1. 1)
If the President called me and wanted to know
the first five things that I think need to be done about education, I’m not
sure I would be able to speak. After I collected myself I would respond as
follows:
·
Motivation. Students are coming to class with a
varied amount of motivation. This desire to learn comes primarily from their
home life. This is one of the biggest problems that we face as educators.
·
Testing. In my district, student testing is a
main focus. If your students test well, you are a good teacher. We are focusing
on how to get our students to test well rather than how to make them a valuable
part of the community.
·
College. It is becoming harder to gain
acceptance into top colleges. Students feel overwhelmed in high school trying
to maintain a 4.0 GPA and are losing the experience of being a teenager. In
addition to acceptance, the cost of tuition is forcing students to get the high
GPA’s and SAT scores. Many students feel pushed out of the college path because
they can’t afford it.
·
Teachers.
This will upset my union reps but there are some inadequate teachers in
classrooms. We need a better way of evaluating teachers so we (as
professionals) can see what we need to work on and actually improve our craft.
·
Administration. Currently all the power is in
the district office. People that are not with students on a daily bases are
making all the decisions.
2 2)
The most meaningful concept that I got from
Ravitch is that students should be more than a test score. I left Saint Mary’s
with the idea that my job, as an educator, is to teach students to be a
valuable part of society. When I was hired at DHS my administration made it
clear that we must get our students to test well. Ravitch reveals that even the
hard data that politicians point to is inevitably flawed. Data can be twisted,
scores can be inflated, but real learning cannot be lost.
3. 3)
Given the current state of American education it
is hard to determine what I, as a teacher and a citizen, can actually do to
make a difference. The best answer I currently have is to focus on my classes
and my own children. I can’t control
what happens in every classroom in American but I can control what takes place
in my room. I can passionately teach my students about great novels and how
they can relate to them. I can try to instill a passion for reading and
learning in my students and my children. My next step is to finish and
eventually show my Prezi to my colleagues.
4. 4) California Association of Teachers
of English. http://www.cateweb.org/
·
Different conferences (CATE and Asilomar)
·
Creative Writing Contests for students and
teachers
·
Membershi
California Common Core State Standards Workshop
National Council of Teachers of English http://www.ncte.org/
·
Break down of elementary, middle, secondary, and
college focus
·
Current Educational books
·
Career Opportunities
·
Grants
·
Hot Topics
·
Lesson Plans
·
Conventions and conferences
·
Information on Common Core
·
Huge selection of articles on teaching English
5. 5) Over the next three years, if I could, I would…
a)
ACT A
Streetcar Named Desire January
17–February 10, 2013
Orpheum Theatre Lion King
November 1, 2013
Orpheum Theatre Les Miserables
now showing
Eugene O’Neill Historical National Historic Site
Story Hour in the UC Berkeley Library.( A monthly prose reading series
hosted by English
department faculty
Vikram Chandra and Melanie Abrams, and featuring
distinguished prose
writers from the Bay Area and beyond)
April 12, 2012
I would also love to drop into an English class at UC Berkeley, Saint
Mary’s, USF, or any other local college.
b)
Learning Through Drama in the
Primary Years by David Farmer
Imagination
Station: 99 Games to Spark Your Imagination by Douglas Love
Theatre
Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook by Viola
Spolin
Development
Through Drama by Brian Way
c)
Linguistic Audacity: Shakespeare’s Language
and Student Writing by Barbara Goodman
Dramatization
and Educational Objectives by Stephen Koziol
d)
CATE 2013 Santa Clara “Keep Calm and Read On”
Feb. 8-10, 2013
Asilomar
61 “WHY LITERATURE? WHAT LITERATURE? HOW?” Sept 28-30, 2013
NCTE
2013 Las Vegas “Connect Ignite” March 13-15, 2013
e)
Globe Theater, London England
Shakespeare’s
birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon, England
South
Africa, Birthplace of Mark Mathabane (Kaffir
Boy)
Scottsboro
Alabama (To Kill a Mockingbird)
Oregon
Shakespeare Festival
Ann
Frank, Amsterdam
6)
I would love to hear more about Megan’s findings in the alienated character.
This applies to the novels that I teach. I love the break down about the 6
different reasons that character become outcasts.
Many
people suggested that I video tape the strategies in my room this year. I absolutely
will. In fact, I just spoke to a former student that will help with the taping
and editing. Thank you everyone for your input. This was been a great
experience.
