Learning Loss

Tony my long-time teaching partner, 24 years…our silver anniversary is next year so I am expecting a block of silver, and I were talking about next year and both identified that we are faced with three challenges right from jump street.  First, these kids are going to lack some of the skills that they normally arrive with as a result of virtual environment.  Instead of identifying and trying to recover 50 skills we have decided that it is prudent for us to concentrate on a few critical skills and make those points of emphasis for the school year.  Second, our kids have not experienced Fishers Junior High’s culture…the traditions, the competitions, the interplay between teams, school “dances”, all the normal things that get kids to buy into our culture…they missed it all; we need to rebuild the culture of our building. Third, we need to re-energize our staff away from the virtual mindset back to an in-person mindset. This means we, as a staff, need to get back into being close to kids, organizing activities, and generally integrating students and teachers back into the relationship part of school again.

Learning Loss – A Way Forward

These are the skills that I think I will be addressing first…disclaimer this list could change 142 times before the start of the school year.

1. The ability to talk to and listen to there peers. Think, Pair, Share activities normally dominate the teaching of this skill, but I think we need to be even more intentional with Chavruta or Havruta-style of working in pairs.  Havruta (which translates to friendship) is a traditional approach to the study of the Talmud in which a small group of students analyze, discuss and debate a piece of text. I like to add an element of listening to the study. The Chavruta style of learning is meant to be argumentative; the graduation piece of this is for the pairs to read controversial pieces with one person always playing the other side.  Our country DEFINATELY needs practice on seeing the other side of the issues.  I use this PowerPoint as a guide to using the Havruta in the classroom: Havuta Steps.
2. The skill to read non-fiction text and identify key points and supporting information. This has been an emphasis for a decade in our school; last year’s environment hurt teaching this skill. Normally I “race-track” around and make adjustments by dropping a Pink Pearl eraser, Amazon sells them 72 for $22, and tell the kids what to fix. Lots of visits, lots of feedback, lots of erasing, lots of steps. This skill translate to all classes and nearly every profession.
3. Concise writing. I want to discipline my students to be concise when they write for me. I read a great article (https://www.writerswrite.co.za/10-ways-to-be-more-concise-when-you-write/) that inspired me to be more intentional in my writing expectations. My Weoples, aka We the People kids, are the catalyst for this skill as they get big writing prompts and very few words to answer the questions; however, this skill is invaluable overall and transferable.
4. Revisiting the Amish Way of Life. First off don’t think me a Luddite…I’m not at all. However, every teacher will spin a tale of woe when it comes to technology and thinking questions. Teacher: “What do you think the impact of this event would have on the people?” Student: “Siri?” Siri could tell them that the vaccine magnetizes your body and they would believe because the uneducated are always gullible. Sometimes there is no substitute for just having to ponder and theorize and be wrong and having to re-ponder, re-theorize (sorry Kletch…I am sure this is not a word) and re-think. The process matters as much or more than the question’s correct answer.
5. Adhering to time. During the Covid year and a quarter most teachers were beyond lenient on due dates; especially when it came to in-class work. There was a cost to this leniency…the sense of responsibility to deliver ON-TIME. All of us that have been in the “real world” know that on-time is the expectation. Boss’s demand it; customers demand it; employees demand it; the wife demands it…me I just suggest and hope. You know, if you are familiar with my class, that homework is not my thing. I am too much of a control freak and do not want parents trying to figure out my class at night. I want to answer, or not answer questions directly, all the questions in my class. As such class work tends to build on the essential questions in my units; as a result, class work needs to be complete before the next step in the lesson.

Fear of Over-Reaction

Okay, so I am one of those people that does not blindly trust people to make decisions for my class. I have been doing this long enough and work too hard on improvement to value the professional opinions of strangers; there are those that make me listen and ponder…ponder is a great description…listen, think, connect, think, decide. My fear is that the district will hamstring teachers with lists of things to cover (e.g., this civilization, this date, this river) instead of finding consensus from teachers at each grade level what SKILLS need to be taught (e.g., reading like an historian, analyzing primary and secondary sources, writing argumentative essays, understanding connections and cause-and-effect chains in history, why unicorns are only found in Australia, etc.) When curriculum maps appear with spend x number of days on Ancient Egypt with this test during this time frame all is lost. This leads to shallow short-term learning of the least common denominator at the expense of skills and passion. This leads to my other fear that shallow short-term learning objectives will kill the love of subject in kids.

The Camaro Saga

Sooo…when I started my journey of losing weight and getting in shape I wanted to reward myself when I hit my goal of losing 70 pounds…I have lost 73 pounds and run a 5k…which I will do on June 23rd at the Spark5k. I decided that I wanted to give myself on a Camaro or Mustang. I designed a Camaro on-line and sent it to four local dealers. My hopes were quickly dashed when two different dealers told me the same thing…the Camaro line has not run in months because of a computer chip shortage. The latest word is that maybe late July the factory line opens again. So no Camaro and the Mustang is just $10,000 more…so no muscle car for me at the moment.

Moments of randomness

Amanda Biles is the greatest athlete of all-time.  Yep, I mean it.  Watch this super slo-mo video of her “Biles” move and disagree with me.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRHT4LdyMk

Eric Clapton was once asked how does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world; he said, “I don’t know, you should ask Prince.” Skip to 3:30 if you just want to see Prince; of course, the late, great Tom Petty is an added bonus and a reminder to his greatness.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfMh8QgJjA 

Some of you have heard me say or seen me write that not everyone I consider family shares my blood. I have special people in my life that I considered my adopted daughters…Rachel and Diana. I have formers students that I look at as Maury considered Mitch…Emily, Jenna, Maddie, and so many more. There are former students that have shared my favorite book and included me in their lives long after they were my students…Tiernan, Julia, Natalie, Erica, Meghan, Megan, Annie, Tory, Halley Rose, Angie, Jessica, and so many more.

In a special part of my heart’s family are my Weoples. Every year as our journey comes to a close my heart begins to fill with the dread of the end and the joy of what my babies have become. I have seen it every year…the growth, the light of understanding, and the maturity of thought and knowledge. They become forces of nature. I have seen so many of my former Weoples become leaders at the high school and now college. I watch them embed themselves into social issues. They make tangible my hopes and dreams when I started this class seven years ago. Winning trophies has never been very important to me; other than the acknowledgement that someone else appreciates what my kids have learned through hard work and introspection. Just for clarification, I am competitive and like the feeling associated with winning; however, that is a short-term feeling. What lasts are the long-term civic involvement that these kids have shown. This year has been a tough year in teaching for me. I am never in the same room with all of my class at the same time. This year’s Weoples have shown such grace and growth.

I was going to focus on their work leading up to Nationals, but instead I want to focus on this team. They are the deepest team that I have ever taken to Nationals. They have lost to much from their junior high years as they missed Camp Tecumseh; a normal ending to 7th grade, and competed at Regionals, State, and Nationals via Zoom…never knowing the experience of face-to-face competition in front of a real audience. They persevered despite missing the full experience of previous years. However, I don’t want to dwell on that. I want to dwell on them…my hoodlums, my angels, my babies, my Champions, my “chosen family”.

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Unit 1 – My Philosopher Kings. My girls. There was a risk when I put this unit together. Unit 1 requires the ability to understand deep subject matter. They study Aristotle, Plato, Locke, Hobbes, Cicero, and Rousseau. All of them could handle the material; the danger was that three of them tended to fall on the quieter, contemplative side…sorry Bella…that is not you…you were always my “first responder”. I bet on Addie, Ashley and Olivia to find and believe in their voices…and boy they did. I have always had what has been called a “vendetta” against quiet, talented kids. I believe that still-waters run deep and, even more strongly, believe that they must raise their voices and lead…hence my Philosopher-Kings. At Nationals the judges missed a chance to really see their depth when the judges did not dig into the concept of “higher law”—Unit 1 understands CLEARLY that there are two types of higher law, but judges missed their chance. Addie, Ashley, and Olivia took on the role of the thoughtful philosopher with a certain glee; my favorite moments were when one of the three would show some snark when answering a judge’s questions; like when the judge asked if a short or long constitution was better. This unit was fortunate to be led by my little tour-deforce Bella. Sometimes you get lucky. She came back to public school in 8th grade and my team was better for it.

