Reflections with a big,capital R (see image below: R's are sometimes pretty)
Last week I was sitting in Rich's diverse lit class. We were discussing The House on Mango Street and my thoughts strayed from the discussion as I noticed the name "Mortimore" printed in blue ink on the inside cover of the book:
Aww soon my name will be in the covers of my books. Maybe I'll do that when I get back to my apartment. Wait, I own like 6 books appropriate for my classroom library, maybe I'll save this project for when I actually have books, or a classroom library, actually for when I have a physical classroom. My books will appear on organized bookshelves in the back on the room, surrounded by rope lights and comfy chairs and pillows. Wait, will I have to buy these? Of course, then maybe my library dream will have to wait a couple years- accumulate over time. Oh geez, Rich is staring at me; I need to focus.

I sat back up, ready to pay attention. I had all intentions to participate in this discussion but then my thoughts adrift.
I really class discussion. Rich just has a way to engage students in class discussion, I hope I have that skill. Soon I'll be Rich (just a the opposite sex and a foot shorter). Oh no, this is the last time I'll be the student. Soon I'll be the instructor in the front of the classroom (periodically walking around the room, of course), gulp! I'm not ready to leave, wait, yes I am. I'm not ready to start being the instructor. PANIC!!!!!

 

I took a breath, and regained my composure. I realized I was in my last classes, this was/is the last time I'll be sitting in a lit class with Rich- it was a scary realization. However, it was also scary to know that after this semester I am supposedly "prepared" to, as they say, mold the minds of future generations (SIDE NOTE: I do not plan to "mold" my students' minds, I think I am more the clay provider and mold instructor but the students are ultimately their own mind molders). It's not that I do not think I was prepared, it's just how can you really be trully prepared until experiencing it, and also can a teacher ever be fully prepared because every day will probably bring somthing different that we could not be completely prepared for. It's scary.

On the other hand, this is exciting. I've worked 3 and half years and I am finally standing at the finishing line. I am not full pace to break that red ribbon, but I am definitely joyfully stepping over the finish line. I think that's what Method's has really done for me- it's made me excited to get out there. As stressful as some projects were it was honestly fun to create, plan, and work through each one to realize I'll soon be doing this (and getting paid for it- holler for a dollar!). Also I'm grateful for the time spent on discovering my purpose and goals as a teacher. It's easy to answer "Why do you want to be a teacher," however to answer "Why do you really want to be a teacher" is much more difficult. This semester I've reflected on this question quite often- and through projects, readings, and experience I think I finally know why (curious what it is? check out my portfolio!), and I think that's one of the most useful things I am walking away with this semester. So I may be scared, nervous, have some teaching qualms, whatever but I am ready because I do have a purpose (beyond graduating, although that is quite a goal of mine) and an honest desire to make a difference (but who doesn't say that these days, but I swear, I mean it).

I'd like to end with Elle Wood's final quote: "We did it!"


I'm kidding, but really we all made it through, and I think that's something worth celebrating (happy hour, anyone?). However, while we celebrate we need to keep in mind we have a tough last semester ahead of us. I honestly hope we can help and support eachother throught that one as we did this one. Best of luck to you all, and you'll be getting plenty of emails from me to have "English Student Teacher Ron de Vus," so be ready!



And lastly a little reflection on all those R's: The beloved Mr. Feeny once said "Sometimes the things you complain about the most are the things that you care the most about. Unfortunately, we don't always know that until it's too late." What does all our R-complaing reveal about us this semester?

i can't incorporate this baseline diagram into my analytical essay?

6^th & 7^th

Our humanities, or enrichment, program was two class periods that combined English and Social Studies. For two years, Mr. Kinloch drilled us with grammar so that by the end of 7^th grade we could identify every word in the sentence. Over two years we compiled a full journal of grammar rules and practices. We were little 7^th grade grammar monsters running around the halls of our middle school. Until 8^th grade when we lost those journals and forgot all we learned.

