Welcome to the Real World

Right now, I am in the middle of my observation period in the model program.  While all of my other observation experiences through Adelphi have been valuable, this one has given me a real insight on teaching in a typical high school.  

Throughout my time at Adelphi, I've kept a running list of tips/best practices I'd like to set in place in my future classroom.  This includes having a set organization system in the classroom.  I've had plans for everything from a homework inbox, a journal drop-box, a filing system for student portfolios, a reading corner with books organized by readiness level and interests/topics, a weekly agenda visible to the class-giving them a sense of what is to come, classroom rules posted on the wall, and much more.  None of the ideas just listed would be possible for the teacher I am currently observing.  Out of respect, let's call this teacher "Miss X"  Miss X is a good teacher.  She plans engaging lessons that target student interests.  Miss X does a lot to set her students up for success, but it seems that the structure of her day inhibits her own success.  On a daily basis, Miss X never teaches in the same classroom.  She spends time in between classes racing to her next classroom, through halls swarmed with students.  The school has over 4,000 students, so the hallways are definitely a little more than overcrowded.  By the time she arrives, students are already present, or the bell has already rung.  She rushes to get her aim and do now on the board (which is required by the school) and take attendance.  Collecting homework and completing other simple tasks takes an unnecessarily long time.  The classroom is bland and uninspiring.  No student work is featured on the walls, no class rules, no core values, no comment box, nothing.  This is because teachers need to share this room all throughout the day and no teacher has ownership to decorate it.  Teachers are also discouraged from changing seating arrangements, since desks must always return to their original row formation for the following class.  

Seeing how much time is eaten up in every class period by simple tasks that could be expedited by having a streamlined organizational system in place, makes me want to groan.  Miss X isn't even able to beat her students to class and put up a Do Now or greet them at the door.  While I can only imagine what space limitations must exist in a school of 4,000 students, I can't help but wonder what impact this kind of environment has on student learning and teacher satisfaction.  One easy way to increase overall satisfaction in a school is to make it an inviting and efficient place to learn.  There has to be some kind of middle ground to making Miss X's school a more efficient and inspiring place to work and learn.

Revised Critical Lens

In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love.  ~Diego Marchi

According to Diego Marchi, “In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love” In other words, regardless of background, there are certain aspects of life, such as regret and love, that all people experience.  Each person and their experiences are unique, but essentially similar at the core.  These common experiences are what make us human and bind us together.  This is true of people from different backgrounds or time periods.  When authors create characters that embody the human experience, readers are more easily able to identify with them.  This is shown to be true in The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.   In both of these works, readers are able to identify with main characters due to their humanity, regardless of time period or background.

In the novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin creates a character, Edna Pontellier, who realizes and is then defined by an unreachable dream; true freedom.  The desire for freedom is an overarching theme throughout the novel.  As a mother of two and an upper-class woman, Edna’s life has been defined by a sense of obligation and responsibility, which were core conventions for women in the 1800s.    Societal expectations dictate that Edna should be an elegant, respectable woman who embraces her role in marriage and motherhood.  Self-actualization and freedom is not a realistic dream for a woman in the 1800s.  Throughout the novel, Chopin utilizes a caged bird to symbolize Edna and women in the Victorian period.  As Edna awakens, it is clear that she has a passion for life.  She finds beauty in music, art, and life.  She has the potential to soar, like the bird, but is caged by societal expectations.  The experience of feeling limited by societal expectations is something that many readers will find relatable.  Even when she leaves her family and lives on her own, she is still subject to pressure to conform.  Unable to break away completely from societal conventions and unwilling to yield, she takes her own life.  If she cannot achieve her dream in life, she will assert her sense of independence and unwillingness to conform in death.  Although the reader does not intimately know what it is like to be a woman in the Victorian period, the humanity in Edna’s unattainable dream makes her a truly relatable character. 

Similarly, in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an incredibly moving and relatable character in Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.  Devoted to his congregation and role as a Puritan reverend, Dimmesdale struggles for years with an unspeakable secret.  He has committed adultery and fathered Pearl, Hester’s illegitimate daughter.  He struggles deeply with the concept of sin and guilt to the point where it has caused him physical illness.  This concept of sin is an over-aching theme throughout the novel.  Instead of accepting his sin and incorporating it as a part of his identity, like Hester has done, Dimmesdale spends years buckling under the pressure of hiding it.  Dimmesdale’s own mark on his chest, similar to Hester’s “A” symbolizes his self imposed judgment and secret connection to Hester.  Although Dimmesdale has committed a sin, his battle with guilt and maintaining his secret makes him a relatable character.  Every person has experienced some form of emotional turmoil over keeping a secret.  Like Dimessdale, every reader has something negative and powerful in their past that has in some way had an impact on who they are today.  Dimmesdale is a moving character that illustrates the physical and psychological toll that that the burden of keeping a secret takes on people.  While they may not agree with his actions, readers will be able to relate to the experience of keeping a secret.