Unit 2 – My Historians. Our team has a history of very good Unit 2’s. The key is to put kids into the unit that can handle the history and have the ability to draw equivalencies to today. These kids specialize on the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Colonial State Constitutions. This unit fit in perfectly with the demands of the unit. Gurvir, Grant, Melia and Sydney all have great memories; Melia and Sydney brought a fair amount of sass. Gurvir was the unit’s captain and was one of two first responders…Melia often filled the same role. Gurvir’s preparation was unmatched; I am sure that if you asked him he could list all 27 grievances in the Declaration and follow it up with links to the Constitution. Grant has this reflective cool that plays well in questions that require a thoughtful answer. Sydney was my hammer. Sydney would not tolerate false comparisons and refused to be led by judges into opinions. She always made the clever connections in competition. Melia normally made me smile at least once a round when she would pontificate an answer…she would have also been great in Unit 1 with her philosopher leanings. These kids loved to lean into questions; it was not hard for me to figure out who was going to talk next as they tended to lean into a question and give a little smirk before speaking…great for units…bad if playing professional Texas Hold-um.

Unit 3 – The Constitution Experts (with a touch of sass). This group was probably one of my two best Unit 3’s of all-time. They LOVED to compete and REALLY loved when judges asked them questions. What a group. Led by Maggie Mae, this group leaned into everything. Unit 3 seems at first glance to have an easier time of the subject matter than the other units because its focus is really on the Constitutional Convention; however, looks can be deceiving. There is a sub-question that drives the judge’s questions….it is about the separation of powers and checks-and-balances. So on one hand you need a unit that can handle all the background information; i.e., a very long cheat sheet. However, it needs to also have strong opinions and a touch of sass. Navi, Lincoln and Maggie Mae were great with the depth of information. Their ability to tackle all the compromises and Constitutional pieces and parts was great. The sass was brought primarily by Ella…she of varying hair colors and STRONG opinions on current events. She is a force of will on any perceived injustice; it is just a matter of time before she is pictured leading the forces of justice against the forces of evil. Lord have mercy if she ever gets super-powers. Lincoln was one of my favorite people to watch compete. He would smile from the first question until the final goodbyes; he brings his athletic competitiveness to the unit. He likes the last word so that he can wrap up the answer. Navi brings such a calm into competition; his easy style and quality answers are like a house’s foundation…he sets the supports that allow answers to build. Maggie Mae will someday be on top of a business, political, or society pyramid…she is meant to lead. I will miss her coming into my room between classes just to be sassed about something.

Unit 4 – The Storm. May be the finest unit in my history of We the People. My munchkins may not stretch very far on the family growth chart, but their growth as Weoples was stunning to witness. Tanvi captained this unit. She is added to her considerable talent by finding her voice, feuding with Riebe, and developing a fair-amount of sass…sometimes directed at me which should be a violation of international law…when I am elected dictator of the world this will be outlawed. Sloan provided a sense of calm to the feisty three; even though her competitiveness was on display in competition. She would wait to bring in the factoid or proof to the argument. Sloan and, her twin, Lincoln joined their older sibling, Tiernan, as the first siblings to win three National championships for my team. Jenna was an unknown to me before tryouts last year; she had a moment in tryouts that showed me a conversation backbone…I picked her at that moment. She wears her passions on her sleeve and has zero poker face. She talks to judges as an equal…I love that about her. Jenna does not suffer foolish questions very well; I also love that about her. My journey with Riebe started before 7th grade when she walked into my room on Preview Day and would not talk to me, let alone make eye contact. We may have struggled in our 7th grade journey for her to become what I believed she could be. I will let her give her side of the story someday, but there MIGHT have been some wild accusations until she fought back. Well that fighter came out and she became a We the People rock star. Watching her on the last day as she went toe-to-toe with a professor from Clemson University was one for the ages. I gave each of the girls a bracelet with the following engraved on the inside, “Fate whispers to the warrior–“You cannot withstand the storm”–and the warrior whispered back…”I am the storm”

Unit 5 – The Lawyers. This unit was so much fun for me. I built this around two of the most competitive humans on the planet…Parker and Claire…both of them would cut off a leg in competition if they thought it would help. Every criticism drove them to learn more. Parker was an immoveable object when it came to case law…judges would try to push him to move off the law into speculation and he would not budge. Parker looks at the law with a engineer’s mind. Claire is the captain and works harder to get further. Every new case is another obstacle to winning. Her inventory of case law is amazing. She learns each case and the impact. She quizzes her team to ensure everyone can speak to any case. She is a competitive swimmer and brings that same drive into We the People. She is a force of nature and will make a mark on this world before she is done. Sarah and Ollie balance the unit with opinions and nuance. Sarah is the person who can see the other side and notices the grey areas of settled law. In competition she listens carefully to the arguments made and rounds out the opinions. She also has a vicious eye-roll which never fails to make me smile; even when she directs it at me. Ollie….Ollie…Ollie. She is the third Weople from her family. She is passion and obstinance rolled into one human form. I can count on her to question everything; in competition she has NO PROBLEM finding the other side of the argument. She picks on me nearly as much as I pick on her. I will miss her terribly, but don’t tell her…shhhh.

Unit 6 – Everything Controversial is Their Focus. They get all the fun subjects…voting, immigration, international agreements, citizenship…. This unit requires a certain type of student…opinionated and aware is great…radical tendencies help. Bronwyn filled the role of the fire-touched activist really well, BECAUSE she truly is a fire-touched activist. She has protested against gun-violence and is strongly motivated to make this world a better and safer place. When Bronwyn talked there was an earnestness to her words. Jak…the parkour master…much like his predilection for leaping over 4-foot walls; Jak is the counter to popular opinion…he brings up the loyal opposition viewpoint. Jumping Jak could always be counted on to build on the answers of his teammates. Perla….mistress of the answer, “No”. Perla is a passionate debater who likes to start every answer to judges with the word, “no”. She is the perfect Unit 6 person…passionate, articulate, and willing to get into the debate. This unit was led by Delaney who is easily one of the most talented people on the team. Delaney is something to watch compete; she simply knows everything…not through some inner-Google mechanism, but from hard-work and the ability to synthesize and connect information. Delaney also made the transition from student to learner. She wants to understand and know; not just memorize and regurgitate.

There is little left to say about these kids; they are special and are destined for greatness in this world. I am their biggest fan. I will miss them to no end.

My first National champions are graduating this year. Four years few by so fast. One of their many legacies is my face on various objects; first t-shirts, then socks, ties, stickers…this years kids wanted face-masks….quashed it.

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Back in May 2017 I wrote the following about these kids.

I am on the long bus ride back to Fishers and the sounds of snoring, math questions, laughing, the odd of yelling of “Yahtzee”, and every now and then my phone beeps with another pic of one of babies sleeping.  With my earbuds in and songs from a random playlist filtering out the road; my mind is still trying to place their accomplishment in my mind palace.  Euphoria, satisfaction, and a profound sense of sadness take turns dominating my inner voice.

My mind replays my team powerfully reciting from memory Henley’s Invictus to an enthusiastic crowd of family, supporters, Civic Education staff.  When I see all the photos of that moment that dominate my social media feeds I can see the joy on their faces; not just the joy that comes from a moment of happiness, but the joy that comes from the achievement of dreams; dreams that require work unseen, dreams that require a unwavering commitment, dreams that are shadowed by the fear of the disappointment of coming up short.  Their faces so alive that it lifts the hope and spirits of all who witnessed the moment.

This blog is hard to write.  My mind drifts and for awhile the path is unclear. 

I don’t know to start this part of my blog.  How do I write about my 31 “Angels”, “Hoodlums”, “Future Presidents”, and “Babies”.  Their journey has been so long; preparing for competition for 9 months.  We have had a countdown calendar for competition for 160 school days.  They never wavered.  They are so resolute.

From the very beginning we recited Invictus; of course, like most things in my class there was a dual purpose.  One it allowed me to work on their presentation skills.  I also hoped they would begin to understand the importance.  Describing We the People competition to students in the beginning of the year is impossible; my default is to say, “You don’t know until you know”.  There was a moment at State when I forgot my copy of the poem; they recited it from memory.  The moment froze in my mind; a few cited the words from memory, but for most they meant the words they recited.  The knew “the fell clutch of circumstance” was competition; they knew better than to “wince or cry aloud” about what they could not control; they never “bow” their head in submission; they were found “unafraid”; truly they were the masters of their fates and the captains of their souls.