9^th grade

I vividly remember the little slips that Mr. Black would hand out in the beginning of each class. On one side the top would be headed with a specific element of grammar and then 2-4 incorrect sentences would follow. We would have to correct them, and then flip the paper over to enjoy some relatable comic and then blank lines to fill in some notes given verbally by Mr. Black.

Sophomore year of college

Oh, Faber’s history and structure. Her book was one of my best purchases because it clearly stated all I needed to know about grammar. Her class consisted of the whole skill and drill routine. I liked it, I was good at it (maybe some credit can go to my past teachers’ drills). I liked it though because it seemed mathematical to me- there was a specific, right process to follow that, if done correctly, you can always end up with the right answer. BUT, who will ever ask me to diagram a sentence or even name every word in a sentence?

Although I like all those practices and see the importance in doing them, Noden’s approach seems more useful in the long run. As a teacher I want students become strong writers and use their ability to write towards their advantage, a skill that can put them above the rest, and I think by incorporating grammar into the writing process will not only provide students with more writing practice but also demonstrate how grammar comes together rather than pulled apart. I’m not saying I wouldn’t enjoy seeing my students “sentence diagram” race on the chalkboard (oh wait, this is the 21^st century I mean SMARTboard) or relish in my students ability to dissect every subject, verb, predicate, etc in a long Thoreau passage because I would and I would probably brag about it. However, once they leave my class how many students will remember or even apply all that I taught them? If I can incorporate grammar into an unavoidable, endless practice (and a practice I want my students to excel in), I feel like that approach would be much more beneficial.     

 

 

and because my brushstroke is action verb:

Writing... I swear it's fun

Why should students write?

Boring Reasons:
1. It's a skill that every person should have. By definition, it determines if a person is literate or illiterate.
2. It's an unavoidable task. It'd be very difficult to avoid writing in everyday life.
3. Having the ability to write, and write well, can be the determiner to what school you get in, what scholarships you recieve, what jobs hire you, etc.
4. There are nation-wide and state writing standards that are geared towards student writing expectations.
5. The PSSA and other state standardized tests require students to write.

Not Boring Reasons:
1. Writing can be fun
2. It's a form of expression
3. It can be a creative outlet
4. It extends learning and knowledge (Gallagher 37)

Why should we teach writing?

The list would be exactly the same, in the exact same categories.

Why I want to teach writing?

I'm going with the second list. I am not at all saying the boring reasons are not important, they are. I want and need my students to know about list 1, but I want to start teaching by list 2. I believe that once students get an understanding of list 2, all the reasons on list 1 will be obvious but also easy to accomplish.

Gallagher, in Teaching Adolescent Writers, wants to rid students of their fear and hatred towards writing. To most students, it's an abhorred task. (To me, that's slightly frustrating and hard to understand. How does one hate writing? I guess this is why I'll struggle with teaching writing) The question then rises, how do we get students interested in writing? It'd be easy to disregard our students' disinterest and assign them writing assignments anyways (because we can do that). We can continue to assign persuasive, compare/contrast, and analytical essay because they are important (and they go along with the curriculum and the standards), but isn't that what made students hate writing in the first place? As Gallagher notes, those kinds of writing assignments are necessary and students need to know how to do them, and I agree with him and with all the curriculum and state standards. Students do need to know how to write in those specific ways for their current education, higher education, and future jobs and endeavors (also just to gain knowledge, that's always fun). However, as 12-18 year olds that kind of writing is just seen as an assignment, a time consuming-boring assignment. So, first I want my students to have fun writing assignments. I liked Gallagher's writing assignments, and I also liked Savich's writing example he showed us with poetry. I want to show my students that writing is not always a burden. It does not forever require an introduction and conclusion, a thesis, 3 supporting paragraphs. It does not always require analyzing literature or doing research. Song lyrics, screen plays, advertisements, journalism, slam poetry, comedians' scripts, ect.- are all types of writing that seem ten times more fun to write than your 10th grade research paper on community service. However, through writing song lyrics students learn about rhyme, rythem, unstressed and stressed syllables. Through journalism, students learn to conduct research, intervies, and cite others. Through screen plays students learn the elements of drama and how to write dialogue. Most importantly though, students are able to be more creative and express themselves through these outlets (at least I think so). Gallagher, as well as Smagorinsky, both stress the importance of student choice, and I think by providing students with more options, or genres, of writing it promotes that idea of choice. In the end, writing can be fun and for students to see that we need to present our students with more fun writing assignments. We need to let them know that it's more than an assignment and more than a grade, but it's an oppurtunity for them to be creative, share what know, and express what they feel. The written word is powerful, and who doesn't want strong students?

