Seventh Week of Class - 02/21/2012

Curriculum.  There's another one of those words that sound so easy to define, yet so complicated once you delve into the details.  I believe that by all means, a school's curriculum must be geared to meet state and standards.  But, I think it is equally important for teachers to be given leeway in how they manipulate the curriculum to reflect their own personality and meet the needs of their particular students.  

What works for a teacher in a class one year may be a total flop when used with a class the next year.  Each class is made up of individuals and they vary from year to year.  The sign of an effective teacher, in my opinion, is one that can take the required curriculum and be flexible enough to think on his/her feet to be able to adjust on a moments notice to meet the needs of the class at that particular time on that particular day.  What works one day may not work the next.  As long as the state standards are being met, a teacher should have the ability to be creative on how he or she gets there.

Most teachers cannot pull off scripted lesson plans without sounding fake.  Even very young students can sense when an adult is not being genuine.  When a teacher isn't genuine, the students lose interest very quickly.  Once you have lost the students' interest, classroom management becomes a problem.  When classroom management  becomes a problem, it makes for a miserable day for both the students and the teacher.  It becomes a downward spiral from there.  I can see were more "guided" lessons plans might be beneficial to a new teacher.  But hopefully with a little bit of experience under her belt, the new teacher will gain the confidence to assess what is working for her students and what is not, and learn to adjust as needed.

There are so many different ways to approach content.  As long as the students are learning, a teacher should be encouraged to be creative in teaching methods.  Creative teaching makes for happy students and happy teachers.

Sixth Week of Class 02/14/12

Apparently I was having phlog/computer issues last week, because I just realized that my post for last week is not showing.  I will repost it and hopefully it will work this time.  :0(

Now for this week.  Biases - What a word.  It evokes a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I have spent a lot time thinking about this assignment.  I was one that would vehemently say that because I work hard at welcoming diversity I have risen above having biases.  Well, we all know that is simply not true.  No matter how much we educate ourselves, biases exist.  Some are below the surface and some are rather overt and color the way we see things in our world.  The important thing, in my opinion, is to know one's self and be aware of those bias.  Have the courage to admit them and confront the feelings.  Evaluate the feelings.  Figure out where the biases come from and how they were developed and engrained.  It is only then that one can move past them.

After much soul searching, one of my biases comes to the forefront of my mind, though I'm embarrassed to admit it and blog about it for the world to read.  I'll start by giving you a little bit of background.  One particular job I had was conducting background investigations
for government security clearances for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Working with the native american population became a source of extreme frustration for me.  Daily, I was faced with people that were resentful of questions I was required to ask of them in order for me to conduct the background investigation.  One, I found that many native americans oppose government interference  by way of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  And two, perhaps even more importantly, they resented the fact that I am not native american and was prying into their lives.  This made my job extremely difficult.

Additionally, I am by nature, very punctual.  I live by the clock and my schedules.  Time and time again, I found that the native population that I was working with generally did not live by the same schedule that I did.  I would set my appointments and found that people were often extremely late or extremely early.  I felt they were showing a complete disregard for the importance of my time.  One of my native american co-workers referred to it as "Navajo Time" and told me I should learn to live with it.  She explained to me that to many, especially the older population, clocks mean nothing.  The sun rises and the sun sets and time is measured as such.

Another source of frustration was the fact that the people I was interviewing would not look at me when I was talking to them or they were talking to me.  In my mind, it was a sign that they were being dishonest or evasive.  I then learned that generally speaking, it is the native american culture to look downwards when speaking as a sign of respect.

I learned about how little I knew about the native american culture as a result of my work.  Much of my frustrations were born out of my naïvety.  But even after I gained insight into some of the issues, it still remained a source of frustration for me because the culture was so extremely different from my own.

I have come to believe that education is the foundation to understanding differences.  But even with education, the differences still exist.  I believe it is unreasonable to think of our country as a "melting pot."  We cannot expect our differences to melt together to create one combination.  Those differences will always exist.  Rather we should view our country more as a "tossed salad."  All of the different ingredients each have their own flavor but come together in a way that can enhance one another.

I believe it is impossible to wipe out biases.  Biases are a part of human nature.  The key is to know yourself well enough to know what your biases are, educate yourself about your biases, and learn to have a respect for cultures other than your own.  No culture is better or worse than another, they are simply different.

Fourth Week of Class - 01/31/12

Wow!  The fourth week of class already!  Where does the time go?!  My prediction for the Super Bowl?  Well, here it goes - 10 point spread, New England 34-24…What else could I possibly say - with my ties to Boston and all…   ;0)

What is my purpose in being a teacher?  Well…it's complicated.  I was a probation/parole officer for several years and saw people at their worst, day in and day out.  My heart would often break, not for my clients, but for their children.  In terms of my clients, if I had a dime for every time I thought, "if only someone would have intervened for them as children, maybe they wouldn't be sitting in front of me today," I would be rich.  As a result, I made it a priority to get to know my clients' children.  I went out of my way to show interest in them.  I chatted with them about school work, play, and life in general.  I was always amazed at how showing them that I was interested in what they had to say made their eyes light up.  At some point I came to the conclusion that I could make more of a difference working with kids than I could working with adults.  Hence, my major career change.

I was fortunate enough to have a couple of very talented teachers while I was a child.  One in particular was my 11th grade English teacher, Dr. Fred Hayes.  Though he probably never knew it, he single handedly taught me how to write.  He had a way of teaching that enabled his students to learn without even knowing they were learning.  He made writing fun.  I always felt he was actually interested in what I wrote by the comments he made on my papers.  Dr. Hayes created a learning environment that was safe and free from ridicule and made everyone feel like what they had to say was important.  He taught us to go out on a limb and write from the heart.  He told us that the form and format would come later.  That year in 11th grade was a turning point for me.  He told us repeatedly, "Learn to write well, and the sky will be your limit."  I took it to heart.  To large extend, I am who I am today thanks to him.  I don't think I would have been college material had it not been for Dr. Hayes.

Dr. Hayes is my role model.  I want to light a fire in my students and help them develop a love for learning.  I want to challenge them to think "outside the box," see things from new a perspective, develop self-confidence, become critical thinkers, challenge the status quo, tap into their creativity and have the courage to reach beyond their comfort zones.  This makes a connection to the larger society because, in my opinion, well rounded, well grounded people make important, positive contributions to our community in whatever capacity they find themselves in, whether it be as a nuclear scientist or as a janitor and everything in between.

I know this sounds kind of corny and that I see the world through "rose colored glasses."  But I know its possible, because that is what Dr. Hayes did for me.  Dr. Hayes passed away in 2008.  I am profoundly sad that I never took the time to tell him how he impacted my life.  He was truly one of a kind.  I will honor his memory by striving everyday to pattern my approach to teaching after his.