I currently work in an office where some people express strong political opinions which are highly offensive to others in the office. In the spirit of diplomacy, I suggested to my boss that there be some sort of policy set in place about having those types of discussions in public areas, where people have to hear very offensive things about themselves and their beliefs.
My suggestion was shot down because “placing any limitations on what discussions can go on in the office would be an infringement of freedom of speech.” Well that is true, but shouldn’t, in all technicality, conversations in the office be about work related topics?
Of course I began to question how I can use this in teaching. Elementary school is where children get the earliest foundations for their political perspectives. It is where they learn about the origins of our country, presidents, different parties and view points. It’s all very basic and un-controversial at this level. It is simply facts and history. So where are the seeds that bloom into strong political opinions coming from?
As a person who really tries to keep a flexible political position, I tend to look at everything from an objective standpoint. I believe that even if we don’t agree with something, we should always respect the fact that other people have their own opinions and be mindful of that. Taking a position of extreme resistance does not foster positive change, germane debates or the team work that is needed to prosper as a country. The major flaw, in my mind, is our inability to listen to one another, work together for the common good and be respectful of each other.
Children are so impressionable at a young age that I fear the damage that might be occurring in their sponge-like brains with the massive opposition that is present in the political realm these days. In many cases, this is what they are witnessing in the media and in their personal lives.
I see an opportunity here for teachers to have a strong influence on setting the stage for more diplomatic thinking in future generations.
I know that many teachers probably already use techniques to teach respect and effective communication in several areas of the curriculum and classroom culture and I have read about and seen some really great uses of diplomacy by teachers. I do believe that there is a benefit to tying this concept specifically to the curriculum which discusses politics, since the impact of media when it comes to political issues is so overpowering. I have seen people who are good and kind turn into a completely different person during a political debate. The topic is heated and people often unconsciously throw all reverence out the window in the midst of it. By tying the two ideas together at a young age, a neurological connection can be made so that when the topic of politics comes up, a natural response would be to listen with consideration and have effective discussions, rather than trigger feelings of defense, opposition and anger.
It may sound strange to suggest that our responses to politics are deeply rooted into our nervous system, but if you stop for a moment to think about your natural reaction to anything political related, you might find that it mirrors some early memories of parents, teachers, community members or other influential people and occurences in your life.
I just wonder if the way we teach politics in schools today directly influence how tomorrows’ politicians will interact with one another, how citizens will vote, and the reputation and direction of our country as a whole. Are we letting the media have more of an impact than schools when it comes to learning how to address opposing viewpoints? I tend to think that media perpetuates the cycle of resistance and opposition to each other when, in reality, what we need is more cohesiveness. It’s something to think about…
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Teachers as Dream Enablers
I just read a very inspiring post by blogger Marnee Brick about teaching children to set achievable goals towards their aspirations.
I don’t think there is a person out there that goes into teaching because they love paperwork. I don’t think they do it expecting daily respect and professional recognition. And I definitely don’t think anyone does it for the money. I think people go into teaching because they really want to do something that will have a positive impact and that they want to impart the knowledge they have acquired so that someone just starting out in the world will be a little wiser, a little more prepared for the road ahead.
Even though I am not yet a teacher, I can already tell that it is going to be hard to stay focused on the real reasons I wanted to go into this profession.
In her post, Brick stated,
I believe that some of our responses are so completely engraved within us that unconsciously we perpetuate self defeating behaviors. It’s a cycle, passed down from generation to generation, it infiltrates the messages we receive from all around, in life, in the media, in literature. We learned from observation, as did our parents, and their parents and so forth that there are limitations, that certain things are hard or impossible. We learn what to expect from life, what we deserve and don’t and how to blame others or consequence for things that, in reality, are in our control. We make excuses, blame, complain and give in all the time without giving it any second thought. This is self defeating behavior and the cycle has to break somewhere. Just think of all the positive changes that could be accomplished, on a global scale, if all people were proactive, took responsibility for their own actions, set personal goals and stopped making excuses or trying to place blame.
On a small scale, teachers have the opportunity to impart this change one student at a time. It comes from exactly what Marnee Brick’s post was all about: Teaching students that they can make their dreams come true and giving them the tools to close the gap between a wish and reality.
