It’s haiku season in Ms. Teschow’s room.

Haiku is a Japanese poetry form that focuses on nature, a feeling... it really encapsulates a lot with just a few words.  And what I like about it for teaching purposes at the elementary level is the rule about the syllables.

Haiku is written in three lines, with the following syllabification: 5 – 7- 5

After reading lots of Haiku together, we tried our hand at writing some.  The students were totally engaged for a great length of time, with little intervention from me.  Together, they counted syllables, to see what would work.


At this point, I generally just use haiku as a vehicle for teaching syllabification, while introducing students to this rich form of poetry, but every now and again, I am amazed at the result I get from some children.  The sample above was written by a student in my class, inspired by this weekend’s snow storms!

So, my girlfriend, whose opinion I generally respect, hates the new look of my website.  She says the font is too big, and it looks ridiculous; that if she stumbled upon such a thing on her own, she'd never read it.

I thought the chart paper look was kind of funky, a little teacher-esque, without being too kitch.  Or?  Am I way off here? 

Regular readers, what do YOU think?  Do you like the new look of the blog and website, or is it driving you nuts?  Please, leave a comment below...

One of the most effective professional learning devices available to teachers is watching - after you’ve done it yourself for a while - someone else teach.

I remember being a pre-service teacher candidate so many years ago… when I was sitting in my practicum placements, I did learn a little from my host teachers, but I was so eager to try my hand at some of the tricks I had learned at the Faculty of Ed, that all I really wanted to do was teach, not watch! 

But, 17 years later, one of my favourite things to do is wander into someone else’s classroom, and see how they do it.

I’ve had a number of opportunities to observe colleagues teach over the years; as a program resource consultant with my board for 4 years, then a vice-principal, and later as part of the Ministry of Ed’s student work study initiative, I have been a guest in dozens of classrooms. This year, as part of the TLLP project my colleague and I are involved in, we’ve had a chance to check out what others do with interactive white boards and with Math in a variety of classrooms across the GTA.  Each time I watch someone else teach, I have either consolidated my understanding of something I was already playing with in my own classroom, or have picked up a trick that I now use with my students.

It’s been a while, though, since people have watched me teach… 

I remember the year I taught a Grade 1/2/3 contained Gifted class:  I had a number of parent volunteers in the room, and that really helped keep me in check.  I’ve also video-taped myself teaching or facilitating workshops before.  Both of these experiences force me to be more conscious of what I do and say, and how I do and say it in my classroom.

More recently, I’ve had a number of visitors in my room, both to observe how my Literacy program works, and to check out the Smart Board and see how we do math this year, without a textbook.  Once again, I am forced to self-reflect, and to think about what I do and why I do it.  Being aware of someone else in the room also brings to light a hundred little “errors” I make while teaching each lesson.  It’s an interesting feeling, being under my own scrutiny.

Honest critical feedback is difficult for me, it always has been.  But I value it beyond measure.  Truthful, specific criticism from someone whose opinion I value is hard, and it typically causes a mini-breakdown and serious hit to my ego for several days or sometimes weeks.  But it also drives me to become better at what I do. 

Often, in the past, I have had students fill out “report cards” or feedback sheets for Ms. Teschow, and invariably, they are very honest.  It can be ego-boosting or ego-deflating, depending on where you are at in the journey to becoming a stellar teacher.  (I’ve had both experiences!)  But without fail, every time I have engaged in such an exercise, it has resulted in me taking specific steps towards self-improvement.

Student feedback is good, but I think authentic teacher/colleague feedback is even better.  Unfortunately, we don’t work in a climate that fosters such peer critique in a formal way (if anything, it is discouraged!), but that doesn’t mean we can’t choose to seek it out independently.  At the very least, we can invite others to visit our classrooms, and encourage them to let us know what they think… REALLY! 

And then, we have to humbly thank them for their feedback, and do something constructive with it.

It’s that kind of courageous deprivatization of practise that makes us the professionals we are, rather than the glorified babysitters with grandiose benefits packages that some would make us out to be.

Nice to read an article that gets it right every now and again; pity it wasn't on the front page of the Star, Globe or other "mainstream" paper, so that the public might be a little more informed...

Click here for the complete article.

Hopefully Ms. Wynne will read through at least the above section of the article, so that her party can save the $ it needs to fund much needed tax breaks for businesses and the wealthy!

My girlfriend dragged me out to see “a Hungarian Violinist” at Koerner Hall last night… being absorbed by report cards these past two weeks, I did not really inquire into the nature of the performance, and went along assuming we were going to watch a solo classical virtuoso perform.

What we saw instead was a whole band of virtuosos!

Roby Lakatos  - as probably 90% of the rest of the people who filled the hall knew beforehand - is one of the world’s foremost violinists today.  Trained in both the classical style of the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, where he studied for several years, and in the Hungarian Folk genre of the famous family of violinists from which he descended (János Bihari, ‘King of Gypsy Violinists’, was his anscestor), Lakatos and his group of Hungarian Romani musicians did not disappoint!

