Relaxation

As we slowly, oh so slowly, find our way to Spring break, I have been thinking about the concept of relaxation. One part of me wants to say that we (Americans) do not relax enough. Taking the time to “smell the roses” is considered to be cliché and an overall mundane experience. Instead to preserving more of the natural environment – where we could enjoy our “relaxation” time – we clear the land, kill the wildlife, and build more highrises. On average, Americans get two weeks of vacation time, opposed to the European standard of four weeks of vacation. Many people never take the full two weeks because they just can’t afford to miss work.

The other part of me feels like we relax too much. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want more working hours. I just feel like when you are working, you should be doing just that, working. When you have an assignment, a job, or an appointment, complete the task to the best of your ability rather than rush to get it done. It is not that we need more time, we need more dedication to the tasks at hand – both working tasks and relaxation tasks.

So, during this Spring break take some time to relax – really relax. Unplug from the world a bit. Don’t chat on your cell phone while watching the waves at the beach – listen to the waves as you are watching them. If you choose to stay home all day and watch movies, do it right and pop some popcorn to snack on during the process. Spring break is a gift to those of us still in the education world. Take advantage of it while you can…

End of Quarter

The end of the quarter is always a double-edged sword. It means that we are one quarter closer to summer vacation, which is always a wonderful thought. This particular end of quarter means that we are closer to Spring break - must I even elaborate on my feelings? But, the end of the quarter does bring a bit of frustration to teachers. There are always those students who want to make up every missed assignment during the last two days of the quarter. The parents are sometimes worse, deciding to check Pinnacle at the very last minute and then asking if their child can make up an assignment that is now seven or eight weeks old - grrrrrrrr...

Despite having to deal with the bad parts of the end of the quarter, this time, I will look on the bright side. We have nine more weeks to go and I am prepared to make those nine weeks pleasant, enjoyable, and useful. The second half of the semester is always my favorite. I get to teach the novels that I really love (as opposed to the required works that I have taught upteen million times) and my students are more adept at working to the level that I expect.

Here's to a great 2nd quarter!

"It figures..."

While my students were working today, they were, of course, chatting it up about everything from movies to sports. At one point during the conversation a student asked me if I knew a particular song - I don't remember the name - and I said that I did not know it and I do not listen to the radio much. I followed up the comment with, "If I do listen to the radio, I listen to a rock station. Otherwise, I usually listen to NPR (National Public Radio)." The very next thing I heard was, "It figures..."

What does that mean?

Yes, we all know that I am a big nerd. I like to read and watch those "thinking" movies and roam around museums. I watch shows that discuss politics and world events and sometimes I find that my tv lands on the National Geographic channel or Discovery channel. Okay, I am a huge nerd, but why is that bad? When did being intelligent become uncool?

Not to assume that I was "cool" in the first place. I am anything but cool. On the other hand, I can have an educated conversation with most people because I have a little bit of knowledge about a plethora of subjects. I can also interpret and analyze most art forms - visual, auditory, written, whatever. Is this bad? Should I go back to that point in my life when I had to make the decision to become a bookworm or not?

So, even though it is a little late in coming, my answer to that student who scoffed at my "intelligence building listening habits" would be, "Yeah, it figures. Listening to NPR totally rocks and you should try it sometime. Maybe you would learn a little bit about the world." And then I would go back to reading yet another news article or novel or short story or essay or...

I'm Done

A good friend and fellow teacher had one of the best explanations for this time of year. She said, "This is the time of year when I hate my students and they hate me." Now, of course, she did not mean it literally. I can't say that I ever hate my students but I can say that they drive me absolutely crazy - and this is the time of year when the crazy factor gets turned up a notch.

There are many reasons why the months of March-April are tough. At the beginning of March FCAT's consume a great deal of time. Either students are stressed out from taking the FCAT or they delve into the deepest depths of laziness because they no longer have to take it. Also, this is the time of year when many Juniors begin taking their SAT/ACT. With the SAT/ACT comes the impending college application process which then requires students to - gulp - make a decision, an important decision, a decision that will have a huge impact on their futures. This can be a huge weight on anyone's shoulders, especially young people. Finally, the number one reason why this time of year is tough is because, well, we are almost at the end. Students can see their summer break just beyond the horizon and they want it bad.

All of these factors, plus many more, play in to the atmosphere at school during this time of year. So, to help the school environment improve, I have taken it upon myself to put together a little checklist of things to do make your school life easier:

1. Listen during class. There is nothing a teacher enjoys less than having to repeat his/herself over and over again. Also, by the 9th week of the quarter, students should have the class process down pat.

2. Attend class. By not coming to school you are only causing more problems for yourself. Plus, would you continuously be absent from your job? School is your job right now.

3. Stop procrastinating. It is easy to put everything off until the last minute, but this quickly becomes a terrible habit.

4. Refrain from whining. Many students put more effort into whining about what they have to do rather than just doing it.

5. Get the most out of your education. Remember that only you choose what to get out of your education. If you look at everything you do in class as being pointless, it will be pointless. On the other hand, if you believe that you can learn from all experiences and activities, you will learn from all experiences and activities.

