News Flash: Students S.O.L. in Virginia

Isn't it Ironic (non-Alanis Morrissette version)

Irony – the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

I was sitting in my small group (a group of guys from church) last week and I asked my buddies to pray for my students because they would be taking the S.O.L. tests in the upcoming days. While I was going over specifics of what to pray for, my buddy stopped me in the middle of a sentence.

“SOLs? That’s a pretty interesting name for the test. What exactly does that stand for?”

For those of you that don’t know, the SOLs are Virginia’s Standards of Learning. They are the state’s version of standardized testing for students from 3^rd grade until 12^thgrade. It is meant to give us a tangible and effective way of evaluating students, teachers and schools so that Virginia – and, as an extension, our nation – makes adequate progress. I'd say it's pretty ironic we named these tests "S.O.L."

I believe in standardized testing like I believe in Satan –it’s the cause of everything evil. As humans, we are S.O.L. with the existence of evil, and as teachers we are S.O.L.with the existence of standardized tests. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating just a bit. I don’t argue that standardized tests have a place in our educational system. They give us a quantitative means to look at students and monitor them. They can help us understand deficiencies and strengths as well as individual areas to work on with individual students. However, where I am not in agreement is the extent to which we rely on testing to determine the success of a school, the abilities of a teacher, or the comprehension of a child. In today’s educational world, pass rates are the be all and end all. Students look at year-end testing as the most important day of the year. Parents look at testing data to determine if a school is good or not. Teachers pray for high scores to ensure job security. Administrators look at scores to determine the effectiveness of a teacher. Superintendents look at pass rates to see if a school is making enough progress each year.

Uniquely and Wonderfully Made

Children – like all of us – are each intricately woven beings who are uniquely and wonderfully made. Shouldn’t they be assessed as a sum product of the parts, not just a snapshot of what they know? Any teacher worth their weight will tell you that standardized tests only give you only a small glimpse of what a student knows. In other words, standardized tests don’t accurately measure the progress of a child, nor does it show us their reasoning skills and thought process – the very aspect of humanity that sets us apart from the rest of the living world. Only individual teachers – those who work day in and day out with these precious children – can measure these things with any level of accuracy. Besides, test data never accounts for test anxiety, good days and bad days, or for good and bad testing environments. Personally, I’ve had students who have barely passed – or even failed – the math SOL who I know have a far superior understanding of math concepts and can apply these skills in new ways than students who have passed with flying colors. This begs the question,

“If working with a child regularly is the best way to understand and gauge their development, why is our judgment of students, teachers, and schools based almost exclusively on standardized test data?”

The optimistic answer is,

“Testing data is the one constant that all schools have.”

The pessimistic answer is,

“Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach.”

This infers that teachers are barely capable people; therefore they can’t be trusted to assess children. Whichever camp you are in, all of our opinions are based on data which gives us a picture that is blurry at best. Shouldn’t we be relying on multiple sources of data when it comes to our children?

An Unlikely Source

Entertainment, competition, excitement… there is a lot to like about professional sports. Perhaps one additional thing we can admire about sports teams is the way they evaluate players when they are looking to graduate from the ranks of amateur athletics to being paid professionals. Perhaps it’s because there is so much money at stake when it comes to the industry, but pro sports take every measure possible not to make mistakes when deciding what players they should pick to be on their teams. Multiple people go and watch them perform live to get as many different opinions as possible. Then, separate people watch these same performances on film. They pause, rewind, and fast forward so they can see – frame by frame –every aspect of the subject’s performance. Throw in a battery of intellectual, physical, and psychological tests and you’re still missing a crucial element: what family, friends, and coaches say about the player.

The organizations that spend the most time and effort evaluating human beings include the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and FIFA. They have the evaluation of human beings down to a science because they are multi-billion dollar industries and there is a lot riding on their ability to judge people. When there is a lot at stake, many forms of evaluation are utilized, and the subjective opinions of experts are taken into account in order to form an opinion on a person that is as accurate as possible. I applaud these organizations for the effort they make to truly gauge an individual.

