Summer is nearly over as the new school year looms in my not-so-distant future. I will, quite happily, be standing in front of a high school classroom for the first time in over a year. In addition, I will continue to teach my college courses in the evening. The fall semester, it turns out, will be quite a busy one for me! Strangely, I find myself a bit anxious about standing in front of those high school classes. Oh, most of that anxiety is simply the desire to get to it – I’ve missed it horribly. The rest is nerves – I get them every time! Much like my short stint in community theater, when I paced backstage or broke out in a cold sweat prior to setting foot in front of the lights, I tend to run a bit high on adrenaline before the school year starts. Will I remember my lines? Just as suddenly as it begins, it will fade as I step before my students. The little kid in me, aiming to please, wanting to be liked, will step back and I will find myself transformed…into my father?!
Ouch! Okay, when did that happen? Truth be told, I noticed my father creeping in the very first moments I started teaching – he’s been there all along! This December will mark the sixth anniversary of my father’s death, yet he seems more present in my life than ever before. It’s not just physically either – I mean I have his chin, the shape and fullness of his mouth, the ever dwindling amount of hair, and his eyes, especially his eyes. They catch me off guard sometimes, looking back at me through every mirror. It’s more than even that – it’s his attitude, his approach to so many things. Where do I begin so you’ll understand? How do I sum up what I learned from him and hope to teach to my students?
My father was born on a potato farm in the northern tip of Maine…no, scratch that, too far back! Suffice to say, my father came from humble beginnings. The youngest of eleven surviving children, he received only a high school education before serving in the military during the Korean War. He returned, married my mother, and proceeded to have a brood of his own (I am the seventh of nine children). Life, it turns out, had plans that differed greatly from his. My father had wanted, at one point in his life, to be a lawyer and had life allowed it, I think he would have been a great one, perhaps even a better judge. He was, instead, a postal worker for over 30 years of his life. The last years of his career were in labor relations, which fulfilled, to some degree, his legal eagle desires. My father lived in the reality of life – you get what you get and you better make the best of it. He also struggled with his demons – his failures, real and perceived, and his pains. Some of his demons won out, some didn’t. Like most children, I tried to figure him out, to understand him, and to forgive him. There were times I hated him, times I adored him, and times I just didn’t get him. In the end, I discovered he was just a human being. No more, no less.
With my father, lessons were learned through discussion, by example, and by complete accident!
Lesson one – shoulder your responsibilities. We all have them, we can’t escape them (even if we shirk them, there remains a consequence), and we all need them to help shape and define us. Once you find yourself in a place of responsibility – face it, bear it, and make the best of it. This, my father did exceptionally well. He never wanted nine children. He never wanted a wife who struggled horribly with deep religious beliefs and debilitating depression. He never wanted to struggle with finances all of his life. This is, however, what he got and he took it on full-tilt. He did not run away. Don’t mistake me, he did not do it perfectly – no parent does. But he did face them as best he could, and he taught us to face them. You are responsible to look after your brother. You are responsible for your household chores. You are responsible to pass your grades and get a high school diploma. You are responsible for getting, paying, and maintaining your own car. I hated it at the time, but realized later how it shaped my approach to life and work. It’s a level of personal ethics I sometimes see as lacking in today’s youth. When did we forget to teach them of their responsibilities?
Lesson two – discipline is good, when it is doled out fairly. My father was quite strict, with nine children you have to be (well, as best as he could be, since chaos seemed to rule most days)! We had chores that could not be escaped. Additional sentences were doled out and served working in the garden, pulling weeds or stones or both. While he spanked and hit on occasion, he usually only needed to yell to scare the crap out of me. What my father did do, to his credit, was try to be fair. He aimed for the instigator, but didn’t ignore the participants! We all got our share (granted my older siblings seasoned our father for us, so we got a kinder, um, gentler, dad as we came of age). In adolescence, when he couldn’t just hit us or yell, he lectured, fairly, squarely, and honestly. These, more than anything else, come racing back to me as a teacher. If one thing would make my father laugh today, it would be knowing that I’m doling out those same lectures. He was, essentially, right. He “got” it and I finally get it, too!
Lesson three – that’s life – deal with it! In the face of a dying dream, what do you do? In a single conversation, my father shared his feeling of loss when he realized that law would not be something he would practice. The map of his life path had changed and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing except let go of one dream and embrace another one. Unfortunately, the other dream remained murky at best. He did not have the benefit of creating a new one to pursue. Life hands you what it does and you have to take it – you don’t have a choice. Well, you do, but that choice isn’t often pretty. In the twilight of that dying dream, he could have left my mother and older siblings and raced off after it. That option, however, conflicted with lesson one, so it was a “no-go!” Later, life threw more at him. My mother’s increasing mental illness and eventual death, my siblings’ trouble with the law, the discord between many of us and our step-mother, and the list goes on. He practiced resiliency at a level that can be hard to fathom at times. “Life goes on,” he would say, and so it does. Resiliency is as important to teach today as any other skill and resonates in my teaching as much responsibility. They go hand-in-hand in my approach with students. Okay, stop chuckling back there Dad!
Lesson four – sometimes you win, sometimes you lose! This one my father taught more by example than actual discussion. Many of the challenges faced by my father sparked his internal demons – the feeling of failure, the lack of self-esteem and self-worth, the sense of helplessness and victimization, and the resentment and anger over his lost dreams. He would struggle with these all of his life, masking them with alcohol, taking them out on his children with angry words, and in other ways I’m sure we know nothing about. The key to demons is to fight – the battle can be unyielding, messy, and always unpleasant, but you fight regardless. My father lost some battles repeatedly – when the demons gang up, what can you do? His failures, however, provided me with a means to find success, or at least a truce with many of my own demons. Our students come to us with so many demons already on the field, like a scene from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and they are armorless, weaponless, and have no Gandalf the Grey to cast a spell. How we guide them can lead to treasure or ruin. Aim for the treasure every time. Face your losses with dignity and own them. If you own it, the demon has a harder time throwing it in your face!
These are only four lessons of the many I’ve learned from and through my father; others slip in and out as I face different challenges. Many help me, a few hinder me, but they all remain with me. As for my father, he’s there – in every classroom, sitting behind a desk, waiting to see what I’ll do next and watching his own reflection. Occasionally I hear him laugh and have to give him a stern look, until I realize it isn’t him, but me looking back from the other side of that mirror!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity Video on TED.com
A great discussion by Sir Ken Robinson that gets to the heart of re-thinking education. Where do we go from here?
A great discussion by Sir Ken Robinson that gets to the heart of re-thinking education. Where do we go from here?
Friday, July 22, 2011
Choosing a Pathway
This past school year proved to be a difficult one. Leaving a position for several reasons, and they were all good, solid reasons which I believe were correct, meant spending the year in teaching limbo. Thankfully, I was able to find some adjunct work at two colleges and substitute for a local school district as well. While these hardly equated to a full time paycheck, they did manage to save my sanity and prevent complete financial ruin (although the summer months will require tight purse strings). Fortunately, I have been hired to teach full time at a good public high school in the fall, as well as maintain my adjunct position at the local community college. The tide, I hope, has turned.
