Thursday, May 5, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Comics can say so much...
I saw this editorial comic in the Loveland (CO) Reporter-Herald newspaper a few days ago.
It really does say a lot...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Top 11 'C' words re: teaching and learning
The other day, running through my head were several different words relating to teaching and learning. Strangely, they all began with the third letter of the alphabet. So I started capturing them on my iPhone. When all was said and done, I had typed 94 different words. Some were nouns, some were verbs, some were adjectives.
In sticking with my "Top 11 for 2011" theme, I decided I wanted to determine what I believed were the top 11 "C" words relating to teaching and learning. Here they are. Enjoy.
- Choice - it's a staple of democratic classrooms. It's necessary for giving students opportunities to feel a sense of ownership over their work. It can be implemented in teaching and learning in so many ways.
- Community - inside every classroom should be a genuine community of learners. Without a real sense of community, students are almost completely unlikely to take learning risks. With a real sense of community, what students learn and what students learn to do can really be endless...
- Connect - a text is no longer just a textbook or a novel. There are countless opportunities for students to learn in a global context thanks to the internet and web2.0 technologies. No classroom should go without opportunities for students to use and learn from such technology. Without such opportunities, we rob students of valuable learning experiences.
- Consume - because a text is no longer just a textbook or a novel, I like the verb consume as it better captures our "reading" of all the texts that surround us in the world and in the classroom. Words, images, video, audio, situations, events… they're all forms of texts that we can give students opportunities to consume and learn from.
- Create - students need to be creating things to really get the most out of school. Whether it's an essay, a research report, a video, a podcast, a poster, a project using paper and scissors and glue, a blog, a multimodal portfolio--just to name a few--students can learn an abundance during the process of creating and from the final product itself.
- Challenge - we've got to set high expectations for teachers and students. High, but attainable… i.e., realistic. This is how we push ourselves to teach and learn to the utmost of our abilities. And it's also important to note that high expectations are definitely not one-size-fits-all. Teachers have to differentiate their instruction for the students they teach, who are most likely at different levels and paces in their learning.
- Conducive - it's extremely important to create and maintain a safe, nurturing, and productive learning environment that is conducive to teachers doing their best teaching and students doing their best learning. Bullying should have NO place in a classroom community. Neither should degrading slurs or other hateful language. Our classroom communities must be inclusive, not just in theory, but most importantly, in practice. This is paramount to creating an environment conducive to effective teaching and learning.
- Cooperate - contrary to what our culture always promotes (competition), it's really important that we encourage students to cooperate and collaborate with each other, and that teachers and administrators do the same among themselves. It's pretty amazing what happens when people convene to cooperate, to work together, to strive together and push each other toward achieving a goal. It's completely opposite than competition, which requires winners and losers and ultimately people having to be more selfish than they naturally need to be.
- Constructivist - (primarily) constructivism classrooms vs. (primarily) transmission classrooms. The former promotes a mentality and opportunities for students and teachers to work together to construct knowledge and develop understanding. The latter usually includes teachers talking at students, filling their "empty" heads with facts and information. Knowledge and understanding are often socially constructed. Students don't usually retain much when they're constantly lectured. They need to be more active in their learning. (Of course, there are times when transmission is necessary.) Primarily constructivist classrooms, therefore, would seem to enable the most effective teaching and learning.
- Capable - all students are capable of learning. ALL. Students. Are. Capable. Of. Learning. Race, ethnicity, sex, gender, class, sexual orientation, age--it doesn't matter. ALL students are capable of learning. And not only are they capable, but they actually--deep down inside--want to learn and want to succeed. It's imperative, then, that we assume the best of all students.
- Confidence - teachers must have it to teach effectively. Students must have it to learn and perform effectively. As teachers, we can take certain actions to help students develop confidence in themselves. Positive talk. Acknowledging them and their contributions and achievements. Helping them understand that their thoughts, choices, and actions all go together in determining consequences, both positive and negative, in their lives. These are just a few things we can do to help students build the confidence necessary to succeed in life, both in and outside of the classroom.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What constitutes a classroom?
I’ve been wondering this a lot lately, and it’s a question driving my brainstorming efforts for my teacher research project in my Investigating Classroom Literacies grad course. I’ve found that I conceptualize a classroom much differently than a traditional brick-and-mortar space. I’ve actually coined a new moniker for it: learning locale.
The OED defines locale as “A place or locality; esp. a place considered with reference to some particular event or circumstances connected with it.” So, a learning locale is any place where learning (the event) occurs—learning being the development or application of useful knowledge. It can be a physical place, an online place, or a mental place (i.e., reflection or critical thinking). It can occur socially among people or individually. It’s no longer confined by traditional boundaries. Because of Web2.0 technologies, we can learn with and from people all over the world, at any time of day, on any day. And, in more ways than we can imagine, we can easily share what we learn, in turn helping to facilitate more learning locales. Regarding material, I believe all the world is a text. By this I mean learning can be facilitated by actively making sense of the countless texts we consume in the world: situations, events, experiences, conversations, multimodal texts, audio-visual texts, written texts, spoken texts, and just about anything else that we can “read,” gain meaning from, and therefore learn from.
In today’s world, opportunities to consume, create, connect, and collaborate are endless. This proves that learning locales can be anywhere; they’re no longer confined to the four walls that we’ve traditionally conceptualized as a classroom.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
An inspirational watch...
I came upon this video a few weeks ago and have been meaning to post it. I find Taylor Mali's "What Teachers Make" an inspirational watch.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Top 11: for the week of 1/31-2/4
I'm going to start something new, a series of sorts. I want to start capturing, in short lists, memorable learning material or moments from the prior week in my English / Education courses. Since it's 2011 (and "Top 10" lists are so overused), I'm going to start a "Top 11" series. Each week, I will do my best to vary the material. This week, I've listed the best quotes or passages from course readings and course discussions. Enjoy!
Top 11 Quotes or Passages from the week 1/31/2011-2/4/2011:
1. Regarding popular teaching and learning myths... "All children are above average. This is the 'myth of the 3rd grade': 'She's reading at the 3rd-grade level.' It's as if there's an ideal 3rd-grader on Mount Olympus. Every 4th-grade teacher is angry at every 3rd-grade teacher--most kids don't arrive 'on level' or 'ready.' The truth is 3rd-graders are various, and good teachers teach to that diversity." (Ayers, Bill and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, In Comics. New York: Teachers College Press, 2010. 5. Print.)
2. "To name oneself as a teacher is to live with one foot in the muck of the world as we find it--with its conventional patterns and received wisdom--and the other foot striding toward a world that could be but isn't yet." (Ayers, Bill and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, In Comics. New York: Teachers College Press, 2010. 11. Print.)
3. In a chapter titled "Seeing the Student," Ayers enumerates a list of questions that teachers should consider before trying to label a student or, if the label has already been applied, as a way of seeing past the label to get to a better understanding of the whole student. "Who in the world am I, or who am I in the world? What in the world are my choices and my chances? What hopes do the kids bring? What is the language of their dreams? What experiences have they had and where do they want to go? What interests or concerns them? How have they been hurt and what are they frightened of? What larger universe awaits them?" (Ayers, Bill and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, In Comics. New York: Teachers College Press, 2010. 25. Print.)
4. In my methods course, we discussed the idea that we all have preconceptions about how things are in the world and we use these preconceptions as a foundation on which to learn more. When students come into a classroom, they may have preconceptions about the day's topic. Eliciting students preconceptions and addressing them is important in overcoming any barriers they may impose regarding students' learning. One way to try to understand where students' preconceptions come from is to ask questions: not just for you as the teacher to better understand the student, but also for the student to explicitly understand where he/she is coming from and why he/she thinks that way.
5. It's important to realize that we are all dynamic, complex beings who learn and know differently. Peter Smagorinsky, in his book Teaching English by Design, writes about the various ways of knowing, which influence the approach we take in teaching a lesson: transmission; constructivism; final draft speech; exploratory talk; paradigmatic knowledge; narrative knowledge; gendered ways of knowing; authoritative methods of relating; connected methods of relating; Gardner's multiple intelligences. (Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design. New Hampshire: Heinemann, 2008. 3-18. Print.)
6. In my methods class, my professor referenced the book Discipline with Dignity (Richard L. Curwin, Allen N. Mendler, 1999) in discussing the concept of a social contract in a classroom. Broadly, the idea is that the teacher and students together design a social contract, a set of norms, rules, and associated consequences that governs the way teacher and students interact with each other in class. From what I heard, it sounds like this concept can be extremely effective in facilitating a safe learning community where students can take risks and really push their learning to new levels.
