Dear WinkWorld readers, be forewarned, there is a bit of self-promotion coming…. However, I truly am honored to have been one of many women featured by Influential She. In what follows, I will share two short audio clips with quotes and a 30 minute audio interview. We begin with a photo of Melody Schopp, on your left and Deb Soholt on your right. Their words of introduction of me follow.

February 20, 2020, tweet from Influential She

“This week we take you to Howes, SD to meet Dr. Joan Wink, an extraordinary woman, both a professor in California and a ranch wife in SD. Author on the power of story she shared, “Using story has helped me be braver and more honest.”

What is Influential She?

Influential She is the “go-to voice for accelerating women’s influence.” I love that they confess they are not just another leadership “thingy for chicks.” Mel Schopp and Deb Soholt, two terrific women, began this new social media conversation. It has been thrilling and fun to get to know the two of them better, and I am very excited about the potential they are creating for women. I strongly encourage you to check out their website and decide for yourself. Click here.

Two short clips of tiny parts of the interview.

The 30 minute interview.

Personal Note to Mel and Deb

Deb and Mel, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing some of my passion for stories about teaching and learning.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Back to one of my favorite topics: Prairie Pedagogy.  In this issue I will share a series of newsletters written by the students of Atall School, a tiny two-room school on the isolated prairies of South Dakota.  I will also share a brief history of how these newsletters came to be written.

Here is Atall School, remember?  Today, when I texted Missy at school, it was -29 degrees and the power went out, just as she was preparing to microwave the various lunches which the students bring from home.

The roots of this school newsletter on the cold prairies extend back to the mid-70s, when I found and fell in love with the work of a teacher, Eulalia (Sister) Bourne, who taught in very small schools on the Arizona desert.  The first book I found was Ranch Schoolteacher (see picture of the book at the very top of this blog post).  When I read that book, I thought Sister had written it just for me.  At that time (70s & 80s), I was teaching middle school and high school students in Benson, AZ.  Sister Bourne taught in various rural schools on the AZ desert in the first half of the 20th century.  After reading her first book, I immediately went on to read her other books: Woman in Levis, and Nine Months Is a Year.  I still have never read her Broken Hearts, Broken Marriages, and Broken Bones, but I think it might reflect her life.  Here is one my absolute favorite photos of Sister Bourne.

Many who knew her would say that she was a complicated person, who very much reflected the independent, rural spirit of the desert, in particular.   

Fast forward about 30 years later, when I retired to our South Dakota ranch, where I note the same independent, rural spirit. I quickly learned that our rural school district continues to operate four different one/two room schools (K-8), and I was very eager to meet the teachers and students in these tiny schools.  Coincidentally, Missy Urbaniak, the teacher of Atall School, is also a relative, so I went there first.  After visiting with Missy for the first time in many years, I remember wondering if she would also like the Sister Bourne’s books, so I shared mine with her.  Missy fell in love with Sister just as I had, years prior.  When I saw Missy’s delight in these books, I knew I had found a soul-sister.  Missy and I and the Atall students have been enjoying books and each other together since that time. 

The photo below is a picture of the Atall playground slide and swing set, with the neighbor’s cattle just feet away from where the kids play.

Part of Sister Bourne’s pedagogical legacy from teaching in small, desert schools is that she always had the students write student newsletters, which were called Little Cowpuncher.  Joan Sandin captures the story of these newsletters and the legacy of Sister Bourne in Coyote School News, published by Henry Holt in 2003.

Much of the history of Sister Bourne, her teaching, the rural students, and their newsletters is maintained now by the University of Arizona, Special Collections and by the Arizona Historical Society, Tucson.   As Missy became more and more aware of this history, she and the students of Atall decided that they, too, would create newsletters to capture the legacy of their learning on the South Dakota prairies.

Below here is an assortment of their newsletters.

I am posting below the latest issue of Prairie School Post which was just published January 2020. The students think of this issue as their Holiday Edition of Prairie School Post (PSP).  Before you download and read it, you might want some pre-reading vocabulary, questions, thoughts–a peak into some of what the Atall kids share in this issue of PSP.

STEM means classes grounded in science, technology, engineering, and math. 

