reading

No frills. Just books.

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon Two months ago, I asked people to donate money to help build my classroom’s Kindle Library.

I didn’t do anything special. I didn’t invite people over to my house to look at art and enjoy fancy cocktails. There was no creative request on DonorsChoose, no formal ask letter in your mailboxes.

I just put up a little button on this blog’s sidebar…and waited.

And today, the last day of my donation drive, I am happy to announce that I collected $423, thanks to generous donors who care deeply about reading.

That’s enough for 42 books!

Here’s what’s really neat: These 42 books will last forever. They won’t get damaged or worn out or lost. And when the 42 books are shared on my classroom’s 12 Kindles, that means 12 students can read the same book at the same time. Here comes the multiplier: 42 books on 12 Kindles = 504 books.

I’m appreciative of all the donors — friends, former colleagues, and completely random people. It’s heartwarming to know that there are many people who care whether our young people are reading. favicon

teaching

When I need rules again…

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon I haven’t needed rules this year.

After all, I teach AP English and Advisory 12. It’s been really easy. I think I’ve had two (somewhat) challenging moments with classroom management this year. Maybe one.

This is how it should be. After all, there’s a lot of work to do. I’m a good person, and my students are good people, and we don’t have time to waste on silliness.

Last year, however, didn’t work that way. It was my worst year (even harder than my first!), and it nearly made me leave teaching.

I remember floundering last year, trying to figure out what was going wrong, wondering whether I was too weak and what I needed to change. I sought help from colleagues and in books, and one key piece of advice I received was that I needed more consistent rules and consequences. But no matter how much I tried to implement a plan, nothing worked.

And now I know why.

It’s because rules and consequences are silly. It’s because they focus on control and punishment. It’s because they don’t center on learning.

The best classrooms have rules, of course, but if you ask the students what they are, they don’t really know. It’s because the teacher mentioned them on the first day and then didn’t need them afterward. It’s because the students check their own behavior and check each other. And it’s because everyone knows they’re valued, loved, and respected as learners and as people.

In the best classrooms, values and expectations are more important than rules. What is demonstrated is more important than what is said.

Nevertheless, when I need rules again — perhaps next year — I’ve come up with what I think is a good working list. Here they are:

1. Work hard.

2. Be respectful.

3. Have integrity.

You’ll notice that they aren’t really rules. But I like them, and I think they cover everything. If my students and I can follow them, we’ll all be all right. favicon

teaching

The best teaching comes with collaboration

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon I just finished up a mini-unit on John Brown. It was for one of my library classes. The assignment required us to work with a random partner.

It was the most fun I’ve had in a while.

I used to collaborate a lot. At my first school, I was part of a five-member team that co-planned, co-taught, and co-assessed an American Studies program. We worked a little too much, but it was among the best and most creative work that I’ve done as a teacher.

I love my current school, but lately, there haven’t been too many opportunities for deep collaboration. My colleagues and I find ourselves strapped for time, and usually, collaboration means splitting up tasks and dividing up work.

It doesn’t mean thinking about and creating something new.

Collaboration, of course, takes a large commitment of time, patience, and skill. But I think I’m pretty good at it. On this library project, my partner and I talked on the phone three times (for a total of 4 1/2 hours) and spent approximately two hours each in independent work.

My favorite parts came when my partner challenged me on my thinking or came up with new ideas. At my school, that doesn’t happen too much because there’s usually not enough time and space to do so.

But that’s just an excuse. I’m figuring out that collaboration is at the heart of my work. Even though it’s sometimes time-consuming and challenging, it’s how my best work emerges.

Instead of being isolated — or isolating myself — I am hopeful that I can create and cultivate some deep collaborative experiences in the next few months.

It might be difficult finding colleagues with the capacity to engage in collaboration. It might also be difficult to find people with similar interests.

But I’m hopeful that I can pull something off. favicon

teaching

Reading in the perfect English class

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon It’s Spring Break, which means I get to think about bigger things.

The past few days, as I procrastinate on some of my library school assignments, I’ve been rereading some of my favorite English teacher books: The Reading Zone, Readicide, The Book Whisperer, Lifers, and With Rigor for All.

The books run the gamut. On one side, Nancie Atwell argues for a total reading workshop, where students spend nearly all their time reading fiction of their choice. On the other side, Carol Jago says that English classes should involve the close study of teacher-assigned classics. Then in the middle, there’s Kelly Gallagher, my personal hero, who advocates a 50-50 hybrid model, where students read what they want half the time and what the teacher wants the other half.

Gallagher’s approach sounds the best, but it’s tough to pull off, especially when you consider that he’s a fan of non-fiction as well. He says students should read newspapers and magazines (online and in print), and I agree with him. He also assigns an Article of the Week, geared to build background knowledge and a better understanding of the world. I like that idea, too.

In my perfect class, we’d be doing all of that: a workshop where students read independently and voluminously, a whole-class study of a novel, a current-events component, and a series of mini-lessons devoted to developing reading skills in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

I’d like to think it’s all possible, but I’m not sure it is — especially because I haven’t even considered writing and projects yet.

Still, by the end of my English class, I want my students to see themselves as readers of a variety of texts and to know how to handle different genres. I want them not to be afraid of reading a book in full. I want them to be able to read their way through a newspaper or magazine. And I want them to read online content, too.

I’m just not sure how to pull it off. favicon

This week’s new e-books!

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon My students continue to choose excellent books to purchase for our classroom’s Kindle library.

And thanks to generous donors, my promise — “If there’s something you want to read, I’ll buy it for you” — still stands.

This week’s books: Sway, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Lost Hero, Never Let Me Go, and Fast Food Nation.

One big thing I’m finding out is that students like books more if I’ve read them first. Not all of these titles I recommend — for example, Sway was not my favorite — but my students like to hear my opinion.

Although this isn’t a huge revelation, it’s important to note. It’s also crucial that I continue to read a lot so I can make recommendations. favicon