Radical Teaching

I'm Back

2009-08-17T19:06:00.002-05:00

So if anyone is out there, I am back. I started teaching today at a high school in Wichita, KS. I am really excited about teaching high school. I think it will be a nice change. I am not sure how my CT will fit in here as I am the only teacher trained in it and using it. Tomorrow I will start teaching the kids about the needs and see how it goes!

So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, goodbye

2008-06-05T13:42:00.001-05:00

So North Shore, this is my last post. At least it will be my last post from NSMS. My family has decided to move to another state. My husband was offered a job that was too good to pass up. It was a very difficult decision for the whole family. We are both thrilled and terrified!

I will miss all of you very much. As the school year starts much earlier where we are moving, I will not look for a teaching position until I am familiar with the area and have a better idea what I would like to do. There are several colleges in the area and I am considering pursuing teaching at the college level. I had the opportunity to teach a grad class from Alverno College and I just loved it. Even after a long day in the classroom and a four hour grad class in the evening, I would leave exhilarated. Teaching teachers; it just doesn't get any better than that. I am sorry that I am missing the opportunity to teach 2 more Alverno classes that Denise and I had planned for next year. Hopefully she will still teach the 2 classes alone.

On the other hand, with Choice Theory, I am also excited about teaching in my 8th grade classroom. Do I pursue another middle school assignment or go back to high school and see if CT would be as successful there?

I just don't know. I will look into all the possibilities and see what happens. Things are really moving quickly and we will see how it all turns out.

Thank you to all of you who made my years at NS so memorable. I have a huge bank of great memories that I will cherish. I have another bank of not so pleasant experiences that I will leave here. I choose to only carry the positive memories with me. Thank goodness for Choice Theory.

I really want to give a special thanks to the staff that I have worked with. I will miss you all. To all my former students I guess I will have to retract my offer to have you come back and visit. I still wish you well and all the best. You are our future.

With warm regards and a few tears,
Vicki (Mrs. C)

Trimester 2 Is Over

2008-03-12T13:25:00.005-05:00

At the close of the second trimester, I only had a few students who did not receive a grade. After progress reports, some students with "no grade" thought that is was "no big deal." I had to explain to students that no grade was not a good thing. It means you do not know and understand what I need you to know and understand.

A few students had to do some scrambling to pull it together. As I talked to them, I was reminded of the questions Kim taught us to ask.

1) Do you know what you need to do?
2) Do you know how to do it?
3) Do you want to do it?
4) Is the environment conducive to getting it done?

Two of my "no graders" did not know how to do it. I then asked when they wanted to meet with me to get the help they needed. This really encouraged students to try to get their assessments turned in. Once so much time passes, the students really don't know what they are supposed to do.

I really like this approach. It has always bothered me to allow a student to take the F and be done with it. A very generous teacher might give the student a D or an Incomplete. Most traditional grading systems will convert an Incomplete into an F if it is not changed within a two or three week time period. Then no one really knows what the student knows or doesn't know.

I also like asking the 4 questions. They are non- judgmental and do not make students defensive. Last year, I would have asked," Where is it? Why didn't you do it? " I can see now how that would make a student defensive or angry even if I didn't ask those questions in a threatening way. Who knew that my desire to have kids succeed would have the opposite effect?

Which brings me to the second point of this blog.

When is it too much time to give students a chance to succeed? At this point in my career, I would say before they start the next grade would be the time limit. If we don't get away from the idea that every kid needs to produce a perfect test or paper the first time they do it, we will never get kids to accept responsibility for their own learning. It is so easy to say "well I'm not good in math and so I can't do it." I can't tell you how many times over the years I have heard that from parents. Either about the student or themselves. Just because Mom doesn't know how to do math doesn't mean that Susie can't learn it. If Mom had been in a CBC classroom, she would have learned it and then expected Susie to learn it as well. Evidently, Mom ran out of chances to succeed. As far as I know, they haven't identified a math gene yet. So I think there is still hope for everyone.

Perhaps if students learned what they needed to know before they got thrown into the next class without the skills, they would learn the math; and by some small miracle, perhaps they would like it! If my students know that they can do it, they just might enjoy doing it.

What about Bob?

2008-02-15T09:12:00.003-06:00

It was interesting. We are in the middle of parent teacher student conferences. I am adding the word students to parent teacher conferences because we encourage the student to attend the conference. After all, it is their learning, their grade, their performance and attitude. Our 8th grade staff has always encouraged students to attend conferences. I am not sure why some parents don't want their student to go to the conference. Even if the student isn't doing very well or if the student is choosing not to get along, it is better to address the issue with everyone present. That eliminates the he said she said situation. I helps to get to the bottom of things.

An interesting situation occurred at the last conferences with a student I will call Bob. I know Bob's parents because his dad is an old friend of my husband. I knew Bob's dad as well before Bob was born. At the beginning of the year, I made a decision not to reveal this information to Bob. I decided to build a bond with him on my own. Bob has a reputation for being a difficult child. Many of his former teachers did not speak very highly of him. His parents often were informed about his poor behavior. As a part of becoming a practitioner of Choice Theory, I decided that giving Bob the information could be considered threatening to him. He might behave in my classroom, only because he wouldn't want his parents to be angry with him. Bob and his parents came in for conferences. His parents were surprised to see that I was Bob's teacher, but not as surprised as Bob!

