Push-In vs. Pull-Out

For this first post in my push-in support series, I will talk about how one of my colleagues and I ended up trying push-in support this year.

Over the summer I talked to various people for advice on how to best set up the time anticipated that I would have alloted for language arts this year. One of my main concerns was how to best accommodate that some students would inevitably be pulled out for additional reading support. Time and again, people said one powerful word - why? As I was explaining about our failed attempt at push in last year, as well as the challenges of alternating between English and Spanish each week when the push-in support was English only, I had a nagging feeling that it was not good enough to just accept that pull-out was the way it had to be.

Throughout the summer I was thinking through what would work since the year before we had a failed attempt at push-in, as well as why it was important to fight for it and make it work. Before I even got a chance to approach my director and the TOSA who provides additional support, the TOSA contacted me. She was taking courses for her Master's in literacy over the summer and was doing some reflecting of her own and wanted to meet with me.

Our philosophies aligned. We reflected over successes, as well as areas where we could improve in order to provide our students with the best possible literacy opportunities. While she created some excellent learning opportunities for students in previous years, we worried about the negative impact of the stigma of pull-out instruction, as well as the message that some of the policies/procedures with pull-out instruction sent to students. Most importantly, we worried about the over-emphasis on meeting state reading assessments over a genuine love of reading. Albeit unintentional and against the literacy philosophy at the school, it was apparent that many students perceived it this way. We were also worried about the disconnect between mainstream and pull-out.

Tomorrow I will share our vision that came out of our meeting in order to make positive changes in the new school year, walking out the door of the coffee shop with a bounce in our step knowing that we were moving in a direction that would closely align to our literacy beliefs.

The DREAM Act

I have been hearing about The DREAM Act since I was an undergraduate, and I always get excited about it potentially passing. Now, more than ever, it seems like it might finally become reality. Last week the House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act, and now it is up to the Senate. From what I have heard, this is a crucial time because if it does not pass now, it is unlikely to pass anytime in the near future. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote a post on the White House blog emphasizing the importance of the Act, and there have also been press releases about it (here and here).

As a teacher I am inspired by students every day - their drive, their dedication, and their dreams. Yet, I know that for some students all over the United States, their opportunities will be limited upon graduation because of their status as undocumented immigrants. Many who find themselves in this scenario were too young to be able to make the decision to come to the United States, yet as adults they have to deal with the consequences.

After dedicating my career to helping all of my students realize their potential and set high goals for themselves and watching students give their best effort, it is frustrating and disheartening to see them having eventual obstacles to becoming productive, contributing members of society. As a professional, I have also seen the injustice first hand with a classmates in college whose family poured all of their energy  into supporting their child through college without any federal help, only to realize that she would not be able to utilize her degree upon graduation. She had so much to offer, and sadly, she is not alone...

Secretary Duncan explained the situation well at the end of his post:

The students of the DREAM Act are some of the country’s best and brightest.  They were raised and educated in America.  They are valedictorians, star athletes, community leaders, and are active in their faith.  They text and go to the mall.  They are Americans in every sense of the word.  They have deep roots here and are loyal to the country that has been the only home they’ve known.  They are our future pediatricians, teachers, and engineers — if we give them a chance.  They are exactly the type of young people America should be embracing.

But, unlike their classmates, DREAM Act students are in a bind.  It goes against the basic American sense of fairness to punish children for the choices of their parents.  But thousands of young people find themselves in that position.  We can’t let them continue to live unfulfilled lives of fear and squandered hopes.  We need to act before we lose this generation.  It’s who we are as Americans, at our best.  The time is now.

President Obama's comment in one of the press releases also describes the importance:

The DREAM Act corrects one of the most egregious flaws of a badly broken immigration system. A flaw that forces children who have grown up in America, who speak English, who have excelled in our communities as academics, athletes, or volunteers to put their lives and talent on hold at a great cost to themselves and our nation.

I also congratulate the House for moving past the tired sound bites and false debates that have pushed immigration rhetoric into the extremes for far too long. The DREAM Act is not amnesty; it’s about accountability, and about tapping into a pool of talent we’ve already invested in. The DREAM Act is a piece of a larger debate that is needed to restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system broadly.  My administration will continue to do everything we can to move forward on immigration reform; today’s House vote is an important step in this vital effort.

I urge those who are in favor of the DREAM Act to take the time to contact senators in this crucial time for the Act. For those who have not heard much about it, you have the opportunity to make a big difference for numerous students by seeking out information about the Act and taking action to support it if you find it aligns with your philosophy as an educator and sense of social justice.