Diego Marchi was correct in stating; “In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love” These common experiences illustrate the similarity and unity between all people.  While we may be vastly different, there are core human experiences that connect us all.  This is evident in readers experiencing emotional connections to characters in novels who demonstrate their humanity.  Although readers may not know what it is like to be a woman in the Victorian period or a Puritan reverend, the human desires and secrets of Edna Pontellier and Reverend Dimmesdale make relatable and relevant today.

The Dreaded 5 Paragraph Essay

In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love.  ~Diego Marchi

According to Diego Marchi, “In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love” In other words, regardless of background, there are certain aspects of life, such as regret and love, that all people experience.  Each person and their experiences are unique, but essentially similar at the core.  These common experiences are what make us human and bind us together.  This is true of people from different backgrounds or time periods.  When authors create characters that embody the human experience, readers are more easily able to identify with them.  This is shown to be true in The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.   In both of these works, readers are able to identify with main characters due to their humanity regardless of time period or background.

In her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin creates a character, Edna Pontellier, who realizes and is then defined by an unreachable dream; true freedom.  The desire for freedom is an overarching theme throughout the novel.  As a mother of two and an upper-class woman, Edna’s life has been defined by a sense of obligation and responsibility, which were core conventions for women in the 1800s.    Societal expectations dictate that Edna should be an elegant, respectable woman who embraces her role in marriage and motherhood.  Self-actualization and freedom is not a realistic dream for a woman in the 1800s.  Throughout the novel, Chopin utilizes a caged bird to symbolize Edna and women in the Victorian period.  As Edna awakens, it is clear that she has a passion for life.  She finds beauty in music, art, and life.  She has the potential to soar, like the bird, but is caged by societal expectations.  Even when she leaves her family and lives on her own, she is still subject to pressure to conform.  Unable to break away completely from societal conventions and unwilling to yield, she takes her own life.  If she cannot achieve her dream in life, she will assert her sense of independence and unwillingness to confirm in death.  Although the reader does not intimately know what it is like to be a woman in the Victorian period, the humanity in Edna’s unattainable dream makes her a truly relatable character. 

Similarly, in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an incredibly moving and relatable character in Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.  Devoted to his congregation and role as a Puritan reverend, Dimmesdale struggles for years with an unspeakable secret.  He has committed adultery and fathered Pearl, Hester’s illegitimate daughter.  He struggles deeply with the idea of sin and guilt to the point where it has caused him physical illness.  This concept of sin is an over-aching theme throughout the novel.  Instead of accepting his sin and incorporating it as a part of his identity, like Hester has done, Dimmesdale spends years buckling under the pressure of hiding it.    Dimmesdale’s own mark on his chest, similar to Hester’s “A” symbolizes his self imposed judgment and secret connection to Hester.  Although Dimmesdale has committed a sin, his battle with guilt and maintaining his secret makes him a relatable character.  Every person has experienced some form of emotional turmoil over keeping a secret.  Dimmesdale is a moving character that illustrates the physical and psychological toll that that the burden of keeping a secret takes on people.  While they may not agree with his actions, readers will be able to relate to the experience of keeping a secret.

Diego Marchi was correct in stating; “In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love” These common experiences illustrate the similarity and unity between all people.  While we may be vastly different, there are core human experiences that connect us all.  This is evident in readers experiencing emotional connections to characters in novels who demonstrate their humanity.  Although readers may not know what it is like to be a woman in the Victorian period or a Puritan reverend, the human desires and secrets of Edna Pontellier and Reverend Dimmesdale make relatable and relevant today.

