"Your streets are upside down...I'm here to represent"

It's been a quick minute since I've been able to update... but a lot has been occupying my time!

First things first... i'm extremely proud of my girl's for their performance over the weekend. For those of you who don't know, I'm the assistant girl's basketball coach for the 6-8th grade. This past weekend, we had a 3-game tournament in Bowie, M.D. To be quite honest, our first game on Friday night was a disaster. The girls came out flat, goofing around on the court, and they appeared to just be disinterested in the game. We lost by 23. Saturday night, we played another tough team. The girls came our firing .... they were playing with intensity... getting open looks, passing the ball well... and finally... yes finally, they were rebounding the ball. It came down to the last few seconds... and unfortunately, we lost by 2 points. The girls were visibly crushed. The team as a whole really came together that night... no one complained about playing time, the girls on the bench cheered their teammates on... it was just a great feeling to be apart of. I really felt like a proud parent. On Sunday... we had to play a morning game. Everyone was exhausted... and it showed in the way we played. The girls started slowly... again... but they were able to pull the game within 1 with a minute and some change to play. The game ended once again with us falling just a bit short... and we lost by 1. It was a hard 0-3 weekend for the girls to swallow.. but I was proud of the progress they had made in such short time. We still have a lot of work to do, but the girls have seen how well they can play when they're motivated. At times, they play some lockdown defense... and if we can learn to score on a consistent basis.... we're going to be on par with the bulls of the EARLY 90s. Ok... maybe not just yet... but you know what I mean.


Big ups to http://teachersol.blogspot.com/ I've been hitting this DC special education blog up a lot for new ideas, inspirations, and up-to-date news on special education mandates and the like.



I checked out Michelle Rhee's five year plan (draft) for student achievement today. ( http://www.k12.dc.us/chancellor/documents/DCPS_Five-Year-Plan_Draft_Oct_29_2008.pdf) It was certainly well-detailed and left out most of the more controversial issues going on (potentially creating a state of emergency in DCPS and turning schools into charter schools). It's nice to see that Ms. Rhee is not completely wrapped up with the teacher contract/union stuff... as there are changes to be made elsewhere... and we need a plan to do it.



As a Special Educator, you know my main concern was how we plan to address Special Education in the District over the next five years. Rhee outlined her 6 goals/needs for change as being Compelling schools, Great people, Alligned Curriculum, Data-Driven Decisions, Effective Central Office, and an Engaged Community. I decided to search the document specifically for her plan regarding special education, and found the following:



A general blurb about compelling schools: We will do this (create compelling schools) by enhancing the quality of our school portfolio, ensuring accountability for school performance, making schools safer and more modern, and expanding our ability to meet the needs of students with special needs.

I feel like this is all too common in plans in proposals in education-- "We'll give more money and attention to special education... we'll make sure that the needs of our neediest children are met"... with no specific plan in place. How about running special education programs efficiently so that we don't get sued for millions of dollars for being out of compliance? Or maybe we can hire certified special ed. teachers and compensate them according to their work instead of just hiring people who didn't make the cut to teach special education. Maybe I'm just being ambitious here.

I'm excited to get home for Thanksgiving. It will be nice to spend some quality time with friends, family, the dog, and my bed. I also have big plans to begin a phonics-based reading program with some of my lower-level performers when I get back. I was able to sit down (with Jess, my PD) and identify some of the things that are holding certain groups of students from performing at their highest level. Big ups to her-- that was really helpful. I came to the conclusion that certain students lack the basic reading skills that they'll need in order to perform higher levels of blooms. I'm real excited to get that going-- It's painful to see some of my students not being able to read.... what's worse is that they're eager to read, but simply cannot decode anything higher than a three letter word. Sending them to high school without reading skills is not an option. Most literature suggests that students who can't read by the 10th grade are put in survival mode... all hope at reading is abandoned... and the goal becomes to get them to graduation. That's why middle school is so important... we're not only preparing our students for high school.. but preparing them not to be lost in the mix once they get there.