I have shed many tears over my kids.  They are tears of joy; there is a touch of loss; they are tears of love.  Watching them at State started the waterworks; there were moments when their responses echoed the big ideas from class.  All the work was justified; they had learned; they understood; they had become a “great and powerful thing”.

Watching them grow second semester into what they were at Nationals is the most satisfying moment of my working life.  They rained knowledge down on to the judges; it was the culmination of months of hard work.  The judges were stunned and more than a few times the judges would catch my eye and smile which would cause my eyes to moisten.

In between rounds at State I read to them a chapter from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet about work.  Most teared, some cried, some parents cried; of course, I had to fight the good fight to get through.  It was not just the power of the words; it was the power of the application of the words through my band of thirty one.  They transcended education for grades; they desired knowledge, they desired to understand, they desired to work with love; they truly are love made visible….for me.

My kids are not perfect.  They are still 13 and 14 years of age.  But there is a moment when they WERE perfect.  There is a moment of pure joy; of pure bliss; when everything was right in their world; when everything was laid bare; when they could drink deep from the life’s marrow.  Some one captured the moment.  Take a second and look at their faces.  They are, for a moment, immortal.

In a couple days we say goodbye.  My chest tightens when I think about it.  It is not unusual for me to struggle at the end of the year.  Saying goodbye is like that for me; it is never the same after my students leave…daily contact dwindles to visits and unexpected moments.  It is why I teach right up to the last day; normalcy is my coping mechanism.

I know the greatness that lies with these kids; it will be fun to watch them grow and contribute to the world’s narrative.  To everyone that helped my kids on their journey; thank you.  To my kids; not everyone that I consider family shares my blood…you are family.

Watching these kids during high school has been eye-opening to the power of these citizen-scholars. These kids became class officers; club presidents; leaders on the stage, field, and classroom. Fourteen were recognized at Fishers High School’s Summa Cum Laude banquet with a GPA of 4.3 or higher. One was named an Indiana Academic All-Star from Hamilton Southeastern High School. I am so proud of them.

What About Retirement? Well I am not retiring for at least two more years. I thought that this year was it for me. Luckily, or not…time will tell, a few things changed my mind. First and foremost was the “Covid-year” was not the way I wanted my last year to be with no Nationals in DC, no Camp Tecumseh, no normal classroom environment, no Charger Challenge, no “House-Points” and no classroom projects to speak of. Second, this year’s Weoples saved me from the fall doldrums that nearly had me retiring at semester. Also taking control of my health and fitness has given me a new lease on life…I have lost over 60 pounds and walk-run 5 miles every day with a goal of a 5k on June 23rd. Lastly, I want Jenna Pyle to have a chance to replace me.

Jenna just finished her sophomore year at Ball State in Social Studies education. My plan is for her to student teach for me and then interview to take my job. Jenna was my student, three years a Camp Tecumseh counselor, my cadet teacher, a high school We the People alum, and, most importantly, she has a teacher’s heart. Tony Sturgeon would be a great team mentor and, of course, I will help her as much as possible with her We the People team. Now the only snag would be if she pulls a Rachel Stady and disrupts my “master plan” by falling in love and moving away from Fishers…still bitter…still love her, but still bitter…I could already be retired and sitting on a beach with my Diet Mt Dew Slushie Machine…but nooo…love conquers all.

Final Thoughts

I promise to write more this summer…

If you need something to read. I would recommend Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King. A tough read. Thanks Patrick Bradshaw….may have jaundiced me forever against Florida.

Thank you Joe Reitz for reaching out to me to give me an update on you and your ever-growing family…six kids…hard to believe you were my student 23 years ago.

Thank you Tony Sturgeon for being my teaching partner for the last 24 years…I am forever grateful for your friendship and being my safe place during the last year. Thank you to Kevin Stumpf and Dave Broviak for their friendship in our modified “B” Lunch at the picnic table when warm and socially-distanced in Tony’s room the rest of the time.

Congratulations to my friend Deb Kletch for being name our building’s Teacher of the Year…you are a science teacher’s science teacher.

Good luck to Julie Strawhacker, Sarah Evans, John Schwoeppe, Robin Passwater, Karen Bowen, Angela Compton as they leave our building for new adventures.

Thank you to Jim Ziino for helping to teach me how to run and survive the build up. Your patience and kindness mean a great deal to me.

Thank for to Mark and Angie Fassold for hosting us in April; it was a treat to meet Anthony and Mia. Also thank you to Belinda and Oscar Fuentes for coming up for Easter. It warmed my heart to spend time with family.

Thank you Laurel for almost 29 years of marriage.

Thank you to my kids and their husbands for becoming my friends and partners-in-crime.

It has been over a year since I have been able to open my blog to write. That has been hard for me. Writing has always been my outlet; since I struggle sometimes to get my mind to order my thoughts. My “stream of consciousness” has been dammed up for over a year. Early one morning I decided to write. There is a lot to unpack and I need to shed my blockage. I apologize for any grammar errors, rambling, or any other mistakes.

2020 entered with high hopes. My We the People team just won State in December with a NARROW 3-point over our friends at Fall Creek Junior High…their teacher, Patrick, is a dear friend and a knowledgeable sounding board for teaching We the People in the chaos of the Trump administration. As it was an election year Tony, Kevin, I anticipated that the Trump administration, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, and the election would drive a lot of our National’s questions. Also, my second Weople National champions would be interviewing for Camp Tecumseh in the spring which would fulfill a promise I made to them in the delirium of the school year ending that I would not retire until they had a chance to be counselors…not to mention that this group of Weoples would make for great counselors. Most importantly, my oldest daughter, Caitlin, would marry her fiancée, Lucas, in October. Laurel and I could not be happier with our second great son-in-law in the last 2 years. Our family was growing and we loved it. Also, Caitlin’s dear friend, Diana, and her fiancé Jordy asked me to be their officiant for the wedding in April. Then Covid-19…

Immediately after we shut it on nearly no notice in March, the Center for Civic Education made the call that the high school and middle school Nationals would both be cancelled and replaced with an on-line competition. Telling my kids this was so hard. They and their teachers were devastated. I so wanted to share the DC experience with my kids and they were so excited for this as well. The experience of Nationals competition and the Washington DC experience was a fitting tribute to a group of hard working kids who poured their souls into the program all year. My heart ached and still aches for these kids.

Nearly immediately after the Civic Education Center’s announcement, we found out that Camp Tecumseh would be cancelled for us in the spring. This new devastated to me on a personal level. I have ran the Camp Tecumseh with my friends for 24 years…it is the highlight of my school year…a respite from traditional school…a perfect mixture of education, leadership and fun. We have reached so many 7th grade and high school counselors. I cannot explain the bond the Tecumseh creates between the directors and my beloved counselors. The cancellation would deprive me the chance to say goodbye to a wonderful group of seniors…many of which were on my second We the People team. Every open house reinforced the loss as Tony and I would run into seniors that lost their senior year at Camp. This ripped my heart open. This senior class was so special to me. In addition, we had a number of teacher kids in the 7th grade; to include the kids of two of the Camp Tecumseh co-directors that would not experience the program that demanded so much time from their fathers. To compound the sense of loss was the simple fact that I really liked my 7th grade students. They were a fun group. Knowing that they would not experience the purest educational experience of hands-on education in cooperative small groups with ample amounts of fun mixed in caused me to lose sleep which some of you know I have problems sleeping as it is.

Then the world shut down; on the fly we were virtual and trying to teach on-line. This robbed me of the thing that I enjoy most about teaching…interactions with kids. This year my wonderful principal (and current Indiana Middle School Principal of the Year) purchased for me white board desks that would fit into a U-shape (perfect for We the People units). I had to get rid of some furniture in my room since the desks were bigger than a normal desks. So I game up my teacher desk and decided to sit in any open seat in the classroom. I should have done this long ago. I enjoyed the chance to bounce around between students and engage them one-on-one or in small groups during class. It brought joy to my heart. Suddenly, I was trying to reach through comments on Canvas. It was a struggle.

I had some hope that maybe things would ease in August when we went back to school…I was so wrong. We started virtually, came back partially and then were virtually once again. On-line competition for the my new We the People team was once again via Zoom. It is so hard to teach and reach kids in this environment. I watch kids that I know I could reach if they were with me everyday. Teaching in this environment robs me of the hallway talks; the banter of teaching that fills my room, the facial expressions of confusion or understanding, the ability to pull a kid aside, all the things that I felt connected me with students was hindered or impossible.