There is much more at stake when it comes to education than entertainment, excitement, and wealth. Not only is the future of our children at stake, but in their hands is also the future of our country, our world. But, because we can’t quantify the importance and value of education with dollars, instead we have turned to standardized testing as the be all and end all and minimize the importance of all other aspects of assessing children, teachers and schools. In the end, not only are the students S.O.L., but all of us are also – children, adults, teachers, parents, and Americans alike.

There’s Something in the Water…

'Tis the Season...

In my life, it is a season of rebirth.  Well, actually it’s a season of birth.  Literally.  First it was Martha, followed by Teresa.  Then Amy had her baby.  Then Janeene, followed by the other Amy, Maya, Chris, and even Mark (well, his wife) – all with newborns.  As of this moment, Stacy, Anna, and Naomi are pregnant – and who knows who else?  What’s going on at my school?!?

 

Peer Pressure

With everyone bringing new bundles of joy into their lives, I decided to bend to peer pressure.  On a Thursday night two weeks ago, I went down to a great local joint.  I chit-chatted with a few of the attractive girls that were there, and was lucky enough to take one of the cutest young things I had ever met home with me that night.  That’s right… I adopted a dog from the local animal shelter!  This is a G-rated blog… what did you think happened??

The View from the Soapbox

I’m not a parent.  Therefore, although there are 48 students that I teach, I really can’t speak to the joys and tribulations of parenthood.  I can only stand on my soap box as a teacher and judge them based on how their children’s behavior and work habits in school.  If a kid acts up constantly, falls asleep in class, rarely does homework, or doesn’t give their best effort, that’s because of bad parenting, right?  I mean, how hard is it to go home and spend time with your kids taking interest in their lives, disciplining them, and reinforcing the importance of school?

Full Circle

I want to be a responsible parent to my dog.  As I was rushing home the other day to walk my dog, it hit me.  That day, I sheepishly went into my team leader and mentor’s room and asked if it would be ok if I went home early to take my dog out.  I was worried she would think I wasn’t working hard enough.

Me (sheepishly): “Hey I need to run and take Butterball for a walk.  I promise I’m not slacking… I’ll be working from home afterwards.”

Ms. S.: “What?  You don’t need to explain anything!  You get in early every day, and I KNOW you’re not a slacker.  In fact, don’t bring anything home with you!”

I often judge parents of the students at my school.  In fact, I have often judged all sorts of people – former co-workers, friends, and strangers alike.  I make snap judgments based on snapshot of their lives without knowing the full story.  It might have been (back when I worked in corporate America ) someone on my sales team leaving early that I judged as lazy.  Or, it might have been that parent who never spends time with their kids.  But… how would a parent be a responsible parent to their children without leaving at a reasonable hour from work?  And, how hard is it for a single parent working to support AND raise his/her children to spend enough quality time with each of them?  These are opposing forces which create a conflict of interest in which a very difficult decision must be made on almost a daily basis.  Being a parent sure isn’t easy!

I have a new goal for how to be a better teacher - to be more like my saint of a mentor, who, like me, desires to be like the best teacher of all:

 

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37

An Afternoon in the Life of a Woman

Man Card: (noun) - The invisible, yet real card that men carry which proves we are truly men.  A guy’s man card can be taken by another man when he says or does something decidedly un-manly.  Reasons for getting your man card revoked include ordering a cosmo (or any other ‘girly’ drink) at a bar, watching “The Vow” without direct coercion from your girlfriend, asking for directions, and crying for any other reason than when Goose dies in ‘Top Gun.’ 

The list of reasons for getting your man card taken are not limited to the above list, and very rarely does a guy hand in his man card on his own.  However, in a moment of weakness on Monday afternoon, I voluntarily (and temporarily) surrendered my man card and in the process, got a glimpse into the life of woman.  This is a (mostly) true account of the events of that frightful day.

The Female Greeting Dance

A few minutes after arriving on Monday, I was speaking with a colleague when another teacher came in.

“Wow, Stephanie, your hair looks great!”

“Thanks, I went to a new hair salon on Saturday.  I’m glad you like it!”

“Where did you go? It looks fantastic.”

