hipteacher

Yearbook Dreaming

I have decided after listening, once again, to students wax poetic about the potential of doing a Grateful Dead/ tie dye/ trippy-colored yearbook, that most young people are developmentally delayed in the area of taste. Struggling with the boundaries between having a student publication that is the true voice of the students and my utter distaste for any color scheme involving full-color hot pink and lime pages, I focus on remaining open and constructive about their theme ideas. Some were ok, and some were god-awful. The discussion will continue tomorrow.

But for a moment, I lost focus and came up with my own not-exactly-serious idea for a yearbook theme: The Divine Comedy. There's the hell of freshman year, the purgatory of sophomore and junior years and the paradise of senior year and graduating. You could do a black-gray-white color scheme that would have very little need of hot pink, rhinestones or stupid dancing bears.

But since my school is pre-K through twelfth, I don't think it would work too well.

Plus, it's all a PR game anyway. Hell analogies don't work too well for recruitment.

Conclusion: I will cross my fingers and magically figure out how to teach tasteful design.

The Same Stuff Again

The first week went pretty well. As usual, I wasn't mean or strict enough with my new ninth graders, and by the end of the week they a) loved me and b) acted a little K-RAZY. On Friday, though, the crazy factor wasn't entirely their fault.

It was our first day in the computer lab. Of course, all but three didn't know their passwords and the nice IT help desk lady was at lunch, so I had to sweet talk the PC tech guy* into breaking into help desk lady's office and getting the passwords for us. It was a laborious process, and the tech guy and help desk lady, once she returned, complained for some time about how the students keep having to get their passwords over and over. I nodded in commiseration, but it was a bit forced. I mean, if my password was "iU8pC4l1", case-sensitive, and I wasn't allowed to change it to something I would remember, I no doubt would be visiting help desk lady on a regular basis for a refresher.

So that took awhile.

As students logged on, I directed them to Edublogs to begin creating their own blogs. Unfortunately, due to site traffic or local weather or some other magical, mystery techno-beastie, the site's homepage would come up, but none could get past that screen to start accounts. My edublog would come up, however, so I randomly decided to show them how to leave comments on mine. I don't know what the kids think about blogging after that semi-lesson because it was all so anti-climatic, but it wasn't a total wash.

And I did get about four comments from girls in my class pretending to be girls from that show "Gossip Girl," filling me in on the activities of their characters and anticipating the new season of the show. So, I learned something too: some of my students have a natural ability to write cheesy copy for TV ads AND I better at least check that show out so I can have some clue about what the hell they are talking about all the time.

We were left with a few minutes in the period, and we are under strict instructions not to allow ninth graders to leave early for lunch, so OF COURSE, one boy goes right to a video of my band on YouTube (word gets around fast in a small school like this). They all rush over to watch it, but one kid who can't see it from the back of the group asks, "Hey, is her husband good looking?" A football player type with blond hair that falls across his forehead in a wave turns around and says, "Yeah, he's hot," which makes all the girls totally fall out laughing. One girl yells, "Dude, you're a boy. You're not supposed to say that!" And football boy is all like, "Yeah, but what was I supposed to say? I didn't want to be rude!" And that's the point when I just started marching around the room booming, "LOG OFF AND LEAVE. LOG OFF AND LEAVE."

So that was awesome.

The next time we go to set up our blogs, I pray everything works according to plan, and they can use any extra minutes creating avatars and experimenting with widgets instead of watching embarrassing YouTube videos.

*the same gentleman who once told me that it was not one of his job responsibilities to ever, ever talk to students. This he informed me of directly after asking me to ask a student to move six inches to the left so he could get to the computer he was supposed to service. We were all sitting within five feet of each other and the whole thing was a little awkward.

Everything I Need to Know About You I Learned From Your Words

Today was the first day of my fifth year of teaching.

I've decided that my ninth graders will be choose their own vocabulary words. So, instead of handing them worksheets with vocab exercises from a book or using a list of SAT words, I asked each of them to identify one word to contribute to our class vocabulary list each week. I asked them to pay attention to the words they don't yet know as they read magazines, watch television, listen to music, or whatever. Each week when they turn in their words, they will write the word, the definition and the context in which they heard the word, and then the next week they'll be quizzed on all the words chosen by the class.

I'd gotten tired of my old vocabulary book, and I want to allow the kids ownership of what we're learning whenever I can. Plus, I think it will still prepare them for future standardized testing. I got an email from a student I taught three years ago last night.

By the way, moppet was one of my vocabulary words on the SAT. I thought you would like to know that since you used to call me a moppet all the time.

So, real words from real life. I like it.

After my explanation, a cute blond in the front row waved her hand.

Um, can I pick the word high-maintenance? 'Cause people are always telling me that I'm all    high-maintenance, and I don't even know what that means.