I can tell you that bonding with kids is one of the most important aspects of teaching. I get along with Bob and other "difficult students." I asked Bob to tell his parents how math was going. He said, "It's fun!" We have figured out a way to have fun and learn at the same time. I admit that it is challenging sometimes with 8th graders. They like the fun a lot more than the learning and it can be frustrating. But, 8th graders are very forgiving. Everyday is a new day.

What about Bob? Bob's doing fine, and so am I.

Fear and Control are Buddies

2008-02-14T08:12:00.001-06:00

You have heard that misery loves company. It is true and fear walks very close to control. As I write this post, I am even more convinced that fear keeps teachers from embracing CBC classrooms and it is fear that causes the student's parents to question and even attack the teachers in CBC classrooms.

We had a parent information meeting recently and only a few parents attended. By a few, I mean exactly 5! Granted, it was on the eve of a huge snow storm which led to a snow day, however, I doubt that I would have seen many more if the weather had been cooperative. One parent at the meeting was there just to voice his disapproval of my CBC classroom. He was skeptical about his son's learning. He wanted to see proof! The next day, I looked up his son's score on the scantron test we give three times a year, to measure growth based on our State Standards. The student's scores demonstrated a steady increase in knowledge. I quickly emailed my principal and asked that the parent get a copy of the test results.

I do sympathize with the parents. As an extremely concerned parent, myself, I want the very best education possible for my child. If a teacher had told me that my child was learning under these new parameters, I would be skeptical as well. There was a time when we trusted our educators, but times have changed. If we don't trust our doctors and police officers anymore, why should I expect parents to trust that I am telling them the truth?

I just hope that the end results will be the proof that will back up our efforts. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. (FDR) What a profound statement! I have been conquering fear in many aspects of my life lately. Since CT has helped me to give up control, I have also had to face my fears as well. Mainly, the fear of giving up control. Glasser says that we don't have control any way, we just think we do.

Invisible Students

2008-01-15T13:08:00.000-06:00

Do you have students who want to be invisible? I have two of them this year and they are very difficult to teach. I have one boy. I'll call him Ralph and the girl I will call Martha. The reason they are so difficult to teach is that it would be so easy to just let them disappear into the wall. Afterall, I have many students who act out and demand attention. These two students would never consider being a disruption. If they did that, I would notice them and then they could no longer remain invisible. For Star Trek fans, I think it was the Klingons that had a "cloak" that they could use to become invisible to other starships. I think of Ralph and Martha coming to school each day and putting their cloak's up! When you think about it, it is a very good defense mechanism. If you can't see me, I can't disappoint you. If you don't see me, I don't have to do anywork. If you don't see me, I can make you disappear too.

So what do I do with these students? I was reminded during my Basic Practicum that bonding more with them was critical. I need to make more effort to connect. If I just say, "Hi Ralph, how are you today? Martha, you look tired today, are you doing ok?" I may not be able to make them learn, but I can penetrate the cloak. All the Zen in the world, will not make you invisible. I see you and I care that you are in my class. It is hard, but I celebrate small gains with each of them. I covet the sparse smiles and occassional eye rolls. Any communication is valued.

One day I told Ralph that I see him reading all the time. "What are you reading?" I asked. We had a short dialog about the fantasy books he loves to read. I asked him if he would consider reading his math book in class since he loved to read so much. He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. The next day, when I looked at him as he was reading, he happened to look up, he smiled, closed his book and opened his math book. "YES! Victory.!" Did he do very much work that day? No. Did he do more than the day before, yes!

As for Martha, I have seen her come out of the woodwork from time to time. One day I used her name along with a group of other student's name in an example. I was nervous about mentioning her, as I wasn't sure how she would react. To my surprise, her face lit up, and I have never seen her smile so large. Martha is more complicated than Ralph. She will raise her hand and participate some days. Ralph will not volunteer to participate at all.

To all the Ralph's and Martha's that I have had in my classes over the years, I am sorry that I allowed you to be invisible. As much as I wanted you to be part of my class, I really didn't know how to bond with you. I was afraid you would resent me or feel singled out. I didn't want to embarrass you. If I had known Choice Theory then, I would not have failed you. I am sorry. However, with knowledge is power, and I will not fail the Ralph's and Martha's again.

I want to say to all the invisible children, you are valued. You have worth and I see you. I care about you. I see you.

Presenting Choice Theory to the Administrative Team

2008-01-09T10:19:00.000-06:00

Dale asked Denise and I to share Choice Theory and the effects it has had in our classrooms to the Adminstrators in our District. Dale has been so pleased with what has been going on in our rooms and the effect it has had on him personally that he wants to pursue becoming a Quality School.

Denise and I were delighted with the idea and eager to present to the group. As we planned an overview of CT and what we would say, I thought, let's get some of our kids to talk about the needs and a CBC classroom. We thougtht about which students we felt knew CT the best and asked them if they were interested in presenting to the Administrators. They agreed but asked if we could go over the agenda with them to prepare for the meeting. We agreed that we would get together during lunch and talk about what we wanted them present. Two students could testify about how blogging was helping them. Another could talk about needs etc.

As our lunch meeting progressed, the conversation began to take a whole idenity. Our students were talking about how they are enjoying learning this year. They like the freedom and choice. They are learning more than they ever had. It was so wonderful to hear. Denise and I looked at each other and said, this is what they need to tell the Administrators. The question is, whether or not they would be as candid as they had been with us.

