Back To School

It is the time of year when our department celebrates retirements, retirees, and returning to school. Each year the week before school our Social Studies Dept. members, spouses, and children share a meal, memories and anticipation about the coming year. It is a special time for me because I touch base with former members and introduce new members to their new second "family." We are somewhat unique in that I hire people who I believe will make great teachers but also people I believe will bond with co-workers and form a team that shares ideas, struggles, joys and successes. I want people who are open with others, who take advice, give advice, can agree or disagree and be professional. I get to work each day with people who meet this criteria and exceed it. For those of you who don't hire in this manner........reconsider. All of the background relationships are what make us successful in the classroom, none of us stand alone, we are supporting one another at a variety of levels and that is what benefits our students. It is part of the reason when students have the schedule space they fill it with a Social Studies credit. Our family of teachers cares for each other which makes it easier to care for our students. Have a great school year!

Doing More With Less

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128953596&ps=cprs
I know most of us don't want to live with the crowding that the Japanese have to endure on a daily basis, however, the article explains the use of "micro-houses" to provide a small personal space and not waste more resources than necessary. Americans need to examine this concept carefully and consider whether they need all the space they have.

It Never Ends

Just finished the introduction to Connecting Teachers, Students, And Standards by Voltz, Sims and Nelson. Another book written by educators who don't get it or who do get it and won't dare write it. We are not all the same, programmers don't work in a team with the window washers, engineers at Caterpillar don't work in a team with the chip wheeler, they are entirely different skill sets. As a Social Studies Dept. Chair I integrated nearly all students into our Freshman level Global Studies classes over twelve years ago. I even used the same arguments as the authors, that the lower ability student will learn from observing the higher ability student. Every year we continue to modify our curriculum to try and raise the bar for that lower achieving student and for the majority of lower achievers it doesn't work. We are "teaming" students who will never be teamed in life. I don't want a "dumbed down" curriculum for lower achievers, I want a more direct intervention curriculum that involves parents, counselors, job shadowing, vocational education, technology and regular classes.

Oh, that part about lower ability students observing higher ability students and picking up habits.....we have not seen that happening. In fact, we can't even mix abilities in our cooperative learning groups because the lower ability student has caught on that the upper ability student will do the work if they just wait. We have gone to grouping by grades, top four grades, next four, next four and so on. Yes, that cruelly leaves the bottom four together but we have found that usually one or two of them step up and get the task done! It appears to mirror our larger society where if I just wait, someone will take care of me. Wow, school hasn't started and I'm depressed.

Most educators don't get it, we have the technology to guide students while they work independently. They can contact us with questions (oh, forgot, most of that stuff if used during school hours will get you a detention), allow us to edit writing on-line, share documents between themselves (oh, they might cheat???), but most schools are terrified. IT IS THE 21st CENTURY, time to start teaching students for their future and not my past. Oh, can a history teacher say that?

Remember, be nice and work hard.

Change

We are caught up in a fast changing world. When I look at this image of our sons and they are now 28 and 30 I think where did the time go. We didn't own a computer (1984), cell, and hadn't even thought of all the other technology that we now take for granted. We camped in a tent, told stories, read books, and saw most of the U.S. before our sons moved out for good. We have memories that will last a life-time. As I tweet, blog, and e-mail I wonder if anyone will remember five minutes from now let alone 26 years later. Memories are made through an investment of time and energy. Camping memories require a lot of effort and most of them are only fun years later when you look back. I think of families who are taking children as young as ours in the picture on vacations to Disney World, cruises to Mexico and other exotic places.......error. The everyday struggles of a camping trip, cold, wet, maybe bugs, maybe snow, maybe......pit pots, are really needed in a world where we think constant communication and contact is needed. Walden is where 90% of us need to go, 10% are probably there or just returning. Take time to enjoy your journey.