Brevity is the soul of wit.

The semester is coming to an end, and I thought I should use one of my favorite lines from Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

“Arise, Mr. Trout, you are free, you are free.”  

The quote has two meanings for me.  The first is being set free, obviously.  The second comes in the form of the significance to Kilgore Trout, Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional author.  On Vonnegut’s 50^th birthday he decided it was time to set his creation free.  Yes, I’m setting all those crazy gnomes in my head who worked so diligently to bring you the various entries, free.  (Not really, they work cheap.)

This semester introduced me to blogging.  Until this semester began, I had only used the word blog, but had never kept one of my own.  I can’t say I’m sold on the concept, but I’m young.  I learned to see practical applications and serious drawbacks.  One, being, I’m not someone who spends a lot of time on the web.  Though, it’s an interesting platform and I could see it used in classrooms.  I think the biggest problem I have is time.  I spent so much time trying to be witty, have a sense of humor, and prove that sometimes I’d rather be dealing with foibles instead writing about them, but I’m human. 

I appreciate all the people who took time to read and comment on my entries (checks are in the mail) and to those who didn’t…  Well, shame on you.  I’m kidding of course.  I wish I would have had more time to comment on other blogs, mainly because I did read almost all of them.   I had fun.  And honestly, as far as I’m concerned, that’s the way learning should be.      

“You can’t feel properly alienated from a process you never knew, or from a choice you never had.”  Hunter S. Thompson, Songs of the Doomed.

Here are the links to comments made on other blogs:

Jack

Laura

Allie

Desi

Leigha

Megan

Lonnie

Molly

Brad

David

When I started this blog I was bitter (I guess I still am a little) toward teachers who sat back, complained about students and their lack of interest in material, and then did nothing to bring the material home in a manner that made students want to learn.  Well, Pat Colangeli is not one of those teachers.  She is an English teacher in Circleville, Ohio, who is bringing the concept of giving to charity to her 9^th grade class.  Each student was given a $10 dollar bill and asked to give to the most charitable cause they could think of, including keeping the money if they thought they were the greatest charity.  This was a bold move, but as one student said:

“We got the $10. We felt the money in our hands. It was kind of weird. The first day was kind of a realization we could make this into so much more.”   

And so they did.  The students got together and started thinking of ways to use the money to help others.  Some of the students worked to raise money for a local family who lost everything in a house fire.  Others raised money for the Humane Society.  One student, passionate about battling breast cancer, raised $300, while another raised $700 for families facing the torment of their children being treated for cancer. 

I swear my heart skipped a beat when I read this.  I have been working on a similar project for students and was hoping enough students would feel the passion as I did. It was my hope to tap into the goodness of others, but what I forget to take note of was the fact that everyone suffers.  One student speaking of lost said:

“Part of my family had lost a lot also. It made me feel better that we’re giving something back.”  

So what does all this have to do with English?  The students have to write an essay about what they chose to do with the money.  I can’t think of a better way to get students to write from the heart about something they feel empowered by.  So many essays are written about dead people they struggle to make a connection to. Nor does this essay make them focus on problems they feel they have little to no chance of making a difference about; instead it starts with what they can do.   

Teacher’s Experiment Proves $10 Goes a Long Way 

ABC News 

April 11, 2008

Full Article

When I walked into the class room for the first time as a teacher (mind you no formal experience in education), I was challenged to make a connection with the students.  This might not seem difficult at first, when you take into account it was physical education (P.E.).  Through the course of 2 years I learned many things including:  How to separate personal life from school, how to capture the mind’s of students, and the biggest disappointment of my experience; teachers who seemed anything but prepared to teach.  I was shocked at the level of inane drivel these “highly qualified” teachers were trying to get kids to care about.  (That doesn’t seem fair, as I found several examples of teachers, who were excellent educators.)  I started to wonder, why some people were better suited to teach, while others who attended the same institutions, failed miserably to make valid connection’s to the students?  Now, as I begin my ascension into the levels of this Dante-esk plight, known as higher education, I see examples of good and bad instruction.  Before I digress, I want to talk about an article called: Transformative Pathways: Inclusive Pedagogies in Teacher Education, I found on EBSCO.  The article/professional journal focuses on the teachers of tomorrow and how to make them better prepared.  The definition they provide hits home for me: 

 “Current global visibility of ethnic, ideological, and social intolerance accentuates the need for teacher education programs to focus on the preparation of educators who can build inclusive student-centered learning communities that are based on appreciation of diversity and openness to the world.” 