I dunno if high-maintenance is gonna be on the SAT, but I guess learning for personal growth is a good thing too. Sure thing.

hello Korea!

I have two new students from Korea in my ninth grade class. One speaks no English whatsoever. The other can hold a basic conversation. They both seem like very good students and have willing attitudes. They both have cute pencil cases, very organized notebooks filled with my notes and the Korean translations, and brightly colored, nifty-looking translators.*   But now what to do?

They are both getting one-on-one ESL tutoring after school several times a week, which is great, but I teach at this sort of college-prep, wannabe pretentious private school that often gets college level work out of its freshman class.  I started the semester with the Fagles translation of the Odyssey, and the kids are reading one or two books a night. This is faster than I would like to go, but I also have to teach three plays and poetry this semester. (My school is talkin’ "depth and not breadth," but they’re not quite ready to do the walkin'). So what do I do with my two new friends to make my class fair and useful to them?

I asked my head last semester what I should do for "Darren," the first of my Korean arrivals, when final time came around. He suggested that I give Darren a totally new story to read along with reading comprehension questions and an essay.  That seemed insane to me. The kid needs to use his translator when I say, “Good morning!” So instead, I had him read and write chapter summaries of most of "Lord of the Flies," which took the whole quarter. He answered some short answer questions about characterization and symbols in the novel, and then he wrote an essay. I gave him the final a few days before the test so that he could make sure he understood the directions.  His answers were simple but good, and I was happy with the result.

But the Odyssey? And Henry IV, Part 1?   

Friday, my brand new student, “Edward”, who speaks a good bit more English, tried to take a reading quiz along with the rest of the class about the Cyclops book, but he wouldn't turn it in. I smiled and promised that I wouldn't grade it; I just wanted to know where he was so I could help him. He said he was sorry, but would not give me his paper. He was quite adamant about it. It was sort of embarrassing for both of us in front of the whole class, so I let it go. He came the today day to apologize to me, which was very sweet, but he still wouldn’t let me see his paper.

I think he wants to make sure his work is perfect, and he doesn’t want to show me imperfect work. But I want to help him and need to know how much of the reading he understands so I can decide if it is appropriate reading for him at all.

I think I am going to find out who the ESL tutor is and contact her to see if she can give me some advice.

*and brand new “American” names. Why? I admit the Korean names are a little challenging to pronounce at first, but that’s my challenge. I think losing your name is pretty big deal.

tagging at random

I got tagged by bellringers.

The rules are:

• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm feeling sort of random tonight, so random info seems appropriate.

1. my favorite color is green
2. i have only celebrated christmas about five times in my whole life and don't know any of the words to christmas songs
3. there is a warrant out for my arrest in a very small town that i've never been to, so someone is out there running around trying to be me.
4. i just moved next door to the school where i teach to a house owned by my school. they take my rent out of my paycheck.
5. my granny was a paranoid schizophrenic, and she kept journals for fifty years which i am in the process of transcribing and hopefully turning into a book one day
6. i wish i could sing, but i really, really can't
7. is my favorite number

i'm not going to tag anyone (see nyc educator). i'm also not very good at following rules.

note-to-self: consider this your toe in the water. it's time to jump in and make regular posts. do it.

What's In It For You?

Survey Time!

Next week I am going to give a presentation about blogging at a conference. I want to talk about why teachers blog, not for their students or classes, but for their own personal and professional growth.

I would LOVE it if you answered the following questions in a comment:

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What do you blog about primarily?
3. Professionally, what do you get out of blogging?
4. Personally, what do you get out of blogging?
5. What advice would you give to new blogging teachers?

I'm going to make a handy dandy Power Point presentation incorporating the responses I receive and post it on the blog when I am finished for anyone that is interested.

Thank you in advance!!!

I'm tagging a few people, but I'd love to hear from everyone...
2 Cents Worth
Hedgetoad
huffenglish
It's Not All Flowers and Sausages
Mary's Madness
Mentor Texts...
NYC Educator
Ramblin' Educat
Ms. Frizzle
Teaching (smarter)
Life After the Rubber Room
Closing the Gap in NYC
Weblogg-ed

disconnect

As an extra credit question on today's reading quiz on a certain book (my kids are blogging about it, and they don't need to find this blog--so I'll err on the side of extreme caution), I asked them to tell me the setting, time and place. Most got it right, Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Some even got it more specific, from 1902-1919.

But then, as an extra credit bit, I asked what the librarian keeps on her desk. The answer should have been something about seasonal flowers, but I got four children that said "a computer."

I guess technology has been integrated to the point that they can't imagine life ever existed without it.

And their teacher, who is only about fifteen years older than them, can vividly remember getting her first Apple IIc and Apple IIe.

