During my third period class today my 9th graders were yelling at screaming.....
They got so loud that the principal came down to my room to check that everything was under control.
Ten minutes later one of the hallway staff also appeared at my door to make sure that everything was ok.
Each time these people peeked into my room today, they saw 32 9th graders yelling and screaming at each other.
They also saw a smiling teacher.
Today was day three of a Constitutional Convention simulation in my Government class. Each day we have used James Madison's diary to guide our debates, focusing on the major issues that divided the delegates in Philadelphia in 1787. The debates have gotten progressively better, with today's debate on representation in Congress being the absolute best. After a not so exciting beginning to the debate, in which almost every student thought each state should have the same number of votes (sounds like "socialism" to me) I pulled a student aside and asked him to make the case for "big" states. What followed was a twenty minute, student led debate over not only how states should be represented in Congress, but the legitimacy of counting slaves towards population. I did jump in twice to share the voice of the Southern slave owner in order to shake the hornet's nest even more but the large majority of this debate was student run. While this did lead to the class being loud, and even a little chaotic, it allowed my students to cover the content I wanted them to cover on their own terms.
I had an absolutely amazing experience with my student's today because of two realizations that I have come to over the past few years: 1)it's great when students are running the class instead of the teacher and 2)yelling and screaming kids are not always a bad thing. I truly believe that one of the biggest problems in classrooms is that there are too many teachers who either don't agree with these beliefs or are too scared to try. Don't get me wrong, there's a time for a teacher to be in the front of the room and for students to be silent, but it doesn't have to always be that way; in fact it should never always be that way. Student-centered learning empowers students in their educational experience while also increasing teacher/student relationship and decreasing teacher work load (if that doesn't sell teachers on it, I don't know what will!) Additionally, when you're teaching adolescent students, taking advantage of their desire to talk and argue with each other makes classroom management that much easier.
During my third period class today my 9th graders were yelling at screaming.... and it was great. It was great because instead talking and yelling about Call of Duty or the fight that almost happened in the hallway, they were talking and yelling about the issues surrounding the creation of our Constitution.
As a teacher, I couldn't ask for anything more.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The BLS SUNY Lock In-2011
From it's inception, my school has been committed to getting our students to college. Our Office of College Placement (OCP) does a tremendous amount of work to raise college awareness and help our students realize that college can be a reality for them. From trips for high achieving freshman and sophomores to college life classes for seniors. OCP does an amazing job for our students throughout the year, but for me the finest thing they do takes place early in the year: the SUNY Lock-In.
On a Thursday in October, OCP plans and executes a night in which seniors have the opportunity to complete their SUNY (State University of New York) and CUNY (City University of New York) applications, have essays read and edited by staff members and complete other forms they will need for the college process. This night speaks volumes about the commitment to getting our students into college as is evident by the fact that 98% of our senior class and 1/4 of our staff were still in the building at 8:00 on a Thursday night.
As a both a former college applicant and admission counselor, I know too well the daunting nature of the college application process. None of our students have the access to private counselors that some of their peers in New York City have, but the work of OCP make sure that this inequality does not affect their chance to go to college. The Lock-In is one more reason why I'm proud of my school.
Congrats to OCP for a wonderful night and a job well done. Attached below is the video from last year's Lock In. I'll be sure to post this year's video when it's ready.
On a Thursday in October, OCP plans and executes a night in which seniors have the opportunity to complete their SUNY (State University of New York) and CUNY (City University of New York) applications, have essays read and edited by staff members and complete other forms they will need for the college process. This night speaks volumes about the commitment to getting our students into college as is evident by the fact that 98% of our senior class and 1/4 of our staff were still in the building at 8:00 on a Thursday night.
As a both a former college applicant and admission counselor, I know too well the daunting nature of the college application process. None of our students have the access to private counselors that some of their peers in New York City have, but the work of OCP make sure that this inequality does not affect their chance to go to college. The Lock-In is one more reason why I'm proud of my school.
Congrats to OCP for a wonderful night and a job well done. Attached below is the video from last year's Lock In. I'll be sure to post this year's video when it's ready.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wanting to be better/Scared to fail
I tweeted the following tonight: (cheap plug to follow me @FJM718)
"I'm so impressed with the quality of teachers that I encounter on Twitter. I'm also worried and sad that I might not ever reach that level"
Over the past two nights I have spent time exploring the tweets, blogs and websites of different social studies teachers around the country; the experience has left me torn.
On one hand I am inspired when I see the work that others are doing. Student blogging, the use of digital media and the use of student centered learning are not only things that I want to do in my class but practices that I see as being keys to student learning in the 21st century. Reading about the amazing work my colleagues are doing makes me want to be a better teacher.
That's when I move from inspired to worried.
Can I be the teacher that I want to be? I tell my students everyday that putting the work and effort into any venture in life can lead to success, but here I am wondering if I can become a better teacher the same way that my students wonder if they can be better students. There are many days throughout the year in which I struggle with the management of my class, the rigor of my curriculum and the overall classroom experience of my students. Part of me knows that making some of the aforementioned changes would have an impact on some of my weaknesses as a teacher, but both making the leap to change and more importantly finding the time to develop and institute these changes leaves me stuck.
Now let me be clear, I don't think that I'm a bad teacher. I've worked with amazing coaches, mentors and administrators who have shared with me that I'm good at what I do. I'm at the start of my fourth year in the classroom and I've already become the chair of my department, possibly too soon, but I also believe that I've established myself as a leader on a relatively young, oft-changing staff; I'm on the right track but will I get to my destination?
So here I am.
I know that growth and knowledge come with years in the classroom, but there's still that part of me that worries I might not become the teacher I want to be. I guess the only way to find out to learn more, teach more, reflect and grow.
Luckily I get that chance tomorrow morning.
"I'm so impressed with the quality of teachers that I encounter on Twitter. I'm also worried and sad that I might not ever reach that level"
Over the past two nights I have spent time exploring the tweets, blogs and websites of different social studies teachers around the country; the experience has left me torn.
On one hand I am inspired when I see the work that others are doing. Student blogging, the use of digital media and the use of student centered learning are not only things that I want to do in my class but practices that I see as being keys to student learning in the 21st century. Reading about the amazing work my colleagues are doing makes me want to be a better teacher.
That's when I move from inspired to worried.
Can I be the teacher that I want to be? I tell my students everyday that putting the work and effort into any venture in life can lead to success, but here I am wondering if I can become a better teacher the same way that my students wonder if they can be better students. There are many days throughout the year in which I struggle with the management of my class, the rigor of my curriculum and the overall classroom experience of my students. Part of me knows that making some of the aforementioned changes would have an impact on some of my weaknesses as a teacher, but both making the leap to change and more importantly finding the time to develop and institute these changes leaves me stuck.
Now let me be clear, I don't think that I'm a bad teacher. I've worked with amazing coaches, mentors and administrators who have shared with me that I'm good at what I do. I'm at the start of my fourth year in the classroom and I've already become the chair of my department, possibly too soon, but I also believe that I've established myself as a leader on a relatively young, oft-changing staff; I'm on the right track but will I get to my destination?
So here I am.
I know that growth and knowledge come with years in the classroom, but there's still that part of me that worries I might not become the teacher I want to be. I guess the only way to find out to learn more, teach more, reflect and grow.
Luckily I get that chance tomorrow morning.
Friday, September 30, 2011
A Change in My Practice: Reading For Understanding in My Class
This entry is also posted on the NYC Social Studies Critical Friends Group blog, a new project that I am thrilled to be a apart of.
I am beginning my fourth year teaching in New York City.
During the first two years of my career, I had the opportunity to work with highly skilled students at a school that I described as "suburban-urban." My students came from homes that not only valued education, but made sure that the students' learning carried well beyond the confines of the traditional school day. For these reasons and more, teaching reading skills was not a part of my practice, despite the fact that if you cannot read, you cannot "do" history.
Last year, I was presented the challenge of working with many students who had neither the skills nor the home life of the ones that I left in Queens. Soon after the year started, I realized I need to change what I was doing with my students. After meeting with my new ICT partner, we decided that reading skills would need to be an essential part of our class. Taking a suggestion from our principal, my partner had previously used reading symbols that had improved students' abilities to complete readings and answer accompanying questions. The basic concept had students "Marking Up" readings using symbols such as "*" (star) for information that is important, "?" for developing clarifying questions and "S" for areas of the reading that surprised them (there are three more advanced symbols that students will learn in the future) . My hope was that by interacting with text, students would be able to slow down their process and gain a better understanding of what they were reading. We focused on these symbols for the first month or two of the year, but after falling out of practice using them in class, we learned a cardinal rule of teaching: If you're not consistent with practice and clear with expectations, whatever you are doing will not work.
This year, I returned with a clear goal in mind:
Teach, and be consistent with the use of, the first three "Mark Up" symbols to ensure that my students master them by the end of the first semester in January.
While teaching these classes and skills can often be difficult (and dare I say boring) for both student and teacher, I am committed to this change (within a change) because I believe it can begin to address the greatest academic deficiency for my students. I look forward to gathering data and sharing my findings on this blog in the future.
I am beginning my fourth year teaching in New York City.
During the first two years of my career, I had the opportunity to work with highly skilled students at a school that I described as "suburban-urban." My students came from homes that not only valued education, but made sure that the students' learning carried well beyond the confines of the traditional school day. For these reasons and more, teaching reading skills was not a part of my practice, despite the fact that if you cannot read, you cannot "do" history.