The world is a big place.  The days of learn and regurgitate are dwindling rather quickly (I know I’m dreaming, but let me have this one), as the world is no longer just the United States.  The values of tomorrow are not the fact that every student will know the Pythagorean theory or when the semi-colon is used instead of the comma.   What is more important is giving the students the knowledge to find these and many other resources.  The authors of the article spoke of using “an inclusive attitude”, while “engaging in purposeful action”.  Which is pretty language, but where does one start?  The researchers soon realized one of the most taxing problems was the instruction itself. 

“Over millennia universities have constructed a culture of dissemination of information and wisdom by the learned.” 

As we become a global community, the students of tomorrow will face many challenges we as instructors can only dream of.  Effective communication skills, as well as raw knowledge will replace, the skill and drill days of yore.   Technology is playing a huge role in the dervish whirlwind sweeping across the world.  Imagine a Chinese herbal healer instructing medical students all around the world.  It’s happening. 

Transformative Pathways: Inclusive Pedagogies in Teacher Education. 

Journal of Research on Technology in Education

Copyright © 2007, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) 

Full Article

Flying kittens, massaging squirrels, and animated Disney characters, oh my.  I don’t think we’re in
Kansas anymore.  All joking aside, I speak of the recent power-point presentation I attended at GVSU’s technology fair.  This event, centered on teaching with technology, was interesting and yet also shows just how quickly we can fall behind.  I found Mary Margret Cavera, the keynote speaker, intriguing in theory, but lacked the real punch needed to capture the attention of this audience member.   

As a future teacher, I understand the distinction between the 4 types of learning in any giving environment of more than 25 people, but this dumbed-down presentation seemed less like a show of tools, but more of a chance to prove just how outmoded power point can be.  In a world of podcasts, web in the classroom, and even smart boards, teachers need to realize they are competing with children’s attention spans and not the fossil finding archeologists’ of the  pre-web area.  I’m not standing atop my Borax box to preach the new beginning, instead I sit akimbo typing and pasting on my global platform. 

Before I go far and say nothing, I must admit Mrs. Cavera was very knowledgeable of the material and showed no lack of passion for what she presented.  In her defense the slideshow was meant to target older more professional attendees.  In that respect I think she hit her mark.  Where I found fault was in the impact.  Many of the slides showed terms and visual examples, but lacked any sense of connection.  Of the 41 individual slides presented, I felt I only walked away with a sense that I could tell you the colors used to define the learning styles, what those styles are, and how a squirrel getting a rub down looks.  This is a case of a passionate person getting lost in the quagmire of power point.   

I have to admit I didn’t feel this obligatory at first.  As I wandered through the hall trying desperately to get the rodent equivalent of Brokeback Mountain out of my head, I stopped at several of the booths.  I learned of podcasts in the classroom, computers for children in other countries, and high tech broadcasts.  The technology is sometimes overwhelming, but I think a classroom that incorporates different types of technology to teach will reach the X-box generation.  I think if a teacher doesn’t place a high value on one type of technology (movies, power point, or even writing on the board) they will be more effective at reaching a broad audience.  I’m a bookish, sometimes technophobe, who over the years has learned the value of a multi-dimensional approach to learning.  And while I would rather get carpal tunnel from hefting massive tomes as opposed to burning my retinas squinting at 12 point font, I am not one to condone anyone for their preference.    

As a side note:  I’m the tomicidal maniac in my family that everyone turns to for answers.  When someone needs answers I turn a page to show the answer, not the power switch.  It’s a preference and a choice I prefer.   I’d still like to use technology in the classroom, I just know from experience too much would make me loath it not love it.      

“The poor schoolmarm or master, required to provide a certain amount of value for your child’s entertainment dollar, now must compete with texting, instant-messaging, Facebook, eBay, YouTube, Addictinggames.com and other poxes on pedagogy.”

