Ahh ... Homework

Yesterday I received an email from three former students.  This was part of their message:

[we] have two questions that we would like to ask you.

We were wondering why do you assign mandatory homework?

What is the use of it?

I'm quite certain they were unaware of how loaded their questions were or that I had been (briefly) discussing/lurking on this topic during the #isedchat on Twitter (archive here) two nights before they contacted me.

After some investigation, I discovered that they had contacted several teachers and were preparing for a debate.  I'm not sure what the full context is, but I decided that I would share my thoughts with them as freely as I felt I could.

This was my reply:

My first year as a teacher (at another school) I wasn’t assigning much homework at all and at Back-to-School Night a parent came up to me and told me that she thought my class was too easy because there wasn’t a lot of homework.  That was an interesting early introduction to how differently people feel about this issue.  A few years later in my first year at a different school I had a nightmare that my students didn’t have any time to play or have free time after school because of all of the homework they had (not just from my class).  So you can tell, homework is something I think about a lot.

When at all possible, I prefer to give flexible homework.  For example, my current CNN Student News assignment is to watch videos for two specific dates (Tues/Thurs) each week, but the discussion question responses do not have to be turned in until Monday.  An upcoming math HW assignment is to choose 6 out of 20 questions to complete, as opposed to me assigning specific numbers.  I don't seem to be able to get around to doing this for every homework assignment.  I really, really like projects because my hope is that students can take a fundamental topic and connect it to something that has personal meaning for them.  I hope they make students connect more deeply with topics.

But I don't think I've directly answered your two questions yet ...

Why do I assign mandatory homework?  What is the use of it?

• Different students learn at different paces.  Sometimes students need additional practice beyond what takes place at school to really get a good understanding of a topic.  I would love to be able to tailor individual homework for every student, but there isn't the time.  Some students who need additional practice would not complete it if it were not mandatory.  I try to limit the amount of nightly homework time I assign so that everyone gets a little practice, and for kids who need it less it won't take too much of their time.
• There is a lot we try to cover in the school year.  Even though each year it seems like teachers try to cut out little things here and there so we are trying to squeeze in less, it always seems like there never is enough time.  Part of being able to get through everything involves using time outside of the school day.
• I prefer to use class time for things that require face-to-face time with me or discussion with other students.  While this doesn't always happen, in my perfect world, that's how it would be.  With that in mind, I often (like with CNN current events videos or textbook reading) try to assign things for home that don't need that layer of interaction.  Although, as I say that, wouldn't it be interesting if we watched CNN Student News as a class at the same time and had realtime discussions about it?

So, in writing all of this, I think my big take away is that it all boils down to time available to cover topics in the curriculum (more Social Studies) and meeting each student's pace of learning (more Math).

There are many educators who are strongly opposed to any kind of homework - I actually think I lean more in that direction the longer I teach.  The difficulty for me is being able to get through everything ... and since I am not the only one who teaches the subjects I teach, I am not free to just eliminate topics from my classes.

And while I neglected to mention it in my email (I typed it off the cuff and didn't sit and draft & revise), learning time management skills is another reason I often cite in discussions about homework.  It was brought to mind again after reading Andrea Townsend's article in "The Atlantic."

I find that each year I walk a fine line between wanting to make sure my students are prepared for the rigor (and work load) they encounter in future years, but also allow them to be kids.  And then I read articles like Joanne Lipman's in "The Wall Street Journal" and wonder if maybe I should be assigning more ... just kidding!

I think purposeful homework can be useful, but in my perfect world we would be able to accomplish most of what we want to during the school day and our students would be free to explore personal interests after school.  If we gave them more time, maybe they could find a robotics club to take the place of math or science homework, join a book club to take the place of English/language arts, or start their own blog and cover all matter of topics.

Implementing Change Effectively

This is a presentation I created for the Emerging Middle School Leaders Institute, organized by Independent Education. More information about the institute can be found here.

Online ERBs from a Teacher Perspective (updated 2/14/13)

While I consider myself a bit of a techie, I do not have any official capacity related to technology at my school.  As a result I was not involved in the organizational end of running the online ERB tests at my school.  This post is a set of tips after a successful first day of administering them to my homeroom. 

