Do you ever wonder what happens at a teacher institute day?
As our students and families enjoyed a gorgeous (alright, it was overcast) Friday off from school, all District 96 teachers and administrators convened at Stevenson High School, along with the staffs of Stevenson and the 7 neighboring elementary school districts that feed into the high school, to discuss current and better literacy practices and to collaborate as to how we can best provide our students with the strategies necessary to be successful now in the 21st century.
Our keynote speaker today, Dr. Nancy Frey of San Diego State University, spoke about encouraging us to find ways in which to stretch the reading and thinking of our students beyond our current practices. Here are a few excerpts from her book, "Teaching Students to Read Like Detectives" (2012) that resonated with us:
"The habits of asking questions, discussing concepts, and formulating opinions are vital in an age when we are becoming our own editors. To teach reading and writing as a passive act when, in fact, it has become more proactive leaves our learners vulnerable to propaganda, half-truths, and one-sided opinions."
"Students must be taught to analyze text with the eyes of a detective who is never content with surface-level impressions but instead continually returns to the text to consider information from many perspectives."
"We (Frey and others) propose that within classroom communities an instructional shift must occur that prepares students to investigate texts in ways that enable them to scrutinize, critically analyze, produce, and communicate information."
As impassioned educators, it is our responsibility to teach our students to become readers who are not satisfied with the superficial, and today, we learned a variety of new ways in which we can help achieve that goal.
Just like your student, teachers need to be lifelong learners. Also, enjoy your 4 day weekend!
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It is time to go through your coat closet and donate your gently used coats for our coat drive. Students can drop off the coats to a bin, right near our main office. In the past, Woodlawn families have done an amazing job of sharing their coats with the less fortunate. You will get another reminder from me over the next few weeks!
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Ladies and gentlemen, please park in one of our designated parking spots when you visit our school. Recently, I noticed numerous open parking spots, but cars were parked all around the curb. Besides being a safety issue, it is simply the right thing to do.
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I have been writing a newsletter for 10 years now. When I was at Kildeer elementary school, the newsletter was a high pressure, had to be done by 9a.m. so that we could print out the hundreds of copies that went home to the parents. Our current blog, which gives parents in depth, meaningful information has been a great way to communicate. Personally, having "followers" cracks me up. The only one in my house that listens to me is Wrigley, my sheltie. I also know that Wrigley listens to me with the hope of receiving a treat. My typical tongue in cheek sense of humor may have been taken the wrong way last week. We were pointing out that it is amazing that we have so many followers and that we hope to continue to grow those numbers. Jenny Smith, the outstanding principal at Kildeer has taken it as a challenge and is now trying to raise the numbers of followers at her school. Every principal in this district amazes me. They are dedicated, cutting edge people who always have the best interest of students at the forefront of their decision making process. Heck, those of you have had the pleasure of working with Heather Friziellie (principal of Twin Groves) over the years know that she is an amazing principal and person. Probably the best administrator I have ever known. Twin Groves and Woodlawn staff and administration have never been as collaborative, sharing information to make each of our buildings a better place to be and every student benefits greatly!
Have a great week. Regarding the Chicago baseball season, may I be the first to say, "wait until next year".
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