I have been teaching for nine years. That seems like a long time to me. And all the requisite things that prove I am a teacher are in place: I have a masters' degree in education, I own a large quantity of books about teaching, I know who Maria Montano-Harmon is, I have various sizes of sticky notes and many colors of dry erase markers--it seems like I should have this thing down. Right?
And then this report from my friend Bud encouraged me; Kathleen Blake Yancey's call to support 21st century writing. It talks about the history and evolution of writing. Why do we write? How do we teach writing to people who by necessity have been writing for years (hint: I think writing teachers have change from teaching to coaching)? It is encouraging to think that education is on the cusp of something new and challenging that includes the technology already in place, allowing students to build on something new.
But as a teacher, am I ready to accept the challenge? I have all this technology, but is it working for the benefit of my students or against it? I think that I operate at about 60% of my capacity as a teacher. Where is that other 40%? And is that 40% the part that includes innovating curriculum by using the technology I have? I have a feeling the 40% is mired down in all the things I have to do. It seems like this year I have fewer students but more hoop-jumping.
Maybe this is all just the February slump and maybe I should just not worry too much about it. But then why would I blog about it?
1 comment:
Hmm. This is a harder one to help you with. I was one of the kids that hated most any book that was assigned, but read deeper and longer books on my own for fun--when I could explore them and didn't HAVE to read 2 chapters per night. I hated reading in high school then was a lit major and read 13 Shakespeare plays in 5 weeks and loved them in college. I think some kids need to be led through the classics, but others want to explore and have more freedom. One of the best things I did during my student teaching was have the students find songs that matched the theme of the novel we were reading--it was Cry the Beloved Country--a book I adore. My cooperating teacher humored me and let me do this at the end of the regular lesson plan schedule. It was amazing. They pulled music that I had never heard of and described what theme in the book it matched. I was amazed that they really had connected and taken away a message--it was the first time I heard DM's Cry Freedom. I was almost crying. So, I think you can lead students through books, but some freedom along the way is good, too....
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