Middle School Stinks

During a conversation last night with Shawn Kibel, a teacher at Honey Grove Independent School District in Honey Grove, Texas, I causually mentioned how hot my school was. I teach just outside Buffalo, NY, and we have been experiencing a string of humid days in the mid 80s. I found it humorous that the idea of a school without central air conditioning was mind boggling to Shawn, but since I live in an area where it would only really be needed during two schools month each year, it makes sense that no schools allow the expense.

Still, the conversation got me thinking about some of the pitfalls of teaching during the last quarter of the year as spring stumbles its way into summer.

The Heat
If it’s 80 degrees outside, I can guarantee that my classroom will be approximately 20 degrees hotter. I’m on the second floor of the building, and the mass of writhing student bodies doesn’t help much either. Sometimes it gets so hot the stairs actually get wet. I’d like to think the building is weeping for my discomfort, but it’s actually because the difference in temperature is so extreme between the two floors that condensation forms. On hot days, we basically have weather patterns in our halls.

The Stink
Middle school kids smell a little funky by definition. Either they haven’t discovered the plesantries of personal care products yet, or they swim in Axe body spray before coming to school. Either way, it gets kind of stinky. Warm weather only amplifies this.

The Fights
I was talking to a teacher this morning who shared a story with me about a family member who owns a house on the shores of Lake Chautauqua. Every year, her yard floods and she literally finds fish spawning on the front lawn. Spring is the time of year when mother nature reminds us all that the future of our species needs our help. In middle schoolers, this means lots of hand-holding in the halls, and plenty of fights. It’s hard enough keeping kids’ attention even without Wrestle Mania taking place between periods. But hey, at least they aren’t spawning on the front lawn.

The Exams
Two weekends ago, I participated in a 5K walk for Hospice. Immediately following, I returned home to throw a birthday party for my sister-in-law. After the guests had left, I pulled out the push mower and cut the grass. That day was a marathon, and it didn’t end with the Hospice Walk. That’s how my students are feeling right now. New York State has just concluded its long battery of state assessments, and we still have two weeks of classes before they can run free.

So I guess I can’t blame my students if their attention is less than perfect. They’re sweaty, stinky, distracted, and exhausted. They are ready for summer. And so am I.

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When Parents Put Sports Before Education

A student came to me this morning asking if he could turn his homework in late. I asked him why it wasn’t done, and he responded by giving me a scene-by-scene rundown of his evening.

After school he had practice for the school's modified lacrosse team. He went home, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then was driven over to the ice rink to practice with the town’s hockey team. After that practice, we immediately went to another hockey practice, this time for a travel team he plays for.

This boy left his house for school at about 7am and, other than a hasty dinner, didn’t return home until about 10pm. No wonder my essay didn’t get done.

Sure, I could have reminded him that I gave two days in class to work on it. I could have also told him that school should come before sports. I could have done a lot of things, but instead I gave him a pass to come up to my room and work on the assignment during one of his free periods. Why? Because it isn’t wrong (or abnormal) for a middle school boy to desire nothing more than living and breathing sports. What’s wrong here is the fact that his parents are letting him do it.

I don’t know all the details, and I’m certainly not going to put myself in the lose-lose situation of trying to explain to someone how to raise their kids, but this boy’s schedule just screams poor decision-making.

My students are reading Todd Strasser’s The Wave, and there’s a cautionary line in the book that we are discussing today in class. Interestingly enough, it fits this scenario nicely.

"This experiment involves young, impressionable kids. Sometimes we forget that they are young and haven’t developed the judgment we hope they’ll have someday.”

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Fundraising with Justin Bieber

Several weeks ago, local pop radio station Kiss 98.5 announced a penny drive to benefit Women and Children’s hospital. The school that raises the most money wins a special concert by teen heartthrob Justin Bieber.

The middle school where I teach is all abuzz about the potential of winning the contest. Kids are bringing in money by the bag full. So what if he’s a flash in the pan? It’s raising money for a good cause.

To help promote the contest, I started making daily Bieber pictures for teachers to hang in their rooms. I’ve been Photoshopping stupid pictures since I was about 16, so it only takes about 15 minutes for me to make one, and the kids love it. I admit that I’ve never even heard a Justin Bieber song until just recently, but again, it’s for a good cause so I’ll pretend to be as excited about him as all the kids. Teachers seem entertained too – every morning I’m greeted with an inbox full of kudos from my colleagues on the day’s Bieber propaganda.