When I started this blog I wanted to talk about how unprepared teachers are to face the rigors of classroom pedagogy.  I came out of the gates headstrong and focused only on the deficiencies of unskilled, unprepared, or just plan lazy teachers.  As I was searching for articles I realized aiming my sites on “bad” teachers wasn’t really all that productive.  I have really shifted into the mode of singling out teachers who make a difference and want to see the education of younger generations improve.  We all know there are bad teachers occupying space, wasting time, and not really earning the money they receive in the form of a paycheck, but these should not to be confused with highly skilled, merely boring teachers.  More on this anon.

I have never been one to say “technology ho!”  While I enjoy the benefits of cool gadgets, I find myself residing in the camp between the fearful baby boomers and the blackberry thumbed youth.  I thought, considering the use of technology is rising in schools, I might try using this platform to launch a few concerns I have.   I can’t say that I believe I will see the world of E.M. Forster’s THE MACHINE STOPS, but I think having been written in 1909 it stands as a fair warning to the youth of today.  I’m not a radical running through the streets with picket signs, beautifully made in Photoshop, claiming technology will be the downfall of Mankind.  On the flipside, you won’t find me spending hours on end glued to a keyboard, thumbing inane jargon on a cellphone, or checking out the recent opinion of a house-husband on the best spot cleaner. 

What drew me to this article was the fact that I was going to be a teacher fighting the same fight in my classroom.  As we become more dependent on our technology, we become less dependent on the greatest tool we have, our brain.  I agree with Professor Bugeja in the article when he said:  “Education requires contemplation…  It requires critical thinking.  What we may be doing now is training a generation of air-traffic controllers rather than scholars.”

What can we do about this trend?  For starters we need to set good examples.  We can’t say no technology allowed, closing off the wealth of information a click away.  Conversely, we can’t sit idly by and teach important lessons to a room of consumer product driven zombis (this last word is the real Haitian spelling of the word, and ironically enough spellchecker tried to tell me it was wrong…  Score one for books and brains).

New Class(room) War: Teachers vs. Technology

New York Times

November 7, 2007

Full Article

What makes a person qualified to teach?  Is it a piece of paper, endorsed by the state, showing completion of courses?  Or is it years of hard work, dedication, and devotion to student learning?  You might be like me and think the latter, and unfortunately like me you would be wrong.

“Despite his doctorate in classics from Harvard, despite his 22 years teaching in high school and college, despite the classroom successes he had so demonstrably achieved with his Latin students in Santa Cruz, he was not considered ‘highly qualified’ by California education officials under their interpretation of the federal No Child Left Behind law.”

It has always impressed me how law makers and political groups, whose last encounter of any sort with school and teachers was years before, are now making decisions based on fact sheets and not the real life events.  Don’t teachers, who spend hours in the trenches, know more about what kids need?  Would you be happy sending a computer savvy person to make military decisions where lives are on the line?  Then why are we allowing non-school related individuals to make choices that not only affect our kids, but teachers who have devoted many hours to children a system cares little about anyway.   The education system in this country needs a jump start (this is nothing new, just read Charles J. Sykes, Dumbing Down Our Kids:  Why American Children Feel good About Themselves But Can’t Read, Write, or Add, published in 1995).  For many devoted teachers these certification programs are a slap in the face. 

“I know the state is under constraints, but they’re driving out teachers.”  Connie Tchir said.

One of the most challenging problems being faced, are programs implemented to create change for the better, only to realize too late these programs fall short of the mark.  In the case of such happenstance, the political machine kicks into high gear and more teachers are faced with changes and re-certification to get them better equipped to deal with kids who have morphed overnight to fit the new standards.

Despite a Doctorate and Top Students, Unqualified to Teach

New York Times

October 11, 2006

Full Article

“… [A] ‘scandalously high’ number of middle school classes are taught by teachers lacking even a college minor in their assigned subjects.” Full Article

Before you read any further please read the full article.  Then you will know why the entry is in a storytelling format. 

