Pathways Blog Chapters 10 & 11

"Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively" (p. 163). 

This quote jumped out to me immediately, because it reminded me of the discussion we have in our classroom on a daily basis.  One thing that the Morning Meeting Book helped me understand was the importance of building off each others' ideas, instead of just saying the same thing another person said.  Therefore, during sharing time we do a lot of "questions and comments" from the audience.  I've recently tried to cultivate a language frame with my kids of, "I agree with Jonah because..." or "I disagree with Kiley because..."--and in this way I'm asking them to express their ideas with reasoning and build off of what another student has said.  I had no idea this was part of the CCSS! However, I'm glad we're already incorporating some of this into our daily routines.

"They can hear lulls in the conversation and jump in to say, "what we are mostly saying, so far, is. . ." (p. 164). 

This quote made me laugh out loud.  Partly because I thought, "no. no, there are no kids that can do that".  But then I remembered some of my interactions with kids in these grades and I though--yeah sure they can.  I also thought--I know plenty of adults without this ability! I often find this lack of understanding the rules of conversation to be awkward.  How funny that something so "academic" can impact our social/emotional development.

"The emphasis on visual supports brings us to another point. The CCSS open up the definition of speaking and listening to include nonverbal forms of communication and viewing and interacting with multimedia" (p. 164). 

One thing Hawkins et al hints at is the opportunity for oral presentation of all types of writing genre, not just argumentative.  I have to say, I agree with them.  I think if you are to be culturally relevant to a student, as well as allow creativity to flow, there should be an equal honor of all types of writing and oral presentation.  Too often, I think the standards committees get carried away trying to turn students into passionate and argumentative citizens--but what good is an analytical thinker if they can never describe what matters most to them, if they can never present something to edify others? This idea made me think of what Hawkins et al said in an earlier chapter that all writing is composed of stories (although sometimes presented in an argumentative style)--therefore the narrative writing style is hugely important in argumentative writing.

While reading the piece on the Speaking and Listening standards emphasis on multimedia, I couldn't help but think about how in love I am with podcasts.  I'm currently OBSESSED with Serial (if you don't know about it, stop what you're doing and listen to it immediately).  When I listen to the narrative podcast, I can't help but analyze the way Sarah Koenig is presenting the story, or criticize the way she interviews those involved in the story.  I can obviously spot her bias, and how her bias influences me! This kind of metacognition process didn't happen by accident, it was provoked in my by some pretty awesome teachers throughout my life.  However, I'm so thankful I have this ability and I know if I taught older students I would introduce them to my favorite podcasts and ask for them to analyze and argue about the narrative process that is being woven into these stories.  When I consider this kind of learning that I engage in on a daily basis, I'm reminded that although these standards seem lofty and often too high expectation for children--it's not impossible to cultivate this in our students and expect that they rise to the occasion.

I'm deeply moved by the words of Michael Fullan, "change or die".  My dad had bypass surgery about a year and a half ago.  Before, he was a pack-a-day smoker.  After his surgery, I talked to him on the phone and the first thing he said to me was, "I'll never smoke another cigarette again".  I wish I had been there in person to record him saying those words, because a year and a half later, my dad is STILL a pack-a-day smoker.  Truly, if death is certain, yet a person still needs support to ACTUALLY change--then yes, we should expect the same for teachers and the education system.  I've found that the interactions with my grad school cohort over a group messaging app has motivated and encouraged me more than many other things education related.  Collaboration, understanding, encouragement, and connectedness to others with the same passion and beliefs about teaching is invaluable in the school climate we are in now.

The End Justifies the Means....Right??? November TIP

I hate to say it, but I'm glad this month is over.  I'm wiped.  I'm tired. I need a break.  That being said, as I reflected on this past months highs and lows, I have to say I'm quite impressed with my accomplishments as a teacher, in my practice, and our collective progress as a classroom family.

