I don’t want to be negative, or beat a dead horse. BUT, 18 students out of 64 that took a test on their summer reading book FAILED that test.
I tell them–
“It’s a summer assignment.”
“School starts today. Let’s move forward.”
“This is merely a diagnostic that allows me to see where you’re at.”
When I tell them that I exclude the 11 students who received an A, three of them with a perfect 50 of 50. The fifteen that received a B probably don’t need to hear it.
It’s tough. You have to keep everyone in the game so that each student reaches their fullest potential.
One of my favorite books in college was Catch-22. It’s so long ago that I don’t know what drew me to it, but I just watched the Mike Nichols’s movie version this summer and understand much of the Catch-22 philosophy through teaching experience. The scene with Snowden came to me today–it’s the flashback that Yossarian has with Private Snowden, who is just a young kid that rides in a bomber plane with Yossarian, who is more of a veteran. The flashbacks get longer and longer as the novel progresses, as Snowden goes from the kid who is injured (a leg injury maybe) to the final flashback where Yossarian pulls at the uniform and we see guts spill out all over the plane and it becomes apparent that Snowden can’t be saved because the problem is much worse than originally thought.
Today I gave a baby test on The Count of Monte Cristo. 31 kids got an A (three perfect scores), B, or C, but five students got a D, and 18 received an F.
They just pulled back their uniforms and out came the guts.
Here’s how I started my day. It was a direct message on Twitter.
“hey mr. stover. do you know the assistant principal’s email or number or something. north hasn’t updated the website and i need to get in contact with her or him. i don’t even know who the assistant principal is”
I gave her the names of the assistant principals that could help her. I checked the web site to make sure of the student’s claim, but it had the names of the people I gave her. Yeah, there was no picture of one assistant principal. Yeah, the activities director and site supervisor aren’t correct, but how are you a junior in high school and not know who your assistant principal is? Not blaming the student or the web site or the assistant principals–it just makes me sad that there’s such a disconnect.
Kids are funny otherwise. My formers come by to tell me what they think I want to hear–“Oh, that teacher is no good,” or, “I miss your class,” or, “School is so boring,” or, “Got an A on my first paper.” Okay, I DO like hearing the last part because it means they know I taught them something. But I got into teaching because teachers are, sometimes, not so good and school is, oftentimes, so boring. Working on it.
This can’t be all students have to look forward to.
It’s 9/11. It was, and will always be, a surreal experience for me. However, the aftermath for our country was one of understanding and care and value of others. Race, wealth, vocation didn’t seem to matter in the dialogs after 9/11.
That written–
Four weeks ago, I sent out an email, concerned about personal issues that seemed to go against me, that I was the only one in my department that had to “take one for the team,” and worried that my voice at school was meaningless. Five days ago, after receiving no response, I quickly echoed similar opinions. Last night, the person I emailed answered back, assuring me that my opinion and experience are valued, and sorry that my requests for schedule equity could not be fulfilled.
I am without comment, but this is fact.
You know, day two with students wasn’t so bad. Too much talking (from ME) and they know next to nothing about anything that surrounds them all the time. We’re working on that–they just need to get out more and realize that life didn’t just start when they were born, or start last year for some of them.
6th period closes my day. I have not taught regular English in 10 years, unless Creative Writing counted, and I used to fail half of those kids. But there’s nothing worse than seeing kids who want you to go away, to ignore them, to not act like an idiot and just give them a worksheet so they can put their heads down and do it and get some credit for it because that’s the way it’s always been done. Their other English teachers, maybe their parents or siblings, maybe their friends, maybe other classmates, have so conditioned them to just not have that wrong answer, or to go out on a limb and ask a question. I’ll have their backs all year, whether they want my help, or not.
I told my 5th period HONORS class–“Five minutes, ask me anything.” I did not get one question.
I told my 6th period the same. First girl asked me “Why are you so goofy?” I responded somewhere along the lines of “I get bored easily, and I’m tired because I’ve been teaching all day, and I act this way to stay awake and stay interested because I like English and want to demystify it for you in any form possible. I want you to know that someone who is “goofy” can still OWN when it comes English, and you don’t always have to look and act the part to get things done well.” I also wondered aloud if the class would like me to be like all their other English teachers and control them, and give them work that I wouldn’t do myself.
They were not hip to this idea.
Their first assignment is a letter of introduction. I wrote one as an example, read it to them, and told them that their job is to communicate to another human.
Communicate to another human, eh? We’ll see. If it’s honest, it will all be fine.
