Education System?

Is this a good representation of our current education system? Simply a conveyor belt where we take in children and spit out little identical robots? Unfortunately, I do see a lack of discipline and creativity in our kids and perhaps only a contrived, commercial “intelligence.” HOW DO WE CHANGE THIS?!

In the Grand Scheme of Things

Maggie wrote a post about making what we teach in school relevant or important to kids who have so much else going on in their lives. That’s such a great question! How in the hell do we as teachers make a lesson on poetry or romantic fiction seem important to a student who might be dealing with big, personal issues. I don’t know that I can blame a kid for the typical questions: “Why do I have to learn this?” “When will I ever use this in real life?” because, honestly, sometimes they have a point. What does a kid who perhaps experienced the death of a parent or sibling care about Ernest Hemingway? Why should a kid who has to work for a living to support himself and his family care about a lesson on revolutionary literature? Or how about the kid who knows he won’t be going to college because his family can’t afford it and instead is set on going straight into the workforce, why does he need to learn about post-modernist writing? Now, being an aspiring teacher, I know the value of what I teach for all kids regardless of their situation, but how do we make it relevant in a world that has so much more going on. 

A Question About Teaching in General… Is That Allowed in Our Blogs?!?

OK, so here it is. Since starting this program, one thought has pervaded my mind and that is: How do I, as a teacher, keep my personal beliefs and opinions out of my classroom? I know I’m going to be a teacher and we’re suppose to be this neutral authority that simply presents arguments and ideas in a mechanical fashion so as not to show preference or offend anyone. But come on… I’m still a person. I have my own beliefs and opinions, and for the most part I am not shy about voicing those. But I worry that as a teacher I’m going to have to almost lose myself for a large majority of my day. I won’t be able to be me, I will have to become this neutral, politically correct, bleached person devout of any personality or opinion. Now before any of you jump down my throat and say I have to keep my personal beliefs to myself because I can’t be viewed as pushing something on a student or convincing students my way is the right way. Duh. I get that. I understand my role. But honestly, that kind of sucks! So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m worried about not being able to be myself fully as a teacher. How do I maintain my professional, neutral authority as an educator of many diverse people while still maintaining my individuality? Anyone else worry about this going into the teaching profession or am I nuts? 

In-Class Work

This post is inspired by another post, thanks Jake Remegi! I started practicum two weeks ago. And while I love my cooperating teacher, one aspect of the classroom is starting to bother me. Almost every class for the past two weeks has consisted of talking briefly for 10 minutes or so, explaining an assignment, and then allowing the students to read a passage or article or complete an assignment in class silently, by themselves, for the remainder of the period. The entire class period then turns into nothing more than a study hall. I’m not learning any teaching practices and I don’t know that the kids are learning anything more than how to churn out written assignments. I’m not one to judge another teacher’s teaching style, to each their own, but come on… silent study time can’t be the most effective way to run a classroom or a lesson. There hasn’t been one homework assignment given the entire two weeks I have been observing. I’m worried about a lack of interaction and discussion. Not having homework is great and giving kids time to work on stuff in class has it’s place, but not every day as a constant teaching tool. Thought?! Am I simply being judgmental?

Out With the Old… In With the…?

I have been having the hardest time lately, trying to decide which Young Adult book to present in one of my classes. It is literally keeping me up nights. I’ve convinced myself that only a classically taught high school novel is allowed for this assignment and that anything else that hasn’t won some literary marvel award will be sub par project material. So I’ve looked at book award list winners. I’ve searched old high school reading lists online. I’ve even asked my high school swimmers which books they have to read in their English classes at City High. And after all this, all I seem to have is a pile of “typical” high school novels like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Great Gatsby” and “A Brave New World.” While I agree that the classics and those books in the Cannon are worthwhile reads for young adults, I simply do not want to read them again and give the same old tired presentation that I remember in High School.

But is it okay to read something outside the typical, academic realm for a college course? Is it acceptable to pick a book that is a commercial success or a teenage obsession? I don’t know. I feel like if I choose something more along the lines of “Harry Potter” rather than “Lord of the Flies,” I will come off as unintelligent, unsophisticated, definitely not becoming of a future English Teacher. I’m honestly afraid that if I pick a book outside of the expected, I will appear completely unfit to be a Literature teacher.

And yet, despite all these feelings and misgivings, I still want to select something outside the norm. I want to select something that a kid would read on their own as opposed to a novel assigned in English class that they simply Sparknote and never even bother to read. Is that wrong? Will I appear less capable? Less knowledgeable as a future educator of the written work? Will I be sucked into a fiery pit of unintelligible, trashy novels and their movie adaptations?!?! I DON’T KNOW!  

Lists on Lists on Lists… I hate writing lists… or do I?

I am 23. I have a Bachelors Degree in English. I have a year of experience working in the business world (which is horrible and I don’t recommend it). I have two years of coaching experience at the High School level. I rent a condo that doesn’t look or smell like 350 dirty college sophomores have lived in it in the past. I have a giant dog who needs more space than an 800 sq. ft., second floor walk-up. I have one year until I am finished with my licensure program. What in the hell does all this mean? It means it’s time to move. Or at least start planning to move.

While I love Iowa City and have completely enjoyed my 5 years here studying and working, it’s time to go. So my boyfriend and I have been making lists. Lists of potential places to move next Spring. Lists of small towns, suburbs and cities (although I will tell you right now, those are only there to appease him). We have lists of the areas with the best schools, those with high employment rates, those with great locations. We have my lists of towns in Wisconsin and his list of towns in Iowa. We have one big list with the word “Dubuque” at the top and stars all around it (I suppose that’s the only one we agree on so far). I love writing lists. Grocery lists, movie lists, shopping lists, chore lists. But let me tell you, I am so over our moving list!!! 

We can’t seem to get past picking the town. If we could just do that maybe we could move on to neighborhoods and potential locations for Grant’s gym. But sadly, town names are all I have been writing lately. All my persuasive writing skills have recently gone into creating picturesque living scenarios for my boyfriend so as to convince him the towns I like best are the towns he likes best. I’ll scribble down the name of a town I thought of that day and write a couple key sentences on what it has to offer. I feel like a real estate broker. Perhaps I’ll sell Grant on one of these towns eventually. But until then… I will be writing lists on lists on lists until my hand falls off or we simply move in with his parents…