I'm blogging two days in a row. Definitely a record for me lately!
After a challenging day yesterday, today was a very good day. My 11th grade American Literature class went well. We are studying the romantic period. For homework the students had to read an excerpt from James Fenimore Cooper's The Deerslayer and fill out a chart showing the characteristics of modern day fictional heroes and the heroic characteristics of Deerslayer. Despite the fact that it was a short excerpt and they had a week to do it, the boys did not have it done. I had the class read through the excerpt and underline anything that was heroic and admirable, then I had them add to their charts anything new they came up with. This gave the boys a chance to actually do the assignment. It does frustrate me when they don't bother to do even simple assignments in preparation for class, but I do like having the freedom to have them get the work done and still accomplish the learning.
I have two round tables in my room and this class naturally segregates themselves. The three boys sit at the front table and the 5 girls at the back table. I love having the round tables because it lends to collaboration and discussion so much more easily. I had the tables share their charts with each other and come up with a statement about the American fictional hero during the romantic period and the modern American fictional hero. This gave me a chance to listen in on their thinking and to help the guys as they struggled with the assignment because they had not done the homework. There was some good discussion. This is one of the things I keep hearing from flippers. They like being able to talk with individual students about their learning and help them work through confusion. It really is fun. I enjoy the one-on-one aspect that the flipclass model allows.
From the American hero we transitioned to satire. I had the students pull out their smart phones/iPods, and look up satire. We formed our own definition and listed characteristics on the board and brainstormed modern day examples they were familiar with. This was to introduce the next assignment: an excerpt from Washington Irving's Knickerbocker's History of New York. I am using American Literature curriculum from The Center for Learning (I use their materials for many of my classes) and have a great handout that has vocabulary words in bold and questions printed next to the excerpt for them to answer. I gave each students a set of words to define. They had to look at the context to help them choose the correct definition. Once they had finished, each student shared their definitions in the order they appeared in the excerpt. As definitions where shared, students made notes on their paper so they would know what the words meant when they read the piece for homework.
My favorite class from today was my US History class. We had a debate on Shays' Rebellion and our Chinese student gave a presentation on the Chinese government. For homework the students read about Shays' Rebellion, chose a side, farmer or merchant, and prepared statements on three things: 1. whether or not the rebellion was justified, 2. whether paper money should be created and the farmers' taxes lowered, or the rebellion put down, and 3. the strength of the national government. The kids worked really well together to prepare for the debate, although the "merchants" had a bit of a hard time. There was some misunderstanding of the material/situation, and some of the students were unwilling to make revisions to what they had already prepared. It did present opportunity for good discussion and correction. Really, this is how I wish all my classes would go everyday- they come prepared, we discuss, I get to facilitate, to listen in on group discussion, and to talk with individual students, and we all experience learning.
Our Chinese student has very low English skills, although he is growing by leaps and bounds. We are blessed to have a tutor working with our international students this year. Her presence has made a huge difference. This year we have two international students- a junior from China and a freshman from Taiwan. They are taking their English class with the tutor for ESL but are mainstreamed for their other classes. Because their English skills prevent them from being able to read the materials in history, I have them work on alternative materials that are at their reading level. As we have been working on this Constitution Unit, I have had F researching and reading about our government and comparing that with his own government in China. Today he shared some of the history of the Chinese government and how things have changed in China in recent years. What a pleasure to listen to him! He had such presence. I think he has the gift of storytelling! He did such a good job telling about the things that the government did in the past that he felt was wrong, and how "new China" had a different way of thinking.
Today was a fun day of learning. Right now if feels that days like this are few and far between, but when I do have them, they feel like small victories that give me hope that there will be more.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight
I've always been intrigued by this saying. I wanted to use it for this blog post because it applies to how I'm feeling these days, so I went to google it. I wanted to make sure I was remembering it correctly and I wanted to know where it came from. The first hit was someone asking what it meant. I found the reply thread to be rather disheartening, but that is for another blog post on another day.
I've started too many blog posts with complaints about not blogging, and I didn't want to do that again. Consistent blogging is just one of the many things that I feel I am failing at these days. But I'm not going to give up. Most of the time these days I feel like a fish trying to swim upstream and I'm pretty weary. But I'm not giving up.
