Another Monday afternoon and I'm in the process of putting off writing a paper that is due in 2 hours. I've written three papers supporting my philosophy of education now, and the fourth one just seems superfluous. I will get it done...at least I keep telling myself that.
Is it bad that I am one year away from being a licensed educator and still procrastinate like a fifteen year old boy? Ok, so I'm not even going to bother answering that question.
I guess I just have a lot of issues with the way we are taught to teach. I'm discovering so many problems with the current model of "good" education. There's so much focus on "being a team player" and "giving everyone have equal opportunities to learn"...but many don't realize that creating "equal" opportunities to learn also penalizes some and gives others unfair advantages...there will never be a completely fair way to educate all children in a single setting because of the variety of learning styles and developmental differences.
I also take issue with the whole "let's group the kids and have them work together as a team for every project" approach. For one, not everything in life is a "team" effort and two, not everyone appreciates being thrown in with a new group every time something comes up. Maybe I just had bad experiences or maybe I'm just abnormal, but as one of the "good" kids throughout my educational experience (meaning, I generally got good grades, showed up for class, did my homework, etc...), I always resented when a teacher would pair me with a "bad" kid in an attempt to have me model "good" behavior for the bad kid. I learned very quickly that if I wanted a good grade out of the pairing, I'd have to do everything myself...and hey, Badkid certainly didn't care and the teacher felt good, because she had one less bad grade to give Badkid and one less bad grade for Badkid's parents to complain about. It was highly irritating. For instance, I remember preparing an entire presentation on George Washington (visual aid, 10 page paper, speech) by myself because my partner wanted to ditch school to be with her boyfriend. She showed up on presentation day just in time for me to hand her her part of the speech, which she read...we both got As.
I'm not saying that educators should abandon the group approach...there is a time and place for it in the classroom and it can be a useful way of getting everyone involved and creating a peer-driven learning environment (I have employed group learning projects in the classroom myself), but to lean on the group approach because it "prepares students for the 'real world'" is a bunch of bull. You learn to interact with peers in a number of ways both in and outside of the classroom. If you haven't learned how to interact with those around you and pull your share of the load by the time you get a job, you're pretty much out of luck and it's not because you didn't have enough peer-to-peer interaction time in school. It's sheer immaturity.
And I won't even bother getting into the lazy parent or standardized test issues...
The problem is, in order to get a job in education, you have to be pro-group learning, pro-equal opportunity learning, pro-this, pro-that and honestly, all of the issues end up contradicting each other.
For example, if I pull the group learning card out all the time, there are going to be some kids in my class screwing off while all the others do their share of the work. Is that equal opportunity learning? Heck, no. For one, Mr. Screwoff is not only going to distract himself, he's going to do everything in his power to make sure that he's not the only one screwing off so when I confront him about his actions, he can point to Sammy Smith sitting across from him and say, "He's doing it too." In this scenario, Mr. Screwoff and Sammy Smith are clearly not learning, and when I confront Mr. Screwoff, and he decides to make a scene, no one in the group is doing any learning.
It's all just a big, nasty circle. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there has to be balance to everything done in the classroom. I can't be an authoritative teacher all the time (Not many modern kids are going to do much learning with a militaristic approach in the classroom.), and I can't be a Perennialist teacher all the time (Who wants to sit through Aristotle and Latin for 9 months?). But there is a combination of all the types of teaching that must be achieved and with it, a certain amout of flexibility and willingness to work with the students one's been given. It's a balancing act that requires frequent reflection and adjustment of teaching practices. The goal of education should be "so that all may learn" not "that all will learn"...I guarantee that not everyone who graduates high school will have achieved the school's intended learning outcomes (they may have passed a couple tests, but no real learning has taken place, and those kids are just fine with the choices they've made), but if I give everyone an opportunity to learn, if I've done my part to make sure that every kid in my classroom was given an opportunity to learn and be taught, and if I create a nurturing learning environment that allows for sincere questioning and discussion, then I will have done my part to reach those who would be educated.