We came up with a list of questions about homework, testing, learning, all the things we had discussed at lunch and were ready to present to the team. And we did our presentation before we called the students in.

How did it go? I couldn't have been more pleased with my student's honesty and conviction. They really like what they are doing this year and they know that next year will be different. Even with a traditional model next year, they know they will be successful. Every student wanted imput on every question. They could have talked all afternoon, but we stopped them after 45 minutes of discussion. If I didn't know better, I would have suspected that we had prepped them for weeks. The students were that convincing. It was evident that they felt their learning was valuable to them. They expressed how they were being prepared for life and they appreciated that they weren't being babied. I honesty could not have scripted a better discussion. I could go on for pages about what they said.

What is so exciting is that they are only getting this in two classrooms. The rest of their day they are in traditional classrooms, with external controls, behavior modification etc. If we can spark this much excitiment and passion in our classes, what would happen if the whole school taught this way? All 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes. What would it look like if the entire district became a Quality School District?

This is radical teaching! This is life changing!

New Language

2008-01-07T13:11:00.000-06:00

The language of Choice Theory differs from my usual teacher language. This weekend as I attended my 2nd meeting with Kim for my Basic Practicum, I was reminded that telling my students I was worried about them next year or that I was afraid for them, was NOT Choice Theory language.

In my attempt to love and care about my students, I was planting seeds of failure instead of seeds of hope for my student's success. I had shared with my Basic group that I was afraid that they wouldn't succeed as well in a traditional classroom next year. However, I was reminded by Kim and the other group members that I should have class meetings to prepare my students for the different teaching styles, but if I used words like scared and worried, that I would be planting the seed for them to fail. It could become a self fulfilling prophecy so to speak. I am really glad that this came up, because my students really do know the math they need. If Glasser is correct, my students will score higher on the SCANTRON tests and on the end of the year Algebra test than former students did. I was reminded to trust the process.

So I shall trust the process and let the students convince me!

Another wonderful revelation occurred when I shared my story with a new member of the group. I was relating to her my point of desperation that lead me to Choice Theory. I was reminded that I had told my principal that if my classroom wasn't radically changed in 5 years, then I would resign. I was sure the process would take a long time and I was willing to allow up to 5 years. I laughed as I shared my observation that I am close to being where I had hoped to be at the end of those 5 years. I never dreamed that I would see such dramatic results in such a short period of time! I can't even imagine what my classroom will look like at the end of next year, let alone in 5 years time.

I was asked if the process was working or if I was different? I think it is both, but I believe that I am very different, and because of that, I am much happier and feeling more successful.
This is really life changing. It is not a tool, it is a philosophy of life. You can't add it on to a belief system, you have to commit to the whole process and I think it is worth the risk.

Assessing Students

2007-12-02T09:56:00.000-06:00

My grades look really good at the end of the first trimester. I am not using A, B or No Grade with my students, but most of my grades are in the A and B category any way. The few students in the C or D range are there because they didn't turn in test corrections.

I think that I am ready to start implementing the No Grade approach with these students. I am becoming more convinced that they are learning more this year than in years past. Here is an example. One student did not turn in test corrections from Ch 2 until the day of the Ch 3 test. This concerned me that she would not know enough material for the Ch 3 test. As we went over the material from the Ch 2 test and the questions she still had, it was apparent that she had finally learned that material and was able to apply it to the new test. As she took the Ch 3 test, she had a few questions and I need to prompt her with questions to help her figure it out. To my surprise, she knew a lot more than I expected her to. My past experience would have told me that she "had no clue." This was not the case, however.

Why? I think it is because she was given the opportunity to work on the concepts at her pace. She didn't just get a D or F on the test and feel bad about herself and eventually give up. She continued to purse the concepts because I was giving her full credit for knowing it, when she was able to demonstrate that she did know it.

My students know that they have to be able to justify their answers. I will ask them to walk me through the problem to make sure that they really understand it. They also have to tell me how to solve problems on homework or quizzes as well. Students will ask if they can help another student to answer a test question. I nod yes and then I listen to the discussion. There is always an "Oh I get it," or light bulb moment.

The question arises, am I getting them ready for high school? The answer is probably not. I am teaching them the math skills they need for high school, college and life. I am actually helping them prepare more for life than anywhere else. As Glasser would say, when are you ever given a task on a job and told to do it all by yourself and from memory? That would never happen. However quality is what is expected out of you. Not that you got 90% of it correct all by yourself. It is more important that it is 100% accurate by whatever means was necessary.

I am finding that my students are not giving up as they have in past years. My job is teach them the Algebra concepts. The high school will have students who are Algebra competent. They may not be able to make the grades in high school though. They will have to learn to jump through traditional hoops. I am sad about that. But my students are learning so much more this year than ever before, I have to believe that they will do better next year too. They will know the Algebra concepts and they will know that they can learn and do math. I believe that a lot of success in math is believing that you can do it. I hope I am right! I love my students and I want them to succeed.

(sing title) Change, change, change (John Travolta in an angel suit and all!)

2007-11-18T17:36:00.000-06:00

Recently I heard an overwhelmed teacher say, "It seems like I have all this new knowledge in my head and I feel like such an ineffective teacher. What about time with the kids? I felt like a better teacher before I knew all this stuff." Well that is my best recap of the statement. This teacher meant that he was learning so many new ways to teach and should be a better teacher with that knowledge. And yet, he was stressed out because it wasn't happening.