7. Also in my methods class, my professor enumerated the 3 C's of motivation: curiosity, choice, community.
8. A great quote came up in our norming session for my Investigating Classroom Literacies class: "Be open to opening your mind." This was articulated by another class my professor taught during the previous week. I really love this quote--short and sweet and so incredibly necessary.
9. Regarding teacher inquiry/teacher research: "In becoming teachers who carefully and systematically document our practice, simply put, we do better. We are better prepared to understand the very particular qualities, needs, and challenges facing the students that populate our classrooms." (Goswami, Dixie, et al. On Teacher Inquiry: Approaches to Language and Literacy Research. New York: Teachers College Press, 2009. 4. Print.)
10. At our NCTE chapter meeting, I listened to a 2nd-year teacher speak about first-year surprises and things he wished he'd known earlier. While there was a ton of great advice here, a few things really stick out to me. First, he spoke of how, for an intro activity at the beginning of the school year, he has his students write letters to him, telling him: how they learn best; things they enjoy about learning and school and their non-academic interests; things they wish they'd learned in previous English classes but hadn't yet; anything else he should know about helping to better facilitate their learning. This is a really great idea for getting to know students and for immediately generating that respect and trust that is so crucial between teacher and students and vice versa. Second, he explained how crucial it is to never, ever jump to conclusions about a kid's behavior. There is always a reason for why a kid acts the way that he/she does; it is important that teachers don't assume and therefore add further to the pain or frustration that the kid may already feel.
11. In the online version of Education Week, on February 1, 2011, Daniel Tanner wrote "An Open Message to President Barack Obama." The letter is generally about education reform. A particular passage struck me: "In our large cities, school capacity is commonly calculated by the number of seats. But children and adolescents are not made to learn by sitting and listening for most of the day. Children like to engage in active investigation--in looking into things to find out how they work. They like to construct things; they seek to engage in socialization through language, play, and collaboration; they love to draw, paint, sculpt, and sing; they want to learn to play a musical instrument--and all of this requires some physical freedom from their seats." I love how Tanner conceptualizes learning and teaching here... it's so important to remember that students are different. They think differently. They know differently. They learn differently. And we, as part of a larger educational system, need to acknowledge and respond positively to this diversity.
Top 11 Quotes or Passages from the week 1/31/2011-2/4/2011:
1. Regarding popular teaching and learning myths... "All children are above average. This is the 'myth of the 3rd grade': 'She's reading at the 3rd-grade level.' It's as if there's an ideal 3rd-grader on Mount Olympus. Every 4th-grade teacher is angry at every 3rd-grade teacher--most kids don't arrive 'on level' or 'ready.' The truth is 3rd-graders are various, and good teachers teach to that diversity." (Ayers, Bill and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, In Comics. New York: Teachers College Press, 2010. 5. Print.)
2. "To name oneself as a teacher is to live with one foot in the muck of the world as we find it--with its conventional patterns and received wisdom--and the other foot striding toward a world that could be but isn't yet." (Ayers, Bill and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, In Comics. New York: Teachers College Press, 2010. 11. Print.)
3. In a chapter titled "Seeing the Student," Ayers enumerates a list of questions that teachers should consider before trying to label a student or, if the label has already been applied, as a way of seeing past the label to get to a better understanding of the whole student. "Who in the world am I, or who am I in the world? What in the world are my choices and my chances? What hopes do the kids bring? What is the language of their dreams? What experiences have they had and where do they want to go? What interests or concerns them? How have they been hurt and what are they frightened of? What larger universe awaits them?" (Ayers, Bill and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, In Comics. New York: Teachers College Press, 2010. 25. Print.)
4. In my methods course, we discussed the idea that we all have preconceptions about how things are in the world and we use these preconceptions as a foundation on which to learn more. When students come into a classroom, they may have preconceptions about the day's topic. Eliciting students preconceptions and addressing them is important in overcoming any barriers they may impose regarding students' learning. One way to try to understand where students' preconceptions come from is to ask questions: not just for you as the teacher to better understand the student, but also for the student to explicitly understand where he/she is coming from and why he/she thinks that way.
5. It's important to realize that we are all dynamic, complex beings who learn and know differently. Peter Smagorinsky, in his book Teaching English by Design, writes about the various ways of knowing, which influence the approach we take in teaching a lesson: transmission; constructivism; final draft speech; exploratory talk; paradigmatic knowledge; narrative knowledge; gendered ways of knowing; authoritative methods of relating; connected methods of relating; Gardner's multiple intelligences. (Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design. New Hampshire: Heinemann, 2008. 3-18. Print.)
6. In my methods class, my professor referenced the book Discipline with Dignity (Richard L. Curwin, Allen N. Mendler, 1999) in discussing the concept of a social contract in a classroom. Broadly, the idea is that the teacher and students together design a social contract, a set of norms, rules, and associated consequences that governs the way teacher and students interact with each other in class. From what I heard, it sounds like this concept can be extremely effective in facilitating a safe learning community where students can take risks and really push their learning to new levels.
7. Also in my methods class, my professor enumerated the 3 C's of motivation: curiosity, choice, community.
8. A great quote came up in our norming session for my Investigating Classroom Literacies class: "Be open to opening your mind." This was articulated by another class my professor taught during the previous week. I really love this quote--short and sweet and so incredibly necessary.
9. Regarding teacher inquiry/teacher research: "In becoming teachers who carefully and systematically document our practice, simply put, we do better. We are better prepared to understand the very particular qualities, needs, and challenges facing the students that populate our classrooms." (Goswami, Dixie, et al. On Teacher Inquiry: Approaches to Language and Literacy Research. New York: Teachers College Press, 2009. 4. Print.)
10. At our NCTE chapter meeting, I listened to a 2nd-year teacher speak about first-year surprises and things he wished he'd known earlier. While there was a ton of great advice here, a few things really stick out to me. First, he spoke of how, for an intro activity at the beginning of the school year, he has his students write letters to him, telling him: how they learn best; things they enjoy about learning and school and their non-academic interests; things they wish they'd learned in previous English classes but hadn't yet; anything else he should know about helping to better facilitate their learning. This is a really great idea for getting to know students and for immediately generating that respect and trust that is so crucial between teacher and students and vice versa. Second, he explained how crucial it is to never, ever jump to conclusions about a kid's behavior. There is always a reason for why a kid acts the way that he/she does; it is important that teachers don't assume and therefore add further to the pain or frustration that the kid may already feel.
11. In the online version of Education Week, on February 1, 2011, Daniel Tanner wrote "An Open Message to President Barack Obama." The letter is generally about education reform. A particular passage struck me: "In our large cities, school capacity is commonly calculated by the number of seats. But children and adolescents are not made to learn by sitting and listening for most of the day. Children like to engage in active investigation--in looking into things to find out how they work. They like to construct things; they seek to engage in socialization through language, play, and collaboration; they love to draw, paint, sculpt, and sing; they want to learn to play a musical instrument--and all of this requires some physical freedom from their seats." I love how Tanner conceptualizes learning and teaching here... it's so important to remember that students are different. They think differently. They know differently. They learn differently. And we, as part of a larger educational system, need to acknowledge and respond positively to this diversity.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
What I believe about students & how I aim to have a positive impact on them...
As an intro assignment for my teaching methods class, I had to create a glog introducing myself to either a student audience or teacher colleague audience (I chose to address both simultaneously).
Glogster.com (or http://edu.glogster.com for the version teachers can use in their classrooms) is home to a really cool concept: creating interactive web posters which are highly customizable and can incorporate all kinds of media--text, images, video, sound, you name it. It is really awesome technology. Super fun and very easy to use. I highly recommend it for educators to use with their students; I would also recommend it for anyone else interested in using interactive, engaging technology to get a message across or to get someone's attention for whatever reason. You can also embed the glogs into blogs or websites so that non-Glogster users can see them.
Ok, and now, here is the glog I created for my methods class. I am really pleased with the way it came out; it concisely represents what I believe about students and how I aim to have a positive impact on them.
Glogster.com (or http://edu.glogster.com for the version teachers can use in their classrooms) is home to a really cool concept: creating interactive web posters which are highly customizable and can incorporate all kinds of media--text, images, video, sound, you name it. It is really awesome technology. Super fun and very easy to use. I highly recommend it for educators to use with their students; I would also recommend it for anyone else interested in using interactive, engaging technology to get a message across or to get someone's attention for whatever reason. You can also embed the glogs into blogs or websites so that non-Glogster users can see them.