With my new position comes a set of questions from my friends and peers that usually surround one central idea: are you eventually going to focus on college teaching? In this day and age, when public school teachers are beset with codified standards, mandatory testing, and tightened budgets, it would seem that the answer to that question would be easy, but it’s not! The truth is I love teaching at both, so how would I choose? Should I even have to? The fact is, if it were up to me, I’d find a way that every teacher could spend time teaching at different grade levels in their content area. The experience gained by working with students in various grades provides incredible insights into the challenges faced by our students during their educational journey, as well as the difficulties tackled by our peers.
As a college adjunct, not only am I privy to the methods and factors that determine success in a college classroom, I am able to take this information and use it to shape my practice, and that of my colleagues, at the high school level. This experience has been invaluable, and disturbing. Our incoming college freshmen are lacking in their ability to think critically and apply it to their interpretation of material or reflect it in their writing. A troubling discovery to say the least! They also lack the stamina to create papers of sufficient length (and therefore depth) that fully explore a given topic. Our public education system’s desire to create proficient test takers has resulted in ill-equipped thinkers who, at the very least, are unable to fully substantiate their ideas, and, at the worst, fear to express their own opinions. Couple this with the “everything at your fingertips” culture and the result is generations of low-stamina, short-sighted adults who are unable to compete in our global job markets.
Not a very bright outcome, is it? Teaching at the high school level is vital to me – not only because I believe that you can’t simply criticize a system, you need to be a part of the change within it, but because it offers experience that can only be found with young people at this age. They offer insight and points of view that are unique, and often times startling. They also leave an indelible mark on you. Just the other day, I received a card from my former students in Hawai`i. It reminds me how much I miss working with teens and how important a teacher can be in their lives. Yes, it’s nice to hear that they miss me or that they liked me; but more importantly, it was great to be reminded of the impact they’ve had on me. I grew as a teacher with them in ways I don’t know if I would in the college arena alone. The fact is, if I am to grow into the educator I so want to be, then I will need to continue my journey through both words of academia. I can’t wait to get back into a high school classroom and I’m grateful for the opportunity! Look out, Fall 2011, I’m on my way!
With my new position comes a set of questions from my friends and peers that usually surround one central idea: are you eventually going to focus on college teaching? In this day and age, when public school teachers are beset with codified standards, mandatory testing, and tightened budgets, it would seem that the answer to that question would be easy, but it’s not! The truth is I love teaching at both, so how would I choose? Should I even have to? The fact is, if it were up to me, I’d find a way that every teacher could spend time teaching at different grade levels in their content area. The experience gained by working with students in various grades provides incredible insights into the challenges faced by our students during their educational journey, as well as the difficulties tackled by our peers.
As a college adjunct, not only am I privy to the methods and factors that determine success in a college classroom, I am able to take this information and use it to shape my practice, and that of my colleagues, at the high school level. This experience has been invaluable, and disturbing. Our incoming college freshmen are lacking in their ability to think critically and apply it to their interpretation of material or reflect it in their writing. A troubling discovery to say the least! They also lack the stamina to create papers of sufficient length (and therefore depth) that fully explore a given topic. Our public education system’s desire to create proficient test takers has resulted in ill-equipped thinkers who, at the very least, are unable to fully substantiate their ideas, and, at the worst, fear to express their own opinions. Couple this with the “everything at your fingertips” culture and the result is generations of low-stamina, short-sighted adults who are unable to compete in our global job markets.
Not a very bright outcome, is it? Teaching at the high school level is vital to me – not only because I believe that you can’t simply criticize a system, you need to be a part of the change within it, but because it offers experience that can only be found with young people at this age. They offer insight and points of view that are unique, and often times startling. They also leave an indelible mark on you. Just the other day, I received a card from my former students in Hawai`i. It reminds me how much I miss working with teens and how important a teacher can be in their lives. Yes, it’s nice to hear that they miss me or that they liked me; but more importantly, it was great to be reminded of the impact they’ve had on me. I grew as a teacher with them in ways I don’t know if I would in the college arena alone. The fact is, if I am to grow into the educator I so want to be, then I will need to continue my journey through both words of academia. I can’t wait to get back into a high school classroom and I’m grateful for the opportunity! Look out, Fall 2011, I’m on my way!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Out in the Classroom
As one school year ends, another awaits the passing of summer. This next school year I will be starting as an English teacher at a suburban public high schools. Relieved and excited, I recently talked with a friend about how much I’ve missed the high school environment this past year. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching at the college and it will remain a part of my modus operandi because it continues to be a vital practice that informs my high school teaching methods. There is something, however, about working with high school students. The social development and intellectual growth of the age range fascinates me. High school students, despite the frustrations, can offer some amazing insights into our world – if you can hook them! Somewhere in my long-winded, happy discourse on the joys of teaching adolescents, my friend stopped and asked, “So…how ‘out’ will you be at this new school?” Amazingly, I was a bit surprised at the question – afterall, this is me we’re talking about – does the question truly need to be asked? My response echoed this sentiment. Simply put – “I’ll be as out as I always am.”
The question, though, does linger because it is something we have to consider, unlike our heterosexual counterparts. No one asks them how open they will be about their sexuality in the classroom or at the school. Pictures of their spouses, families, and friends can be found on their desks or classroom walls, yet we have to consider the implications our personal lives may have on coworkers, students, and even the students’ families. Have I gone soft or dumb? Did I allow myself to think that because I live in a state that has legalized gay marriage that my personal life would not be an issue? Does the fact that I’ve been asked by a straight friend say more about her discomfort than the reality of the situation? Or is it reflective of the general attitudes we face each day? The fact is, being out is never simple, yet it is, in my opinion, necessary.
One of the greatest joys I’ve had during the last three years of teaching is the number of students who have come out to me, asking for advice or just needing to tell someone and feel accepted. The journey to discovering one's self, whether it centers around one’s sexuality or life circumstances, isn’t easy. We can all remember the awkwardness of our teen years, the need for acceptance, the desire to be loved, and the overwhelming weight with which everything is felt. Adolescence, in this sense, has not changed. Our teens, however, do face changing circumstances. The internet has altered the social landscape, extending the arm of friendship across borders, but also lengthening the reach of bullies and wrongdoers. This has been clearly evident in our schools and especially among LGB T teens.
The increased visibility of the LGBT community has been both a blessing and a curse. Greater acceptance with one hand comes with the invariable slap-down from the other. The numerous suicides and violence towards gay youth in the last year highlight the ongoing struggle faced both in and outside of the classroom. Technology has only added another dimension to this struggle as social networking and internet videos play roles in the support of and damage to LGBT youth. While bullies use the internet to spread gossip, to out individuals who are not ready for the emotional consequences, and to ostracize those the bullies feel are different, there are those that have used it to build pathways to support our LGBT youth. Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” movement is one prime example of the latter. I like the idea, but I’m not sure I’d go with “It gets better”…but with YOU get better. When you make the choice to live, to face your life, to resist the taunts, the jeers, and the violence, YOU get better. Your resilience grows, your life changes, and you find yourself among the living. The hate remains, as much as I wish it didn’t. Fear and bitterness will continue to infect the minds and souls of some – masked in the litany of religious passages and moral epithets. YOU, however, will learn to accept it for what it is and allow it to fall to the wayside, because in the end, it doesn’t matter – YOU do. Your life blossoms and what awaits you can be wonderful.
