Back in the Salad Again

My school has a distinctive smell. I know the smell. It is the “school without kids in it yet” scent. It is the anticipation smell. It is the smell of possibility. I love going to school in the weeks before students arrive. I photocopy and decorate my classrooms. I get all the things I have packed away and pull them out again.

There are sad moments as well, as I realize that I won’t have last year’s groups. I miss them. I am delighted when familiar faces appear in the halls, and when new faces become familiar.

Getting ready to go back to school may be one of the most difficult transitions of the year. But transitions are one of the things that make being a teacher so joyful. Teaching is about working with people over time. Teaching is about change and embraces the transitions. We go. We go back. And each time we go back, we are all in a different place. Each time I enter my classroom, there are different children. Even day-to-day, my students grow, change, and develop. It is a beautiful and wonderful process.

It has been a good summer, and I have loved almost every minute of it. I am almost ready to return, and I am getting myself there. Recently, I got a glimpse of my class lists. Many of the kids I know. Many I know somewhat. Most I don’t know at all. I am excited to get to know them well. I am eager to learn with them.

New students and new things to study! I have rarely taught the same course for more than a few years in a row. It doesn’t matter much, because my lessons are never the same. In order to keep up with the kids, the lessons must change, too. Each summer I fuss with my curriculum. This summer, I gave one of my classes quite an overhaul. It is very different than it was last year. While there are texts I have taught for many years, they turn out very differently with each group of students. When I meet a class, I learn about them as individuals and a group. Even different sections of the same course end up with different lessons. They must! I need to tailor the course to the kids.

A few years ago, I was given a Freshman English class that was all male. No girls. I made a few adjustments in the texts (For example, I had been teaching A Midsummer’s Nights Dream; I went back to Romeo and Juliet), and then many adaptations to activities and lesson structures. The group needed more small group work, more physical movement, and this group loved reading aloud and enacting literature. So that’s what we did.

And once I get to know the kids, I can help them grow in new directions. Neither their strengths nor their struggles should be their prisons. I try to help students understand their current skill level and then teach them how to improve (or develop) those skills.

It is wonderful to reconnect with my colleagues. I have seen a few of them over the summer at workshops and meetings as well as at social events. Being away from each other for a little while lets me see them anew. There are new things to share: an engagement, a pregnancy, a new degree, a new home, and, of course, a new school year.

It is all thrown together: new kids, new tales, old colleagues with new news, updated curriculum, and all the energy and activity of the start of school. To twist the old Roy Rogers song, “I’m back in the salad again,” – and delighted to be there!

A Warning to College Profs from a High School Teacher

Educational reform has run amok in the United States. Our current education “programs” are destroying our children’s learning. This article articulates this beautifully. Please take a look:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/09/a-warning-to-college-profs-from-a-high-school-teacher/

The College Journey Continues: A Partially Empty Nest

The house is quiet. My daughter is at college. My son is at camp. We have quick visits with my daughter on special weekends and winter break. Since she is doing college in three years, she does not come home for the summer. We have video chats, text messages, emails, and phone calls a few times a week. Soon, she leaves for Africa. My son lives here, but increasingly has his own schedule that depends less and less on his parents. Right now he, too, is away. Even when he is home, he only one wing in the nest.

I am adjusting to how much I see, or don’t see, my children. It is the right amount, but it is not what I would choose. I am fighting the over-parenting impulse. It isn’t easy.  

My busy life is distracting, and I have my own activities. Most of the time, I do not focus on the fact that my daughter is far away. Yet, she is on my mind. Frequently. When I see the blur that is my son, I must resist the urge to reach out and stop him!

My friends whose children have left the house say that, although they too missed their children initially, they came to really enjoy their empty nest. I am not there yet. I am delighted that my younger child still has a few years before college. And maybe I can’t fully appreciate the quiet with a child still living at home. Maybe I don’t want to.  

I am becoming a long distance parent. I am learning to hug via FaceTime. I am figuring out what it means to send a pithy text message with an emoticon to convey my feelings.

I will not keep my children dependent and sheltered. I do not want them to remain “children.”  However, I do want them to remain. This is really about our changing roles. This is about accepting and embracing my new role when I have been so comfortable and happy in the old one.

And this is about letting go. Having loved ones far away is challenging. I liked our relationship when the kids were younger. It didn’t need fixing or “time off.” I am still mourning that relationship, and working on liking the new version. It is where the relationship must go next to stay healthy. I know that. I am just not there yet.