All I could think of when I heard that was, "I bet you are still trying to teach the same way you have always taught. You are stressed because you are finding it very hard to let go of what you have always done. " I know, I have been there!

A few years ago I experienced the same frustrations. Well in all honesty, until this year, I experienced the same feelings. I was learning all these new things and finding it very difficult to incorporate them in my classroom. I finally realized I had to revamp everything. I couldn't infuse the old with the new any longer because it didn't work. Blending two things together, even two wonderful things, doesn't always work. For example, I love chocolate and pizza, but I wouldn't like chocolate on top of my yummy, loaded with everything, pizza! YUCK! Teachers are just afraid to give up some things. They are afraid that students will miss out if they don't teach everything that they taught over the last several years. So they try to blend the old with the new, and it doesn't always produce the finest outcome.

I tried to teach the same stuff using different methods. That worked to a degree. Now, I have to seriously look at what needs to go (permanently!). These are the questions I have to ask myself daily: what do I want my students to know? Why do I want them to know it? What value does it have? If they didn't learn it, what would be the loss? Do I dare leave it out?

These are all hard questions and I know that many teachers struggle with these same questions. It requires change. Change in my philosophy, change in my attitude, change in my curriculum, change,change, change.

Scary, but necessary!

What do they know?

2007-11-12T11:34:00.000-06:00

At mid trimester, I have to say that I am really excited about what I am seeing in my classroom. My student's grades have never been higher. Conferences were a delight, and I am certainly happier about coming to school every morning.

My students are happier in my classroom because more of their needs are being met. I am allowing them to meet their love and belonging needs, fun, power, and freedom. All them! It is hard sometimes, because not all my students are motivated to the degree I would like to see. However, the students who need to be motivated the most are the ones who are trying to meet their need for fun. When I incorporate the SMART board or other games, they engage in the activities more and then I can get them to do more work for me later.

The students who aren't doing as much homework as I would like, are still doing well on tests and quizzes. I have insisted that they do the work assignment during class and it is their choice to finish or not when they leave the room. It is important that they practice, but each student should determine how much practice they need. One of the advantages of doing this is that each student takes more responsibility for their own learning. My grade book is the proof. I can't remember when the students scores have been so high.

One of my new procedures this year is to have the students correct their tests and get the points back that they missed. At first I was not happy about doing this, but I am convinced that they are learning more. They have to explain why they missed the question and then how they corrected it to earn back the points. Now my assessments are for learning. I believe the students are learning more and will retain more. I will give a quarterly assessment soon and that should give me more data to support or disprove my premise.

What do they know? I think a lot more than my students have learned in the past...........

Relationship Habits

2007-11-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

Wednesday I taught the 7 deadly habits (criticizing, blaming, nagging, threatening, complaining, punishing and rewarding or bribing to control) and the 7 caring habits (encouraging, supporting, listening, accepting, trusting, respecting and negotiating differences) to my 8th graders.

I did forget to explain to a earlier class that punishing does not mean that your parents cannot punish you for wrong behavior. Although, Glasser would say that parents should not punish because it destroys relationships and doesn't build relationships. Since many parents are not trained in CT, I am sure that they give their children consequences for unwanted behavior and the child would see it as punishment. That's how I raised my children over the last 23 years. I do have an 8th grader of my own, and I am implementing more of these principles in her rearing then I did with my older children.

Punishing is also giving someone the silent treatment for 2 weeks or not forgiving, holding a grudge. All those things can be considered punishing. We talked about blaming and criticizing a lot because those are the behaviors that my students exhibit the most. That is also the behavior that I would like to see eradicated! Nagging, I believe is a common parent offense. The students agreed, when I whined " Is your room cleaned yet? " six times in a row. And then continued with "Did you finish your homework?" another 3 or 4 times. The room was filled with groans of agreement.

The discussion of bribing or rewarding to control was fun. One student asked, "what if my brother gave me 5 dollars for finding his watch?" I said that was a reward that wasn't designed to control. If he had said, "I'll give you $5 if you clean my room or $5 if you don't tell Mom and Dad what time I got home last night." That would be controlling behavior. They we able to come up with other examples of coercing their younger siblings in an attempt to control them.

After we discussed each of the behaviors, I asked them to get in small groups and pick one habit from each of the lists that they would like to work on. I told them they could ask a friend to hold them accountable for their behaviors or they could chose not to. I cautioned the class that if our friends ask us to help them to stop complaining and then we point a finger and tell them "You are complaining!" That comment would be considered criticizing or blaming! Instead, I suggested they use CT language and say "You are choosing to complain." After that gentle reminder, the person has the choice to continue to complain or they can choose to stop complaining. We need to remember that it is their choice and we cannot control the other person's behavior.

"Whose behavior can you control?"
"Mine!" a choral response and music to my ears!

I think that this week, I will have students generate a list of deadly habits that they see in our school and a list of caring habits. I think this will help them to understand building relationship more.

I have to say, that I really enjoy teaching Choice Theory. It is part of my language all day, everyday. I don't just pull it out to use on the kids. I am noticing that it is just integrated into my language and my teaching style now. I really don't think I could stop using it at this point!

Quality School-To Dream a Dream

2007-10-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

Well Denise, Dale and I went to visit Aspen Elem. School on Friday. They are the only Quality School in our area. It was so exciting to see CT used in every classroom. We were struck by how active and yet quite the 550 student body was.