There have been a few key moments that have made me smile that I would like to highlight:

Small Groups:

We've made a lot of progress in our small groups in the way of mathematics and literacy.  I wanted to really amp up our math engagements and have them be fun and entertaining for the kids--but also meaningful to them and useful to me.  So I developed and replicated some math games that were taught in teacher directed small groups. The idea was that they would learn these games and the concepts behind them so well that they could play them independently with a partner.  This would give me the opportunity to spend time in smaller groups working on things that students needed a teacher for.  I also believe that kids are some of the best teachers, and so I knew that if some of the kids learned the game really well they could teach their partner if they were unclear.  Competition and sheer self-determination is a huge motivator! For the most part, this was successful.  Of course there were still a few hiccups, some students just didn't like the game, or were unsure of how to play so they made up their own game.  Usually consisting of throwing counters/dice at each other.  I knew this wouldn't fly when it came time to do rotating math centers, so I asked a few kids that I knew were struggling with the concepts of the game and asked them to play a few games with me during centers.  I also asked those there knew how to play really well to play next to me with another struggling student and this was helpful because the students that needed to learn got the support they needed and my "expert" players were teaching their peers.

Another small group engagement we did was a re-write of Falling For Rapunzel which was something we did last year.  This year however, I made rhyming a huge deal in almost every part of our day.  From reading books, to calling kids to the lunch line, to phonological awareness time. This re-write was so fun because I explicitly taught the kids to generate rhyming words that were real because they needed to illustrate them (like real illustrators).  Because generating rhyming words is an extending skill, we brainstormed rhyming words in a group and then picked the ones we liked the most to illustrate.  This was so much better than making kids generate a word on the spot and they learned that they needed a real word.  I was really impressed with their re-write and I think I almost like it better than the real book because THEY came up with it!



One of my lowest of lows has been managing one of my students that has a VERY difficult time transitioning.  Sometimes he has a total tantrum and screams (very loudly), "I don't want to clean up" and then proceeds to cry for some time. Often these screaming fits prevent him from participating in the next engagement because he's still recovering in the cozy corner from his frustration.  I've really struggled with finding patience and grace in my heart for this part of his development.  I go from one extreme of appreciating him where he's at and finding ways to supporting him to the other extreme of thinking, "what is wrong with him?...all the other kids are able to transition smoothly...why can't he?" And although I feel guilty thinking this way, I can't help but acknowledge that this has been a weak part of my teaching practice this past month.  Sometimes I ignore his outburst, or I try to rationalize, sometimes I even give him the squeeziest of squeeze hugs--and still the screaming, crying fit continues.  A few times I've warned him that we are about to clean up and he's responded by cleaning up appropriately, but other times the warning backfires and screaming and crying ensues.  My next step with this student is to create a frustration/transition book with him filled with his own strategies of what he could do if he gets upset.  I'm hoping there will be some progress from this, however, I would LOVE any of your ideas on how you help students who struggle with transitioning???

And finally, I've found myself shrinking back into a teacher that threatens and gets onto students on a regular basis. I'm really struggling with finding the balance between boundaries and negotiating power of students.  They are so young and impressionable and need guidance and support in the ways of respect, responsibility, kindness, and peace.  I need a quick Becky Bailey refresher or maybe just a week off from school to recoup.  Either way, I'm seeing the need for some personal change in my classroom so that I can be the best teacher that these kiddos deserve.  Here's to hoping for a delightful December!

If you haven't checked out my Tumblr that I keep for my classroom, please check it out! It's been so helpful for daily reflecting on what our day looked like and celebrating the beautiful kids I get to teach.

Here's a few awesome kids:

Pathways Blog 2

 "It is not surprising that the standards emphasize writing often.  Writing is just like any other practice--playing piano, running, knitting.  The more opportunity you have for practice, the better you get" (Calkins, Ehrenworth, & Lehman, 2012, p. 106).