STEAM means classes grounded in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. 

Opal School is another little school, which is about 45 gravel miles away–no shops, no towns–just a gravel road and ranches. When the students get together, as in one of the stories in this issue, the parents drive them, and it takes about 45 minutes. Central Meade County School (CMCS) is another small school in our district; it takes about 30 minutes to drive between Atall and CMCS.

What are oz-O-bots, Lego Mindstorm, Makey-Makey, and Nitro-Type? Can you code? Do  you know about Christmas in Sweden, in Poland, and in Germany?  Even my gift of the Harry Potter advent tree is mentioned.  Thanks, kids.

Imagine, teacher friends, getting this newsletter accomplished in the first 10 days of school in January. And, for 7 grade levels.  And, yes, these one-two room schools are under the same pressure of standards and testing as are all schools.  Of course, I struggle with those mandates, as I have yet to know even one “standard” child.  Each child is unique in my experience.

Below here, you can download the entire issue  of Prairie School Post.

Prairie School Post 15 NOV DEC 19

Two more resources are posted for your convenience.

The UofA Library, Special Collections, The Arizona Historical Society, and The Arizona Humanities Council  have posted online much of the history of Eulalia Bourne and the students’ newsletters, The Cowpuncher.  Thank you!!

Posted below here is a previous issue of WinkWorld, in which I mentioned Prairie School Post.

Synergy Is Synergy: Joan Sandin, Sister Bourne, & A Night-blooming Cereus

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Teachers, the shoebox autobiographies are a good way of building community.  CSUS friends, I was able to see Steph, while she was presenting at the University of Arizona.  Hope you enjoy.

FIRST, SHOEBOX AUTOPHOTOGRAPHY

Recently, I was invited to a book study group for Tucson TAWL (Tucson Teachers Applying Whole Language). Throughout the years, I have been a “wanna be” for this group, and I am so happy that I was able to attend today.  Thank you, Caryl Crowell and Prisca Martens for inviting me.  Here I am with them.

You might want to visit the TAWL website, and they are also on Facebook. Here is their mission statement, which I love.

Our book study focused on a new book for me, Reading Revealed: 50 Expert Teachers Share What They Do and Why They Do It by Diane Stephens Jereome C. Harste, and Jean Anne Clyde, published by Scholastic, 2019.

What is a Shoebox Autobiography?  This community-building activity  was originally created by Carolyn Burke.  I learned about it in a chapter by Jean Anne Clyde in Reading Revealed.  Students decorate a shoebox, which has artifacts of their life.

Of course, I immediately thought of Luís Moll and his concept of funds of knowledge.

What are funds of knowledge?

Short answer: objects lying around your home, which represent what you know and have experienced.

Longer answer, with stories, posted below: excerpt taken from A Vision of Vygotsky, (Wink & Putney, 2002, pp. 97-100).

Vision of Vygotsky – Funds of Knowledge

How do we make these Shoebox Autobiographies in a classroom?

Caryl Crowell did this activity with her students, and I am adapting her classroom instructions, which she had created for the students in her classroom. Thanks, Caryl.

A Shoebox Autobiography is a collection of objects from home and community that reveal something about the person.  We would prefer that the children include at least some objects that remind them of a story about themselves or their family.  Typically, a shoebox autobiography might contain photos, hobby items, a favorite thing, religious symbols, mementos from a trip or special event, or objects of personal importance or interest, among other items.  The objects chosen should fit in the box and be appropriate for handling.

Here’s an example of what I put in my box:

pebbles that I collect on my travels

a dreidl

a seashell

photos of family and ancestors

a copy of my great-grandmother’s Prussian passport

my first grade school photo

a souvenir rock that says “Annihilate Ohio State”

a booklet on whale watching in Hawaii

a paper butterfly

The outside of the box can also be decorated.  Mine is covered with sun-themed paper, the NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle, and plans for remodeling a bathroom.  The owner’s name also needs to be on the outside of the box.

In addition to the wonderful storytelling that always accompanies the sharing of shoebox autobiographies, we make connections to each other that build a strong learning community.  After sharing our boxes, we’ll be using the objects as inspiration for writing the stories that they tell.

