Reading Update: Frank McCourt

"I'm in New York, land of the free and home of the brave, but I'm supposed to behave as if I were still in Limerick, Irish at all times.... I don't know why I returned to America if I have to listen to the sad stories of Ireland's sufferings and dance with country girls, Mullinger heifers, beef to the heels" ('Tis, 206).

    To say I have been enthralled, inspired, mortified, and raptly entertained by Frank McCourt's books might begin to convey how highly I recommend his writing. In Angela's Ashes, he recounts his poverty-stricken childhood in Limerick, Ireland, and 'Tis doesn't skip a beat in picking up his life story as he moves to New York, alone and 18 years of age. Teaching Man shares McCourt's insights from his 30 years in the classroom, which are also vastly entertaining, inspiring, and sometimes mortifying.

Angela's Ashes
   I was slightly shocked when reading Angela's Ashes that I had never considered the hardships other countries had endured during the Great Depression. Frankly, I was embarrassed that I knew so little about Ireland. McCourt's memoir made me thankful for running water, electricity, enough food to eat, clean clothes, and a warm home in the winter. As I experienced McCourt's childhood, I not only felt gratefulness but also amazement at the resiliency of children. His story is mesmerizing, but his writing style somehow enhances the narrative. His Irish-"isms" and style breathe life into the poor neighbors along the lane, the crotchety grandmother, the hoity-toity aunt, the drunken brawling father, and all of the other rich characters who help create the colorful tapestry of McCourt's childhood.
     I would reserve this book for older high school students due to the foul language and sexual content. In addition, the book is so moving, and I would hate to expose students to this book who are too young to truly appreciate the story.

'Tis
    At the beginning of 'Tis, McCourt is a fresh "Paddy off the boat" and learns some hard lessons as, alone, he adjusts to the American lifestyle and strange American mannerisms. Scrubbing toilets in hotels, fighting overseas in the Korean War, working on the docks, and putting himself through night school to become a teacher, McCourt's life is no less adventurous than his childhood in Ireland. Perhaps, most notable is the inner turmoil McCourt suffers as he attempts to honor his Irish heritage and yet form for himself an identity in his new home of New York City.
    'Tis follows Angela's Ashes, yet it would be possible to read 'Tis without reading Angela's Ashes - although this would not be my recommendation. Due to sexual content and strong language, I would reserve this book for an older audience.

Teacher Man
"I was more than a teacher. And less. In the high school classroom you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk a referee, a clown, a counselor, a dress-code enforcer, a conductor, an apologist, a philosopher, a collaborator, a tap dancer, a politician, a therapist, a fool, a traffic cop, a priest, a mother-father-brother-sister-uncle-aunt, a bookkeeper, a critic, a psychologist, the last straw" (19). 
    McCourt summarizes it well. I wouldn't recommend Teacher Man to my students, but it may be one of my new recommendations for fellow teachers, especially those who need a breath of fresh air. 
    I will say that I was surprised by the teaching tenets that McCourt references from his career in the 1960s and 70s. Stand by the door to greet students, engage the students, make the lesson relevant, provide enrichment... little has changed in what is regarded as "expert" teaching after nearly 50 years, and yet, we're still trying to master it...

Major Takeaways from Readicide

"I introduce 'readicide' here because it cuts to the central ironic thesis of this book: rather than helping students, many of the reading practices found in today's classroom are actually contributing to the death of reading" (2)

I thought I would begin with the premise of Kelly Gallagher's book Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It. Done.

"Students may or may not like the novel, but I want all of them to  understand the value that comes from reading it" (57).

We're human. We want acceptance. We want to be liked. I have never aspired to be that teacher who causes a student to crinkle her nose in disgust and mutter, "I hate that class." Yet, not all students who take my class are going to like every book, every assignment, or every project. That's a fact. Gallagher's statement is a reminder that I'm not in the classroom to be the students' friend nor am I there to ensure they like every book we read. Instead, I'm there to help them find the value in the literature we read and the value in the learning activities I ask them to engage in. I'm there to help them learn.

"Students need to be reintroduced to the notion that we read for enjoyment. To help my students achieve this goal, I have adopted a 50/50 approach in my classroom. To mix up the reading diet of my students, I want  half of their reading to be academic, and I want half of their reading to be recreational" (84). 

