Betsy Devos, Secretary of Education - Let Her In!

The other day I smiled as I watched the video where Betsy Devos, our new Secretary of Education, was blocked from entering a school in D.C.
"What a way to humble her!", I thought.
"Now, she will understand that everyone cannot be bought, there are still free thinkers, my thoughts rambled on.
Then I read a statement from the AFT Union President Randi Weingarten, where she stated that Devos should be let into public schools.

Yes. let her in.
Let her in so she could see what public schools are about.

WATCH: Sec. Betsy DeVos physically blocked by protesters from entering DC school--turned away and left.
Video: @SweeneyABC pic.twitter.com/RAycuKEVgm

— ABC 7 News - WJLA (@ABC7News) February 10, 2017

Let her in to see in many of the public schools of children of color and rural schools:
the lack of supplies and resources
cramped rooms
large class sizes
no Recess
digital inequity
inexperienced educators
stressed and depressed educators
"whole child" ignored
children suffering from trauma and/or poverty
excessive testing
high turnover in teachers

Yes, let her in.
She can also view:
teachers working miracles with what they have
educators with empathy and compassion
students learning who deal with things adults couldn't
educators going above and beyond to do for "their" kids
a sense of community
out of pocket purchases for the students
happy parents
teachers meeting the needs of the "whole child"
children succeeding
children learning how to code, build robots,collaborating globally

Let her see the reality of public schools, the positive and/or the negative.
I don't expect miracles, she is a billionaire who has a charter school agenda. But maybe if she visits public schools, she will come to understand why we love them, and work hard in them.

Update: Well, they #letherin and this is what happened...

"Thank You Mrs.M" - Why Small Group Instruction Works!

I was frustrated.

I knew I was frustrated, and they knew I was frustrated.
Decimals. Place value.
I gave a formative on Quizizz, and I was not pleased with the results.
I looked at the data, and gathered a small group to the kidney table.

We did an activity with decimals, and then reviewed the same questions that were on Quizizz. Most of them did well, in the back, with me.

Here's the thing. Because I was dealing with about 5 kids, I took the time to ask them why they did well at the kidney table and not on Quizizz.

"Because it's timed, Mrs.M. The time was too fast and we were competing!" 

"Duh." Makes sense.  Lesson learned, in small group.

Sometimes a student needs your full attention. And if it's not your full attention, at least not having to split your attention with 27 other students. Small group instruction has become a mainstay in my classroom. It's not always easy when working with 28 5th graders smack in the middle of puberty. But it can be done.

• Use data to guide your group. I use what I call " Engaging data". Plickers, Quizizz, Kahoot, Edpuzzle, there are so many to choose from. But they all help me achieve the same goal, immediate feedback that helps me form groups.

• Use ability to form groups not names or the letters of the alphabet. I don't care if they are Group A, someone in that group may not understand.

• Create your groups. Manage the size. 10 kids in a group is not small group instruction.

• Change the way you deliver instruction in the small group. What did Einstein say, "Doing the same thing over and over..." Same content, different delivery. Don't just go over the same questions they worked on.

• Don't hold the students hostage. If they get it, let them go. Give them a chance to work independently, they can always come back if they need help.

• And the most important piece, manage your classroom. If you spend more time correcting behavior than focusing on your group, small group instruction will not work.

He was the last one left. Everyone else had demonstrated understanding, and left to work independently.. We/he solved a few problems. He got it!

After his high five, he stated sincerely, "Thank you Mrs.M.", and walked back to his seat.

Yeah, small group.  It works!