That is what I keep telling myself. This is the right move. This is good for them. This is the natural way. I know this is only partially true. Many kids go to college closer to home. Some separate regardless of physical distance. Some stay very close (sometimes too close) when they are even farther away.

And my children are capable! They can handle problems without me. They do not need their father to rush to their rescue. I am not their only resource for assistance, and they are good at coming to me (or other people) when they need help.

As I face the reality of my children making their own “nests” and living a majority of their lives apart from me, I am living a kind of adolescence. My daughter is not a full-fledged adult out of the house. My son will soon have his driver’s license and need my help even less. But I have not full launched them into the world. This is a trial period; a training time. We are all learning and figuring out how this works. I hope we’ll get the hang of it by the time the nest is really empty and our younger child departs for college.

Winning Plays

I am not a sports person. As a child, my athletic experiences were painful, humiliating, and drenched in sweat. However, I married a coach and an athlete and, unsurprisingly, our children have been involved in performing arts and athletics. When my younger child was waffling about soccer, I even became a coach for a few seasons.

There is a stark difference in the quality of my children’s experiences in theatre and sports. With few exceptions, my children’s experience on high school teams has been uneven and often frustrating and painful. They have loved their time working on plays and musicals. The key difference is the adults in charge. Whether it is a play, music ensemble, or athletic team, there are a few critical strategies that “coaches” can take so it is a healthy and positive experience for all kids.  

Be inclusive: The kids in the theatre are molded into a company. Every student has a job and is actively involved - even if a stagehand only places a prop or a “spear carrier” says only, “dinner is served.” If a student is chosen to be on the team, that student must do more than practice. While I have some qualms with the value, I understand that, at the varsity level, high school sports are about winning. For other levels, inclusion, the development of skills, and time on the field must be valued at least as much as victory. 

Build community: The track team at our school is remarkably close. Kids in theatre productions make new friends that extend beyond the boundaries of the show. There is a reason for this. The adults in charge help kids develop deep and meaningful relationships with each other. To them, kids are far more than chess pieces in a game. They create experiences in rehearsal and practice that allow kids to go beyond the superficial and break down “clique” barriers. That has never happened for my children on their teams and has been a consistent high spot in their experiences on stage.

Treat kids with respect and caring: Both of my kids believed that their coaches didn’t really care about them. With only one exception, my children neither liked their coaches nor thought that their coaches liked them. Their relationship was strictly business. In one case, my child feared her coach. My children cherish their relationships with the adults in theatre. Community is built on relationships. In theatre, kids get the message that their participation matters. The technical director and stage director get to know kids. They learn who they are beyond the show. This takes time, but more importantly, it takes adults who really want to connect deeply with kids. I know there are coaches, sponsors, and directors who fit this mold. 

Strike a balance between the needs of the individual and needs of the group: “There is no I in team.” There is no “I” in theatre either. The fact is that kids are individuals. They are not robots who subsume themselves in the collective. They are part of a team (or company), but they are also multidimensional people. They have families, other interests, and unique qualities. It pains me that my children had to sign up for special lessons and participate in club sports to be able to make the cut for teams. Many of my children’s teammates do nothing other than one or two sports. Specialization is what is required to compete. This is sad. I want my children to play sports. I also want them to play musical instruments, participate in clubs, go to youth group, and explore many activities.

Foster kids’ success: As a teacher, I work hard to help every student succeed. Every child in a production has a role to play. My children have been frustrated in sports because they did not have the opportunity to succeed. Furthermore, they didn’t feel like the coach was their ally. The coach was a critic, who more often than not gave them a thumbs down.

Our theatre program has a motto: The most important thing is how we treat each other. Can we treat kids in a more humane and caring way? Can inclusion and the development of skills sit side by side with competition? Winning means more than scoring: it is about the quality of kids’ experiences.

Summer Guilt

“So what are you doing this summer?”

I am asked this question daily. I didn’t choose to be a teacher for summer break, but it is a wonderful benefit. When people ask me what I am doing, I often feel my answers don’t measure up.

I have my stock responses: I do about 80% of my lesson planning over the summer. I take workshops and classes. My wife and I travel. I spend a great deal of time schlepping my children and going to their activities and sports. We have quality family time. Yet, that doesn’t feel like enough. I do that during the school year.

I should say something like, “I am building homes for the poor, writing a book about literacy, running two marathons, reroofing my home, and teaching summer school to disadvantaged students – and that’s only July!” I feel guilty that my summer is not justified with productive and generous activities.