Last year, I was presented the challenge of working with many students who had neither the skills nor the home life of the ones that I left in Queens. Soon after the year started, I realized I need to change what I was doing with my students. After meeting with my new ICT partner, we decided that reading skills would need to be an essential part of our class. Taking a suggestion from our principal, my partner had previously used reading symbols that had improved students' abilities to complete readings and answer accompanying questions. The basic concept had students "Marking Up" readings using symbols such as "*" (star) for information that is important, "?" for developing clarifying questions and "S" for areas of the reading that surprised them (there are three more advanced symbols that students will learn in the future) . My hope was that by interacting with text, students would be able to slow down their process and gain a better understanding of what they were reading. We focused on these symbols for the first month or two of the year, but after falling out of practice using them in class, we learned a cardinal rule of teaching: If you're not consistent with practice and clear with expectations, whatever you are doing will not work.
This year, I returned with a clear goal in mind:
Teach, and be consistent with the use of, the first three "Mark Up" symbols to ensure that my students master them by the end of the first semester in January.
While teaching these classes and skills can often be difficult (and dare I say boring) for both student and teacher, I am committed to this change (within a change) because I believe it can begin to address the greatest academic deficiency for my students. I look forward to gathering data and sharing my findings on this blog in the future.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Living in NYC: Coney Island, The Cyclone and My Cousin
(Oops! Wrong Coney Island picture)
(That's more like it!)
My father's end of my family is all encompassing. Nine aunts/uncles and thirty six first cousins are enough to make a McCaughey's head spin, forget the poor out-laws like my wife. My mom's side of the family is the complete opposite: one aunt and three cousins. Since my aunt is older than my mom, my cousins are significantly older than me which led me to view as uncles as much as cousins. Because of the major differences, when discussing these relations with friends, I would sometimes refer to them as my "other cousins," a moniker that may have been needed but definitely wasn't fair.
Out of the three (Michael, Thomas and Hank) the cousin that I have the most memories of is Hank. Every Thanksgiving dinner he would challenge me to an eating contest (in which he regularly trounced me up until I hit college) and for most of my childhood he tried to convince me that he was a red belt, the highest degree of martial arts belts that one could attain. "Isn't black belt the highest?" a gullible young Frank would inquire. "Nah," Hank replied, "not only is red belt the highest, but I killed Bruce Lee in order to win it." I kind of believed him for a while, but after finally conceding to my relentless demands to see the infamous belt, Hank produced a red bandanna and the tall tale was over.
As I've gotten older, there was one thing that Hank said that I always remembered. When talking about New York City, he explained that one of his favorite places was Coney Island and that every New Yorker should ride The Cyclone before they die. As someone who takes pride in living in New York City, the mystique and history of the Cyclone intrigued me. It's 84 year presence on the Coney Island Boardwalk serves as living history for the mid-20th century Brooklyn that I only know through old books and newspapers (one that had baseball!) For these reasons, I decided that when I finally made it out to Coney Island, I would ride The Cyclone. There was only one problem:
I don't really like roller coasters.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not as bad as the 8 year old version of me who threw a full blown fit while being forced onto the whitewater raft ride at Hershey Park(you know the one where the worst thing that happens is you.....get wet) but I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of climbing aboard a nearly 100 year old wooden roller coaster.
Regardless, Kate and I decided to spend today at Coney Island, walking the Boardwalk, having a Nathan's hot dog, and catching a Cyclones game. I knew that this was my chance to live up to to the promise I made to myself many years ago, so before we left I watched a video on You Tube of a first person POV Cyclone ride and even looked up some statistics on the coaster (bad idea: 60 miles an hour? 85 foot drop? Not good) We hopped on the F train, transferred to the D and 30 stops later we were in Coney Island (just like The Warriors!). Based on past theme park experience, I knew I had to head straight down Surf Avenue and conquer my fear before I had too much time to think about it, so I bought my ticket, jumped on and before I knew it I was 85 feet above the Boardwalk, pretty sure I was about to fall to my death.
Well, not only didn't I die but I actually enjoyed it. Sure it's basically getting knocked around at high speeds for two minutes (I had a headache for about an hour after getting off) but it's also gets the blood pumping and lets you scream like an idiot. I stepped out of the cart and proudly headed back to Kate on Surf Avenue, fully pleased with myself for my (rather mediocre) accomplishment. I proceeded to have an amazing day with my wife that will be definitely be a lasting memory of this summer.
Riding The Cyclone today was one of the best things I've done in a long time. Not only was I able to overcome a personal fear, but I was able to step back and remember my "other cousins" who I may not see that much any more but still provide great memories, both past and present.
Thanks, Hank.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Golf and the Irish Border
During Friday's TNT coverage of the PGA Championship, golf broadcaster and County Down native David Feherty made a simple, but profound statement about Ireland and Irish golfers.
As Padraig Harrington was teeing off, Feherty observed that with the recent success of the golfers from Northern Ireland (McDowell, McIlroy and Clarke) it's easy to forget about the major victories of Dubliner Padraig Harrington, who won the Open Championship in 2007 and back to back majors in 2008 when he won his second Open Championship and followed by a win at the PGA.
While describing Harrington, Feherty, in his distinctly sarcastic tone, noted:
"Here's an Irishman with just the three majors from just 100 miles away from those others. It is one island."
A simple fact that has been easy to forget over the past 90 years. Geographically, Ireland is exactly what Feherty said, one island. Politically, in a way created by man, Ireland is two separate countries. Feherty's astute observation was one that struck me as honest, sincere and beautiful.
History writes a different story, one that challenges Feherty's point of view, but I still loved this comment and it added to the respect that I have for David Feherty as both a commentator and an Irishman.
As Padraig Harrington was teeing off, Feherty observed that with the recent success of the golfers from Northern Ireland (McDowell, McIlroy and Clarke) it's easy to forget about the major victories of Dubliner Padraig Harrington, who won the Open Championship in 2007 and back to back majors in 2008 when he won his second Open Championship and followed by a win at the PGA.
While describing Harrington, Feherty, in his distinctly sarcastic tone, noted:
"Here's an Irishman with just the three majors from just 100 miles away from those others. It is one island."
A simple fact that has been easy to forget over the past 90 years. Geographically, Ireland is exactly what Feherty said, one island. Politically, in a way created by man, Ireland is two separate countries. Feherty's astute observation was one that struck me as honest, sincere and beautiful.
History writes a different story, one that challenges Feherty's point of view, but I still loved this comment and it added to the respect that I have for David Feherty as both a commentator and an Irishman.
Football from Across the Ocean Part 2: The Rest of the Premier League
After previewing Manchester City's hopes for this year last week, here are some thoughts, observations and predictions for the rest of the 2011-2012 Premier League.
-While the Manchester Derby battle for the title will be exciting to follow, I think the biggest story of this year will be the slip of Arsenal. Has coming in fourth place ever felt so bad? The brutal 4-4 draw after having a 4-0 lead against Newcastle (match of the year in most circles, which means the Gunners got to relive it multiple times during the off season), blowing a chance to finally claim silverware against Birmingham City of all teams (who were then relegated!) and finishing just 3 points off of 3rd place following multiple blown leads, resulting in draws late in the season (see Liverpool at the Emirates.) Throw in the near certain departures of Fabregas and Nasri and another year without silverware at the Emirates appears likely. Bold prediction: Arsenal finish outside of the top 4 for the first time since '95/'96
-I'm happy to see Shay Given secure a move away from City and I expect him to have a strong year at Aston Villa. As a fan of the Irish national team, I have a soft spot for Given, but I believe he was given a raw deal at City last year. Prior to his season ending injury in 2009/2010 he had been a tough, gritty keeper who performed well in big spots which is why the fact that he didn't make even one appearance last year was a bit of an insult. I'm excited to follow him this year and see how he does at Villa. Additionally, the importance of getting first team time during such a crucial test of Ireland's Euro 2012 hopes cannot be understated.
-Out of respect to my good friend Steve Lazar, I have to talk about Spurs who seduced me last season with some of the more exciting football I've ever seen. The keeper opening for Given at Villa came as a result of Brad Friedel moving to Spurs. There was no keeper that was more infuriating to watch than Heurelho Gomes. His inept handling of relatively easy balls led to a crucial loss to Chelsea and the nail in the coffin against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal (don't get me wrong, Spurs weren't going to come back to win but the Gomes blunder helped seal the loss early in the second half) Hopefully Spurs will have another exciting campaign, but I have a feeling that the drop off from the heights of Champions League football to the far off fixtures of the Europa League will have a negative impact. I'm also excited to see what Gareth Bale can do this year after such an exciting half season last year.
-My initial interest in the Premier League came from following Irish players and that will continue this year. Young striker Shane Long will be making the jump to West Bromwich Albion after a 25 goal campaign for Reading in the Championship last year. Also interesting to watch at WBA will be the work of Roy Hodgson after a disastrous half season at Liverpool.
-Fulham will once again be on my radar because of both Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and my fellow New York/Premier League friend Kent has recently adopted them as his team (check out his Fulham blog as well). Oh and how could I forget the beautiful Michael Jackson statue erected by the owner outside the stadium last year
-What to make of Chelsea? New wunderkind coach André Villas-Boas, who is the same age as two of his top players (Drogba and Lampard are also 33) has inherited a team that was always just within reach of United last season, but could never pull even. Winning a treble at such a young age is impressive but what might be more helpful in his transition to the Bridge is his familiarity with the system, having served there under Mourinho. The offset of a young coach with an aging team should be interesting to follow.
-The other intrigue for me comes from Liverpool who found their stride under Kenny Daiglish after a terrible start. Can they bounce back into the top four? The impressive play of Luis Suarez at Copa America should translate over and a full season of Andy Carroll should help as well. Plus, Liverpool has one of my favorite players in the league, the underrated Dirk Kuyt. If I'm knocking down Arsenal then someone has to move up, my favorite would be Liverpool.
-Dark horses for a nice year? I'll go with three: Fulham, Stoke City, WBA . All showed hints of promise last year and finished the year strong. I've already mentioned my reasons for liking Fulham and I respect any many in England who wears a cap and kind of looks like my dad in Stoke's manager Tony Pulis.
