A family visit

It's been a busy few weeks for us! In the monotony of our day to day, we were surprised with an extended visit from Lee's uncle, Ronnie, who was in from Arizona. My boys are typically a little standoffish with most people. Not the case with Uncle Ronnie! They "took a likin'" to him right away, as we say around here :)! 

 

Joseph was all up in Ronnie's grill!! Hahaha! Ronnie came to watch the Super Bowl with us, and when he left Joseph chased him out the door yelling, "Wait! Wait! I want to give him love!!!" Even Kathryn got in on the action, and y'all know how rare that is at her age!


There's been talk of a potential move to this neck of the woods in the not too distant future. How we hope that's the case! My boys keep asking about their Uncle Ronnie and wanting to know when he's coming back. We certainly hope so, so that memories like this can continue!

Play = Learning

This was the recent FB post from a friend of mind...

Momma's and Teachers!!! My child is having a hard time recognizing his letters and numbers. We've tried flash cards and it's just not working. I'm going to try wooden letters and puzzles but is there something you could recommend if you've had this issue?! I've even bought a leap pad game for letters and numbers and it hasn't helped. We've posted them around the house and have him tell us what they are and that hasn't worked. Reward charts aren't work. He's doing very well with other aspects of school but this has been hard for him.

After some Q&A I learned that her child is in Pre-K, has good phonemic and phonological awareness and command of the alphabetic principle. Not sure what all that means? Basically, he knows the difference between letters and numerals, and he can hear and produce different sounds (i.e., sound discrimination). Want to know more? Check out the Big Ideas in reading. The mama in me wanted nothing more than to reach through that computer screen (across state lines) and give her a great big hug and encouragement, but the school psychologist/child advocate in me wanted to admonish society!

I was so angry that the societal emphasis on skill acquisition and progression had lead this mother (and MANY others just like her) to feel such a pressured frenzy. What happened to the days of play? What happened to kids being kids? Some kids, a very small few, are ready for a more academic focus early on, but the vast majority simply aren't. Forcing concepts upon them before they are ready to grasp them has the detrimental "triple threat" of stifling learning, thwarting self-esteem, and eradicating the individualism that our country has valued for so long! I could continue on and on with this point, but there's already been a rather nice article in the Washington Post A Very Scary Headline about Kindergarteners.

Instead I will conclude with a couple of thoughts regarding letter recognition and discrimination. Working in the schools I always brought to the attention of parents, teachers, and anyone that would give me the time of day.

     (1) Our alphabetic system has meaning to us because of our interaction with it over time. The letter c has absolutely no inherent meaning to a child, just as ਬਿੱਲੀ has no inherent value to most reading this right now. Our letters are symbols, pictures that we have associated with some meaning or value. Nothing more. The funny characters listed before ( ਬਿੱਲੀ ) aren't confabulations. Rather, if you are fluent in Punjabi, then you'd readily recognize the word cat.

     (2) Our alphabetic system is one of the most complex symbolic linguistic systems. Think of it this way. In other systems each symbol is discrete; no two symbols are alike. Our physical world is no different. A chair, is a chair, is a chair, is a chair. It doesn't matter how you turn it, flip it, shape it, or color it. A chair is always a chair. But what about this little symbol: b. If we think of it as a symbol and don't associate it with meaning the letter b  that says /b/, then one could reasonably deduce that, just like chairs, balls, or tables, any way that symbol is rotated, flipped, or manipulated, it's the same. Makes sense, right? So, if we say that the symbol b means doodle, then that symbol should still mean that regardless of it's orientation. Following me? So, b, d, p, q should all have the same meaning because they are all the same symbol, just rotated or turned in some way, right? For clarity's sake, consider the pictures below. We will continue with the chair illustration, because that is perfect for demonstrating my point.

So, here's your average, typical chair. Humor me with the second picture. In this orientation it is representative of the letter d. See that in the second picture?

Okay. So, what if we rotate it 180 degrees? Would you agree that the first picture is still a chair? But, if we're thinking about our alphabetic system, that symbol just changed from a d to a p. Huh???

Now, flip it:)! What happens? First picture is still just a chair, but the second picture has now taken on a third meaning, b. If you're following my line of thought, then you know what's coming next...

A quick rotation, and voila! Picture 1 is a chair, but picture 2 is a q.

No wonder kids are so darn confused! You take one, meaningless symbol, turn it around a few times and it has at least four DIFFERENT meanings???!?!?! Crazy, right?