The truth is I like summer because it is not overstuffed and moves at a leisurely pace. It is the opposite of the rest of my year. Instead of the frantic early morning rush, I savor the slow slide from morning wake up to workout. I love making and enjoying breakfast rather than rushing through it. I get to say, “yes” to social engagements, special events, and last minute jaunts. My summer is not frenzied like the rest of my year, like the rest of my life!

So now I feel even guiltier. Not only do I get summer break, it is enjoyable and relaxed! I think, “others get a few weeks of vacation, and I get a whole summer.” That isn’t fair. Everyone should get to enjoy this kind of change of pace.

There are the stock rationalizations: my job as a teacher is different than other professions, but we know the truth about that. Everyone’s job has stress from clients and bosses, homework, legislative demands, non-air-conditioned work places, underfunded budgets, and restless teenagers (and their parents). Every job has its unique challenges and perks. We’re all in the same classroom –right?

I am a parent as well as a teacher. As a parent, summer is a joyous gift! I get to go full time with my family. I have the time to sit through long baseball games (and not grade quizzes at the same time), bring kids off to the pool, or take time to do whatever my children want. My kids and I share this calendar, and that may be my favorite thing about summer.

So how do I alleviate my summer guilt? I make long lists and do everything on them. All those home task, special projects, and school tasks that didn’t fit into the regular year finally find have my attention. Summer for me is not totally free – but unlike the rest of the year, I am in control of my schedule.

Summer is my crazy profession’s antidote. Maybe someday, we’ll find a way to make both teachers’ and students’ lives more balanced throughout the year. We won’t have the summer binge and the  school-year purge. I wouldn’t bet your vacation on that happening soon.

Someday, I’d like to take the summer off completely. I’d like to have a summer free from lesson planning, workshops, and schoolwork. One summer, I’d like to lose my to-do list. But that has another name: retirement. And my retirement is not that far away. Then I will really feel guilty!  

INTO DARKNESS is STAR TREK Lite

“Thy love did read by rote and could not spell.” – Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

I have seen the new Star Trek movie, Into Darkness three times. I continue to enjoy it, and it continues to bother me. While the movie makes strong and important statements, and clearly captures the Star Trek characters and their relationships, it also baffles both the neophyte and long time Trekker with problems and inconsistencies. As with the prior film, it sacrifices substance for spectacle. Most of all, it reveals that its creators care more about the trappings of Star Trek than about what makes Trek meaningful.

Spoiler warning: the discussion that follows assumes you either have seen the movie or do not care if important elements are revealed.

The commentary on September 11^th and the statement that we must be true to our ideals seem like  good starts.  The “darkness” that our characters encounter is the journey into the woods bringing maturity, responsibility, and character. The conflict between warriors and explorers in Starfleet is a concept that could have had more airtime in earlier stories. These themes are worthy of Trek.

Unfortunately, they are thin icing on the cake. They are not important elements of the film. The problems are clear from the first moments of the movie. Why hide a starship underwater when keeping it in space keeps it out of sight more effectively? If Spock can be beamed out of an erupting volcano, why can’t the device to stop the volcano be beamed in? Most importantly, why are our characters interfering with a developing culture? While the original series broke this rule several times, it always did so as a means of exploring a significant issue. There is no issue here. There is no reason to break the Federations’ most important law. The characters give lip service to the problem, but there is no substantive exploration at all. The starship rising from the water and the fiery volcano are the focus.

Not only does Kirk not value the prime directive, he lies about his actions in his report, and believes that he will get chosen for a special mission because he is the captain of the fanciest ship. If we are trying to establish Kirk as an immature and cocky copy of Han Solo, it works. But that isn’t Kirk and that isn’t Starfleet. It doesn’t make sense.

Admiral Pike’s anger at Kirk rings true. The smug response from Kirk and Spock is humorous because it does not. Kirk’s quick return to a powerful position shows that Starfleet doesn’t take the Prime Directive seriously either. Even with a warmongering Dick Cheney-like admiral at the helm, it is difficult to swallow.

Then there is Kahn. Like “red matter” in the prior film, Kahn’s blood is a plot device. However, it is more difficult to take a second time. Good science fiction is based on science and must remain believable and consistent. The use of Kahn’s blood throughout the picture not only telegraphs the ending, but trivializes the sacrifice that we know is coming. Whether or not Kirk knows that there is a miracle cure doesn’t matter. We do. The situation is contrived and predictable and does not have the elegance or truth of the original. It is yet another theme tossed out without development or substance.