We loved the consistency of the the posters in the rooms and how well the kids were able to problem solve. In fact the greatest advantage of students coming out of a CT school is the conflict resolution that they learn to implement.

We visited 2 classrooms that were holding Class Meetings. One meeting was taking place because the teacher had a sub and the kids had been disrespectful and too rowdy. We watched this 4th grade classroom discuss the problem without using any one's name and come up with a plan to correct the problem. A traditional classroom would have looked very different. The students would have been "chewed out." They would have felt bad, but it may not change the behavior the next time around. The way the class meeting went, all the students understood their role in the disruption and took ownership of the event. One young man remarked, " I was looking around and I thought this just isn't us. What class is this?"

We also observed a 3rd grade class as they celebrated together, discussed previous problems that the students had, such as bus problems and pushing in line. They brainstormed solutions for students to try. They brought up current issues and closed with compliment time. It was terrific to see students interacting in such a way. The teacher really encouraged students to talk to person that was bothering them, or find a solution other than tattling to correct it first. If nothing else worked to go to an adult.

We also talked with some parents who started a Parent Academy to educate parents about Choice Theory in the hope that it would be followed at home as well. These mom's were working on their Advanced Practicum. I was very impressed. They were so excited to learn all about the program and help others to understand it as well.

One of things that struck me the most was that the Aspen students are the most respectful students that enter into the middle school. They are also noted for having the most problem solving skills and are reported to be the leaders in the middle school. Another interesting fact is that they have the largest number of students that get into the GT program. Every year the middle school staff thinks something went wrong with the testing or that is a fluke. And yet every year they get the same results. HMMM, something must be working!

Personally, I was the most impressed with how happy and excited all the people in the school were. Everyone reported how they loved coming to work everyday. They sold me. If I had an elementary license, I would want to work there! They were encouraged that we wanted our school to be a Quality School and were eager to develop a partnership with us.

My desire is for NS students to have the reputation for being the leaders, the most respectful students and the best problem solvers when they go to AHS. We have a lot of work cut out for us, but, I can see this happening! Now how do we get all of NSMS on board? To dream a dream.

You say tomayto and I say tomahto

2007-10-06T08:46:00.000-05:00

Perceived World!

We talked to our students about perceived world and how that effects their behavior. We gave the students words such as beetle and had them get a picture of it in their heads and then asked them to share by a show of hands how many interpreted it as a bug, the singing group, the car. We also talked about bread, rap/wrap, plane/plain and fat/phat. And all the different meanings of those words. We talked about positive and negative connotations of the words as well.

Next we associated it with perceptions at school. What if someone bumps into you in the hall. Do you think everyone is there to pick on you? Being bullied again. Do you think it was done to make you angry? Or was it an accident, the halls can be pretty crowded? Was it someone lovingly getting your attention? (8th grade boys like to tackle their friends as a way to express their love and belonging need!)

Our perception of the actions that happen to us plays an integral part in our total behavior. If I am always being bullied then I am going to think being bumped into by accident is being bullied. Remember, middle schoolers don't have the best of manners so an "I'm sorry" doesn't always follow.

The kids are getting it. Our G/T students are blogging for Literature class and we ask them to apply Choice Theory to the characters and situations in the books they are reading. They can all do it and use the CT language. Denise and I always comment by asking CT questions. They get a little annoyed with us, but it makes them dig a little deeper.

I am perceiving that some of them are getting it. Not all, but some and that is better than none!

Total Behavior- Who's driving my car?

2007-09-28T16:25:00.000-05:00

Today we taught Total Behavior to the students. It was interesting to say the least. Students still have problems with the idea that they can control their actions. We began with an activity of the running. We had four students come to the front. One was doing the action of running, a second was portraying what the person would be thinking. A third modeled the physical response and the fourth represented the persons feelings.

The action is running, what is the person thinking while running? The person may be thinking, "go faster, keep going, look at this beautiful day etc." The physical response might be sweating, heart rate up, sore muscles. And the feeling component could have been, exhilaration, joy, fear, misery.

We gave the students the analogy to the car above. We explained that the front wheels are driving and directing the car and the physical and feelings are the back wheels. They follow along. All four components are present at the same time. If we change any of the components, the other three change as well.

Some students had a difficult time with the emotional or feeling component as a back wheel. Some students don't think that they can control anger. Or that they can choose not to be angry or choose not to be depressed.

We made it very clear that all feeling are acceptable. It is okay to be angry. It is NOT okay to punch someone because you are angry. It also doesn't make sense to obsess and let it ruin your day (or everyone else's day for that matter).

I admit that this was very difficult for me to accept in the beginning, but once I got a hold of the concept, it changed my life. I am thrilled with the idea that I can control my behavior and that I don't have to be a victim to my emotions! This is life changing! And for someone who has a high need for power, I feel empowered and free. It is exhilarating!

We also talked about students getting so angry that it ruined the rest of their day. If they came in and said, " Fred made me so mad!" We changed that to CT language. "I got angry because......." And we told them they might hear us reminding them that they had a choice in their behavior. We might ask them "Who is driving your car?" "So you gave your keys to Fred to drive your car?"

I know that this is such a new concept for students. It certainly was new to me. It took me most of the summer to change my thinking. I know this will take a lot of time to teach students, but I really believe that empowering them will truly change their lives!

