2013-2014 School Year comes to close!

My favorite school week of the year! I love my job, but who among us who love our jobs can't love a 2 day week? Especially when it comes just before a vacation? Thanksgiving week is one of my favorites for the same reason.

We had our last days of Finals on Monday, and had just one class left. After they finished, I spent the next period grading them, and it took me into the afternoon to finish. There is nothing like entering those last grades into PowerSchool for the year! There are some students who didn't pass their classes and many of them were close. For those students there is a "Credit Recovery" program that lasts about 8 days starting the day after school gets out. Students have a teacher and an Ed Tech to work with on any classes that they were just a few points shy of passing. They work on projects or other assignments they did poorly or didn't do at all the first time in an effort to pass the class. I wish them the best, but I'm glad I'm not there!

Our last day of school was on Tuesday. My 9th grade Advisees and I went to where their lockers are and made sure there was nothing in them, nor in any of the lockers nearby us. Then we had the Awards assembly in the Gym. This assembly can be especially difficult. It's often long and students are anxious to start their vacation.

We then had a staff meeting in the afternoon. Here is where we say goodbye to those who are retiring and celebrate our end of year accomplishments. I am not comfortable talking about folks in front of everyone so I never say anything, but I'm glad for those who have the need to say things publicly that they have the chance. I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my room in summer shape for cleaning. I left by 4 for the Staff retirment party at the Yacht Club in Wayne. This was a great gathering with food and music to send off 3 Staff members into retirement.

Its hard to believe its over and it always takes me a few days to adjust. I always a feel a bit like I've been in some sort of trauma and am recovering from that the first few days of summer vacation. There is a Learning Leaders retreat next week but I am unable to attend because I will be at the NEH summer institute studying the Gold Rush in California.

I plan to post once in July about my NEH institute and once in August about the training for AP US History I will be doing and then back to my weekly posts the week before school starts.

Of course I end the school year the same way I have every year for quite a long time with Alice Cooper...

Finals are Finally here

Graduation was on Sunday and it was really nice! I was asked to be a Class Marshal along with another colleague and it was quite an honor to be asked. It was a really hot day in the gym, but the ceremony was only about an hour and a half. It was nice to see the seniors one more time before they graduated. This year I am not a Senior Advisor, but those "lucky" Senior Advisors got to spend all night with their Advisees at Project Graduation. It was a well kept secret, but I know they went to a High Ropes Course facility (Monkey C Monkey Do), and a place for Dinner and dancing as well as a boat cruise before coming back to school around 5 am. We did something very similar last year when I was a Senior Advisor. Because they were up all night, those Advisors get to stay home and sleep. The rest of us had our annual Advisee Day Out on Monday. I have 9th graders this year and so we went to the Big Adventure. Here we had access to Mini-Golf, Rock Climbing, Laser Tag, and an arcade. We had a nice Barbecue for lunch. the weather was very nice, just a perfect day for us.

Tuesday was our final regular class day of the year. With the seniors gone, the halls were much quieter. Students spent the day putting last minute touches on their Finals and emailing things to me they might need for their Finals. They had to turn in their iPads for the Summer, so sending me files they may need for the presentations was very important.

We had our final Learning Leader meeting of the year on Thursday. Most of the Team is going to meet with a facilitator for a 3 day retreat the last week of the month. I won't be there because I will be at the NEH Landmark of American History Institute on the Gold Rush in California. The next time after the retreat that we meet will be 8/20 and 21 during the day at school to get ready to start the new school year.

(The red on the left is where we will be in California, there is a close up on the right)

Finals began on Wednesday. Each day students have 2 of their classes in the morning and are dismissed at 11:30. Teacher use the afternoon to grade Final assessments. One of the down sides when you are a Senior Advisor, is that you lose one of these afternoons to meet your incoming 9th grade Advisee group. that was me last year, so I had plenty of time this year to grade assessments.