Talk talk talk.
Blah blah blah.
Nothing too exciting happens on a first day. I talk a lot. So much so that my voice was shot by 4th period.
My student with 5 credits in one year is no longer in my class. Security came looking for her, but she was not there.
My 4 classes that I’ve taught forever listened well and moved along.
My regular English class that closes the day was cliquey, turned their backs, didn’t have their work ready after summer. But I gave them options. We’ll see if they take them.
Nothing special or surprising at all. Maybe tomorrow.
We’ve been looking for a new brand for our school–a slogan, if you will. I doubt that “We’ve Got Spoons” will stick, but it will stick with me.
Meetings and information day, lots of people talking at us, department meeting which reminded me that our district chose some pretty awesome books for us to use in our class. Some are hard, like Frankenstein. Others are easy, like The Alchemist. Some are student favorites, like Unbroken. Lots of options, many things to consider, but also lots of people probably don’t know what to do tomorrow or the next days. They’ll figure it out, or won’t.
I prefaced the reality of school yesterday, though. There were more meetings today, teachers were on their own for lunch, but we were all supposed to come back for an “ice cream social” in the cafeteria at 2. Kind of mean, giving us a lot of freedom during the day, but expecting us back at the end of the day, right before school starts. No big deal. I was there, others were there, a bunch of people were all hovering around the cafeteria at 2, wondering why the room was dark and didn’t have ice cream. Then it became after 2, then later, then later.
When I left at 2:10, there was nothing set up, and other teachers were leaving, too. When passing the library, the principal’s secretary was walking to the cafeteria, box of spoons in hand. People had left, there wasn’t ice cream or any kind of setup (but there was a dark, empty room), no administrators or counselors were there, no announcements.
But someone yelled out, “We’ve got spoons.” This was true.
Going back to a school for your 18th year is kind of like walking down the same hallways as a teenager. You’ve got all the cliques–the jocks, the beautiful people, the cool kids, the ones who think they’re cool but don’t realize what the cool kids say about them at the parties they don’t invite them to. Remember those days?
It’s the same with adults. Probably worse. By day 3, I will have students, and all the talk about how to teach won’t matter. On day 1 we are all great teachers, living in theory, understanding that article we read will guide us to be the teacher that matters. On day 1 we have a vision, a mission, and it’s always heartfelt and sounds like something we do. On day 1 we forget last year because this year is going to be different because we have a plan.
But by day 3, you better come with your game, because there’s a room filled with students who don’t care about that article you read at that conference you attended with those people who you email, hoping for ideas.
I believe Iron Mike said it best–“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” That’s day 3 for some. For me, it’s just Thursday, and I got my gloves up.
It’s teaching. It’s been happening for a while. I believe teachers really care about students and their schools. I am filled with confidence that I can reach kids who got D’s and F’s in their English classes last year. Because it’s teaching, and it comes with an honesty and reality that doesn’t stop until June.
Bob and weave.
There won’t be much labor on this Labor Day. School starts tomorrow. Unlike almost every district in the United States, Torrance still thinks it is wise to start after the holiday. This doesn’t make much sense, except for people who aren’t willing to give up their summer on a one-time basis. After you start early, you get out early, start early–it becomes the same cycles of 10 or 11 weeks.
Here’s two reasons for an early start.
–we have already played two football games. I’m guessing attendance was light because we no longer have Mique Juarez, and school is not yet in session.
–AP testing takes place in May. It seems wise to start early and get two extra weeks of instruction, rather than start late, take the test in May, and have a month of post-AP “work” that isn’t as important as the work leading up to the test.
I’m sure our district has great reasons for not changing, but I’m also guessing that other districts have great reasons for starting early. I just listed two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6t0oc4AQrY
I don’t feel like writing today, but since I love lists, here are my goals for my students this year. I also love dashes.
Students will
–speak and write like human beings and communicate like humans should
–question everything
–sell me this pen (even if they don’t believe their argument, they should still recognize the other side and “sell it”)
–try new things
–own their rock (just like Sisyphus)
–understand their audience and adapt accordingly
–consider their brand and present it favorably
I know, you probably wanted me to write that they should synthesize, analyze, annotate, imply/infer, write an essay with a thesis statement that drives the action and builds tension. I want that, too; but teachers have been wanting that from students since they were in elementary school. Of course we’re going to tackle everything that is English, but this is their THIRTEENTH year in English (most of them, at least).
Because, really, in the grand scheme of things, what are your goals for your kids?