Surveys, Percentages, and Observations

2007-09-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

Denise polled her students and asked them why they come to school. They were to write down the reasons they come to school and rank them. As we predicted, 57% of the students come to school for social reasons. They want to see friends, enjoy dances, and belong to clubs. As for the needs, this is clearly Love and Belonging.

13% of students said they come to school because they "have to." It is mandatory to attend school. These students feel that they do not have a choice and would do something else if they could. I wonder how this effects their freedom need?

28% of the students said they attend school for the education. Many stated that they had plans to attend college and their future careers depended on a higher education. This possibly reflects the power with in need.

2% of students said they came to school to avoid boredom. They didn't have anything else to do. Fun perhaps??

I think it will be interesting to see how they answer the same question at the end of the year. Only Denise and I are imploring CT in our classrooms. They are immersed in traditional classrooms the rest of the day. I am curious to see how our classrooms impact their opinion of school. But, we are dealing with 8th graders, who are a very fickle group.

Interesting observations:

Last week, I gave my students the opportunity to do a group test. They were to help a cousin start a fencing company and they had to figure out the size of posts, rails, and braces. They were asked to write formulas to calculate the cost of the fence pieces and they would also need to demonstrate their understanding of the Pythagorean theorem. They wrestled with the ideas and the open-ended questions. Many students were so concerned about their grades that it interfered with their learning and problem solving ability. My hope is that they will excel on their individual tests tomorrow, because they were challenged to apply the learning of the chapter in a real world application. Some of the students said they were less confident about the test. They thought they knew the material prior to the activity, but now, they were nervous about taking the test.

My observation is that the students know a lot of math and should do well on the test. I enjoyed listening to their rationale as they worked on the problem. They had to justify their reasoning to the other students in the group. Many students demonstrated a very high level of understanding. I am curious to see how well they transfer this information to their test.

Students perceptions of "grades" really gets in the way of learning. One of my classes took a quiz on integers and I wasn't happy with the results, so I told them that I was not going to enter the scores in the grade book yet. The sighs of relief, "Oh, thank you!!!" It was very interesting. A grade is supposed to indicate the amount of learning. I don't think that our traditional grading system can be used to assess learning any longer. This is going to be a very difficult year for me as I figure out how to properly assess my students' learning.

Interesting observations!

Class Meetings

2007-09-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last week, Denise and I surveyed our students to get information on their school experiences at the middle school prior to this year. Many students wanted to talk about this year's lunch program and homerooms. I told them I would give them an opportunity to do that at another date. I will report on the survey results after I get through going over them and have a chance to discuss them with Denise.

In the mean time, we had our first class meeting on Monday. We gave the students the chance to talk about the school policies that they liked and disliked as we had promised them last week. I asked a student volunteer to serve as the secretary and record the minutes of the meeting in each of my six classes. Most students were concerned about the food at lunch running out. While they liked the new lunch menu, they were upset that the they ordered certain items in the morning, and yet the lunchroom did not have the food available. Some students offered helpful suggestions. That was very encouraging to me. I expected whining and not leadership. To see students taking responsibility is one of my goals with this whole program.

After we discussed the school as a whole, we shifted into a discussion about classroom policies. It was a good opportunity to talk to the students about their talking during the lesson. While it may meet their need for fun or freedom, it infringed on other student's need to learn. Everyone agreed that others have the right to learn and not be distracted. Students also agreed that having the opportunity to talk during work time, and for a few minutes before we start class or at the end of class should help the situation. ( I sure hope so!)

As our discussion ended, I told the students that I would email the principal with their concerns and let him address their needs. Some of the changes students would like to see, are not possible. I talked with them about the time we start and end school and how that was not something our principal could change. That decision is based around bus availability. My students understand that some concerns just cannot take place and we need to just accept the policy.

To date, implementing Choice Theory is challenging. I do not have all the language down yet. I do catch myself referring to an outside stimulus as upsetting me, and quickly change the thought pattern. However, I still do not have the dialog with my students that I hope to have. Telling a student to stop talking while I am teaching, isn't really CT. It is effective, but not the language I want to use. Denise and I will have to get together and see what we can come up with.

Basic Practicum

2007-09-09T14:03:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Denise and I went to Chicago to start our Basic Practicum. I was pleased to find out that this would be a 6 month or longer process and that the purpose is to help us put CT(Choice Theory) into practice. As we discussed certain scenario's, in our first of three meetings, I learned that my questioning technique has improved tremendously since summer. This is very encouraging! One of my personal goals is to learn to "live" choice theory. I don't want to have to stop and figure out what to say next. I would like it to become second nature and I believe that this Practicum will move me in that direction.

We will make an appointment with our principal to write an Action Research Proposal for using CT. Our two main goals are to use CT to help our students become accountable for their actions and to use Competency-Based Learning in our classrooms to help students improve on standardized tests as well as improving on classroom assessments. If these two goals are met, I believe that my classroom will be "radically" changed!

Pete's Pathogram

2007-09-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

This was the first day that Denise and I taught the same activity in our classrooms, simultaneously. We wanted to go over the needs again with our students in a way that they could discover what needs were important to them. Given a sheet of graph paper, we asked the students to make a grid with a vertical scale from 0 to 10 and along the horizontal scale write Love and Belonging, Power, Freedom and Fun. Using three different colors, determine one color for how much of each need they want, and draw a bar graph for each need with the amount they want.

