Iraq Study Group Cabal?

How ironic that the press often highlights the Halliburton-Project For A New American Century-Bush connection, and yet fails to mention that the Iraq Study Group was sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace, the Center for the Study of the Presidency, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Not that this amounts to any kind of conspiracy, but the omission might lead some readers to conclude that the Iraq Study Group is a part of the Federal Government. That is the first conclusion I came to, until I dug a little deeper. How many citizens will dig as shallow as I have? How many will dig really deep?

I'm still digging.

More Confidence in Homeschooling

One of my colleagues told me about her 5 year old son learning to recognize numbers 1-100. She said that if he asks for a lollipop and can't recognize the number 89, let's say, he does not get the treat. I smiled politely, all the while thinking about how my homeschooled 5 year old is adding single digits, memorizing Latin verbs and nouns, and reading third grade level chapter books.

How do we handle socialization ? Today my children (ages 5 and 8) visited a rest home with their homeschool group. They brought cookies and treats for the elderly and staff, sang Christmas carols, handed out ornaments and cards, and greeted the residents with a "Merry Christmas"! The cards, ornaments, and cookies were made at their multi-grade level Christmas party.

Revelations

Reflection is the most important practice a teacher can employee to improve their pedagogy. However time is scarce during the school year for this practice and the teacher is usually left to reflect during their months "off". Yesterday I experienced a rarity; a meeting in which I was allowed to genuinely reflect and then hold an honest discussion with my colleagues.

Our team of history teachers gathered to talk about team development. It was a frank conversation, the most honest we've ever had. We aired our opinions, spoke honestly about our professional relationships and issues, and still managed to be cordial after the meeting.)

So here are the revelations:

1. My classroom instruction is primarily personality driven, and not system driven. When I lecture, and students reject my lecture, I take personally. Why shouldn't I? I worked hours to present what I thought was a compelling presentation. Ultimately my personality is worked into the lecture. The ability to sit attentively through a lecture is an end goal for some of my students.
2. My classroom instruction needs to become more systematic. It is easier to defend a system, or adjust it, than it is to adjust my personality. A systematic, student centered allows me more time to work one on one, and enforce discipline.
3. I admitted that I did not like working as a team, because my commitment level to what the team is doing is low. I am hesitant to make additional commitments outside my own classroom door, because I might not be able to carry the extra weight.
4. My colleagues are very competitive, much more than I thought they were. They really want to exceed our CST growth goals.
5. Ranking someone as the weakest link (As in "We are only as strong as our weakest link") serves to maintain a pecking order in which the weakest link is perpetually labeled as such (Can you guess who was considered the weakest link?), until someone weaker comes along.
6. I work with a very competent group of folks who are very technologically savvy and really use educational theory.
7. The team is exclusively composed of "the glass is half-empty" personalities. This is evidenced by the fact that since we have begun working as a team our test scores have risen annually yet we continually forget that fact.
8. The dominant personality of the team was convinced that since only 45% of our students scored proficient or advanced on the CST we had failed the community.
9. He also stated that if we failed to meet our goal this year, "It would burn to work at the school". In other words he would be miserable. (Background: I have the majority of the tested students. I was told I was the weakest link. Who gets the blame if there is no improvement in test scores?)
10. I need to focus on what brings results and not on how many hours I put into teaching.


Another conversation emerged today, with yet more revelations:

1. One of my colleagues (He teaches A.P.) expressed that he thought I was teaching Community College level history in my High School classroom (I was pleased with this).
2. I agreed that I need to lower the level of my instruction to a true High School level.

So now it is back to the drawing board (This is why I never plan an entire semester's worth of lessons!)

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. I never participated until I became affiliated with World Vision. Check out their site. If your time is limited, then just visit this presentation. Let me know how the information presented has impacted you, and consider sponsoring a child if you have not already.

Again the Elephant

So the New York Times has told us that the achievement gap still persists . . . okay now what? The only solution they mentioned was to offer a bonus to teachers in tough schools. I don't think that will do much, because many of us already work as if the bonus was dangled before us. Again the question, "How to close the gap"? Anybody have any answers?