     (3) Okay, so my third, and final comment a child's ability to identify the name of a letter is far less important than his or her ability to imitate, discriminate and use sounds during early development. Don't believe me? Look it up. It's like the chicken and egg debate? What came first? No one can definitively say. They might have both just "popped up" at the same time. The same is true for identifying letters. Over the course of time and through repeated exposure, the vast majority of children will learn what those pesky little symbols mean.

So, what does all this mean???

• Expose your children to letters and numerals. If they are confusing the two, don't panic! Just calmly point it out by saying something like "I know that looks funny, but that's a number." 
• Emphasize foundational skills in literacy and mathematical concepts. Play board games that use dice (subtilizing is a critical skill!), play word games in the car, point out environmental print in your daily life. 
• I can't say this strongly enough, play, play, PLAY with your children! Our brains (and their's) learn best when they are actively engage in something that is fun and the stress is minimal. If you don't like what you're doing with your child, then I can guarantee that feeling is mutual!

Like what you read? Did you find it helpful? Please leave some comment love and feel free to share it on FB!

Want more on this topic, comment here or send me an email with your questions and interests, and I'll be happy to give you my 2¢, for what it's worth!

Snow Days 2014

So, our house was in the "sweet spot" of the snow band this week. We ended up with about 5 inches of snow in our area, which is HUGE for us!! I had a blast with the kids, but the school work has suffered. So, the blog is short, but the pictures and video are plenty! 

 

Common Core

Okay, so I recently posed the question below on my Facebook page, and I have been asked what my opinion was. So, here ya go!




    At the risk of igniting a potentially passionate debate, and, in the  
    wake of my own developing perceptions of NC's common core
    initiative, I ask, what are your views of common core? Just
    remember to be respectful, please :).

With the question I posted a link to this video of an Arkansas mom who was strongly advocating against common core in her state. This video is one of many voicing credible concerns with Common Core. Kenneth Ye, a high school student in Tennessee, hails Common Core initiatives in his state as "...technically proficient but creatively bankrupt" in this message to his local school board. And Massachusetts is one of a growing number of states to have halted the implementation of Common Core. You can check out Sandra Stotsky's, a former member of the Common Core Validation Committee in MA, views on this initiative over at the Wall Street Journal. NC Lt. Gov. Dan Forest shares a less than favorable opinion of common core, and the Civitas Institute has a page devoted to halting common core in NC. Not everyone is opposed to common core, as a simple google search reveals. 

Mike Huckabee encourages Republicans to give it a chance, and Eric The Younger responds to Kenneth Ye's school board plea in his commentary found at the Peach Pundit. Still, the questions remain: What is common core? What is it touted to accomplish? And, as we say in the south, "how's it going"?

Common Core is a list of standards, espoused by the Federal government, that states may elect to adopt. 45 states, including North Carolina, have done so. Understand that the idea of educational standards is not new; in North Carolina the Standard Course of Study outlined state educational guidelines prior to the adoption of common core. Common core is unique, with a  mission to create national consistency in curricular expectations and educational outcomes; all of the 45 states that have voluntarily adopted the common core have the same, general educational standards. The second aim of common core was to create a more narrow breadth of educational concepts that are covered in greater depth. Let's dig into that one a bit more.

For YEARS (and I am not exaggerating here), teachers spoke with me at length about their concerns with the "mile wide, inch deep" curriculum that resulted from both the NC Standard Course of Study and district selected curricular materials. They felt that the materials touched on a plethora of topics, without ever attaining solid student understanding in any area, resulting in students that often lacked basic proficiencies. Now, please understand that I am of the mind set that rules either need to make sense or they need to be loosely followed until revised. Sorry folks, but that's just how it is. I encouraged teachers to make certain that their students were proficient with the basics before moving to loftier concepts. I will never forget the wide-eyed, almost child-like amazement in the face of one teacher, in particular, as she asked me something along the lines of, "you mean I can teach this kid what he needs to know rather that what the book says to teach him at this point in the year?" I watched the tension leave out of her body as her bewilderment was replaced by a joyous smile when I said, "Yep! That's exactly what I'm saying." The real kicker...her kids, the ones that she was considering referring for a special education evaluation, began to make progress, some even meeting the next benchmark. My apologies for the lengthy digression. The point I attempt to make is this...that for quite some time the curricular objectives have been vast and shallow, an educational grievance that common core aimed to eliminate. 

