My usual routine on Wednesday mornings is to spend three hours helping out at my daughter's preschool and then taking her to the library where we read exactly one more book than the week prior. She was to be on 12 books today so I wasn't so excited about how long this might take knowing how I felt about where I stood with my school work (see previous post). I offered her an option to read with me this afternoon, and low and behold she wanted to help me review chapter one of To Teach (the book by William Ayers..you know the terrorist?) It was great for comprehension because she would ask so many off the wall questions such as "Why was (Maxine Greene) named after a color?" Bottom line, I was inspired that my 3 year old was helping me do my homework. Oddly enough I think she got more out of it then me.
What I did notice during the second reading of the chapter is that he seemed to set the stage for a battle of teachers who fight the bureaucracy vs. teachers who follow the path laid out for them. On one side you have a teacher who pushes for original thoughts and ideas from their students and on the other a teacher who pushes for their kids to know their place in the world. Ayer's stage has an obvious protagonist and antagonist (good guy vs bad guy). Before I go too deep into this I should let the reader know that my personality is one that avoids conflict, so much of my philosophy is based on going with the norm to keep everyone happy. Luckily for me this is part of my core reason for becoming a teacher...I want to break this tendency and gain experience going against the norm and follow what makes sense and feels comfortable (bureaucracy does not feel comfortable). Ayer's makes it clear that teaching kids how to question ideas is the key to the power of knowledge, but to what extent does that impede the learning of basic subjects such as math and reading? I have guesses, but this line of questioning will drive me through the next couple days of schooling as I hopefully will begin to see some answers...and then build on this to create a new philosophy that will be my teaching model.
Man, I think I'm getting a handle on this school thing once again. As George Castanza would say, "I'm Busting Jerry, I'm Busting!!"
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Road Block?
Two Thirds the way through my second week of classes and I seem to have hit the "I got myself into what?" wall. I knew there was going to be a lot to learn about the art of teaching but I wasn't prepared to jump into the deep end. Using Ayer's book I know this would be an example where I pull past experience to help calm the current situation. Past experience says to sit down, pick one class and confirm I understand the assignments for the week...then outline each one to gain traction on how I will attack it and them break it into small manageable parts. So here I sit in the library realizing I might have just questioned the journey I began last week...and I told that question to come back later (because I know it will). The reality is I am changing to a new normal for my daily life and this week will be pretty hard as I begin to take on the full load of school, raising a 4 year old daughter, and dealing with all the other things life throws at you. Little steps Mr. Nash, little steps.
I do want start writing about my conflicted thoughts about standardized tests. The topic is a hot one and has been brought up in all three of my classes, with none of them offering a clear answer. In To Teach, Ayers makes the point that kids learn at different paces (and makes a pretty good case for it). If you test a group of people for their knowledge of 4th grade math, who's to say Jon X wouldn't have picked it up in 5th grade, or that Peggy Q figured it out in 2nd grade? I have differing opinions on whether you teach certain subjects based on the kids comfort level, but that can be avoided mostly by preparing your classroom to be ready to intake the info. An article from another class gave a great history about the SAT and that it's sole purpose to to help predict the GPA's of students during their college career. This was done in 1941, when it was mostly upper middle class white people even going to college. Plus, it measures Math and Reading. No Science, arts, or History. Is the presumption that if you are successful in math and reading that you can master all other subjects with ease? I'm sure we'll get even deeper into this topic as the year progresses. Status bar wise, I am right in the middle now with a 50/50 split for and against standardized testing.
I do want start writing about my conflicted thoughts about standardized tests. The topic is a hot one and has been brought up in all three of my classes, with none of them offering a clear answer. In To Teach, Ayers makes the point that kids learn at different paces (and makes a pretty good case for it). If you test a group of people for their knowledge of 4th grade math, who's to say Jon X wouldn't have picked it up in 5th grade, or that Peggy Q figured it out in 2nd grade? I have differing opinions on whether you teach certain subjects based on the kids comfort level, but that can be avoided mostly by preparing your classroom to be ready to intake the info. An article from another class gave a great history about the SAT and that it's sole purpose to to help predict the GPA's of students during their college career. This was done in 1941, when it was mostly upper middle class white people even going to college. Plus, it measures Math and Reading. No Science, arts, or History. Is the presumption that if you are successful in math and reading that you can master all other subjects with ease? I'm sure we'll get even deeper into this topic as the year progresses. Status bar wise, I am right in the middle now with a 50/50 split for and against standardized testing.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Quiet Time
Laptop..check. Action plan..check. Glass of red wine..check. Courage to spend the next two hours of my Friday night focusing on homework...we'll see. My wife has kindly agreed to take my daughter out of the house for a bit to allow me the happiness that is quiet and motion free nothingness. Oh did you hear that? Me neither. Total bliss.
So my attention turns to the nearly 800 pages of reading that has been assigned to my class for this week. Most of the reading concerns ideas behind the foundations and history of schools. Why is the classroom arena dominated by woman and the administration arena dominated by men? Is the assembly line method of teaching really working? Why isn't Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure part of the history curriculum? You know, the basics.
One book that did stand out is one titled "To Teach: The Journey of Becoming a Teacher" written by William Ayers. Excuse you? Yes, that William Ayers. Turns out if you accidentally start a domestic terrorism group in your young years you can make up for it by becoming one of the best educators of your day. I didn't know much about Ayers until I began reading this book, and man can he communicate an idea. I was struck with the realism of his writing. He gives examples of teachers going to orientation for their first job out of school and being informed by the principal not to expect too much from the kids, but to simply try and make it through without making anyone mad. Good to know Mr. Ayers. Thanks for the good mojo. He made it clear that the one thing that will make you a success is the drive to change the world. It is up to the individual teacher to decide what that means to them, but in the end you need to truly believe you can make this world a better place by imparting your experience and knowledge on the youth in the classroom, and the jaded administration behind the scenes.