(presentation similar to how my students presented)

Finals continued in the same fashion Thursday and Friday. This leaves me with one more Final on Monday. Because I have some classes of Seniors and an online class through VHS, I really only had the U.S. History Finals left this week. Students in those classes were role-playing as if they supported a new Civil Rights Act for Native Americans. They had to present evidence and support claims to show why they supported the new Civil Rights Act. Then they had the chance to role play the Senate and come up with arguments to refute the claims. Its always a very interesting debate and discussion and many questions rise for students. We found ourselves delving into a sports mascot discussion outside of the presentations. During the NBA Finals, this commercial had aired just the night before our class:


I also shared this clip from a CNN story from a few years ago:
As a result, students were very much intrigued to continue discussing race and it's place in America today. Great stuff! It helps that we had been watching a documentary made with cooperation form the Maine Native American tribes called "Invisible" that made many claims about white privilege and racism today. It's a nice way to finish up the year!

Next week is my favorite school week of the year, with Thanksgiving week coming in second place. That is the LAST week of school. This year, it happens to be only 2 days long (though I will be coming to school on Wednesday to make sure my room is picked up and in summer mode). This year the last week is a little crazy because I will be leaving the following Saturday with a colleague for California, but its nice to get that over with early in the summer break! As an aside, the weather this week has been cool, cloudy, and a little wet. This is nice, because otherwise it would be almost unbearable for the students if it was hot since we have no air conditioning in the classrooms. Perhaps next week will be different?

Graduation week

For anyone who deals with Seniors, Graduation week is a mix of stress and emotions. Seniors are scrambling all week to make sure their Finals are done, missing books or equipment are returned, and all of the proper good byes they wish to say have been said. You also have the pageantry of Graduation with marching practice, Senior Assembly, and Class Night. Luckily I am not a Senior Advisor this year and so much of this is diminished this year, but either way, it's a bit stressful.

Seniors presented their Ethics And Psycholgy Finals this week, which is always interesting for me! Its always nice to see students analyze current ethical dilemmas using some of the paradigms and analysis tools we practiced during the year. I always learn a few things I hadn't learned before. In Psycholgy we had presentations on Autism, Narccissism,  PTSD, OCD, and more. The presentations were very professional and engaging. I think it helps that these are real issues that most students are interested in and many have experience in dealing with.

The Seniors voted me as one of the Class Marshals who leads the Marching at Graduation. This is my third time doing it but its always an honor that I much appreciate and look forward to whenever I am asked. Though I'm lacking in rhythm completely, I am ironically leading the marching to "Pomp and Circumstance" along with a colleague of mine who has way more rhythm than I do! I plan to watch her our of the corner of my eye in order to keep the beat.

(This is a random stranger, but it is a Class Marshal doing exactly what I will be doing!)

On Friday the annual Senior Assembly was held. This includes Awards presentations, and I always look forward to this opportunity to recognize a few key Seniors in particular who were especially interested in Social Studies. I have a tradition of awarding a few Seniors with Awards named after famous people in history. The student who receives the award exhibited at least a few of the qualities exhibited by the historical figure the award is named for. For example, Teddy Roosevelt is one of my favorites in history and so I always give a "Theodore Roosevelt Award" to someone who showed some of the same passions and interests as he did. We also give a Book Award from the whole Social Studies Department to a Senior who was the most passionate and successful in Social Studies during their whole High School career. It's often hard to pick just one, but its nice to recognize these students!

(example of one of several awards I give out to Seniors)

The underclassmen still have 7 school days after the Seniors graduate, and so in U.S. history students put the finishing touches on their Native American Civil Rights presentations. Next week they have their Finals!

We had out last Department meeting of the year this week. There are so many things we are working on for next year! Those who teach 9th grade are working with other 9th grade teachers across Departments in order to ensure that Common Core and Content Standards will be met. Next year's 9th graders will be the first to graduate with a Proficiency Based Diploma. Part of the stress of this is that there are still many unanswered questions about this we need to find answers to. But we move forward as best we can. One of my colleagues in my Department is headed to Salt Lake City next week to read the AP World History Exam essays. At the end of the month, two of us in the Department are going to California as part of the NEH Landmarks of American History program. We also discussed the NCSS Conference to be held in Boston next Fall. Because I am presenting, my registration is paid for by the Newseum, but I still have hotel to pay for myself. In addition, my colleagues would have to pay for their own registrations. I hope we can find a way for everyone to attend, but I have my doubts. We also discussed the budget, which is quite lean. We are getting no books, fewer supplies, and no Professional Development money next year. This is all assuming the Budget passes the community vote next week. If it does not, there may be even more cut.

