Katy Byrns is a 4th and 5th grade teacher at ERES Academy in Oakland, CA.  Read our interview with her below and sign up or login to check out her detailed and rigorous curriculum materials.

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
silly, compassionate, demanding (in a good way :) )

 

2. Why teach?
I was raised in a college town and had the privilege of experiencing excellent schools and engaging teachers.  I became a teacher because I find it a total injustice that every child in the world does not have the same experience and opportunity with education.  I want to do my small part to help change that.  It also doesn't hurt that I love working with kids.

3. What would you be if not a teacher?
A female version of David Sedaris

 

4. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
I use humor all the time...I play off both my own and the sillyness of my students. 

I wrote a grant for a LCD projector a few years ago and that little piece of technoglogy is always a class favorite. 

And thirdly, I always try to have a good balance of whole class, small group, partner and independent work.  Gotta keep them on their toes! 

5. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
my body likes tea, but my heart loves coffee and my teacher-self loves Pepsi

6. Describe your classroom management style in a few sentences.
I maintain high expectations for behavior and class work.  Students better be sitting up straight, working their hardest and participating in class.  To help motivate students, I often use group points (our table groups are named after different college majors, sports or campus buildings).  At the end of every two weeks, the winning group gets to pick a prize such as a free bathroom pass, a pack of pencils, highlighters or anything else I can find in the $1.00 bins at Target.

Each student also has a card with his/her name on it which can move up and down levels and each level is associated with a particular positive or negative consequence.  There is always the possibility for students to move back up the scale after making a poor choice.  Without this chance for redemption, students tend to just give up on the day.

 
7. Favorite Cartoon/TV/Movie Teacher:
Atticus Finch

 
8. Favorite Book:
Personal: A Prayer for Owen Meany; To teach: The Tale of Despereaux

9. Is teaching a science or art?
Oh a little of both.  I look at all of the data analysis and lesson planning as a science that takes a lot of time, attention to detail and organization.  What you do to engage your students and impart all this knowledge is more of an art.  Perhaps it's even a bit of a game.

 
10. Describe your process of preparing a lesson.
After looking at my most recent or relevant data, I do what I like to call "triage" and determine what needs to be taught now!  After pinpointing the standards, I create my objective (what do I want the students to be able to do after the lesson) and then explore Better Lesson, the web, my shelves of resources and the deep recesses of the brains of my collegues and myself to figure out how to go about teaching the lesson. 

But to be honest, some of my best lessons have come at the spur of the moment when I have some light-bulb moment in the middle of teaching and think "Oh this is exactly what we are going to do--so much better than what I had planned!"  I think my willingness to let these moments overthrow hours of prepared lessons comes from years of working at summer camps and always having to come up with things on the spot.  These are my favorite classroom moments.

11. How do you fit differentiation into your lessons?
I often pre-teach a concept to a small group of struggling students to give them a bit of a heads-up and help them participate in an upcoming lesson.  

As with other Aspire teachers, I am constantly reteaching with small groups and I use Guided Reading and Math groups to meet the needs of my individual students.

Depending on the lesson, I may also modify the "exit ticket" or whatever independent work I expect from the students by making it shorter or having them do a just a part of the bigger assignment.  For example, when doing long division, I might have a struggling student just do 3 long division problems without making them check their work on that particular assignment while the rest of the class does 5 problems with solving and checking and a group of advanced students have to also write a word problem for one of the equations.

12. What teacher do you most admire and what makes him/her a great teacher?
My favorite teacher was my highschool U.S. History teacher.  He actually officiated my wedding I last year because my husband and I both respected him so much.  I took college level notes in his class, had to work my butt off and was always challenged but I will never forget his impersonations of drunken colonists tarring and feathering tax collectors.  He is probably the reason why I was a U.S. History major in college.  He had the perfect combination of high expectations, knowledge and passion about the subject and general silliness.  

13. What makes a teacher effective?
Teachers must be able to gauge where their students are in their understanding and engagement.  I've seen teachers who love their jobs, put hours into their work, but are completely disconnected with their students and consequently are not at all effective in their practice.