Ok, and now, here is the glog I created for my methods class. I am really pleased with the way it came out; it concisely represents what I believe about students and how I aim to have a positive impact on them.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The power of language
**Sorry I haven't written in awhile. In November and December, school grew super busy and intense, as expected. Then in January, I decided I needed a small break from writing. Yes, I believe in breaks and balance... good for the soul :)
And now, for my 13th blog post:
Language. It's something that totally fascinates me; I'm a student of it and a lover of it and a big user of it. I suppose that's one of the reasons why I chose to start a career teaching about it. I always find myself thinking about language. Its uses. Its impacts. Its potential. Its dangers. The nuances of it. The splendor and beauty of it. The way it's so robust and dynamic and flexible. The way it changes and adapts and gets adopted. The multitudinous varieties of it. The ubiquity of it. The fact that we can never actually escape it. The way it connects us. The way it can divide us. The way it can galvanize us to do things, both good and bad, destructive and non-destructive. The way it can cause gigantic rifts between us. The way people use it. The fact that without language, we'd have a ridiculously hard time communicating with others and making sense of the world. The lasting impact it can have on us. The immortality of it. I could add more to this list, and so could you. But my picture's been painted. I hope.
The point is that language is such a significant entity, such a necessary concept. It's everywhere. It gives life to and powers everything and everybody. It's used and consumed at alarming rates of speed at every second of everyday by people everywhere. It's what makes the world go round. And because of this, the power of language should NEVER be underestimated.
During the past week, in news articles and opinion pieces and blog posts across the internet and in countless TV news programs, the use of language in American politics has come undeniably under attack. Many are assigning partial blame of the horrific Tucson tragedy that happened last Saturday on the vitriolic language American politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) have spoken or written over the past year. Of course, these politicians are not directly responsible for what happened in Tucson, nor should they be held so--they didn't plan the shootout, they didn't pull the trigger. That much is clear. But let's think about the power of language--its ability to persuade, to excite, to galvanize, to arouse anger (and all the other things proffered above). And let's think about the fame and authority and pervasiveness and influence of various political figures in America. Now doesn't it only make sense to draw some kind of logical conclusion connecting this insidious, violent-ridden rhetoric with the event that transpired last Saturday? Such language is far, far from trivial. Its potential impacts on people, especially those who are unable to process such language in a non-violent way, must be heavily considered, preferably before the language is used. And its consequences must be dealt with.
It is absurd to directly attribute the Tucson tragedy to these politicians, sure. But it's a very far cry to contend that their use of violent language didn't play some role in motivating Jared Lee Loughner to commit such a heinous act. Just look at his self-authored YouTube videos. There is evidence that the violent rhetoric impacted him, his thoughts, and his actions. We've had a well-known politician publish on her website a map containing crosshairs of democrats in the country. Crosshairs… symbolize gun targets. And can it honestly be considered simple coincidence that one of the crosshairs on that map pointed right at Representative Giffords? The same politician who posted the map tweeted "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" Another politician said that if ballots won't work, then bullets will. Still other politicians have used hostage metaphors. We simply CANNOT ignore the effect this rhetoric has had and can have on people. It's gotten so far out of hand, it's disgusting. We cannot inculcate people with such hateful language and not expect horrible tragedies like this to occur, sadly. Language is powerful. And people better start accepting this. The vitriol has got to stop immediately, for the ubiquity and power of language demands it. And so does the safety and maintenance of humanity.
In America, we have a right to free speech, and everyone knows it. Such a right can be a great thing and on the other hand, a not-so-great thing. I heard someone say once that just because we have the right to free speech, it does not absolve the speaker of assuming responsibility for the consequences it has on the person or people impacted by the speech. I couldn't agree more, nor could I have articulated it any clearer. Sure, people can say what they want, but they better be ready to accept some (or in certain cases, almost all) of the responsibility for what happens as a result of what they've said. As a language arts teacher, one of my main objectives will be to make sure that my students really understand the power of language. I want them to get it, REALLY get it. I want them to understand how it can be good and how it can be bad. Language is a beautiful thing that affords us a plethora of life and opportunity and experience and joy. But it's also something that can breed hate, cause violence, and unnecessarily pit people against each other. I want my students to really understand these differences. For it is in understanding language this way that real, positive change can start to occur. Yes, I believe that America, and the world, can be made into even better places. But it must first start with people using language in much less destructive and much more productive ways.
And now, for my 13th blog post:
Language. It's something that totally fascinates me; I'm a student of it and a lover of it and a big user of it. I suppose that's one of the reasons why I chose to start a career teaching about it. I always find myself thinking about language. Its uses. Its impacts. Its potential. Its dangers. The nuances of it. The splendor and beauty of it. The way it's so robust and dynamic and flexible. The way it changes and adapts and gets adopted. The multitudinous varieties of it. The ubiquity of it. The fact that we can never actually escape it. The way it connects us. The way it can divide us. The way it can galvanize us to do things, both good and bad, destructive and non-destructive. The way it can cause gigantic rifts between us. The way people use it. The fact that without language, we'd have a ridiculously hard time communicating with others and making sense of the world. The lasting impact it can have on us. The immortality of it. I could add more to this list, and so could you. But my picture's been painted. I hope.
The point is that language is such a significant entity, such a necessary concept. It's everywhere. It gives life to and powers everything and everybody. It's used and consumed at alarming rates of speed at every second of everyday by people everywhere. It's what makes the world go round. And because of this, the power of language should NEVER be underestimated.
During the past week, in news articles and opinion pieces and blog posts across the internet and in countless TV news programs, the use of language in American politics has come undeniably under attack. Many are assigning partial blame of the horrific Tucson tragedy that happened last Saturday on the vitriolic language American politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) have spoken or written over the past year. Of course, these politicians are not directly responsible for what happened in Tucson, nor should they be held so--they didn't plan the shootout, they didn't pull the trigger. That much is clear. But let's think about the power of language--its ability to persuade, to excite, to galvanize, to arouse anger (and all the other things proffered above). And let's think about the fame and authority and pervasiveness and influence of various political figures in America. Now doesn't it only make sense to draw some kind of logical conclusion connecting this insidious, violent-ridden rhetoric with the event that transpired last Saturday? Such language is far, far from trivial. Its potential impacts on people, especially those who are unable to process such language in a non-violent way, must be heavily considered, preferably before the language is used. And its consequences must be dealt with.
It is absurd to directly attribute the Tucson tragedy to these politicians, sure. But it's a very far cry to contend that their use of violent language didn't play some role in motivating Jared Lee Loughner to commit such a heinous act. Just look at his self-authored YouTube videos. There is evidence that the violent rhetoric impacted him, his thoughts, and his actions. We've had a well-known politician publish on her website a map containing crosshairs of democrats in the country. Crosshairs… symbolize gun targets. And can it honestly be considered simple coincidence that one of the crosshairs on that map pointed right at Representative Giffords? The same politician who posted the map tweeted "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" Another politician said that if ballots won't work, then bullets will. Still other politicians have used hostage metaphors. We simply CANNOT ignore the effect this rhetoric has had and can have on people. It's gotten so far out of hand, it's disgusting. We cannot inculcate people with such hateful language and not expect horrible tragedies like this to occur, sadly. Language is powerful. And people better start accepting this. The vitriol has got to stop immediately, for the ubiquity and power of language demands it. And so does the safety and maintenance of humanity.
In America, we have a right to free speech, and everyone knows it. Such a right can be a great thing and on the other hand, a not-so-great thing. I heard someone say once that just because we have the right to free speech, it does not absolve the speaker of assuming responsibility for the consequences it has on the person or people impacted by the speech. I couldn't agree more, nor could I have articulated it any clearer. Sure, people can say what they want, but they better be ready to accept some (or in certain cases, almost all) of the responsibility for what happens as a result of what they've said. As a language arts teacher, one of my main objectives will be to make sure that my students really understand the power of language. I want them to get it, REALLY get it. I want them to understand how it can be good and how it can be bad. Language is a beautiful thing that affords us a plethora of life and opportunity and experience and joy. But it's also something that can breed hate, cause violence, and unnecessarily pit people against each other. I want my students to really understand these differences. For it is in understanding language this way that real, positive change can start to occur. Yes, I believe that America, and the world, can be made into even better places. But it must first start with people using language in much less destructive and much more productive ways.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
1200 to 300 in one year?
A few Tuesdays ago, I went and saw Davis Guggenheim's new documentary film, Waiting for "Superman." As a preservice teacher, I knew I wanted to go see the film. But it was my awareness, my hyper-attentiveness you might say, to the vast social injustices in our society--the glaring disparities between various "superior" and "inferior" groups--that told me I needed to go see it.