I'm continuing to learn about #flipclass and just spent a rather encouraging hour participating in tonight's Twitter chat. I found some new people to follow, and I got a few ideas for things to try. I also have been thinking about the sheer volume of what I've been trying to do. I rather feel like I've been trying to get a drink from a fire hose. A conclusion that I came to this evening is that I need to focus on flipping just one of my classes, rather than trying to flip them all. Now keep in mind, I'm not talking about 100% flipping. I'm talking about taking baby steps.
Now the questions is, which class do I focus on, and how do I balance all the work I still have to do to be prepared for all my other classes? Someone on #flipclass suggested that I start in the one that I feel most comfortable with content and has the highest achieving students. That is going to take some thinking. I have high achieving students in all my classes, but I don't have the comfort level with the content that I would like.
This is going to take some thinking. The hard part is trying to improve and move forward, not just operate in survival mode all the time. The hard part is to find the time to do the work and learning that I need to do without neglecting my husband or killing my personal life.
I've started too many blog posts with complaints about not blogging, and I didn't want to do that again. Consistent blogging is just one of the many things that I feel I am failing at these days. But I'm not going to give up. Most of the time these days I feel like a fish trying to swim upstream and I'm pretty weary. But I'm not giving up.
I'm continuing to learn about #flipclass and just spent a rather encouraging hour participating in tonight's Twitter chat. I found some new people to follow, and I got a few ideas for things to try. I also have been thinking about the sheer volume of what I've been trying to do. I rather feel like I've been trying to get a drink from a fire hose. A conclusion that I came to this evening is that I need to focus on flipping just one of my classes, rather than trying to flip them all. Now keep in mind, I'm not talking about 100% flipping. I'm talking about taking baby steps.
Now the questions is, which class do I focus on, and how do I balance all the work I still have to do to be prepared for all my other classes? Someone on #flipclass suggested that I start in the one that I feel most comfortable with content and has the highest achieving students. That is going to take some thinking. I have high achieving students in all my classes, but I don't have the comfort level with the content that I would like.
This is going to take some thinking. The hard part is trying to improve and move forward, not just operate in survival mode all the time. The hard part is to find the time to do the work and learning that I need to do without neglecting my husband or killing my personal life.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Insanity and the Flipped Classroom
Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I kind of feel this way about my intentions for blogging and writing. I intend to blog and read and write for myself, but it is always what falls by the wayside. I want to do set aside time, but never seem to be able to do it.
It seems like this year is even crazier than the last. We are now half way through the first marking quarter and I am so incredibly behind in my correcting that I don't think I can possibly get caught up in one weekend. It's Columbus Day weekend, when I usually get caught up for mid-quarter. However, I am spending this weekend recovering from a nasty cold (thank you, students, for sharing) and trying to revamp my classes, especially my 11th grade US History class. I am not at all happy with the way that class is going.
All of my classes (9th grade English Comp & Lit, 10th grade English, 11th grade English, 9th &10th grade World History, 11th US History, SAT Prep) have felt like a big flop. Let's just take a minute to look at that work load. Yes, I am teaching 5 core classes and a SAT Prep class, as well as monitoring study hall 3 afternoons a week, and supervising an advisory group 4 days a week. I am writing the curriculum for all of my classes. I don't have textbooks for either of my history classes, and we have limited technology available.
I spent this past summer doing some ground work, but as we've gotten into the school year, it has become increasingly clear to me that I did not do nearly enough planning. I am at this point, all around dissatisfied with my classes. It's not the kids and it's not the subject matter. I love my students, I love English and the literature I've selected, and I love history. I am just not being a good, effective teacher. I'm not implementing into my classes the aspects of reading & writing that I want; things like read aloud, independent reading, and quick writes. I am convinced that this is because I have too much on my plate. Unfortunately, that is not going to change. The school has no money for personnel or resources.
Last week, after a month of school and being frustrated with how my history classes are going, I was again presented, through Twitter, with the idea of flipping my class. When I first heard about flipping class last year, I didn't take the time to learn about it. It seemed like it involved using technology in a way for which I did not have the time or resources. Last week I decided it was time for me to learn more.
Monday night I spent some time on Twitter, participating in #flipclass chat and connecting with other teachers who are flipping their classes. I asked lots of questions and begged for resources. I got many links to blogs and websites. I started reading. Tuesday I tried explaining what I had read to my colleagues and didn't do a very good job. It became obvious to me that I still didn't understand enough myself (another lesson in of itself!). So I spent more time reading and Tweeting.