What I'm continually struck by as I read through Pathways to the Common Core, is their devotion to writing.  In the past, writing has been tiered below reading, and acknowledged as lesser in the standards.  However, Common Core places writing almost equally next to reading. And this makes me excited.  As I dive further into the standards, I love how the authors always go back to writing across content areas and encourage teachers to work together with other subjects to use the 3 types of writing.  One thing I was not aware of is, "The balance tilts more in favor or narrative writing in the elementary grades and then tilts toward argument and informational writing in high school" (p. 105).  When I think about this, I resonate with what I've heard a lot of high school teachers say about a lack of creative writing in upper grades.  One of my friends teaches middle school and says he feels pressure to teach more informational--specifically argumentative writing above anything else.  I guess I tend to think that as long as children are writing, they are becoming better writers.  However, Common Core suggests there is a definite need for children to specifically be informational and argumentative writers in ELA portions of the day.

One thing I loved about Chapter 7 (Composing Narratives) is how they talk about narratives as the most common form of knowing.  They give examples of TED talks and informational texts as argumentative texts that tell stories.  I'm convinced that narrative writing is one of the best types of writing because of the way it echoes real life.   In Chapter 8, I was initially surprised at the way the authors presented argumentative writing as a BIG DEAL.  Upon further reflection and a bit of convincing from the authors, I'm inclined to agree that argumentative writing is huge.  Although it doesn't seem so important until 2nd grade on up, the idea that arguments are part of the culture of college and career readiness is important to notice.  The authors argue that argumentative writing is so important to university success, that it should be made a huge deal in elementary school as well as high school.  I feel like in Pre-K we don't have a lot of writing that is argumentative--however, I feel like I support my students with a lot of verbal experiences to argue their ideas and opinions.  I wonder if this will be helpful for them when they start formally writing and are expected to write at this level?

October High/Low

 Happy November! What a complete whirlwind October has been! When I look over my highs and lows for this months I'm surprised by how much we were able to fit in! We were a very busy Pre-K classroom!

This month, I found myself trying to find a consensus for my highs and I found quite a few things that I would like to highlight:

One thing that made my month with the kids so enjoyable and interesting was the incorporation of  so many activities that the kids loved and I loved doing with them.  I've been inspired by Nurturing Inquiry a lot this past month, because the weather has been amazing and my school is lucky enough to have an awesome playground with a lot of opportunity for kids to explore their surroundings.  In his book Charles Pearce discusses hands on learning opportunities, "at last, with the hands-on philosophy spreading among educators, children have been able to touch, manipulate, and see close-up many of the amazing things previously reserved for the teacher herself" (1999, p. 4).   It's been so cool to see how the kids respond to getting outside and doing some hands on learning.  From the beginning of the school year I've had a lot of worm scientists.  Every day, a bunch of kids would bring me a handful of earth worms, eager to explore and observe the worms.  I'm a big believer in protecting and honoring living things, we we made sure all our exploring and observations were worm-friendly.  Another cool thing we did outside, was take a nap outside.  CRAZY RIGHT?! They LOVED it.  Check out this video of the SILENT nap we took outside!

Finally, we delved into more mathematical areas and I'm beginning to see the need for more engagements with my students.  Even though they are just 4 and 5, I think they still need to have a lot of support and opportunity to interact with math on a productive struggle level.  My hope is that students would begin to see math in all parts of their world and that it wouldn't become this unattainable area, but rather an area of interest.  

Counting different sets of items

Will a big pumpkin float?

Counting

My lows are some of the same things I struggle with, but in a different way.  I have students that have huge social/emotional needs and I want to be able to work with them and help facilitate healthy interactions with their peers.  I have one student in particular that struggles with coping mechanisms and if there is a conflict, it generally takes 15-30 minutes to help him calm down.  However, I'm a teacher of 23 four and five year olds.  I'm really struggling with the tension between helping my less capable students and working with those students that don't have a lot of conflict.  There just simply isn't enough time.  I worry that I'm not giving enough attention to my students that are performing at a more developed social/emotional level.  Sometimes the balance is off and I feel as if I've neglected helping a student work through a problem by telling them to take a break in the cozy corner to help another student work on writing skills.  Becky Bailey says, "anger management requires teachers to implement stress reduction activities in the classroom"(2005, p. 35).  I wonder if I am providing enough opportunities for students to learn about relaxing, focusing, and breathing.  I want to revisit some of the ideas Bailey suggests in the chapter on composure, so I can support all my students with conflict resolution.