In the photo below, are two examples.

The stories which people told were amazing.  I learned so much by just listening.

Can we do this in the middle of the year?

In Reading Revealed (p. 34) Jean Anne Clyde answers that question affirmatively.

Clyde suggests that the teacher say something like this:  “Kids, I recently discovered some things about some of you that I think everyone should know.  I just learned that Cortney is an expert at paining models!  and, I didn’t know that Lucy was going to be a new big sister!  It is really helpful when we know each other well.  We have so many interesting people in our room! So,, over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to do something that will helpp us all get to know each other better. This is a chance to see what’s special about each of us.”

SECOND, STEPH PATERSON AND COLLEAGUES OF CSU STANISLAUS AND THEIR PRESENTATION DURING THE “CONFERENCE ON WRITING AND WELL-BEING: TEACHING, IDENTITY AND THE CLASSROOM.”

Later in the day, I was lucky enough  to run into a wonderful friend/colleague from CSU Stanislaus Dr. Stephanie Paterson.  While at CSU, we had many happy times together. Stephanie presented with other CSU colleagues:  Joshua Costello, Melissa Borillo. Brett Ashmun.

Steph’s colleagues who presented with her:

Steph’s handout for her presentation:

This is what their description in the conference flyer said:

Stephanie Paterson can be reached at Twitter and on her blog.

Steph: Twitter

@stephpaterson13

and her blog:

Steph Scrap Quilts

What a great day!

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Yes, these one and two-room country schools in our area still have Christmas school programs, which some of you may remember from decades ago.  Lots of stories, music, dancing, families, and fun: All in the basement of tiny little schools.  The kids read, write, create, memorize, and rehearse while their teachers are working hard to stay ahead of them at this busy time of year.  Teachers, you know the intense schedule before December holiday, and now add to that a program to create for families.   Thank you to all of the teachers, who take the extra energy and expertise to create these programs for families.

In this WinkWorld, Missy Urbaniak, the sole teacher of Atall School, also found time to write this blog post about their program and to share these photos. Thank you, Missy.

“Santa’s Stuck in the 50’s” written by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse, which is available from alfred.com.  For Atall, Missy adapted the story to fit the context.

Mrs. Claus and the kids are singing “A Whole Lotta Cleaning Going On” based on Little  Richard’s famed song.

Soon, Santa entered the stage, and the elves were allowed to open some boxes, where they find: Barbies, Matchbox cars, yo-yo’s, poodle skirts, Play-Doh, Silly Putty, an Erector set,  Mr. Potato Head, Mickey Mouse toys, Hula Hoops, and even pink plastic flamingos.

Soon, the elves discover a box of old musical records, and Mrs. Claus suggests a sock-hop. “Rock Around the Shop” with hand jive motions follows this discovering.

After the rocking good time, Santa and Mrs. Claus hint that the kids will receive a special ’50s surprise in exchange for letters telling how good they have been this year.  Mrs. Claus even squeezes in a few lines from “Gifts Come From the Heart.” And, of course, the kids love the Patricia Polacco story of “Gifts of the Heart.”

At one point in the drama, Santa requests that the kids stop writing letters to him, and Brock Rockman of radio station WXMAS does a live interview with Santa.

The play ends happily when the kids learn that Santa will continue to deliver their gifts.

Atall Alums

And, of course, some of our “big” kids, who now drive 50 m. to high school in Sturgis, came home to celebrate their younger brothers and sisters.  Oh, how we miss the K-8 country kids when they begin high school in far away places.

Thanks for sharing, Missy.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Got a couple of minutes?  You won’t forget this story.  Thank you to Sharon Biegen for sharing this with us.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend Grandparents’ Day Program at Atall School on the isolated prairies.

Missy, the teacher,  has 10 students; 7 different grades; and each child there seems like a miracle to me. Missy is an amazing teacher. The grandparents walked in, and the children greeted them. I always love to see kids who are comfortable in intergenerational contexts.  For 2 full hours, each child regaled his/her own family with stories, homework, an interview, and an art project which they did together. Here is a selection of photos of kids and grandparents.