-So who's going to win it? The youth movement at Old Trafford is well underway (average age on the field in the 2nd half of the Charity Shield was 22!) but that doesn't mean they're in rebuild mode because of one man: Alex Ferguson. The one thing that does worry me about United is in the net. While David de Gea might be the keeper of the future, it doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to be the keeper of the present at just 20 years old and in his first season in England. My last post started with my full dedication to Manchester City, which officially means that there is no way that I can choose United to win the title (despite the fact that that is exactly what my brain is telling me to do) Chelsea is also an appealing option but I'll take a what and see approach with AVB. So who's left? Well screw it, I'll contradict what I said last week and I'll take the full plunge with my team:
I'll go with City to win the League.
Official Predictions from Across the Ocean:
League 1)City 2)United 3)Chelsea 4)Liverpool
FA Cup:Chelsea
Golden Boot: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Top Newcomers
Sergio Aguero (City)
Shane Long (WBA)
-While the Manchester Derby battle for the title will be exciting to follow, I think the biggest story of this year will be the slip of Arsenal. Has coming in fourth place ever felt so bad? The brutal 4-4 draw after having a 4-0 lead against Newcastle (match of the year in most circles, which means the Gunners got to relive it multiple times during the off season), blowing a chance to finally claim silverware against Birmingham City of all teams (who were then relegated!) and finishing just 3 points off of 3rd place following multiple blown leads, resulting in draws late in the season (see Liverpool at the Emirates.) Throw in the near certain departures of Fabregas and Nasri and another year without silverware at the Emirates appears likely. Bold prediction: Arsenal finish outside of the top 4 for the first time since '95/'96
-I'm happy to see Shay Given secure a move away from City and I expect him to have a strong year at Aston Villa. As a fan of the Irish national team, I have a soft spot for Given, but I believe he was given a raw deal at City last year. Prior to his season ending injury in 2009/2010 he had been a tough, gritty keeper who performed well in big spots which is why the fact that he didn't make even one appearance last year was a bit of an insult. I'm excited to follow him this year and see how he does at Villa. Additionally, the importance of getting first team time during such a crucial test of Ireland's Euro 2012 hopes cannot be understated.
-Out of respect to my good friend Steve Lazar, I have to talk about Spurs who seduced me last season with some of the more exciting football I've ever seen. The keeper opening for Given at Villa came as a result of Brad Friedel moving to Spurs. There was no keeper that was more infuriating to watch than Heurelho Gomes. His inept handling of relatively easy balls led to a crucial loss to Chelsea and the nail in the coffin against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal (don't get me wrong, Spurs weren't going to come back to win but the Gomes blunder helped seal the loss early in the second half) Hopefully Spurs will have another exciting campaign, but I have a feeling that the drop off from the heights of Champions League football to the far off fixtures of the Europa League will have a negative impact. I'm also excited to see what Gareth Bale can do this year after such an exciting half season last year.
-My initial interest in the Premier League came from following Irish players and that will continue this year. Young striker Shane Long will be making the jump to West Bromwich Albion after a 25 goal campaign for Reading in the Championship last year. Also interesting to watch at WBA will be the work of Roy Hodgson after a disastrous half season at Liverpool.
-Fulham will once again be on my radar because of both Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and my fellow New York/Premier League friend Kent has recently adopted them as his team (check out his Fulham blog as well). Oh and how could I forget the beautiful Michael Jackson statue erected by the owner outside the stadium last year
-What to make of Chelsea? New wunderkind coach André Villas-Boas, who is the same age as two of his top players (Drogba and Lampard are also 33) has inherited a team that was always just within reach of United last season, but could never pull even. Winning a treble at such a young age is impressive but what might be more helpful in his transition to the Bridge is his familiarity with the system, having served there under Mourinho. The offset of a young coach with an aging team should be interesting to follow.
-The other intrigue for me comes from Liverpool who found their stride under Kenny Daiglish after a terrible start. Can they bounce back into the top four? The impressive play of Luis Suarez at Copa America should translate over and a full season of Andy Carroll should help as well. Plus, Liverpool has one of my favorite players in the league, the underrated Dirk Kuyt. If I'm knocking down Arsenal then someone has to move up, my favorite would be Liverpool.
-Dark horses for a nice year? I'll go with three: Fulham, Stoke City, WBA . All showed hints of promise last year and finished the year strong. I've already mentioned my reasons for liking Fulham and I respect any many in England who wears a cap and kind of looks like my dad in Stoke's manager Tony Pulis.
-So who's going to win it? The youth movement at Old Trafford is well underway (average age on the field in the 2nd half of the Charity Shield was 22!) but that doesn't mean they're in rebuild mode because of one man: Alex Ferguson. The one thing that does worry me about United is in the net. While David de Gea might be the keeper of the future, it doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to be the keeper of the present at just 20 years old and in his first season in England. My last post started with my full dedication to Manchester City, which officially means that there is no way that I can choose United to win the title (despite the fact that that is exactly what my brain is telling me to do) Chelsea is also an appealing option but I'll take a what and see approach with AVB. So who's left? Well screw it, I'll contradict what I said last week and I'll take the full plunge with my team:
I'll go with City to win the League.
Official Predictions from Across the Ocean:
League 1)City 2)United 3)Chelsea 4)Liverpool
FA Cup:Chelsea
Golden Boot: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Top Newcomers
Sergio Aguero (City)
Shane Long (WBA)
Football from Across the Ocean Part One: The 2011-2012 Manchester City Preview
I've just returned from a family wedding in Ireland where I had the opportunity to discuss football with one of my cousins. After an initial conversation about Ireland's chances to qualify for both Euro 2012 and the World Cup, the topic turned to the English Premier League. My cousin mentioned that he knew I supported a team but couldn't remember which one. Chelsea? Aresenal? No, I informed him that I supported Manchester City.
"City? Oh come on, not City!"
It turns out that he is a fan of Manchester United. He tried to convince me to switch my allegiances but I informed him that I could not do so for a few reasons, the biggest being that I was a Mets fan. I hate the Yankees and since United are basically the Yankees of the Premier League I would be a total fraud if I chose them.
Instead, I chose City.
I started to follow the Premier League 5 years ago and between the amount of Irish players they had at the time (that number is now zero), and the fact that they were clearly the Mets of Manchester, City was a perfect fit. Last season, I flirted with the exciting play of Gareth Bale and Tottenham (the best individual half season I've seen from a player since I started following the Premier League) but towards the end of the season I realized that I had to make a decision, so I bought a City jersey and decided they were my team.
As we sit here on the eve of the 2011-2012 campaign, there are a lot of positives for City which I think can translate to a title push this season.
1)City finished last year very strong after having a mediocre first half of the season that looked like it would be another battle for fourth place. However, by the end of the season, they had won the FA Cup (including beating United in the semis) and come in third ahead of Arsenal in the League, although they technically tied for second and got third on goal differential.
2)I think David Silva and Yaya Toure will both make a step up after solid first seasons in England. Silva is proving himself to me a deft play maker and Toure has shown a scoring touch, especially in the big moment as his proved in both the FA Cup Semi-Finals and Finals.
3)The Carlos Tevez transfer creates a little uncertainty up front (with the unproven Edin Dzeko and the unstable Mario Balotelli) but I think it has a chance to stabilize during the season. Dzeko has shown promise in the preseason but still has a lot to prove in England (just two goals in the 15 games he played after transferring to City in January.) Balotelli is just a total disaster. He seems to have a lot of raw skill but he is also a headcase who has stated the desire to leave Manchester because there aren't enough good restaurants (huh?) Right now the team would definitely be better with Carlos Tevez, but you have to assume he'll be moved somewhere by the end of the August transfer window. If Tevez does leaves and Balotelli self destructs (both highly probable) Sergio Aguero is an interesting replacement, coming over from La Liga after a 20 goal season with Atletico Madrid. I think that by the end of the season (if not sooner) Dzeko and Aguero will be the men up front for City and can be productive.
4)The defense is strong. It was one of City's strengths last year and more times that not, a one goal lead was enough to win the game. I expect Vincent Kompany to have another great year and Lescott and Richards to be stable forces on the line.
5)Samir Nasri. As I write this, there are rumors that City are close to locking him up on transfer. We'll see how this plays out, but his addition would obviously push City that much closer to the top of the table.
So what's going to happen this season? It should be interesting strictly based on the volatility of Balotelli but the hopes of a title and Champions League football should make it one that's fun to watch. Don't get me wrong, blowing the 2 goal lead to United in the Charity Shield hurt, but I don't think it's the psychological knock out blow that many claimed it was. I don't know if they'll reach the title this season, but I also don't think it's totally out of the question. I think they'll flirt with the top but end up with a solid second place campaign.
Next week, a preview of the rest of the Premiership.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Observations of Our Nation's Capital
My week in Washington has come to an end. Here are some thoughts and observations I had during my time in the capital.
-It's definitely the history teacher in me, but being in the city where the decisions that have shaped this country for the past 200+ years gives this place a different feel. I know that I live in the economic center of the country/world but economics has never resonated with me the way that history and politics do (after all I was predicted to be a US Senator in my 8th grade year book. Sad but true.)
-Seeing buildings in person that you've seen on TV or in textbooks your entire life is a little surreal. The Capitol (especially at night) is absolutely gorgeous. I suppose that visitors to NYC have the same feeling when they see the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty; I should appreciate those structures more.
-There's a crazy amount of people out running at 7 AM. I suppose this is because by 11:00 o'clock it's 90 degrees with 75% humidity.