I work in an environment dominated by the female species.  In the wild, I call encounters such as these the “Female Greeting Dance.”  It usually consists of women seeing each other and gushing about:

a)         A new hair style

b)         The outfit they are wearing

c)         Shoes

d)         Jewelry

e)         Any combination of the above and how it matches so well

“Well,” I thought to myself, “When in Rome…”

I turned to my friend Mark, the P.E. teacher, who had just come in and was filling up his coffee cup.

“Mark, oh my gosh!  Did you just get new shorts?  They look fantastic!”

Mark caught on immediately.

“Why yes, Johnny, I did.  I’m glad you noticed!”

“Did you do something different with your beard too?  It looks so nice.  You must have gotten a new kind of razor,” I continued.

Mark tilted his head slightly to the side, scratched his beard lovingly and said,  

 “Yes, it’s springtime now so I thought a lighter beard would be more seasonal. I’m SOOO glad you noticed!”

The two female teachers waited patiently for our mockery to end.

“You’re boys.  You have no idea what it’s like to be a girl.  You just wouldn’t understand…”

Mark and I laughed and left the office, ready to start our days.  Little did I know that in a few short hours I would get a glimpse into the life of a woman, as I would voluntarily agree to turn in my man card for a few hours after school was over.

Where No Man Has Gone Before

April 30^th carries much historical significance for our country. 199 years ago, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, effectively doubling the size of our nation.  Also on April 30, Hawaii officially became a U.S. territory – this was in 1900.  April 30 also happens to be the date which marks the time man went where no man had gone before.  No, we aren’t talking about Neil Armstrong going to the moon.  After school on the afternoon of April 30, 2012 – perhaps for the first time ever – a man (me) helped to plan a bridal shower.  The following is the transcript of the discussion by the Bridal Shower Task Force:

Mission Commander:  “We have to decide when to commence this operation.  The optimal choices seem to be on either 16 May 2012 or 23 May 2012.  I’m going to make a command decision to make it on 23 May.”

Task Force Member 1:  “Roger that.  I’ll bring drinks. Who’s gonna take care of food?”

(Silence)

Task Force Member 2:  “I’ll get Chris to pick up all the expensive crap.  Sucks for him that he’s not here.”

(Laughter)

Task Force Member 3:  “I’ll be in charge of decorations.  The theme will be ‘The Baltimore Ravens’ because she likes purple.”

Mission Commander:  “We don’t need decorations because…. This is a fictional account of what would happen if men planned a bridal shower.”

That’s right; this is not what actually happened; it’s what MIGHT happen if men were in charge of bridal showers.  Instead, the meeting was filled with polite discussion on convenient dates, flowers, tablecloths, color scheme, food, and gifts – all of which took into account the tastes and thoughts of the bride-to-be.  Unfortunately, my main contribution – that it should be a Baltimore Ravens theme – got shot down.  I have no idea why – the bride’s favorite color IS purple, she’s from Maryland, and really, is there a girlier team than the Ravens?  Just kidding, Ray Lewis.  Please don’t kill me. 

In the process of getting a nacho bar approved as part of the food spread, I also noted some very distinguishing differences between men and women.  For us men,

1)                  It’s funny – not inconsiderate – to assign unwanted jobs to people that aren’t present. 

2)                  A party does not need decorations.

3)                  The only party that needs a theme is the Super Bowl party. 

4)                  A party only needs food and drinks.  Actually, just drinks.  If we want food, we invite girls.

5)                  The only people that you buy presents for are girlfriends and relatives.

6)                  The only time you buy presents are Christmas and birthdays – and only if they live within a 10 minute drive.  None of this giving baby shower gifts, bridal shower gifts, bachelorette gifts, having a bad day gifts, or it’s my 3^rd month at my job gifts. 

I also saw how a group of women got together to carefully plan a party meant to celebrate an important event in one of their friends’ lives.  Every detail was discussed and every angle considered, and every decision made with sincere thought and consideration about what the bride – our dear friend – would like.  Above all, everyone was more than happy to help out to make sure no one was overburdened with cost or the work involved.  I saw firsthand how women are able to celebrate their friends in better ways than men (or maybe just I) can. 