Like the first film, we have a single villain out for revenge. Like the first film, the Enterprise is defeated by a super ship. The first film killed Kirk’s father and this one kills his surrogate father. This second “new” Star Trek feels like a rerun, like the filmmakers have only one note they can play.

But it isn’t only Star Trek XI (2009) that gets recycled. The film riffs Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Kahn. The repeated lines and reversals at the end seem to be no more than Trek trivia. Both Alice Eve’s underwear and Leonard Nimoy’s cameo are gratuitous. And much though I got a kick out of seeing Kirk in bed with not one, but two versions of Lieutenant M’Ress, that too was fun for its trivial value and did not contribute at all to the heart of the matter – if the matter has a heart.

Into Darkness is stuffed full of Star Trek furnishings but it feels like dress up.  It reveals that its creators see only the superficialities of Trek. This isn’t about canon. I can live in a galaxy without Vulcan. This is about being faithful to both the ideas and the audience. This is about writing honestly and consistently. This is about honoring the science part of science fiction. This is about digging deeper than props, costumes, and pretty pictures. Star Trek at its best takes an important idea and dramatically confronts its complexity.

Into Darkness is Star Trek’s shadow. It is an echo of Treks past. It is fun and exciting nostalgia. It is mediocre science fiction. It is Star Wars masquerading as Star Trek. Let’s hope that the third picture doesn’t have this trouble, and can delve deeper and ring more true to Gene Roddenberry’s values and methods.

Summer’s Here and the Time is Right for Dancing in the Tweet

In my English classes, one student takes notes every period. S/he records what we do, the assignments, and the handouts and materials we used. This student also gives me feedback on the lesson, and records some impressions. At the end of class, our note-taker chooses one idea, thought, or summary statement to share with the world on our class Twitter account.

I have not included every tweet from the year. Go here if you want to see all of them from all three classes. Instead, here is an edited list that gives a flavor of my 2012-2013 school year.

