Utter chaos at the grindstone, my dear.
Today is unlike any other.
Bruised faces,
Bashed in separate places,
Please don't tell another!
Man watching from above,
Not seeing any love,
Not expecting any dove.
Incarnadined children at the grindstone, my dear.
Today is like yesterday.
Children wailing,
Their Elder's planning,
Just a normal day in May.
Man watching from above,
Not seeing any love,
Not expecting any dove.
People running around the grindstone, my dear.
Today is not the end.
Sharpening knives,
Ending lives,
Not ever meant to mend.
Man watching from above,
Not seeing any love,
Not expecting any dove.
People preparing at the grindstone, my dear.
Today is the start of revolt,
No one quits,
No one picks,
All ready to go forth.
Man watching from above,
Not seeing any love,
Not expecting any dove...
-May 2001
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Another poem I found...
The Babies
(i can only assume this one was about the twins...)
Wisps of hair,
Shining like the full moon,
On a winter's night.
Tagged bellies,
Wrinkled and brown,
Like a sun-ripened prune.
Shrieks and whines,
Unfamiliar,
Like the sound of the wolf pup's cries.
Eyes wide,
All Alert,
As if to say, Where am I?
Little lungs stretched,
Little heart beat,
Little bodies very alive.
Smells of medicines and death and birth,
Not welcome.
Smells of babies and their baby powder,
Welcome.
The realization of love for two small and immobile bodies.
A silent promise of care.
All of this from a toddler.
(i can only assume this one was about the twins...)
Wisps of hair,
Shining like the full moon,
On a winter's night.
Tagged bellies,
Wrinkled and brown,
Like a sun-ripened prune.
Shrieks and whines,
Unfamiliar,
Like the sound of the wolf pup's cries.
Eyes wide,
All Alert,
As if to say, Where am I?
Little lungs stretched,
Little heart beat,
Little bodies very alive.
Smells of medicines and death and birth,
Not welcome.
Smells of babies and their baby powder,
Welcome.
The realization of love for two small and immobile bodies.
A silent promise of care.
All of this from a toddler.
"Studies" Expectations
A poem I found...
Though they, the expectations, are insignificant to others,
They are of the greatest importance to me.
only by their being met,
can I be totally free.
I hope this class is challenging,
and helps me to forget,
my art of procrastinating-
I'm getting sick of it!
I hope the teacher pressures me
into doing my best.
I hope that shel'll provide me with
the info to pass the test!
I hope the students will respect
my beliefs, me methods, and me.
I hope that they + me,
will someday = we.
I hope that I will respect
my fellow classmates and my teacher.
I'll tackle the problems as they com,
and not dig my hole any deeper.
I hope that I will get a chance
to speak in front of class.
I am good at memorizing-
and I hope this helps me pass.
I hope that I can believe,
in you, yourself, and we,
And I truly believe that then I will be free,
To be I, myself, and me.
January 2001
Though they, the expectations, are insignificant to others,
They are of the greatest importance to me.
only by their being met,
can I be totally free.
I hope this class is challenging,
and helps me to forget,
my art of procrastinating-
I'm getting sick of it!
I hope the teacher pressures me
into doing my best.
I hope that shel'll provide me with
the info to pass the test!
I hope the students will respect
my beliefs, me methods, and me.
I hope that they + me,
will someday = we.
I hope that I will respect
my fellow classmates and my teacher.
I'll tackle the problems as they com,
and not dig my hole any deeper.
I hope that I will get a chance
to speak in front of class.
I am good at memorizing-
and I hope this helps me pass.
I hope that I can believe,
in you, yourself, and we,
And I truly believe that then I will be free,
To be I, myself, and me.
