#SOL15: Day 31, Community is a Non-Negotiable

I sit at gate 38 waiting for my flight back to Los Angeles.

Coming here, I felt guilty.

In my mind, I tried to justify it by adding up the learning I’d attain and see if it balanced out with the money I’d spend.

I knew my desire to go was as much about being with the educators sitting beside me as learning from the educators who stood in front of me.

And I did gain knowledge, tangible strategies I can use tomorrow with students. But, I got something else which has changed my construct as to what professional development is.

The presenters were the focal point and clearly inspirational. They were the reason we came. 

But — 

This weekend I realized the importance of community. A community that is passionate and committed, that rallies around core beliefs, that shares struggles and a strong faith in humanity may matter more than any presenter’s research, idea, strategy, or book.

While  professional development with specific learning goals in mind is clearly necessary, our learning opportunities must include the development of and participation in a community of shared purpose and belief.

No matter what the standards, no matter the mandates, no matter the strategies and practices your school has in place, no matter the technology, no matter the environment, no matter the financial support. What matters most are the core beliefs built and sustained within a community of learners. Without this, nothing else matters.

There was something very powerful about meeting in Riverside Church. We came to listen and commune in our shared beliefs in literacy and humanity. We came because we believe that literacy is a necessity for our continued existence. That literacy is non-negotiable. And that no matter what, what we do is essential.

This is why I came to Riverside Church to be with my community that sustains me in a job that is difficult and often defeating but essential.

Without the TCRWP community, the community of bloggers and tweeters, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this, ready to go back to a classroom of learners with a renewed sense of purpose. Profession development needs to be seen as more than just learning how to do something. It also has to be about becoming a part of something.

Thank you, Anna, Beth, Betsy, Dana, Stacey, and Tara for building and sustaining the powerful blogging community of Two Writing Teachers. Read more slices here.

#SOL15: Day 30, Notes from TCRWP’s Saturday Reunion

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend TCRWP’s 88th Saturday Reunion. The beauty of TCRWP is their belief in teachers and the need to build and bolster the community as learners. The reunion was open to all; a gift to anyone who makes their way to New York City.

There was so much to be gained from the sessions. The only problem was choosing which one to go to!

@tcrwp Wanted to be Hermione today so I could attend multiple sessions ALL day long! Amazing learning! What a fabulous day! #tcrwp

— Fran McVeigh (@franmcveigh) March 28, 2015

Carl Anderson’s session lifted my understanding of how to use mentor texts, particularly in narrative writing.

Some key points:

• Students should be immersed in the sound of a genre and to see the way a genre is written.  To be able to write well, students must understand how it goes. Perhaps we don’t put enough emphasis on this because it doesn’t look like writing.

• Collect texts that are examples of the genre you are working in, that will work best for your students and that you love.

• A writer’s ability to envision a text is dependent on their knowledge of texts. Therefore, we must surround our children with mentor texts. This means read texts as readers first and read a lot of them before we start to read them as writers.

• Choose a few of to use as mentor texts for writing. Know these well, examine them through a lens of writing by asking, “how did the writer do _____?” 

• Identify parts of the text to show how it’s put together. Carl did this with Ralph Fletcher’s memoir “The Last Kiss.” He blocked out  and named parts of the text. I’ve done this with informational and argument, but not with narrative writing. What a huge aha.

Cornelius Minor’s session helped us make some sense of the common core demands to find that “main idea,” “theme,” and “evidence” to support their thinking.

• First know this: one can’t find evidence without an idea. Hallelujah! 

• Cornelius shared video clips to show us how to formulate an idea:
  • first find a topic,
  • second say what do you think about it and
  • three say it in a sentence that seems true and that
  • equals an idea!

• By going through this process multiple times, we had the opportunity to try, try, and try again. Which brings to an essential tenant: students must be able to try, fail and try again and again. This “how-to” broken down into a one-two-three sequence with accessible text (think video) allows students to reach toward finding that idea, so they can then go back and find evidence.

• Lastly, Cornelius shared a way to support students in finding thematic concepts. He shared five “universal” themes presented in middle school kid language. By giving students the possible ideas up front, students can consider these possibilities and see what fits.

Hi, teachers, here is that messy theme chart that I worked on today! #tcrwp pic.twitter.com/UE70FARxkX

— Cornelius Minor (@MisterMinor) March 28, 2015

Kylene Beers’ closing was beautiful. Her recent post outlines much of her keynote’s high points. Many have blogged about it. Check out Fran, Tara and Catherine’s posts.

Kylene knows how to bring home what matters in a clear and concise way as these points show:

• The reading of literature is necessary to develop our human qualities.

• When we become a part of the character’s life we learn the most about ourselves.

• A book’s “want-ability” is much more important than readability.

• For books to be relevant to kids they must have choices.

• Deep thinking always begins with questions, not the answers.

Attending the reunion was a teacher fantasy come true. Spending time with colleagues and Slicers made New York like home.

Just one more day left in the month of March! I can’t believe it’s almost over. Thank you, Anna, Beth, Betsy, Dana, Stacey and Tara for hosting the challenge. Read more Slicers here.

#SOL15: Day 28, Riverside Church and Patricia Polacco

Today I’m in New York, slicing day 28 with Two Writing Teachers.

I left Los Angeles yesterday. Problems, worries, exhaustion, questions came with me on the plane. Can I do this?

I land in New York, 12:40 am, greeted with texts from my classroom.  Can I do this?

Saturday I find myself in church with Patricia Polacco.

She spoke of her struggles as a reader. How the words moved and why she felt stupid. How she firmly believes a teacher saved her because he saw her. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew someone could help her. How he found a way to help her learn to read. How when you think you can’t you must.

I don’t know exactly what he did. But when I got the aha moment I saw it.

For you (reading) is elementary, but I had just climbed Mount Everest.

My life had changed.

George Felker had pulled me out of the darkness.

None of those books would have existed if (he) hadn’t helped me.

You changed my life.

To this day when I think I can’t face something, George Felker’s hand is on the center of my back

I’m crying. I’ve been crying. On my flight here. In my bed last night.

We kids, we mean to thank you.

You give us the wind and we fly.

I believe you do it routinely.

If you feel like leaving. You need to stay.

You are offering light. Always remember that no matter how tough it gets.

Let me thank you no matter how tough it gets.

I leave Riverside Church with my teacher soul filled.  Words spoken by a master storyteller and passionate human being.