Which Star Wars Character Are You? Your Result: Luke SkyWalker You are a noble and loyal person who is always looking after the welfare of your friends, even if your hand gets cut off trying to save them. Just stop kissing your sister and everything will be fine.
Princess Leia
Yoda
Jar Jar Binks
Han Solo
Darth Vader
Boba Fett
Jabba the Hutt
Which Star Wars Character Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Book Snob You like to think you're one of the literati, but actually you're just a snob who can read. You read mostly for the social credit you can get out of it.
Literate Good Citizen
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Who Makes the Better Teacher?

Have you ever visited a one room schoolhouse? Inevitably someone points to the list of rules for teachers. The rule which seems the most odd is the one which states that a woman will leave teaching when she marries. This is naturally ranked as sexist by many, because it says that male teachers need not quit when they marry. But I see something else here. Like many of my posts this is conjecture.

How many women were employed as full-time teachers when a rule like this was enforced? How many men were employed full-time as teachers with families? How many male school teachers taught their children as their students? The question for me though is, "Who makes the better teacher - those with children or those without"? Let me explain further.

Many in my profession refer to their students as their "kids". I doubt that anyone would seriously contest that teachers' act as surrogate parents, especially amongst more lower performing students. The better teachers seem to be able to share much of their life with their students. They give above and beyond the teaching day, spending weekends planning and grading, going to their students' events, etc. The better teacher is emotionally invested in the success, or failure, of his students. A set of low test scores, or finding out that "Johnny" can't read well, or that "Sue" is pregnant and does not want the baby, or that "Tom" lives in abject poverty can trigger a depression or anxiety attack for a whole weekend. Whether you invest in them or not ,students try to weave their lives with yours.

So how does a teacher function with their own family when so much is required of her at work? My solution is to forget about my job, in the evenings and weekends. I have found that I go whole weekends forgetting about my students' issues only to be immerse in the icy pond called Monday. I have to because I come home to my own set of problems; bills due, disherwasher broken, yard and cars dirty, wife and I fighting over money, etc. I know that this holds me back as a teacher.

I see my colleague, who is also my neighbor, come back after a weekend with a week's set of plans and materials. He has called five or six parents, attended a weekend conference, and has completed all his WASC and Professional Development work. Me? I wander into work Monday morning like a sailor recovering from a drunken binge. My weekend involved doing many chores around the house, dealing with a child who vomited all of Saturday night and Sunday morning, discussing with my wife how we are going to pay for my other child's orthodontics, finding out that the car is starting to make funny noises, and that, 'Oh, by the way, next week the kids have this and this, and this and I need you to come home early on Wednesday and Thursday."

Clearly I think that a responsible individual without children makes for the better teacher. What do you think?

No Choice in the Matter

If you "blood" throw it up . . . this is sad.

Venting

It is hard to give to those who do not appreciate what you are giving them. A simple example: I brought in some pencils for student use, along with some spiral notebooks. The pencils are all gone. Now I know I should monitor each of my pencils and make sure I get them back . . . but c'mon . . . again I've learned it's just easier and less disturbing to bring any pencils at all. Dealing with the less behaved of society can be just plain difficult (I tried riding the public bus to and from work before - Yikes!)

I was wondering how Gandhi did it. I recently read one of his speeches and found that he was just as disturbed, if not more, than I regarding the behavior of the poor. He found out, by traveling third class, that as they would spit anywhere, shove, hit, etc. And what did he say to them about it? That is what the fault of the British for treating them like animals -NO! He took the opportunity to teach them hygiene and manners . . . but today that would be called racism!

I'm just frustrated that so many of my students refuse to listen, refuse to learn, and then play the victim . . . even in a state of the art classroom, with a highly qualified teacher, and more than enough resources for their use (including the now missing pencils).

Road Less Traveled

How many have prided their self on taking the "road less traveled"? This used to mean that you did not hold to mainstream views and practices of family, religion, sexuality, education, etc. That expression was usually connected to non-traditionalism. Seems to me that taking the road less traveled has shifted; that is, traditional views are becoming the "road less traveled".

Consider these rarities:
1. Male only breadwinning households.
2. Stay at home moms.
3. Home-schooling.
4. Having more than two children.
5. Staying married to one person for a lifetime.
6. Getting married younger than 30.
7. Having children (in marriage) before age 30.
8. A basic understanding of theology and the bible knowledge.
9. Eating meals together at the dinner table.
10. Disciplining children

Ridiculous Idea

1. President Bush is impeached.
2. Vice President Cheney dies of a heart attack.
3. Nancy Pelosi assumes the Presidency.