-I love old cities for the little quirks that reveal a lot about the past. My favorite from Georgetown was the insurance symbols that are still found on many buildings (I've seen these in Philadelphia) The basic idea is that when you bought insurance back in "the day" you would be given a large metal disc that you would hang outside of your house (this was the time of independent, non-government run fire companies.) If your home was on fire, the fireman would show up. If you had their disc the fire was put out but if you didn't? Well no disc, no water so you better hope you don't have cheap neighbors.
-Georgetown made my list of places I'm going to buy a house when I'm a billionaire, and yes there is an actual list. Apparently the people are pretty obnoxious there but the houses are stunning. If I had a house that nice I'd probably be a jerk too.
-I thought the 10 pence per ketchup packet at McDonald's in Ireland was bad but a 5 cent surcharge per plastic bag? Really District of Columbia? Then again, am I actually complaining about being charged a nickel for a bag when I won't bring back all the cans and bottles I drink? I'll just shut up now.
-I don't know whether it's a summer, southern or politician thing, but there are too many bow ties in this city for my liking.
-Bike racks on buses??? Brilliant!
-Here's a tip I wish I was told before I got here. If you go down to the Capitol reflecting pool to take a night time picture of the Capitol you will get eaten alive by bugs and get a nice whiff of a pool that apparently hasn't been skimmed in 125 years.
-This one has nothing to do with DC but more with being away from home. At the end of each day, I throw change in an office style water jug in my bedroom. Without having that here, I realized how much change you collect over the course of 5 days. My latest count is $6.19 which will be a joy to bring home.
-Favorite part of DC? Hands down, The Capitol. I was lucky enough to go on a night time private tour with my group but I'm sure a regular tour would be amazing as well. The beauty and inspiration of the Rotunda cannot be properly captured in words; it must be seen in person.
-Regardless of political ideology or opinion of the president, seeing the White House up close is awe inspiring.
Overall an absolutely amazing week. Each time that I was amazed by a sight or building, I was quickly blown away by something equally or more amazing. The best part is, I probably only saw about 30-40% (albeit a BIG 30-40%) of what the city has to offer.
-It's definitely the history teacher in me, but being in the city where the decisions that have shaped this country for the past 200+ years gives this place a different feel. I know that I live in the economic center of the country/world but economics has never resonated with me the way that history and politics do (after all I was predicted to be a US Senator in my 8th grade year book. Sad but true.)
-Seeing buildings in person that you've seen on TV or in textbooks your entire life is a little surreal. The Capitol (especially at night) is absolutely gorgeous. I suppose that visitors to NYC have the same feeling when they see the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty; I should appreciate those structures more.
-There's a crazy amount of people out running at 7 AM. I suppose this is because by 11:00 o'clock it's 90 degrees with 75% humidity.
-I love old cities for the little quirks that reveal a lot about the past. My favorite from Georgetown was the insurance symbols that are still found on many buildings (I've seen these in Philadelphia) The basic idea is that when you bought insurance back in "the day" you would be given a large metal disc that you would hang outside of your house (this was the time of independent, non-government run fire companies.) If your home was on fire, the fireman would show up. If you had their disc the fire was put out but if you didn't? Well no disc, no water so you better hope you don't have cheap neighbors.
-Georgetown made my list of places I'm going to buy a house when I'm a billionaire, and yes there is an actual list. Apparently the people are pretty obnoxious there but the houses are stunning. If I had a house that nice I'd probably be a jerk too.
-I thought the 10 pence per ketchup packet at McDonald's in Ireland was bad but a 5 cent surcharge per plastic bag? Really District of Columbia? Then again, am I actually complaining about being charged a nickel for a bag when I won't bring back all the cans and bottles I drink? I'll just shut up now.
-I don't know whether it's a summer, southern or politician thing, but there are too many bow ties in this city for my liking.
-Bike racks on buses??? Brilliant!
-Here's a tip I wish I was told before I got here. If you go down to the Capitol reflecting pool to take a night time picture of the Capitol you will get eaten alive by bugs and get a nice whiff of a pool that apparently hasn't been skimmed in 125 years.
-This one has nothing to do with DC but more with being away from home. At the end of each day, I throw change in an office style water jug in my bedroom. Without having that here, I realized how much change you collect over the course of 5 days. My latest count is $6.19 which will be a joy to bring home.
-Favorite part of DC? Hands down, The Capitol. I was lucky enough to go on a night time private tour with my group but I'm sure a regular tour would be amazing as well. The beauty and inspiration of the Rotunda cannot be properly captured in words; it must be seen in person.
-Regardless of political ideology or opinion of the president, seeing the White House up close is awe inspiring.
Overall an absolutely amazing week. Each time that I was amazed by a sight or building, I was quickly blown away by something equally or more amazing. The best part is, I probably only saw about 30-40% (albeit a BIG 30-40%) of what the city has to offer.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Learning in DC- Day 3: Lincoln and Reflection
Day 3 of the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows brought me to Lincoln’s Cottage on the grounds of the U.S. Soldiers and Airmen’s Home. The day got me thinking about thinking.
Washington in the mid to late 19th century stunk…..literally. The exposed canal that ran through the National Mall, combined with roving livestock gave the city a smell that, when combined with southern heat and humidity, left the city unbearable.
Abraham Lincoln was well aware of these facts.
It was this knowledge combined with the recent loss of his son Willie that brought Lincoln 3 miles from the White House for 1/3 of his presidency. At a cottage on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home in northwest D.C., Lincoln could escape the noise, heat and stench of war-time Washington and have a place where he could reflect on the experiences and challenges that he faced as the Commander-in-Chief of a country at war. These challenges, which had not seen by any president before him (and possibly since) created a need for a place where he could think about the situation that the country was in and how the decisions he made affected millions of lives. While at the Cottage, all Lincoln had to do was look out the front window to see the results of his decisions. Just four months into the war, land across the road from the cottage became one of the nation’s first National Cemetery; the arrival of dozens of bodies each day, week and month gave him pause and afforded more time for reflection. Although dangerous, Lincoln would often make the daily trip to the White House without any guards so that he could be alone with his thoughts for a precious thirty minutes. This ability to slow down and examine both his life and his duties as president helped to make Lincoln the man who led our country through perhaps our darkest days.
One of the toughest things that we can do as people is step back, take a look at ourselves and evaluate not only what we do, but who we are as people. While this exercise can be very difficult for us, it is this reflection that can help us move forward by looking back and become a better husband/wife, teacher, friend or brother by reflecting on the times when we haven’t been at our best.
In the classroom, getting students to reflect on their work is an invaluable skill and tool that will help them grow as both people and learners. I realized this year that many, if not all of my students were not prepared to go through this exercise. It is essential that teachers, (especially in middle and high school) guide students through this process and help them to see that reflecting on their actions and learning can lead to both personal growth and a better understanding of who they are.
The last part of our tour today was a visit to the aforementioned National Cemetery. It was during this time that I was able to do my own reflection. Looking out across the 14,000 white headstones that covered the land allowed me to reflect on the sacrifice that those men and women made on behalf of our country. The few minutes that I spent there allowed me to see that self sacrifice can lead to things both great and small, whether it’s helping a student become a better thinker or helping the country preserve the freedoms that make America great.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Frederick Douglass: Patriot
"....he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins."
Frederick Douglass was many things during his life: runaway slave, famed orator, adviser to presidents but it was after visiting his house today that I learned that Frederick Douglass was a great patriot and one of our greatest Americans.
It's generally accepted that a patriot is someone who loves their country and (in our case) sees the world through red, white and blue colored glasses. In post 9/11 America, we consistently hear that there are people in this world who not only hate America, but also the lives we lead as Americans. The result of this shift in our culture is the development of a bravado that dictates that if you speak out against or criticize America in anyway, you are not a patriot.
Today, I learned the true definition of patriotism and it doesn't look much like the patriotism defined above.
Today, Frederick Douglass taught me that a patriot is not just someone who loves his or her country but someone who can look at what their country is and what their country does and know that it can be better. Douglass lived in a country that celebrated freedom and liberty while keeping slaves in bondage and denying rights to many different types of citizen. He not only recognized this hypocrisy but he also let people know about it through his writings and speeches, specifically the beautiful, scathing and ultimately truthful "rebuke" of our Independence Day in his 1852 speech, What to an American Slave is the Fourth of July? This doesn't mean that he hated America, it just means that he cared about the country and its people. This idea of "tough love" translates to many relationships in life including parent to child and teacher to student. Multiple times during my three years in the classroom I have pushed students to be better because I've seen the potential in them; their response is usually questioning why it is that I hate them. Much like Douglass and 19th century America, I just want them to live up to the high standards that have been set for them.
Sadly Douglass was not alive for Jim Crow in the 20th century but while he was here, he gave America exactly what the country needed and what each of us needs at different times in our lives: someone to get in our ear, tell us we're acting like fools and to cut the crap. Whether it was the abolition of slavery, or the rights of women and free blacks, Frederick Douglass pushed America to live up to the lofty standards set by our founding fathers and by doing so he helped America become a better place.
Thank you Mr. Douglass, for not only changing America but also for teaching me how to truly love my country.
Frederick Douglass was many things during his life: runaway slave, famed orator, adviser to presidents but it was after visiting his house today that I learned that Frederick Douglass was a great patriot and one of our greatest Americans.
It's generally accepted that a patriot is someone who loves their country and (in our case) sees the world through red, white and blue colored glasses. In post 9/11 America, we consistently hear that there are people in this world who not only hate America, but also the lives we lead as Americans. The result of this shift in our culture is the development of a bravado that dictates that if you speak out against or criticize America in anyway, you are not a patriot.
Today, I learned the true definition of patriotism and it doesn't look much like the patriotism defined above.