As I look towards November, I'm excited to engage more with my students in mathematics instruction, more focused and explicit literacy instruction and a general excitement for the upcoming holidays by bringing in family cultures and traditions to our classroom.  Onward!

Also, check out my tumblr if you want to see how I photo-post almost daily to communicate with parents!

Book Blog 1--Pathways (Chapter 1-5)

The first thing I'd like to say about this book is--IT IS ROCKING MY WORLD! I'm totally engaged and for the most part, agreeing with what I am reading.  I love how the first thing the authors do to enlighten us is cause the reader to think about the mindset they bring to the Common Core, "We can regard the Common Core State Standards as the worst thing in the world" (Calkins, Ehrenworth, & Lehman, 2012, p. 3). However, we have the unique opportunity to think of these standards as a positive movement in the education world.  I definitely resonated with this idea.  I know that if I have a bad attitude about something, it will not only bring me down, but produce ineffectiveness.  The CCSS are a gift to students, and if we view them in a positive manner, the effect they can have on children will be huge! 

Calkins et al give the CCSS new meaning when they say, "Pathways to the Common Core expects that you will take the standards at their word and see it as your responsibility--individually and as a member of a school community--to study the expectations for end-of-grade results outlined by the CCSS and to use the Common Core as a lens for reflecting on your practice and for planning ways to support deeper and further learning" (2012, p. 2). Although, as a Pre-K teacher, I'm not too concerned with end-of-grade expectations as defined by CCSS, I consider myself a learner and I think that reflection and growth after reflection are paramount to becoming a better teacher.  

Lucy (yes, we're on a first name basis), makes some great points on literacy instruction according to CCSS.  The authors of Pathways interpret the CCSS as valuing reading and writing equally, which I LOVE, "students need to become strong writers, and to do that, they need expert instruction, time to write, and meaningful opportunities for writing a wide range of informational, argument, and narrative text".  I think writing is so important (and reading too!).  I wonder what it looks like in a pre-k classroom to give "expert instruction" to my students according to CCSS? 

One of the things I struggled with as I read through Chapter 2 was the lack of emphasis on the personal act of reading.  I was surprised to find out that the CCSS were written from the collegiate level down.  In this case, the emphasis on analytical reading makes sense.  But the book lover in me wonders if this could desensitize certain kids to pleasure reading? Personally, I was never into reading until high school when one of my teachers introduced me to contemporary literature--I was compelled by it! I wonder if he had approached my reading apprehension by making me interpret and analyze text more, instead of just connecting to the literature personally, if I would enjoy reading as much as I do today? 

One of my favorite quotes from Pathways is in Chapter four, "even young readers are ready to read for meaning.  Reading literature involves learning from the characters in stories, and looking to books for lessons in courage, determination, and integrity.  As students investigate language. . .they'll develop insight into the text, which is the goal of the Common Core, and insight into themselves and the lives of others, which is one of the purposes for reading at all" (2012, p. 52).  I just love that CCSS comes back to the core of reading, which is to create meaning in regards to ourselves! 

"May we be known by the problems we solve"

We take our silliness very seriously

Greetings!

HOW IS IT THE END OF SEPTEMBER?! These first 8 weeks of school have been amazing and very visceral for me.  In so many ways, I know I'm a better teacher than last year.  And in so many ways I can see my growth points really showing through.  I think often the really cool things you do as a teacher serve to highlight the not-so-good things (for lack of a better word!), and sometimes that's a heavy burden to bear.

