Featured Post

What (Not) to Wear

Have you been to the gym lately? No, I wasn't implying anything... I just mean, What are people wearing to the gym these days? Anything ...

Monday, May 20, 2013

Taking an Online Class: Survival Kit

If you aren't careful, taking an online class could be similar to making camp next to a carnivorous plant: sweet-smelling and intriguing on the outside, but deadly and heartless on the other.

Perhaps that's a bit extreme.  What is attractive about taking an online class? Well...

1) You may 'attend' class whenever you want, wherever you want.  Beachside? Check. Poolside? Check. Barside at 2:00 in the morning?

2) You may go at your own pace.  You can pause the lesson to go run an errand, or even splice a lesson in half over two days.

3) It often involves a lot of reflection.  This allows you to be completely self-centered and tailor every comment and snippet of pedagogical wisdom to your own arena of expertise.

4) No awkward ice-breaker games.  I mean I happen to like those but that's because I relish awkwardness. In others.

5) Online classes are often cost-effective (read: cheaper!) and won't break the bank come pay-day.

What is heartless and deadly about taking an online class? Well... *gulp*

1) Attending class whenever and wherever you want may turn out to be your couch at 11:45 at night on a Sunday trying to finish the last three hour-lessons before the expiration date on Monday.

2) If you don't understand something, or if you have an insightful question, your brilliance will go unnoticed; you're on your own to get clarification.

3) It's kind of impersonal.  I know it sounds mushy but sometimes sharing experiences and ideas is what really sticks with you from professional development.

4) No awkward ice-breaker games (see above).

5) Some districts might not accept them for credit or professional development points.

So when you hear the siren's song of an online class lilting you off to an unsuspecting professional death, snap out of it!  If you think it's going to be a breeze, think again.  It's all about what you put in, and if you want to get something of value from the class, you want to be sober and conscious when you participate.  So no matter how cheap it is, you would be wasting precious money and time if you don't take it seriously.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

Okay okay so I admit I'm a little late,
                                                                   *Tardy! Unexcused.

...but Teacher Appreciation Day came with all the bells and whistles -
                                                                                                    *Why are you in the hallway? Get to class!

-that make a teacher feel, well... appreciated.
                                                                  *Glissendorf! That's an ellipsis, not 'dot dot dot'...

So in honor of such a memorable day, I would like to invite you, dear reader, to reflect upon your favorite teacher from years past (or present) and what you learned from said scholar.

Jimmy Kimmel posed this question to a few passersby and their responses were, um, unique. Or should I say frightening?

Happy TAD!



Thursday, May 9, 2013

One Small Upset for a Student

One Giant *Bleep* For Our Kind.

Our Kind being Teachers.

If you haven't heard about the teenage student's rant against his world history teacher, take a look.

The video shows a high school student walking from the back of his classroom to the front, saying some 'inspiring words' caught on a cell phone:

"You gotta touch his freakin heart. Can't expect a kid to change if all you do is just tell him.  You gotta take this job serious."

You can hear the teacher say, "Get out," and "Please leave."

The student goes on: "If you would just get up and teach 'em instead of handin 'em a freakin packet,  yo."   Interestingly, the teacher is seated at this moment.

He continues:  "And now I will leave, you're welcome. And if you would like, I'll teach you a little more so you can actually learn how to teach a freakin class."

To be honest, I don't know exactly how I feel about this.  What the student is saying is technically all true.  You need to touch a students' heart.  You need to motivate and engage and not just use hand outs and work sheets.  Students should experience and feel something about what they study.

Then again,  I didn't feel anything about pre-calculus.  I don't even remember anything except for the boy I sat next to and the words sin, cosine, and tangent (sp?). Did that give me the right to scold the teacher openly in front of the whole class and storm out?

The dilemma I'm having is that sometimes a student will refuse to respond, despite our best efforts.  We do hands-on activities, we differentiate our instruction, we go to workshops and spend hours planning and research and try new things... all to no avail.  There may still be one student who checks out, puts his head on his desk, and if he's not disrupting the class, he certainly adds nothing to it.

But is that acceptable? Should we all strive to the ideal every day that every child is a work in progress? I do believe that teachers need to give their best every single day.  But I understand that it becomes difficult when the students you are trying so hard for do not return the effort.

I have mixed feelings.  What about you? Comment!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

When a Student Has a Crush on You

I once received a love letter from an anonymous student.  Make no mistake: flattery is most uncomfortable when given by a 14 year old child (I repeat, CHILD). Not only was it unsettling but it was slightly embarrassing.  Was I doing something wrong? Was I dressing provocatively? Was I unconsciously inviting this attention?

I first confided in a friend/colleague.  We shared our amusement/ revulsion but I knew it was important to be open about this. Keeping it a secret is a huge no-no.  If you don't it might look weird if advances increase and you've been hiding it. Then you'll be in big doo-doo. And the odds of you getting invited back next year are only so-so.

*Ahem*

I then brought it to the attention of the principal.  I mean I didn't shatter the glass on the fire alarm and go shrieking down the hall into her office, but on my free period I approached her and gave her the note.  It was important for me to see her reaction.

She basically rolled her eyes and shrugged, and asked if I knew who it was.  Fortunately I did not. She told me to keep an eye out and let her know if it happened again.  That was it and I felt immense relief.

This is honestly the best case scenario for this situation: you don't know who it is. Therefore you can't really do much about it.  When you DO know who it is, that is when you have more of a responsibility.

I once had a student who practically followed me around. This student's friends made comments about his feelings in front of both of us and I seemed to be the only one who was uncomfortable.  Despite several references to my spouse and a concerted effort to keep my distance, I couldn't shake him.  So you know what I did?

Nothing.

The sad truth is that you have very little control over your appeal to students, you irresistible minx, you!

As long as you are dressing professionally and keeping clear boundaries of personal space and neutral comments, you are fulfilling your responsibility.  Try not to feed in to the flattery and be aware that you are not encouraging it or even flirting back.  Other than that, you have no recourse.

When it comes to matters of the heart, stay away from your students.

Any advice? What would you do?