Our tech team and learning specialist made sure we were VERY well-prepared for today!

Tip 1: Reinforce upfront that there will be problems

Our learning specialist really hit this home and it was very helpful.  We knew that there would be glitches, but we also knew that she and the IT team were working overtime to address all of them.  By very openly acknowledging that there is a learning curve the first time you try something new, especially on such a large scale, teachers were more willing to offer feedback because they didn't feel like they were doing something wrong.  It really helped the process to approach it as a learning experience.

Tip 2: Train teachers early

Two months prior to administration, the teachers were led informally through both sides of the student tutorial, having the opportunity to explore the teacher proctor experience, as well as the student test-taking experience.  This took place in a large group.

One month prior to administration, the teachers were formally trained on how to administer the tests, including running through detailed instructions in the administrators manual, and discussing how the online test experience differed from the paper version.  This took place in grade level groups.

As mentioned, teachers were trained in both large and small groups.  Having the chance to ask questions and get more one-on-one feedback and support in the smaller grade level groups was valuable.  The first run through worked well in a large group because it was guided practice and exposure, as opposed to a training where teachers were supposed to be taking notes and focused on exactly what they would be doing during administration week.

Tip 3: Run the tutorial with students at least two weeks before administration

Having this experience (see Tip 4 as well) allowed for updates to instructions and schedules based on any problems that arose or confusion on the part of teachers.  It also allowed our IT leaders to make some updates on their end to account for glitches related specifically to running the tests with may students at once on our particular system.

Tip 4: Test run the tutorial with as many students as you can at the same time

Two weeks prior to administration week, all students who would be taking the test at the same time during the testing week worked through the online tutorial at the same time.  This allowed IT to be sure we had the technological capacity to withstand the load of the students doing the online tests during official administration.  It also provided teachers with the experience of working through potential tech issues with IT available and on call.

Tip 5: Have IT and tech support available during tutorials and administration

Our amazing, amazing IT team was readily available, either in person or by phone, during the tutorial and testing sessions.  They were focused on the testing as their top priority and were very responsive.  In addition, our learning specialist and trained administrators (we had one additional trained faculty member per grade level) were in the hallway outside the classrooms for immediate support.

Tip 6: Provide updated schedules and instructions on different colored paper

Each time a revised set of directions or new schedule comes out to adapt for issues that arise or to meet teacher needs for weekly class time, use a different colored paper for the copies.  This way when you want to ensure teachers are referring to the most up-to-date information you can tell them that they should be looking at the blue instructions and the green schedule.

Tip 7: Leave extra time in the scheduled test sessions for addressing the unexpected

The schedule that was set up for us allowed for at least 15 additional minutes, at times as much as 25, in each testing session in the schedule.  This is not extending the time allowed for the actual test, it meant that all of the teachers in the administration area were keeping kids quiet in their rooms for a longer period of time.  For the groups for whom administration went smoothly, this meant there was an extended time of quiet break and resting once they finished the test.  For the groups which had tech glitches or other issues, this additional time allowed all students to complete their tests in the time available.  It also decreased teacher stress to know that there was a cushion already built in.

Tip 8: Have a specific system for naming the test sessions

We were instructed to name the sessions using the following system “last name-room number-test initials.”  For example: smith123vr (for Mr. Smith administering the Verbal Reasoning test in classroom 123).  On the date of administration this made it easier for the individuals on the administration end to see where a student was if any issues showed or came up within the testing system.

Tip 9: Highlight one major difference – tests split into sections

One major difference between the paper test and the online test is that online a single test may be split into multiple sections.  While taking the paper test, when a student finishes the entire test, she may go back and review all questions from the test in any extra time available.  While taking the online test, each test is split into multiple sections.  When a student finishes each section, he may go back and review all questions from that section.  Once he has finished reviewing that section and moves on to the next section, he cannot go back to the first section at the end of the testing session.  This needs to be clear to students so that they can manage their time accordingly and take a few extra minutes to review in the middle of the test (at the end of each section).