Hugs, compliments, gift giving, and taking time to plan out a party to celebrate loved ones – these are things that men just don’t do.  And while we do demonstrate our friendship in really awesome and deeply moving ways, it took an afternoon in the life of a woman to also see the endearing nature of how the fairer sex considers and celebrates their friends. 

It Takes a Rocket Scientist to Know the Main Idea

 In December, I wrote in my posting that I was working on a special project. What was this project?  I was writing an article for a magazine.  Since pride can be a major weakness of mine, I didn't tell too many people about this.  Imagine if I sent the article in and it didn't get published? Well, in this April's issue of Inheritance Magazine... guess what?  It was published!

If you haven't checked it out yet, you can click on the link... it's a fantastic faith-based magazine that has a focus on developing the faith and identities of Asian American Christians and on mobilizing them for action in their communities.  It's an honor to have been published by them, and my article is linked here.  

Anyhow, check out the magazine and my article, which is titled, "It Takes a Rocket Scientist to Know the Main Idea".  The graphics are fantastic... if only I had Ms. Lee to illustrate all of my posts!

Opportunity Cost, Opportunity Lost

Opportunity Cost:  The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action.

In elementary school, students build fundamental skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.  As a teacher, I want my students to understand that what they learn in my class is not applied only in my classroom.  Sometimes, the lessons have implications that go far beyond the scope of academia.  One such lesson is the lesson of opportunity cost, a 3^rd grade learning objective that found its way into a road trip I took over my Spring break.

Southern food is good for the soul so two weeks ago, my buddy Jeff and I hopped in my car and headed south to Athens and Atlanta.  Then, we drove east until the map turned blue – to Charleston, SC – where the beauty of the sun-kissed water is only eclipsed by the radiant southern belles that scatter the sand-swept landscape. There’s just something therapeutic about a road trip – and like the food we ate along the way, road trips are always good for the soul.  And, they’re always good for strange roadside sightings.  As we were heading back home, Jeff and I both did a double-take when we saw the bumper sticker on the back of a car which was driven by a young woman who looked to be in her early 20s. 

Me:  “Did you see that?”

Jeff:  “Did that bumper sticker say what I think it said?”

Me:  “I wonder if she lost a bet…”

Jeff:  “Slow down, I want to take a picture.  This is a must tweet.”

Me:  “I bet she gets out of a lot of speeding tickets!”

Unfortunately, the car with the bumper sticker that said “I (heart) Richard” (except, it wasn’t ‘Richard’ – but this is a PG blog so I’ll let you readers deduce what was actually written) was far in my rear view mirror by that time.  At that moment, we had a decision to make: was disrupting our travel time worth having a tweet that was sure to give our buddies a good laugh? 

A difficult decision but… as much as we wanted to, the opportunity cost of getting home later than we wanted was too much to give up.

When I look around my classroom, I see 24 children that have an opportunity that many of their parents either didn’t have, or didn’t capitalize on.  These faces look at me each morning with bright eyes full of life, lives full of hope, and hope for a future that is full of joy and success.  This future is within their grasp… if only they had the foresight that we as teachers have.  Therefore, I ride my students hard.  I expect more from them than they think they can give.  I make different tests for different students to challenge them individually because, gosh darn it, if you’re going to get an ‘A’ in my class, you better believe you’ve earned it.  I think about what my friends would think if they saw me in the classroom, and I’d guess many of them would think I’m pretty mean. 

“They’re only kids!” they might say.  “They have the rest of their lives to work hard.”

This is exactly why I’m tough on my students and I push them to excel.  The opportunity cost of what they are giving up if they don’t learn the fundamental skills of perseverance and hard work is worth far more than the opportunity given up to get home a little sooner on a road trip.  I’m hard on my students because,

Their opportunity cost is their opportunity, lost.

Like most teachers, I’d rather be the “mean, strict teacher” than the “nice, cool teacher.”  This has been one of the most important lessons I’ve learned about teaching. Like many important lessons that I’ve learned in life, this lesson has roots in a book that contains far more wisdom than any earthly person:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest....” (Hebrews 12:7, 11a – NIV)

In other words,

“God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely…” (Hebrews 12:7, 11a – The Message)

Realization:  God is tough on me because He loves me and it’s vital that I mature.  And I, like my students, am often blind to the importance of not persevering through the obstacles in my life.  If only I could be in God’s eyes what I want my students to be in my eyes.  Then, my OWN opportunity cost would not be my opportunity, lost.

