I read several posts from Students2oh.org and was captivated by the post titled: Don’t Save the World As teachers, I believe that we all begin our teaching careers in wanting to "save every student" that we teach. But in all reality, we can't "save everyone!" It's just not humanly possible and it is sad to admit that some students just don't want to be "saved."
I currently teach at the high school level where the district has instilled a new program titled "myfuture." We do need to encourage all students to get a college education, assist them in ways that they understand that it can be a reality for them, and to make sure that they check out every avenue possible. At the same time, not all students want to go to college and don't want to be "saved" in order to go to college. Some are happy attending a technical school, enlisting in the military, or working a full-time job. However, I do believe that every student should have the opportunity to attend college no matter what type of background they have.
Another thing that I have realized as a student council sponsor, is that a lot of students join different organizations for the purpose of "it will look good on my college application." They will not necessarily join the organization because it offers a variety of community service opportunities, but to get the community service hours to make their profile look better. The author Hannah Feldman writes that "Reading through college handouts, I can’t help but notice that the students they choose to profile have almost always saved the world in one way or another. This is the point where I tilt my head and sigh. Because, quite frankly, I don’t want to save the world." She goes on to point out the fact that; "students should be able to participate in what they are genuinely interested in, and forget about whatever looks good on an application. Passion looks good on an application. " I happen to agree with Hannah in that students need to participate in things for the right reasons. I often wonder if colleges check back with students who they have profiled in their handouts and asked them how just many things they participated in because they actually wanted too? Would that college write a retraction in that same handout and say, "not all results are typical with each student participant." That would probably raise a lot of eyebrows.
Speaking back as a sponsor, I would rather have fifty members in my student council who really were passionate in giving back to their community and participated for the right reasons. It this instance "size"of the council participants does not matter. As a teacher, wouldn't my students want a teacher who was "passionate about kids, passionate about the subject matter that I am teaching, and passionate about living life in general?" Life would be pretty boring if we weren't passionate about something. Life is hard enough to live without adding the fact that you hate what your doing with your life.
Don’t Save the World
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thing # 4: Blogging begins with Reading
What is interesting about the whole "Blogging" topic is that I would have never even thought I would have one without having taken this online class. Now that I have one, I am actually excited that I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined all the other millions of people who do have blogs. Making comments about blogs is not different from giving your opinion on anything else. You would hope that everyone would follow simple rules of not writing offensive comments, but we all know that it just takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch. The most important thing that I would think we would need to remember is; that like with everything else, you will have people that agree with you and those who will disagree with what you posted. By the same token, you will either agree or disagree with the comments that are posted in response to your blog. In that respect, I would hope that people will "agree to agree or disagree " with a comment and not get our feathers ruffled. Being able to comment on a persons blog can give the actual writer another perspective to what they posted.
Life is all about making decisions and having consequences that are good or bad that go along with the decisions that we make. Being able to be given a choice sometimes helps us make the best decision. We just have to be willing to accept the consequences whatever they may be that goes along with the choice/decision that we made. As a teacher and aspiring administrator, I am all about giving my students choices. When I have to assign a detention or even in-school-suspension as a consequence from a poor decision that a student made, I try to give him a choice when he/she serves that detention or day of in-school-suspension. That way, even if they don't agree with the outcome of the situation, they were given the opportunity to choose when they would have to serve that consequence.
Life can get pretty hard to deal with at times for all of us. Why do we want to cause ourselves more grief or heartache than what is necessary. In the grand scheme of things, is it really going to matter that John Doe or Mary Doe agreed with what we wrote? Maybe yes and maybe no, but getting your feathers ruffled is a lot of wasted energy that you could spend just enjoying "life".
Life is all about making decisions and having consequences that are good or bad that go along with the decisions that we make. Being able to be given a choice sometimes helps us make the best decision. We just have to be willing to accept the consequences whatever they may be that goes along with the choice/decision that we made. As a teacher and aspiring administrator, I am all about giving my students choices. When I have to assign a detention or even in-school-suspension as a consequence from a poor decision that a student made, I try to give him a choice when he/she serves that detention or day of in-school-suspension. That way, even if they don't agree with the outcome of the situation, they were given the opportunity to choose when they would have to serve that consequence.
