Category Archives: Teaching

Surprise!

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I walked home from work this morning to check on Ysabela and the dogs. I figured I’d find her connected to her head phones listening to music and playing on Facebook. I was only half right.

She did, indeed, have her head phones connected, but not to her phone and music. She was listening to a video on the computer. Would you like to guess the topic? I was excited and amazed that she had signed herself up for a free astronomy class through Udemy.com!

We have been chatting about homeschool options, as you may remember from earlier posts, so I think her initiative in this case is saying something important. I will wait and see if her motivation stays high, then we will revisit our decisions for this school year and make any necessary adjustments for next year.

The Chicken Chick

Cyber bullying?

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I consider my teen a relatively well-adjusted girl. She has (so far) been a low maintenance, low drama kid, for which I am extremely thankful. While she’s a good kid, she is not perfect. No kid is.

Last night she was on YouTube checking out some videos of her favorite bands. Some of the singers are gay or bisexual. Bela said she saw some nasty comments from a “hater,” so she responded. He was spewing anti-gay venom, so she defended “her” band. His response was to insult her and tell her she is “irrelevant” and that she should commit suicide.

Bela said, “That’s the first time anyone had ever said something like that to me, and it stung.” Of course it did! I can imagine her first reaction was shock. Nobody talks to her that way. Then she was probably mad and hurt. I can’t blame her for that! At least she was able to defend.

We talked about what he said. A lot. I pointed out that someone who goes straight to insults is exhibiting a shortage of logic to prove an argument. This guy also showed a lot of venom to a stranger for no reason. Can people not agree to disagree and move on? This guy didn’t. I explained that she should have just ignored his negative comments because his opinion has no relevance or importance in her life.

That kind of bullying is out of Bela’s experience. Let’s check out the flip side of that. Imagine, if you can, a child who hears nothing but venom. Those comments are eventually internalized. Think about kids who are consistently told they don’t matter, that they should die, that the world would be better without them in it. Teachers, are specific students coming to mind? If so, what are you going to do about it?

Every child needs a compassionate adult who will say, “You matter to me. You are important and loved.” If not, the negativity seed will take root and flourish. The insults will be taken to heart instead of discarded. I think every teacher should have a “no insults” policy. I saw it work in my classroom. Adults need to talk to students and let them know that every comment they make has an impact, either positive or negative. Students must be challenged to think about their actions and be held accountable.

Let’s make our kids confident enough to accept criticism, evaluate the source and discard or change accordingly. Insults do not count as a valid criticism. Criticism is to help people improve.

The Chicken Chick

Full Concentration

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Summer is winding down fast, sadly. I am not (yet) mentally ready to step back into the classroom, but I’m getting there. Maybe this year I can give 100% to my classes. I know that sounds bad, but it’s the reality.

My attention has been divided due to the grad classes I have just finished. Any teacher out there can attest to the fact that a teacher must constantly multitask and prioritize. For the past two years, I have juggled two or three classes each semester. I spent the two years before that completing some Nebraska requirements. I have worked hard, but in a multitasking way.

This school year, I will focus fully on my students. It feels like a dream come true! Fellow teachers, you know what I mean. It will be exciting to put my knowledge into practice. I feel very optimistic about helping my students improve their Spanish this year. I will definitely be pushing them harder. People in our town will have to adjust to hearing me speak only Spanish to my students no matter where I see them. Some will be angered by it, but I know what is best for my students. If I don’t use what I’ve learned, what good was all the time I spent studying?

Planting Seeds

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I had a “Conversation” with my teen today. Capital C. After assuring her she was not in trouble, I asked some pointed questions. What’s the worst part about school? She had a ready answer—the “jacking around” is distracting and the comments some of the boys make are disgusting. Hmmmm. I then asked her what her idea of a good school day would look like and what classes she would be interested in taking. She is interested in French, astronomy, art and choir. I already knew she wanted to learn French, but the astronomy surprised me. After we had chatted a bit longer, I asked the most important question: would you like to be homeschooled again?

She smiled, then frowned. Her friend, Gen, gets to go to prom this year for the first time. She doesn’t want to miss that. I get it. Those two kids are practically joined at the hip! She surprised me by going back to the good parts of homeschooling. We’ve done it before. We could do it again.

I think if we did file as a homeschool, it would be misinterpreted by my colleagues and the community in general. It would be mistakenly perceived as a rejection of our local school. Let me say very clearly: our local school is GREAT, and the teachers and administrators are awesome people who sincerely care about the students. Do not doubt it! I haven’t taught in a better public school.

In our case, homeschooling would not be a rejection of the school; it would be a parental decision based on the needs of my child. It is an option any parent can choose. If we end up making that choice, I hope everyone will see it for what it is: a loving sacrifice a family makes for a child’s benefit.

The Chicken Chick

End of Year

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This school year has flown by, but it was a tough year just the same. By the end of the school year, kids and teachers have had enough of each other. Every parent becomes a critic while students and teachers fight “spring fever” and symptoms of “senioritis.” It’s par for the course. Summer is a welcome respite from the daily battles concerning homework, lesson plans and grading. Even teacher workdays are great. With no students to distract us, we can finalize grades and straighten our classrooms. It’s almost therapeutic. It is our ritual to close the year. We have time to reflect upon the good and the bad so we can improve.