I have struggled this year with depression. There were days that I felt like I was acting in the role of myself. My internal wiring needs to be able to compartmentalize and make sense of my world. This year has been a struggle to do these two processes that have been my worldview for so many years. I am thankful for dear friends that listened to me trying to simplify and understand my world without trying to fix me. My internal wiring does not accept very well people trying to fix me…I need input, but without telling me what to do disguised as advice. What I needed the most was to arrive to acceptance in my own way…in my own time. Special acknowledgement to my friends; Tony for taking on so much of the burden in We the People…I never asked, he just knew that was what I needed; and Kevin…who was just Kevin…patient, kind, and helpful…without any feeling of obligation or being put out in any way. I can say without a doubt that where I am now would not have been possible without them. Slowly…really slowly…my head and heart started to work in conjunction with each other. While still mourning all the losses my focus changed more to what I have gained instead of only what I have lost.

I found after some time that despite the gut-punch that 2020 provided there was so much to celebrate.

However, what anchored me to the goodness of the world was the goodness that surrounded me. That leads me to the joys of the year.

2020 We the People National Champions

These kids….while I shed tears for their loss of a trip to DC; that did not change how I feel about their accomplishments. This group of Weoples overcame the challenges; they had grown at every stage. I laughed so much with these kids; Unit 5’s “Addi wall of quotes”…that I have not had the heart to take down, Unit 2’s refusal to make the same mistake twice, the running commentary of Unit 6, the constant singing of my choir girls, the evil genius brilliance of Unit 1, Unit 4’s constant belief that they were terrible…even though I knew they were brilliant, the absolute growth of Unit 3’s “girl power”, the twin-power intelligence of Strawhacker boys, and the rise of leaders like Casey, McKinley, Maddie, Owen, and Madelyn. This group was the epitome of hard work…they approached the challenge of getting ready for a Zoom Nationals with determination and work ethic. I could not be prouder of them for the work and perseverance getting ready for Nationals. When they were announced as the winners of the competition…my heart filled with joy. My biggest regret is that the virus has robbed us to celebrate in person…the kids did a drive-by of my house which touched my soul. I made their end of year video and shared it with them on Zoom, but could not share the end-of-year experience with them.

I think someone who has been a Weople can understand the bond the develops between the team and its lucky teachers. Some of the these kids have been my student for two years. More impactful is the shared experience of We the People…the struggle, the learning, the willingness to rise from ashes, the competition and the daily challenges of preparing to compete. It is what makes the goodbyes the hardest as it is the finality of the experience. My hope is that the experience is a building block for future leadership and civic involvement. My goodness; we need an infusion of civic mindedness in our country. These kids are family to me and I love them like family. I take pride when I saw three of them be elected as freshmen class officers and one elected as a co-captain as freshman to the Girls Soccer team.

I am sorry it has taken me so long to acknowledge these kids on my blog…writer’s block is a real thing.

I want to leave with this video that my kids made (Casey put it all together and produced it) for me at the end of the year.

Diana and Jordy’s Wedding

2020 did feature a another first for me. One of Caitlin’s best friends, Diana, and Diana’s fiancé, Jordy, asked me to be the officiate for their wedding. Of course, I was honored but scared to death. The easiest thing for me was the 5 seconds of “seminary” to become an officiant “ordained” by the Universal Life Church. When I asked Diana and Jordy what they wanted for a ceremony; their instructions were some religion, some wisdom, no “obeying” and a whole lot of “we trust you to make it special”. For someone like me that means a lot of writing and research. Over the Christmas break, I wrote their wedding vow script (17 pages) and for those of you that know me well realize that I would obsess with making sure the vow taught all the things I wanted a young couple to know before embarking on their life-journey together; I incorporated The Prophet, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Alchemist, Bob Marley, the Talmud, and Rabbi Michael Josephson into the vows. I had met and had a run through with the family on both sides in February and felt good after seeing many tears and smiles. Of course, I tinkered on the script more after the meeting—me just being me. Originally the wedding was to be in April, but because of Covid they moved it to July 4th weekend. It was one of my favorite experiences in my life…the chance to marry a young couple that were like my children to me made the experience even sweeter.

The Wedding of Caitlin Fassold and Lucas Grecco

There are few moments in your life that are truly perfect. In my life I have experienced a few of them. Two of those moments are the weddings of my lovely daughters. My daughters got married out of order…this may seem weird, but it impacted me. Caitlin’s birth changed me at my core. For the first time in my life I understand what unconditional love meant. When she held my pinky in the hospital my life became secondary; I understood that I would sacrifice every one of my remaining breaths for her to breathe one more time. There was nothing that I would not do for her and her sister. Giving away Ally had been a traumatic “dad experience”; my heart ached at one level, but my heart was filled on another.

Adding to the perfect moment in both cases was the fact I loved their choices in men. Ally’s Matt is like a son to me. He has been around my house for many years. His sense of humor and undying love for my daughter is a father-in-law’s dream. Lucas is perfect for Caitlin. They balance each other. They laugh together and enjoy all their idiosyncrasies. In short, they love each other. Making our family even more complete is the fact the Matt and Lucas are friends and now the girls live about five houses away from each other in Whitestown.

Standing in the building waiting to walk Caitlin down the aisle there was moment of great peace. The day was perfect for an outdoor ceremony. It was warm, but not hot. The day was clear and the scene was scripted perfectly. Caitlin looked like an angel. As we waited you could feel a lifetime of love passing between us; she is her father’s daughter…she got many of my good traits and some of my not so good traits; luckily, she got enough of her mother to balance her out. When the door opened and we walked into the late afternoon sun it was as if the world was in its greased grooves…it was perfect. When we walked down the aisle I had tears, of course–I am still tender-hearted; but the tears were of joy. Joy that Laurel and I had completed our jobs…our kids made it through high school, graduated college, became gainfully employed, and married wonderful men that will be great mates, fathers, and life-long companions.

At the reception, we had too much fun. The food was great and the spirits flowed. Ally’s maid-of -honor speech was spot on. I love the people that Caitlin and Lucas surrounded themselves with…their friends are fun and lift them as a couple. Laurel and my friends were in full force. “Dancing” Kevin and “Reception” Matt never missed a dance. The BFM seemed to know every song from Caitlin and Lucas’ youth, because as you know we teach junior high and never missed a junior high dance. At the end of the night, there were sing-alongs that formed into circles of friends, family from all sides.

When Caitlin and I danced our “father-daughter” dance; my emotions were at skin-level. I could feel every hug from every age in my arms at that moment. Of course, Caitlin is so mean in her song choice that I felt every emotion from our 25 years together. Everything comes back; from buttoning up her pink “Daddy’s Little Girl” outfit to take her home for the first time, to her first words, her first steps, that curly hair, waiting for her to board the bus for kindergarten, coaching her for 10 years in softball, watching her graduate from high school and college, the joys and sorrows that a family has to go through together…everything punched into my heart at the same time. I could feel a sob percolate once in awhile, but the moment was perfect. She is my baby girl before, then, and forever.

I would recommend that all fathers and daughters be careful listening to this song. I would rate it a 10 on the Fassold Killing Dad Scale for dads with daughters.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Lucas’ mom and dad. Bob and Claudette Grecco raised a wonderful son. In addition, we have become friends outside of our children.

Watching the limo take away the kids for a honeymoon altered somewhat because of Covid-19, but they would treasure the time together.

My heart is full. I will leave this section with the kids’ wedding video.

2020 We the People Regional and State Champions

This year’s Weoples helped heal me. These kids have endured the harshest of environments to learn and compete. This is my seventh We the People team and this is the most challenging experience preparing a team that I have dealt with as a teacher. For one thing, we have never been in the same room together at the same time. My units have never met in person. Until Regionals and State there were students on my team that I never met in the flesh.

Despite all the challenges these kids dug into material and challenge. I was pretty confident going into Regionals and after State felt we had done really well. The kids were amazing and grew so much from Regionals to State. Tony and I were so proud of what they accomplished. This school year has been a challenge for Government teachers everywhere. Hardly a day goes by without one of my kids asking me, “Can Trump do that?” They have seen the evaporation of norms and see the power of the judiciary in protecting our fragile republic. Sadly, Federalist Papers 10 and 51 have come to life in front of their eyes, but not in a good way. It is if America forget the lessons from their founding fathers. The best thing about this past year has been Heather Cox Richardson (her blog Letter from an American is a must read) and Sarah Kendizor.

