Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
451, Here we come
So much for Ray Bradbury's fictionary Sci-fi (or speculative fiction) piece in which a society becomes so desensitized to pop culture that they are a bunch of mindless followers content to believe whatever they are told.
Well, are we not there? Really, the front page news piece on yahoo news has to deal with whether or not the president is dying his hair. Really!
That's the major news!
Aren't there any problems to try and solve? Any urgent stories that demand our attention and action.
Instead we get to debate whether our president is dying his hair.
I'm sure the E! channel and Entertainment Tonight will have hour long specials.
Montag and Mildred. It's all coming true.
Well, are we not there? Really, the front page news piece on yahoo news has to deal with whether or not the president is dying his hair. Really!
That's the major news!
Aren't there any problems to try and solve? Any urgent stories that demand our attention and action.
Instead we get to debate whether our president is dying his hair.
I'm sure the E! channel and Entertainment Tonight will have hour long specials.
Montag and Mildred. It's all coming true.
Highlights
In the past couple of weeks, I've had two of the best moments of the year.
First, some students were working on their persuasive essay in my room while others were in the English lab and library. I was grading papers in my room and listening to their discussions.
I was really behind on correcting, so when the bell rang for lunch, I just kept grading. The students, though, didn't notice and kept working. Finally, with just over half of our lunch period remaining, I got up and said that I was going to lunch.
They looked bewildered and realized that they'd worked right through the bell and into lunch.
Talk about motivated students! Awesome.
My second highlight came on Wednesday when one of my College Comp writers came in to turn in his final research paper. He enjoys writing - but it doesn't come easy to him - and he must work hard for his grades. He turned the paper in and got a smirk. Then he said, "I'm not going to lie. I enjoyed some of this paper" and walked out.
Coming from him, that's saying a lot! Awesome.
First, some students were working on their persuasive essay in my room while others were in the English lab and library. I was grading papers in my room and listening to their discussions.
I was really behind on correcting, so when the bell rang for lunch, I just kept grading. The students, though, didn't notice and kept working. Finally, with just over half of our lunch period remaining, I got up and said that I was going to lunch.
They looked bewildered and realized that they'd worked right through the bell and into lunch.
Talk about motivated students! Awesome.
My second highlight came on Wednesday when one of my College Comp writers came in to turn in his final research paper. He enjoys writing - but it doesn't come easy to him - and he must work hard for his grades. He turned the paper in and got a smirk. Then he said, "I'm not going to lie. I enjoyed some of this paper" and walked out.
Coming from him, that's saying a lot! Awesome.
Don Meyer
This man was our presenter on Tuesday.
I thought his speech was excellent. He had a very quiet presentation style and his humor was quite understated and dry. I'm not sure the students got all of his jokes (he joked about having to cross some of them off his list because of the reactions), but I thought he had an excellent blend of just enough humor and just enough message.
His message?
Well, it ended up echoing much of what I stress in my classes, especially my college level ones.
Meyer shared his 5 C's for success.
Concentration - if you can concentrate and focus - especially when distractions surround you - you are going to succeed. How true. And I hammer this home with my millennials all the time. How many paragraphs can they write or how many pages can they read before straying to Facebook or checking their cell phones?
Courtesy - treat people well. You never know where it will lead you or when it will come up to cost you. Coach Meyer shared a great story about the first McDonalds. On a Saturday, they ran out of pop. So the manager called up the local Pepsi distributor to order more. The distributor was rude and declared that they weren't going to deliver any pop on a Saturday. It didn't take long for McDonalds to switch to Coke products. Nor did it take long for McDonalds to explode. Think how much money being rude cost Pepsi.
What a great lesson for young people to learn. Kindness and grace never hurt anyone. The morons working the desk at the TRF hospital can learn a thing or two from that.
Communication - you can't land a job by texting nor can you land one via Facebook. Ultimately, your success depends on dealing with real, flesh and blood humans and impressing them with your skills. Because of their digital media, kids - I believe - are losing out on chances to communicate one on one with people, especially their elders.
After hearing this, I thought of an assignment one of the presenters shared from his session the day before. In his geography class, he always had his students go through an exit interview. They sat down with a member of the public and shared what they learned about the geography. I thought that was brilliant. In fact, the presenter said students would come back and thank him for that opportunity because it really prepared them for the real world. I'm going to conclude my College Comp II class with the same assignment.
Competition - you don't improve if you're never challenged; you don't grow if you are given everything. Competition can be good, but it can be terrible too. I tend to side with Alfie Kohn more on this issue. You simply can't turn everything into a competition. But pushing yourself, which is what competition is all about, is sorely missing from our schools. In schools I see competition as worrying too much about what others are doing and not enough about what you are doing.
The final C was for consistency - again, how often can you do something and do it well? How often can you consistently conceptrate, be courteous, communicate, and handle comptetition? Again, this is something I stress in my class. Can you consistently attend? Contribute to class? Get engaged in what we're studying? Challenge me and yourself? And ultimately perform and perform well?
Anyone can have a day where they feel like showing off or impressing others or giving their all, but can you do it day in and day out.
This reminds me of a colleague who does a great job with differentiated instruction and getting her kids to pass the high stakes tests. One of her student's showed marked improvement on one of the tests. Instead of taking pride in becoming more consistent, he copped out instead and said, "Well, I didn't try the first time I was tested."
What a cop out! And what an insult to the teacher who worked so hard to help get the students to show improvement and to get them up to grade level!
Yet, that is often the attitude of some of the slackers in our culture (and it probably always has been that way). I only succeed when I choose too (and one must ask then, why don't you choose to succeed more often?) and I deserve all the credit. I saw a T-shirt on a freshman once that summed this up - "Genius at birth; slacker by choice."
Then Meyer talked about the importance of doing what you are passionate about and doing what you love. As a Ken Robinson fan, I was all over that.
Meyer did a great job. He let his personality and beliefs filter through. And even though we are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I kind of liked that he didn't hide his biases. I liked that he let his personality show.
We don't have to agree with everything he said. That's good. It certainly made for some good discussions with my classes and colleagues.
The only thing I felt funny about was how Meyer chose to conclude his presentation, by talking about the Bible and how Lord Jesus was the answer.
I believe this. I'm a Christian. But I just got an uneasy feeling about saying that in a school with an incredibly diverse student body.
And the reason I got that feeling is because I just imagined for a second what it would be like for a scientist to give a presentation and then conclude by encouraging everyone to be atheists. Or if a Muslim presented and told us all Allah was the answer and we need to read the Qur'an. Or if a Jewish presenter told us to read the Torah.
I think there is a way to work around these issues. A couple of my favorite things to study are "Young Goodman Brown" in American Lit and the Reformation in Brit Lit. Both of those are heavily influenced by religion, but there is a way to present religion without preaching. That didn't happen on Tuesday, though.
I thought his speech was excellent. He had a very quiet presentation style and his humor was quite understated and dry. I'm not sure the students got all of his jokes (he joked about having to cross some of them off his list because of the reactions), but I thought he had an excellent blend of just enough humor and just enough message.