So, in answering the first two questions, common core was touted as the educational initiative that we'd all been waiting for. One that would erase inter-state educational disparities through the implementation of "common" standards; an initiative that would provide all students with a solidified "core" of academic basics upon which they could build. Now, as ideas go, that one was pretty great, right? Great, yes, but also lofty. 

As a student of implementation science (you can find out more about that here), my eye detects some detrimental mistakes. First, if I told you that I was going to make certain that there were national standards for education, such that students in California demonstrated the same proficiencies as those in New York, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and so on, what would you say? As an educator, I can unequivocally say that I would cheer with great enthusiasm!!! 

Then, I take it a step further and assure you that my idea will make certain that all students have the basic educational tenets (i.e., proficient readers, writers, mathematicians). No more students graduating high school reading at an 8th grade level. No more students who cannot do basic mathematical calculations (heck, I might even go back to public school given my subpar mathematical prowess). No sir! That will be eliminated because my program is going to focus on making certain all students have a core of basic educational skills that are necessary to survive our collegial, economic, and societal environments. What would you think? I think I should be recommended for a Nobel prize! 

My point is this... The ideas of common core are ideal; they are what every American parent and teacher wants for their children and students. We want education in one state to be as rigorous as education in any other state, and we want to make certain that our children and students have a deep, genuine understanding of reading, writing, and mathematics. See that word in italics; that word rigorous? Not once did I mention it when describing common core.

That isn't to say that common core cannot be rigorous. Indeed, Kentucky is one state that appears to be on the right track. This, however, appears to be the exception rather than the norm. You see, common core is a federally supported initiative, and one can be certain that the glorious ideals were tweaked in federal hands. The tweaked version was passed onto each state that signed on; each state received the same version, with the same standards. The general standards may even look the exact same from one state's department of public instruction (DPI) to the next. Don't be deceived. Individual state DPIs placed their marks upon the uniform standards they were given. Their tweaks may not be apparent in the standards written on their websites. No sir, buddy. Their tweaks are in their interpretation of those standards and their implementation of that interpretation across the state. 

Do you know what happens next? Individual schools receive the state department's common core standards, accompanied with "trainings" (I use this term very loosely) and guidance for what the delivery of each standard should look like in the classroom. Each school gets the same "training", but, each school is different. The common core must fit into the school's climate, culture, schedule. Each school has different expectations, different values, different methods. If you're following my line of thought, then you know what is going to happen next. More tweaks!! This time at the school level, where designated leaders in each school share their knowledge of common core and district provided guidance with school-based colleagues. No more tweaks? If only.

The common core, with the guidance from the state department of public instruction, the local school district, and the individual school building has now been placed in the hands of teachers. From personal experiences during the months prior to the implementation of common core across a school system, as well as personal conversations with teachers actively hashing it out "in the trenches", let me assure you that "placed" was the appropriate word. Teachers were told what to do (the standards! the core!). They were given a couple of books, a few questionable "trainings", and told to "implement with success"! So, guess what!?!?!?! More tweaks!!! Grade levels met and discussed how the heck they were going to do this in their classrooms. Teachers, taking from the wisdom shared at the grade level meetings, took to their classrooms to make common core a reality. 

Again, my point... for any idea to work, for it to truly fulfill the goals for which it was intended, implementation must follow a somewhat standard trajectory. People that have a vested interest (we call those stake holders) need to be included from the ground up, not just once it reaches their state, district, or classroom. Trainings must be thoroughly planned, with consistent follow-up and assessment of what's working and what's not going so well. Revisions are inevitable, yes, but they should be approached with both the events currently unfolding and the final goal in mind. In order to do this, those "in the trenches" must be highly knowledgeable about the initiative they are attempting to implement. Knowledge isn't created in a vacuum, and it isn't best obtained through a book. Knowledge is most powerful through experience and collaboration. Isn't that what this whole education system for our children is about anyway? Adults are no different in the ways in which they acquire and retain knowledge best.

You see, the issue is not with the idea of establishing a national set of educational standards and priorities, and it's most certainly not with the idea of developing a strong base of foundational literacy and mathematical skills upon which students can build increasingly complex webs of understanding. No, the issue is with the implementation of those ideas in each and every classroom. While the standards may be "common" the ways in which they are implemented vary greatly from state to state, district to district, and even from classroom to classroom within a single building. Teachers are so focused on getting this common core thing "right" that the big picture, the one where we nurture children, encourage critical reasoning, and foster a growing sense of personal success, worth and value, that picture is being replaced with teachers that are even more frazzled, even more uncertain, and even more focused on the interpretations of abstract ideals without operational guidelines for how to achieve them.

