Mr. Carefoote's Legacy

I was a high school student back in the 1980s, when it was still five years long and the "OAC year" existed.  Back then, there were not a lot of course options like there are now. I took math every year, even though it was not my strongest subject. Often, my math teacher was Mrs. Daphne Hart. I will remember Mrs. Hart most of all for talking my father down from a potential panic attack; my dad was freaked out to see police cars on location at the first high school dance I attended and Mrs. Hart was the one to explain to him that hiring officers for security was a normal procedure and no reason for alarm. 

Another teacher of mine was Mr. Arnie Carefoote. Mr. Carefoote was my teacher for Grade 12 Computer Science, although he was more well-known as a math teacher. Mr. Carefoote was my sister's math teacher and he was famous for a particular practice of his. Mr. Carefoote would give a bonus mark if a student wrote "Math is fun!" on his/her/their math test. My sister used to say that she'd write this phrase every single time she wrote a math test for Mr. Carefoote because there were times that she was desperate for that extra point. 

I went looking in my old high school yearbooks for photos of Mrs. Hart and Mr. Carefoote. I was an enthusiastic participant in extra-curricular clubs when I attended Birchmount Park C.I. and even joined the math club. When I found Mr. Carefoote's photo, included with his signed message was the famous phrase.

Fast forward thirty years. I now teach Grade 5-6 math. One of the new components of the updated math curriculum is Social Emotional Learning Skills in Mathematics and the Mathematical Processes.  The goal is to "promote a positive identity as a math learner, to foster well-being, and the ability to learn, build resilience, and thrive". 

I'm trying hard to help my students "identify and manage emotions" related to teaching and learning math, as well as "recognize sources of stress" and "maintain positive motivation and perseverance". We do a lot of "playful math" and "collaborative math" in our class. For instance, this past week, we explored magnetic shapes as well as Cat's Cradle string games to delve into 2D geometry. 

The collaboration is even incorporated into more formal evaluations. We have study pairs and small group sessions because sometimes hearing an explanation from someone else makes the concept clearer for some students. We also do a lot of thinking and talking before and after quizzes and tests. At some point in the past, I relayed the story of Mr. Carefoote. I told the students that I wasn't going to give bonus points for math-positive phrases written on their tests ... but this has not stopped students from adopting the practice as their own. These are just a few of the phrases I've found on tests and quizzes.

I guess Mr. Carefoote was ahead of his time. I don't know how much these testimonials are performative and how much of them are genuine expressions of love for a subject, but if they contribute to a positive attitude towards math, then who am I to judge? Maybe one day I'll actually give that bonus mark!

PS Remember Mrs. Hart? Here is her photo.

Mrs. Hart was also significant because she was the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or Person of Colour) teacher I ever had. This is important.

I should have bookmarked it when I saw it. Does anyone find the video where someone explained to students how to properly email their teachers? Thinking about @callmemrmorris and I want to provide chances for my Ss to learn from black male Ts even if I am a ww T

— Diana Maliszewski (@MzMollyTL) October 16, 2020

We need to see more non-white teachers. What can I do to foster this, even when my own visible identity is that of a white woman? I try to bring a variety of experts into my classroom. This was the perfect video to share with my students during our letter writing unit, and not just because it explained the required elements of an email clearly and memorably. I don't want my students to have to wait until Grade 9 to be taught by a Black educator.

Had to teach students the proper structure of a email, especially when reaching out to your teacher . pic.twitter.com/lGhAylAGY9

— Rodney Johnson Jr (@_yngvisionary) September 24, 2020

Parent-Teacher Interview Jitters

 Last week, I was very nervous. On the Thursday evening and Friday morning, I had parent-teacher (home-school?) interviews. As with many things related to being a classroom, homeroom teacher, it has been decades since my last direct experience as a teacher. (As a mother of two children, I've been on the other side of the desk plenty of times.) Usually, I'm the "translator wrangler", ensuring that interviews don't go overtime. How would I keep my own interviews on schedule? How would I make sure I didn't forget to say anything important? How would I strike the right tone? What if the parents or guardians didn't like me or what I had to say? What should I do if there was a conflict or confrontation? Complicating this year's event was the added technological hoops - we conducted our meetings via Zoom. 