Push-In Support Series

Last Monday was my official last meeting of fall semester for my Ed.D. classes. Now I will have a little bit of extra time for about a month. With the break approaching it is a great time to relax, reflect, and post about some topics that have been on my mind this fall.

This week I will be doing a series of posts about push in support. Here is what I have planned:

Sunday - Introduction to push-in vs. pull-out

Tuesday - Shared Vision

Thursday - Progress

Saturday - Short Term Goals

Classroom Blog Post Link

Lately I have not been able to read all of the notifications of EC Ning links that show up in my email inbox, but I could not resist the one titled, Three Reasons I Love Class Blogs. It ended up being a link to a blog post. I recommend it to others who are interested in weaving blogs into the classroom.

The Hunger Games Book Club

I just finished reading The Hunger Games on Friday night. It's one of those books that I can't believe it too me so long to read since so many people have raved about it. One of the most recent people telling me that I just had to read the book was a classmate in my summer YA lit class. She was talking about how it has been a really great cross over novel appealing to teens and adults. When I realized that I needed to get a few more book club sets for my 8th graders, The Hunger Games was at the top of my list. Right now I am reading it with a group of five students - a mixture of boys and girls.

When we were dividing up the pages, one of the boys was complaining about the amount, but I told him that would not be a problem because he would not want to stop reading. Sure enough, the next day he had already read to where he needed to be in a few days.  Before our first book club meeting one of the girls asked if we could just finish the book, which gave me an idea. 

At our meeting I proposed that we just finish the book and roll right into Catching Fire, which is what the group decided to do. They do not have to finish until after Thanksgiving because we are going to be in a Spanish week, but I know that some have already finished it. When I read the last page Friday night, I decided to pull out yet another proposal. If they want to have Catching Fire for the break, we could have a lunch time book club to wrap up The Hunger Games and pass out the second book. 

The book is rich with discussion points, and I just downloaded the question guide off the Scholastic website, as they will be interesting questions to ponder. I love that it also includes background information from the author's point of view. The link at the top of the post on the title goes to my review of the book if you would like to see my thoughts on it. 

Lucky Day

Today at lunch I checked my university email and found out that my class was cancelled for the night. While I was looking forward to class, I was thrilled to save myself the two hours of commuting. It is also a chilly fall day, so I was able to come home to have the lentil soup I cooked in the crock pot over night.

Then, to make it even better, just as I was getting ready to sort through my data again, the doorbell rang. It was the UPS man with my copy of Day by Day! Now I am even more excited that I didn't have class so that I have a chance to start skimming the book.

Update (about ten minutes later): And now I just saw that Nancie Atwell has some new resources coming out! Fabulous...

Make Me a Story

Since technology integration into reading and writing workshop has been a main area of interest over the last couple of years, I was excited to see that Lisa Miller's Make Me a Story: Teaching Writing Through Digital Storytelling was a new Stenhouse title this fall. I was equally excited to see that Linda Rief wrote the foreword and that Miller is a professor at the University of New Hampshire. At the Boothbay Literacy Retreat this summer there were brochures available about UNH's summer writing institutes. Since then I have been more and more aware of just how many of my favorite writing leaders have connections to UNH, so I knew before I even started reading that it would probably be an excellent resource, closely aligned to my writing instruction philosophy. I was not disappointed.

In this practical guide aimed at K-5 teachers, Miller breaks down the nuts and bolts of digital storytelling, as well as highlighting the benefits. She focuses on Photo Story 3 (free for PCs) as an example program for classroom integration; however, she also briefly mentions other options. Always with a clear picture of quality writing instruction in mind, Miller walks her readers through the process of what to consider in planning and implementing lessons with digital storytelling with plenty of resources for images and music on-line. Toward the end of the book she includes a detailed step by step explanation with Photo Story screenshots, which I loved. Thus, it is a comprehensive book for those who truly are starting from scratch in order to implement digital storytelling. Yet, for those who are already familiar with Photo Story or other similar programs, the book still provides plenty of practical advice on important concepts to take into consideration when thinking about the role technology should play in literacy instruction and how to scaffold students with digital storytelling. In addition, the book comes with a CD-ROM with examples that are referenced at different points in the text.

I am thrilled to add this book to my literacy resources and to share with colleagues. Though I just learned about Photo Story toward the end of last year, I only used it once with my students. This book was a great reminder to think about where I can weave it in to my curriculum.

*Copy provided by the publisher