The second education I'm currently receiving (so I can officially make the career-switch from business to public education) is responsible for this hyper-attentiveness. The texts I read, the class discussions I participate in, the news outlets I access, and the stuff I think about all contribute to my greater awareness of the many social injustices that plague our society daily and hurt, unfairly, so many people who don't deserve it. It can be very depressing stuff, but I actually don't mind the hyper-attentiveness I've developed as a result. For me, hyper-attentiveness just means more awareness. And I don't think there is a limit to the amount of awareness I can or should have. I believe the more aware I am, the better positioned I am to make positive choices in my life, and even more, the better positioned I am to positively affect others in my life.
Anyway, the point that I ultimately want to make here is that awareness is a good thing even when what we are becoming aware of is not. We need to make ourselves aware of what is really happening around us, of how our actions are really manifesting themselves, of how other people are really having to live, even if that stuff is unpleasant or disturbing. This is doubly crucial for people who are privileged in some form or another. It is in succumbing to the tendency to want to turn our backs on such unpleasant and disturbing realities, to want to sweep it under the rug, forget about it, let someone else worry about it, and hope that it just magically goes away, that we actually aid in perpetuating someone else's pain. The great majority of us never want to intentionally harm another being. But when we hurt people unintentionally through our unwillingness to learn about and do something to help other people's problems--for no other reason than to keep us from feeling bad or depressed--what does this actually say about us? It almost seems like just as much of a disservice as intentionally hurting someone.
When we choose to make ourselves aware of the realities that characterize ours and other people's lives, we are taking the first step toward positive change, the first step toward eradicating unsettling social injustices which are responsible for unnecessarily pitting human beings against each other. In Waiting for "Superman," director Davis Guggenheim has produced a film that allows viewers to take this first step, specifically regarding the social injustices around public education in America. In the companion book of the same title (2010, Participant Media), his intentions for the film are made clear: "Guggenheim wanted to take the conversation beyond staid policy discussions and into the subjects no one wanted to talk about, what he calls the 'uncomfortable truths' about public education" (Weber 20). Weaving together the narratives of five public school students--all from various cities, in different life situations, and at different grade-levels, Guggenheim tells a story that no viewer will soon, if ever, erase from his or her mind. He has done his homework and it shows: he includes several mind-boggling, but terrifyingly real statistics that are conveyed in an easily accessible manner and he has done interviews with top education reform leaders in the nation. Even though there are several elements in the film that I could discuss at length, one statistic in particular has been at the forefront of my mind ever since I heard the gentleman speak it. He was a staff member at a low-performing Los Angeles-area high school, one of the "failure factories" highlighted in the film. He explained that they typically begin a freshman class with about 1200 students; then he said that by the time sophomore year rolls around, the class is down to 300. I was stunned when I heard it and I'm just as stunned now as I type it. Where are these 900 kids going? What are they doing everyday? Why did they decide high school wasn't something they needed to complete? Where do they think they're going to end up? Where will they end up? Do bad communities or bad schools come first? Is the community responsible for the failure of the school or is the failure of the school what creates these struggling communities? The film raises so many questions, and if you care at all about kids and communities and education in this country, it does so much more than that--it makes your blood boil. And still for others, it brings them to tears.
Though Waiting for "Superman" is anything but a warm-fuzzy, inspiring production, it does an effective job of achieving Guggenheim's goal--to generate awareness about what's actually happening in the public education system today. As someone who so passionately wants to go to work at an inner-city public school, Waiting for "Superman" was not only something I wanted to see, but it was something I needed to see. It moved me to tears. And it's a documentary for crying out loud. What does that say? Social injustice in our society is rampant and that we willingly allow it to happen to kids and in the field of education, of all places, is downright disturbing. It makes me want to vomit, really.
Above I say that the first step one can take toward helping to eradicate social injustice is to make the choice to gain awareness, to really learn about an issue. The second step, then, is to take that awareness and do something productive with it. Get involved with organizations that are already established with similar passions as you; go talk to your school board members; write letters to congresspeople suggesting ways to help alleviate problems; join the conversation, get others talking about these issues, and help to generate even more awareness; delve further into the issue by reading/viewing other similar texts; donate money to the organizations on the front lines of education reform who make the kids their number one priority (as opposed to something else); become a teacher if you're so inspired; the list goes on. Do something, anything, to help fight the social injustice. It can be discouraging to think that you are only one person and what real difference, what real change can one person make or inspire? But if everyone thought that way, no positive changes would ever be made in our society. And that's the truth. Do not mistake small steps for no steps. Progress is progress is progress. If we are determined and passionate enough, we can all work together to make change happen. But it starts with awareness. And it continues with action.
The second education I'm currently receiving (so I can officially make the career-switch from business to public education) is responsible for this hyper-attentiveness. The texts I read, the class discussions I participate in, the news outlets I access, and the stuff I think about all contribute to my greater awareness of the many social injustices that plague our society daily and hurt, unfairly, so many people who don't deserve it. It can be very depressing stuff, but I actually don't mind the hyper-attentiveness I've developed as a result. For me, hyper-attentiveness just means more awareness. And I don't think there is a limit to the amount of awareness I can or should have. I believe the more aware I am, the better positioned I am to make positive choices in my life, and even more, the better positioned I am to positively affect others in my life.
Anyway, the point that I ultimately want to make here is that awareness is a good thing even when what we are becoming aware of is not. We need to make ourselves aware of what is really happening around us, of how our actions are really manifesting themselves, of how other people are really having to live, even if that stuff is unpleasant or disturbing. This is doubly crucial for people who are privileged in some form or another. It is in succumbing to the tendency to want to turn our backs on such unpleasant and disturbing realities, to want to sweep it under the rug, forget about it, let someone else worry about it, and hope that it just magically goes away, that we actually aid in perpetuating someone else's pain. The great majority of us never want to intentionally harm another being. But when we hurt people unintentionally through our unwillingness to learn about and do something to help other people's problems--for no other reason than to keep us from feeling bad or depressed--what does this actually say about us? It almost seems like just as much of a disservice as intentionally hurting someone.
When we choose to make ourselves aware of the realities that characterize ours and other people's lives, we are taking the first step toward positive change, the first step toward eradicating unsettling social injustices which are responsible for unnecessarily pitting human beings against each other. In Waiting for "Superman," director Davis Guggenheim has produced a film that allows viewers to take this first step, specifically regarding the social injustices around public education in America. In the companion book of the same title (2010, Participant Media), his intentions for the film are made clear: "Guggenheim wanted to take the conversation beyond staid policy discussions and into the subjects no one wanted to talk about, what he calls the 'uncomfortable truths' about public education" (Weber 20). Weaving together the narratives of five public school students--all from various cities, in different life situations, and at different grade-levels, Guggenheim tells a story that no viewer will soon, if ever, erase from his or her mind. He has done his homework and it shows: he includes several mind-boggling, but terrifyingly real statistics that are conveyed in an easily accessible manner and he has done interviews with top education reform leaders in the nation. Even though there are several elements in the film that I could discuss at length, one statistic in particular has been at the forefront of my mind ever since I heard the gentleman speak it. He was a staff member at a low-performing Los Angeles-area high school, one of the "failure factories" highlighted in the film. He explained that they typically begin a freshman class with about 1200 students; then he said that by the time sophomore year rolls around, the class is down to 300. I was stunned when I heard it and I'm just as stunned now as I type it. Where are these 900 kids going? What are they doing everyday? Why did they decide high school wasn't something they needed to complete? Where do they think they're going to end up? Where will they end up? Do bad communities or bad schools come first? Is the community responsible for the failure of the school or is the failure of the school what creates these struggling communities? The film raises so many questions, and if you care at all about kids and communities and education in this country, it does so much more than that--it makes your blood boil. And still for others, it brings them to tears.
Though Waiting for "Superman" is anything but a warm-fuzzy, inspiring production, it does an effective job of achieving Guggenheim's goal--to generate awareness about what's actually happening in the public education system today. As someone who so passionately wants to go to work at an inner-city public school, Waiting for "Superman" was not only something I wanted to see, but it was something I needed to see. It moved me to tears. And it's a documentary for crying out loud. What does that say? Social injustice in our society is rampant and that we willingly allow it to happen to kids and in the field of education, of all places, is downright disturbing. It makes me want to vomit, really.
