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New Era

We were lucky enough to begin our new unit with brand-spanking-new books! No one has ever opened these before! I tried communictae to the kids how cool that is.

I'm so happy we're done with poetry and moving on to something new :)

Six Week Grades

I just sent in my final grades for the first six weeks! Hooray! The poetry projects were really interesting to read, although many kids did not complete the assignment and their grades suffered. It frustrates me that the kids who have the resources and abilities don't take advantage of them. The kids who did the best on this project are kids who struggled and needed extra help. For some reason, fifth period is the worst -their class average is almost 60%. First period's is about 65%, and third period is nearly 70%. I wonder why the difference? I know fifth is always a little behind the other classes. I'm guessing this means they receive less time to work and fewer instructions. Today I told them about this problem and I was probably visible annoyed. I was much stricter, trying to keep the class focused. We will see how this works.

The BINDER

Today I used the awe-inspiring, crazy-old, and slightly rusty (but still amazing) BINDER to bind the students poetry books. Thanks to Mr. Bob Gorrell for rescuing this amazing piece of metal and cleaning it up for classroom use. We are lucky to have such a cool machine!

Feel the power of the BINDER!!!

Long Weekend

After the long weekend, I am feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new six weeks! The students are turning in their poetry projects this week and honestly, I'm glad we're done with poems. I'm excited to see their work and looking forward to starting our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird!
In other news, I read all of Shadow of the Wind, the book my student gave me as homework. It was beautiful and enchanting, honoring the art of story telling. I am happy to be able to share in the love of a good book, and one of my student's favorites. I think I'll bring him 100 Years of Solitude, which he is sure to enjoy.
Another update about my UNM friend who had the trouble with her students videotaping her: the students were suspended for a week, and the school officer (a woman) volunteered to come and talk to the class about sexual harrassment and appropriate behavior. It has been a learning experience for us all.

Drug Dialogue

There was a sub for Mrs. Gorrell today (APS is processing my sub application like a sloth full of molasses.) It was inevitably an interesting day.
Two of my male students have been discussing drugs with me. Well, more them telling me about how they smoke weed and writing about how they get chinc-eyed and other things I did not want to hear. This dilemma was also brought up during my seminar class. Apparently the perscribed response is to tell they kids this doesn't impress you and then tell them you don't want to hear about these types of things because you may have to take furhter actions. First, would I really take further actions, or would that be an empty threat? (Let's face it, I don't really discipline my kids...) And second, is it the right answer to just shove these things under the rug? It seems silly not to discuss issues in my students' lives. Third, these two students in particular do not turn in any work and are hardly ever on task during class. They failed the first semester and I don't have any hope they will pass the second, let alone graduate high school. I don't want to seem like I don't believe in my students, I know if they wanted to do this whole school thing, they'd rock at it. I wonder if they have just been shot down so many times by the system that they turn to drugs and alcohol for relief, and then talk about it in class so they don't have to do any work...???

The Gift of Books

I've been thinking a lot about books and children lately -how could I avoid it? I am trying to form some opinions about how to encourage children to become lifelong readers. Now I know there are many, many paper and books published on this topic. And I have read some of them. But I cannot "own" an idea unless I a) come up with it, or b) try it out for myself.
So, I've been reading some fun young adult books in my young adult literature class at UNM: Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and American Born Chinese, which is a graphic novella by Gene Luen Yang. I have been wanting to share these books with my classes, but we are waist-deep in poetry and it is hard to cram anything else in right now. I have a student aid though, who was in my class last semseter and only needed one semester of English. So I share my books with him. Sometimes I bring in Nation Geographics with cool articles, other times I lend him the short books I'm reading. It is such a joy to be able to share this with him, especially since I am learning, too. I let him read the beginning of American Born Chinese and he like dit so much that he went to the public library over the weekend, checked it out, and finished it before Monday. When I saw him in class, he was dissapointed I hadn't finished the book yet because he wanted to discuss it! Amazing!

In another class, there is a young man who is very interested in books and reading already. We were discussing some books and he was explaining why he disliked Steinback's East of Eden, which I am reading for the first time. I asked him what books he really liked and he wrote down two titles for me. I told him I'd do my best to look them up. Everyday since he has asked me if I've read the books yet. I have been so busy with classwork (and Steinback!) that I did not check out the novels. In class today (one week from when we had this discussion) he asked again about the books. I asked him if the school library might have them so I could check them out later during my prep. As I was eating lunch, he came marching in with a book, "This is your homework," he said triumphantly. "Read this by Tuesday. you have a long weekend to finish it!" I am tickled that a student of mine is so determined to share his reading material with me! I realize he is already a lifelong reader, but the social exchange is rewarding for both parties. So now I begin The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon on behalf of an eager 16-year-old...

