Final Coaching Reflections

Today, Thursday, June 26, 2019 is my last day as an Instructional Coach with the Thames Valley District School Board. Tomorrow, I will attend the a Professional Development session at my new school East Carling where, in September, I will be learning with a group of Grade 7's.

Before choosing to write this post, I reflected on the words I wrote 22 months ago - my first day in this role. I can remember feeling tremendously energized. I had just attended a day-long PD session with about 60 colleagues. Some were new, like me, and some were entering their 2nd, 3rd or Final Year. I was immediately struck by the level of engagement. It was clear, these educators were positively invested in both the presentations being led by our leadership team and the self-directed discussion opportunities at each table. 

I don't mean to suggest that it was the first time I have worked with deeply, passionately and connected peers - It wasn't. However, it was the first time that I had attended a PD session where every single participant was "all in".

If you've ever attended a day-long meeting or learning session I am sure you are familiar with the following...

• Negativity Nicky - who can only see opportunity as an obstacle. 
• Tell-tale sentence starter: "Here's the problem with..."
• Tired Terry - who arrives exhausted and then pounds cups of coffee like it is a job. 
• Tell-tale sentence starter: Anything punctuated by an aggressive yawn.
• Darcy Doodler - sure, there is plenty of evidence to suggest to support sketchnoting as a method of focusing attention and retaining information ... but, c'mon, a beer bottle mandala before noon? 
• Tell-tale sentence starter: "What's happening later?"
• Laptop Leslie - who starts the meeting by taking minutes; but, is quickly distracted by Level 97 on Candy Crush. 
• Tell-tale sentence starter: "What did they just say?"
• Chris the Contrarian - Who engages in conversation - only to attempt to "game" the evidence, prevailing wisdom or situation for some mercenary reason. 
• Tell-tale sentence starter: "Interesting, you're saying x, but what about..."

I'll readily admit, I have been guilty of being a Nicky, Terry, Darcy, Leslie & Chris. I only offer these five examples because I wanted to make a point about how great it has been to work with this team for two years. 

Being part of the TVDSB Learning Support Services Crew has been a game-changer for me, but it goes deeper. I have been incredibly fortunate to spend time with both my instructional coaching team and so many exceptional colleagues in the schools I supported. I have connected with people who believe they can make a difference. 

This has galvanized the things I have learned from the work of Hattie, Fisher & Frey in their Visible Learning Series. I am returning to class a believer in Collective Teacher Efficacy. I am also an amplifier, who wants to make this approach contagious. I have taken my Nicky, Terry, Darcy, Leslie & Chris costumes out to the trash and will not be wearing them again. I will also do all I can to engage with my colleagues to remind them of the value of...

Self-Efficacy: “The conviction that one can successfully execute the behaviour required to produce outcomes.”

Tell-tale sentence starter:“I am an effective teacher that can make a difference in the lives of all my students and my work will result in success.”

“I can do it!”

Collective Efficacy

“Characterized by an attitude that, together, teachers in a school can make a difference for students.”

Tell-tale  sentence starter:“I am not alone, I am part of a team that is willing to work with me to maximize the success of our students”

“We can do it!”

Fostering Student Efficacy

“Championing high expectations conveys to students the belief that they can attain high levels of performance based on challenging and appropriate goals.”

Tell-tale  sentence starters:“I believe in you.” “You are capable of more.” It’s okay to be where you are … but where are we going today?”

“You can do it!”

If that's not enough to convince you, try this...

The 500 - #473 - The Smiths - The Smiths

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 473

Album Title: The Smiths
Artist: The Smiths
Released: February, 1984
My age at release: 18
How familiar am I with it: Very Little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: This Charming Man
Great Lyric:
As long as the hand that rocks the cradle is mine
Ceiling shadows shimmy by
And when the wardrobe towers like a beast of prey
There's sadness in your beautiful eyes
Oh, your untouched, unsoiled, wondrous eyes
My life down I shall lie 
(The Hand that Rocks the Cradle)

"I hate The Smiths" ... I have said those words on more than one occasion, particularly between1984 and 1990.

