The Magic Chicken

I may have mentioned before that one of the students in my homeroom this year is a guy who is in our school's functional life skills program, which is designed for people who are cognitively or intellectually impaired. He comes every morning with an instructional assistant whose job it is to help keep him on track as he participates in the same activities we all do.

A few days ago, though, I noticed that he did not stand during the Pledge. It was possible (but doubtful) that he didn't realize where we were in our morning routine, but when the assistant prompted him, he refused to stand. He is on the autism spectrum and verbal communication is at a minimum for him, but it is far from impossible to get through to him.

As soon as the minute of silence was over, grabbing my novelty chicken, the one that plays a little song and lays candy eggs, I walked over to the kid right next to him. "Kieran," I said, "did you stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance today?"

Kieran eyed me with some confusion. "Uhhh," he started, "yes?"

"Good job!" I congratulated him. "Thank you for doing what you were supposed to do. Have a candy egg!"

Kieran pushed on the plastic poultry which clucked a merry tune and delivered a chewy sweet tart to him. I moved to the next student. "Edwin? Did you stand for the pledge?"

And so it went. With each student who received candy, my non-stander's eyes grew wider. Finally he could take it no more. He came over to me. "D?" I asked him. "Did you stand for the pledge?"

He was silent, which is not unusual for him.

"Oh, that's right," I said. "You did not follow the directions today." I shook my head sadly and held the chicken. "I hope you will tomorrow!"

His hand flew to his heart and he recited the pledge as fast as he could.

"Great!" I told him. "Do it just like that tomorrow!"

And he did!

Meanwhile, there was another student who has been chronically late to school recently, but he made it to homeroom that day. He watched first with confusion, and then in amazement as I again offered each student the chicken.

"When did this happen?" he asked. "When did we start getting candy for standing up during The Pledge of Allegiance?"

"I know, right?" I told him. "You should totally make it here on time!"

And he has!

Fully Fledged

How was it that I found myself sitting in the library reading the paper at 10 AM this morning?

It was time to let the intern working with me take a solo.

How did it go?

Well, let's just say that, tomorrow?

I'm going to get a lot of work done!

Look Up, America

When we were children, my mother used to sing us a song on nights when the moon was out:

I see the moon;
the moon sees me;
the moon sees the one
that I want to see.

From where I stood this evening, not even 3 miles from the White House, I could hardly fail to notice the crescent moon and the evening star pinned against the dying day in the early night sky. It was impossible to mistake the image, and equally impossible to consider how, to so many people around the world, these are symbols of progress and light, respectively.

God bless the moon,
and God bless me,
and God bless the one 
that I want to see.

Dumplins

Not another dog name (although it could be!), but rather a traditional dish to celebrate the lunar new year. This weekend billions of folks around the world ring in the year of the Fire Rooster, and dumplings are made and eaten to bring us wealth. Plus? They are delicious! At least mine were-- beef and ginger, and shrimp with black beans and water chestnuts.

恭喜发财 !!

Wherefore Art Thou?

Sweet Potato
Scarlett
Lucy
Ginger
Button
Ruby
Finch
Pepper
Jelly Bean
Cricket
Mabel
Jo

Lately the conversation frequently turns to the same topic whenever Heidi and I walk.

What should we name our next dog?

Like Minds

"What are we going to do next?" a student asked me today as he finished his literary essay.

"Oh, you guys are going to get to apply what you've learned about argument to a topic you really care about personally," I told him.

He frowned. "Like what?"

"Well," I said, "say you think the Affordable Healthcare Act should be repealed." I gave the first example that came into my mind.

His eyebrows shot straight up. "What??" he gasped. "Who thinks that??" He looked at me suspiciously. "Do you really think we should get rid of it?"

A little taken aback by his passionate reaction, I shook my head in an of-course-not no, but then recovered somewhat. "I'm really not supposed to discuss my personal political opinions," I laughed, because it was already too late, "so, no comment, but..."

His wide eyes met mine, and I continued to shake my head.

He nodded, both in conspiracy and relief.

"Maybe you should write about that one," I suggested.

Get On Your Feet

Movement opportunities are essential in middle school, and I use an activity where, after working on their own to answer questions or gather ideas, students circulate through the room as music plays. Then, in musical chairs fashion, when the tune stops they must put a hand up, find a partner, and share their thinking.

We used this method at the end of reading class this morning, and with my new bluetooth speaker and iPhone, I was able to switch the song with alacrity in between sharing sessions. I started with a little Miles Davis Quintet, which the kids are used to, since I frequently use jazz to get them on their feet. My next choice? An early 70s pop song by the Cufflinks, called Tracy.

"What's my name?" I called as they shimmied through the room.

"Tracey!" they chorused.

Next up? Redemption Song by Bob Marley. It was obviously unfamiliar to most. "Yeah! Country music!" cried one student.

And finally we heard My Prerogative, which provided both an energetic groove and a vocabulary teaching moment.

When the bell rang the students left chattering happily after sharing several essay ideas with four other kids, but it might have been my intern who was most impressed.

"Wow!" he said, "Nice. Choice. Of music!"