M. Shannon Hernandez's Blog, page 9

18: Why You Should Teach From the Banned Book List

In this episode, you will learn why teachers and parents should be teaching books that have been challenged or banned. I am crazy-passionate about this topic, so strap on your book bag. Get ready to learn why it’s so important to let students/children think for themselves and read material that has been challenged for various reasons!

Tips from this episode:

Learn why books on the banned book list should become standard reading material in the home and at school
Discover how to incorporate banned books into classroom discussions, dinner table chat, and how to teach kids to think for themselves in relation to the banned books they are reading
Explore a dozen or more banned/challenged books I highlight on the show–most will appall you!

Listen to this episode:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/ep_18_banned_book_list_final.mp3

Transforming Public Education Podcast Being Downloaded at Record Rate

I must be brutally honest with you here.

Sixteen weeks ago, I wasn’t sure about launching a podcast centered on LOVE for the solution to public school reform. Here’s why:

My critics called me radical.


My parents told me this was idealist thinking.


And the people who fell “in-between” these two groups…well, they politely declined giving any feedback or thoughts.

But, I had a vision, and I stuck with it! And…the news is out, and the stats speak for themselves! The Transforming Public Education podcast show is being downloaded at record rates each month. Maybe…

it’s the passion and conviction with which I deliver each episode?


it’s the line-up of guests adding a much needed voice to ed reform?


it’s the practical strategies and tactics which are shared so that teachers, parents, and administrators can walk into a school the following day and implement REAL change.


it’s the sheer positivity the shows brings to the a topic that is almost always negative in tone—especially in the media?

I wanted to share just a few comments that have come in over the past couple of weeks:

“This podcast shows that like every other person alive, students need to feel valued and needed.”


“This podcast gives a voice to teachers and provides a sense of community. We need that.”


“I’m digging this podcast as a new teacher. Students are so much more important than content. Thank you.”


“So many of a school’s problems can be fixed with kindness. Your podcast offers solutions every step along the way.”


“I now realize how powerful love is in the classroom. Please keep producing student-centered episodes rooted in love.”

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the show, I invite you to do that now.

And, if you know a teacher who is doing marvelous things in the world, or one who may need a pick me up, could you kindly share this blog post with him or her?

17: Shakespeare on the Playground with educator Mel Ryane

In this episode, author and educator Mel Ryane discusses her hilarious journey as a volunteer in a public school. From failing miserably at both classroom management and understanding primary students, to succeeding in teaching Shakespeare to the same group of learners, Mel completely transforms an after-school club in a California public school. Mel’s message for all teachers is pretty straightforward: To relate to kids, you must remember what it is like to be a child.

Tips from this episode:

Learn why we should allow kids to fail and how failing develops students’ confidence levels
Discover how introducing students to the world of Shakespeare connects them to the three main issues in life: power, revenge, and love
Explore new ways to add journal writing into your curriculum and how this tool is a highly effective means of student empowerment

Listen to this episode:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/Mel_Ryane_Interview_final.mp3

 

Guest Post: Why the Number of Great Teachers is Declining by Caroline Alexander Lewis

I am honored to feature Caroline Lewis on the blog today! This post is part of the WOW! Women on Writing Book Tour series for Caroline’s book. You can read more about Caroline’s book tour here. 

Our profession is prematurely losing some of our most effective colleagues, AND we are failing to attract top college graduates with the talent and passion for teaching. In broad strokes, we can thank the education reform movement for this.

We seem to skim over the fact that successful public education requires development of three key pillars or legs of a stool:

the readiness-to-learn of the learners
the quality of the teachers
the culture and tone of the school (leadership, resources, parental involvement, etc.)

We talk a lot about RACING TO THE TOP and LEAVING NO CHILD BEHIND in trying to spearhead education reform.  But, we seem fixated on only one of the pillars, teachers, and not in ways that improve quality, but in ways that undermine, place blame and seriously demoralize too many good teachers.

