Earlier today as I was getting ready to write my blog based on my observations at a local restaurant last night, I was confronted with the opportunity to really have a meaningful learning experience for myself. I need to give a little background to help you understand how I was taught some important lessons tonight.
I live in an apartment complex. For the past 20 years, though, I have lived in a house in a nice, mid-upper middle class neighborhood. The kids in my neighborhood were from two-parent families that had good, steady jobs. They put their children in piano lessons and Little Dribblers basketball. They stood on the front porch at night and called the kids in to dinner. The kids were respectful, clean, and fairly literate. In this small town, they knew everyone in the neighborhood, and we all knew them. Actually, we only started having kids on the block in the past 12 years. When families began "populating" the local schools, some of us contacted the comissioners' court to have a "Children at Play" sign put up. We all took responsibility for raising the children of our town.
Now, in my apartment complex, there are a couple of young girls that always say "Hi" to me. They think my scooter is pretty cool and always comment on it, and they have realized over the past few months that I will actually acknowledge their presence, so they have started talking to me more. Tonight, they stopped by to see if I would buy something from their school's fundraiser (they knew they had a sucker!). When they came in while I looked through the brochure, I realized that they would become my observation.
"Wow. You must be rich. Your house is so clean, and it smells so good." "Your furniture matches. That is pretty cool." "You have pictures from Paris. Have you been there? Wow!!" "You have a laptop? You must really have a lot of money."
Lori and Ellie (not their real names) were both dressed in shorts and had ballpoint pen "tattoos" all over their arms and legs. I detected the acrid scent of cigarettes on them. Both of them have beautiful blue eyes that can't really be seen through the shaggy hair that covers the eyes. (I had flashbacks of my mother saying, "Get that hair out of your eyes, young lady!") Lori chatters incessently, but Ellie opened up after a little while. I formed some opinions, based on students I had taught in the past, so to give a basis to the opinions, I began to casually ask some questions.
I found out that the girls are cousins. Their moms have the same dad, but different moms. Lori lives here, but Ellie stays here a lot when her mom has to work or has something else to do. Ellie's dad is in prison, but hopefully will get parole in December. When he does, she will go live with him, and he will buy her a computer for her schoolwork. Ellie will be 13 in May but is in 7th grade because she failed twice. Lori only failed once and is in 4th grade right now. Both girls are from single-parent households and live with their moms. Both have a multitude of siblings and step-siblings. Ellie has three brothers and two sisters that range in age from "baby" to 27. Lori has seven brothers and sisters, but she's not sure how many are "real" and how many are "step." Her four-year-old brother isn't in pre-k because he is mean, and he cusses a lot, so he can't stay in the program.
I asked them about computers since I had read the technology article this weekend. Neither one has much access to computers at school, and neither one has a computer at home. I asked about books. Both girls said there were no books in their houses, but Ellie said she likes to read at school. Lori can't check out books because her mother lost her library books at her old school, so she can't use the library until the fine is paid. In Language Arts, they write paragraphs about what they learned from the stories they read, and sometimes they get to make up stories. In Reading, Lori just learned all about bats, and she proceeded to describe the various species to me--in detail!
I was cooking supper because my "video" group was coming for dinner, so it really enthralled the girls. They stood and watched me cut up veggies and saute chicken. They were impressed. They said usually their moms made frozen dinners or things from a box. Ellie asked me what my favorite restaurant was, but she had not heard of any I named. The nicest restaurant she had been in was Taco Villa.
What did I learn from tonight? That I lead a very sheltered and selfish life. I take so many things for granted. I have been very blessed in my life. I have felt a little sorry for myself because I gave up a lot to return to graduate school. I realize now that I have not been seeing things clearly. It took two tough little girls to show me how lucky I am. I also realize that teachers are making a difference in their lives. They talked about their good and bad ones. They made me tear-up when they said good-bye and said they wished I was their teacher. What they don't realize is that tonight THEY were my teachers.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Voice
Sorry this is late. I had a hard time getting the Internet to stay connected while I was in Harlingen, so I decided to wait until I was home to try to post the blog.
Voice is an aspect of writing that has bothered me over the years. On the one hand, "immature" writers often have a voice that SHOUTS at the reader, and the reader has a hard time overcoming the very personal approach to assignments. On the other hand, if voice is absent, then the reader doesn't get the feeling that the writer was invested in the assignment.