When I was a substitute teacher a few years ago, I walked into a school with over 90 credits and a state certification allowing me to cover for teachers.  What I got on my first day was more than I bargained for.  The principle told me I was on a trail basis for a full time position as a Physical Education/ Computer teacher (2 subjects I was no where near qualified to broach).  My first meeting with the teacher I was to replace left me feeling like I was in good hands.  He was leaving at the end of the week and I was supposed to come in, see what I thought about the job, and either except or decline the offer.  A more qualified teacher might have said the money was right, but I’m not qualified to perform the duties of the job, walking away and realizing they were leaving behind Omelas.  In my ignorance I said, yes, I can do this, or learn as I go (after all it wasn’t about the kids getting an education as much as me paying bills).  I was handed a copy of Harry Wong’s book about the first day of school for new teachers, told to read it and be back in the morning.

The original plan was to have the teacher stay on, show me the ropes, and leave at the end of the week knowing I was well prepared…  I learned one of the most valuable lessons that morning.  People lie.  I was all alone, no lesson plan, no experience teaching, and 120 new kids to meet, greet, and pray I could last long enough not to retreat.  I was in deep.  Looking back on the whole experience I’m amazed I made it through the first 3 days without wanting to quit.  I had previously worked in sweltering kitchens, unloading trucks for UPS, and at one point of my life found myself working 3 jobs at the same time, averaging 4 or less hours of sleep a night, but all of those experiences palled in comparison.  I learned quickly, although solo on my endeavor, how to make plans, how to get kids to listen, and how to show a guy who had no experience in teaching could and would do it.  I spent hours reading and planning.  I talked to the staff.  Soon, I learned who would be helpful in a pinch, and how many were passing time until summer vacation.  By the time Christmas break arrived and my time was up, not many people were aware I wasn’t a certified teacher.  In fact, many teachers were shocked to discover I had only taken one class that had anything to do with education (this actually hurt me a few times when I was asked to sub and the teacher in need found out I was going to replace them.  I found myself either no longer needed or shifted to another classroom.  Apparently in their eyes I was not acceptable as an alternative).

After 6 months of substitute teaching I was asked to fill in during spring break at a camp for troubled kids.  I was told none of the other subs ever lasted more than one day, so if I tried it and didn’t want to go back they would understand (this is where the pattern of need vs. desire is repeated).  I had heard horror stories from a friend who work at the camp as a guard, but nothing ventured is nothing gained I thought.  It took one student, a 14 year old, just two minutes to leave his seat and get in my face.  He started out by getting right in front of me and wiggling his fingers an inch or so from my face.  This, of course, was followed by the taunting jeer of “you can’t do anything about this, ha, ha, ha.  You can’t touch me”.  I don’t know why I did and said what I did next, call it a reaction, but it set the stage for a wonderful week.  As the boy was waving his hands I simply lifted eyes looked directly at him and said, “Actually, all I have to do is accidentally fall forward allowing your hand to touch me.  That would be considered first contact and as a civilian I have the right to defend myself”.  His hand moved a few inches back and he looked at the guard sitting next to me.  He asked, “Can he really do that?”  The guard, trying not to laugh at my quick temperament, said “Technically, he can”.  The boy took his seat and became a really nice kid the rest of the week.  Later in the day as I was packing up to leave, the guard stopped me and said, “That was really crazy what you said this morning”.  Feeling like I was about to hear they didn’t want me back I said, “Yeah, sorry about that I guess I was reacting rather rash”.  The guard’s response shocked me.  He simply said, “You made him quit, most of the teachers would have argued with him and then had us step in.  I think you’ll do fine here”.  I was stupefied.  

I spent a total of 15 days of my 200+ days as a sub at the camp.  The camp is closed today, mainly due to funding, but the lessons I learned there and in all of my jobs since have shown me the type of teacher I want to be.

“A teacher is a man [or woman] who sets men [or women] free.  He [or she] is the most eager learner in the class.”  -Frank Lloyd Wright   

For Teachers, Middle School Is a Test of Wills

New York Times

March 17, 2007

Full Article

What is the most effective way to be more productive in a classroom and in everyday life?  The answer:  Diversity.  I’m not just talking about mixing up kids from different cultures, but exposing kids to many of the facets of life.  Teaching kids not to look at the differences in appearance of others, but to take note of the fact that those differences are a chance to learn something new.  This also applies to the teachers.  It’s hard to sneak in anything that has to do with other cultures, religions, belief systems, etc.  That’s not to say it’s not possible. 

