Green Books

So as you may have noticed, I have not been writing on this thing as much; partly because I am really busy, and partly because since I am in the classroom everyday, I am running out of monumental experiences to talk about on daily basis. You see, I don't want this to be a diary where I simply report what I do each day, I prefer it to be a platform to share what I am learning. As I always tell my students, one of the best ways to learn is to read.

Another reason I don't write on here as regularly is I have a lack of free time. Between my class and my teaching and working, I really only have time to watch a couple of TV shows a week and maybe take a nap. Recently an Ed professor explained to me the importance of taking time for yourself, to relax and sort of center yourself.

So this brings me to my new idea for this blog. Aside from writing about my classroom, I am also going to use this space to tell you about learning I am doing through reading. Now because I don't have a lot of money, I am going to do what I call green books. You see my book shelf has at least 20 books on that I have not read; in fact its probably more like 30-40. So I am going to take the time to read nightly and reflect on what I have read on this blog. I am also going to open this up to my friends on facebook and see if they want to join my green books movement; and I encourage you all to do it too.

Turning Point

" But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated." - Ernest Hemingway

So there is a lot going on this week that ties together to make me feel a bit down. Obviously there is the PSSA testing which really is soul crushing. Along with that the air conditioning and fans are broken in the school so it is ridiculously hot and stuffy in there during the day, a lot of my kids failed the Social Justice paper, kids are becoming very lazy and my supervisor basically told me that he is not going to be around much this next half of the year so basically I passed. The sum of all of this is making it very tough to get motivated to get up and go the rest of this week; let alone the rest of this year.

The thing that is most troubling is that these kids really do not see value in school. They want the easy way out, they don't want to do work. I get that; I was that way when I was in school too. But I assumed I was the exception. That kids would flock to me and love my style and just get swept up in learning. They do love me (most of them) but I can't say they love my class, or the material. It's discouraging to put your heart into something and feel unappreciated. I can remember times when I was younger, actually maybe I wasn't so young, when would hurt my parents feelings and they would give me this look that just embodied how deflated they were. Like they had such high hopes for something and I just pulled the carpet out from them. I feel that same look this week when I look out onto a class of students who just want to be done, who just want easy.

The funny thing is my parents were really good at disguising that look. They would let it show for a moment and then they would look away or leave the room, and soon they'd be back with something else, as if it never happened. I need to learn that trick. I need to hide my deflation and just take another approach. Because thats what you do when you have great passion and love; you don't give up, you regroup. I think a lot of this feeling has to do with being tired, and knowing that most of my friends are on Spring Break and I'm stuck sweating in PSSAville. EIther way I am hoping to take this weekend to regroup and refresh.

Now I know a lot of people are itching to call or text me at this point to cheer me up, but I would rather you just comment on this post about a time you changed an approach or about a positive experience you had as a student. I always bounce back, I just need some time with me.

"This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you"

It's a sad week for teachers and students alike this week, it's PSSA week. The first three day installment of standardized tests, that last from 7:50-11:30. As a passionate educator I nearly get sick at the sight of 20 kids dead silent, filling in bubbles that will determine their school's state ranking, future classes, state funding and perhaps even their teacher's job. These tests are somewhat of a necessary evil; they are here and they are not going away, so we might as well just take them. They are just hoops we need to jump through. But it's not that simple. These tests are poisoning our education system. They are meant to suck creativity out of schools so that all kids get the same education and learn the same thing, the same way.

This goes back to the McDonalds post I had a couple weeks ago. Anyone who has been in a school can tell you that "standardized" anything is a joke. If you approach period 1 the same as period 6 your losing kids;it's that simple. So it goes with out saying that if thats the case, we also cannot expect that kids in Lancaster need the same things as kids in Philly and none of them need what kids in Texas need. In fact, what would a world of standardized learners look like? A concrete curriculum for every grade in every state? So every 11th grader takes pre-calculus and reads The Crucible? When you align yourself with a standardized anything, your ruining diversity that fuels learning.

The worst part about these tests is that they are not effective. They are impossible for some students and not nearly challenging enough for others. They only work for one learning type, they are way too long and they do not encompass any life long learning skills that I would actually value. No culture; no critical thinking; no building or problem solving; no collaboration and no research. These tests are nothing more than a wealthy politicians solution to a problem he knows nothing about. They are also a way for that same politician to make money. Standardized testing is a billion dollar industry, monopolized by a few companies, creating tests that determine the education of millions of students and jobs of teachers and administrators nationwide. All of this dictated by passing a test that is mathematically designed for 50% to fail. The House always wins.

Lessons I Hope We Never Stop Teaching

As my course load has now been reduced, I am now teaching 3 classes a day rather than 6, I have had the chance to watch my co-op teach. While I am teaching a novel unit on The Light in the Forest, he is guiding them through a research paper. Their paper is on prejudice. They must research an instance of historical prejudice/discrimination/intolerance etc. It flows rather nicely with my social justice paper. To introduce this unit, he uses the Holocaust. The kids mostly complained because they are also reading Anne Frank in their reading classes and they will learn about the Holocaust again in 10th grade. But my co-op was duel history/english ed major so he take advantage of this time to draw on another one of his passions.

One of the things he uses is a video of Oprah interviewing Elie Weisel at Auscwitz. If you do not know Elie Weisel, and/or you have not read his memoir "Night," than you are doing yourself a disservice. Hands down it is one of the most important books written in the last 30 years. The video takes two class periods to watch, and at times it is quite chilling. Some kids drag their feet and complain that this is too depressing to watch first period, and it is very heavy. But as I sat watching it for the third time, I realized a couple of things. 1) I was not able to grade any papers during this video, even after multiple/consecutive viewings. I hung on his words as if they were gospel. 2) I could have heard a pin drop in every class. 3) First hand accounts like this are becoming more and more vital. We have all heard that it is necessary to study history so it does not repeat itself. I was spoiled as a child. My grandfather fought in WWII and liberated Dachau. I have known about these horrors. But this generation, the greatest generation, is quickly withering away. When our kids hear about this from a teacher or read it in a book, its sad, boring history; when they see someone who lived through it, it's real.

Something about teaching makes me pretty emotional. On more than one occasion in the classroom I have been touched, nearly to the point of tears, and today was another one of those days. The emotion of the video and the solemnity of the classroom was remarkable. The catch phrase associated with the holocaust is "Never Forget." I never truly understood the weight and magnitude of that phrase until today. I would encourage you all to take time to watch this interview ( I must say it's worth it, even as an Oprah hater) and read his book. Heres a clip of the first part, watch as much as you want, but I warn you... 10 min will go quick