And I guess, that pretty much sums up my philosophy on education. Do you think my professor would accept this blog in lieu of my paper? (Just kidding! LOL!)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
nosy professors
I don't know if anyone else has ever experienced this double standard from a teacher or professor, but thought I'd throw it out there...
I've always been a pretty good student-not a brain, but I've generally been good about keeping my grades in the A-B+ range. Until recently, I've also been very good about attending class. I don't take joy from skipping and always feel like a failure when I do, but the past two semesters have been though as the work load (with practicums, full-time classes, and a job) has been extremely tiring and I occasionally skip class to sleep. On most every occasion that I skip I have completed any homework and am missing only the lecture portion of the class. That being said, I've never missed a MWF class more than 5-6 times in a semester. However, there are people in some of my classes that show up maybe once every 5-6 class sessions. I can think of several students in particular who so seldom show up for class that you forget they're even supposed to be there. The fact that these kids don't show up doesn't bother me...to each his own. However, I have noticed an inconsistency that really bugs me. I have several professors who ask each time I've skipped a class, "Where were you last class?" "Are you feeling alright?" "We had homework due on Friday."-the list goes on. While I appreciate their concern for my well-being, I don't feel that they have any particular need to know where I was. And the thing that really bugs me more than anything, is that these same professors don't say anything to the students who rarely show, on the occasion that they do come to class. Some may argue, "It just shows that they care about the students who actually care about the class." And yes, maybe that is the case, but I just don't see why they need to know where I was when I don't come. I don't ask them where they were the session after a canceled class, or remind them that they were supposed to lecture on Renassaince art, and I don't feel that I have any right to do so. It's none of my business. The same applies to them.
Last Thursday night, for example, I stayed up until 4 am doing homework (I had worked that night and then J. called and we talked for a while, so homework got the shaft), the next morning, I didn't hear my alarm and ended up sleeping through my 8 am. My fault, and not really any excuse, but it happened. Monday morning, I went to class and sure enough, the prof. looked up when I walked in and made the comment, "Are you doing ok? You weren't here on Friday, you know we watched that video that was mentioned in the syllabus, it's important that you're here for every class." I threw out a lame attempt at a light-hearted reply, and he said, "Well, next time just be sure to e-mail me...."
I appreciated that he cared, but seriously...this morning, half the class was gone and I guarantee he's not going to ask each of them next Monday what happened.
I have another prof. who does the same thing, only when someone isn't in class, she takes it upon herself to ask the rest of the students if they've seen Little Miss MIA, and if they know if MIA is coming to class, and if not, where she is. If another student in the class says that MIA has something going on and forgot to let this prof. know ahead of time, she usually makes a statement like, "Well, she didn't tell that to me" or "I didn't get an e-mail". Seriously, who cares.
In high school, this would all be a different story. Students are required to attend high school. They are minors. College is optional and many students (most all by junior/senior year) are adults and have adult responsibilities outside of school that are occasionally more important than attending class (not that my over-sleeping is an adult responsibility, I'm just saying).
Anyway, I could go on about this all night, but I think I've made my point. I've also made a list of things that professors should NOT try to make their business:
-What their students are wearing (as long as they're not excessively naked or wearing pjs every day-I hate seeing that too). I have had more than one prof. require students to grade their dress selections and turn in a statement at the end of the class. I also have been criticized publicly by a professor for wearing shorts to a class. My excuse: I had a sports class immediately afterward and no time to change.
-How often their students show up for class (As long as a student is not failing the class, why does it matter? Maybe the student has had a similar class and just needs this one to graduate...who knows?)
-Where students are when they don't show up for a class (And they really shouldn't ask others if they know where a student is...that's no one's business.)
-What a students thinks about the prof. or his ideas (A professor of mine gave a hwk assignment this week in which we were supposed to write a paragraph explaining why we thought "so and so poet" was his favorite.)
I know, there are a lot more pressing problems in the world than my odd professors, but an annoyance I thought I'd share just the same.
-Me.
