Blog Archives

Happy Halloween!

10/31/2014

First Hallowe'en without the kids was bittersweet... last year at this time, we were in Buenos Aires, and this past week I got three emails from some of last year's people asking me if there was any plan for this year's event, hehe. (We've been gone since May!!)

So this year was Trevor's turn, and with Tats out of province, I decided to volunteer to help shell out at my building.

As the weather was fairly lousy, we actually didn't get that many children passing through. But, give me a few dozen chocolate bars and couple baggies of cheesies, and I'm happy as a pig in shit!

It was nice to hang out with some of my neighbours for a low key evening in the lobby, and I enjoyed seeing some of the unique and interesting hallowe'en costumes of my fellow apartment dwellers, their children, and -- in several cases -- their pets!

The boys, meanwhile, were at their dad's... having come home early, they were busily sorting through their hallowe'en candy before selecting a previously agreed-upon number to indulge in.

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Solutions

10/27/2014

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Well, there are plenty of problems at school for which I have no solution. But the hallowe'en problem from the other night is not one of them! A teacher at my school and my partner Tatiana both got into the spirit, and spent part of the day chewing away at the bonus problem. Their solutions appear below:

Mr. J's solution

Tatsy's solution

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Why don't witches wear underwear?

10/26/2014

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Because they're too busy creating math problems for their students, and don't have time to do laundry!!! ;-P

Those who know me well know that's not the REAL answer to the riddle. But those who know me well have also threatened me with all manner of horrible consequence if I retell either of the two jokes I learned from a seasoned Kindergarten teacher during my first year of teaching ever again. And so this year I am retiring my inappropriate (but funny!!!) hallowe'en jokes in favour of some hallowe'en math instead, inspired by a visit to the dollar store during a recent stint in Chatham, where I was facilitating a non-math and non-hallowe'en related teacher workshop last week.

You KNOW when I saw the mismatched numbers in the two packages, I smelled a math problem brewing! And so, with the help of my mathematician/pilot girlfriend, and my instructional coach from work, I put together the following two Hallowe'en themed intermediate grade math problems, which I intend to do with some or all of my classes during our "Black and Orange Day" on Friday.

(The third page includes a letter home which can be stapled to the problem and sent home, inviting families to review the math with their children, and consider their child's mathematical strengths and next steps for learning using the rubric on page 2.)

halloween_dilemma_problem_msk_multiples_and_factors.docx
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halloween_dilemma_problem_lise.docx
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P.S. If you email me privately or come see me in person, I might be convinced to tell one or both jokes. But you have to bring me a treat! ;-P

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Run (And throw, sing, dance, think, do math, etc., etc., etc.) Like a Girl!

10/25/2014

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It always irritated me when I read the title "anti-discrimination education" in our Ontario curriculum documents. The more eternal optimist in me strongly preferred "Inclusive Education" or "Teaching about Social Justice" or something to that effect.

Increasingly, however, I am coming to understand that "brainwashing" (as the mysogenistic and homophobic brother of my girlfriend calls it) students to buy into an "inclusive", "socially just" world requires a specifically ANTI-discriminatory approach. In order to create such a world, its members first need an understanding that oppression is systemic, that we are all prone to internal biases and stereotypes (and that we act in discriminatory ways as a result of these), and that very specific steps must be taken by ALL people if we want to eradicate injustice.

This sort of brainwashing (I prefer the term "education" myself) requires a holistic approach, however, and what seems "acceptable" in the mainstream is not helpful!!!

Take this clothing ad, for example:

Am I getting old and conservative, or does this clothing add glamorize and condone gang rape?!!

How can we teach that the gratuitous taking of sexual power by men over women is wrong and that gang rape is a crime, when the students we teach and their families are regularly exposed to billboards and magazine ads that promote and indeed seem to glorify misogyny?!

How can I teach critical literacy when I myself am not critically literate? Or when our politicians and social leaders regularly endorse or even practise unchecked prejudice and stereotyping?

