Commander-in-Tweet: Citing a Presidential Tweet

With the 45th President of the United States using Twitter more than any of his predecessors, it's now more important than ever that students understand how to cite social media correctly. In a January 23 EasyBib blog post, Michele Kirschenbaum (2017) provided an easy-to-follow guide on how to correctly attribute Trump's tweets.

In an accompanying piece, Wendy Ikemoto (2017, January 13) offered insight on correctly citing speeches--presidential or otherwise--in both transcript and recorded video formats.

As always, please let me know if I can help you or your students with any part of the research and/or citation process! 

Fake News: What the CRAAP?

Denzel Washington was recently quoted as saying, "If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you’re misinformed" (Richter, 2016). 

Albeit not a new phenom, fake news permeates today's news gathering like never before. Regardless where you get your news--TV, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook--no one's safe from its reach. As educators, we are tasked with prepping students with information they need to be thriving, contributing members of society (hopefully) during school and beyond. Beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic, few skills are perhaps as crucial to our students today as learning how to critically evaluate the information coming at them and deciphering fact from fiction. 

The CRAAP method offers students a quick five-step check for doing just that. Here it is in a nutshell:

I have created a Word document checklist for teachers and students to utilize during research. (This can also be found in Canvas Commons.) Teachers who partner with me on database research know I always recommend databases as students' first go-to for reliable, accurate, and timely information, but I also understand that databases aren't a one-size-fits-all tool. For the occasion that calls for simple search engine research, I recommend asking students to submit a completed checklist for each source they use. 

As always, if you have questions or would like me to teach your students CRAAP [get it??? 😆😆], please let me know. 

Library Card Campaign Results in Community and Collaboration at The Cube at Castleberry

To celebrate National Library Card Sign-up Month, The Cube hosted a drawing giveaway for students who returned a parent-signed application for a River Oaks Public Library card. Eleven students AND their families returned library card applications for the opportunity to choose a gift basket from The Cube's giveaway stash. The winners of the gift basket drawings were:

       Arnoldo C. (9th)            Guadalupe T. (11th), not pictured             Taryn J. (10th)

                                                                             

 Arnoldo chose the Perilous prize package, which included a copy of Will Wilder: The Relic of Perilous Falls, a selfie stick, and a pair of earbuds. Taryn elected for the Read the Book: See the Movie gift basket, including a copy of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and a variety of movie snacks. I caught Arnoldo and his friends making good use of his new selfie stick after school in The Cube!

One of my highlights of the library card sign-up promotion was having the pleasure of working together with Veronica Clark at the River Oaks Public Library. Not only did Ms. Clark provide the applications for CHS students and families, but she also donated a book and a $20 gift card to Half Price Books for the prize baskets. I am thankful to have a public librarian, who is so eager to partner with the schools in Castleberry ISD and who really has a heart for providing the River Oaks community quality resources and great spaces to enjoy at the ROPL.

Kelly Shelton, teacher-librarian at Castleberry Elementary caught one of my favorite readers, Elizabeth J., CHS 11th grader, while she was volunteering at the River Oaks Public Library after school. Elizabeth also volunteers for Mrs. Shelton at the CE after-school science club. Check out why Elizabeth loves the ROPL below!

Don't miss out! Head on over to the River Oaks Public Library and see what all the fuss is about!

September at The Cube

Ever wonder what Teacher-Librarians do? Here's a snapshot of my month in The Cube at CHS.

Readers Needed

Mrs. Heather Lamb, the Teacher-Librarian at AV Cato, and I are looking to partner CHS and AV Cato classes as Book Buddies. The logistics have yet to be worked out as we're waiting to get teachers' input; however, we envision alternating read-aloud sessions via Google Hangout between classes or students on a weekly or bi-weekly rotation. This can be any grade level or subject area as reading and relationship are life-long skills that affect us all. If you're interested in your classes participating, please let me know!

Take a Chance on Banned!

Across the country this week, librarians, book sellers, and authors are celebrating Banned Books Week, a week carved out this time of year to spread awareness about the freedom we have as Americans to read whatever we deem appropriate for us to read. As basic as this seems to us, BBW reminds us that not all people around the world enjoy this freedom. Additionally, drawing attention to frequently challenged books in our schools and libraries across the country reminds us that censorship from one means restriction for all.

This month, we will be featuring books such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Fault in Our Stars, and many books from today's most popular authors that have appeared on the ALA's Most Frequently Challenged list. We are asking CHS students and faculty to "take a chance on BANNED" by selecting a wrapped book from our display and reading it to determine why the book was challenged and if they agree with the decision. Students are tweeting their ideas to #CHSCubed. The Cube Prize Patrol is lurking the hashtag for particularly well-structured responses.