His message?
Well, it ended up echoing much of what I stress in my classes, especially my college level ones.
Meyer shared his 5 C's for success.
Concentration - if you can concentrate and focus - especially when distractions surround you - you are going to succeed. How true. And I hammer this home with my millennials all the time. How many paragraphs can they write or how many pages can they read before straying to Facebook or checking their cell phones?
Courtesy - treat people well. You never know where it will lead you or when it will come up to cost you. Coach Meyer shared a great story about the first McDonalds. On a Saturday, they ran out of pop. So the manager called up the local Pepsi distributor to order more. The distributor was rude and declared that they weren't going to deliver any pop on a Saturday. It didn't take long for McDonalds to switch to Coke products. Nor did it take long for McDonalds to explode. Think how much money being rude cost Pepsi.
What a great lesson for young people to learn. Kindness and grace never hurt anyone. The morons working the desk at the TRF hospital can learn a thing or two from that.
Communication - you can't land a job by texting nor can you land one via Facebook. Ultimately, your success depends on dealing with real, flesh and blood humans and impressing them with your skills. Because of their digital media, kids - I believe - are losing out on chances to communicate one on one with people, especially their elders.
After hearing this, I thought of an assignment one of the presenters shared from his session the day before. In his geography class, he always had his students go through an exit interview. They sat down with a member of the public and shared what they learned about the geography. I thought that was brilliant. In fact, the presenter said students would come back and thank him for that opportunity because it really prepared them for the real world. I'm going to conclude my College Comp II class with the same assignment.
Competition - you don't improve if you're never challenged; you don't grow if you are given everything. Competition can be good, but it can be terrible too. I tend to side with Alfie Kohn more on this issue. You simply can't turn everything into a competition. But pushing yourself, which is what competition is all about, is sorely missing from our schools. In schools I see competition as worrying too much about what others are doing and not enough about what you are doing.
The final C was for consistency - again, how often can you do something and do it well? How often can you consistently conceptrate, be courteous, communicate, and handle comptetition? Again, this is something I stress in my class. Can you consistently attend? Contribute to class? Get engaged in what we're studying? Challenge me and yourself? And ultimately perform and perform well?
Anyone can have a day where they feel like showing off or impressing others or giving their all, but can you do it day in and day out.
This reminds me of a colleague who does a great job with differentiated instruction and getting her kids to pass the high stakes tests. One of her student's showed marked improvement on one of the tests. Instead of taking pride in becoming more consistent, he copped out instead and said, "Well, I didn't try the first time I was tested."
What a cop out! And what an insult to the teacher who worked so hard to help get the students to show improvement and to get them up to grade level!
Yet, that is often the attitude of some of the slackers in our culture (and it probably always has been that way). I only succeed when I choose too (and one must ask then, why don't you choose to succeed more often?) and I deserve all the credit. I saw a T-shirt on a freshman once that summed this up - "Genius at birth; slacker by choice."
Then Meyer talked about the importance of doing what you are passionate about and doing what you love. As a Ken Robinson fan, I was all over that.
Meyer did a great job. He let his personality and beliefs filter through. And even though we are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I kind of liked that he didn't hide his biases. I liked that he let his personality show.
We don't have to agree with everything he said. That's good. It certainly made for some good discussions with my classes and colleagues.
The only thing I felt funny about was how Meyer chose to conclude his presentation, by talking about the Bible and how Lord Jesus was the answer.
I believe this. I'm a Christian. But I just got an uneasy feeling about saying that in a school with an incredibly diverse student body.
And the reason I got that feeling is because I just imagined for a second what it would be like for a scientist to give a presentation and then conclude by encouraging everyone to be atheists. Or if a Muslim presented and told us all Allah was the answer and we need to read the Qur'an. Or if a Jewish presenter told us to read the Torah.
I think there is a way to work around these issues. A couple of my favorite things to study are "Young Goodman Brown" in American Lit and the Reformation in Brit Lit. Both of those are heavily influenced by religion, but there is a way to present religion without preaching. That didn't happen on Tuesday, though.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
So much for controversial
I thought our current political ads were ghastly. Well, it seems that instead of going too far, maybe our modern ads (as attacking and mean spirited as they are) are actually less controversial.
Just think of watching this ad as a child --
And that was from 1964! I should ask my brother and sister what it was like watching this.
Well, maybe it isn't all that ghastly.
At least when compared to this modern ad -
or this sucker . . .
Just think of watching this ad as a child --
And that was from 1964! I should ask my brother and sister what it was like watching this.
Well, maybe it isn't all that ghastly.
At least when compared to this modern ad -
or this sucker . . .
Brilliant!
Just came across this story this morning. A mother 'disconnects' her kids (and herself) from digital media for six months. I like this line from the story - The result of what she grandly calls "The Experiment" was more OMG than LOL — and nothing less than an immersion in RL (real life).
Even better - she has written a book about it (The Winter of our Disconnect). I should have my College Comp II classes reading that. But we just ordered copies of Ken Robinson's The Element. However, The Winter of our Disconnect would go well with our cell phone hiatus option that we cover in that class. Maybe we'll order copies next year.
Even better - she has written a book about it (The Winter of our Disconnect). I should have my College Comp II classes reading that. But we just ordered copies of Ken Robinson's The Element. However, The Winter of our Disconnect would go well with our cell phone hiatus option that we cover in that class. Maybe we'll order copies next year.
Somebody needs to carry on the tradition
No cognac and roses at Poe's grave for the second year in a row! After 60 years, nothing. Someone either needs to pick up the tradition or read their inheritance closely.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Innovative School Cultures
This article on "Crowd Accelerated Innovation" is quite interesting, especially the day after our district wide inservice.
The opening line of the story on crowd accelerated innovation is this, Perhaps my greatest professional passion these days is promoting innovative schools cultures, and particularly ones which facilitate our students in becoming innovators.
And there certainly needs to be more of that. There was plenty of that was on display at our professional development sessions. When examining the class list, I saw a number of innovative ideas offered. My concern is that we all were exposed to these neat and nifty and innovative ways of teaching, but are we really going to do anything with them? Are we going to use them and make them part of our curriculum?
Another worry I have is that we simply don't have the best and brightest in this profession. Not you can say that I'm being a pompous ass here - and I probably am - but I work hard, love what I do (no, I don't do teaching. This is just who I am. It's no job or even a mission. It's a life.), connect with my students, and get them to do some pretty relevant things. So call me a pompous ass. I can live with that.
But I too often see people in these session who do not belong in public education!
Since I was actually presenting a session in the third course slot, I was unable to register for sessions. So I just decided to drop in on a couple of sessions that looked interesting.
The first one was presented by a friend of mine, Gene, and it was devoted to becoming an effective teacher. While I sat down, I noticed that another presenter also decided to drop in on Gene's session.
Gene started discussing how we approach such areas as curriculum, assessment, and classroom management. There was a pretty good discussion going. We were contributing and Gene was rolling with it.
Then he asked how many elementary school teachers we had in the session. Two hands went up. Gene called on the closest one - the other presenter who was sitting in the front row.
