I'm a Mr. B. Wannabe

Yesterday, I started toying with the idea of starting a choir at my school.  The word "arts" is in our school's name; it's only right that we would offer a choir.  Since I've arrived at the school, we've been lucky enough to add a strings program, college-level art classes, and school plays and musicals--all thanks to very talented colleagues of mine.  But no choir yet--and I'm making no promises to start one, especially since I'd need to stop coaching track in order to lead a choir.

Regardless, I was inspired enough that, before I even rolled out of bed this morning, I tuned in to the PS 22 Chorus YouTube channel on my iPad.  Gregg Breinberg is my inspiration.  This guy has turned Staten Island fifth graders into superstars because they are so darn good at singing pop songs.  He arranges everything from Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" to Jay-Z's "Run This Town" for his group.  Watch some of the videos: these kids are having so much fun!

I've watched the choir's performance of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" so many times that I know Mr. B.'s harmonies by heart.  And that came in handy today when I learned that our music teacher was out on jury duty.  I'd been assigned to sub for science today, but I swapped with another teacher so I could do sixth grade music instead.  My guitar was in school so I could put it to use, strumming four of the ten chords that I know.

Now, sixth graders are young enough to believe and do most things that you tell them.  So I knew this group would sing for me, even though this was a general music class, not a singing class.  And, just to be sure, I padded my resume by telling them how, prior to teaching, I'd been a substitute guitarist for Oasis on one of their U.S. tours.  Not one of them was skeptical, but they did ask me why I decided to be a teacher instead of a rock star ("It's more fun!").  So we sang "Viva La Vida" about a dozen times through the forty-minute period. We learned the verses, made sure we had the melody of the chorus, and then split the group for the harmony. I did my best Mr. B. impression, dancing around the room with the guitar and telling them, "You sound like you're having fun...so you should look like you're having fun!"  A few times, I was able to take a breather, just strum the guitar, and watch these kiddos sing so beautifully before my eyes.

Before we sang it one last time, I confessed that I wasn't really a rock star.  They were aghast for a few seconds and then they happily dove back in to singing.

Two Go-To Strategies for Engaging Lessons

With my high school students today, I relied on two of my go-to strategies for creating engaging lessons:
a. examining primary source images
b. answering questions from the perspective of a historical figure

This lesson launched my Reconstruction unit.  I'm obsessed with Reconstruction, will probably write a master's thesis about it, and will explain my fascination with it on this blog some other time.  But I have some interest in getting my students excited about this unit.  As it happens, I just finished teaching the unit to my eighth graders, so I can use many of the same lessons with my ninth graders, adapting when necessary.

First, we examined an image.  This is a really useful Do Now activity, because the first question I'll almost always ask is, "What details do you notice?"  Anybody can answer that question--even struggling readers or kids with mental processing issues.  Then I'll follow up with other questions: "What event or events are being depicted?  What's the main idea of the picture?  What does it say about the artist's opinions of the event?"  Some students will only make a list of details while others will do it all; that's fine for this activity.  Then we discuss.  I insist on not interpreting the image until we have a good list of details.  That way, everyone is aware of the content, and students can use the content explicitly to support their interpretations.

Here was the picture today, thanks to a reliable source for political images from the late 1800s--political cartoonist Thomas Nast.

We made observations about everything, all the way up to the students who rightly interpreted that it's a "before-and-after" drawing: the travails of slavery on the left, the promise of freedom on the right.

"So here's the question," I said.  "Did the stuff on the left really give way to the stuff on the right after the Civil War?  That's what Reconstruction is about."

Then, I threw these questions at them:

The Big Questions of Reconstruction: If you were an American after the Civil War, how would you answer the following questions?  Be ready to explain and justify your answers.

1. How should former Confederates be treated after the Civil War?
a.  They should be prosecuted as traitors and should face all sorts of punishment.
b.  They should be forgiven so the country can get back to normal.
c.  Or something in between…explain: ______________________
2. How should Southern states be readmitted to the Union?
a.  They should be treated as if they had never left the Union and should be treated as states as soon as they can form a government that is willing to abolish slavery.
b.  They should be expected to grant civil rights and voting rights to all blacks before being readmitted to the Union.
c.  Or something in between…explain: ______________________

3. How should blacks be treated politically?
a.  Blacks should immediately be given voting rights and the ability to run for office.
b.  Blacks should be granted civil rights and voting rights only after years of adjustment.
c.  Or something in between…explain: ______________________

4. How should blacks be treated economically?
a.   Blacks should be given land and free education and services by the government.
b.   Blacks should be expected to earn their own money to pay for land and education.
c.  Or something in between…explain: ______________________

Those are, more or less, the biggest issues that Americans struggled with during Reconstruction.  So, before we find out what happened, what do you say, class?

I think this strategy works well because:

• There really is no right answer.  Sure, there's the answer that was actually chosen in history, but who's to say that one was the best?  As long as you have an opinion that you can justify, great!
• Multiple choice options work well because they focus students on a few legitimate options.  If I'd just asked, "How should former Confederates be treated after the war?" most kids would have no idea what to say.  But they can choose between a few options and explain their reasoning.
• This works in an individual-, small-group, or full-class setting.  With the first question, I asked them to answer individually, then explain their answer in small groups, then talk as a whole class.
• Multiple choice questions allow me to poll the class.  Then, I can ask, "Okay, who can explain why they chose A?  How about B?  And you who chose C, what does that mean to you?"

