reflective practioner

Entry #1 Over the years I've had a lot of students who have struggled with reading. When I first moved to Baltimore, I taught at an alternative high school, Harbor City High. Our population mostly consisted of students who had dropped out or been terminated from other city high schools. Not only did we receive students from all over the city, but in addition, the students represented a wide range of academic levels, abilities and backgrounds. We all know about class clowns who act out because they are bored with school, or frustrated with their own inadequacies. Less frequently we hear about the student who is dedicated, cooperative and hardworking, but for whom learning is extremely difficult. I remember, by name, several students who fit this description. It was probably their struggles that first made me get interested in finding out more about reading problems and issues. Over my 12 years of teaching, I have accumulated a list of beautiful students who worked hard with wonderful attitudes, but who struggled with great difficulty to improve their reading abilities. And now, in my work with adult literacy, I find that, not just a fraction, but actually a majority of my students fit this description. This motivates me even more to find out what works!

Entry #2 This week is the beginning of our fall session at The Learning Bank. Again I have students in my class who have been with me for a while. One of the returning learners is Chuck. He has been in my class for two years. During that two year period, Chuck has missed less than 10 of school. He completes about 90% of his homework and has often attended extra tutoring sessions outside of class. He's reading at about a fourth grade reading level, and has only inched along since I first met him. One of the things I have tried with my class is the Wilson Reading System. This program focuses on six main types of syllables in English. Chuck has done very well with the syllables. He easily recognizes the syllables and is able to explain their distinguishing characteristics. However, when reading, Chuck continues to struggle, with a choppy reading style with low fluency. One thing that Chuck seems to have improved on, is that, when faced with a multi-syllabic word, he is better able to stop and sound out each syllable. Still, it seems that his overall comprehension and speed have improved little if any over the past 2 years. Although I've been impressed with Chucks work, and have celebrated small steps, Im secretly nervous that we will hit a wall that Chuck will not be able to climb. Is there a limit for him? Are there several complex issues working together that I dont know about?

Entry #3 One thing I've decided after 12 years of teaching is that each student is unique. This may sound trite, but its been an important truth for my teaching. Ive realized that although some things work for a lot of students and others may work for only a few, that each student really should probably have his/her own IEP because each student is bringing unique talents, struggles and experiences to the classroom. One of my students, Sandy, brings with her an extreme amount of pressure to perform. She gets angry with herself when she cant spell words and has even broken down and cried when frustrated with learning the computer. Although she has some of the same reading issues that another student might have, she is bringing some emotional issues that are unique to her. And these issues clearly affect her learning.

Entry #4 Last year, I stumbled on to Ronald Davis book called The Gift of Dyslexia. One of the things that impressed me about the book immediately was that the layout of the book seemed LD-friendly. The print was not small and the layout was simple, not busy. Davis himself was a self-declared dyslexic. In the pages of that book, I read some theories that I had never read before. Davis has developed a method that focuses on mental/visual orientation and disorientation rather than simply on phonics and multi-sensory approaches. He suggests that learners first need to control their orientation before they can really grasp phonics effectively. Im definitely trying to learn more about this

Entry #5 Vern is not the only student Ive taught in adult programs who complete high school in Baltimore without being able to read or write. Verns enthusiasm and dedication to his education makes a teacher want to drop everything and find a solution to his reading issues. I have recently attempted to implement some methods Ive learned from the Davis method for Vern outside of class. Although there havent been any super-dramatic shifts in Verns reading, he has since enrolled in a school that trains individuals to get their CDL in order to drive truck. He recently told me that he and his girlfriend want to do something special for me for the help Ive given. Although Im overjoyed, Im still watching to see what will happen with Vern. He has by no means mastered reading and writing. Has he gotten enough to find all the success he needs or desires?

Entry #6 Ms. B is another of many students I have who makes me want to find solutions to reading problems. At sixty, she walks with a cane but attends class with determination. Ms. B has excellent comprehension skills. She is one of the first to answer comprehension questions correctly when I poll the class while reading a selection. But wow! Ms. B is probably one of the worst decoders in the class. She seems to rely heavily on long-term memory. If she sees a word that starts with pre she will stop decoding with /pre/ and try to pull the rest of the word from memory. Although she works hard in the class, it seems like few methods really stick for her.

Entry #7 I continue to discover interesting things about language. Several times in my class, we have discovered colloquialisms that some members of the class know and others do not. This week, we discovered another example. We were talking about the sound that /i/ makes when one of the students asked how to spell eyes as in the eyes of the stove. Several people in the class (including me) had never heard the burner called eyes. Periodically we discuss the difference between home language and business language. I try to emphasize that both are correct languages, but that they are simply useful for different situations.

Entry #8 Another interesting issue with language has come up with an international student who is living at my house for the year. He is from Tanzania, and has learned three languages, including English. One issue he has with pronunciation is that he pronounces /r/ and /l/ the same, as /r/. We talked about it because it makes it very difficult to understand some things he says. When I demonstrate how to make the /l/ sound he is able to make the same sound and change his pronunciation of words with /l/ in them. However, except for the practice time when we specifically talk about it, he continues to pronounce them the same as always. I know that /r/ and /l/ are linguistic cousins but Im curious whats really going on in this case. How hard is it for people to change pronunciation theyve learned since they were young?

