"How are you today?" This simple question is a common way to greet someone, even if you really don't have time to listen to their response.
At Emerson, this question is more than just a greeting. "How," you may ask, "is such a simple question, such a big deal?" Why should we elevate the most simple question in human interaction to be a school-wide focus?
In an academic setting (even in an elementary school) we should expect students to be able to respond to questions using more sophisticated, precise and descriptive language. If we only expect complete and correct responses to questions in the classroom, we deprive students of the opportunity to develop their verbal communication skills.
At Emerson, we don't want our children to respond using single-word (or inaccurate) responses. We want to start over, from the beginning, teaching students that replying "Good!" is not acceptable for a student. Aside from being an inaccurate response to the question ("good" would answer more about your actions than your temporary condition), "Good!" just isn't good enough.
When I greet students, parents and staff in the halls, I will be asking "How are you today?" I hope to hear responses in complete sentences. An example would be, "I'm fine!" An even better response would be "I'm well today, Mr. McCombs. How are you?" This level of response includes a name, a reply that actually answers the question about your well-being, as well as a polite inquiry about my well-being.
Greeting each other used to be easy. "Good!" was good enough. But if we fail to use sophisticated and accurate language in the most common greetings with our students, we will deprive them of the opportunity to becoming more advanced in their communication skills.
So, here's my next question, "How's it going?"
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
How I Got a Mohawk
Once I kissed a pig, but it went downhill from there. Last year during an assembly I told the Emerson students, "If seventy five percent of you can meet your learning goals, I will do practically anything!" I soon regretted those words. After taking suggestions, the cafeteria was soon reverberating with the chant "Mohawk, Mohawk, Mohawk!!!"
The Emerson teachers and students had been working on goal-setting last year. We believed that if students set goals and work hard to meet them, that we could really empower them to make growth academically. Our school desperately wants more students to become Proficient or Advanced every year, and we work towards this by offering special interventions, staff trainings and more. Last year we made some of our greatest academic gains, however I lost more hair than ever!!!
For about ten weeks every teacher worked with each student to set individualized goals to make growth on a quiz. The first week only about fifty five percent of the kids met their goals. Every week there was some growth but never reaching the level of seventy five percent. But on the last week the students made outstanding growth and I proudly announced that seventy four percent of them had met their goals. I called a school-wide assembly to break the news to them that they had made excellent progress, but that I would not have to endure the embarrassment of getting a crazy haircut. Just after the announcement, a couple of teachers indicated that they had some students who had been absent, but upon return to school had met their goals. In front of the entire student body I had to face the terrible reality that I I would actually have to get a Mohawk, right there on the spot!
Unfortunately for me, Mrs. Jade just happened to have some clippers and gel at the ready. If this sounds like a set up to you, you are not alone! I'm trying to block out of my mind that I had to wear a pink dress as well. My hair is still growing out from that event, but for some reason, I have more grey hair now. The good news from all of this is that Emerson students made some excellent academic gains last year. And in reality this has more to do with outstanding classroom instruction than my Mohawk. As a school, we still have a long way to go, because we have a lot of students who are not Proficient in Math or Language Arts.
Without having to "top" last year's Mohawk, what would motivate Emerson students this year? Please share your ideas by clicking on the comment tab below.
The Emerson teachers and students had been working on goal-setting last year. We believed that if students set goals and work hard to meet them, that we could really empower them to make growth academically. Our school desperately wants more students to become Proficient or Advanced every year, and we work towards this by offering special interventions, staff trainings and more. Last year we made some of our greatest academic gains, however I lost more hair than ever!!!
For about ten weeks every teacher worked with each student to set individualized goals to make growth on a quiz. The first week only about fifty five percent of the kids met their goals. Every week there was some growth but never reaching the level of seventy five percent. But on the last week the students made outstanding growth and I proudly announced that seventy four percent of them had met their goals. I called a school-wide assembly to break the news to them that they had made excellent progress, but that I would not have to endure the embarrassment of getting a crazy haircut. Just after the announcement, a couple of teachers indicated that they had some students who had been absent, but upon return to school had met their goals. In front of the entire student body I had to face the terrible reality that I I would actually have to get a Mohawk, right there on the spot!