Missy just stood and watched; it takes a very talented teacher to get kids to be that independent and engaging for two full hours. Next, we marched down to the basement for the kids’ program of poems, stories, and music. More magic.

Missy’s son, Ev, had 7 grandparents attending.

It was a fabulous day, and I was the extra-Grammie, just in case one of the students needed a grandparent.  Fortunately, all of the students had grandparents who were able to attend. I loved my day and did get individual time with each student. Here Emma is explaining journaling to me.

Now, Missy and students are hard at work preparing for the Christmas program for the families and community.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

In this issue of WinkWorld, I will introduce you to InfluentialSHE, and tell you the story of when they came to the ranch to interview me recently.  I will also post a couple of ranch photos from the snowy prairies.

InfluentialSHE

Well, what’s not to love with a name like that? You can find them at their own website, all forms of social media,  video, podcast, and more.  Their goal is to enhance women’s influence in the world.  As they say,

•they are a fresh voice in an old conversation;

•they are not another leadership thingy for chicks;

•they bring a sassy, dynamic way to being in the world;

•they are the go-to voice for accelerating women’s influence.

InfluentialSHE and me: Melody Schopp and Deb Soholt

Of course, I studied their webpages carefully before they arrived for the interview.  I knew they wanted to ask me questions about the importance of storytelling.  I reviewed several of my published stories and worried about which one would be best for them.  Finally, I realized that I have the original water painting of “3 Models of Pedagogy” which a teacher credential student, Dayna,  gave me as a gift.  A-ha, I took the painting off of our bedroom wall and took it upstairs to tell them the story.  Dayna was a graduate student in one of my classes, and she had read my book, Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World.  Above all, Dayna was an artist.

Click  here  for the original story.

Or, here is a fast summary. 

Pedagogy means the interaction between teaching and learning; it is what happens in schools every day.  Dayna was a terrific student who always came to class prepared, and she interacted well with her colleagues. I had no worries about her learning, but in the middle of the semester, I asked her to stay after class for a bit.

“Dayna, you are doing great work in our class,” I told her. “Just one concern: You have not turned in one written assignment yet.”

She looked me straight in the eye, did not miss a beat, and said, “Dr. Wink, you are the person who talks about always having “faith in the learner,” (credit to Bonnie and David Freeman).

Silence.

“Okay, Dayna, I’ll have faith in you,” I responded, hesitantly.

Several more weeks passed, and we were very close to the end of the semester.  I was on high alert, as Dayna still had not turned in a written assignment.  She continued to be an excellent student and demonstrated her learning in multiple ways every week.

Near the very end of the semester, she walked into class, and calmly asked, “Dr. Wink, do you mind if I talked with the class?”

“Please do,” I replied.  She unfurled this large painted image, and said to the class. 

“I believe this is what we are learning in this class. There are many ways to teach and learn, but many of us have experiences with these three ways. ”  Dayna continued the story of her learning.

First, look at the bottom of the painting, Transmission model of pedagogy. We come from a long tradition of this  approach to teaching and learning.  The teacher has the knowledge, and simply transmits it to the students.  The students then are tested and give the knowledge back to the teacher.  Please note in the image of the children that the knowledge goes in one ear and out the other of the first two students.  The child in back is asleep.  Note the cut roots of the flower on the right.  Many of us have had this done to us, and we have done it to others.

Second, look at the middle of the painting, Generative model of pedagogy.  The teacher and students are working together to solve problems.  The students and teacher construct the knowledge together.  Please look at the right of the image, as the plant begins to sprout.  Many of us, as future teachers, hope that we will be generative teachers, and some of us have experienced this as students, ourselves.

Now, third, look at the top of the painting, Transformative model of pedagogy.  Please note that the teaching and learning is in the real world, not only in the classroom.  Communication flows freely, as teacher and students join together to solve real problems. In this case the class is working on science as they plant a garden for families-in-need in the community.  Many of us strive to be this type of teacher–at least sometimes.

For the InfluentialSHE interview, I shared this story.  When the podcast is published in January, I will share on WinkWorld, if I don’t embarrass myself.  You know how none of us likes to watch ourselves on a video…

Click below for different versions of Dayna’s story.

