I have been a teacher for 17 years. I have seen it come and seen it go in terms of what one of my friends used to call "LYNT, TYNT, and NNYT" or "last year's new thing, this year's new thing, and next year's new thing." The technology is amazing- I used to "run" things off on the purple mimeograph machine and I had 1,000s of overheads that I dutifully collected and arranged for lectures and maps and such. Now I have a touch board on which I can draw, work the Internet, illustrate examples, and make points on my PowerPoints which are all artfully projected onto a 4' by 4' screen. I can answer questions I don't know immediately because Google knows everything. I have knowledge on demand. And I think I am an okay teacher- okay so I think I'm good.
But the one thing by which I am absolutely mystified is how I think the students are not getting smarter, but dumber as my years in education grow, and it scares me. I try not to be, but I am constantly amazed and shocked at some of the absolutely ridiculous, and yes, stupid answers I get. I have had students argue with me that Hawaii and Alaska were actually next to each other and south of Texas because that's where the inset map was located on the map they studied. One of my students wanted to know how they "caught" the oil that was drilled out of the ocean floor. Did you know that Britain is an island? And today, one of my students identified a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. as Tupac. Seriously. I'm not joking. Did I mention that I DON'T teach elementary school? That I teach 10th graders? High school 15-16 year olds? Oh, and the kicker, I teach HONORS and ADVANCED PLACEMENT! And these children are the ones I sit through endless professional development to hone my skills for?
Sometimes I get angry because I feel like I'm one of the few that are actually doing my job. I attempt to make sure that my students know at least a little something when they leave me. But it is hard to keep up a positive attitude when confronted with such ignorance. The students have a hard time drawing any sort of thinking from their brains because there is not much in there except texting and reality TV! And of course, drugs, sex, and sports. Oh yeah, and vampires. Yes, I know, there are several of my students who are informed and educated teens who take their learning seriously. Some even read books, and surprise, some even watch the news. But do I have to seriously joke about this?
Whose fault is this? Is it the teacher? I think not. Is it the parent? Not all the blame can go there. Is it the student? To a certain extent. I can't make them learn.
I think it is a systematic problem in our society. I don't think people value education like they used to do. Now, I'm not one to moan and groan about the good ole' days, but is education really what it used to be? To me, students have never known what a privilege an education is- especially a free public education system. It's almost as if, since the education is "free", that no one believes that you actually have to work to take advantage of the education. The teacher is just supposed to open up their brains and pour in all the knowledge, pat them on the back, and tell them they all deserve an A. Students (and parents) aren't concerned about what they are learning. They are merely concerned with the grade that is at the end. "What grade did you give me?" Not "what grade did I earn?" We are cranking out kids who have GPAs that don't in any way shape or form match their actual knowledge. They don't understand the gift that education really is- how it can lift you out of poverty, how it can provide you with an income and a trade that will support you (and a future family) for the rest of your life, and how much that so many educators give up of their own lives and time to try to be the best teachers they can be.
How do we change how kids think about education? I don't know. Sometimes I feel pretty radical. I say don't make it free. Make people pay for the education. Or at least make people earn their education. If you don't make the grade, then you can't stay for free. Provide more vocational training for those who have no interest in learning about history and grammar and calculus or statistics. Give them a trade to support themselves. Get those who don't care out of the system. And let those who are willing to do the work and behave the way they need to in order to obtain their education stay. Don't reward them with promotion for being behaviorally gifted. Don't graduate them with a diploma that means nothing. Make it mean something.
Do I live in a dream world? Maybe so. But, according to psychologists and behavior specialists, until you find the "currency" or the motivation of the modern day student, it is pointless to continue spinning your wheels trying to educate those who do care and who have no desire to participate in their own learning experiences.
What is the solution? What is the "currency"? Let me know, and I'll "buy" in.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
The Devolution of Interpersonal Relationships
For the past several months, I have lived in a bit of an optimistic sort of world. I worked very hard to try to foster some positive relationships in my workplace. I truly thought that maybe I had made a difference in some of the things in this situation. I have to be delicate here, because of what is involved, but suffice it to say, my optimism is dwindling.
