Testing is over (for now)

Hello,

We finished our NECAP testing today.  We have a couple of people who need to do a make-up or three, but most of us can breathe a sigh of relief.  I think all of the kids learned something about taking a test these past few days.  I learned a lot about them.  They all have it in them to strive to do their best.  We're not going to settle for "okay" or "kinda good."  I know we will be building off these lessons. 

I just got a book this weekend called How Children Succeed by Paul Tough.  In a nutshell, it argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character than intelligence: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism and self-control.  Here are some reviews that I copied from Amazon:

"Drop the flashcards - grit, character, and curiosity matter even more than cognitive skills. A persuasive wake-up call."
—People Magazine


"In this absorbing and important book, Tough explains why American children from both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum are missing out on these essential experiences. … The book illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall."
—Annie Murphy Paul,　The New York Times Book Review
 

"Mr. Tough’s new book,　How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, combines compelling findings in brain research with his own first-hand observations on the front lines of school reform. He argues that the qualities that matter most to children’s success have more to do with character – and that parents and schools can play a powerful role in nurturing the character traits that foster success. His book is an inspiration. It has made me less of a determinist, and more of an optimist."
—Margaret Wente,　The Globe and Mail

"How Children Succeed　is a must-read for all educators. It’s a fascinating book that makes it very clear that the conventional wisdom about child development is flat-out wrong."
—School Leadership Briefing

I'm thoroughly enjoying the book.  I just finished the "data" part of the book and now I'm getting into the how-tos.  I'll be sure to let you know if I find any great nuggets of info that I need to incorporate into my classroom or need to share with you.

The class continued our Columbus discussion today.  Like a historian, I read from quite a few sources, including two different translations of Columbus's diary.  It might be worth a question to your child.  I tried to present the history from many different sides.  I'd be anxious to hear their take away.  Tomorrow, we'll do an activity where the class will get split up into different tribes.  The tribes won't be allowed to speak, but I will give each tribe their own set of gestures with unique meanings for them to learn.  Tribes will also show respect and be dishonored in different ways.  I have done this in the past and it is fascinating to see how their interactions will be totally biased, based solely on their assumptions.

Thanks for reading,

Back to teaching tomorrow!  YEE-HAW!

Mr. Shea