I have been vascillating (good english teacher vocabulary word- no?) between wanting to go back to my beloved (and affluent) East Grand Rapids High School to teach, or to go to a less advantaged area and try to really make a difference. I know it is naive to think that I really have a choice in the matter, given the shortage of teaching jobs in the area, but I think it is good to know what you want. The other day I rented Freedom Writers. Wow, was I filled with inspiration after that one! One avenue that has been in the back of my mind is Teach For America. Have you heard of it? I ran across this article, and decided to post a blog entry right then and there, so I could see what you all think of the program.
In Conclusion…. April 17, 2007
Not only did I enjoy this class, but I learned alot from it as well. I would definately reccommend R.R. as a professor to anyone interested in the course, and I would probably not take 310 from anyone but him! The reason is because what he teaches has a purpose! IT’s like this wordpress thing. I know it took me a while to catch on, but I do believe that it was important to learn. Podcasts, what a wonderful way to capture the attention of students. I think hypertext is a great way to incorporate technology into the literature classroom. My eyes have been opened to the world of technology even more in this class than in my computers in education class. I think that the choice of books that we focused on was perfect, and I really liked the literature circles. Everything we did in class, even the poems we read, and how we read them could be implemented into a middle or high school classroom; I love it! And if I do ever teach in a secondary classroom, I would use alot of what I learned in 311. The class, for the most part, was a good mesh too. I love when the chemistry is this perfect, where I look forward to every class.
Bright Ideas!!!! April 17, 2007
Wow, thank you RR for making it manditory that we attend this conference! Like most everything assigned in this class, I understand why you require it of us. It makes sense to me. I appreciate it!
When I first got there, and listened to the Keynote speaker Jacqueline Woodson, I was pretty impressed by her. I liked her style. I didn’t like how she made an issue out of her sexuality, not because I have a problem with it, I just didn’t think it was pertinent. Nobody in the room asked her if she was married, did they? No big deal. I think I am going to take out Locomotion from the library (as soon as I pay my debt). In the car on the way homr, the girls were talking about how Ms. Woodson just started quoting from the book without making any comment that she was about to do so. That did throw me off a bit too. But, overall, I really liked her. I think it would be interesting to help her answer her fan mail via the internet, I should have talked to her about it. Some key “notes”-get it? “key notes!” that I got from her lecture:
-everyone has a story
-everyone has a right to tell their story
-When you are writing, fear is not allowed.
-You can’t write if you don’t read
I liked her technique of revising:
- tell me what you love
-ask me three questions
-tell me what still isn’t working
For concurrent session 1, I attended “Introducing a twenty-first century curriculum: incorporating mass communication into the english classroom.
I went to this one, because the girls I rode with went to it, and I didn’t want to get lost. I also hadn’t taken the time to look over the itinerary, so I didn’t have any set ideas of what interested me. I was disappointed. The three speakers were all really young, and I didn’t get a whole lot out of their session. Basically, the first speaker talked about wikis, and how they are not reliable resources because anyone can edit their content, no matter how knowlegable (or not) they are on the topic. She reccommended having your students edit a wiki to prove this fact, however, I don’t know how practical that would be. How would this really fit into a curriculum? Anyway, the next speaker talked about using u-tube to find examples of News with limited perspectives. Maybe this would work better in a journalism class, or even government? Lastly, the third speaker talked about layout and marketing and suggested students re-design a book cover for the book they are reading, taking into consideration: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity, and Dominence. This seemed like a computer class assignment, demonstrating what you have learned in marketing class by tying it in with what you are reading in English. I fel tit had very little to do with actual literature.
For my second break-out session, I went by myself to “Staging outside the margins: How ensemble plays give voice to at risk populations.” Wow, after the first lady spoke, I was mega-inspired!!! She told us about her experiences working at Allegan Alternative School, and having her students use The House on Mango Street to write an ensemble play. The play was loosely based on Chapter 12, Those Who Don’t. She said her students connected with that chapter because people who don’t know them think they are druggies, scarry, etc. I don’t want to get too far into what she did, but I will on my pedogogy project, because she gave me alot of amazing ideas!!!! Her husband followed her, I don’t have anything interesting that I learned from him, and the last lady had us acting out poetry. It was ok, but nothing was as great as that first lady!
Anyway, I had an incredible experience at the Bright Ideas Conference, and I would definately go again. And I would probably drive alone, because now I know where it is, I would stay the whole time and go only to sessions that interest me. If I learned one thing it is to not be so afraid of getting lost. I’m a big girl and I can find places when I need to.
B-U-L-L-Y- spells bully! April 9, 2007
A professor I had a few years ago told our class a story about how her son was a victim of a new kind of bullying. Nowadays, it might not be likely for a bully to steal your milk money, but bullying is still a problem. It is just a different kind of problem.
Investigators say two students at Maryville Middle School used another girl’s identity to create a MySpace web page that included a picture of the 13-year-old in her underwear.
The article called it “cyberbullying”.
The Maryville Middle School student tells police that two of her classmate accused her of altering their MySpace pages.
The student says they later retaliated by using her name to create a separate page which included embarrassing pictures of her.
