Libby Says...
Thanks to my mom for pointing out one of the articles from this week's NY Times magazine, "What it Takes to Make a Student." The article, written by Paul Tough, describes the current standing of the No Child Left Behind act and how many people are trying to judge its success and failure. The article spends a significant amount of time describing the KIPP schools (my schools!) and our mission, techniques, and successes. It's interesting - much of what the article talks about it more prevalent at the middle schools than at our high school, in that we're trying to "grow up" the model. Not an easy task. You have to find just the right balance of keeping the rigid structures that have helped our kids to succeed as much as they have and giving them enough rope and freedom to make their own mistakes, succeed on their own, and, yes, tough as it is, fail on their own. Otherwise, of course, we aren't preparing them to be college students and working adults very successfully. Finding that line of how much to maintain the middle school chanting and SLANTing (read the article -- it describes how a student should listen and participate in class) is tough, but we're "plowing on" with it, as my principal would say. We grow up the model in many ways, but our school does have extended hours, extended days, and many extremely bright and dedicated teachers - people I'm proud to work with. Of course, so many of those teachers are young and new to the field... or, like me, not so young but new to the field. I just hope that we continue to get and keep teachers with both the dedication and intelligence - I agree with the article that our kids benefit from hearing the conversations of "professionals" and the elevated language that often comes with that. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I've been working on lesson plans this morning. As we finish our study of The Catcher in the Rye, our students are going to start a practice in Socratic Seminar -- where we ask open-ended questions, everyone participates, we dialogue and not debate, and students are prepared to have a disciplined conversation with a goal. Now, my entire teaching style is built on asking questions - I am constantly asking questions of one form or another, so I hope my students are prepared to participate in this kind of class, but one thing I'm still working on in my classes is 100 percent participation. In one of my classes, I have four or five students who almost never speak - I have to work extremely hard to engage those students. This process is a challenge for me, as it's not what my problem is in class (as a student). I'm the one who has to make a promise to myself *not* to talk the whole time, to ensure that I listen to what other people have to say. I think we're going to write some participation goals on Monday to go along with our discussion of what makes a good Socratic Seminar. I'll write some sample goals up on the board ("I will add to the discussion at least once each day." "I will help my teammates to participate by asking them questions and listening to what they say." "I will have evidence for each assertion I make." "I will listen actively and be sure to respond to what is being said, rather than just making my own points.") and prompt them to write some that will be updated each day... Hey, that's a good idea! :-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Last few weeks have been full of paper-writing, RenFest attending, lesson planning, and general busyness. The last few days? Meals cooked: sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce for pot luck at school, wild rice, shiitake, and sausage (pork, venison, and turkey) stuffing and more cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, and lasagne and apple-cherry pie for dinner with friends last night Miles run: back on the running wagon after a long hiatus, Philip and I have gone running three of four days off so far - about 1.7 miles at a time with a new routine: walk slow for 2 minutes, walk briskly for a minute, jog slowly for a minute, jog briskly for a minute, run all out for a minute, then repeat, starting with the brisk walk. Wow - harder than it sounds, especially when you've been a way from it for a while, but it feels good. Books read: Only one so far - I've been so busy cooking. But I'm hoping to get another one in after I finish my lesson plans today. Movies seen: I have to recommend both Stranger than Fiction (I don't really like Will Ferrell in most of his roles, but he did a spectacular job in this, as did Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Dustin Hoffman, and Maggie Gyllenhal!), and Casino Royale (much more Sean Connery-like than Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan, plus a return to less-gadgetry mystery solving and action). Parades watched: About 1/3 of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - thanks to Tivo! I love watching parades - my parents and I even went to watch the thanksgiving parade in New York one year. Things for which I'm incredibly thankful - too many to count: My mom and my grandparents; the wonderful dad I had; enough money and time to have my lovely house, be in grad school, and be able to do most things I want without worry; the kids I teach; my sweet boyfriend; all my wonderful friends; and so much more. