A play on Perlstein: “Assessed: One team of students struggles to sojourn on through the Constitution.”

The title for this week’s blog entry is a respectful salute to Linda Perlstein’s recent work, Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade. It was suggested that I read the book and as I absorb the lessons in it, I sense much meaning in my own pedagogical experience with this year’s students. The book centers on the world of education in the age of No Child Left Behind legislation. The aspect of this work that resonates with me is the idea of how our students struggle. Listening to the voices of student struggle throughout the nature of battling through the challenge posed within modern education seems to be a theme that I can sense in the hearts and minds of our current 7-1 students. Certainly, Social Studies on 7-1 occupies a different position of challenge than other disciplines as it is the only subject not to be tested on our upcoming ISATS. This creates a unique sensibility towards the class. On one hand, this would make the class somewhat more approachable than other courses because the spectre of “external assessment” is removed. Yet, the reality of the type of teacher that is driving the class is what casts a more looming and, perhaps, more formidable adversary than any other. I can sense that students do not sense the lack of a state exam as a reason to understand this class as any easier. I could sense that some students might be more willing to have an external assessment than wrestle with the demons of the second trimester final exam that is less than 15 days away and focuses on the study of the Constitution.
Bearing this in mind, I wanted to compose a blog entry that addresses the reality of what students need to be doing and what parents should be doing in order to help them achieve this particular goal. I sense that this blog will be a bit more direct, and less on the academic/ analytic level. My hopes are that this missive will help provide a bit more clarity to all stakeholders in addressing the challenges which exist in the next two weeks:
To all 7-1 Social Studies Students:
* Are you keeping up with the nightly assignments and playing a good game of catchup in case you fall behind?- One item that is critical is to ensure that “No Constitutional Legacy is Left Behind.” In this vein, completing all nightly tasks is an absolute. Make sure that if you need more time, you are communicating with me and coming up during lunch or during the morning. Weekend time should be spent reviewing ideas and preparing for upcoming lessons and concepts. The daily questions are adding up. At these checks of nightly study, you have to be able to “man up” and ensure you are obtaining your points. If you are “lost” are you communicating with Mr. Kannan? Home calls, emails, or even discussions at free moments. These are the steps that can allow for greater success. Even if you assumed that you could do nothing and then study the night before the 25th on everything, you would lose daily points at a rate of 15 points a day. It has already wreaked some damage on some of your grades, so make all attempts to ensure that you are focused on the course of study that has been charted for you.
* Have you taken advantage of all the opportunities made available to you? This would mean revising items that need to be revised (quizzes on the Supreme Court, writing prompts) and completing extra credit (signed progress reports/ syllabi, extra credit outcome sentences, Constitution extra credit writing tasks.)
* Are you engaging in the discourse?- Successful students are ones who are constantly immersed in “chatter.” By this, I mean that students that engage in dialogue about the academic concepts fare much better than those who remain in silence or discuss non- academic items. If you are talking with others about items such as the first amendment, judicial activism, or amending the Constitution, you stand a better chance of success than not doing so. One of the hopes I have is that when all of you line up outside of class waiting for your questions, you start talking to one another about what principles you know, what goals the person in front of you know, or the amendments that the person behind you knows. I have told all classes that the climate of the building will dramatically change when we can see and hear students engaging in academic discourse. Reflect for a moment if the lunchroom became the pantheon where tables of students feverishly debated if the 2nd amendment applies today as it did in the times of the framers. How about a “Social Studies Evening Jam Session”? Bring your snacks and your ipods as a group of friends get together to hang out and discuss… the Constitution! Wouldn’t it be great to hear one student say, “Let me plug my ipod into the dock so that we can hear the ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ version of the Preamble!” These discussions make for stronger students, and in doing so, relegate adults to the margins, and increase the likelihood for academic greatness to be evident.
* Are you engaging in the discourse, parte dos- The reality is that if students approach their teachers willing to talk about content issues, we create the bridges to intellectual glory. One of the hopes of the “Meet Social Studies” sessions is that it would be a great opportunity for students to talk with teacher and peer alike about “Social Studies.” This brainstorming session between both parties will yield stronger thought. The other element revealed is that the barriers of an adversarial relationship between student and teacher are dissolved. In place is a new foundation built on trust and collegiality. The reality facing students and teachers alike is how both sides can trust one another. This would be a good step in creating a realm where this is evident.
*Do you know that you can run, but you can’t hide?- I sense that some students will do none of the above and think that this is “no big deal.” I can say that this is not wise, and an advertisement for “Bad Idea Jeans.” The reality is that all “chickens will come home to roost” on the week of the 25th. A five day final exam that covers everything and no notes made available is the reality that faces all students. What is done to ensure success, accept academic and moral responsibility, and demonstrate a mature sense of greatness will be tallied at that time. There is a reckoning. Joe Louis was right when he softly spoke about Billy Conn, trying to evade the champ in the ring: “He can run, but he can’t hide.” So true.
To all 7-1 Social Studies Parents/ Guardians:
*It’s their battle and we can help them win it. I believe that the best way for parents/ guardians to help is to keep our emerging scholars on the path of scholarship. The reality is that neither the teacher nor the parent can take the test or assessments for the child. The student will have to work harder than anyone else in their pursuit of glory. We can assist them through intellectual, emotional, and physical encouragement. This can take the form of allowing time for your students to check the blog and creating a plan to assist them in developing a greater focus outside of class on what needs to be done in it. One theme that I loved hearing from last week’s conferences was how families created specific times for particular tasks. “Monday night syllabi night” or “Wednesday night blog night” were not only humorous, but underscored how important it is to develop a pattern that represents classroom success even when a student is outside of it. I believe creating this habit of academic vigilance creates stronger students, and successful warriors.
* Engaging families in the discourse. I also enjoyed conference narratives that included how parents had to field Constitutional questions from their children. I thought that spoke volumes. Students who take the classroom concepts with them to their homes, bringing them to their families will fare better than those who do not. It’s a challenge speaking to any child. I can personally testify to this. Yet, I think some “intellectual conversation starters” between parents and chlidren would help out in this process:
“Which amendment is the most important to you?”
“ What mistakes did the framers make in their forming of the Constitution?”
“What items of the Constitution are in the news today?” (Watching the news as a family or with children is invaluable. Some of the best discussions happen right there.)
“Which amendment/ branch of government does Mr. Kannan like and why?”
“Which goal of the Constitution do you think you need to embrace in order to deal with Social Studies?” (Hint: The securing of the right to be left alone…)