I turned to my colleagues for advice and they gave me plenty. I transformed some of their key messages into a template. 

This was useful because I could write the names of the adults attending the interview and I would be less inclined to mispronounce their names or use the wrong surname. I also had a script so I wouldn't forget to mention that I was timing the talk so we would respect those scheduled afterwards. (P.S. - I still ended late despite this.)

This template worked out quite well. It gave me a place to take some notes so that I would remember key points we discussed, especially if there were any follow-up actions related to our conversations.

If any of my students' parents are reading this, THANK YOU! All of you were absolutely delightful! You all care so much about your children and modelled risk-taking for your children by attempting to join these interviews virtually. Some had problems getting connected but they persevered. I appreciate all of you IMMENSELY!

In case you are curious, this is what I looked like during a call on Zoom. Please note the eye on the laptop is a legacy from the unforgettable Dean Roberts. His room is filled with objects that have become anthropomorphized thanks to these googly eyes. (They are on the SMART Interactive White Board, the blackboard, my teacher laptop ... everywhere!)

I hate to admit it, but there were some benefits to conducting these interviews virtually. I had all my papers and reference materials at my fingertips. Parents didn't have to run from class to class. With the Zoom waiting room, I could tell exactly when my next appointment was present. Finally, it was nice not to wear a mask and wear lipstick; this was possible because I was the only one in the room. Having said all this, I'm still  grateful that I don't teach virtually. The energy it takes to interact with just a single other person can be draining and I cannot imagine how virtual teachers do it with an entire class of students. 

Thank you everyone for making my first set of interviews in the twenty-first century a positive experience. Big thanks to my principal too, for walking those of us who had late night interviews out to our cars in the dark parking lot and ensuring our physiological needs were met. Now to keep marking, planning (how am I behind in two subjects?) and getting ready to write the first term reports!

Mountain of Marking

 The topic I really wanted to write about today is off-limits for several reasons:

• the tale may portray some of my students in a negative light
• the details may need to be kept confidential and respect student privacy
• the situation may be triggering to readers who are sensitive to this issue
• the way I handled the situation may not have been the best response

Instead, I'll turn to a different challenge - the quantity of assessments I need to complete. I always have marking to do. Now, I know that teachers are being counselled to adjust, and even lower their standards (my friend Martha Martin posted this article to her Facebook page). I'm trying, but I know that if I mark every day, then my pile won't get too overwhelming and I won't panic during report card writing time. This "do-a-bit-daily" approach worked, and I finished my report cards with time to spare. This line, however, from the article Martha shared and Julie Mason wrote still resonates:

Use more formative assessments like Exit Tickets and 3-2-1 Reflections instead of grading every assignment. 

So, I've been trying to do this in different ways, but it isn't easy. Here are some of my strategies and their mixed results.

1) Plickers and Clickers

Now that my class is currently unable to use their Chromebooks for a while (long story - see introduction), I have considered other ways to use technology-like devices. I pulled out these SMART Technologies Senteo Clickers to use this week. My students love these devices - I wrote about them on this blog way back in 2014. They remembered how they used to pretend they were cell phones phones when they were in kindergarten. Many of my students do not like to write, and so this is a convenient and enjoyable way to conduct an assessment with immediate feedback.

So what's the issue? I'm lucky that I don't have to share the devices, because I'm the only one in the school that uses them. It takes time to set up the class file, and create the assessment file on SMART Notebook (which I no longer have on a computer at home, so this needs to be done at school). Assessments are limited to only certain types of questions (true/false, yes/no, and multiple choice - I tried to create a "type a letter" and "type a number" question and it crashed the system). I also discovered that many of the batteries in the devices are dead and/or leaked. I spent a long time surrounded by flakes of corroded battery acid as I took apart each device to ensure it was safe for use. If I actually had a class budget, most of it would go towards replacement batteries. (I'm buying the batteries, but not charging the school. I know, I know ... I shouldn't do it, but if I want to use those things, I'm willing to put my money behind it.)