Maybe I'm just young, but that seems like some fast moving.

.........

This week's vocabulary words came from the lyrics on Andrew Bird's latest album Armchair Apocrypha. I was listening to the album on a car trip this weekend, and often I was entraced by Bird's word choice: premonition, apropos, palindromes, mitosis, quantify, malcontent, osmosis, wrought, pratfalls, morbid, elation, maelstroms, pundit, etc. I make a big deal about learning vocab that they encounter in real life, and usually they pick the words, but this week time was short, so they got my experience instead.

I tried to explain how cool all of this was, but I'm afraid they are too into Soulja Boy to get it.

Yeah.

A Hard Day’s Night

I have learned an important lesson. I have learned to feel dumb. Now, I am trying to continue feeling that way.

It isn’t easy.

About six months ago, I started writing songs accidentally. A friend got stuck with the words for a verse and asked for help. The acoustic guitar played, and after staring for a second at my notebook, I started writing. My words didn’t go perfectly with the music, but with some tweaking, the song sounded pretty good. Thus began my new hobby.

Five or six songs later, I started getting the itch—the itch to perform. It felt strange hearing my words from the perspective of an audience member. I didn’t desire the spotlight or the ego inflation. I just wanted to experience the performance of something that I helped create.

Unfortunately, I am no musician. I suffered through a few years of piano lessons as a kid, but that’s the extent of my training. So, I picked up the tambourine, shakers and bells and learned little parts for each of the songs.  Sort of.

After only a few practices, I realized that I am a total moron when it comes to music. I am not a natural. I don’t “hear” where my notes should go. I don’t “feel” the rhythm in an accurate way. I can’t watch the guitar and “follow its lead.” Don’t even think about my inventing my own parts.

Most of the time, I get really frustrated with myself and, within five minutes, I’m crying. I have quit the band about twenty times. I snap at my friend who is attempting to teach me. At the bar after a particularly enjoyable session, I was ordered an “Attitude Adjustment.” Let’s just say I am a royal pain in the arse—just trying to play a couple notes or do a little shake, shake, shake.

Yesterday, I realized why my behavior seemed kind of familiar to me. I’ve seen it from my students a million times. I have been driven crazy by that behavior a million times. They’ve wanted to give up, and I’ve wanted to give up on them a million times. I didn’t understand their strong emotional responses – the tears, pissyness and anger – until now.

I am good at many things, so I’ve stayed away from the things that don’t come easily for me. I hate it when I don’t automatically get something. But what a cop-out is that? I’m never going to work through the tough stuff? How can I expect my students to keep struggling if I can’t do the same?

I have a new respect for those who can stick it out and keep trying.  We can’t be brilliant at everything. So, the next time a kid freaks out in my class because he/she doesn’t get an assignment or can’t understand a passage, I’m probably going to feel and react a whole lot differently.

I started out trying to be a rock star, but I’m learning how to be a better teacher. And hopefully a better, more humble person too.

I'm It!

I got tagged by Mentor Texts.... I feel cool. Seriously.

Teaching Meme

1. I am a good teacher because... I was a total failure as a high school student. I remember all too well how it feels on the other side. Also, I live by my mantra, “If I am bored, then they probably are too.”

2. If I weren't a teacher, I would be... a rock star, a journalist, a poet, a writer of creative non-fiction, a collage-maker, a something-with-my-hands, or a manager/muse to creative types. But probably a teacher.

3. My teaching style is... like a stealthy ninja. We’re having fun…we’re having fun…we’re having fun…we’re laughing at the teacher for running into her desk again…we’re having fun…Oops! I learned something! How’d that happen?!

4. My classroom is... far, far away in some magical and slightly misty world. Until that fantasy reaches me, I share for my two classes and then trailer it in a room of very separate two purposes, which I share without too much pleasure.

5. My lesson plans... were really lovely and detailed when I did them in grad school.

6. One of my teaching goals is…to make kids figure out that they are smart and can learn all by themselves.

7. The toughest part of teaching is...having enough energy to get through the day and still having ten hours of marking to do when I get home at night.

8. The thing I love most about teaching is... how alive I feel when I’m doing it. The kids are cool too. : )

9. A common misconception about teaching is...that teachers are really clean-cut folks. I mean, lots of these folks really know how to unwind. It kinda freaks me out.

10. The most important thing I've learned since I started teaching...is not to let school completely take over your life outside of school. One divorce later, I’ve learned that I must remember to pay attention and nurture my personal life.  But I still have to remind myself.

I'll tag:
David Warlick
Alan November
Hedgetoad
Dana Huff
Mary
Mimi
educat

My apologies if anyone's already been tagged.

so let's procrastinate

from ramblin' educat...