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I doubt rather seriously that anyone in my viewing area actually needs the reminder, but just because I'd feel awfully silly if I didn't remind you and then you didn't vote, I'll participate in the general reminder moment... Please vote in tomorrow's US Midterm Elections - there are plenty of Congressional seats, governorships, local and state judges, and other important items on the ballots. Voting is your opportunity to know that you did the bare minimum to maintain the democratic country you value. Our country has many flaws, but you're only contributing to them if you don't educate yourself about the issues and the candidates and then exercise your right and responsibility to vote. If you don't vote, in my opinion, you're wrong. I'm so grateful to the people like Virginia Foster Durr (we're studying her in my grad school class), who helped eradicate the poll tax (ok, yes, I know that forms of the poll tax are trying to make their way back into the system in many places), which helped open the vote to more of the country, that I make it a point to vote and talk about the importance of voting with anyone who'll listen. So, thanks for listening. Now, go vote. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
My sweet boyfriend, knowing my penchant for all things Neil Gaiman (thanks to my good friend Cindy for that!), bought me Fragile Things almost hte moment it came out. The book is a collection of stories, poetry, and whatnot that I have to recommend incredibly highly -- but you have to be ready for things to be not what they seem and for the need to actually think as you read. I happen to love how he turns stories on their heads and always has a twist that you're not quite ready for. Of course, the difficulty for me in reviewing them is to show their brilliance so you'll go read them, without giving away any of the fun of reading them. First, I've got to say that I'm entranced by the cover (there's an image here), which is translucent white paper over a white cover with, well, fragile things on it, such as a butterfly, a snowflake, and a human heart. Notice how that last one sneaks up on you? What a perfect warning (or appetite whetting) for how Gaiman's stories sneak up on you. As a fan of his earlier work, American Gods, I started with the novella "Monarch of the Glen," which picks back up with Shadow, the main character of that novel. Shadow's been doing some travel and has ended up in middle-of-nowhere Scotland. As you might imagine if you've read American Gods, someone improbable asks Shadow to take a job as a, well, let's call it security enforcer. Except of course that the castle in which he's supposed to perform this task for a large party of very wealthy people isn't on any of the survey maps. Add to that a woman named Jennie who isn't what she seems and doesn't want Shadow to take this job, and we're already on the way to another scrunched up forehead, feverish reading moment. In "Sunbird," we get to meet the members of the Epicurean Club, including Augustus TwoFeathers McCoy (and his daughter Hollyberry NoFeathers McCoy), who ate and drank enough for many men; Professor Mandalay, who one was never quite sure was really there; Jackie Newhouse, a descendant of Casanova; Virginia Boote, a now-ruined beauty; and, of course, Zebediah T. Crawcrustle, the poorest member of the club, who'd been around since, well, nobody's quite sure. At the moment when the club is sure they've tried every food there is to try, from vulture, to beetle (although not quite every kind of beetle), to panda and mammoth, Crawcrustle suggests that grilled Sunbird hasn't been done in a long time, and they would definitely enjoy it. So, they make preparations to go catch and eat the Sunbird (one has to go to Cairo to do so, you know), but Crawcrustle may have left out one or two small details in how the whole process works. Don't miss Gaiman's take on the legend of Bluebeard in "The Hidden Chamber." One of my favorite types of book or story to read is one that takes a myth, legend, or tale that we all know, in one version, and goes farther or deeper with it. I think part of what I like is knowing some background - I like feeling intelligent after all -- but not reading exactly the same story over again. Gaiman is a master at this -- "Monarch of the Glen" does it in more ways than even the obvious one of the Norse legends that Shadow and his boss Wednesday arose from, "The Problem of Susan" and "Inventing Aladdin" do this in another way, and "The Hidden Chamber" takes yet another direction in re-imagining Bluebeard. Many of the stories are not brand new, although they've not been collected together before and you would have had to go far and wide to capture them all. One favorite example is "The Problem of Susan," which pays homage to, and deals with some difficult issues in, C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. I also enjoyed getting reacquainted with "A Study in Emerald," which combines Gaiman's sense of humor and the irrationality (as he puts it) of H.P. Lovecraft, with the utter rationality (again, Gaiman's sense) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. The story won a Hugo, which was quite enough recommendation for me, but also evokes a just slightly not our Victorian England in a way that made me think of the best of "Doctor Who" or Robert Heinlein. In any case, all the stories I've savored have been delicious and the Epicureans would've been coming back for seconds or thirds had this been on their plates. Enjoy. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
My friend Chris apparently put together a zombie crew for Halloween and ended up on the local news. Chris, been watching too much Shaun of the Dead or what?! Awesome - check out the video for zombie cheerleader, quarterback, and more! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link |
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