Today, Frederick Douglass taught me that a patriot is not just someone who loves his or her country but someone who can look at what their country is and what their country does and know that it can be better. Douglass lived in a country that celebrated freedom and liberty while keeping slaves in bondage and denying rights to many different types of citizen. He not only recognized this hypocrisy but he also let people know about it through his writings and speeches, specifically the beautiful, scathing and ultimately truthful "rebuke" of our Independence Day in his 1852 speech, What to an American Slave is the Fourth of July? This doesn't mean that he hated America, it just means that he cared about the country and its people. This idea of "tough love" translates to many relationships in life including parent to child and teacher to student. Multiple times during my three years in the classroom I have pushed students to be better because I've seen the potential in them; their response is usually questioning why it is that I hate them. Much like Douglass and 19th century America, I just want them to live up to the high standards that have been set for them.
Sadly Douglass was not alive for Jim Crow in the 20th century but while he was here, he gave America exactly what the country needed and what each of us needs at different times in our lives: someone to get in our ear, tell us we're acting like fools and to cut the crap. Whether it was the abolition of slavery, or the rights of women and free blacks, Frederick Douglass pushed America to live up to the lofty standards set by our founding fathers and by doing so he helped America become a better place.
Thank you Mr. Douglass, for not only changing America but also for teaching me how to truly love my country.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Learning in DC: Day One
I hated being a student when I was younger, just ask my parents or my sisters. However, this doesn't mean that I didn't like to learn new things.
That curiosity and desire to learn has grown even stronger as I've gotten older (some might call it maturity) to the point where I'm now happy to give up parts of my summer to go away from home to learn new things and try to become better at what I do.
I'm currently down in Washington D.C. to participate in the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows, a program that brings together some of the best historical sites in the city to help teachers become better at what we do. I'll be here for the rest of the week alongside 25 other teachers from around the country, during which we will make trips to President Lincoln's Cottage, Frederick Douglas' house and Ford's Theatre. Today we started at the Tudor House, a home once owned by the granddaughter (and subsequent generations) of Martha Washington. We got a tour of the house, followed by a walking tour of historic Georgetown. Both provided great insight into the history of both DC and Georgetown, which I now know was once it's own independent city.
As a teacher, the highlight of the day came after lunch when we participated in activities that not only enhanced my knowledge of the city, slavery and the war but also gave me some resources and tools that I can use in my classroom. I've talked on this blog about how the greatest challenge facing a history teacher is making "old" things seem relevant to teenagers. The things I learned today, ranging from the narratives of escaped slaves and the use of various 19th century inventions will no doubt develop as least some interest in my subject and the time period. That is a very exciting thing.
I'll be updating the blog throughout the week, including a list of odds and ends I've observed around the capital by the end of the week.
Cheers.
That curiosity and desire to learn has grown even stronger as I've gotten older (some might call it maturity) to the point where I'm now happy to give up parts of my summer to go away from home to learn new things and try to become better at what I do.
I'm currently down in Washington D.C. to participate in the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows, a program that brings together some of the best historical sites in the city to help teachers become better at what we do. I'll be here for the rest of the week alongside 25 other teachers from around the country, during which we will make trips to President Lincoln's Cottage, Frederick Douglas' house and Ford's Theatre. Today we started at the Tudor House, a home once owned by the granddaughter (and subsequent generations) of Martha Washington. We got a tour of the house, followed by a walking tour of historic Georgetown. Both provided great insight into the history of both DC and Georgetown, which I now know was once it's own independent city.
As a teacher, the highlight of the day came after lunch when we participated in activities that not only enhanced my knowledge of the city, slavery and the war but also gave me some resources and tools that I can use in my classroom. I've talked on this blog about how the greatest challenge facing a history teacher is making "old" things seem relevant to teenagers. The things I learned today, ranging from the narratives of escaped slaves and the use of various 19th century inventions will no doubt develop as least some interest in my subject and the time period. That is a very exciting thing.
I'll be updating the blog throughout the week, including a list of odds and ends I've observed around the capital by the end of the week.
Cheers.
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Summer Manifesto
After putting in a few extra days at school this week to wrap up some loose ends, today is my first official day of summer. During the school year, teaching is often an all encompassing profession with grading, lesson planning and a few dozen other things taking up what seems to be all of a teacher's waking moments. With this in mind, I usually try to write down what I want/need to do this summer in order to make the best of my freedom. Here's the 2011 list.
1)Read at least 5 books
-Summer reading was almost non-existent as a student, but now that I'm older I've come to really enjoy reading. I've already started and finished one book over the last week (Animal Farm, which I loved and was only about 130 pages long) so I think I should be able to meet this goal.
2)Write more
-Writing is definitely the interest of mine that gets lost the most during the school year. I don't want to put a number on this one, since I'm usually just inspired to write about something and don't want to write just to hit a number. I'll leave it right now at writing "more" with the hope of writing a few times per week
3)Go golfing 3 times
-I have this goal every summer and never meet, primarily because I look at golfing as more of a social event so I'm not interested in going by myself.
4)Be a better home owner
-There are plenty of things I can do around my house to touch the place up just need to finally do it.
5)Get ready for September
-This will be a mid-August goal. I really want to hit the ground running at school in the fall so I need to get some work done in order to do so. Let's not think about this one for a while.
Throw in trips to DC, Ireland and Maine and it should be a busy and (hopefully) productive summer.
1)Read at least 5 books
-Summer reading was almost non-existent as a student, but now that I'm older I've come to really enjoy reading. I've already started and finished one book over the last week (Animal Farm, which I loved and was only about 130 pages long) so I think I should be able to meet this goal.
2)Write more
-Writing is definitely the interest of mine that gets lost the most during the school year. I don't want to put a number on this one, since I'm usually just inspired to write about something and don't want to write just to hit a number. I'll leave it right now at writing "more" with the hope of writing a few times per week
3)Go golfing 3 times
-I have this goal every summer and never meet, primarily because I look at golfing as more of a social event so I'm not interested in going by myself.
4)Be a better home owner
-There are plenty of things I can do around my house to touch the place up just need to finally do it.
5)Get ready for September
-This will be a mid-August goal. I really want to hit the ground running at school in the fall so I need to get some work done in order to do so. Let's not think about this one for a while.
Throw in trips to DC, Ireland and Maine and it should be a busy and (hopefully) productive summer.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
a year in the life of a teacher in 1,452 words
**I hate reading long blogs. Once I see an insanely long entry I usually tune out. This is one of my most important pieces of writing so if you can make it to the end I will love you forever. Also, check me out on Twitter @FJM718.
Thanks! -FM
Today I completed my third year as a New York City Public School Teacher, a title that I have been and always will be proud to carry. From 2008-2010 I was working in a highly rated middle school with amazingly gifted students who were routinely accepted into the top high schools in the city. I worked with active parents who supported their children both fiscally and academically and with each day that passed in my first two years, I considered myself lucky to be there. I was well received by the administration, my colleagues and most importantly, my students. I can definitely say that as my second year in the system came to a close I was on cruise control, not in the sense that I wasn't working hard but that as a classroom teacher I was pretty comfortable; I was just about to finish my second year and while I knew I had a ton to learn as a teacher I was in a place that made that growth easier.
Then I got kicked to the curb.
With exactly two weeks left in the year, after two years of satisfactory ratings and strong teaching I was told that I was no longer welcome by my principal. The details are something that still sting to this day and I will probably carry with me for a very long time. I won't share them on the blog but come get a beer with me and I'll fill you in.
After going through hell (again beers will get you details) I was lucky enough to find a principal who believed in me at a high school in the Bronx. It was at this point that I realized I would have to put up or shut up. You see, coming out of Fordham (both undergrad and graduate) I was taught and came to believe in urban education. I truly believe that working in an urban school is an honorable undertaking that, while being very challenging, can also be very rewarding. Although I was thrilled to be at my former school and while I loved the students and faculty to death (and I still do), a part of me realized that I wasn't really following through on my beliefs in urban education. When people asked where I worked, I would tell them that I was in the city but it was as close to the suburbs as a city school can get; now it was going to be different. I was going to be in THE BRONX on Gun Hill Road no less (doesn't it just sound menacing?) I was going from passing by manicured lawns to get to my classroom to passing through metal detectors. The question was, "Can I do it?"
I started in September and I truly didn't know what was going to happen. I was teaching 3 sections of 9th graders Government/US History and 1 section English, another new experience that didn't make things any easier. The kids were tough, I was working in a co-teaching partnership for the first time with a total stranger and the wounds of June 2010 were still pretty fresh. I quickly learned that these weren't the same kids I taught in Queens. In many cases one or both parents were absent, many were years behind academically and it was clear that almost none of them had been challenged academically before entering my classroom. During the second week of school one of my students locked himself in a locker and soon after I was told to "go fuck myself" for the first (but not the last) time. I worked with my students, was able to reach some of them but things were still tough. I was lucky because I was one of a number of new teachers at the school who soon became a support group while each of us took turns venting about the latest adventures with our wonderful freshman.
I made it through Christmas (the first major benchmark of the year for a teacher) and was beginning to do better work. I came back in January and before I knew it winter break in February was upon us. The year was flying by and I was positive I could make it.
I was wrong.
It was almost 8 weeks before the next break, the equivalent of three lifetimes when working with teenagers 24 periods a week. Things got tougher, my students continued to test me and I for the first time I questioned whether I could actually teach at my school. It was during this time that another freshman teacher (who was hired at the same time as me) quit, leaving a gaping hole in an already buckling 9th grade team. Staff morale was low and June 28th felt like it was years away. I had my weekly meeting with my department chair and came clean that I was losing it. He steered me in the right direction, letting me know that he had many of the same thoughts during his first year and that it would pass.
He was right.