For information regarding Castleberry ISD's book collection policy, please click here.

September @ The Cube

Reflections on 9th Grade Orientation

This is the first time in 12 years as a Teacher-Librarian that I've made Freshmen Orientation completely a hands-on task. As such, I thought it called for a moment of reflection.

Soooo...this was good. It was. At the end of two days, I feel like I've done more than reinforce the stereotype of boring libraries to 300 kids. Every student was engaged every period from bell to bell.

     

• Did it work perfectly? No
• Did they leave knowing what I needed them to know about the library? I hope so.
• Was it my most successful orientation? Absolutely!

First period Day 1 was a COMPLETE disaster! Students don't have access to YouTube, so my screencast video of how to search on the OPAC wasn't accessible. The ThingLink contained waaaaay too much information, and the ipads needed to access the audiotour were locked in the cart to which the key had disappeared. Talk about a lesson plan going south.

Thankfully, Mrs. Skinner and her first period students were all SUPER gracious, helped me breathe through the mess, and promised they'd come back for do-overs. By second period, though, an AP came to the rescue with lock-cutters, I revamped the ThingLink and questionnaire, and I decided to run the Destiny video from the library Smart board. (Why I didn't think of that to begin with, I don't know.) 

Even though things were running a heck of a lot more smoothly, it was just too much. We never had time to puzzle the activity, and every period ran out of time to play the formative assessment--a Kahoot quiz covering what they'd learned that day, so they left without me knowing exactly how much was gleaned from each station.

At the end of the day, Mrs. Skinner suggested that I nix the MakerSpace station to preserve time for the more need-to-know stations, and I thought that a good idea. To ensure each student received the information I needed them to know, I also changed the puzzle activity to a simple activity rotation. Day 2 went much better all the way around; however, I felt a bit of that not-enough feeling when a student asked me at the beginning of first period, "Do we get to do the MakerSpace today? I heard that was really fun!" DOH!!! 

At the end of Day 2, Mrs. Offenbaker's feedback was to give the ThingLink to the classroom teachers as an in-class pre-teach the day before in preparation for them coming to the library the following day. I liked that idea too. 

At the end of the day, here are my successes:

• Students had fun in the library! (ALWAYS a win!!)
• Students interacted with library equipment: Smart board, Destiny catalog, ipads, etc.
• Students learned the layout of the library and how to locate books in a genrefied system.
• I didn't talk all day....snoooooooozzzzzzzzzzzze....
  And...here are my takeaways:

• Keep the station rotation to ensure every student is presented with the information I need them to know.
• Consider partnering with English 1 teachers to Pre-Teach the ThingLink information prior to orientation day to allow time for lesson closure and formative assessment.
• Consider scheduling a "maker" day orientation with various projects students could choose from paired with a blogging reflective piece to cover the English TEKS in lieu of trying to cram it in with definite need-to-know information.

Even though we ran out of time on both days, I guess the biggest testament to a successful orientation was that Monday morning, The Cube was teaming with freshmen. I'd call that a win!

The Cube Welcomes CHS Class of 2020

Welcome Class of 2020 to The Cube at Castleberry High School. The resources on this page will be used today during your orientation.

The Cube Audio Tour

Please scan the QR code below and begin your audio tour at the entrance to The Cube. Follow the audio prompts to learn important information about each section of the library available for your use.

The Cube's Policies and Procedures

Click on the picture below to connect to a ThingLink of The Cube. Mouse over each of the targeted areas. Each target provides information you and your friends need to be successful in The Cube. Please read each target and fill in the blanks on your note sheet.

How to Locate Books in The Cube

Watch the following video that will walk you through searching for a book using Destiny, our online catalog. THEN, follow the directions below the video to complete your station task.

After you have completed the video, please visit The Cube's catalog search computer (located by the printer) and use Destiny to find a book of your choice. Write the title and call number on a scratch sheet of paper located under the computer screen. Find the book in the stacks (shelves of books), and bring both your scratch paper and your book to Mrs. Daily for her to sign.

What's The MakerSpace

MakerSpace Experts will be creating yarn pom-pom bookmarks while you learn about all that's available for student use!

When You Complete Your Station Task...

...return to your group table and determine what the MUST know information is about your station. You're group is counting on you to give them the information they need to succeed in The Battle of The Cube!