Text Satellite

http://prezi.com/-pnvg8k6vbiy/text-satellites/

Well this was fun (and I mean that with all sincerity). It's amazing how simple it seemed before I actually started it, however I think I am happy with all my text selections. I'll highlight a few for you:

My main text is Kuntsler's World Made By Hand. It's a dystopic novel which tells the story of a small town in New York after the world ran out of oil. People must resort back to the old ways before electricity, cars, and every other luxury we take advantage of today. I chose this novel because I think it'd be something different for my students. It's so realistic that it's hard to put down. Also it stirs up great discussion of our world today and where it may be in the next couple of decades. Lastly, this book proposes a future outcome for America, and my students will be the ones to experience and/or deal with these possible outcomes so I think they need to be aware of what's being talked about out there.

Along with Kuntsler's novel, I wanted to link excerpts from his non-fictional book The Last Emergency (which World Made By Hand stems from). Students should read Kuntsler's research behind his novel. I have also attached Kuntsler's TED speech to give students an alternative to The Last Emergency. Through his novel and non-fiction book, I want to tie in primarily the themes of dystopia, over consumption, and a world after the oil peak.

So at this point my students have been Kuntsler'd out, so I'd like to bring them into more familiar territory by bringing in those great kids movies that have a great lesson. I pulled out The  Lorax and Wall-E to provide examples of world after over consumption.  From here my other themes, like man's self destruction, isolation, leadership, and trust, tie in.

From there I try to connect texts to target all my different learners by incorporating games, magazine articles, music, art, etc. I want to put a little bit of everything so I have an oppurtunity to engage all my students. Also a variety of texts makes a unit ten times for interesting for me and my students.

O.W.L.E's and Objective Testing



http://fantaasiatoidab.deviantart.com/

"Ordinary. Wizarding. Level. Examinations. More commonly known as O.W.L.'s. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so and the consequences may be… severe." -Dolores Umbridge




Test day- it's what a student thinks (s)he is in school for. I can just picture it now:

Teacher: "Students, why are we learning this?"

Students (in unison minus maybe 3 students): "To do well on the test."

What?!

Although this scene may seem a bit exaggerated, I’m here to vouch that it in fact is not. Monday morning I headed into room 218. After a morning journal to get their little pencils (and more importantly-brains) moving, it was time to introduce the week’s vocabulary words, and the teacher asked why it was important to learn and understand the meaning of these words. All the students thought they had the right answer so hands simultaneously and excitedly rose. However the answer (at least to me) seemed far from correct. Answers varied in word selection but could be summarized to the student response from the example scenario above (“To do well on the test”). So it was very easy to picture that scenario because, well, it happened. While sitting in room 218, my heart kind of broke. I tried to keep my mouth from dropping and keep all the hundred little “why’s” fluttering around my brain from escaping out of my mouth. Have students become that conditioned that everything they learn is for a test? Is this the perfect example of Pavlov’s classic conditioning, and students are just scared of Dolores Umbridge’s “severe” consequences? Whatever happened to knowledge for knowledge’s sake? And my questions would ramble on but I’ll exert some self control.

Okay, I know students must be assessed. I know test are necessary, and not the root of all evil BUT I feel they have been weighted too highly. So, objective tests may be a small branch from the root of all evil. It probably originated from the tree of good and knowledge but after some cross pollination by some political botanists it now grows from one of those roots of evil. (Dramatic? A bit) As Gallagher noted how standardized tests are killing readers, I feel standardized tests (and other sorts of objective testing) are killing students’ desire to learn, or at least warping their desires. Objective testing (when it comes to English), in my own opinion, disadvantages students’ abilities to think critically and creatively. I have always loved literature because there is not one right interpretation, there is not only one right answer. Objective tests take that away. There is only one right answer, and if a student gets it wrong it is assumed that they don’t know or understand.

