The Fourth Wall.

I love getting to know my students.  If anything, I am an extremely social person - so teaching 80 teenagers per day is perfect for me.  I love to learn about their families, histories, and passions - and I enjoy most of the experiences that we have together throughout the year. In addition, most of my students (and their families) learn about my life history, and often hear stories about my family, travels, and experiences through my teaching.  

That being said, I work diligently to maintain healthy and well defined boundaries with my students, always with the hope that they have a clear understanding that I am their teacher, not a casual friend or buddy.   So I stress that my personal life is not something that my students are allowed to cross in to.  Generally, they are respectful of these lines, and I am always appreciative of it.

But I am a big believer that successfully teaching someone anything is a social experience - and one that must be understood from a personal perspective.  To learn, I mean really learn, we have to connect to it personally.  To that end, I break down the fourth wall in my classroom.  I learned about the fourth wall concept as a young theater student, and it is defined as such, "The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box-set theater.  Speaking directly to or otherwise acknowledging the audience through this imaginary wall in a play, is referred to as "breaking the fourth wall." Think Ferris Bueller (or at a Ryan Adams concert) speaking directly to the audience - it is endearing.  And it helps all of us root for him down the stretch.  

In order to truly teach my students history, I often have to present stories (of the Romans, wars, myths, etc.) to them - and teach them analysis.  But when I make mistakes, or when I see that a personal story from my life may better explicate the idea - I break the fourth wall and speak directly to my students.  When I am enforcing the tardy policy, or discussing grade percentages at the end of the semester - I am performing a professional duty - and all of my students know that.  But they also know that I am a normal, vulnerable human being who is working a job, and lives his life outside of that job.  

I believe that one of the biggest pitfalls that teachers fall into is hiding behind that fourth wall of professionalism, at the expense of developing positive relationships with students, and/or showing any vulnerability in the classroom.  So while my boundaries are real - by the end of the year, my students (and their families) and I really know each other well. Reconciling the balance between healthy boundaries and healthy teacher/student relationships is a huge part of teaching - and I hope that I can continue to find the sweet spot in that effort.

Test Scores {are not everything}

It is that time of the summer when all AP scores are posted.  This can be a time of great relief, or disappointment, for all of the students, families, and teachers involved in Advanced Placement classes.  I find that it is important for us to remember that our learning experiences always equal more than the sum of our test scores.  

That being said, most of us hope to see a score on our AP exam that reflects our work in the course - and that is not always the case (especially when we are dealing with an exam that covers....wait for it...10,000 years of history, throughout the entire globe).

But to provide some perspective on the AP World History exam - I thought I would post the 2014 score distributions, including every AP World History student in the entire nation.  It is my hope that students can gain some clarity about their scores by looking at the distributions.  So here it is:

2014 AP World History Score Distributions (National)

5 - 6.4%

4 - 15.8%

3 - 31.7%

2 - 27.9%

1 - 18.2%

53.9% of all students scored a 3 or above on this year's exam.

The Homestretch

Wrapping up a year in public school is always bittersweet for me.  On one hand, I am a restless spirit - and jump at the opportunity to spend my days doing something outside of school.

There is a certain beauty about routine, and teaching fulfills that perfectly.  My life is sectioned out according to bell schedules, teacher work days, and holiday breaks for ten months of the year.  So, the summer is a time that I typically reserve for anything but academic pursuits, or attempting to motivate others.

But, at some point in every summer - I begin to miss the students and their excitement.  I have enjoyed a great year with most of my classes.  This year (like every year) brought a new set of challenges, and also opportunities to try new things.  The Chicago trip was the highlight of the year, bringing all of us closer together - and opening our eyes to new experiences.  Travel has a way of accomplishing that, where others experiences can not.

But in my many years of teaching, I have never witnessed such anxiety among teachers and staff about the direction of NC public schools.  Everyone is on edge about every aspect of teaching in this state, and it is disheartening.  It is my hope that North Carolina will make decisions that will have a positive impact on our schools this year.  It is too sad to think of the alternative.

We finished up with national exams (AP), State exams (NC), service projects, and mural painting.  Overall, a solid end to a good year.  I feel grateful for the opportunity to spend my days with these kids.

Anybody Can Serve

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve." - Martin Luther King Jr.

The College Board administers the AP World History exam in the second week of May each year.  This is a national exam, and the date is not flexible.  As a result, AP classes must cover material quicker, and be prepared for their major assessment earlier.  Once the exam is complete, we usually have just a few days before our state and local exams begin.  This year however, we missed numerous days throughout the winter due to snow - and we are in school until June 12.  So, my AP classes have an opportunity to complete other projects.

It is an opportunity for us to give back.