A male student in my class recently told another male student in my class to "stop whining like a little girl wearing high heels". This, after an already hostile exchange between him and a group of other students during an exploration of opinion about whether or not the recent outrage aimed at Target's allegedly sexist baby sleepers was warranted.

When I called the student to task over his comment (privately, in the hall, not in front of his peers), a mixture of disgust and irritation over over him, as he brushed aside my accusation, saying that "acting like a girl" had always been used as an insult, as early as Grade 3, and no teacher had ever said anything about it, so he didn't see how it was now suddenly "sexist".

He later told another staff member that his sports coach frequently used comments like this.

I am so tired of having to live in a world where children have to be shot in the head so they can go to school because they are girls. I am so angry that the province that I live in, in an allegedly educated, first-world country, still boasts an average 28% pay gap between women and men, and that young boys can be chastised by their mentors and role models for playing hockey (soccer, football, basketball, etc.) "like a bunch of girls" and no one bats an eyelash. I am so fed up with young boys who don't think twice about using the female sex or gender as as an insult because they have grown up in a society where their fathers encourage or ignore it and their female teachers haven't taken them to task on it because they themselves don't fully recognize or feel empowered to speak up against systemic misogyny.

Perhaps most of all, I am sick of swimming upstream alone or in thin company, and I have had it "up to here" with being viewed as "alternative" or "activist" or just a little bit different because I dare to speak out against what is so clearly WRONG!!!

Determined not let my joy at my many students who are interested and "get it" and are HUNGRY for these conversations be overshadowed by my deep sorrow at the world's complexities and injustices and -- in particular -- the apparent subsequent hopelessness of some students' understanding, I set about trying to re-energize my own thinking about equity work in emotionally inhospitable situations.

The Ministry of Education's Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools resource document describes sexism as "prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination directed against people on the basis of their sex or gender."

They go on to note that "Sexism may be evident in organizational and institutional structures, policies, procedures, and programs, as well as in the attitudes and behaviours of individuals."

Those of us at the frontlines of the fight for universal social justice need to recognize our own biases, and admit that there is more and better work to be done with our more "mainstream" colleagues and friends. We must find creative and insidious ways to constantly and effectively challenge those who think we in North America live in an "equal" society, to challenge their assumptions. Collectively, we need to take off the rose-coloured glasses through which we view the Claire Huxtable model of "look how far women's rights have come and how equitable we are now", and critically examine our current reality and the formerly avant-garde mainstream media with eyes wide open and vision unobscured.

Of course we should remember to do so with hope and optimism, and -- especially with kids -- a bit of fun.

Recognizing the shortcomings of "modern" sitcoms and social media doesn't negate their value; it helps us to more deeply explore what oppression and privilege really mean.

Unfortunately, in my experience, few adults -- even educated adults -- are comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. "Presume positive intentions" is a edu-facilitaton-catchphrase with few real life role models who practise it. People are easily offended and not so quick to forgive when they feel misunderstood. And with few or no adult models of open exploration, how can the next generation hope to change the world?!

The sexist comment (and the student's apparent unwillingness to admit that his thinking might need some expansion or reorientation) troubled me all weekend. As an LGBTQ woman I was doubly (triply?) troubled. Like blacks fighting for a real end to racism, women promoting sex- and gender-equity are often looked on with suspicion or disdain. "Feminism" is a swear word, and the fact that I'm gay presents a whole new problem for those who appear to somehow have been sheltered from 10% of the world's population for most of their lives. (Apparently a parent from one of my classes has already asked the admin at my new school, "is Ms. Teschow gay?" The relevancy of sexual identity to my program being.... ??!! The negative connection they want to see between who I love and how I teach math perplexes me.)

reblogged from Coach HB

But after having a good long cry about unfair things were and how few people were fighting the good fight, I pulled up my big girl underwear, dug deep into my resource stash, called a few friends, talked at length with my (far more pessimistic but refreshingly honest and sometimes painfully raw) girlfriend, and developed two short, fun, engaging lessons to share with my students the following week.

stereotypes.ppt
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sexism_concept_attainment.pptx
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The first is a modified version of a little game we played at a Board Climate Training session recently, intended to make us aware of our own biases and the stereotypes most of us cherish. The second is a "guessing game" (concept attainment) that deals specifically with sexism.

