Bookin' Along

Obama's Report Card on Education Policy: D+

2012-01-24T21:33:00.006-06:00

During President Obama's State of the Union address, "An America Built to Last," I waited to hear when he would tackle education.

He began by mentioning the progress of CCSS, the Common Core State Standards:

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning - the first time that's happened in a generation.

I have teacher friends who varying opinions about CCSS. The rigor for math and English across the nation will increase with them, and writing will now be encouraged across the curriculum. These are worthy goals, but I am fearful that the true goal of CCSS is a national test, which will be used to grade and punish states around the nation. The truth is that we already have a reliable national test called NAEP, but millions of dollars are being used to develop tests on the CCSS.

President Obama quickly shifted to talking about the monetary impact a single teacher can make on a student's life:

We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance.

Until America addresses its poverty problem, we will continue to have problems in education. "Reformers" like Arne Duncan and Michelle Rhee will say that poverty should not be a contributing factor to the progress a student makes in education, but that's false. America has one of the highest rates of poverty in a developed nation. One great teacher in tenth grade is not going to save a student from a lifetime of problems associated with poverty. And the research that claims good teachers can make their students become richer is not credible in the least. And by not credible, I mean not peer reviewed.

I am forming a headache as I type this, so I will try to be briefer from here on out. Obama goes on to say that teachers do impact the lives of their students, which is nice, but then he says:

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn.

Bashing? Teachers get bashed for bad test scores, which are part of the No Child Left Behind / Race to the Top agenda. Obama's policy encourages teachers to be evaluated based on their students' test scores. This practice is bad, wrong, foul, foolish, etc. So when Obama says he wants to reward the "best ones," how will they be determined to be some of the best? By the test scores of their students. Principals also play a role in evaluating teachers, but as long as these testing mandates drive instruction and many teachers will not "stop teaching to the test." A school where teachers can "teach with creativity and passion" would not be burdened with all the guidelines and policies of Race to the Top.

Obama has a classic case of wanting to have his cake and eat it too. He can't tell teachers that he wants to give them flexibility and creativity while still enacting a program that punishes schools for low test results when many of those schools are dealing with students who come from impoverished backgrounds. The testing mania needs to stop before any more damage is done.

In other words, Mr. President, don't cry about spilled milk when you were the one who pushed the milk to the edge of the table.

And Then CBS News...

2012-01-05T18:29:00.005-06:00

In reading a CBS News article about a 15-year-old boy who brought a gun to school and was then shot by police, I was distracted by the following paragraph:

"He said he last saw his son around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, when the boy said goodbye before leaving to catch the bus to school. And he said nothing seemed amiss the night before when he, his wife and their son went out for nachos then went home and watched a movie."

That second sentence which starts with And was very clunky to me. I'm all for starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction when the time is right. This just wasn't one of those times. I had to read it twice before it made sense. Here's my revision, which eliminates the conjunction, changes a phrase, and adds a comma:

He said nothing seemed amiss the previous night when he, his wife, and their son went out for nachos, then went home and watched a movie.

Do you like my sentence better?

My Reading Life in 2011

2011-12-18T13:28:00.004-06:00

This is the year I read my first Stephen King. It was his first book published, Carrie (1974). I had seen the movie in high school, but I got to experience the story from so many angles in the book. Why did I wait until I was 28 to read a Stephen King? I don't have a good answer.

This is the year I finished Suzanne Collins' trilogy with Mockingjay (2011). My students were divided about the final book, and I was worried I would fall into the Disappointed camp. My fears were confirmed when I closed the book with anger and frustration.

This is the year The Book Whisperer (2009) changed my teaching life. Donalyn Miller's advice on how to turn my students into readers was insightful and practical. I brought my reading life to the forefront of the classroom, and I started all my classes with silent reading. In the spring 2011 semester, I read 7 books. I read BW over the summer. In this fall 2011 semester, I have read 28 books. What a difference!

This is the year I bought into the hype of The Help (2009) and was whisked away to a world I hardly knew about. The book was slow-going at times, but I loved the conversation it sparked between my mom and me. I discovered her family had a maid when she was young.

This is the year I listened to The Year We Left Home (2011) on audio. I was mesmerized by the storytelling, by the characters, by the command that Jean Thompson exercised over her language. I did not want it to end, but it had a perfect ending.

This is the year I devoured Kathryn Erskine's Mockingbird (2010). I ran out of church after the service, so I could hurry home and finish this children's book on the journey of Caitlin, a girl with Asperger's who is coming to terms with the loss of her brother. To top things off, I read this book aloud to my creative writing students, and then we Skyped with Kathy! She was gracious, funny, and smart. Our Skype session was my favorite part of this fall semester.

This is the year I read and re-read poems from Linda Pastan's Traveling Light (2011). Then through serendipitous events, I discovered she was speaking at a writers' conference in Tulsa. I bought a ticket immediately. Attending her session was a highlight of the year as well, as was getting a picture with her.

This is the year I discovered Carol Ann Duffy, one of my new favorite poets. Her collection Rapture (2005) is heartbreaking and wonderful. Everyone should read it. EVERYONE.

This is the year I stayed up past midnight to finish reading Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls (2011). I sobbed like a baby, and then I decided to read it aloud to my Pre-AP English II students. Three of my four hours were receptive. I still got choked up at the ending even when I knew what was coming.

This is the year I read Room by Emma Donoghue (2010). I was struck by the narrator, one of the most interesting creations I've read in a long time. This book knocked me over.

This is the year I re-read To Kill a Mockingbird (1963) for the nth time. I continue to find new insight and themes and motifs in this classic. I'm glad I get to teach it.

This is the year I finally read John Hersey's Hiroshima (1946/1985). I had resisted this novel, even though it was an option for my sophomores to read. I thought it would be too boring or too sad. I was partially right. The book is sad, but definitely not boring.

This is the year I read Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This (2011). I found lots of great ideas and resolved to become an even better teacher of writing.

What about you? What books did you read this year?

Mockingbird Tweets

2011-11-10T16:06:00.004-06:00

One of the options on the TKaM exam I gave my sophomore students was to write tweets from the point of view of two of the characters from the novel. My students produced some hilarious and insightful tweets that proved their knowledge and analysis of the novel. Enjoy these samples.

