A Little Bit of Info about Me and the Classroom

This is a pic of my youngest son Ty climbing during a father-son
rock climbing/backpacking trip a few weeks ago. The scariest part of
this experience was when I put my life in my thirteen year old son's hands
as he belayed from down below while I climbed. I love that boy to the
moon and back but I have to admit I was just a bit nervous at times knowing his
tendency to sometimes become distracted.

About Me

            My name is Chris Hass. This is my fifteenth year of teaching. I taught in St. Louis for four years then spent time as a stay-at-home dad before moving to Columbia eleven years ago. Since moving here I’ve taught at Satchel Ford as well as Bookman Road Elementary.  I came to the Center eight years ago and feel so fortunate to be part of such a special school. My wife, Tricia, is a teacher as well. She teaches second grade at Langford Road Elementary. We have four children. Three are in high school this year (yep, you read that right) and the other is in middle school.

            I absolutely love teaching. Nothing energizes me more than laughing and learning alongside the kids in the classroom, on the playground, at the lunch table, and at carpool. Everything I do in my teaching is built upon the relationship I am able to develop with each and every one of the kids in the classroom. We talk and joke and play and sing when we’re not learning – but we often do these same things while we are learning as well. The classroom is a great place to be.

Here's another pic from this summer. After finishing up my dissertation draft,
a friend and I traveled to Asheville one weekend to see Corey Feldman's band
perform. If you don't know who he is Corey Feldman was a child actor in
movies like The Goonies, Stand By Me, and The Lost Boys. I can't say his music
was necessarily within my taste but it  was a really fun show none-the-less.

When I’m not teaching I love to travel, read, and play guitar. I also love the outdoors. Our family spends a lot of time in nature kayaking, swimming, hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, camping, and backpacking. My sons and I have spent the past seven or eight years backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. This is a foot trail that follows the Appalachian Mountains from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. We have completed 702 miles of it so far. That leaves only about 1,500 miles left to go!

When you visit our classroom you will see my love of nature reflected in the grounds outside our classroom window. We have a pond, lots of plants, birdfeeders, a few trees, vines, a bench, two octagonal picnic tables, and two hammocks This outdoor space is an extension of our classroom where the kids can crawl out the window with a book or their writing journal and enjoy being outside while they read and write.

      I have a master’s degree in Language and Literacy from USC and am set to complete my PhD tomorrow afternoon. The completion of this degree is a VERY big deal in my house because it means I will no longer have about 15 hours of extra homework and research to complete each weekend. More time with Dad!

This is a sign a group of kids made last year during a mini-inquiry into -ISMs.

My Beliefs

I believe it is essential for teachers and parents to...

…help kids understand the world and our role within it as our work together helps them grow in complicated and critical ways.

…scaffold kids into becoming increasingly comfortable engaging others in discussion as well as taking action on their beliefs.

…understand that we construct meaning through the context of our own experiences.

…make certain skills are learned within the context of authentic engagements that require meaning to be negotiated, expressed, and developed in the company of others.

…allow curriculum to be co-constructed alongside our kids as we also access resources such as  state standards.

…make certain approximation is an important and valued part of learning.

…recognize that collaboration is essential in most everything we do. Kids must learn to work successfully with others. That said, our role as teachers must be to help them develop these skills rather than throw them into groupings and expect them to sink or swim. Social skills are most easily learned when there is clear and supportive instruction.

…keep in mind that for kids to grow into confident and assertive adults they must be empowered and responsible for themselves as well as to the group.

…support our kids to learn to be accountable for their own learning - to take ownership rather than be reactionary to the demands of a teacher or parent.

Last year my third grade class was book buddies with Mrs. Klosterman's first grade class.
It was a great way to not only have my kids support the younger kids as readers but to allow
me to get to know them a bit better before they moved up to second grade.

