POINTS of PRIDE: English Class with Sarah Brown Wessling

We are DRAGONS

It was a joy to spend time in the classroom of Sarah Brown Wessling at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa - home of the Dragons.  The banner when you enter Johnston High reads:  WE ARE THE DRAGONS - Driven, Respectful, Accountable, Goal-oriented, Original, and Needed.  All adjectives that could describe the 2010 National Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown Wessling.  Her drive is manifested through her constant focus on student engagement.  She treats all who enter her classroom with respect and care.  She is accountable to many as she shares her teaching journey through a variety of media.  She has set high goals for herself and encourages others to do the same.  She is original in how she approaches instruction.  And without a doubt she is needed in the world of education as she strives to share her expertise with us all.  Lucky us that she has chosen to dedicate her life to define excellence in education and guide us along the path of change.

Welcome to Ms. Wessling's class

As I moved down the hall way to her room, I could only smile as I saw the sign identifying her room.  After all, Sarah is known all over the world especially because of her presence on the Teaching Channel.  Through that she is providing professional learning for thousands across the nation.  But today was her day to simply be Ms. Wessling - an English teacher who cares enough to bring breakfast bagels for her classes.  A teacher who understands that class should begin by reaching out and capturing the interest of her students - this class was no exception to this as it began with a student analysis of the song "The Anthem" by Good Charlotte.  OPENING TASK:  Identify the meaning behind the title and lyrics - what message is being portrayed by the artist? 

Today's Challenge:  You are a guest blogger for Humans of New York and have been given the assignment of interviewing people with war experiences and taking their implicit truths and making them explicit.  The task - 4 interviews (each with photo and quote) which depict their true war story.

Books:  The Things They Carried, Sparta 300 (a graphic novel), and Art of War.

Quotes for Contemplation

Seeing through a different lens

Johnston High School uses 1:1 iPads in their building and today's challenge seamlessly integrated this tool into class work.  Ms. Wessling emphasizes the importance of students seeing the perspectives of characters through the eyes of a different lens than their own.  In order to include photos, students took selfies or pictures of one another representing the character.  Some used a drawing app to add detail.  Student engagement was high as Sarah moved about checking for understanding and encouraging students to take their understanding of characters to a deeper level.

English classes in this room emphasize critical thinking with metacognition examined through questions like, "What did your brain do to figure this out?" or "How is your symbol functioning in your book right now?"  Sarah emphasizes that we must tell our stories over and over again; stories bring people back to life.

Next steps for Sarah Brown Wessling as she continues to write her life's story?  At semester, she will be stepping out of the classroom to work with CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers) in the area of the National Teacher of the Year program.  She will also continue to share her perspectives via The Teaching Channel.

"Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding." (William Arther Ward)  Thank you, Ms. Wessling, for inspiring change and helping educators in this world acquire understanding.

As the quote states:  "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."  It goes without saying - Sarah Brown Wessling is one great teacher!