To Kill a Mockingbird Tweets
From sophomore students at Deer Creek High School (Edmond, OK)

Atticus Finch @I_See_Gray:
· What defines a man these days? Character or color? #WeAllKnowThatANSWER
· My children are remarkable. S/O to @Scout_Finch for keeping the peace.
· @Ms.Dubose Jem will be happy to read to you #sorryabouttheplants
· I am always a little up and to the left. Still got the job done though. #GoodShotForAnOldMan

Dill Harris @DillPickle:
· Dared @jemmyboy to run up and touch the Radley house #hestoochicken
· @Scout_F I love you! We are going to get married don’t worry I’ll come back for you. #wordscantevenexpressit
· I sure did give @jemmyboy, @Scout_F and @Ol’_lawyer a good surprise today. Ran away and snuck in (: @thatshowIroll
· I can read. I can write and I’ve washed a camel! @BeatThat

Arthur Radley @scissor_recluse48:
· @PoutScouty235 You’re welcome about the blanket. #payitforward
· What’s up with the kids at the school thinking my tree’s fruit is poision? #Goonkids #eatup
· Someone give me the deets on the trial! I wanna know if the world is ready 4 me again
· Totes just shanked @OleBobbyE after he attack two kids #whatapunk

Scout Finch @JLScout:
· Bout to go to school for the first day #nervous :/
· Feelin kinda risky today. @Jem_Finch, Lil_Dill, and I are gonna go mess with Boo Radley. #ThugLife
· What’s up with old women these days?? Tryna make me act like a lady. #SMH
· @Farmerboy_Cunningham must LOVE ruining food. Who puts syrup on their veggies??!! #smh..

Scout Finch @Scout_finch:
· #thewayiseeit we’re all people, so why don’t we all get treated equally? #peoplethesedays
· #thatawkwardmoment when your neighbor is a recluse and you have never seen him before #comeoutcomeoutwhereveryouare
· @QueenAlexandria I hate being treated like I’m stupid! I don’t want to act like a lady! I want [to] wear overalls and run around outside everyday! #tomboyproblems
· #thatawkwardmoment when you get in trouble for using bad language when your cousin is really the one who started it all. #stupiduncle #stuckupcousinproblems

Jem Finch @JemFinch:
· Just got done reading to a half dead person for 2 hours #mindnumbing
· Calpurnia’s lemonade sure hits the spot after playing all day #rubbingmybelly
· It sure is cold out in the open all exposed #notwearingpantsandlikingit
· Shout out to my home dog Boo for savin my life. #livininthehood
· Dill my man if you touch my sister ill beat the truth out of you #mysistermarriedmybestfriend

Scout Finch @ShoutyScouty:
· #yourecreepy RT @BooRad-est: Sitting in my house watching little kids pass by #ComeAndPlay #IHaveCandy
· I’m refusing to go to school. Why you might ask? #ImSmarterThanEveryone
· RT @DillPickle So happy to be married #OneSummerStrong
· Having a drunken fool slice open your ‘ham’ costume #HappyHalloween
· If you don’t like my overalls, I don’t like you. #TomBoyProblems
· I eat mysterious gum off of trees #SoGross #YetSoGood
· RT @KittyCalpurrrnia: Taking these kids to church #ThrowDownTime #StayOutOfMyWay
· My brother is such a crank pank #PubertyProblems
· I’ll never act like a girl #outcast #AgainstAuthority

Calpurnia @number1nanny:
· Glad @jem_finch is okay, it’s been a long night for the Finch family #relieved
· Sad to deliver the news to Mrs. Robinson #prayforher #RIPtom
· Proud of @scoutfinch8 for serving the ladies toady! #goodwork #taughtyouwell
· @jem_finch @scoutfinch8 Where are you two?! #comehome
· Still can’t believe you did that… RT @scoutfinch8: Sorry for being rude today @waltercunningham! #didntknowanybetter
· Lonely without @jem_finch and @scoutfinch8 running around! #backtoschool

New Poem

2011-09-03T18:49:00.002-05:00

The idea for this poem came to me while I was reading Billy Collins' newest collection. He mentioned his glasses at one point, and I thought about writing something about having LASIK eye surgery. The part about my mom is based on real life, but I had not thought of adding that to the poem until I was already composing it.

30/20

Now you have Superman vision,

the surgeon announced

after the surgery,

my eyes puffy and swollen

and covered with plastic discs

the size of lenses

I once wore in eighth grade

before converting to contacts,

the tiny parentheses

that made peripheral vision

possible. Now road signs,

movie screens, children’s faces

will always have razor sharp

focus, so why is it I think

of my mother on Christmas Eve

in the front seat of our car,

ooo-ing and ahhh-ing over bulbs

draped around trees and rooflines

as she removes her glasses,

sending the world from exactitude

to a messy swirl of light and color?

The Need for More Pages

2011-04-26T21:03:00.003-05:00

I sent this letter to Joyce earlier tonight. I hope the state department makes changes by next school year.

April 26, 2011

Dear Joyce DeFehr:

Imagine that you are a sixteen-year-old girl. Your handwriting is large but legible. You are taking the ACE English II writing test, and you reach the third and final page of the test packet. You are not allowed to write any more, even though you want to write one more body paragraph before your conclusion. You erase two lines and rewrite your sentences in tiny, cramped letters, hoping to pack in a few final details. You skip the body paragraph you wanted to write, and squeeze in two sentences as a conclusion. You wish you could have written more, but the directions say you cannot write below the final line. You close your test booklet, knowing you could have done better.

My students—like all sophomores in the state of Oklahoma—took the ACE English II writing test last week. All year long, I have had my students write a variety of genres. They have written quick writes in their notebooks. They have analyzed models of writing by professionals and my former students. They have revised and edited their drafts in groups. They have even shared their writing in front of the whole class. I did my part to take my students through the writing process with all five state-mandated modes of writing. My sophomores felt confident going into the “EOI.” They soon discovered one component beyond their control: a page limit.

State testing is not the time to go green. As I’m sure you know, students are only given two-and-a-half pages on the ACE English II writing test, compared to the six-and-a-half pages on the ACE English III writing test. (The page inequality even reaches down to the fifth and eighth grades, which each receive four-and-a-half pages for their state-mandated writing tests.) This hardly seems fair. The essay accounts for 9% of a student’s score on the ACE English II test, compared to 14% on the ACE English III test. Still, the English II and the English III essays are scored with the same rubric, which awards 30% of the score for ideas and development. How can students be expected to fully develop their ideas when they are given a limited space? Students are given unlimited time to write their essays. Surely they could be given an extra page or two. If paper is too costly, then steps should be taken, so students can write their essays on computers.

Incredibly, 40% of every public Oklahoma high school’s Academic Performance Index score is determined by ACE English II test scores. Shouldn’t a test that determines a school’s progress and performance allow students to succeed regardless of the size of their handwriting?

The day after the writing test, I asked my ninety English students, “How many of you would have written more had you been given more space?” Sixty-five of them raised their hands.