This is the reason (or one of them) that I will always be an out teacher. For those who are concerned by such an act, let me be clear: my private life has as much place in the classroom as that of my heterosexual peers; in other words, NONE. It does NOT play a role in my teaching, I do NOT wear it on my sleeve, and I do NOT act as a poster boy (although I do have a cute smile that would look good on a poster). What I AM is honest when I am asked the right questions by students. I will not shy away from who I am and I will not lie when confronted about how I live my life and with whom. I am proud of my partner and the life we share. If someone doesn’t want to know, then don’t ask. I do not espouse for one group or another, but promote equality for everyone. My role as an educator is not to teach what to think, but how to think: with clarity, with logic, and with respect. What I want my peers, my students, and their families to recognize is that I live my life as they live theirs: openly, honestly, and with dignity. Shouldn’t that be the example we all lead with?
The question, though, does linger because it is something we have to consider, unlike our heterosexual counterparts. No one asks them how open they will be about their sexuality in the classroom or at the school. Pictures of their spouses, families, and friends can be found on their desks or classroom walls, yet we have to consider the implications our personal lives may have on coworkers, students, and even the students’ families. Have I gone soft or dumb? Did I allow myself to think that because I live in a state that has legalized gay marriage that my personal life would not be an issue? Does the fact that I’ve been asked by a straight friend say more about her discomfort than the reality of the situation? Or is it reflective of the general attitudes we face each day? The fact is, being out is never simple, yet it is, in my opinion, necessary.
One of the greatest joys I’ve had during the last three years of teaching is the number of students who have come out to me, asking for advice or just needing to tell someone and feel accepted. The journey to discovering one's self, whether it centers around one’s sexuality or life circumstances, isn’t easy. We can all remember the awkwardness of our teen years, the need for acceptance, the desire to be loved, and the overwhelming weight with which everything is felt. Adolescence, in this sense, has not changed. Our teens, however, do face changing circumstances. The internet has altered the social landscape, extending the arm of friendship across borders, but also lengthening the reach of bullies and wrongdoers. This has been clearly evident in our schools and especially among LGB T teens.
The increased visibility of the LGBT community has been both a blessing and a curse. Greater acceptance with one hand comes with the invariable slap-down from the other. The numerous suicides and violence towards gay youth in the last year highlight the ongoing struggle faced both in and outside of the classroom. Technology has only added another dimension to this struggle as social networking and internet videos play roles in the support of and damage to LGBT youth. While bullies use the internet to spread gossip, to out individuals who are not ready for the emotional consequences, and to ostracize those the bullies feel are different, there are those that have used it to build pathways to support our LGBT youth. Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” movement is one prime example of the latter. I like the idea, but I’m not sure I’d go with “It gets better”…but with YOU get better. When you make the choice to live, to face your life, to resist the taunts, the jeers, and the violence, YOU get better. Your resilience grows, your life changes, and you find yourself among the living. The hate remains, as much as I wish it didn’t. Fear and bitterness will continue to infect the minds and souls of some – masked in the litany of religious passages and moral epithets. YOU, however, will learn to accept it for what it is and allow it to fall to the wayside, because in the end, it doesn’t matter – YOU do. Your life blossoms and what awaits you can be wonderful.
This is the reason (or one of them) that I will always be an out teacher. For those who are concerned by such an act, let me be clear: my private life has as much place in the classroom as that of my heterosexual peers; in other words, NONE. It does NOT play a role in my teaching, I do NOT wear it on my sleeve, and I do NOT act as a poster boy (although I do have a cute smile that would look good on a poster). What I AM is honest when I am asked the right questions by students. I will not shy away from who I am and I will not lie when confronted about how I live my life and with whom. I am proud of my partner and the life we share. If someone doesn’t want to know, then don’t ask. I do not espouse for one group or another, but promote equality for everyone. My role as an educator is not to teach what to think, but how to think: with clarity, with logic, and with respect. What I want my peers, my students, and their families to recognize is that I live my life as they live theirs: openly, honestly, and with dignity. Shouldn’t that be the example we all lead with?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Resources, not Punishment
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html?emc=eta1
An interesting article. If we put the salaries aside, teachers currently in the profession are not in it for the money, we are once again reminded that equal access to resources is what schools, teachers, and students need. In the end, the greatest roadblock to student achievement is poverty, not teachers. If we can alleviate it, perhaps those students will once again see the value to education. We have a long way to go yet!
An interesting article. If we put the salaries aside, teachers currently in the profession are not in it for the money, we are once again reminded that equal access to resources is what schools, teachers, and students need. In the end, the greatest roadblock to student achievement is poverty, not teachers. If we can alleviate it, perhaps those students will once again see the value to education. We have a long way to go yet!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Being Educated
Students in my composition class have been busy working on a cultural critique essay. As with much of the work I assign at the college level, I do the essay as well to provide them with a working example. What follows is my essay on "Being Educated" - it hopefully provided my students with a sense of what I was expecting them to write - based on my model and others that we read in class. As always, I focus on writing about issues in education, so it fits that I would post it here.
“Teaching? Why don’t you choose something that will pay better?” This was my father’s advice when I expressed my interest in teaching as a career. While he respected the field, he wanted something that offered me a better chance of financial success. That was twenty five years ago, yet those words echoed in my mind as I left the business world four years ago to finally pursue my original desire. Education is still getting a bad rap, and my timing, it appears, is impeccable…NOT! According to Eggers, Calegari, and Moulthrop, “Teachers are highly educated professionals, but they are often treated as a strange hybrid of babysitter and civil servant…” (3). As it turns out, Americans simply don’t know what they want from their education system. In the public’s desire to fix our education system, teachers have been on the receiving end of the hammer. Scrutinized, blamed, and berated, many educators are limping back to their classrooms carrying the bruises and wounds inflicted by policy makers and politicians. Does any of it actually fix public education? Hardly. In fact, the continuing debate only incites anger, disagreement, and bad feelings rather than address the real issues in education. Theories abound on what the problems are and the trendy solutions rise and fall in response. Despite this hubbub, one essential question remains unanswered: what exactly do we mean by “educated?” If we define what it means to be educated in our 21st century global environment, we may provide the foundation for building a lasting and dynamic system that responds to the needs of those it serves. Perhaps this will allow us to discern answers and solutions rather than maintain our quick fix mentality.
