Postcard Poetry

After a three week vacation to see my family in CA and Brad's family in AZ, we've been home for most of July. We'll be leaving in a few days for one last trip to CO and WY.  There's been a lot of urban and trail running, hanging around, and some climbing going on. Every time I think about that one or two domestic chore, I put it off 'til the next time. 

In the meantime, I've read a lot of books including the new literature series our district adopted (I am totally unenthusiastic about the anthologies but I think my students will like the stories ...). I got super amped after the Hip Hop in the Heartland institute. And this month, I am doing a Poetry Postcard challenge where I write a poem a day to a stranger on a list and send it off to them. It's like an exchange - so far, I've received some great poems from strangers in this big amazing world. 

Here is a beautiful poem from someone on my list. It's funny how poetry and writing brings strangers together. 

Hope you all are having a great August! 

 

Post June Short Reflection

Writing can be so easy and so hard especially without a purpose. It's now post end-of-2015-16-school year and I need to reflect at least upon the last month of school.

I finally read in detail all of their evaluations about my English Language Arts class. The overriding theme for literacy is they really liked learning about issues. They gave positive insight about writing themes and there were several students who reported their academic notebooks was something that made them feel proud. Writing back to them was a value, and the notebook check-ins with feedback was valuable too. Most declared reading, writing, and listening to poems as their fave.

Here are parts of their evaluations:

I said this a few hundred times - I had a hard year and I didn't think these words would ever come out of my mouth, but I am already looking forward to teaching these students next year. That's a pretty good feeling.

Beyonce, and Recreation

When Misa and I were talking about a teacher she has and what makes her so "blah," she said, "There's just nothing special about her that makes her a real person ... She's just, uh, someone who tells us what to do." 

In that moment, I was reminded that there are no short cuts to student buy-in. In fact, I'm 100% confident that one sure way to cultivate success comes from the power of stories -- stories we tell ourselves can and do critically shape who we are. If Misa is going to see that teacher as a great leader, that teacher needs to cultivate a GREAT story, especially before helping others cultivate their own.  Which is why the last two weeks have been all about Beyonce -- particularly, "Formation," -- man, she tells a great story in that song. My students were schooled in media influences through critical analysis and interpretation of Formation. Over time, they got it - not all of it, but they are different now than they were two weeks ago. Ask anyone of them if, prior to our analysis of Beyonce as a storyteller, if they knew the meaning of "slay" and the line "okay ladies now let's get in formation" and they would admit that they loved those lines because of its catchy tune and beat, only. The point of all this is that kids need to see beyond their star struck cultural icons. They have a need for context, and according to Misa and John-Pio, they really do respect teachers who not only tell their stories, but who embody stories. 

Sooooo, write down your stories and tell 'em too. 

Hope y'all had a great weekend! Here's  how ours went down -- Brittingham boats is open which means lots of paddleboardiing, kayaking and canoeing - that place is like our summer home. I did as much running in the wee hours as I did climbing, and Misa and I got out for a sweet bike ride today. John-Pio broke his toe but man, that hasn't stopped that boy -- I hope if I ever break anything, I'm as calm and cashz about it as he's been. The weekend vibe was mostly active with a ton of unplanned hours throughout the day. Enjoy the pictures and the week!

Testing and Nature

Five days of standardized testing down, no more to go - at least in my classroom. When a student said, "Ms. Naputi, I actually liked the test. I tried hard and the way you and Ms. Page set it up, it made me want to try, plus it was more serious." Sheesh. He was right though. I was well-prepped with detailed proctoring directions, and I conveyed the seriousness of the test the way I was instructed. Perhaps it was all the practicing, the pre-announcements that we'd be collecting cell phones and taking down virtually all the learning posters on the wall, and it was very important they arrived on time every day -- perhaps those things set the serious tone. Anyway, standardized testing for the 2015-16 school year is done and I'm done examining test items over the shoulders of my students. What I'm not done with though is facing the realities that the abundance of standardized testing interferes with core instruction, not to mention creating robotic-like sentiments that do nothing to support or test out the learning that comes from everyday challenging and relevant curriculum that can be reported to state officials. Well anyway, Misa and John-Pio were unfazed by MAP testing (they took it) and indifferent to the WI Forward exam (they didn't take it), and pretty psyched for the ABC countdown (18 days). Stay tuned for an article about a controversial piece of the WI Forward exam and MMSD's policy, probably coming out and quoting Brad, tomorrow. 