Its really worth some consideration to think about how, as a teacher, we can incorporate these tools into daily curricular activities so that they become second nature to students; because, in reality, we don’t know if they will get the necessary reinforcement from other people in their life, we don’t know what kinds of behaviors are being modeled for them and we don’t know if their future teachers are going to reinforce the concept of setting big goals and making them reality one step at a time.
I love every time I hear a story about someone who worked hard to become successful and followed their dreams, despite growing up in poverty, or having a disability, or any other limiting circumstance. When I hear those stories I know that there was someone in their life who was encouraging and modeling positive behaviors throughout their childhood.
It’s one of the most important things we can teach children, that they can be anything and that their dreams are achievable, but they have to know that it’s a process, and it involves proactive effort, that no body is going to make it happen for them.
Thanks to Marnee Brick for writing this, I have been in a bit of a slump lately and this really helped me to consider some of my own big dreams and the steps necessary to make them happen.
I don’t think there is a person out there that goes into teaching because they love paperwork. I don’t think they do it expecting daily respect and professional recognition. And I definitely don’t think anyone does it for the money. I think people go into teaching because they really want to do something that will have a positive impact and that they want to impart the knowledge they have acquired so that someone just starting out in the world will be a little wiser, a little more prepared for the road ahead.
Even though I am not yet a teacher, I can already tell that it is going to be hard to stay focused on the real reasons I wanted to go into this profession.
In her post, Brick stated,
We need to encourage children to believe that there is a place out there beyond their reality and that they hold the power within them to be the change.This touched something within me. It really makes you stop and think about what we teach through our attitudes and responses.
I believe that some of our responses are so completely engraved within us that unconsciously we perpetuate self defeating behaviors. It’s a cycle, passed down from generation to generation, it infiltrates the messages we receive from all around, in life, in the media, in literature. We learned from observation, as did our parents, and their parents and so forth that there are limitations, that certain things are hard or impossible. We learn what to expect from life, what we deserve and don’t and how to blame others or consequence for things that, in reality, are in our control. We make excuses, blame, complain and give in all the time without giving it any second thought. This is self defeating behavior and the cycle has to break somewhere. Just think of all the positive changes that could be accomplished, on a global scale, if all people were proactive, took responsibility for their own actions, set personal goals and stopped making excuses or trying to place blame.
On a small scale, teachers have the opportunity to impart this change one student at a time. It comes from exactly what Marnee Brick’s post was all about: Teaching students that they can make their dreams come true and giving them the tools to close the gap between a wish and reality.
Its really worth some consideration to think about how, as a teacher, we can incorporate these tools into daily curricular activities so that they become second nature to students; because, in reality, we don’t know if they will get the necessary reinforcement from other people in their life, we don’t know what kinds of behaviors are being modeled for them and we don’t know if their future teachers are going to reinforce the concept of setting big goals and making them reality one step at a time.
I love every time I hear a story about someone who worked hard to become successful and followed their dreams, despite growing up in poverty, or having a disability, or any other limiting circumstance. When I hear those stories I know that there was someone in their life who was encouraging and modeling positive behaviors throughout their childhood.
It’s one of the most important things we can teach children, that they can be anything and that their dreams are achievable, but they have to know that it’s a process, and it involves proactive effort, that no body is going to make it happen for them.
Thanks to Marnee Brick for writing this, I have been in a bit of a slump lately and this really helped me to consider some of my own big dreams and the steps necessary to make them happen.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
I Don't Know Nothing About Anything
I just had a conversation with a co-worker that left me feeling like I don’t know anything. Truth be told, I really don’t know a lot for a 31 year old woman, I am not very “worldly” I am not one of those people who know a lot of random facts about various things, I don’t have incredible street smarts, and my book smarts are lacking as well.
What I do have is an analytical mind. I question everything. And I can read people pretty well, I have a knack for understanding the human psyche. I hope that these are qualities that will help me to be a good teacher. I hope.
I guess the conversation with this co-worker set my confidence off balance a bit because she is one of those people who is a bit of a know it all, and seems to find a strange enjoyment out of “one upping”. She always has this condescending tone to everything she says and I really don’t like talking to her about teaching because quite frankly, she ruins it for me- drains any ounce of enthuisiasm I have from my mind and drives in all the negative things about the profession (her mother was a special ed art teacher at an inner city school and apparently had some very bad experiences- because I only hear about how horrible it was.) Then, she always ends the conversation with one last little jab, something like, "but who knows, maybe your experience will be different," right before she walks away. I've had similar encounters with her many times, but today she really attacked at a different level. Normally she just paints a depressing image of the profession, but today she called me out on my competency. And that is why I am left writing this post, now critical of my own beliefs about myself.