At its very roots, the public education system was not seen as a “quick fix,” but rather as a way to maintain our democratic society. Thomas Jefferson upheld that “a democratic society could not be sustained unless free, public education was available to the citizenry at large” (Rockler 26). It would take over a century and a half before our modern system took shape, but this premise held as states grappled with the purpose of free education. So why are we still struggling today? It turns out that like so many American ideals, our education system was built on a myth. “The Great School Legend,” as it is called, refers to the belief that our public schools act as “the great equalizing force in U.S. culture” (Provenza 33). They would provide the less fortunate with the opportunity to climb the socio-economic ladder. It turns out that this legend, as most legends are revealed to be, is more hype than reality. Of course, leave it to America to replace one hype with another. The inequalities that run rampant in our education system are still a focal point of discussion today. The failure of the system to teach and support all students has found a new home under the title of the ever widening “achievement gap.” But is that all there is to it?
While the widening achievement gap is garnering all the attention these days, should we not be concerned with what we’re missing? Any educator will tell you that no two students achieve the same results. Classrooms, even when homogenously grouped, do not result in every student ranking the same scores, rather they fall differently along a continuum. Is it not reasonable to say that a natural achievement gap should be present in any given class or school, based on students’ abilities and efforts? This does not mean that other factors that affect achievement aren’t present and worth battling. However, with all the publicity surrounding this gap, Americans are, once again, distracted from the key issues. Yes, some schools along with their students are more favored than others. Yes, those schools are predominantly suburban “white” schools. Yes, those schools are in neighborhoods and towns with higher socio-economic status and means. Yes, we should make every attempt to equalize the quality of education in urban inner-city and rural schools. Will that solve the problem? Uh, no. Quality in education, it turns out, is related to the quality of available resources. Poor resources often equate to less quality. While policy makers haggle over teacher competency, standardized testing results, and privatization of our public schools, no one appears to address the rampant inequality, classism, and poverty that affect and influence our student outcomes. Perhaps if all schools had access to the same sufficient resources, and provided the same teacher-student ratio, we would then have the means to decisively look at the quality of a teacher’s efforts. The question now raised is: how do we do that?
As a teacher, one of the first things you learn is to define the objectives of a lesson and unit. It turns out that when you can define what you want your students to achieve, you can easily map out the path they’ll need to take to get there. Imagine what would be possible if we could simply define what it means to be educated in our modern society. From that definition, we can create the parameters for what an educated person should be able to do, which then informs how we measure a student’s achievement of those parameters. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Oh, wait, did we forget something? The American ideal of individuality – it turns out that the “one approach for all” solution creates mindless hordes rather than individuals. While that worked for the “old” America, it runs into problems in today’s culturally responsive America. Although no doubt that our politicians would prefer gangs of zombies that vote mindlessly, most Americans seem to desire a bit more from their education. They may not know what that is, they just know it’s more. Why doesn’t one simple definition of “educated” work? It turns out that all Americans are not the same. Shocking, right? The notion of America’s “melting pot” was tossed out with the myth of the American dream when it was discovered that there is more strength in combining our differences than in smoothing them away. America, it turns out, works better as a tapestry of interwoven layers than a bar of smooth, silky, but highly “melt-able,” white chocolate. Food and weaving metaphors aside, where does this leave us?
While a “one-for-all” solution doesn’t fix the problem, it is a starting point. If we, as a nation, can clearly define what our children need to be able to do in their new global community, then each state and school district can differentiate for its specific population. Why should we allow this? Once again, common precepts in teacher education point the way. Teachers, it is proven, need to understand “the context in which the schools they teach function. They need to understand the cultural background of their students and the ways in which their families and communities understand and organize knowledge” (Provenza 37). This is the dynamic nature of teaching; it is constantly changing, evolving, and rebounding based on the ebb and flow of students through a classroom. No two classes are the same, so what explains why policy makers and the public expect them to achieve the same results? If families and communities have different approaches to learning and knowledge, then doesn’t it stand to reason that they would have a different idea of what it means to be educated? Their definition would be different from those families and communities that enjoy socio-economic freedoms based on the higher level of education that is standard among their group. Allowing each district to differentiate a commonly held national definition to meet the cultural attitudes and norms of its “users” would result in a more satisfying and successful experience for all involved. Why don’t we do this?
It turns out that Americans like the quick fix. Got cancer? Cut it out! Tainted meat? Throw it out! Bad president? Vote him out! Feel depressed? Pop a pill! Ah, all better! A few years later, we raise our heads and discover the problem still exists. Lo and behold, it isn’t so easy to get rid of the problem and we, in response, act shocked. “I thought I beat that!” we think to ourselves. The slow fix, the one that could actually correct and alleviate the issue, is just too, well, slow. In the age of cell phones, instant messaging, and microwave dinners, who has the patience for “bake for 30 minutes then reduce heat and bake for another 60 minutes” approach? We used to be able to do this. Rome, as they say, was not conquered in a day. The Great Depression didn’t end in a year. The Nazis weren’t defeated overnight. The steadfast patience and stick-to-it-ness that helped create our country has fallen by the wayside to make way for drive-thru fast food and downloadable music. Perhaps this mentality was a result of exhaustion from the long, drawn out Vietnam conflict or a natural outgrowth of the cocaine-induced disco era. Regardless of its origins, the end of the 20th century spirited in the instant gratification era. We grow frustrated that education isn’t quick and easy as well. But then again, are the things worth having ever easy?
At the end of the day, hard work does have its own rewards. Most Americans would agree with this statement, even if they have different ideas on what “hard work” looks and feels like. That, it turns out, is precisely the point. Determine the commonly held belief and adjust it to fit the needs of the individual community. Continuously and consistently assess the results against the larger picture and tweak it as necessary. It will take time and will, most likely, remain a work in process, but that’s the nature of education. That’s what makes it fascinating. It’s the very reason I became an educator. It’s the reason I’ll remain one.
Eggers, Dave, NÃnive Calegari and Daniel Moulthrop. Teachers Have It Easy:
The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers. New York:
New Press, 2005. Print.
Provenza, Eugene F. Jr. Teaching, Learning, and Schooling: A 21st Century
Perspective. Boston: Allan & Bacon, 2002. Print.
Rockler, Michael J. “The Privatization of Education: Can Public Education
Survive?” Free Inquiry 1996: 26+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 April 2011.
Being Educated
“Teaching? Why don’t you choose something that will pay better?” This was my father’s advice when I expressed my interest in teaching as a career. While he respected the field, he wanted something that offered me a better chance of financial success. That was twenty five years ago, yet those words echoed in my mind as I left the business world four years ago to finally pursue my original desire. Education is still getting a bad rap, and my timing, it appears, is impeccable…NOT! According to Eggers, Calegari, and Moulthrop, “Teachers are highly educated professionals, but they are often treated as a strange hybrid of babysitter and civil servant…” (3). As it turns out, Americans simply don’t know what they want from their education system. In the public’s desire to fix our education system, teachers have been on the receiving end of the hammer. Scrutinized, blamed, and berated, many educators are limping back to their classrooms carrying the bruises and wounds inflicted by policy makers and politicians. Does any of it actually fix public education? Hardly. In fact, the continuing debate only incites anger, disagreement, and bad feelings rather than address the real issues in education. Theories abound on what the problems are and the trendy solutions rise and fall in response. Despite this hubbub, one essential question remains unanswered: what exactly do we mean by “educated?” If we define what it means to be educated in our 21st century global environment, we may provide the foundation for building a lasting and dynamic system that responds to the needs of those it serves. Perhaps this will allow us to discern answers and solutions rather than maintain our quick fix mentality.