In many ways they are the deepest team I have ever coached. They are talented and balanced. They are also the funniest team that I have had. I never know what they will do from one day to the other. We laugh every day.

Of course, the hardest part was telling them that Nationals was also going to be held virtually. They like last year’s team deserved better.

Laurel and I

We have gone through so many things this year. Covid-19 has put us closer together. We walked through the spring and started playing cribbage nearly every day. We have been each other’s company all year. We have been together for over 30 years and face each phase together. I am happy on what we have accomplished. As of now, it looks like that I am the December Cribbage Champion. Some earlier months are in dispute and we should not live in the past….especially August and September…

Retirement

Well all good things must come to an end. My plan was to retire at the end of this school year….I turned 62 this month and I wanted to go out a little too early rather than a little too late. However, I cannot stand the idea of not having a normal year. So I am definitely teaching another year.

Ending on a laugh

I will leave you with one of the funniest moments of the year in our family. When Caitlin and Lucas tried the Paqui Carolina Reaper Madness One-Chip Challenge.

I wish all of you the very best for 2021. Stay healthy. Focus on the positive. Check in with people. Feel free to reach out.

The end of the year is always a struggle for me.  Some of you know that I am tender hearted.  I am terrible with goodbyes and April starts the goodbye season.  Saying farewell to the senior Camp Tecumseh counselors starts the season.  The dreaded senior goodbyes happen before breakfast on the last day of each Tecumseh session.  We try to tell these kids how much they mean to us and thank them for all they have done to maintain all the Camp Tecumseh traditions. Most of these seniors have been connected with us for six years.  We have watched them grow.  This year was really rough (I know that I have said this more than once, but this class is on par with the class of 2007 for me) as the senior class was largely consolidated into Session 2 and contained a lot of kids that mean so much to me; including a lot of my very first class of Weoples.  The first session included both my students of the year and even one who was my student of the year in both 7th and 8th grade.  Spending six school years with kids strengthens bonds and embeds these kids into your life.  There is a sense of pride of watching these kids grow into young adults with the whole world of possibilities open to them.

This class also included my and Sturgeon’s cadet teachers that enriched our year so much.  Jenna is destined to be a teacher; when she asked to be my cadet I asked her if she would be willing to join the FHS We the People team so that she could work with my Weoples during BEST.   She persevered in the performance arts until she got a chance to shine on stage in her senior year and shine she did…I could not be prouder of her.  Go to the bottom of the page for a special treat.

Now my Weoples. 

Describing my year with them is hard; they work, they care, they dance on a moment’s notice, their love of life and learning is hard to equal.  The season ended too soon for me and, maybe for some, short of the goal.  First, winning Nationals is hard; it is hard to get past Mike Potts’ Brown County team, it is hard to raise the money to go to Nationals, and it is hard to get past the teams at Nationals.  Second, my goal is never only been about the competition.  My goal is bigger.  After 5 years my Weoples number is 157.  One hundred and fifty seven civic-minded students that are ready to lead.  I see the evidence every week.  On last Friday’s Day of Service the end of day speakers were from Fisher High School’s Students in Action group made up of three of my former Weoples from the first National Championship team.  At the recent school board meetings about the school district’s anti-discrimination language four of the 40 community speakers were former Weoples; two of mine and two that I worked with on Janet Chandler’s team.  It did not go unnoticed at last week’s National Junior Honor Society Induction that all six retiring officers were members of this year’s team.  The satisfaction of knowing that there is a program out there preparing students to lead a world so desperate for true leadership; so desperate for civic virtue gives me such hope.

Now considering that my previous two teams were National Champions, this was the best team I have ever taken to Nationals.  They were deep and their teachers were better because of another year of experience.   At Nationals they were, in short, stunning.  Each day they seemed to perform better than the last.  At the Awards Ceremony they fell short and were crowned Runners-Up.  The kids were disappointed to finish second, but Sturgeon, Stumpf, and I were not; for they had done everything that we asked and so much more.  We fell short, but not because of some failing; we fell short because someone did better.

Their story was not written in the loss, but was written in what they did with the defeat.  William Ellery Channing once wrote, “May your life preach more loudly than your lips.”  On all our teams we have always preached to the kids to guard our team and school’s reputation; as a result, we don’t leave messes behind, we straighten out rooms, pick up trash, we stack plates at restaurants, and so on.  During competition, we thank all who serve, we are polite with other teams, and show manners even when others are not.  Our biggest traditions revolve around showing grace in victory and defeat.  In victory, we never do anything that could be construed by another team of taunting; there is no jumping up and down, dabbing, screaming or anything remotely that demonstrative.  At the awards ceremony, when the 2^nd place team is announced it is obvious who the 1^st place team is due to the final Top 3 round.  In victory we give the second-place team their time on stage, we clap for them and do not celebrate early.  Most importantly before every awards ceremony we talk about showing sportsmanship and grace in victory and defeat.

When we finished second we went to stage with heads held high, with some teary eyes, and received our trophy; trying hard to not show our disappointment.

Forever etched in my mind is what happened when the other team was announced as the first place team.  My Weoples rose immediately and gave the winning team a standing ovation and they clapped for their entire time on stage.  We quickly left to go to the lobby so that they could have the stage for themselves and their families, but our bus was delayed so we were in the lobby when Miami Lakes came out.  On their own the kids went over and congratulated their counterparts, soon they broke into units and started talking “shop”; suddenly selfies were being taken and social media addresses exchanged.  Amazingly, the kids came over and asked if they could take a team picture with them.  Stunning sportsmanship.  Stunning grace.  They could teach the world about what sportsmanship should look like in the moment.  I have never been more proud of any team that I have coached. I received emails from the leadership of the Center for Civic Education and WorldStrides director about our kids sportsmanship and class.

My only regret on the trip was a bit of shenanigans involving once again my face.  I wonder what it would take to copyright my face to keep “the boys” from further exploits. Speaking of “the boys” our success over the past years has been a reflection of the work of Kevin Stumpf and Tony Sturgeon.  Kevin has become the logistics engineer of our trip.  He coordinates out entire trip and is really good at it.  Tony has stepped up to become the Weople English teacher and works We the People into his curriculum.  I cannot thank them enough for all their support.

When the Nationals scores arrived my impressions about the team held true.  Each unit can receive up to 180 points per round and with six units there is the possibility of 1080 points per day.   Each unit finished first on, at least, one of the three rounds.  Two units finished first each day.  We won the first day by 23 points, lost the second day by 30 points, and lost the last day by 20 points (the last day counts double).  So in the end we they scored 3907 points and we scored 3860 out of a possible 4320 points; 47 points.  We saw 54 judges over 3 days; less than a half-a-point difference per judge.

Lastly just to prove my Weoples love of dance:

What comes next.

We have picked the team for next year; which is difficult to do on many levels.  I am not ready to replace this team that means so much to me; it is a harsh reminder of how fleeting a school year can seem.  The other part of picking a new team is that you end up disappointing the kids that apply that don’t get selected.  I hurt for the kids that do not get picked.  It impacts relationships and there is not a way to avoid the feeling.  Next year’s team has 26 brand-new Weoples.  Sturgeon, Stumpf and I are working on how to improve.

On a personal note.

The next couple years will be one of change and transition.  Ally and Matt (future son-in-law #1) graduated from Ball State on May 4th.  They get married in a couple of weeks on June 1st and then Ally will start her management program with Kohl’s on June 10th.  Matt is in limbo until Ally gets her store assignment (hopefully in the Indianapolis area), but hopefully in will be able to get into a finance position with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in the system he worked with while in the Marines.

Caitlin and Lucas are now engaged!!  10-10-2020!  Lucas (now referred to as future son-in-law #2) likes numbers.  They are building a house in Whitestown which is a much easier drive for Caitlin to get to Riley Children’s Hospital.  The house will provide me with lots of chances to putter around their house.  I already have a Daddy Do list.  We cannot be happier for the both of them.

The fact that Lucas is a giant Green Bay Packers fan and Matt is a huge Chicago Bears fan should make for great Sundays in the years to come.  We have already watched a couple games together and the games can be a BIT intense, but it is not my team soooo it makes for great viewing.