Director of Maryville Schools Dr. Mike Dalton says all forms of bullying are major concerns but harassment over the Internet is the hardest to control.
“They can say things that offend people to the point that they respond in ways that are inappropriate and sometimes very violent,” Dalton says.
When I read the title of this article, I had it figured out before the page came up on my monitor. Why was I not surprised that the middle schoolers victimized their peer through Myspace?
Three reasons:
1. Kids are mean. This was true when I was a kid, probably even when my grandparents were kids. Hate to say it, but it is still true.
2. The internet is a powerful tool, and even though it may seem protected by passwords ect.,this may come as a surprise to you, but it is not 100 percent safe.
3. Most parents are not as involved in their children’s lives (and internet usage) as they ought to be.The article urges parents to educate and closely monitor their kids.
If you know your child is being bullied online, you should save the evidence by printing any emails or web postings.
Also, contact the school counselor or resource officer and make them aware of the situation.
And if the bullying appears to be a crime such as threats of violence, harassment or stalking, you should consider calling police.
What can we do as educators? Well, we could act like adults, and instead of pretending the problem doesn’t exist, we could read books like Special and have class discussions about what bullying looks like in the year 2007.
as a student, I’d rebell, as a teacher, I’d trust April 9, 2007
When I was in Middle School, the dresscode caused me grief. It stated plain and simple that shorts and skirts were acceptable as long as they were longer than your fingers reached if your arms were hanging at your sides. The vice principal was a real stickler about it, and actually sent people home if their shorts or skirts were too short. Not that I wanted to have my rear end showing when I bend over or anything, but affectionately nicknamed “Lurcharms” at home, I have really long arms. To be able to wear a pair of shorts or a skirt would have meant finding something that came down to four inches above my knees. That wasn’t the style then, and it was maddening to me as a student. It made me disrespect rules and authority, because I didn’t think it had a real purpose. If the dresscode was specific like saying your underwear couldn’t show, or no see-though shirts or profanity-covered clothes, I wouldn’t have had a problem with it.
At the school mentioned in this article, the students have a problem with the strictly enforced dress code. Apparently the color red is now banned, due to the fact that gang members wear red to pledge their alliance. The school officials are so afraid of gang activity that they punnish all students from expressing themselves with the clothes they wear.
A new enforcement in the dress code edict at South Tahoe Middle School prohibits students from wearing red belts, red shoes and red accessories.
The ban was implemented Monday of last week when school administrators said there had become an exorbitant amount of red clothing worn on campus.
“It just felt unusual,” said school principal Jackie Nelson.
To me, banning the color red is silly. If it really is a problem, maybe it is time for full uniforms. Otherwise, they are just going to lose respect from the rest of the students who don’t see the need to enforce such a silly rule. Just look at what students are already saying.
“Just because you wear a certain color doesn’t mean you’re in a gang,” said eighth-grader Dulcie Camacho.
“It’s not like we dress in certain colors that it’s going to affect our education,” said Belem Herrera, another eighth-grader.
Minds in Motion April 4, 2007
This event sounds exciting, and I like the idea that parents go with their children to this event. I also liked the idea that it is available for kids in grades kindergarten through eighth!
From rain forests to bubbles to television commercial production, 280 students and parents had an opportunity to learn something new Saturday.
The annual Minds in Motion event for students in grades K through 8 explored many different areas Saturday at Torrington Middle School on Middle School Drive. Students had the chance to take workshops on a variety of topics from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. while parents attended a keynote address on helping their children learn more and how to use Yoga to reduce stress at work.
“It is a great event,” Superintendent of Schools Susan O’Brien said before the start of the keynote address for parents. “This event was one of my first official duties when I came to the district two years ago.”
middle school is not too early to prepare for college April 4, 2007
When I was in Middle School, we talked a lot about what careers we thought we might go into. We took personality tests to see what we would be right for. In eighth grade, we even researched and presented our then-chosen field of interest in the career market. I chose to be an actress. I have since changed my goals a bit, but maybe if I had been a little more realistic then with my goals, I’d have graduated already, or at least have had a better plan in college. I don’t think Middle School is too early to start thinking about the future. My little brother has a few ideas already and he is in fifth grade. Of course he isn’t obligated to stick to his descision now, but he wants to be a psychologist and a teacher. I thought that was a pretty grown up aspiration, he didn’t say an astraunat or a race car driver.
If I had known then, what I know now, I would have taken school more seriously in Middle School and High School. And it’s the daily class work in those various disciplines that helps build a strong work ethic and racks up points when it comes to applying for scholarships and grants, Kyle said.
“You can’t underestimate the day-to-day work in the classes,” he said. “It’s so important and it has a long-term effect on their performance on the SATs.”
“Second Life” for Middle School Science! April 4, 2007
Hey, when I was reading through the article titles, this one grabbed my attention, and I bet you know why! Until this year, I hadn’t ever even heard of Second Life, but after Rozema presented it in class, I am amazed by it.
Second Life, the virtual online world that is catching the attention of colleges and universities for its educational possibilities, hasn’t been an option for middle school use because of its age limit. Although most 12-year-old students would probably find the site’s graphical elements and endless social possibilities intriguing, Second Life’s policy bars anyone younger than 13 from accessing any aspect of the site.