Just being worm scientists, NBD. 

I'd like to start this blog off with the low points of this month.  I'll be honest--this has been a really tough month for me, professionally.  I'm struggling with new ideas educationally and balancing a totally new class with a very different vibe than my past year.

• Data/Assessment collection is the bane of my existence.  I've faced the fact that I'm just totally unmotivated to collect data daily from my 23 students. I feel like I don't have the time, or the will to do it.  
• Time management is a real struggle.  There are times when I see my students working on something and I think--let's just keep doing this and we'll skip whatever was supposed to come next in our schedule.  The more we do this, the more we miss out on things that we really should be working on.  Or as Dr. Lynch would say, "things students should have the opportunity to do"

There's always time to complain, I guess.  So, LET'S CELEBRATE! 

These kids are AMAZING. They are so zen.  So relaxing.  They looooooooove breathing techniques from Dr. Becky Bailey and Conscious Discipline.  The pretzel is our favorite! We do some interesting yoga everyday as a warm up to our morning meeting.  My biggest celebrations as a teacher and as a community are:

• Compassion Kit: Our compassion kit is something we came up with in the first few weeks of school.  It's a good companion to the solution kit.  We did a large group on "what can we do to help a hurting friend" and this piece of brilliance is what THEY came up with. 
• 
  

Of course, I can't make them do anything, but when they see a hurt friend (or if they hurt a friend), I always ask them if they thought they made a mistake, and if they say yes, I ask them how they can learn from this mistake.  And then I ask them if they can ask their hurting friend how they can help them feel better? These language frames have EXPLODED in the classroom.  I've seen a lot of kids in the beginning of the year go from saying sorry 30 times to a kid while the other kid tells on them to  them asking what they can do to help them feel better before even running to me.  More than anything, I like to watch these kinds of interactions unfold.  It just does the heart good to see little people learning compassion.  

• Classroom Mantra: Over the summer, I wrote a poem that I wanted to be what our classroom culture was going to be about.  But more than that, it became this poem that has deeply affected me as a teacher, a friend, a daughter, and even as a stranger.  We say this poem everyday.  Its the first thing we do each and everyday.  We also use it in different social interactions and as reminders throughout the day.  

I am in charge, and I can become the person I want to be,                                My power comes from inside,                                I am responsible for my feelings and my actions                               My choices affect other people,                                I must teach others how to treat me                                Conflict is a part of life; I can and will learn from my mistakes                                Love IS power This poem has affected our classroom--although I can't show you the evidence on a piece of paper.  I've had parents tell me their kids have calmed them down by saying parts of this poem to them.  I've had parents say they're rethinking how they discipline their children based on hearing their kids repeat this poem.  I'm blown away.  Sometimes you feel like a terrible teacher, because you didn't do small groups or a phonological awareness lesson didn't go according to plan, but then--you have kids that amaze you just because they can and it really puts things in perspective.

"Every child you encounter is a divine appointment."

It’s May! What!?! This past month has been amazing.  I’m not sure where April went, but there was so much packed into this crazy month that I’m not sure I’ll be able to document it all!

 I would like to really start by celebrating my kiddos.  First of all, they’re amazing!  They have really taught me so much and I’ve learned so much through them.  This month specifically, they have given me a lot of freedom to teach them they way they need to be taught. I realize that maybe doesn’t make much sense, but, I guess I’ve just realized that I can give them more freedom and they will blow my expectations out of the water.  This was actualized a few weeks ago during small groups when I decided to incorporate a short instrumental video on the life cycle of monarch butterflies.  I had my kiddos watch the video once and then draw while we re-watched it again.  It was awesome because while we were watching it they were coming up with questions and dialoging with one another.  I was there, but I was a participant in this interaction.  It was like ACTUAL real learning was unfolding right before my eyes and they only thing I really did was find a wonderful YouTube video and allow my students the space to explore video learning.  The only thing that could have been better would be if we watched the life cycle of butterflies in real life—AND THEN WE DID!