I want to read more of the book but we were required to read only chapter one. I do want to change the world, but only one chapter at a time, as I have 740 more pages to read by Monday.
Cheers
So my attention turns to the nearly 800 pages of reading that has been assigned to my class for this week. Most of the reading concerns ideas behind the foundations and history of schools. Why is the classroom arena dominated by woman and the administration arena dominated by men? Is the assembly line method of teaching really working? Why isn't Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure part of the history curriculum? You know, the basics.
One book that did stand out is one titled "To Teach: The Journey of Becoming a Teacher" written by William Ayers. Excuse you? Yes, that William Ayers. Turns out if you accidentally start a domestic terrorism group in your young years you can make up for it by becoming one of the best educators of your day. I didn't know much about Ayers until I began reading this book, and man can he communicate an idea. I was struck with the realism of his writing. He gives examples of teachers going to orientation for their first job out of school and being informed by the principal not to expect too much from the kids, but to simply try and make it through without making anyone mad. Good to know Mr. Ayers. Thanks for the good mojo. He made it clear that the one thing that will make you a success is the drive to change the world. It is up to the individual teacher to decide what that means to them, but in the end you need to truly believe you can make this world a better place by imparting your experience and knowledge on the youth in the classroom, and the jaded administration behind the scenes.
I want to read more of the book but we were required to read only chapter one. I do want to change the world, but only one chapter at a time, as I have 740 more pages to read by Monday.
Cheers
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The New Beginning
Welcome to my blog. My intentions with what will be written in front of your eyes are to provide insight to any person whose heart wishes to be in a better place but doesn't know what that better place is, or even how to look for it. I'll start this blog by making it clear that I am only at the beginning of my journey to a better place. This blog will help me remember the weekly path I am currently walking down in order to better understand how I found the place in this world I feel I belong. In the end, that is the ultimate goal of this blog, and I am 100% committed to finding my place on this journey.
Who am I? Good Question. The basic facts it would behoove a reader to be educated upon are the following:
- I am a male in my early 30's
- I live in Kirkland, WA. About 10 minutes east of Seattle.
- I have been married for 10 years and have an "almost 4" year old daughter.
- I am beginning a one year program at a local university to obtain my Elementary School Teaching Certificate.
What's my story?
The back story that brings us to the beginning of this journey is simple. In 1999 I graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Economics...and not a clue what I wanted to do with it. I dabbled in financial planning for 3 years, non-profit fundraising for 1, and customer service management for 6. I wouldn't trade any of the experiences I had or the friends I made as they all added up to a feeling that I had more to offer someone, somewhere. By the summer of 2008 I had decided I needed more fulfillment with my career. I had my personal life. I had my spiritual life. But I wanted more out of my career. By the fall, I had figured out the one piece of fabric that tied all my years as a professional together...teaching. Educating clients on how to plan financially, showing everyday people what their volunteer time and dollars can do for a community, and convincing customer service reps of how they make such a difference to so many people is where I truly excelled at my jobs. I thought about who would gain the most from my enthusiasm about education. It took about three weeks as an assistance track coach for a local elementary school in the Spring of 2009 to convince me children was my answer. The last year has been spent getting my ducks in a row and preparing myself for what I know will be the most difficult journey I will ever complete.
So here I sit ready to read countless books, discuss hundreds of articles, and spend tens of thousands of dollars all to be in an industry that is known to overwork, underpay, under appreciate, and ignore what works best. Why? Why would I do this to myself and my family? Because when I think about it with the end in mind, I want my eulogy to be a story of someone who followed his heart, positively touched the lives of countless people, and at least attempted to make this world a better place. It seems so simple. It seems so....Elementary.
Who am I? Good Question. The basic facts it would behoove a reader to be educated upon are the following:
- I am a male in my early 30's
- I live in Kirkland, WA. About 10 minutes east of Seattle.
- I have been married for 10 years and have an "almost 4" year old daughter.
- I am beginning a one year program at a local university to obtain my Elementary School Teaching Certificate.
What's my story?
The back story that brings us to the beginning of this journey is simple. In 1999 I graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Economics...and not a clue what I wanted to do with it. I dabbled in financial planning for 3 years, non-profit fundraising for 1, and customer service management for 6. I wouldn't trade any of the experiences I had or the friends I made as they all added up to a feeling that I had more to offer someone, somewhere. By the summer of 2008 I had decided I needed more fulfillment with my career. I had my personal life. I had my spiritual life. But I wanted more out of my career. By the fall, I had figured out the one piece of fabric that tied all my years as a professional together...teaching. Educating clients on how to plan financially, showing everyday people what their volunteer time and dollars can do for a community, and convincing customer service reps of how they make such a difference to so many people is where I truly excelled at my jobs. I thought about who would gain the most from my enthusiasm about education. It took about three weeks as an assistance track coach for a local elementary school in the Spring of 2009 to convince me children was my answer. The last year has been spent getting my ducks in a row and preparing myself for what I know will be the most difficult journey I will ever complete.
So here I sit ready to read countless books, discuss hundreds of articles, and spend tens of thousands of dollars all to be in an industry that is known to overwork, underpay, under appreciate, and ignore what works best. Why? Why would I do this to myself and my family? Because when I think about it with the end in mind, I want my eulogy to be a story of someone who followed his heart, positively touched the lives of countless people, and at least attempted to make this world a better place. It seems so simple. It seems so....Elementary.
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