The truth of the matter is that nobody is capable of “making” another person feel anything, feelings come from within, they are not forced upon us. All she has done is brought to the surface some weaknesses deep with in me. Whatever her reasons for being the way she is are surely self satisfying and have nothing to do with me at all, yet I feel so exposed for all that I am not.
I am, underneath it all, a bit of an optimist (or naïve) though and I want to learn and grow from the way I am feeling right at this moment. Maybe that is what sets teachers apart from other professionals, is the desire to turn anything and everything into an opportunity to learn something, and that’s exactly what it comes down to.
I feel a strong pull towards teaching because I see life as one giant opportunity to learn about one's self. I will never think that I know everything, I don’t believe it’s possible. I will know much more in ten years from now than I do at this moment but it will still only be a minute fraction of all the things there is to learn from life.
If I can impart this passion for seeking knowledge to students, then I feel I will have done my job, but then there is the reality. Sharing a passion for knowledge within the public school system is just a side issue. My technical job, as I am coming to find out, will really be to teach children random pre-determined facts about various subjects so that they can pass several tests. It’s these pre-determined subject areas that concern me the most.
I am not an expert at history, geography, math or science. Literature and reading have always been my thing because it is the only place where my lucid thought process serves me well. But I learn quick and even more quickly when I am in a position to make another understand. I have 2.5 years left in my college career, and by the time I complete school, I will have a greater general knowledge of these subjects, but it’s likely that I won’t be an expert in every subject I am expected to teach. Going into teaching, I figure this is normal. I figure that I might, at times, have to learn and master the material myself just days before I teach it. And I am good at this, I am good at researching and developing a mini expertise on a specific subject.
I am well aware of where all my many weaknesses are, in subject content and in confidence. I work on it every day. I read, I listen I think about everything that might effect me as a teacher. Yet somehow, I let a mere conversation get under my skin. And honestly, it has forced me to confront my lack of knowledge. Do I really know enough about life to teach?
That is where I am at today. I haven’t decided if questioning my own adequacy is a good thing or a bad thing-after all, questioning oneself is the catalyst for continual improvement and growth. Maybe I should just take a step back and start focusing on improving my basic subject knowledge. Maybe I just let my excitement to reach the end result get the best of me, that I am not taking in the important milestones along the way.
What I do have is an analytical mind. I question everything. And I can read people pretty well, I have a knack for understanding the human psyche. I hope that these are qualities that will help me to be a good teacher. I hope.
I guess the conversation with this co-worker set my confidence off balance a bit because she is one of those people who is a bit of a know it all, and seems to find a strange enjoyment out of “one upping”. She always has this condescending tone to everything she says and I really don’t like talking to her about teaching because quite frankly, she ruins it for me- drains any ounce of enthuisiasm I have from my mind and drives in all the negative things about the profession (her mother was a special ed art teacher at an inner city school and apparently had some very bad experiences- because I only hear about how horrible it was.) Then, she always ends the conversation with one last little jab, something like, "but who knows, maybe your experience will be different," right before she walks away. I've had similar encounters with her many times, but today she really attacked at a different level. Normally she just paints a depressing image of the profession, but today she called me out on my competency. And that is why I am left writing this post, now critical of my own beliefs about myself.
The truth of the matter is that nobody is capable of “making” another person feel anything, feelings come from within, they are not forced upon us. All she has done is brought to the surface some weaknesses deep with in me. Whatever her reasons for being the way she is are surely self satisfying and have nothing to do with me at all, yet I feel so exposed for all that I am not.
I am, underneath it all, a bit of an optimist (or naïve) though and I want to learn and grow from the way I am feeling right at this moment. Maybe that is what sets teachers apart from other professionals, is the desire to turn anything and everything into an opportunity to learn something, and that’s exactly what it comes down to.
I feel a strong pull towards teaching because I see life as one giant opportunity to learn about one's self. I will never think that I know everything, I don’t believe it’s possible. I will know much more in ten years from now than I do at this moment but it will still only be a minute fraction of all the things there is to learn from life.