Other highs to celebrate include two of my favorite BFFs having so much conflict throughout the day/week/month and culminating in one huge blowup over a silly headband.  But then we sat together and they hashed it out for 10 minutes with me facilitating and worked it out.  At the end Clover said, “good work, Meagan!” and it literally brought tears to my eyes! They are real people with real feelings and their upset and passion and triumphs are so very real.  The realization of this fact about my students was huge for me this month.  I think one of the greatest things about being a teacher is getting to be a witness to so many beautiful parts of humanity.  I’m amazed at the human heart every day. 

One of my favorite discussions we had this month came from a simple LGL (List, Group, Label) exercise we did about plants.  After listing a lot of words, we were ready to group them.  After a few groupings, one student came up and put “butterfly”, “beautiful”, “roses”, and “dirt” together.  When I asked her to justify why she put all those words together she said, “Because they’re all beautiful”.  One of my more interactive students jumped in to say, “dirt isn’t beautiful!” and it created this wonderful discussion on beauty being in the eye of the beholder.  You know, these are the kinds of conversations I still have with my friends/family on a regular basis.  Again, I’m simply amazed and in awe.  Reflecting on these truly beautiful moments makes me realize why I love this job. 

Of course, it’s not all roses and dirt.  There are still some flaws in my teaching style and our classroom culture that I wish I could change in the blink of an eye.  I wish I could not get so frustrated when my whole class starts talking during a read aloud, I wish I could keep better records of assessment, I wish I could get my students to stop saying put downs to one another.  Although we’re still a work in progress, and there are only 20 school days left—I’m confident that as a Pre-K family, we will diligently work and endure with one another until that final day. 

Which brings me to my final point.  I’m sad about these students moving on.  They own a piece of my heart and I’m so proud of them.  As the end of the school year winds down, I’m ready for them to move on, but I desperately want them to stay just a while longer.  I wouldn’t have learned anything this year if it wasn’t for them, and for that I owe them so much gratitude, grace, and kindness.  I can’t help it, but I love them.

***This final blog post is dedicated to the smart, kind, helpful, risk-taking, brilliant, fun, loving, GENIUS Pre-K class of 2013-2014 at Suburban Nursery School and Pre-K***

This is one of my favorite songs from Wicked and it attempts to sum up my feelings for my wonderful kiddos:

"For Good" --Kristin Chenoweth

Like a comet pulled from orbit, 
As it passes a sun. 
Like a stream that meets a boulder, 
Halfway through the wood. 
Who can say if I've been changed for the better? 
But because I knew you, 
I have been changed for good 

It well may be, 
That we will never meet again, 
In this lifetime. 
So let me say before we part, 
So much of me, 
Is made of what I learned from you. 
You'll be with me, 
Like a handprint on my heart. 
And now whatever way our stories end, 
I know you have re-written mine, 
By being my friend... 

Like a ship blown from its mooring, 
By a wind off the sea. 
Like a seed dropped by a skybird, 
In a distant wood. 
Who can say if I've been changed for the better? 
But because I knew you, 
Because I knew you, 
I have been changed for good.”

Sources Conference 4/19/14

While at the SOURCES conference, I was so honored to get to hear the presentations by the year twos.  I enjoyed hearing about how they are using their students and their community to get kids to think about how they can help their world.  I think it’s a powerful thing when students can feel empowered and come up with their own ideas on how to solve big world problems.  

One of my favorite projects shared was Joy’s.  I love how she started the year by getting the Mayor of Roswell to come and talk with her students.  I was surprised by how she said her students questioned and interacted with the mayor. Sometimes, I know I don’t give kids enough credit.  I’m amazed at how she took this project and gave it to her kids and allowed them the freedom to come up with how they could address it and gave them the power to change their community.  Although I know the reality is that these problems probably still exist and will continue to exist, I think it matters that the kids did something about it.  It reminds me of Black Ants and Buddhists when Mary Cowhey talks about all the things you try to do and how sometimes—it doesn’t make much of a difference for the situation. But it DOES make a difference in your heart.  