Teaching gave me a sense of pride, purpose, and meaning throughout my career. It was a journey that began anew each day, each week, each grading period, and each year. It was always exhausting, but the joy of reaching and teaching young people, working with colleagues, and shaping the climate of a school, was reward enough. This joy seems to elude today’s effective teachers.

And effective teaching IS exhausting work. What’s easily measurable isn’t always what’s significant in teaching-learning environments. What a teacher truly contributes to an individual student’s attitude, ambition, choices, career paths, and so on may never truly be known. Teacher effectiveness is a complex issue. Much is missed and undocumented in the lives and classrooms of real teachers and real students. Teachers, students and some parents remember this. Education pundits often don’t.

Somehow, in the debate on what constitutes successful education, the spotlight has become laser-focused on a teacher’s ability to get students to pass tests. The realities of inadequate school leadership, increased poverty levels, and the fragile lifestyles of too many of our children, never get fully addressed in the accountability equation.

A few years ago I saw a young protester’s sign that read, “Don’t make me regret becoming a teacher” and I just wanted to cry. A part of me grieves for this great profession. We ought to take a brutally honest look at what it really means to teach effectively today, day in, day out—preparing, instructing, reflecting, interacting, assigning, strategizing, collaborating, assessing, disciplining, counseling, motivating, evaluating, and being evaluated. And, teachers must teach all students—those who are motivated and unmotivated; sated and hungry; disciplined and unruly; and nurtured and scared. They must get each of them to care, to think, to learn, and to perform well on tests.

A particularly worrisome trend is that our good teachers, the effective ones, are those most vulnerable to burnout and despair in the current climate of education reform and measurable learning gains. They put their hearts and souls into the job and do not feel fulfilled. Hence, those who can leave, leave.

We must rethink our education strategy and change the current debate. We cannot—we categorically cannot—reform public education if our pool of effective teachers continues to shrink. We must extol, not vilify, teaching. Let’s restore nobility to the profession—the thing that drew me in. Teaching is losing its magic, as the declining ranks of effective teachers suggest.

How then do we attract and keep good and great teachers in the profession?

I have a plan…Let’s elevate the conversation and change the focus of education reform. Let’s attend to all three legs of the stool and put people like me in charge of the TEACHING leg…let’s do it.

Caroline Alexander Lewis is the author of Just Back Off and Let Us Teach. You can find out more about her at www.CarolineLewisEducation.com. 

16: Bring Back the School Celebrations

In this episode, you will learn why school celebrations must be brought back to our public schools if we want to build a sense of community and a fun learning environment. From show-and-tell, to Pi Day, and a few others, I am strongly advocating to bringing enjoyment back into the school day!

Tips from this episode:

Learn why school celebrations are such an important part of educating the whole child
Discover how to incorporate a celebration into each and every day–and tie it to the curriculum
Explore 8 celebrations teachers and administrators can prepare (with little effort!) to make kids feel valued, special, and part of a bigger community

Listen to this episode:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/ep_16_school_celebrations.mp3

 

Changing Lives Across the Country, One Page at a Time

It’s been just nine months since my memoir, Breaking the Silence: My Final Forty Days as a Public School Teacher, has hit the market. As a first-time, self-published, indie author, I wasn’t sure what to expect when choosing to publish such a raw account from a teacher’s perspective. At its core, my memoir deals with the hot-topic in our nation right now—the many flaws of public education. But my memoir is also a story of reinvention, hope, and having the courage to dream again.

As readers finish my book, there are times when it is has been almost impossible to keep up with the onslaught of emails I am receiving from them. Each writes to me with a personal story of how my story could be theirs, or how I have given them the courage to change careers, or just to thank me for telling the truth about something that hasn’t been made public. I am honored to receive these emails, and I am committed to personally answering everyone at least once…because well…I never wanted to be that author who was impersonal and a recluse.