He asked her a simple question about her classroom practices, and here's where I observed what I loathe about education and what makes me want to join forces with Rhee and Duncan in their quest to purge teachers from the field: the teacher/presenter looked like a damn deer caught in the headlights.
Seriously?
You're an educator. You're in a great environment with others of your profession. And you're supposedly going to be presenting to other teachers later in the day!
And you can't even answer a simple question.
I couldn't help but thing, Oh, Lord what kind of damage is she doing to her elementary classes if she stumbles on this?
I'm sorry, but if we are educators, we need to model a love for learning, dedication, passion, interest. You know - all that stuff we expect from our students.
We need to show it off and strut our stuff when we have the chance. Not look like we were just asked the million dollar question on Who Wants to be a Millionnaire?
The best way to improve our schools is exactly what the author of the above article focuses on: promoting innovative school cultures.
Now our keynote presenter was great. He was uplifting and motivating. He had a great message. But I don't really need a reminder that teaching is a mission not a profession. But I can use a reminder on how to better use my SMARTboard or how to engage students better in discussions and how to really assess what my students learn.
What I love about this article is that it focuses on web 2.0 tools and it seeks to kill the age old idea that we teach in a vacuum.
Too often we enter our rooms and shut our doors and that's it. We are in charge and run the show.
My College Comp II class has taken off because I've stopped closing the door, so to speak. I've started bringing in other people (other teachers and business people) to speak to my kids. I've invited teachers with third block prep in to model strategies for us. I've contacted professors to enter into dialogue with my students. I've had former students come in and share what it's like to be in college. I've had students generate feedback - usually via text message or interview - asking for their peers'/parents' on what we're studying.
All of this is done to keep that door wide open. And now upon reading this article, I realize I have to do so much more of this.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Projects
Since we are going to put our house on the market, Kristie suggested a couple projects to entice buyers: repaint and get new fixtures for the upstairs bathroom and repaint and get new runners for the basement steps.
Kristie - despite being 9 months pregnant - is a dynamo. When it comes to painting or projects like this, Kristie is in her element.
But that usually means I'm out of mine.
For the most part, I handled the basement steps while Kristie and KoKo worked on the bathroom.
This was fine for me. I usually work better alone - no one can see my screwups! So I grabbed my iPod and set about working.
One of the first things I had to do was trim the bottom of the bathroom door half an inch. This task called for the one thing I am not meant to do - work with tools.
But I bit the bullet and carried the door downstairs and set up my work table and set up my skill saw (I know, dear reads, you are in utter amazement that I have those). However, when I would get about half way through, the blade would stop.
I'd start over, and the blasted thing would grind to a halt.
I was about to saw the thing by hand when I thought I'd give it on more try.
Sure enough, the blade stopped again. The urge to bash the skill saw all over the basement floor passed through me, but I resisted.
Why does this always happen? I thought. If this were my brother-in-law, he'd have the door trimmed and the basement done and would probably be working on adding an addition!
Not me though. If I can strip I screw, I will. If I can hit my thumb with the hammer, I will. If I can drop something right when I am about to put it in the perfect spot, I will.
And apparently, when I am about to get halfway through cutting something with my skill saw, it stops working!
Why, I thought again. Here I am listening to Simon Schama's epidsode on Rembrandt from his classic The Power of Art while trying to get my skill saw to work.
At least, I had to chuckle, there probably aren't too many guys in the country doing that!
So I marched out to our garage to grab my socket set (yes, I have one of those two) and took the blade off and put it back on.
It worked perfectly after that.
I don't know what I did, but the problem was solved. The door was trimmed and that task was over. So was my episode on Rembrandt. I moved on to the next one on Picasso and started working on the stairs.
After roughly 18 hours of work, the projects are almost all done. Kristie was right. They make a world of difference.
Now, we just need to sell this place!
Kristie - despite being 9 months pregnant - is a dynamo. When it comes to painting or projects like this, Kristie is in her element.
But that usually means I'm out of mine.
For the most part, I handled the basement steps while Kristie and KoKo worked on the bathroom.
This was fine for me. I usually work better alone - no one can see my screwups! So I grabbed my iPod and set about working.
One of the first things I had to do was trim the bottom of the bathroom door half an inch. This task called for the one thing I am not meant to do - work with tools.
But I bit the bullet and carried the door downstairs and set up my work table and set up my skill saw (I know, dear reads, you are in utter amazement that I have those). However, when I would get about half way through, the blade would stop.
I'd start over, and the blasted thing would grind to a halt.
I was about to saw the thing by hand when I thought I'd give it on more try.
Sure enough, the blade stopped again. The urge to bash the skill saw all over the basement floor passed through me, but I resisted.
Why does this always happen? I thought. If this were my brother-in-law, he'd have the door trimmed and the basement done and would probably be working on adding an addition!
Not me though. If I can strip I screw, I will. If I can hit my thumb with the hammer, I will. If I can drop something right when I am about to put it in the perfect spot, I will.
And apparently, when I am about to get halfway through cutting something with my skill saw, it stops working!
Why, I thought again. Here I am listening to Simon Schama's epidsode on Rembrandt from his classic The Power of Art while trying to get my skill saw to work.
At least, I had to chuckle, there probably aren't too many guys in the country doing that!
So I marched out to our garage to grab my socket set (yes, I have one of those two) and took the blade off and put it back on.
It worked perfectly after that.
I don't know what I did, but the problem was solved. The door was trimmed and that task was over. So was my episode on Rembrandt. I moved on to the next one on Picasso and started working on the stairs.
After roughly 18 hours of work, the projects are almost all done. Kristie was right. They make a world of difference.
Now, we just need to sell this place!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
F&*(^n' Walmart
Just try to locate the bell in this picture. I was tempted to go find a bell that Wal-Mart was selling and then ring it, but seeing as how we couldn't spot an employee within 20 yards, I'd be mistaken for a Salvation Army worker.
Finally - after going all the way over to customer service - we did get a worker. Who informed us that they were in the middle of updating their paint center and they were out of several types of paint. Including the one we wanted.
But he might be able to get a different kind of gloss to work. Kristie handed him the paint square and he began punching information into the computer.
Twenty minutes later . . . he had to call for his manager. It took two managers and this employee to inform us that it wasn't going to work.
So we went to Paint and Glass and got exactly what we wanted, from someone who knew exactly what he was talking about.
Sure, we probably paid twice as much.
But every extra penny was worth it.
Lesson learned.
Wal-Mart sucks.
Finally - after going all the way over to customer service - we did get a worker. Who informed us that they were in the middle of updating their paint center and they were out of several types of paint. Including the one we wanted.
But he might be able to get a different kind of gloss to work. Kristie handed him the paint square and he began punching information into the computer.
Twenty minutes later . . . he had to call for his manager. It took two managers and this employee to inform us that it wasn't going to work.
So we went to Paint and Glass and got exactly what we wanted, from someone who knew exactly what he was talking about.
Sure, we probably paid twice as much.
But every extra penny was worth it.
Lesson learned.