Sunday is Graduation day, and next week we have Advisee Day out and the start of finals for the underclassmen. I have 9th grade Advisees and 4 groups of 9th graders are all headed to the Big Adventure to have access to mini golf, laser tag, rock climbing, and bowling. We will also have a Barbecue while we are there. It's a nice way to end the year with our Advisees while the Senior Advisors sleep after being up all night with the Seniors on Project Graduation. The last 5 days of the year are half days for students with Finals in the morning. Teachers have time in the afternoon to grade the Finals. There will be plenty of other things to do to end the year as well! This includes awards for underclassmen, and a retirement celebration for 3 Staff members who are retiring. When June 18th comes around, I will be ready for a vacation!

The end of May

The last week of May is almost always a 4 day week characterized by students who are a little less focused and classrooms that are sweltering. Most of this is true this year! The sweltering part being the only thing different. Luckily we have had a cool and rainy spring which does make what we are doing in the classroom much easier. I understand air conditioning in schools in Maine may not be worth the expense, but June is always uncomfortable with the heat. A good deal of days in May and September can be difficult as well. So far this year, though, I can't complain.

Students in all classes are working on their Final projects at this point and will continue this work until their Final period when they will present. In U.S. history classes students have learned about issues facing Native Americans in Maine. Students have been doing research on the Wabanaki tribes (Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac) in looking at where they are today. For the Final, they will be role playing a group hired by the Wabanki to testify to the Senate to pass the Native American civil Rights Act that would recognize a degree of tribal sovereignty. Student have to find evidence and craft compelling arguments in small groups. While they are not presenting they are role playing the Senate and must craft argument to counter the presentations. All U.S. history students in my school do this same Final project. Part of the reason we do this is to satisfy the State law requiring the teaching of Maine Native American History (LD 291), but also because the issues are very important.

(Welcome sign before entering the Penobscot Nation)

(view of Indian Island- home to the Penobscot Nation- from Old Town)

(A Birch Bark Canoe that was used by Henry David Thoreau in 1850. It has not been well cared for, but a little work and it will be good as new. The Penobscot are known for their Birch Bark Canoes)

Psychology students have been studying mental health and are choosing a psychological disorder to do a presentation about. In Ethics, students choose a current ethical dilemma facing our society and analyzed it using the paradigms and resolution principles we studied. They have to do a presentation with this analysis.

This is the time of year when my focus begins to shift away from teaching "new" concepts, and instead I am either coaching them on their preparation for the presentations, or dealing with other things related to the job. As a result, I feel like I am wearing multiple hats!

For example...
I haven been preparing awards for students who excelled in my classes.
I have put together my supply list for next year to leave to be ordered over the summer.
I have finalized teaching assignments for next year.
I have prepare the summer assignments for next year's AP class.
I have organized the Advisee Day out for my 9th grade advisees.

There is more to do, but much has to wait until school is truly over! When the scholl year does end I will have only 3 days before I leave for my Gold Rush experience in California.

Next week is the last week for Seniors. So in Ethics and Psychology will be the Final presentations. The other classes will continue working on their Finals. I was fortunate to be voted by the Senior class to be a Class Marshal. This means I get to lead them as they march into Graduation along with another colleague of mine. This is a great honor, and I have been lucky enough to have done it 2 times previously. This means I have to participate in marching practice next week as well as graduation next Sunday. It's hard to believe that there is only 12 school days left in the year and that I have kept up this blog the whole year. I plan to continue through the summer at least a few times until I get to the one year mark! Not sure if I will continue next year or not... to be determined later!

