories.” ~ Natalie Goldberg ~
You are giving those 4th graders a leg up on life that will resonate within them for years. Awesome gift to give!
SpaceAgeSage — Lori’s last blog post..Are you just a skipping stone?
I love the idea. I taught 5th grade for several years and had writer’s workshops several times per week. Kids at that age are just discovering the love of writing and it’s so important to get them started right.
Kudos to you, and more importantly kudos to the kids. I’m sure they’ll have a great time.
LisaNewton’s last blog post..Californian’s Want Wetlands
I love the idea. I taught 5th grade for several years and had writer’s workshops several times per week. Kids at that age are just discovering the love of writing and it’s so important to get them started right.
Kudos to you, and more importantly kudos to the kids. I’m sure they’ll have a great time.
LisaNewton’s last blog post..Californian’s Want Wetlands
I love the idea. I taught 5th grade for several years and had writer’s workshops several times per week. Kids at that age are just discovering the love of writing and it’s so important to get them started right.
Kudos to you, and more importantly kudos to the kids. I’m sure they’ll have a great time.
LisaNewton’s last blog post..Californian’s Want Wetlands