And this is why I’m so surprised to hear rumors of a grumbling few who find my daily emails offensive or inappropriate. A colleague warned me today that she had overheard two other members of the faculty complaining. They said they were going to email me and ask to stop sending pictures.

I look forward to reminding them that my pictures are all in good fun, and intended to raise money for an excellent organization. Furthermore, I completely stand behind anything that unifies a school and creates an environment of comradery.

Or maybe I can just remind them that it’s the holiday season.

Don’t be a grinch.

 

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A Good School Fundraiser

Last Sunday my wife and I packed up the kids and headed to Applebee’s for a fundraiser breakfast hosted by the girls’ swim team. I had been hit up earlier in the week by a student – the tickets were only 5 bucks and promised pancakes and a bottomless cup of coffee, so I was all for it. It seemed like a symbiotic venture for both the swim team and the franchise. Applebee’s is typically closed Sunday morning, so they gained by charging a small building fee, and the rest was profits for the team.

But that’s not the only reason why I liked this fundraiser. Once we bundled the kids, piled into the car, and arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted at the door by several students acting as hostesses. Several other girls soon came to the table with our meals, and a girl who normally sits in my 2nd period class cleared my empty dishes. What a fantastic idea.

There’s a level of obligation to participating in fundraisers because the kid standing at your desk trying to convince you to buy candy/popcorn/wrapping paper/raffle tickets/candles is the same kid that just humored you in class and laughed at your dumb jokes. Forking over money for junk we don’t want comes with the territory of being a teacher, right?

I liked the breakfast fundraiser because it involved the kids working for the money. Maybe it's just my optimistic nature to try and see everything as a teachable moment, but you can bet those girls learned more than the kid whose mom dumped a box of fundraiser chocolates in the middle of her office with a sign saying something like “My son wants to go on a class trip to Montreal!”

You know and I know that I will probably cave regardless of the fundraiser (the $20 box of microwave popcorn sitting in my pantry is proof enough). But I appreciate it when the student at the helm and made to work for it.

In the end, whatever it is they are working toward will be more rewarding.

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Ed Tech Day 2009

I don't normally pay much attention to commericals, however about a month ago one caught my eye. It was for something called Ed Tech Day, and judging by it's straight-forward message and simple production quality, I assumed it was something local.

Edtechday.org explains that the event is sponsored by the Educational Technology Foundation of WNY, and is designed to "help educators and community volunteers enrich the lives of children by improving access to modern computer technology. " Basically, a bunch of tech nerds get to wander around technology-starved schools piecing together a variety of donated technologies. I spend much of my free time doing this in the basement with no real purpose or cause, so Ed Tech Day was right up my alley.

Ed Tech Day was this past Tuesday, the 18th. My assignment was Northern Chautauqua Catholic School in Dunkirk. The worse part of the event was the hour and a half drive from my house for the 8am start, but I got to meet some cool folks and picked up a few new tech tricks as well, so the bleary-eyed drive was worth it.

Of the 8 of us volunteering, I was the only one without a professional IT background, but I was still comfortable doing most of the day's chores. It was mostly cleaning up exisiting computers - virus scans, defragging, Windows updates, etc - although I also had the pleasure of unboxing and configuring a brand new Promethean Board. Again, nothing too difficult, so anyone reading this should consider volunteering next year.

The part I'm amazed at is the complete lack of local awareness for such an incredible cause. After seeing the commerical, I sent a tweet out asking if any of my fellow WNYers knew of the event, and didn't receive a single response. Regardless, Ed Tech Day seems to be growing in scope and scale. Here's a portion of a follow-up email I received from foundation president, Elizabeth Schanbacher:

The Educational Technology Foundation of WNY would like to thank all of you who braved the heat today to upgrade 18 sites in three different counties for
the 6th annual Ed Tech Day. Over 120 people volunteered to install 7 servers,
deploy 80 computers, install and upgrade 10 wireless networks as well as
complete a myriad of other tasks to ensure access and equity of technology for our community.

I'm proud to have been one of those 120 people, and I'm looking forward to
doing it again next year. Who's with me?

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Dear Former Teachers, I Turned Out Okay

Quite often, I find myself trying to imagine who my current students will become as they grow up. It's difficult to see past the roles they play in my room – the spaz, the loner, the jock (I'll stop there before the copyright infringement letters from The Breakfast Club start appearing in my mailbox), and that can be disheartening at times. I want my kids to grow up and lead happy and successful lives, but it's just not realistic to assume that will be the case for all of them. It's uncharacteristically pessimistic of me to think this way, but it's reality.

