As Time Goes By

Is it just me or did this ten week course fly by? I just recently found out where I will be student teaching in January and I'm really looking forward to it. Anyone have any advice for someone who will be teaching a class called Intro to Theatre Arts? I really have very little info to go on for this one, but find myself looking forward to it in spite of my ignorance. It's funny that this profession may take us places that we never dreamt. In fact, I hope it does. I also observed some really great film classes that were English electives. It is amazing how diverse the English curriculum can be. This is important to me because I really want to love my job. So far I feel like I will.

Schools in the News

Has anyone noticed how many teacher/student stories are in the news lately? The latest one that I've heard where the teacher took off to Mexico with a student for several days is just one on a long list of surprising and disturbing stories taking place across the nation these days.

Now I have heard there is some talk of requiring teachers to take polygraph tests once a year to answer questions regarding illegal behavior. Others have suggested that teachers should be required to sign a "code of ethics" agreement as a part of the hiring process.

Whether these measures will be enacted is far from certain. However, many believe that teachers should be held to a higher standard by virtue of the fact that they work all day every day with young people. It looks to me like this is shaping up to be another issue where personal privacy may be shelved for the sake of the safety and well-being of others, in this case, school children. We are being confronted with these conflicting values of personal rights versus safety on so many fronts because of these dangerous times in which we live.

I have to say that for the most part, I'd like to err on the side of caution. I'd rather be scrutinized carefully at the airport, even if it lengthens my pre-boarding time, if it keeps us all a little safer. Perhaps the same holds true in regards to teachers. Why should I fear a polygraph test when I have nothing to hide. And if it means that some teachers who might be engaged in illegal activities on nights and weekends would be exposed, that would be a good thing.

In any case, I do believe that as each new case surfaces involving an inappropriate teacher/student relationship, we are inching closer to the time when all teachers will be scrutinized and monitored more closely. This may be necessary, but I also see how it dehumanizes us because essentially what that says is, "You can't trust anybody."

The simpler times are over. We enjoy the many advancements of the technology age, including the vast amounts of new information available to us. The downside is this: some of that information we may wish we had never heard.

Just in case any one is interested, here is the link to some of the information I found regarding healthy school lunch programs, specifically the one in Wisconsin. This is the alternative school that I talked about in class where Natural Ovens Bakery took over the lunch program and transformed the school. Check it out at: http://nutrition.about.com/od/schoollunches/fr/naturalovens.htm

I truly believe that adding healthy food choices is an important part of creating a school environment that is supportive and caring to the whole individual. There is so much documentation linking proper eating to better behavior and performance. Yet it seems to me we choose to ignore what we know, opting instead for easier, more popular choices.

Harvest Time

This is the time of year when we think of warmer clothing, upcoming holidays, and for my family - wine making. For as long as I can remember, my family has made wine in October and November. It has always been a totally awesome way to bring us all together at a time of year when life seems to be so busy that nobody really has time for much else. But the red wines we have made have seriously not only been among the best I've had anywhere, (at least we think so!), but it has really created a sense of community among our neighbors and friends who all look forward to tasting our latest harvest.

I guess I just wanted to share that right now because my garage and basement smell like grapes, but if I have to tie in an education angle, how about this: how important is it to bring a sense of community to the schools where we work? In fact, without that, what is the sense of being in one place over any other? Isn't is always the people, not a new facility or fancy resources that make a place invaluable? I am looking forward to the people I will meet, the relationships I will build and the change that I hope to bring to the people that I will care about. I have been doing a lot of "listening" as I read the blogs of my fellow classmates. I have found their thoughts to be profound, their different opinions and perspectives fascinating. It has reminded me of how little I know and how much more I have to learn. I am hoping as I enter the classroom, that I won't appear to be as green as I feel.

Meatloaf Again!

As I have begun my observations at schools all around the Chicago area, I am becoming increasingly concerned by one particular phenomena which seems to be all too common in the classroom. Namely, the students are bored to tears! I must say, nothing frightens me as much about being a teacher as being a complete bore to my students. I thought about this extensively as I viewed class after class sitting there watching the clock. I wondered how I can avoid this fate as well. Suddenly a major realization hit me: variety is the spice of life! Why would anyone want to participate in anything where they can predict with complete accuracy how the ending will turn out? Doesn't that get a little old? Especially if you have to engage in that activity five days a week. English class may seem just like this to most students, something they must endure. After all, by senior year, these students are experts in attending school. Judging by many of their faces, much if not all of this, is simply something to be endured as everyone, including the teacher, counts the days until summer vacation.
Of course, I know that this is the very thing that we are supposed to be learning in this English methods class, and all of our other classes as well. I don't pretend for a moment that this is something that translates into practice very easily in the classroom. Of course, I do understand these things with my mind. However, it is another thing altogether when those faces are staring into yours, not knowing anything about you, not caring all that much, knowing you will lead the class as you see fit, and they are basically at your mercy.
I am quite sure there must be other issues for me to be considering that are more important as I begin my journey as an English teacher. Still, this for me is at the heart of so many of those other more important issues. What good is the entire class if its value is over the minute the final bell has rung? What good does one's teaching do if students drop out of school because they do not see any purpose for it in their lives? As I continue my observations, I will be watching for the differences in teacher effectiveness in this area, teachers who are truly engaging students so that they not only pay attention, but actually lose track of the time as they find themselves wrapped up in the task at hand. I have seen some classes like this, painfully few. Exactly how hard would this be to accomplish for the rookie teacher who does not have much experience to draw from those first fiew years? Large doses of hard work and reflection are obviously involved. I continue to ponder these things.