As I chatted with other teachers in the school about what our class was doing, many encouraged me and shared further resources.

And, thankfully, sometimes even the big companies get it right... A recent grad and new supply teacher who is coming in for me later this week got excited about the work, and offered this resource from Always:

We decided that she would follow up the work I started by sharing this video with students, and then asking them what they thought. As a follow up, she designed a survey they could conduct with three people at home over the weekend, just to see how far-reaching this sort of sexism really is.

like_a_girl_handout.pdf
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lesson_plan-_like_a_girl_oct_24_2014.pdf
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I am encouraged that the new breed of teacher seems to have a strong understanding of these important issues already early in their career. With minimal guidance and support, this lovely new teacher developed a curriculum linked lesson plan that considered how sexism fit into various curriculum areas.

Of course I'm still worried I won't get it right, or I won't know what to say, or I won't be able to properly facilitate difficult conversations in my classroom, or I'll have to deal with cranky parents who are so marks-obsessed, they don't see the value -- nay, the necessity -- of this important work.

But I'll do my best not to let those worries deter me from teaching the whole child, and teaching responsively. Heck, the Ministry of Education even claims I have to teach this stuff! And teaching it imperfectly is less of an offence to our students who need and want tools than staying silent would be.

After a decade and a half of not always getting it right, I am determined to do better for the girls in my class this year, and for the boys who will share their world with them.

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Math instruction; integrating technology

10/22/2014

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This evening I attended Part One of a multi-part online learning session about integrating technology into the math classroom. The session provided a host of practical ideas, and although they assumed that most students have a wifi-enabled personal device at school (most of my students don't), there were nevertheless some ideas I want to try to incorporate into my classroom. Below are a few:

ClassFlow
Create interactive lessons with slides that can be pushed out to students' devices. Students can also participate in polls the teacher creates. Students can either visit the website, or download the free app. In either case, they must enter a code the teacher gives them which allows them to access the interactive lesson.

Possible Application(s):

Pose a rich problem students respond to in groups; I select some to share with the class, and annotate them while students present their solutions
Direct teaching (i.e. factors and multiples for Grade 7) interspersed with student check-ins to see if they get the concept (polls are created and pushed to student devices)
diagrams in science pushed to student devices; they work in pairs to label the diagram and submit their slide

Padlet
Heard of this one before... maybe even saw/used it in a previous workshop, but SOOO need to try this with my students finally. Kind of a virtual bulletin board, students can simultaneously add videos, text and images to a board on the screen, using their individual devices.

Possible Application(s):

Craft an inquiry question and get students or groups of students to post their responses (text, video or photos of their work) on the padlet
Use as a centre at which students can post questions and get answers from other students
Use as a centre to which students add their ideas as they rotate through

Kahoot is a question/response style collaborative site in which students and teachers can post multiple choice questions, and the other students respond. the app keeps a leaderboard as the questions progress)

Possible Application(s):

Since my students don't each have their own devices, I am thinking to put together a little mid-point check-in quiz to see how things are going with Integers in Grade 8, and have students work in groups to respond, competing against each other

Jaclyn Calder was the facilitator of this evening's session, and her resource-rich site can be found here.

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Why I'm voting for Olivia Chow

10/21/2014

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When I first heard Olivia was running for Mayor, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness! Someone competent and caring! And what commitment to give up a provincial seat to serve the city! And... she's a WOMAN!!! :)

Then sleek, articulate John Tory entered the race, and things no longer looked so clear.

Sure, Olivia had concrete experience, but John -- although he's never served on city council before -- seems to be good at everything he does. And he's also a nice guy, apparently. Even came and spoke at our church on Sunday. Very articulate, and seemed genuine.

For a minute or two, I thought I might vote for him.