If I can impart this passion for seeking knowledge to students, then I feel I will have done my job, but then there is the reality. Sharing a passion for knowledge within the public school system is just a side issue. My technical job, as I am coming to find out, will really be to teach children random pre-determined facts about various subjects so that they can pass several tests. It’s these pre-determined subject areas that concern me the most.
I am not an expert at history, geography, math or science. Literature and reading have always been my thing because it is the only place where my lucid thought process serves me well. But I learn quick and even more quickly when I am in a position to make another understand. I have 2.5 years left in my college career, and by the time I complete school, I will have a greater general knowledge of these subjects, but it’s likely that I won’t be an expert in every subject I am expected to teach. Going into teaching, I figure this is normal. I figure that I might, at times, have to learn and master the material myself just days before I teach it. And I am good at this, I am good at researching and developing a mini expertise on a specific subject.
I am well aware of where all my many weaknesses are, in subject content and in confidence. I work on it every day. I read, I listen I think about everything that might effect me as a teacher. Yet somehow, I let a mere conversation get under my skin. And honestly, it has forced me to confront my lack of knowledge. Do I really know enough about life to teach?
That is where I am at today. I haven’t decided if questioning my own adequacy is a good thing or a bad thing-after all, questioning oneself is the catalyst for continual improvement and growth. Maybe I should just take a step back and start focusing on improving my basic subject knowledge. Maybe I just let my excitement to reach the end result get the best of me, that I am not taking in the important milestones along the way.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tools for Managing Attention Disorders
A while back I saw a news story about teachers who are using balance balls in class for students with ADD and ADHD, autism and other attention related problems. My initial thought was that it's a great idea in theory, but I wondered how distracting it would be for other students. I imagined the children fighting over who would get a turn on the giant inflatable ball and the jealously and outbursts that might occur over having this in the classroom. I also considered the potential liability, after all rolling off one of those onto a hard floor or against a desk leg could pose a problem- you know, broken noses, limbs, cracked teeth, ect.
I use a similar therapy tool for my back problems. Its a balance disk, which
can be used as a seat cushion with the same benefits of the larger ball, and is much more discreet and transportable. While searching online for a picture to show a friend what I was using for my back problem I found several reviews by teachers who said they use these disks in class for students with attention problems, instead of the balance ball, for all the reasons I described above.
The teachers writing the reviews say that the balance disk help students stay on task and are much less distracting to other students. From all I have read, this seems to be a valuable tool to keep in the classroom.
I am intrigued by some of the creative ideas that are used by teachers to solve difficult problems in the classroom. Despite all my training in massage therapy, I don't know that I would have ever made the connection to utilize this therapy tool in the classroom, but it completely makes sense!
Have any of you used the balance disk, ball or a similar item to help students with attention problems? Have you found that it helps students focus or that it just becomes another distraction? What other suggestions do you have for working with attention problems?
I use a similar therapy tool for my back problems. Its a balance disk, which
can be used as a seat cushion with the same benefits of the larger ball, and is much more discreet and transportable. While searching online for a picture to show a friend what I was using for my back problem I found several reviews by teachers who said they use these disks in class for students with attention problems, instead of the balance ball, for all the reasons I described above.The teachers writing the reviews say that the balance disk help students stay on task and are much less distracting to other students. From all I have read, this seems to be a valuable tool to keep in the classroom.
I am intrigued by some of the creative ideas that are used by teachers to solve difficult problems in the classroom. Despite all my training in massage therapy, I don't know that I would have ever made the connection to utilize this therapy tool in the classroom, but it completely makes sense!
Have any of you used the balance disk, ball or a similar item to help students with attention problems? Have you found that it helps students focus or that it just becomes another distraction? What other suggestions do you have for working with attention problems?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Nerves and Jitters
Last night, when I should have been catching up on endless piles of homework and studying for my impending midterms, I decided to blow it all off and play on the internet- just for a little while. Well, a little while turned into almost two hours once I discovered a video documenting the first year of a new teacher. What an informative, terrifying, motivating and enlightening little piece of cinema that was!
It followed a first year teacher through her new teacher training, planning, first day with students, meeting parents, observations, school at various points in the year, new pregnancy (yes, what a surprise that was for her to have an unexpected pregnancy thrown in there!) It reminded me that no amount of preparation can really calm the nerves and jitters of that first year.