Spring Break!!!

I’ve been on break for over a week and I’m loving life. Aside from going on a road trip over the weekend (more on that in a separate post), I’ve gotten a chance to immerse myself in my other hobbies – climbing, baseball, and… FOOD!!! 

I love to eat.  And, over the past few years I have come to love cooking just as much as eating.  Only, I’m not REALLY a chef.  For the most part, I really don’t know what I’m doing... and in that regard, it’s almost like teaching.  I might go in with an idea of what I want the end result to be, but how I get there is dependant on:

1)      A lot of adapting to what resources (or ingredients) I have;

2)      Improvisation; and

3)      What I can pull out of my imagination.  

Aside from the art of teaching, cooking is my only foray into the creative sciences.  This is something that’s abundantly clear if you’ve ever seen any of the posters I’ve attempted to design for my classroom or watched as I’ve drawn out pictures to help students visualize math problems.  It’s also obvious to anyone that has seen me cook.  I call what I do in the kitchen ‘gangster gourmet.’  I look in the pantry/fridge to see what’s there, and improvise to come up with something that is (hopefully) edible. 

Out of necessity – starvation is a really bad way to go out - I’ve gotten better at cooking over the last 10+ years of bachelorhood.  This is very fortuitous to those that I’ve made things for during the past week.  My culinary adventures this past week thus far include:

1)      Cheddarburger supermelt with rosemary smashed potatoes

2)      Spinach and romano orzo with sundried tomatoes

3)      Mushroom, caramelized onion, spinach, and bacon strata

4)      Yogurt served with grilled bread triangles (buttered and covered with powdered sugar) and strawberry-banana compote.  I still have no idea what to call this, but I needed to get rid of the things in my fridge that were gonna spoil when I was gone.

5)      Steak fajitas

6)      And, today’s lunch…

Seafood-mushroom risotto served with sauvignon blanc.

Now if only my lessons – and my students – can come out as successfully as this!!!

Things We Would Change (if we could)

I think all of us have thought about the things in our lives or days that we would go back and change if we could.  Here’s my list of what I would do differently:

1) Not jumped in the deep end of the pool without my floaties when I was 4.  I thought I could swim.  I thought wrong.

2) Realized BEFORE middle school that playing Dungeons and Dragons really wasn’t so cool.

3) Concentrated on football early in life instead of violin.  Oh, high school could have been so different…

4) Asked out that pretty redhead in college that always smiled at me when we passed.  If only her smile didn’t render me completely speechless as well…

5) Not gotten in the car the night of March 21, 2001.  The next time I would be conscious would be 2 months later.

I look back on these moments with remorse, but would I really change them? 

-          Almost drowning at age 4 didn’t make me fearful; rather, it helped make me realize (along with a bunch of other foolish things I did over the next 25 or so years) that there is a difference between fearlessness and reckless impulsivity. 

-          Not being cool enough for my best friend gave me a lesson on what is socially acceptable and what isn't.  It also gave us both lessons on friendship and forgiveness. In 2005 – almost 20 years later – I was the best man at his wedding.

-          Waiting until my senior year to play football because I thought I was too small – and subsequently becoming a starter – made me realize that I should never underestimate myself. 

-          I’m pretty sure my future wife (whoever she might be) will make me thankful that I never ended up with anyone else. 

-          Despite the grueling recovery path and the things I’m no longer capable of, the car accident 11 years ago had a profound impact on my outlook on life and my spiritual walk.  I’m a better man because of what I went through.

Yesterday, I had another moment which I wish I could change.  On the day before Spring Break, I gave my students a math test.  I really wish I hadn’t.

I don’t remember a whole lot of what I thought when I was in the 5^th grade.  I’m guessing many of us don’t – either that or we have a warped opinion of what went through our minds at that age.  My only thought yesterday was,

“I should give this test because we just finished the unit, and I’ll have time to grade them over the break!”  

