2013 note: TO SEE OUR AWESOME DESIGN THIS YEAR CLICK HERE.

Except for my missing a few days of Red Ribbon week- I think my students enjoyed it.
Each day they wore the colors of the Pillars of Character-a program the District promotes.
It has been an important foundation in our work.
Long ago when my husband was a Principal I was so proud of his newsletters to his school which promoted character traits. I see this as a precursor to this program.

(I'm dealing with vision issues in one eye again and oddly, numbness in my arm and hand. I don't know if it is iritis or a viscous separation or something else. I'll leave that to the care givers to sort. I had to miss dealing with the pain.)

Like many, many schools nationally my public school celebrated Red Ribbon Week with many positive Character and Anti-Drug messages. It seems like it is one of those things just engrained in my thinking about October.
BTW-I just got in from a best practices day long Saturday training on Gifted and Talented Education, thinking about how my degrees in art and art education put me miles ahead of the curve in terms of building differentiation into daily learning. I was also  thinking about rooms I saw in the school where this was held-an amazingly plush place- and interestingly thinking about my door.

Red Ribbon Week I do actually recall being "invented," so I go back a long ways.
You can read the history here. Somewhere along the line in my work I remember door decorating contests sponsored by PTA coming into being- with essay, poetry and poster contests as well. Mostly I think of it as students choosing to express their dedication to healthy lifestyles, and anti-drug/alcohol themes. I know I've decorated doors for over 20 years for this because I have the records in my daily logs. I write down and document all my work- and have done this for 30 years. It helps in reflecting on teaching.

This year I came in thinking it was impossible. No way to get the door done on Thursday for judging on Thursday. But as I taught in the morning I also thought it was really a break with my career. I have expectations for myself. I've made the doors 16 or 17 times in my district. So I stopped our lessons at 10:30AM  and got out tag and a new big box of markers donated by my step mother.
I had found that when I looked up images of Red Ribbon door decoration on the net there were literally pages of teacher doors. Many, many, many more than I'd expected. So I started looking for an idea. I've made so many different ones.

These are judged at my school-but my door has never won. I did win in Greenfield several times-but I never seemed to find the right combination here. And that, of course, is fine. Mostly I needed an idea for an hour.
I found an idea.
Portraits.
I'd wanted to talk about portraits anyway because we are switching artists in November and it suits our new artist. Picasso.
I found this door :





This came from this site- how nice they are able to share their work, it helped me get going.

So I could not take the pics of the children as they did on the spot, print them, but I did have their pictures on small ID cards that just came in to my teacher mailbox to distribute. Later in the month I'll take their pictures, cut them in half and help them learn to draw a face in a more refined art lesson. For this lesson I told them that I'd like us to "pledge," which is making a promise to our future selves.
I suggested they talk to themselves about this and later I'd laminate the portrait and pledge for their portfolio so that they can keep this to have "one day." I think that might be powerful.
We decided to put our hands over our hearts and then draw the images of children-like yourself-and similar to what we saw in this sample. Of course we knew given the time limit and our skill that this would not be a  photo image as theirs is-it would be a drawing that reflected child-like understandings of a face.
Each child associated the "pledge" to remain drug free with pledging to the flag in the morning.
I thought that was wonderful-using what you know to understand language in a new context.
So many students chose a red/white/blue theme because of that association.
After they completed pictures my students wrote an index card with their pledge.
Many talked about their dream for a future life-I was shocked how many would like to be teachers!
Meanwhile I assembled the door.

Fortunately I had some really pretty background paper from a roll that I won in a teacher training.
It had these nice stars and was a rich blue, so I pulled out star borders. And in about 60 minutes we had our door done.


 we miss measured, because we did measure and estimate the size for the tag, forgetting pictures needed a bit of space between each picture-so several sat on the other side of the door-it wasn't perfect, but what IS PERFECT?

Perhaps my pictures do not do it justice, but it came out very cute.
Every student contributed and had success. We enjoyed an assembly of K-9 dogs with a very strong anti-drug, anti -marijuana message the next day. They chose to highlight the book "Officer Buckle and Gloria" which I found later in the day on Learn360 a video library we have access to at the site.
Score on bringing a book into our day!

