Students often come up to my desk and ask me “is that cho moms in the picture?” They are referring to the picture of me and my mentor, Dr. Kathy Gerard, with whom I had the pleasure of working with during student teaching at University of Delaware ( go Blue Hens!!). “No, that’s the person who inspired me to be the teacher I am today” I simply tell them. She made me realize that I am made for this job. She taught me that integrity is one of the core principals of good teaching, that passion is contagious, that students will respond to consistency, humor, and my own humility. She taught me everything from effectively tracking attendance to effectively motivating a student recently transferred from a juvenile detention center. (He became inspired by Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird).
She did all this with tremendous natural wisdom and grace; I was thankful, but didn’t realize how much she would influence my professional life. Over the past four years of teaching I have combined her ideals with some of my own. This I believe: every student can learn and be motivated and sometimes the means may be outside the constraints of standards. I believe that in addition to content, we teach our students how to live, think, dream, accomplish, respect, and fight for what they believe. I get chills every time I see a face look at mine with a true hunger for knowledge and appreciation for learning. (wish I could see that more frequently). I believe that I can always be a better teacher and I believe that I can unlearn whatever holds me back.
I was discussing this poem with a wonderful colleague and wanted to share it with you. (format is way off)
What Teachers Make, orObjection Overruled, orIf things don't work out, you can always go to law school
By Taylor Mali
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says. "Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that (asked me to be honest) because, you see, I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking: if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face. How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups. No, you may not ask a question. Why won't I let you get a drink of water? Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home: I hope I haven't called at a bad time, I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today. Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?" And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder, I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write, write, write. And then I make them read. I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again. I make them show all their work in math. And hide it on their final drafts in English. I make them understand that if you got this (brains) then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true: I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Curriculum and Standards: Week 2 Part II
Do you see the standards and laws as a shackle or a benefit for schools? How about your particular school?
It is difficult to call curriculum standards and laws a shackle; however, it is just as difficult to truly see them as a benefit. I cannot imagine a system which gives the teacher complete freedom of curriculum, and with that, I see standards as a pathway to teacher accountability, an attempt to create equality between school districts, a tool for focus and consistency, and a promise of accommodations for various learners. On the other hand, I have found that standards at times hamper creativity and leave little room for truly significant learning, the kind that goes beyond strong learning verbs. Can we ever find a balance, while keeping our students’ interests in mind? Can we create standards that value true learning experiences and not hollow test-taking skills?
I often find myself thinking about the standards that I get to highlight on my weekly lesson plans. Besides the mind-numbing H.S.P.A prep that we have in the month of February, I never felt shackled by standard 3.4 or felt that standard 3.2 disallowed me from truly engaging my students in creative writing. For the most part, my passion and enthusiasm have been my standards. When planning lessons, I think about the learning goal: why am I teaching this? How can I make this relevant? What is the most interesting way to present this to my students? Although the standards seem to take the back seat, inadvertently, they are always addressed.
In general, do you think most teachers adhere to the standards, or create an individual curriculum package particular to their setting? If your thought is the latter, is there a need then for standards?
I think that there are three types of teachers; those that play by the rules or standards in this case, those who step outside the lines to explore more creative ways of teaching, and those that ignore the standards much like they ignore the immense influence they have on the development of our students. Although I think standards are absolutely necessary, I believe that teachers should be trusted as professionals to reasonably step outside those standards.
During my first year of teaching, I had an experience that highlighted some drawbacks of standards and curriculum. I was informed on my first day that if I taught anything that wasn’t in the curriculum, I could technically be held responsible. Then came time to rewrite the curriculum, this is where I lost some faith in the educational system and perhaps some of naiveté. After getting a new addition of the Language Arts textbook, we got together in teams arranged by grade to literally copy the new material into the old curriculum. Incredulously, I realized that there is a tremendous rift between what the curriculum and standards are ideally designed for and how they function in the reality of a school setting. Much like the previous question, I believe there must be a balance between giving teachers meaningful direction while simultaneously trusting their professional judgment.
Several national and education organizations have taken on the voluntary challenge of creating educational standards or guidelines to be used on a national level. They are not mandatory but highly recommended. Take a look at them. Should we have national standards rather than state standards?
Unfortunately, I have become slightly pessimistic about school reform. I think too many times it takes the form of a nervous administration trying to reach an empty benchmark. I would like to see a set of national standards that truly create equality in our schools while leaving room for meaningful teaching and assessment. While researching this topic I came across an insightful article: http://www.nyssba.org/clientuploads/forecast%20pdf/forecast0607.pdf One idea truly resonated as I read: by instituting national standards are we again trying to create “one-size-fits-all” mentality? By taking away control from local level, can we truly take into account the myriad of communities across this nation? This challenging undertaking is commendable, yet the insurmountable variables may be too many to address; can our test-subjects endure another experiment?
