My Contract for grade page.LINDA HART

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1998

Answers

Contract for Grading for Linda Hart For an A

Write a grant for your school This fall, I participated in a three week grant writing process with Stephanie Kallio, a member of my first grade team, Jon Larson, Bayview9s building principal, and Dr. Barbara Zakrajsek-Sneide, Superintendent of Proctor Schools. The grant arose from a need to provide services to a large number of students who had entered this year9s First grade classrooms, below grade level. We applied for a three year grant. We have named it the BayView express. The grant would either help prevent the need for special education services or would delay a child9s entrance into these programs. The prevention model we developed would provide interventions to identify and serve children to grow and flourish at their own rate. The grant would provide for a full time mainstream teacher and extra physical equation, music, art specialists time. A guidance counselor would provide services for both the students and their families. At present, we are waiting to hear from the state. The Proctor School Board has been very supportive. They have agreed to hire a 1/2 time teacher to help with math and reading until the grant is approved. I will be on the hiring committee for this position next week. This newly hired teacher would then then become the full time teacher for the program. Mentorship

I am currently involved in a mentorshop type program with UMD Strategies 1/ Mainstream students. This Fall quarter, I have worked with 22 UMD students during the last six weeks. Each group of three or four students spend Friday morning and the following Monday morning in my first grade classroom. Before the children arrive we spent the first half hour talking about my program and asking and answering questions about education. During their morning visit, the UMD students observe and interact with my first graders. This has been a win win program for all involved. Attend a conference This fall I attended the September 24th taping of the Oprah Show in Chicago. The quest speaker was Dr. Ruth Peters. She is the author of Don9t be Afraid to Discipline and Its Never too Soon. Dr. Peters is also a parenting contributor to the Good Morning America Show. She was speaking to her new book, It9s Never Too Soon, which she calls a low stress program to teach good behavior to children 6 and under. I have a tape of the show and a copy of her book. I have also shared the book with a number of my first grade parents.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 1998

Grant Writing for an Early Intervention Program Contract for an A  Grade

In the winter of 1998, I became aware of BayViews kindergarten class and its large number of low achieving children. As part of shared-decision making meetings, we discussed options of retention, the value of an everyday -all day Kindergarten verses our all day every other day program, summer school for low achieving students, and intervention ideas like the creation of a Discovery Kindergarten or a Junior first grade, a two year first grade program. I feel all involved dragged their feet. No one in our building took any leadership to help these children. Without a building leader who has an educational vision for children, it is very hard to accomplish change quickly. Teachers do not have the time in the school day to carry out these ideas without a building leader. We had a summer school at BayView, but we did not target these high risk kindergarten children nor did we provide a program for them during their kindergarten year. Thus in the fall of 1998, thirty-six of the eighty-four BayView first graders were being referred for Chapter 1 and other special education services because they were below grade level in reading and math skills. A letter to the school board and superintendent asking for classroom aides for the four first grade classrooms, led to the school board quickly wanting something to be done to help these children. But they did not see hiring assistants or lowering our class size as their answer. The following week our superintendent arrived with an offer to help us write a grant for a classroom teacher for these children. The grant team would consist of the superintendent Dr. Barbara Zakrajsek-Sneide, my building principal Jon Larson, and two first grade teachers, Stephanie Kallio and myself. I accepted this as an opportunity to learn about grant writing and as a way to help these children do better in school. When we were told it would take at least two months before we would find out the results of our grant proposal, we gave ourselves only two weeks to gather information and complete the grant writing. Stephanie and I felt it was important to meet with interested faculty members to share what we were doing and to get their valuable input into this new program. We read over intervention models like the Discovery Kindergarten Programs in Esko and Cloquet. We read articles about retention and debated between a pull out program and a self- contained approach. We decided on a self-contained program for no more than 12 low achieving students who would benefit from a slower curriculum pace.The program we envisioned would provide individual and small group instruction at the childs own ability level. The program would provide reading and language instruction for these children to succeed at their own pace. Mainstream materials and curriculum would utilize the tactile (hands on) learning model. A guidance curriculum would provide instruction in self confidence, cooperation skills, responsibility, decision making, and appropriate school behavior. Special services like Chapter 1, would be provided in the classroom when possible. The children would be given daily instruction in music, art, and physical education from a specialist who would try to meet the needs of this group. The students would be in a success environment for the remaining portion of the school year with an experienced teacher with a special education background. This group would then enter a traditional first grade classroom the following school year with the expectation that a high percentage of these students would not need the special education services they would have needed had they not had this intervention. We met with Dr. Zakrajsek-Sneide on two long and productive afternoons in early October. She did the typing and the questioning. I was impressed with how she was able to get us to explain this first grade program and to see how we could get the program to fit into the requirements of the grant and also meet the needs of these students. In between writing sessions, we talked quickly with our teachers, getting their input where we could. The BayView Express grant was sent in to the state for Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services in mid-October. And then we waited. In November, the needs of this group were starting to slow down the progress of the entire group of first graders. The First Grade teachers went to the school board to ask them to hire a reading teacher until our intervention grant was received. They agreed to let us hire a 14 hour teaching position. In mid-December, I was part of this hiring committee. We read over 50 applications and interviewed four people for the position. We were happy to offer the position to Patti Anderson, a classroom teacher with seven years experience and presently attending the University of Wisconsin - Superior for her masters in Learning Disabilities. She was everything we wanted for the grant position and more. Two days after she was hired we heard the news that we had been awarded the intervention grant. Patti happily accepted the full time position. Before we dismissed for vacation, Patti tested the entire group of at risk students. Twelve students were selected for the BayView Express Classroom. All parents were notified of the creation of this new classroom which started on January 4th, 1999. This was a rewarding and yet a very frustrating learning experience for me. I was a part of the entire slow process. I saw too many road blocks. Classroom teachers are not given the time or the authority to move these things along. Steps should have been taken to help these children the moment they entered the public school system as kindergartners. I think we have missed many opportunities to assist children in their learning because we respond only to the problems that affect us or to those problems that make the most mess or the biggest fires. We should be in the prevention business. We need children advocates, an elementary coordinator and a building principal with vision who would be responsible for listening to teachers and parents and for communicating to school boards the best researched based programs available not only for children at risk of school failure but for all school children.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 1999