Then I remembered why I'm voting for Olivia... unlike the other candidates, who focus largely on taxes and the middle class, Olivia has a concrete plan for affordable housing, and -- in particular -- for those of us who rent. And it makes sense that she does. After all, unlike her white, male counterparts (at least one of whom implied that white privilege does not exist), Olivia has first-hand experience with public housing, having lived in subsidized housing herself.

Ms. Chow also has a transit plan. One that will actually work. Fast.

Olivia's plan is not as sexy as some of the other candidates' (plans), but it is affordable and realistic. Much as I like subways, I like moving fast and now better. And having lived in Buenos Aires for nearly a year, where buses are a critical component in the city's public transit, I have seen the light.

Some of the other candidates talk about transit plans as though they were their own, even though some aspects of the plan have already begun to happen, and will continue whether they are elected or not.

Finally, I think it's important to recognize Olivia for who she is, an activist, immigrant woman. It's true that she has an accent, and it's true that she has different experiences that John Tory. That's because Tory -- through the accident of birthright -- inherited unearned privilege which translates into opportunities that a woman like Olivia could never hope to acquire, no matter how hard she works (and she's worked pretty hard over the years).

Don't get me wrong, John's a nice guy and all, and definitely an improvement over the current buffoon(s) we've had to endure. But the "successes" of the man's working background and leadership experiences are not entirely just due to his personal merit as a leader. When you belong to the privileged group, these experiences are, quite simply, much easier to come by. Every minority, LGBTQ, disabled, woman or other other disadvantaged person knows that. And Olivia meets at least two of those criteria. Despite her many strengths and talents, her achievements are nevertheless remarkable, given the systemic roadblocks she's had to circumvent.

Toronto is a city of immigrants, of mixed socio-economic backgrounds and interest, and -- at last count in 2011 -- over 50% women!!!

We need someone who represents us, and many of us know that someone is Olivia, but we're afraid to vote for her, pandering instead to our fear, and succumbing to strategic voting.

Olivia's got the experience, the passion, the commitment and the guts. And she truly represents the people of this city. She deserves our honest vote.

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Gay and happy at school

10/21/2014

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Sad Rainbow reblogged from DeviantArt

Well, it finally happened. One of my kids had to decide if and when to out me at school.

In the four years or so since I've come stumbling out of the closet, Alex and Simon have never had to deal with homophobia directly at school. They've had at least one LGBTQ teacher, and their other teachers have been supportive of our family through the transition the boys have journeyed. Friends didn't dream of questioning their parents' sexuality, largely because many of them had met both me and my partner, and liked us.

But now we're at a new school, and the boys are making new friends. Friends who don't know the backstory. And friends who -- despite their alleged intelligence (it's a congregated Gifted class; all the students had to take an IQ test to get in) -- may come from rather conservative and "traditional" families.

Today one of my boys told me a hard story to hear.

He's got this great new chum at school. We've heard the name continuously since early September. I met the kid (and his parents) at Open House. This friend is serious.

So, he prodded a little to see where things stood. (Thanks to my partner's homophobic family, my kids learned this past year that not everyone views who you love as a non-issue. But until now, they've lived in the blissful semi-innocence of childhood, and "homophobia" and other big words existed only for the adults in their lives, not personal friends. It would appear they are starting to recognize that homophobic adults may also be parents, and that if they are, they might influence their children, the buggers!)

It was important to my son that this new friendship not be ruined before it even got properly launched. Or maybe he wanted to see if the kid was worth his time and investment in the friendship. I don't know. But in any case, he asked his new buddy today if the buddy thought that being gay was wrong.

"Sort of" was the non-committal answer.

That wasn't good enough for my son, so he asked if the kid would still be friends with someone who he had found out was gay.

"Probably not."

Kind of a death sentence when your own Mama is card-carrying a lesbian!

I asked why he didn't just tell his friend that he disagreed, and that actually, his mom was gay. And this is where is gets sad because the innocence lost part comes in...

"Mom!" retorted my son, "I didn't want to tell him just yet. I want to educate him some more, first. If I tell him now, then he'll probably go home and tell his parents, and then he won't be allowed to play with me."