January 2001
Friday, November 13, 2009
wow.
collaboration is grand.
grand is collaboration.
collaboration nation.
put your pens up, breathe life into your pages.
make sure to See your coworkers.
they have the resources.
we have the mouths.
mouths to teach. to command. to attempt.
attempt to control.
fail to control.
accept undisinnoncontrol
grand is collaboration.
collaboration nation.
put your pens up, breathe life into your pages.
make sure to See your coworkers.
they have the resources.
we have the mouths.
mouths to teach. to command. to attempt.
attempt to control.
fail to control.
accept undisinnoncontrol
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Enriching the (non)Gifted Brain: Lecture Reflection
Recently, I attended a lecture that proposed extensive enrichment for the gifted brain. I couldn't help but wonder why the nongifted brain was never mentioned. Below is my reflection on the piece:
Reflection on Distinguished Lecturer Eric Jensen
Topic: Enriching the Gifted Brain”
Having just completed my training classes for my GATE certification through the UCSD extension center, I wasn’t expecting much new information from this lecture. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the outline for the lecture. While my classes covered the idea of enrichment in more general terms, Mr. Jensen intended to focus on the topic specifically within the following guidelines: 1) What is Enrichment?; 2)Who is it for?; 3) Does it really work? And 4) How do I optimize Enrichment?
He stated that enrichment is always positive, maximizing the capabilities of a student. It should have a significant amount of time allotted to it as well, both in school and out. A crucial point to note was that there is no “enrichment” program in isolation; it can only exist in a context. He added that there is only an enrichment response in those students from lower conditions to a positive contrasting condition. In other words, a student is only being “enriched” if the activity in which they are engaged is an activity that is more productive and educational that their living situation would otherwise provide. I found this a troubling point, in part because of the implications for more wealthy students. Simply because their parents are well off doesn’t necessarily mean that they are being exposed to enriching situations. They need more enriching activities to have the same effect as a student from a lower socio-economic background. Jensen concluded that section with the following phrase that offered little solution to my reservations: “Enrichment is not what you do. There are no “enrichment strategies” unless they are contrasted with an impoverished condition.”
‘Then who is it for?’ my mind begged the question. Who should get enrichment? Jensen suggested that students who are identified as gifted thrive in school-based enrichment programs, because without them, gifted students become bored, disillusioned and are less likely to participate in school. Does this imply that because students are easily bored, we should provide them with more? Doesn’t this then ring true with the non-gifted student who is also bored because he is having difficulty with a class or unit? Should not the teacher then also provide a specific enrichment agenda for this student or class, despite the fact that the student is gifted or not? In my (new teacher) opinion, most students, whether gifted or not, deserve a more enriched education. Jensen also provided “evidence” to support his claim that gifted students benefit more claiming that the “brains of Gifted show far more connectivity between key spatial, language, math and working memory areas than more typical brains.” However, in one of my GATE certification classes, the professor discussed the development of the brain, stating that these synapses, these pathways of connectivity in the brain are developed as a result of activity (enrichment). Should we not then again ask the question that the non-gifted brain would also benefit as greatly as the gifted one?
So stepping aside from this question, I had another question to ask: Who says that Enrichment works? What is the proof? Jensen provided the following statement: “Exposure to an enriched environment promotes neurochemical, structural and neurophysiological changes in the brain and is associated with enhanced synaptic plasticity and improved hippocampal-dependent learning.” In other words, my students do not arrive at school “preassembled” by their DNA. Instead they are “glued together” through their life experiences—another point that supports my idea that the non-gifted student would benefit just as greatly from a school-centered enrichment program as a gifted student would. Research on enrichment shows that it can: increase new neuron production, improve recovery from a stroke, enhance learning and memory, improve reading and math scores, improve decision making, reduce aggressive behaviors, and help recover from stress disorders, alcoholism, and maternal separation. (Again, why are we only focused on the gifted students?)
Lastly, Jensen discussed how one “does” enrichment. There are two ways that enrichment can be provided. “Wide” means development in arts, social, cultural, health, emotional, spiritual and physical areas. “Deep” means targeted development in more traditional cognitive areas of reading, science, math and problem-solving. He stressed that enrichment did not mean more content within a set of curriculum. Instead, it provides the ability for the student to process the content more effectively. Jensen suggested the following seven ways to enrich the brain within a classroom context: social support, activity, managed stress levels, positive nutrition, learning to be engaging, challenging and meaningful, escalating skill-building, and sufficient time for change.
