Driving Barefoot

"My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude."

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:28:01 -0500

“My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.”

- Warsan Shire (via loveyourchaos)

"My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude."

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:27:50 -0500

“My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.”

- Warsan Shire (via loveyourchaos)

The Exhaustion of the American Teacher

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:39:41 -0400

The Exhaustion of the American Teacher:

detroitsomething:

With the 2012-2013 American school year still in its infancy, it’s worthwhile to note that the people doing the actual educating are down in the dumps. Many feel more beaten down this year than last. Some are walking into their classrooms unsure if this is still the job for them. Their hearts ache with a quiet anguish that’s peculiarly theirs. They’ve accumulated invisible scars from years of trying to educate the increasingly hobbled American child effectively enough that his international test scores will rival those of children flourishing in wealthy, socially-advanced Scandinavian nations and even wealthier Asian city-states where tiger moms value education like American parents value fast food and reality TV.

The American child has changed, and not necessarily for the better. Many shrill voices argue that teachers must change, too, by simply working harder. The favored lever for achieving this prescribed augmentation of the American schoolteacher’s work ethic is fear, driven by a progressively more precarious employment situation.

But teachers by and large aren’t afraid; they’re just tired.

Source: The Educator’s Room

Vindication

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:01:12 -0400

Remember this kiddo?

He’s writing his college essay about how he wants to be a teacher because of me— so he can help other kids who struggle with motivation.

Well. I may have pretended to have an allergy attack after his 12th grade English teacher told me this today.

Sometimes, being a teacher is pretty damn wonderful.

"Dear Ms. T, I’m so sorry for this mistake. I meant to print my paper out this morning, but I..."

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:56:53 -0400

“Dear Ms. T, I’m so sorry for this mistake. I meant to print my paper out this morning, but I was distracted by my delicious breakfast. My essay is attached. Have a great evening!”

- Actual email from a student. Equally endearing and ridiculous. (But aren’t most things about teaching?)

Tic-Tac-Toe

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:20:08 -0400

Student- Ms. T, I just crushed Matt in tic-tac-toe.
Me- Oh yeah? [Looks at paper] Um...why are there curved lines?
Student- I won the first game with a parabola, and the second game with a square root function.
Me- Yup, pretty sure those aren't the rules.

"Ms. T, that was the best first day ever. All my other classes were so boring. So, thanks!"

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:25:39 -0400

“Ms. T, that was the best first day ever. All my other classes were so boring. So, thanks!”

- One of my general-level seniors, who high-fived me as he walked out the door. So much love for these kiddos.

The Hunger Games

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:42:47 -0400

Student #1- If the whole staff were in The Hunger Games, who would win?
[A 15-minute conversation ensues, in which a group of students discuss this scenario in detail]
Student #2- What would happen to Ms. T?
Student #3- She's little, so she would climb a tree. Obviously.
Student #2- Like Rue!
Student #4- Yeah, and then she would die. And inspire a revolution.
Me- Thanks! ...I think.

Last Summer YA Book review Video— Jasper Jones, by Craig...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 18:06:03 -0400

Last Summer YA Book review Video— Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey!
Check it out! I gave it 3/5 stars, but I think a lot of students (especially average - above-average male readers) would really like it. Great for thematic units on racism/prejudice or for teaching difficult vocabulary contextually. Also, I’m wearing my favorite headband. So there’s that.

Summer YA Book Review Video #5: Nothing, by Janne...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:23:09 -0400

Summer YA Book Review Video #5: Nothing, by Janne Teller
Unsettling philosophical book about meaning, purpose, human nature, and nothingness…check out the video for more on the plot, cross-curricular connections between English and philosophy, and ideas for incorporating excerpts into a thematic unit on a text like Lord of the Flies…

Pandora for Books

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:39:09 -0400

Pandora for Books:

Did you know there’s a Pandora for books? It’s called booklamp.org and it’s pretty amazing. You can type in the name of an author or book and it creates a sort of “playlist” of books by mapping out their “story DNA.” I can imagine so many great possibilities for using this site— making book recommendations to students, planning thematic units… the site seems like it’s still developing, and the database of books is certainly not comprehensive, but you should definitely check it out!

Summer YA Book Review Video #4: Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:51:27 -0400

Summer YA Book Review Video #4: Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King
5/5 stars! Fantastic book, great narrator’s voice, edgy and resilient protagonist who deals with some really difficult topics, potential for some amazing discussion topics…check it out!

Summer YA Book Review Video #3: Ship Breaker, by Paolo...

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:40:00 -0400

Summer YA Book Review Video #3: Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi
In which I discuss…Action and adventure on the high seas! Futuristic, dystopian America destroyed by the search for oil! The quest to find well-written books for boys! Interdisciplinary connections between English and Science! And a great “gateway” book for kiddos who have read Hunger Games or Maximum Ride and mournfully ask, “What do I read next?!” Enjoy. :)

outofprintclothing: Please REBLOG and help support a good...

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:42:21 -0400

outofprintclothing:

Please REBLOG and help support a good cause!

Reasons I Love Being a High School Teacher…… When...