Life can get pretty hard to deal with at times for all of us. Why do we want to cause ourselves more grief or heartache than what is necessary. In the grand scheme of things, is it really going to matter that John Doe or Mary Doe agreed with what we wrote? Maybe yes and maybe no, but getting your feathers ruffled is a lot of wasted energy that you could spend just enjoying "life".
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thing # 2: The Effect of Web 2.0
Web 2.0 and this online class "23 Things" have already made an effect on my life personally and as a teacher. This is my 30th year to be in education, but please keep in mind that I started teaching when I was five. Ok, maybe not and I am just kidding! I use that phrase a lot when I talk with other people, teachers, teaching my students, and riding the "experience" rollercoaster of dealing with "teenagers" on a daily basis. When I first started teaching thirty years ago, a teacer would consider a "ditto machine" as technology. I am sure that some of you are wondering what the heck that is? Watching the video link "Shift Happens" shows us just how technology has changed through the years and how it continues to change. In fact, it is so constant, where it is hard for all of us to comprehend and know how to use technology effectively.
This year I have started using a ceiling mounted "projector" and an "Elmo"! How did I teach all those years without these two things? The fact of the matter is; I did and I will continue to step "outside the box" and use new and bigger things. Students are bombarded with images that stimulate the brain while experiencing life, watching television, playing video games, and by reading a book or magazine, and etc. As a result of all of these images, they have developed the need to be "being entertained" and not always taking a personal responsiblity for their learning.
With accountability being an important word in connection to education and students; we can't teach the same way we did even two years ago. Keeping students in school, engaged, and on task will continue to change if we don't step out of our comfort zone and turn to a different way of teaching. That is where technology comes into the picture and will help us stay ahead of the game. People in general should not be afraid of "technology;" but embrace it and take risks.
This year I have started using a ceiling mounted "projector" and an "Elmo"! How did I teach all those years without these two things? The fact of the matter is; I did and I will continue to step "outside the box" and use new and bigger things. Students are bombarded with images that stimulate the brain while experiencing life, watching television, playing video games, and by reading a book or magazine, and etc. As a result of all of these images, they have developed the need to be "being entertained" and not always taking a personal responsiblity for their learning.
With accountability being an important word in connection to education and students; we can't teach the same way we did even two years ago. Keeping students in school, engaged, and on task will continue to change if we don't step out of our comfort zone and turn to a different way of teaching. That is where technology comes into the picture and will help us stay ahead of the game. People in general should not be afraid of "technology;" but embrace it and take risks.
Thing # 1: Lifelong Learners
I am not sure if all of us have heard of the book titled: All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum? But the simple rules that the author wrote about fifteen years ago still applies to getting through life, dealing with your family, your work, and becoming lifelong learners. These rules are:
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. Clean up your own mess.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life; learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Wonder
15. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
16. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
17. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
18. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Becoming a lifelong learner is pretty simple. You just have to make up your mind to do it and just do it! I wish that I could say that this process is relatively free, but if you made the decision to get a higher degree; the tuition can become very expensive. Making the decision to learn something new everyday is free. We never get too old to learn something new and you can "teach an old dog new tricks." I am sure that everyone has their own favorite happy story and horror story about school, dealing with family, and just going through life on a daily basis. Take a risk and make the decision to become a lifelong learner and sit back and enjoy the ride. You will be glad that you did.
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. Clean up your own mess.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life; learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Wonder
15. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
16. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
17. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
18. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Becoming a lifelong learner is pretty simple. You just have to make up your mind to do it and just do it! I wish that I could say that this process is relatively free, but if you made the decision to get a higher degree; the tuition can become very expensive. Making the decision to learn something new everyday is free. We never get too old to learn something new and you can "teach an old dog new tricks." I am sure that everyone has their own favorite happy story and horror story about school, dealing with family, and just going through life on a daily basis. Take a risk and make the decision to become a lifelong learner and sit back and enjoy the ride. You will be glad that you did.
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