At its very roots, the public education system was not seen as a “quick fix,” but rather as a way to maintain our democratic society. Thomas Jefferson upheld that “a democratic society could not be sustained unless free, public education was available to the citizenry at large” (Rockler 26). It would take over a century and a half before our modern system took shape, but this premise held as states grappled with the purpose of free education. So why are we still struggling today? It turns out that like so many American ideals, our education system was built on a myth. “The Great School Legend,” as it is called, refers to the belief that our public schools act as “the great equalizing force in U.S. culture” (Provenza 33). They would provide the less fortunate with the opportunity to climb the socio-economic ladder. It turns out that this legend, as most legends are revealed to be, is more hype than reality. Of course, leave it to America to replace one hype with another. The inequalities that run rampant in our education system are still a focal point of discussion today. The failure of the system to teach and support all students has found a new home under the title of the ever widening “achievement gap.” But is that all there is to it?
While the widening achievement gap is garnering all the attention these days, should we not be concerned with what we’re missing? Any educator will tell you that no two students achieve the same results. Classrooms, even when homogenously grouped, do not result in every student ranking the same scores, rather they fall differently along a continuum. Is it not reasonable to say that a natural achievement gap should be present in any given class or school, based on students’ abilities and efforts? This does not mean that other factors that affect achievement aren’t present and worth battling. However, with all the publicity surrounding this gap, Americans are, once again, distracted from the key issues. Yes, some schools along with their students are more favored than others. Yes, those schools are predominantly suburban “white” schools. Yes, those schools are in neighborhoods and towns with higher socio-economic status and means. Yes, we should make every attempt to equalize the quality of education in urban inner-city and rural schools. Will that solve the problem? Uh, no. Quality in education, it turns out, is related to the quality of available resources. Poor resources often equate to less quality. While policy makers haggle over teacher competency, standardized testing results, and privatization of our public schools, no one appears to address the rampant inequality, classism, and poverty that affect and influence our student outcomes. Perhaps if all schools had access to the same sufficient resources, and provided the same teacher-student ratio, we would then have the means to decisively look at the quality of a teacher’s efforts. The question now raised is: how do we do that?
As a teacher, one of the first things you learn is to define the objectives of a lesson and unit. It turns out that when you can define what you want your students to achieve, you can easily map out the path they’ll need to take to get there. Imagine what would be possible if we could simply define what it means to be educated in our modern society. From that definition, we can create the parameters for what an educated person should be able to do, which then informs how we measure a student’s achievement of those parameters. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Oh, wait, did we forget something? The American ideal of individuality – it turns out that the “one approach for all” solution creates mindless hordes rather than individuals. While that worked for the “old” America, it runs into problems in today’s culturally responsive America. Although no doubt that our politicians would prefer gangs of zombies that vote mindlessly, most Americans seem to desire a bit more from their education. They may not know what that is, they just know it’s more. Why doesn’t one simple definition of “educated” work? It turns out that all Americans are not the same. Shocking, right? The notion of America’s “melting pot” was tossed out with the myth of the American dream when it was discovered that there is more strength in combining our differences than in smoothing them away. America, it turns out, works better as a tapestry of interwoven layers than a bar of smooth, silky, but highly “melt-able,” white chocolate. Food and weaving metaphors aside, where does this leave us?
While a “one-for-all” solution doesn’t fix the problem, it is a starting point. If we, as a nation, can clearly define what our children need to be able to do in their new global community, then each state and school district can differentiate for its specific population. Why should we allow this? Once again, common precepts in teacher education point the way. Teachers, it is proven, need to understand “the context in which the schools they teach function. They need to understand the cultural background of their students and the ways in which their families and communities understand and organize knowledge” (Provenza 37). This is the dynamic nature of teaching; it is constantly changing, evolving, and rebounding based on the ebb and flow of students through a classroom. No two classes are the same, so what explains why policy makers and the public expect them to achieve the same results? If families and communities have different approaches to learning and knowledge, then doesn’t it stand to reason that they would have a different idea of what it means to be educated? Their definition would be different from those families and communities that enjoy socio-economic freedoms based on the higher level of education that is standard among their group. Allowing each district to differentiate a commonly held national definition to meet the cultural attitudes and norms of its “users” would result in a more satisfying and successful experience for all involved. Why don’t we do this?
It turns out that Americans like the quick fix. Got cancer? Cut it out! Tainted meat? Throw it out! Bad president? Vote him out! Feel depressed? Pop a pill! Ah, all better! A few years later, we raise our heads and discover the problem still exists. Lo and behold, it isn’t so easy to get rid of the problem and we, in response, act shocked. “I thought I beat that!” we think to ourselves. The slow fix, the one that could actually correct and alleviate the issue, is just too, well, slow. In the age of cell phones, instant messaging, and microwave dinners, who has the patience for “bake for 30 minutes then reduce heat and bake for another 60 minutes” approach? We used to be able to do this. Rome, as they say, was not conquered in a day. The Great Depression didn’t end in a year. The Nazis weren’t defeated overnight. The steadfast patience and stick-to-it-ness that helped create our country has fallen by the wayside to make way for drive-thru fast food and downloadable music. Perhaps this mentality was a result of exhaustion from the long, drawn out Vietnam conflict or a natural outgrowth of the cocaine-induced disco era. Regardless of its origins, the end of the 20th century spirited in the instant gratification era. We grow frustrated that education isn’t quick and easy as well. But then again, are the things worth having ever easy?
At the end of the day, hard work does have its own rewards. Most Americans would agree with this statement, even if they have different ideas on what “hard work” looks and feels like. That, it turns out, is precisely the point. Determine the commonly held belief and adjust it to fit the needs of the individual community. Continuously and consistently assess the results against the larger picture and tweak it as necessary. It will take time and will, most likely, remain a work in process, but that’s the nature of education. That’s what makes it fascinating. It’s the very reason I became an educator. It’s the reason I’ll remain one.
Works Cited
Eggers, Dave, NÃnive Calegari and Daniel Moulthrop. Teachers Have It Easy:
The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers. New York:
New Press, 2005. Print.
Provenza, Eugene F. Jr. Teaching, Learning, and Schooling: A 21st Century
Perspective. Boston: Allan & Bacon, 2002. Print.
Rockler, Michael J. “The Privatization of Education: Can Public Education
Survive?” Free Inquiry 1996: 26+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 April 2011.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Education Needs to Be Personal
A friend of mine recently forwarded me an article from the January/February issue of The Futurist. In the article, “The World is My School: Welcome to the Era of Personalized Learning,” Maria Anderson (2011) discusses the impact of technology on education and the role it can play in creating (or recreating) the origins of education: personal interaction. She notes, “As we re-design en masse education, we must address learners’ intrinsic motivations, which means that education must circle back to being personal again” (p. 13).