Then there are Plickers. I originally printed my own set but the students lost or crumpled up their personal QR code, so I bought my own set of durable square Plicker code cards online. I first discovered Plickers courtesy of my friend Denise Colby and fellow teacher-librarian Heather Stoness at an ETFO ICT conference in 2016 and liked the idea but couldn't use it effectively for multiple classes in the library. Using it as part of a homeroom is great - but, since I have students with organizational issues, I need to collect their Plicker cards at the end of a lesson. Paper protocols mean that I cannot use the Plickers again for seven days. I hope I can get students to the stage where they don't use their Plicker cards so I can use the Plickers more frequently. (Another downfall is that the free version of the account only allows for five questions. I've spent enough money on school and don't need to plop down more unnecessarily.)

 2) Self- and Peer-Assessment

Take up work in class. Have students mark it themselves. This sounds like a decent suggestion. Students will see and learn from their mistakes and I delegate the marking burden and share it equally among those generating all the work that needs marking. There are a few problems with this approach. Sometimes students aren't honest with themselves. They will claim work is finished when it isn't. They won't notice what the errors were. We can't pass work to other students to examine, because paper has to be quarantined for seven days. Certain assignments are really boring to take up, even for me as a teacher. My school uses a textbook called "Communicating Skills", which focuses on grammar and punctuation. These are skills that I practice authentically with writing assignments, but they also need some targeted interventions. The difficulty is that it is really dry and dull to take up as a class. We talked about it as a group and said we'd try to come up with ways to make it more invigorating to correct. I have the answer guide for the Grade 5s but not for the Grade 6s, so it's not as easy as putting the answer sheet under the data projector and having students check their results with the guide.

3) Google Forms

No Google Forms right now, unless it's for homework - and some of my students don't believe it homework. (Either they don't believe it exists or they don't believe they have to complete it.)

4) Rich Assignments with Long Completion Times

I like interesting tasks that really contribute to deep and meaningful learning. I can provide lengthy amounts of time with plenty of extensions, but a) students are keen for feedback before and after they hand it in, and b) I have to mark those projects eventually. I also prefer marking all those assignments at one time because I can keep track of how I approach grading of certain responses or patterns (e.g. I'd hate to give part marks to one person for a certain type of answer, and then forget I did that and mark it as completely wrong with no marks to someone who does the exact same thing.)

5) "In-The-Moment" Marking

Gym and drama are useful for "as-it-happens" assessments because the evidence is manifesting right in front of you. I try to back it up with photos, so that, if I am questioned about the validity of the mark, I still have proof. However, not all tasks lend themselves to this tactic. 

In the meantime, I'll try to be gentle with myself about the stack of guided reading responses, grammar exercises, and letter writing assignments still waiting for me to tackle them. It will get done ... eventually.

Golf in Gym

 There are so many things to write about (writing and finishing report cards as a home-room teacher, disappointing digital conduct by students, rewarding ourselves for class accomplishments, class avatars, Plickers, virtual Curriculum Night) and so little time (once again, only now starting to think and type at 10:30 pm on Sunday evening). I think that for today's blog, I will talk about golf.

I haven't taught physical education in forever. This is extra-challenging this year because traditional activities can't be done because of COVID restrictions. My wonderful colleague, Farah Wadia, has encouraged me to register with OPHEA (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association) but I just haven't had the time to go through all their resources to understand, teach myself, and select the best units and activities for my physical education class. (This is true for social studies as well - Freddie Malcolm and Dean Roberts have gifted me with lots of wonderful resources but I have not yet had the time to read them and consider the best options.) I find the most effective method is for me to see a tweet (ideally with a photo) and then I can understand and implement it right away. These are two examples that I found and used immediately.