"We talkin' bout PRACTICE.....PRACTICE"

For a short week (off on Tuesday for Veteran's Day), this has been a long week so far. I think I tend to get comfortable with these short weeks, and don't prepare myself adequately for the rigors of the week as a whole. My day starts at 7am when we get to school. Classes are over at 3:30. Basketball practice (more on that later) starts at 3:45 and ends at 6. 11 hour days are no joke! The first few months of school, I used to pass out on my desk 7th period (a planning period-- no class), because my body would just involuntarily shut down. I've since stopped napping in school, but have made an honest effort to get to bed by 8:30 every night. I haven't been to bed at 8:30 since elementary school-- this is wild! Lately, i've been sleeping pretty poorly too. I tend to wake up every two hours, and slowly drift back to sleep. Even though I budget for 9 hours each night, I usually get about 6 hours of solid sleep.

The past few days have been BUSY. Despite the nonstop action, I've been feeling better about the flow of the day/week. It's nice to start a new advisory with a plan in place, knowing all of my students, and being in control of most things in the classroom. I'm gradually beginning to be on top of things too....it's not enough to know students-- you have to know them in and out. As a special educator, and especially as a case manager.. it's not enough to know how a student is doing in my class... I have to know how he/she is doing in all of their classes. I have to know their situation at home, their background, their level of performance, their abilities, their weaknesses, their tendencies... I've come to know my students in ways that I would have never imagined (sometimes to my dismay). Some of our kids are going through, or have gone through a whole lot at such a young age. Your heart breaks for them, but it's also encouraging to see them seemingly carry on so well despite their circumstances. These are some of the most resilient people I've ever met. My relationship with my kids has afforded me the opportunity to have such meaningful interactions that I really value and enjoy. I find myself thinking about my kids all the time--I just thank God that I don't have to take care of them when they leave school! HA!

The new advisory has had its fair share of ups and downs. I've seen some motivation from some sutdents that I never saw in the first advisory. I'm also seeing certain students remaining in their old ways--failing to turn in assignments, not paying attention in class, and just having a lack of interest in general. Some of my kids become space cadets from the moment they sit in their seats.... no wonder NASA spends so much $$$$$-- I swear they're sponsoring my kids for their daily space missions..... Regardless of the downs, it's been a joy to witness the progress my kids are making. "High School Musical 3's Biggest Fan" has really turned things around. He went from not writing complete thoughts/sentences on assignments to writing full grammatically correct paragraphs with complete thoughts that show evidence of thorough analysis. Others have made tremendous social and emotional growth. It's been a real blessing to witness some guys mature.... it's a slow process... but I've been able to celebrate (with them) their small lessons learned as I see them happen.

The other joy in my life is girl's basketball. We have a squad of about 12-14 girls (6-8th grade) who are eager to learn the game and be part of the team. The problem is that we have 4-5 girls who have a lot of skill... they've been playing for a few years now. Aside from them, the rest of the team really needs to learn the basic foundations of the sport. Practice is wild.... some girls are going behind their back doing reverse layups, while others are double dribbling and shooting on the wrong basket. Obviously, we want everyone to get playing time and an equal exposure to the sport. We also want to be a competitive team.

We had our first scrimmage last night. What an adventure. We started slow... the other squad had this girl who was like 5'9... about my size, and quick as all. She would put the ball on the floor... gather, and be at the hoop for a layup. She must've scored like 15 quick points. Most of our inexperienced girls had NO clue what to do... and were very nervous! Some of them almost came to tears they were so nervous! It was a hot mess. We had some bright spots, and played really solid defense.... but we still have a lot of work to do. After losing 32-14, it was disappointing to see only 10 girls (out of 16) come to practice today. We're trying to create an atmosphere that allows for the girls to have fun and be a solid team at the same time. We have the talent-- we just don't have the commitment and the motivation just yet. For some girls, unfortunately, basketball might not be the best choice for them-- It's hard to have that conversation... seeing how much fun they have at practice and how hard they want to learn.... but how do you keep girls on the team who only show up to one practice per week? But coach... we talkin bout PRACTICE! I'm waiting for it... I really am.