The afternoon ended rather lovely Friday-the door was chosen at the 3-5 winner!
My students said, "Mrs. Puglisi got emotional." And I did. I think the biggest reason was that students I taught last year stopped in to tell me that they were proud of us.
And, of course to admire the work.

I'm glad I overcame my initial reluctance and got the door done, often when I am faced with feelings of being behind or needing to do something else- I stop and think about why I'm feeling that.
In this case-it got me up doing something.  The winning was just affirming for me the fact that these things we do in school, in a community way, are and do become a part of a student's future.
I hope they carry forward with those pledges to remain healthy and drug free.

 

Well you want to say
      don't

drive
drink
skate
grow up
move away

But at eighteen

things are out of my control
spinning

so
have a good birthday
son



What is it to be a man?

licenses
responsibilities
jobs
direction
shedding shedding tears
soldiering
protecting
sports
girls

condoms
it's a lot of things
that this momma forgot
to tell you about

 
 My Son

Eighteen years ago
my water broke in a bathroom shower
But you weren't ready quite yet
The next day you were delivered from distress
Like Caesar the doctor said umbilical cord wrapped
Around your neck
Around and around
Depriving you of oxygen
I watched the heart rate monitor go to nothing in contractions.


When we came home
This luv of a baby kept
My mom and I suspended in time
With his two sisters he had four women
For years that were even willing
To speak for him
We were the masters of interpreting
the Lucster.

Luca threw the ball against the wall
Catching it in his glove
From 9 months on
Right over my head on the couch
A hardball!
A master of physical nuances
Cracked a baby tooth throwing his head forward once
I cried all night over that
Ate a Christmas bulb
On the worst day of my life

Played Tball and hockey,
Football, baseball,  coached by his dad
Skated, rollerbladed, knocked
Around oblivious to injury
Making baskets
Gathering friends
The boy he was, that held my hand
quietly through cancer

We went to Angel's games
Celebrated champions
Lost gracefully
Ate our cookies, made our art
Enjoyed our holidays,
loved doughnuts,
Honeybuns and sausages.

Wore the Green Bay jersey
Until it fell from his shoulders
Brett Farve disintegrating
From daily use,
Briefly sported Harry Potter glasses
Laughed with Pepe
Acted in plays
The biggest baddest sweetest wolf in town


Called poppa Black Pete
The Principal Pirate and cried
To a kinder class that Daddy was
Drinking beer in Red Ribbon Week
And his parents were doomed
Because you felt it so strongly
Missing that this was
not intended for a Dad downing
one a month.

If there is a silent observer
In the universe of stars
It sees you treat your grandmother
With a love
That sustained her
And recorded in the book
Of life your love of family.

Your art soared and your skills
Like your Mom's were a gift,
a surprise.
That ability to do something
Before you realize you can't.
 It's wonderful-
You are wonderful.
The combination of two
People that love you dearly.

And always will.

 


Line drives
Ukeleles
Calm
Angular

Vernacular
Elan vitale
Roaming
Night owl
Observer
Nice

Pugnacious
Upper deck
Guitar
Lean
Inscrutable
Skateboarder
In-between

Luca Vernon
at eighteen




You've taught me about vulnerability,
You've taught me about competition,
You've instructed me in patience
Shared your fears.

You've taught me about breaking down a task,
You've taught me about losing
You've instructed me in family
Shouldered my burdens.

You've taught me a few tricks,
You've demonstrated moves for me,
Instructing me in fine points
Polishing my understandings.





Sons

Was it just me
Or do our sons
Remind us
to feel
the importance
of friendships,
praise,
actions
words,
and the
incredible
power
we have
in relationship
one
to
another?



May this day bring you the gift
Of time and the journey
May the day be bright, forward looking
Filled with promise
May your day be greener
Sweeter, more delightful
as we celebrate your
Eighteenth journey around our sun.



Poems by his momma, Sarah

I watched the Presidential debates last night.
I watched all three and the VP debates.  I try to watch these things and since I'm 53 I've seen quite a few over the years. I don't remember in earlier years the instantaneous "winner winner chicken dinner" aspect in what seems to pass for journalism on TV, but then I also don't remember lots of things. And it seems that candidates often don't remember things either.