**** Tips 10, 11 & 12 are additions after our final day of online ERB testing.

Tip 10: There is a difference within the online system - Math 1 & Math 2 are part of the same session

This was confusing to us (teachers) at first, when you set up the session for the Math 1 & Math 2 tests, there is only one "Mathematics" test available.  At the end of the Math 1 test students see a slightly different screen that says "Stop" in big red letters.  They are told they must close the session to complete this section of the test.  They have no other option but to close the session, so there is no danger of them accidentally starting the Math 2 test.  After the break time between testing sessions, students re-enter the same session number they used for Math 1, and it starts them back up at the beginning of Math 2.  I am guessing this is because the test makers want to ensure that the Math 1 and Math 2 tests are administered on the same day (since a test session only lasts for 24 hours).  Bottom line - it sounded confusing to the teachers because it was different, but in reality it wasn't confusing at all to the students.


Tip 11: Fun feature! Additional mouse over information in "Student Location" column

There is a column in the proctor screen that allows the proctor/teacher to see on which question each individual student is working.  Up until this morning, I didn't know that I could tell the difference between Susie, who was just starting "24 out of 36," and Annie, who had completed all 36 and was reviewing "24 out of 36."  If you hover your mouse over the "24 out of 36" a small pop-up message will appear that tells you how many actual answers a student has entered (so for Susie it would have said, "24 out of 36 answered" and for Annie it would have said, "36 out of 36 answered").  It also lets you know what percentage of the overall test this represents.  It was very helpful when I figured that out today!


Tip 12: Have loaner or extra computers on hand.

Our IT department had back-up laptops available for students to use in a pinch.  So if a student's laptop all of a sudden was having issues connecting to the network to access the test, they could swap to a different machine without much time being wasted.  This was really helpful when the issue was related to the machine, not the test or the network.



Overall it was a great experience, despite the adjustment period and stress of doing something new with such important testing.  The benefit of having the test results immediately available to the administration would, I think, make this a worthwhile venture for any school with adequate access to technology!

Our students' work is lovely and deep, but I have miles to go before I sleep*

On Friday, our middle school students involved in diversity work put on the annual Student Diversity Assembly.  They are, in a word, amazing.  Each year I am blown away by the maturity and insight our 7^th and 8^th graders bring to this event.  I am also consistently amazed by the bravery of our 5^th and 6^th graders to stand on stage and talk about these enormous topics.  While the event always takes a mountain of teacher logistical support, the students are the ones who pull it together.

Highlights from this year:

•  our playback theater group who performed at a local diversity conference brought their work to the assembly and performed on topics of friendship and diversity raised by the audience
• members of our 5^th & 6^th grade diversity club shared excerpts of an activity in which all students participated earlier in the year, reflecting in writing on bullying and name calling
• a talented 8^th grade videographer interviewed students about what diversity means to them, had quotes of students asking, “What is diversity?” in multiple languages, and put together an insightful but delightfully humorous short video for us to watch
• the 15 6^th graders who attended a recent diversity conference shared personal reflections about what they learned and how they were going to make a change in their/our community
• members of the 7^th and 8^th diversity club put together a slideshow that challenged stereotypes and pushed all of us to question our assumptions (it was pure middle school and beautifully done)

Ultimately, we do it all for the students.  When they can stand up on stage and share, almost as eloquently as any adult could, their thoughts on such challenging subjects, on some level there is clear progress being made! 

So I walk away from this feeling energized by the diversity work taking place in our school, but knowing there are still “miles to go before I sleep.”  Diversity work is never complete.  There are always new facets of diversity being “discovered” and valued in our culture and school communities, and those which we already prioritize continuously morph and change before our eyes.

*Thanks to Robert Frost for my cheesy adaptation.

From There to Here (or "Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am, Stuck in the middle with you.")

For a leadership institute in which I am participating I was asked to answer the following questions.  I realized that my response was much too long for the context and so am posting my full reply here.

Why did you become an educator? When did you realize you wanted to work with middle school students?