I've always been a pretty good student-not a brain, but I've generally been good about keeping my grades in the A-B+ range. Until recently, I've also been very good about attending class. I don't take joy from skipping and always feel like a failure when I do, but the past two semesters have been though as the work load (with practicums, full-time classes, and a job) has been extremely tiring and I occasionally skip class to sleep. On most every occasion that I skip I have completed any homework and am missing only the lecture portion of the class. That being said, I've never missed a MWF class more than 5-6 times in a semester. However, there are people in some of my classes that show up maybe once every 5-6 class sessions. I can think of several students in particular who so seldom show up for class that you forget they're even supposed to be there. The fact that these kids don't show up doesn't bother me...to each his own. However, I have noticed an inconsistency that really bugs me. I have several professors who ask each time I've skipped a class, "Where were you last class?" "Are you feeling alright?" "We had homework due on Friday."-the list goes on. While I appreciate their concern for my well-being, I don't feel that they have any particular need to know where I was. And the thing that really bugs me more than anything, is that these same professors don't say anything to the students who rarely show, on the occasion that they do come to class. Some may argue, "It just shows that they care about the students who actually care about the class." And yes, maybe that is the case, but I just don't see why they need to know where I was when I don't come. I don't ask them where they were the session after a canceled class, or remind them that they were supposed to lecture on Renassaince art, and I don't feel that I have any right to do so. It's none of my business. The same applies to them.
Last Thursday night, for example, I stayed up until 4 am doing homework (I had worked that night and then J. called and we talked for a while, so homework got the shaft), the next morning, I didn't hear my alarm and ended up sleeping through my 8 am. My fault, and not really any excuse, but it happened. Monday morning, I went to class and sure enough, the prof. looked up when I walked in and made the comment, "Are you doing ok? You weren't here on Friday, you know we watched that video that was mentioned in the syllabus, it's important that you're here for every class." I threw out a lame attempt at a light-hearted reply, and he said, "Well, next time just be sure to e-mail me...."
I appreciated that he cared, but seriously...this morning, half the class was gone and I guarantee he's not going to ask each of them next Monday what happened.
I have another prof. who does the same thing, only when someone isn't in class, she takes it upon herself to ask the rest of the students if they've seen Little Miss MIA, and if they know if MIA is coming to class, and if not, where she is. If another student in the class says that MIA has something going on and forgot to let this prof. know ahead of time, she usually makes a statement like, "Well, she didn't tell that to me" or "I didn't get an e-mail". Seriously, who cares.
In high school, this would all be a different story. Students are required to attend high school. They are minors. College is optional and many students (most all by junior/senior year) are adults and have adult responsibilities outside of school that are occasionally more important than attending class (not that my over-sleeping is an adult responsibility, I'm just saying).
Anyway, I could go on about this all night, but I think I've made my point. I've also made a list of things that professors should NOT try to make their business:
-What their students are wearing (as long as they're not excessively naked or wearing pjs every day-I hate seeing that too). I have had more than one prof. require students to grade their dress selections and turn in a statement at the end of the class. I also have been criticized publicly by a professor for wearing shorts to a class. My excuse: I had a sports class immediately afterward and no time to change.
-How often their students show up for class (As long as a student is not failing the class, why does it matter? Maybe the student has had a similar class and just needs this one to graduate...who knows?)
-Where students are when they don't show up for a class (And they really shouldn't ask others if they know where a student is...that's no one's business.)
-What a students thinks about the prof. or his ideas (A professor of mine gave a hwk assignment this week in which we were supposed to write a paragraph explaining why we thought "so and so poet" was his favorite.)
I know, there are a lot more pressing problems in the world than my odd professors, but an annoyance I thought I'd share just the same.
