Blue-Sky Teaching

I strongly believe in classroom choice for all kids, especially in high school, where our kids are so close to leaving us and need the ability to think and make their own decisions.  I have an ever-growing classroom library with a diverse selection of books to meet kids' interests.  I've always used a Writer's Notebook for kids to explore their thinking.   But still, these choices have been sprinkled, like a dash of seasoning, into my classroom structure, added to the foundation that I set...units of study, the "real" work, [cue dramatic music] the CURRICULUM.  I have maintained my firm position as captain of the ship.  I've chosen which objectives to learn in what order.  I've decided what the standard of measure is.  I've done it all.  Which, of course, means the kids have had no real ownership in the bigger picture of their own learning.  As much as I say I don't value compliance, a deep look at my classroom will tell you, compliance is the

May always sneaks up on me. April goes on and on.  And on.  But May is a lightning bolt - suddenly it's there illuminating everything I haven't done all year, everything the kids have not learned yet.  It can induce panic, fear, and anxiety.  It is also often a month of exhaustion. There are so many extra activities that it feels like a marathon run, and you count down the miles until you stagger across that sweet finish line. For my school district, May is the end of the year.  In our rush to get everything done and to get out of school, we often send messages that I don't think we really believe.  Unfortunately, our kids might. What do we usually do in May? 1.   Tell everyone what we have not accomplished .  I don't think any of us value teaching a mile-wide and an inch deep.  "Man, I cover everything in my curriculum" is not exactly an ideal standard.  Yet May comes, and I hear a litany of things teachers didn't get done. To our students, this m