If You Give a Tween a Twitter...

If you give a tween a twitter, he'll probably want a hashtag to go with it.  But he won't know what a hashtag is.  Or what to tweet.  So you'll give him a prompt.

If you give him a prompt, he'll probably want to to tweet an answer, so he'll jump right in and start writing.  But if you give a tween a twitter, he only has 140 characters.  So he has to slow down.  And think.  And decide which words are best.  And he's not sure which words are best.  So he'll probably ask a friend.



Tweet tonight's homework.
Dogs haven't eaten any of my students' computers...yet.

If he asks the friend, the friend might not know.  So they'll ask another friend.  And maybe even someone they aren't friends with.  They might start a conversation with the new girl they just met two days ago.  And they might laugh a little at the funny words they're using.  And that new girl might make a friend.

If a tween makes a friend, she just might feel a little better about starting middle school, a little more willing to come to school each day, a little more courageous in answering questions and raising her hand and putting herself out there.  If a tween makes a friend, she will probably feel happy.

If a tween feels happy, and has a friend, and you ask her to tweet, she'll probably do it.  And later she'll want to see if anyone has followed her.  So she'll log in from home.  And she'll see other students' answers to prompts.  And she'll reconsider her original position.  And even if she's nervous about raising her hand in class, she'll probably feel okay about replying online.  And she'll retweet someone.  And someone will reply to her.  And retweet her.  And she'll have an virtual discussion with her peers about schoolwork, without even realizing that she's learning.

If you give a tween a twitter, they'll probably think about your class after they leave the room.  If you give a tween a twitter, he'll and work with friends and reflect on word choice.  If you give a tween a twitter, she'll actually want to do the assignment because it's FUN.

The 21st century educator:
Hooked in and unhinged

If you give a teacher a twitter, she will probably want a glass of wine to go with it.

The teacher will probably think of a news story in which a stupid teacher did a stupid thing and social media was involved.  And they'll think, "Isn't social media BAD?" and "Won't I get in TROUBLE?" and "Hashtag?  That sounds illegal."  And they'll probably long for the good ol' days of mimeograph machines and overheads, a time when life was simple and "tweet" was an example of onomatopoeia.

If you give a teacher a twitter, it will probably take a while for them to feel comfortable.  But if the teacher gives twitter a try, they'll probably get hooked.  They'll probably start by following their colleagues and tweeting about weekend plans.  Then they'll probably click on a link to a video or a infographic or a picture.  And they'll think, "that's really smart."  And they'll find something they can use.  And they post something insightful that gets retweeted.  And maybe they'll catch the attention of someone who knows what they're doing, and they'll have a, "Oh my god!  @RickWormeli just replied to my tweet!" moment, and then there's no going back.

@allinoleary @mzcotillo ... Just sayin'.

If you give a teacher a twitter, they'll probably realize that there is a vast online community of passionate, engaged, and not at all creepy or unprofessional teachers who are "out there" sharing ideas and best practices and focused on what's in the best interests of students.  And teachers will probably find it inspiring, and exciting, and empowering.  And they'll probably start counting their followers and comparing their total with their colleagues in a bizarre sort of competition of who is dorkier and cooler at the same time.  

This blog has spread primarily through Facebook and Twitter.  So now we ask our cool and dorky readers - how are you using social media to your advantage?  Comment below - we won't make you stick to 140 characters. #CRL 

#ILD13 - Invent Your Future!

The Crazy Reading Ladies are coming at you in stereo today!  We share a brain; why not a voice?

#ILD13

International Literacy Day was Monday, September 9th.  To celebrate, we decided to focus on the International Reading Association's theme: Invent Your Future.   Our middle school students were encouraged to participate by writing their future headlines.  What better way to set goals and look forward than by imagining one's accomplishments being lauded on the front page of The New York Times?

As several "helpful" colleagues were clever enough to point out, we are unlikely to actually HAVE print news in twenty years, but we stuck with the idea of writing a headline.  Mary gets all her news from online sources, and all her sites have lead stories with larger font and subheadings, so she says the format still works.

In pursuing the concept of headlines in general, we knew we needed to provide examples for our students.  During our search for famous newspaper headlines, Mary brilliantly commented, "We only want achievements.  We don't need students declaring war.  Let's show them some of our greatest accomplishments."

We relied on Erin's iMovie skills to introduce the idea.  Students received instruction via the school video news Friday morning.

On every table in the cafeteria

We provided students with headline models and a template at lunch on Friday.  We left papers on the tables themselves so teachers didn't have to remember to pass anything out and students didn't have to remember to go somewhere to pick something up.  If you want participation, you gotta make it easy.  We've been teaching middle school long enough to know not to expect the mountain to come to Mohammad.