I found these guidelines to be somewhat helpful, but not in depth enough for me to have time to apply them to my classroom as such a late date in the year. I look forward to implementing some of these extremely vague ideas in my classroom next year, providing I get a job.
While there was a significant amount of information that described the idea of enrichment specifically, the one weakness of the presentation, in my opinion, is that we weren’t provided with examples of enrichment. Being a new teacher, I would have liked to have been given more information to add to my ever growing repertoire. Adding several specific activities within the sections that he discussed, or providing a general list of ideas would have been immensely helpful for a new teacher, as well as having value for a veteran teacher looking to add to their perhaps stagnant curriculum.
Reflection on Distinguished Lecturer Eric Jensen
Topic: Enriching the Gifted Brain”
Having just completed my training classes for my GATE certification through the UCSD extension center, I wasn’t expecting much new information from this lecture. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the outline for the lecture. While my classes covered the idea of enrichment in more general terms, Mr. Jensen intended to focus on the topic specifically within the following guidelines: 1) What is Enrichment?; 2)Who is it for?; 3) Does it really work? And 4) How do I optimize Enrichment?
He stated that enrichment is always positive, maximizing the capabilities of a student. It should have a significant amount of time allotted to it as well, both in school and out. A crucial point to note was that there is no “enrichment” program in isolation; it can only exist in a context. He added that there is only an enrichment response in those students from lower conditions to a positive contrasting condition. In other words, a student is only being “enriched” if the activity in which they are engaged is an activity that is more productive and educational that their living situation would otherwise provide. I found this a troubling point, in part because of the implications for more wealthy students. Simply because their parents are well off doesn’t necessarily mean that they are being exposed to enriching situations. They need more enriching activities to have the same effect as a student from a lower socio-economic background. Jensen concluded that section with the following phrase that offered little solution to my reservations: “Enrichment is not what you do. There are no “enrichment strategies” unless they are contrasted with an impoverished condition.”
‘Then who is it for?’ my mind begged the question. Who should get enrichment? Jensen suggested that students who are identified as gifted thrive in school-based enrichment programs, because without them, gifted students become bored, disillusioned and are less likely to participate in school. Does this imply that because students are easily bored, we should provide them with more? Doesn’t this then ring true with the non-gifted student who is also bored because he is having difficulty with a class or unit? Should not the teacher then also provide a specific enrichment agenda for this student or class, despite the fact that the student is gifted or not? In my (new teacher) opinion, most students, whether gifted or not, deserve a more enriched education. Jensen also provided “evidence” to support his claim that gifted students benefit more claiming that the “brains of Gifted show far more connectivity between key spatial, language, math and working memory areas than more typical brains.” However, in one of my GATE certification classes, the professor discussed the development of the brain, stating that these synapses, these pathways of connectivity in the brain are developed as a result of activity (enrichment). Should we not then again ask the question that the non-gifted brain would also benefit as greatly as the gifted one?
So stepping aside from this question, I had another question to ask: Who says that Enrichment works? What is the proof? Jensen provided the following statement: “Exposure to an enriched environment promotes neurochemical, structural and neurophysiological changes in the brain and is associated with enhanced synaptic plasticity and improved hippocampal-dependent learning.” In other words, my students do not arrive at school “preassembled” by their DNA. Instead they are “glued together” through their life experiences—another point that supports my idea that the non-gifted student would benefit just as greatly from a school-centered enrichment program as a gifted student would. Research on enrichment shows that it can: increase new neuron production, improve recovery from a stroke, enhance learning and memory, improve reading and math scores, improve decision making, reduce aggressive behaviors, and help recover from stress disorders, alcoholism, and maternal separation. (Again, why are we only focused on the gifted students?)