In composing this response, I realized that at so many points along the way it was either chance or a leap of faith that resulted in where I find myself today.  For someone who strongly believes that all things happen for a reason (although at times we need to dig deep or allow space and time to find that reason), I can’t help but think that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

While I have always enjoyed working with children, when I entered college I initially declared international relations as my major.  After taking a psychology elective and discovering that my school’s international relations program was more economics focused than I would have liked, I changed my focus to a psychology major.  During my junior year I took a course in adolescent psychology and everything clicked.  I had so many light bulb moments in that class.  I went from thinking about adolescence as an age of nuisance, to thinking of it as an age of incredible growth that looks frustratingly awkward from the outside.  I think this was the first critical moment that pointed me down the path to where I am today, an educator strongly committed to working “in the middle.”

Upon graduation from college, I had very little direction.  What I did have was a strong desire to help others, but I wasn’t sure what or where my focus should be.  I began temporary work with a non-profit that supported women in developing countries.  While fulfilling, it wasn’t a viable long-term option.  After some reflection I decided that, “I can be a teacher.  It can’t be that hard.” 

Logically, I was hired by a school that stretched its teachers thin (as one would hope for someone with my minimal experience).  It was a beautiful independent school community, but I was not really mentored or provided with any significant guidance. I was, almost literally, handed my textbooks, shown my classroom, and sent on my way to figure it out.  I did find mentors of my own, and had a very positive relationship with everyone in the welcoming and diverse school community.  I loved the children I taught in my high school Italian and middle school Spanish classes that year.  I felt drawn to the younger ones for reasons I could not explain at the time.  Despite the wonderful students, this was one of the most challenging years of my life.  Family circumstances drew me across the country and I moved on after one year.

After passing over opportunities for work that was more corporate in nature, life found me working on a psychological study of the long-term impact of early childcare on children’s development.  The children in the study happened to be in 5^th and 6^thgrade during the two years I worked with the group.  The spark I had felt during my first year as a teacher was rekindled.  And then September 11^thhappened.  As many in the country did, I found myself questioning my role and my future.  If I had been one of the thousands who had died, would I have left the world a better place than when I entered it?  What had I done or was I doing to leave a lasting mark that in some way improved our lot?  The classroom was calling me back.

I decided that I could not return to the classroom as ill prepared as I had been my first year, so I enrolled in a Masters of Education program and began to search for teaching positions.  After several months of dead ends, I found myself with an offer to be a classroom assistant in a kindergarten class in a small K-6 independent school.  With no other options on the table, I tried to convince myself that being back in a school would be wonderful and that this was the inlet I needed to get back into the system.  Something didn't feel right and I was apprehensive.  At the eleventh hour another offer came up to be a part-time middle school Spanish teacher in a slightly larger K-8 school.  I jumped at the opportunity and was able to convince the head of school to allow me an advisory to increase my hours and compensation.  I dove in and never looked back.

Over the years my roles in the schools in which I have worked have shifted and morphed, adapting to the needs of the institution and to my willingness to lean into discomfort.  I have found myself, on numerous occasions, proving myself after the schools in which I worked took a leap of faith, so to speak.  Actually, this was how my early career in education progressed ... 

... the 2nd trimester starts tomorrow and we don't have a schedule?  I can do that!

... the 6th grade advisory curriculum needs formalizing?  I can do that!

... we don't have a formal transcript system and someone needs to work with the developer?  I can do that!

... we have two extra sections of math to be taught?  I can do that!

... ordering agenda books is too expensive and we need to create them in house?  I can do that!

... the language arts teacher is on maternity leave?  I can do that!

I've shifted to a place of seeking out opportunities and finding things that elicit an "I want to do that!"  While I still occasionally jump up with an "I can do that!" I have become more focused in my energy and efforts, discovering where my strengths truly lie.  Ultimately, I can't imagine myself anywhere but "in the middle."  The middle years are dynamic, enthusiastic, tumultuous, open, unpredictable, malleable, caring, giving, and beautiful.  It sounds like I'm in love, and I think I am.  Regardless of the hat I put on within one, there's no place I'd rather be than stuck in middle school.