Above I say that the first step one can take toward helping to eradicate social injustice is to make the choice to gain awareness, to really learn about an issue. The second step, then, is to take that awareness and do something productive with it. Get involved with organizations that are already established with similar passions as you; go talk to your school board members; write letters to congresspeople suggesting ways to help alleviate problems; join the conversation, get others talking about these issues, and help to generate even more awareness; delve further into the issue by reading/viewing other similar texts; donate money to the organizations on the front lines of education reform who make the kids their number one priority (as opposed to something else); become a teacher if you're so inspired; the list goes on. Do something, anything, to help fight the social injustice. It can be discouraging to think that you are only one person and what real difference, what real change can one person make or inspire? But if everyone thought that way, no positive changes would ever be made in our society. And that's the truth. Do not mistake small steps for no steps. Progress is progress is progress. If we are determined and passionate enough, we can all work together to make change happen. But it starts with awareness. And it continues with action.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A recipe for making effective academic arguments
Being always on the lookout for valuable and relevant material to use, learn from, and retain, I wanted to share a tool I got from one of my professors in the Colorado State University English department, Dr. Michael Lundblad. The tool provides elements necessary to make an effective academic argument.
The Tool: Problem Statement -- consists of four elements, each generally one sentence in length; see below.
Element #1: Status Quo Claim -- "a debatable and supportable argument about how a specific audience should think, act, or respond to a given text or context (the argument to which you will object)"
Element #2: Destabilizing Condition -- what is "missing, wrong, or problematic in relation to the status quo claim"
Element #3: Costs -- "why people in the status quo (or people who might find the status quo convincing) should see the destabilizing condition as significant, and/or what will happen if these people don't pay attention to the problem identified"
Element #4: Global Claim -- "a debatable, supportable, and significant (to the intended audience) argument that proposes a solution or alternative to the status quo argument, logically related to the destabilizing condition and costs"
If you need to write an academic, thesis-driven paper, the idea is that you can use this initial statement to frame the paper and then continue using it to drive the remaining development of the paper, too. If you're just wanting to engage in an intellectual speaking debate, the problem statement is a good place to start because it shows 1) that you've identified a problem, 2) that you've considered potential objections and costs associated with the problem, and 3) that you've thought of a potential solution to the problem.
Below is a Problem Statement I wrote for Dr. Lundblad's course I'm in this semester. (The course focuses on cancer literature and explores how cancer is depicted in texts and thus how it is shaped in larger social discourses.)
Though I've been writing academic papers for many years now, up until I'd received this tool, I'd never been introduced to such a clean, simple, sensible approach to writing an argument. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited, in a nerdy, intellectual way. I definitely was. And I still am because I feel more powerful, more confident knowing that when I use this tool, I'll be setting myself up in a stronger position, from a thinking, writing, and/or speaking standpoint, to more effectively assert myself AND to more thoughtfully approach any objections I might run into while making my argument.
Again, thanks to Dr. Michael Lundblad for this Problem Statement tool.
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The Value of the Negative on www.letsFCancer.com
[STATUS QUO CLAIM] Some visitors to www.letsFCancer.com might argue that its content is too negative, and therefore, contradicts what they have been culturally taught about the need to maintain a positive attitude during the fight against cancer. [DESTABILIZING CONDITION] What these visitors fail to recognize, however, is that underneath the veil of the positive attitude is the very human need for a safe writing outlet for people affected by cancer to temporarily break away from their positivity by expressing their true negative feelings about how cancer has impacted them. [COSTS] If people affected by cancer are not able to express their true negative emotions on www.letsFCancer.com or a similar site, they may be forced to repress these emotions entirely, especially if the people they are physically surrounded by expect nothing but a consistently positive attitude from them. Given the physical and emotional damage cancer inherently causes, denying people an outlet such as www.letsFCancer.com to release their true emotions will cause them further damage. [GLOBAL CLAIM] Even if people affected by cancer are expected to maintain a positive attitude about it, they must still have the opportunity to safely express their negative emotions about cancer on www.letsFCancer.com or a similar site. Just as it is necessary to have Internet sites encouraging positive attitudes about cancer, it is also necessary that people affected by cancer have www.letsFCancer.com or a similar site to express their negative emotions about the illness.
The Tool: Problem Statement -- consists of four elements, each generally one sentence in length; see below.
Element #1: Status Quo Claim -- "a debatable and supportable argument about how a specific audience should think, act, or respond to a given text or context (the argument to which you will object)"
Element #2: Destabilizing Condition -- what is "missing, wrong, or problematic in relation to the status quo claim"
Element #3: Costs -- "why people in the status quo (or people who might find the status quo convincing) should see the destabilizing condition as significant, and/or what will happen if these people don't pay attention to the problem identified"
Element #4: Global Claim -- "a debatable, supportable, and significant (to the intended audience) argument that proposes a solution or alternative to the status quo argument, logically related to the destabilizing condition and costs"
If you need to write an academic, thesis-driven paper, the idea is that you can use this initial statement to frame the paper and then continue using it to drive the remaining development of the paper, too. If you're just wanting to engage in an intellectual speaking debate, the problem statement is a good place to start because it shows 1) that you've identified a problem, 2) that you've considered potential objections and costs associated with the problem, and 3) that you've thought of a potential solution to the problem.
Below is a Problem Statement I wrote for Dr. Lundblad's course I'm in this semester. (The course focuses on cancer literature and explores how cancer is depicted in texts and thus how it is shaped in larger social discourses.)
Though I've been writing academic papers for many years now, up until I'd received this tool, I'd never been introduced to such a clean, simple, sensible approach to writing an argument. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited, in a nerdy, intellectual way. I definitely was. And I still am because I feel more powerful, more confident knowing that when I use this tool, I'll be setting myself up in a stronger position, from a thinking, writing, and/or speaking standpoint, to more effectively assert myself AND to more thoughtfully approach any objections I might run into while making my argument.
Again, thanks to Dr. Michael Lundblad for this Problem Statement tool.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example Problem Statement: written by me (Stephanie A. Griffin) on September 26, 2010 for E370
[STATUS QUO CLAIM] Some visitors to www.letsFCancer.com might argue that its content is too negative, and therefore, contradicts what they have been culturally taught about the need to maintain a positive attitude during the fight against cancer. [DESTABILIZING CONDITION] What these visitors fail to recognize, however, is that underneath the veil of the positive attitude is the very human need for a safe writing outlet for people affected by cancer to temporarily break away from their positivity by expressing their true negative feelings about how cancer has impacted them. [COSTS] If people affected by cancer are not able to express their true negative emotions on www.letsFCancer.com or a similar site, they may be forced to repress these emotions entirely, especially if the people they are physically surrounded by expect nothing but a consistently positive attitude from them. Given the physical and emotional damage cancer inherently causes, denying people an outlet such as www.letsFCancer.com to release their true emotions will cause them further damage. [GLOBAL CLAIM] Even if people affected by cancer are expected to maintain a positive attitude about it, they must still have the opportunity to safely express their negative emotions about cancer on www.letsFCancer.com or a similar site. Just as it is necessary to have Internet sites encouraging positive attitudes about cancer, it is also necessary that people affected by cancer have www.letsFCancer.com or a similar site to express their negative emotions about the illness.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Reading more than just words
I enjoy writing six-word memoirs and mantras. One that I've written recently is a reminder of the importance of reading in our lives:
"All the world is a text."
Reading doesn't just have to be limited to words--in a book or magazine or on a website or email or billboard. Reading is actually something we can do on a larger scale. And we can do it often and regularly. We can read the world around us--situations or events that unfold in our lives, our circumstances, our choices, our experiences, our successes, our failures, our learnings, and our relationships. What's more, we can read these things in other people's lives, too.
Reading is something we do actively. Reading is perceiving. Reading is learning. Reading is growing. And perhaps most important of all: reading generates awareness. It's about more than just words. The whole world is a text waiting to be read, analyzed, critiqued, learned from, emulated, not emulated, enhanced, or changed.
"All the world is a text."
Reading doesn't just have to be limited to words--in a book or magazine or on a website or email or billboard. Reading is actually something we can do on a larger scale. And we can do it often and regularly. We can read the world around us--situations or events that unfold in our lives, our circumstances, our choices, our experiences, our successes, our failures, our learnings, and our relationships. What's more, we can read these things in other people's lives, too.
Reading is something we do actively. Reading is perceiving. Reading is learning. Reading is growing. And perhaps most important of all: reading generates awareness. It's about more than just words. The whole world is a text waiting to be read, analyzed, critiqued, learned from, emulated, not emulated, enhanced, or changed.
