Friday, May 10, 2019
For the first time in months I writing this blog from my favorite blogging spot, the screened-in porch on the south side of my house. The temperature is a little cooler that I like but, on the upside, it's Friday at 11:00am and I'm writing so think about that for a moment. So far I've seen a ruby throated hummingbird at the feeder that is about ten feet from me, an American goldfinch, a house finch, and sadly, a utility company work crew digging a trench behind my neighbors home and that can't be a good thing.
T4 decided to change roles one day. "Schultz, take the top three math students to your table in the hallway and work with them. I'll take the rest of the class." That caught me a little off guard as I normally work with the bottom quartile for math but I collected my scholars and out into the hallway we went. A worksheet was sent out with them and, as I sat down, OtherT4-F said to me, "Mr. Schultz, this is too easy, can we have some harder math problems to do." Both of OtherT4's M scholars agreed with OtherT4-F so I tried to come up with some fifth grade math problems to solve. As I was thinking about fifth grade math the three scholars sitting there with me were getting impatient. "Mr. Schultz what is taking you so long to come up with some problems?" I told them that I was thinking and then started to laugh. "Mr. Schultz, what is so funny?" So I told them, "I've been in this school for seven years. I've help with math lessons from first grade through fourth grade but never fifth grade and I'm not sure what a fifth grade problem would be."
Finally, although I'm not certain if this was fifth grade math or sixth grade math, I had a game plan. Before we started the problems I had to go back into the classroom to get some graph paper as I knew it would be very helpful for the scholars when doing the problems. I gave each of the scholars a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 graph paper and told them all the numbers they write down have to fit in a box. Then I wrote down the math problem on my graph paper, a three digit number multiplied by a two digit number, turned it over so they could see it, and reminded them that they can only place one number in a box. The initial response came from one of the OtherT4's-M, "This looks too hard, I don't know how to do this." "You are a Magic Multiplier, you got to dance on the hexagon to celebrate that achievement, so don't tell me this is too hard as all you are doing is multiplying. Now get started and remember, only one number in each box."
It took a couple problems before they figured out the multiplication process and they all agreed that using the graph paper helped them keep the numbers in a straight line. From multiplication we move on to higher level division problems. Then I hit them with this problem and the facial expressions where quite interesting. I put in front of them an order of operation problem that included parentheses. I then told them to write down this acronym on their paper, P. M. D. A. S. "That is not a word, Mr. Schultz." "I know it's not a word, it's an acronym," and then I said to them, "Please my dear Aunt Sally." "What?" "What you are looking at is an order of operation problem and in order to solve this problem you need to do it in this order, P = parentheses, M = multiply, D = Divide, A = add, and S = subtract. Now remember, Please My Dear Aunt Sally, and do the problems like this in this order every time. Got it?" "No!" "Okay, we'll do it together, one step at a time."
Saturday, May 11, 2019
We were about to get started when I heard her voice even with the classroom door closed. "If you can't subtract you can't go on to the fifth grade." Being in the hallway with the top three math students in the classroom, who can definitely subtract, I continued with my order of operation problem. As the hallway group was working through the second problem the classroom door opened a little and I heard T4 say, "It's recess time, line up at the door." When I turned and looked at her I could tell she was frustrated so I just said to my three scholars, "Hand me your papers, we'll continue another time." When I turned back in T4's direction she said to me, "These kids do no know how to subtract." Frustration levels are high. Too many scholars are struggle with adding, struggle with subtraction, really struggle with multiplication, long division is like talking a foreign language to them and here is what lies ahead, ILEARN, the state mandated test that has the potential to bring a teacher's career to an abrupt end if too many scholars fail the test.
Before I move on let me tell you a little something about OtherT4-F, one of the scholars that worked with me in the hallway on the fifth, or sixth, or maybe seventh grade math problems. The first time she spoke to me about doing harder math problems was a couple months ago. She had finished her worksheet and needed something to do so she asked me for harder problems. I said to her, "You want harder math problems." "Yes, my mother always tells me that I should challenge myself by doing harder work so I need some harder math problems." So I gave her some. Then I gave her some more and some more and some more. Here is the beauty of working with this young female fourth grade scholar. She is Latino, she wants to be challenged, if she continues to challenge herself through her entire school career I'm guessing that she will break the mold and be the first in her family to earn a college degree and avoid an entire working career making minimum wage or a little better.
The conversation took place back in the October, just a couple days before fall break. A parental unit is speaking, "Mr. Schultz, we are concerned that our T2-M scholar is falling behind in his reading and we wondered if you would take some time to help him with his reading." I agreed and approached the young scholar's teacher to work out a time to read. We agreed upon a time and as I was about to leave the teacher said to me, "Good luck getting him to read as he won't read anything in this classroom." I told the teacher that if he doesn't read he doesn't read but at least I can tell his parental units that I tried.
The first time I met with the T2-M scholar he brought his own book, Ninjago, Masters of Spinjitzu. Remember, I don't make this stuff up. This is a real book and I believe it is also a cartoon series. When I finished reading his book I said to him, "Tomorrow I'll bring the books and you do the reading." He agreed and the next day, sitting in the waiting area of the school's main office, he started reading. Knowing that he was behind in his reading I found the easiest book I could find, Level A. For those of you not familiar with a Level A reading book it has very short sentences, usually from four to eight words long, and not many pages. He started reading and read, and read, and read right up to Christmas break. When Christmas break was over I found him sitting next to his parental unit and his sister Uh-Uh-Uh in the main office acting grumpy, defiant, and refusing to read. So I said to him, "It's too bad you don't want to read any more as I picked out a couple boy books that I thought you'd really like to read." I then stood up and walked away from him.
A couple days later we were back in the main office reading. He read, and read, and read right up to spring bring break. When spring break was over he came back to school all grumpy and defiant, and actually started throwing objects in his classroom. Obviously that wasn't good but I caught a huge break as he works with an excellent behavior therapist and after three or four days we were back in the main office reading again. Before we started reading I said to him, "Do you know how many books you've read with me?" "No, Mr. Schultz." "Seventy-eight," I said. He looked at me and said, "That's a lot." "I know," I said, "Let's get started with today's books."
Sunday, May 12, 2019 - Happy Mother's Day
It's now Wednesday, May 8th, and we are in the main office. When OtherT2-M walked in and sat down he looked at me and said, "Are we only reading one book today, Mr. Schultz?" I said, "Yes, let's get started." The book I selected was "Too Late Harry!" by Sara Shapiro and illustrated by Chris Vallo. When he finished reading I turned the book over to show him the reading level of the book. When he saw the level he smiled at me and said, "Level H, Mr. Schultz." "That's right, you moved up another level and you know what else is special about this book," I said to him. "This is book number one hundred and I'm quite certain that no other scholar in this school has read one hundred books this year." His facial expression when I told him this was priceless and, again, you know why I keep doing what I do.
Dear Pointy Headed Intellectuals and the lowest life form there is, the Politician,
You are spending millions of dollars yearly to cram the ILEARN test down the throats of the teachers. I like to offer you this suggestion. Stop spending money on this worthless test. Take the money and use it to hire additional instructional assistants in the grade levels where young scholars are learning to read. If you do, you'd be impressed with the results.
Respectfully submitted,
A Gray Haired, Wrinkly Faced, Old Man (some times grumpy as a certain teacher will tell you) who has a real nice view from the back of the classroom.
