Evaluating Missouri's Proposed Standards

Like many Missouri educators, I've been slogging my way through the nearly 500 pages of proposed standards produced by work groups last year. Overall, I would say the proposed standards match closely with current standards. However, there are enough subtle differences to disrupt the curriculum work of educators. Elementary teachers will face major challenges in trying to realign their curriculum in all four core subjects in one year. Ideally if new standards were to be adopted, teachers would only be asked to implement new curriculum for one subject a year.

While there are areas where the new standards represent improvements, I personally do not find the improvements to be worth the level of disruption that will be caused by adopting so many new standards so quickly. Small schools, lacking subject area curriculum directors, will be at a disadvantage compared to larger districts who have specialized personnel to analyze and align curriculum. Some leaders will inevitably choose to risk having their students learn a curriculum that is not fully aligned to new standards (and the accompanying tests), rather than make unreasonable demands on teachers who may be experiencing their third set of standards in five years.

Below are a few notes I made while comparing the proposed standards to the current standards.

English Language Arts:
-The proposed ELA standards do not use the same strands in grades K-5 as they do in grades 6-12. The K-5 strands are language, reading, writing, and speaking and listening. In 6-12 the strands are reading literature, reading informational texts, writing, and speaking and listening. Unnecessary complexity, particularly in grammar and punctuation instruction, could result.
-Because grammar and punctuation are lumped into writing in the 6-12 standards, the standards lack the specificity found in the K-5 language standards. "Conventions of standard English" for "commas, verb tense, and unclear pronouns," seems to be used too often as a catch all. At which grade should using a colon to introduce a list be taught? At which grade should the use of semi-colons in a list be taught? At which grade would these concepts begin appearing on a state test?
-Many similarities between current standards and proposed standards can be found. For example the current standard, MSL LA 4.RI.9, "integrate information from two texts," is very similar to the proposed standard, Reading 1CB, "explain relevant connections between text to text." Current standard MSL LA 6RI 1" cite textual evidence to support analysis" is identical to  proposed standard, RL.1, "cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says."
-In spite of the similarities, many changes exists. The k-5 crosswalk includes the phrase "not in current standards" over 100 times. "Not in proposed standards" appears over 70 times. For example, "writes legibly" is a proposed second grade standard and "produces simple, compound, and complex sentences" has been removed from third grade standards.
-Much of the criticism of the common core standards seemed to stem from a baseless belief that the standards included a political agenda, so it surprised me to see that the proposed standards included language in the 6-12 grade standards requiring the analysis of "historical and cultural context of texts."

Mathematics
-Overall the crosswalk between proposed and existing standards matches up more closely than in ELA.
-The crosswalk does show 19 "new standards," and changes exist. For example, the current elementary standard of "measure to determine how much longer one object is than another" is out, but " describe time shown on a digital clock to the same time on an analog clock" is in, as well as "find a combination of coins that equal a given amount." While current standards had language similar to these new standards, the proposed standards relating to money and time are much more specific.
-Algebra I standards are identified separately, which will help instructors preparing for the Algebra 1 EOC.

Science
-Unlike the mathematics standards, the science writers did not write specific standards for Biology I, which has its own EOC. Biology standards will have to be pulled from the Life Sciences strand, which contains 26 standards, ten fewer than the current Biology I course level expectations. Biology teachers will have to sort this out.
-Secondary science standards have "assessment thresholds" which should help clarify limits of what students should be expected to learn. This is especially helpful because most textbooks contain much more information than is appropriate for students to learn in a year.
-Seemingly influenced by Next Generation, most standards are built on verbs such as model, construct, and predict. If this leads to science classes that are more hands on, then an improvement has been made; however one wonders if test writers can construct items that match the standards.
-Unlike ELA standards, the science standards use the same strands though out the grade levels: LS (life sciences), PS (physical sciences), and ES (earth science). However, the work is not formatted in the same way, which will add some complexity for curriculum leaders.