I came back from spring break renewed. Not only because there were only 6 weeks left in the year but because I realized that I could do this. I mentioned in an earlier blog that working in The Bronx is tough. My students are challenging (the greatest euphemism I have ever used) and at many times all that myself and many of my colleagues could do was sit back and vent (another euphemism) about how impossible our situation was. Make no mistake about it, the students we work with can make you crazy and make you want to run out of the building as if it was on fire however, I soon realized that I was wrong: it's not impossible. It was then that I realized I could either be part of the problem or part of the solution. I chose the latter. I became part of the hiring committee, tried my best to not go crazy with my students and worked with 3 amazing colleagues to create and implement a two day celebration of learning for our Freshman that allowed them to reflect on their work and more importantly share what they learned with their fellow students and the school community. Over the last two months of the year, I realized that I have the ability to help my school, a school that people who I admire and respect have put a tremendous amount of time and energy to build and get where it is today. It's not perfect, but it's also not finished. I know I can help finish the job.
I didn't come to this realization on my own. I had a principal who supported me, not only when I was teaching for him, but last summer, before he ever knew me and I was just a second year teacher with a spotty past. I had a department chair who became my mentor and friend who consistently pushed me to be better personally, to make my class more challenging for my students and to be a better teacher. I had amazing colleagues who helped me through the tough times and with whom I celebrated the good, as rare as they sometimes seemed to be. And I had my wife who was always there to listen to me complain, support me and believe in me.
I made it through the year.
There were times when I didn't think it would happen but amazingly enough it did. I've never been as proud professionally as I am in this moment. It turns out that as a teacher, the events of last June were the best thing that could happen to me. I truly believe that I would not have grown as a teacher as much as I did this year if I had stayed where I was (don't get me wrong it doesn't make up for the heartache of June 2010). With all of that being said, there's a thought bouncing around my head that no teacher should have on the last day of school: I'm looking forward to September. While I am going to enjoy this summer more than any other before, I'm already looking forward to the challenge that will be the 2011-2012 school year. It's not going to be easy but I know that I'm prepared to handle it.....at least until I'm told to go fuck myself.
Happy summer.
Thanks! -FM
Today I completed my third year as a New York City Public School Teacher, a title that I have been and always will be proud to carry. From 2008-2010 I was working in a highly rated middle school with amazingly gifted students who were routinely accepted into the top high schools in the city. I worked with active parents who supported their children both fiscally and academically and with each day that passed in my first two years, I considered myself lucky to be there. I was well received by the administration, my colleagues and most importantly, my students. I can definitely say that as my second year in the system came to a close I was on cruise control, not in the sense that I wasn't working hard but that as a classroom teacher I was pretty comfortable; I was just about to finish my second year and while I knew I had a ton to learn as a teacher I was in a place that made that growth easier.
Then I got kicked to the curb.
With exactly two weeks left in the year, after two years of satisfactory ratings and strong teaching I was told that I was no longer welcome by my principal. The details are something that still sting to this day and I will probably carry with me for a very long time. I won't share them on the blog but come get a beer with me and I'll fill you in.
After going through hell (again beers will get you details) I was lucky enough to find a principal who believed in me at a high school in the Bronx. It was at this point that I realized I would have to put up or shut up. You see, coming out of Fordham (both undergrad and graduate) I was taught and came to believe in urban education. I truly believe that working in an urban school is an honorable undertaking that, while being very challenging, can also be very rewarding. Although I was thrilled to be at my former school and while I loved the students and faculty to death (and I still do), a part of me realized that I wasn't really following through on my beliefs in urban education. When people asked where I worked, I would tell them that I was in the city but it was as close to the suburbs as a city school can get; now it was going to be different. I was going to be in THE BRONX on Gun Hill Road no less (doesn't it just sound menacing?) I was going from passing by manicured lawns to get to my classroom to passing through metal detectors. The question was, "Can I do it?"
I started in September and I truly didn't know what was going to happen. I was teaching 3 sections of 9th graders Government/US History and 1 section English, another new experience that didn't make things any easier. The kids were tough, I was working in a co-teaching partnership for the first time with a total stranger and the wounds of June 2010 were still pretty fresh. I quickly learned that these weren't the same kids I taught in Queens. In many cases one or both parents were absent, many were years behind academically and it was clear that almost none of them had been challenged academically before entering my classroom. During the second week of school one of my students locked himself in a locker and soon after I was told to "go fuck myself" for the first (but not the last) time. I worked with my students, was able to reach some of them but things were still tough. I was lucky because I was one of a number of new teachers at the school who soon became a support group while each of us took turns venting about the latest adventures with our wonderful freshman.
I made it through Christmas (the first major benchmark of the year for a teacher) and was beginning to do better work. I came back in January and before I knew it winter break in February was upon us. The year was flying by and I was positive I could make it.
I was wrong.
It was almost 8 weeks before the next break, the equivalent of three lifetimes when working with teenagers 24 periods a week. Things got tougher, my students continued to test me and I for the first time I questioned whether I could actually teach at my school. It was during this time that another freshman teacher (who was hired at the same time as me) quit, leaving a gaping hole in an already buckling 9th grade team. Staff morale was low and June 28th felt like it was years away. I had my weekly meeting with my department chair and came clean that I was losing it. He steered me in the right direction, letting me know that he had many of the same thoughts during his first year and that it would pass.
He was right.
I came back from spring break renewed. Not only because there were only 6 weeks left in the year but because I realized that I could do this. I mentioned in an earlier blog that working in The Bronx is tough. My students are challenging (the greatest euphemism I have ever used) and at many times all that myself and many of my colleagues could do was sit back and vent (another euphemism) about how impossible our situation was. Make no mistake about it, the students we work with can make you crazy and make you want to run out of the building as if it was on fire however, I soon realized that I was wrong: it's not impossible. It was then that I realized I could either be part of the problem or part of the solution. I chose the latter. I became part of the hiring committee, tried my best to not go crazy with my students and worked with 3 amazing colleagues to create and implement a two day celebration of learning for our Freshman that allowed them to reflect on their work and more importantly share what they learned with their fellow students and the school community. Over the last two months of the year, I realized that I have the ability to help my school, a school that people who I admire and respect have put a tremendous amount of time and energy to build and get where it is today. It's not perfect, but it's also not finished. I know I can help finish the job.
I didn't come to this realization on my own. I had a principal who supported me, not only when I was teaching for him, but last summer, before he ever knew me and I was just a second year teacher with a spotty past. I had a department chair who became my mentor and friend who consistently pushed me to be better personally, to make my class more challenging for my students and to be a better teacher. I had amazing colleagues who helped me through the tough times and with whom I celebrated the good, as rare as they sometimes seemed to be. And I had my wife who was always there to listen to me complain, support me and believe in me.
I made it through the year.
There were times when I didn't think it would happen but amazingly enough it did. I've never been as proud professionally as I am in this moment. It turns out that as a teacher, the events of last June were the best thing that could happen to me. I truly believe that I would not have grown as a teacher as much as I did this year if I had stayed where I was (don't get me wrong it doesn't make up for the heartache of June 2010). With all of that being said, there's a thought bouncing around my head that no teacher should have on the last day of school: I'm looking forward to September. While I am going to enjoy this summer more than any other before, I'm already looking forward to the challenge that will be the 2011-2012 school year. It's not going to be easy but I know that I'm prepared to handle it.....at least until I'm told to go fuck myself.
Happy summer.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
My School, My Community, My Pride
Teaching in The Bronx is not easy.
While I always figured this would be the case, my first year actually doing it made this very simple truth one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced on both a professional and personal level. I'm waiting for the official end of the school year to write my reflection on the 2010-2011 school year but I had one of my best days as a teacher today and I felt the need to share.
Today in NYC was Chancellor's Day, a day with no students where schools hold professional development, or PD in teacher talk. I can honestly say that I have no recollection of what I did on Chancellor's Day for the past two years which lets me know just how big of an impact that type of PD made on me. Today was different and I know I won't soon forget what I did on Chancellor's Day 2011. Our day at BLS was split in two sessions and my participation in both made me more proud of the learning community that I am a part of than anything else so far this year.
Over the past four months, each member of staff has been a part of a Professional Learning Team (PLT) that met once or twice a month during our weekly 2.5 hour PD (another piece of my school that I have undervalued by looking at it as just a half day of teaching rather than what it really is: a whole day of learning) to analyze and discuss an issue or topic that we face as teachers. PLT groups included projects/assessment, classroom management, addressing student apathy, technology, and a few others and today was the presentation of what the work that each group has done. Simply put, I was floored by the amazing work that my colleagues have done over the past few months. Each group presented thoughtful, challenging and insightful information for the staff that can help each member of our community become better at what they do.
For the second part of the day, we meet with our departments and each teacher presented their curriculum map for the 2011-2012 school year. My colleagues in the history department presented maps that posed thoughtful and challenging essential questions, well crafted projects and meaningful goals that helped me to not only see how amazing they are at what they do, but also how just how much I can learn from them each and every day.
So let me go back to the beginning. Teaching in The Bronx is tough. It is very easy to get frustrated and discouraged when working with challenging students day in and day out. I feel that what can get easily lost in the frustration and (justified) complaining is the amazing work that my colleagues and I are doing. My school is a work in progress, a transitional period for a a learning community in just its 7th year of existence, but the things that are happening there, the freedom we have to be creative and the community of hard working, supportive educators who are pushing both students and teachers to be the best they can be makes my school a great place to be.
Thanks for a great day guys.
While I always figured this would be the case, my first year actually doing it made this very simple truth one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced on both a professional and personal level. I'm waiting for the official end of the school year to write my reflection on the 2010-2011 school year but I had one of my best days as a teacher today and I felt the need to share.
Today in NYC was Chancellor's Day, a day with no students where schools hold professional development, or PD in teacher talk. I can honestly say that I have no recollection of what I did on Chancellor's Day for the past two years which lets me know just how big of an impact that type of PD made on me. Today was different and I know I won't soon forget what I did on Chancellor's Day 2011. Our day at BLS was split in two sessions and my participation in both made me more proud of the learning community that I am a part of than anything else so far this year.
