Snow Math

So all this snow had me thinking about the addage: "no two snowflakes are alike."  Is this really true?  Are there really an infinite amount of snowflakes that never repeat?  Luckily, I have the internet to consult.  After reading a few different reputable websites (http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/alike/alike.htm
http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/are-all-snowflakes-different.html)

The answer appears to be that no two larger snowflakes are alike.  Wow!  That really boggles the mind! 

Critics--who needs 'em?

Love, love love, the quote on page 142 of Lamott: "A critic is someone who comes onto the battlefield after the battle is over and shoots the wounded."  Not many people love criticism, and if we're not careful, we can crush the spirit of the kids we teach.  Who wants to be told that they are a bad writer?  When reading anyone's work, especially kids, we need to be sure to emphasize the positive aspects, and choose our comments for improvement carefully.

Upon receiving criticism from a friend, Lamott writes, "My first thought is, 'Well, I'm, sorry, but I can't be friends with you anymore, because you have too many problems.  And you have a bad personality.  And a bad character.'  Sometimes I can't get words to come out of my mouth because I am so disappointed, as if they had said that Sam [her son] is ugly and boring and spoiled and I should let him go.  If we are barraging a child with criticism, they will no longer want to write.  They will put up a wall, tune us out, and the trust that they previously gave us would be lost.  

Routman also discusses criticism in her chapter about conferences.  She emphasizes that we should "always focus first on what the wrtier has done well.  Beginning with celebration affirms the writer and makes it more likely that she will be open to suggestions... Whatever you say to the child, be sure it encourages her to continue writing" (Routman, 2005).  In my dyad classroom, we spend a lot of time moving through the room doing just this.  We make sure that we compliment the student on what they are doing well, such as writing more than they did last time.  Our teacher emphasizes that she doesn't want just the children who had errors in their writing to receive helpful suggestions.  She wants them all to receive information on what they can do to improve their writing, so they know that no one is perfect and that everyone can improve their writing. 

This week's adventure...

Wednesday I had my observation by my field instructor.  I wasn't too nervous because I felt confident and prepared.  I did learn two things from this experience that: a. if something is going to go wrong, it will happen when you are being observed and b. when something goes wrong, don't stress, just be flexible and adapt.

Tina and I had scheduled our lessons back to back with a 15 minute recess in between.  We were full of nervous energy as we waited for the field instructor to arrive to observe the lessons starting at 8:45.  We thought for sure she would be early, but as the minute hand crept past the :30, to the :40, to the :50, we were beginning to get anxious.  At 9:00 our MT called down to the office to make sure that the field instructor wasn't lost in the school.  We confirmed she wasn't and also learned that many parents were commenting on how horrendous the traffic was.  She finally arrived at 9:10 after being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, poor thing.

Tina's lesson went really well, the children went to recess, and my lesson started at 10:15.  My lesson was on money, and the whole introduction and modeling was to be done with the document camera so that the kids could all see what I was doing.  Lo and behold, the document camera refused to work.  I adapted by having the kids sit on the carpet and walked around showing them the coins. 

Just as I started to show them the quarter, the announcement came, "This is a lockdown drill...please follow lockdown procedures."  We hurriedly shut the blinds, turned off the lights, locked the door and remained huddled silently for an excruciating 20 minutes.  For any of you who've worked with 1st and 2nd graders, you know that this is no small feat.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly, but had to end prematurely as we had lost the 20 minutes, plus 5 minutes for the teacher to debrief and reassure the kids.  All in all, a success with a few glitches that we had to roll with.

Thursday arrived with the pressure off and eagerness to teach more lessons.  The teacher assigned us the dreadful task of teaching a drawing lesson.  While not dreadful to most, especially Tina who is a very good drawer, I am a kindergarten-level-stick-person-drawer at best.  I was to go first and teach them to draw a 3D stool.  Luckily I had a step-by-step drawing book to assist me. 

My part of the lesson was less about drawing and more about being brave and taking risks.  I explained to the class how apprehensive I was about drawing because I felt like I was not good at it.  I talked about how everyone has different talents, but with practice can get better at something they try hard at.  I told them how I was going to be brave and draw for them, and that's what I did.  I was rewarded for putting myself out there by two simple words: "That's awesome!"  The fact that they were coming from the child in class that has the most trouble focusing and people have a hard time working with was especially touching.  I felt like a million bucks! 

Stop and smell the roses

This week's reading by Lamott was not only pertinent to writing, but to life in general.  Her chapter, "Looking Around" really resonated with me.  I like her philosophy, "I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world--present and in awe" (pg. 100).  Lamott continues on to quote a poem by Rumi, which made me think of another poem that I found in high school that has stuck with me:

God, The Artist

God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?
How did you dream of the Milky Way
To guide us from afar.
How did you think of a clean brown pool
Where flecks of shadows are?


God, when you thought of a cobweb,
How did you think of dew?
How did you know a spider's house
Had shingles bright and new?
How did you know the human folk
Would love them like they do?


God, when you patterned a bird song,
Flung on a silver string,
How did you know the ecstasy
That crystal call would bring?
How did you think of a bubbling throat
And a darling speckled wing?


God, when you chiseled a raindrop,
How did you think of a stem,
Bearing a lovely satin leaf
To hold the tiny gem?
How did you know a million drops
Would deck the morning's hem?


Why did you mate the moonlit night
With the honeysuckle vines?
How did you know Madeira bloom
Distilled ecstatic wines?
How did you weave the velvet disk
Where tangled perfumes are?
God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?

                         --Angela Morgan

You don't have to be a believer in God to appreciate this poem and its outlook on life.  This poem to me is about appreciating the world around us, and being present in the moment.

Lamott ties this chapter with writing by linking it to perspective and detail in our writing.  I have seen that this is something kids struggle with in their writing.  Many times their finished writing lacks the details that could make the story come alive and be relatable to the reader.  As a teacher I think that it is important that we encourage them to first write about things that they know.  If they are an "expert" on the subject they will be able to add the little details that brings the story to life.  I wouldn't stress that these details needed to be included in the first rough draft.  Instead, I would have the kids edit their papers to add in these details.  If the children can visualize a picture in their head and focus closely on all of the details the reader will better be able to visualize it themselves.