In the past, we have painted many murals, put on fundraiser rock shows, had guest speakers, etc.  This year, we are completing a hallway mural, and working with Asheville Greenworks and the NBHS custodians to complete campus cleanup and landscaping.  Asheville Greenworks provided the supplies for us, and the custodial staff provided the list of priorities.  We are providing 52 teenagers to do the work.

I hope it helps, and I hope the students realize that it does not take much to make a difference.
Everyone can make a difference, because everyone can serve.

Chicago {We pulled it off}

41 students, 5 teachers, 1 bus, 3 days - in Chicago.  We planned this trip back in January, with audacious hopes for success. And this past weekend, we pulled it off.  It was amazing.  I fell in love with the city of Chicago over the weekend, but came away with even more adoration for the 41 students who
traveled with me.  We had the best time, and soaked up the spirit of Chicago, as it were.

Traveling with great high school kids is not for the feint of heart, but it is exhilarating.  If you remember what  it felt like to be 16 years old, then maybe you remember the reckless confidence that was baked into your brain.  I certainly remember that feeling when I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Europe as a 17 year old. Our teachers trusted us to navigate cities like Rome, Venice, Lucerne, Paris, and London - and we did it with enthusiasm and naivete.  It built my confidence, and inspired me to learn more, travel more, and open my mind to new experiences. That trip was a catalyst for me personally, that pointed me down a path of travel, adventure, and education.  I am so grateful for it.

I wrote about that experience here.

With my experience in mind, we designed this trip so that these kids could have ample opportunities to experience the sights, sounds, and feeling of a large American city - with all of its hustle, diversity, and culture.  So, though we spent some time in traditional tour-oriented places like the Field Museum, architecture tours, Wrigley, and the Museum of Science and Industry - most of our time was spent exploring.

 We trusted the kids to work together to navigate Chicago - and to make good decisions.  At every opportunity - they answered our call, and usually discovered ways to make the adventure better.  Whether we played football in every parking lot (or at Navy Pier), learned to use Chicago's Bike Share, or piled onto the L for some quick transport - we did it together and with absolute gusto.  These kids were all in - and I was right there with them.

I am lucky to be a teacher, and lucky to know these amazing kids.  They make me want to be better - and inspire me to continue to seek adventure in all things.  I learn the most from the kids.

New T-Shirts (Class Rule #10)

Our class rule #10 is "to start a tradition."  For many years, my AP World History classes have designed and purchased t shirts, which certainly fulfills the ethos of tradition.  So, every year 'round about April - we turn to each other and try to work out the things that we most want to remember form our year together.  The shirt always turns out to be more of a souvenir/keepsake than a fashion item.  And for that reason I always remind the students that it is their t shirt -  for them, by them.

I think the first one was in 2003 - but I could be wrong.  (I need to go through each of the shirts and count, but either way - we have been doing this for a long time.)  And every shirt that we have made is full of our interactions with one another.  Sure, our learning of and discussions of history are a guiding theme - but the shirts are all social, and usually revolve around the magical times where our collective laughter was spontaneous and uncontrollable.

And I love it so much.

If nothing else, what the students decide to memorialize on their class t shirt confirms my belief that our educational experiences are about our emotional connectivity.  Our ability to learn is most elevated when we are in happy environments - surrounded by possibility.  Like summer camp, a public school classroom can be an incredible incubator for new and positive experiences.  We can grow by learning from each other.

And then we can make a t shirt about it.

College {UNCG}

I am a believer in public school.  It makes sense really, because I am a product, participant, and paid employee of the North Carolina public school system.  But school has always been a huge part of my life. My Grandmother was a public school teacher, as was my Mother.  I have lived my life according to the academic calendar continuously since I was 5 years old. As a student I always enjoyed school, and I continue to enjoy school as a teacher.  

This past Wednesday I had to spend some time in Greensboro, NC, and had the opportunity to visit my alma mater of UNC-Greeensboro, which is always cause for a week of reflection on the role that school plays in my life.

As far as my education goes -  I am still thankful that my 18 year old self chose to attend UNCG. I met inspirational friends there, learned, and grew so much. Most importantly, I met my wife while there. I loved UNCG, it had everything...except the mountains.   So almost immediately after I graduated, I moved to Asheville - and now I rarely get back to UNCG.

And now every time I return to UNCG, I am awestruck by its beauty - it just looks like a ..well..college.  There are lots of green spaces/quads.  All of the buildings are brick, and beautiful (Georgian architecture). The landscaping is top notch, with fountains and old trees in abundance. It is a great place to spend one's collegiate years, and I always jump at the chance to sing its praises.  On this particular visit - I could not stop taking pictures.  It made for a great day, rife with great feelings. 

It also makes me excited for my current students, as many of them are about to embark on their college adventures.  They are making tough decisions about where to go, how to pay, and what to pursue in these final months of school. Like my experience at UNCG, I hope that they too find a place that brings them happiness, and the opportunity to grow.