Expectations

KIDS

Offer respect and care for others

Be actively engaged in thinking, listening, speaking, and doing

Grow increasingly responsible for individual behavior, materials, and work

            *     Home folder goes back and forth each day

            *     Homework is completed on time (when assigned)

            *     Morning procedures are followed to prepare for 

                  the day

            *     Missed work or documents due to an absence                         are obtained

PARENTS

Check in on the kids’ occasional homework and offer support as needed

Access the blog to find out what’s happening in the classroom

Provide a consistent time and place to complete homework as needed

Follow-up at home when I contact you about a celebration or concern

Respect our schedule/school hours

Respect district rules about sugary treats at school

Be my partner in this journey (establishing open dialogue; offering and accepting mutual respect and appreciation; developing a friendship)

We do lots and lots of reading - both at school and at home!

Homework

       So...I have yet to find a single study that demonstrates any significant academic gains from nightly homework assigned to elementary aged children. If anything, such assignments are often busy work that causes added stress at home. For this reason, I am not a proponent of nightly homework in second or third grade. Your kids work very hard here at school so let’s make sure they have plenty of time in the late afternoon and early evening to relax, talk, and play with family and friends. 

       That said, it is important to know that nightly reading is important to your child’s growth so I do expect the kids will read a minimum of twenty minutes each night. Also, there are occasionally times when the kids do need to bring something home either because they’ll need your help or haven’t completed a portion of their work in the classroom despite having ample time based on their individual needs. This is not common but may pop up from time-to-time. I will always communicate these assignments to you via email as well as posting it on this blog.

Recess is a favorite time of day because it allows us to goof off and share so many
great laughs together. We all come in plenty sweaty and hot - me included.

Schedule

Please remember our schedule is always subject to change due to specific needs or conditions that arise. That said, we will follow the posted schedules the majority of the time.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

8:00     Explorations

8:30     Morning Meeting

8:55     Writing Workshop

9:50      Math Workshop

10:50   Lunch

11:30   Special Area (Music, Art, Library, Computer)

12:20   Recess

12:50    Reading Workshop

2:00     Science/Social Studies

2:30     Read Aloud

2:45     Wrap Up

Thursday

8:00     Explorations
8:30     Special Area (PE)
9:20     Morning Meeting
9:50     Writing Workshop
10:50   Lunch
11:25   Math Workshop
12:20   Recess
12:50    Reading Workshop
1:45      Science/Social Studies

2:30     Read Aloud
2:45     Wrap Up

Some of the best assessments a teacher can use to learn more about their
students is to sit alongside them while they work and both observe and ask plenty of questions.
We learn so  much through careful watching and thoughtful conversation.

Assessments
       In second grade our kids take the MAP test in the fall and spring semesters. It is administered on the Chrome books and is designed to demonstrate the kids’ understanding and skills as related to our state standards. In all honesty, it does an okay job of revealing some data about the kids as readers and mathematicians but conceals or misrepresents lots of other data. I would suggest, as parents, you not become overly concerned about the results of these sorts of tests. Rather, you might consider them to be just one small component of a much larger body of assessment I will conduct to better know your child as a learner. The assessments I conduct take place each and every day as I sit beside the kids and work with them. Some of the forms of assessment I access in the classroom are:  kidwatching notes, conferences, formative assessments, summative assessments, task-based assessments with rubrics, paper and pencil assessments, projects, and reflections. What I come to know about your child will be communicated through two narrative progress reports and two standards-based rubric reports. These will be a great resource for you. 

The kids love to cook and they really love to eat. While I'm not sure I
keep up with the number of opportunities Mrs. Klosterman provides for cooking
projects we do enjoy planning, preparing, and enjoying a feast from time to time. These
are also great opportunities for parents who want to spend some time working
alongside us. I'll talk more about volunteering times later.

 Well, that seems like enough for now. I don't want to overwhelm you with lots and lots of new information at the same time. Over the course of our first few months I'll share more and more information with you via the class newsletter as we begin life in second grade. I sure hope your kids are excited for our work together. I know I sure am!

Chris