Social Studies
-The proposed elementary standards are much more robust than current standards. Over 49 pages of standards were written for kindergarten through fifth grade.
-Over 60 new standards for elementary students have been written.
-Unlike science work groups, the social studies writers chose to write specific standards for American Government, which will be helpful for students preparing for the American Government EOC. 34 standards for American Government were written. The writers made a special effort to write the standards in a way that promotes higher levels thinking skills over simple recall. Most standards are built around verbs such as compare, predict, evaluate, and analyze.

Drop In: Online PD

Online PD presentation slides for the Fall 2015 MASSP conference. 

Providing flexibility and choice are two ways to respect teachers as professionals. Honoring digital opportunities is one way to bring choice and flexibility to PD.

In my work in leading PD efforts, I've dabbled with online options. My wife has much more experience. I don't know how many will appreciate the '80's skateboarding reference, but compared to her I'm a poser and she's a thrasher. 

What we've learned is that teachers appreciate being able to bank an occasional PD hour on their own time, perhaps in their  PJ's. Taking PD online has other advantages as well. Gauging the level of engagement is often easier than the typical large group face to face session, and it also provides some teachers, who have been passively watching their colleagues enjoy the half pipe of technology, a less threatening way to drop in.

Overcoming Challenges: Small Schools and PLC's

Anyone who properly uses the noun, "gymocafetorjum" automatically gains credibility with small school educators like myself who are used to wearing many hats and being creative to meet the needs of students. Aaron Hanson, former National Model School Principal and author of How to Develop PLCs for Singletons and Small Schools, understands the challenges of using collaborative models in small settings.

His book provides practical tips and examples for educators whose journey through the collaborative process gets stuck at the question: How do my students receive the value of common assessments when I don't have anyone with whom to collaborate on assessments because I'm the only one teaching this in my district? 

Hanson details several strategies including interdisciplinary teams, singletons who support, and virtual teams, but the strategy that seems to offer the most benefit to students in my setting is the effective use of vertical teams.

Hansen argues that the most important tasks vertical teams can take on are identifying essential skills and agreeing to the level of rigor necessary to demonstrate proficiency. He offers straightforward protocols for beginning these discussions.

I'll break from Hansen and offer two specific examples of how these discussions could play out. Consider the first image below. Suppose the Algebra I instructor in a district defined proficiency as the ability to answer the questions at the top of the image and mastery as the ability to answer the questions at the bottom. If the teachers in the grade levels below and above held different visions of profficiency, confusion could result. Similarly in the second image we find objectives for a biology course. If one teacher defines proficiency as the ability to compare and contrast animal and plant cells using six of the terms listed correctly, students would be challenged differently than if the instructors below or above believed proficiency should be gauged by the ability to provide textbook definitions for all the terms present.

Students in small schools deserve to have teachers who engage in these conversations. Hansen shows us how to begin.

Borrowed from SLPCSchools

DESE's Biology CLE's

Three Things I Want 3rd-8th Grade Teachers To Know About Testing In2015-16

Earlier this summer I posted notes from a meeting with a DESE official regarding state testing in Missouri. At the administrator's conference in July, I attended a session led by DESE's Michael Muenks and Shaun Bates. Below are three key points from both sessions. Overall, I believe teachers should have less anxiety regarding the administration of the tests this year.

1.) The technology used to deliver the tests this year will be similar to last year's. e Direct will be the portal, and tests will be administered by Insight. Teachers and students won't have to navigate a dramatically different system to take the test. We were successful in administering the tests last year, and I'm sure we will be able to do it again.

2.) The content and structure will be the same. This year's test is based on the same standards as last year. Although test items have been created by non-SBAC affiliated companies (in compliance with legislation), the tests will have a similar number of items and a similar ratio of constructed response to selected response.

3.) DESE worked to create tests that are less frustrating to administer. Resetting tests for students who are inadvertently logged out will be easier.  Classroom activities will not be a part of the tests this year.

In my opinion DESE has done as much as they can to provide stability, given the current political climate. I realize teachers, for good reason, worry about the interpretation of test results. I want the teachers with whom I work to know that, while I recognize the importance of test results, I find formal and informal observations, effective lesson and assessment design, and evidence of healthy relationships as more important marks of strong teaching than state test scores. When I see those in place, I am more than willing to support teachers when explaining test results to stakeholders.

