Pitch Day was coming and so was a cough and cold that was getting worse by the minute. (You can read more about how we got to Pitch Day from my previous post, Pitch Perfect 1) I would be having my double period with 8B, as promised, and no impending illness was going to keep me from it. I picked myself out of bed and did what I had to get ready for the full day schedule. Like so many teachers, I was not going to let “sick” get in the way of my teaching day.
My double was the last two periods and, by that time, I was having trouble seeing straight. Because the students I were so psyched and ready for Pitch Day, my class was happy that I had endured the day, and I was happy to be there for them. We used my computer to project most of the pitch slideshows that were shared with me in advance while our gracious volunteer filmed each pitch. I would have borrowed another computer from the laptop cart, but this student, who is also our Student Council Co-President, was only too happy to film the pitches and email them to the presenters. It was too efficient an opportunity to pass up.
Pitch after pitch, the students showed up well prepared and, most of the time, passionate about their topics. They had been working towards this for two weeks. After spending several lessons on explicit instruction on sustainability and human geography, I introduced our Statement of Inquiry: The global interaction of individuals and communities impacts the sustainability of our planet. After this, I lay the groundwork for students to explore a variety of topics under that umbrella, figure out topics of interest and, eventually, settle on a specific area of focus. The pitch involved a 90 second time allocation for students to show no more than 3 slides to propose what they were going to investigate, how it relates to sustainability and why they selected this specific topic. Pitch Day was upon us.
The pitches were great, and the topics covered a broad and interesting spectrum. Here are some images and topics:
By the time 8B’s Pitch Day was over, the next steps were clear. Each student was to go home, view their video, record their feedback to themselves (as if they were the teacher giving feedback for growth) and write it up in a point form reflection from which to improve. They were also to upload their video and reflection to their digital portfolio. When we would conference over the following week, students would share their next steps before I added my own perspective. The other thing that was clear at that point was that I needed to go home and rest.
By the time I arrived at home, I had a fever. It was as if my body was laughing at me saying, “How are you going to go to school now?” Two decades into the job, I mostly allow myself to stay home when I am sick for the greater good of my students, my family and, ultimately, myself. As so many teachers can empathize, it’s never an easy decision to allow yourself to be home unless the decision has been made for you with a symptom like fever.
The following day was supposed to be 8A’s Pitch Day. When I called for a supply teacher, our dispatcher let me select the only person I knew who could help me pull this off in my absence. This incredible supply teacher, and lovely person, is the same woman who took my leave when I had ankle surgery two summers ago. It takes a special individual to come into your space and help ensure that the day unfolds as if you are there. With as much coaching as I could give her by emailing and responding through chattering teeth from under a blanket when she called to ask some probing questions, she got it all figured out.
The next day, 8A's pitches were filmed by 3 volunteers and shared with me as well as the presenters. While I was catching up on my missed day by reading the supply teacher's extensive notes and viewing the pitch videos, I was amazed at the sense of community built over the years of teaching these students. It was so evident as I listened to them encouraging each other, sharing tasks and coming together to help make sure that Pitch Day continued as planned.
Although their pitches were as varied, interesting and well-prepared as 8B’s, my lens caused a pause for reflection. How lucky was I? How lucky were they? I could be at home and the day could continue as planned. The sanctity of Pitch Day was unadulterated and no students felt slighted from their intense preparation due to my absence. They each had a time for their spotlight and so many shined. For the varying degrees of sparkle, there would be conference time with me to share the reflections from their pitches, action planning, blogging and more teacher-supported investigation time for their inquiry to help them integrate their next steps as they prepare for the summative: the 4-6 minute TED-like Talk. That day was one when technology, pedagogy and supply teachers conspired in the class's favour.
The best celebration of 8A's Pitch Day was for the community of learners that made it all possible. Since they first arrived in Middle School, my students have been building a classroom community where we practice active listening, care about each each other, and collaborate to create an atmosphere that supports all students’ ability to learn and share. It is through this proactive groundwork and the Building Outside the Blocks approach used that all of this was made possible, even when I was not there. It made me proud to think of the words of Alfie Kohn: Educators remind us that what counts in a classroom is not what the teacher teaches; it’s what the learner learns. We all learned a lot about our learning last week. From the movie of the same name as this post, "The prize? Epic bragging rights!" I am truly honoured and proud to have been part of creating this community of learners.