A large fear of parents/ guardians is “How do I know that my kids are right?” I think it’s a natural concern. My feeling is that if students can convince you of their point of view with detail, support, and analysis, this would mean that they are on the right track. If they can reason their way with all of you, then I believe that they are going to be just fine in Social Studies. In this respect, I am confident that the intellectual discussions which emerge within the homes find their way into students’ pattern of recognition.
*"Your Social Studies teacher writes a lot of stuff- let’s try to go through it together.” One of the best aspects of this year has been my desire to break my dependence on the District 97 server. I had a webpage on the district server for the last two years and when the server went down, so did the webpage. I credit some of my more technologically driven colleagues for moving me to the blogspot and box.net domains. I have become addicted to both. I am the first to admit this. Yet, I think if all stakeholders collaborate on discussing what is present in this blog or in the classroom handouts that can be downloaded from box.net, a sense of solidarity can emerge. If American History has taught us anything, it is that when stakeholders develop a sense of community and unity through trying times, they stand a better chance of succeeding through them and emerging into a vision of triumph. Certainly, I don’t mind being the force where parents/ students align themselves in order to demonstrate academic glory. (I am targeted in so many ways that at least this way can help our students learn. I will take it, and no, I do not have a martyr complex, but I sense that my choice of profession would move me closer to it.) Building from this would be when students and parents sit down together and check their online grades. I experienced several moments when students and parents used the computer in the team area to examine online grades together and a pointed and direct discussion between on strengths/ weaknesses emerged. We seek to create the dialogue, and steps such as these can go to great ends in securing these.


I believe that our students, your children and both of our emerging scholars, can achieve the notion of success that we both want if these items are being followed. For many of our students, these steps are already integrated into a pattern of recognition and acceptance. The goal would be for all of our students to experience this. Small measures can help to achieve the greater and more formidable goal of academic success. I can only hope that like Principal McKnight, our own nightingales can sing “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” with absolute clarity in our garden of scholarship.

Happy hunting.
Mr. Kannan