Rain Fly

When drizzle turns to rain drops, break open the camp box for a tarp, nylon line, and zip ties to cobble together a rain fly. Grab the cooler and the kids. Marvel at how content everyone can be, huddled together in a space smaller than any room in the house. Watching it rain. 

Court Cases Which Could Impact Educators In The 2015-16 School Year

School law may be the most dynamic factor affecting educators. Every year courts set new precedents. Below are a few notes on cases discussed at the Mickes Goldman O'Toole school law seminar on July 26.

Estate of Smith v. Brown Local School District (2015): 

The case centered on the school's efforts to warn parents of a student's  risk of suicide. Ethics require educators share concerns about suicide with families. The reality of litigation demand these efforts in communication be documented. Schools should have clear protocols for dealing with students who present a risk of suicide. 

McArdle v Town of Dracult/Dracult Public Schools (2013):

The case warns districts to consider time spent outside the school day, when considering if an employee has reached the 1,250 hour mark to receive FMLA benefits. Teachers will likely meet this mark quicker than the typical employee that works eight hour days. Teachers won't have these hours documented as employees who receive overtime do.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015):

The Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriages means districts must extend FMLA leave to employees to care for same sex spouses, even if they were married in a state that recognized same sex marriages before the district's state was required to do so by the ruling. FMLA benefits do not extend to un-married partners. 

K.M. v. Tustin USD (2014):

The case involved a parent's request for a CART system for a hearing impaired child, when the district recommended an FM system. The court ruled in favor of the parents. The case reminds districts that an IEP team's determination of  FAPE may not shield a district from 504 or ADA Title II litigation. Districts must document consideration of parent's requests and reasonable alternatives. Districts may need to prove a request substantially alters their programs. 

Red Snapper and Blind Fisherman

Great gifts are usually the result of great efforts, as was certainly the case when my wife sent me fishing in the gulf while she took three kids to the beach by herself.

Before the chartered boat pulled from the dock, laughter erupted when a fisherman in sun glasses continued to ask a kid, who was telling a "one that got away story" to tell him how big it was. The kid kept responding by holding his hands apart. The deck hand and the captain knew the man in glasses, a regular customer, was blind- and a prankster, but the kid didn't. Each time he was asked the question, he took the bait, at his own expense. Over the course of the eight hour trip, I found it hard to not be aware of the man. Of how he baited the hooks with cut squid on his own. Of how he talked Auburn football and trash on his brother when he was out fishing him. Of how he called out predictions of weight to the deck hand for each fish he caught. 

I also found it hard to not be aware of how he experienced the day. The texture of the line under my thumb as the bait dropped beneath the boat. The tension of the bent rod during the fight. Warmth of the sun, scent of the bait and snapper, the steady churn of the deisel and rush of water against the boat.

Later that night I took note of how fine my daughter's hair felt as she leaned against me, an act that happens with less frequency as she moves through middle school. We sat in lawn  chairs with the thick fillets cooking on a grill before us. The charcoal smoke, the melting butter, and softening onions. We tore off edges of fish as it crisped against the grill and commented on how all the flavors, salt, pepper, lemon, butter, and fish, combined. Our campsite was close enough to the Santa Rosa Sound to hear water against sand. A great moment.

I was grateful for the chance to spend a day out on the water catching fish. And a little perspective.

The State of Testing in Missouri

A recent headline claiming the Missouri state legislature has dumped the common core added confusion to an already confusing year for teachers and students. Today I had the good fortune to attend an assessment Q and A session with two DESE officials, Sharon Helwig, assistant commissioner, and Shaun Bates, director.

Their comments to the North East Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals helped clarify some of the challenges Missouri schools faced this year in the shift to online testing. They also shared goals for testing this school year. 

A few notes from the meeting:

-Contrary to the headline, Missouri House Bill 1490 maintains the Missouri Learning Standards, which include Common Core Standards in mathematics and English for the 2015-2016 school year. Currently there are work groups developing new standards, but their progress has been inconsistent, and their deadline is not until October 1st.