Contract for Grading for Linda Hart--for a B During the 1998 fall quarter, I participated in a mentorship type program with Mary Linda Sathers UMD Strategies 1 and Mainstreaming students. There were 22 students in the fall section. Each group of three or four UMD students spent a Friday and the following Monday in my first grade classroom between October 2 and November 9.

The UMD students were expected to observe the following areas while in my room: the physical set up of my school and my classroom the social interaction pattern among the children how I planned my day, my classroom routines how I sequenced my lessons and activities and how I made transitions between my lessons and activities what discipline approaches I used and how I managed disruptive behavior what I taught and how I taught it what were the special needs of my children and how were these needs being met how did I assess each childs learning

Before the children arrived in the morning, I would spent a half hour talking with each group of UMD students about my program. It was a quick question and answer time and a tour of the BayView Building. During their morning visits, the UMD students were free to observe and interact with my first graders. The students were given opportunities to teach an easy lesson in reading and math to a small group of children. This was a time for me to observe their abilities to teach young children. It was also a time for my first graders to get needed practice working in small groups. I could also assess each child in reading and math as I watched them participate in their groups.

This was a win-win program for all involved. My first graders loved the individual attention these UMD students gave them. They looked forward to there visits and made quick friendships. My first graders received the help they needed faster and were then less frustrated with their school work. Because the students came for two days, we could start a small project and finish it with the next visit. I saw that my first graders worked harder and were more on task in their group activities when they were working with these UMD students. I enjoyed the time to observe and assess each child individually as they participated in their small group.

I think this was a good experience for the UMD students as well. It was the first classroom experience for many of them. I think they learned more from their experience because they were able to observe and participate with my first graders. They learned a lot from each other too because they could watch and listen to each other work with children. Because they shared and discussed a common experience, they probably gained more from their UMD education class than if they had just observed a first grade classroom.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 1999