In addition to the showy, baron-esque outfit worn by Roby Lakatos, one of the first things that poked me in the eye when I looked at the stage was a strange-looking stringed instrument in a box, like a large auto-harp, or a dulcimer, but with foot pedals like a piano or a vibraphone.  Turns out it is called a cimbalom, and was played in this case by Jeno Lisztes, with two felt hammers.

During the second part of the performance, we were treated to a cimbalom solo version of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, a piece of music I am intimately familiar with, having “played” it on the xylophone some years ago as part of my Grade 12 music exam.

To hear this piece played on the cimbalom, and by so skilled a performer as Lisztes, was truly a delight:  His mallets flew through the air, a blur of white felt, and the music was played so quickly (and the notes so perfectly), that one really felt the “buzz” of the Korsakov’s intended small insect, as the individual notes were in this case played almost too close together for the human ear to distinguish, resulting in a blur of sound that matched the visual effect produced by the musician’s felt hammers!

I was very impressed, and was joined in my mid-concert standing ovation by many other members of the audience.

Roby Lakatos’ style is a fiery blend of classical and jazz, with constant overtones of gypsy, making his musical genre fusion in the truest sense of the word.

It’s not often I am exposed to “new” music these days.  I seem to have fallen into a habit of listening to the same old favourites, both on my iPod, and when going to see live music.  Last night’s concert was a pleasant break from said routine!

Thursday nights I attend a group beginner skating lesson, followed by shinny, at Wallace Emerson.  It's a free program offered through the city, for people who want to learn to skate and play hockey for fun.  Typically about 20-25 people show up, and 2-4 instructors.  We divide into groups according more or less to skating ability (lousy and average or so), and have a focussed lesson on a few specific skills such as stopping, skating backwards, crossovers, or puck handling.  Then, we have a friendly game of shinny.

Last week it was so cold that for three days, students stayed inside for indoor recess all day!  Yuck!  Nevertheless, I ventured out to Thursday night hockey.  The ice was so cold, our skates made squeaking noises as the blades rubbed against the super cooled ice.  The ice also chips more easily when it is  that cold, apparently (who knew?!), so there were a number of chunks missing from the rink's surface.  My nose was cold and my toes were complaining within minutes of my skating out onto the ice.

Despite some of these extra hardships, it was well worth driving out to Emerson that night:  Only 9 people showed up, including myself, and 3 instructors.  That meant I practically got a private skating lesson for nearly 40 intensive minutes.  Rowan worked with me on crossovers and backwards skating, both of which I suck at.  My improvement after his relentless 1:1 coaching was remarkable.  I was even inspired to go pleasure skating this afternoon to practise my newly learned skills!

I never thought skating and hockey would be my thing; only started last winter, dragged out by my girlfriend, who is an avid women's shinny participant.  But I must confess I am quite enjoying this new, healthy hobby.  Even when it's cold.

In an effort to encourage students to think about "Responsiblity" (one of the Ontario Learning Skills), and collect some concrete "marks", I had my grade 3s complete a self assessment this afternoon, as well as a word search and a crossword puzzle.

Bought our tickets to Buenos Aires last night.  it's official -- we're going to Argentina!  And, as though to solidify the deal, the boys' updated passports arrived in the mail today!

We were very excited, until we opened them and noticed.... well...  look closely at the photo to the left. 

Notice anything?  Well, no, you wouldn't, if you didn't personally know our twin boys, Alex and Simon...  But what if I told you that Simon had long hair, and Alex's hair was short.  NOTICE ANYTHING NOW???!!!

Oh yes, my friends, it's true!  Passport Canada stuck the WRONG PHOTO ON THE WRONG PASSPORT!!!

After considering just leaving it (after all, who the heck would ever know?  We always just hand all our passports in in a big jumble when traveling together, and besides, we could always get Alex to grow his hair and then cut Simon's, or just call Simon "Alex" while traveling, or, oh, well, never mind... you can see why we decided in the end to drive out to the passport office tomorrow morning before work, and see how much of a headache it will be to have them corrected.)

The irony is that we'd already had a bit of a headache with this process:  First they didn't want to renew the passports, because they expire a considerable time hence (we wanted, though, to be sure we didn't get stuck with expired kids' passports in the middle of our trip next year, so we decided to renew early), then they didn't like the photos we submitted (too washed-out, apparently), and they had to be re-taken and re-submitted, and now, finally, after everything was rec'd and approved, THIS FIASCO!

Stay tuned for the next installment of the beaurocratic saga that I am sure has only just begun....

“Have you ever had a student for whom you struggle to find something positive to say on the Learning Skills section of the report card?” wrote one of my former student teachers to me in an email the other day.

Well… yes, admittedly.

“Ontario Learning Skills” or some derivation thereof is the most-searched term that brings people to my blog, according to the stats provided by the built-in program offered by Weebly, my web platform company.  So, in the spirit of cranking out those last few report cards this week, let me offer a few more thoughts about learning skills in today’s blog post:

First of all, make sure you have some data, and not just from this past week!!  Collect and record formal Learning Skills data periodically throughout the term – you can record this on a template I have posted here before or via some other method.  Just think about a few kids at the end of each week, while looking at a list of criteria, and jot down a few observations.  These can also be done on the fly, as a child does something that you notice, and then jot down in his or her file.  Then, when you sit down to write report cards at the end of each term, you will have some concrete evidence to use for reporting purposes.