Below are two excerpts from the most recent emails I have received:

“I JUST finished your book and wanted to share what it meant to me. Three months ago I left my job as the assistant behavioral intervention specialist at a group home for adults with developmental disabilities. I loved my job and love the people I served. Changes in the field, staffing, morale and an unexpected job opportunity motivated me to resign. I look forward to going back to school for my masters in social work, but must admit that fear and my inability to find the right words have prevented me from writing my admissions essay. Tonight I spent my evening reading your book out loud to a resident from the group home who is currently in a coma due to a fall. Our professions are different, but our passion and dedication to changing lives is the same. After reading your book I am really encouraged to overcome my own mental barriers, apply to school and get the tools I need to have the career I feel lead to. Thank you for sharing your story.” ~Sabrina

“I just wanted to reach out and say that I identify with your message. I too am a teacher struggling to decide whether to stay or go. I am a doctoral student who wants to research how the teacher evaluation system has contributed to the large teacher turnover. I have been working on updates to our mentoring program and handbook as part of my grad school work. I saw your post about your mentor and was wondering if you would be ok if I included it as a success story in a training I am going to be doing. There are so many things you have said that totally resonate with my experiences.  Looking forward to reading more from you.” ~Carol

One of the greatest aspects of this entire journey is that I have been able to build some quality, loving relationships with people who were just complete strangers only a few months ago. Some have invited me to coffee or dinner, some have asked me to speak at a meeting or event they are hosting, and some are just finding me on social media—so we converse there.

I chose to write this honest, raw memoir to tell the nation why great teaches are leaving—and what we need to do about that if future generations of children are to have a quality education. Of course, it was my story, but it is shared and common among so many teachers, that my story became theirs.

Nine months ago, I didn’t know that my words would impact others so greatly. I was nervous and timid about publishing such an open and vulnerable account. But I’m glad I had the courage do so—because my book is changing lives across the country, one page at a time. What a remarkable journey this has been so far!

15: Creating Deeper Thinkers by Having Students Write Physics Stories with educator Josh Paugh

In this episode, first year teacher Josh Paugh shares how he engages even the most reluctant students in his AP physics class through storytelling. Josh also explains how he has been able to create a classroom environment where all students feel valued.

Tips from this episode:

Learn why Josh believes all students should feel like they have the ability to succeed each day
Discover how introducing students to physics via storytelling makes the content more relatable to their everyday lives
Explore how to give your most intimated students a starting point from which to work on a daily basis

Listen to this episode:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/ep_15_Josh_Paugh.mp3

 

Student physics example as discussed on the show.

What’s Love Got To Do With Education Reform?

Call me radical, or just call me plain crazy, or even an idealist, but I believe the missing ingredient in public education reform is love. And compassion. And gratitude.

Please, let me explain.

Love has many definitions. As a noun, it can mean “deep affection, warmth, adoration” or “enjoyment, appreciation, passion”, or “compassion, caring, kindness”.  As a verb, love can be defined with words like “adore, delight in, and hold very dear.”

Look over that list above again. Is there one word up there—just one—that if applied to the everyday world of public education, wouldn’t make our schools a better place for our students and teachers?

As a 15-year veteran teacher, professor, and education activist, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since releasing my book: Breaking the Silence: My Final Forty Days as a Public School Teacher, in August 2014. The very incident that inspired me to start speaking about the flaws in public schools was a sexual misconduct charge brought forth by my principal.

The crime? Embracing the students in a group hug, much like a team huddle, after a high-stakes ELA test. Thankfully, the charge was dismissed, but that incident opened my eyes, even more, to the lack of love, compassion, and gratitude many teachers, students, and parents face day-in and day-out in our public schools.

When a teacher can’t hug a student, or a group of students, we have a problem in this country.

When a principal could potentially ruin a career and life, of a teacher who wants nothing more than the very best for her students, we have a problem in this country.

