I was reading the North Star book to my fifth and sixth graders to prepare them for the production of “The North Star Musical” in December. After I finished the book, I said, “What kind of book ends with ‘The Beginning?” I was amazed that most of the kids really ‘got it.’ They talked about how the boy had just begun a journey and so it was better to say “The Beginning.”

I have read the book many times, this time I was struck by a thought…so I asked the kids, “If you thought of your life as a journey, with an important destination, would you do things differently?” Again, I was amazed by their thoughtful responses. Every kid said, “yes.” I could tell that a few of the kids were really struck by this thought. It was a wonderful teaching moment.

FYI - Peter H. Reynolds is doing the final pass of the new art and text for the 10th anniversary edition of The North Star.  Stay tuned for more information - but we can promise you that this new printing is going to be spectacular.

Boston Globe is also doing a feature on Peter - and, we think, highlighting The North Star.  We’ll share when it comes out.

Cheers,

Paul

I’ve heard a lot of teachers talk about how important “authentic tasks” are to real learning.  This is often lumped in with project-based learning, but this morning an article in the New York Times drove home for me the difference between the two.

Project-based learning, a beautiful thing in its own respect, requires active participation on the part of the learner, challenges the learner in new ways, often requires teamwork and outside materials, and generally evaluates student learning in a more complete way than the more traditional, multiple choice exams.

Authentic tasks can be the same, but not necessarily.  Cornelia Dean writes about “When Science Suddenly Mattered,” the time when America entered the space race and, consequently, educators began treating science as relevant and engaging.  No one made it a law, no one set down the rule, but the teachers knew this was suddenly important, they brought in the news, and the students jumped onboard.

Amazing what students can learn when we let them!

Today, like millions of others, I reflect on September 11, 2001 and the incredible loss out country suffered that day.  Loss of so many lives, and the loss of a feeling security that most of us took for granted.  Working in a K-2 school, September 12, 2001 was also a very important one for us, as staff – sorting out how to help guide our little ones through such a tragedy, while trying to take care of each other, and ourselves. 

We held an emergency staff meeting the morning of September 12^th, as I’m sure was held in just about every school across the United States.  We talked about our own feelings around the events, but then quickly moved on to how the attacks should be addressed with our students.  With students as young as those in our school, the most important approach is to keep the daily routine as “normal” as possible… “business as usual”.  Teachers and staff were told to acknowledge the tragedy if a student were to bring it up, but we weren’t to dwell, or have lengthy conversations about the events.  

Of course, the adults… the staff… had much more of a problem dealing with the events than the students, but educators are amazing in how they can pull themselves together to be there first and foremost for their students (compartmentalization can be a wonderful defense mechanism!).   And working with children the day after such a horrible event was an incredible blessing…. because the children were too young to fully comprehend what had happened… the losses suffered… the fear imposed.  Working in a school, especially with young children, was a wonderful, glorious distraction… yet with an important purpose.  It also reaffirmed my “north star” – my “knowing” that I was doing exactly what I was meant to do, and that I was in the place I was meant to be.

The most clear memory I have of that “day after” was of a second grade student I passed in the hallway that day.  His mouth was circled with white… it looked like frosting, so I asked him if his class was celebrating someone’s birthday… if he was eating a cupcake.  He responded, with the biggest, happiest, most excited grin, “No!  We’re doing science!”  Apparently his teacher was moving forward with her lesson plans – without skipping a beat - a wonderfully constructive science project involving cake frosting.      

That moment, with that student, was such a bright light during such a dark, gloomy, sad time – and it was a wonderful reminder that live goes on, that it was still okay to be excited about life and learning, and that there’s a lot of important work we all have to do as we help students learn, and grow, and “be” this world that is both wonderful, and often uncertain. 

It’s September!  Growing up in the Northeast, I associate September with autumn leaves, apple picking, and school starting.  And every year I think of this story:

 The little boy came into school, and the teacher showed him where to sit.  She taught him where to put his bag, and how to keep still when she spoke.  She reminded him that grass is always green, or maybe brown, but never pink or blue.  For five years he learned where to sit, how to listen, when to write, and what colors to use.  The little boy grew up.

One September the boy (who was no longer so little) walked into a new classroom.  The teacher, he had heard, was crazy.  He put his bag in the cubby space, sat down at his desk with his feet forward, and arranged his pencils in their box.  The teacher came into the room.