That then leads to me to the authentic assessment. Where it allows students to run off with creativity but also requires them to think critically. Also it’s not a test, so students can’t say they are learning something “for the test” because, guess what children, there is no test (holla at cho boy). Papers and/or projects are sometimes daunting, but isn’t test day just as scary. I’m sure 5^th (it’s 5^th year right?) Hogwarts students’ stomachs turn endlessly on O.W.L.E day (Slightly Off Topic note: Another one of my complaints about objective testing conditioning. Students are scared of tests? Should they not be confident in what they have learned and now know?) I think authentic assessment, although far from easy to do, relieves some of the nerves of test day. They get to work through their nerves and dig deeper into their thoughts and ideas. I just never want my students to be scared of a Professor Umbridge and the consequences of not doing well on an objective test. I love creative minds- and want my students to use theirs, and feel they can do that best through authentic assessment. And lastly, I never ever ever ever ever (and it’d go on if I had all night) want my students to think they are learning something simply to get the correct answers on a test (I don’t think my heart could handle that much breaking). Yuck.

With a Cultural Approach (don't worry this isn't about Intro to Lit Studies II)

Although the first chapter of Gallagher's book is interesting, I found the second chapter much more useful and applicable. I don't think any of us favor standardized tests and are just itching to start next semester to teach towards the test, so I am going to skip over that chapter in this blog. 

Chapter 2 begins with Marissa and Justine not knowing who Al (it's Qaeda, Al Qaeda). Gallagher's comment made me think of the conceptual unit I created last week. For those who don't know, I connected Swifts "A Modest Proposal" to the 2012 Presidential Election. My text set consisted of some, as Gallagher called, authentic reading. I also had students choosing and reading news articles each week. So after finishing chapter two I was left thinking about Gallagher's ideas in relation to my conceptual unit (selfish, I know). 

First I know I want my students to know what's happening around them and therefore, always want to implement culturally current event readings to my classrooms. (I had a teacher that would start every single class with the question, "Does anyone have any interesting current events to share?" He would spend as much time as it took for all the students to share what they wanted to share before he started his actual lesson plan. Although this seems like it could take up valuable class time, it also encourages students keep up with what's going on in the world.) I tried to demonstrate this want through my conceptual unit, however after reading Gallagher's chapter I questioned whether or not my goals would work (I know his chapter was not focused solely on providing students with culturally current texts, but that's what stood out most to me). It was easy to create this unit with all texts consisting of newspaper and magazine articles, videos, twitter, blogs, etc because it wasn't real. I did not have to supply the articles or videos. I did have to make sure I had the texts available for my students. I think this is where I will struggle most; I will have tons of ideas but they won't be any good unless I put them into practice but that requires me standing up to the head of my department, the principal, or (gasp) the superintendent. It'll be tempting to take the easier route and work what I have to avoid possible confrontation with any of the previously mentioned positions, but then am I hurting my students? I'd say yes. Primarily because there are those (cough Bauerlein cough) arguing that the younger generation is the dumbest generation. When as student doesn't know about al Qaeda, it'd be easy to argue that they Marissa and Justine are definitely members of the dumbest generation club, but are they dumb or ignorant? I'd go with ignorant, and so I think it's our job as future teachers to make our students less ignorant, and make them aware of what's going on around them. So although I'd be a bit intimidated to approach those above me about texts, I think it's something worth getting over. Especially because in my unit I didn't consider allowing students to read these texts at home, and after reading this chapter I feel as though it'd be so much more beneficial if they did. This will just be another reason why I'll have to swallow my nerves and kind of fight for my students needs. 

To wrap all my rambling thoughts up, I'll finish by stating that I found Gallagher's second chapter extremely useful, especially the week following creating my conceptual unit (Shannon, did you plan this?). It provided me with a lot to think about and consider when I enter the class room (which will be here way sooner than I think ahhhh).  


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