School's Out for Summer

Ha hah ha ha, RAH ha ha

Yesterday was my official last day of school. Only the teachers were there getting ready to check out, packing up remaining supplies and aggregating documentation. The school was calm, people were relaxed and I couldn’t help but hear Alice Cooper’s Schools Out for Summer blaring in my head. I walked into my classroom, downloaded the single, blasted it on my speakers and belted out a tune.

It happened. The Shelby Middle School Knowledge Corporation has closed its physical doors for summer. The SKC has by no means been shut down. Summer is a great time to reflect and think about improvements to be made in the classroom. How will I reach more of my students? What can be done to make the classroom more enriching? Working within the confines of a single subject how can I reach out to make a greater impact on student achievement?




Let’s take a moment to talk about the last week of school. I hosted a party at my house for my students who achieved our big goal of mastering 80% of the curriculum by demonstrating at least 80% mastery of each concept. The party was a huge success. Jess and I played camp organizers for a fun filled day of three legged races, limbo and hula contests, a basketball tournament, piñata destruction and food. The kids loved it and were psyched about the knowledge that they had learned and succeeded in my class.

Success is subjective. My students made huge progress but I am mired in the fact that I did not reach all my kids and some showed only anorexic growth. How could I have prevented some of my students from falling through the cracks? I think this is a dilemma for all teachers, no matter how hard you work there is always the feeling that more could have been accomplished. I can meditate on that later, let me share with you my two biggest success stories.


1) There is K… He couldn’t write the number nine correctly, subtraction was a foreign concept along with any clue as to how a human being should act. He made stupid faces at other students along with stupid comments with the sole intent of pissing people off. He would constantly making farting noises with his mouth or hands and regularly ‘lose his manners’ and stink up the class. He would play, not write anything down and when he did come up with answers, he calculated them in the air with a magic wand and discovered something so farfetched and illogical that I wondered if he had even started with math as his original concept.

FAST FORWARD!

K… has been invited to the party. His grades changed from consistent 30’s to 90’s. He sits up in SPONGE position in class and respectfully tells his group members to do the same. He is exuberant about math and works problems out on paper. He makes logical connections between numerical relationships and concepts. He confidently raises his hand to answer questions as opposed to hanging out and farting. Even the principal is astounded that he legitimately passed. I told her he did not just pass but hurdled over the bar. GO K…

2) C… is a special girl and I learned this immediately. She has a bum leg and never participates in gym so she would often hang out with me on my free period and help out. The bum leg was a result of not being brought to the doctor in time after an accident. According to the counselor this oversight was intentional so Mom could garner another welfare check. Who needs to walk well anyway? Yeah, and her sister is also certifiably crazy. Thanks Mom. I hope the government check justifies you mangling the lives of these smart and beautiful children.

C… was sitting with me one day and we were talking because she was sad that her Grandfather had passed. She told me that she believed she wasn’t fit for this world and belonged under the ground and things would be better when she was with God. She also clued me into the fact that she gets her answers to math questions by listening to spirits. SPIRITS people! This is math honey, the spirits are giving you the wrong answers we need to get you putting pencil to paper and start making sense. Pheww, spirits…what is that?

FAST FORWARD!

C…has been invited to the party. Her spirit induced 30’s gave way to solid mathematical thinking, which yielded 90’s. Much better. She can now perform the 5th grade curriculum and explain it others with out being guided by voices. She is unbelievably respectful, helpful, and motivated. Her attitude toward math has been completely reversed by cultivating her confidence and her ability to succeed through hard work. Other teachers in the school have recognized and commented on her improvement. C feels great about her accomplishments in fifth grade. I will miss her.

The year is over. I do not feel relieved, sad, or exuberant. I am reflective and thoughtful. The Delta delivered the challenge and experience I sought. My successes and failures are written upon the children I taught. To see the results of my labor I need not do more than look at the reflection in the faces of my students. When I look at C and K I see a beautiful picture of growth, achievement, and possibility; when I look at others the picture speaks of the enormity of work still to be done. Overall the year has been a success and for now ….SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!!!!!!