Summer Homework for Teachers

Contrary to popular belief, summertime, for teachers - good teachers - is not a time for lounging by the pool, taking long vacations, and spending entirely too much time watching Netflix. That's what Christmas break is for. Summertime, however, is the allotted, much needed, time of evaluation and preparation without the interruptions of meetings, students, and grading. 

Because a good teacher is willing to take a step back and reflect, and there’s no better time than during the summer.

I recently came across an article entitled, Fifteen Summer Assignments for Teachers and thought it had some decent ideas. "Try one, two, or a few of these," the article asks, "and see if they get you thinking about your profession—one of the most honorable around." 

So I am, and I'm inviting you to join me.

1. Write alternating paragraphs about the best and worst teachers you had as a student. Then, identify when and why you’ve shared any qualities with them during your time in the classroom.

2. Write a two-sentence description of your class from the perspective of a student sitting front and center. Then write descriptions of the same length from the following perspectives: the student who dropped your course, the student who asked you for a recommendation letter, the student who wouldn’t stop talking. How do they each perceive you?

3. Describe the most fantastical, surreal fire drill evacuation possible. The only rule is that it must occur in the midst of one of your major assessments.

4. Why do you teach? Why don’t you do something else?

5. What is one stereotype about teachers that is a lie? What is one stereotype that is absolutely accurate?

6. Read a few pages of Gertrude Stein, and then a few poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and then a few pages of Toni Morrison. Explain what each writer is trying to do (with their language, their content, their style). Don’t say whether you like it or not; just try to understand.

7. Vent about one of your worst days during the past year. Fold it up, hide it, and forget about it.

8. Write a letter to the person who you identified as your worst teacher above. Give them the benefit of the doubt.

8a. Write a letter to a teacher or person who has inspired you the most in your teaching, then give it to them. Then, identify where you share those same qualities. 

9. One of your most wonderful, compassionate students tells you that she wants to be a teacher. What do you say? What do you think?

10. Read an issue of a contemporary literary magazine. Try New England Review, Image, The Kenyon Review, Colorado Review, Salamander, West Branch, or others. Visit the current issue of an online publication like Booth, The Collagist, or Linebreak. Find work there to share with your students. I recommend Traci Brimhall, Kaveh Akbar, Saeed Jones, Erica Wright, Eduardo C. Corral, Morgan Parker, Rebecca Gayle Howell, Marcus Wicker, Tyler Mills, Adrian Matejka, Rigoberto González—find a writer who speaks to you, and who might speak to the lives of your students.

11. What is a book that you teach that your students hate? Why do they hate it? Be objective: are they correct? If not, what can you do to better teach the book—to better reveal why you think the book is important?

12. Write a letter to a student you’ve failed—not in terms of a grade, but as a mentor.

13. Write a dialogue scene between one of the writers whose work you teach and your students. Don’t have them talk about the writer’s book or writing style. Imagine how they would communicate in everyday life. Let them be people together.

14. List three times that you’ve experienced joy as a teacher. Be specific about the setting, the situation, the people involved. What can you do to capture that feeling again?

15. Praise yourself. Write a paragraph about what you do best as a teacher. After that, enjoy the rest of your summer. You’ve earned it.

Some of these are perhaps a waste of time, some are invaluable. But what's interesting is the emotion felt while reading them because, like my students, some fill me with dread. "That's stupid," I think and therefore cross it off the list. But that is probably why I should do them all, to remind myself what my students think, at various times throughout the year, about my assignments. And reminding myself what it feels like to be a student just might be what is best not only for me, but more importantly, for my students. 

Let me know if you have any more ideas to add to the list!

And yes, although it isn't written directly, writing in complete sentences is probably required. So is grammar. You can relax on the MLA formatting though, because it's summer, and you deserve a break.

For more on . . .

Don't do homework. Publish.  :  Why I Teach  :  Schools Kill Creativity?  :  Teachers like Mr. Keating

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND SUBSCRIBE - THANKS FOR READING!

Do I Hand In My Homework or Publish for the World?

When students participate in out-of-class learning, teachers should recognize the advantages

By Alan November

05/18/2017

Fifteen years ago, a student I never taught forever changed my perspective on how students perceive authentic teaching and learning. This was one of the more auspicious turning points of my career, and the experience continues to challenge and inspire my thinking to this day. 