Secrets of a Former English Teacher

 April is National Poetry Month. I need to confess something here: this.is.NOT.my.favorite reading celebration. In fact, I've never even drawn attention to it before. I'm not hatin'; it's just really not my thing.

I've tried to like poetry. I tried in third grade when I was required to keep a poetry notebook of all the poems I memorized and recited in class. I tried in seventh grade with "Casey at the Bat," which...honestly...I did enjoy...somewhat...but it's too dang disappointing every time Mighty Casey strikes out. I must have also been somewhat impressed with this quirkiness because I still remember it 23 years later:

One dark day

In the middle of the night

Two dead men got up to fight.

Back to back, they faced each other

Drew their swords and shot each other.

I don't remember much about poetry in high school other than studying meter, which is sure to snuff out any spark of enjoyment that might have abounded. I finally drew the "I'm out!" line in college where as an English major, I was determined to conquer my beef with the writing form and took an American poetry class. When the professor's interpretation of Whitman's "Song of Myself" did not, would not, could not EVER...in a box with a fox even...align with mine, I cashed it in for a British short story class and haven't looked back since...

UNTIL NOW...

The Cube at CHS is encouraging our students to...

Each folded pocket (origami instructions here) contains a poem--some long, some short, some classic, some modern, some funny, some sad. The idea is for our patrons to pick a poem, read it, and share reflections or thoughts via #CHSLionReads or #CHS_Lions.

If you'd like to join in the Poem for your Pocket festivities, you can find tons of ideas here, here, and here.

In the mean time, enjoy a few more pics from our pocket wall!

Takeaways from TCEA 2016

After a weekend of reflection post-TCEA 2016, I feel I have three big takeaways that really have transformed the way I view technology in education and my role as a teacher-librarian.

Take Away #1: Education is a two-way conversation! For learning to really occur, dialogue must be exchanged between educators, between educators and students, and between students and students. For much too long…like FOREVER…education’s been a one-way street with the teacher taking center stage, delivering content that students must learn or forever be deemed a failure in life. No longer is that the case. My role as a school librarian is to provide spaces—physical and online—for authentic communication to happen. Whether that’s through a blog, an ebook platform that will publish students’ works, or fun things happening in The Cube, I have to get students engaged in conversation where they can reflect, bounce ideas off others (students and adults), fail, and be encouraged to do it all again.

Take Away #2: Digital citizenship is EVERYBODY’S problem and EVERYBODY should be talking about it. As technology is no longer that room contained at the end of the hall where a class goes to type papers, digital citizenship can no longer be addressed only by the technology department. Technology inundates our society, and the use of technology is a life skill. No educator thinks twice about talking to kids about physical safety precautions—look both ways before you cross the street, don’t talk to strangers, eat food that’s good for you, exercise, bathe regularly—we shouldn’t be afraid to address digital citizenship throughout the day—EVERY DAY. Perhaps you shouldn’t show that online; Facebook could make or break you; Don’t steal from others (and yes…using that without citing the original work is STEALING!); How does social media make you feel; If you eat a bag of chips every night after spending three hours on social media, maybe it’s not a great thing for you…let’s talk about alternatives. Digital citizenship includes fair use and copyright issues, cyberbullying, body image issues, digital footprints and how they affect students’ futures, and so much more. In a one-to-one district, this should be an issue on every educator’s radar!

Take Away #3: Classroom instruction and technology are no longer separate entities. In every conference session I attended, I heard a variation of this. For us as educators to be successful 21^st century educators, we must learn to marry our curriculum with technology to engage students. It doesn’t have to be hard or “technical” or confusing. It’s a simple blog post, a discussion board, a Google slide for quick evaluation. It's filtering information through online learning, encouraging discussion within the classes via technology, and planning lessons with technology in mind. In our district, we have great support staff in our ITs and our Teacher-Librarians to support this proposal; just invite us to the party! 

I think the most exciting aspect of TCEA for me was to see how progressive Castleberry ISD really is. What people were presenting as innovative and new, we are doing (or at least talking about doing) in CISD. I came back from Austin Thursday with confidence in our leadership and anticipation for the future of our little district, and I’m happy to be a part of it. 

Book Review: Bone Gap

Ok…so…I didn’t love this book, and I’m giving myself permission not to love it...(I mean, it's unrealistic to think I'm gonna love every book I read)…even though apparently I’m the only one on the face of the planet. It’s not because the writing was poor or the idea of the plot wasn’t interesting…

Here’s the thing; I don’t like it when I don’t know what’s going on. I mean, I can handle stream of consciousness or flashbacks or foreshadowing. This non-sci-fi girl can even handle a fair amount of futuristic, techy, apocalyptic fun. But I can’t handle that whole “what the heck is happening…guess I must’ve missed something somewhere” feeling.