I realized that I needed to do a better job of identifying what I want the students to learn, how I want them to learn it, and how I want them to demonstrate that learning. Really it is the same principles behind Understanding by Design (Grant Wiggins). I like how Kate Baker explains it on her blog, which is actually from Cheryl Morris' Blog:
This makes so much sense to me. And it relieves the pressure of technology. Because it's not really about the technology. I think many people make the mistake of thinking that flipping your class is about using technology.
Is was only a few days after this that I landed upon the Civilization Project idea for my World History class. I was thinking on a small scale based on a project that I'd done in the past with Paul Fleishman's book Weslandia. My middle school Social Studies students had read the book and created their own civilization similar to Wesley's in the story. I was planning to do that again with my high school students. I was searching the internet for ideas for the project when I stumbled upon the Teacher Quality Collaborative website. There was the idea project! I've done some editing and will continue to morph the project into my own. The energy in the room when I presented the project to my 9th & 10th graders was amazing! Without realizing they were doing it, the kids were implementing information that I had already given them on foundational characteristics and factors of civilization! It was so much fun to listen to them!
I'm feeling really good about my World History class now, but still have much work to do for US History and my English classes. I've spent much of this weekend so far wrestling with the question of what to focus on with US History. I think I'm narrowing down my focus for US History. The Big Question (thank you Jim Burke) that I want to use is "What does it mean to be American?" The question is broad enough that I can use it for basically each era that I want to study from Colonial to 19th Century. I still need to figure out what exactly our class will look like. I love the idea of Problem Based Learning and I've got the problem. I need to decide how to engage my students in discovering the answer. What project/task do they do to explore the idea of American Identity and how do they demonstrate what they are learning?
It seems like this year is even crazier than the last. We are now half way through the first marking quarter and I am so incredibly behind in my correcting that I don't think I can possibly get caught up in one weekend. It's Columbus Day weekend, when I usually get caught up for mid-quarter. However, I am spending this weekend recovering from a nasty cold (thank you, students, for sharing) and trying to revamp my classes, especially my 11th grade US History class. I am not at all happy with the way that class is going.
All of my classes (9th grade English Comp & Lit, 10th grade English, 11th grade English, 9th &10th grade World History, 11th US History, SAT Prep) have felt like a big flop. Let's just take a minute to look at that work load. Yes, I am teaching 5 core classes and a SAT Prep class, as well as monitoring study hall 3 afternoons a week, and supervising an advisory group 4 days a week. I am writing the curriculum for all of my classes. I don't have textbooks for either of my history classes, and we have limited technology available.
I spent this past summer doing some ground work, but as we've gotten into the school year, it has become increasingly clear to me that I did not do nearly enough planning. I am at this point, all around dissatisfied with my classes. It's not the kids and it's not the subject matter. I love my students, I love English and the literature I've selected, and I love history. I am just not being a good, effective teacher. I'm not implementing into my classes the aspects of reading & writing that I want; things like read aloud, independent reading, and quick writes. I am convinced that this is because I have too much on my plate. Unfortunately, that is not going to change. The school has no money for personnel or resources.
Last week, after a month of school and being frustrated with how my history classes are going, I was again presented, through Twitter, with the idea of flipping my class. When I first heard about flipping class last year, I didn't take the time to learn about it. It seemed like it involved using technology in a way for which I did not have the time or resources. Last week I decided it was time for me to learn more.
Monday night I spent some time on Twitter, participating in #flipclass chat and connecting with other teachers who are flipping their classes. I asked lots of questions and begged for resources. I got many links to blogs and websites. I started reading. Tuesday I tried explaining what I had read to my colleagues and didn't do a very good job. It became obvious to me that I still didn't understand enough myself (another lesson in of itself!). So I spent more time reading and Tweeting.
I realized that I needed to do a better job of identifying what I want the students to learn, how I want them to learn it, and how I want them to demonstrate that learning. Really it is the same principles behind Understanding by Design (Grant Wiggins). I like how Kate Baker explains it on her blog, which is actually from Cheryl Morris' Blog:
Flipping English is about two things:
1) helping students take responsibility for their own learning by understanding them and their unique skills, abilities, and needs, and
2) leveraging technology to build a student-centered environment that meaningfully engages the cultural context in which our students live.
