teacher voices

Please say hello and get ready for magic: Teacher Extraordinaire Marni Spitz

Posted on by Mark Isero

ms. spitz 4favicon People are talking (really, they are!) about TEACHER VOICES, the new feature on Iserotope set to launch this week. The excitement is palpable.

That’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to Marni Spitz, who is going to start things off with a bang.

Marni is an extraordinary social studies teacher at City Arts and Technology High School in San Francisco. This year, she’ll teach U.S. History.

That’s pretty great, right? Well, it gets even better: Marni will also teach a section of Reading Lab, a new class for ninth graders who don’t know (yet) that they love reading (and might even say, in a moment of weakness, that it’s boring). (The students have no idea what’s coming!)

There are so many reasons that I think Marni is great, but I don’t want to give away too many secrets, because, after all, maybe she’ll want to be a consistent contributor to TEACHER VOICES, and it’ll be best for you, dear Iserotope readers, to learn about those secrets directly from Marni.

But I can’t stand myself, so here are a few:

1. Marni believes unapologetically that reading is the thing.
This means that Marni has built a robust classroom library; instituted an independent reading program with her partner English teacher; conducted regular one-on-one conferences with her students to track their reading interests, progress, and goals; and launched an Instagram campaign, #catsterscaughtreading, to encourage reading outside school. There’s a lot more, of course, but I wanted to give you a little teaser.

2. Marni is strongly loved by students and colleagues.
Sometimes, this whole teaching thing gets tough. But there’s no reason to be Dour Debbie Downer. Marni understands that teaching is a marathon, not a sprint, and that personal relationships with students and colleagues matter markedly. Her smile is infectious, her wit wonderful, her humor hilarious. Even when times get rough, Marni remains optimistic and looking for “miracles.”

3. I’m lucky because I get to work with Marni every week.
Yep, she’s one of her school’s instructional leaders, which means I get to visit her every week, observe her teach, takes notes about all the great things she’s doing, and meet with her to plan her next steps. Plus, Marni lets me collaborate with her on her projects, which from time to time leads to some significant fame. Like when we were on the student-run newscast last Spring. Please enjoy:

I can’t wait for you to get to know Marni, listen to her stories, and bask in her successes. Plus, no pressure, but you’ll likely laugh a lot. Please enjoy!

If you’re advanced, write a little note to Marni to introduce yourself! (Or, if you’re shy, wait until her first post, which comes out next week.) favicon

reading

Recommended Reading: “School Librarian Fights Summer Slide with School Bus-Turned-Bookmobile”

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon A school librarian in Washington understands that her work is not done at the end of the school year. In “School Librarian Fights Summer Slide with School Bus-Turned-Bookmobile,” we learn about Jenny Granger’s “Book Cafe,” a bookmobile that swings by neighborhoods where students would otherwise not go to the public library.

Excerpt
“The dreaded summer slide—when kids lose valuable reading skills over the three months they’re away from school—is feared by librarians and teachers alike.”

Source: http://j.mp/1oBvyEX (via Pocket). You can also find this article at Iserotope Extras, a curated list of my favorite articles about teaching, reading, and technology. favicon

everything else/teacher voices

Exciting new feature: TEACHER VOICES

Posted on by Mark Isero
teachervoices
I think this is hilarious and should be the logo of TEACHER VOICES. 🙂

favicon Hi everyone. I’m very excited today to announce a major new feature on Iserotope: TEACHER VOICES.

If you’re a founding reader of the blog, you’ll remember that I used to write quick reflections back when I was an English teacher. The posts described my successes and failures, my roller-coaster emotions, my incessant attempts to figure things out, and, from time to time, my minor epiphanies.

Several of those posts were very popular, and many of you wrote comments to cheer me on, push my thinking, and engage each other in dialogue. I liked very much the community these posts helped build. Yes, I do like comments!

The reason those posts were popular, I think, is that teacher voice is essential and illuminating. Teacher voice cuts deeply through the educational debate rhetoric mumbo-jumbo that too often obfuscates what’s really happening in our classrooms.

Ever since I became an instructional coach two years ago, that critical part of Iserotope — real stories by real teachers — has been missing.

Until now.

This year, I’m inviting a few of my colleagues to tell their stories on Iserotope. Some will post just once; others may, I hope, become consistent contributors to the blog. Though many of them share my passion for reading, they’ll write about whatever they like.

I encourage you, my dear Iserotope readers, to get to know these teachers, to listen to their stories, and to engage in conversation by leaving brilliant insights. Everyone is welcome: You don’t have to be a teacher to leave a comment. And please, tell your friends — the more, the merrier!

Please let me know your thoughts! Do you like this? What kinds of stories would you like to read? favicon

reading

All of these books = Student Requests.

Posted on by Mark Isero

I’m proud of the work Envision Academy in Oakland has done to build a culture of reading. In the Spring, they had a book faire, which included the option for students to request new books. Here they are!

This photo comes via Instagram: http://j.mp/1uo9GCp.

Go ahead, follow Iserotope on Instagram! favicon

reading

Milestone: 50 projects on DonorsChoose!

Posted on by Mark Isero

RFF Logo(1) (1)favicon I like milestones.

Today one was reached: My 50th project on DonorsChoose.org was completed, thanks to the Rogers Family Foundation and a few anonymous donors.

When I found out late this afternoon, on an otherwise tough Monday, I was overjoyed. The Rogers Foundation is extremely respected, especially in Oakland, and its work to promote literacy is inspirational.

Plus, it’s my 50th project!

Over the years, generous friends and strangers have contributed generously to my projects. Now I focus on physical books, but folks in the past have supported a huge variety of classroom supplies, including computers, printers, tablets, document cameras, field trips, Kindles, and e-books.

I haven’t calculated how much all the 50 projects add up to, but it’s easily more than $15,000.

That’s why I firmly believe that if you’re a teacher, you should always have a project up on DonorsChoose.org.

Make the project very small — usually around $100. Books are best because they’re funded fast. Make a small donation, around $5-$10, to get things started. To get your project out there, feel free to connect DonorsChoose.org with Facebook, but don’t ask your friends too often for money. Instead, let strangers take care of things. If you’re patient, they will. My projects typically take about two weeks to fund.

Here are two secrets, especially for overworked teachers: I use the same exact project description, over and over again, and just change the materials I’m requesting. And I always have another project ready, so that there isn’t too much of a gap between finishing one project and starting another.

Sure, DonorsChoose.org is not perfect for everyone. You don’t want to do big projects on it, and some people will be turned off by the large fees. But for things like books, DonorsChoose.org is perfect. With a nice template, you can easily have 15 books delivered every month to your classroom.

Go ahead and take a look at my DonorsChoose.org page and browse the 50 projects that generous donors have funded. Thank you, donors! favicon