-The Missouri legislature has prohibited DESE from working with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium for future state testing.

-The relationship with Smarter Balanced was strained at best this year, as vendors failed to meet deadlines in delivering interim assessments and summative results to DESE. These vendors will not be paid for the services not delivered. 

-DESE is currently working to develop new tests, to comply with federal law, for the spring testing cycle in 2016. Several goals for those tests were communicated:

    New tests should be computer based and use the same platform as previous tests.

    New tests should be aligned to the same standards as previous tests.

    New tests should be comprised of roughly the same number of items as previous tests.

    New tests should include the same percentage of constructed response items as previous tests.

    New tests should be compatible with as many devices as possible.

-By having more control over which vendors are involved with test development, DESE hopes to avoid the confusion produced this year, as many changes were communicated in a short amount of time: unavailabilty of interim assessments, incorrect timelines for results, etc. 

-This year's test results will not be used for accountablility but they will be published. 

Helwig and Bates were gracious with their time and very understanding of the pressures that changes in testing place on students and teachers. They answered questions and took notes as they listened to stories of the challenges teachers faced in administering the test: faulty sign language applications for hearing impaired students on the listening portion, the absence of character counters when answers had character limits, difficulty with the equation editor. 

As a principal, I gained a new appreciation for the complexity involved in delivering state testing. While I know it's my responsibility to keep current on testing updates, I also felt an urge to serve as a good filter for the teachers in my district. While I should always be willing to serve as a source of information for teachers who desire details, I want to make sure teachers don't feel pressured to adjust their practice to every announcement that will inevitably come during the next year regarding testing. 

Our teachers need to be primarily concerned with using their professional judgment to provide the best learning environment possible for the unique learners before them. This is what teachers did with excellence last year and this is what they will undoubtably do next year. 

As for testing....last year in the spring we fulfilled our obligation to evaluate our students with tests that were computer based and contained constructed response questions. While it seems DESE has an enormous task before them, right now it appears next year's testing cycle will be very similar. 

The Monsters of Cove Creek

Before bedtime my son and I took the canoe out. High water from a week of heavy rains gave us an opportunity explore where we hadn't previously, and to escape into our imaginations. On the far side of the lake there is a triangle of shallow water that extends into the woods: The Cove. The cove is where the Monster Fish hunt. We paddled back into the cove, hoping to startle one from the lake bottom, to feel the displaced water rock our canoe. As we paddled to the back of the cove, we realized water was still flowing out of the woods into the lake. A tiny creek, usually a dry bed, was almost to the top of its banks. 

We decided to paddle to its source. The channel grew narrow, and the thick grass grew high from its banks, blocking our view to the right and left.  The creek made a sharp bend and then the trees enveloped us. The entire way my son peppered me with questions. 

"Are we in the woods, Dad?"

"There are not monsters in the woods, right Dad?"

"Is hate a bad word, Dad?"

"Are there snakes here, Dad?"

"Can I say I hate snakes, Dad?"

"Only dragons breath fire, right, not dragonflies, right, Dad?"

I was focused on my unrealistic hope that the creek would spill out into another lake, or Big Cedar Creek.....or Narnia, so I gave a short answer to each question. 

"Yes, of course."

Before the creek reached Narnia, it ended, predictably, in a mudbank. Feeling a little silly for indulging my imagination and wasting time, I paddled back to the lake to resume teaching my son to bass fish with a jig and plastic worm, an activity that is most definitely not a waste of time.  He wanted to fish from the Big Rock.

When I looked at him later he had set his Buzz Light Year pole down, pulled several feet of line from the reel, and taken the plastic worm from the weighted jig. He stood on the rock and with great concentration threw the jig over and over at a passing dragon fly, pulling the line back in, hand over hand, with each miss. In his mind he was a knight, protecting his castle from the dragon that flew over his moat. 

"That monster is trying to get us. Do you think I can catch him like this, Dad?"

I smiled, lost in his imagination. 

"Yes, of course."

Video evidence of the monster fish.

