The Importance of Play

It's possible that students have always felt the anxiety that is present in our classrooms today, and that we are just noticing (and managing) it more now.  Even so, the number of students who seem or verbally express their anxiety and stress is higher than ever in my classroom.  Some perspective: I primarily teach AP Literature & Honors courses at a high-performing high school.  More and more, I see students struggling with managing their school work, studying, completing applications, etc.  And frankly, their stress leads to my stress.  And I don't like it. 

As an adult, I have the coping mechanisms to manage my own stress.  I recently started meditating, and I LOVE it.  I use the app Headspace (https://www.headspace.com/ ), and it brings me an incredible sense of calm.  I receive no sort of incentives to say this.  I just like it.  And it's on sale now.  I digress.


I know that I need to manage my stress, and so I do.  I find ways to cope.  Whether that's through meditating, getting outside, exercising, focusing on the good in my life, playing a game with my family, or any other means, I make sure to take time for me.  And that's something I don't see my students doing.


I recently read the article "Record Numbers of College Students Are Seeking Treatment for Depression and Anxiety--But Schools Can't Keep Up" by Time Magazine writer Katie Reilly.  Important take-aways from the article:

• the number of students visiting counseling centers has increased by about 30% on average (while enrollment overall increased by less than 6%)
• 40% of college students said that they had felt so depressed in the prior year that it was difficult for them to function
• 61% (SIXTY ONE PERCENT, people!) said that they felt overwhelming anxiety

So, as a high school teacher, how can I help?  There are several things I have tried in my classroom, but the one I will highlight here is: the Importance of Play.

As noted in "Current Health," taking time to play helps relieve stress in a variety of ways:

1.  exercise is good for the body AND  the mind
2.  play usually requires engaging with other people (which is good for you!)
3. "it makes life fun!"

To incorporate play, the last day before Final Exams, I host Stress Busters in our class.  This includes coloring sheets, board games, a physical game (my favorite: Catchoo!), and, of course, food! This year, as a part of my seniors' Senior Bucket List (another great idea to keep them focused on something positive they look forward to), we hosted The Great Litish Bake-Off!  Students brought in treats to Stress Busters, and we voted on Star Bakers!  It should be noted: this was OPTIONAL.  Students were not required to attend (they could go study elsewhere if they wanted), and look how many showed up!  They craved the chance to have a space to relax and enjoy each others' company before the long week ahead.

Here are some photos of our Stress Busters in action:

These groups are playing BananaGrams:

Judging for the Bake-Off:




Here is Catchoo! in action:





Some of our Star Bakers:

Who doesn't love Apples to Apples?

I'd love to hear some of the ways you help your students manage their stress!  Feel free to share in the comments!

Desk Arrangement

Playing with the desk set-up in our classroom brings me joy.  It may bring (some of) my students pain--as they frequently walk into the room with a different set-up.  While, no joking here, this can cause some student anxiety, my intent is not just to play.  My goal is to have the most ideal arrangement for the learning goals of the day.  For example, here you can see that I have the desks grouped for my students' current literature circles:


Students are reading three different novels, so the desks are grouped for those reading assignments. 



Below is a frequent arrangement for us:



Students are frequently grouped into learning teams that are selected based on current student need.  Often, students are permitted to select their own tables to sit at; however, I often group them based on need, assignment, task, skill, etc.

Students may be grouped based on:

• a different reading they are working on
• different aspects of writing
• academic support
• academic enrichment 
• and more!

So, while, at the beginning of the year it may be frustrating for students to see the desk arrangement constantly change, they do get used to it--and sometimes even excited about it.  ("Oooh...what are we doing today?")

Bored on this Snow Day?

This week, our AP Literature class analyzed the poem Bored by Margaret Atwood.

You can view the poem here:

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/bored/

After analyzing the poem, students produced their own discussion questions and discussed them in self-selected groups. 

Then, we got down to business...




No, not to defeat the Huns...to WRITE OUR OWN POETRY. 

Students were prompted to write their own "Bored" poems, explaining what they have learned from boredom--or what they could learn from boredom. 

Here are a few of their poems:

It is often
one's mind experiences
It's own greatest

when idle, when unoccupied.