I never once thought that the kids wouldn’t be focused.  That is, not until they were taking the test and 2 of my most responsible students kept looking around like they thought the Easter Bunny was going to walk through the door any moment and give them chocolate eggs. 

Mr. Lin:  “Willie*, what are you doing?”

Willie:  “Huh?”                   

Mr. Lin: "Are you OK?  You haven’t written anything in 10 minutes.”

Willie: “My brain hurts.  I don’t want to do any more math.”

Haley*:  “Same here.  Do I have to finish this?”

Note to self:  The day before vacation is NEVER a good time to give assessments.  Almost all the kids turned in their tests with 20 minutes remaining.  Several students left full pages without answers on them.  3 kids fell out of their chairs for no apparent reason.  What a disaster.

A few weeks ago, I had this conversation with a student after she had gotten angry as I was trying to help correct her homework:

Mr. Lin:  “Are you angry because you did your homework wrong?”

Student:  “Yes.  You’re always mad at me because I get things wrong.”

Mr. Lin:  “Look at me.  Do I seem mad?”

Student:  “No.  But I didn’t do it right.  So you’re mad.”

Mr. Lin:  “Getting things wrong isn’t a bad thing.  We can always learn from our mistakes.”

Student:  “But I don’t want to make mistakes.  I want to do things that are easy.”

Mr Lin:  “No one is perfect, so we all make mistakes.  The important thing isn’t that we don’t make mistakes.  It’s that we are able to make mistakes and learn from them.  If you always do things that are easy, would you be learning anything?”

Student: “No…”

With all the mistakes I’ve made while teaching over the past two years, I’ve had all too many times where I wanted a do-over on my day.  I’ve had all too many times where I’ve been angry.  I’ve been angry at my students.  I’ve been angry at myself.  And, I’ve been angry because God’s plan for me was to become a teacher.  In this moment however, I realize that God is speaking those same words to me that I said to that little girl several weeks ago. 

Here’s to learning and reflecting on my experience.  Here’s to (hopefully) becoming a better teacher.

*Note:  Names are changed

Dispelling a Myth

The story of Cassandra

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a Trojan prophetess who had the curse of always being correct, but with no one ever believing her. Her story takes place during the Trojan War.

After 10 years of war with Troy, the Greeks left an infamous gift of deceit for their opponents – the legendary wooden horse that served to end the war victorious for the Greeks. Cassandra was the only voice of dissent in the city, saying that bringing the giant horse inside the gates would lead to the destruction of Troy. She was mocked for her opinion, and the rest is mythological history.

One of the most frustrating things as a person is when you know the answer to something but your opinion goes unheeded. While it might make us feel better to say, “I told you so,” we know in the grand scheme of things being right isn’t all that big of a deal. However, there are times where the stakes are high and the consequences of our decisions reverberate for years to come.

Uncultivated Brilliance

Isaac* is a brilliant young man. He knows more about science, history, and random facts than anyone I have ever encountered. He takes an unparalleled fascination with things that pique his interest, and he devours information that he takes upon himself to research about these subjects. In essence, the boy is a walking encyclopedia whose mind is like a steel trap – nothing escapes it.

Is this boy the next Bill Gates? Will he be headed to the college of his choice in a few years? Will success at every level be this child’s academic trajectory? I dream wistfully at the possibilities he has in front of him. If only this wasn’t just a vision. What does the future behold for such a fascinating young man?

Sadly, the answer is in question because the decision on how to educate students like Isaac is not in the hands of the various Cassandras that are providing sound and expert advice. The decision is in the hands of people that are experts in loving their child and have the best intentions – but not true experts in child development. This is similar to the decision to bring a wooden horse into the city of Troy - it wasn’t the decision of the resident expert, Cassandra. It was in the hands of King Priam, the king who loved his city as his own children. As much as this great king knew what was best for his city in most instances, at the moment it mattered most he didn’t follow the advice of the person that knew the most. His decision doomed Troy.