Due date flyers posted on the cafeteria doors were coupled with strategically placed extra templates as students entered the building.  Mary reminded her students on Instagram and provided incentive in the form of extra credit.  (See previous mountain/Mohammad comment.) 

The "BEFORE" picture

"AFTER" a little lunch-time nudge

On Monday, Erin risked life, limb, and an unsafe driving citation to deliver a plethora of balloons and other shiny decorations.  The Crazy Reading Ladies believe in spectacle.  Go big or go home.  If you're not willing to festoon the lobby with ten foot banners, confetti, balloons, and cellophane centerpieces, then get out of the way because you just may be stampeded by overzealous teachers in blingy reading shirts. 



Mary's a "Reading Diva." Erin says "Reading Rocks!"

There are a lot of future Oscar winners in 7th grade

Perhaps not unexpectedly, boxes in the lobby and collections in various academic classes yielded only a handful of headlines.  So we did what any crazy reading ladies would do: we set up camp during lunch and invaded the cafeteria.  We circulated among tables shouting, "Write your headlines!  Grab a friend!  I have extras!  I have markers!  GO!  GO!  GO!!" That did it.  We've always believed that aggression has its place in encouraging young adult literacy.  

There's something, too, about mob mentality.  We've said it before, and we'll say it again: there is safety in numbers.  Ask one thirteen year-old boy to write a headline, and he'll mumble and shrug and avoid your gaze.  Have a peer command them to write a headline, and they'll engulf your festively decorated table en masse and develop cures for thyroid disease. 

By the end of the day, we had about seventy headlines which are now proudly displayed in the HMMS lobby.  Should this visual spur any student to complete a headline after today, we'll happily accept it and display it along with the others.

 Teachers in our building put their own spin on the idea of helping students invent their futures.  One eighth grade social studies teacher showed an inspirational YouTube video about high school students who are changing the world with their ideas.  A seventh-grade social studies teacher read a UN article talking about literacy's role in preventing poverty.  His seventh grade counterpart and our administrators tweeted their headlines. 

One teacher commented that she appreciated the opportunity to engage in conversation with students.  It's one thing to ask, "what do you want to be when you grown up," but it's quite another to inquire about the legacy they want to leave behind.  How do they want to be remembered?  These conversations build relationships and allow teachers to connect with students in a meaningful way.  Helping a student realize that they can channel their current hobby into a meaningful career is, simply, really cool. 

And so are the headlines we received.  Most students used their full names in their headlines, so we don't have too many to show you.  The ones we can share are below.  

We challenge you to write your future headline.  It's not easy!  Write your future in the comments below or tweet us! @allinoleary @mzcotillo  #CRL #ILD13

#1st5days

Erin:
Our Principal has been known to show some pretty rockin' videos at staff meetings and they typically fall into one of two categories:

a) hysterically funny 
or 
b) inspiring. 

Our guiding mantra.

At the occasion of our first gathering of the school year, he unveiled one of the latter and we watched teachers around the globe talk about the benefits of forming a solid foundation of trust and communication with their students.  

And then he issued a challenge: Don't teach any content during the first five days of school.

Thought #1 - Crap.
Thought #2 - This could be really, really awesome.

With less than twelve hours until students walked into my room, I resisted the urge to scour the internet for fantabulously creative activities.  Thankfully, sanity won out.  I chose a good night's sleep and just kind of trusted that the kids would show me what they needed, and I prayed that I was up to the challenge.

Mary:
My team decided to pick up our principal's thrown gauntlet, and we embarked on a three-day team-building quest.  We began with an in-depth look at the HMMS 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship.  Each content area teacher, special ed teacher, and the school adjustment counselor took one pillar and created a short presentation.  We worked independently, so one adult didn't know what the others would be presenting.  Some simply stood before the students and spoke passionately.  Others engaged the students in hands-on activities, or showed You Tube videos and PowerPoint presentations.  By the end of the short assembly, the students had not only experienced a refresher on the Pillars, but an introduction to the teachers.  

"No One Gets Left Behind"

Somewhat reluctantly we set aside our old team name, The Dream Catchers, and agreed to let our current students name themselves.  The kids worked in groups in homeroom to create meaningful names, logos, and mottoes.  Within homerooms the suggestions were narrowed down to two, and the final eight presented and justified their creations to the whole team in the auditorium.  The students rated each presentation on:
1. how well the name reflected our core values
2. how well the logo captured the spirit of the team
3. the appropriateness of the motto.  