As I was reading articles I came across one by a Dr. Page at theUniversity of Michigan.  In his article he claims diversity is more than the old adage “Why can’t we all just get along?”  Dr. Page takes it one step further to ask:  ”How can we all be more productive together?” 

How, you might ask, does all this have to do with furthering education of teachers?  Social networks, using the technology at hand to share information, knowledge, and even ideas.  According to Dr. Page:

…diverse groups of problem solvers outperformed the groups of the best individuals at solving problems. The reason: the diverse groups got stuck less often than the smart individuals, who tended to think similarly.

This is a hard concept to get across to schools and teachers who are competing for funding.  If a program is producing high scores why share it with others?  Elysian by design, but flawed until people realize how much good can be done, when you don’t care who gets the credit.  When I decided I wanted to become a teacher, I realized in order to be my best I had to learn from as many sources as I could.  I took classes just for the sake of learning.  I read books like Never Cry Wolf, Serpent and the Rainbow, and The Redneck Manifesto.  Why, you might ask, would a guy majoring in English read about wolves in the Barrens; tetrodotoxins; or the mindful, although skewed views of a guy in
Portland Oregon?  Because diversity enables various ways to view the world, it’s events, and how they are all connected in one way or another.

In Professor’s Model, Diversity=Productivity

New York Times

January 8, 2008

When I started this blog I wanted to talk about teachers continuing their education.  That’s a broad topic I understand and in all honesty really hard to find a niche to fit all the things I want to say.  I found a few articles that I think fit my idea.  The first of the articles talks about a labor dispute between the teaching staff and the administration.  Why does this fit into the idea of continued education?  When these teachers decided they wanted better contracts and more money, they decided to have a sick day.  You read it right.  8 of 10 schools in
New York were closed because of a lack of teachers.  Did they make a point?  Yes, they proved to the students that one week before SAT testing it mattered more to have a larger pay check.  The teachers were asking for $2000 more per year.  That’s $112 dollars, before taxes, per pay period.  Money aside, what the teachers did to the morale of the students was uncalled for.  When they signed a contract to educate kids, that is what they were supposed to do.  Instead, “The teachers have chosen to take this action against the education of the kids.”  Full article.    To me this is really bad form.  If you have a problem don’t involve the kids.  To me this was childish behavior.  What do the kids learn?  The word quagmire comes to mind.  I’m not saying they don’t deserve more money, but I don’t see how placing students in that kind of disarray does any good to improve upon personal growth. 

A second article I came across has to do with money also, but in a different way.  In this article the subject of standardized tests was blindfolded and set into the line of fire.  I not going to discuss my feelings on the subject of those tests, I’ll let the article speak for me:

“Too much focus is trying to get the right answers on tests and not enough focus on, in my opinion, on learning. And a good teacher doesn’t just teach how to get the right answers, a good teacher inspires, and a lot of that is being lost in our schools.” 

That quote sums up so many of my personal feelings.  A good teacher continues to learn and grow.  I’m not going to stand on a soapbox and get all preachy here.  Instead I want to make it a point to help others realize the growing danger of sitting by ignorant.  Most schools are funded by good scores on those tests.  In the article the school staff argues that the tests are important to test “…so that you know what they know and what they don’t know.  If we don’t do that , we aren’t  educating our kids”.   If you haven’t notice the title of my blog yet, now would be a good time to take a look.  I don’t believe you can put a cap on knowledge.  Some bits of general knowledge are important:  Why is there air?  If I cut my finger off and a red fluid leaks out should I be alarmed?  And so on, so forth.Most, of the really so called important details, are lost over time.  The residual knowledge should reside in the ability to know where these bits can be found later.  I don’t know all the presidents by name or years of office, but I know what book on my self contains that knowledge.  On the flip side of that how many of these school officials can tell me the Latin name of a plant species in the Amazon rain forest? (By the way, I’m not a botanist, but I’ve read enough books about the Amazon to know Hevea brasiliensis is the rubber tree.)  Variety is the spice of life, but that can’t be measured.  I’m not saying abolish standardized tests, but a person with an eclectic background is going to score low, while their knowledge is far beyond The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

Archdiocese Is Target of Sickout at 10 Schools

New York Times

January 11, 2008

School Commendations Come With a Critique

New York Times

January 4, 2008