Sincerely,

Jason Stephenson

Oklahoma Writing Project Teacher Consult

Deer Creek High School, Teacher of the Year, 2008-2009

Rambling Autobiography

2011-02-03T20:18:00.001-06:00

I was born on Labor Day in 1982, the same year E.T. phoned home. My favorite cake is Italian cream, and my favorite pie is rhubarb. I played my mom’s dented cornet for eight years. In second grade, when my teacher Miss Rice read Charlotte’s Web aloud to my class, I knew I would read books for the rest of my life. I have never seen an illegal drug in person. My favorite Christmas gift was an expandable plastic tunnel. I have skied a black diamond run on accident and on purpose. My mom told me she had leukemia through a text message. On the last song of my high school prom, I danced with my crush, Beth. My favorite place on earth was the hay barn at my grandparents’ farm; a tornado destroyed it. I didn’t floss regularly until I was 28. In high school on Sundays, I wrote notes to my friends on the backs of offering envelopes while my dad preached. The smell of gasoline reminds me of lawn mowing. I once stole a butterscotch candy from a grocery store. After fifteen years since her death, I have begun to forget the sound of my Nannah’s laugh. The first video game I owned was Link’s Awakening for Gameboy. I believe the best sunsets in the world are here in Oklahoma. I don’t think I will ever move away from this state.

inspired by Linda Rief's rambling autobiography

Kite Runner Survey

2011-01-29T09:36:00.002-06:00

At my high school where I teach, parents have recently called the appropriateness of The Kite Runner, a novel in the sophomore curriculum, into question. While I did not experience any problems with my students or their parents, the other two English II teachers did. I decided to perform a survey to determine how my students felt about the novel. I wish I had used SurveyMonkey, which would have analyzed the results for me. But I figured taking the survey in the computer lab would take way too much class time, so I had to tabulate the results myself.

Without further ado, I present to you the results of the survey.

Kite Runner Student Survey Jan 2011

View more presentations from teacherman82.

Merit Pay Woes

2011-01-23T22:35:00.002-06:00

I wrote this persuasive essay as an example for my students.

Merit Pay Woes

Throughout my career as a student, I tested well. In elementary school, I received 99% on most categories on the annual achievement test. In high school, I got a 32 on the ACT. I paid attention in class, did my homework, and studied occasionally. Learning and testing were easy for me. My younger sister worked just as hard as me, perhaps harder. But while I had coasted through math, she struggled, spending two to three hours each night on homework problems she didn’t understand. During standardized tests, she worried about the time and second-guessed herself. Her highest ACT score? A 21. Some people are better test-takers than others, and that is just one of the reasons I believe merit-based teacher pay is a terrible idea.

In case you haven’t heard, some reformers in education want to tie teachers’ salaries and/or bonuses to how well their students perform on standardized tests. This practice is known as merit pay. The theory behind merit pay is that good teachers should be rewarded and bad teachers should be encouraged to leave the profession. (The thought is that bad teachers wouldn’t get paid as well, would get discouraged, and would quit teaching.) As the current pay system works, every teacher is paid the same for their years of service. But merit pay is hardly a solution. It’s actually more of a problem.

First off, not every subject has a standardized test. In fact, more teachers teach a class that is not tested than a class that is (Toch). The solution to this, say the reformers, is to write more tests. But test creation takes lots of time (and money), and some subjects like drama and athletics don’t lend themselves to standardized testing. Moreover, teachers don’t get to choose their students, let alone the exact classes that they teach. How can teachers be held accountable when so many variables are out of their control?

If merit pay were in place, some teachers would spend more time on test-taking strategies, rather than actual content instruction (Hulleman 28). This would lead to decreased learning, even though student test scores might still be high. I actually know of a teacher who did very little instruction throughout the year except for test preparation. This teacher’s students had higher scores on the end-of-the-year standardized test than students whose teachers had taught the required curriculum. This hardly seems fair. Moreover, the validity of some standardized tests is questionable (Ramirez 56). Basing teacher pay on a faulty test is like following MapQuest directions with a wrong destination. You can’t argue with correct data, but you can argue with wrong data. And who’s to say standardized tests are always fair and accurate?

Merit pay is not a new idea. It first surfaced at the start of the twentieth century, appeared again in the 1960s, and last emerged in the 80s (Johnson and Papay 49). At the end of all these movements, merit pay never took hold as a popular way to compensate teachers. In fact, merit pay is rarely used in any profession. Only around 3% of occupations feature a compensation system like merit pay (Clabaugh 17). Why would reformers want to adopt such an unpopular system?

Of course, teachers would like to get paid more. Instead of merit pay, though, they can take on extra duties at school for stipends beyond their regular paycheck. Plus, they can get a part-time job during the summer instead of lounging around for two months. My eighth grade math teacher had a very successful lawn care business, and some of my colleagues teach night classes at a local community college.

One of my biggest problems with merit pay is that it operates under the assumption that paying bad teachers less will encourage them to leave the profession. The real issue at hand is how those teachers gained tenure in the first place. If they are really so bad, why aren’t they being fired? Poor teachers shouldn’t be paid a few hundred dollars less than their colleagues. They should find another profession altogether.

Merit pay, in essence, places all the responsibility of student learning on the shoulders of teachers. Sure, they are the professional adults, but students should be responsible for their learning as well. Teachers can’t always help it if a student refuses to pay attention, to attend class, or to study. Would you want your paycheck depending on the test score of a student who only shows up half the time (Clabaugh 19)?

Finally, merit pay fails because schools don’t have the budgets to fund it. In this current economic crisis, schools are receiving less and less funding from state governments. Merit pay is simply impractical. Awarding additional money to the best teachers sounds nice, but that would mean finding a funding source. (Need I remind you how miserably State Question 744 failed, in part, because it did not have a funding source specified?) As Al Ramirez writes, “The timing couldn’t be worse to talk about bonus programs” (58).

Our current Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, supports merit pay based on testing data. He also has a daughter and son in elementary school (“Arne”). My hunch is that Claire and Ryan, much like my sister and me, won’t always score equally on standardized tests. My hope is that Arne will realize there’s a lot more to good teaching than how well a student bubbles in a form.

Works Cited

“Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education—Biography.” U.S. Department of Education, 16

Mar. 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2011.

Clabaugh, Gary K. “Teacher Merit Pay: Is It a Good Idea?” Educational Horizons 88.1 (2009):

16-20. ERIC. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.

Hulleman, Chris S. “Performance Pay and Teacher Motivation: Separating Myth from Reality.”

Phi Delta Kappan 91.8 (2010): 27-31. ERIC. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.

Johnson, Susan Moore and John P. Papay. “Merit Pay for a New Generation.” Educational

Leadership 67.8 (2010): 48-52. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Ramirez, Al. “Merit Pay Misfires.” Educational Leadership 68.4 (2010): 55-58. MasterFILE

Premier. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.

Toch, Thomas. “The perils of merit pay: linking teacher pay to performance can’t move forward

until resolution of questions regarding fairness, teacher evaluation, and the relationship of test scores to teaching quality.” Phi Delta Kappan 91.2 (2009): 99+. Gale Student Resources in Context. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.

Give A Goat (open your pockets, y'all)

2010-12-11T19:13:00.006-06:00

I bet you know that I am a teacher at Deer Creek High School in Edmond. You might even know that I am the DCHS Student Council sponsor. But you probably don’t know that DCHS Student Council has held an annual community-wide fundraiser for a charity for the past ten years. This week-long philanthropic week is called the Wonderful Week of Fundraising, or WWF.