The flip is the process of how the students learn, not what they learn from.
This makes so much sense to me. And it relieves the pressure of technology. Because it's not really about the technology. I think many people make the mistake of thinking that flipping your class is about using technology.
Is was only a few days after this that I landed upon the Civilization Project idea for my World History class. I was thinking on a small scale based on a project that I'd done in the past with Paul Fleishman's book Weslandia. My middle school Social Studies students had read the book and created their own civilization similar to Wesley's in the story. I was planning to do that again with my high school students. I was searching the internet for ideas for the project when I stumbled upon the Teacher Quality Collaborative website. There was the idea project! I've done some editing and will continue to morph the project into my own. The energy in the room when I presented the project to my 9th & 10th graders was amazing! Without realizing they were doing it, the kids were implementing information that I had already given them on foundational characteristics and factors of civilization! It was so much fun to listen to them!
I'm feeling really good about my World History class now, but still have much work to do for US History and my English classes. I've spent much of this weekend so far wrestling with the question of what to focus on with US History. I think I'm narrowing down my focus for US History. The Big Question (thank you Jim Burke) that I want to use is "What does it mean to be American?" The question is broad enough that I can use it for basically each era that I want to study from Colonial to 19th Century. I still need to figure out what exactly our class will look like. I love the idea of Problem Based Learning and I've got the problem. I need to decide how to engage my students in discovering the answer. What project/task do they do to explore the idea of American Identity and how do they demonstrate what they are learning?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Do Hard Things
One of the books I assigned to my 10th & 11th graders for summer reading is Do Hard Things, by Alex and Brett Harris. The book challenges teenagers to go against the low expectations that our culture has for teens. As I was reading this morning, I was thinking about how I, as a teacher and mature Christian, can support and encourage my students to be involved in ministry and to be active members of the the body of Christ. Later, when I checked my Facebook, I saw a post about the Portland Walk to Defeat ALS from the mom of one of my students. See this student's dad was diagnosed with ALS a few years ago. This family amazes me. They freely share their struggles, yet they are such an example of walking out your faith through difficult times.
When I saw this mom's post, God laid it on my heart to not only participate in the walk myself, but to try to get 100% participation from our high school in the walk. What a perfect opportunity for my students to minister to one of their own! I have signed up to walk and I am raising money. My goal is $210. I'm hoping that my students will not only walk, but will try to raise money as well.
I've been trying to get more disciplined in my exercise. The walk is 3.5 miles, and I want to be in shape for it! I have two months to get ready! Every time I don't feel like going for a walk I'm going to remember that those who have ALS loose that simple freedom of taking a walk, and I'm going to make myself do the thing that I don't want to do. I want to be ready on September 8!
If you are interested in participating or supporting, just click on the link:
Walk to Defeat ALS®: Portland Walk
When I saw this mom's post, God laid it on my heart to not only participate in the walk myself, but to try to get 100% participation from our high school in the walk. What a perfect opportunity for my students to minister to one of their own! I have signed up to walk and I am raising money. My goal is $210. I'm hoping that my students will not only walk, but will try to raise money as well.
I've been trying to get more disciplined in my exercise. The walk is 3.5 miles, and I want to be in shape for it! I have two months to get ready! Every time I don't feel like going for a walk I'm going to remember that those who have ALS loose that simple freedom of taking a walk, and I'm going to make myself do the thing that I don't want to do. I want to be ready on September 8!
If you are interested in participating or supporting, just click on the link:
Walk to Defeat ALS®: Portland Walk
Friday, June 29, 2012
Friday Five
1. I wrote 2,496 words on my story today! I'm pretty excited about this because I've been really struggling with writing for a very long time. I'm not sure if I want to put any of my story up on my blog, though. However, I did post a snippet at Gae Polsner's Feedback Friday on her blog and got some positive feedback and constructive criticism. This is all part of the Teacher's Write virtual writing camp that Kate Messner is hosting this summer.