We had some surprising results today, too.  In particular, in response to #3, my class was almost universally agreed that blacks should not have been given suffrage and civil rights for many years, in order to give the country time to adjust.  They had good arguments: "It'll just lead to violence and rebellion in the South.  If Lincoln wanted to save the Union, it wouldn't be smart for him to force black rights on them right after the war."  Wow, okay, fair enough--I just would have thought that their views of justice would have outweighed those practicalities.

I'll be using these strategies again soon--believe me.

Battle of the Wits

It's been a few days.  There's a lot I'd like to write about, but my free time has been sparse.  It's not any better today: last night, I went to a concert by Oasis bandleader Noel Gallagher (after already attending his first show on Monday night).  Today, I'm leading a trip to my alma mater, Yale.  So I can only offer you these little gems from yesterday.  All thanks are due to the brilliant wit of Erwin, an eighth grader.

In advance, please realize that my students have been made aware of my outsized enthusiasm for Oasis and Yale (and the Yankees and my hometown, Troy, New York, for that matter).

During advisory period yesterday, my class discussed how to handle teachers that they don't get along with (i.e. Who cares if you don't like them?!  Follow their directions!  And if you're really, really bothered by something, speak politely and respectfully to the teacher after class.)  Erwin raised his hand to mention, "I'm really bothered by a teacher of mine who listens to too much Oasis music."  Brilliant deadpan.  I explained that he needed to change his opinion because he was clearly confused, then serenaded him with the first verse of "The Masterplan."

Then, at the end of history class, Erwin engaged in some covert chalkboard graffiti:

Can you find what Erwin wrote?  I'll give you a hint: it's not the hideous diagram of the U.S. Capitol that makes its dome look like a mushroom cloud...that was all me.

A few minutes later, I tracked down Erwin and explained, "We organize a trip to Yale for our top ninth and tenth graders every year.  But, of course, we won't be inviting any students who are confused about the quality of that institution in comparison to other universities.  Do you understand, Erwin?  Are you picking up what I'm putting down?"  Erwin: "No, I'm putting it down even farther." 

Bam.  That kid's got wit.  Maybe we'll still take him to Yale next year.

PBS: A Teacher's Best Friend

What a revelation it was last year to discover the value of PBS films and websites!  I think it started when I attended a showing of Freedom Riders in New York City, before it aired as part of the PBS American Experience TV series.  That movie blew me away so much that I started the eighth grade curriculum with three weeks of lessons and projects revolving around it. 

And it clued me in to the vast wonders of PBS.  Last year, we used PBS transcripts as readings in class.  We watched a variety of clips from New York: A Documentary Film.  I assigned film reviews as homework over breaks.

This week, Reconstruction: The Second Civil War saved me.  I checked it out of the library last week and re-watched it on Sunday night.  On Monday, my original lesson plans were thwarted by broken photocopiers, so students watched and took notes on the beginning of the film and then we discussed the crucial first moments of Reconstruction.  Today, in my ninth grade class, we examined a letter by a Union soldier using a lesson plan accompanying Ken Burns's The Civil War.  And in eighth grade, we learned about Andrew Johnson's pathetic presidency by beginning with a film clip.

As Johnson's stubborn, racist obstructionism became more apparent to the students, their comments grew increasingly interesting and entertaining:

"So segregation and Jim Crow might not have happened if Lincoln had lived and Johnson hadn't taken over?"  Well, I'm not saying that, but I'll bet things would have worked out better.

"Why didn't they just impeach him?"  Awesome question.  They did. 

"I'll bet they were throwing shoes at him, like they did at Bush."  Funny you mention that.  First of all, remember, that happened to Bush in Iraq, not in the United States.  But, while I don't know about shoes flying at Ol' Andy, I can tell you about the "Swing Around the Circle."  That was Johnson's speaking tour of the North, in which he managed to call Congressional Republicans "traitors" and to compare himself to Jesus, until people heckled him--the President of the United States--at every speech.

How'd I learn about the Swing Around the Circle?  By watching a PBS documentary, of course.

Prioritizing Sleep

From toothpastefordinner.com

You may be interested in reading my post about Lupe Fiasco on my student blog.  If you want to make comments, please leave them here.  The comments section on ccaahistory.blogspot.com is just for the kids.

Hmmm, is it a coincidence that my students have behaved the worst on days when I went to bed after my bedtime?  Or is it just that I'm agitated and impatient and project that onto them?  This afternoon, I caught myself getting overly irritated at my students.  And I asked myself why I was getting so annoyed, and I prayed for patience, and I was still irritated.  And then I realized I hadn't gotten to bed until 11:30 the night before.

Get sleep.  Let that be a lesson to me.

How good it is...

In between today's Election Day professional development sessions and my track practice with the Van Cortlandt Track Club tonight, it's time to launch this blog.  I already keep a blog that is directed toward my students at ccaahistory.blogspot.com.  This blog will be aimed at educators, students of history, and other interested adults.  In general, I'll try to write a paragraph or two before I leave school each day, usually to reflect on a lesson I've delivered or some experience at school.  I probably won't be able to resist an occasional post on current events or education policy.  So, to begin...

How good it is to work with people that you respect and really like!  It's been my good fortune, every year, to work with colleagues who take their jobs seriously and put in valuable extra time with our students.  Today, we worked out details for next week's field trip to Yale, chose the winners of the eighth grade neighborhood scavenger hunt, threw around ideas for a spring break overnight trip to DC, learned how to use our new computer lab, assigned struggling high school students to after-school teacher-led tutoring groups, organized our classrooms, mapped out the next few days of history lessons, and discussed some of our highest-risk eighth graders.  This sort of stuff can only happen when there is mutual respect among faculty--and when administrators trust faculty with the kinds of decisions we were making today.

Thanks, friends.