This week I read a hilarious rant online from a new teacher who had just visited her classroom for the first time to begin organizing it.  I'm not going to link to the post, because there are a few identifying characteristics in it that could get her in hot water. Suffice to say the previous classroom occupant (and maybe some of her colleagues) had left the new teacher a room full of "gifts" - old and musty books, faded construction paper, piles of partially bent and dusty pipe cleaners, a stack of two-year-old newspapers.  In other words, JUNK.
 
As I read her long recitation of everything left behind, I thought of the classroom cleaning crews who work so hard throughout the summer to wash, shine, and wax everything. Yet most school custodians are terrified about throwing anything out, given our creative uses of empty milk jugs, coffee cans, and bottle caps. . .I don't doubt there are teachers out there doing incredible collages with students that somehow make use of dryer lint.  It's all valuable recycling, and often amazing teaching and learning on a shoestring.  But pity the new teacher (or the veteran heading to a new classroom or school) who has to face the remnants of someone else's scavenging career.
 
Here's a true story from a friend who works at a local college.  Last year a notorious packrat professor retired.  There was the going away party late in the spring with cheese cubes and well wishes.  He thanked everyone, explained he'd spend a few weeks cleaning out his office while transitioning to retirement, and would be gone for good by late May.  May turned into June, and June turned into July.  His office door was locked, and no one ever saw him. Finally, it was only a few days before his shiny new replacement was due to arrive on campus.  The department manager called the retired professor and he responded, "Oh sorry!  I've been gone for weeks.  You can clean anything that's left out of there and I'll mail my keys to you."
 
An administrative assistant unlocked the door.  She found the office was filled with hundreds of books, and stacks of papers two feet high.  There was even a half-eaten doughnut on the desk next to a moldy cup of coffee.  I try to imagine what went through the guy's head during his last minutes in the room: "I'm too full to finish my breakfast.  And hey, I guess I'm done here!"  The support staff dropped what they were doing and spent a busy few hours getting the room cleaned out, with many large loads of paper hauled to a dumpster and hundreds of books donated to students or charity.  My friend stopped in to help, and was glad she did.  "I found a few books I'd loaned to him over the years that were never returned - those were headed to Goodwill before I retrieved them."
 
I don't think retiring teachers or those moving to another building wish anything but the best to the person who will take over the classroom.   But those 100 empty toilet paper rolls sitting on the shelf that every October were transformed into a fabulous art project with the kids are really just. . .100 empty toilet paper rolls making a mess for the new teacher coming in.  You put them next to yellowed copies of Where the Red Fern Grows with torn covers that no self-respecting kid would be caught dead picking up to read, stack of dozens of cutesy borders that don't fit the design style of the new teacher, and on and on and on. . . Pretty soon you have a pile of junk that will discourage even the most excited new teacher heading into her classroom in late summer for set up.  Maybe it's human nature for us to want to leave something behind (or even lots of things behind). Perhaps it's an unconscious impulse to show we've left our mark on the professional world we lived in for so long?
 
New and transferring teachers need and deserve all kinds of support that I'm sure they are getting from district leaders and generous colleagues in your schools  - from extra one-on-one sessions to explain the assessment system, to special introductions at staff meetings.  But has anyone gone into their classrooms and cleared out the junk that was left behind?  Even if there is a possibility they might want some of those used supplies and leftovers from others, it's still a gracious gesture to box it up and take it out of the room so they start with a clean slate.  They can always choose to put it back in the room - but at least it will be their choice.  
 
This week we continue our series of your suggestions for starting the school year with terrific literacy activities.  Plus more as always - enjoy!
 