Last "normal" week of the year

How can a week in May be the last "normal" week of the year? Let me explain!

Monday is Memorial Day and so it will only be a 4 day week next week. On Monday June 3rd Senior Finals start and Friday June 7th is only a half day of classes with the Senior Assembly in the afternoon. June 9th is our Advisee Day out- no regular classes. The Seniors are gone at this point having graduated on June 8th. June 10th is a regular day of school, but then the 11th-13th are half days for students with Finals in the morning. Monday June 16th is the last day of Finals and June 17th is the awards assembly with students going home at 11:30. Then school is out, and so this is the last normal week!

My VHS class ended last week and those grades are all turned in, so I am now done with that. Its hard during the year with vacations to always check in to that class, but it ends early as a result and now I have some time freed up. In Psychology and Ethics classes I gave a lot of class time to work the Finals this week because the Seniors would be turning in their iPads on May 28th. Many will have access at home, but some will not so I figured it best to give class time while they still had them. Students are researching Psychological disorders in Psychology and current Ethical dilemmas in Ethics and creating Keynote slide shows to present to the class.

On Wednesday we had our final PLC of the year. These Professional Learning Communities are designed to help teachers improve their practice. I find this time very valuable and this meeting we focused on our colleague who teaches Physical Education. The teacher had several questions with which they needed help and advice. I found it very helpful and interesting to see things in a different class and with a different perspective. It seems each time we meet in PLC I learn something new about an aspect of the school and teaching. I am concerned about a lack of support for the PLC this year in general and I hope the school can find ways to improve the support for next year.

Now that AP class has taken the Exam, there is not the same level of rigor needed in the class. My students watched the film "Thirteen Days" based on the book by Robert Kennedy about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Next week week we will start work on the Final which is a presentation related to Native American Rights.In U.S. History we discussed the War in Vietnam and students participated in a mock trial. I got this trial from a company called Interact. The trial was a simulation of the real life trial of Lt. William Calley. Calley was accused of murder at the village of My Lai and his defense was he was "just following orders". Each student had a role in the trial and had to do some preparation to perform the trial almost like a play or a skit. For some, its a bit scary, but many really enjoy it. The students did a great job with it and I think they learned a lot! I like how it brings up the issue of how polarized the country was during the Vietnam era and how the complexities of the war effected the way people thought about it.

My Grandfather and Great Uncles fought in World War Two, and they are all dead now. The work with my students in this new course and on this project bring my Grandfather back alive in a sense, and so it really is personal for me in many ways.

(My Grandfather Charles O'Reilly taken in Japan while he was in the Army during the War)

The best news of the week came at the end! I found out the proposal I had submitted along with the Newseum to present on the Civil Rights Multimedia Module they host on their website was accepted for the National Conference on the Social Studies. They have graciously offered to pay my registration fee, which I am very thankful for. I have already reserved my Hotel at the Hyatt in Medford, which is just off an Orange Line T Stop and half the price of the Hotel rooms next to the Conference location offered at a "discount". I have a bunch of student work to share from my teaching of the Module this Spring and I very much look forward to this presentation!

Model UN week

My focus going into Monday was AP exam review. In class, my students did brief presentations in which they analyzed the successes and failures of each Presidential administration in foreign and domestic policy from 1952 to 2000. We also did a matching activity matching important events to the decade in which they occurred. This is really helpful in keeping cause and effect straight. After school on Monday and Tuesday I hosted extra review sessions and both were well attended. On Wednesday, my students took their exams and I hope they did well! Now its all over, which is a relief for everyone, but I always feel a little sad. In less than a month every class will be done and I can't help but feel sad. We just start to get to know each other and for many I won't have them in class again. Its even harder for Psychology and Ethics because for those seniors almost all of them I had 2 years in a row. But I still have a month to torture them!

In Ethics we debriefed what we learned from guest speaker James Lawley's visit last week and started working on the Final presentation. Their Final is to pick a current ethical dilemma facing society and suggest possible ways to resolve it and analyze those resolutions principles. I was out on Friday at the Model UN Conference and so most of their class was spent working on this.