Entry #9 The past months have been ones of change at The Learning Bank(TLB). Earlier in the year, the administration became concerned about cuts to adult education that seemed imminent because of the Erlich administration. Instead of discussing changes and cuts with teachers, the administration made some choices to change some classes and schedules without consulting the rest of the staff. This caused some bad feelings and precipitated a lot of poor communication. Seems sad that such a small organization with such good people cant do a better job of making things work. Now even more fun news. The parent of TLB, C.O.I.L has a new director, who recently decided to switch offices with the director of TLB. Again its a string of poor communication that leaves us all wondering if and when well lose our jobs

Entry #10 Ive had a few issues with discipline this term that I havent had for a while. Today a young woman showed up after missing a week out of my class. She walked into the room as if she hadnt missed a thing. When I confronted her about it (TLB has a 4 day absent policy) she acted like she was surprised that I would have an issue with her attendance. Two other guys have been repeatedly coming late to classand I dont mean theyre having trouble getting to school on time, Im talking about coming to class after a break in between their first two classes. Ive talked to them several times, but have finally given them an ultimatum. The next time theyre late, they will be out of the class.

Entry #11 Well, it didnt take long for the guys to come late again. When they showed up late again, I asked them to leave. Attendance and lateness are a complex problems. Different people have different reasons for being late or absent. Is it good for a program to have strict policies and guidelines, or is leniency better?? While TLB has fairly strict guidelines, teachers have flexibility to bend the rules as they see fit. I have often bent the rules for lateness and attendance, but this is a case where I know the guys are messing around on their break. Not only that, but when they get to class they are disruptive and playful. TLB will give them another chance next term, and thats cool with me. My hope is that they will do better next time.

Entry #12 This fall Ive settled into a good routine with teaching. Ive been able to move on with my teaching despite some of the issues that had been happening with the admin. vs. teachers. Still there is more drama. Today we learned that our program director was fired by the board of C.O.I.L. While I am all in favor of change and making programs better, Im not in favor of an atmosphere where heads roll. What about the gap between administration and teachers? How much should we be involved in decision-making and policy shaping? Do we have a right to know if one of our leaders is close to getting fired?

Entry #13 Ive been cursed at by a few students over the years, but none has ever put a hand on meuntil today. There was a substitute teaching next door to me. During the second period, I heard loud voices that were clearly escalating. Because it was a substitute, I went next door to make sure everything was OK. One of my students (from my 3rd period) was having a yelling match with another student in the class. I went over to him and asked him to leave the room, simply trying to separate the two. This guy has always been fairly quiet and very polite and respectful, so I was a bit disconcerted by his belligerence. He had lost control. I finally got him to leave the room with me. I thought things were OK until his foe yelled after him and he turned to head back to the room in response to her taunt. I tried to get in his way and he pushed me against the wall. I was more surprised than hurt. I lost my breath for a minute. I was also sad because of the senseless argument that ended up causing both students to end their classes. The woman never came back, and the young man was terminated because he put his hands on me. It seemed extra sad because I really had nothing to do with the argument. He had lost control to a point that he didnt know what he was doingI just happened to be in the way of his angry path. Sad day

Entry #14 So its taken all of us a little while to recover from the outburst. Several of the students were noticeably affected by it. One woman in my class who had witnessed the outburst expressed sadness that her favorite school no longer felt like a safe place. Creating and keeping a safe environment in schools is a challenge.

Entry #15 In addition to my work at the Learning Bank, I also teach English as a Second Language and tutor a student from The Dyslexia Tutoring Program. Tony is forty-something, a mechanic, a homeowner and a real estate investor. While Tony is accomplished and capable, he has one problemreading. When I first met Tony a few years ago, he couldnt write the alphabet, and was reading on the first grade level. Tony graduated from Baltimore City Public Schools without being functionally literate. Now in mid life, he is trying to make a change and get something he never gotskills to read. Working with Tony is a joy and sorrow. He is motivated, dedicated and appreciative. However, his progress feels like millimeters. He works so hard for such little return. Tony and I have just decided to take a break from tutoring sessions because our schedules do not match. However, Im determined to learn more about the Davis method, or other methods to help Tony when we get a chance to start working together again.

Entry #16 Its interesting noticing similarities and differences between people who have reading issues. My older brother had a lot of difficulty with spelling when he was a kid. Unlike me, he never really liked school. However, my parents consistently encouraged him to do his best and he stayed in school and graduated from high school. While he has never been interested in going on to higher education, he is an average or above average reader doing what he always wanted to domanage the family farm with his wife and kids. I wonder how many students who have reading issues simply lack the family support to help them get through. While Vern and Tony both finished school, what happened that nobody caught the fact that they were not learning to read. Was it the schools faultthe parents?

Entry #17 Ive been offered a new position at The Learning BankGED coordinator. This is not an extremely glamorous position, however, it will give me some more hours and allow me to quit one of my evening classes. Although my teaching hours at The Learning Bank will be the same, I will make a slight shift to include more students who are on the GED level. This will allow for a nice mix of levels throughout my teaching day, which will give me a chance to address reading issues on more diverse levels.

Entry #18 One of my students claims she never read out loud in a class before she got to my class. I continue to be amazed at the different experiences students have had in BCPS (even though I saw things from the inside for five years.) She is far from illiterate, and actually reads fairly well. Her comprehension is high, while her vocabulary and fluency are a bit low. We have been steadily working on vocabulary development, and she has done well. However, there is still a fluency issue. Id like to learn more about improving fluency

Entry #19 Kim was in my class last year but left for medical reasons. Now she is back, and this time with a bit of an attitude. She has gotten angry at other students in class and has gone to other staff members claiming that I show favoritism. Im not sure what to think. She is reading and writing on a 3-4th grade level. She does the work in class as quickly as possible and rarely completes homework. She seems to have the mentality that completing the assignment is more important than actually learning something. Hmm. I guess a one-on-one conference should happen.

Entry #20 I had a conference with Kim and it went well. She didn't seem bitter. Maybe she just needed a little extra attention to assure her that she was OK?? Anyway, a week or so after the conference, Kim left again on medical leave. Since The Learning Bank has a fairly liberal return policy, I'm guessing that before too long, I'll have another chance to work with Kim.