2. Tomorrow is our 5th anniversary. We were going to go camping up on Deer Isle, but decided not to. Which is a good thing. Instead, we had a nice day at home today. Beloved Husband worked in his woodshop on a rocking chair that he's been trying to figure out all year. I, as mentioned above, wrote. Tomorrow we plan to spend the day exploring the Bath/Brunswick area. There is a barn sale in New Gloucester that he wants to check out, and we'll hopefully hit and Indie bookstore in Bath and go out for dinner. Should be a fun day.
3. Beloved Husband's grandmother died tonight. She was a delightful woman- 101 years old. She was a librarian, an avid reader, a mom, a grandmother, a great grandmother, and a great-great grandmother. She will be missed.
4. In addition to trying to keep up with #bookaday, I've been participating in #summerthrowdown, a reading challenge between teachers and librarians on Twitter. I do pretty good with reading during the week, but it's been harder on the weekends. I count Friday as the weekend now that I'm on vacation. BH has Fridays off, so that is part of the weekend for him. Last weekend we went to Massachusetts to visit his family on Saturday- no reading that day, but a wonderful visit, including one with his grandmother who passed away tonight. Today was a writing day for me. I'm not sure how much reading I'll get in tomorrow. I'll have to make up for it in the days to come. Go #teamteacher!
5. Next week BH has the 4th & 5th off from work, and we plan to head north to the lake where my family has a camp. My brother and his family is planing to be there, which means there will be no room for us in the camp (the camp has two bedrooms and very thin walls. My brother has 4 kids, including a one week-old). BH and I, as well as my mom, plan to stay across the cove with friends who have an extra camp. My mom has stayed with them before, but this will be new for me- being at the lake, but not staying at our place. I do look forward to it, though.
2. Tomorrow is our 5th anniversary. We were going to go camping up on Deer Isle, but decided not to. Which is a good thing. Instead, we had a nice day at home today. Beloved Husband worked in his woodshop on a rocking chair that he's been trying to figure out all year. I, as mentioned above, wrote. Tomorrow we plan to spend the day exploring the Bath/Brunswick area. There is a barn sale in New Gloucester that he wants to check out, and we'll hopefully hit and Indie bookstore in Bath and go out for dinner. Should be a fun day.
3. Beloved Husband's grandmother died tonight. She was a delightful woman- 101 years old. She was a librarian, an avid reader, a mom, a grandmother, a great grandmother, and a great-great grandmother. She will be missed.
4. In addition to trying to keep up with #bookaday, I've been participating in #summerthrowdown, a reading challenge between teachers and librarians on Twitter. I do pretty good with reading during the week, but it's been harder on the weekends. I count Friday as the weekend now that I'm on vacation. BH has Fridays off, so that is part of the weekend for him. Last weekend we went to Massachusetts to visit his family on Saturday- no reading that day, but a wonderful visit, including one with his grandmother who passed away tonight. Today was a writing day for me. I'm not sure how much reading I'll get in tomorrow. I'll have to make up for it in the days to come. Go #teamteacher!
5. Next week BH has the 4th & 5th off from work, and we plan to head north to the lake where my family has a camp. My brother and his family is planing to be there, which means there will be no room for us in the camp (the camp has two bedrooms and very thin walls. My brother has 4 kids, including a one week-old). BH and I, as well as my mom, plan to stay across the cove with friends who have an extra camp. My mom has stayed with them before, but this will be new for me- being at the lake, but not staying at our place. I do look forward to it, though.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Genuine Learning
My freshmen and sophomores took their English final yesterday. It consisted of two main parts: the objective test for the novel we just finished (To Kill a Mockingbird for freshmen and Macbeth for sophomores) and a synthesis essay. For the essay I gave them a Big Question and asked them to draw from the books they read this year in writing their answer. They were free to reference books they were assigned, books they read on their own, and books that I read to them. They were also encouraged to draw from their lives in general and their other classes. What they wrote gave me chills.
As an English teacher, of course I was looking for evidence of proper writing technique and use of grammar mechanics. I was not disappointed. My students applied the thesis generator concept that I taught them (thank you Mr. Jim Burke!) and showed over all improvement in their writing structure and voice. The essays also gave me good feedback on areas I need to focus on next year. I'm excited to start my planning with this in mind. We have a lot of work to do on GUM!
What thrilled me the most was the thinking and synthesis expressed in their writing. These kids made some incredible points and conclusions. They weren't worried about whether or not they were going to have the correct answer; they thoughtfully wrote their ideas about real life topics and made connections beyond what I had hoped.