In Psychology we discussed hypnosis, meditation and biofeedback. We also analyzed the effect certain drugs can have on the brain. We watched this interesting documentary about hypnosis, and students worked on their Final projects. In Psychology their Final is to pick a Psychological Disorder and in a presentation, tell us about treatments and new breakthroughs in understanding the Disorder.

In U.S. History students worked on their Civil Rights multimedia show for next Monday. We had no class one day this week as all the Juniors were on a Field Trip connected to their Physics classes. They went to Funtown and rode on the rides and had physics problems to analyze using the rides.

Wednesday was an early release day. In the morning we had short classes, and then professional development in the afternoon. This is important time we devote in May to transitioning from one grade level to the next as advisors. The most important grade levels for this are 11th and 12th, because Senior year and Freshmen year have the most important things happening in terms of the Advisor program. I am a 9th grade advisor, and so after 2 years of stressful transitions to think about I really have very little to think about going into Sophomore year relative to the 11th and 12th grade advisors. However, it is still valuable time to plan for fundraising and the first advisee day out next Fall. We started things off with an ice breaker type activity in the Gym. I am not a fan of these activities. I intellectually appreciate using these techniques to help build bonds, but I am never comfortable with them and at times question the time they take away from planning when we already have little time as it is. I appreciate the folks who planned it and I understand the intentions, I just find them personally uncomfortable.

The end of the week was one of my favorite events! The annual Model United Nations Conference at Northeastern University in Boston, MA is something I always look forward to. For the last 4 months a group of 22 students have spent extra time researching issues and compiling evidence for a paper. they receive no grade for any of this work, but it is important in order to be able to participate appropriately at the Conference. For two days, Friday and Saturday, these 22 students are in committee sessions that mimic the real United Nations. Each group of 2 represent a delegation from an assigned country. This year our students represented China, Belgium, and Zambia. We had students from grades 9-11 involved and 3 other staff members from my school. We had to leave school at 5 am and we stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn in Saugus, MA. The cost for the Conference is about $250 per student and they pay their own costs. The amount of learning that happens is almost unquantifiable, but its so authentic, and obvious to anyone who works with these students. Its this level of real learning that we see happening year after year that keep us coming back. Students get to meet other students from inner city Boston, the suburbs of Boston, The American School in the Bahamas, and more. Some students are from diverse backgrounds, recent immigrants to the US in some cases. Our students also get a chance to "compete" with students their same age on a College campus. In addition, they get a little independence being away form their families for a night. For some of the students, it is the first time they have been to Boston, and that is also a big experience for them. In the end they learn so many things, not the least of which is that they aren't any less smart than these kids from the Boston area! Believe me, that level of confidence is a big thing for them!

(This is the list of participating schools in the Model UN and where they are from)

Friday morning we arrived at Northeastern about 9:30, and just missed the guest speaker at the Opening Ceremonies. That was not really a big deal, and after getting registered each delegation of 2 students went to their committee rooms. All of the committee rooms are located inside Shillman Hall spread out over 4 floors. We teachers spend a good deal of time rotating through the rooms and seeing all of our students in action. Lunch was pizza provided by the Conference organizers. At 4 we were done for the day. We all walked to Ruggles station next door and took the subway out to Bunker Hill. We walked around the Monument and then followed the Freedom Trail over to the U.S.S. Constitution. From there we took the Ferry across the Harbor by the Aquarium. We walked form there to the Boston Massacre site and then over to Fanueil Hall. Students had a couple of hours to get food and walk around Quincy Market. It started raining around 8:30, but we were able to stay mostly dry. The bus picked us up at 9 and took us to our Hotel in Saugus. We arranged for 6 am wake up calls, and all went to sleep. At 6:15 we knocked on doors to make sure the kids were awake and then we had breakfast in the lobby. By 8 we were on the road headed back to Northeastern for the last day of the Conference. Most of our students were actively involved in the deliberations and its always amazing to see them shine!

