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Sammy Davis, Jr.
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42 thoughts on “Sammy Davis, Jr.”
Masterful! Singer, dancer, actor, comedian… they don’t make them like that anymore!!
Do y’all realize that he’s got a lit ciggy in his hand even as he shuts down the cigar?
Cigars smell worse, just sayin’
Yes, we have to stop ’em in their tracks. I just gave my eighth graders a SERIOUS TALK. What is the deal with eighth graders? It’s like they morph over the summer. Same kids, same class, WHOLE NEW BALL GAME.
I did NOT stop it in the moment every single time with them. Heck, it is the last period f the day, and I am tired by then. But I realized the other day, I gotta get on them, cause things are slipping, fast. I gotta treat them just like the little first-year babies. Maybe even more strict. Honestly I kinda let things slip last year. It was a really, really, rally hard year. I’m hoping that this year will be a LOT easier.
But if I do not train myself to do this with ALL my classes, even my second-years, then I am SUNK.
By the way Tina, thanks for all the videos on youtube. It’s really been a help to me and also our new teachers (who are also new to TPRS). I also have been sending them to my boss (she is an admin who is pro-CI) and I think your ideas about management have been trickling to other disciplines in our school…not just language teachers.
Once a teacher said to me “You really don’t need NTPRS or IFLT, it’s all on Ben’s blog”. I don’t want to say I don’t need those conferences, because I do enjoy the person to person learning, but in a certain sense I really do think they have a point. There’s no other place that offers this kind of advice and support.
Dang boy, thanks for reporting that. It makes my decade.
I went to my first CI conference in 2016, iFLT in Chattanooga. At that point I was already so skilled (at least in my own mind LOL) that I did not attend a single session besides popping in to see my Internet Land friends in real life. Ben’s blog, books, and videos had been EVERYTHING to me as I worked on my own over the years. I never got coaching, I never went to a convention. I had a Blaine training with Donna Tatum-Johns in 05 and a BER workshop with Carol in 08. Other than that, it was all online and mostly Ben. Ben was there when the internet was not dripping with CI blogs and such.
I totally get you Tina about the 8th graders. I teach Spanish 2 to students who are a mix of: students who came from trad. Spanish 1 (heritage and non-heritage), 7th graders who have attended dual-immersion (who may be heritage speakers or not) and 7th graders who are taking their first language class as heritage speakers. Despite these differences, the story sequence of the invisibles has saved me with both management and engagement. These students are very imaginative and it blows away the trad. work. However, in my French 2, I have a few stinkers in the class. I was more consistent than every with them last year but I was also more uptight and boring with the content –like controlling the content too often with “un secret!” etc…
We try our best with management. I have much to grow. If i could offer my 2 cents, the situation of teaching more than 1 year of the same students begs the following question:
How can I keep my CI compelling? What routines, strategies or–dare i say– systems can I implement to ramp up the compellingness factor? I have spliced in Story telling (SL as a strategy) but I know that it can be difficult to prep for day in and day out. Most of the time I am going more and more NT crazy with familiar routines like Special Chair interviews, PQA type of questions that spin off into stories and OWI with deeper questions.
At the end of the day our only real classroom management tool is interest. And if we can’t make every class every day every month interesting, then we have to accept that we live in a culture where rudeness is out of control and where kids expect to be entertained by their teachers and we should not take it personally. We are doing pretty good in the current madness, I believe. We can learn to forgive ourselves and embrace our efforts as sufficient, no matter what is going on in our classes. That is another way to say that few human beings could succeed in the buildings we work in. Especially our so-called support people – the admins. I would love to see some of those bozos try to teach a language class.
…the story sequence of the Invisibles has saved me with both management and engagement….
Steven Ordiano
Steven can I send this to Teacher’s Discovery?
Absolutely Ben. And yes we try our best. The students have their good days as well as bad days. I feel that because my school culture is super structured without much wiggle room and very top-down, when students gain some freedom, they can go crazy. Then they realize that there is structure and focus during class. It’s Friday and I have had an amazing day with FVR, OWI, Special interview and Write and Discuss. Little down time.
Don’t forget how Tina and I recommend spending Fridays – all day Word Chunk Team Game. That way when June rolls around we have worked only 80% of what we worked last year. Tina and I have it down to where we actually work 50% of the time, compared to regular CI teachers, when you factor in Spa Week and all the other things. I’m serious about this mental health thing.
Homecoming week (next week) = spa week for me… Hee hee hee! So excited! Plus, it gives me some good ammunition, ahem, evidence of learning (or lack thereof) when parent teacher conferences come around… I like the new addition!
Yeah Spa Week is the real deal and you timed it perfectly.
I’ve started with stories, then I’m going do try one or two units that I’m developing with Tina’s guidance on nonfiction using Project GLAD. I think that will offer something different to keep them engaged. I asked them what they wanted to learn about and chose something.
Dana – Project Glad (Tina) will be discussed next summer in the new “institute” format Tina and I are working on. The two or three day workshop format is out; The week long or two week long institute format is in. We ain’t traveling like that again. Once is enough for this old man playing nicknack on his thumb, or is it drum*.