Wal-Mart sucks.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Has Anything Changed?
If you want the first 45 seconds of the video below, you'll find something quite interesting.
Sound familiar?
I hear this same talk - albeit decades later - from staff members nearly ever day.
Has anything (other than grainy black and white and the clothing styles) changed at all? If not, why not?
I'd argue that for the most part, many of us still teach like this. If it didn't work terribly well decades ago, why should it work now?
Well, the rest of the video chimes in on that debate.
I especially like what Marc Prensky has to say about this: how school has been bifurcated into sitting through school and then (more than ever with this digital culture) creating and sharing information that is far more meaningful after school. After school wins every time.
How can we change that?
Sound familiar?
I hear this same talk - albeit decades later - from staff members nearly ever day.
Has anything (other than grainy black and white and the clothing styles) changed at all? If not, why not?
I'd argue that for the most part, many of us still teach like this. If it didn't work terribly well decades ago, why should it work now?
Well, the rest of the video chimes in on that debate.
I especially like what Marc Prensky has to say about this: how school has been bifurcated into sitting through school and then (more than ever with this digital culture) creating and sharing information that is far more meaningful after school. After school wins every time.
How can we change that?
Democratic Education
Best Damn video I've seen all year.
Thoughts while I watched this --
1 out of 3 will graduate. Wow.
Lack self-direction and problem-solving skills. I couldn't agree more. And it's all because of how we have our schools structured. Not just sit in rows and listen to the teacher, but it goes far deeper than that. It would be interesting take examine our curriculum and assignments to see how often students are allowed to create, synthesize, evaluate, and analyze instead of just remember and recite and regurgitate.
No wonder (and I'm as quality as anyone) most students just show up with a "just tell me what to think" or "just tell me what I need to know to pass the test" mentality.
Is it any wonder, then, that we churn out employees who show up to work with the attitude of "just tell me what I need to do to earn a paycheck" and then we wonder why they lack self-direction and problem-solving skills.
And Rhee and Duncan and Vallas and their love for high stakes testing and standardized curriculum just fuel this type of mindless schooling. Because - as bad as it sounds - not every (you hear that NCLB) student is going to self-directed and eager to problem-solve. Sorry. But a portion of students are. And those bright and eager and motivated students are turned off when we have to drag everyone else along to learn basic skills.
"Our system tests and grades young people, turning them off learning" Amen. Now I'm not as far out there as Alfie Kohn, who would abolish all grades, but I'd rather have that than our current mess of grade inflation and passing kids a long to not hurt their self esteem.
All young people (now you got that part right NCLB) have strengths. It's just that schools don't (and maybe can't) cater to them all.
Which is why I say let's have absolute unstandardization. One size does not fit all. Let's have liberal arts high schools, foreign language immersion high schools, technical schools, trade schools, on-line schools, schools that focus on internships or intense travel or apprenticeships . . .
Have the primary grades discover their students' passions (which they used to do wonderfully before NCLB crammed testing down their throats). Have middle schools unlock them and then have high schools that immerse students in their passions and interests. Then get the hell out of the way and let the magic happen.
Thoughts while I watched this --
1 out of 3 will graduate. Wow.
Lack self-direction and problem-solving skills. I couldn't agree more. And it's all because of how we have our schools structured. Not just sit in rows and listen to the teacher, but it goes far deeper than that. It would be interesting take examine our curriculum and assignments to see how often students are allowed to create, synthesize, evaluate, and analyze instead of just remember and recite and regurgitate.
No wonder (and I'm as quality as anyone) most students just show up with a "just tell me what to think" or "just tell me what I need to know to pass the test" mentality.
Is it any wonder, then, that we churn out employees who show up to work with the attitude of "just tell me what I need to do to earn a paycheck" and then we wonder why they lack self-direction and problem-solving skills.
And Rhee and Duncan and Vallas and their love for high stakes testing and standardized curriculum just fuel this type of mindless schooling. Because - as bad as it sounds - not every (you hear that NCLB) student is going to self-directed and eager to problem-solve. Sorry. But a portion of students are. And those bright and eager and motivated students are turned off when we have to drag everyone else along to learn basic skills.
"Our system tests and grades young people, turning them off learning" Amen. Now I'm not as far out there as Alfie Kohn, who would abolish all grades, but I'd rather have that than our current mess of grade inflation and passing kids a long to not hurt their self esteem.
All young people (now you got that part right NCLB) have strengths. It's just that schools don't (and maybe can't) cater to them all.
Which is why I say let's have absolute unstandardization. One size does not fit all. Let's have liberal arts high schools, foreign language immersion high schools, technical schools, trade schools, on-line schools, schools that focus on internships or intense travel or apprenticeships . . .
Have the primary grades discover their students' passions (which they used to do wonderfully before NCLB crammed testing down their throats). Have middle schools unlock them and then have high schools that immerse students in their passions and interests. Then get the hell out of the way and let the magic happen.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Scare
I usually get up in the morning a couple hours before everyone else. Gives me some time to make some extra strong coffee and blog a bit and read the news. Just a little time to myself.
However, yesterday when I was going upstairs to get dressed, I noticed our bedroom light was on a bit early.
I looked in and saw Kristie with a very worried look on her face.
I froze. Kristie doesn't worry. At least she doesn't show it.
"He hasn't moved," she said, and her voice broke a little. She began to shake her tummy, hoping to wake Cash up and get him moving around.
"Something is wrong. I feel different," she said.
That was enough for me. Off to the emergency room Kenz, Kristie, and I went at 7.
It was the longest 16 mile drive I can remember.
Kenzie was great while Kristie worried and I prayed.
Finally, we pulled up to the hospital in TRF and ventured in.
We should have gone to Crookston.
I have heard horror stories about the TRF emergency room, mostly from a colleague whose daughter had a split lip. When they ran her in, the staff told them that there wouldn't be a doctor in until 6 - this was around five. So they gave her ice and towels for the blood. When the doctor finally sauntered in, he saw how bad the cut was and said, "This is bad. We need to stitch this immediately." And they did, minus any anesthesia. Imagine holding your child down while Civil War era medical practices are applied . . . in a modern hospital!
So when we encountered the two receptionists, a guy and girl, I knew we were in trouble. They may have just been finishing an all night shift, but, I'm sorry, if you work in a hospital that has an emergency room, please show a modicum of concern and urgency.
Is that too much to ask for?
The guy attempted to register us, but he struggled to figure out how to do it. He couldn't manage to put down exactly how many weeks Kristie was pregnant.
Then he tried to spell our last name!
"R-E-Y-N-O-L-D-S" Kristie said.
"R-E-Y-L-O-N-D-S" he repeated.
"No," Kristie said and repeated it.
The girl working next to him, rolled her chair over to him and pointed at the screen.
He didn't ask for it again, so we assumed it was right.
But he had it wrong again.
Finally, Kristie spelled it again and said, "Reynolds. As in Reynolds' Wrap."
Oh lord!
All while we're panicking that there is something wrong with our little baby boy!
Kristie handed me her insurance card, which also included her name (spelled correctly) and she began to pace.