I don't however remember having teachers sit in a foreign policy debate quite like this.
Both as necessary to build strong minds and able workers, and as objects of love and admiration.

I might have missed it over the course of time.

Interesting role we are playing then in the foreign policy debate.

I pursued some articles about the debates. Thinking about my role as the beloved.
It's been a rocky time in the economic realities for teachers, and in reform. Good to know that we merit the last word in a last Presidential debate before we cast ballots.

Generally as a teacher I might suggest somethings.

If We Love Teachers Can We....

Hire and retain teachers.

Support teacher work specifically with some teacher direction over $, support smaller class size, definitely retain and support personnel that aren't directly just the classroom teacher-the coaches, specialists, allow teacher input into programming, practice shared decision making, allow adequate time to plan, reasonable and adequate ways of measuring student's growth.....

Attempt to de-politicize teacher work.

At the least attempt to de-polarize teacher work.

Think of teachers as partners.

In the onslaught of  commercialization/big business realize that consultants, corporations, textbook companies and many other "advocates" have vested interests and large profits at stake, so consider this as uncomfortable.
While I could monetize this blog, I don't. While we could advertise to kids, we shouldn't. While a manufacturer might also "train" teachers in the use of their materials, at some point it has to be recognized that they are serving their profits. So another kind of awareness and training needs to be in force in leadership and decision making-a kind of resistance to this. This might be called "in the public good." But building that- and building partnerships with teachers as active voices and leaders in instruction- probably strengthens independence and better consuming, or at the least it's possibility.

Along those lines support teachers as researchers and by that I mean encourage higher education for teachers. Those with PHD's or EDD's should impact learning sites positively. We should love as well those of us that can play instruments, demonstrate the arts, have degrees in subject areas, write, create. It is important to see talent in those developing talent. And to have respect for this. No Virginia, not to place someone above another, but to know how to recognize wisdom, insight, utilize resources, perform in educated ways.

Collect feedback from students and families on teachers- to be used by the teacher in thinking about their work over the course of time-that includes perspectives on fairness, relevancy, curriculum, the care and concern in the environment.

Recognize teachers for efforts they put forward outside the scope of their day. Recognize that. It might be 7 hours of grading each weekend, it might be organizing an art Fair. It might be buying supplies, making a webpage, bringing in artifacts, becoming involved in projects on-line with others world-wide, it might be developing in their field, working in professional communities, going to serve at community events. It might be staying after school to provide homework help. Recognition of effort-it should be at the heart of how we speak of teachers. "You did a good thing."

Provide teachers a good chair.

Ask teachers regularly to write about their work in meaningful ways.

Ask teachers to help reflect on the issues in play, help them to develop the sophistication to speak from their contexts.

Refrain from referring to them as "bad." And think of teaching as it is, a continum of skill development-really in an art form.

Free teachers from salaries that are so low-at the start of my career and for many, many years the salary was too low for the areas I taught within. Inner city LA for instance with car insurance at $3000. Not to speak personally- but rent and that car took my salary. I could only slowly much later in my 30 years afford the books and materials I needed to supplement the position. Perhaps we can fund teaching aware of its missionary stance.

If we love someone -we care about their health, their stress, their best interest. I would think we could extend that, or continue to support it, for teachers. For families. For children.

Teachers might appreciate knowing that they are understood within teaching contexts. How can that be better built and presented, supported and legitimized?

Clarify the role of education.

Clarify the things you want. Parents seem to want- in the lower grades- art, PE, music, shows, fairs, celebration of student success, science, math, manipulatives, hands on experiences, projects, technology, writing, book making, themes, collaboration, kindness, and so much that isn't narrowed to test and test accountability practice. Clarify for all what it "looks like" so either parents understand teacher work, or we all understand parental direction, or we all seem to support the same kind of things. At present this interface by far divides us and interferes with the expression of love for teachers.

Increase parental involvement with teachers. Assist teachers in building healthy involvement.

Shower teachers with national support. I think Finland once again can assist us in modeling that. Or we could look at the profound respect for teachers in the world.

Without a doubt as a teacher the courtesy of providing me  permission to ask for help with students or issues in fair ways is important. Not all issues in teaching are clean cut. From a new teacher confronting the role they are taking on, to dealing with a complex differentiation of curriculum problem solving forums in schools, in Districts and in our talking- we need positive healthy ways to resolve issues, What can you suggest ?

