Tuesday Rant

Dear Movie Industry,

I am writing to ask you for a small favor. Would you please stop turning all of my favorite children's books into movies?! Not only is it annoying to see my beloved storylines butchered, twisted, and revamped into crowd-pleasing screenplays, but you're ruining my lessons on prediction strategies! For instance, how am I going to set my students up for Violet Beauregarde's transformation into a blueberry (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) if they already know it's coming? 

You're robbing me of the joy of sharing one of my all-time favorite stories with my students. I don't get to see their faces light up the way mine did when my teacher read it to me. (Granted, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder was out since the '70s...but I didn't see it until well after I was introduced to the book.) Every wintry Wednesday during "Morning Meeting," Mary, our head of school, would read a chapter or two of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I hung on her every word, the room was absolutely silent--she barely spoke above a whisper. Those read-aloud moments with her were magical, that's the only way I can describe it.

Well, Movie Industry, I can't really recreate that same feeling my own class, now can I?! Sure, I've got a few Roald Dahl favorites that haven't been turned into movies....yet. But so far you've covered: 

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• James and the Giant Peach
• Matilda
• The BFG
• The Witches
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Danny, Champion of the World

I'm telling you now, Movie Industry, if you even think about turning The Twits, Boy, The Magic Finger, or Esio Trot into movies in the near future, I WILL be knocking on your front door with some serious complaints. You've done enough, let's call it quits. I'd like to keep some magic and mystery in my read-alouds.

Sincerely,

Miss Boyd

Stand and Deliver

Almost two weeks ago, I attended the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Regional Conference in St. Louis. It was among one of the most profound teaching experiences of my short teaching life!

I always enjoy attending conferences, not just because I get the opportunity to be part of a grown-up world for a few days, but also because of that pesky "lifelong learner" habit I seemed to develop early on. I like challenging my beliefs as a teacher. I realize that my college education (M-I-Z...), although exemplary, may have provided me with only one side of an array of teaching and learning styles. It's also beneficial to have my beliefs reaffirmed by the big-wigs at these conferences. I don't need much reassurance as a teacher, but I do appreciate the validation at times. 

Although the entire conference was spectacular, I'd like to focus on just one aspect that made me cringe. 

I attended a conference session entitled "Quantity: A Gateway to Number Sense" that was supposed to focus on creating number sense for Kindergarten through second grade students. Now, at this point in the conference, I was still  reeling from the previous session on fact fluency that blew my mind. So I walk into this "Quantity" session with a pretty optimistic attitude and an open mind. I listened attentively during the presenter introductions and the opening statements...but after about 5 minutes, I was ready to leave.

The "Quantity" presenters were obviously prepared and organized for the session; they had packets and games arranged neatly at our tables as we walked in. They had a slide presentation, and many "make and take" activities prepared for us in the back of the room. Conversely, the "Fact Fluency" session I attended (the one that blew me away) was little more than a man lecturing at the front of the room with a PowerPoint presentation. He didn't even give us handouts. 

So what made the difference? Why did the "lecture" win me over and the "make and take" make me sleepy?

Well, I've been turning this situation over and over again in my mind, and the best possible explanation I have is that it all came down to the speakers. Sure, the "lecturer" didn't have any exciting games or activities to send us home with--just information and research about the latest advances in fact fluency. But you could tell just by listening to him that he was passionate about the subject, he believed in the research he was presenting to us and was proud of the results he delivered. 

On the other hand, the "make and take" ladies were incredibly concerned with everyone having the right materials, understanding the different games, and getting through dozens of activities in a short amount of time that I think they may have lost their passion along the way. 

So, how does this translate into my life as a second grade teacher? Well, I realize that it's great to have dynamic activities and engaging games that enhance the learning experience, but honestly, it's all about passion. If you can teach a concept from the front of the class and keep all twenty-or-so students hanging on your every word for the duration of your lecture, have at it! You won't sell me with your fancy song and dance unless YOU believe in it.

 Passion is the secret ingredient in performance.