This seems like a pretty decent beginning for making our school lives a little more enjoyable. Before I end for today, I would also like to share that I understand that you all are carrying a large amount of pressure right now. You must learn how to balance everything in your life to be successful. If any of you need help with planning your time or advice on college "stuff" please come by and chat with me - I am always around to help!

Ugghhhhh...

As you all know, we are now wrapping up our yearly FCAT week. For 9th and 10th graders this week is important. This is the week that could take a huge burden off their shoulders, or create an even larger one to bear for one more year. But, for 11th and 12th graders, this has become a week of relaxation.

This is where my rant is going to begin...

I would love to teach during these days. In fact, as I sit here writing this, with one more day of FCAT to go, I find that I am craving to be up in front of the classroom teaching. Yes, I have completed much of my grading and worked on my plans for next quarter, but I could have done all of this at home. When I come to work, I want to teach. But sadly, it seems, no one else wants to teach during these days (well, there are some that do) so older students don't show up. As a result, those teachers that want to teach fight a losing battle full of make-up work, angry students, and sometimes, angry parents (yes, parents do get angry at us for actually teaching).

During one of President Obama's recent speeches on education he mentioned that one of the ways to increase educational standards is to lengthen the school year or the school day. I agree. But, what no one ever talks about is the eradication of all of this standardized testing - which in turn takes time away from real education. There are many ways to assess students. Let's settle of something that does not take away real class time.

To Watch or Not to Watch

After reading "Digital TV Goes Dark For Some Rural Viewers" my initial response was anger and contempt for those capitalist pigs that want to garner as much profit as possible and leave the little guy in the dark (both literally and figuratively). How could the "powers that be" deny citizens the quality programming that keeps us all going? I mean, really, who can live without "American Idol?" Or, "The Bachelor?"

And then, as always, my good ol' common sense jumped in.

These people may be the victims of something mindblowing - or, better yet, mind opening. Just imagine how much extra time these people will have to do things like read, or (gasp) talk to each other? Perhaps they may decide to take a walk or try a new hobby. The opportunities are endless. No longer will these rural viewers' minds be corrupted by television. No longer will they be told what to care about, how to dress, or who matters. They will actually have to make a conscience effort to seek information and maybe, just maybe this extra effort will prompt them to go further and they will analyze and reflect upon what they find. This could be the dawn of a new age in rural America.

:)

Are you weary?

After reading NPR's article, "It's Not You, It's Me: Breaking Up With Technology" I felt an overwhelming desire to reach for my new Wii (and maybe my DS, and my laptop, and my tivo...) and hold it tight. How could I ever get tired of my beloved Wii? How could I ever have technology fatigue from something so truly fantastic and positive for my health?

But then reality came crashing down and I saw the error of my ways.

One day I will get tired of my Wii, just like I got tired of my Nintendo or of my old cell phone. One day something even more exciting will come out and my desire for its "newness" will override my common sense. This is what happens with technology.

Even as I write this though, I am wondering if this tendency to go through new technology so quickly is not inching its way into other aspects of our lives. Do we go through people so quickly and flippantly? Using the high divorce rates over the last ten years, I could argue, yes, we do. Do we go through morals so quickly? Not so long ago helping out our fellow man was considered normal and necessary. But, just this morning my students told me how they are perfectly willing to accept community service hours for buying ice cream, not actually performing a service to assist others.

Now, I know many of you don't want to admit how quickly we love something and then forget about it. I don't want to admit it. But, the time has come for us to pay attention to how we approach life. Little decisions like buying a new cell phone every year can begin to impact how you view other aspects of your life. If we forget to see the importance of how to make things last (material, emotional, ideological) we will become a society of waste at all levels - more so than we already are.

Wii Madness

This past weekend my hubby surprised me with a Wii. We had talked about getting one for our anniversary (yes, we are complete nerds) and on Saturday I walked downstairs and immediately saw the tiny white tower of time suckage sitting by the television. Of course, it was love at first sight.

Now, I have been playing video games for a long time. Hell, my family had an Atari - and yes, we did have Pong. When the old gray Nintendo came out, with the original Mario game, my brother and I basically lived at our friends house until my parents took pity on their parents and bought us one (By the way, I still have one - you just can't beat some of those games). We progressed to a SuperNES and my brother later got a Playstation.

Of course I have clocked in many hours playing video games. But, unlike many, I do not find that this time was wasted. For me, video games are hard. I don't have that crazy natural talent that some people have with computerized worlds. I have to really try. Plus, coordination is not my specialty so games that require me to press all kinds of crazy buttons to do one simple move takes weeks to perfect. So, in essence, all of my video game playing time is really improve my coordination and mind time (at least that is how I rationalize it).

Back to my main point - since I have been playing video games for a long time I feel completely secure in the following statement. The Wii totally rocks! It is more interactive than any game system out there (I think) and better yet, to the utter dismay of true gamers, it gets you off the couch and on your feet. No more vegging out, losing yourself in the fantasy world of Zelda. You must actually move more than just your fingers if you want to slay monsters and collect goodies. A game of tennis actually requires you to get on your feet and swing your arms. Now, I am not only solving puzzles to move to the next board, I am actually moving as I move to the next board. A true mind-body workout :)

I can't wait to try a football game...