The mantra by which I have lived my life has been that of always trying to do the right thing. Most of the time, this translated into trying to do the right thing for everyone but myself, but that (again) is a topic for another day. Interpersonal relationships are a huge part of life, and I believe that some people are much more sensitive to those relationships than others. People interact on a different scale- I am fortunate (I think) to be one of those that seems to experience relationships both from a personal perspective and an outside viewer perspective. I was not always this way. I used to take EVERYTHING to heart, meaning that I viewed it as a personal attack on me as a person when things went according to a different plan. When someone didn't speak to me in the hall, I thought, "Well gee, what did I do?" If no one asked me where I wanted to eat lunch, I felt left out.
But I think maturity and a certain amount of thick skin has allowed me to view some of those same things with a different perspective. I like to try to tell myself that maybe that person who didn't speak was lesson planning in their head for the next class, or worrying about a sick child at home. Maybe no one asked me to lunch because everyone thought everyone else had already asked me somewhere. And that has allowed me to be able to exist in some very rough places. But at what expense to myself?
I often find that I have spent many more hours helping someone out when it wasn't really my place. I did that today- I was helping a fellow teacher in need. I was able to call on another person not even at our school to help me help my friend. And that was because no one else at our school who taught that subject seemed to want to help this young teacher. I'm not sure how much I helped her since I don't teach said subject myself, but I sure spent a good portion of my day trying. And I feel like I did the right thing. But that is sometimes very hard.
Some dynamics changed at my workplace today, and the old system of uncomfortable interpersonal relationships started over once more. All of the positive steps and strides that I thought my coworkers and I had made seem to have disappeared in the blink of an eye. I don't like the direction that these personal relationships are heading. It makes me sad because I thought I effected some change in the way people thought about each other and about how they treated each other. I thought friendships and true bonding had emerged, along with some professional respect. We talked about pedagogy, people, family, students, our lives- and now its as if that camaraderie never existed. It is maddening and depressing.
But I'll forge on- doing the right thing- working on how I relate to other people- trying to remember how deeply my actions can influence someone else. If more people tried to consider how THEY can affect OTHERS, I think the world would be a happier place. I can always console myself with the thought, "You know what runs downhill, right? So if you're always traveling the high road, you never have to worry about ending up knee deep...."
The mantra by which I have lived my life has been that of always trying to do the right thing. Most of the time, this translated into trying to do the right thing for everyone but myself, but that (again) is a topic for another day. Interpersonal relationships are a huge part of life, and I believe that some people are much more sensitive to those relationships than others. People interact on a different scale- I am fortunate (I think) to be one of those that seems to experience relationships both from a personal perspective and an outside viewer perspective. I was not always this way. I used to take EVERYTHING to heart, meaning that I viewed it as a personal attack on me as a person when things went according to a different plan. When someone didn't speak to me in the hall, I thought, "Well gee, what did I do?" If no one asked me where I wanted to eat lunch, I felt left out.
But I think maturity and a certain amount of thick skin has allowed me to view some of those same things with a different perspective. I like to try to tell myself that maybe that person who didn't speak was lesson planning in their head for the next class, or worrying about a sick child at home. Maybe no one asked me to lunch because everyone thought everyone else had already asked me somewhere. And that has allowed me to be able to exist in some very rough places. But at what expense to myself?
I often find that I have spent many more hours helping someone out when it wasn't really my place. I did that today- I was helping a fellow teacher in need. I was able to call on another person not even at our school to help me help my friend. And that was because no one else at our school who taught that subject seemed to want to help this young teacher. I'm not sure how much I helped her since I don't teach said subject myself, but I sure spent a good portion of my day trying. And I feel like I did the right thing. But that is sometimes very hard.
Some dynamics changed at my workplace today, and the old system of uncomfortable interpersonal relationships started over once more. All of the positive steps and strides that I thought my coworkers and I had made seem to have disappeared in the blink of an eye. I don't like the direction that these personal relationships are heading. It makes me sad because I thought I effected some change in the way people thought about each other and about how they treated each other. I thought friendships and true bonding had emerged, along with some professional respect. We talked about pedagogy, people, family, students, our lives- and now its as if that camaraderie never existed. It is maddening and depressing.