The first WWF took place in 2001 in response to a Deer Creek High School teacher who died of cancer. The name WWF came from the World Wrestling Federation, which was the first year’s theme. Since 2001, DCHS has continued to raise money annually for worthy charities like Cavett Kids Foundation and Ally’s House. During WWF students have purchased shirts, attended assemblies, and participated in evening events like a dodge ball tournament and a black light dance. During WWF 2010, students raised $55,000 for the Spero Project, a year-old charity that aids refugees in Oklahoma City. This money jump-started their organization, allowing them to expand and continue their services. WWF 2011 is scheduled for March 2-9, 2011.

Student Council has selected the charity Give a Goat to be the WWF 2011 beneficiary. Give a Goat promotes and raises funds for livelihood projects in the Philippines, which help the poorest of the poor (mostly children) rise from poverty and malnutrition. To do this, Give a Goat supplies a poverty-stricken family in the Philippines with a free pregnant goat, which provides them with multiple streams of sustainable income. One goat gives everything from milk to fertilizer to marketable goods. In about three years one goat multiplies to over twenty, giving that family everything they need to thrive.

I invite you to give the gift of a free pregnant goat to a family in need. It only takes $50 to give a poor family a starter goat. $100 will provide a high-quality female goat. And $250 gives a high-grade breeding goat that will lift whole communities out of poverty. (Traditionally, a local charity has been selected as the WWF recipient. This is the first year we have chosen a global charity, but it is based out of Oklahoma City.)

Our goal this year for WWF 2011 is $75,000 which is a $20,000 jump from last year. To make this goal, we will need help from people like you. Any donation amount you make is very much appreciated. Thank you for your time, and I hope you will consider donating. All donations are tax-deductible, and since Give a Goat is a registered 401(3)c charity, you will receive a receipt.

**Please make checks payable to DCHS Student Council (Memo: WWF 2011) and mail them to Deer Creek High School, attn: Student Council, 6101 NW 206th, Edmond, OK 73012 by February 26, 2011. Make sure an address appears on the check, so a receipt can be mailed to you.**

Summer Reads

2010-08-14T22:03:00.004-05:00

This summer is already coming to a close, and, as usual, I did not read as many books as I had wanted. Still, I know that many students (and some teachers!) go the whole summer without hardly reading anything at all. I feel like I could have stepped up my game somewhat--like reading the other two books in the Millennium trilogy--but my reading history for summer 2010 is better than nothing.

One of my favorite books from the summer was the last one I read. Diane Ravitch's book on the perils of mandated-testing and charter schools was interesting, insightful, and ultimately hopeful. I wish all teachers would read her book.

Teague, Alexandra. Mortal Geography. © 2010. 87 pages. Poetry.
Mali, Taylor. What Learning Leaves. © 2002. 74 pages. Poetry.
Lowry, Lois. The Willoughbys. © 2008. 164 pages. Children’s Lit.
Goldberg, Bonni. Room to Write. © 1996. 201 pages. Professional.
Alexie, Sherman. Face. © 2009. 159 pages. Poetry.
Alexie, Sherman. One Stick Song. © 2000. 91 pages. Poetry.
Alexie, Sherman. First Indian on the Moon. © 1993.116 pages. Poetry.
Dahl, Roald. The Twits. © 1980. 76 pages. Children’s Lit.
Larsson, Stieg. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. © 2005 (2008, trans.). 465 pages. Mystery.
Dunn, Stephen. Everything Else in the World. © 2006. 91 pages. Poetry
Dunn, Stephen. Local Visitations. © 2003. 96 pages. Poetry.
Hudgins, Andrew. American Rendering: New and Selected Poems. © 2010. 148 pages. Poetry.
Alexie, Sherman. Old Shirts & New Skins. © 1993. 91 pages. Poetry & Short Fiction.
Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. © 1986. 180 pages. Professional: Writing Advice.
Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. © 2010. 242 pages. Professional.

Failure

2010-07-17T12:10:00.003-05:00

Back in January I made a resolution to read only the books I already owned. I confess that I broke my resolution a few months back in April. It all started innocently enough. I was cruising the Web, searching for the most recent winners of the Pulitzer prize for poetry. Natasha Trethewey, the 2007 poetry winner, was in Oklahoma City for conference which I was going to attend. She was billed as a Pulitzer-prize winning poet, so I wanted to know how recently she had won the award. Then I discovered a new poet, W. S. Merwin, who I had never heard of before. He had won the 2009 Pulitzer prize for poetry, and, on impulse, I purchased his book on Amazon before I knew what I had done.

Since then, I have bought other books online, mainly books of poetry by Andrew Hudgins, Stephen Dunn, and Sherman Alexie. I told myself that getting back on the Amazon wagon was okay because these books weren't available at my local library. But I just did a check on the catalog, and some of the books that I bought were available. In my defense, I like rereading books of poetry, so maybe it's okay I broke my resolution. :)

Can I tell you a secret? Part of the fun of buying a book on Amazon is getting it in the mail. Real mail is ten times better than email. I love opening the door to my mailbox and discovering a white rectangular package. What's even better is if I have purchased more than one book, and I'm not sure what's inside. It's like Christmas, any time of the year. Ha. But I have really tried to limit how many books I have purchased so far this year.

For instance, the book I'm currently reading--The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--comes from the library of the school where I teach.

My purchased books keep piling up, and now that another school year is only four weeks away, I'm realizing that I have barely made a dent in my collection. I will keep reading, though. How could I not?

Six Word Memoirs

2010-06-16T22:40:00.002-05:00

Red Shirts

2010-02-09T23:06:00.003-06:00

It's late, I have other things to do for school, but I'm writing this down: my fifth hour has turned into a tiny little culture with inside jokes and quirks and together-ness, and I love it and I know I'm doing something right. We write and read and discuss what makes writing pieces work and why racism still exists and on and on, but we also had a Snuggie day today and tomorrow for some odd reason, we've decided we're all going to wear a red shirt. I can't even really explain this choice, but it makes me happy that fifth hour is so bonded and gung-ho and willing to do all sorts of silly, funny, random, strange things. They feel comfortable and at home and relaxed in my room, so I know that we are on the right path.

I read what I want

2010-01-23T22:06:00.004-06:00

Mona cut my hair today. Not that we're on a first name basis--I never offered my name. I just read her Sport Clips name tag while we talked about books. Mona's friend gave her a book over a year ago for Christmas, and she still hasn't read it. In fact, it still has the bow on it.

I do the same thing. My 2008 Secret Santa gave me a mystery book called Down River. It sounded promising, but I have yet to read it. I always found other books I wanted to read first. Now that I'm in the midst of my reading resolution 2010 (see previous post), I may have time for Down River after all.

At work, I'm reading a book about differentiating instruction called Fair Isn't Always Equal. I plowed through a few chapters this evening, but it was hard, especially when a David Sedaris memoir was nearby. I knew I would enjoy the memoir, but I was just reading the educational book for information.