De-emphasize pathology language in this work (low kids, bad teachers so on).

Admit many teachers are using required curriculum, materials and methods that they often do not find effective and give them feedback outlets that are fair to discuss this. Over telling them this is a rigid must. At the least a way to discuss this as a partnership.

Support growth and especially support teachers that do, in fact, do more.

Again effort in teaching should be weighted along with the art of the teaching.


There are so many things to say, fund programs being among them. Figure out this, do that.
I was thinking of this love of teachers. 

When I was young I really did have a host of retiring teachers in their last years-and I also had vibrant young teachers. One stands out who was pursuing a PHD in math. What she brought was extraordinary content knowledge beyond excellent management. She left after a brief few years and went into her field in mathematics. Her effect on me was a very, very solid basis in math. Of course we need teachers that can do-math, art, music, science, that have skill.
I also had teachers that had refined the art of teaching, much like in ballet, their art became invisible. And like everyone I had a few that were unnecessarily angry, unfair, that used humiliation and a very few let their private life dominate the room. At the time I thought of this as like life. Much like we didn't choose parents-and here I am not suggesting something really "wrong."
Yet I've read on-line, in groups talking from old school chums, that these same people pop up and they praise them. For them, in some context, that person made some real difference for them. I note that. Sometimes they told of an experience that utterly shocked me-the giving of time, effort, this from a teacher I had no idea did things like that. Or they held them in an utterly different context (and of course no tolerance for poor behaviors of the kind no one sees as acceptable-this is not about that).
And I realized, teachers are on a continuum of human development as well.
Along with knowing that a method that they/we use IS a method, just a system, a device for management is just that-a way we should see the teacher as developing. As a model of growth. There are many models. And, so far, we see the issues of assuming any one is superior. There are many models-behaviorism taught me that. One day I realized it's adherents saw no other way. They had ultimate truth. And that taught me a lot. Hopefully expanding our capacity to learn, grow, achieve, succeed-and choose among many varied ways to do it expands teaching and learners. But it is a hope all aim for a goal beyond job, to find happiness.


Ultimately I recommend to Governor Romney and President Obama and to any reader here a philosopher-well two. I've recommended them all the time I've written here. well three.

Abraham Maslow is foundational and his last book is the one that I take into teaching. Especially his thoughts on creativity and the development of personality. If you love teachers I think you should read it. I don't think I've ever really heard an answer to the notions that he taught us about the effects of poverty, deprivation, on learning. But his hierarchy of needs, shoved aside, seems to confound us all the more.

I think understanding Kurt Lewin's field theory is incredibly important in understanding why schools and teachers probably should come up in a debate on foreign policy and why Romney out of the blue grabbing at that love of teachers is not a non sequitor but a moment of real truth.
Real truth that appeared on a stage for a moment.

And finally the most important, read Nel Noddings, Happiness and Education.
Both our potential leaders, teachers and parents need to read this book. Completely.


And as a teacher I want you to know, both candidates, we love you too-and want both of you to do well in what you pursue directing the nation, thinking of the children in our nation-many of them now mired in poverty.
We need your support to help them.

I had this great idea.


Since I'm going to try to share more of my lesson designing ideas, how I teach to content, and why,  I thought I'd share this.
I teach 3rd grade second language students.
I need to better support vocabulary acquisition, and multiple meanings of words.
This was not where I wanted it to be last year on my scores from the state.
I am trying various changes this year-looking at results. 
One way I do this vocabulary development is through a grade level piece in explicit vocabulary-using a book to write our story vocabulary, define it, notice part of speech, illustrate it, write synonyms, antonyms. This is done early in the year whole group and teaches us about using dictionaries, glossaries, supports the words meaning understanding, clarifies to students words HAVE multiple meanings that we decide from the context they appear within, asks children to apply understandings of synonyms/antonyms, uses small illustrations to key the mind, helps them practice and share sentences constructed from the words and increases memory for this word.
We take ten minutes a week to read within this book now, and study past words from previous stories, with a partner,  having them say a word and try to use it in a good sentence. It's fun.
When we write poetry they do remember to get this vocab book out for "good juicy words."