3 Perspectives on Pedagogy

The Lesson of Dayna: Once Size Does Not Fit All 

In closing, here are a few photos of our snow yesterday.

Where is the proverbial rope to hang on to as I go out for a walk?

Can you see the frosted eyelashes on Frankie, my horse?

A welcome sign at the Wyoming state line.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I am preparing to make a trip to Wyoming to share with teachers about language acquisition. I have been told that they really want some activities which “they can do tomorrow.”  Through the years, I have found it fairly easy to share strategies, which help teachers provide access to content for bilingual students and activities which help bilingual students integrate into the classroom.  However, the hard part is that I never really know if teachers actually try new things, after I share.

I sat down and wrote a little list of things which mainstream teachers can do tomorrow to help bilingual students.

What Teachers Can Do Tomorrow

• Buddy System: Seat student near teacher and close to another bilingual student.
• Speak clearly. Use images and the real object. Tell stories. Draw pictures. Encourage student talk. Repeat. Rephrase. Avoid slang. Check for understanding. Less teacher talk. More student talk.
• Understand the process of language acquisition.
• Write clearly. Use a student scribe. Keep blank paper on students’ desk.
• Use routines and clear instructions. Always make connections. Key vocab.
• Books. Stories.

Some other activities, which we may discuss are listed below.

• Comprehending/Comprehension
  https://www.joanwink.com/critical-pedagogy-4th-ed-comprehending-comprehension/
• Outcomes Sentences
  https://www.joanwink.com/charts/outcome-sentences.pdf
• Preview Review
  https://www.joanwink.com/charts/preview-review.pdf
• Double-entry journals
  https://www.joanwink.com/critical-pedagogy-4th-edition/critical-pedagogy-4th-ed-dialogue-journal/
• Think Alouds
  http://kent.edu/eureka/strategies/think_aloud.pdf
• Four Corners
  https://www.joanwink.com/critical-pedagogy-4th-ed-four-corners/
• Many other activities at: Free to a Good Home
  https://joanwink.com/free-to-a-good-home/

In addition, I have heard a fair amount about different levels of language proficiency while preparing for this professional development.  I probably do not take these levels as seriously as some might wish, because I suspect that it is really about a continuum of natural language development.  Through the years, I have learned that there are 3 levels, 4 levels, 5 levels, and/or 6 levels of language proficiency–depending on the location and the decade.  I created the following to chart to capture a little history of some of these different levels. The district where I will be working uses 6 levels.

Activities and levels of language proficiency are some of the ideas, which we will discuss, but of course, I will try to sneak in my favorite question: Why do we do what we do?

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I am putting this blog post together for a couple of different groups who want to talk with me about the value of stories.  I have no idea what either group wants, but I went digging for some of my stories for them.  I am sharing these stories here, in no particular order; I only tried to choose a variety.

Kids, Cows, and Computers

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – Welcome to My Real World

Pivotal and Personal and Professional Experiences

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – Pivotal Experiences

The Lesson of Dayna–One Size Does Not Fit All

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – The Lesson of Dayna

The Benson Kids–Teaching Is Learning

Critical Pedagogy 4th Ed – The Benson Kids

Road Warrior Literacy

Four Benchmarks of Literacy Development

My People Made it Without Bilingual  Education, What’s the Matter with Yours?

Teaching Passionately – My People Made It

No Cow Left Behind

No Cow Left Behind

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I just sat down to do a new WinkWorld and realized that I had never posted this video taken at the Sturgis Public Library. What a nice little gift of time for me on this late Friday afternoon–now, all I have to do is hit the Publish.

Below is what I wrote several weeks ago.

In a recent WinkWorld, I shared about the new Children’s Learning Center at Sturgis Public Library, the best-kept-secret-in-South-Dakota.

In this blog post, I will post a video of a story I told before reading the beautiful poem, “Lovebrarian” by Laurie Halse Anderson.

First, the short video of me sharing a story of getting my first Sturgis Library card.

And, second, the previous blog post about the opening of the fabulous new children’s center. The following WinkWorld also has the words for that wonderful poem, “Lovebrarians.”

“Lovebrarians” by Laurie Halse Anderson