Well, now you've made me cry again!! Thanks for the nugget and I'd LOVE to see any of your videos! Thank you SO MUCH for writing.
> > Well, Bev, if you're asking, I'm talking.....> Another REALLY powerful > > moment for me was during my lesson. I read "Faithful Elephants" and > > focused on synthesizing. So, I walk in the room with Ellin, my asst. > > superintendent, superintendent, principal and about 40 observing teachers. > > Yes, I said 40. And I glance at the carpet were all my little angels are > > sitting - and I notice this boy, we'll call him Kevin, who is not in my > > classroom normally for reading. He is in a self-contained special ed. room > > and only in my room for lunch, pretty much. So, panic strikes. Because, > > although it IS vitally important to me that my students are able to > > synthesize, I'm feeling a litttttle bit of pressure to make this lesson a > > success for selfish reasons. Forget the 40 observers - I'm teaching with > > Ellin Keene! So (and I'm sooooo... embarrassed to admit this now), my > > immediate thought is "Kevin shouldn't be here. He's gotta go." But my > > always wise asst. superintendent tells me to just let him be> and start.> > > Ok, so now we're almost halfway through the book and Ellin interrupts to > > say that she just saw in Kevin's eyes that he synthesized. First of all, > > of the 25 kids listening to the story, Kevin was the ONLY one who had never > > heard it before, so no doubt his thinking was changing every minute as I > > read. (If you know the book, you know it's a whopper!). Ok, so she asks > > Kevin to share but he's hesitant. Wait time, wait time, wait time..... > > again, Ellin commends him on taking his time to think. More > > waiting......Well, finally, Kevin says something like "Well, at first I > > thought the book was just about some elephants in a zoo, but now my > > thinking changed. Now I think the book is about something bigger - about > > war and what it does." Now, he was kind of mimicing something similar to > > what I had said in an earlier think aloud, BUT he was making it his own. > > Kevin was synthesizing!! The lesson was recorded on video and at that > > point, you can see> me make eye contact with Kevin's "regular teacher" and > > shake my head. I was shaking my head in shame at having such low > > expectations. I was near tears in frustration with myself for not > > believing in Kevin. > Another lesson I learned that day - always have the > > highest expectations for your students. They WILL rise to meet them - if > > you give them some time to dwell and some silence. And some faith. :)> As > > a side note - Kevin also continued to synthesize with his turn and talk > > partner during that lesson. And you couldn't have wiped the smile off his > > face for anything the rest of that day.> Dana > PS - I'll check with my > > asst. superintendent to see if I can post a clip from the video somewhere > > for you to see Ellin and the first grader with the very long wait time. If > > she gives me the ok, someone will have to help me figure out how and where, > > in cyberspace, to post it!> > > > ----- Original Message ----> From: > > Beverlee Paul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> To: [email protected]> > > Sent: Monday, August 4, 2008 9:23:03 PM> Subject: Re: [Understand] wait > > time and Ellin> > Now I'm replying to my reply. The other important thing > > about this demonstration with the Direct Instruction program I mentioned - > > the teachers in my district are still talking about it -- and that was ten > > months ago! It not only mortified Jana, it mortified them. They tell me > > that they felt fear (that they would be called on and the same thing happen > > to them), but even more shame (that they "felt" complicitous in the > > treatment even though they had no power over the events at all). Talk > > about a powerful moment! These teachers are all reliving it these months > > later and it still brings back raw feelings. Contrast that with the power > > of Ellin's moment. Those moments need to be shared to sustain us all!> > > > So thank you again for your post.> > > > _________________________________________________________________> Reveal > > your inner athlete and share it with friends on Windows Live.> > > http://revealyourinnerathlete.windowslive.com?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WLYIA_whichathlete_us> > > _______________________________________________> Understand mailing list> > > [email protected]> > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org> > > _______________________________________________> Understand mailing list> > > [email protected]> > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _________________________________________________________________ Get Windows Live and get whatever you need, wherever you are. Start here. http://www.windowslive.com/default.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Home_082008 _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
