Why are we learning this?

The inevitable question.  

How does a teacher answer that?  A simple, "Because it's on the state test," doesn't sit well with me.  What do I say to a student?  More importantly, how do I justify what I teach?  Why am I a teacher?

At my oh-so-academically-progressive school I sit on the "Curriculum Core Team" where teachers study how to improve curriculum.  During these 1.5 hour meetings (which count as per session) I feel like I'm in college again.  Trying to wrap my brain around this idea of great curriculum and how to develop, revise, and improve curriculum is a frustrating task for this first year teacher.  Today's session was especially challenging for me.  The topic: rationales and teaching philosophies.  

As I struggle through my first year I'm beginning to feel that teaching could be more than a two year stint.  Consequently I feel cheated by choosing to be a Teaching Fellow rather than follow the traditional route to education.  I have never been asked to produce a teaching philosophy nor have I been taught to create rationales for units I teach.  Right now I'm doing what feels natural to me.  I'm teaching the best that I can.  

Though I don't know how long I plan to be in the classroom I can confidently say that I take teaching very seriously.  I care so deeply for each of my students, for their educations, and for their attitudes towards chemistry.  (Heaven forbid my former students tell tales of how crazy/horrible their high school chemistry teacher was!)  To hold myself accountable to the former statements I plan on writing a philosophy for teaching.  I think articulating my passion for teaching youth will keep me optimistic through the ups and downs of this job.

I don't know how y'all feel about this idea, but I think it's important that every professional produce a philosophy.  Why are you doing what you're doing?

Money Money Money

My super organized "Book Club" closet :)

Grants.

I highly recommend that you be proactive about applying for them. Especially if you work in a high needs, low-income school.

It's only my first year teaching. Yet so far, I've applied for and been granted about $5,100 worth of funding for my classroom! This has gone entirely to textbooks, new novels, technology, and supplies we didn't have before but desperately needed in order to further our learning.

Today, I was surprised to read an email that another of my proposals was just funded: speakers for our classroom laptop so that we can actually HEAR the audio every time I show clips to make teaching points about foreshadowing, mood, flashback, prediction, setting, or characters, or to be able to listen to our "Brain Music" whenever we're doing independent work. Thank you, thank you Jeff for giving us the gift of sound!

Thank you to my other wonderful sponsors as well. Though nothing can make up for your generosity and the world of opportunity you have opened up for my scholars and myself, I do hope that our small "thank you" pictures and letters have expressed our immense gratitude for your gift of a better education, and thus, a better life.

Grants.

Get started at DonorsChoose.org or SponsorATeacher.org.

Do it for the kids! No one else will :)

Just Tryin' To Teach

Boolani and I took our teacher baby steps together during summer institute 2 years ago. Since then, we've remained in constant communication, sharing lessons, ideas and experiences. Recently started up a blog, here's a snippet of his second entry:

12:20 - Gathering at door slowly emerges. Boolani, in bouncer mode, breaks it up.

12:21 - Total chaos. Boolani hassles a few selected students who at times look right through him as they are completely consumed by lunch. R, a student with a distinctive walk, shamelessly hassles Boolani, repeating the teacher’s last name with reckless abandon.

He forces his perfectly done independent practice work into my sphere of vision, and I glance at it passively, glancing over his gorgeous work and his perfect answers, and quickly raise my head to meet his eyes to let him know that I am proud of him. But that fleeting moment is quickly ended by several other students with similar intentions, and as R begins to tell me about why he changed the last name on his paper today, I am already lost.

He says, “Did you notice Boolani? I don’t want that name on my work anymore. When I am famous, I don’t want anyone to think that my dad’s name has anything to do with my success. He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve it cuz of the way he treats us. When I’m famous Boolani, he can’t have any of my credit.”

I uh-huh him off, deep in the beehive. But I heard him. And I felt for him. In my brain I thanked him for sharing that with me, and I talked to him about it for hours. I thanked him for shoving that piece of perfect work into the storm so that I could see how well he understands what I’ve taught him.

But instead I seemed distracted and unwilling to take just one moment. Hell, that was after 4 hours of teaching. I was fucking fried, and hungry to sit down. Do you know how many kids I must of pulled a R. on that day? I’m but one man. But still I feel unexcused. I’m sorry for not listening.

May 19

And you thought last November's Presidential election was the most crucial of our lifetime...STEP UP, CALIFORNIA!!!

Old Dog, New Tricks??

Months ago

Ex-Student: "Mr. G, you gotta give [my current math teacher] some advice. He doesn't know how to teach. Could you share some of your methods w/ him?"

Me: "Mmmmm, he's old school man. Just gotta learn his system and work w/ it."

Ex-Student: "Pleaaaase."

Me: "I'll see what I can do."

Today

Ex-Student: "So you shared some of your methods, eh?"

Me: "Mmm, I don't know what you're talking about. [Your current teacher] is old. He doesn't listen to me."

Ex-Student: "Hmm, I bet he told you to say that."

Me: "What are you talking about?"

Ex-Student: "Well he's started to use some of the methods you used to use in class. For example, he's started to use exit slips to end. Thanks for that."

Me: "Really!?" [WTF!?]

Have A Drink On Me

A cool perk of my job is getting free food and drinks (non-alcholic 99% of the time) at events I work. A number of times I've been given gifts like bottles of wine from folks showing their appreciation. Every year I attend an event at a well known private Catholic school and they always offer speakers an array of wine or beer to drink on the spot (I'm not talking PBRs or Two Buck Chuck either). Many of the school's faculty members even partake in the drinking. I always respectfully decline drink offers while on the job but can't help but think about the contrast between my visits to private schools like one I was at earlier this week and ones at public high schools. I could never see Mr. G offering me a Heine on the job if I were to hypothetically speak to his class (hell, I could never see Mr. G offering me a Heine at a local pub). Either way, I'm pretty sure it's against the law at publicly funded institutions, budget cuts not withstanding.

Cheers!

As Shaq's Tweets Say: AGGGHHH

N walks in & can tell I'm in a bad mood. Usually the first one in, he knows when something's wrong. 5th period probably went horribly, again. He decides to start a conversation anyway:

N: Whattup Mr. G

Me: Nothin' man.. I'm good.

....

I know he knows I'm in a bad mood so I share what's up...

Me: Yo, what would you do if you were the teacher and you got one student, just one student, who's always disruptive. And it messes up the whole class.

N: I'd kick him out.

Me: But he'd come back anyway...

N: Well then, I'd suspend him from my class.

Me: Yeah, but he'll come back in 2 days...

N: I'd probably just fail him, then.

Me: But he's smart, and understands everything, and does all his work.

N: pauses I'll probably call up his parents then.

Me: He has no parents.

N: .... stumped.

I'm stumped too.