Testing Teachers

This past Saturday, I completed two of my teacher certification tests.  The LAST and the ATSW.  Yes, yes, I probably should have taken them last year, but hey...I tend to procrastinate.  It has been a long time since I took a standardized test.  Returning to the world of scantrons and prescripted instructions read over a loud speaker was rather unsettling.  I had flashbacks to my first scantron test in kindergarten.  My teacher made such a big deal of describing how to properly fill in all of the little answer circles.  I distinctly remember falling behind on the test because I was more concerned with the art of filling the circles in just right than the test itself.  Sigh...who knows what impact those original misguided scores had on my academic career?  Anyhow, I was pretty taken aback my some of the general testing strategies implemented on Saturday.  Over 30 minutes were spent on instructing us on how to properly fill out the front page of the test, which was generally rather self explanatory.  Most of this time was however filled with reminders that the possession of a cell phone or anything with an on-off feature would result in the voiding of our scores.  If they were so incredibly concerned with that, why didn't they just do a quick inspection of bags upon entry?  I understand the need to reiterate the rule, but does it really require a 30 minute lecture?  I think not.

In addition to the never-ending lecture, I felt a lot of small details were overlooked.  There was no clock visible anywhere in the testing facility (thank goodness I had a watch, but many others didn't)  No announcements were made regarding the time, or time remaining in the test.  Even at the very end, they simply just announced "The test is now complete.  Immediately put down your pencils or your scores will be void"  I was on the last word of my essay when a disgruntled test administrator hissed at me to stop or she'd void my scores.  If this test is designed for teachers, then perhaps they should reconsider a few of their policies based on educational best practices.  Giving test takers updates about time and a short 1 minute warning before the end of the test are very simple ways to allow people to pace themselves and wrap up their work in a timely manner.  No hissing or horrible lectures required...

Mental Health Day Please.

To be frank, I've had an awful week.  One of the worst weeks of my life.  All I'd like to do is to crawl into bed and stay there for a month.  I managed to get in some quality wallowing time in this weekend, but I had to switch back to reality for today for class.  Sitting in my creaky, narrow seat, I found it really hard to focus and feel present in class.  It occurred to me "What will I do when students in my class are struggling with personal issues?  Will I even know when they are facing challenges or feeling completely overwhelmed?"  As a graduate student with a good relationship with my professor, I'd feel comfortable approaching my professor to explain a personal situation that was having an impact on my performance.  I don't think many adolescents would.  As a teacher, how am I supposed to know if the student with their head down on the desk has no interest in Hamlet, a bad case of insomnia, or perhaps something serious going on at home?

While teachers need to cautious about the relationships they form with students,  it is important for students to have an avenue for communication with their teachers.  I think this is one area in which journaling could be used in the classroom.  In terms of journaling, I intend on starting every class off with a short writing prompt related to our lesson.  If there is something keeping them from focusing on their writing prompt, I'd like students to know that they should write about it.  This way students feel they can share information with me, and also still be on task in terms of writing in class.  Of course if any serious issue were raised, I would refer them to the school counselor (and let them know this would be my policy beforehand)  This could also be used as a starting point for conversations about struggling with workload or issues that are holding them back academically.  If nothing else, sometimes just having an opportunity to express what is on your mind allows you the freedom to let go of it and focus on the task at hand.  I'd like my students to know that this is always an option, and that as their teacher, I am always willing to listen to them.

Writing in my ghournal

Lindsay: Whatcha doing?

Andy: Writing in my gournal. I write my thoughts in it every day.
Lindsay: Oh, you mean a journal?
Andy: Yeah, whatever. I guess I'm not all smart like you.

-Wet Hot American Summer

I'm feeling a bit rusty, but it's time to get back to my roots and actually use a journal.  Even though it is a class requirement, utilizing this blog and my in class journal is an oddly welcome activity.  Maybe this will be an important step in getting me back to the point where writing simply for my self is a natural, daily activity.  There is no greater method of catharsis than some good old fashioned journaling.  

I can't recall who encouraged me to start journaling, whether it be a teacher or therapist, but I owe them a big fat thank you.  It taught me to view writing through a larger scope.  It's not simply an academic endeavor, but something that can be deeply personal.  I've always found self expression easiest via writing, and in the past, my journal was always present when I needed that release.  I vividly remember furiously scribbling as fast as I could, distraught over some adolescent trauma.  Writing it all down would push me to tap into some deeper emotion or understanding of the situation.  Not just what happened, but why it happened, how it made me feel, and what this reaction said about me as a person.  When I would finish, nothing about the external situation would have changed, but I always felt sense of relief.  Relief that all of that emotion and turmoil had a place to be directed, a place to go.  Better on the page than brewing in me.

I understand that journaling in the classroom can be used in a variety of ways.  Students can practice writing, brainstorm, and develop a sense of their voice as a writer.  While I hope that my students benefit academically from writing in a journal, I hope a few of them find a home for their innermost thoughts and self realizations, as I did.