That's odd for me to admit. I regularly tell my student that "hate is a word we reserve for truly awful things - like war, famine and racism".

But, it was a different time then and, real or imagined, I was on the opposite side of a divide between the people who liked bands like The Smiths ... and...people who liked...good music ;-). 

This record came out when I was in high school. My clique were, for the most part, into classic rock (Led Zeppelin, The Who) and heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath) with a few of us dabbling in progressive rock (Rush, Genesis), new wave (The Police) experimental rock (Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa) & folk rock (Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash).

As with most high school cliques - we rolled with an "Us & Them Attitude". It was a reality captured powerfully in both the film The Breakfast Club and the brilliant, but short-lived, series Freaks & Geeks. I still identify strongly with the latter because it nearly perfectly captures my entire high school experience...from my passion for Dungeons & Dragons to my singular obsession with the band Rush. 

There is an old yearbook picture that I wish I could find. It is from about 1982 and features me in my denim jacket, covered in Rush patches & pins. I am standing with the other members of the high school Dungeons & Dragons Club. It is the geeky me on the precipice of freakdom (skipping school, partying & experimenting...on all fronts). As one friend put it, "Grade 12 was the best three years of my life!" This picture might just be our friend Terry, the first of us to turn 19.

Being part of a clique that accepts you for who you are (or at least who you were trying to be at the time) is transcendent. It is probably the most important thing on every high school student's mind - other than the overwhelming desire to connect with a romantic partner. The feeling of belonging outside the family unit is at its zenith during the teenage years. Attaining it is sometimes challenging and often fleeting, or at the minimum, transient. Looking back, it is sometimes difficult to remember how powerfully important it was. As Guy Garvey of Elbow eloquently puts it, in the song Lippy Kids

Lippy kids on the corner again, settling like crows
Though I never perfected that simian stroll
The cigarette senate was everything then.

The cost of membership to the "cigarette senate" was loyalty. Collectively, we had somehow decided that navel-gazing, post-punk, misery-pop was an anathema. Posers, Preps and Popular kids liked it - so it was not for us. We painted with a wide brush and many acts I enjoy today were on our hit list - Depeche Mode, The Cure, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, Yaz...and without a doubt, The Smiths. 

My friend Steve, whom I mentioned in my Husker Du post, used to call it "I don't know why music". However, just typing those words does not nearly capture the cleverness and depth of the derogation. 

He was dating a girl who listened to bands like The Smiths. When he would borrow her car, the cassette in the player would always be an easy target for our scorn. He would turn it on and, in a profoundly melancholy, comical faux-British accent begin to sing "and I don't know why" at perfect intervals. It always seemed to fit and never failed to make me laugh.

So, The Smiths. We meet again.

While preparing this post, I spoke with a friend who was is a fan. He informs me that I am failing to appreciating this band. He wants to listen to it with me...so, I'll report back when that happens.

At this point - the guitar playing is growing on me...I won't say hate - but I really don't enjoy Morrissey - particularly when he uses that bizarrely comical yet still gloomily falsetto voice to sing lyrics that are sometimes morose, sometimes narcissistic and regularly disturbing.

I am open to feedback - Comment below

Stay tuned for Part Two

    

The 500 - #474 - Manu Chao - Proxima Estacion: Esperanza

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 474

Album Title: Proxima Estacion: Esperanza
Artist: Manu Chao
Released: June, 2001
My age at release: 35
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Infinita Tristeza
Great Lyric:
Mum: El padre pone la semilla como te he dicho, y la madre pone la tierra en que esa semilla hará la flor. Boy: Y quién es la flor?
Mum: Tú


FACT: This record needs to be added to your collection...or Spotify shuffle...or ITunes Playlist. It has utility in any of the following situations...