Anderson argues that technology can do just that – create a personalized experience for the learner. Her system, dubbed “SOCRAIT,” is explained as “a play on ‘Socratic’ that includes SOC for social, AI for artificial intelligence, and IT for information technology within its name” (p. 14). This system allows learners to choose any material from the web, determine the important items to be remembered or learned, and click on a button to choose or add questions about the material from/to a question bank, which can then be used to assess what has been learned. Questions would be short answer, rather than multiple choice, and learners would be able to self-assess their ability to determine the answers (p. 14). Needless to say, while the article focuses on the future of education and a re-defined role for educators, it reminded me of what has been lacking in our current system: inquiry.
I have been fortunate enough during my short time as an educator to be exposed to the Socratic Method, and Philosophy for Children’s (P4C) “softly Socratic” method. Both rely on the importance of the student created inquiry – not teacher developed, but teacher guided. These methods allow the students to develop their own personal inquiries, based on the content or direction provided by the teacher. Students then discuss chosen questions to push their personal understanding further. Anderson’s (2011) concept relies on the same ideas. She points out that “An entirely new ecosystem could grow up around this Socratic learning system” (p. 15). Indeed, it will have to, as our students face new challenges, many of which do not exist today. The great thing about the system proposed by Anderson is that it relies on the student to develop his/her course of action, choose what is relevant to learn for success, and determine the questions that will best assess their knowledge and understanding. Where does that leave teachers?
Perhaps in a better place than we are today. We aren’t boxed in by a pre-set curriculum, by scripted approaches, and by out-of-touch standardized testing. Our job, as she asserts, “is no longer to ‘deliver content’....” but “to help students search for good questions, help them to understand the content they are learning, provide them activities to help them work with the concepts or connect the material in an applied way, and foster discussion with other students on these topics” (p. 17). Such is the goal of every teacher, even today. The question is whether we can get from where we are now to this new point. Will the system allow such a radical change? Anderson compares our current education system and the constant ideas for improvement generated within it to farming the same plot of land over and over again. The soil just doesn’t allow for new growth, despite the insane amount of manure that’s been sprinkled over it in the last several decades. New ideas must come from outside the box – and that’s scary for many of us.
When it comes to technology, I am both excited by it and fearful of it, as are so many others. Part of the fear comes from my own lack of experience with it. Sure, I can text, IM and I love my IPhone (despite my resistance to getting it). Yes, I can create PowerPoint presentations, use an overhead projector linked to a computer, and ogle a document camera when I can get one! I even work at including technology based activities as often as I can – email assignments, webquests, and similar endeavors. And I’m developing the idea of a classroom blog for my future coursework! But I’m still a newbie compared to many of my students. That can be unsettling (though I’m learning to accept it as a sign of progress and life in today’s world). Yet, Anderson’s concept and proposal are exciting. While we are preached to about the powerful role of teachers in the classroom – we are the single greatest influence on student success in the classroom – it bears noting that the intrinsic motivation, that self-directed desire to learn by the student, will generate more success. To be free to invest in the inquiry of my chosen content, to expand my understanding of it as students choose their interest within a field/content and create their own path of inquiry, and to see education as the living conversation that it is between and among generations would be a true phenomenon. Even better, in Anderson’s world, teachers are still necessary and relevant, not replaced by automatons. We get to be what we were meant to be – the gateways to knowledge, not the gatekeepers and wardens of a hard-luck system. Now that is truly exciting!
To view the article yourself, go here: http://www.wfs.org/content/world-is-my-school
Anderson argues that technology can do just that – create a personalized experience for the learner. Her system, dubbed “SOCRAIT,” is explained as “a play on ‘Socratic’ that includes SOC for social, AI for artificial intelligence, and IT for information technology within its name” (p. 14). This system allows learners to choose any material from the web, determine the important items to be remembered or learned, and click on a button to choose or add questions about the material from/to a question bank, which can then be used to assess what has been learned. Questions would be short answer, rather than multiple choice, and learners would be able to self-assess their ability to determine the answers (p. 14). Needless to say, while the article focuses on the future of education and a re-defined role for educators, it reminded me of what has been lacking in our current system: inquiry.
I have been fortunate enough during my short time as an educator to be exposed to the Socratic Method, and Philosophy for Children’s (P4C) “softly Socratic” method. Both rely on the importance of the student created inquiry – not teacher developed, but teacher guided. These methods allow the students to develop their own personal inquiries, based on the content or direction provided by the teacher. Students then discuss chosen questions to push their personal understanding further. Anderson’s (2011) concept relies on the same ideas. She points out that “An entirely new ecosystem could grow up around this Socratic learning system” (p. 15). Indeed, it will have to, as our students face new challenges, many of which do not exist today. The great thing about the system proposed by Anderson is that it relies on the student to develop his/her course of action, choose what is relevant to learn for success, and determine the questions that will best assess their knowledge and understanding. Where does that leave teachers?
Perhaps in a better place than we are today. We aren’t boxed in by a pre-set curriculum, by scripted approaches, and by out-of-touch standardized testing. Our job, as she asserts, “is no longer to ‘deliver content’....” but “to help students search for good questions, help them to understand the content they are learning, provide them activities to help them work with the concepts or connect the material in an applied way, and foster discussion with other students on these topics” (p. 17). Such is the goal of every teacher, even today. The question is whether we can get from where we are now to this new point. Will the system allow such a radical change? Anderson compares our current education system and the constant ideas for improvement generated within it to farming the same plot of land over and over again. The soil just doesn’t allow for new growth, despite the insane amount of manure that’s been sprinkled over it in the last several decades. New ideas must come from outside the box – and that’s scary for many of us.
When it comes to technology, I am both excited by it and fearful of it, as are so many others. Part of the fear comes from my own lack of experience with it. Sure, I can text, IM and I love my IPhone (despite my resistance to getting it). Yes, I can create PowerPoint presentations, use an overhead projector linked to a computer, and ogle a document camera when I can get one! I even work at including technology based activities as often as I can – email assignments, webquests, and similar endeavors. And I’m developing the idea of a classroom blog for my future coursework! But I’m still a newbie compared to many of my students. That can be unsettling (though I’m learning to accept it as a sign of progress and life in today’s world). Yet, Anderson’s concept and proposal are exciting. While we are preached to about the powerful role of teachers in the classroom – we are the single greatest influence on student success in the classroom – it bears noting that the intrinsic motivation, that self-directed desire to learn by the student, will generate more success. To be free to invest in the inquiry of my chosen content, to expand my understanding of it as students choose their interest within a field/content and create their own path of inquiry, and to see education as the living conversation that it is between and among generations would be a true phenomenon. Even better, in Anderson’s world, teachers are still necessary and relevant, not replaced by automatons. We get to be what we were meant to be – the gateways to knowledge, not the gatekeepers and wardens of a hard-luck system. Now that is truly exciting!
