Fuck reform. Fuck Accountability. Fuck all the bullshit buzzwords in the conversation about today's schools. When are we going to just stop spewing out pseudo-intellectual vocabulary terms, and start talking about kids? Research-based strategies, evidence-based practices, when are we going to wake up and realize it's all just a made up framework to defend the crazy policies pushed down from the top?
No one, not a single educator I know, is against improvement (reform) or responsibility (accountability). We all just want to improve the quality of the educational experience for our students and be held responsible for reasonable expectations. What if our Congressmen and policymakers were held accountable for good policy, backed widely accepted theory in child development, cognition, and learning? What if we were "accountable" for children's mental and physical health needs the way were are for their learning. Maybe something would change.
Kids need to eat enough.
Kids need to interact with nature.
Kids need developmentally appropriate space to learn in.
Kids need developmentally appropriate learning expectations.
Kids need to move.
Kids need social interaction.
Kids need undirected play time.
Kids need music and art and theater.
Kids need flexibility.
Kids need time to discover what interests them.
Kids need to be thought of as human beings and not just test scores and data and game pieces.
Teachers know what kids need.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Things I Could Write a Book About
I'm going to continue to add to this. I know it'll be a running record, but it's about time I started generating this list somewhere other than in my head.
Transforming School Culture (My dad says I should write a textbook)
Growing Up Jewish
Marrying Your High School Sweetheart
Interfaith Marriage
The Amazing Women I Know
Stories from the Classroom
Surviving & Thriving After Your Parents' Divorce
Raising an Only Child
Common Sense Parenting (My friend Annmarie says I should write this one)
Writing with Women
Teachers Who Write
Nature and Education
Advice for Doc Students
A Travel Book About Sunsets- (I'd love to do the research for this one)
Transforming School Culture (My dad says I should write a textbook)
Growing Up Jewish
Marrying Your High School Sweetheart
Interfaith Marriage
The Amazing Women I Know
Stories from the Classroom
Surviving & Thriving After Your Parents' Divorce
Raising an Only Child
Common Sense Parenting (My friend Annmarie says I should write this one)
Writing with Women
Teachers Who Write
Nature and Education
Advice for Doc Students
A Travel Book About Sunsets- (I'd love to do the research for this one)
It's Back!
My love of teaching is back. I suppose it never really left, but perhaps went dormant for awhile. It's funny how you can talk yourself into and out of things when the drama around it has you overwhelmed and frustrated. That's where I was last winter. But not anymore.
I have expressed in parts and pieces over the past few years, that my love for teaching has changed. Don't get me wrong, I loved the years I spent with little ones in 4th grade and my high school students. But at this point in my life, at this time in my teaching career, my love of teaching surfaces when I'm teaching college. I love the feel of a college campus, I enjoy the interaction with undergrads, and I really enjoy the content at this level.
There's this belief that college instructors want the graduate school classes. There's a level of prestige, I guess, having the credentials to be able to teach graduate school. I can see how down the line I might begin to feel that way. Although, the truth is, I have the credentials to teach graduate classes and I've taught a couple of them. But I so enjoy the undergrads!
It's time I figure out a way to do what I love all the time. There's nothing wrong with my job, and I love the agency I work in. But I don't spend the majority of my day doing what I most want to be doing. And that's gotta change.
I'm working on a plan.
I have expressed in parts and pieces over the past few years, that my love for teaching has changed. Don't get me wrong, I loved the years I spent with little ones in 4th grade and my high school students. But at this point in my life, at this time in my teaching career, my love of teaching surfaces when I'm teaching college. I love the feel of a college campus, I enjoy the interaction with undergrads, and I really enjoy the content at this level.
There's this belief that college instructors want the graduate school classes. There's a level of prestige, I guess, having the credentials to be able to teach graduate school. I can see how down the line I might begin to feel that way. Although, the truth is, I have the credentials to teach graduate classes and I've taught a couple of them. But I so enjoy the undergrads!