It is difficult to call curriculum standards and laws a shackle; however, it is just as difficult to truly see them as a benefit. I cannot imagine a system which gives the teacher complete freedom of curriculum, and with that, I see standards as a pathway to teacher accountability, an attempt to create equality between school districts, a tool for focus and consistency, and a promise of accommodations for various learners. On the other hand, I have found that standards at times hamper creativity and leave little room for truly significant learning, the kind that goes beyond strong learning verbs. Can we ever find a balance, while keeping our students’ interests in mind? Can we create standards that value true learning experiences and not hollow test-taking skills?
I often find myself thinking about the standards that I get to highlight on my weekly lesson plans. Besides the mind-numbing H.S.P.A prep that we have in the month of February, I never felt shackled by standard 3.4 or felt that standard 3.2 disallowed me from truly engaging my students in creative writing. For the most part, my passion and enthusiasm have been my standards. When planning lessons, I think about the learning goal: why am I teaching this? How can I make this relevant? What is the most interesting way to present this to my students? Although the standards seem to take the back seat, inadvertently, they are always addressed.
In general, do you think most teachers adhere to the standards, or create an individual curriculum package particular to their setting? If your thought is the latter, is there a need then for standards?
I think that there are three types of teachers; those that play by the rules or standards in this case, those who step outside the lines to explore more creative ways of teaching, and those that ignore the standards much like they ignore the immense influence they have on the development of our students. Although I think standards are absolutely necessary, I believe that teachers should be trusted as professionals to reasonably step outside those standards.
During my first year of teaching, I had an experience that highlighted some drawbacks of standards and curriculum. I was informed on my first day that if I taught anything that wasn’t in the curriculum, I could technically be held responsible. Then came time to rewrite the curriculum, this is where I lost some faith in the educational system and perhaps some of naiveté. After getting a new addition of the Language Arts textbook, we got together in teams arranged by grade to literally copy the new material into the old curriculum. Incredulously, I realized that there is a tremendous rift between what the curriculum and standards are ideally designed for and how they function in the reality of a school setting. Much like the previous question, I believe there must be a balance between giving teachers meaningful direction while simultaneously trusting their professional judgment.
Several national and education organizations have taken on the voluntary challenge of creating educational standards or guidelines to be used on a national level. They are not mandatory but highly recommended. Take a look at them. Should we have national standards rather than state standards?
Unfortunately, I have become slightly pessimistic about school reform. I think too many times it takes the form of a nervous administration trying to reach an empty benchmark. I would like to see a set of national standards that truly create equality in our schools while leaving room for meaningful teaching and assessment. While researching this topic I came across an insightful article: http://www.nyssba.org/clientuploads/forecast%20pdf/forecast0607.pdf One idea truly resonated as I read: by instituting national standards are we again trying to create “one-size-fits-all” mentality? By taking away control from local level, can we truly take into account the myriad of communities across this nation? This challenging undertaking is commendable, yet the insurmountable variables may be too many to address; can our test-subjects endure another experiment?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Big CURR530 Welcome!
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Hello All,
To my Bloomfield colleagues, don't be alarmed, I am using this blog for a hybrid course at Montclair State. Although this may get a bit confusing, I am sure that some of these posts will intertwine with the topics that we have or will discuss.
To my Bloomfield colleagues, don't be alarmed, I am using this blog for a hybrid course at Montclair State. Although this may get a bit confusing, I am sure that some of these posts will intertwine with the topics that we have or will discuss.
Since I am a vivid dreamer, I am sure the anxiety of taking my first hybrid course will produce dreams filled with blinking password screens, never-ending website addresses, and a computer screen that devourers me like a flesh-eating zombie. Naturally, I figured this would be a good time to complete my first assignment.
I am an English teacher at Bloomfield High School, and I absolutely love what I do (almost every day). My passion for teaching has so far dictated my goal for the future: supervisor of a small Language Arts department with a light teaching load. However, for a someone who planned to be a surgeon, a psychologist, and became a teacher, I cannot count anything out.
I was born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine, and came to U.S in 1992, living the American dream ever since, thanks to my mother and father: my role models, my heroes, my inspiration.
Although a bit timid, I am looking forward to being challenged by this class, after all....*insert an inspirational quote about facing challenges here.*
*Next goal: learn how to format posts. Picture: La Romana, Dominican Republic, one of my favorite places
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