I felt the same way at the first Mission Impossible movie. The year was 1996. I was in eighth grade and felt amazing because my brother’s college girlfriend deemed me cool enough to share a girl’s night. In case you’re wondering why we picked such a movie for a girl’s night, let me assure you that when you live in a town of 2500, you just feel lucky even having a movie to go to…so whatever was showing that week was what you were seeing. And it was Tom Cruise, so I mean, how bad could it be, right? Needless to say, we stepped out of that theatre and didn’t say a word for a loooooooooooong time. Finally, she looked at me and said, “Ok…I feel really dumb…but I totally didn’t get that.” I laughed, relieved, because I didn’t get it either. It happened again some years later when I saw The Matrix, but I think that’s only because I slept through imperative parts. At any rate, I digress…

So…Bone Gap…no idea what was going on for about the first 3/4ths of the book. I even appealed to my awesome librarian’s PLN who told me “just.keep.reading.” So I did. I read and I read and I read…until I ran out of pages to read. And then I closed the book, and I thought, “Well…at least the acknowledgements were good.” The best part actually…for me anyway.

So I’m not going to tell you what happens in this book because I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that Finn and Priscilla and Roza are absolutely adorable and easy-to-love characters, but their actions don’t always ring true. Maybe I’m too “in the box” for this one, but I was left with a ton more questions, confusion, and frustration than satisfaction…until the redeeming acknowledgements that is. If magical realism (oxymoron at its best) is your thing, check out Bone Gap by Laura Ruby.

Continue Reading for a Sample of Bone Gap

References: Ferguson, S. (2015). Bone gap book trailer. Retrieved from  
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9xwdQUFT10.
Ruby, L. (2015). Bone gap. New York, NY: Balzer and Bray.

Back to School @ The Cube

The One True Reason Libraries are Still Relevant in the 21st Century

 I’ve been thinking lately about the role of librarians in the 21^st century—a natural byproduct of attending the Texas Library Association’s annual conference. There’s a lot of talk these days about our field in terms of digital learning, implementing e-resources to supplement our print collection, promoting a print collection in the face of a growing demand for e-resources, utilizing social media, there’s an app for that but I have no idea which one to use, etc. It seems that librarianship these days automatically equals technology expert with a secret book knowledge superpower we call on only when the unsuspecting patron happens to mention something about hating reading or how he/she can never find a good book or how they’ve read all the good books...within earshot of the "tech expert."

One session I (somewhat selfishly) attended was put on by Phil Klein (@philklein) and Chrystie Hill (@itgirl) regarding TED Talks in libraries. I’m a fan of TED Talks personally because I have yet to hear one that doesn’t inspire me. Regardless the specified topic, I typically am left feeling somehow connected…like my experiences are shared experiences…like my story isn’t so different from those told on the TED stage and perhaps…maybe…just as beautiful.

So this idea of story has stuck with me….

……and after some weeks of contemplation (years really, but who’s counting?)….

I’ve decided that the role of librarians in the 21^st century…the weighty role…the role that *really* matters…hasn’t changed all that much from the role of librarians in the 20^th century, the 19^th century, the 18^th…you get the picture. Simply, we share patrons’ stories. Through book selection, frequency of visitations, number of lost items, conversations extended during the circulation process—we share both welcomed and unwelcomed details of our patrons’ lives, and in sharing in what matters to them, we hold a place for them to feel they matter…a place of connection…a place for their beauty.

The last line of my notes from my somewhat selfish attendance at the TED Talks session is a quote from Phil Klein. “People don’t acknowledge how awesome they are.” What better service can we afford our patrons than acknowledging their awesomeness…extending a place to matter…to feel seen…to be connected?

I’m jumping out on a limb here and announcing a small series of upcoming posts regarding how this concept of story sharing has made me a better librarian…a better person, really. I would do it here, but it would be long, and you would quit reading. (SHOCK*GASP*FAINT). In the meantime, please consider sharing how you help others acknowledge their awesomeness. Respond in the comments below or connect @dailyslibrary. You never know who you might inspire…   

Pictures from:

RYAN MCGUIRE AND FREE OF COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS.