The reason I am discussing Homer’s Iliad is because brilliant young Isaac is a child that has special needs. Not in the sense that many of us from an older generation view it; he doesn’t have Down’s syndrome, doesn’t have low IQ, and he seems completely normal – even brilliant – when speaking and interacting with him. However, somewhere along the way from his brain to his pencil, his thoughts get lost. Isaac, a boy that might live down the street as you, go to the same church you do, or even live under you own roof, is a boy whose mind requires special cultivation in order for it to achieve it’s full potential. But then again, aren’t we all uniquely and wonderfully made? Don’t we all need to be nurtured in a manner that is befitting our own special needs?

As brilliant as Isaac is, and as much as his parents love them, parents of Isaacs around the nation are ignoring the advice of others that also want what’s best for their children. They are hesitant to adhere to the advice that a more accommodating environment is needed to harness their precious child’s immense talent. They are listening to the gremlins of the past as opposed to the knowledge of people trained in education and human development.

A long time ago, special education was limited in scope to certain disabilities. Although it has undergone a significant overhaul over the years in both the spectrum of students it covers (gifted students, students with processing issues, and attention deficit students are now classified as special needs students) as well as the way that special education is administered (in most cases students stay with all other students in a classroom while specialists push in), the stigma of being a special ed student is still present. However, it isn’t present in the classroom with the students as it was when many of us were children. The stigma is felt by their parents. As a result of these misconstrued notions, well intentioned parents end up withholding the services that their children need. These parents are like King Priam – their love and intentions are not in question, but the results of their decision are destructive to the people they were seeking to protect.

This is not to say that Isaac’s future is as sealed as the citizens of Troy after King Priam ignored the pleas of Cassandra. Children sometimes outgrow obstacles to their learning. Other times, they find ways to cope with these issues. Maybe parents find other ways to help their child or get them the help that is needed later in their lives. However, that doesn’t change the fact that listening to Cassandra would have been sound advice.

Like most people, I like to be right. It’s a smug feeling when my opinions have been validated by results. However, when it comes to the education of brilliant young Isaacs around the world, it won’t feel good if I’m right. I want them to succeed without the help that child psychologists and teachers feel is essential. Whether or not these children get the help that they need, it doesn’t change my desire for them to achieve their highest potential. It also doesn’t change my desire for their parents to get them the help that will help them achieve their best.

Should I ever have an Isaac in my classroom, I hope I never have a time when I look sadly at the outcome of his life and think, “I told you so.” Instead, I hope more than anything to think, “Wow, look what he accomplished! Boy, was I wrong.”

*Editor's Note: Issac is a metaphor for special needs children across the nation that are not receiving the support they need. This is not intended to represent any individual student.

The Year of the Nickname

The Year of the Nickname







At the end of last quarter, as I was grading papers, one of my students walked in my door before her afterschool program began and said,

“Hi Bigfoot.”

I looked at her questioningly as she stood there without expression in front of me, blinking from behind her horn rimmed glasses. She is the smallest student in the 5th grade, has an adorable and ever-so-slight lisp, and a dry sense of humor that belies her age. I looked from my feet to hers, then replied,

“Hi Littlefoot,” and picked up the next test I was grading while pretending to peruse it.

“Why did you call me Littlefoot?” she asked after a few seconds.

I looked up from the test in my hands.

“Why did you call me Bigfoot?” I asked back to her.

“Because you have big feet.” Apparently, my size 10 shoes appeared enormous to this small child.

“Well, you have little feet,” I responded.

“Oh, ok. Bye!”

She turned around and walked out the door, a little spring to each step accompanying her little feet.

I’d guess that my experiences as a teacher aren’t entirely unique comparative to other teachers. With each day comes something totally new and unexpected, and with each year come things that resonate as the central theme of that school year. For me and my classroom, last year was the Year of the Stick.

According to the lunar calendar, the New Year began on January 23rd of this year. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. In my classroom, this is not the Year of the Dragon. It is the Year of the Nickname.

The first nickname was borne from a joke one of my students told. The second – a nickname given to their teacher – came from the children’s imaginations. Along the way, other nicknames have been doled out to various members of the class – Pluto, Brynoceros, Gizmo, and Littlefoot among them. In January, Littlefoot came to me before school began one day as I was writing a message on the board. She handed me a note that now hangs on my refrigerator door:

Dear Mr. Bigfoot,

I need help with these things below. (Geometry, algebra, and fractions are circled). I really want to bump up my grade.