"Insurance?" he asked.
I handed him the card.
They began to attempt to transfer this information in to what must certainly be the world's most complex computer system.
I had had enough so I went to pull our Highlander around to the parking lot.
Fortunately, when I got back inside, I saw that finally - after 15 minutes - Kristie was talking with a nurse.
Once we were actually admitted and met with our nurse, it was great. Our nurse was awesome and quickly got Kristie into a room and hooked up to a baby monitor.
I held Kenzie and dreaded the results.
It seemed to take forever for the nurse to strap the monitor around Kristie's belly.
Then she put on the heart monitor. Nothing. I couldn't hear a thing, and my heart broke.
Then she said, "Oh just a second. It's a new machine and the volume is turned down."
When she cranked it up, I instantly heard Cash's heart pounding away.
Let me tell you what a relief that was.
Suddenly all the problems I had been facing at six - getting to school early for our PLC meeting, grading College Comp II papers, motivating several of my College Comp I students to get going on their research papers, looking at a new home and trying to sell ours - all those things just seemed so trivial.
I could have sat with Kenzie in my lap and listened to Cash's little heart beat all day long.
The nurse informed us that she was going to leave Kristie hooked up to the monitor for 45 minutes just to make sure everything was okay.
I took out my cell phone to let my principal know I'd miss the PLC meeting and that everything was okay (I can't take a phone call or miss a period without staff and students thinking Kristie has gone into labor).
We sat there basking in relief.
That's when Kristie noticed her hospital band.
She chuckled and said, "Look at this, hon."
There was our last name: "Reynolonds."
How fitting!
However, yesterday when I was going upstairs to get dressed, I noticed our bedroom light was on a bit early.
I looked in and saw Kristie with a very worried look on her face.
I froze. Kristie doesn't worry. At least she doesn't show it.
"He hasn't moved," she said, and her voice broke a little. She began to shake her tummy, hoping to wake Cash up and get him moving around.
"Something is wrong. I feel different," she said.
That was enough for me. Off to the emergency room Kenz, Kristie, and I went at 7.
It was the longest 16 mile drive I can remember.
Kenzie was great while Kristie worried and I prayed.
Finally, we pulled up to the hospital in TRF and ventured in.
We should have gone to Crookston.
I have heard horror stories about the TRF emergency room, mostly from a colleague whose daughter had a split lip. When they ran her in, the staff told them that there wouldn't be a doctor in until 6 - this was around five. So they gave her ice and towels for the blood. When the doctor finally sauntered in, he saw how bad the cut was and said, "This is bad. We need to stitch this immediately." And they did, minus any anesthesia. Imagine holding your child down while Civil War era medical practices are applied . . . in a modern hospital!
So when we encountered the two receptionists, a guy and girl, I knew we were in trouble. They may have just been finishing an all night shift, but, I'm sorry, if you work in a hospital that has an emergency room, please show a modicum of concern and urgency.
Is that too much to ask for?
The guy attempted to register us, but he struggled to figure out how to do it. He couldn't manage to put down exactly how many weeks Kristie was pregnant.
Then he tried to spell our last name!
"R-E-Y-N-O-L-D-S" Kristie said.
"R-E-Y-L-O-N-D-S" he repeated.
"No," Kristie said and repeated it.
The girl working next to him, rolled her chair over to him and pointed at the screen.
He didn't ask for it again, so we assumed it was right.
But he had it wrong again.
Finally, Kristie spelled it again and said, "Reynolds. As in Reynolds' Wrap."
Oh lord!
All while we're panicking that there is something wrong with our little baby boy!
Kristie handed me her insurance card, which also included her name (spelled correctly) and she began to pace.
"Insurance?" he asked.
I handed him the card.
They began to attempt to transfer this information in to what must certainly be the world's most complex computer system.
I had had enough so I went to pull our Highlander around to the parking lot.
Fortunately, when I got back inside, I saw that finally - after 15 minutes - Kristie was talking with a nurse.
Once we were actually admitted and met with our nurse, it was great. Our nurse was awesome and quickly got Kristie into a room and hooked up to a baby monitor.
I held Kenzie and dreaded the results.
It seemed to take forever for the nurse to strap the monitor around Kristie's belly.
Then she put on the heart monitor. Nothing. I couldn't hear a thing, and my heart broke.
Then she said, "Oh just a second. It's a new machine and the volume is turned down."
When she cranked it up, I instantly heard Cash's heart pounding away.
Let me tell you what a relief that was.
Suddenly all the problems I had been facing at six - getting to school early for our PLC meeting, grading College Comp II papers, motivating several of my College Comp I students to get going on their research papers, looking at a new home and trying to sell ours - all those things just seemed so trivial.
I could have sat with Kenzie in my lap and listened to Cash's little heart beat all day long.
The nurse informed us that she was going to leave Kristie hooked up to the monitor for 45 minutes just to make sure everything was okay.
I took out my cell phone to let my principal know I'd miss the PLC meeting and that everything was okay (I can't take a phone call or miss a period without staff and students thinking Kristie has gone into labor).
We sat there basking in relief.
That's when Kristie noticed her hospital band.
She chuckled and said, "Look at this, hon."
There was our last name: "Reynolonds."
How fitting!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Famous Failures
I recently found an essay on the merits of quitting that a former student wrote. I re-read it and found it even more powerful.
It reminded me of this
I also like this quote from some guy named Michael Jordan
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
And I really like this quote too -
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it." -- W.C. Fields
Now, we have a fancy term for quitting so it doesn't get a bad rap in our win-at-all costs society, it's called having an 'exit' strategy.
But it's still quitting. And people should not only know how to do it, but do more of it.
Why?
Because people strive too hard for actual happiness (getting what you think you want - or getting what advertisements make you think you want or need), as opposed to what one psychologist calls synthetic happiness (which is making do with what you get when you don't get that which you want).
How often do we strive for something that we think will make us happy? How often does the striving make us unhappy? What if we had an exit strategy in place to get the hell out of there if we are miserable . . . without being dubbed a quitter?
Here's his take on happiness -
And here is a superb Calvin and Hobbes that gets at the stigma around quitting. The cartoon makes such a grand statement, that I couldn't get the point across if I wrote an entire book on it. Be honest. You've been in Calvin shoes and felt the same way. Be honest.
Now, you tell me what is wrong with quitting.
It reminded me of this
I also like this quote from some guy named Michael Jordan
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
And I really like this quote too -
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it." -- W.C. Fields
Now, we have a fancy term for quitting so it doesn't get a bad rap in our win-at-all costs society, it's called having an 'exit' strategy.
But it's still quitting. And people should not only know how to do it, but do more of it.
Why?
Because people strive too hard for actual happiness (getting what you think you want - or getting what advertisements make you think you want or need), as opposed to what one psychologist calls synthetic happiness (which is making do with what you get when you don't get that which you want).
How often do we strive for something that we think will make us happy? How often does the striving make us unhappy? What if we had an exit strategy in place to get the hell out of there if we are miserable . . . without being dubbed a quitter?