So, when you get up tomorrow (and everyday thereafter), remember all the world is a text. Go out and read it.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
My final thoughts... a book review: Lance Armstrong's cancer memoir
Now that classes are back in full throttle, I'll occasionally write a post featuring my final thoughts on a given text. When I read a text, it is important for me to be able to articulate what I learn, what I take away, what I can apply from the text to my own life. I'm taking an interesting literature course this semester, one that's different from the traditional lit courses you'd find in an undergrad English department. It's called "American Literature in Cultural Contexts" and it specifically focuses on cancer and how it's portrayed and perceived in American culture. So far, I am really enjoying it--the content we read is engaging and thought-provoking and the class discussions we have are intellectually stimulating. The text we just finished studying is Lance Armstrong's NYT Bestseller It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life (written with Sally Jenkins). What follows are my final thoughts on the book. (If you haven't read it, you can read a quick summary here.)
There are multiple ways you could critique this text in terms of its reinforcement of certain dominant discourses in American culture. For example, there are several instances where one could make the argument that this book both illuminates and reinforces aspects of American patriarchal society and gender roles. Or, when Lance talks about himself being the first American on the first American team on an American bike to win the Tour de France, one could make the argument that he is reinforcing the larger cultural discourses around American nationalism and colonialism. Other similar arguments could be made with regard to how the text reinforces the notion of the American Dream and the idea of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps"; or how the text is just another book that tells the story of a boy becoming a man; or how it's just another story about a brash, cocky, immature athlete learning the ways of the sport and maturing into a better athlete and human being; or how the text illuminates class differences and specifically how privilege might increase one's chances at surviving an illness such as cancer. The list could go longer, but I'll stop there. I'm eager to share with you what I've taken away from it, which is more positive.
While these criticisms are valid and are definitely good to analyze, discuss, and be aware of, I find these of less importance than the life lessons weaved throughout the text. This book provides a frame through which to look at and approach life. In sharing his varied life experiences and his honest responses to them, Lance Armstrong conveys a series of life lessons--lessons that can be distilled from the life story of this famous, privileged, larger-than-life cycling superstar, lessons that common, everyday, average people in any circumstance can apply successfully to their own lives.
Lesson #2: It really does behoove you to maintain a primarily positive attitude in life, especially in the face of adversity. In other words: choose to see every obstacle in life as an opportunity; choose to find and focus on the positive in every situation, regardless of how small it may be; be determined to fight and win; never give up; believe and hope; embrace every opportunity as if it's your last.
Lesson #3: Be aware... of yourself and the world you live in and always strive toward greater awareness. In other words: understand what you've been through, what you've achieved, what you've learned, what may lie ahead, what limits may exist, and what you're capable of; fully realize what you've gained from your opportunities in terms of what you've learned, how you've changed, and how much you've grown; understand the amount of choice you have and how you can use it to positively (or negatively) impact your life.
The life lessons presented in this book are priceless. And they're ones we (hopefully) encounter often in various avenues in our lives. Lance Armstrong, through his honest account of his life--his lows and highs and everything in between--and most importantly in his viewing cancer as an opportunity has produced a text from which anyone can positively gain. Behind all of his privilege and fame and superstar prowess, the life lessons are there--and they're as human and down-to-earth as they come.
There are multiple ways you could critique this text in terms of its reinforcement of certain dominant discourses in American culture. For example, there are several instances where one could make the argument that this book both illuminates and reinforces aspects of American patriarchal society and gender roles. Or, when Lance talks about himself being the first American on the first American team on an American bike to win the Tour de France, one could make the argument that he is reinforcing the larger cultural discourses around American nationalism and colonialism. Other similar arguments could be made with regard to how the text reinforces the notion of the American Dream and the idea of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps"; or how the text is just another book that tells the story of a boy becoming a man; or how it's just another story about a brash, cocky, immature athlete learning the ways of the sport and maturing into a better athlete and human being; or how the text illuminates class differences and specifically how privilege might increase one's chances at surviving an illness such as cancer. The list could go longer, but I'll stop there. I'm eager to share with you what I've taken away from it, which is more positive.
While these criticisms are valid and are definitely good to analyze, discuss, and be aware of, I find these of less importance than the life lessons weaved throughout the text. This book provides a frame through which to look at and approach life. In sharing his varied life experiences and his honest responses to them, Lance Armstrong conveys a series of life lessons--lessons that can be distilled from the life story of this famous, privileged, larger-than-life cycling superstar, lessons that common, everyday, average people in any circumstance can apply successfully to their own lives.
Lesson #1: As Lance so aptly explains about the Tour de France, "It's a metaphor for life, not only the longest race in the world but also the most exalting and heartbreaking and potentially tragic. It poses every conceivable element to the rider, and more: cold, heat, mountains, plains, ruts, flat tires, high winds, unspeakably bad luck, unthinkable beauty, yawning senselessness, and above all a great, deep self-questioning. During our lives we're faced with so many different elements as well, we experience so many setbacks, and fight such a hand-to-hand battle with failure, head down in the rain, just trying to stay up right and to have a little hope" (Armstrong 68-69). In other words: life is a roller-coaster ride and it's how we respond that matters.
Lesson #2: It really does behoove you to maintain a primarily positive attitude in life, especially in the face of adversity. In other words: choose to see every obstacle in life as an opportunity; choose to find and focus on the positive in every situation, regardless of how small it may be; be determined to fight and win; never give up; believe and hope; embrace every opportunity as if it's your last.
Lesson #3: Be aware... of yourself and the world you live in and always strive toward greater awareness. In other words: understand what you've been through, what you've achieved, what you've learned, what may lie ahead, what limits may exist, and what you're capable of; fully realize what you've gained from your opportunities in terms of what you've learned, how you've changed, and how much you've grown; understand the amount of choice you have and how you can use it to positively (or negatively) impact your life.
The life lessons presented in this book are priceless. And they're ones we (hopefully) encounter often in various avenues in our lives. Lance Armstrong, through his honest account of his life--his lows and highs and everything in between--and most importantly in his viewing cancer as an opportunity has produced a text from which anyone can positively gain. Behind all of his privilege and fame and superstar prowess, the life lessons are there--and they're as human and down-to-earth as they come.
It's time to take tolerance one step further--to ACCEPTANCE.
Like millions of others this past week, I have been deeply disturbed and saddened by the rash of reported suicides among young men around this country. When I came across the NPR story about Tyler Clementi on my Facebook feed, my heart sank, my jaw dropped, and my eyes welled with tears. When I followed a link to an article listing three more teenage boys whose lives all ended in the same fashion--all in September--I nearly vomited. And these are only the reported cases.
Losing someone to suicide is horrible in its own right. Losing a kid to suicide is even more horrible because he or she still has a whole lifetime to live. Losing a kid to suicide because he or she has been mistreated so horrifically by other kids…now that's just unspeakable. Completely unacceptable. Despicable. Outrageous. Sickening. And preventable. IF we focus our teaching.
As parents, as teachers, as community leaders, as role models, as mature, open-minded human beings, it is so incredibly important that we teach kids tolerance, that we really work to make sure they understand that just because people are different from them, they don't need to hate and hurt them. But you know what? We MUST go one step further, and teach kids ACCEPTANCE. It's unequivocally imperative. We must MODEL acceptance for them. We've got to show them what acceptance is and how to really live it. In one of my classes the other day, a classmate made an interesting distinction between tolerance and acceptance that I have since embraced: tolerance is a decent first step but it is only a shallow "I can be OK with that" mentality; acceptance though is where we need to get to, for that is a true embracing, a true accepting of something. It's genuine; it's from the heart. We're all different in myriad ways. But we MUST MUST MUST learn to accept those differences and to work together to make this world a better place. For your survival. For my survival. For the kids' survival. For OUR survival.
No one, especially kids--who generally lack the maturity and emotional stability necessary to overcome such blows to their self-esteem--should have to endure bullying from others because of who they are. NO ONE. They should never feel that they have to hide how they identify themselves, whether that's heterosexual, homosexual, transgendered, questioning, or whatever else there may be. Kids' lives are already hard enough, what with trying to figure out who the heck they are and even more, who they "think they're supposed to be".
HOW MANY MORE LIVES MUST BE LOST BEFORE WE SAY AND DO SOMETHING TO ENSURE ABSOLUTELY NO MORE? HOW MANY MORE HORRIFIC STORIES LIKE THIS MUST WE READ AND HEAR AND BE DEPRESSED ABOUT? HOW MANY?
Monday, September 20, 2010
The third time is not always a charm.
Even though I just posted this weekend, my heart really hurts right now and I want to write about it...