Time is slow when bored
I've learned to try new tactics
Creativity


"A Minute of Boredom"
Dew drops, tip tap, tip tap,
glistening on green leaves.
I notice discarded bread eaten by birds,
laughter of a child--and adult?
Sat still, I feel...
Bored?
The drum of daily live
prevents loneliness...boredom?
Sun shining, babies whining, notice through...boredom?
Sat beneath the sun, 
I observe bees on flowers,
trees towering over toddlers,
my hands still...
they have nowhere to be.
Dew drops going tip tap, tip tap, 
still glistening?
But I have been bored for 
only a minute.


"The Art of Boredom"
Boredom is rarely boring.
Driving down a country road
with the windows down
is the freest feeling.
Mind clear, and clear skies.
Boredom is the goal.


"Get Bored"
Did you know?
    Ants can be killed by a parasitic fungi.

Did you know
    If you listen to the Sponge Bob
    Squarepants theme at 1/5th the
    speed, it sounds like a modern masterpiece?

Did you know
    If you look at the thesaurus for 
    synonyms you're bound to find
    a word that rhymes?

Did you know
   If you graph 4cos20+2=z
   you might get a 3D slinky on 
   your 2D computer screen?

Did you know
    if you stopped reading 
    this boring poem and 
    got bored, you could have
    figured this out yourself.



"Boredom"
When I am quite bored
My still idle brain will roar
Memories are stored


"Bored"
Are we there yet?
The flat, desolate prairie stares at me.
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
There't nothing to do.
"Stop fighting your sister."
C'mon. I'm bored, 
I'm hungry, 
I have to go to the bathroom.
"It's only a two hour ride.
You'll be fine."
I'm gonna die of boredom.
"One day you will enjoy your 
rides."
No. I won't.

He was right.


"Boredom"
A sober wake up call
that awaits us all.
The silence, the nothingness
The beauty, the significance
You sit in the darkness reflecting
Holding onto everything,
Stupid, worthless,
Peaceful, perceptiveness
Boredom, destructive downfall
Boredom, a key to all.


So, today, as you relish your Snow Day, think about all that's available to you when you are "bored."  And maybe take some of your classmates' advice.

Ditching the Desk

After reading this article: Ditching the Desk , I thought about its implications in my classroom. 

1) I sure could use the extra space.  #FunFact: my classroom used to be a book storage room #FunFact2: my classroom only has 4 outlets #FinalFunFact: heating and cooling in a room that used to be a book storage room will keep you on your toes in terms of wardrobe selection. 

2) I don't sit at my desk all that much.  I probably wouldn't miss it.

3) I like the idea of it forcing me to move around more.


So....I did it!  I did find the need to still have a (student) desk available because I need it for when my laptop is connected to the projector (ahem, every day), but I have found I don't really need the desk or desk space (and my classroom partner was super cool about me Ditching our Desk.  Mad props to LB).  I am very happy with the outcome, and I don't think I'll ever go back to a "teacher" desk.

Student Buy-In

When getting students to "buy in" to a lesson, it helps to involve them and their interests as much as possible.  To do this, I try to encourage students to bring in their own ideas and passions to the work we are doing.  For example, when working to discover how authors establish mood, I invite students to bring in their own books.  In this way, they share their own "moody literature" and have sense of what the book is about in the first place.  In addition, they typically choose to share something they like, so then they are more invested. 

In the photos below, you will see students sharing their "moody literature" with classmates and working to 1) identify the mood present and 2) discuss how the author establishes that mood.  This is also a good way to expose them to literature recommended by their classmates, and thus, they are more likely to be interested in reading it.
 

Love at First Line

In an attempt to entice students to pick up new books, I had them complete a Love at First Line assignment.  They randomly selected books, read the first line, and when they found one they found particularly titillating, they emailed me with the:

1. Book title
2. Author
3. Line


It looked like this:

Title: Afterparty

By: Ann Redisch Stampler 

First sentence: "It is not the ending I expected." 

In the end, we have a bunch of lines that are compelling (and hopefully will draw more readers to the stacks).  I plan to make a display outside of our classroom that highlights the selected lines--and feels Valentiney in some way.  😍

Here are some of my favorites that they sent me:

My whole Life, I’ve never been brave.

"The world was smoke"

"Today I have made a major decision: I am never going to die."

"It is not the ending I expected." 

"Saving the human race is a frantic business."

I need to tell this story quickly, or we're all going to die.

I like to save things.

Sometimes you have to lie.

The calendar said early March, but the smell in the air said late October. 

“I liked hurting girls.”

"2031 doesn't seem that long ago to me."

When Michael woke up he had a not-so-pleasant taste of bile rising in his throat.