I became so engrossed in her nervousness just watching it that I was relieved when I was able to float back in my body and remember that I still have 2+ more years to prepare for that moment.
This girl seemed like such a good teacher, but she ultimately ended up leaving the profession for a while to stay at home with her baby. There was a lot of talk throughout the film about teacher retention and how many new teachers don’t make it in the field because it just wasn’t what they were expecting. This girl was certainly not disillusioned, in fact she reminded me a lot of myself. She was also fortunate enough to have an extremely supportive school district. I couldn’t believe the extensive support network and resources provided to new teachers. I can only hope I am so lucky as to have that support my first year!
I just can’t help but wonder why she left teaching though? I suppose that much of it has to do with being a new mother, and maybe that is what gets to me- since I am waiting to have kids myself until after I finish my degree. Will I also feel this way? From my perspective now, I know I need to work in order to help pay the bills, and I have always thought teaching will provide me with much more time with my kids than my current career, since I will have holidays and breaks that coincide with my childrens'schedule. But will this practical thinking get tossed out the window once I hold my own baby for the first time? Maybe age has something to do with it. The girl in this video is only 23, where I am several years older and would like to get moving with my career before its time to retire (and while I still have time to save for retirement!)
And speaking of parenting, I also have a new teaching anxiety- parents. I am sure that as I get to know some of the parents, this anxiety will dissolve a bit, but as district taxpayers, they all will essentially be my boss, and on top of that, the most precious person in their life will be in my care. I don’t know, but I think parental anxieties might trump all my other anxieties at the moment! I am trying to think of some things I could do before starting to teach where I will get some experience communicating with and working with parents in an educational setting. Any suggestions? Would tutoring give me this opportunity? Or maybe volunteering to help out with local school events?
I am glad I stumbled upon this video though; I hope I can find some others like it. It gave my the inside perspective that I am always looking for. If there are any other ELED students reading this, I highly recommend watching this documentary for a very candid representation of what to expect that first year.
It followed a first year teacher through her new teacher training, planning, first day with students, meeting parents, observations, school at various points in the year, new pregnancy (yes, what a surprise that was for her to have an unexpected pregnancy thrown in there!) It reminded me that no amount of preparation can really calm the nerves and jitters of that first year.
I became so engrossed in her nervousness just watching it that I was relieved when I was able to float back in my body and remember that I still have 2+ more years to prepare for that moment.
This girl seemed like such a good teacher, but she ultimately ended up leaving the profession for a while to stay at home with her baby. There was a lot of talk throughout the film about teacher retention and how many new teachers don’t make it in the field because it just wasn’t what they were expecting. This girl was certainly not disillusioned, in fact she reminded me a lot of myself. She was also fortunate enough to have an extremely supportive school district. I couldn’t believe the extensive support network and resources provided to new teachers. I can only hope I am so lucky as to have that support my first year!
I just can’t help but wonder why she left teaching though? I suppose that much of it has to do with being a new mother, and maybe that is what gets to me- since I am waiting to have kids myself until after I finish my degree. Will I also feel this way? From my perspective now, I know I need to work in order to help pay the bills, and I have always thought teaching will provide me with much more time with my kids than my current career, since I will have holidays and breaks that coincide with my childrens'schedule. But will this practical thinking get tossed out the window once I hold my own baby for the first time? Maybe age has something to do with it. The girl in this video is only 23, where I am several years older and would like to get moving with my career before its time to retire (and while I still have time to save for retirement!)
And speaking of parenting, I also have a new teaching anxiety- parents. I am sure that as I get to know some of the parents, this anxiety will dissolve a bit, but as district taxpayers, they all will essentially be my boss, and on top of that, the most precious person in their life will be in my care. I don’t know, but I think parental anxieties might trump all my other anxieties at the moment! I am trying to think of some things I could do before starting to teach where I will get some experience communicating with and working with parents in an educational setting. Any suggestions? Would tutoring give me this opportunity? Or maybe volunteering to help out with local school events?
I am glad I stumbled upon this video though; I hope I can find some others like it. It gave my the inside perspective that I am always looking for. If there are any other ELED students reading this, I highly recommend watching this documentary for a very candid representation of what to expect that first year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)