I think it's human nature to be selfish in reading choice. If someone forces me to read a book, I usually find another book to read instead. This somewhat applies to the classroom. If I gave total freedom to read whatever book, some students would eat it up. Others would be at a loss at what to read. Still others would not read at all. Thus, I assign a common novel for all my students. But why? What skills are they learning from it? Aren't a lot of them just Sparknoting it anyway? Couldn't I teach literary and reading skills with lots of different books?

Reading Resolution: 2010

2010-01-16T16:28:00.004-06:00

For the past couple of years, I have spent countless dollars on books that I have yet to read. This year, 2010, I resolve that I will not buy any books for myself until I read the ones that I already have--a number at the moment that hovers somewhere around 30.

This does not mean I can't check out books from the local library. I most recently finished reading The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance (a terrific memoir), and today I checked out Nurtureshock, which I have had on reserve for about a month.

Some of the books on my shelf I have begun and have never finished, like Reif Larsen's The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. Others, like Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, I have never even started.

So here's to a year of reading books that I already own or can borrow from a library. Sorry, Barnes & Noble.

Savage Chickens

2009-08-04T21:09:00.004-05:00

Have you heard of the website Savage Chickens? This daily web-comic features hilarious parodies of Shakespeare and references to other parts of English languages. The cartoonist, Doug Savage, draws his one-panel comics on a 3" x 3" yellow Post-It Notes! Today's comic is a nod to Mad Libs. Other comic subjects include zombies, psychology, and work apathy. Enjoy!

Sherman Alexie

2009-04-05T13:10:00.005-05:00

Sherman Alexie is a stud. After I read his young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I knew that I had to read more of his writing. I read his collection of short stories called The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, and now I'm reading his novel, Flight. Additionally, Alexie writes poetry and has written two screenplays. From what I have read of his writing, Alexie writes exclusively of the Native American experience. However, the themes he addresses in his literature are so universal than anyone can appreciate him. Later this year, he will come to UCO's campus, and I plan to attend his lecture.

Another reason I like Sherman Alexie:

Books on CD

2009-01-20T19:58:00.003-06:00

My friend Sarah told me over a year ago to read Water for Elephants, a novel set during the Great Depression on a traveling circus. I just finished the book and greatly enjoyed it for both its plot and characters, some of which included the vilest and most annoying antagonists I have ever encountered in my reading.

Anyhow, I listened to most of this book on CD. Unfortunately, many of the ten discs had unpredictable skips and stutters because of poor handling and scratches. The stutters always seemed to come at the most inopportune times. I was left in suspense, my anger building, as I traveled down the road. Not a good combination. Most of the time, however, the discs hummed along nicely, and the narrator performed very well. He had all kinds of voices--including lots of Southern twang, which got very annoying after a while.

I finally got to the tenth and final CD today, and the disc began to skip again. I couldn't take it, so when I was at the library, I got a copy of the book. The librarian commented that I had two copies of the novel, and I assured her that I knew that. I read the final chapters from the actual book and discovered that black-and-white photographs from circuses of the 1930s were peppered throughout the book. Something I would have never known by simply listening to the audio CD. Still, I feel that listening to a book on CD is a good use of time in the car, but I would only recommend it if the CD are unscratched and if you have a long road before you. I always seemed to come to a good part of the book right when it was time to turn off my SUV.

Attachment

2009-01-09T19:22:00.005-06:00

I am hopelessly attached to some of my students. For some, this school year marks our fourth year in education together. I had them as little seventh graders and now I have them as sophomores with driver's licenses. I have had the opportunity to watch them grow up, whether or not I had them every year as a student.

Today in class I couldn't help but beam with pride as I read some of my students' reflective essays. The prompt was from the annual essay contest for the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum. Students had to reflect on an occasion when they had to make an unpopular moral choice. I heard stories about saying no to drugs and alcohol. One girl described how she let an adult know about a rape that had happened--even though a friend had sworn her to secrecy. A simple story about turning in a lost wallet--with all its money still in tact--also moved me. And it wasn't just that these were good choices. It was that these were choices being made by my students. I was very, very proud of them.

Also, one of my favorite students told me today that he made a 30 on his ACT. Another reason for me to be proud. (I am definitely attached to him because he is one of two students who I have now had for four years in a row.) My first score on the ACT was also a 30, but that was when I was a junior in high school, but he is only a sophomore. I am excited to see what he does with his life.

A Look Back in Books

2009-01-02T11:18:00.007-06:00

In Fall 2005, I began recording every book that I read. I began by recording only the title of the book. A year later I added the genre of the book. Last year I began to include the author, year of publication, and number of pages. Below is my reading history for the year 2008. I have bolded and annotated some of my favorite titles.

SPRING 2008

McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. © 2005. 309 pages. Crime.

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. © 2007. 230 pages. CRF/Multicultural. (This book is Alexie's first foray into young adult literature. Arnold Spirit leaves his Indian reservation to attend the local all-white high school after he is kicked out from the rez school. Junior is a hilarious narrator of all the troubles he experiences.)

Wallace, Rich. One Good Punch. © 2007. 114 pages. CRF/Sports.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. © 1972, 2006. 115 pages. Memoir.
Bechdel, Allison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. © 2006. 232 pages. Memoir: Graphic Novel.
Quindlen, Anna. Loud and Clear. © 2004. 288 pages. Essays.
Kilmer-Purcell, Josh. I Am Not Myself These Days. © 2006. 305 pages. Memoir.
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Memories of my Melancholy Whores. © 2005. 115 pages. Literature.
Giles, Gail. Right Behind You. © 2007. 292 pages. YA Lit: CRF.
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. © 2007. 218 pages. Memoir.

McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes. © 1996. 351 pages. Memoir. (Frank McCourt had a horrible life in Ireland. His parents lived in America, but they moved back to their homeland when things got rough. Things were worse in Ireland. Frank has to deal with living in poverty with his family. His father drinks away their money. His mother holds the family together as best she can. And Frank is forced to grow up at an all too early age. Join in his struggles and triumphs.)

DeGeneres, Ellen. My Point…and I do have one. ©1995. 224 pages. Nonfiction/Essays.
Rivera, Tomás. …And the Earth did not Devour Him. © 1992. 69 pages. Mulitcultural Vignettes.
Hamid, Mohsin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. © 2007. 184 pages. CRF/Suspense.
Malamud, Bernard. The Natural. © 1952. 231 pages. Historical Fiction/Baseball.

Armstrong Kalesh, Mildred. Little Heathens: Hard Time and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm during the Great Depression. © 2007. 292 pages. Memoir. (Millie grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. If you like to learn about American history, why not try this memoir? The book is broken into small chapters, each about a different section of her life on the farm. Very fascinating.)