But I'll forge on- doing the right thing- working on how I relate to other people- trying to remember how deeply my actions can influence someone else. If more people tried to consider how THEY can affect OTHERS, I think the world would be a happier place. I can always console myself with the thought, "You know what runs downhill, right? So if you're always traveling the high road, you never have to worry about ending up knee deep...."
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
De-Cluttering My Life...Or Trying To Anyway
I've been told by many that I am a pack rat. And to another person's eyes, I am. But I'm not really sure that its completely true. I don't know. My ultimate goal this break has been to try to de-clutter and clean out some of the "stuff" that is in my house. Even I have been feeling "closed-in" lately. But it's no easy matter in my house to begin. You see, where I tend to hang on to things, my husband holds on to nothing. If it doesn't serve an immediate purpose, it's gone. But though my husband doesn't like clutter, he also doesn't know how to organize squat. So I first have to spend hours re-discovering things I thought were long gone. I've found utensils for my kitchen in boxes, clothes stashed in corners, important tax documents stacked in piles...its enough to drive me mad. And then I have to take time to decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to trash. Then I have to agonize on just where to put the things I want to keep. Why is this so hard for me? Though people make fun of me for having stuff, they also say that I am organized. And I am. But I'm afraid to let things go. I'm afraid that I'll throw out some important piece of history that I might need. I'm not so attached to old bills and medical papers as I am to personal things. How does one begin to organize these things? How do organized people store all of their things? How can my sister-in-law have very little "stuff" that I can see, yet she can lay hands on a Christmas cookie tin my mom gave my brother 10 years ago? You see, I have the tins that Mom gave to me, but when it comes to Christmas time, I can't find them!
In an attempt to take back control of my life, I'm de-cluttering. I've been going through old papers, old school supplies, and some old toys (that's another story entirely) and getting rid of things I no longer need. And its frustrating- it will take lots of time to do. And in my experience, with two active children, I have difficulty finding that time. But I'm working really hard. And I kinda feel good. I feel like I'm regaining control of the reins of my life. But it is so hard.
It is part of a greater goal of mine- a resolution, I guess. I want to be a better person than I have been. I've oft heard it said that to truly be happy where others can see it, you must get your own affairs in order. This is step one. I'm trying to convince myself that I am in control of my life- that I will not let my life determine who I am. There are two theories in human geography. The first is called environmental determinism. It states that the actions of humans are wholly determined by the environment in which they live. The "opposite" theory is called possibilism. It states that humans determine their lives, and that they can adapt their environment to suit their needs so much as it is truly possible. And with new technology, the things that are possible in life are growing almost faster than people can think of them. Applying that to my life, I don't want my circumstances to determine my life anymore. I want to determine my own life, be proactive, and make my own choices. I want to enjoy my life as a main character, not just exist as a bystander reacting to things happening around me. I need the strength to do this. I am working on where that comes from- from within myself I know- but sometimes that's a scary place to go.
In an attempt to take back control of my life, I'm de-cluttering. I've been going through old papers, old school supplies, and some old toys (that's another story entirely) and getting rid of things I no longer need. And its frustrating- it will take lots of time to do. And in my experience, with two active children, I have difficulty finding that time. But I'm working really hard. And I kinda feel good. I feel like I'm regaining control of the reins of my life. But it is so hard.
It is part of a greater goal of mine- a resolution, I guess. I want to be a better person than I have been. I've oft heard it said that to truly be happy where others can see it, you must get your own affairs in order. This is step one. I'm trying to convince myself that I am in control of my life- that I will not let my life determine who I am. There are two theories in human geography. The first is called environmental determinism. It states that the actions of humans are wholly determined by the environment in which they live. The "opposite" theory is called possibilism. It states that humans determine their lives, and that they can adapt their environment to suit their needs so much as it is truly possible. And with new technology, the things that are possible in life are growing almost faster than people can think of them. Applying that to my life, I don't want my circumstances to determine my life anymore. I want to determine my own life, be proactive, and make my own choices. I want to enjoy my life as a main character, not just exist as a bystander reacting to things happening around me. I need the strength to do this. I am working on where that comes from- from within myself I know- but sometimes that's a scary place to go.
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