Lastly, Jensen discussed how one “does” enrichment. There are two ways that enrichment can be provided. “Wide” means development in arts, social, cultural, health, emotional, spiritual and physical areas. “Deep” means targeted development in more traditional cognitive areas of reading, science, math and problem-solving. He stressed that enrichment did not mean more content within a set of curriculum. Instead, it provides the ability for the student to process the content more effectively. Jensen suggested the following seven ways to enrich the brain within a classroom context: social support, activity, managed stress levels, positive nutrition, learning to be engaging, challenging and meaningful, escalating skill-building, and sufficient time for change.
I found these guidelines to be somewhat helpful, but not in depth enough for me to have time to apply them to my classroom as such a late date in the year. I look forward to implementing some of these extremely vague ideas in my classroom next year, providing I get a job.
While there was a significant amount of information that described the idea of enrichment specifically, the one weakness of the presentation, in my opinion, is that we weren’t provided with examples of enrichment. Being a new teacher, I would have liked to have been given more information to add to my ever growing repertoire. Adding several specific activities within the sections that he discussed, or providing a general list of ideas would have been immensely helpful for a new teacher, as well as having value for a veteran teacher looking to add to their perhaps stagnant curriculum.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
malalignment....
i firmly believe that the educational system is not built for every student. Not every child is able to sit still, read for an hour, get a five minute break wherein running is not allowed, and then do it again for a 6-7 part cycle each day, five days a week. Then 9 weeks off in the summer? Why? Are we still farming? Do we still need our kids in the fields with us? Or are they now more likely to be hanging out at the seven eleven from eleven to seven each day? its frustrating that the system is so broken and so malaligned to our society's needs and it isn't attempting to look more closely at what works better. And why force students with special needs into program upon program that doesn't work for them. Its downright upsetting to traumatize a student like that. Why move them schools, districts, classes just for another "try" at a program. The idea of their often fragile systems undergoing more stressful activity that my own did at that age is disturbing.
but how do you change that system that is so resistant to change? how do you enable teachers to teach more effectively for each student when you put them in a room with 43 children and not enough desks? what about the ones you "excess" to different environments so that they never get comfortable with whom they work? what about the ones you lay off "because they're new" instead of looking at their ability or potential and weigh it against older teachers who are clearly in the wrong profession, and continuously assert the fact that they hate children? How does any of this make sense?
but how do you change that system that is so resistant to change? how do you enable teachers to teach more effectively for each student when you put them in a room with 43 children and not enough desks? what about the ones you "excess" to different environments so that they never get comfortable with whom they work? what about the ones you lay off "because they're new" instead of looking at their ability or potential and weigh it against older teachers who are clearly in the wrong profession, and continuously assert the fact that they hate children? How does any of this make sense?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
CST Steam
It really bothers me that the california state tests aren't an effective measure of a child's ability. I have spent the last six months simply trying to survive teaching the eighth grade, but today is CST day. And I'm nervous. Really, really nervous. As a first year teacher, I shouldn't be as nervous as I am. I'm not perfect, and I'm not highly effective. But these students of mine are potentially going to receive the lowest marks they've ever received on this test, and its a reflection on me. Even though that's not what California says is the point of this series of ridiculous tests. Its frustrating that I'm unutterably expected to teach to the test, but I'm utterably not.
A colleague pointed out a poignant thought however, when I divulged my concerns over a cup of impromptu coffee the other day: Perhaps this test really is the mark of a good teacher, who doesn't teach to the test. Perhaps it separates those who lean on the crutch of the standardized curriculum, and those who are capable of instilling the same knowledge without being told what to do each day in class, verminitum. (My feeble attempt at making up latin words: minute by minute). Did my credentialling program prepare me to be the former or the latter of those groups of teachers?
I guess I'll find out around the same time that I find out whether or not I am employed next year. A week before school starts.
Cie la freaking Vie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)