Placing Faith In Educating Students In Foster Care

I am the proud principal of Harrisburg Middle School, the school for Coyote Hill, a home for children in foster care. Our school is small, and with eight percent of our students living at Coyote Hill, they are an important part of our family. I am confident that when I retire, many of my fondest memories will be of the tremendous personal and academic growth I’ve been able to witness in the lives of these talented students. While ultimately, the credit for the success of these students is due to their own persistence, they are certainly aided by a talented teaching staff and support from the broader community of Harrisburg.

I readily admit that I am still learning, but I believe there are a few important fundamentals that help us serve these students well.

Maintaining high standards through high supports:

Growth, both academic and behavioral, only comes from being held to high expectations; however, some students, especially those in foster care, may need more support to reach those standards. . At times the support takes the form of limit setting and consequences. Sometimes the support comes in other ways: encouragement, additional opportunities, second chances.The mantra holds true: “Fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful.”   

Respecting families:

When working with students in foster care it is essential to respect their families, both foster and biological.  Every student’s story is unique and assuming anything about a student’s life is a mistake. Educators also show respect for their students by respecting the bonds of the foster family. Work to get to know the foster parents. Learn what their priorities are for the student. Be as open with them about the student’s successes and failures as you would with any parent.

Listening well:

The most important skill for respecting students is the ability to listen non judgmentally. Foster care involves major transitions for students. Often times students are dealing with intense emotions. Not all students will want to discuss their feelings with educators, but those that do absolutely need people in their lives who will listen without taking advantage of their confidence or offering trite suggestions.

Seeking out best practices:

Educators need to embrace what science teaches us about the plasticity of the brain and the ability to modify intelligence. All students need skilled teachers, but students in foster care are especially dependent, as they often have a lot of academic ground to make up. Jackson and Jensen’s work on best practices and the importance of high expectations will serve educators of students in foster care well.

Encouraging hope:

Students in foster care have been through a lot. They will certainly have scars, but their scars do not outweigh their potential. Students in foster care deserve to only have teachers who believe in them. It’s important that these teachers believe in themselves and their talents for teaching. Sometimes the progress is hard to see, but teachers of students in foster care need to have  faith in what they're doing, hope for their students’ future, and love for the kids in their care.

Reflecting on the Arts

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching my daughter participate in our district's celebration of art, music, and drama, MusArt. She was a second chair flutist, back up vocalist, and stage hand in a gym adorned with the artistic creations of her talented classmates. She made me proud of the way she committed to her roles. The event provides an excellent occasion to reflect on the many benefits of art, music, and drama in our schools. Here is an inadequate list of a few things the arts promote:

-discipline

-intellect

-creativity

-community

-mentoring relationships

-culture

-fun

As an educator and as a parent I'm thankful when I see these values instilled in kids, especially mine. We have plenty of reasons to support art, music, and drama programs, as well as the talented folks that lead them.

Thoughts on Student Travel After Sponsoring a Senior Trip

This spring I had the good fortune to accompany a fantastic group of students on their senior class trip. If my high school ever sponsored senior trips, they did away with the practice long before I collected my diploma. As a relative newcomer to the district the concept of the class trip intrigued me, and when I was asked to consider sponsoring the class an adventurous spirit led me to agree. What an adventure it was!

The fundraising alone was an adventure, but I saw so many lessons being learned, watching the students plan, prioritize, problem solve, and cooperate their way through a year's worth of athletic concessions and sales drives. Real leadership was developed and real world skills were polished. What do you do when your concession stand runs out of quarters during half time? How do you go about telling your sponsor that he burned off most of one eyebrow in a grease fire, grilling hamburgers?

Finally the trip arrived. We spent five nights in Florida and the kids had so many experiences. They navigated airports and public transportation.  They heard families communicate with each other in foreign languages and watched a NASA rocket launch. They visited theme parks and the beach. They rented a surf board.  Some of the students had more experience traveling than others, but there were many firsts on the trip. It was a great trip, and the kids represented their school, community, and families in outstanding fashion.

With so many demands competing for time and resources, it's understandable that many schools have done away with class trips. But there are many reasons why it's worth it for schools to provide students the opportunity to travel outside their communities.  Schools have the ability to provide travel opportunities that are safe, educational, and equitable.