Reflecting on my students made me reflect on myself at that age. I know the role that the 13-year-old me played was a bit sketchy at times. What portrait of the future did my younger self paint to my former teachers? Probably not a very promising one.

Last week I tracked down three of my 8th grade teachers, and sent them an email. I felt it was important that they know I survived college, found a good job, and started a family. It means a lot to me that they know their troubles didn't go without notice.

Here's how I started my letter:

My name is John Mikulski, and I was your 8th grade student in the 94-95 school year.

Like many 13-year-old boys, I was awkward, irritating, and definitely a bit smelly on warm days. I remember crying at the dinner table over homework, and I remember having no clue how to impress the guys while looking cool in front of the girls. 8th grade was a difficult year for me, but for some reason, it stands out as a defining time in my life.

I found writing my letter, and reading the two responses I received to be truly rewarding. I encourage everyone to contact a former teacher and do the same. Tell them you turned out ok. That you're happy. But most importantly, that you are all these things in small part because of them.

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Things Students Say (And What They Really Mean)

When kids say... I don't understand.
They really mean... I wasn't paying attention when you gave directions.

When kids say... I have to use the bathroom.
They really mean... Your lesson is boring so I think I'll walk the halls for a bit.

When kids say... I have use the bathroom because I have my period.
They really mean... I plan on doing whatever I want for the next 20 minutes because there is no way on Earth you are going to ask me why I took so long.

When kids say... I can't find my homework.
They really mean... I'm too lazy to come up with a good excuse why my homework isn't done.

When kids say... Can I do extra credit?
They really mean... My parents are mad at me because of my grades.

When kids say... Can we sit where we want today?
They really mean... I have no plans of paying attention today, and sitting next to my friends will make it much easier to discuss more important things.

When kids say... I'm sorry for cheating.
They really mean... I'm sorry I got caught cheating.

When kids say... This is stupid.
They really mean... This stuff is way over my head.

When kids say... What time does this period end?
They really mean... How much longer do I have to sit here? I don't know how to read an analog clock.

When kids say... Can I type this?
They really mean... Can I copy and paste the Wikipedia entry then spend the rest of the period checking email, playing games, and Google searching pictures of Angelina Jolie?

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9 Concessions Teachers Must Make

Concession - The act of conceding or yielding.

1. I can only control what happens in my classroom
The social aspects of school life dominate the hallways and it is going to follow students into the classroom regardless of how prepared I am. Girls will cry about a boy, boys will argue about sports teams. And both of these things will interrupt my plans.

2. There will be bad days
I am allowed to have a bad day, and so are my students. I am not allowed to take it out on my students (although I'm sometimes tempted to make them the proverbial dog that gets kicked), and they shouldn't take it out on me either.

3. Technology is going to fail
The general rule with technology is that when it decides to get sick, it doesn't hiccup. It projectile vomits. When you hand 30 students each a laptop, something is going to go wrong.

4. There will be days with no lesson plans
It's okay to show a movie. It's okay to schedule work days. It's okay to edit and revise. All within moderation, and all at appropriate times.

5. Some kids have more important things to worry about than my homework
I had a student in my room a few years ago that lived in a mobile home that didn't have running water. I have several kids (that I know of) this year whose families have had to answer to CPS. These kids have bigger problems than memorizing poetic devices for my quiz on Friday, and it's just not realistic to think that should be a priority to them.

6. Regardless of my expectations, my students are still just kids
I wrote this blog post about this earlier (which, incidentally, got me thinking about this list.)

7. There is going to be a student in my room that I dislike
I'm a pretty easy guy to get along with, but in life I accept that there will people whose personalities clash with my own. In the real world, I ignore the people. But in the classroom, they are still my students – and they can't be treated any differently.

8. Lessons will not go as planned
I openly admit to my 1st period class that they are the guinea pigs. What I do 1st period and what I do 9th are usually different. Good teachers don't stay the course – they compensate for pot holes and detours along the way.

9. Grades aren't everything
This goes not only for teachers, but for students and parents too. I had a message on my school voice mail last quarter from a parent demanding to know why his daughter's grade dropped from a 96 to a 94. It's the journey that's important, not the destination, right?

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5 Reasons Linux Belongs in Schools

It seems that whenever someone I know replaces their old computer, it ends up down in my basement. My wife jokingly refers to it as the place where computers go to die. Admittedly many are in some state of disassembly or simply don't even start, but toying around with them is a fun hobby that costs nothing. And I haven't started the house on fire yet.