When a school board can investigate a teacher for over a year, traveling around New York City, trying to gather statements from students and teachers (with tax payer dollars!), and the teacher has no idea that this investigation is even happening, we have a problem in this country.

And this, my fellow teachers, parents, and administrators, is only the beginning…

My student teachers at Brooklyn College spent weeks preparing for their first round of parent-teacher conferences. As teachers, we know how important it is to make contact with families, have quality discussions about students’ successes and progress, and create an environment on parent-teacher night where students and families feel welcome and at ease.

As the student teachers filed into class on a Thursday, following conference night, we held a discussion about their first conferencing experience. I learned that many of my teachers didn’t leave the building until well after 10 p.m. The reason? They are grades 7-12 science teachers who have been given class loads of well over 160 students each. The administration failed to recognize that conferencing for this many students would take so long. But even worse than this, were the student teachers who shared with the class that they were allotted 5 minutes per parent. Yes, you read that correctly, 5 minutes.

I listened to their stories with heartache and anger, wondering a few things:

First, it’s poor planning to have teachers teach all day, then conference until 10 p.m., then return to the classroom the next day to teach, at 8 a.m.  Not only is it poor planning, I’d go so far to say that it is rude, inconsiderate, and most definitely breaks some sort of labor law, I’m sure.

Second, why even hold parent-teacher conferences if families get 5 minutes? What’s the value in that for teachers, students, or parents? What kind of relationship can be forged with families in 5 minutes? What message are we sending to parents when they get merely 5 minutes of face-to-face time with their teachers?

Third, where is the love, compassion, and gratitude in our public schools?

The two events above, “the hugging incident” and the shocked student teachers trying to process and digest the horror of those parent-teacher conference nights, led me to begin thinking about changing schools—at the very local level—by focusing on policies, instruction, and relationships rooted solely in love, compassion, and gratitude. These incidents also reminded me that educators have such powerful perspectives, knowledge, and insight as to what would make our schools a better place, if only we were asked.

I decided to take action and start talking about my radical idea of changing education through compassion, love, and gratitude. I conduced surveys of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, asking them, What would make our schools a more loving and compassionate  environment? The answers I received will shock you, inspire you, and give you new ways to think about the educational experience—both from the students’ and teachers’ points of view.

I invite you to join me and listen in to the Transforming Public Education Podcast. This is a weekly show which highlights all the wonderful things happening in public schools. It is a place where educators, parents, and students have a voice in what is working in our schools—and what isn’t. It is a show about public education which is rooted in solutions, inspiration, and above all, compassion and love.

The goal of the podcast is simple: To give teachers, parents, administrators, and students a voice—and to help transform schools into places where students and teachers can’t wait to get their days started. I do hope you will take a listen to the show—and if you’d like to be a guest, please reach out to me via email.

14: Planning Successful (and fun!) Educational Field Trips

In this episode, I share with you my 5 step plan for planning successful and fun education field trips. As the weather warms up, and the students begin to “check out”, make the outdoors part of your classroom. Learning can happen anywhere!

Tips from this episode:

Learn how to plan a successful field trip–whether it is for a day, a couple of nights, or an extended trip overseas
Discover how to introduce the trip as part of your lessons–so that you get engaged students and build excitement before you even leave the school grounds
Understand why checklists, itineraries, and schedules of activities can be your lifesavers when things go awry!

Listen to this episode:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/E14_Field_Trips.mp3

13: Student Voices Matter in Public Schools with 13 year old Alana Simpson

In this episode, 13 year old Alana Simpson explains why she and a group of 20 students decided it was time to talk to the principal about why they weren’t learning any black history during the month of February. Alana also discusses the qualities that make great teachers, from her point of view.

Tips from this episode:

Learn how Alana used her voice to demand change in her public school curriculum
Discover why Alana believes positive relationship building is the key to student success
Find out what classes Alana thinks are important, and missing, from her public school

Listen to this episode:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/E13_Alana_Interview.mp3