While I fully support the ideals of a "common core", I am disenchanted with the implementation of those ideals within the state of North Carolina. I hear too many teachers saying that they either don't understand how to fully implement it, or that they ignore the initiative all together. Still others select "the good parts of it" while disregarding the "bad". The saddest part, the part that I'm observing right now, on an excruciatingly personal level, is the educational trajectory of my son. 

He's bright. I saw him soar in kindergarten with a phenomenal teacher who made certain her students had a solid foundational basis. He loved school, he loved learning (he even set up his own reading log for the summer), and he made tremendous gains in literacy, math, and writing. Fast forward half of an educational year, and the picture is less bright. I see a child who loathes school, asking me each morning if he has to go. A child who can pass his spelling test on Monday night. One who is bored to tears with his math assignments. Think I'm just "that mom"? The one who believes her child is more gifted than he is? I'm not. 

I have spoken with his teacher numerous times. Her pedagogy is sound, her frustrations clear. Regardless of her feelings about the implementation [my word, not her's] of the "new curriculum", it is a format that she must follow. So, to keep my son's educational curiosity peeked, my husband and I offered him an incentive. Ya know, his paycheck for doing something he didn't want to do, much like the paycheck many people receive for doing a job that they are less than interested in. The incentive: do all of your homework for the week on Monday night...spelling, reading, math...do it all. It has to be correct and you have 45 minutes to do it. Do that, and the rest of the week we'll dive into chapter books, we'll schedule trips to the museum, we'll even do that four letter word that is shunned upon in contemporary learning...play! Do you know what happened? My son did all of his homework (other than the redundant, laborious quantity type stuff) in 30 minutes and sometimes less!!  

We have since seen our son become once again curious. A sigh of relief and a burst of joy to this mama's heart, to be certain!! While I honestly don't know what the insides of his teacher's day to day classroom operation looks like, I believe that she provides instruction similar to the instruction provided by many other teachers. As I said before, through our many conversations it appears that her pedagogy is sound! What's more, I believe that she tries to add as much "sparkle" (i.e., FUN) whenever she can. 

You see, I believe in public education. I've seen the positive impact that public education done right can have on children. I don't believe in mandating new initiatives without training. I don't believe in needlessly adding to the already high amounts of stress that teachers experience. Good or bad, change is hard. I'll give you that. And, as I said, we learn best through experience. However, experience without guidance, experience without training, experience without essential knowledge, well, that's just an experience. It may end up right, it may fall short of victory. You see, I'm the professional that supports the ideals of a common core, but the mama who is beyond disillusioned with North Carolina's implementation.

So, what are your thoughts on common core? Do you have an example of it being done well? Concerns? Make sure to share in the comments section, but, as I reminded on Facebook, be respectful :)!

Our Christmas!!!

Shew!!! I have been doing some fervent posting these past few days. Trying to get caught up before school starts back on Wednesday (boooooo!!!!). This is the final installation of our Christmas activities.

This season has been one of the best yet for our family. It was a very laid back, easy-going Christmas,  where we kept the focus on Jesus and not on things. Seeing our children really grasp this understanding of Jesus's birth and significance was amazing. Santa visits us each year, leaving a letter to the children and a few presents for Jesus's birthday party.

Our poor Joseph was sick on Christmas Eve. He spent the evening on the (wipeable) couch with a trash can near by. Praise be to Jesus that he was feeling MUCH better on Christmas day. A little tired, but able to enjoy his gifts, family, and festivities.

The children woke up and, instead of running to rip open presents, ran to grab their letters from Santa. My heart melted, and I was thankful to grab a few quick shots of them in their matching

All smiles!!

LOVED his new CD!!

Joseph received a new four-wheeler for Christmas, and it was exactly what he asked for. The trick was keeping his sissy off of it, because she was all about sitting on that thing :)!!!

Later during the day we went to celebrate with Nana and Papa at their house.

Loving her Bitty Baby.

Riding his 4-wheeler...this is SERIOUS :)!

 

A helmet for the new 4-wheeler.

Wrestlers...thanks to Nana and Papa

You can't tell by his face, but he was VERY excited!

Christmas Festivities

Our Tree

 The many faces of Kathryn. LOL!

 A visit with Santa...

 

The Cox-Collier family Christmas

A Parnell family Christmas

Christmas with the Fosters