Just Plain Bill

Spelling

Readers of my blog may notice a tendency of mine to focus on misspelled words. As a horrible speller growing up (and a trait that continues into my many years of adulthood), it’s interesting to me that words that are still spelled incorrectly in this day and age of Spellcheck. I continue to be amazed that everyone doesn’t use it.

The other day, I noticed a warning painted on a sign on a path at the community college where I teach. It read:

No smoking pass this point

Hmmm. Not sure how I was to comply - if I was a smoker. Of course I know what was meant by that warning, it’s just that, once again, I’m surprised by our failure as educators to teach correct spelling. (And I know for sure there was no “spell check” on the painter’s brush or stencil used for the sign.)

It’s since been painted over, with the original word insisting to exist.

As I mentioned, I don’t consider myself a good speller. So why is it that I keep noticing – and responding to – spelling errors all over the place?

When I had to take “bonehead” English in college after failing the upper division writing test, my instructor took a radical approach to teaching writing, professing the best way to learn how to write is to… write. He provided no instruction at all.

He assigned seven, 500-word essays each week and also required us to correct a classmate’s 3,500 words – using a red pen! I got tired of a mess of red ink and decided to learn how to spell words I usually used, which has stood me well since college. (Our class, with no instruction at all, had the highest passing percentage of all sections on the retest at the end of the course.)

I’ve used this approach to the courses I teach on writing, and I find it really works quite well.

Just Plain Bill

Open seating

I fly on Southwest Airlines several times a year. When boarding, I’m informed that there’s an “open seating” policy, where I’m free to select any seat I wish on the plane.

Earlier this school year, I was pleasantly surprised to see this “open seating” policy being used in a fifth-grade class I was teaching. Students were allowed to select their seat from a wide variety of choices, including eight large pillows on the floor, a large comfy couch, six stools, two recliners, a carpet with six small reclining seats, two tables with six classroom chairs, and four desks. Students were divided into five groups, and each group had their first choice of where to sit based on the day of the week.

It took just a few minutes for me to adjust my teaching and classroom management style to this innovative arrangement, but I soon got the hang of it and the day proceeded extremely well.

I’ve since substituted in a second-grade classroom that had a similar configuration, complete with posters on the walls describing the options in their “Flexible Seating” policy. The posters also defined the behavior expected with each choice.

I really like these options, and wish I had thought of them when I was teaching full-time many years ago.

I believe it will work for selected teachers as they instill a sense of trust in the students, to monitor their behavior accordingly to continue the use of this privilege.

I love it!

Just Plain Bill

How can you identify a teacher on yard duty?

It goes without saying it would be the oldest and biggest person, usually with a brightly colored vest. Beyond that, I’ve observed two pronounced tendencies as I’ve returned to public school teaching after a break of nearly 40 years.

First: They almost always have a coffee cup or mug in their hand.  

Second: When there’s more than one on duty, they’re almost always standing next to each other and usually engaged in a conversation of some sort.

The first one bothers me, as I feel it projects an air of non-professionalism.  Since yard duty is one of those tasks asked of teachers beyond their classroom duties (and one that can deter or quickly defuse conflicts), I feel this behavior reflects a casual approach to an important responsibility.

The second is a real irritant to me. I’ve spent dozens of years working with youth in recreational settings. I’ve coached those working for me to spread out to provide a broad adult presence, which in many cases, can also serve as a deterrent to problems both large and small that often break out on the yard.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, maybe it’s just my age showing, or maybe it’s both, but in these cases, the teachers’ casual approaches to what I consider highly important roles are at odds with what I demonstrate and would expect of others.