Over the past four months, each member of staff has been a part of a Professional Learning Team (PLT) that met once or twice a month during our weekly 2.5 hour PD (another piece of my school that I have undervalued by looking at it as just a half day of teaching rather than what it really is: a whole day of learning) to analyze and discuss an issue or topic that we face as teachers. PLT groups included projects/assessment, classroom management, addressing student apathy, technology, and a few others and today was the presentation of what the work that each group has done. Simply put, I was floored by the amazing work that my colleagues have done over the past few months. Each group presented thoughtful, challenging and insightful information for the staff that can help each member of our community become better at what they do.
For the second part of the day, we meet with our departments and each teacher presented their curriculum map for the 2011-2012 school year. My colleagues in the history department presented maps that posed thoughtful and challenging essential questions, well crafted projects and meaningful goals that helped me to not only see how amazing they are at what they do, but also how just how much I can learn from them each and every day.
So let me go back to the beginning. Teaching in The Bronx is tough. It is very easy to get frustrated and discouraged when working with challenging students day in and day out. I feel that what can get easily lost in the frustration and (justified) complaining is the amazing work that my colleagues and I are doing. My school is a work in progress, a transitional period for a a learning community in just its 7th year of existence, but the things that are happening there, the freedom we have to be creative and the community of hard working, supportive educators who are pushing both students and teachers to be the best they can be makes my school a great place to be.
Thanks for a great day guys.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Me and My Hats (or Me and My Caps)
I love hats.
Growing up I had about 30-40 hats all of which I loved for different reasons and would wear all the time. I remember my parents and my grandfather telling me that if I didn't stop wearing a hat it would make my hair fall out. I never believed them although looking back on it my grandfather always wore a fedora and was, in fact, bald so maybe he was on to something.
I imagine my love for hats was probably a result of loving baseball so much since it's the only sport in which the players wear hats (or caps in baseball terms) on the field. As a kid, I always wanted to look just like the players I idolized which lead to me constantly wearing wristbands for no apparent reason and dressing up as Keith Hernandez for Halloween. The only thing missing was the cap.
While I had the plastic "snap" Mets cap, I always wanted an official on-field, fitted one. Besides the fact that my head would not have fit in an official baseball cap growing up, I don't have any memory of them even being sold. In order to make up for this deficiency of head wear (tragic childhood, no?) as an adult I have owned close to 10 Mets fitted caps. Although they represent the same team, each one is a little different ranging from the different colors (blue, black, black/blue and the rare white), the 2000 World Series version, to the one with the American flag that came out after September 11th and most recently the Citi Field Inaugural Season version.
I'm not going to lie, the hat/cap thing might be the craziest part of my personality as is evident in the fact that I'm writing a blog about them. After owning a traditional blue Mets cap through the tragic 2007 and 2008 New York Mets, I decided that the cap was cursed and had a formal destruction ceremony with my friend Mike in which we tore it to pieces (the team suffered one of it's worst on the field years record wise since 2003 which just shows how much of a superstitious idiot I truly am.) I'll spend 10-15 minutes trying them on in order to find just the "right" one which is always a treat for my wife and at this point, I buy a new one every two years, hoping and (genuinely) thinking that this might be the one that brings my forlorn team a winning season but alas they never do. The past two years with the aforementioned all black Citi Field version brought more pain so at last night's game I bought another, this one the black and blue version (which I'm sure you already figured out was next in the cycle unless of course you didn't which would speak volumes about the proper attention you give the hats...none.)
There is an art to breaking in an official cap since they are usually very stiff and don't initially look that good on one's head as you can see in the photo above. I'll be wearing this one for the next two years and possibly longer in case this team begins to turn it around which already doesn't look promising 12 games into the season.
I'm glad that something as simple as a hat can still make me happy but more importantly I'm still happy that I have all of my hair.
Growing up I had about 30-40 hats all of which I loved for different reasons and would wear all the time. I remember my parents and my grandfather telling me that if I didn't stop wearing a hat it would make my hair fall out. I never believed them although looking back on it my grandfather always wore a fedora and was, in fact, bald so maybe he was on to something.
I imagine my love for hats was probably a result of loving baseball so much since it's the only sport in which the players wear hats (or caps in baseball terms) on the field. As a kid, I always wanted to look just like the players I idolized which lead to me constantly wearing wristbands for no apparent reason and dressing up as Keith Hernandez for Halloween. The only thing missing was the cap.
While I had the plastic "snap" Mets cap, I always wanted an official on-field, fitted one. Besides the fact that my head would not have fit in an official baseball cap growing up, I don't have any memory of them even being sold. In order to make up for this deficiency of head wear (tragic childhood, no?) as an adult I have owned close to 10 Mets fitted caps. Although they represent the same team, each one is a little different ranging from the different colors (blue, black, black/blue and the rare white), the 2000 World Series version, to the one with the American flag that came out after September 11th and most recently the Citi Field Inaugural Season version.
I'm not going to lie, the hat/cap thing might be the craziest part of my personality as is evident in the fact that I'm writing a blog about them. After owning a traditional blue Mets cap through the tragic 2007 and 2008 New York Mets, I decided that the cap was cursed and had a formal destruction ceremony with my friend Mike in which we tore it to pieces (the team suffered one of it's worst on the field years record wise since 2003 which just shows how much of a superstitious idiot I truly am.) I'll spend 10-15 minutes trying them on in order to find just the "right" one which is always a treat for my wife and at this point, I buy a new one every two years, hoping and (genuinely) thinking that this might be the one that brings my forlorn team a winning season but alas they never do. The past two years with the aforementioned all black Citi Field version brought more pain so at last night's game I bought another, this one the black and blue version (which I'm sure you already figured out was next in the cycle unless of course you didn't which would speak volumes about the proper attention you give the hats...none.)
There is an art to breaking in an official cap since they are usually very stiff and don't initially look that good on one's head as you can see in the photo above. I'll be wearing this one for the next two years and possibly longer in case this team begins to turn it around which already doesn't look promising 12 games into the season.
I'm glad that something as simple as a hat can still make me happy but more importantly I'm still happy that I have all of my hair.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Campaign Commercial for the Non-Existent Candidate
Once a year, we here in America (and other democratic nations) become overloaded on political campaign ads extolling the virtues of candidates of (mostly) questionable character. One will lower taxes, one is blue collar just like me and you and another wants to end a war.
Regardless of the candidate or the message, these commercials exist for one reason: get the candidate elected. Why is it then, that a three term mayor (2 that are legitimate, 1 that is both selfish and immoral) needs to run what amounts to a campaign commercial just over a year into a four year term? I suppose poor approval ratings and $20 billion are the answer I'm looking for as to why Mayor Bloomberg is running these commercials when he can never run for mayor again.
Instead of spending money on commercials to change public opinion, how about you become more aware of why it is that public opinion of you and your policies is so low?
Why don't you spend the "high six figures" that has has been reported as the cost of your commercial and put it back into the city. Even though I'm a math-deficient History teacher, I can still figure out that $900,000 could keep nearly 20 first-and second-year teachers in the classrooms of New York City.
Maybe I'm just foolish to think the "education mayor" would do something like that.
Regardless of the candidate or the message, these commercials exist for one reason: get the candidate elected. Why is it then, that a three term mayor (2 that are legitimate, 1 that is both selfish and immoral) needs to run what amounts to a campaign commercial just over a year into a four year term? I suppose poor approval ratings and $20 billion are the answer I'm looking for as to why Mayor Bloomberg is running these commercials when he can never run for mayor again.
Instead of spending money on commercials to change public opinion, how about you become more aware of why it is that public opinion of you and your policies is so low?
Why don't you spend the "high six figures" that has has been reported as the cost of your commercial and put it back into the city. Even though I'm a math-deficient History teacher, I can still figure out that $900,000 could keep nearly 20 first-and second-year teachers in the classrooms of New York City.
Maybe I'm just foolish to think the "education mayor" would do something like that.
Monday, February 28, 2011
a day in the life of a teacher (well a young one anyway)
My friend the mayor released a list of potential teacher layoffs in New York City this morning. As I was woke up, trying to will myself out of bed after a week off, I heard the news report and was suddenly even less excited to start my day.
Then I went to work....
.....and taught 60 9th graders in my Civics class how to contact their representative concerning proposed gun control legislation in the House.
Then, I took a look at the aforementioned list provided by the D.O.E. and saw that my school has 5 teachers that could be laid off if the mayor doesn't get his way. Best part? It was just a number so maybe it's me but then again maybe it's not. I spent a small part of the remainder of the day wondering if I was one of the unlucky ones. I didn't necessarily appreciate the suspense of it all.
Then I taught 30 9th graders English. Well kind of anyway. Midway through the day all of the outlets in my room blew rendering useless the PowerPoint that I was going to project onto my board to teach my mini lesson. Can't win 'em all.....or apparently ANY of 'em.
Then I came home had dinner with my wife and watched our friend the mayor on the news. I'm not too sure if the mayor thought about me and my fellow teachers today- well maybe he did, after all he made up a nice list!- but I know he didn't think about my wife, and the grief that his list caused her today.
This is my 3rd year teaching in New York City and my 3rd year of hearing that I might lose my job...it's kind of like an anniversary. Should I get a gift? What is the 3rd year? Leather? Anyway
throughout these sagas, I always took the position that what will be will be. Whatever happens, I'll be prepared and besides it can't be as bad as the end of last year can it? Politics aside (and I do have opinions that I may share in the future), I just want to keep my job. I love teaching, even on the first day back from vacation, when I'm told my job is in jeopardy and the power doesn't work so I can't teach my lessons.
Actually, today kind of just sucked but I am ready for tomorrow and the challenges that await with my classes.
Let's hope I get the same chance next year.
Then I went to work....