*This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on his drum;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on his shoe;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on his knee;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on his door;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on his hive;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on his sticks;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in heaven;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on his gate;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on his spine;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
(source: Wikipedia)
Oooh, sounds interesting! Keep me posted!
Awesome message. The dude was the maraca player. He better do what the band leader says.
I wondered who he was. The maraca player! Good detail. And then Alisa saw Sammy puffing away. Dude.
Today I needed to address a student’s behavior. He had managed to get in a couple of attention-getting comments and actions before I got to him.
So, I simply asked him in front of the class, “How have I wronged you? What have I done to you to cause you to show me this kind of disrespect?”
The student paused a moment and said, “I didn’t realize I was showing you disrespect.” I accepted the apology, and he was much better behaved for the rest of the period.
He isn’t intentionally intending to sabotage the class, but sometimes students need to know the effects of their behavior as well as what that behavior communicates.
I love that Robert. I often will tell my students, as a group, generally in the hall, before I let them in, “I am sorry that I have not provided you the leadership you deserve. That is going to change now.” And I tell them two or three specific things I will do to change, usually with consequences, like: I will try my best to make sure that if people are disrupting the flow of Spanish, I will stop every time and make sure it gets back to a flow of Spanish before we move on.
I just re-read that comment and it is not clear what the connection is. I was thinking how what we take for granted is not explicit for the kids. So, it is our leadership and poise in the face of their ignorance and uncouth youthful natures that wins the day.
On the fly, during Write and Discuss, I took three students out of class to talk to them. I asked them what was happening…. Then I let them know what I saw. We saw the SAME THING! I told them to separate — one in the middle, one to the side and the other on the other side of the room. They need to figure out who goes where. It was 2 minutes and I was in my teaching zone!
Yeah separating the kids is so important. I don’t care what they think. They cross me, they get separated.
I spent a long time yesterday with one class dealing with some Nazi saluting that was going on! A students whose grandparents fled Russia to escape the Holocaust, and whose extended family lost many members in the massacres and camps, was in the class when this happened. I was taking attendance. OK, let’s be honest, I was shooting the shit with kids like I normally do in that class for like 10 minutes…it is the fourth class of the morning and right before lunch and I figure we all need a freakin snack before we get down to business.
So during this unstructured time, two days in a row, this student was saying Heil Hitler and making a Nazi salute. And another kid was telling him that was “really gay” which also offended classmates who overheard. And yesterday the girl was in TEARS. She ended up in Counseling and I spent three hours communicating with parents, the principal, Counseling, which was in addition to getting ready for Back to School Night which was last night and also making sub plans for my trip to Comprehensible Midwest. I leave tonight. Tomorrow I am teaching two groups of 65 Spanish One students in the cafeteria in Marta Yedinak’s school…two teachers are combining their classes so they can both see me teach. Sounds like a BLAST but we will see how that goes! A OWI for 65 people! WOWIEEE!
Anyways, the situation at school. One really unfortunate thing is that a biracial student whose dad is from Ghana and mom from England was apparently trying to STOP the boy but the girl thought he was also doing the harassing. So I contacted his parents, on the counselor’s advice, and his poor folks were extremely upset by this and the poor child was crying because he was so upset to be thought of as a Nazi.
Without exception, all the parents involved blamed the Trump administration’s effect on the national discourse. The thing is that the saluting kid’s parents are NOT Nazis, of course, but this is, unfortunately, part of the national conversation right now and the kids are being typical middle-schoolers and trying stuff on.
I never thought I would find myself talking to twelve-year-olds about how we cannot put our arms in that position with the intent t perform a Nazi salute but it is OK to put your arm out to point t something or hail a cab. And I never ever thought I would say the words “heteronormative cis-gendered” in seventh grade. It’s a whole new world in education right now.
We are having a Restorative Justice session Monday, I hope. We have to get a district person in because we have no RJ-trained staff in our school.
I’m so sorry to hear that you had to deal with that, Tina. I hope you are able to get through to this student.
As you can imagine, German tends to attract students with these leanings. (I once had a student proudly show me various items of Nazi paraphernalia – medals, ribbons, etc. – that he got from his German grandfather. Fortunately, he did this in private.) However, I have never had a student give the Nazi salute and say “Heil, Hitler” in class. In the current national climate, though, it could happen, so I am interested in hearing what further steps you take and how it turns out – especially what happens with the Restorative Justice piece.
I’m praying that this bad thing will bring about a greater good and open the hearts and minds of your students.
That is heavy stuff! Please keep us updated on how it goes.
Good for you, Tina, for drawing everyone’s attention to the matter of the kid giving the Nazi salute. I’m sure the parents appreciate you for it.
This reminds me of last year when one junior boy, Rey, was calling a couple of his peers terrorists. His peers, Usman and Umar, are twins of Asian (maybe Persian) decent. It happened in my class without me realizing it. Another boy, DeAngelo, later on that day was upset with me (I forget why, he tended to give me a hard time) and yelled at me in class for not addressing Rey for calling Usman and Umar terrorists.