Laurel and I are feeling the transitions.  Our kids are now grown and in two weeks they will be completely on their own.  We are two for two on college graduations.  We are two for two on our girls finding someone that loves them and that we love.  We are ready for next phase.  My plan is to retire in May 2021.   That year we turn 63 years old and that seems like a good age to start our next phase.  Hopefully that phase will include grandchildren where my goal is to be a “pixie sticks and puppies” grandpa!!!  Hey, it is not my job to put them to bed.

My Cadet Teacher Performs in Bring It On in the FHS Spring Musical:

 

 

It is inconceivable that it is time to form a new team at the same time we are busily preparing to compete at Nationals in May.  However, the circle of life applies to the We the People world, also. Please open the Word file and save the We the People application to your device: We the People Application – 2018 – 2019

 

When you finished with your application please walk up to Mr. Fassold and hand the application with a smile on your face.  Make sure you introduce yourself no matter what our relationship.  The deadline for the application is March 21st (Thursday).

The application progress has multiple phases.  The application is just the first phase.  The others phases will involve reading comprehension, ad hoc writing, a Socratic Seminar and a personal interview.

2018 is gone and 2019 is a day old.  Last year featured so many wonderful moments.  In no particular order:

1. The Red Sox won the World Series!!!  For the fourth time since 2004 my beloved BoSox have won the World Series; each time (2004, 2007,

   2013, and 2018) is so sweet.  This team of young kids are so fun to watch and are actually really likeable.  Unlike the Yankees; no one likes them.  They are the worst.

2. My 2017 – 2018 We the People team won the 6th We the People National Invitational!!  These kids faced the expectations head on.  They worked, they grew, they competed against the best and came out on top.  I wrote about them in an earlier post.
3. My 2018-2019 We the People team won the Indiana We the People Middle School State competition!  These kids are so much fun to teach!  They care, they work, they want to change the world.  One of my kids wore a t-shirt at tryouts that read, “A Woman’s Place is in the House and the Senate“; I knew right then how special these kids could be if I could get them to believe.   I cannot wait to see what these kids will be at Nationals.  They are a force and will represent our school with honor.  I cannot be prouder of these kids.   If you want to help these kids get to Nationals please donate to our GoFundMe at gf.me/u/pb4wif.  If you are interested in what my kids do in competition, below is my Unit 2 in State competition in December 2018:
   

   Unit 2’s focus is on the Colonial period with an emphasis on the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Colonial governments.

4. Caitlin experienced her first lobster at one of the oldest Lobster shacks in Maine; the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound.  Caitlin and I took a vacation to Maine last summer.  It was an adventure and an experience of a lifetime.  We had fun.  I took her to the places of my youth and walked her to all my old steps; something I have never done with my family.  We ate lobster (she loved), steamed clams (she hated), Houlton Dairy Bar (we loved), Winnie’s Dairy Bar (okay for her–gluten intolerance was a hinder), and spent A LOT of time in the car driving.
5. The family was able to see Lion King and Rent together.  I love musicals.  Ally and I normally go together, but this year we expanded to the whole and extended family.  Lion King was simply amazing.  Rent
   
   

   

   harkened back to the early 80s and terror that was the AIDS epidemic.  The girls were not ready for the death part of Rent, but it moved them; so the point of art was achieved.

6. Laurel and I turned 60 this year.  We have lived in two different centuries and millenniums.  We have seen a lot and hope to experience a lot more before we go.
7. I completed my inactive reserve commitment on December 12, 2018 that began on October 24, 1977.  When I retired early from the Air Force in 1995 there was a caveat to the early departure.  I had to be part of the inactive reserve until I turned 60.  I thought it was ridiculous, but there was always that thing in the back of my mind.  So finally, I am done after 41 years.
8. Rachel, my adopted daughter, got married to a wonderful man.  Rachel was part of my National Junior Honor Society officer, my student, my cadet teacher, a Camp Tecumseh counselor and my student teacher.
   
   

   

   She was the best teaching candidate in my career, because she wanted to be great and was willing to put in the hard work that was necessary.  My only compliant is that Rachel falling in love ruined my master plan of her replacing me when I retire; however, love rules the day.  She will take her talents to another school district in another state.  She starts second semester and, as I wrote on her recommendation, she will endear herself to students and staff alike.  She will make a difference in young lives.  I am already proud of her.

9. Another Indy Freedom wedding!!  Teaghan, “8”, or “Blondie” got married.  Teaghan’s dad and I coached the Indy Freedom together for a couple years and look back at those years fondly.  I love the Million family and was excited to go to the wedding.  My family had a blast.  The wedding was beautiful and the reception was so much fun.  The best moments were watching my second baseman come down the aisle and marry someone who adores her.  It warmed my heart to watch her the grown-up version of the earlier version.
10. The fourth BFM trip to Wisconsin.  They boys and I continue to enjoy our trips.  We watch baseball at any level, eat in the best local places, see everything interesting in the area.  It is one of my favorite parts of my summer.

Looking forward to 2019!  So many things to look forward to happening, but not in rush.

1. Ally and Matt graduate from Ball State on May 4th!
2. Ally and Matt are getting married on June 1st!
3. Caitlin and Lucas move into their house in early June!
4. My We the People team competes at Nationals in early May.
5. The family will go to the musical Waitress in April.

Ancestors or Ghosts

My friend Sammy sent me a text out of the blue and told me that I needed to watch Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway show that was on Netflix.  To be honest the show was cut deep.  There was a part of the show when Bruce talked about the challenging relationship he had with his disassociated father.  He spoke a line where he talked about parents are either ancestors that walk alongside their children as supportive guides or ghosts that haunt their memories and actions.  That part of the production destroyed me for a bit; flooding my mind with regrets and memories as my own father was a ghost.  My biggest adult fear has been a fear of coming up short with my own children.  I have always tried to be a good dad even though admittedly an ancestor would have been nice to have at the hard moments.

America is Losing Its Teachers at a Record Rate! 

I read the article from Fortune Magazine called America Is Losing Its Teachers at a Record Rate and my reaction one of no surprise.  This is a result of 21 year assault on public education that started with the Houston Lie (George W Bush hired the Houston superintendent of schools who raised score through testing — the only problem is that the data was a lie and falsified, but the standardized testing movement began) that started the use of standardized tests to determine if students were learning and schools were successful.   No teacher goes into teaching to raise test scores; teacher candidates enter the profession to effect a small part of the world either through the love of subject of the love of children.  For 20 years there has been a two-prong assault on teachers.  Money has been pulled from the classroom to fund standardized testing that has sucked the life out of the classroom; forcing teachers to chose between test preparation and educating their kids.  The second assault has been through the transfer of money from public schools to private, charter, and virtual schools.

My baby girl has a big girl job!!

Ally interned this summer for Kohl’s and loved her experience.  She had worked part-time during high school and college at Kohl’s.  When her former store manager in Noblesville recommended her for the internship Ally embraced the chance.  It is rewarding to watch your children find their place in the world. 

Ally is a business major, but was unsure of her path.  Kohl’s fed into her two strengths: (1) working with people and (2) completing projects.  Kohl’s allowed her to feed those passions.  So 2019 will the year of transitions for my baby girl.  She graduates May 4th, marries Matt on June 1st, and starts her career on June 10th.  I am so proud of her, but most importantly I love that she has finished what she start, found someone to share her life, and her place in the workplace. .

School has started!

I could not wait.  Having first period prep meant having to wait an hour and a half for my first students.  I am sure that my poor period 2 students could feel my energy release.  I have never been a huge fan of the beginning of the year, because I miss my students from the previous year.  There is also that transition of my students into historical thinking that can be painful to teach.  The payoff starts in October when they start to understanding, buying in, and show their growth.   My introduction to the year finished on Friday and the teaching begins on Monday.

Make it so!!

This was so unexpected, but it makes me so happy.  I love Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  He is my favorite captain.  The Star Trek Discovery series was great despite the fandom’s criticisms (I don’t listen, because group-think is not my thing).  My love of Star Trek started with its original series in prime time and continued through all of its generations.

New Weoples are in the house!

The corner has found lots of my new crew…punishment for raising their hand during discussion.  We have worked on writing unit constitutions to establish the social contract between the individuals.  On Friday we started with fictional scenarios to establish ideas about the role of government.  Monday we start the hard work with introductions to Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau.    Transitioning for me from one year to the next is hardest with my 8th graders; I get close with these kids because we go through so much together over the course of the year and in the case of a third of them, two years.