To view the article yourself, go here: http://www.wfs.org/content/world-is-my-school
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What Does "Educated" Mean?
I've been using my NCTE membership to its fullest lately, looking for professional development opportunities and participating in discussion board postings. It's provided me with quite a bit to ponder and consider! A recent discussion on education, money, and grading resulted in an economic lesson of sorts. At the same time, it also served as a reminder of the complexity of our education system. Below is a response I posted in reply to some ideas that were posted there. I edited a bit for placement in my blog, but it is essentially the same. The link leads to NCTE's open forum, but you need to be a member to access the discussions.
"It is incredible how the discussion has evolved in to a lesson in economics and away from its original intent: education. A colleague's post on FDR's "Economic Bill of Rights" notes that Americans have "the right to a good education," and perhaps that is where we should focus our discussion. What, exactly, is a "good education?" How is it determined and how should it be measured? Such a vague concept is part of what has left the system in such turmoil - no one agrees on its meaning.
The complex nature of education - its living, mutable character - is undeniable. Is it influenced by the systems in which it exists - economic, social, political, historical, etc.? Of course it is. To focus it as one tool in the social struggles of our society is to ignore its place in the others - and vice versa - and we have to be careful of doing just that. It does not play just one role, but many, from preparing the next generation of workers to redefining the social responsibility citizens have to one another. As I mentioned in an earlier post, our focus on equality has led us away from excellence. Don't misread this - I don't mean we shouldn't have equal education for all students. But what does equal mean? We (society as a whole - not "we" meaning educators) have focused the knife and, in our surgery on the system, decided equal means to provide opportunities for all to succeed by a focus on teacher quality (not a negative idea there), and additional supports for students (whether it is tutoring or the ability for parents to move the student to other schools based on AYP, etc.). Yet, if schools are equal - should they not all have equal capabilities - resources - ranging from teachers to textbooks, computers to whiteboards, and everywhere in between? Suburban (and even urban) schools in wealthier areas have schools that are clean, rich in technology, abundant in resources, and so on while other schools struggle to maintain enough textbooks for the students, much less enough teachers or even a sufficient hint of technology. Wealthier neighborhoods can afford to dedicate more resources to their schools, so how should we be helping those that can't?
Perhaps we need to start here - what does a "good" education mean? What should it look like? And what is necessary to make that happen in ALL of our schools?
"It is incredible how the discussion has evolved in to a lesson in economics and away from its original intent: education. A colleague's post on FDR's "Economic Bill of Rights" notes that Americans have "the right to a good education," and perhaps that is where we should focus our discussion. What, exactly, is a "good education?" How is it determined and how should it be measured? Such a vague concept is part of what has left the system in such turmoil - no one agrees on its meaning.
The complex nature of education - its living, mutable character - is undeniable. Is it influenced by the systems in which it exists - economic, social, political, historical, etc.? Of course it is. To focus it as one tool in the social struggles of our society is to ignore its place in the others - and vice versa - and we have to be careful of doing just that. It does not play just one role, but many, from preparing the next generation of workers to redefining the social responsibility citizens have to one another. As I mentioned in an earlier post, our focus on equality has led us away from excellence. Don't misread this - I don't mean we shouldn't have equal education for all students. But what does equal mean? We (society as a whole - not "we" meaning educators) have focused the knife and, in our surgery on the system, decided equal means to provide opportunities for all to succeed by a focus on teacher quality (not a negative idea there), and additional supports for students (whether it is tutoring or the ability for parents to move the student to other schools based on AYP, etc.). Yet, if schools are equal - should they not all have equal capabilities - resources - ranging from teachers to textbooks, computers to whiteboards, and everywhere in between? Suburban (and even urban) schools in wealthier areas have schools that are clean, rich in technology, abundant in resources, and so on while other schools struggle to maintain enough textbooks for the students, much less enough teachers or even a sufficient hint of technology. Wealthier neighborhoods can afford to dedicate more resources to their schools, so how should we be helping those that can't?
Perhaps we need to start here - what does a "good" education mean? What should it look like? And what is necessary to make that happen in ALL of our schools?
Friday, February 4, 2011
Future Pending
Blogging should be easy, right? It is amazing how difficult it becomes when you are spending the majority of your time searching for work! The last year ended with some difficult choices and now I seem to face an abyss – finding regular full time work AND making a determination as to where I want to focus my energy – secondary schools or post-secondary institutions. Either way, the last few months have been spent jumping through hoops in hopes that a full time job would turn up. Alas, it seems the race continues. For a country that desperately needs to improve its education system, it bodes ill when teachers can’t find jobs.
Okay, I’ll be honest – I had a job and walked away from it. A perfectly good charter school, with a group of focused, determined peers. All was well, except for one or two things…one: what I found when I interviewed was not the reality of the school, and two: I felt no joy at being in the classroom. Not small items to be certain. I don’t think the school misrepresented themselves (not purposely anyway), but I discovered that while charter schools have great intentions and peers, they are plagued by the same implementation problems that our public school system has. Mix this with a 10 to 12 hour day and one finds oneself exhausted! To go in to work at 7am and leave a 5 to 6pm, with grading and planning awaiting you at home (despite being told you'd have three hours of prep somewhere in the day), leads to burnout on a large scale. I and two other teachers left – leaving behind a group of brand new teachers who will be experiencing "trial by fire."
Perhaps the biggest clue that it was not working was the sudden lack of joy I felt in the classroom. In the four years previous, I had never felt this. Every day I got up, I couldn’t wait to go to work – to be in the classroom with the students. Mind you, some days included being sworn at, challenged to fights, or having students fight amongst themselves in front of you – and yet, my joy did not diminish. Not this time. I dreaded every day and did not enjoy the classroom at all. It would be easy to say it was because of the student group, but that wouldn’t be true. The students didn't swear or fight with me, they just lacked respect and didn't listen. I know that when things are off in a classroom, the place to start is with yourself. What wasn’t I doing or getting? I came to the following conclusions:
1. I think the age group of the students was wrong for me. I have garnered a whole new respect for middle school teachers – hormonal tweens are difficult beyond compare! All of you have earned my healthy respect and admiration.
2. The school’s approach to difficult students lacked effectiveness, which left me feeling disappointed. Students needing special education or attention were thrown in with the rest with little or no support - that, we know, leads to student frustration and ultimately disruption. In addition, there were mixed messages about classroom expectation - 100% or no - what did they really want?!?
3. I had expectations, based on my initial interview and demo lesson that were not met – by the school, and on some level, by me. The school's intent was there, but the follow through was poor - they lacked the necessary staffing and protocols. As for me, I perhaps jumped too fast without thinking about what I really wanted for myself as a teacher. Perhaps if I hadn't been rosy-eyed, I would have thought twice about the age group!