Here's his take on happiness -
And here is a superb Calvin and Hobbes that gets at the stigma around quitting. The cartoon makes such a grand statement, that I couldn't get the point across if I wrote an entire book on it. Be honest. You've been in Calvin shoes and felt the same way. Be honest.
Now, you tell me what is wrong with quitting.
So much for the gold standard
For some good reasons the KIPP schools are shining examples of what can be done when schools are set up to attract the best and brightest teachers and faculty, devote themselves to a rigorous college-prep curriculum, and get serious about student expectations.
But all is not as it appears:
This incredibly high attrition rate is one reason that KIPP has been able to post higher scores than traditional public schools. The performance is further boosted by the fact that those students who leave are not replaced by new enrollees. As a result, the students remaining are in classes with only their most successful contemporaries. This screened environment further enhances their ability to excel.
If high schools could pick and choose their students, no doubt their scores would soar as well.
But all is not as it appears:
This incredibly high attrition rate is one reason that KIPP has been able to post higher scores than traditional public schools. The performance is further boosted by the fact that those students who leave are not replaced by new enrollees. As a result, the students remaining are in classes with only their most successful contemporaries. This screened environment further enhances their ability to excel.
If high schools could pick and choose their students, no doubt their scores would soar as well.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Google-fication of education
I found this passage from an article on the booming business of on line learning really interesting --
"If a kid goes home and studies for three or four hours, that kid produces high stakes data. Right now, we just lose it all," says Jose Ferreira, Knewton's CEO and a veteran executive from test-prep behemoth Kaplan. "If you do your homework online, we can capture 100,000, 200,000 data points. And then we can create a personal textbook for you based on your weaknesses."
Now that's pretty cool. I've been saying for a long time that there is a needed change in 21st education: school has to become more of a process and less of a place.
I know traditionalists will scoff at this and declare, "students still need to go to school."
Maybe. Maybe not.
Think of how we all learn. When I was learning and researching how to build my patio a couple years ago, there was no one central location I went to in order to learn.
I went to Lowe's for the supplies and bought a book there. But I also went on-line to see tutorials and advice.
I talked to several people, even inviting one over to give me immediately feedback and advice.
Then I just went ahead and did it. And basically taught myself.
You traditionalists, just ask yourself how often do we allow students to learn in school as I did in the patio example?
If it had been school, a teacher would have lectured 45 minutes a day for one week on building a patio. Students would have studied soil and composition. They would have studied water flow and other things that are important, but are delivered in a totally disengaging (and impractical way).
"If a kid goes home and studies for three or four hours, that kid produces high stakes data. Right now, we just lose it all," says Jose Ferreira, Knewton's CEO and a veteran executive from test-prep behemoth Kaplan. "If you do your homework online, we can capture 100,000, 200,000 data points. And then we can create a personal textbook for you based on your weaknesses."
Now that's pretty cool. I've been saying for a long time that there is a needed change in 21st education: school has to become more of a process and less of a place.
I know traditionalists will scoff at this and declare, "students still need to go to school."
Maybe. Maybe not.
Think of how we all learn. When I was learning and researching how to build my patio a couple years ago, there was no one central location I went to in order to learn.
I went to Lowe's for the supplies and bought a book there. But I also went on-line to see tutorials and advice.
I talked to several people, even inviting one over to give me immediately feedback and advice.
Then I just went ahead and did it. And basically taught myself.
You traditionalists, just ask yourself how often do we allow students to learn in school as I did in the patio example?
If it had been school, a teacher would have lectured 45 minutes a day for one week on building a patio. Students would have studied soil and composition. They would have studied water flow and other things that are important, but are delivered in a totally disengaging (and impractical way).
A great point on the how to fix schools debate
Americans have an extravagant faith in the ability of education to solve all manner of social problems. In our mind's eye, schools are engines of progress that create opportunity and foster upward mobility. To the contrary, these persistent achievement gaps demonstrate the limits of schools to compensate for problems outside the classroom - broken homes, street violence, indifference to education - that discourage learning and inhibit teaching. As child-psychologist Jerome Kagan points out, a strong predictor of children's school success is the educational attainment of their parents. The higher it is, the more parents read to them, inform and encourage them.
An excellent point.
A successful school is a complex equation with many components. It is not a simple formula, as many (Arne Duncan and Michelle Rhee come to mind) want us to believe.
Give me some engaged and motivated students, and, together, we can achieve and work wonders. But students - and parents - have to do their part.
That doesn't always happen.
If I only had students as motivated for my class as they are for athletics. I had a student come in to ask me a question about their upcoming research paper. They were asking me the question at the end of the day because they had missed school for illness. They also were on their way to hockey practice. Can't miss practice because they'd have to miss the following game.
But missing school is perfectly okay?
Solve that, and you can count on solving some of what's wrong in education.
An excellent point.
A successful school is a complex equation with many components. It is not a simple formula, as many (Arne Duncan and Michelle Rhee come to mind) want us to believe.
Give me some engaged and motivated students, and, together, we can achieve and work wonders. But students - and parents - have to do their part.
That doesn't always happen.
If I only had students as motivated for my class as they are for athletics. I had a student come in to ask me a question about their upcoming research paper. They were asking me the question at the end of the day because they had missed school for illness. They also were on their way to hockey practice. Can't miss practice because they'd have to miss the following game.
But missing school is perfectly okay?
Solve that, and you can count on solving some of what's wrong in education.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Newst from Friedman
Thomas Friedman makes an excellent point (as always) in his latest column about the tough changes and tasks in store for our political leaders (and us) -
But the really hard stuff lies ahead: taking things away. We are leaving an era where to be a mayor, governor, senator or president was, on balance, to give things away to people. And we are entering an era where to be a leader will mean, on balance, to take things away from people. It is the only way we’ll get our fiscal house in order before the market, brutally, does it for us.
Can we - as a society - return to the thrifty and conservative ways of our ancestors who dug their way out of fiscal calamity? While it will be difficult, I like Friedman's analogy -
Everyone knows the first rule of holes: When you’re in one, stop digging. But people often forget the second rule of holes: You can only grow your way out. You can’t borrow your way out.
The good news is that Friedman has a new book in the works. Can't wait for that.
But the really hard stuff lies ahead: taking things away. We are leaving an era where to be a mayor, governor, senator or president was, on balance, to give things away to people. And we are entering an era where to be a leader will mean, on balance, to take things away from people. It is the only way we’ll get our fiscal house in order before the market, brutally, does it for us.
Can we - as a society - return to the thrifty and conservative ways of our ancestors who dug their way out of fiscal calamity? While it will be difficult, I like Friedman's analogy -
Everyone knows the first rule of holes: When you’re in one, stop digging. But people often forget the second rule of holes: You can only grow your way out. You can’t borrow your way out.
The good news is that Friedman has a new book in the works. Can't wait for that.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
On Huck Finn
It seems absolutely ridiculous to me that publishers are now editing out the 'N' word from Huck Finn.
I understand that it's controversial, but it's not like the word doesn't have some historical context for the book. I could see if they were looking at something modern, say Pulp Fiction, where Tarantino continuously uses the word to try and evoke a reaction from people.