It's time I figure out a way to do what I love all the time. There's nothing wrong with my job, and I love the agency I work in. But I don't spend the majority of my day doing what I most want to be doing. And that's gotta change.
I'm working on a plan.
Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #6
Saturday, September 17, 2016
The only field trip semester that I had never been on before, was today's destination. We drove down to Fort Myers Beach to the Estero Island Historic Cottage and the Matanzas Pass Preserve. This was a lovely little journey into the history of the history of the island of Estero. There used to be a lifetime resident, named Jo, who would address the students and tell personal stories of her life growing up on Ft. Myers Beach. She has since aged into her nineties and moved off the island. She is not in good enough physical health to make the trip anymore. However, there was a wonderful docent who presented a slideshow and told us the history of Jo and her family. The museum is a quaint little cottage, an original structure built from cypress and Florida pine. Like many other historical structures, being inside it really places you back in time. Besides the rich family history and the timeline of the fishing and building in Estero, the structure itself was fascinating. The docent explained it was just the right type of structure to survive the hurricanes of South Florida, and the fact it's still standing is evidence she's right.
After our talk in the museum, we were guided by our student naturalist, Taylor, down the boardwalk through Matanzas Pass Preserve. It's similar to several other preserves in SW Florida, loaded with mangroves and their surrounding ecosystems. People seem to vastly underestimate the importance of the mangroves for filtering high winds and protecting land from hurricanes. On one of the lookouts, we saw nine-pointed starfish in the shallow water around the mangroves. While most of my students were fascinated, the naturephobe was "freaked out" because he thought it looked too much like a spider. It's funny, the mangrove crabs maybe, but the starfish... not so much. Besides we were several feet above it one raised boardwalk platform. Oh well. He's been trying. He said he felt better on this trip than the last two, because we were up on the boardwalk and it wasn't terribly hot. The was a breeze off the bay.
I had fun on the bus ride back, chatting it up with a few of my students. I got an earful from them about how much they aren't a fan of the textbook. I am really looking forward to their presentation this week. They are orchestrating some kind of debate. It should be entertaining and much more engaging for the class than another boring Powerpoint. The group is made up of some students who are very interested din the course content and seem very intelligent. I'm really looking forward to it.
Another field trip in the books.
The only field trip semester that I had never been on before, was today's destination. We drove down to Fort Myers Beach to the Estero Island Historic Cottage and the Matanzas Pass Preserve. This was a lovely little journey into the history of the history of the island of Estero. There used to be a lifetime resident, named Jo, who would address the students and tell personal stories of her life growing up on Ft. Myers Beach. She has since aged into her nineties and moved off the island. She is not in good enough physical health to make the trip anymore. However, there was a wonderful docent who presented a slideshow and told us the history of Jo and her family. The museum is a quaint little cottage, an original structure built from cypress and Florida pine. Like many other historical structures, being inside it really places you back in time. Besides the rich family history and the timeline of the fishing and building in Estero, the structure itself was fascinating. The docent explained it was just the right type of structure to survive the hurricanes of South Florida, and the fact it's still standing is evidence she's right.
After our talk in the museum, we were guided by our student naturalist, Taylor, down the boardwalk through Matanzas Pass Preserve. It's similar to several other preserves in SW Florida, loaded with mangroves and their surrounding ecosystems. People seem to vastly underestimate the importance of the mangroves for filtering high winds and protecting land from hurricanes. On one of the lookouts, we saw nine-pointed starfish in the shallow water around the mangroves. While most of my students were fascinated, the naturephobe was "freaked out" because he thought it looked too much like a spider. It's funny, the mangrove crabs maybe, but the starfish... not so much. Besides we were several feet above it one raised boardwalk platform. Oh well. He's been trying. He said he felt better on this trip than the last two, because we were up on the boardwalk and it wasn't terribly hot. The was a breeze off the bay.
I had fun on the bus ride back, chatting it up with a few of my students. I got an earful from them about how much they aren't a fan of the textbook. I am really looking forward to their presentation this week. They are orchestrating some kind of debate. It should be entertaining and much more engaging for the class than another boring Powerpoint. The group is made up of some students who are very interested din the course content and seem very intelligent. I'm really looking forward to it.