-Me.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
an observation
Let me start this post off by saying that I am pro-life (and no, this has nothing to do with the woman in CA with 14 kids-a whole 'nother story)...that being said, I saw something tonight that caused me to think (lol). I was driving back to campus and at a red light, ended up behind a vehicle with five or six anti-abortion stickers on the back. Fine and dandy. I read the stickers and then noticed what kind of a car they were on...a brand-new suburban. Not really sure why I was thinking so hard about this, it's not normal for me, but it frustrated me a bit that here was a person/family advertising for no more abortions who obviously had the means to care for a large family. Yes, I realize that unwanted pregnancies are almost solely to blame on the parents and their extracuriccular activiteis (with the exception of non-consensual sex), but what about the family that's barely scraping by...a couple kids, hard times...and then they find out they're expecting another. I don't agree with abortion and there are funded alternatives for a family that finds themselves in a situation like that, but why does it always seem to be the "rich" who go about making such statements? Does anyone ever see a beat up junker car with several kids in the back with anti-abortion stickers plastered on the bumper? Maybe it's good that the wealthy are choosing to make their statements, I mean, they obviously have the means to support their views, but I guess I'm just saying that it's awful easy to make cut-and-dried judgments when you have a way to support those views and it's another story to hold to those same beliefs when you are caught in the crossfire.
-Me.
-Me.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
unscholarly
Once again, the lovely institution I call "college" has decided to tighten up its internet "dirt filters". Good, right? Um, no. You see, this particular filter has a tendency to be prejudiced and hypocritical...as much as a digital creation can be anyway. About three months ago, said filter decided that it didn't like Myspace and placed a FORBIDDEN "Mature Adult Content" screen where there should have been a sign-in screen. Did it do the same for Facebook? No. What about Blogger? Nope. Live Journal, Wordpress, Twitter? Negative. Just Myspace. Yesterday, I logged into my other blogger account to find that all of my pictures had been blocked and now, I have no way to see what they look like after I put them in a post. Why? Apparently they are FORBIDDEN "Pornography"...the so-called pornography is actually pictures from a trip to the park...only two of the photos contain people and all of the people in those two photos are quite modestly dressed-I guess sweaters and jeans are just too revealing. The photo host site I used to post the pics. was Photobucket, so I paid a visit to make sure the entire site wasn't being blocked. Nope. Just my account. Lovely.
So, why don't I do anything about it?
I have. When I found out that Myspace was blocked, I e-mailed computer services and reminded them that Myspace has never been blocked, and in case computer services suddenly deemed it necessary to block Myspace, other sites needed to be blocked as well. The following day, I received a reply to my message in the form of a generated e-mail assuring me that Myspace had been unblocked and my "help ticket" had been successfully handled. Not so. Myspace was and continues to be blocked, despite my attempts to convince anyone that this school's internet filter is a diabolical menace. I made sure that my Facebook status reflected my feelings about the internet situation and then moved on to the matter of my school. For one, someone has to be controling the internet filter settings, and two, this person is also controling the help tickets and what has been done to solve problems. This is the same person who gets to determine when I am "mature" and "adult". I don't like that idea very much, but there's not much that I can do. I am resigning myself to the fact that slowly, but surely, my university will find some way to destroy all web-based activities that are not scholastic in nature. And know what? I am paying for this internet with my "private-university" priced tuition. Awesome.
-Me.
So, why don't I do anything about it?
I have. When I found out that Myspace was blocked, I e-mailed computer services and reminded them that Myspace has never been blocked, and in case computer services suddenly deemed it necessary to block Myspace, other sites needed to be blocked as well. The following day, I received a reply to my message in the form of a generated e-mail assuring me that Myspace had been unblocked and my "help ticket" had been successfully handled. Not so. Myspace was and continues to be blocked, despite my attempts to convince anyone that this school's internet filter is a diabolical menace. I made sure that my Facebook status reflected my feelings about the internet situation and then moved on to the matter of my school. For one, someone has to be controling the internet filter settings, and two, this person is also controling the help tickets and what has been done to solve problems. This is the same person who gets to determine when I am "mature" and "adult". I don't like that idea very much, but there's not much that I can do. I am resigning myself to the fact that slowly, but surely, my university will find some way to destroy all web-based activities that are not scholastic in nature. And know what? I am paying for this internet with my "private-university" priced tuition. Awesome.
-Me.
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