Viktor Hanacek on picjumbo.com: totally free photos for your commercial and personal works

The Courage to Brand: The Courage to Connect

Allow me to paint a picture. 5 a.m. on Easter Sunday morning. I’m wide awake…and have been since three. I’ve checked in with every socially-type medium I have available—Twitter, Google+, graduate course message boards, text (apologies to those of you who sleep with your ringer on), email—I’d extinguished my outlets. So I start thinking about this amazing group of people I met yesterday and some of the things I took from them and decided that no time like the present; I might as well go for an early morning walk...the first in over a year. And then I think, “Why stop there?” After downloading a couch25K jogging app and my latest audiobookcheckout from the FortWorth Public Library, I hop out of bed, eagerly shove myself into my latest Under Armor, attach my armband phone holder (complete with phone and earbuds), and fling open my front door….

Rain. Downpour. Not kidding.

As I’m making a numberless lap around my cul-de-sac somewhere along my third cycle of jog-60-seconds-walk-90-seconds—rain-soaked and huffing—the irony of the morning struck me as a perfect metaphor for my recent, two-year personal/professional (whatever) development journey. Isn’t that like most hard things? We eagerly dress the part, prepare as best we can, greet it head on…and then there’s a moment…when it all looks really big and really scary and really daunting…and we think, “Wouldn’t it just be best to go back to bed?”

Last week, I participated in a Digital-Age Learning training with the instructional and technology coaches and fellow librarians in my district. What was designed as a two-day training was packed into a few hours, my favorite of which was devoted to professional branding. Call it dumb luck or Divine Intervention, but in this hour, I happened to pick this TedTalk to watch, summarize, and present to my fellow trainees. What was meant to be a talk about branding for me translated into connection, which is what it’s all about for me.

In the spirit of professionalism and building an audience, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the idea of maintaining multiple online presences, but there’s a part of me—a rather large part actually—that feels like that’s just not authentic. For me, whether its personal or professional (teacher-librarian-counselor-editor-writer), it’s all about connection. For a long time, I’ve not been willing to put that out there professionally. As Brene Brown says in Daring Greatly, the more relatable we are the less credentialed people think we are—but why?

Connection and relationship are what the business of education is all about. (Don’t believe me; try teaching Shakespeare to 25 teenagers without a relationship and see how far you get.) It doesn’t matter how good we look on paper if we’re not teaching students how to connect with the best version of themselves they can possibly be, thereby generating the best possible relationships with others they can possibly have. And if we’re not modeling authentic connection and relationship with others on our campus (students, teachers, admin), how can we hope to meaningfully impact students?    

Connection is hard, especially in the beginning. It’s the rain on an Easter morning when the hope of a new runner emerges. But we.can.do.hard.things. Go on. Measure the benefits. Dare Greatly. Connect… 

Fun Projects in The Cube Today!

The Cube was busy this morning with Mr. Ivey's AP World History students comparing CHS across the decades.  It was fun to see them completely engaged in meaningful group discussion, working on how Castleberry High School has changed and stayed the same since the 1950s.

Mrs. Stansbury's students found the auditorium distracting this morning as it served as the holding room for students whose teachers were benchmarking testing.  They happily found a comfortable place in The Cube and enjoyed the rest of their class period.

I had a great time helping Mrs. Hancock's senior English classes this morning with their fun fairy tale mashup blog assignment. Students were uploading PowerPoint presentations into Emaze and then linking their Emaze presentation to their blog. Students who chose to present their stories in MS Word learned how to access their Gaggle digital locker and import their finished project into their Gaggle blog.

The Cube: Full Throttle

Wow...it's 7th period...passing period actually...and a brief reprieve...a calm before the inevitable storm. We've hosted 13 classes today...THIRTEEN classes!!! Not to mention the 200+ kids who enjoyed lunch here, worked on independent projects, checked out weekend reads, or simply just came to be for awhile. It's been fun...amazing really. One SMARTboard and the conference room TVs have all been utilized as projectors, teaching aides, and make-shift news screens. The MakerSpace supplies constructed 18th century civilizations and drew BabyMamas and Daddys. (I'm not sure what all that's about, so don't bother asking). The FlexLab was a revolving door of students finishing Flowers for Algernon projects and working on math models. A few teachers found a quiet landing space in the Castlebucks Cafe during conference periods, and many have enjoyed the bounty of the Cafe's coffee supply.

My head is spinning...quite literally.

Four times today teachers said to me, "Wow! You really have a full house in here!" as they looked around in wonder.

Kids love it. Teachers love it. I love it.

I'm verklempt actually...sincerely. I've blinked back tears.