Unfortunately for me, Mrs. Jade just happened to have some clippers and gel at the ready. If this sounds like a set up to you, you are not alone! I'm trying to block out of my mind that I had to wear a pink dress as well. My hair is still growing out from that event, but for some reason, I have more grey hair now. The good news from all of this is that Emerson students made some excellent academic gains last year. And in reality this has more to do with outstanding classroom instruction than my Mohawk. As a school, we still have a long way to go, because we have a lot of students who are not Proficient in Math or Language Arts.
Without having to "top" last year's Mohawk, what would motivate Emerson students this year? Please share your ideas by clicking on the comment tab below.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"Daddy, Can I Watch TV?"
"Daddy, can I watch TV?" Rarely does a day go by when I don't hear this question a dozen times. Despite established routines, almost every evening, a war is waged for the mind of my eight year old son.
“I’m done playing outside.” He tells me. “Oh, really, your scooter is still out,” I boldly assert even though I have not checked. He swivels around quickly and plays for another 15 minutes outside. The early dusk of fall arrives and he comes back inside. “Wash your hands!” I call out just as the door closes.
The sound of the bathroom fan turning off signals my next strategic move. I ask, "Have you finished putting away your Legos in your room?" "It wasn't me who took them out!" he replies. I remind him, "They are your Legos and they are in the middle of the floor." And then after a few minutes, "Daddy, I picked them up, can we watch TV now?”
I ask, "How long have you read today?" After a squirm and a twist, he replies that he doesn’t know. “Go get your book and bring it here,” I tell him. “Which book?” he asks. “If you don’t know which book you are reading, then that’s a problem!” He returns with a Rescue Heroes hard board book that was his favorite a few years ago. “Is this really what you are reading now?” I question. “No, but I want to read it!” he giggles. He reads it to me, and we both laugh at the plastic mechanical arm scooper that saves the life of a buried bear. He cuddles up with me on the couch and he reads to me a book that I used to read to him. We move on to a book that is in his reading range. After a while, he asks “Daddy, can we watch Renovation Nation now?”
My reply, as you can imagine, is a continuation of the stall tactic. “Have you brushed your teeth?” He groans and knows that I will smell his breath if he says “Yes.” After brushing, he asks again. I reply, “Benjamin, we haven’t practiced your math facts today.” “Okay, ask me anything!” he says confidently, hoping that I’ll start with the facts that I know he has memorized. “Six times eleven?” “HA! That’s so easy! 66!” he responds enthusiastically. “This one is really tough, are you ready? (and of course, I still want to build some success, so I’m not giving him the ones I know that he doesn’t know) “Five times seven.” He starts to use his fingers….and half-guesses “Thirty five?” He tentatively answers.
Here are a few more activities that my wife and I may include in an evening:
On a grocery run, we compare the weight/cost value of two items.
Harvest a few peppers or tomatoes from our little garden.
They each read a daily “devotion” from a children’s book.
Discuss measurements and nutrition while preparing dinner with the kids.
We are restoring an old lawn tractor, discussing facts like rust, combustion and the next wrench size needed.
They each practice the piano every night.
In our house this is how the classic struggle of good verses evil is played out. If we let our kids just sit and watch TV or play games on the computer, the evening is wasted. There is no more positive interaction. Toys are left in a mess, time vanishes, their minds are wasted, and for me an opportunity would have been missed to be a daddy. The teenage years are just around the corner- I’m already tired- but I must battle on!
“I’m done playing outside.” He tells me. “Oh, really, your scooter is still out,” I boldly assert even though I have not checked. He swivels around quickly and plays for another 15 minutes outside. The early dusk of fall arrives and he comes back inside. “Wash your hands!” I call out just as the door closes.
The sound of the bathroom fan turning off signals my next strategic move. I ask, "Have you finished putting away your Legos in your room?" "It wasn't me who took them out!" he replies. I remind him, "They are your Legos and they are in the middle of the floor." And then after a few minutes, "Daddy, I picked them up, can we watch TV now?”
I ask, "How long have you read today?" After a squirm and a twist, he replies that he doesn’t know. “Go get your book and bring it here,” I tell him. “Which book?” he asks. “If you don’t know which book you are reading, then that’s a problem!” He returns with a Rescue Heroes hard board book that was his favorite a few years ago. “Is this really what you are reading now?” I question. “No, but I want to read it!” he giggles. He reads it to me, and we both laugh at the plastic mechanical arm scooper that saves the life of a buried bear. He cuddles up with me on the couch and he reads to me a book that I used to read to him. We move on to a book that is in his reading range. After a while, he asks “Daddy, can we watch Renovation Nation now?”