 

Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy

 
Free for All

 
We continue our series of your suggestions for the perfect literacy launch at the start of the year.  This week, teachers at all levels share how they connect read alouds to launching reading and writing notebooks, as well as other curricular connections:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1219.cfm
 
This is a winning idea to pass along to families - booklists around topics with something for every age and reading level.  "Book Flights" are a series of books for families, from a read-aloud all can enjoy, moving from toddler picture books to adult novels, all exploring a similar theme.  The LitforKids site is now posting weekly examples of book flights.  This week's theme is the beach, last week they tackled Ancient Egypt, and mysteries are up next week:
 
http://litforkids.wordpress.com/
 
How leaders deal with mistakes says a lot about their personalities and skills.  The SuperVision blog from Poynter Online has a wonderful essay, "In Praise of Sorry Leaders" by Jill Geisler, that dissects the difference between a heartfelt and meaningless apology. The essay is a quick read, and would be a fun one to discuss at a late summer literacy retreat, when everyone has a cool head and is open to reconsidering their leadership style.  The Poynter Institute caters primarily to journalists, not educators, but I find their writing on leadership and writing to be as useful for school leaders as anything I've read on the web:
 
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=34&;aid=43808
 
 
Thanks to everyone who has made our summer workshops such a success!  The rest of our summer events are now sold out or closed.  We've been amazed at the turnout, and gratified at the kindness, optimism and good humor of participants. Wow!  In the face of what schools are dealing with these days, your can-do spirit and commitment to learning is nothing short of extraordinary.  Space remains in all our fall events, and we hope you'll join us then if you were closed out on a summer offering.   The Choice Literacy Maine Workshops on October 16-17 at the beautiful Samoset Resort on the ocean will feature Jennifer Allen, Gail Boushey & Joan Moser ("The Sisters"), Clare Landrigan & Tammy Mulligan, and Franki Sibberson.  You can download more information and a registration flyer at this link (it's a two-page PDF file):
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/maine2010.pdf

For Members Only

Our big web goal last year was to upgrade the quality of our video players.  Now that we have full-screen and higher resolution options available for many videos, we'll be concentrating this year on experimenting with ways to mix print and video to better meet your needs.  This week we're launching a new monthly feature that will be a print and video hybrid.  The "Book Matchmaker" pairs Franki Sibberson with a teacher who faces a specific literacy challenge, and needs suggestions of a book (or books) to use in instruction.  In our first Book Matchmaker installment, Franki helps first-grade teacher Danielle DeRome select mentor texts to use with her students who struggle with writing, and may have limited experiences or interests beyond toys and video games:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1218.cfm
 
Ellipses are a fun punctuation strategy to teach to more experienced writers. Heather Rader shares some lesson strategies and books to use to present ellipses to intermediate writers:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1211.cfm
 
Aimee Buckner demonstrates the questioning writing strategy in this week's video featuring her fourth-grade class.  This is an excellent minilesson for low-risk writing at the start of the year that also helps teachers and students get to know each other:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1224.cfm
 
Video Updates:  We continue to repost many videos in new formats and players (with higher resolution and full-screen options).  As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here are two updated videos you may want to revisit as you set up your classrooms for the start of the school year -
 
Kelly Yahr of Kent, Washington gives a tour of her first-grade classroom, with a focus on how children can take some ownership of wall displays and libraries through their labeling and artwork:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1221.cfm
 
For literacy coaches and specialists, we've upgraded Jennifer Allen's tour of her "Literacy Room," which is rich in professional development resources for teachers:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1222.cfm
 
That's all for this week!
 

Share this Article

del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Facebook  StumbleUpon  GoogleBookmark  Technorati  Furl

Related Articles

·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy July 10, 2010 Read Alouds for the First Days of School ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy June 19, 2010 Passionate Learners ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy June 12, 2010 Back to the Beginning ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy June 5, 2010 True Senior Moments ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy May 29, 2010 What's Worth Saving and Savoring ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy May 22, 2010 Clever Teachers and Lucky Students ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy May 15, 2010 A Box of Friends ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy May 8, 2010 Your Name Here? ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy May 1, 2010 The Place In Between ·  The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy April 24, 2010 The Golden Minute