That book has meant that on EVERY reading test so far my class has aced that selected vocabulary-terrific. Noticeably better than last year. The real issue will be-can we retain it, does it become a part of their writing and useage. If I can bridge that-then the instruction was "effective."

But I'm aware that we need to play with words- it would help to get to those  vocabulary goals and have an environment that encourages word use and word play,  to have times children act on word play, use puns, work on multiple meanings within oral practice and written practice.

So I had an idea.

I was waiting in the pharmacy in a long line.

And I'd say it took 20 minutes to get to the counter.
In the pharmacy there was a wire rack with sets of inspirational books, but also I saw a child's joke book.
This one:
 

I started reading it- to pass my time more pleasantly. I was thinking of how once a teacher that mentored me, a 2nd grade teacher, noted to me how much kids love joke books and puns especially at age 7 to ten.
And she had a big box of them. Worn covers confirmed her assertion.

But I ALSO thought in that line of a student that moved who loved to sit and read joke books. Hearing in my mind how he'd cheer himself with the jokes.
Laughing out loud in this precocious laughing in our morning 30 minutes of AR reading.

And then he'd come read them to me.
He had a superior command of language, reading, word meaning.
A natural wordsmith.
So-I just thought-a day should have projects to lift both skill and spirit-jokes are delightful.
And more than ever it's necessary part of making it through a day in your life. With humor.
Produce products-books-equally delightful.
Happiness in education is no joke to me and as a label-"the fun teacher" -it's an honor. Here I recommend "Happiness And Education" the best book of ed philosophy I know.

So the idea popped in my head.




(I  MUST recommend this set-it's a terrific quality-excellent-I'm saving the $65 to get a second box)
 So I thought they'd like to use these.
Why not buy a set of blank books and add to the To Do, or May Do, List for reading time as the writing choice-make a joke book. Your own set, a book that can be traded and enjoyed with peers.


Then illustrate with thumbprint little characters using old stamp pads and the markers.
They'll love it.

More importantly they'll have tons of punning jokes to choose from, in the book, and from that can read and read and read to spot favorites and ones they understand, for my advanced group they will want to write their own. These can go in their joke anthologies-a way to introduce ideas of "collections."
I'm so pleased.

So I'm picturing these cute thumbprint illustrations a bit like this one I took from the net:




Except particular to the book of jokes.

I'll need to build a joke book box-we can use the library for resources.
I'm certainly calling for friends in my life, here, to donate old or new joke books for 8 year olds.
If interested in donating leave me a short note in "comments" here and we'll work out a way.

I'm thinking that I'll model the lesson and place it out as a possible activity next week or coming up- while I work with reading groups.
To get into it I'm going to make one tomorrow- I may add in here later on. So check back.
Here are a few jokes from Rob Elliott's book I enjoyed:

Q: Why did Jimmy's parents scream when they saw his grades?
A: Because he had a bee on his report card.

Q: What did the pen say to the pencil?
A: You sure are looking sharp today?

It goes on and on.
Hopefully this will bee a great new project I can add to my repertoire to assist my students in their learning this rich, expressive, complex language-English. Or as Big Bird once said-American.

I got a great Christmas present from my daughter Sophia (and Sylvia and Luca) a CD I often use teaching, one of Tony Bennett singing with many performers, Lady Gaga, Faith Hill, Amy Winehouse among many. For some reason it's such a nice tribute to female vocalists.
Anyway I'm sure you've seen on PBS the program of him making this CD. (On Great Performances) Tonight that's on our TV.
I always enjoy it and I've seen it maybe 15 times.



It sets the backdrop for my cooking this evening.
After a day with a migraine I am cooking crustless quiches. I got the recipe and adapted it with changes when I run out of this cheese and need to use that one- from Simply Recipes-one of the sites I really love. It's such a nice recipe. I'm cooking 6 of them, that was 30 eggs.
Pretty expensive overall-about $100 in ingredients.
These are for my snack day. Three times a year we bring treats on a Friday for staff. I try to cook because obviously people like this in the AM. Teachers seem appreciative of the Friday treats. It's quite pleasant to listen to Tony Bennett crooning these love songs with various singers that have such impressive voices. Amazing instruments.