My reply, as you can imagine, is a continuation of the stall tactic. “Have you brushed your teeth?” He groans and knows that I will smell his breath if he says “Yes.” After brushing, he asks again. I reply, “Benjamin, we haven’t practiced your math facts today.” “Okay, ask me anything!” he says confidently, hoping that I’ll start with the facts that I know he has memorized. “Six times eleven?” “HA! That’s so easy! 66!” he responds enthusiastically. “This one is really tough, are you ready? (and of course, I still want to build some success, so I’m not giving him the ones I know that he doesn’t know) “Five times seven.” He starts to use his fingers….and half-guesses “Thirty five?” He tentatively answers.
Here are a few more activities that my wife and I may include in an evening:
On a grocery run, we compare the weight/cost value of two items.
Harvest a few peppers or tomatoes from our little garden.
They each read a daily “devotion” from a children’s book.
Discuss measurements and nutrition while preparing dinner with the kids.
We are restoring an old lawn tractor, discussing facts like rust, combustion and the next wrench size needed.
They each practice the piano every night.
In our house this is how the classic struggle of good verses evil is played out. If we let our kids just sit and watch TV or play games on the computer, the evening is wasted. There is no more positive interaction. Toys are left in a mess, time vanishes, their minds are wasted, and for me an opportunity would have been missed to be a daddy. The teenage years are just around the corner- I’m already tired- but I must battle on!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
School's Summer Harvest Benefits Seniors
The following article was published on the RUSD website this summer. Here it is, just in case you missed it.
Riverside senior citizens are benefiting from the hard work of Emerson Elementary School's young "farmers" this summer as they enjoy a harvest of fresh tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash and more...all free of charge. School children planted the produce in the spring in the large Eastside Community Garden, located on the Emerson campus. During the school year, teachers incorporate the garden into standards-based instruction. Fruits and vegetables from the garden are included in school lunches.
This summer, volunteers working with the Riverside Parks and Recreation Department have been harvesting produce that might otherwise have been wasted to share with the nearby Stratton Senior Center.Seniors are welcome to take their pick from the bounty. Some days, volunteers have delivered as much as 35 pounds of vegetables to the senior center. The donations have become so popular that seniors have been asking for more. "They love getting the vegetables," noted Harold Ross, Recreation Services Coordinator for the Stratton Center. Occasionally, there's even a bouquet of fresh roses or gladiolas grown in the garden for ladies who spend time at the Senior Center.
Principal John McCombs said the summer harvest is a great way to share the garden with the community."When we first started the Community Garden seven years ago, that was an important part of the vision...to help those in need."The partnership with the city is beneficial to the school as well, McCombs noted. The volunteers -- assigned to the garden as part of a senior work training program -- weed and water plants, helping the garden to thrive in summer months when most staff and students are away from campus on vacation.
Eleven-year-old James Jimenez is attending summer school at Emerson and during the year is active with the Emerson "Green Team." He said he enjoys working in the Emerson garden. He spent a recent July morning filling his arms with fresh vegetables."It gets you out of the classroom; gets you some fresh air," James said. It's even better to get to share the harvest, he said."We like the seniors a lot," James said. "We are friends with them and we like to be generous."
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
My Fatherhood and Principalship Symbiosis
I really enjoy being both a dad and a Principal. I often learn things (mostly from my incredible wife) by experience at home as a dad that I can apply at school and the reverse is true as well. My wife and I have four children, three of them in elementary school. Children at Emerson, as well as my own kids, have their own agendas about how they want to fill their time, with whom they want to associate and with what type of attitude they want to approach the world on any given day.
As a parent and an educator I must be relentless about shaping children's interest in learning and developing their character. They need constant reinforcement about how they respond to their teacher (or to their mom), how they spend their time (when a child takes 30 minutes to get started on a 2 minute task!), how they respond to others (As a dad, I don't know what I would do without the Super 8 rules!!!), how and when to take responsibility for daily routines (my 4 kids love to point at each other when it is time to clean up toys), and about the importance of their classwork.