One thing that the TAKS test (Texas high school exit exam) looks for in the writing portion is a sense of the student's voice. If that voice is not present, the student rarely makes above a "2" (out of 4). The presence of voice is the deciding factor in the graders giving a perfect score to an essay. To encourage the students to find their voice, we did a lot of free-writing. I also gave them some very personal topics or topics that looked for personal applications (Who is your hero? What does it take to earn respect? etc.)
Personally, I have found that as I try to write for my classes here at Tech that I am losing my voice as I try to mold myself into an "academic" writer. This was a problem I had when I first went to Baylor. I don't really know how I overcame it 25 years ago, and I am not sure how to overcome it now. I know that many of the things I have written for other classes at the beginning had my voice ringing through, but it was not what some of the professors wanted, so I find myself in limbo. I know that in the readings we have been assigned when there is a strong sense of the writer's voice, I am much more engaged as a reader. The dry, "academic" writings encourage my mind to take a side trip to Aruba while I am reading. So, how do I maintain my personal voice--the kind that engages me as a reader--while conforming to the standards that older, more experienced professors are looking for? That, my friends, is the sixty-four million dollar question!
Voice is an aspect of writing that has bothered me over the years. On the one hand, "immature" writers often have a voice that SHOUTS at the reader, and the reader has a hard time overcoming the very personal approach to assignments. On the other hand, if voice is absent, then the reader doesn't get the feeling that the writer was invested in the assignment.
One thing that the TAKS test (Texas high school exit exam) looks for in the writing portion is a sense of the student's voice. If that voice is not present, the student rarely makes above a "2" (out of 4). The presence of voice is the deciding factor in the graders giving a perfect score to an essay. To encourage the students to find their voice, we did a lot of free-writing. I also gave them some very personal topics or topics that looked for personal applications (Who is your hero? What does it take to earn respect? etc.)
Personally, I have found that as I try to write for my classes here at Tech that I am losing my voice as I try to mold myself into an "academic" writer. This was a problem I had when I first went to Baylor. I don't really know how I overcame it 25 years ago, and I am not sure how to overcome it now. I know that many of the things I have written for other classes at the beginning had my voice ringing through, but it was not what some of the professors wanted, so I find myself in limbo. I know that in the readings we have been assigned when there is a strong sense of the writer's voice, I am much more engaged as a reader. The dry, "academic" writings encourage my mind to take a side trip to Aruba while I am reading. So, how do I maintain my personal voice--the kind that engages me as a reader--while conforming to the standards that older, more experienced professors are looking for? That, my friends, is the sixty-four million dollar question!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Perfect Teacher...
Prompt: Choose one of the following: What is Teaching? What makes a "Perfect Teacher"?
Well, I completely forgot to post last week, but I had an extra one the first week, so let's call it even! :-) I do want to say one thing about the readings. Many of them have been interesting and helpful. I sometimes find myself saying, "Wow! I never thought of it like that!" On the other hand, as I said in class one day, I get frustrated at some of the people who write in a way that it is dense and inaccessible. What is the point of having great things to share if it is presented in a way that says to the reader: I am much better and brighter than you. I will share my valuable information with you in a way that will make you feel as if you are a bleeding idiot!
One of our choices this week was on teaching and what makes the perfect teacher. I don't believe that creature exists. (Actually, I personally believe only one "perfect teacher" existed, but that was 2,000 years ago!) I think that any teacher worth his (or her) salt will admit that every time something works the way it was planned, he is taken a little off-guard. In Orientation, we were told about the "Impostor" complex, and I have to agree. Every year when our contracts were renewed, I would half-jokingly say, "Hey! They want me back!!" My principal always replied, "Of course. Who else would do all the stuff nobody else wants to?"
The point is that as teachers, we are many things rolled in to one. That is especially true of teachers of writing. People are vulnerable when they put pen to paper, so we become the "keepers of their secrets" many times. That is a very intimidating task. We need to learn to teach the concepts in a way that will benefit the students, but we also need to be aware that people learn in a variety of ways. I almost hate to admit it, but I never made out a lesson plan until I had spent one day with my classes. Each class has a different personality, so I learned early in my career that just as "one size fits all" doesn't usually work for clothes, it rarely works for classes either. I had a plan of where I wanted to take my classes each year, but depending upon the personality of the class, I would choose different paths to reach our goal. This illustrates another quality of a teacher--flexibility and adaptability. I know people that can tell you exactly what they will be discussing on April 12th at 1:37 p.m. EVERY YEAR! The students that come out of those classes are usually very good mechanically speaking, but they usually don't learn to push themselves to their limits. They aren't creative or intuitive. They usually buckle when faced with the need to employ critical thinking skills.
