When Kids Go Good

Most of the news about teachers, students, and education in general is pretty negative. There is usually some sexual misconduct or gangs or lack of money or just general disarray involved.

But every now and then, kids go good.

Our school does an Angel Tree for children in need every Christmas. Since most of our students are in need, it's hard to find people who can afford to give what little they have to someone else. The Angel Tree is still pretty full and we are getting closer and closer to Christmas. The economy is bad and times are hard for everyone. But, today, the Newberry High Student Government made a sizable dent in the number of needy children still listed on that tree. They did what they could to fulfill wishes for the upcoming Christmas.

As a class, without telling them what we were doing, we all went down to the guidance office and I showed them the tree. In pairs, I had them each pick one child off the tree. Then I gave them the Wal-Mart credit card and told them that each pair could have $30 out of the SGA accounts to make wishes come true. The excitement is something serious! Sure, they aren't giving of themselves, so to speak. But it is giving. And that is what the season is all about--doing for others.

So they went off to Wal-Mart as a class with their instructions to do good for someone else today. And they went above and beyond my expectations. They came back with bags and bags of clothes and diapers and dolls and games. The excitement of doing good for someone else was palpable.

Today we are spreading Christmas cheer by doing good. I believe that we are all innately good creatures...we just need some prodding and assistance. And sometimes teenagers will surprise you. One of my kids chipped in $40 of his own money to buy diapers and bath stuff for a little boy. It's sad to me that a parent needs diapers so bad that they make a Christmas list, but my heart swells with what this young man did today. On his own. In the true Christmas spirit.

So the next time you read about gangs and drug busts and violence, remember that with a little guidance, we can take the average teenager and turn them into a modern day Santa Claus.

When they won't stop reading...

My students picked out their literature circles books last week and were able to start reading them this week. Today, I couldn't get them to stop.

I have trained my students to start class with independent reading time. I set the example; I don't assess their reading comprehension; I supply a literacy-rich environment.

But I never expected to see the reaction to the literature circles books that I have seen today.

They didn't want to stop reading. They wanted to take the books home (we don't have enough for that). There was nothing more they wanted to do than to read their new books.

Teenagers reading is an awesome thing, especially when that teenager doesn't fit the mold of a high-achieving student. What else can you do when they won't stop reading except...let them read?

Kids Talking about Books

I stumbled upon the website, Awesome Things, today. This has inspired me to focus on awesome things in my life. Today's awesome thing: Kids talking about books.

I haven't gotten very deep into the literature circles. We've done the book pass. I've told them what their books are. But we haven't met, we haven't discussed jobs, we haven't even really set goals. (They were supposed to yesterday, but I didn't structure it well and I suspect that they didn't.)

But today. TODAY. Students pulled their new books out of the crate. Not everyone chose to read their new books during SSR, but some of them did. And then the magic happened. I noticed some movement from the back of the room and realized that one boy was passing his book to his neighbor to share what he had read. Then, at the end of SSR, one student turned to another student--not a friend, not even an aquaintance--and asked him about something he read in his new book.

My awesome thing today is students talking about books. My main goal is to churn out literate adults. I want children to remember the magic they used to find in books. There is something amazing about teenagers talking to one another about books. I'd like to bottle that so that I could take it out every October--after the newness has worn off and before they are properly trained. I could take out that bottle and remember the promise, the awesome thing, of teenagers talking about reading.