Commit yourself. Be apart of something. It is only when you give of yourself that you can receive so much more. When you give, give your whole self. Anything less is just walking through the motions. Do not let others think that you are committed to something that your heart is not in. You never know who is depending on you, do not let them down. Make a statement about yourself with your dedication and integrity. Be someone and something to someone else. Be committed.

-ed.Prince


Check this out: I've been working on this project for quite some time since I saw it posted on the internet (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/) awhile ago. You can make your own smartboard (2,500$ touch-screen whiteboard) with simply a nintendo wii remote (40$) an infra-red pen (10-30$), and of course a projector. If your school provides projectors, this could be an excellent tool for you in your classroom. I've had some success with my visual learners (almost everyone can benefit from a visual) already. In this video, I demonstrate a few applications that might be appropriate for your classroom.

"Parents just don't understand"

I'm finding that this is not the case with Paul parents. Paul parents understand.

Actually, the prevailing perception of parents in urban school districts is that they don't have an interest in their child's education. The reality of the situation is that parents want their children to succeeed (as if this wasn't common sense), and are kicking their behinds at home in order to make sure that they will. The disconnect lies in the fact that not all parents can be involved in their child's education in traditional ways. This is why most teachers will assume that a parent simply does not care about their child's performance.

Case in point-- today we had parent-teacher conferences. I've had 7 parents come to conferences in the course of 7 hours. I teach approximately 90 students. Does the turnout for parent-teacher conferences reflect the level of parental involvement? Absolutely not. I really don't know how we can expect a large turnout for conferences when they're scheduled from noon until 7 pm. This isn't to knock our scheduling at all. Imagine a parent can't get out of work early. It's Friday... you know everyone is trying to leave work by 5 (at the latest). DC traffic is already a pain, and parents have to race to school before 7oclock? I can't say that I'd be beat to do conferences either.

What's really caught me off guard is the fact that most parents came in with an agenda. Now, I was expecting to explain why I gave Sally Sue a C, or why Easy Eddie ended up failing for this advisory. Instead, I'd say that 5 of the 7 parents came in to explain their own faults. "I need to do better this advisory, I haven't been on my son/daughter as much as I need to". "I like to put all of the negative things on me... he doesn't live with me just yet, and until he does we might continue to experience some rough times". It was inspiring to see some parents take responsibility for their child's grades, but at the same times I was hoping they wouldn't be so hard on themselves. In most cases, I think their children could benefit from a little tough love here and there, but I really hope that the parents weren't making excuses for them. It seemed as though some of the parents were being carried by their children. "My son said", "My daughter wants to do this..." "I don't want them to think..."... which is fine, you'll have whatever dynamic you will with your son/daughter--but establish some sort of authority.....dag.

I genuinely enjoyed my first bout of parent-teacher conferences. It was great to rave to parents about their child-- I can't say that I did much ranting. The pride that each parent has in their child was evident-- and it was nice to see that in each smile and "Why thank you" that they gave when a complement was dropped.

Every parent is a teacher, and every teacher a parent. As parents, we are responsible for teaching our children how to grow in to young men and women, while also providing the most consistent and fiulfilling love and nourishment possible. As teachers, we are responsible for giving our students the skills and the knowledge necessary to succeed in life. It is only when we embrace both the role of the teacher and the parent that we can truly become a driving force in our children's lives.

ed Prince.

"I want to talk to you"

HOPE was back today... for the first time in quite some time, I saw hope in the eyes of my students. The energy in the hallways this morning was incredible--all of my students were rockin' Obama buttons, people shouting, "Yes We DID", banging on lockers, dancing around.... there was so much genuine energy that I had never seen before. Some of the "hardest" guys in eighth grade were practically in tears, with HUGE smiles.... coming up to me to say, "MR DESHIELDS, WE DID IT!"

The raw emotion that my students expressed this morning was a fitting reminder of the reason that I love working with children. I see the same type of excitement and joy in the kids that I work with at summer camp--an unexplainable feeling. My kids at camp are truly free from whatever burdens they're facing at home... it's a week (or more) of just fun and GOD... there's not much better than that. It was good seeing that outside of camp... I can't say that I've seen that too many times before.