“Today we are drawing flowers,” she said.  The class got to work, taking out paper and crayons, each drawing a row of perfect flowers.  The teacher walked around, watching, encouraging.  She stopped by the boy’s desk - “you haven’t begun yet.  Are you still thinking about your flowers?”  The boy shook his head.

“I have a question,” he said softly.  The teacher nodded.  “What color should my flower be?”  The teacher smiled.  “Whatever color you want,” she said.  “But,” asked the boy, “which color is right?”

Every teacher I know has a reason for becoming a teacher, and it generally relates to an educator who made an impact on him or her.  (Sometimes positive, sometimes negative…)

Who was your North Star inspiration?  Who made an impact on your life, and helped you realize teaching was for you?

I know I post a lot of articles, but finding North Star Schools in the news (even when they don’t call themselves North Star Schools) brightens my day.  I hope it gives all of you a dose of daily joy too!

 Of note in this article, about a small learner-centered school, based on cultivating a love of learning and catering to the creative and intellectual needs of the students, is:

“The community aspect is a huge part of our program,” Esch said. “They strengthen each other in different ways … There are so many advantages to the small school setting.”

Question of the day: of course small school settings are preferable, but what are some ways a larger school (which is often unavoidable) can create that community aspect?  Succes stories, anyone?

It’s almost the end of August, and those of you who haven’t started school yet are probably preparing!

Are you using the North Star Approach this fall?  Now’s the time to share your plans, or other sites where you find resources.  How did you, or how will you start off the year?

(In related news, here’s an interesting suggestion for how to develop a better budget to support field trips for hands-on learning experiences!)

A few weeks ago I found an interesting article on the renewed, and slightly altered, No Child Left Behind bill.  The article looked promising.  As the vote draws near, more and more is being written about it, and everywhere I look I find more stories, many from teachers, about the affects of the bill on technology and creativity, and therefore hands-on learning.

 This morning I read an article concerning a tech teacher. When I was in school, we spent tech class drawing blueprints and building spice racks, but not these days!  According to Bob McDaniels, a tech teacher in Pennsylvania, tech now ALWAYS means technology - even when building a spice rack, students start with the computer.  This struck me for three reasons.

1. It’s immensely practical - a word all too seldom used in school.  It combines the joy of building with research, and in Bob McDaniel’s case, scientific research (he says the students, for example, research birds in order to build the apropriate bird house for the species they select).

2. It’s an odd, and perhaps therefore GOOD, marriage of intelligences.  Tech class (the old form) relied on being good with your hands, and being spatially able to visualize and create.  Technology class (the new form) still holds onto that, but adds research and reading (for an authentic task) and categorizing the information.

3. McDaniels said that according to NCLB, technology education is mandatory - which means that NCLB is what is causing this practical, odd, and good combination of multiple intelligences.  Since when does the NCLB inspire creative classrooms?!

The second article I saw today seemed to me cause for optimism, though wary.  George Miller, a democratic representative in California, plans to propose “more rigorous standards that reflect the needs of 21st-century learners.”

The optimism?  21st-century-learners are hands-on learners, creative, analytical, collaborating learners, requiring multiple froms of assessment.  Every school should be incorporating 21st-century skills in their lessons; FableVision’s North Star Inspiration for the Classroom is currently being revised to that end.

And yet, I’m wary.  The term “more rigorous” is triggering this.  What training are the teachers receiving to help them completely revamp their classrooms?  When will the school districts be given enough government funding to buy new supplies, technology, software, and all the rest to support these advanced standards.  I’m not sure we’re ready to change the standards yet.  First the tools and strategies need to be put in place.

It will be a great day when schools have all the money they need, and the military has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomb.  Not sure who said it, but it’s very true…

What have your experiences been with NCLB?  How has it affected your school?

As we rebuild the North Star Community of Practice site, I’d love to hear from folks who may have used the beta and alpha sites. What did you like on those sites that you’d like to see on this site? What features - in general - would you like to see here to make the site more useful? What would you need to make you more comfortable joining in the discussions - or posting a blog entry? Don’t hold back - we have teams of designers, programmers and creative folk who are ready to “build to suit.”

We’re all ears - and ready to make this a site that takes good care of you. Our goal is to keep you inspired, informed and ready to keep fighting the good fight as your reach and support ALL learners. (Remember - your comments can be short - any feedback is great!)

Paul

P.S.  If you have any trouble logging in, just email me directly and I’ll take care of it - paul@fablevision.com.   : )