I am full of angst.
I am working full-out, but not even remotely teaching the way I want to be teaching.
Re-entry into US public school teaching has been jarring and disheartening.
Be it real or imagined, I feel a crushing pressure to teach to the test, teach what is familiar to the parents of my students, teach the Prescribed Curriculum, leave No Child Behind.
And so that is what I’m doing with worksheets and textbooks. And my students buy into it [or not] in varying degrees. And we are all playing school, except that this is their real lives, real childhoods.
At some level, they sense that what we are doing isn’t relevant to their lives. If their families place a high priority on school, they get some satisfaction from playing school well. Some days I am able to make what we are doing fun, engaging. That doesn’t hide that this is an old, disjointed, largely irrelevant curriculum.
But at night, I read edublogs. Today Clarence Fisher over at Remote Access discusses three vital pieces that need to be in place to restructure our classrooms so that they meet the future needs of our students. As usual, he clearly and succinctly draws the essentials into focus.
Articles like Clarence’s depress me because my practice is so far from what those bloggers are doing in their classrooms. They also give me the kick I need to get moving. Tonight I sent and e-mail to David Warlick requesting a pass code for Blog Meister so that I can begin to blog with my students.
Even the elation of that small step is tempered by exhaustion. Where will I find the time and energy to get this up and running? How will I inform families, build support AND use the blogs to empower my students through their writing?
I used to sling around the unattributed quote,
Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly [rather than not at all].
I wonder if I can take my own advice.
Glad to see that you are fighting back the political frustration and are going to begin blogging (again) with your kids. Don’t be too frustrated, listening to your story last year is definitely part of what brought me to blogging with my kids this year. Last year I felt like I was stuck, that I wasn’t that interested in what we were doing in class, and that I wasn’t doing that well with my kids. Reading people like you last year brought me out of the rut and into a new path this year.
I like your idea of “playing school.” It is so incredibly true. I’ve had a number of conversations with U.S. teachers lately, some in favour of things like NCLB, others against it. As an outside observer, I find the divide interesting, and completely understand the frustration you must feel working in a system with this type of emphasis. I’m giving a presentation on new literacies and working with kids in these ways in Pittsburgh in 2 weeks time at the NCTE national convention ; I’m wondering about the reception I’ll be getting…..
I taught for nine years and I have had the same feeling at times like I was just “playing school”. One of my professors (and his wife) wrote a book that’s really helpful in keeping what you do in the classroom relevant to your students lives. It’s called For A Better World: Reading and Writing for Social Action–by Randy and Ketherine Bomer. I have only looked at a few of your entries but it looks like (if you haven’t already read it) a book that would compliment all that you’re trying to do in your classroom.
When I was in the classroom I really loved all that we could do with technology, but sometimes felt like a lone ranger. Your students are lucky to have you for a teacher!!
Okay it’s me again but I thought of an alternative quote:
“Anything worth doing is worth doing with technology.”
I’m probably going overboard here, but thought it had a nice ring to it.