Yesterday, I had my students write letters to the newly elected President Obama. I know it sounds corny, but I figured I had to capitalize on the events of the day. I chose to do the assignment with my seventh grade classes because I've found that most of my students have a real passion for writing. They always seem to write more than enough, whereas my eighth graders usually have trouble producing more than two sentences. I didn't know how the assignment would go over with my students (especially because they were required to complete an entire election packet for history the night before). To my surprise, they were more than eager to write. I guess their eagerness had something to do with the fact that I promised them
that President Obama would eventually read these letters. With full faith and trust in Mr. DeShields, they wrote with a passion and determination that I've never seen from them before. Now that they've given me these amazing letters, I feel like I have no choice but to hand deliver them. Here are some excerpts of what they wrote:

"Some issues with this country is violence/crime and the war in Iraq. I know that the crime rate has shot up since 2004. People have lost family members and I too have lost one. Really what I think you should do is make a gun license law. Nobody can have a gun unless with a license. The war in Iraq is even bigger because its taking away from our economy and our population. What I think i will do is for violence/crime, I will start a petition or improve my behavior. For the war in Iraq, I can try to get people to start petitions to stop the war, have a truce and let it be".--

Sincerely,
Tired of People Talking in Class

"There needs to be change in this country and as president you must do this to build the foundation of our country. Number one kids should be aloud to vote. Children were the adults that used their genius to build this country and adults are learning from us. Number two we must aid other countries because if we have another war many people will die. Number three bring our troops home. You have to bring our troops home because our troops are fighting a false war and are dieing under false accusation."

Sincerely,
JRose from Chi-town

"Some changes I think you could make is to take guns out of communities so it can be safe so kids can go outside without their parents worrying about them. One more change that I think you could make is that you should take drugs out of communities also. What I will do is I will be a good citizen and not do bad things"

Sincerely,
Sedated

"I'm happy that you are president. And the election was really good. That a lot of people had voted for you as president. I hear you can speak spanish. And me, my name is _________ and I attend Paul PCS. And I'm hispanic. And how's everything at the white house? And Everyone likes to vote for you. Congratulations, Mr. Obama and it's nice to write this letter to you"

Sincerely,
Bernie Williams

"What I like to say in this letter is that I want change with the economy crisis right now. I have friends who have parents that lost three jobs. But what I really want to say is congratulations on becoming the #1 african-american president. Although I am hispanic, I am really proud. I saw a song called we want change, I felt like crying, but I believe you'll help USA become one big nation"

Sincerely,
Where'sMs.Rivers?

"Dear President Obama,
I am a 13 year old boy. I'm so happy you won my headwriting (handwriting) isn't good. One day I thought my headwriting was never going to be good, but when I saw you on TV and won I been working on it. I hope you can come to my school and call me up (not on phone) and thank me for writing this to you. I don't like writing a lot to tell you the truth but now I do. And thank you for being our president"

Sinaicly (Sincerely),
MostI'veEverWritten

"I would like you to help the immigration. Many people are coming here for something and when they get caught that they are illegal, they have to leave their kids. I would also like you to change the economic. I would like you to lower the prices of homes, the gasoline, etc. Many people have to live on the streets because they can't afford an apartment. Many people can't pay their bills. I won't like to see people begging for food or money around the streets.
I would also like you to stop the war in Iraq. Many people are dying in the wars. Many people are leaving their family members. We want to stop that.
Please, President Obama, help the people who don't have health insurance. People are dying just because some hospitals don't accept people who are really sick and don't have health insurance. I know you can change things. You are going to be one of the best presidents in the United States, I et. I believe in you".

Sincerely,
WiseBeyondHerYears

Our children have voices. Maybe they're never heard because we don't ask them what they think. We have a tendency to downplay their authority on important issues because they're "too young" or "haven't experienced anything yet". The heartfelt responses that I received from my students was a strong reminder that this is their country too. We have to give our youth the ownership that they so desire. How can they call for change in the future if we didn't allow for them to call for it in the present?