As a dad, I feel the daily effect that children can't just be told to clean their room. They need a parent to sit with them and learn to clean together. I call this "hand-over-hand" assistance because of something that I have learned at Emerson in the severely handicapped class. The teachers in this class often hold and move the kids' hands to show them how to do something. While parents don't want to have to use this method for room cleaning, independent reading, and sorting dirty clothes for very long, we as parents may need to employ a strategy of heavy support when children are not successful completing the task independently. When I want to make sure my 3 year old has really clean hands, we wash our hands together. When I want to make sure that my 8 year old son is reading, we sit together so he can read out loud to me.
Engagement strategies also rise to the top on my home/school symbiosis list. Engagement strategies at home often sound like this: "Please put your socks in the laundry. Where are you going to put them?" In the classroom, a typical engagement strategy occurs after a teacher asks a question. For example, "What do you predict will happen....?" and then the teacher asks the students to do a Think, Pair, Share activity in which they think about their prediction, they pair up with another child and then a few students are called to share out their responses. These strategies are not optional, they are required if we want to make sure students understand what we want them to do. For my younger kids, I like to have them repeat after me when I give them multi-step directions. "I want you to do three things, repeat after me: 1)wash my hands..."
Enforcing rules at school has helped me to be a better dad at home. It takes constant reminders to keep kids from running in the hallways at school. Even better than a reminder is when we send the child back, and make them return back walking. At home, constant reminders seem necessary for picking up toys, so we'll often use the same strategy- put the toys in a "time-out" if they have been left out.
Sometimes when a child is in trouble, he/she needs a "lifeline." I see this in class when teachers move their students up on the behavior chart. They notice that the child is working hard to get out of trouble, and they reward their efforts by moving their clip back up. My own kids have been known to get all of their privileges taken away (their favorite toy, video game, or television for example) and then they feel like their world is crumbling down. We will sometimes offer to return a privilege early if they make efforts to change their behavior.
I've learned some of my best parenting strategies from watching teachers (including my wife), and I've learned some of my best Principal strategies from being a dad. I hope that you'll share some of your parenting strategies by clicking on the Comment tab below.
As a parent and an educator I must be relentless about shaping children's interest in learning and developing their character. They need constant reinforcement about how they respond to their teacher (or to their mom), how they spend their time (when a child takes 30 minutes to get started on a 2 minute task!), how they respond to others (As a dad, I don't know what I would do without the Super 8 rules!!!), how and when to take responsibility for daily routines (my 4 kids love to point at each other when it is time to clean up toys), and about the importance of their classwork.
As a dad, I feel the daily effect that children can't just be told to clean their room. They need a parent to sit with them and learn to clean together. I call this "hand-over-hand" assistance because of something that I have learned at Emerson in the severely handicapped class. The teachers in this class often hold and move the kids' hands to show them how to do something. While parents don't want to have to use this method for room cleaning, independent reading, and sorting dirty clothes for very long, we as parents may need to employ a strategy of heavy support when children are not successful completing the task independently. When I want to make sure my 3 year old has really clean hands, we wash our hands together. When I want to make sure that my 8 year old son is reading, we sit together so he can read out loud to me.
Engagement strategies also rise to the top on my home/school symbiosis list. Engagement strategies at home often sound like this: "Please put your socks in the laundry. Where are you going to put them?" In the classroom, a typical engagement strategy occurs after a teacher asks a question. For example, "What do you predict will happen....?" and then the teacher asks the students to do a Think, Pair, Share activity in which they think about their prediction, they pair up with another child and then a few students are called to share out their responses. These strategies are not optional, they are required if we want to make sure students understand what we want them to do. For my younger kids, I like to have them repeat after me when I give them multi-step directions. "I want you to do three things, repeat after me: 1)wash my hands..."
Enforcing rules at school has helped me to be a better dad at home. It takes constant reminders to keep kids from running in the hallways at school. Even better than a reminder is when we send the child back, and make them return back walking. At home, constant reminders seem necessary for picking up toys, so we'll often use the same strategy- put the toys in a "time-out" if they have been left out.
Sometimes when a child is in trouble, he/she needs a "lifeline." I see this in class when teachers move their students up on the behavior chart. They notice that the child is working hard to get out of trouble, and they reward their efforts by moving their clip back up. My own kids have been known to get all of their privileges taken away (their favorite toy, video game, or television for example) and then they feel like their world is crumbling down. We will sometimes offer to return a privilege early if they make efforts to change their behavior.