One of the many reasons that I teach We the People is to try and create a body of students that know how to enter into discourse without succumbing to the rancor in politics today.  I came across this Twitter thread about an exchange between one of the Parkland students and 2A supporters.

Speaking of the Parkland students who reacted “civicly” after a tragedy struck their school.  They have set an example for a generation of the power of civic education and involvement.  That is one of the biggest reasons that I started teaching a We the People class.  I wanted to change the discourse into thoughtful discussion based in fact and knowledge.  I also want my Weoples to become involved in civics by running for office, giving back to the community, acting when confronted with challenges, and becoming members of the community.  I would also like one of them to become governor and president some day.

Reading Links:

Watch “John Hattie on the Educator Mindframe and Why It Matters” on YouTube   John Hattie’s work helps weave through the clutter of Educational initiatives.  The 52 minute video pinpoints what actually works in education.

1. An EXTREMELY Detailed Map of 2016 Presidential Election  Wow this map is so cool.  You see the results in every voting precinct in the country.  This really appeals to my love of maps and numbers.  Spent too much time going over this map.
3. How the 14th Amendment’s Promise of Birthright Citizenship Redefined America
4. 10 Supreme Court cases about the 14th Amendment.  This is a Unit 4, 5 and 6 link.  Of course it features The Slaughter-House Cases that are so hard to explain to students.  I love the National Constitution Center’s Constitution Daily.

National History Day’s 100 Leaders in World History This is a great site to research influential leaders from around the world.  Cannot wait to use this site!

The obscure religion that shaped the West  A great article from BBC Culture about Zoroastrianism and its influence on the Abrahamic religions and, even, Star Wars.

The Guardian’s The Story of Cities The Guardian completed a 50 part series on the history of cities.  It is a terrific resource with a lot of possibilities for the classroom.

The Pulitzer Center’s Education Resource Site  This site is filled with resources for building global awareness.

Ken Burns’ Unum from PBS History is the accumulation of stories and few are better at telling stories than Ken Burns.  This is a site of primary sources from American history collected by theme and time.

Civics Renewal Network’s Resource Clearinghouse  This is a pretty good resource of 200 Civics lesson plans and resources.

Ranked Choice Voting – As Australia and the Oscar go, So Goes Maine  Maine has gone to ranked choice voting for candidates where they rank the choices on the ballots with multiple rounds until a candidate wins a majority.

Zinn Education Project – McCarthyism There is a slant, but that does not make the history invisible.  There are some little known stories to be found.

 

 

Register to vote, check your voting status or find your voting location at Indiana Voter Portal.

The week before my 22nd year of teaching brings a lot of emotions.  I feel so blessed to teach in a building that I love, working for a great principal, and team with my teaching partner of the last 22 years.   Summer being over is fine with me; I am ready to go back to work.

The summer did offer me a lot of time for reflection.  My 7th grade classes kept most of my attention as my end of year reflection demanded.  Here are the results:

• First and foremost my teaching is going to focus on six domains:
  1. Analytical skills.  Specifically the ability to deconstruct, identify components, connect the pieces, and see the piece’s part of a larger community.
  2. Separating and connecting facts, opinion and inference.  This is closely tied to my Rule #19, “Saying a thing does not make a thing”, and my Rule #18, “I don’t care about your opinion, I only care about the opinion you can support.”.
  3. Non-fiction reading.  The importance of being able to read non-fiction, separate main points from supporting information; assign importance and be able to CONNECT the main points to an existing sub-schema is critical.
  4. Writing with clarity.  The natural outcome of non-fiction reading.  Students need to be able express supported arguments with clarity.
  5. Sharpening 21st Century Soft-Skills.  Showing up on-time, organization, working hard, meeting deadlines, giving your best, reflection, and improvement.
  6. Empathy for the past. History/HerStory are collections of stories.  Stories of courage, suffering, triumph, cruelty, loss, and legacy. It is through these stories that we can be cautioned, encouraged, and inspired.
• These six domains need and will drive my formative assessments.

My We the People class is in its 5th year.  Meeting with the kids last Thursday brought hope that if I can inspire and push that them they will reach the heights that they deserve.

This is Krista’s 7th grade picture.  Krista was Tony and my student in our very first year of teaching back in August 1997.  We were over at Hamilton Southeastern Junior High with classes across the hall from each other.   This year we are teaching her daughter.  This is a first for us.  And it makes me feel old.  I am not sure where all the time went.

 

Articles I read in past week:

A right to literacy as the “Pathway from Slavery to Freedom”?  A terrific bathroom read from the National Constitution Center’s Constitution Daily written by Jeffrey Shulman.

Democrats Are Wrong About Republicans. Republicans Are Wrong About Democrats.  A good read from FiveThirtyEight about the difference between impressions and reality.  A good short read.

Opinion: Calling the Press The Enemy of The People Is a Menacing Move Short listen from NPR’s Simon Scott.  A little history, a little reflection, a little current events.

How History Classes Helped Create a ‘Post-Truth’ America James W. Loewen who wrote the influential book “Lies My Teacher Told Me” was interviewed in the Atlantic Magazine.  I was deeply influenced by his books and led me to adopted Stanford’s Reading Like an Historian.

What if there were no states?   A 9-minute video from America from Scratch that is gives the history.  I like this video from an introduction to Federalism.

How Norway Avoided Becoming a Fascist State An interesting read from yes! magazine.  I like history so the headline caused me to read it.  The best part for me was to explore the word “Quisling” which I have used, but did not have all the background.

A Census Question That Could Change How Power Is Divided in America The article has lots of maps; and I like maps.  Good analysis for my Units 3 and 6.  I like to analyze positive and negative externalities of governmental actions.

The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line The key difference is among regional cultures tracing back to the nation’s colonization.  First the author wrote from Freeport, Maine and I know where that is in my beloved home state.  I have never looked at the US as “rival regional cultures”.  Very interesting article.  Did I mention it has a lot of maps.

Merriam-Webster – Federal Judge: ‘Emoluments’ Case May Proceed A little history to word emoluments; I loved the 1675 reference.

The Supreme Court Doesn’t Need 9 Justices. It Needs 27 An opinion article from Time Magazine that raises the questions about the size of the Supreme Court.  Raises some interesting questions for Units 3, 4 and 5.

Hidden Herstory: The Leesburg Stockade Girls A great reading from National Museum of African-American History and Culture.  I love the civil rights ear and I love it when I find more stories of courage.

How the 14th Amendment’s Promise of Birthright Citizenship Redefined America A Unit 1 and 6 article for my class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not retiring.  I get asked quite often when I am retiring (including last Saturday at a friend’s 60th birthday party).  Maybe the problem is that my friends are having 60th birthday parties (…pondering).  The oddest place this year was on the night rising 7th grade students come over in February to walk around the school.  A parent that I did not know asked me when I was retiring; not sure how to take the question.

I love how my relationships with my children are changing.  Caitlin is on her own and thriving as a nurse in the NICU at Riley Children’s Hospital.  She has settled into the adult world with her normal humor and sass.  She cares deeply about her work and empathizes with nervous parents and works hard to be a comfort during the family’s stay at Riley.  Ally enters her senior year at Ball State engaged to be married next June–you need to keep an eye on the boys that move across the street.  Ally was selected for a PAID (thank you) internship this summer at Kohl’s (her high school and college job).  It says a lot about her that her former store manager recommended her to apply.  As a family we laugh with, and at, each other, hang out, play games, go to movies; gone is the day-to-day parenting responsibilities, replaced by the results of all the hard work that Laurel and I put into our children.  Laurel and I still worry and wonder what their futures hold, but we love this stage.

My friend and colleague Mike Beresford is moving to become the Superintendent at Carmel Schools.  Mike and I have been friends for 20 years.  We did life together through church, kids, and school.  One of the real genuine humans in my life.   Carmel is getting a great person that will build relationships and center each decision on what is best for kids, community and teachers; never what is best for him.  Devoid of self-aggrandizement.  This is the last nice thing that I will say about Carmel; I still do not like Carmel…rivalries live!