This year my freshmen, in addition to their own free choice books, read Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Sarah Dessen's books and Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak spent more time circulating then on my shelves. The final unit of study in their Bible class was reading and discussing the book Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson. The Big Question I asked the freshmen to write about was "What is Identity? What forms our identity?" Here are just a few selections that moved me:
"This year, we read several books. Many of them included the theme of identity. The two that stood out to me the most were Stomping Out the Darkness and Speak. These both addressed different ways of looking at identity. After reading them, I came to a conclusion of my own. Identity is not what others see in you. Identity is all the pieces of your being that make you who you are and who you're meant to be." - HB
"In today's social world it is important to know who you are because if you don't, the world will try to make you into what they want you to be like in the story of TKaM. Like everyone else Tom Robinson had an identity except for the fact that he was black and the town of Maycomb had their own ideas of who he was and because of that it cost him his life.
Another instance from this year where people didn't understand what identity really is was in the book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Turner didn't have his own identity because he was the Preacher's boy and he was watched like a bug under a microscope. The town took his identity or what little of it he had and squeezed it and stretched it until it would no more sort of like Playdoh. I see people's identity like Playdoh, its squishy therefore people can mold it into what they want it to be and add things to it." -PE
"Sometimes people do mean things to us, that can sometimes scar us for life if we let it. Most of the time, it isn't as extreme as rape, but still it can leave deep wounds in ourselves. People all around the two main characters of [Speak and Just Listen] blamed them and called them mean names, but that wasn't who they were either. They finally came to recognize this as well. Although words hurt, they don't have to control us.
Our identity is shaped by our experiences, but God can help us break through them. We can learn from them, and that helps make us who were are. For we aren't what others have said or done to us, and we don't have to live in the shadow of what we have done." - EG
"The possibilities of outside influences cover a span from family to culture and society. The first example of this is found within Romeo Montague in Romeo and Juliet. Being a Montague, he is supposed to despise all Capulets. This family influence causes him to fight with his identity as he falls in love with Juliet Capulet. He has been born into a family that expects him to be one way, but he used all of his strength to fight agains that ultimately leading him to his death..."- LP
My sophomores read The Odyssey, Lord of the Flies, and Macbeth. Their Big Questions was, "How can and individual change the world? How does the world influence an individual?" Again, I got some pretty insightful answers!
"This world is always changing. Countries, cultures, society and people are always changing. One small or large decision can change our futures and our history. So how do individuals change the world and the world change them? It all happens when an individual makes choices that not only affects others but themselves and who they allow to influence them. Individuals change the world because of the way they were brought up, who they allow to influence them and the choices they make." -TB
[following is a concluding paragraph after referencing Lord of the Flies, Unwind, and Macbeth]
"Individuals that have been impacted by the world can change the world, whether it be by being the sole believer in hope, becoming a leader to unite and protect the people, or simply chasing after their own desires. Each individual plays a small role in the alteration of "rules of the world", but they have some support from people around them that in the end enables them to reshape the world's way of thinking. In such a large world, individual merely sets the ball rolling, while the success of his/her idea rests in the other individuals who support their ideas."-RS
"In prisons there are many prisoners that might don't want do those illegal thins. But under many factors they might have to. For example, money, power, pressure, or ambition are some main factors that cause them to start the wrong things. And sometimes when you jump down to it you can't get out. In Shakespeare's act Macbeth, that is a good example of individual changing the whole country. Because of Macbeth's own ambition of power, he killed king Duncan. A king can represent as a kingdom, so when a king got killed it also means the kingdom get overthrown. Macbeth killed his king and tried to make himself king. But definitely evil power never greater than justice...
...An individual can change a person and definitely a world can change individual, but you better don't let the world change you because it also means you would be changed under different environments. If today you're under a tough environment doesn't that mean you will become tough as well? So don't let the world to shape you. Let yourself to shape the world." -ML (an ESL student)
This, to me, is a reflection of genuine learning.
As an English teacher, of course I was looking for evidence of proper writing technique and use of grammar mechanics. I was not disappointed. My students applied the thesis generator concept that I taught them (thank you Mr. Jim Burke!) and showed over all improvement in their writing structure and voice. The essays also gave me good feedback on areas I need to focus on next year. I'm excited to start my planning with this in mind. We have a lot of work to do on GUM!