One the one hand, I want to hug my baby for being so darned savvy. On the other hand, I want to run right out and strangle every homophobic douche-bag out there for making my kid have to so carefully assess what he can and cannot tell about his family. :(

I'm trying to stay cool about it, asking him how he feels, and honouring his choices and chosen speed of revelation.

It's sad, though, huh?

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Apple Picking

10/20/2014

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At Simon's request, I organized an afternoon of apple-picking on what would probably be the final decent weekend of the fall. Vinx picked us up after German School, and we headed north to Orchalaw Farms...

(click to enlarge)

After missing last year's season due to our year in Argentina, we were looking forward to a fun afternoon at the orchard. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty cold and miserable. Nevertheless, we managed to pick three varieties of apple, and to enjoy the tremendous rainbow of fall colours the Ontario countryside had to offer us.

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Learning Skills - where are they?

10/13/2014

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As teachers scramble to write progress reports on students they've only known for 6 weeks or so, the numbers of visitors to my learning skills-related blog posts once again skyrockets! It can be challenging to get a real sense of student strengths and needs when one is busy trying to print out ever-evolving class lists an update timetables after re-org, make initial parent phone calls (especially on rotary!) and just generally try to get organized, particularly if you are at a new school this year, or if you are in your first year or two of teaching.

Nevertheless, learning skills can be reported on in a way that provides a concrete overview for students and their families to consider as they set school goals for Term One report cards.

As we were asked by our admin to comment on three of the learning skills this time around (responsibility, organization and independent work), my teaching partner decided to do a random locker and agenda check next week, so we could comment on that. The resulting comment might look something like this, depending on the student in question:

Vera is adapting well to the rules and routines of Grade 7.

In class and around the school, Vera takes responsibility for and manages her own behaviour. She consistently comes prepared for class and demonstrates thorough organization of materials, for example, her agenda and her locker. Vera follows instructions with minimal supervision, and uses class time appropriately to complete tasks.

Vera is encouraged to seek assistance in various subjects as needed, for example, by coming to "working lunch" on Thursdays in Ms. Teschow's class or at other times with other teachers.

Vera is adapting well to the rules and routines of Grade 7.

In class and around the school, Vera usually takes responsibility for and manages her own behaviour. She generally comes prepared for class and demonstrates considerable organization of materials, for example, by bringing a pencil to class each day, and using her agenda to record assignments.

Vera is encouraged to keep her locker tidy and well organized, and to follow in-class instructions the first time they are given.

Another idea I am planning to use in the weeks ahead is one that aligns with my "Math Centres" approach (an attempt to teach a balanced, differentiated math program this year). As students have the opportunity to work independently on math centres in my room, I will give them one or both of the following self-assessments:

The idea is that students will bring their completed self-assessments to me when we conference, and then I will complete the teacher portion. We'll then determine "next steps" together.

Please note that I am teaching Grade 7 and 8 this year, so readers will need to modify these ideas to suit their own grade levels obviously. Nevertheless, I think you'll find that learning skills are all around us; we just need to consider what we're doing in class, then find a way to capture it in concrete ways to report to families. Getting students involved in this process, even in the early years, is an excellent way to develop self-awareness and metacognition.

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Island "Church"

10/5/2014

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Managed to squeeze in an overnight at the Island this weekend while we had guests staying at our place.

In addition to climbing trees and checking out the beach at Centre Island, we also rediscovered the skate park behind the pirate playground near the Rectory Cafe on Ward's... on our scooters! :D

On Sunday morning, it was time for "church"; today's island service focused on the blessing of the pets, and was held at the Wards Island Association Club house. A number of dogs and even a cat were in attendance with their owners. Apparently, coyotes have moved onto the Island in recent years, and there has been a growing problem with cats being, well, eaten. Over 30 cats missing or killed in the past two years!!

After church, it was back to the skate park for a little more scootering for the boys, while I investigated and photographed a rotting log for my Grade7 Science class! Then we boarded the ferry back to the city to run a few errands before heading home.