QuiteContrary: February 2010

Introductory Information: This is my twenty-first year of teaching. I have been teaching English 8 for most of that time at Willis Jepson. I have two credentials and two degrees: English and German. I am not so sure I have a "theory" of learning. I guess in an ideal world, each child would have his own IEP because all children, special needs or not, can have very specific needs. I wish there weren't assumptions out there that each child should be able to certain tasks at a certain age. Not everyone learns at the same rate. I'm a perfect example of that. Math after 3rd or 4th grade became increasingly hard for me. I couldn't grasp fractions (if only it had been clear to me that they were just division problems. I understood division.) It was awful. I had to have been the worst math student ever. I mean, I'm not saying it's totally my fault, but my ninth grade Algebra teacher did retire the year he had me. Science wasn't much better for me, but I really liked it so my enthusiasm for the subject carried me forward. Until high school chemistry, of course. My lab partner, Silva Raker, was brilliant, and she saved my hide on a number of occasions. If I had ever had children, one of them would have named after her. And suddenly I was in college and was still stuck with math, but for some strange reason, it began to make sense to me. Duh, it's like many things students need to learn, but for some, mastery of a skill may take a little longer. But I digress.

Back to the topic: I think one of the most important things a child should be taught is that:

There is no royal road to learning. Some of us, no matter where we are from, grasp some things more easily than others, but sometimes we may also find ourselves having to work harder even to have a basic understanding of a skill or technique. However, one should never give up because there is a reward for sticking it out.
Secondly, the learning is the reward... a reward more important than material items.
Thirdly, each child should come to school with a work ethic already instilled as my parents had done with my sisters and me. They understood the value of education because they had been denied the opportunity to get the education they would have wished for through circumstances beyond their control. Still, it was ingrained in us that a person could be stripped of all material goods and even lose family and friends, but that no one could take away his knowledge or skills.
Always keep your curiosity. Yes, it may have killed the cat, but the cat had lead an interesting life up until then, I'll bet. Be a lifelong learner; it doesn't have to end with graduation.
Be responsible. Take credit when it is due and accept responsibility when it's your "fault."

This cartoon by Gary Larson is how I often feel in class and most definitely how I felt after reading the Kaiser article: "Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8 to 18 year olds."

I am concerned that while the young people have mastered the technology of this age, they have forgotten the responsibility and the dangers that go along with it. Just recently another teacher was suspended for postings on Facebook. And these postings don't even have to be your own. A response or a comment from a facebook friend could get one in trouble. My friend who is an administrator in Napa spoke to me recently about the trouble they are experiencing with "sexting" and students. Some of the kids have even been charged with felony child pornography for sexting. And so, while having these abilities are nice, there is a very frightening potential for very serious misuse. And that has been probably true for every human innovation: the potential for positive human advancement or the potential for negative human interactions.

It seems schools and society in general (digitally savvy or not) must instill in young people certain moral standards that every generation has needed, albeit the Stone Age or the 21st century.

I chose to read "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" by Marc Prensky and "enGauge: 21st Century Skills Digital Literacies for the a Digital Age" by Cheryl Lemke. They seemed to support my thoughts in general. Prensky touched on the dangers on the other generation (mine) being stuck and at the mercy of the younger one. It reminded me of the problem real immigrants often face, when the adult has to rely on the child for translating at parent conferences. I often wonder how much of my message gets through verbatim or if some of it doesn't get sugar coated. With Lemke's article, it was clear that while the tools of teaching may have changed, the basic elements a student needs to be productive are the same: curiosity, creativity, socially responsible, etc.

My one big beef as someone from the old country: I can't stand reading articles on line. I still need to feel the papers in my hand. I know I'm saving a tree (well, maybe a limb), but I don't find it advantageous to scroll around, especially with double columned articles that don't the whole page. I like to be able to write or highlight text when reading.