    Ok. It blows my mind that one of the most renowned high school English teachers in the country is attempting a 50/50 approach in his classroom. I've read Atwell's In the Middle and Miller's The Book Whisperer, and both of these inspiring educators used a reading workshop approach in the middle grades - but a high school teacher implementing this approach? Not too common.
     My kids absolutely love reading workshop day, which I have typically saved for the last day of the week. Yet, even this one designated day is not sacred, and sometimes students have a mere 20 minutes of free reading time on Fridays. If students could spend 50 percent of the time reserved for reading on recreational reading, they'd enjoy the class a whole lot more. Heck, they might even like reading. Touche, Mr. Gallagher.

Big Chunk/Little Chunk Approach: "In the simplest terms, students do a lot of first-draft reading of large chunk of text on their own (after initial framing from the teacher). This is followed with second-and-third draft close readings of excerpts in the classroom (which require teacher expertise)" (99). 

     I have been guilty of assigning chapters of reading and asking students to close-read the entire thing. I tell them I want to see annotations and evidence of close reading. Sometimes students are given a purpose for their close reading and sometimes they're told to simply note what they notice. Confusion becomes a tangible thing in my middle school classroom when I've done this. 

     In my humble opinion, students shouldn't be asked to close read entire chapters. Should they close-read an article after being given a purpose for the reading? Sure, no problem. But entire chapters? That's tedious. That's readicide. 

   It makes complete sense to me that students read large parts of the texts independently with a reading purpose, and then they closely re-read an excerpt identified by the teacher. If the teacher is unable to identify an excerpt that warrants close reading, then the text should probably be challenged as one not worthy of being read in the class.

Bell Ringer: Preventing the Flurry

     Have you ever entered your classroom, and you've felt like you walked into a flurry of chaos? Thousands of expert educators emphasize the importance of consistent procedures, especially at the beginning of the period. As a substitute teacher, I thank the good Lord for those teachers who have consistent classroom procedures. The next 52 minutes of my life are remarkably easier.
    I religiously have used a bell ringer/daily warm up/ bell work/ whatever you want to call it, and yet there have been days when I enter the classroom and Sally feels sick, Cade forgot his notebook, Jon really really has to go to the bathroom - it's an emergency! he swears, Dane saunters into the classroom ten seconds late, and Spencer sits in his chair doing nothing (what's new?).
    Could you imagine a classroom where a bell ringer wasn't implemented? It can be chaotic enough with 16 of the 21 students occupied!
   I have experimented with many different bell ringers throughout my seven years of teaching, and I have come to the conclusion that I get the biggest bang for my buck with middle school students when the activity is consistent on a day-to-day basis. For example, on Mondays we do _____, on Tuesdays we do _____ , ect. Some years I have had a bell ringer that ties into the daily lesson, but I find this type of bell work doesn't work as smoothly.
    I have had the good fortune to work with some truly amazing teachers throughout my career who have shared some of their procedures. I decided to compile a list of the various bell ringers I have tried in my classrooms, and I hope I learn of some new ones from YOU!

Source	Bell Ringer	Explanation
Kelly Gallagher	Article of the Week	Article is distributed by the teacher on Monday and collected on Friday. Students annotate/close read, answer two questions, and write 1+ page reflection
	Goal Setting	On Mondays, in inquiry based classroom/unit, student sets personal academic goal for the upcoming week (no behaviors)
50 Things to Go Further with Google Classroom	Planner	Each day, students visit the classroom website and record the following: Classwork LT (Learning Target) Homework
	Checking the Pulse	On Mondays, students submit responses to a Nearpod or Google Form sharing highlights or sometimes lowlights from their weekend
	Hinge-Point Question	Provide a multiple-choice question that will allow you to determine who “gets it.” Provide remediation/one-on-one help for those who don’t. Provide extension for those who do. Example
Pirates Mad Libs	Mad Libs	On Tuesdays, students review parts of speech by completing a Mad Libs
Jane Bell Kiester	Caught’ya with a Giggle	Students review grammar by fixing grammatical mistakes in passages that build on one another each day, creating a narrative that engages the students. It can serve as a read-aloud book for the class.
	Sentence Imitation	Each day, students focus on  grammar review, particularly sentence construction Presentation without the grammar emphasis
	Midweek Meme	On Wednesdays, students vote on the best meme(s) from the class and record them here
Going Bohemian: How to Teach Writing Like You Mean It (great resource)	Free Writing	On Fridays… Friday Free Writes   or Fiction Friday