For the third time this year, I have been impacted by suicide. In February, my best friend's husband died by suicide. He was only 32. In July, another friend's sister died by suicide. She was only 26. And now, today, a player from my favorite NFL team, the Denver Broncos, died by suicide. He was only 23. Even though these last two weren't people I knew personally, the tragedy of their deaths still affect me greatly. And dealing with the death of my best friend's husband was… one of the hardest things I have ever had to come to terms with--and I'm still working on it. I was the maid of honor in their wedding. He was not just my best friend's husband, he was my friend, too. And they hadn't even celebrated their second wedding anniversary yet.
In this instance, the third time is not a charm. I have the hardest time understanding the choice… Every time I hear about a suicide, it forces me to stop and remember. And think. Suicide affects so many young people every year. What is going on in their lives that is so incredibly painful, that they feel the need to deal with the pain by ending it completely? What do they need help with? As friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, professors, teachers, school administrators, community leaders… are we keeping an eye out for kids, people who may be struggling and afraid to verbalize their need for help? Are we doing everything we can to reach out and help them? Are we making ourselves available and making sure we convey an open mind? Do we know the specifics of what to do if someone says he or she is contemplating suicide? Are we as prepared as we need to be in dealing with situations like this, situations that may arise in our lives and with people we love and care about?
Suicide is never, EVER the answer. Being depressed and in pain is one thing, but making the choice to end everything and all possibilities for making things better--that is something completely different. It doesn't have to be that way. Suicide is NEVER, EVER the answer. It breaks my heart to know that people get to the point where they feel that it is an answer, the only answer. And as a friend, a family member, a classmate, and a future teacher, I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to help those around me who either directly reach out to me for help or who I notice could use some help even if they don't specifically ask me. As I say in the poem I wrote here, "Love is great, and life is potential. There is hope. There is always hope."
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Infinitives I live by
I used Wordle to put this graphic together during the summer. My love for language and my tendency to try to organize my life in helpful ways motivated me to make this: "Infinitives to Live By".
All of these verbs are present-tense; they are actions I try to do as much as possible in the appropriate contexts in my life. This collection of words inspires me to do my best and to be the best person I can be, everyday, on all levels, in all areas.
My favorites: reflect, learn, think, choose, connect, pursue, experience, create, and realize.
Putting my teaching hat on, these words are great to share with students. They're empowering and varied and a great way to encourage students to learn and grow and think and explore themselves and their worlds.
What words here do you do? What words do you do that aren't included in this graphic? Which words are your favorite?
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The importance of finding your element
There's a lot to be learned from dogs. Whenever I take my dog, Chloe, on a walk, I am reminded of how important it is to find something in life that I really enjoy doing, something I can get lost in and never get bored with, something I can continually get excited about and never get enough of. In short, this is called being in one's element. When I take Chloe on a walk, she is totally in her element. Before we even go out the door, she's gushing with excitement in anticipation of the journey ahead, jumping up and down, barking energetically, imploring me to hurry up and throw my shoes on and go. Once out the door, she's eager to smell everything and look in the direction of every sound she hears, leading me every which way. She loves quickly running ahead only to stop and sniff every square inch of ground in sight. She wants to take it all in. Oftentimes I have to pull her away from certain spots because she's taking way too long and I'm up against the clock. Even if we were to walk the same route everyday (which I don't actually do, more for my sake than hers), she'd never get bored, never lose excitement.
When Chloe's on a walk, she's in her element, she's a fervent learner, and she's always reminding me how important it is to seek out and choose something that I'm so passionate about, something where I can be totally in my element, too. This goes for both my personal life and my professional career. For the former, I know I'm in my element when I'm reading, thinking, learning, taking photographs, and having intellectual, inspired conversations with bright, motivated people. For the latter, I know that teaching and education and learning are where I genuinely belong. These are the things in my life where I'm totally in my element. Thanks, Chloe, for leading by example and for constantly reminding me how important it is to find and be in one's element.
When Chloe's on a walk, she's in her element, she's a fervent learner, and she's always reminding me how important it is to seek out and choose something that I'm so passionate about, something where I can be totally in my element, too. This goes for both my personal life and my professional career. For the former, I know I'm in my element when I'm reading, thinking, learning, taking photographs, and having intellectual, inspired conversations with bright, motivated people. For the latter, I know that teaching and education and learning are where I genuinely belong. These are the things in my life where I'm totally in my element. Thanks, Chloe, for leading by example and for constantly reminding me how important it is to find and be in one's element.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Taking responsibility, taking initiative
On Seth Godin's blog yesterday, I read a post titled "Responsibility and authority." It got me thinking of the relationship between responsibility, initiative, and leadership. In the post, Godin highlights the seemingly subtle relationship between authority and responsibility as it has been constructed in our society.
"Many people struggle at work because they want more authority," he writes. People believe they have to have authority to do more work, to contribute more value-added effort to the bigger cause. They feel they need some kind of special entitlement or power to be able to have a bigger impact, to make a bigger difference where they are.
Godin's most powerful argument in the short post counters these typically falsely-held beliefs: "It turns out you can get a lot done if you just take more responsibility instead. It's often offered, rarely taken."
There are always things we can do over and above our main/primary obligations (both in our professional and personal lives), if we just open our eyes wider and really look around. Responsibility is there for the taking--either in the form of something on the table waiting for someone to claim and run with it, or in the form of a new idea that hasn't yet been explored but could have some benefit for the cause. And in most cases, you don't need authority to take this responsibility. Step up, take it, and run with it. Not only will it show initiative on your part, but it'll also make evident your desire and will to be a leader, or if you've already established yourself as one, it'll give you an opportunity to show that you're an even bigger, better one.
Have you been thinking a lot lately about starting a new group or campaign to focus on meeting a specific need in your organization? Is there a new report or document that needs to be made that your boss or others of your coworkers have been frequently mentioning in meetings or brainstorming sessions? Or in a similar context, is there a premature idea that needs to be further fleshed out and given more dedicated thought before it can be acted on? How about an engaging lesson plan or unit idea that you've been mulling and know you should share with the other teachers in your department?
The responsibility is there for the taking, someone just needs to step up and do it. So why not now? If you have the bandwidth and you want to develop your leadership skills, or you want to contribute more, or you just want to learn and grow further, take that responsibility you see. Take the initiative. Eat it up. Be a leader. And be an even bigger impact for the cause.
The responsibility is there for the taking, someone just needs to step up and do it. So why not now? If you have the bandwidth and you want to develop your leadership skills, or you want to contribute more, or you just want to learn and grow further, take that responsibility you see. Take the initiative. Eat it up. Be a leader. And be an even bigger impact for the cause.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Is less really more? I think it can be.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about the notion "less is more." Especially when it comes to my reading, and more importantly, my learning. It seems like I hear the mantra quite often and read about it quite frequently. Less is more.
I'm a big reader. I spend a great deal of my time regularly consuming texts such as blog posts, news and journal articles--I'm a huge internet reader--my college course books, novels, and professional literature relevant to educators. Yet, the thought keeps coming back to me: less is more, less is more. It's as if something is telling me to slow down--slow down and really spend time stewing for a bit on whatever I'm reading.
With today's ubiquitous availability of information and reading material and the rate at which it is created, shared, and turned-over, it's so easy to get caught up in it. (My PLN--which I love and am so thankful for because of the learning opportunities I'm afforded--is a great example of this.) It becomes akin to a race where I try to read as much as I can as fast as I can because I feel like that's what I have to do in order to keep up. And then it's easy to lose sight of what's really important: engaging with the text, broadening my understanding, and deepening my learning. I have to force myself to stop and ask: when I read (or even skim) a lot at a fast pace, how much am I actually letting set in, how much am I truly learning and retaining? In today's web 2.0 world especially, it's so important for me to remember that less really can be more. I need to slow down and spend more time with each text that I read.
Slow down. But what does that mean? Taking the time necessary to develop a deeper understanding of the material. OK. And what does that mean? It means focusing even more closely. Taking more notes about the BIG idea(s) and MAIN argument(s) and the most SUBSTANTIVE supporting examples... which also means underlining and highlighting less than I currently do, too. It means asking more questions. Exploring the text from different angles. Identifying what I like or don't like about it, what I agree with or disagree with. Giving myself more time to see and articulate connections between the text and what I already know. It means sitting with the text to really let it percolate. Being more deliberate about synthesizing my learning. It means balancing going broad with going deep.