Once the points are tallied (I'll update in comments!), we'll have a new team identity. And each student had a hand in building it.

Erin: 
Over the course of the First Five Days, I wrote open-ended questions on the surface of a beach ball and threw it at my children.  And we stood on chairs and called each other dorks.  And we wore each other's shoes.

I found out what they feared, what they considered to be their greatest accomplishments, the worst thing a teacher could do, and how they'd spend one million dollars.  I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I found out new information about students who've sat in my room for two years.

Another activity (impulsively named Four Card Draw) gave them two minutes to reflect on each of four topics.  For three of the prompts, they only shared what they cared to, but for the fourth "I expect good teachers to..." I made them read aloud to the class and I sat down with a pencil.  

At your service!

"Wait, you're writing this down?" 

"Of course.  I want to know what you need from me and I'm going to do the best I can to do exactly that."

Turns out, their requests were remarkably simple.  One even said "Have a smile on your face," but the light in my students' eyes told me they felt respected - honored that I simply asked their input.  Just like that, we were on the same page.  And we were bonded.

By the time our last activity rolled around, I knew this had worked because I had the kind of goosebumps moment about which teachers only dream. 

Mary:
My first day with my new cherubs, I passed around a roll of toilet paper and told the kids to take what they thought they would need, but I kept mum about exactly why they would need it.  Once everyone had some squares to spare, I asked them to share tidbits of information about themselves - one tidbit per square.  I soon became privy (see what I did there...?) to the fact that I was sharing my classroom with artists, dancers, football players, musicians, BBQ lovers, poets, readers, gamers, equestriennes, baseball fanatics, actors and actresses, and one kindred Shakespeare devotee. I learned that three students have hermit crabs for pets, but only one of those kids bothered to name their crustacean ("Crabby").  I learned that students had traveled to St. John's and St. Thomas over the summer, that others have never left the country. 

I took squares, too.  Before I volunteered information, I asked if there was anything they wanted to know.  It struck me as bitter sweet that their questions were so basic.  What is my first name?  Do I have children?  It requires so little to build the foundations of a relationship!  They now know that my full name is Mary Beth Varney Cotillo, the names and ages of my kids, that my favorite ice cream flavor is Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Therapy, but if I had to choose one dessert for the rest of my life I'd have to go with chocolate layer cake.  Oh, and if an 8th grader asks, I'm 29.  (Help a girl out, would you?)

Erin:
Not only did I notice that our kids bonded with their 29 year-old teachers, but they quickly attached to each other.  During one class' run at Four Card Draw, an eighth-grade boy got stuck.  He couldn't think of anything that made him unique.  I have to be honest, he was the only child that struggled with this.  It was unfathomable to me to leave him with a blank yellow card and thankfully, heaven intervened.  When another student piped up a question, that young man answered and I said "There you go!  You just inspired him.  Did you see?  You gave him an idea!"  His eyes lit up and he began to write.

You are unique.  You are inspiring.

And so there, on a bright yellow card, is the word "inspiring."

For my final activity I staged a scavenger hunt.  After stealing all of Mary's clipboards, I hid "I am" prompts around the room and let my kids loose with paper and a pencil, instructing them to spend no more than 60 seconds at each one.  

Now, if I told them they were going to write a poem, I would have had a mass exodus to the bathroom, or the nurse, or the Army recruiting office...anywhere.  I may have even seen tears.  See, I work with struggling learners for whom reading and writing do not come easily.  Mine is a replacement class where students receive specialized instruction in literacy skills.   Yet in just fifty-three minutes - one class period - every single student had completed an eighteen-line poem.  I've never experienced anything like it.

After one student printed her final version, I read in response to "I understand" she had written, "I understand C1".  It took me a moment to figure out what that meant.  Then it hit me: C1.  That was my class.  On day three of school, this young lady felt like she belonged.  How does it possibly get any better than that?

Mary:
I'm not going to lie, these team building activities were exhausting.  Teachers threw together pillar presentations overnight.  We sacrificed every second of our planning time to conceiving, creating, and distributing materials to facilitate our re-branding.  We wrangled summer-antsy kids back into group work in a fairly unstructured setting.  It was messy.  It was loud.  Honestly, it would have been a LOT easier to just jump into literature terms and start my short story unit.

But there is no question that the investment of time and energy paid huge dividends.  On Friday afternoon, on her way out the door, one young lady observed, "I love our new team. I think this year is going to be fun."  And I can't ask for more than that.   

So, what's your take on the #1st5days?  Please comment or tweet your thoughts #CRL  

Mary @mzcotillo
Erin @allinoleary