After they completed that, we asked them to pick another color and make bar graphs next to each need to represent how much energy that put into accomplishing that need. The third color represents how much of the need they feel they actually have. We then discussed the graphs and applied them to the classroom. This lead into a discussion of the classroom nonnegotiable rules.

The classroom will be safe, physically and emotionally.

No one's personal needs can supersede the needs of the classroom

All students have the right to learn math this year.

Students who were in Denise's class prior to mine and who already did the diagram were given the choice to do it again, help others to do theirs or divide the paper into four quadrants and draw a picture of what each need represents to them.

I would not do this the same way next year. It took too much time to do both activities in the room and to process each one. I expected this to be a 10 to 15 minute activity and it turned into a 30 to 35 minute activity. At this rate, we won't learn our math. Instead, I think that Denise could do one activity and I will do a different one, both on the same topic. For example, I can do Pete's Pathogram and she could do the pictures. We would still be teaching the same idea, and then students who have both of us, won't feel that they are repeating everything.

Another decision we made, was to do a CT (Choice Theory) activity on Monday and reserve Thurday for class meetings. Class meetings are a big part of a Glasser or CT classroom. Next week, we will attempt our first one.

First day with Choice Theory

2007-09-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

Today was our first day with the 8th graders, and to start the year off we gave them their first lesson in Choice Theory. We started by having them play the triangle game during the 8th grade bonding time. The goal of the game was to pick two other people (who you aren't friends with) and --without letting them know that you've picked them-- position yourself in such a way that the three of you form an equilateral triangle. The game was a bit of a bust, because the students formed their triangles by talking and signaling to their friends. If done correctly, the triangles wouldn't be obvious, and you wouldn't know if someone else had formed a triangle with you in it. Instead we saw a bunch of mini-triangles comprised mainly of friends, that had clearly been organized amongst themselves. Down further I'll explain what the game was intended to teach, and I'll explain how the students proved our point even though they didn't complete it correctly.

Next we had them fill out index cards.
1. In the upper right corner they wrote a list of 3 people: one older, one younger, and one peer. These are people who have impacted their life in some meaningful way.
2. In the upper left corner they wrote a list of 3 things they would rather do today if they didn't have to come to school and money wasn't an option.
3. In the bottom left corner, they wrote 3 things they are good at or accomplishments they've made.
4. In the bottom right corner they filled out one rule they think everyone should have to follow (always), one rule that they think is really stupid, and one pet peeve.

Next we asked the students who, in the whole universe, they have the power to control (in thought, action, emotion, etc). Some said siblings and pets, but after a short discussion they all agreed that the only person they truly have control over is themselves. We told them that when they talk out of turn (which they were doing quite a bit of) it is irritating to us but there is nothing we can do to make them stop. They must stop themselves and exercise self-control. We also told them that all behavior is purposeful, and if they chose to sit and listen quietly, they were making that choice. If they choice to not listen and think "whoa, I wish they'd shut up," they were purposefully choosing to think and feel that. If you feel upset, it isn't because someone makes you upset, you choose to be upset. We all try to control other people, but we can't. That is why we get upset and frustrated. We can only control ourselves. We can try to coercive, manipulate, or persuade them, but ultimately each person must choose their own behavior.

This brings me back to the triangle game. The goal was to end up with a win-win situation where everyone formed their triangles without trying to control the other people that formed it. Had they done it properly, they would have shown the goal that Choice Theory works towards. However, they played the game by controlling other people, which showed one of their basic needs. At school, to succeed, you have to be right. They all wanted to be right, to get the game right, so they controlled each other to accomplish that. The need they were satisfying was their need to have power. Below I'll outline the four basic needs (taking survival for granted as a basic need), and how they fit into the index card activity.

The first need is love and belonging. The people in #1 represent those people who they love and value as friends or family. Everyone needs to be loved and feel belonged. Our goal this year is to make sure that every student feels like they are loved and like they belong. The second need is fun. The activities in #2 represent every one's need to have fun. Fun can be any activity that they enjoy, which can (and often) includes learning. One of our other goals is to make the learning process fun, so that they'll enjoy their time at school. The third need power. The positive form of power is power within. When you succeed or accomplish a goal, you feel power within yourself. That's a positive form of power. We want our students to learn how to tap their power within to succeed in the classroom. The other form of power that is not constructive is power over. When you try to control people other than yourself, you are using this form of power. We want to minimize the need people feel to have power over (including the teachers). The last need is freedom, which is represented by corner #4. Everyone wants a certain degree of freedom, and we need to determine what we want to be free to do and what boundaries we want other people to respect.

The overall aim of this year is to find a win- win between the students and the teachers and the students with each other. We want to have a win-win school year where everyone is concerned. That may mean that we need to allow more talk time in class or allow them to listen to their ipods during work time. At the same time, they will respect the needs of others by respecting our classrooms and behaving calmly. Ultimately, the choice is up to the individual. We want to teach the students to take responsibility for their actions. The atmosphere we will have this year will be determined by each and every student in our classes. If we teach them well, they hopefully will choose wisely, then everyone will win. Let the year begin!

Back from Basic Intensive Week (similar to boot camp)

2007-08-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

Wow! Basic Intensive Week of Choice Theory Training was exhausting! We studied Glasser's entire view of Choice Theory and Reality Training from a school and business standpoint as well as from an individual perspective. As a result, I feel armed and ready for the school year. I am very excited to get started.