Where are the books?

I recently sat in on another teacher's class here at AHS. I noticed his classroom was filled with books. There were books along the chalkboards, on shelves, in cabinets, on his desk -everywhere!

It made me look at my classroom and wonder, where are all the books? It is my goal ove rthe next two weeks to collect enough books to fill these empty places.

Technology in Barrackistan

Our classroom is out in the barracks. This has pros and cons. We don't have to breath the recycled air in the building and we get windows. When the weather is nice, we open the door and listen to the bells at a nearby church. However, we don't have any wireless out here and access to technology is limited.

When we need computers we have to use a computer lab in the building (which takes extra time to walk to and the temperature in there is often equivalent to a meat freezer). Alternatively, we can bring out a computer rolling cart. This neat little cart has 15 laptops, a printer and an airport allowing internet access. Although we have about 30 kids in each class, 15 laptops isn't bad.

We have been bringing out this rolling cart for the last week. This entails showing up early to get the cart, wheeling it out to our classroom (over the potholes and asphault -it always takes two people) and then waiting for our students to come and help us lift, yes lift, the whole cart up the stairs (usually takes about 4 big guys to do this). We have no ramp to our classroom. So this is all fine and dandy, but at the end of last week a computer slid off and broke. The new decree is no rolling cart in the barracks: its just too dangerous! So this put a damper on my plans for this week. I immediately tried to sign up for a computer lab so my kids could use some computers, but all the labs are booked this week for testing! It is so frustrating that getting teachnology to my kids seems like an uphill battle.

I guess it is a valuable lesson in felxibility. We're still trying to figure out a new plan...

Teaching Philosophy

As a budding teacher, I’m often posed with the question, “What is the purpose of the American education system?” And although it is worded differently, this is the same as another question I hear often, “Why do you want to be a teacher?” The purpose of the education system, and of the teachers that create and uphold it, is to help children learn how to think critically. Free thinking is the basis for not only a democratic government, but also civil interaction with others. I realize that emotional intelligence differs from intellectual intelligence, but both can be classified under critical thinking, and both should be taught in the classroom.
After with food and shelter, a sense of belonging and attachment is a basic human need. Without meeting these core needs, a person is unable to move on to higher goals of creativity and self-realization. That is why creating a strong classroom community is of utmost importance. Once students feel safe, their natural curiosity can be harnessed and learning can begin.
So much of life is presented as rewards-based, especially to children. This “be good and get a treat” ideology only increases students’ drive for meaningless instant-gratification. A child who learns for the sake of learning instead of for the good marks has a life advantage over other students. Students who realize the value is in the journey and not the prize are more likely to lead fulfilling lives. Although I accept that most of society trains children to be consumers above all else, my classroom will encourage individual thought as the highest form of achievement.

Poetry in the PAC

Today we were lucky enough to got to AHS's Poetry in the PAC. A few community slam poets performed as well as our own poetry club. It was amazingly inspirational! I'm so lucky my students were able to see their peers really owning poetry. I think my kids were inspired and will have an easier time writing their own poetry now.

The reading was hosted by AHS graduate, Daniel Flores.

Hormone Haiku

Haiku

Ms. Hurst Looking nice
In class giving me a wink
Beautiful all day

One of my students wrote me this Haiku in class yeaterday. I had just heard a story from one of my fellow UNM students about an experience she had in her classroom: she turned around to find two boys videotaping her bending over (with their phones, of course.) I told myself how lucky I was I never had to deal with any of those problems from my students, my students are little angels. Then I read my Haiku. Boys will be boys... At least they got the form right!

DBA Testing

We gave DBA testing to all of our students yesterday. My UNM teacher showed us this video and I thought it was so fitting.

Somehow, we managed to get a few 11th grade tests in with our 10th graders. We only found this out after everyone had finished their tests. We have no idea which students took the 11th grade tests, but we'll find out when their answers are all wrong. Poor kids...

Addicted to Amusement

What can I do to change the future of society?
This is the question my UNM professor posed to us today in class.
Teach students to think critically! No one can take anything seriously anymore –especially anything on TV. How can we watch a political debate seriously when it’s interrupted by commercials of doughboys selling cake batter? The human brain does not work that way. The television has taken over. The advertising that sponsors television has taken over. Television is understood as entertainment and cannot be taken seriously. Further food for thought: Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985) by Neil Postman. Is our culture oppressed by an addiction to amusement? Is this something that can be addressed in schools?