I don't know when, or if, I'll get another chance to lead a student trip, but I'm glad I took advantage of this one.  It was a treat to watch the students explore, make memories, and learn in the midst of a new experience: all marks of authentic education.

Implementing Chromebooks and Sharing Leadership

This semester the students at our school recieved Google accounts and began using Chromebooks for the first time. I know many schools have been implementing technology on a larger scale for a much longer period of time than ours, but a new wireless network and a cart of Chromebooks created a buzz of excitement for our kids.  It was exciting for me as well, as an expansion of technology was an important part of my vision for the school. 

For me the process of implementing Chromebooks was a great opportunity to learn to share leadership. We went through five steps along the way, and collaboration produced better outcomes at each. 

1.) Selection of devices: As an iPad fan, Chromebooks weren't my first choice, but it became clear to me the staff who were most committed to implementing technology were more interested in Chromebooks. 

2.) Budgeting: No new money was available for purchasing the devices. Our staff worked together to figure out what we could do without to purchase devices from our building's budget. 

3.) Policy: I'm not the most patient person, and I would have been content to copy another district's policy and replace the name at the top with ours. In fact I did this. However, our tech committee worked together to write an AUP that was consistent with our board's policy. 

4.) Professional development: Here is another place I had to let go. While I had a clear vision for iPads in classrooms, I was not the most knowledgeble person on staff when it came to GAFE. A teacher led the training, and that training has made its way into classrooms. 

5.) Putting devices in students hands: As the accounts were set up, teachers took control over account settings. One question we had to decide was should all teachers have access to student passwords or just the account administrator? The teachers wanted to be able to help students when they forgot their passwords and that's what we did. I wanted to be more involved in setting up accounts, but it turned out I didn't have to. The first time the devices were used in a class, I was at the board office in a meeting. 

Our students have a richer learning environment because of the devices. Our staff has a stronger culture because of the collaboration.

Coaching vs Evaluating a Personal Story

The students at our school are fortunate to have second year teacher who is determined to improve her teaching, which is quite good already.  The evaluation tool our district uses is effective for it's purpose, evaluating. However, after several post evaluation conferences, it was clear that she was not finding the feedback in the evaluation especially helpful in her development.  

For me, the administrator, the evaluation tool provided a structure that was fairly clear. I would evaluate the areas of emphasis previously selected and evaluate those areas according to the rating system as I was trained. Teaching is an extremely personal act, and I took some comfort in the objectivity provided by the evaluation tool. Besides the new evaluation tool was driven by compliance with legislation. It was something we had to do. 

To be clear, I believe evaluation has it's place and the new emphasis on evaluation results in better instruction. However, this teacher was looking for more than evaluation. She wanted coaching. She didn't want numbers on a narrow set of performance indicators. She wanted suggestions for how to improve an area outside the ones chosen for evaluation. 

Every post evaluation conference ended with questions and requests for guidance. My shallow responses and efforts to redirect the conversation to what were good evaluation marks were not enough. My efforts to allow her observe veteran teachers and have veteran teachers observe her were not enough. 

When I thought about stepping outside our evaluation model, I kept stumbling over the same questions. 

-As a classroom teacher was I ever much better at this area than she is? 

-My training as an evaluator was intense, but I wasn't really trained to coach was I?

-What if my suggestions don't work? 

-What if my suggestions discouraged this talented educator? 

Finally I decided that logically speaking, something beats nothing. The next time I went in the classroom I didn't open the evaluation tool on my phone. I opened my note taking app. I didn't mark numbers; I wrote descriptive and qualitative comments. While I made an effort to include remarks about great things that were taking place, my comments focused mainly on areas of weakness, even though I knew those same weaknesses existed in my own teaching. When I shared the notes, I requested it not be seen as an official evaluation but as observations from a critical friend. 

I hit send, hoping it wouldn't do more harm than good. 

To my relief the teacher recieved it in the spirit it was intended. Productive conversations followed. 