I have always loved the game SIMON. Modification: Take out the technology and add some physical activity. @Sutherland_CA pic.twitter.com/yIdIJyVh1w

— Jesse Maytham (@Coach_Maytham) September 21, 2020

Building on our exp. yesterday with golf balls & cardboard, the Gr4/5s at @ThreeValleys gave pool noodles a try. We may have lost our marbles (Ha!) but we got a few from one side of the field to the other & learned a LOT about how unforgiving Gravity is. @TDSB #outdoorlearning pic.twitter.com/V1WDeVPE8s

— Tim Barker (@MrBarkersclass) September 22, 2020

One idea I had on my own, but with no idea how to implement it at all, was to play golf. The only golf I've ever played is mini-golf. I haven't the foggiest idea about how golf works. (This is the same for bocce, which my colleague Renee Keberer has been trying patiently to explain to me for weeks. I still keep messing up the name.)

Golf needs equipment, and we didn't have any at school. This didn't stop me. In the beginning of October, I started emailing and phoning all sorts of golf places to inquire about borrowing or renting golf clubs (turns out they are called putters!) for my students to use.

Putting Edge, an indoor, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf franchise with locations in Scarborough, Oakville, Vaughn and Whitby, came through for us in a huge way: they donated twelve putters to our school!

My physical education unit-to-be then influenced our language unit, as the students worked on crafting thank you letters. I just dropped off a few of the letters to the Scarborough location this past weekend. This past Friday was the first time we played.

Once again, thank goodness for my colleagues. Steve Tong, our kindergarten teacher, used his prep time to come and give an explanation on how to putt. He also gave me advice on how to set up the gym and donated golf balls to the cause. The students had a great time. Half the class putts while the other half (using two-thirds of the gym) practices ball hockey skills. We will be comparing and contrasting how equipment is handled between the two sports. Physical education will once again influence other subjects, as my science unit will involve the students eventually building their own mini-putt course. Here are some photos (without students in the shots) of the gym in golf-mode.

Thank you so much to Putting Edge and Mr. Tong for bringing a new and exciting activity to our repertoire. (By the way, in Term 2, I want to teach baton twirling, because that's a sport that I actually know how to do and coach, so if anyone knows where I can get proper batons, let me know!)

 

Halloween Differently

 I am neck-deep in report-card-writing mode, so this blog post (conceived at 11:30 pm the night before it is due to appear) will be short.

Saturday, October 31, 2020 was Halloween. At my house, we didn't even buy a pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern this year. (We bought just one box of candy but we had no intention of giving any of it out.) We didn't put up decorations. My eldest got into costume briefly, but the only vaguely celebratory aspect of the day was when we went on Animal Crossing New Horizons to give out candy to our villagers. (I'll try and add those photos to this blog post later.)

At my school, we marked the day in a much more low-key way. In the past, we had Halloween parties, a school-wide parade in the gym, and lots of candies and costumes. The only thing that stayed the same = the costumes. Thankfully, the wonderful and resourceful Jennifer Balido-Cadavez volunteered to go from class to class to take photos at a distance of anyone who chose to pose in their costume. Over the lunch break, she compiled all of the images into a slide deck, which we watched from our individual classrooms. I used the slide deck as a media literacy investigation. I look forward to seeing what the students notice. 

Of course I still took the opportunity to dress up, although I did not bring two costumes like I usually do.

Even though I am "inordinately fond of costumes", I'm not actually one of those teachers that do tons of holiday-themed activities. For me, I worry about the equity issues as well as the depth of the thinking and learning (or lack thereof) that connects with those activities. I even warned my students that I hadn't planned any Halloween games or tasks other than the media literacy one related to the costume slide show.

Still, I felt bad that students in Toronto would be denied the opportunity to go trick-or-treating. Therefore, I need to thank Steve Tong for helping me with my "no food treats" by offering me some of his Play-Doh tins to use as student presents. I also bought some pencils and notebooks. The students really enjoy the clay and made some cute sculptures.

One of my students even took it upon himself during his "Two Minute Exclusive Conversation Talk Time" (yes, it's been reduced from 5 - it's too hard to fit them all in) to thank me for being so thoughtful and giving the students these small gifts.

Halloween was definitely different this year.