Cormier, Robert. I Am the Cheese. © 1977. 214 pages. CRF.
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. © 1970. 164 pages/6 CDs. Literature: African American.
Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. © 2004. 341 pages. Memoir/Graphic novel.
Furey, Leo. The Long Run. © 2004. 374 pages. Historical Fiction.
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. © 1955. 313 pages. Beat literature.

SUMMER 2008

Rothman, Rodney. Early Bird: a Memoir of Premature Retirement. © 2005. 237 pages. Memoir/Humor. (Rodney was a writer for The Late Show with David Letterman until he began writing for a sitcom on Fox called Undeclared. Then Undeclared got cancelled, and Rodney was without work. His solution? Retire early and move to a village in Florida. Rodney learns the ways of shuffleboard, illegal cats, and bingo. A hilarious romp with senior citizens narrated by a 20 something.)

Picoult, Jodi. Perfect Match. © 2002. 353 pages. Courtroom Drama.
Sedaris, David. When You Are Engulfed in Flames. © 2008. 323 pages. Nonfiction / Humorous Personal Essays.
Gallo, Donald, Ed. Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories. © 1993. 256 pages. YA Lit.
Allen, Janet. Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. © 2004. 32 pages. Nonfiction: Teaching.
Bradley, Alex / Jeremy Jackson. 24 Girls in 7 Days. © 2005. 265 pages. YA Lit: CRF.
McDaniel, Lurlene. Prey. © 2008. 196 pages. YA Lit: CRF.

Kittle, Penny. Write Beside Them. © 2008. 236 pages. Nonfiction: Teaching. (If I had to pick the most important book I read in 2008, this would be it. I read this book for inspiration on how to teach writing differently in my high school English classroom. I came away from this book with great ideas. I learned that I should model an example essay of every essay that I assign my students. This strategy revolutionized the way I teach. I even began an e-mail correspondence with Penny Kittle, who encouraged me and wrote me back.)

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. © 2001. 288 pages. Nonfiction: Expose.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. © 1600s. 100+pages. Literature.
Picoult, Jodi. Salem Falls. © 2001. 434 pages. Courtroom Drama.
Young, William P. The Shack. © 2007. 248 pages. Christian Fiction/Theology.
Pausch, Randy. The Last Lecture. © 2008. 206 pages. Nonfiction: Life Lessons.
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. © 2003. 343 pages. Memoir.

FALL 2008

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. © 2005. 550 pages. Historical Fiction / Holocaust Literature. (This is not just another Holocaust book. The narrator is Death. Yes, that's right. Death narrates the story of an orphan named Liesel whose family secretly hides a Jew. A top five book of 2008.)

Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. only about 50 pages. © 1965. (Sucky) Literature.
Ellis, Bret Easton. Less than Zero. © 1985. 208 pages. (Sucky) Literature.
Henkes, Kevin. Olive’s Ocean. © 2003. 217 pages. YA Lit: CRF.
Nava, Michael. Rag and Bone. © 2001. 289 pages. Mystery.

Shusterman, Neal. Unwind. © 2007. 335 pages. YA Lit: Science Fiction. (What would happen if parents could retroactively abort their children? As in, they're a worthless teenager, so we are going to donate all their parts to people who need them more. Come along for a wild ride with some teens who are being hunted down for their parts.)

Lee, Nelle Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. © 1963. 384 pages. Literary Excellence: Historical Fiction.

Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. © 2006. 218 pages. YA Lit: Historical Fiction. (This fable is another Holocast book. Bruno's father is in charge of Auschwitz, but young Bruno has no clue. He does know that he is lonely until he meets a boy of his age at the nearby fence. A very fast read.)

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. © 2005. 498 pages. YA Lit: Vampires / Chick Lit.
Crosley, Sloane. I Was Told There’d Be Cake. © 2008. 228 pages. Humorous Essays.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. © 2003. 371 pages. Ethnic Literature. (I added this novel to the sophomore curicculum, thinking that students would actually read it. Boy, was I right. The students had great reactions to this novel, which is set in Afghanistan. Amir grew up living a privileged life in the 1970s, but he holds a dark secret. Years later after 9/11, he journeys back to Afghanistan to right his wrong. Is redemption possible?)

Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Pest. © 1968. 192 pages. Kid Lit.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Brave. © 1975. 190 pages. Kid Lit.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona and her Father. © 1975, 1977. 186 pages. Kid Lit.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona and her Mother. © 1979. 208 pages. Kid Lit.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona Quimby, Age 8. © 1981. 190 pages. Kid Lit.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona’s World. © 1999. 192 pages. Kid Lit.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona Forever. © 1984. 191 pages. Kid Lit.
Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why. © 2008. 288 pages. YA Lit: Contemporary Realistic Fiction.
Rowling, J.K. The Tales of Beedle the Bard. © 2008. 128 pages. YA Lit: Fantasy short stories.
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of Wimpy Kid: a novel in cartoons. © 2007. 217 pages. YA Lit: CRF.
Hautman, Pete. Sweet-blood. © 2003. 242 pages. YA Lit: CRF/Vampires.

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2008

Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. © 1993, 2005. 242 pages. Literature: Native American. (I began and ended my year of reading with Sherman Alexie, one of my newest favorite authors. This collection of short stories features a wide cast of Indians on a reservation in the Northwest. The kicker: Alexie wrote almost all of these stories when he was in his twenties.)

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Notes from the Midnight Driver. © 2006. 265 pages. YA Lit: CRF.

Vowell, Sarah. The Wordy Shipmates. © 2008. 248 pages. Nonfiction: American history. (Do the names Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, or John Winthrop ring a bell? They were some of the earliest settlers in America, but I never got a detailed look at their lives until I read this book. Their legacy of "helping those less fortunate" is still alive and well in America.)

I Wanna Read What I Want

2008-12-15T21:20:00.002-06:00

I am convinced that student choice belongs in my classroom. At the college level, no. At the high school level, yes. Is it so terrible that I just want my students to read?

One of my strongest students admitted today that he has not completely read any of the novels from this semester. Of course, I took this comment personally, which is silly. That student probably would not finish a book, even if he were given the choice.

But I gave an online anonymous survey today, and across the board, students agreed that the way to improve my class would be to add more student choice in the books that they read. I find this surprisingly because English teachers rarely do this in high school, yet I gave two "free" reading assignments this semester. And they still want more!

Ramona

2008-11-30T17:21:00.001-06:00

My students' persuasive essays had waited a month, and they were going to be graded over Thanksgiving Break. When I packed everything to take to Mom and Dad's, I also included a box of essays. I didn't start grading until Friday. I set small goals for myself and accomplished a lot. I also needed a reward to bribe myself to keep grading: reading. That's right. I bribed myself with the chance to read a chapter from a hilarious book after I had graded two or three essays. The chapters never lasted long enough. My books of choice? The Ramona Quimby series.