A High School Volunteer Program In The Elementary Classroom Project Requirements for an A Cohort III May 1999 Linda Hart I helped to created a mentorship-tutoring type program with a high school student and one of my first graders. Kristi, a seventeen year old junior at Proctor High School, with a interest in teaching, came to me in early January with her volunteer idea. Kristis high school counselor, Nancy Litman arranged Kristis schedule so that she would be able to volunteer during the school day and also receive 1/2 credit for her participation. Kristi used her study hall and lunch hour time to drive to BayView and tutor 40 minutes each day. At first Kristi worked with 2-3 students each day. But as the program took shape, we decided to focus Kristis time on one child, Samantha (Sam). Three days a week Kristi and Sam would work on reading. Two days a week Kristi would also go to gym class with Sam to help her follow the directions given by the gym teacher. Sam was a struggling first grader, new to BayView School this year. She was easily frustrated and frequently argumentative. She needed at lot of attention and assistance to do the simplest activities, often quitting in loud outbursts and tears. She had a difficult time with her peers as well because she was very bossy and didnt listen to them when she didnt get her way. Sams parents were having difficulty helping her with her homework too. Her parents were given the task of going over the work Sam would do in class, the night before. They were willing to help but were overwhelmed by the amount of time it was taking each night. Sam would often tell them that she hated school and had no friends. Needless to say, I had my hands full meeting this students needs. To be honest I dont know what I would have done for this student had it not been for this tutoring opportunity. Sam was a very demanding student. The time of the tutoring was perfect. It took place right before lunch during Sams music and library time. They took a corner hallway spot and created their special place. They would complete the reading practice worksheets together and then they would spent a portion of their time on a special project of their choice. Their special project was to co-write and illustrate their own story. It was during this process that they really began to bond. They would often spend their entire time arguing over the words for just one sentence or the details for one drawing. Because Sam often did not listen to, or follow directions correctly, the time they spent talking and often arguing, was very valuable for Sam. Kristi encouraged and expected Sam to think more before doing. This was frustrating for Sam, who usually acted before thinking. But Kristi was wonderful in her persistence and positive attitude for Sams small successes and very creative during her frequent setbacks by helping Sam deal with her frustrations.

This spring,Sam was referred for special services. She qualifies for LD services. She has a low average IQ. But I feel because of Sams parents and Kristis involvement, she is preforming close to grade level. I also see that she is less frustrated and more patient in the classroom. She is learning to treat her classmates and teachers with her kinder, gentler side. Because of the attention Kristi has given Sam, her classmates have started reaching out to Sam when she needs help. Her parents say that she likes school more and is completing much of her homework by herself now. Sam is also eager to help others in the class when she finishes her work. Kristi has made arrangements with Sams parents to read with her over the summer. Next year Kristi and her guidance counselor Nancy Litman plans to expand this program by allowing more interested high school students to work with other BayView students during the school day. Kristi has enjoyed the experience a great deal. In May, Kristi joined our class on our field trip to the Hartley Nature Center. She also helped Sams group rehearse the Little Red Hen for our Spring Drama Day. The entire class has benefited from Kristis participation in this volunteer program.

Technology Workshop 1999 A Report

In February, I attended the workshop Making the Best Use of the Internet and Other Technology Tools in Your Classroom Program, presented by Susan Hixson. Ms Hixson was a primary teacher with years of experience. She is now an enthusiastic technology mentor and writer of several handbooks on technology and the web. Her handbook and presentation gave practical approaches to bringing new technology into elementary classrooms. Ms Hixson shared effective ways that teachers could incorporate technology in the classroom. Using Kid Pix Studio, Hixon showed ways to create slide shows for storytelling, displaying students work or art, and giving presentation of student learning. Her clear and easy instructions guided us through this useful program.

Ms Hixson also presented the uses of Kid Works Deluxe. This CD offers students a place to create stories, poems, notes, and graphs with minimal instruction time. She noted that children need lots of time to play on this program before they would be expected to produce a finished product.

Claris Works for Kids is an extensive program which can help introduce many computer skills to young students. The program includes graphic, spread sheets, data bases and word processing. This colorful program is full of sounds and motion to keep the attention of all students. She even suggested that each student create their own folders within the program so that they can collect their work and use it in slide shows.

Hixsons information on the web included the definitions of many terms used on the computer and the web, plus many useful web sites for young children. One great idea she had was to download entire web sites by using a program called Whacher or Web Buddy. These programs would allow you to go to an Internet site and capture one or many levels of the site on a Zip Disk. You could then show the saved sites whenever you wanted and you would also be limiting student access to certain previewed sites.

The handbook is full of easy to read and useful information. Since taking this workshop in February I have expanded my use of these programs with my first graders. Next year with the new IMAC lab at our building the students and I will have more opportunities to use and explore web sites and programs on the computer.

Cohort III May 1999 Linda Hart Contract for grade--A

-- Anonymous, May 25, 1999