Always happy to keep our educator-community abreast of outstanding opportunities-- especially those that support their decision to remain in the classroom-- we're excited to pass along some information about the T3 (Turnaround Teacher Teams) Initiative in Boston.

The T3 Initiative is a partnership between the Boston Public Schools and Teach Plus to recruit, develop, and support effective, experienced teachers to serve in our lowest performing schools. This program was designed by teachers to address the problem of inequitable access to effective teachers in the highest need schools.

The T3 Initiative:

• creates cohorts of highly effective and experienced teachers
• supports them in becoming turnaround specialists
• places them in teams in the schools in which they are most needed

T3 offers teachers access to leadership roles, differentiated pay and a cohort model of staffing. Minimum qualifications will include at least three years of teaching experience in a high poverty school and a track record of effectiveness with students. Selection criteria include evidence of prior effectiveness and the existence of those skills that are required for success in a turnaround environment.

BetterLesson is excited to partner with T3, leveraging the BetterLesson site to help connect and share the effective teaching of these T3 cohorts! Please consider applying!

Last week, Erin headed down to Baltimore to present at the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) 2010 Conference. The conference focused on moving the conversation from college access to college success, and workshops aimed to help partners share best practices for student achievement. BetterLesson hopes that if we can help increase the capacity of all teachers by sharing the content and practices of the most effective teachers, we can help more students graduate high school equipped to succeed in College.

It was a great two days, and we're honored to work alongside folks from the US Department of Education, KIPP, Aim High, The Breakthrough Collaborative, Wingspan, The Middle Grades Partnership and many other innovative organizations dedicated to access.

Check out the impressive list of independent schools, public schools, and access organizations who are members of NPEA!

Sam Shah is an 11th grade math teacher at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  Read our interview with him below and sign up or login to check out his detailed and rigorous curriculum materials.

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
enthusiastic, clear, concerned

2. Why teach?
When I was really young, I recall making tests and giving them to my parents and sister who humored me by taking them. I annoyed them by grading them harshly and being stingy with the stickers. I recall saying to myself when in junior high that I would be a junior high school math teacher. I recall changing my mind in high school. I wanted to be a high school math teacher. I had three amazing teachers in my high school -- teachers who were revered by most all students in my school. They had this trick, where they would somehow -- and don't ask me how because I don't know -- make us care about doing our best for them. They set standards high, incredibly high, impossibly high, and they made us want to scale that mountain to show them we could meet them there. Mr. Parent, Mr. Keil, and Mr. Schmidt cemented my desire to teach.

I am one of those people who "just knew." Or so I tell myself now. I can cobble together a coherent story -- recalling specific incidents and teachers. But who knows? If I were a physicist or actuary, I could probably come up with a coherent narrative in my mind. We write and rewrite our own history based on where we are in the present, and where we want to be. I just know that I am a teacher now, and I can't see myself doing anything else for a long while.

As for "why teach?" I can definitively say that I'm not a teacher out to save the world. I don't teach even because I love kids. (Though I do like 'em.) I'm a teacher for two reasons. One, I love math and I want to share that love with others. Two, I love the puzzle that teaching provides. I am intrigued by math because I love puzzles, and making connections, and figuring out non-intuitive solutions. But I am intrigued with teaching because it provides a greater puzzle: how to get someone who doesn't know something to know something. Seriously, it comes down to that. There isn't a perfect answer, and each student is a different test-case. Each class is a different laboratory. And each year is a different trial. But that fundamental question of how to get someone to understand something they didn't understand before? Intriguing.

 
3. What would you be if not a teacher?
No idea!

 
4. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
I feel like I'm not the best at this, and this year I haven't been as good at this as I have in years past. I like to have students work in pairs or groups, I cold call on students about half of the time (and call on students with hands raised the other half), I try to come up with activities that break our routine every so often. But more than anything, I'd say that students tend to be engaged when the teacher is enthusiastic and engaged, and I try to do that on a daily basis.

5. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
DIET COKE!

6. Describe your classroom management style in a few sentences.
I think being clear, consistent and fair as a teacher is the best classroom management. I hold myself to a high standard and I hold kids to that same high standards. I don't treat kids differently when it comes to my expectations, no matter how much I personally like them.
 