Besides needing the ability to counsel, to direct, to encourage, and to adapt, teachers also need to love what they do. If you do not like teaching, get out now while you still can! It can be the most rewarding career in the world if you love what you do, but the flip side is that it will make you old, miserable, and bitter if you hate it. Everyone has had at least one experience with THAT teacher.
The Take 20 video that we watched showed us some examples of excellent teachers who love their jobs. It was encouraging to see Andrea Lunsford who still loves teaching, but realizes that she still has to be flexible. See, we never become "perfect" in our own eyes. We can be "good" or even "great," but if we ever think that we have reached the pinnacle, be ready to be pushed off pretty quickly by some student who is not afraid to speak up!
As we think about what makes the perfect teacher, I think we all can rely on memories of teachers that have had an impact on us. Take those qualities and roll them in to one person, and there is your ideal. For me it is Mr./Mrs. Derrington-Patterson-Jarrell-Courtney-Otto-Porch-Miller-Herridge. Wow, what a funny-looking, but absolutely wonderful teacher!!!
Well, I completely forgot to post last week, but I had an extra one the first week, so let's call it even! :-) I do want to say one thing about the readings. Many of them have been interesting and helpful. I sometimes find myself saying, "Wow! I never thought of it like that!" On the other hand, as I said in class one day, I get frustrated at some of the people who write in a way that it is dense and inaccessible. What is the point of having great things to share if it is presented in a way that says to the reader: I am much better and brighter than you. I will share my valuable information with you in a way that will make you feel as if you are a bleeding idiot!
One of our choices this week was on teaching and what makes the perfect teacher. I don't believe that creature exists. (Actually, I personally believe only one "perfect teacher" existed, but that was 2,000 years ago!) I think that any teacher worth his (or her) salt will admit that every time something works the way it was planned, he is taken a little off-guard. In Orientation, we were told about the "Impostor" complex, and I have to agree. Every year when our contracts were renewed, I would half-jokingly say, "Hey! They want me back!!" My principal always replied, "Of course. Who else would do all the stuff nobody else wants to?"
The point is that as teachers, we are many things rolled in to one. That is especially true of teachers of writing. People are vulnerable when they put pen to paper, so we become the "keepers of their secrets" many times. That is a very intimidating task. We need to learn to teach the concepts in a way that will benefit the students, but we also need to be aware that people learn in a variety of ways. I almost hate to admit it, but I never made out a lesson plan until I had spent one day with my classes. Each class has a different personality, so I learned early in my career that just as "one size fits all" doesn't usually work for clothes, it rarely works for classes either. I had a plan of where I wanted to take my classes each year, but depending upon the personality of the class, I would choose different paths to reach our goal. This illustrates another quality of a teacher--flexibility and adaptability. I know people that can tell you exactly what they will be discussing on April 12th at 1:37 p.m. EVERY YEAR! The students that come out of those classes are usually very good mechanically speaking, but they usually don't learn to push themselves to their limits. They aren't creative or intuitive. They usually buckle when faced with the need to employ critical thinking skills.
Besides needing the ability to counsel, to direct, to encourage, and to adapt, teachers also need to love what they do. If you do not like teaching, get out now while you still can! It can be the most rewarding career in the world if you love what you do, but the flip side is that it will make you old, miserable, and bitter if you hate it. Everyone has had at least one experience with THAT teacher.
The Take 20 video that we watched showed us some examples of excellent teachers who love their jobs. It was encouraging to see Andrea Lunsford who still loves teaching, but realizes that she still has to be flexible. See, we never become "perfect" in our own eyes. We can be "good" or even "great," but if we ever think that we have reached the pinnacle, be ready to be pushed off pretty quickly by some student who is not afraid to speak up!
As we think about what makes the perfect teacher, I think we all can rely on memories of teachers that have had an impact on us. Take those qualities and roll them in to one person, and there is your ideal. For me it is Mr./Mrs. Derrington-Patterson-Jarrell-Courtney-Otto-Porch-Miller-Herridge. Wow, what a funny-looking, but absolutely wonderful teacher!!!
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