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Before Y.O.L.O., I.R.L., and F.O.M.O there was A.T.T.O.
Poet and teacher, Frank McCourt, wrote about All That Time Off (A.T.T.O.) in his book “Teacher Man.” He showed how teachers are awarded A.T.T.O. in exchange for 180 days of service on the academic calendar. That’s right. Vacation time, Baby!
Enjoy your summer and A.T.T.O. teachers! THANK YOU for all you do for students!!!
Louvre
McCourt, F. (2005). Teacher man. New York: Scribner.
Most teachers have only one student teaching experience. At the end of the semester, I had student teachers I supervised create a storyboard. Our last meeting was a celebration of the highs and lows of their student teaching experience. The storyboard is a creative way for student teachers to reflect on this time in their life. It’s a story unlike anyone else’s they are sure to remember for years to come.
I created the Storyboard Activity for my student teachers after a trip to Walt Disney World. There was an attraction called The Art of Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. I saw how the Disney Company and Imagineers created storyboards and thought, “We could do that!”
Student teachers complete the storyboard draft before our lastmeeting. This gives them time to think about each prompt instead of being put on the spot. They can illustrate or create a collage to accompany each cell of their storyboard. Each student teacher presents his or her storyboard during the final meeting. Student teachers can add or modify this list of prompts as needed:
Title
Actor or actress you would cast to play you
Cast of characters (may include a protagonist and a nemesis)
Actors to play your cooperating professional and students
Theme song
Develop a soundtrack of sounds and songs that help tell your student teaching story
Plot
Highpoint
Resolution
What are three important things you learned from your student teaching that you will remember many years from now?
Storyboarding
I recently went to a professional conference. It was my state chapter of the International Literacy Association (ILA). The organization serves literacy teachers PreK to High School.
Teachers, families, and children kicked off the conference Friday evening with fun events. People of all ages enjoyed the art of storytelling by author Mr. Joe Hays. The reading conference had excellent sessions and workshops on Saturday. It was impressive to see large groups of teachers give up part of their weekend for professional development. It got me thinking….
Attending a work conference is a lot like going to a spa. Self-improvement is the focus of both endeavors. At a spa and conference (Spaco) you get pampered. Other people have considered personal comforts and attempted to create a pleasant experience.
There were so many details at my ILA conference the planning committee considered. Meals, decorations, schedule of activities, speakers, vendors, prizes, awards, clock hours/continuing education units, and more were coordinated for the comfort and enjoyment of participants. A special touch at my conference included the creative centerpieces on the tables. Floral vases with artistic flags that had state authors and illustrators were proudly displayed, and given away to participants at the end of the conference.
At a Spaco you get to focus on yourself. Your personal responsibilities related to children, pets, and/or significant other have been left behind so you can pay attention to numero uno.
At a Spaco you choose to go. Nobody is forcing you to attend. In fact, you probably moved heaven and earth to get this chance.
Enjoy your next Spaco experience. You deserve it!
Every year the United States Postal Service (U.S.P.S.) issues a collection of special stamps with diverse topics that range from soda fountain favorites to pick-up trucks. An educator who taught math is honored in 2016.
Mr. JAIME ESCALANTE (1930-2010) was from Bolivia and taught at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. When he started at Garfield, the school was in danger of losing their accreditation. There were other obstacles Mr. Escalante had to overcome to create a successful math department with his colleagues and administration. He held high expectations for his students who rose to the occasion by excelling in his advanced mathematics courses and on AP calculus exams.
When students said math was too hard Mr. Escalante replied, “Ganas! That’s all you need…ganas.” His students responded by showing they had the gana, or desire, by outperforming students in math from wealthier school districts.
Mr. Escalante was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1999. If you saw the 1988 movie “Stand and Deliver” you’ll remember how Mr. Escalante inspired inner city youth who were experiencing poverty. Mr. Edward James Olmos portrayed Escalante in the film that earned Olmos an Academy Award nomination for best actor in a leading role that year.
His postage stamp was designed by art director Mr. Greg Breeding and artist Mr. Jason Seiler. This stamp and others can be a fun way to learn about different topics with children. The U.S.P.S., the American Philatelic Society, and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum have learning kits that can be used to explore each stamp and topic. You do not have to be a stamp collector to appreciate the special issue stamps.