7. Favorite Cartoon/TV/Movie Teacher:
Anne (from Anne of Green Gables) 

8. Describe your process of preparing a lesson.
The process changes based on whether I've taught the material before. If I've taught the material before, I will go to those SmartBoards I've created and modify them a bit based on where we are now. I'm a huge believer in not reinventing the wheel.

If it's something I haven't taught before, I start from scratch, and I think through the topic. Is there some way to motivate it? How do I tie it to the previous lesson? What mistakes do students commonly make on this topic? I start creating a SmartBoard lesson with those questions in mind. I try to keep the lesson to ONE IDEA per slide. I build in "check yourself" slides. But the great thing about using SmartBoard is that you're forced to think through a lesson in minute detail.

I actually have an internal dialogue in my head, when I create each slide. I almost practice what I'm going to say in class, I come up with the questions I'm going to ask, I sometimes think of stupid jokes or nonsense that I'm going to say. And I build the slide around that. And I usually remember this dialogue when I give the lesson.

The unfortunate thing, I've noticed this year, is that since I'm finally at the point where I'm recycling my SmartBoards and am teaching the same material again, things tend to fall a bit flat because I hadn't just had this dialogue in my brain the night before.  

9. What teacher do you most admire and what makes him/her a great teacher?
There is a science teacher in my school who I advised a homeroom with in my first year. She knows her students intimately well, and can write amazing comments on each and every one of them. She tries to reach all of them. She introduced me to her mantra -- one that I had been on my way to reaching on my own -- about being clear, consistent, and fair. She is always concerned about improving. She is respected by all students -- and by all teachers -- in the school. She inspires students to achieve their potential, and she does this by explicitly not coddling them.
  

10. What makes a teacher effective?
1. Being clear, consistent, and fair
2. Having enthusiasm for the subject, and displaying that as often as possible
3. Having the ability to think through *how* to get students from point A to point B -- down to the details
4. Having a desire to always improve (which probably means, as a corollary) always feeling a bit inadequate and like a failure)
5. Learning that wanting students to like you, and wanting students to learn from you, are two different things

Jennifer Wells is a 7th grade math teacher at KIPP DC: Key Academy in Washington, DC.  Read our interview with her below and sign up or login to check out her detailed, rigorous curriculum materials.

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
humorous, respectful, flexible

2. Why teach?
I originally wanted to be a teacher as a way to help kids make their life what they wanted it to be.  I have stayed in teaching because I find it both challenging and rewarding.  I love finding ways to engage students in the material and then being part of the moment where the connection is made and they truly understand something.

3. What would you be if not a teacher?
Broadway Star

4. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
Talk as little as possible!  Students are the most engaged when they feel that their voice is being heard and they are grappling with a new concept themselves.  The less I talk, the more my students are forced to think.

5. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
Diet Coke

6. Describe your classroom management style in a few sentences.
I have a very procedures oriented classroom.  Expectations are made clear and I follow through with what I say.  I find that students don't need to be managed as much when they know what to expect and feel that they have  choice in some decisions that are made.  I focus on the positive as much as possible and highlight those that are doing the right thing before giving attention to students who are not on task.

7. Favorite Cartoon/TV/Movie Teacher:
Laura Ingalls Wilder

8. Most vivid teacher dream?
It's always the same one.  The class is out of control and no matter how loud I get, they don't even notice that I am in the room.

9. Favorite Book:
Little Women

10. Is teaching a science or art?
My experience is that teaching is more of an art than a science.  A successful teacher is able to naviagate through the day by understanding that there is not always a right answer to a problem and each situation that comes up will require a unique approach.  Understanding what students need and how to best give it to them is an art form.

Grant Newman is a 3rd grade literacy and 3rd and 4th grade social studies teacher at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY.  Read our interview with him below and sign up or login to check out his detailed, rigorous curriculum materials.

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
Energetic, Demanding,  Silly

2. Why teach?
I love waking up each day knowing that there are over 400 bright, energetic and thoughtful young scholars keeping me on my toes, demanding I push them in their development as learners and people. I teach so that I can have a positive impact on the lives of others, to be part of the movement for educational equity for all children.