I wish we handled iPads like Noblesville schools.  Noblesville controls the apps and permission on every student device.  If the student has their own device, Noblesville will have them store their settings to the cloud and will wipe the personal device and put it under district control.  VPNs and Fortnite would disappear.  I like technology in the classroom, but the temptation is too great for my students…those pesky Snapface (Bill Belichick would be proud of my social media prowess) notifications.  Unfortunately, no matter the lesson my 12 and 13 year old kids cannot resist the temptation that social media and games represent.  Until the device can be focused and monitored it detracts more than it adds.  Now this may enrage the “put the kids in charge of their own education” crowd need to sit in a junior high cafeteria and watch them on their devices; the last thing that they are doing is furthering education; unless drawing in a sandbox, slaying rivals, and jumping objects is education.

Our school-wide Day of Service was a wonderful experience for the entire school.  I feel blessed to teach at a school that embraces service and the whole school as learning platform.  The amount of work put in by the Day of Service committee and our very own “Father” Mike Jansen paid off.  I hope this becomes a yearly tradition and spreads to other schools.  Students talked about the day for days after the Day of Service.  Many asked if we were going to do it again next year.

I have been pondering HSE21.  As with most ponderings of mine there is a bias towards my own beliefs.  It appears to me that there are a couple of programs that should be the shining examples of HSE21 that never really get mentioned nor recognized as such.  Liz Paternoster and Janet Chandler’s high school, Patrick Bradshaw’s junior high program at Fall Creek and my We the People class seem to check off every single part of the HSE21 and even addresses the idea of authentic audiences, performance pressure, RIGOR and the concept of grit.  The program is a lot work, but the rewards are untouched in the growth seen in students.  Of course, I recognize my bias.  I would offer there are other examples in the district (e.g, Mock Trial, Model UN, Speech Team’s Congress and Debate, Robotics club, etc.) that should be touted as paragons of 21st Century learning.

Tony Sturgeon and I have finished our 21st year of teaching together.  I have never known education without my educational partner in crime.  We push each other to be better every year.  This past year he took on a third prep as the English teacher for my We the People team.  He spent an entire summer resurrecting his History degree (English is his minor).  It was fun to watch him go from interested in government and politics to listening to the Supreme Court arguments like a fan-boy.  It is fun to watch him grow into an even better teacher after all these years.  He, Kevin Stumpf and Dave Broviak have been a backbone in the school.  I treasure our friendship.  Of course, in the Spring we found out a young teacher in our building refers to us as the “old men on the corner”.  I love reminding them of the label.

A interesting thought pranced (visualize me prancing) through my mind when reflecting on the things that make FJH special; one key is our Functional Academic Program led by the one-of-a-kind Andy Schomburg.  His program is fun, academic, interactive and a constant hive of activity; but that is not what makes it great by itself.  It is watching the student body make his kids part of our school.  Every passing period kids engage Andy’s kids.  There is a line to sign up to come during BEST to help and the Peer Tutor program is beyond popular.  The program is part of the life-blood and heart-beat of Fishers Junior High.

There is no more perfect food than Cool-Whip.

Open house season always reminds me of the importance of Camp Tecumseh.  Counselors make up a good percentage of the open houses that I attend.  At its core is the outdoor education opportunity for my 7th grade students  It still thrills me watching my 7th grade students run across the field chasing a tissue paper balloon…it is that moment when they are for probably the last time…a pure child.  The program has continued to evolve thanks to Deb Kletch our resident science geek.  We have worked hard to turn our academic portion of Camp into a model program that takes full advantage of the acreage.  Kletch has brought all kinds of new science lessons including my favorite which has the students looking for Tardigrades…of as Sturgeon calls them “Water Bears”.  The kids scrape smalls amounts of tree moss and go to the nature center looking for these microscopic organisms.  The best part is when they find so many other things.  Beyond the lesson improvements Tecumseh’s core has been the leadership of high school counselors and relationships built between teachers and students in the Tecumseh classroom.  Watching teachers having fun with students humanizes the relationship.  It is fun to watch.  Lastly the most special part of Camp is the chance to reconnect with former students when they become counselors.  Watching them lead their groups warms my heart.  Normally teachers never get to see their students once they move on from the school; I have always thought that would be the hardest part of teaching elementary school.  These kids represent the very best of today’s youth.  Saying goodbye at breakfast on the last time tears at my heart; it is worth it to see them excel in a one-of-a-kind leadership position.  There is no substitute for this program.  It amazes me that so many of our staff go and jump right into the action.  We don’t ask much other than “management by walking around” and interacting with kids during programs.  When I retire it will be tough to step away from Camp most of all.

I love when Sturgeon rages against the Star Wars fanatics who trash every new Star Wars movie.  I just like to listen.

This year’s 7th grade students caused me much reflection.  They are the iPad generation. That manifests in both positive and negative ways.  I had kids in every class that augmented every lesson by searching in real time information from my lessons and bringing the search information into the class discussion.  At the same time, other kids would check Snapchat for notifications at every turn.  This year proved John Hattie’s research that feedback was critical to student success; however, feedback has a cost; time.  Without the constant feedback a large percentage (about 30%) would just stop.  This resulted in an educational Sophie’s Choice of failing 30% or 5%.  While the choice seems easy there are ramifications to each.  I chose the 5%, but was nearly 2 months behind; this is not a big deal on some levels, but my kids missed some treasured experiences (e.g., Tang Dynasty Poetry project, Feudal Japan, etc.).

This summer I am merging concepts from the British’s Knowledge Organizers, a Little Harry Wong, and John Hattie’s research into a series of brand-new lessons with the idea of tightening the lessons without losing what works.    My goal is to front end assignments with the knowledge literacy so that I can work towards the understanding, connections, and analysis of information.  The idea is to take the mystery out of the background information and focus on the application of information.  By aggregating the changes should allow me to continue to focus on metacognition and long term learning goals.

Invictus

I waited to the end of the post to talk about my Weoples.  When looking at this past year there was no greater moment than watching my hard-working 8th graders standing on stage reciting Invictus after winning a national championship.  It is hard to explain to the lay person, because someone on the outside does not always see the work and struggle.  When watching my kids recite the poem Invictus from memory and knowing that they understood every message contained in the stanzas.  They pushed past the questions about last year’s team; they tackled hard Constitutional issues in a age of political turmoil with a gusto not normally seen in society.  They simply tackled every challenge; they reminded me of one of my favorite books given to me years ago by the Risinger family titled The Alchemist.  The book has a quote in it that sums up their journey.  Each time they suffered a setback they would come back stronger and more determined.  It defined the team.  They held on to the fear of failure and used that to push themselves to be better.  There were moments during the competition that are forever etched in my mind.  Day 3 competition was their best.  Every unit peaked.  I remember standing with Unit 4 after their performance; watching the smiles dominate their faces, because they knew.  They knew they crushed the round; all the hard work paid off.  They were champions on that day, because they took everything that was thrown at them and did not retreat.  I will miss these kids; they are fun to be around.  Their text messages have entertained my trivia group (for some reason they texted me Weople-questions on Thursdays).  They so desperately wanted to understand everything; not just for competition, but for their own worldview.  The class is filled with future leaders and world changers.  Better than anything these kids see the wonder of the world.  They are in my heart.

I have public thank yous to make, but I want to publish this blog before it becomes a book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lost in my post about my Weoples winning State is the role that my previous teams have had in helping this year’s team.

My team from last year starting helping this year’s team from the moment they were selected.  Unit chats were developed and phone numbers exchanged.  Carrying on the tradition from previous year advice was freely given to the new team.

The support was not fleeting.  There were library meetings (a tradition started by my first team to the second team), late night chats, paper editing and, most importantly, a sympathetic ear when times were tough.

On the morning of Regionals my students started arriving school only to be greeted by

well-wishes in chalk under the front entrance overhang.  Every unit from the previous year wrote words of encouragement.  At the front entrance the names of every team member was written in front of Door 1.  It was interesting watching kids trying not to step on the words as they entered.  It was not lost on my team.  They read each concrete block.  They felt supported.  They knew that they were part of something that transferred from one year to the next.  This connected tissue is important.  It provides a sounding board for those who understand the worries, expectations, hard work, struggles, and fears.  

This support continued with text messages and social media posts.  When the kids won Regionals their and my phone filled with congratulations and emojis.  There was even cake when the kids returned.

Shannon Alexander who I previously thanked in my blog post on last year’s team winning Nationals also helped us by creating a Web-store exclusively for our We the People featuring a custom logo designed by her sister last year.  This funding stream will allow us to better our program with new class resources for future teams.

 

 

So to my past Weoples and their supportive families…thank you.  Your help, support, and love has made a difference.  #invictus