Video Response

Feb. 2, 2010
I videotaped myself teaching last week and finally got up the courage to watch. I felt so embarrassed! I could not believe that is what I looked and sounded like in front of my classes.

Immediately, I noticed the negative things:

I sounded like a small child –I spoke too quickly, too high pitched and too much

I acted like I was nervous (even though I feel like I’m used to teaching by now) –I noticed myself twitching a lot, adjusting my clothes, fixing my hair, etc

I snacked on candy while the kids were working and it looks very unprofessional

I do not give enough positive feedback or pause long enough after my questions to give students time to answer

I said “uh” a lot and stumbled over words some –even though it was the third time I taught the lesson

After watching the video a little more, I also came up with a few positive things:

I can see I interact with the kids on their level

I could see my enthusiasm and excitement for the lesson, which I think the kids appreciate

I liked my lesson plan and thought it flowed well and included many different types of learners

Although I am still very embarrassed, I think this is a great opportunity for me to learn and grow as a teacher. I plan to work on speaking slower and enunciating my words. I also plan to be more aware of my physical twitching while I’m teaching since it is probably distracting to many of the students. I think just by doing these two things, my class will be able to follow the lesson better. Many of my students are ESL and bilingual, and I did not realize how fast and jumbled my words come out when I’m in front of the class. The video also showed me how awesome my cooperating teacher is! I need to watch her more closely and see if I can pick up on her good habits –like being clam and still in front of the class and enunciating clearly all the time.

Teaching Poetry

This is a short video of me beginning a lesson about poetry!

A Sense of Purpose

High school was a hard time for me, as it is for many teenagers. It is a time when you decide which paths to take in life. The youth is thrusted out into society, forced to make choices that dictate the rest of their lives. These decisions create not only their future, but the future of our country, our planet.
Late in my senior year in high school, I had a teacher put up an American flag on his wall –but in place of stars, the flag had white business logos. This piqued my curiosity and I began talking to this teacher about what the flag was meant to represent. He introduced me to a magazine called Ad Busters. When I read my first Ad Busters, cover to cover, my life changed forever. I was always socially conscious and interested in politics, but I was also interested in many other things, especially newspaper. Sometimes the two dovetailed, but as a teenager, I did not like the dry, political commentary often found in the press. This magazine was like an answer to a question burning inside of me that I couldn’t communicate to the world. I knew I wanted to study journalism and be a part this media counter-culture.
A career in teaching was always in the back of my mind while I was earning my journalism degree. I realized I wanted to teach media literacy to teenagers when I took my first media theory class in college. Once I learned about how the media works and the impact it has on people, the mysteries of my youth began to unravel. It finally made sense why all the cool kids in school had expensive, brand-name shoes and why I had an impulse to buy Coke even though I thought it tasted like bug spray. The logic behind the banal fifteen minutes of daily required Channel One in high school was revealed to me. It made sense to me why I was so frustrated in high school, like I was bottled, fizzy water waiting to explode.
These unveilings changed the way I relate to the world and how I contribute to society. I was initially outraged at how mass media and advertising brainwashed people, especially vulnerable children. And why was no one doing anything to protect our youth? I then became involved in non-profits whose goal was to enlighten the youth to the ways of the media. I created a personal goal: to mandate the teaching of media literacy into high school curriculum, nationally. As it turns out, it would be easier to move the Sandias to the West side of Albuquerque than accomplish this. I could go to Washington to lobby for change, but I would rather be in the classroom, helping kids. I will do everything I can to educate youth about how we communicate and how we interact with media. The key is to open one mind at a time, with patience and love.
As I finished my journalism degree and began my education degree, I began to pin down exact goals I hope to accomplish as a teacher. I would like to make students more aware of how the world they live in works, especially focusing on how people communicate. I want to give students the tools they need to become productive members of society, to make choices based on their own opinions, not opinions that were carefully created and fed to them through media. I want to encourage students to find their own voice and not feel like they have to follow what was laid out before them. Overall, I want to teach students how to think.
I know this is going to be a tough job. There are so many other parts of teaching that must be taken care of before a student can grow in the way I hope for. But working with kids has always been a pleasure in my life. I want to say that if I touch just one life, it will all be worth it. But I know that is naïve. I know I will be frustrated and aggravated dealing with school boards, other teachers, parents, and even the students. But now it is my turn to help students question society. And although I will probably never put up an Ad Busters flag in my classroom, it is my time to be the teacher that helps answer the burning questions my students can’t communicate. The noblest purpose I can imagine is helping kids learn how to think for themselves.