• ·      First tweet of the year: write on the walls!
• ·      Got started on a great year!
• ·      The writing expedition begins.
• ·      I saw a bug!
• ·      Effective techniques of readers
• ·      After discussing our awesome names, we are going to have a great weekend!
• ·      Learning how to annotate a paper.
• ·      What do Dennis the Menace, Hemingway, and Hamlet have in common?
• ·      My Father's Voice! Woohoo!
• ·      Pretty table brightens the whole room!
• ·      Mind your p's and q's! #grammargirl
• ·      We made curry!
• ·      What helps and hinders discussion?
• ·      Two words...dashes, essays           
• ·      What happened to Jenna Fox?
• ·      #Worstcollegeessays
• ·      Why won't http://turnitin.com load?           
• ·      Loud means "I need help" not "tell me to be quiet."
• ·      A quote sandwich with cheese.
• ·      Zim, zir, z's drive me crazy!
• ·      Imagery is the key and focus is the lock to a great essay!
• ·      There was no lunch period today, so we ate quote sandwiches.
• ·      Solo synchronized swimming! Now can I kill the bunny?
• ·      Jenna is a toaster.
• ·      Twinkle, Twinkle, Blessed House
• ·      Cranky old lonely people.
• ·      Is she human?
• ·      Do the "write" thing
• ·      :( What is the answer to the puzzle?
• ·      It's like musical chairs, but with quote sandwiches.
• ·      Sexy is our big winner! #surprising
• ·      The English teacher felt odd after being fired: it was post grammatic stress syndrome.
• ·      Flirt outside of class.
• ·      Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek, of course!
• ·      The interpreter of interpretations.
• ·      Shift happens.
• ·      Frame by frame.
• ·      Updating your daughter.
• ·      Telepathic check!
• ·      Red rover, red rover, let us come over!
• ·      The phone farted!
• ·      You only have one body, unless you are Jenna Fox.
• ·      You married your mom and your children are your siblings.
• ·      Everyone wave to the tomato!
• ·      A prophecy always comes true.
• ·      Too many books! Which do we choose?
• ·      Hurricane Sandy can’t stop us!
• ·      Happy Halloween, Antigone!
• ·      Deconstructing our essays.
• ·      Where is Hamlet?
• ·      It’s okay to show up late to the play.
• ·      A foil is an important literary tool, it's also great for wrapping up food!
• ·      Another day, another essay…
• ·      Wei Chen, the wingman!
• ·      I want it that way.
• ·      #Rockets Back dorm boys
• ·      Explicating Creed
• ·      What’s the truth behind the disappearance of Chris Creed? Will we ever know? Hi Mom! We know how to English!
• ·      Greasers, detective work, “you should dump him.”
• ·      Don't lean back on rolling chairs!
• ·      Research project 2012
• ·      Drinking, fencing, swearing, quarreling, drabbing galore!
• ·      To be or not to be?
• ·      Acceptance is…
• ·      Mock quiz!
• ·      Hamlet..put on hold for now.
• ·      Tasty cakes and kinder. #hashtag
• ·      Process paper fun!
• ·      Thesis - pass it on.
• ·      How can you REsearch even before you have searched before?
• ·      Chris Creed takes Facebook! #facebook
• ·      And then there were none.
• ·      Let's kill Hamlet!           
• ·      Psycho psychic!
• ·      We can have a pep talk and have cupcakes for finals.
• ·      Bob Haines? Creed suspense level #increasing!
• ·      Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Charlie Brown.
• ·      Four year planning!
• ·      He's alive! Chris Creed is Torey Adams? It's all so confusing!
• ·      More and more research! #lungevity
• ·      We talked about safety and taking care of each other. #sandyhook
• ·      Presentations finished! (Well...almost).
• ·      Theses rhymes with feces.
• ·      Revise, revise, revise!
• ·      We have to memorize fifteen lines?
• ·      Write in Yoda speak, you should not.
• ·      Santa is dead now. #happyholidays
• ·      Taking to walls!
• ·      Book circles! #yah!
• ·      I like my book!
• ·      Everybody get an ARC conference. #finals
• ·      Field trip to learn about English electives.
• ·      Shakespeare = death
• ·      Ransom note poetry and Romeo and Juliet!
• ·      Translucent stilettos hoard!
• ·      Line and stanzas versus sentences and paragraphs. Posts and Facebook versus tweets and Twitter.
• ·      Don't be a Charles!
• ·      Meet Queen Mab!
• ·      Poetry Out Loud!
• ·      Romeo and Juliet field trip <3 span="">
• ·      Marwage, marwage is what bwings us together, today.
• ·      #Mountains beyond mountains beyond mountains beyond mountains beyond
• ·      Translations + lockdown #scary #silence
• ·      All humor comes from body fluids #onlyinenglishclass
• ·      The four point (icon) challenge.
• ·      ziuq drawkcaB           
• ·      How we know you are texting: nobody looks at their crotch and smiles.
• ·      We should invest in snare drums for all these puns!
• ·      In class essay, woo hoo!
• ·      Is this a kissing movie?
• ·      So much poison!
• ·      Thesis! Thesis! Thesis!
• ·      Romeo and Juliet is being rewritten by a lot of people!
• ·      Pondered the answer to questions of life.
• ·      Time for graduation...speeches!
• ·      Field Trip to Romeo and Juliet!
• ·      Do good grad speeches. Don't blame the traffic lights. P.S. Don't miss the musical.
• ·      Tell us when to wear good pants for re-read.
• ·      Mr. Scott did it!
• ·      How to not be a nervous-nilly.
• ·      Drawing Tale!
• ·      Research senior project properly: Don't waste time!
• ·      My boots are dirty!
• ·      Good FAQs are the key to success! #seniorproject
• ·      We love thunderstorms!
• ·      Why would Mr. Hirsch want essays without names on them?
• ·      It's not a tale of two cities, it's about two cities at different times. #Ilovelucie
• ·      French revolution fun and topping it off with character chart chaos.
• ·      We all shared one Google Doc! #taleoftwocites
• ·      Essay 1, Episode 3: Return of the King!
• ·      Let's play hang lamp!
• ·      Experiential learning is fun!
• ·      "Crunching" out more mysteries! #punintended
• ·      Wish I was here for Senior Symposium - looks awesome!
• ·      Blog post and learning activities. Kapish?
• ·      Never ending Tale...
• ·      Senior presentation: a slideway to hell!
• ·      People don't kill people, sneezes kill people. #knitting
• ·      The end is near! #seniorproject
• ·      Keep calm and blog/write/read/analyze on; who actually reads this...? Help! I'm trapped in an English class!
• ·      Cly is sly!
• ·      "It was the best of times..." No... It wasn't.
• ·      Goodbye Cara! We will miss you :(
• ·      Tale Day tomorrow!
• ·      #getreadyforfinals #lastdayoffreshmanenglish We'll miss you Mr. Hirsch!
• ·      Tweet review! Course and teacher evaluation.
• ·      Last day of class! :(