In the end, I’m a firm believer that if you don’t feel joy in a classroom, you have to ask yourself the reasons you’re there. When I mentioned this to peers at the school, I was told that the joy would return. It might take a six months, a year, maybe even two…but I couldn’t help feeling that was wrong. It shouldn't have to disappear and then reappear later (if you’re lucky). If a situation is good, the joy is present - despite the obstacles. I hope the administration of the school really thinks about that and is able to create the right atmosphere – I know that’s what they want in the end, but, as is often discovered, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. While charter schools have much to offer, they still have a long way to go – that does not mean we should ignore them or do away with them – they offer a perspective that needs to be considered by the public school sector and by families and communities as well. I’m disappointed with my experience and with myself when it comes down to it. I had hoped for and expected something better.
With all of this said, I placed myself in the “out of work” category at a very difficult time. School districts in Connecticut are difficult to break into for various reasons. I am, for all intent and purposes, an unknown quantity here, and with so many local teachers having been displaced at the end of the last school year, they are on the “first hire” list, so to speak. This leaves new teachers and transferring teachers from out of state on the “wait” list. I’ve applied for so many jobs in the last few months my head is spinning – from full time positions to long-term substitute positions – most were met with silence, others garnered a “thank you and we’ll let you know” and then silence. Lucky for me, a few colleges were hiring and I secured two adjunct positions. Once more in the classroom, I discovered joy! This leads me to believe that the age group of my charter school students played a huge role – I simply was a fish out of water…too far out of water. Older students, I’ve discovered, are my forte and I’ll stick to that from here on out!
I love being an adjunct; I just wish it was full time! On its own, it simply doesn’t pay enough – although it is saving my mental well being at the moment. It’s also first come, first serve. I find that one school has work for me, the other doesn’t – if both did, I might breathe a bit easier. I try to supplement by substitute teaching, but with a low pay rate for subs ($75 - $90/day) and the incredible amount of snow days the Northeast has suffered lately, I find myself not working more days than I’d wish! Such frustrations are not unusual for new teachers and I can see the reasons so many leave the field within the first five years. It is a sad statement about our country that education suffers to such an extent that good teachers (or teachers that really want to improve and become good) can’t find work or sustain themselves in the field. I’m determined to hold out as best I can, but I do have to contemplate part-time work outside of the field at this point and that worries me. I will, however, continue to hope for the best, seek opportunities that will keep me in the field, and work toward self-improvement to inform my practice and methods. Who knows – perhaps I should write a book about it? Hmmmmm….
Okay, I’ll be honest – I had a job and walked away from it. A perfectly good charter school, with a group of focused, determined peers. All was well, except for one or two things…one: what I found when I interviewed was not the reality of the school, and two: I felt no joy at being in the classroom. Not small items to be certain. I don’t think the school misrepresented themselves (not purposely anyway), but I discovered that while charter schools have great intentions and peers, they are plagued by the same implementation problems that our public school system has. Mix this with a 10 to 12 hour day and one finds oneself exhausted! To go in to work at 7am and leave a 5 to 6pm, with grading and planning awaiting you at home (despite being told you'd have three hours of prep somewhere in the day), leads to burnout on a large scale. I and two other teachers left – leaving behind a group of brand new teachers who will be experiencing "trial by fire."
Perhaps the biggest clue that it was not working was the sudden lack of joy I felt in the classroom. In the four years previous, I had never felt this. Every day I got up, I couldn’t wait to go to work – to be in the classroom with the students. Mind you, some days included being sworn at, challenged to fights, or having students fight amongst themselves in front of you – and yet, my joy did not diminish. Not this time. I dreaded every day and did not enjoy the classroom at all. It would be easy to say it was because of the student group, but that wouldn’t be true. The students didn't swear or fight with me, they just lacked respect and didn't listen. I know that when things are off in a classroom, the place to start is with yourself. What wasn’t I doing or getting? I came to the following conclusions:
1. I think the age group of the students was wrong for me. I have garnered a whole new respect for middle school teachers – hormonal tweens are difficult beyond compare! All of you have earned my healthy respect and admiration.
2. The school’s approach to difficult students lacked effectiveness, which left me feeling disappointed. Students needing special education or attention were thrown in with the rest with little or no support - that, we know, leads to student frustration and ultimately disruption. In addition, there were mixed messages about classroom expectation - 100% or no - what did they really want?!?
3. I had expectations, based on my initial interview and demo lesson that were not met – by the school, and on some level, by me. The school's intent was there, but the follow through was poor - they lacked the necessary staffing and protocols. As for me, I perhaps jumped too fast without thinking about what I really wanted for myself as a teacher. Perhaps if I hadn't been rosy-eyed, I would have thought twice about the age group!
In the end, I’m a firm believer that if you don’t feel joy in a classroom, you have to ask yourself the reasons you’re there. When I mentioned this to peers at the school, I was told that the joy would return. It might take a six months, a year, maybe even two…but I couldn’t help feeling that was wrong. It shouldn't have to disappear and then reappear later (if you’re lucky). If a situation is good, the joy is present - despite the obstacles. I hope the administration of the school really thinks about that and is able to create the right atmosphere – I know that’s what they want in the end, but, as is often discovered, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. While charter schools have much to offer, they still have a long way to go – that does not mean we should ignore them or do away with them – they offer a perspective that needs to be considered by the public school sector and by families and communities as well. I’m disappointed with my experience and with myself when it comes down to it. I had hoped for and expected something better.
With all of this said, I placed myself in the “out of work” category at a very difficult time. School districts in Connecticut are difficult to break into for various reasons. I am, for all intent and purposes, an unknown quantity here, and with so many local teachers having been displaced at the end of the last school year, they are on the “first hire” list, so to speak. This leaves new teachers and transferring teachers from out of state on the “wait” list. I’ve applied for so many jobs in the last few months my head is spinning – from full time positions to long-term substitute positions – most were met with silence, others garnered a “thank you and we’ll let you know” and then silence. Lucky for me, a few colleges were hiring and I secured two adjunct positions. Once more in the classroom, I discovered joy! This leads me to believe that the age group of my charter school students played a huge role – I simply was a fish out of water…too far out of water. Older students, I’ve discovered, are my forte and I’ll stick to that from here on out!
I love being an adjunct; I just wish it was full time! On its own, it simply doesn’t pay enough – although it is saving my mental well being at the moment. It’s also first come, first serve. I find that one school has work for me, the other doesn’t – if both did, I might breathe a bit easier. I try to supplement by substitute teaching, but with a low pay rate for subs ($75 - $90/day) and the incredible amount of snow days the Northeast has suffered lately, I find myself not working more days than I’d wish! Such frustrations are not unusual for new teachers and I can see the reasons so many leave the field within the first five years. It is a sad statement about our country that education suffers to such an extent that good teachers (or teachers that really want to improve and become good) can’t find work or sustain themselves in the field. I’m determined to hold out as best I can, but I do have to contemplate part-time work outside of the field at this point and that worries me. I will, however, continue to hope for the best, seek opportunities that will keep me in the field, and work toward self-improvement to inform my practice and methods. Who knows – perhaps I should write a book about it? Hmmmmm….
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