• Prepping, Cooking, Serving or Eating Food
• Cleaning the House
• Hosting a small group of friends
• Hosting a large party
• Lounging in the sun
• Exercising
• Writing this blog

French-born, Spanish multi-instrumentalist Manu Chao brings an ecclectic mix of Latin-infused, worldbeat/reggae in six different languages on this extraordinarily upbeat and joyous record. The 17 songs are short and flow seamlessly into one another - connected beautifully through musical phrases, samples, soundbites and themes that reappear throughout. 

Things I learned

• The languages on this record are French, Spanish, English, Arabic, Galacian and Portuguese - but Manu records in other languages too (Show Off!).
• He was born in Paris after his mother and father- journalist Ramon Chao- escaped Fraco's dictatorship in Spain. 
• His family background is Galacian - an autonomous community in the Northwest corner of Spain.
• The song Denia is in Arabic and is about the Algerian Civil War (1991-2002). 
• The song Infinita Tristeza contains soundbites and clips from a 1977 cartoon documentary about pregnancy and childbirth.
• I have been studying Spanish for a few years now - it is a frustratingly slow process. However, I was delighted when I saw the title and was immediately able to translate it - Next Station: Hope.  The title comes from an station on Madrid's Metro.

The 500 - #475 - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 475

Album Title: Armed Forces
Artist: Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Released: January, 1979
My age at release: 14
How familiar am I with it: A little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Peace, Love & Understanding.
Great Lyric:
"Times are tough for English babies
Send the army and the navy
Beat up strangers who talk funny
Take their greasy, foreign money
Skin shop, red leather, hot line
Be prepared for the engaged sign
Bridal books, engagement rings
And other wicked little things" (Sunday Best)


During the March Break of 1980, I was visiting my dad in London, Ontario. We would be moving there as a family that summer but, my father had already started to work at his new job as a reporter for the London Free Press. 

Each day, I would accompany him to the newspaper building which was located downtown. I had spent the last five years living in a small rural town called Kingsville - so London was a booming metropolis for a 14 year old me.  While he worked - I explored my future city - a place I still call home.

I spent most of my time in record stores. Kingsville had none (just a drug store that had a single rack with a limited selection of the hits). London had at least four downtown shops and several department stores with a record section. I had a little babysitting money tucked away - but wanted to peruse all my choices before committing to a purchase. I also had french fries, milkshakes & video games vying for my wallet's attention.

About day three, I bought "All the World's a Stage" by Rush because it was a double album - but not twice the price. I think it was $7.99. Look at me being thrifty!

While flipping through hundreds of records - it was the only way to build musical acumen in a time before the internet - I distinctly remember stumbling on an Elvis Costello album - it was My Aim is True and I had so many questions. 

• Is his real name really Elvis? Elvis Costello? (Yes & No)
• Is he from the 50's? (Yes & No)
• Does he know he looks like a math teacher? (Yes)
• Does he know that this look isn't cool? (It actually was)
• Is this album any good? (Yes it is!)

Obviously, I didn't have the money to buy this record - but I did start noticing when Detroit Rock radio stations played his stuff. It was very sporadically. He was lumped in with new wave - so I might catch a single song, alongside tracks by The Cars, Gary Numan, The Police. Sometimes, these artists would get airtime on Sunday Night during the late night broadcast of The Doctor Demento Show. This was where I first heard Devo, Weird Al Yankovic, Frank Zappa and bizarre, sometimes horrifying, tracks like...  

• Barnes & Barnes  Fish Heads or Something's in the Bag
• Tom Waits' What's he building in there?

Consequently, Elvis Costello remained a mystery to me for years. I knew that he was somehow important; but, I didn't know what I was supposed to "get" from his music. It simply didn't land with me and people that claimed to understand him also had some deeper grasp of concepts beyond my young teenage grasp. They knew (or at least claimed to know) the meaning behind terms like anarchist and decolonization as well as a whole raft of isms: consumerism, authoritarianism and egalitarianism. They seemed to know what was going on with Margaret Thatcher, The Sandinistas, Ronald Regan, Kampuchea, Amnesty International, The IRA & South African Apartheid. Again, it was an time before the internet - it was easy to get lost and overwhelmed.