Another field trip in the books.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #5
September 15, 2016.
This is about the time in the semester when things start to get interesting. The nerves of the new semester and a new class of students has worn, and they are now focused on planning for the most engaging and interesting lessons as possible. One of the course texts, which I'm considering changing for next semester, is a difficult read for a lot of students. The readability is very high, and it is also a bit dry. It reads a lot like a thick bound research paper. There is an entire chapter for works cited at the end. Additionally, it does have a doom and gloom mood, which is not what I believe is the most effective and impactful way to teach students about sustainability and global responsibility. A new book has been added to the instructor selection list, and I will be reviewing it this week to make the decision.
That being said, right now the text is required and to switch things up and make it a bit more digestible for the students, I borrowed a class assignment from a fellow instructor. This semester, all the students read the first chapter and we discussed it collectively. Then in small groups, they have been assigned a chapter to read with more depth and they are to create a presentation for the class to help generate discussion about the content. Tonight's class was the first night of presentations. Two notable things happened:
Before I get into the happenings, I'd like to note here that I don't force groups on students. I know many students work and live in various places, so I allow them to choose their own groups. I want there to be no outside excuses about why students couldn't make a group project work. Allowing them to work with who they choose typically makes the group dynamic less of a factor. Eventually, as students group up, there are always stragglers. Some fours organically group up, and pairs pair up for fours. In the end, whoever is left usually ends up grouped with whoever was absent that day. The story below is about one of those throw together groups- three guys who chose each other and a girl who was absent from class the day we all grouped up.
First:
Upon entry into the classroom, one of my students approached me with some concerns about her work. She was in one of the groups scheduled to present today and she had little contact with her group over the couple of weeks they were supposed to be preparing. She wasn't sure if any of them would be ready to present, and she had only worked with one of them. She assured me her part was done and was concerned their lack of work would impact her grade. I assured her I had things in place to ensure she got to say her peace and I would learn about the inner workings of the group. There is a group evaluation survey as part of the grade. She felt better and waited to see what would happen with her group.
All three of them showed up but two of them didn't say anything; the third came up to speak with me. He told me he had been sick with a stomach virus and he couldn't get his work done. I asked him if he had a doctor's note. He said no. I asked him if he had been in contact with his group. He said no. I was already feeling very little sympathy for him, and a whole lot for the young lady who came up at the start of class. When I asked if he had spoken with his group, he turned back and looked at the rest of them. At this point, armed with the story from the female student, I asked them all if they were prepared to present. She shook her head yes, the guy at the front with me said no, and one of the other guys said yes. He seemed overconfident and was getting a suspicious look from the his female counterpart. I asked the last of the four sitting as well. He gave me some convoluted story about how he read the wrong chapter so he didn't have the right stuff done.
True or false didn't matter. There's no excuse for a college student to not know what his project was (it's posted online in the course and it was reviewed in class). It was clear this group had failed all aspects of communication. If they had been talking all along, there was no way he wouldn't have realized he was on the wrong chapter. I would have to figure out what to do with the two who obviously were not prepared to present. The others would present and hope for the best. They did great and I felt a lot better. The other two I would deal with after class. I was just blown away by the behavior of these guys. This presentation is worth 10% of their course grade. Not only had they screwed up, but they acted so entitled toward me... like I was a bitch for not accepting the excuses. Really? Not reading the right chapter and not realizing during a three week period with which to work on the presentation, in my opinion is inexcusable. And having the stomach flu? Whether he did or not, remains a mystery. But, he definitely didn't have it for three weeks, and the fact that he never made contact with his group is not acceptable. It's college. Get with the program.
Second:
Despite the above mentioned situation, I was energized by class this night. This is the period in the semester I start to recognize several of the misconceptions I made about my students. I start to recognize first impressions might last, but they are not impenetrable. The course is about four months long, and that's plenty of time to change what I think about them. By week four, some of them have done started to do just that.