Secondly, involve the students in learning about learning skills.  Co-construct definitions and look-fors, based on the ministry report card.  Record and post these around the room for student reference, and refer back to them yourself periodically.  I’ve now introduced four learning skills with my students since Sept.  This week I will review them, having my Grade 3s complete as much of the chart below as possible, and will then have them add “Responsibility” and “Initiative” later, as we address those.

Have students assess themselves at least once per term.
I have posted sample self assessments previously on this blog and at the bottom of the page in the "Asessment" section of my website, but today I share a document from the Ministry website, namely a blank Ontario Report Card.  One of my former student teachers recently reminded me of this activity which I have often done with students in the past – I’ll do it againearly next  week:  Have a little chat with your class about report cards, and how they think the marks are arrived at.  Then get them to complete a fake report card on themselves, being as honest as possible (you could do just the learning skills at one session, then academic marks during another lesson, and have them notice -- or you point out -- the correlation!)

Collect the students’ self-administered report cards to check for alignment – if a student is way off (either too hard on herself, or not honest enough), I usually meet with her for a mini-conference to align her perception with reality.  Or, sometimes, she convinces me I’ve missed something, and it is my own perception that needs adjusting!

Finally, a note about “other subjects”…  Some of us can become so focussed on the core subjects and how we see students performing there, that we forget the world is a bigger place than just Reading and Math, so to speak.  I have often spoken with my students’ gym, music and drama teachers about their observations of a particular student.  Sometimes, they are able to provide a different perspective on a child, and offer real insights into strengths and positives.  Other times, these colleagues can help to say something that needs saying in a gentler, kinder, more hopeful way.

I don’t believe in glossing over a student’s difficulties.  After all, I am a mother, and I want to know what my kid struggles with, so that I can help.  On the other hand, as a former mentor of mine used to say, “this is somebody’s baby you are writing about”.  Everybody is loved by somebody.  That little brat’s mother loves him and sees something good in him.  Surely you can find one good thing, too?!

(A post-script and qualifier about Learning Skills comments:  If at all possible, write them in prose, and have someone read them for tone and style before you submit them.  I find it extremely difficult to write about my students in point form, as is the custom at my current school.  Everything I wrote above becomes a mute point when I have to knock off 21 report cards all written in those jarring, naked bullets.  I have extensive anecdotal and paper-documented evidence for most strands and many of the learning skills, and I can craft this into the most marvelous, honest, heartfelt paragraph about each child in my room.  But I have not figured out for the life of me how to make the shit shine, so to speak, when I am forced to write in point form!!  If there is anybody out there who is a masterful point-form report card comment writer, please, PLEASE consider writing a guest blog post for my website.  I and many of my colleagues would be very grateful!  Please contact me if you would consider taking on such a project!!!)

In honour of Martin Luther King Jr Day, which is celebrated today in some countries around the world, and in light of the upcoming celebration of Black History Month in Feb., let me blog today about one of my favourite poets, Langston Hughes.  Conveniently, he was black.

I was first introduced to Hughes’ work in University, in an undergraduate poetry class.  “Harlem Sweeties” filled me with wonder at the man’s appreciation for women of colour.  I had never considered the subtle physical beauty of such a rich variety of skin tones, and I never again looked upon black women without being reminded of Hughes’ words:

The dialogue in that class marked my first real exposure to the concept of privilege and power, and of social justice, though I didn’t really understand the role of people like Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston until many years later.

I was eager to share Langston Hughes’ work with my students, once I became a teacher, and expand their horizons beyond the mundane Mother Goose many of them grew up with.  “Harlem Sweeties” seemed a bit racy, even for my hormone-filled grade 7s, though, and so I instead turned to poems like “Bad Morning” and “Youth” for my intermediate students, and “My People” for my grade 3s.  (I even found a book of photography on Amazon that accompanies the latter – it is a favourite in my own classroom now.)

Recently, I attended a church service celebrating MLK day.  In addition to being treated to an offertory sung by the “melted butter” voice of baritone Marcus Nance, the congregation also heard the choir sing an anthem, the words for which were written by – guess who? – Langston Hughes!

Hughes was the first African American poet who earned a successful living from his work.  He was uncompromising in his writing, walking the delicate tightrope between the misunderstanding and sharp criticism from his own people and the patronizing power pull of the dominating culture.  He believed passionately in the beauty and “real-ness” of his people, and wrote extensively of it, both in poetry and prose, as he saw it, never swayed by the opinions of his critics of any colour:

Many of us depend greatly on the opinions of others to sustain our self worth.  Perhaps we ought better look around us and focus less on our oppressors, and more on simply enjoying the view. 

Let us delight in the words and ideas at our disposal to describe what we contemplate, regardless of others' negativity towards us!