To the children:

Speak loudly and speak often. Speak without hesitation. It is your duty to be heard, and to be heard well. Be a voice. Be a voice to someone who needs to hear it. Be a voice for those without.

Ed Prince.

AMERICA....

"Wake up... this is not what you think it is"

Paul was buzzing with election fever today. Teachers were rockin' Obama tees, talking about lines at the polls, and looking for excuses to keep up with the news instead of teaching lessons. The kids were something else. At the mere mention of the fact that it was election day, students began to go craaaaazzzzy. "Mr. DeShields, Mr. DeShields... In our one class, we had this fake vote, and it was 22-1... only one fool voted for McCain". "Um.. Mr. DeShields, If THAT man wins, I'll be moving to Canada... so you won't see me"... "Oh, no worries, I'll be heading back to Africa for a little while".... "Oh that was second on my list, maybe I'll see you there".

It was interesting to see the students have so much excitement about the election. I wanted to see if I couldn't use it to my advantage, and for their Do Now I asked, "Regardless of who wins the election, what type of change do we NEED to see in this country. Give me the top 3-5 changes you'd like to see take place". "OH, Mr. DeShields, I could write you a whole list"--from the young man who never completes a Do Now... let alone any other classwork.

When I asked some of my kids to share their responses, I was impressed with what they had to say. "Three of the biggest changes that I want to see are to get the guns off of our streets--too many of the people in my neighborhood are dying because of violence, we need to give jobs to people who want to work and provide for their families, and it's time to bring some of our troops home". Or, how about the young woman who was asking for a change in the way we view immigrants. "We need to change how we treat immigrants. They can be just as proud of America and as hardworking as my parents are". Oh, and how about the young man who said, "Why is DC the worst school district in the US? It's not my fault I live here. I want to get the best education available".

These were 7th graders who were demonstrating a very real awareness of some of the change that is needed to restore hope in this country. I felt an urgency from my kids that I don't remember experiencing at their age. My kids are unsatisfied with the state of affairs... they understand what the status quo is, and they want to change it. I was truly blown away by their responses.

Despite an ability to elaborate on their desire for change, my students were still focused on race. Most of my kids expected all of the white teachers (along with white people everywhere) to vote for McCain. "Mr. Bordenkecher is cool peoples... he voted for Obama... he even got his Obama shirt on". "Mr. DeShields, how come you ain't vote for McCain"... "Cus his Dad is black and you know people vote like their fathers...". The kids had all types of theories about why certain white teachers were voting for Obama, but they "knew" that it wasn't the norm for white people to vote for him.

I left school disappointed that the election was mainly about race for my kids-- I mean, I knew it was about race for the majority of America... but dag, when they give me that glimmer of hope with their responses, I was hoping that it had become more than that for them. When I got on the bus to head home, a man boarded behind me. Immediately, he started talking to the bus driver about how he can't stand white people... how they're on the news talking about broken polls in Philly and in Ohio. "We've come so far, how are they going to keep him out of the White House now? I mean, you used to be sitting in the back of the bus.. now you're driving it".... my man was talking some hot nonsense. He looked at me, smiled, and said once again, "Not all white people are bad, just most of them are trying to keep Obama out... talking about broken polls here and there". The first time I chose to ignore him, not wanting to get involved with someone on a bus (see the disheartening event that took place on the Silver Spring bus), but when he continued to run his mouth... I had to tell him to put all that to rest. It was unfortunate, because it made me realize that these are the things that our children are hearing at home (on both sides of this racial divide). As a teacher, I've come to see how easily you can mold a child-- they're willing to listen to whatever you have to say... and most of the time, they'll believe you. Parents, however, have THE MOST profound impact on the way our children view the world. The only thing that you can do is to hope that each parent is helping their child to see the world in the RIGHT way.

Hope cannot be fleeting. Hope is something that is eternal. We hope for things that are not seen, that for which we know we're destined for... for which we know will bring us closer to what was intended for us. We hold on to that hope until our dreams and desires are realized... because if we do not hope, we say that we are contempt to remain where we stand.....

THE ed. Prince