In my last post, I wondered why people would want to re-read a series (or just a book in general), but now I am eating my words! I had so much fun reading the Ramona series. In the span of three days, I read the six books that I owned of the series. Once I finished grading my allotted essays for the day, I feverishly read another Ramona book. I even read part of one while I watched the Bedlam game!

If you aren't familiar with Ramona, let me bring you up to speed. Ramona is a creative, thoughtful, determined, and sometimes defiant little girl who lives with her dad, mom, and all-too-perfect older sister in Oregon. Ramona invariably gets into trouble at home or school and must suffer the consequences. She can't stand it when her friend Howie remains calm because she likes people to be excited. She does not like goody-goodies and demands accuracy from all people.

The series begins when Ramona starts school in kindergarten. Ramona always wants her teachers to like her and has a great amount of respect for them. Perhaps I subconsciously remembered this when I chose to become a teacher. I knew I would have the love and respect of younger people. Ha! Probably not, but it's a funny thought. Anyway, the books blaze by quickly, so you should check one out from your local library.

"Required" Novels

2008-11-25T17:44:00.000-06:00

Do you like being told what to do? For me, it depends. Most teenagers, though, don't like to be bossed. That's why you have to order them around in nice, creative ways. Ha! :)

I'm thinking about this subject because one of my students in Reading for Fun talked about this today. He said, "I actually like the books that we are required to read in English class. But just knowing that I'm being forced to read a book makes me not want to read it. I know I can still pass the test--even if I don't read it."

"Oh yeah," a female student chimed in. "I made a 100 on The Life of Pi quiz, and I haven't even read it yet."

"And I easily passed the test on The Scarlet Letter," the male student continued.

I found this information to be fascinating. "So you'd rather be reading a book of your own choice?" I asked them. The students agreed with me quickly.

This makes me want to experiment in my English class. What if I tossed out all the "required" novels and simply asked students to read ten books of their own choice in one semester? I could have the students do a creative project with each book to show that they had read it. We could get our literature analysis through short stories that we read in class. There's actually precedence for this. An English teacher from Arkansas wrote about doing this assignment with her students in the most recent issue of English Journal.

What do you think? Do students need to be "forced" to read the classics or "literary" n0vels?

Second Time Around

2008-11-22T10:51:00.000-06:00

Do you ever make time to reread a book? I hardly do. There are so many good books to read that I feel rereading a book is usually a waste of time. It blows my mind that my high school students sometimes reread the Harry Potter series. I'm all for students reading for fun, so I don't stop them from going back to Hogwarts. But rereading a series indicates to me that a reader is immature. Why not try something new?

All the same, I recently reread The Kite Runner because I was teaching it for the first time to my sophomores. I had read Kite Runner while I was in college, but I could not remember all the details, thus the reread. I added this acclaimed novel to the curriculum this year after I cut out The Natural. I don't like to use pre-made quizzes and tests. I write my own. Plus, I wanted to lead discussion on the novel based on my own reading experience, and not on an online summary.

I know some English teachers do not reread a novel each time that they teach it. They just reuse their notes from the past, which is understandable. Not every teacher has time to reread a book year after year. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my second go round with this novel. I picked up on the foreshadowing this time--there was a lot of it--and I understood the characters better. There was even one small part of the plot that my students explained to me during discussion that I had never understood before!

What novel(s) do you like to reread?

Twilight

2008-11-11T17:33:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of Twilight? It's a teen book series about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. Twilight, the first book in the series, was published in 2005, and now it will release as a movie in about two weeks. There's a lot of buzz about this movie, so I hope that fans are not disappointed.

Except that they all will be in at least one aspect.

You see, the author, Stephenie Meyer, describes the heroic, hunky vampire Edward as so perfect that no human could realistically portray him. This was my biggest beef with the book: Edward's perfection. I got tired of hearing about his alabaster skin, his tight muscles, his copper hair, his amber eyes. Edward's god-like body (Stephenie's words--not mine) was mentioned a lot. Probably 70% of the book is comprised of a description of Edward's body or Bella's reaction (fainting, staring, lusting, etc.) to it. Not much action or suspense going on.

I have other issues with this book as well, but I will not bore you with them. I read Twilight because so many of my students were reading it, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, I jumped on the Harry Potter train, and I was soon thrilled to be riding the Hogwarts Express. However, I am jumping off the Twilight bandwagon. The series, for me, will remain unread.

Twilight rating: 4/10

Miss Allford's Class

2008-10-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

I am currently re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I don't always have time to read what I have assigned my students to read. After all, I've already read all the novels that I'm teaching this year. I do think it's good to re-read a novel you're teaching, though, if time allows.

I am a little more than 2/3 of the way finished with Mockingbird, and Tom Robinson has just been found guilty. I'm trying to remember how I felt when I first read this book in high school in Mrs. Allford's English III class. Did I really expect Tom to be found innocent? I'm a pretty optimistic guy--I get that from my dad, but I'm pretty sure I realized that Tom was going to be found guilty, despite all the evidence. I think at this point in the novel during my first read-through, I was wondering what could happen next. It seemed that the major plot was over with.

A side note: I still remember Mrs. Allford telling us that Tim Johnson, the crazy, rabid dog in the novel was a symbol of Maycomb's racial tension. I don't know why that has stuck with me, but it has. It makes me wonder what my students will remember about me. How I act, or what I say. Mrs. Allford had a favorite saying, which was, "Fake it 'til you make it." Ha. I can't say that's the best advice I've ever heard, but I sure liked it when I heard. Maybe I should develop some catchy phrases for my students.

Anywho, I really like how the Boo Radley and Tom Robinson plot lines come together at the end of the novel, just like a good Seinfeld episode. Ha!

Ruined Surprise

2008-10-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

This school year I have written every essay that I have assigned my English students. Just as a sort of "I-did-it-so-you-can-do-it-to" credibility thing. I think it's gone over very well, and the end result for me has been rewarding. I had forgotten what it was like to write for fun. I really enjoy the writing process, and narrative writing is one of my favorite kinds of writing, which, coincidentally, was our first essay to tackle this year.

I wrote one essay about my grandparent's farm and all the memories connected to it. These mainly involve my sister and my cousins and all our crazy adventures, which include: crazy billiards, leeches from the creek, forming a chain and grabbing a hot wire fence, and my foolish choice to jump up and down on a pseudo-frozen pond.

I was so pleased with how this essay turned out that I decided I would give it to my grandma (Ma-ma, if you must know her "real" name) for Christmas. Today, my parents and I visited Ma-ma down in Hobart. We were down there because Dad is preaching a revival at the church where he grew up.

While we were visiting, we were talking about school. I told Ma-ma that I was writing example essays for my English students.

Then Mom opened her mouth.

She asked, "Did you ever get to read that essay about the cousins?" She turned to me. "Now, where were you showing that essay before?" (I had shown this essay to one of my cousins at a wedding earlier this month.)

Ma-ma looked confused. "No, I haven't," she said.