What thrilled me the most was the thinking and synthesis expressed in their writing. These kids made some incredible points and conclusions. They weren't worried about whether or not they were going to have the correct answer; they thoughtfully wrote their ideas about real life topics and made connections beyond what I had hoped.
This year my freshmen, in addition to their own free choice books, read Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Sarah Dessen's books and Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak spent more time circulating then on my shelves. The final unit of study in their Bible class was reading and discussing the book Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson. The Big Question I asked the freshmen to write about was "What is Identity? What forms our identity?" Here are just a few selections that moved me:
"This year, we read several books. Many of them included the theme of identity. The two that stood out to me the most were Stomping Out the Darkness and Speak. These both addressed different ways of looking at identity. After reading them, I came to a conclusion of my own. Identity is not what others see in you. Identity is all the pieces of your being that make you who you are and who you're meant to be." - HB
"In today's social world it is important to know who you are because if you don't, the world will try to make you into what they want you to be like in the story of TKaM. Like everyone else Tom Robinson had an identity except for the fact that he was black and the town of Maycomb had their own ideas of who he was and because of that it cost him his life.
Another instance from this year where people didn't understand what identity really is was in the book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Turner didn't have his own identity because he was the Preacher's boy and he was watched like a bug under a microscope. The town took his identity or what little of it he had and squeezed it and stretched it until it would no more sort of like Playdoh. I see people's identity like Playdoh, its squishy therefore people can mold it into what they want it to be and add things to it." -PE
"Sometimes people do mean things to us, that can sometimes scar us for life if we let it. Most of the time, it isn't as extreme as rape, but still it can leave deep wounds in ourselves. People all around the two main characters of [Speak and Just Listen] blamed them and called them mean names, but that wasn't who they were either. They finally came to recognize this as well. Although words hurt, they don't have to control us.
Our identity is shaped by our experiences, but God can help us break through them. We can learn from them, and that helps make us who were are. For we aren't what others have said or done to us, and we don't have to live in the shadow of what we have done." - EG
"The possibilities of outside influences cover a span from family to culture and society. The first example of this is found within Romeo Montague in Romeo and Juliet. Being a Montague, he is supposed to despise all Capulets. This family influence causes him to fight with his identity as he falls in love with Juliet Capulet. He has been born into a family that expects him to be one way, but he used all of his strength to fight agains that ultimately leading him to his death..."- LP
My sophomores read The Odyssey, Lord of the Flies, and Macbeth. Their Big Questions was, "How can and individual change the world? How does the world influence an individual?" Again, I got some pretty insightful answers!
"This world is always changing. Countries, cultures, society and people are always changing. One small or large decision can change our futures and our history. So how do individuals change the world and the world change them? It all happens when an individual makes choices that not only affects others but themselves and who they allow to influence them. Individuals change the world because of the way they were brought up, who they allow to influence them and the choices they make." -TB
[following is a concluding paragraph after referencing Lord of the Flies, Unwind, and Macbeth]
"Individuals that have been impacted by the world can change the world, whether it be by being the sole believer in hope, becoming a leader to unite and protect the people, or simply chasing after their own desires. Each individual plays a small role in the alteration of "rules of the world", but they have some support from people around them that in the end enables them to reshape the world's way of thinking. In such a large world, individual merely sets the ball rolling, while the success of his/her idea rests in the other individuals who support their ideas."-RS
"In prisons there are many prisoners that might don't want do those illegal thins. But under many factors they might have to. For example, money, power, pressure, or ambition are some main factors that cause them to start the wrong things. And sometimes when you jump down to it you can't get out. In Shakespeare's act Macbeth, that is a good example of individual changing the whole country. Because of Macbeth's own ambition of power, he killed king Duncan. A king can represent as a kingdom, so when a king got killed it also means the kingdom get overthrown. Macbeth killed his king and tried to make himself king. But definitely evil power never greater than justice...
...An individual can change a person and definitely a world can change individual, but you better don't let the world change you because it also means you would be changed under different environments. If today you're under a tough environment doesn't that mean you will become tough as well? So don't let the world to shape you. Let yourself to shape the world." -ML (an ESL student)
This, to me, is a reflection of genuine learning.
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