I feel like I can breathe now. I can spend time with loved ones, have some fun and be mentally ready when August rolls around.

Grading papers takes more time than people think!

Grading papers takes more time than people think!

Your Own Fault

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I remember when I was a junior or senior in high school, a graduate of my school wrote a letter to the school board. S/he complained about not being sufficiently prepared for college at the time of graduation.

At first, I felt afraid that I would not be ready for college either, but then I really thought about it. I felt like I was learning in all my classes. I had to work harder to achieve in some classes than others, but I did well. Math was my hardest class, but I still made it through with the basics I needed to move on. That’s when I decided that the author of that letter probably didn’t apply him/herself to studying. I believe you get out what you put into things.

Teachers spend a lot of time trying to teach students. Students spend a lot of time trying to avoid learning much, but they still cry and whine when they don’t have an A or a B in their classes. If students want to do well, they must learn enough to “pass.”

Students, if you have trouble in a class, go for extra help. Teachers are more than willing to spend the time it takes for you to understand a concept. If sports practices are more important to you than your grades, go practice. Just don’t be mad when you discover YOU had your priorities all confused. Don’t whine and beg for extra credit. Extra credit implies that you have done all you can to achieve and are still not doing well. If you have missing assignments, don’t cry to the teacher for bonus points. It’s not fair to the other students who work as hard as possible on a daily basis.

I have seen a few kids breeze through high school without studying much. Many do well in college, but a few of those students actually have to STUDY to succeed in the university. It’s not a bad thing! Saying it’s “too hard” and giving up—those are bad things. If it were super easy, anyone could and would do it!

The goal of education is to challenge young minds to think and solve problems. If every student had 100% in every class, it would imply that the curriculum may not be challenging enough. That’s not education.

Parents, try not to pressure your kids to get 100% all the time. It is NOT a reasonable expectation. Many times, it can backfire. Let your kids learn and have the freedom to fail once in a while. Only then will your children understand the value of the lessons.

Dancing or Dancing Around the Truth?

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Dear Parents,

This is last thing I wanted to write on a Saturday night, but I had an eye-opening experience and would like to ask you some questions.

Have you ever listened to your child’s iPod playlist? You should. You might be (unpleasantly) surprised by what you hear. If you think you shouldn’t “invade little Billy’s privacy,” think again. Anything in your home falls under your jurisdiction.

Have you ever driven around town while your child is supposed to be at a dance or church meeting? You should. You might be surprised by who you see and where.

Do you verify your child’s story? You should. Sometimes a child will say enough to allow a parent to jump to an erroneous conclusion. The child can then say, “But I didn’t lie!” A deliberate omission is just as bad as an outright lie.

I came home and asked my own child some very pointed questions. I got some enlightening answers. Maybe you should do the same.

Sincerely,
A fellow parent

Today’s Music

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Teachers and parents, I’m talking to you! Are you listening to the same tunes as your kids (or students)? Are you hearing what they hear? My daughter and I get in the car, and the radio is always on. Sounds normal, right? I’ll admit to being entertained by a catchy beat. Then again, some songs are catchy only if I don’t hear the lyrics. Bad lyrics make some songs unfit for teen listening. I have heard lyrics so bad that I get embarrassed! (That’s hard to do!)

Think of some songs you’ve heard on the radio (or your iPod) lately. Now, sing a few bars of each. Stop singing when the song refers to sex or if you encounter a curse word. You just sing a few minutes and come back when you’re done. I’ll wait for you.

A few songs stand out (at least to me) for their offensiveness. Miley Cyrus songs are, in general, very crude. Rihanna doesn’t do any better. Then there’s Kesha, Pitbull (who should know better) and even Enrique Iglesias. Those are all offensive, but today’s winner for making me gag is Beyoncé’s Drunk in Love. Gross. Really listen to the lyrics and you’ll hear for yourself. Are we supposed to take her seriously? Pardon me while I puke.

What happened to morals? What happened to editing songs for tender ears? Why are we not doing a better job of protecting our kids? What is wrong with society?

Yes, I know teenagers are going to listen to provocative music. I also realize there’s a difference in singing about something and actually doing it. I understand that our kids want to “fit in” wherever they may be. I think we parents and teachers should keep telling them that “fitting in” might be easier than standing up for decency, but easy is not always right. We have to make sure good values are instilled in our children before they go out on their own.

We, the adults, are frighteningly aware of the world that awaits our young when they leave the nest. The media bombards us all with nudity, trashy music and a message that thin equals beautiful even if unhealthy habits create that skinny silhouette. Another message that is loud and clear to our kids is that sex equals love. Not true! Enough already!

The Teacher is Crazy!

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Well, thanks to Berty Segal Cook, my students think I am loony. You should have seen their faces when they found out the test scheduled for next week has been cancelled. Then we tried some commands in Spanish. My students have been exposed to a lot of vocabulary, so they were able to do novel command combinations fairly quickly. Some students looked surprised (and a bit uncertain) when I told them to skip around the room or sit under a chair, but they were able to understand. That’s the most important thing of all.

I told them what the homework was, and a few students actually laughed. They were to choose six commands we did in class and draw a picture showing the actions. Colored pencils were passed out, and almost everyone finished before the end of the class period. I was happy to see they all felt successful and relaxed.

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