The process left me with the realization that coaching is much tougher than evaluating. Coaching, especially in this situation, is not as compliance driven. Because of that, it requires more trust. To be effective it can't be reduced to a formula or rubric. It requires individuals who are truly committed to improvement, not just box checking. 

In my opinion the best model is for schools to have instructional coaches who do not evaluate and to have evaluators who do not coach. They are distinct functions that are both important. However, in many schools it is not feasible. Administrators find themselves tasked with coaching and evaluating, which is a fine line. 

It's a line worth walking.  

Ice Floes and Eddies: January Paddle

For weeks my daughter and I monitored the river level, itching to explore during low water.  However, during the winter the temperatures are as low as the water line. Finally, during the third week of January, we caught a break: three days in a row with highs in the fifties. 

Our lake at home was still frozen over, so we set off to the creek we use for river access wondering if we'd even be able to put our fourteen foot Old Town in the water.  Packing the dry bag with an emergency blanket, extra clothes, and matches, gave me a bit of a pause. Daytime highs were warm, but it was still hypothermia conditions. 

Aside from the edges, the creek had no ice, and it was lower than we had ever seen. Access ramps sat exposed in near frozen mud. A bald eagle soared in the bare trees that revealed caves in the limestone bluffs. We had not noticed the caves before; they captured our imaginations.

When we reached the confluence we found our way blocked with ice floes: pieces over four inches thick and several feet across. We wondered how far north these frozen wonders began their journey. My daughter and I worked through the ice, trying to ignore the eerie grinding sound they created as they pushed against each other and the canoe. 

We made a quick loop out into the river, surprised by the power it held even at a stage under six feet and then parked on a sandbar that stretched out like a beach. My daughter picked chunks of riprap and threw them at the ice floes, one so thick it shattered the limestone rock. We examined the strange channels the river cut in the sand, while the eagle above examined us. 

We marked time by the passing of ice floes and the setting of the sun. The wind began to pick up and the temperature began to drop. It was time to make the two mile paddle back to the truck. 

We were glad we made the effort. 

How To Improve Minecraft Pocket Edition (A Guest Post From My Daughter)

First of all I am a super gigantic fan of minecraft. I also think Notch (and the rest of  the team) are very talented to be able to think so creatively. The game has great graphics, textures and most of all the game never gets boring. Okay now (without further adieu) here is the list:
1. Add an update where you can grow anything. Example: If you plant a sapling (of any kind) then tap the sapling with whatever you want to grow and it will grow like a normal tree but it will supply the thing you tapped it with. When you destroy a block of leaf on the tree it will give you three of the item or block you tapped it with. Personally I would tap the tree with a diamond.
2. Add furniture (that is interactive).Example: Like a chair.
3.  Give each ore it own biome where it can be found at any level. The other ores are jealous that gold gets its own biome because it only has two uses that are helpful.
4. Make bookshelves interactive ( so people can read). Example: If someone is just starting to play minecraft  and they make a world a book shelf will spawn in front of them.  If the player taps on it a GUI will show up that looks like a close up version of the book shelf. Except that  the spines of the books have titles. Titles like: A noobs guide to minecraft, How to become a pro and other poems (ect).
5. Take the pc version of minecraft and shove it into pocket editions mouth like mashed potatoes.
6. That reminds me can there be mashed potatoes too. Example: First you need to craft a potato masher. Then you need to get one baked potato. Next go to the crafting table and select the mashed potatoes icon. The potato masher will lose durability over time like a normal tool.
7. Oh and there should also be salt and pepper. Pepper will be made by putting seeds in a crafting table. Salt will be made by putting salt in a crafting table. Pepper ,added to food (not watermelon ,apples ect), will make  your Steve sneeze taking away a heart of health. Salt will give your Steve the wither effect (  That'll teach people to abuse the usage of salt!)
8. Add bacon mod to 0.11.0.
And finally add trouble maker to villager types. Trouble maker destroys houses, crops and player houses in a 10 block range of the village. He also hides player items if the player lives in village.
P.S. I love minecraft. (Thank you Notch).
THE END*
*Can you also add the end?

About the author: Laney is a minecraft enthusiast, cat lover, and aspiring game designer.