(Model UN happens here)

My Model UN students pose in front of Fanueil Hall

This is what it is like in each of the committee rooms during the Model UN

Lunch on Day 2 was hosted in a Dining Hall on campus which was very nice. This provided a nice amount of food and much diversity of food options. The students raved about lunch today! At 3:30 we all met in the auditorium for the Awards and Closing Ceremonies. We were proud to witness four of our students who were given Awards by the Conference organizers. Our students worked very hard and learned a lot over these 2 days. Students were engaged in discussion around topics such as what to do about North Korea, the conflict over the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, Cultural Extinction, the use of Drones, empowering girls through education, Pandemic response, Cyber Crime, a historical simulation of a response to South African Apartheid, and more. It was a lot of work in preparation and we are all now exhausted, but it was well worth it!

(Of course we had to stop at Karl's Sausage Kitchen on the way home and get some German candy)

Next week will finally feel like the end of the year is starting to wind down. My VHS class has ended, Model UN is over, and Memorial Day is next weekend. There will be a lot of work next week on Final projects and a mock trial over the war in Vietnam.

Typical May

Last Saturday all Juniors in the State of Maine took SAT's. In addition to being helpful for College, this test serves as the required standardized test that all Juniors must take. This is the last year that Juniors will be required to take it. Starting next year all Juniors will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment, although many will still be taking SAT's. Because the Juniors had to be in school on Saturday for the SAT's, they are excused from coming to school on Monday. As result, I basically had no students on Monday. This provided me with some much needed time to get caught up after last week's absences.

My VHS class finished this week. The online class devoted to U.S. Foreign policy from 1945 to the present takes no breaks, but is 15 straight weeks. Because it takes no breaks it always ends before regular school does. It has been a good semester in this class and I enjoyed looking at the Final presentations students posted this week. For me, this does mean I will have some time freed up for the remainder of the year, and I have to admit I do like this part of teaching VHS classes.

(Screenshot form the Homepage of my VHS class)

In Psychology this week, students finished their presentations about famous psychological experiments. In addition, we discussed hypnosis and meditation. In Ethics class we finished watching the film "Million Dollar Baby" as a way to discuss the Ethics of Euthanasia. We also had a guest speaker on Friday. Attorney James Lawley from Lipman and Katz in Augusta, once again came to my class to discuss Death Penalty and other ethical issues related to the law. Mr. Lawley took time out of his work day to come and give students a unique perspective and they were clearly impressed. Mr. Lawley talked about his experience representing clients on Death Row, and his other experiences in the legal system. I very much appreciate his willingness to share with my students!

(James Lawley explains how a Death Row case moves through the court system)

(James Lawley answers questions from my students)

My AP U.S. history class is furiously in the midst of reviewing the content for the AP Exam. the College Board standardized test will be given on May 14. I hosted an evening Study session to help them review on Thursday and several students showed up for the session. It was a great chance to go back to the content we covered coming out of summer and review. There is a nice website for review as well that produces flash cards to help students. 

In U.S. history we have been looking at the Civil Rights movement. I made use of the historical module created by the educators at the Newseum to get students to examine the movement and try and make personal and local connections to the movement. Students are now working on a multimedia presentation that explains one way either Maine impacted the Civil Rights movement or vice versa. I contacted the Maine Historical Society and they provided me a link to what they have posted on this topic and also sent me a copy of the book, Maine’s Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of its People by H.H. Price and Gerald Talbot. This is a tremendous resource for this project, as it turns out! I look forward to seeing what students come up with for this! In addition, I am working with the Educators at the Newseum to develop a presentation. We have submitted a proposal to lead a session at the National Council for the Social Studies conference in Boston in November. We should find out in June if it was accepted. I hope it is as I am very excited to present on this topic!

Next week will be quite busy... classes will be working on the Civil Rights project, their Finals, or preparing for the AP exam. On Thursday almost all of my students will be gone on a Field Trip to Funtown to study the Physics of Funtown, and then I will be out on Friday with the group of students attending the Model UN Conference at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.