When I was in school in West Virginia in the 60's and 70's -through all my years- we had very well developed music instruction and music teachers. I don't remember ever having to justify that, show why or to defend it. But it was a rigorous program that was highly developed.  My elementaries had choirs, glee clubs, in the later grades orchestra, band, jazz bands, choirs, and choruses.  We had Winter and spring music programs and every student had participation in these. It wasn't up to teacher choice and their time management or talent,  and it wasn't taught entirely by staff not well trained in the arts. We had instruction in music as classes-not electives only-and I learned a lot about composers, symphonies, playing a violin, reading music, about musical theater because we put on shows of course. I participated often using the small talents I had in art, just amazed at my friends who shone in the shows.

It seems that so much of that remains "back in the day."
As I teacher I struggle to find this "progress." Or real reform.  I'd like to change that.
I 'd like students in struggling schools-in Program Improvement- to have music. My district kept some level of band when neighbors did not, but I wonder as I teach if the pianists, violinists, composers, musicians that give life meaning aren't sitting in our schools just needing what I got in a very, very poor state in a seriously impoverished school system-one that committed to the arts and music.
I've read that LA Unified is looking to restore the arts.

One thing I know-my evening was free of a great deal of stress just "embracing the legato of the melody."

Today I altered my blog.
I've meant to change out an old and antiquated form for a long while discussing with my daughter what might look more straight forward. You'll notice links to sites, books, so on are gone.
Posts will be shorter.
I hope you like it.
I think in changing the template I lost the members and also a lot of the former formats, images but there was always the issue of that loss if I switched to new blogger-but new blogger is more interesting. I built it originally using HTLM code so I was always just trying to learn how to do that. New Blogger obviously is not allowing me in to code nor am I remotely qualified.

I took down all posts to review them, thinking to consider them and sort of put up a "best of " group.
I reverted all to "draft" and then started looking at them. I intended to simply put back a set that seemed representative, perhaps 200. However in old blogger they would have published again  on the date they were written and thus this would just be in the side archive. Somehow that's not what happened to about thirty so I think I have just a big pile of posts. 
Twice I opened the page seeing an archive and twice it was gone.
And on and off I've been dickering with it. 
So.
Far, far from my intention.
Basically -a mess.

It's just not too useable or pretty like this. 
These posts on Oct 18 are just my going through ones and selecting a small set to keep while I dump everything else. In the trash.

I really have for a long time intended to alter the blog, yes I did use it to reflect on my lessons, share teaching, but I also found my skills just not too fun to review-spelling, sentence construction, one the the worst things is formatting, huge pictures, clunky unmatched fonts, broken links. Old.
I'm hoping to blog now more about my processes as an artist or in designing a lesson my thoughts, or in my life with family. 
Sorry for the mess.

Update, I think I managed to restore a small archive. 
Second update, I think I managed to correct a few awkward pauses.
 

My class just finished reading The Ballad of Mulan. It is a story in the Houghton Mifflin basal reader.
They enjoyed it.

This year I am using, every two weeks, an art print and suggested lessons from a poster series that once was in Scholastic or Instructor magazine. It was donated to my room from a retiring teacher's collection. A TRUE gift. We started the year with two Van Gogh prints but now I am displaying a beautiful picture by Wang Yani.

 

As it happens my students are VERY interested in China. So we are making a map of China and watching Big Bird in China as well as reading and looking at a book called "A Young Painter" by Zheng Zhensun.
This is the story of Wang Yani an incredible Child PRODIGY in art from China.
My students have been looking forward to Friday when we will cover our tables with paper and  use calligraphy brushes to try some Chinese style art.
Like this:




The teacher that donated the posters and art also gave me a magazine, Smithsonian-from Sept 1989, the month I had my first daughter, which contains an art collection that was touring America by Wang Yani.
 So this is totally off topic but looking for our lion picture by Wang Yani.
 I found this art project we are going to do, a bit offtopic....



 And then we will write about lions.
For science. More on that to come.
Obviously she was a prodigy. Just look:


 Sometimes I wonder how many children we don't identify for their genius because we don't give them the opportunity to amaze us. Like with a brush-and they never learn it either.
This is our poster:



 Well the thing is I like to make the connections through art, of course. But also I'm asking my students to acquire academic language. We are learning about "prodigies." Because I think they did want a label to put on this kind of amazing thing this young artist achieved as well as bridge to lesson on geography, animals and other areas of study. One child said after seeing Wang Yyani's amazing three year old art, "first Picasso and NOW THIS." Because he remembered a picture I showed them of Picasso's work at age 12 from another writing/art activity.