Case in point, the student who admittedly is "not very comfortable around nature," has now been on two field trips with little whining. Though he's vocal about his discomfort, it's matter of fact. He isn't complaining as much as explaining, and he's managing to work through it as he's forced to spend time outside. Tonight he gave an outstanding presentation about alternative forms of renewable and sustainable energy. He was one of the few who don't read off slides but actually spoke and he jumped through the creativity of a Prezi. It was clear he understood the reading, and likely did outside reading to further inform his knowledge base. He was really impressed. I had to cut him off because he was so enthusiastic he got long-winded and we almost ran out of time for his partner to do her part. He may have discomfort with being out in nature, but he's still embracing the course content and in his written work is making it very clear he understands the importance of what we're learning. Score!
There are a few others who are beginning to show more of who they are, and I love it! First impressions may be important, but what's more important is that as a teacher I give my students time to show who they really are. The lasting impression is really what matters most.
This is about the time in the semester when things start to get interesting. The nerves of the new semester and a new class of students has worn, and they are now focused on planning for the most engaging and interesting lessons as possible. One of the course texts, which I'm considering changing for next semester, is a difficult read for a lot of students. The readability is very high, and it is also a bit dry. It reads a lot like a thick bound research paper. There is an entire chapter for works cited at the end. Additionally, it does have a doom and gloom mood, which is not what I believe is the most effective and impactful way to teach students about sustainability and global responsibility. A new book has been added to the instructor selection list, and I will be reviewing it this week to make the decision.
That being said, right now the text is required and to switch things up and make it a bit more digestible for the students, I borrowed a class assignment from a fellow instructor. This semester, all the students read the first chapter and we discussed it collectively. Then in small groups, they have been assigned a chapter to read with more depth and they are to create a presentation for the class to help generate discussion about the content. Tonight's class was the first night of presentations. Two notable things happened:
Before I get into the happenings, I'd like to note here that I don't force groups on students. I know many students work and live in various places, so I allow them to choose their own groups. I want there to be no outside excuses about why students couldn't make a group project work. Allowing them to work with who they choose typically makes the group dynamic less of a factor. Eventually, as students group up, there are always stragglers. Some fours organically group up, and pairs pair up for fours. In the end, whoever is left usually ends up grouped with whoever was absent that day. The story below is about one of those throw together groups- three guys who chose each other and a girl who was absent from class the day we all grouped up.
First:
Upon entry into the classroom, one of my students approached me with some concerns about her work. She was in one of the groups scheduled to present today and she had little contact with her group over the couple of weeks they were supposed to be preparing. She wasn't sure if any of them would be ready to present, and she had only worked with one of them. She assured me her part was done and was concerned their lack of work would impact her grade. I assured her I had things in place to ensure she got to say her peace and I would learn about the inner workings of the group. There is a group evaluation survey as part of the grade. She felt better and waited to see what would happen with her group.
All three of them showed up but two of them didn't say anything; the third came up to speak with me. He told me he had been sick with a stomach virus and he couldn't get his work done. I asked him if he had a doctor's note. He said no. I asked him if he had been in contact with his group. He said no. I was already feeling very little sympathy for him, and a whole lot for the young lady who came up at the start of class. When I asked if he had spoken with his group, he turned back and looked at the rest of them. At this point, armed with the story from the female student, I asked them all if they were prepared to present. She shook her head yes, the guy at the front with me said no, and one of the other guys said yes. He seemed overconfident and was getting a suspicious look from the his female counterpart. I asked the last of the four sitting as well. He gave me some convoluted story about how he read the wrong chapter so he didn't have the right stuff done.