Rey and the twins were friends. I had Rey and Usman in my advisory, which met practically every morning for 25 minutes. I didn’t see any tension between them. But they had to know that playing like that could be hurtful, especially to others who hear it, and I talked to them about it. I also had to talk to Deangelo about how to address offensive language like that in ways that help to both deescalate tension and change offensive behavior.
With all the banter that happens in our classes, we do have to be alert to students being offensive or hurtful.
I think those names are Arabic, Quranic.
I just realized something for me with the going to the rules thing. I experimented with NOT SMILING when going to the rules and pausing and pointing. It works a lot better for me. Perhaps the mocking in that one class, which is now on the grammar souflee, as Ben calls it, started as a response to perceiving my smile as making light of the rules.
This speaks to me. The smile was an add-on that Tina and I have tested and works for us but you are right they saw it as a bit sarcastic and returned it. I think that’s what happened. Nice. Let us know. They are children and they don’t always see the grey areas. After all, the second level of classroom management, the Fred Jones stuff, is not about smiling at all, quite the opposite.
I talked to those parents of the kids in that class (we are in parent teacher conferences today) and I told them that it’s up to their child to get the class out of this grammar teaching (I told them I went back to the textbook until attitudes change). I also slapped some kids with some harsh grades on the interpersonal rubric which I gave to the parent.
Parents were supportive when I showed them the invisibles process and then the reason of why I went back to the textbook. I told them my admin backs me 100 percent and I will not even think of going back to the invisibles until there is an attitude change in their child and the rest of the class.
Now you’re playing some strong cards:
… I also slapped some kids with some harsh grades on the interpersonal rubric….
My experience has been that people who use jGR or the newer one by Tina (Appendix D in the Natural Approach book) never can generate the honesty necessary to give the grade that the kid actually deserves. But if they don’t do it now, when are they going to do it?
“My experience has been that people who use jGR or the newer one by Tina (Appendix D in the Natural Approach book) never can generate the honesty necessary to give the grade that the kid actually deserves..”
What do you mean Ben? Do you mean that teachers are either too nice or too mean?
I fall in the first category. This year I became much “firmer” but not mean. I gave a fast processor with a side-convo problem a B on jGR. A “B” at my school is a big stigma for many. Her behavior is completely changed now.
Yes we are always too nice. I have never heard of a person using jGR who was too mean in their use of it. And it’s been six or maybe even seven years now on jGR. It’s been tested and obviously for that one kid you gave the B and she ponied up to the bar and said, “I will change my behavior. The A is my goal.”
The smiling thing also could work for middle school but perhaps not for high school. Also I’ve seen how classroom management works different for men vs. women.
I have a student who is great in my Spanish 1 Invisibles class but who gives the Language Arts teacher hell. I have other kids who were not a problem in a femal teachers class but in my class they try to be the Alpha Male.
…classroom management works different for men vs. women….
Sujet de thèse! (PhD thesis topic)
Greg. I HATED smiling. I started singing “Numéro Un!” and would point and stare down the students. I did it for me. Not for them. I really allowed me to relax. Finally, last year I would smile. And it felt good. It made me feel that I could do this work and that “kids will be kids”. It made being consistent much easier.
Hey Ben I don’t know if you know about Eric Thomas, the motivational speaker (went from being a high school dropout to getting a PHD) now he visits at-risk schools to motivate them
He has a video on Youtube where he goes off on some kids and the sentiment is very similar to what your classroom management is about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txSLxC0-I1M
Firm yet comppassionate.
I’ve been picking up on some real subtleties on how to present oneself in front of a bunch of people in order for them to listen by our new assistant principal. He’s great. He’s an ex-football player, Afro-American, ex AP from a neighborhood HS in Englewood (the toughest neighborhood in Chicago, born and raised Chicagoan, now PhD in education (well, in February he’ll defend his dissertation), and summer football camp coach. There’s something about the way he stands when speaking… so, so still, only moving his eyes to connect with people. I’m find myself captivated in suspense when he talks, all from that stillness. And then there’s the conviction in his words. It’s not that he’s saying anything profound, but there is a deep, to-the-core, conviction that is conveyed through his voice. You know his words come from a wealth of experience and struggle.
I think we all have that wealth of experience and knowledge in SLA and how we teach. Let’s be sure we all feel confident about this and let it be conveyed by our posture and our voice when we need to command attention from our students. We have a ton to offer for our students. They have to realize this and be done with their immaturity.
Greg, I love how you told your parents that it’s up to their child to get the class out of grammar teaching. Oh boy! You just opened their eyes to how grammar teaching is like solitary confinement!
And Greg I will post a similar situation w one of our PLC members that is very similar to yours. This is the real work, the tough work, the trials happen now and you have really stood up and made them get what you want and that ain’t easy.
Related:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10UCIWFe4DM
…there is a deep, to-the-core, conviction that is conveyed through his voice….
This is mastery. Maybe next lifetime I’ll get that. It’s rare to be able to do that.