I've learned some of my best parenting strategies from watching teachers (including my wife), and I've learned some of my best Principal strategies from being a dad. I hope that you'll share some of your parenting strategies by clicking on the Comment tab below.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Patriot Day Assembly to Feature President Obama's Address to Children
President Obama is scheduled to address the children of the Nation on Tuesday, September 8. Emerson will hold a school-wide assembly to listen to the President's speech on Patriot Day, September 11, 2009, at the following times:
9:15 – 3rd and 4th grade
10:40 – a.m. Kindergarten and 2nd grade
1:05 – 5th and -6th grade and p.m. Kindergarten
For more information, call the school at 788-7462. If you would like for your child to not attend the assembly just let us know either by email (see the link on this page) or by the form that we are sending home on Tuesday.
The following is part of a White House press release:
President Barack Obama to Make Historic Speech to America’s Students
The U.S. Department of Education encourages students of all ages, teachers, and administrators to participate in this historic moment by watching the president deliver the address, which will be broadcast live on the White House Web site (http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/) and on C-SPAN at 12:00 p.m., ET. We also encourage educators to use this moment to help students get focused and inspired to begin the new academic year. The Department of Education offers educators a menu of classroom activities to help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions about the importance of education.
To learn more, please see the following:
Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html#faqs)
Classroom Activities (Pre-K – 6) (http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf)
9:15 – 3rd and 4th grade
10:40 – a.m. Kindergarten and 2nd grade
1:05 – 5th and -6th grade and p.m. Kindergarten
For more information, call the school at 788-7462. If you would like for your child to not attend the assembly just let us know either by email (see the link on this page) or by the form that we are sending home on Tuesday.
The following is part of a White House press release:
President Barack Obama to Make Historic Speech to America’s Students
The U.S. Department of Education encourages students of all ages, teachers, and administrators to participate in this historic moment by watching the president deliver the address, which will be broadcast live on the White House Web site (http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/) and on C-SPAN at 12:00 p.m., ET. We also encourage educators to use this moment to help students get focused and inspired to begin the new academic year. The Department of Education offers educators a menu of classroom activities to help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions about the importance of education.
To learn more, please see the following:
Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html#faqs)
Classroom Activities (Pre-K – 6) (http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
We Embrace Diversity!
What a great country we live in to have the freedom to make political, religious or other personal choices! If you watched the evening news, you may have heard that President Obama is scheduled to address the children of the nation. The news reported that there are people who oppose the policies of the current President and therfore do not want their children to hear the presidential address. What appeared to us as a reasonable request from the President, has turned into a political hot potato.
As a school we are enthusiastic to broadcast the President's message, however we would be irresponsible to not realize that some families may have political or religious diffences with the presdent's politics.
In my years at Emerson, we have made accomodations for special dietary needs of Muslim students. We have adjusted the dates of Back to School nights to make sure that they did not interfere with Roshhashana. We fly the flags of the many nations in our hallway representing the countries of origin of many of our families. We will,of course, allow families to opt out of what may be considered to be a political speech. We embrace the diversity of opinions, cultures, and religions that make our country and our school great places.
As a school we are enthusiastic to broadcast the President's message, however we would be irresponsible to not realize that some families may have political or religious diffences with the presdent's politics.
In my years at Emerson, we have made accomodations for special dietary needs of Muslim students. We have adjusted the dates of Back to School nights to make sure that they did not interfere with Roshhashana. We fly the flags of the many nations in our hallway representing the countries of origin of many of our families. We will,of course, allow families to opt out of what may be considered to be a political speech. We embrace the diversity of opinions, cultures, and religions that make our country and our school great places.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Garden to Salad Bar
I was proud to see Rodney Taylor, RUSD's Nutrition Services Director, on the front cover of California Country magazine. He has been such a relentless advocate to provide healthy meals to our students. Rodney has also been a great supporter of our garden project at Emerson.
Some of the most meaningful moments occur in our garden to cafeteria project when students make the connection between science, a little hard work, and the sweet taste of a strawberry, still warm from the sun. In the photo, our cafeteria manager is writing an invoice for the strawberries she is receiving from the students. The money that we earn by selling fruits and vegetables pays for much of the garden's cost.
The students' teacher, Mrs. Folger, guided the students in a wonderful math lesson, adding up the value of their harvest. Rodney then presented the kids with a "huge check" for their contribution of fresh strawberries (and some vegetables as well) to our salad bar.
Sheila Close, Emerson's Volunteer of the Year, who is pictured on the left, has poured hundreds of hours into the garden during the past 6 years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)