I think this is the most facinating thing about giving this record a sincere listen with the maturity and knowledge I now possess. This wasn't a record for 14 year old me but, it sat there patiently waiting for 54 year old me to appreciate. I encourage you to spend some time with it and its lyrics. So many themes resonate today...

• Fidelity, Honesty & Consequences
• Incompetence in Leadership
• Corporate Greed steering Politics
• Young poor men choosing military service as their only option
• Unnecessary conflict in foreign countries for profit
• Corporate News Media Spin
• The Rise of a Police State
• Immigration as a scapegoat for unemployment
• Spoiled & Coddled Children unprepared for the world  

It's all a bit depressing ... but it ends with the a beautiful question of optimism. 

What's so funny about Peace, Love & Understanding?




  

Rivalries & Project Based Learning

Earlier this year, I wrote about Project Based Learning using The Triangle Approach. With that in mind, I have been mulling over the best way to introduce elements of the PBL experience to my students in the next school year. In particular, the approach depicted by the triangle on the left - One unifying topic with many project presentation options.

Fortunately, I am still working with a terrific Grade 7 class at Northridge Public School and the they have allowed me to "workshop" a few ideas with them to get some feedback. 

Here is one idea I am mulling over. It is an upgrade on an activity I did ten years ago.

Part One: Mind's On

• Display the following quote and allow some group discussion

"Les hivers de mon enfance étaient des saisons longues, longues. Nous vivions en trois lieux: l'école, l'église et la patinoire; mais la vraie vie était sur la patinoire."

• The Northridge class teased out 90% of it pretty easily.

"The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places—the school, the church and the skating rink—but our real life was on the skating rink."

• Ten years ago, I would ask students if they had seen the quote before - then reveal that it was printed on the back of the Canadian Five Dollar Bill.  
  
• Unfortunately, that bill is no longer in circulation. Probably for the best, according to this clip from the television program "How I Met Your Mother" where an American character visiting Canada declares...

"What's wrong? Other than the fact that this $5 dollar bill they gave you is blue...and there's kids playing hockey on the back - it's like you want us to make fun of you."

Part Two: Read Aloud 

Read the short story "The Hockey Sweater" by Roch Carrier. It can be found in most school libraries; but, if you can find it, there is an incredible anthology called Sightlines (The Grade 8 edition) that has it and many other terrific selections. 

You can also find it here or you can screen the animated short. I typically do both. (I love the chance to do my "Quebecois man speaking English" accent.)

The short story is based on an experience from author Roch Carrier's childhood in Sainte-Justine, Quebec in the 1940's. In it, a young fan of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team (and its star player Maurice Richard) mistakenly receives a Toronto Maple Leaf's hockey jersey. His mother insists he wear it and the young boy must face the scorn and persecution of his peers and even his coach.

Part Three: Activities

There are lots of discussions, activities and connections that can be made with this story. Here are a couple ideas from Literacy, Drama, History & Physical Education.

• Have you ever received a gift that you did not like? How did you deal with it? (Talk about it, Write about it, Blog about it, Flipgrid it, Present it as a short skit).
•  It connects nicely with the Grade 7 & 8 History curriculum - which examines the relationships between French & English settlers and includes the Big Idea that: "Social and political conflicts and changes in the first half of the nineteenth century have had a lasting impact on Canada".
• It is a fun way to launch a floor hockey unit in gym class.

Part Four: Project Based Learning

• Advance a discussion about Rivalries. 
• What is a Rivalry?
• Why is the Leaf/Canadien Rivalry important?
• Have you ever had a rival?
• How is a rival different than an enemy?
• Provide them access to this Multi-Media Tech Set which has links to 32 well documented rivalries from Sport, Buisness, Music, Pop Culture & Life.  