Obviously, this is a new strategy for me. It's a big change; it'll require a significantly new mindset. But it'll help me learn even more than I already am with my current reading style. It'll be worth the change. Is less really more? I think it can be. And with time and practice, it definitely will be.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Making the most of my semester breaks... a plug for PLNs by a pre-service teacher
I've been spending a lot of my time this summer consumed by my PLN I've started developing, trying to read all of the relevant blog posts and links I come across either in my RSS reader or in my Twitter stream. And let me tell you, there is a TON of stuff to read. I could spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for months on end reading content and I still wouldn't feel like I've made much of a dent. Of course, that wouldn't be healthy as it would lead me to live a completely unbalanced, one-dimensional life, and that just wouldn't be good. My Twitter stream updates a mile a minute and my RSS reader adds new articles and posts faster than I can click on a link! Ok, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much...
There are a few reasons why I choose to read this stuff and why I want to read all that I can. First and foremost, I am a learner. I love learning, and when I find something I'm passionate about, I want to explore and find out all that I can about it. I read in Ellin Oliver Keene's book To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension (Heinemann, 2008) about the concept of a "fervent learner" and how when we get so consumed by something that we want to know more about and explore and ask questions about, we become fervent, to the point that we lose ourselves... in time, in space, in thought. I am a fervent learner when it comes to the education space and preparing myself to be a teacher. When I finally become one, I want to be the very best teacher that I can be.
So I figure, what better time than in between my semesters as a pre-service teacher to front-load as much of this reading and exploring and learning and growing? Not only am I able to keep my brain fresh and developing throughout the summer and winter months, but also I'll be able to use what I'm learning to contribute more in my course discussions and to enhance my overall learning experiences. I'll be able to bring in other messages, bits of advice, and perspectives which my PLN affords me and I'll be able to synthesize it with what I learn in my courses. I'll also be able, and glad, to help my classmates set up their own PLNs so that they can start front-loading this learning, too. Exposing oneself--and really delving into--the flurry of teaching and education resources and the many years of wisdom and experience that Twitter and blogs enable, can only help us pre-service teachers to be that much more prepared, to be that much better in our teaching careers. (And I know above it may sound like I am only going to make use of my PLN during my semester breaks, but that just isn't true. I'll definitely be utilizing it during my semesters; I'll just need to make sure to have balance, given that I'll have lots of required reading and writing for my courses as well.)
I have already reached out to a few of my classmates, letting them know that I want to help them make use of some awesome learning tools, tools that will only enhance their college education experience. I'm going to meet with a few of them before the semester starts on August 23rd. I'll help them set up their PLN and make the most of some social media tools I have found to be extremely beneficial since I started building my PLN this summer. These include the following: (if you have others you would like me to share, please leave a comment!)
My point with this post is to share with others who haven't yet started a PLN, either because they aren't aware of the concept and its opportunities or because they are skeptical. Whether they are veteran teachers, new teachers, or pre-service teachers, I want to share with them how, in only a few months so far, my PLN has helped me immensely. It has given me exposure to ideas, concepts, lesson plans, instruction tips, experiences, examples, success stories, failure stories, advice, perspectives, new books that I should put on my to-read list, etc. that I most likely would not have come across in my college curriculum, simply because in my college curriculum, I don't have access to the specific educators and administrators and tech leaders that I do in my Twitter feed or we don't talk about or get assigned the blogs that I have loaded in my RSS reader. It (my PLN) lets me join the conversation--the many conversations that are being had on Twitter, in blog comments, about teaching with technology, education reform, classroom management, PLNs, etc.
With the internet and social media, our opportunities to learn and grow professionally are literally unbounded. Why not take advantage? After all, it can only help us and make us become better educators. This post is for everyone out there in either of the two categories I mentioned above. I am free and willing to help you get started in this new world, in this new avenue of learning that I have already reaped great benefits from and will continue to do so for years and years to come. Who's ready?
There are a few reasons why I choose to read this stuff and why I want to read all that I can. First and foremost, I am a learner. I love learning, and when I find something I'm passionate about, I want to explore and find out all that I can about it. I read in Ellin Oliver Keene's book To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension (Heinemann, 2008) about the concept of a "fervent learner" and how when we get so consumed by something that we want to know more about and explore and ask questions about, we become fervent, to the point that we lose ourselves... in time, in space, in thought. I am a fervent learner when it comes to the education space and preparing myself to be a teacher. When I finally become one, I want to be the very best teacher that I can be.
So I figure, what better time than in between my semesters as a pre-service teacher to front-load as much of this reading and exploring and learning and growing? Not only am I able to keep my brain fresh and developing throughout the summer and winter months, but also I'll be able to use what I'm learning to contribute more in my course discussions and to enhance my overall learning experiences. I'll be able to bring in other messages, bits of advice, and perspectives which my PLN affords me and I'll be able to synthesize it with what I learn in my courses. I'll also be able, and glad, to help my classmates set up their own PLNs so that they can start front-loading this learning, too. Exposing oneself--and really delving into--the flurry of teaching and education resources and the many years of wisdom and experience that Twitter and blogs enable, can only help us pre-service teachers to be that much more prepared, to be that much better in our teaching careers. (And I know above it may sound like I am only going to make use of my PLN during my semester breaks, but that just isn't true. I'll definitely be utilizing it during my semesters; I'll just need to make sure to have balance, given that I'll have lots of required reading and writing for my courses as well.)
I have already reached out to a few of my classmates, letting them know that I want to help them make use of some awesome learning tools, tools that will only enhance their college education experience. I'm going to meet with a few of them before the semester starts on August 23rd. I'll help them set up their PLN and make the most of some social media tools I have found to be extremely beneficial since I started building my PLN this summer. These include the following: (if you have others you would like me to share, please leave a comment!)
- Google Reader. I subscribe to lots of blogs, and not just ones in the education realm, but ones that allow me to get outside the "echo-chamber" and to explore concepts and ideas that I can transfer to and apply to education.
- Twitter. I follow several educational leaders and experienced teachers, all who are active tweeters and provide valuable links, quotes, advice, and other resources.
- Diigo. I absolutely love this social bookmarking tool. I really dig the highlighting and sticky-note functionality. And of course, being able to share my bookmarks with people is great, too!
- Mindmeister. This web-based mind-mapping tool is so easy to use; it's a great way to visually lay out and organize ideas and other facets of my life. I lean way more to the side of visual learning, so mind maps are great friends of mine.
- TED. This. Website. Is. Amazing. All of the content is free and is totally fascinating. And even better, many of the talks include ideas, concepts, and perspectives that can, with a little thought and creativity, be applied to education. TED is just such a golden nugget. How can anyone not be absolutely crazy about it?
My point with this post is to share with others who haven't yet started a PLN, either because they aren't aware of the concept and its opportunities or because they are skeptical. Whether they are veteran teachers, new teachers, or pre-service teachers, I want to share with them how, in only a few months so far, my PLN has helped me immensely. It has given me exposure to ideas, concepts, lesson plans, instruction tips, experiences, examples, success stories, failure stories, advice, perspectives, new books that I should put on my to-read list, etc. that I most likely would not have come across in my college curriculum, simply because in my college curriculum, I don't have access to the specific educators and administrators and tech leaders that I do in my Twitter feed or we don't talk about or get assigned the blogs that I have loaded in my RSS reader. It (my PLN) lets me join the conversation--the many conversations that are being had on Twitter, in blog comments, about teaching with technology, education reform, classroom management, PLNs, etc.
With the internet and social media, our opportunities to learn and grow professionally are literally unbounded. Why not take advantage? After all, it can only help us and make us become better educators. This post is for everyone out there in either of the two categories I mentioned above. I am free and willing to help you get started in this new world, in this new avenue of learning that I have already reaped great benefits from and will continue to do so for years and years to come. Who's ready?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Trying to organize it all...
With the massive amount of information and online tools available today, I have been thinking about a productive way to organize everything so I don't feel overwhelmed. I am a visual thinker, so things like mind maps really help me. I did some research and found a tool that I'd like to recommend: Mindmeister. It's a super easy-to-use, highly functional web-based tool that allows users to create mind maps. While not cheap, the Premium account costs $59 (it's the one targeted for individuals), it is worth it as it allows for unlimited map creation and sharing/collaboration functionality. There is also a handy iPhone app (not cheap either-$6.99) that allows users to create and edit maps on the go and then the changes sync automagically with the maps created using the full web interface.
So far, I've created 4 maps that are great places for me to start organizing my thinking and the resources relevant to my preservice teacher prep. I've created maps depicting my PLN, my teaching philosophy, my online and social media learning tools, and I've started a map for adolescent literature. This last one is something I've always wanted to create so that when students approach me asking for another related good book to read (by genre, author, topic, theme, etc.), I'll be ready to give them valid suggestions.
I really like the MindMeister application so far... it's a great way to organize thoughts, ideas, resources, and whatever else you need to organize. Go give it a look. I hope you find value in it like I do!
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