One of my goals is for my students to analyze and reflect upon their education. I want my students to think about how and where education fits in their lives and also how they can improve their own learning. I also want students to reflect upon how education can change. Many of them are in fact going to be procreating some day and there will come a time when the education of others will have a huge impact on their lives.
But, sometimes I feel like I am beating a dead horse during class. I get the feeling that my students are tired of contemplating their own education. They are tired of being reminded of how much more they NEED to do and how much NEEDS to change.
So, I would like some suggestions of topics I can introduce, either through literature or articles and essays, that you would like to discuss during class. What topics will make you sit up in your seat and speak vehemently (vocab. word :) to your peers?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Natural Beauty
I spent my Spring break in Sedona, Arizona. Many of my students have asked me why I would go to Arizona and I have no particular answer. I like visiting different places and I felt like getting in touch with my "inner nature goddess." So, I picked Arizona.
Sedona is touted as a funky little artsy town. It is artsy and funky, but I found that it has begun to cater to tourists a little too much, and in the process is losing a bit of its identity. It is the equivalent of your favorite musician "selling out." The town has chosen to bask in the economic benefits of more tourism at the expense of forgetting what drew visitors in the first place. I am glad that I was able to see the town in the beginning of this process, before all of the "good stuff" is sucked up by capitalism.
On the other hand, the town is quite environmentally friendly (which I loved) and strives to pass along its environmental tips to visitors. For example, there are few stop lights and instead roundabouts. This saves people an average of 40 gallons of gas each year. Also, most of the lights shine downward therefore cutting back on the light pollution in the area.
But, regardless of my opinions on the "feel" of the area, the natural beauty of Arizona cannot be argued. Every morning as we drove through Red Rock Country I gazed in awe at the beautiful rock formations. You could live here your entire life and always be able to see something new. The light from the sky constantly bathes the land in new and interesting ways and the night sky seems surreal as the moon hangs above the mountain tops.
Although the beauty of the Red Rocks was breathtaking, the Grand Canyon surpassed it all. I felt honored to see the Grand Canyon for the second time in my life. You would think that looking at a bunch of rocks is no big deal, but when you get there and can feel the wind blowing through your hair, those rocks become a living, breathing, entity. As you gaze down into hundreds of years of life you feel thankful to be able to see something so extraordinary. A sight like the Grand Canyon can inspire even the most ambitious people.
Have any of you witnessed a natural wonder that changed the way you look at the world? I would love to hear about it - perhaps a picture too! Check out the slideshow on the right to see some pictures from my trip.
Sedona is touted as a funky little artsy town. It is artsy and funky, but I found that it has begun to cater to tourists a little too much, and in the process is losing a bit of its identity. It is the equivalent of your favorite musician "selling out." The town has chosen to bask in the economic benefits of more tourism at the expense of forgetting what drew visitors in the first place. I am glad that I was able to see the town in the beginning of this process, before all of the "good stuff" is sucked up by capitalism.
On the other hand, the town is quite environmentally friendly (which I loved) and strives to pass along its environmental tips to visitors. For example, there are few stop lights and instead roundabouts. This saves people an average of 40 gallons of gas each year. Also, most of the lights shine downward therefore cutting back on the light pollution in the area.
But, regardless of my opinions on the "feel" of the area, the natural beauty of Arizona cannot be argued. Every morning as we drove through Red Rock Country I gazed in awe at the beautiful rock formations. You could live here your entire life and always be able to see something new. The light from the sky constantly bathes the land in new and interesting ways and the night sky seems surreal as the moon hangs above the mountain tops.
Although the beauty of the Red Rocks was breathtaking, the Grand Canyon surpassed it all. I felt honored to see the Grand Canyon for the second time in my life. You would think that looking at a bunch of rocks is no big deal, but when you get there and can feel the wind blowing through your hair, those rocks become a living, breathing, entity. As you gaze down into hundreds of years of life you feel thankful to be able to see something so extraordinary. A sight like the Grand Canyon can inspire even the most ambitious people.
Have any of you witnessed a natural wonder that changed the way you look at the world? I would love to hear about it - perhaps a picture too! Check out the slideshow on the right to see some pictures from my trip.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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…
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…
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
"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...
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...
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