• Each box has an embedded link to a Google Search of the rivalry. Additional links are at the bottom of the page. Invite students to spend time exploring the websites, articles and videos that interest them.
• With a partner select a rivalry that interests you both and research it. Make use of this template to help organize your discoveries.
• Share your research any way you choose - a visual display, a class presentation, an Animoto video, an interactive slideshow or Makey Makey bulletin board.
• As a class - set a deadline for a sharing day.

To help students - I have this research example using the Leafs vs Canadiens rivalry. 

Additionally, I worked with a Grade 7 student from the aforementioned class at Northridge to create this podcast script and also this podcast which includes video.

Stay tuned...I'll be tweeting and posting the results next winter.

The 500 - #476 - Notorious B.I.G. - Life after Death

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 476

Album Title: Life after Death
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
Released: March, 1997
My age at release: 31 
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Hypnotize
Great Lyric:
"I'm Big Dangerous, you're just a little vicious
As I leave my competition, respirator style
Climb the ladder to success, escalator style
Hold y'all breath, I told y'all, death
Controls y'all, Big don't fold y'all, uhh
I spit phrases that'll thrill you
You're nobody til somebody kills you"

Prior to listening to this record, I thought I only knew only one song by The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls, Biggie). It was the song Big Poppa which I remember from my early 90's, pre-Teacher's College/Bartending days. 

However, it was a Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Will Farrell satirizing Robert Goulet that galvanized it in my psyche. In the parody commercial, Goulet (Farrell) is promoting a new album, The Coconut Banger's Ball, in an obvious attempt to stay relevant. The album includes renditions of The Thong Song by Sisquo, Who Let the Dogs Out! by The Baja Men and, of course, Big Poppa by Biggie. 

As he puts it....

"...what you get is one full hour of rip roarin’ rap music. Not by some dubious ruffians without the chops, but by a professionally trained voice man. No musical accompaniment. It’s just me out there."

Consequently, I can't hear the name Biggie without this moment coming to mind and the irrisitable urge to shout "Goo-Lay!" Talk about your non sequitar.

When I started my first play-through of Life After Death. I realized immediately that I did know another song: Hypnotize. The chorus is ubiquitous in film and television. In fact, it has almost become a "go-to-musical-cue" to establish a 90's setting for the viewer - much the way that California Dreaming perfectly sets a movie in the 60's.

I do have an education connection to Biggie. About 15 years ago I started sharing the Roch Carrier The Hockey Sweater as a Read A loud with my Grade 7/8 students.

• It's a great short story.
• It's pure Canadianity - a quote from it was on the back of our $5.00 bill for years.
• It allowed me to use my Quebecois man speaking English accent...just like in the National Film Board animated short.  
• I could connect it to cross-curricular activities in History, Art, Literacy & Phys. Ed.

However, most well received was an open-ended activity hinged on the Maple Leaf/Canadien rivalry at the heart of Carrier's story.

Students worked in groups and were invited to explore another famous rivalry of their choosing. 

Some students stuck with sports rivalries (Red Sox/Yankees or Lakers/Celtics) while a few went the buisness route (Coke/Pepsi or Apple/Windows). Many of my boys, some of whom were tough to engage in literacy, research & presentation activities, focused on the East Coast (Biggie)/West Coast (Tupac Shakur) feud. At the time, I know many of them were suprised that...

(a) I would let them do this... 

and

(b) I was sincerely interested in what they could uncover & present. 

It's true. Prior to investigating this record, most of my 90's hip-hop knowledge was taught to me by my former students.

I am currently updating that activity for next year (when I return to a Grade 7 classroom). I am going to build a Google Based Choice Board or Multi Media Tech Set to allow students to explore lots of rivalries and then select one that they can share with the class any way they choose. When I get it done ... I'll put the link to see it right (HERE).

Things I learned...

• This record was released posthumously - Biggie was gunned down two weeks earlier. Consequently, the title is tragically ironic.
• The gunman has never been caught - which has led to wild speculation and a cottage industry of conspiracy theories that rival those surrounding the death of his rival 2Pac.
• Once again, I liked this record far more than I would have initially thought.