True or false didn't matter. There's no excuse for a college student to not know what his project was (it's posted online in the course and it was reviewed in class). It was clear this group had failed all aspects of communication. If they had been talking all along, there was no way he wouldn't have realized he was on the wrong chapter. I would have to figure out what to do with the two who obviously were not prepared to present. The others would present and hope for the best. They did great and I felt a lot better. The other two I would deal with after class. I was just blown away by the behavior of these guys. This presentation is worth 10% of their course grade. Not only had they screwed up, but they acted so entitled toward me... like I was a bitch for not accepting the excuses. Really? Not reading the right chapter and not realizing during a three week period with which to work on the presentation, in my opinion is inexcusable. And having the stomach flu? Whether he did or not, remains a mystery. But, he definitely didn't have it for three weeks, and the fact that he never made contact with his group is not acceptable. It's college. Get with the program.
Second:
Despite the above mentioned situation, I was energized by class this night. This is the period in the semester I start to recognize several of the misconceptions I made about my students. I start to recognize first impressions might last, but they are not impenetrable. The course is about four months long, and that's plenty of time to change what I think about them. By week four, some of them have done started to do just that.
Case in point, the student who admittedly is "not very comfortable around nature," has now been on two field trips with little whining. Though he's vocal about his discomfort, it's matter of fact. He isn't complaining as much as explaining, and he's managing to work through it as he's forced to spend time outside. Tonight he gave an outstanding presentation about alternative forms of renewable and sustainable energy. He was one of the few who don't read off slides but actually spoke and he jumped through the creativity of a Prezi. It was clear he understood the reading, and likely did outside reading to further inform his knowledge base. He was really impressed. I had to cut him off because he was so enthusiastic he got long-winded and we almost ran out of time for his partner to do her part. He may have discomfort with being out in nature, but he's still embracing the course content and in his written work is making it very clear he understands the importance of what we're learning. Score!
There are a few others who are beginning to show more of who they are, and I love it! First impressions may be important, but what's more important is that as a teacher I give my students time to show who they really are. The lasting impression is really what matters most.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Paint Me a Picture
Paint me a picture of your paradise
watery streams of pinks and purples
across a blue sheer cottony sky
silhouettes of palm tree tops
and pencil line birds.
Paint if you can the warm breeze and salty air,
the sound of the receding tide
along the Gulf Coast shore
traces in the sand of scurrying crabs
and pecking plovers.
Paint the picture of you and me
companions hand in hand
under nature's sunset palette
footsteps between the seashells
and soft gentle kisses.
watery streams of pinks and purples
across a blue sheer cottony sky
silhouettes of palm tree tops
and pencil line birds.
Paint if you can the warm breeze and salty air,
the sound of the receding tide
along the Gulf Coast shore
traces in the sand of scurrying crabs
and pecking plovers.
Paint the picture of you and me
companions hand in hand
under nature's sunset palette
footsteps between the seashells
and soft gentle kisses.
Great Way to Start My Day
Have you ever read a story about a person doing something really considerate or special for a random person? I read them all the time, and I think how nice it would be to brighten someone's day with a random act of kindness. Then, I don't ever seen to think of anything randomly. Yes, I make donations to charitable organizations and volunteer my time. But those things aren't so random. Today was different. I'm not going to get into the specifics of what I did, as my purpose here is not to brag about my kindness, but rather to share how I felt because of it.
This morning, I made a random act of kindness to a random person- someone I never met, someone I'll likely never see again. And it felt really cool. At first I felt strange. What will the other person think? Will she wonder who I am and why I'm doing something nice for her? Then I went about my day. And let me just tell you how good I felt! It was like I had pep in my step all day. I felt upbeat and light. I've done a few good deeds in my life, but this random act was different. No glory, no reward, no chance fro even a thank you. Just me, knowing I did something nice for someone. And it felt great.
Great way to start a day. I think I'll make a point of doing it more often.
This morning, I made a random act of kindness to a random person- someone I never met, someone I'll likely never see again. And it felt really cool. At first I felt strange. What will the other person think? Will she wonder who I am and why I'm doing something nice for her? Then I went about my day. And let me just tell you how good I felt! It was like I had pep in my step all day. I felt upbeat and light. I've done a few good deeds in my life, but this random act was different. No glory, no reward, no chance fro even a thank you. Just me, knowing I did something nice for someone. And it felt great.
Great way to start a day. I think I'll make a point of doing it more often.
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