I also loved hearing about Laura’s endeavors to improve the library. One thing I want to improve upon next year is helping the kids LOVE books.  I’ve been so devastated this year when my books get ruined and messed up.  It’s SO sad.  I want to find a way to instill honor and respect for books and literature and the art of reading next year.  I think by involving her kids in this project on improving the library, she made them care about reading.  She gave them something to love about books and reading.  

Finally, I don’t know what to even say about Coach Powell’s talk.  It was interesting.  Some of the things he talked about, such as knowing your history and embracing who you are as a person were wonderful.  On the other hand, I’m not so sure I agree with his linear message about sex and women and how they treat their bodies.  I agree that women should honor and respect their bodies, but I think that means something different to everyone.   I honestly would have loved to hear more about his thoughts on hip hop’s subculture and the nature of pop culture in general.  

Black Ants Reading Chapters 5, 6, 12

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children” (Ghandi).

While reading through Mary Cowhey’s chapter 5 of Black Ants and Buddhists, I’m loving her devotion to peace and how she gets her students to dialogue about how to go about creating and living in peace.  I’m struck by how her simple methods of opening up discussions and conversations led her students to actually participate in a peace march in their community.  I connected with her when she said, “they didn’t do it because it was in a lesson plan.  They did it because they are used to learning through and engaging in dialog” (Cowhey, 2006, p. 93).  This is so powerful to me because she made dialogue and critical thinking a part of her classroom culture and community.  I think one of the biggest reasons this works in her classroom is because she (along with her students) created an environment where inquiry and questions could happen safely.  When she says, “But how can we assess their critical-thinking ability? How do we know if they are making sense of the stories we tell and the things we do? I wonder if the social justice element of my teaching carries over beyond my time with my students, whether first and second graders do “get it” in the long run” (Cowhey, 2006, p. 87), I immediately thought of my students and if what I am doing with them is actually working.  Is it sinking in? Does it even matter if I teach to them this way? I think she makes her point in the end of the chapter when she says even if their actions don’t immediately have a tangible effect on their world—it just matters that they did it.  I think as teachers, sometimes we have to come to terms with the fact that not all of our kids are going to “get it” the way we teach it.  But even if some of them are affected by our teaching—that matters.

I loved reading through chapter 6 of Black Ants and Buddhists on teaching through activism.  If Mary Cowhey thinks her 1^st and 2^nd graders have a hard time dealing with the hard issues and discussing things like landmines and slavery with her kids—then I definitely am going to have a hard time! However, like Cowhey—I’m up for the challenge.  I don’t believe in avoiding the difficult questions in life just because I don’t have the answer.  I find that most of the time, the things my kids are asking questions about are the things I am asking questions about.  One of my male students asked me why I have boobs.  First of all, I don’t really want to have a conversation with a 5 year old about my private body parts, but I also didn’t want to shut down his question because he was genuine in his wonder.  I told him it’s because I’m an adult female and most adult females have them.  He said, “well what are they?” Which of course made me laugh.  I told him they were mostly fat but there was some muscle too and that males have muscle on their pectorals too.  Another girl was listening in on our conversation and said she hoped she never had boobs because she didn’t want to be fat.  Hearing her say this made my heart so sad.  I wondered if a 5 year old was capable of hating their body (or their future body) and where she got this notion.  We continued our conversation on having fat on our bodies and why having some is good.  I say all this because this was a really hard conversation for me to have.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to far or saying something out of turn or inappropriate, however, I didn’t want to avoid it.  A lot of times, we’re afraid of speaking out or talking about issues that seem taboo—this chapter of Black Ants and Buddhists reminds me that I never want to be afraid of myself of my teaching style.  Of course I always want to be respectful and honoring to my students and their families, I just don’t want to operate out of fear.