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:38:00 -0400

Reasons I Love Being a High School Teacher…
… When one of my favorite former students takes two hours out of his day on a beautiful summer afternoon to tutor me in math for the GRE. And when he patiently re-explains acronyms like PEMDAS and FOIL and other concepts that I haven’t studied in years, and never once laughs.

The Subjectivity of Bullying

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:09:00 -0400

Let me preface this post by saying that I have complete sympathy for any student who is genuinely being bullied. Now, I realize the word “genuinely” is a loaded term, and I put it there deliberately. What may seem petty and meaningless to someone on the outside may, in fact, be deeply painful to a student. The concept of bullying is incredibly subjective. I realize this. Part of being a teacher is validating students’ problems. These problems may not seem earth-shattering, but being a good teacher means recognizing that, in the mind of a sixteen-year old, something like a minor argument in the hallway with an ex-boyfriend or a snide comment posted on Twitter can have an enormous impact. I realize this. I spend a lot of my time listening to my students tell me things that are going on outside the walls of my classroom, sympathizing with them, guiding them, advising them when I can, maybe hugging it out, maybe secretly putting a Post-It note with a smiley face and a reminder that I care about them on their binder during Independent Reading. If these problems go beyond my reach or abilities, I take them to the students’ guidance counselor, or email their parents, or even contact the administration. Always. That’s my responsibility as their teacher.

But. There was an article today in the local newspaper about a student that I had in class last year. In the article, she talks about being bullied all year by a group of girls, and how they made her life awful, and how she went to the administration but they didn’t do anything, and how she decided not to walk at graduation to protest their lack of effort. There’s this dramatic conclusion, where she talks about going in to our principal’s office and saying, “You’re letting me get bullied and you’re watching, and I’ve approached you and done all the steps and you’ve done nothing. I think you’re a bully.” And apparently, she storms out, and I guess this is supposed to be a triumphant and affirming moment. And if you knew nothing about the situation, you would think, “Wow. This poor girl. She’s so strong and brave to speak up like this. Why didn’t the school do more to help her?”

The problem is that most of the article isn’t true. The lines between fact and fiction are so blurred. The lines between who’s bullying and who’s being bullied are blurred as well (because yes, some girls taunted her, but there’s also a very tangled backstory involving cheating and boyfriends and jealousy on all sides.) The administration did everything they could— calling in the parents, meeting with guidance counselors, arranging mediation between this girl and the others; our AP even essentially became this girl’s therapist for the better part of the year. How is that doing nothing? As I read the article, I started to wonder: where is the line? Schools must keep students safe, absolutely, without a doubt. But they cannot take responsibility for every single situation- every passive aggressive Twitter status, every mean girl who steals another girl’s boyfriend, every friend group that inevitably falls apart and turns against each other in the four years of high school, every snide comment in the hallway. The lines are so hazy. What is the school’s responsibility? What is the parents’ responsibility? And most importantly, what responsibility should fall on the student?

This article makes me worry. It makes me worry that, behind many of these stories in the news, there is a real back story, just like this one, painted in half truths and dramatizations. It makes me worry that the idea of opening up about having been “bullied” has become strangely trendy in the past year or two. And it makes me worry that, for all the attention-seeking students who make empty claims, there are students who are truly being bullied and are suffering in silence.

Summer YA Lit Review Video #2: Where Things Come Back, by John...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:14:54 -0400

Summer YA Lit Review Video #2: Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley
Watch for my attempt to summarize an incredibly complex plot, ways you could use the book in the classroom, and what kinds of students this book would appeal to (hint: this is an important milestone on my neverending quest to find smart, nonviolent, non-cliche books for male readers!)

This summer, I’ll be reading a bunch of YA lit and posting...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:00:54 -0400

This summer, I’ll be reading a bunch of YA lit and posting review videos. Here’s my first one! It’s a review of Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta, which was pretty amazing. Watch the video for a quick plot synopsis, cool ways to teach using the book, and what kinds of students this book might appeal to…and lots of eyebrow expressions and snarky side comments from me. Hope you enjoy!

Top Fifteen Books According to High School Seniors

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:03:34 -0400

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about challenging my class of seniors to read 100 books. I finally got a chance to read through all of their review cards and compile a list of their top fifteen books/series. These are all books that the students gave 5/5 stars and enthusiastically recommended to future 12th grade English students. Remember that these are all general-level students, many of whom are (were?) pretty reluctant readers, so I think this list is particularly useful. If you have students who claim that they hate reading, try some of these books. And if you haven’t read them yourself, put them on your summer reading list!

Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Paper Towns, by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
All of the Hunger Games books (obviously- but don’t discount them just because they’re popular.)
A Stolen Life, by Jaycee Dugard (nonfiction!)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor
All of the Maximum Ride books (especially for boys)
All of the Alex Rider books (especially for boys)
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher (amazing)
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak (for more advanced readers)
Heaven is Real, by Todd Burpo (nonfiction!)
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers (for lower-level, really resistant readers)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

Ah yes, Annie Dillard — skilled writer and exfoliator.Oh...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:44:52 -0400

Ah yes, Annie Dillard — skilled writer and exfoliator.
Oh my children, I love when you try to use fancy words.