Love, Littlefoot

Underneath her writing she had drawn a series of feet of varying sizes. After I had finished reading, I looked at the adorable, bespectacled face that was blinking expressionlessly up at me. Although I was beaming inside, I did my best not to let that show.

“Don’t worry about algebra. That’ll be something you do in depth in the 7th grade. We will cover fractions again in our next unit so you’ll get plenty of practice. And, we just started our geometry unit so let’s wait a few days before you think you need help. If you still think that, I’ll be happy to work with you after school or during lunch.”

“Oh. Ok.” She turned and began to walk away.

“Hey Littlefoot,” I called to her. She turned around and looked expectantly at me.

“I love how you are taking your learning seriously. That means you will be just fine.”

She smiled at me, then turned and walked out of my room with the little spring in her step accompanying those little feet once more. She might have thought I meant that her math grades would be just fine, but my words were meant to have a larger scope. According to the Chinese Zodiac, a person who is a dragon has the following characteristics:

A dragon overcomes obstacles until success is his. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious. The Dragon person is self confident and impulsive and consequently does not always listen to the advice of others. He is also a perfectionist and he sets high standards for himself.




Sounds about right for my friend Littlefoot.

One day, long after she has left fifth grade, and after her high school and college graduations, maybe I’ll catch wind of what lofty heights she has achieved. In a moment which would epitomize the reward for being a teacher, my heart would smile as I think fondly back at my Valentine’s Day gift from her – a chocolate apple wrapped in gold foil simply labeled,

To: Bigfoot

From: Littlefoot

My dear Littlefoot, may those little feet spring you to great heights in your future.

Love,

Mr. Lin

Finally... a little Lin-tegrity in the NBA!!!

Disclaimer: I am not related to Jeremy Lin

Sorry everyone for the lapse in time between posts. I've never been a huge NBA fan - maybe because my team is the Washington Wizards - but I've been swept up in the Linsanity that defies imagination.

For another Lin-sane post, check out the guest post here I did for July Flame. If you’re not a follower of her blog, I highly recommend it – her posts are full of wit, thought, and truth.

In actuality, one of the biggest reasons why I love college basketball but have always had a disdain for the NBA is the personalities. The NBA is a breeding ground for individualism, which leads to selfishness and millionaire athletes that think the world centers around them. They have been catered to and coddled their entire lives because they can play basketball, and most jump at the first chance to leave school early for the NBA. Only 21 percent of players in the NBA have their undergraduate degrees.

The sad thing is, these spoiled and half educated basketball players have become unwitting role models for young children. With other sports like football and baseball, it seems as if most athletes recognize this and try to set good examples for the impressionable minds that admire them. Basketball however, has been a stunning contradiction, with players having an attitude first put on display in this Nike ad starring Charles Barkley:



To be fair, I think the message the Sir Charles was trying to get across was that parents need to take more responsibility for their own kids. But, that’s a whole new post for another time. Today, I want to celebrate the NBA for finally producing an honest-to-God role model in Jeremy Lin. What’s there not to like about a guy who:

1) Went to Harvard and graduated with a degree in Economics
2) Led every team he has been on to championships
3) Persisted through every adversity (not recruited out of high school, not drafted out of college, and cut twice by NBA teams) to become a star
4) Persisted to overcome stereotypes to become the best basketball player in Ivy League history and an NBA starting point guard
5) Is humble with the praise that is being heaped upon him, giving credit to everyone except himself

Jeremy Lin is a far cry from what I have come to expect from NBA players. In a world that has been glamorized by the media and is proliferated by infidelity in relationships, greed, and selfishness, a man that was unknown to the world a few weeks could be a role model for a generation of children desperately seeking men they can look up to. Will others follow?

Join me in following basketball. Join me in cheering on the New York Knicks – even if you have a different team that you follow. Join me in hoping and praying that the NBA can produce more men of dignity that the children of our country – our future – can model their lives after.

God, please watch over our future. It takes a village to raise a child. May good parents, teachers, big brothers/sisters, neighbors and great role models all be part of every village. Amen.