Escalante’s stamp is a small masterpiece with gigantic respect in honoring the work of teachers. Bravo U.S.P.S., Mr. Escalante, and students!
“Make it work,” says Tim Gunn each week as clothing designers on Project Runway compete for a coveted spot to present their designs at fashion week. Teachers are pros at making it work. Project Runway designers and special education teachers are cut from the same cloth, and have a lot in common.
Couture. The first common thread between designers and special education teachers is the project they create is one-of-a-kind. A designer creates a couture project which is chic, contemporary, and made to measure an individual rather than the masses. Up-to-date designs are fresh and modern. A designer will have a signature style, but they won’t create the exact same design more than once. Same with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) a special education teacher creates with a team—which includes the student’s family. IEPs are unique. No two are alike. Every time a special education teacher designs an IEP, s/he does so from a blank canvas just like a designer. No two children will have the same IEP. The same child will have a different and distinct IEP each time one is created.
Florentine Boutique
Individualized. Designers and special education teachers are creating a project for an individual person. The better they know the person, the better their design will be. The judges on the Lifetime show often ask, “Who is the woman you are designing for?” Special education teachers ask a similar question, “Who is the child/student you are designing for?” The better we can answer this question, the better the outcome will be. "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different,” proclaimed Coco Chanel. Every student we design for is different, and their IEP is individualized to personalize for them what is important.
Use of assessment data. An IEP can be a masterpiece if created to fit the person perfectly. To do so, we need to be able to use assessment data to inform the development of goals and objectives on the student’s IEP. Assessment also helps us create customized interventions for each student, because we know what students need based on observations, direct testing, parental and professional report. Same with designers who use measurements for creating the right fit. Hubert de Givency said, “The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress." Measurement is critical to accomplishing Givenchy’s ideal. In order to create a tailor-made IEP, accurate assessment data helps the team create a perfect fit.
Team. In sewing, a seam is the straight line where two pieces of fabric meet with thread. A seam brings two separate things together as one. So do teams. Designers, from Project Runway, work independently on many of their creations. However, they are still part of a team that may include: Tim Gunn their supervisor, Mood their provider of materials, and the panel of judges who give the designers feedback. There are some episodes of Project Runway where designers work on teams with other designers to collaborate on a single item or collection. An IEP team may consist of: the student and his/her family, general education teachers, special education teachers, a case manager, the lead educational agency (LEA) or school district representative, related service providers, social worker, physician, and/or other member(s) needed to create a meaningful IEP. The student’s IEP team co-creates the plan, and some but not all members will be involved in implementation of the IEP.
Limited resources. Special education teachers and designers on Project Runway both need to work with limited resources. Time allocated for designing is limited. Both are constrained by a limited budget. Specialized materials and equipment may be needed to design.
Creative. Both types of designers start by drafting their ideas. A clothing designer might use a pad of paper and drawing utensils to make a sketch of the garment they will later sew. An IEP comes together from a rough draft also. Designers of IEPs and garments may get their inspiration from a variety of sources. Input from parents is one source of creativity. For example, I once had a secondary student with an intellectual disability who loved wood working. He was born with four thumbs and was getting occupational therapy. His Dad owned a cabinet making business and he and his family wanted “Peter” to eventually have a major part in the family business. When we designed Peter’s secondary IEP, his parents provided input about vocational opportunities they dreamed of for their son. With the team working together, we designed a creative program for Peter with: job coaching and shadowing in a woodworking company, coursework in shop/carpentry, field work, and independent studies all aimed at his future dream of making kitchen cabinets in the family business. Project Runway designers use locations, buildings, and other environmental influences as inspiration for what they create. Environment and people may be sources of creativity.
Goals. "I don't design clothes. I design dreams," said Ralph Lauren. That is what we do when we design an IEP. We design dreams for students and their families. The goals are a way to achieve the dream. Dreams need deadlines. The goals we create may have short or long term objectives.
Every member of an IEP team is a designer. We design meaningful IEPs for students that are one-of-a-kind. Every student should be so lucky to have an IEP designed just for them. Can I have one?
Shopping for one-of-a-kind designs in Florence