But Twain is not doing that. He is simply reflecting the time period via the dialogue he crafted.
Are we going to edit out the 'N' word from To Kill a Mockingbird next? Are we going to edit out the Nazis from Night or Sophie's Choice? Or maybe even the snake from Genesis?
Who knows if they're even done with Huck Finn? Maybe they'll edit out his drunk and abusive father.
I read a reaction from a college professor who believed the book should only be read at a university level where the professors could explore the historical implications of the word with their students.
What elitist b.s.
I taught Mockingbird with an African American in my class two years ago. He was open and honest about the use of the 'N' word, and he had no problem with it. It was also a great chance for us to discuss the implications of that word (and also why some - such as Tarantino in his films - and numerous rappers (black and white) can get away with uttering it every other word, but when a book does it, it's a call for censorship) and the power of language in general (this, of course, led us right into thinking about the next novel we'd be reading, Fahrenheit 451).
I think for a bunch of high school juniors, they did quite well exploring and discussing the historical context of the word without being racist or disrespectful.
What is brilliant about novels like Huck Finn or To Kill a Mockingbird is that one can read them at different parts of one's life and get totally different books.
At the age of 12, one can read Huck Finn as a boy's grand adventure on the way to adulthood. As a high school student, one can begin to explore the complex themes of hypocrisy, adulthood, and racism. As an adult, one can read it and again get an entirely different experience out of Huck Finn.
Editing Huck Finn is just scary as hell. It is exactly what Bradbury predicts will happen in 451. Books will stop being printed because they upset and offend (and isn't that the point of books. I mean real books, not slick and (mostly) brainless entertainment ala Koontz, Steele, and other best sellers). Once people stop being upset and offended, they stop thinking critically. When that happens, they just want to be entertained. And while they are kept craving entertainment, the governments are free to manipulate them as they wish.
What's wrong with being upset or offended? Deal with it. Or better yet, have a conversation about it. Think about it. Learn from it.
I think this passage from Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (and who's to say the censorship gods won't decide to visit old Mr. Holmes. I just finished a part where he smoked the better part of two pounds of tobacco. That's not right! Better tweak that part right on out of there) makes an excellent point regarding the historical usage of the 'N' word, which we find so controversial now. Holmes is talking with Watson and a guest, Dr. Mortimer, who is about to share with the detectives the history of the Baskerville family curse, namely how a particularly nefarious ancestor met a grissly demise at the hands of a demon hound (and how every Baskerville after that has met a grissly demise as well). As Mortimer begins to read the history, the document contains this line concerning why the Baskerville ancestors should not fear the gruesome tale: "And I would have you believe, my sons, that the same Justice which punishes sin may also most graciously forgive it, and that no ban is so heavy but that by prayer and repentance it may be removed. Learn then from this story not to fear the fruits of the past, but rather to be circumspect in the future, that those foul passions whereby our family has suffered so grievously may not again be loosed to our undoing."
Learn from the past. What a novel idea. Why not learn from past cultures . . . but in learning about them, let's not be so hasty to apply our modern morals and ideals upon them. Let's not judge them from our current perspective. Rather let's try and step into their shoes (ahhhh, there's a good old lesson from To Kill a Mockingbird! I can almost hear Atticus saying those words) and try to see what their world looked like. It seems to me that the censors are simply trying to step into Twain's world just in order to see what our world looks like.
That's just backwards to me.
Just like censorship.
I understand that it's controversial, but it's not like the word doesn't have some historical context for the book. I could see if they were looking at something modern, say Pulp Fiction, where Tarantino continuously uses the word to try and evoke a reaction from people.
But Twain is not doing that. He is simply reflecting the time period via the dialogue he crafted.
Are we going to edit out the 'N' word from To Kill a Mockingbird next? Are we going to edit out the Nazis from Night or Sophie's Choice? Or maybe even the snake from Genesis?
Who knows if they're even done with Huck Finn? Maybe they'll edit out his drunk and abusive father.
I read a reaction from a college professor who believed the book should only be read at a university level where the professors could explore the historical implications of the word with their students.
What elitist b.s.
I taught Mockingbird with an African American in my class two years ago. He was open and honest about the use of the 'N' word, and he had no problem with it. It was also a great chance for us to discuss the implications of that word (and also why some - such as Tarantino in his films - and numerous rappers (black and white) can get away with uttering it every other word, but when a book does it, it's a call for censorship) and the power of language in general (this, of course, led us right into thinking about the next novel we'd be reading, Fahrenheit 451).
I think for a bunch of high school juniors, they did quite well exploring and discussing the historical context of the word without being racist or disrespectful.
What is brilliant about novels like Huck Finn or To Kill a Mockingbird is that one can read them at different parts of one's life and get totally different books.
At the age of 12, one can read Huck Finn as a boy's grand adventure on the way to adulthood. As a high school student, one can begin to explore the complex themes of hypocrisy, adulthood, and racism. As an adult, one can read it and again get an entirely different experience out of Huck Finn.
Editing Huck Finn is just scary as hell. It is exactly what Bradbury predicts will happen in 451. Books will stop being printed because they upset and offend (and isn't that the point of books. I mean real books, not slick and (mostly) brainless entertainment ala Koontz, Steele, and other best sellers). Once people stop being upset and offended, they stop thinking critically. When that happens, they just want to be entertained. And while they are kept craving entertainment, the governments are free to manipulate them as they wish.
What's wrong with being upset or offended? Deal with it. Or better yet, have a conversation about it. Think about it. Learn from it.
I think this passage from Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (and who's to say the censorship gods won't decide to visit old Mr. Holmes. I just finished a part where he smoked the better part of two pounds of tobacco. That's not right! Better tweak that part right on out of there) makes an excellent point regarding the historical usage of the 'N' word, which we find so controversial now. Holmes is talking with Watson and a guest, Dr. Mortimer, who is about to share with the detectives the history of the Baskerville family curse, namely how a particularly nefarious ancestor met a grissly demise at the hands of a demon hound (and how every Baskerville after that has met a grissly demise as well). As Mortimer begins to read the history, the document contains this line concerning why the Baskerville ancestors should not fear the gruesome tale: "And I would have you believe, my sons, that the same Justice which punishes sin may also most graciously forgive it, and that no ban is so heavy but that by prayer and repentance it may be removed. Learn then from this story not to fear the fruits of the past, but rather to be circumspect in the future, that those foul passions whereby our family has suffered so grievously may not again be loosed to our undoing."
Learn from the past. What a novel idea. Why not learn from past cultures . . . but in learning about them, let's not be so hasty to apply our modern morals and ideals upon them. Let's not judge them from our current perspective. Rather let's try and step into their shoes (ahhhh, there's a good old lesson from To Kill a Mockingbird! I can almost hear Atticus saying those words) and try to see what their world looked like. It seems to me that the censors are simply trying to step into Twain's world just in order to see what our world looks like.
That's just backwards to me.
Just like censorship.
