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.
Monday, April 6, 2009
One Would Hope 11.9.07
one would hope
that a good book
and a comfortable seat in the sun
would help to remind oneself of the times which one must
nay needs to experience with lethargy.
and yet.
the occurrence is not apparent.
the gull should seek the shore
in the instance of stark tempest.
and yet.
his end is invited through the pleasure
of the welcoming waves.
the flower fades without the sun
yet the hand plants in the shadow of the glorious.
what then?
must the flower accept her fate?
must she wither in the glory of others?
or shall she find her own glory in the excellence of those she loves?
only the sun knows for sure.
and look how he sits with his book, behind the nimbus, propelling the excellent.
and yet.
that a good book
and a comfortable seat in the sun
would help to remind oneself of the times which one must
nay needs to experience with lethargy.
and yet.
the occurrence is not apparent.
the gull should seek the shore
in the instance of stark tempest.
and yet.
his end is invited through the pleasure
of the welcoming waves.
the flower fades without the sun
yet the hand plants in the shadow of the glorious.
what then?
must the flower accept her fate?
must she wither in the glory of others?
or shall she find her own glory in the excellence of those she loves?
only the sun knows for sure.
and look how he sits with his book, behind the nimbus, propelling the excellent.
and yet.
Of the Child Left Behind 10.11.07
One would think to consider the desire for knowledge
The struggle for freedom
For prosperity
For opportunity
For the same damn chance as every other American—I mean person—in this world.
But not so.
One would hope that the beaming foreign faces would sway
—or at least affect—
Even the most ignorant at heart.
But not so, for these consider those
Bright and beaming faces
To be the ignorant ones: 'can't even speak English'
And
'They don't belong here, so send 'em back to their own country'
But not so, for they are here for awhile.
To get an "education"
No child (from this country, and by that I mean the most able) Will Be Left Behind, you know
And all that crap.
So what happens to the child left behind
/to staple newsletters
/to run hall passes
/to put away transparencies
.to stop learning?
What child is this that we say we care about while most other children are left illiterate through bureaucracies that can't get past the red tape to let them learn?
Is it the golden child?
Is it the Future of America?
How is possible for a white, middle class child to be the poster child for the next era?
Is it fair?
To the white kid or the black kid?
Wait, aren't we forgetting someone?
What happened to the kid who came from Russia to West Sac?
Who came from India to California?
Who gave up the passing grades they had,
Caring school,
Accepting peers
In exchange for a system that fails them, that judges them, that suspects them, that cheats them.
Yeah, um, about that…
They got left behind.
Forgotten in the classroom, stapling newsletters "because they do it faster."
In Regards To Teaching Vocabulary and Cheating 11.9.07
Chirp/Chorp/Chirp/Harep/Chor/Chip/Chirp/Chap
Now you can hear…
Repeat after me. Chirp.
Shirp.
No, Chirp.
Shirp.
Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.
Shirp, Shirp, Shirp.
…the birds…
Write the sentences as you hear them, stop talking.
Seriously, stop talking!
Oleg, stop talking, stop cheating (stop trying to be retained for the second year in the row.)
If they only did their own work, we would all be alright.
Eyes wander unashamed, lips move flagrantly betraying their possessors.
Feet turn aside, toward the others while arms arch backward to steady the torso.
Scan.
Think. Wait don't. Just copy.
Surely "nion you hair the beir the shore" is how you write "Now you can hear the birds chirp."
Turn 180 to the espanole. Read.
And reconsider—Oh—
Its "Now you can here the bears chert."
That must be it.
Write quickly. La maestra is walking over.
Nah, don't bother. Just get the answer down.
Chirp/Chirp/Chirp/Chorp/Shore/
Chert/Chirp/Chirp/Shirt/Chures/
Stop talking, start writing.
Do your own work Raj.
Sari teechir.
Lips grin.
Why is it that they cheat? Cheating means a failing mind, but not a failing grade.
What are the consequences?
None.
Can't I punish them? Can't I make it so that they don't want to cheat anymore?
Can't I make it so that they learn?
Can't I make them learn?
Can't I make them?
Can't I?
Flip it
Ode to the Welfare Kid From Russia With Love 11.9.07
Hey boy.
Come to California. The great and golden USA.