.....and taught 60 9th graders in my Civics class how to contact their representative concerning proposed gun control legislation in the House.
Then, I took a look at the aforementioned list provided by the D.O.E. and saw that my school has 5 teachers that could be laid off if the mayor doesn't get his way. Best part? It was just a number so maybe it's me but then again maybe it's not. I spent a small part of the remainder of the day wondering if I was one of the unlucky ones. I didn't necessarily appreciate the suspense of it all.
Then I taught 30 9th graders English. Well kind of anyway. Midway through the day all of the outlets in my room blew rendering useless the PowerPoint that I was going to project onto my board to teach my mini lesson. Can't win 'em all.....or apparently ANY of 'em.
Then I came home had dinner with my wife and watched our friend the mayor on the news. I'm not too sure if the mayor thought about me and my fellow teachers today- well maybe he did, after all he made up a nice list!- but I know he didn't think about my wife, and the grief that his list caused her today.
This is my 3rd year teaching in New York City and my 3rd year of hearing that I might lose my job...it's kind of like an anniversary. Should I get a gift? What is the 3rd year? Leather? Anyway
throughout these sagas, I always took the position that what will be will be. Whatever happens, I'll be prepared and besides it can't be as bad as the end of last year can it? Politics aside (and I do have opinions that I may share in the future), I just want to keep my job. I love teaching, even on the first day back from vacation, when I'm told my job is in jeopardy and the power doesn't work so I can't teach my lessons.
Actually, today kind of just sucked but I am ready for tomorrow and the challenges that await with my classes.
Let's hope I get the same chance next year.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Cairo/The Bronx
For the past five months, I've been teaching 9th grade Civics/U.S. Government in the Bronx. If you had walked into my classroom at any time over the last five months, you would have heard terms like limited government, democracy, dictator and popular consent. Many of my students see these as just words in a book or on a worksheet they were given in class. Like many of us, they hear terms like "democracy" but not really being sure what that means. Something that comes as a result of hearing but not necessarily thinking about it.
Today my 9th graders (all 90 of 'em!) and I were able to see these terms in action and it was one of best days in my three years of teaching.
The events unfolding in Egypt over the past two and a half weeks have been a microcosm of what I've been teaching this school year. My students have learned about different systems of government, created a government for a fictional nation and discussed the role that government should play in the lives of people (or more importantly, the role that people play in a government).
Today, in a whirlwind of timing and technology, I was able to take my students to Cairo, where what they have been learning this year was coming to life. As my students entered the room, the Al Jazeera coverage from Tahrir Square was playing on the board. We watched for a little bit and then moved into our lesson which reviewed the events of the last two weeks, as well as an analysis of photographs of the protesters in Cairo. We had a chance to use events that were happening in real time to assess their knowledge of democracy and government. During my 3rd period class,as students were completing their exit slips, we watched as President Mubarak officially resigned. With my last period class, we were able to watch President Obama's statement. In the latter case, I was able to sit down and watch it with them.
Today was a great day to be a social studies teacher. Too often, we are teachers of the past; today we were able to be teachers of the present. Now I can't guarantee that my students are sitting at home on a Friday night talking about what's next for Egypt but I do know that during the three hours that I spent with them today, they got to watch what they have learned in my class happen right in front of them. That is a wonderful thing.
Today my 9th graders (all 90 of 'em!) and I were able to see these terms in action and it was one of best days in my three years of teaching.
The events unfolding in Egypt over the past two and a half weeks have been a microcosm of what I've been teaching this school year. My students have learned about different systems of government, created a government for a fictional nation and discussed the role that government should play in the lives of people (or more importantly, the role that people play in a government).
Today, in a whirlwind of timing and technology, I was able to take my students to Cairo, where what they have been learning this year was coming to life. As my students entered the room, the Al Jazeera coverage from Tahrir Square was playing on the board. We watched for a little bit and then moved into our lesson which reviewed the events of the last two weeks, as well as an analysis of photographs of the protesters in Cairo. We had a chance to use events that were happening in real time to assess their knowledge of democracy and government. During my 3rd period class,as students were completing their exit slips, we watched as President Mubarak officially resigned. With my last period class, we were able to watch President Obama's statement. In the latter case, I was able to sit down and watch it with them.
Today was a great day to be a social studies teacher. Too often, we are teachers of the past; today we were able to be teachers of the present. Now I can't guarantee that my students are sitting at home on a Friday night talking about what's next for Egypt but I do know that during the three hours that I spent with them today, they got to watch what they have learned in my class happen right in front of them. That is a wonderful thing.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Teach
Another week past, another week of teaching in the Bronx now behind me. (It's also another year of the mayor telling me that I'm going to lose my job but those are thoughts for another post.)
Had an up and down week with my students who were a mix of brilliant and maddeningly apathetic over the last four days. I'm now just past the halfway point of the year and each week/day/class has presented both challenges and rewards, although complete honesty would say there have been many more of the former. Each challenge that I face has built a resolve that makes me ask "How can I make this work?", a question whose answer I have yet to find. However, this question has led to a deeper reflection on both my practice and educational philosophy.
Today a co-worker and I had an extended discussion about the role that home plays in education of a child. As someone who was academically lazy throughout my childhood, I feel that I know better than most just how uninteresting school can be for adolescence (perhaps one of the reasons that I wanted to become a teacher in the first place.) While I thought school was boring at times, I always knew that in some way, it was important. Why? Because my parents told me that it was. Kids are stupid- and I mean that in the nicest way possible,- which is to say that a child between the ages of 5-11 can be convinced about anything (see the Tooth Fairy) so if a parent tells them that school is important when they're young, they just might listen. By no means does this predict academic success, but it doesn't hurt for a student to hear that school and their education have value because if they doesn't happen then, they probably won't care too much when they get to high school. Unfortunately, I work with a handful of students who might not have gotten that message growing up, which leaves an uphill challenge for myself and my colleagues.
So, once again, how can I make this work? I don't know. However, I'm beginning to realize that if I can get them to think,than I would be doing my part in moving them along in life. More on that in the future.
Two more weeks till Winter Break with many more challenges (both known and unknown) on the horizon. As time passes, I continue to learn these lessons which will prepare me for what awaits in the future.
Had an up and down week with my students who were a mix of brilliant and maddeningly apathetic over the last four days. I'm now just past the halfway point of the year and each week/day/class has presented both challenges and rewards, although complete honesty would say there have been many more of the former. Each challenge that I face has built a resolve that makes me ask "How can I make this work?", a question whose answer I have yet to find. However, this question has led to a deeper reflection on both my practice and educational philosophy.
Today a co-worker and I had an extended discussion about the role that home plays in education of a child. As someone who was academically lazy throughout my childhood, I feel that I know better than most just how uninteresting school can be for adolescence (perhaps one of the reasons that I wanted to become a teacher in the first place.) While I thought school was boring at times, I always knew that in some way, it was important. Why? Because my parents told me that it was. Kids are stupid- and I mean that in the nicest way possible,- which is to say that a child between the ages of 5-11 can be convinced about anything (see the Tooth Fairy) so if a parent tells them that school is important when they're young, they just might listen. By no means does this predict academic success, but it doesn't hurt for a student to hear that school and their education have value because if they doesn't happen then, they probably won't care too much when they get to high school. Unfortunately, I work with a handful of students who might not have gotten that message growing up, which leaves an uphill challenge for myself and my colleagues.
So, once again, how can I make this work? I don't know. However, I'm beginning to realize that if I can get them to think,than I would be doing my part in moving them along in life. More on that in the future.
Two more weeks till Winter Break with many more challenges (both known and unknown) on the horizon. As time passes, I continue to learn these lessons which will prepare me for what awaits in the future.
Friday, January 7, 2011
8 Seconds
**Note, if you were expecting a review of the 1994 Luke Perry movie 8 Seconds, I apologize as I did not mean to deceive you with the title of this post.
One of the best places I've ever been to in New York City was an Eastern European discotheque on Canal Street that my friends and I went to back in college. It was just an odd place that served beer in giant green bottles and played really loud music. We referred to it as "Bulgaria Bar" and although it was a pretty random place, we always managed to have a great time there. It's one of my favorite parts of New York City. There's so much to do that on any night there's a different event happening somewhere in the city.
Tonight, I went to one of those events: Professional Bull Riding (PBR) at Madison Square Garden. My dad and I went last year and had a great time, so it was an easy decision to return again this year. Overall, Professional Bull Riding has a lot to offer. As a sports fan, it's a chance to see elite athletes competing at the highest level of their sport. For the part of me that still laughs at "Jackass", there's people getting knocked around by bulls which is always entertaining. Also last year, I got to see 6 year old kids grab onto a sheep that was then let loose around the floor at MSG, easily one of the funniest things I have ever seen. With this in mind, we returned for this year's Madison Square Garden Invitational.
Having been to a number of sporting events, I can honestly say that attending a PBR event is an excellent time. The PBR puts on a good show, the bullfighter MC is entertaining (yes I said bullfighter, they apparently take offense to the term "Rodeo Clown") and of course there's people being knocked around by bulls. Also, the PBR riders have the best names, including Skeeter Kingsolver, Pistol Robinson and Stormy Wing. Do you know how much better baseball would be if Skeeter Kingsolver or Stormy Wing was the starting second baseman for the Mets? Finally, there's the fun of going to a bull riding event in New York City where you get to see New Yorkers dress up as "cowboys." While there are definitely professionals in the crowd with legit cowboy gear, there's also a lot of locals who borrowed the cowboy hat from their kid/siblings cowboy costume or spent $35.00 on the official PBR one that were sold on the concourse. There's also a ton of flannel shirts in the crowds, as if Brooklyn hipsters really needed ANOTHER reason to wear them.
Well done PBR!
Now back to knowing nothing about bull riding until this time next year.
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