I had a paragraph writing task about this notion of the prodigy, left by this retiring teacher in her file for me. It asked students to look up the definition for a prodigy.
So they did:

prodigy - an unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person; someone whose talents excite wonder and admiration; "she is a chess prodigy"

Which reminded me of Josh Waitzkins who was kind enough to write to me once or twice or maybe even more responding to my thanking him for inspiring years of my teaching. His book on learning, The Art Of Learning - bar none, is one of the best I know talking about just what a prodigy is about. And it turns out that refining and focus in a prodigy is a very artful process.
Then our paper, our writing task,  asked each child to IMAGINE they were a prodigy.
And I think that was hard for them.


Now this is right up my alley- when I was a child I would dream of dancing. I could barely go to the ballet.
I'm a very ungraceful person. But I dreamed of just having that.

Then it asked they would write a little bit to tell how their life would change.
Many students needed more time but I gave 15 minutes and this is what I got.

I did not expect for this assignment to make me cry.
I did not expect their answers either. You don't know the students as I do, so you cannot experience the shock I had with some of these dreams. But in some cases it was a complete surprise. 
But I think you might appreciate the tender voices of some children who are coming from extreme poverty and have such moving thoughts.
There is one, among all of these that literally reduced me to tears. So when that happened one of my students staying after school over an hour waiting for Mom whose car broke came over and said, "why are you crying?" But you know how that is you need a second. So he said, "I'm sure we can write better if we practice."
And I cried a little more.
My third graders are doing very important work.

If you were a prodigy in some area of skill, what area would it be?
How would being a prodigy change your life?


I would like to be able to play the piano very good.
It would change my life because i like to play Piano, I like the sound and my teacher says I already play Handel, Water Music.



I would like to be the world's best dancer.
Because if I got to dance everyday my life will be much better. A lot of people will know me better, I will be awesome. My Mom and Dad will like me then so much.



I want to be in art a prodigy.
I will change my life to paint a lot for people. I will paint all of the time. I will teach children to paint well. And they could tell other people how topaint.



I'd like to be a painter.
It will change my life because it will give me pleasure to help poor people with what I make.



I'd like to be a great teacher.
I would teach every single day and help others.



I would like to be a child prodigy in baseball.
It will change my life because they give money for this for food. You could get water, a TV and a bed.


(I cried here)


I would like to be a great doctor. A surgeon.
My life will change because it will have purpose. I want to help people. I want people to be healthy.

 

I'd like to be a soccer player and my Mom would cheer.



I would like to be a 5 minute prodigy.
I would be able to do anything in 5 minutes.
I'd like to be a prodigy, say at 5 years old I could do anything in 5 minutes. Dance for five minutes, sing for 5 minutes. Last year I seemed to do things for ten minutes.



I would like to be a basketball prodigy and play NBA.
It would change my life because now I could make lots of points.



I would like to be a singing prodigy.
It would change my life in a lot of ways. I would even give autographs!



I'd like to be the world's greatest dancer.
It would change my life because I will dance in front of people and no longer be shy. I will dance in front of the stage and when I'm finished dancing people will clap.



I want to be the greatest soccer player in the WORLD.
I would choose soccer because it is so great and I'd change because I'd have fans.



I'd like to be a great teacher and artist.
If I were a prodigy and a great teacher/artist it would change my life because I would be going to lots and lots of meetings with other teachers (hopefully my prodigy friends Diana and Annika). I would love my life if I were a teacher. PS I would also thank my teacher Mrs. Puglisi.


I want to be an artist.
I will be happy in this life and I will draw all day.



I would be a singer because I actually first sang when I was 2!. I love singing! It would be so amazingto wake up and sing my favorite song without making a single mistake. i hope my dream can come true!


Interestingly no child wanted to be the best test taker in the world.
Stunning NO ONE.



I , too wanted to know what this artist is doing now-I found this interesting conversation.


See my Mrs. Puglisi's 100 National Standards