I decided not to make a scene. "Well, Ma-ma, I'll have to bring that essay and show it to you at Thanksgiving," I said nonchalantly, hoping that she would forget between now and Christmas.

Meanwhile, my dad was in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen where he was getting a cup of coffee. He started to chuckle because he realized Mom had ruined the surprise.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Nothing," Dad smirked.

Mom and I had a good laugh on way out of Hobart. The good thing about this situation is that I get to hold this over her head for a couple weeks.

Told any more secrets today, Nancy?

Empathy

2008-09-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

Taking master's classes helps me relate to my own high school students so much more. I'm still not that far removed from the classroom; I'm only ten years older than my students. I can remember plenty from high school: classes, assignments, tests, group work (shudder), etc.

But since I am currently both a teacher and a student, I have a lot more empathy for my students. I have assigned reading just like them. I have essays to write. I have projects to complete by a certain deadline. And it's fun to share this with my students. I tell them that over the weekend, I have work to do on my UCO class, so their essays won't all be graded. They commiserate with me: "Oh, how long does it have to be?" "What do you have to write about?" A few students are less kind: "Ha! Now you know what we feel like."

This week's assigned book in my American Fiction since World War II class, Fear of Flying, has been very difficult for me to read. I just don't like it. The narrator is annoying. When she is not going off on wild, seemingly pointless tangents, she is describing her sexual encounters / fantasies / desires. I used to be a prude, but I got over that in college. However, the narrator uses so many foul words related to sex, I have become so offended that I am feeling like the church lady. I just don't see the point or value in this book. So Isadora Wing is a feminist and wants to have sex with whoever she wants. Okay. Fine. But don't go on and on for 400 pages about that (plus all the other tangents).

So when my students tell me that they don't like a book, I will seriously consider their opinions. Life is too short to read bad books. Granted, some students are always going to complain because they like to whine or they are lazy. However, some students are being truthful when they tell me how much they DON'T like a book. In fact, last year, so many of my sophomores disliked The Secret Life of Bees and The Natural that I decided to cut them. Besides, the literature during sophomore year at DCHS is supposed to focus on multi-cultural literature anyway, and both of those books are written by Americans and are set in America. I replaced those two books with The Kite Runner and an assignment in which students select their own book.

Unlike Isadora Wing, I don't have a fear of flying. I do have a fear of losing empathy for my students.

Book Club

2008-07-29T23:08:00.000-05:00

I started a teacher book club at Deer Creek HS in spring '08. I enjoyed discussing books with my friends in college, so this was a natural step. I like discussing novels with my students as well, but I also like to bond with my peers over a good book. Our membership is quite low, but I'm not complaining. The people in the book club are all great. And all women--besides me--I might add. So far, we've read four books together: A Long Way Gone, The Long Run, Early Bird, and Salem Falls. Our next selection is The Last Lecture, which we will advertise when the school year starts. Maybe we can get a few more members. Any male readers out there?

I want my students to know that, as their English teacher, I still enjoy reading. I still enjoying devouring a good book. For the sheer fun of it. Case in point: I stayed up past 2 a.m. last Saturday night finishing the final pages of Salem Falls. I couldn't put it down. I felt like an elementary student all over again--when I was finishing another Romona Quimby adventure or Boxcar Children mystery. There was no stopping the turning of those pages.

Does reading keep me young? No, I can't say that. But it does keep me plugged into life, the world, and the human race. Students, I hope, can tell the difference between a teacher who reads for pleasure and one who does not.

Reading Rant

2008-06-22T16:10:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've had a taste of my own medicine. I am supposed to read a book, and I don't want to. I promised a student at the end of the school year that I would read one of British novelist Terry Pratchett's hilarious fantasy books, The Colo(u)r of Magic. And here it is, middle of June, and I have yet to finish it. That's not to say I haven't read any books at all--because I have. It's just that when I pick up The Color of Magic, I know that I am going to be bored. I don't care about the magical land of Ankh-Morpork. (If that's even how you spell it "correctly." I don't even care enough to get out of my chair to get the book to double-check the spelling.) I don't care about the characters. It's only sporadically humorous. My time would be better spent taking my dog for a walk. But I promised my student I would read it, so I'm trudging through it.

I do the same thing to my students, though. I tell them that they must read a novel on which they will be quizzed and tested, and they sometimes comply. They read out of a sense of "have to," not "want to." Usually, some students grumble and complain, even if it's a book that I think is great. But I want to read CoM, so I can tell my students that I've read a book I didn't enjoy. How silly is that, though, really?

Shouldn't students be allowed to read what they want to read? Who can they complain to if they don't like the novel that THEY have selected? Usually, students read faster when it is a book they have a vested interest in. Students need to be reading, and that's exactly what they will be doing in my English class this coming fall. Aside from the required novels, I will provide opportunities for students to read books of their own choosing. And I will provide daily class time for silent reading. How I spend my time in the classroom demonstrates what is important to me. Teachers can say reading is important, but if they never model it for their students and if they never provide time in class, when will high school students rediscover the joy of reading?

I also expect my students to constantly be reading outside of class. And text messages don't count. I think 30 minutes each school night is reasonable. Just turn off MTV or VH1 for one episode.

Now, I've procrastinated enough for today. I need to take my dog for a walk. And then I need to read a book. Maybe one that I actually want to read.

Hyperlink example

2008-05-11T17:08:00.000-05:00

In her novel The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison argues that each race should be satisfied with its physical features. Through the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young African American girl, Morrison raises the problem of racial self-hatred. Pecola innocently believes that she could be considered attractive, if only she had blue eyes. Morrison writes, “It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that …if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different” (35). Although Pecola is physically ugly, the only thing that Morrison finds repulsive with Pecola is her desire to obtain the eyes of a white girl.

Summer Assignment

2008-04-07T22:09:00.001-05:00

My summer assignment for Pre-Ap English II has changed over a couple months. Initially, I planned to use Lord of the Flies as the required summer text, but I changed my mind so students could have more freedom in what they chose to read during the sweltering months of June and July. Don't worry, we will study Lord of the Flies, but it will be during the school year. Since students are so literature in technology, I decided that blogging would be a great way to talk about literature. In fact, my goal is to continue the use of blogs throughout the 2008-2009 school year. This educational adventure contains challenges, but I believe that the benefits will be outstanding.

Holiday Reading

2007-12-28T13:26:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the books I feel like I need to read. As an English teacher, I am constantly reading, but I feel that it's never enough. I have read three books so far this break: I Hate Other People's Kids, Make Lemonade, and Farewell to Manzanar.

I am halfway through another book, which is much longer called The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Mrs. Simonton let me borrow this book...back in September or October! I have had it for that long, so it is my goal to finish it during break.

However, my sister gave me two books for Christmas, and I also want to read them. One is the newest book by S.E. Hinton (author of The Outsiders) called Hawkes Harbor and the other is a biography of Charles Schulz (creator of the Peanuts comic strip). Good luck on all your reading goals.

What have you read over the break?