This...THIS...is what I dreamed about when I became a school librarian--a revolving door of teachers, students, administrators, and visitors just coming to check it all out. It's fun! It's overwhelming! It's exhausting! It's absolutely amazing!!

Here's a taste...albeit small...of today's happenings in The Cube...

 

Experience New

We just launched our first display in our new space:

Experience New: Walk a Mile in Others’ Shoes!

I thought with the new year and being in a new space and all that theme of new was apropos––be it though somewhat cliché. We’re focusing on memoir and narrative biography—storytelling at its best…storytelling that elicits a “NO WAY!!!” response …but then “yes way…” because it’s totally true...and it's unbelievable!

It seemed like a no-brainer at the time, but now that it’s up--surrounded by generously donated faculty shoes that have obviously walked a mile or two--I think it profound. It is a cliché…think you have it bad? Just walk a mile or two in their shoes…something we as teachers, parents, friends have said to attempt to cheer someone up, pull them out of the pity pit, offer a pat on the back…but the hidden message here is:

E*M*P*A*T*H*Y

Surface-level fun, it’s a weighty display. Filled with struggles for basic human rights; searches to find oneself among a world of imposters; battles with illnesses, families, societies…

It’s a display that calls the reader to enter the struggle, join the search, take up the cause.

It’s a display that, truly embraced, can teach more than what’s contained within the curriculum or tested at the end of the year.

EMPATHY.

We’re all attracted to it; few offer it.

Schedule some empathic practice time. Come to The Cube. Pick some new shoes. And get to walkin’.

empathy.

Walk the road less traveled. In this RSA Short (less than 3 minutes), Dr. Brene Brown offers insight on the differences between empathy and sympathy.

Checking for Understanding

I listened in last week’s faculty meeting to strategies for checking understanding—thumbs up, thumbs down, and thumbs out to the side; green cup, red cup, yellow cup; etc. I listened…actively and intently.

Meanwhile, the vision playing out in my head was of my second-grade classroom where my classmates and I were all excited at the prospect of a rousing game of Thumbs Up, 7-Up. There we sat, heads down and thumbs up…desperately trying to keep our eyes closed to avoid any assumption of cheating...or perhaps we were desperately trying to cheat while avoiding any suspicions…nonetheless…there we sat, and there we played. Thanks to the mention of Solo cups, this memory was serenaded by the melodic sounds of Toby Keith in the backdrop.

Such is life in my head….

During the Solo/Thumbs conversation, it was also mentioned that teachers should be checking for understanding every 8-10 minutes and covering each student—not just accepting the loudest student’s feedback as a representation of the entire group—hence the Solo/Thumbs suggestion. 

Imagining my own classroom, I’m fairly certain I was guilty of letting my top students speak for the entire group when I asked if everyone was ok with the subject matter. Moreover, I didn’t check for understanding every ten minutes, and I certainly didn’t play Thumb Cups. I wish I would have.  

A few hours after first hearing this information, I sat in front of a computer in a graduate statistics course; it might as well have been a foreign language class. Since none of these students (myself included) are mathematicians, instruction was slow and methodical, and the professor checked for understanding after each step. Unfortunately, like the classroom teacher version of me, she’d never been introduced to Solo/Thumbs. “Is everyone ok,” she would say every time. And every time, the same girl in the fourth row answered, “We’re good.” Had I had a Solo cup, I might have thrown it at her head.

Since no cup of any color was readily available and no one asked to see my thumb, I sat there in dumbed silence, quietly struggling. Truth be told, I probably wasn’t alone in my suffering, but since it didn’t seem like anyone was particularly interested if *I* was ok or if *we* were each ok, we all sat alone, isolated, thinking we were the ONLY one who wasn’t in Camp Good with fourth-row girl.

Bottom line: I’m now a hard-core believer in Green Thumbs or Side Cups or whatever strategy relays the message that I’m not ok…not sort’ve, not remotely, not near. Students of all ages—4, 14, 24, 34—need to know that their teachers care if they’re ok…not just if fourth-row girl is ok. I imagine the learning in that classroom would have been exponentially enhanced had my professor had an accurate reflection of each student's understanding.

Checking for understanding allows students to feel comfortable with not understanding. It creates an environment that says, "Hey! It's ok if you're not really getting it. Let's work on it more together. You'll get there." It's nonthreatening and not intimidating, and it's an essential practice for today's students in today's classrooms.

So let's practice....

HEADS DOWN, EVERYONE!

References

Nguyen, L. (2013, March 8). Thumbs up, seven up. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/lnguyen/8540310031/