Another old wive's tale down the drain
So much for the need to warm up your car before taking off in the morning. If I had a nickel for every time my dad cautioned me, "Better let your car warm up," I'd be a rich, rich man.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Two Thousand Posts
I have been inching closer to my 2,000th blog entry. That's a lot of entries, and a whole lot of writing. To mark the occasion, I thought I'd post my initial entry to see how just how much has changed.
I teach high school English in north western Minnesota. As my description states above, this blog will offer the reader a look into my life as a teacher. I consider my home and class lives inseparable. Even though this is my eighth year in the classroom, I still am unable to separate the two But that was part of the deal when I went into teaching.
I also hope to show the many highs, lows, successes, and frustrations of the teaching life. For the past year now I have been addicted to several blogs - most by teachers, and I hope to offer any readers the same things I've found in other blogs.
We are currently on our second day of inservice. I hate it. I have found that many people in the general public think we just show up on the first day of school and leave on the last day and that's it. Well, that is a load of crap. Now I'm not one to complain about being a teacher. We have enough of those around here. I love my job. I love my salary. I love my kids. I love my room. I love my work. Again, I am not one of the teachers who rants and raves about being too many papers to correct and not enough money to do it. I know how fortunate I am. But inservice days drive me nuts.
First, they usually entail listening to some hired gun 'expert' educator our administrators overpay to come in to get us revved up. This isn't always bad. But more often than not, as has been my experience, this 'expert' is usually someone who has only observed a real classroom. Yet somehow they managed to write seven books on how to manage a classroom or motivate students. It's kind of like being in college again where I had a few professors, usually in the ed department, who have very little experience (if any) in the classroom. But since I'm in the role of student during these inservice days, I give the 'experts' my attention. But usually I get very little from them. Plus, I could get more accomplished in my own classroom focusing on my own classes.
I do prefer these 'experts' and their presentations to the higher ups in our district, such superintendents and principals, getting up and blathering on at length. During my second year here, we had a superintendent who spoke for over an hour reminding us that it was our role to motivate our students to achieve. I have never been more insulted in my life. It's not like I forgot that I was supposed to motivate students to achieve over the summer. Sometimes, like it or not, superintendents are as out of touch with classroom reality as the so called 'experts.'
The rest of the inservice days are usually spent in department meetings, cleaning out my room, getting my computer up and running, get the classes entered on my computer, making sure my supplies all arrived and so on. What drives me nuts about all of this is that it has so little to do with what I enjoy most about teaching: the students.
New teachers are often amazed at all that goes in to just being ready to teach on that first Tuesday in September. But right now I wish it was all over and I had some kids in here writing. So I guess I'll stop procrastinating and get back to my inservice day.
I teach high school English in north western Minnesota. As my description states above, this blog will offer the reader a look into my life as a teacher. I consider my home and class lives inseparable. Even though this is my eighth year in the classroom, I still am unable to separate the two But that was part of the deal when I went into teaching.
I also hope to show the many highs, lows, successes, and frustrations of the teaching life. For the past year now I have been addicted to several blogs - most by teachers, and I hope to offer any readers the same things I've found in other blogs.
We are currently on our second day of inservice. I hate it. I have found that many people in the general public think we just show up on the first day of school and leave on the last day and that's it. Well, that is a load of crap. Now I'm not one to complain about being a teacher. We have enough of those around here. I love my job. I love my salary. I love my kids. I love my room. I love my work. Again, I am not one of the teachers who rants and raves about being too many papers to correct and not enough money to do it. I know how fortunate I am. But inservice days drive me nuts.
First, they usually entail listening to some hired gun 'expert' educator our administrators overpay to come in to get us revved up. This isn't always bad. But more often than not, as has been my experience, this 'expert' is usually someone who has only observed a real classroom. Yet somehow they managed to write seven books on how to manage a classroom or motivate students. It's kind of like being in college again where I had a few professors, usually in the ed department, who have very little experience (if any) in the classroom. But since I'm in the role of student during these inservice days, I give the 'experts' my attention. But usually I get very little from them. Plus, I could get more accomplished in my own classroom focusing on my own classes.
I do prefer these 'experts' and their presentations to the higher ups in our district, such superintendents and principals, getting up and blathering on at length. During my second year here, we had a superintendent who spoke for over an hour reminding us that it was our role to motivate our students to achieve. I have never been more insulted in my life. It's not like I forgot that I was supposed to motivate students to achieve over the summer. Sometimes, like it or not, superintendents are as out of touch with classroom reality as the so called 'experts.'
The rest of the inservice days are usually spent in department meetings, cleaning out my room, getting my computer up and running, get the classes entered on my computer, making sure my supplies all arrived and so on. What drives me nuts about all of this is that it has so little to do with what I enjoy most about teaching: the students.
New teachers are often amazed at all that goes in to just being ready to teach on that first Tuesday in September. But right now I wish it was all over and I had some kids in here writing. So I guess I'll stop procrastinating and get back to my inservice day.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
A Love Letter
to Albuquerque schools.
I wonder how they really feel about 'teacher-proof' curriculum and high stakes testing.
I wonder how they really feel about 'teacher-proof' curriculum and high stakes testing.
Oh, Rush
Here's a multiple choice question for you regarding the brilliant Rush Limbaugh.
I have been doing some reading regarding the 'scandal' that broke out some years ago over national standards in American History.
It seems that those who devised them gave too much attention to those damn minorities and lesser-thans (you know immigrants, African Americans, Native Americans, and women) and not enough time to the traditional dead white guys. The writers of the standards were accused of focusing too much on the repressors' side of history and not the conquerers' side. Of course, this became a liberal vs. conservative issue (and what doesn't these days?).
Now both sides have legit points.
But let me devise a question that illustrates some of the brilliance of one overly conservative wag, Mr. Limbaugh.
When discussing the supposed liberal standards, what statement did Rush make -
A. The writers of the standards neglect a significant portion of popular history.
B. The standards are liberally biased.
C. The standards should be flushed down the toilet.
D. I am pleased that our students will at least be studying some form of history in high school!
I await your answers!
I have been doing some reading regarding the 'scandal' that broke out some years ago over national standards in American History.
It seems that those who devised them gave too much attention to those damn minorities and lesser-thans (you know immigrants, African Americans, Native Americans, and women) and not enough time to the traditional dead white guys. The writers of the standards were accused of focusing too much on the repressors' side of history and not the conquerers' side. Of course, this became a liberal vs. conservative issue (and what doesn't these days?).
Now both sides have legit points.
But let me devise a question that illustrates some of the brilliance of one overly conservative wag, Mr. Limbaugh.
When discussing the supposed liberal standards, what statement did Rush make -
A. The writers of the standards neglect a significant portion of popular history.
B. The standards are liberally biased.
C. The standards should be flushed down the toilet.
D. I am pleased that our students will at least be studying some form of history in high school!
I await your answers!
Good Question
If NCLB and RTTT and their emphasis on high stakes testing (and all the brain-dead teaching that requires) is motivated by China's dominance on math and science tests, then why doesn't China have a single Nobel Prize winner in any of those areas?
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