Every computer but one is running some flavor of Linux operating system. Linux is in distant 3rd place behind Mac and Windows operating systems, but it works great on my project computers because they are usually outdated with limited resources. Just mentioning the word Vista around them would cause them to turn to dust, so an Linux operating system that is under 50mb is the obvious alternative.

The other day I was working on installing the newest version of Ubuntu on a Dell laptop, and I was thinking about all the possibilities that Linux has over Windows. It prompted this tweet:


I use my laptop running Xandros Linux at school every day and it never fails me. I can do more with it than the Windows machines that live in my classroom. My Twitter message was supposed to reflect this, but 140 characters must not have been enough, because I immediately received this response from @jerridkruse:

So here is my belated (and >140 character response) answer to Jerrid's question.


Linux is Free
Linux is free to download, distribute, and use. Every application for Linux is free of charge and open source. Imagine the amount of money a district would save by trimming Microsoft from its budget. It is also free to upgrade (a distribution like Ubuntu guarantees new versions every few months) so a district would never have to worry about obsolescence.

Linux is Secure
While there are free anti-virus programs for Linux, they're pretty irrelevant because there are hardly any viruses for Linux. In two years' time, I have never been infected by a virus on a Linux machine, while an unprotected Windows machine gets hit within about 40 minutes of going online.

Linux is Versatile
Not only is Linux free as in no cost, it is also free as in freedom. The source code for the Linux kernel is freely available (unlike Windows or Mac that keeps their inner-workings top secret), which means schools could customize Linux to fit their specific needs and resources. In fact, many universities – University at Buffalo for one – already do this.

Linux is Capable
Many Linux nay-sayers complain that there aren't enough resources. It's true that Windows software does not work on Linux, but it's also true that for virtually every piece of Windows software, there's at least one free, open source alternative for Linux. Microsoft Office? Use OpenOffice. Photoshop? Use Gimp. Publisher? Use Scribus. Inspiration? Use Freemind. They're all excellent. And besides, a little diversity is good for students. After all, shouldn't we be teaching the process instead of the program used?

Linux is the Future
Plain and simple, Linux is not going away, and it's continually growing in popularity. Major companies are now offering computers shipped with Linux. Cell phones, ATMs, even Ebay – all run on Linux. Every school mission statement says something about preparing for the future. It is likely that these kids will someday be put in a job where they will need to work alongside Linux.

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One thing needs to be made clear - Linux is not the same as Windows, and there's much more to it than what I wrote here. But if you are comfortable Googling answers to any Linux questions this post leaves you with, then you will probably be comfortable giving Linux a spin. Let me know if you need a hand.

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5 Ways Teaching is Like the Game of Risk

Last weekend I convinced my wife, her sisters, and her sister's fiance to gather around the kitchen table for a light-hearted game of Risk. After several hours of intense battling (with no end in sight), we called it a night. The slow victories, the back and forth attacks, the constantly elevating emotions – they all reminded me of one thing. Teaching.

1. It is nearly impossible to plan more than one turn ahead since you never know what your opponent is going to do.

Since I was playing with five other people, I had to wait at least 20 minutes between turns. In that time, the game board – and my plan of attack – changed constantly. Not only did I need to keep in mind where I wanted to go, but also where I was at any given moment. As for teaching, I wrote this blog post that echoed those same principles in education.

2. Once an army builds momentum, it is nearly impossible to stop them. Great if you are attacking, not so great if you are defending.

Every teacher has experienced a class that turns into a mock representation of Golding's classic novel Lord of the Flies. No one intends for this to happen, but the change is so gradual that by the time the teacher realizes it, it's too late. The same thing happened to me during Risk. All seemed fine, until I noticed that I had lost Europe (and the 5 extra troops it awards each turn) to the green invading army.

3. Some people simply don't see why Risk is such an exciting and challenging game.

The only reason why I convinced the girls to play Risk in the first place was because we set up the board when they ran out to pick up snacks. By the time they realized what we had planned, it was too late. They simply didn't get the same pleasure out of Risk as the guys did. As teachers, we see this during many parent meetings. For some families, school simply isn't a priority – and that's usually the root of the problem.

4. The end goal nearly always seems unobtainable until it somehow miraculously happens.

Progress is slow and sometimes difficult to measure. In Risk, a victory comes not when a country is won, but when it can be held longterm. The same can be said about learning.

5. Even during the fiercest of games, truces must be made. At least for a little while.

Working with students is a constant game of give and take. Good teachers are the ones who know how to take more than give (without students ever noticing).

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Student Bathroom Use - Scientific Research

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