3. What would you be if not a teacher?
Political Consultant

4. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
I try to maintain a high level of student engagement by being genuinely excited and joyful while teaching the lesson. If I am having fun, making jokes, using silly voices, they are going to want to listen and see what they can achieve. It also is huge to incorporate lots of kinesthetic movements, songs and cheers to keep students invested in the classroom community.

5. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
Coffee (and lots of it)

6. Describe your classroom management style in a few sentences.
Explain the purpose for everything: the expectations, the consequences, the rewards, etc. Helping them understand the rationale will invest them in the classroom and empower them to become leaders.

7. Favorite Book:
"Oh the Places You'll Go" Dr. Suess

8. Anything to add?
The greatest thing about teaching is how every single day presents a different challenge but every single day presents a new chance for greatness.

Pamela Bookbinder is an 11th grade teacher at Global Enterprise High School in Bronx, NY.  Read our interview with her below and sign up or login to check out her detailed and rigorous curriculum materials.

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
Sarcastic, structured, caring

2. What would you be if not a teacher?
Elected official

3. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
Making personal connections with students so you know what makes each individual student tick. I moved up with my students from 10th to 11th and then 12th grade so I had a lot of time to get to know them as people as opposed to students. I also was a big fan of using humor in class- my students learned quickly how to laugh and then get back on task.

4. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
Water

5. Describe your classroom management style in a few sentences.
Each day in my class was worth 5 points- if you were there, on time and on task you received the 5 points. Anything after a verbal warning would cause students to lose points. I used a website- teacherease.com to track their daily grades and the students could see their new averages on their way out at the end of class or from any computer. I would enter them in during independent practice/Exit ticket time which also made it easy for me to not be collecting papers from 150 students each day.

6. Favorite Cartoon/TV/Movie Teacher:
Erin Gruwell

7. Favorite Book to teach:
A Separate Peace

8. Is teaching a science or art?
An art.

Ben Crosby is a 4th and 5th grade teacher at East Palo Alto Charter School in Palo Alto, CA.  Read our interview with him below and sign up or login to check out his detailed and rigorous curriculum materials.

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
Manic, Socratic, Asthmatic

2. Why teach?
Teach because you get to rethink all the things you've ever learned, because you get to laugh with amazing kids doing and saying unspeakably funny things, and because you (hopefully) don't spend too much time staring at a computer. 

3. What would you be if not a teacher?
Poet Laureate of Wyoming

4. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
I use a lot of questioning and give students a chance to share their ideas in pairs and groups.  I love building connections between ideas in different parts of our day, incorporating science or history into read aloud or writing.  A lot of my lessons end up being in French accents.  Everything is a contest and you can earn points for anything, especially if it's creative or makes someone laugh.  In general I try to let my students hold the marker more than I do. 

5. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
Coffee. 

6. Describe your classroom management style in a few sentences.
We spend a lot of time practicing the basics; walking in line, sharpening a pencil, etc.  Students apply to self-managers so they can work where they want on their own schedule.   If you're someone who is getting your work done on time and  helping other kids, anything I do is probably just going to interfere.  "Not getting caught" is probably just as important to success in college as being able to write a decent topic sentence. 

7. Favorite Cartoon/TV/Movie Teacher:
Ben Stein in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

8. Most vivid teacher dream?
The one where John McCain showed up to Parent Teacher Conferences.  Creepy yet awesome. 

9. Favorite Book:
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

10. Is teaching a science or art?
Art, definitely.  David Sedaris once wrote that "all my art looks like homework", and I get the same feeling watching myself on tape that I did looking at my ridiculous attempts at sculpture in middle school.  There's just something a little bit awkward about the whole deal.  Some people just make it look it easy, whether they're sketching a still-life or teaching a kid how to divide fractions.  The rest of us end up hanging our macaroni Christmas ornaments on the back of the tree. 

11. Anything to add?
Naptime doesn't have to stop in kindergarten. 

Last Friday, Erin happily ventured to Brooklyn for the second, Achievement First-Wide Professional Development Day. She had the privilege of presenting the BetterLesson platform to savvy, thoughtful teachers from across AF's 17 schools. The enthusiasm and ideas were humming. Many thanks to the inspiring AF folk for including us in the day!