My daughter Jessy, who was 11 at the time, was enamored with a phenomenon called “fan fiction.” Fan fiction encourages young fans of various genres of literature to write chapters and publish work in the style of their favorite authors. On fanfiction.net, authors are able to share their writing with the world, and readers can leave comments on the work that is posted to the site. As they make their pieces public, writers are actively learning from other aspiring writers. Notably, the site originated before MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter altered the face of online social interaction. 

At the time, the Harry Potter series was all the rage, and Jessy quite literally could not get enough of it. As was the case for many young readers, she felt J. K. Rowling simply could not pump out books fast enough to satisfy her. Having to wait an entire year to experience more of Harry’s adventures was torturous. So she got her Harry Potter fix by reading work published to fanfiction.net as did thousands of young people aspiring to write in the style of the world-famous author. Jessy read the site voraciously, leaving thoughtful comments and feedback for many of the authors. She even developed many favorites on the site and returned frequently to check out their work. 

When my daughter showed me the site and how she was using it, I was blown away. Here were young authors participating in one of the most genuine teaching and learning experiences I had encountered. Students were practicing their writing skills while publishing to a global audience that gave meaningful, in-the-moment feedback. Talk about continuous, authentic assessment. This site quickly became a subject of my presentations at schools across the country. 

I was discussing the work of one of Jessy’s favorite authors on fanfiction.net at a private middle school when a student in the audience raised her hand. This was her work. Entirely coincidentally, one of my daughter’s favorite fan fiction authors was sitting 10 feet away. Shocked (and feeling a bit embarrassed to be presenting the work of someone in the room!), I instinctively called her up to speak about her work and experience on the site. This young author had around 12 stories posted on the site, and you could clearly see her development as a writer across her portfolio of work. She captivated the audience, and when she finished, students were lining up to ask her how they could create their own account on the site. She was an absolute rock star. 

After all of the students had filed out of the auditorium, the student’s English teacher approached me. His words remain imprinted in my memory: “That was an inappropriate acknowledgement of that student. She used to be a great student, but recently she has not been completing assignments and has shown indifference in class. You made her look like a world-class writer.” I was stunned by the teacher’s observation, but also by the teacher’s claim that the same student who wrote and spoke so beautifully could be struggling in her English class. 

That night, at a dinner event held at the school, I had an opportunity to pull the student aside to ask about the inconsistency. When I asked her why she was so motivated to write online yet not finish her homework assignments, she explained matter-of-factly, “Every day when I wake up I have an important decision to make. Do I write for my teacher or publish to the world? I prefer to publish to the world.” As the British would say, I was gobsmacked. 

This response has enormous implications for how educators structure learning experiences for students. Although this student may seem exceptional, countless students yearn for an audience that values their work beyond a grade. They seek learning communities that support their growth and share their passion. Above all, they value authenticity and purpose in their work. 

The story highlights the virtues of shifting the focus from an audience of one (the teacher) to a more global audience. The teacher’s response to my commendation of his student reflects the fears of many who resist this sort of shift. For this particular teacher, the student’s activity on the fan fiction website represented a loss of control and a distraction from the learning environment he sought to establish in his classroom. Being fixated on the student’s recent negative behaviors, he failed to see the ways in which he could leverage this online tool to motivate his student to achieve both in the classroom and beyond. 

Thankfully, many teachers are working to provide a global audience for their students, understanding that such outreach can be key to investing them in lifelong learning. When students see that others value their work, they are more likely to invest time and effort into the assignment and more inclined to act on feedback that will improve their products.  

It is incumbent upon us as educators to continue to craft meaningful, rigorous assignments that students believe are worth sharing with the world. With the rise of modern social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, in addition to a wide array of blogging software, students have more opportunities than ever to publish their work to the world. As this story illustrates, students are already doing this—the challenge is for teachers to take advantage of these online tools to build learning communities that are inspiring and valued by students. 

One of my most re-tweeted lines over the years has been, “Stop saying ‘Hand it in,’ start saying ‘Publish it.’” This paradigm shift from an audience of one to an audience of the world will inspire more students to achieve their potential, while instilling a lifelong passion for genuine learning. 

Alan November is an international leader in education technology. He was named one of the United States’ 15 most influential thinkers of the decade by Tech and Learning magazine. Alan has worked with schools and universities in 40 countries to improve learning through innovative practice. 

alan@novemberlearning.com
www.novemberlearning.com

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  On Creativity  :  Do schools kill creativity?  :  Smartest Kids in the World

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND SUBSCRIBE - THANKS FOR READING!