Leave Your Comrades, Leave Your Country.
Come be an American.
You can make more money, you can buy a bigger house, drive a bigger car.
Eat more food, work less hours for more pay.
You can learn
the
best
language
in
the
world.
English.
Best Regards, Your American
Hey boy. Hey boy.
You're here, you're here.
Can't you see what a great apartment this is?
Your parents can sleep in this room with the baby, and you can sleep in this room.
In a great big bed. With great big sheets.
With Oleg,
Igor,
Serghei,
Stas,
Liya,
and Luiza.
So. Much. Room!
(Don't mind the cockroaches. Don't mind the mold. And please don't mind the gunshots that might just possibly wake the baby up at night.)
Best Regards, Your American Landlord.
Hey boy, you look sad. Whats up homie?
Why the long face, foreigner?
Why can't you speak so I can understand you? Why can't you speak my language?
(the best one there is, of course,
now let me go get
fatter while I
sit in my office
all day
deciding lives.)
What? You're not going to graduate by January?
What? You're still in Beginning ESL?
You've had three months!
Hey Boy,
I'm sorry to inform you but we're taking away your money.
We are also pulling support from the rest of your family.
(I don't remember when working from midnight to 5am actually mattered to me or this business.)
And so, with (no) regret,
àAnd make sure you get thisß
………………………………………………….…Straight………………………………...……………….…
Unless you graduate by the end of this semester,
We will no longer be able to send you check.
Signed,
Your Welfare Man
ADHD Kid 4.25.08
The mind spider spins its
spindly
web and blocks your sense from Sense.
And so Sense, she leaves you to
struggle
against the self and men.
The men they do not know
the war that rages
boils
crawls for survival
toward to top of the trench
where "know" lives
feeds, exists only through the
calming of the storm. The cecession of the war.
one small bead
builds the bridge
to salvation through the swallow.
swallow.
swallow.
Dust the spindly web--
woven by the spider,
the creepie crawlies,
the constant humming and
inability of inhibition--
from the ultimate edges of your
hungry, yet intermittantly absent
self; your
"such a good boy when he's on his meds"
"why can't he get a blood test"
"his mother is a criminal not to pick up those pills"
self.
Thank you Woolf. 2.13.07
Silence roar inside these-walls-
cement and strong and tall.
The noise I fear betrays me true
to what I ne'er need call:
onetwo onetwo the foul sleeps
while I here stand Alone:
The oozing bricks the gibbering self
Silence still, --proceed sans cone--
soothing yet: he seems so full
the waves roll fro and to
close door open window
allow the flowers fall, Daughter do.
Such were some of the parts, now bring them together.
Emerge as an empty space, no hue no hue
then Score the canvas with nervous running lines
modelling my colors, purple gold blue.
to Want and Want and not to Have
there must have been a Shadow though;
what a power was in the Human Soul!
cement and strong and tall.
The noise I fear betrays me true
to what I ne'er need call:
onetwo onetwo the foul sleeps
while I here stand Alone:
The oozing bricks the gibbering self
Silence still, --proceed sans cone--
soothing yet: he seems so full
the waves roll fro and to
close door open window
allow the flowers fall, Daughter do.
Such were some of the parts, now bring them together.
Emerge as an empty space, no hue no hue
then Score the canvas with nervous running lines
modelling my colors, purple gold blue.
to Want and Want and not to Have
there must have been a Shadow though;
what a power was in the Human Soul!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
GATE Cert class...
I know the purple elephant comes next. A gifted and talented reflection.
I know the purple elephant comes next.
What if it turns blue?
What if it runs for president?
Writing Wit Wordplay
Play with words, minds, Authority.
Can’t stand myself. Not GOOD enough.
Got the purple elephant. I’m excellent.
Skeptical, evaluative. Better than the rest.
Won’t eat it Don’t feed it
fly.paper. gotta catch those leaves.
underfunded, overtested but
I know the purple elephant comes next.
Question authority,
protect pernicious practice of perfectionism
make the whole class laugh.
I’m the smart one. Not the cute one. Not the funny one.
Being smart means…
love from teachers, admiration from peers, respect from parents.
having a cover story for being insecure, lonely, a misfit.
Anxious and externally validated.
But I know the purple elephant comes next.
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