Anyone who knows me has probably heard me complain about elementary teachers. So first, a disclaimer -- I have known some really outstanding elementary teachers who do a great job. But I taught students in junior high who told me that their elementary teacher told them straight up that they hated math. This is not the way to improve math education.
We see the same thing in my deaf school with science. (Math and science aren't the same thing, but it's the same issue.) The elementary teachers say they hate science, they don't like teaching science, they don't understand it, etc.
Today, my mom told me about a university professor who teaches an earth science course for elementary ed majors. He says he's not impressed with them by and large. The majority say they hate science, and even go so far to say they won't teach science, and therefore they hate his class because he makes them actually use their brain cells and learn the stuff.
Guess what -- elementary teachers are not exactly in short supply. Sure, if you get a job at certain schools, they might have science specialists, so you'll only teach language arts and math (the math part is another issue, of course, since in my experience, most people who hate science aren't big math fans). But most likely, you won't have the luxury of picking and choosing.
If you don't want to teach science (or math), don't be an elementary teacher. If you're passionate about teaching reading and writing, be a secondary English teacher. Or maybe you can get a gig as a reading resource teacher. But spare the kids -- they don't need a teacher who shortchanges their math and science education from the get-go.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
I won't be one of those girls.
Even if/when I get married (the relative weight on either side of that slash is debatable ... a whole other issue), I can't imagine enjoying the kinds of conversations I sometimes hear. Verbal fluff of the social variety. Who so-and-so is going out with, followed by which couples you go to dinner with, and did you hear about their new house?
Don't get me wrong. I like conversations. I even like hearing news about people I know but may not have seen lately. But there ought to be some substance in the conversation. There ought to be a reason you're telling me. If not, let's talk about something else. There are plenty of interesting topics in the world -- movies, music, politics, world events, the latest advances in science, the Razzie and Darwin Awards . . .
So I won't be one of those girls, standing in the corner of the grocery store talking about nothing for half an hour. If it's your idea of a good time, it's just as well that I'm single right now, and therefore have nothing to say. The world I live in seems to be a different one.
Don't get me wrong. I like conversations. I even like hearing news about people I know but may not have seen lately. But there ought to be some substance in the conversation. There ought to be a reason you're telling me. If not, let's talk about something else. There are plenty of interesting topics in the world -- movies, music, politics, world events, the latest advances in science, the Razzie and Darwin Awards . . .
So I won't be one of those girls, standing in the corner of the grocery store talking about nothing for half an hour. If it's your idea of a good time, it's just as well that I'm single right now, and therefore have nothing to say. The world I live in seems to be a different one.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Politically Correct? Um, no...
This is actually an old "inside joke" from last year, I think, but I figured I should document it for posterity.
There was an argument (for which I wasn't present) regarding the label "hard-of-hearing". Someone complained about referring to some kids as deaf and some as hard-of-hearing, saying we should just call them all deaf.
Besides the fact that some of the kids call themselves hard-of-hearing -- and I'm not about to tell them their self-identity is wrong -- sometimes we need to differentiate which kids we're talking about. Essentially, we need a way of referring to kids who have some level of reliance on spoken English.
Around school, I sometimes refer to them as "talkers". But when I heard about this argument, part of which being that hard-of-hearing has some kind of negative connotation, I started thinking about a more "accurate" label for such individuals.
What I came up with was SHATSAFASEs -- Students Having Access To Sound Adequate For Acquiring Spoken English. And yes, if you say it fast enough, it sounds like "shut your faces". :-X
Is that better, or can I please say hard-of-hearing when I need to refer to kids in a deaf school who hear enough to understand spoken English?
There was an argument (for which I wasn't present) regarding the label "hard-of-hearing". Someone complained about referring to some kids as deaf and some as hard-of-hearing, saying we should just call them all deaf.
Besides the fact that some of the kids call themselves hard-of-hearing -- and I'm not about to tell them their self-identity is wrong -- sometimes we need to differentiate which kids we're talking about. Essentially, we need a way of referring to kids who have some level of reliance on spoken English.
Around school, I sometimes refer to them as "talkers". But when I heard about this argument, part of which being that hard-of-hearing has some kind of negative connotation, I started thinking about a more "accurate" label for such individuals.
What I came up with was SHATSAFASEs -- Students Having Access To Sound Adequate For Acquiring Spoken English. And yes, if you say it fast enough, it sounds like "shut your faces". :-X
Is that better, or can I please say hard-of-hearing when I need to refer to kids in a deaf school who hear enough to understand spoken English?
Another Year, Another Attempt to Blog
The mood has again struck me to try and keep up this blog. My theory for why I skipped the entire year of 2008 is that I had nothing interesting to say . . . unless anyone is interested in hearing about how one student still doesn't do his homework and none of them ever study for tests.
But the "English" part of me is feeling neglected, probably because I feel like I spend more time in ASL than English these days. Oh, and have I mentioned the bewildering fact that I continually have to teach my high-school-age students words like "steep" and "minus"? And these are the kids who are above an elementary reading level. Not complaining, really, just marveling.
So, I will endeavor to find something interesting to say. Or, if not interesting, at least informative.
Next week promises to be another mess of non-classroom time. Honestly, if there were a competition for which school could find the most excuses to take kids out of class, my school would win, hands-down. To be fair, Tuesday through Thursday isn't their fault -- we have to give the state competency exam, required for graduation. Friday, though, we're spending a couple hours celebrating MLK, Jr. Day (early due to scheduling conflicts).
I'm all for giving our students an enriched education full of cultural and historical significance. But even our brightest students are barely cutting it in mathematics, so I'm not for taking them out of math class to do it. Isn't that what social studies classes are for?
Being the miracle worker I'm supposed to be, though, I'm sure I'll find a way to make it work. :-P
A lot of people have been talking about New Year's Resolutions. My main one is to read more . . . I miss it. Since I now have a first period for the first time in a year and a half, it's a good excuse -- I have to read with them 20 minutes each morning anyway. And it's my calculus class, so they don't need my help to read their own books.
Downside . . . I have to find a way not to get so engrossed in a book that I spend all my time after school reading it instead of getting my work done. Any suggestions?
But the "English" part of me is feeling neglected, probably because I feel like I spend more time in ASL than English these days. Oh, and have I mentioned the bewildering fact that I continually have to teach my high-school-age students words like "steep" and "minus"? And these are the kids who are above an elementary reading level. Not complaining, really, just marveling.
So, I will endeavor to find something interesting to say. Or, if not interesting, at least informative.
Next week promises to be another mess of non-classroom time. Honestly, if there were a competition for which school could find the most excuses to take kids out of class, my school would win, hands-down. To be fair, Tuesday through Thursday isn't their fault -- we have to give the state competency exam, required for graduation. Friday, though, we're spending a couple hours celebrating MLK, Jr. Day (early due to scheduling conflicts).
I'm all for giving our students an enriched education full of cultural and historical significance. But even our brightest students are barely cutting it in mathematics, so I'm not for taking them out of math class to do it. Isn't that what social studies classes are for?
Being the miracle worker I'm supposed to be, though, I'm sure I'll find a way to make it work. :-P
A lot of people have been talking about New Year's Resolutions. My main one is to read more . . . I miss it. Since I now have a first period for the first time in a year and a half, it's a good excuse -- I have to read with them 20 minutes each morning anyway. And it's my calculus class, so they don't need my help to read their own books.
Downside . . . I have to find a way not to get so engrossed in a book that I spend all my time after school reading it instead of getting my work done. Any suggestions?
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