The week gave me additional books to read and consider. If you are a teacher, I highly recommend, "The Classroom of Choice" by Jonathan Erwin. Erwin's ideas and strategies are more focused and easier to grasp than Glasser. He shares what he does in his classroom and it is easier to vision implementing these ideas into your own classroom.

We also picked up the "Control Theory Manager" by Glasser, since teaching is really management. Internal Control Theory, shortened to Control Theory was the old name for Choice Theory. Later Glasser decided that Choice Theory fit his ideas better and wasn't as misleading as Control Theory. We gave a copy to our principal to read to as well. Both Denise and I would like to see North Shore Middle School become the first Quality School in Wisconsin. Our principal already agrees and supports the Quality School ideas. Maybe someday!

In a few short weeks, we will be back to school and teaching Choice Theory to our students. This blog will become a diary, resource, reflection area and serve as documentation of the activities and ideas that I plan to implement in my classroom. While it is primarily for my use, I will invite students, parents, colleagues and the Internet world to witness my classroom transformation. Comments are welcome, but please be gentle. Teachers can be so sensitive, we have such a high need for power within, (to feel important).

What "Choice" do I have?

2007-06-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

In Activating the Desire to Learn, I was introduced to Choice Theory. I learned that all behavior has a purpose. I don't have control over any one's behavior. The majority of students these days are not motivated by rewards and consequences, the system I grew up on. We are all motivated by power, fun, survival, belonging and freedom. This is based on William Glasser's Choice Theory and his work since 1990. Glasser has been involved in schools for over 40 years and he has remarkable results.

Our team studied some of our high risk, low achievers, and difficult to manage students. We determined what their driving force was (power, belonging, freedom or fun). Many of our low achievers fell under the belonging category and with some attention and extra effort on the part of the teachers we saw some dramatic results. When these students felt connected to school, they did more homework and produced more effort.

The students that I had the most difficult time with were the ones who were driven by more than one need. For those students who were driven by fun, freedom and power we had to implement different strategies daily! Here is an example: One of my students just wouldn't do his work in class. A very bright student but definitely driven by power, freedom and fun! Since ipods are and cell phones are not allowed at school, one student would daily test me with his phone. I would tell him to put it away so that I wouldn't have to take it away from him. Testing out a new strategy, I conceded one day. "Can't I just listen to my music on my cell phone? Here's a great song, listen. " Talk about pushing the limits! I said, that he could listen to his music quietly, if it didn't disturb any one, but he had to do his math work while he was listening. Any goofing off and the music had to go.

This totally turned the student around. His need for freedom to break the rule, for fun to listen to his music and he had the power, so all his needs had been met. He immediately started working very hard and became my ally instead of my enemy. Since I was breaking the rules, I did inform my principal and he gave me the go ahead. "Did it work? " he asked. "Then go for it!"

I know what you are thinking. Yes, everyone else wanted to listen to their ipods during work time. So no big deal, as long as they were working and NOT disrupting or disturbing anyone else. What was my goal? I wanted to get the students to learn their math.......And they were! After a while, many students stopped asking if they could listen to their ipods. The novelty wore off and they didn't really care. They did, however, do more for me than they had been doing. The first student to stop listening to his ipod was, of course, the student I first made the deal with. Other students happily listened to songs while they worked for the remainder of the year. I wish I could tell you that the young man who started the process was a model student the rest of the year, but I cannot. Sometimes we only get a short term solution. But as the trust built, I did see more work from him. Everyday was a new challenge. I had to stay on my toes! But since I was no longer the enemy, I was able to get a lot more out of him. Ahhh the life of a teacher! Who said we don't need 10 weeks off in the summer?

I'm a blogger now! I've been called worse!

2007-06-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

Background

Last school year,2006-2007, our principal asked us to read Activating the Desire to Learn by Bob Sullo. Our 8th grade team did an action research project to implement some of the strategies in the book. The strategies are based on Choice Theory. Denise, one of my team members, and I decided we wanted to learn more about it so we are attending a conference in Chicago at the end of July. Choice Theory is a different philosophy of behavior and contrary to the way I was raised, the way I raised my children and contrary to common sense. It is contrary to how I was educated and how I have been teaching over the years. I definitely need more training!

Until the conference, my study has lead me to read The Quality School Teacher and Every Child Can Succeed, both by Glasser. I got so caught up in the ideas in those two books that I had to go visit my principal and ask him to read the books. I told him that I was committed to radically changing my teaching and my classroom. I needed both his support and some of his ideas to help me vision and map out exactly what I want my students to know, how to teach them, and how I am going to know that they know!

As a classroom teacher for 24 years, I have tried to change and implement new ideas but they have just made small changes in my teaching. The majority of students have done fine, but what about those that were not doing so well? What about the handful of students that hate math because it is too hard and they just aren't ready for Algebra? As a traditional secondary math teacher, I justified the failures as those students who just weren't ready or just didn't try. Until this past year, I was able to sleep at night just fine with that answer. But now.........

I have made a commitment to radical changes. I will admit that I am very afraid! I am not sure if it is going to work. I really think more parents are going to get the gallows ready for me then ever before, but I have to do something so dramatic that it will actually engage 100% of the learners and they will know the concepts at mastery ( 100%).

~Vicki