Hope everyone took a nature walk this weekend. Misa and John-Pio brought their good friends up to Devils Lake and 

Parfreys Glen for lots of hiking, rock hounding, and laughing.

Advice for Parents, Climbing, and Feeling the Love

The Woods

Two bad things happened in the past few weeks when two different parents cursed out Ms. Matson and me, and another publicly offended me in-passing while walking down my school hallway.  One parent was reacting to the fact that her kid told a lie and was called on it, and the other parent's reaction was a roundabout emotional outburst of school policy. Anyway, I won't rehash it all (it's not worth it) but it's a good checkpoint to offer some advice to parents:

Believe 50% of what your child says until you check it out with the teacher and then ask yourself: What is a reasonable response? How will my response benefit my kids growth in the long run? What is driving my response?

Sometimes it's their perception ...

Remember: Reflecting before reacting is always an option. Always. I could not imagine responding to even half of the  perceptions made by Misa and John-Pio. I'd be blowing down the school with foolishness, and worse, undermining my own kids ability and skills to problem solve and discern for themselves how to work or push through situations that are part of any dynamic environment. 

So even though the last few weeks cast a lil darkness, I am reminded of my values and that my values always trump rules and it's okay to hang up, pass the mic, or walk right past an unreasonable parent. 

Alright. Out with the bad. Here's what's good -- Ms. Matson's back for the last 24 or so days after coaxing her out of retirement to help save my sanity, theater productions are over, and spring flag football is back. 

Got big love from the fam for Mothers Day

instagram post :)

and Stacey and I went climbing this morning. Here are some pics of the day ...

mandatory cafe

pottery 

always the lake

Stacey did it right her first time on bark biter

snapchat primer

and the pad of course!

Well-meaning films, and Climbing

Climbing, and thoughts on equity. 

the zealot approach 

The thing about education is that it should always be learning over schooling. But sometimes it's not. Like last week   Misa was hyped to share this film her teacher showed her class called, "Living on One Dollar." I won't explain it cause it's easy to search but Misa wanted us to watch it with her to basically affirm her own questions and feelings about the stereotypes and inherent discrimination and lack of cultural competencies throughout the film. You all can watch for yourself but the thing about education is if you don't give your students a purpose for a film like this and follow-up, the spectrum of interpretations never fully address the problems of inequities. Well-meaning films like "Living on One Dollar" - and teachers who show them, can make the mistake of embracing progressive politics without an intentional framework to guide even their own reflection in a healthy way that helps kids learn about inequities -- the very theme this film tried hard to illustrate. Anyway, that's what I love about my equity book group fam -- we are critically honest about the attitudes we have about our students - for better or for worse but intentionally for the sake of being better at what we do for the kids. 

On the beautifully busy weekend front I went bouldering with Stacey and it was so fun. Governor Dodge is spring-time brilliant, especially in the early morning like at 6:30am. We did Grounded for Life among the other warm-ups in the area. My goal is to get this mom-of-two-preschoolers-toddler out on real rock regularly this season.  Hope y'all are getting some sun and nature! 

The 'ol Zealot pad

Warming up

Getting grounded 

strong mom

setting it up

If you're on snapchat, it's my new fun thing. I posted my first story so if you wanna see our before-climbing shenanigans, catch me at veranaputi. 

Outside

The Midwest finally got respite with a stunning weekend of blue skies and warm temps. This change in seasons signals a familiar student request that shouldn't be so difficult to fulfill, or surprising that they'd request it, but still, It's one I often forget.

They just want to go outside - learn outside, read outside, sit and talk outside, play outside. 

Mirroring my daily experiences, they are inside from 7:30 until 2:47pm. They're under bright lights sitting in uncomfortably creaky desks, and expected to be on just as I expect myself to be under the same conditions. How unhealthy is that. School classrooms can really suck!

I admit I don't have any resolve or plans to change this relentless indoor schooling right away.  But I will solicit student input, perhaps some co-planning and building curriculum with them in order to get this learning scenery right - that much I can do in the next few weeks. 

I'm hard-pressed not to transfer my personal values about nature and getting outside. The family life was good and full this weekend with a little bit of everything - Happy Hour, theater and ice cream, climbing and a run with Brad in Steinke Basin at Devils Lake, topped off with another early morning long, fast trail run with Misa. Stay active and stay healthy everyone!