tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.comments2023-04-30T10:12:33.091-04:00Just Me: Tales from A TeacherHilarym99http://www.blogger.com/profile/14083829960213960224noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-36706391742960178292015-10-02T09:14:25.589-04:002015-10-02T09:14:25.589-04:00As a teacher, you could at least learn enough biol...As a teacher, you could at least learn enough biology to know that this bug is harmless. Why this automatic reaction to kill something ? Apart from that, I like your site, refreshingly different.Adrian Jansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00428834190602739254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-52740078355841884972011-11-06T20:14:05.975-05:002011-11-06T20:14:05.975-05:00I can totally relate Hilary. Being a teacher is n...I can totally relate Hilary. Being a teacher is not an easy thing. We forget it is a human endeavor with people interacting everyday as life happens. Your blog reminded me of my first teaching job interview. <br /> This particular school system that I was interviewing for required that I give a model lesson with real children,(that I had not previously met). I was to give a guided reading lesson while a panel of three administrators observed me give the lesson! <br /> As I was dividing the children into reading groups, one of the second graders yelled out: "Ay Missy, I peed in my pants!" I saw the look in his eyes of terror and the beginning of feelings of shame and I said to myself: "There is no way any child is going to laugh at this boy. If I have to stop the lesson and lose the job I don't care!" I calmly said to Javier; "Just come over here, don't worry everybody in this room has had an accident before, even me. Here's the pass to the nurse. When you're finished, you can come back and continue with the activity." I gave him a hug, he didn't cry and he came back! <br /> I got the job and the panel said that they had never seen such classroom management skills from a teacher! What they didn't know was that I felt like peeing in my pants too! I always remember Javier whenever I am in an uncomfortable public situation. Everyone has accidents too! We just don't know it.Ms. Arroyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07524959905872248402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-56744359280058044022011-10-28T14:18:51.067-04:002011-10-28T14:18:51.067-04:00I really love this blog post and I really loved yo...I really love this blog post and I really loved your presentation on "Boy Writers!" I am a huge Ralph Fletcher fan and you definitely got me interested in reading this book! I really connected with you because I am currently interning at a middle school and the boys are just not motivated to read and it just kills me! Then again, like you stated the language and topics they want to write about seem like awful choices but they're boys...that is just how they are, and I get that. I always feel pressure when I cover their classes and they have a free write journal entry because I never know what they are going to write, but if we as a community of teachers don't encourage and try to change this, all our boys will be discouraged,and that will be really sad.Diana Tacconehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14926903479117759051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-58512810866944916522011-10-25T10:37:00.167-04:002011-10-25T10:37:00.167-04:00I left a comment. It didn't work. I leave it a...I left a comment. It didn't work. I leave it again. I hope it works.<br /><br />It took a while for students to get into a groove of writing conferences with me. Usually, I had a class talk me through behavior while I met with students one-on-one. They usually came up with "Respect" for others as a key ingredient while I had a conference with individual writers. We made a poster, hung it up, and when they goofed off, I could point to the poster and they self-monitored. It wasn't always successful, but it usually worked.Bryan Ripley Crandallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11550405821249509237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-92043553659853023832011-09-19T22:06:07.466-04:002011-09-19T22:06:07.466-04:00I thought about trying to find a citation for the ...I thought about trying to find a citation for the photo too. The Internet subverts copyright too, doesn't it? <br /><br />The blog I use with my kids is pretty great, it lets me approve all their comments and posts before they are posted. I can skim over them quickly enough to know if it's appropriate and because they know I am doing this they are pretty good about it, since they get blogging privileges revoked if they purposely do something foolish. <br /><br />It's hard to imagine life without google now. I remember once in college we had this friend who told us any question we wanted to know the answer to, we could just call Walmart. So once we were wondering what the difference between a woodchuck and a groundhog were. We called them up, and they transferred us around a couple times, until they finally connected us to the hunting department, who did finally answer our question. <br /><br />A few years ago I was visiting my uncle who has no computer and no Internet. This was pre-Smart Phones. We were stuck for an entire weekend without the ability to find out some random trivia that was bugging us, like what year Back to the Future II came out. <br /><br />I wonder if having that at our fingertips frees us up to ask the big questions or if we just end up asking more trivial ones.Hilarym99https://www.blogger.com/profile/14083829960213960224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-13170518000441229172011-09-19T21:47:07.521-04:002011-09-19T21:47:07.521-04:00I love the visual. Part of 21st century literacies...I love the visual. Part of 21st century literacies is that visuals are textual and incorporated as tools to express - what Yancey emphasizes. I use them all the time and haven't been good about "citing" where I got them from. I am thinking I need to be better at this.<br /><br />I appreciated your developed reflection. <br /><br />One of the snafus of the online community, for me, was keeping up with all the writing students did as a result of my classroom. The same behaviors that I tried to monitor in my classroom needed to be monitored outside the classroom (bullying, bad habits, public awareness of events in my room). I am being honest - I couldn't keep up and don't know how it is humanly possible. <br /><br />With Google, too, every question I have is a few keystrokes away. How often do we teach youth to follow their own interests and decipher what speaks most profoundly to what they want to know.<br /><br />That's what is great about classes like this. It makes us thinkBryan Ripley Crandallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11550405821249509237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-38367207108168399722011-05-11T21:15:43.255-04:002011-05-11T21:15:43.255-04:00Quinn! I've missed you! Good quote, p.s. Ho...Quinn! I've missed you! Good quote, p.s. How ya been?Hilarym99https://www.blogger.com/profile/14083829960213960224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-10509161154797908172011-05-09T11:09:16.562-04:002011-05-09T11:09:16.562-04:00Lend me $2 million? ;-)Lend me $2 million? ;-)Quinn the Eskimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17476587042538779513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-12371632985537092652011-05-09T11:08:45.944-04:002011-05-09T11:08:45.944-04:00I like the way Ole Ted put it, back in 1934:
&quo...I like the way Ole Ted put it, back in 1934:<br /><br />"The endless cycle of idea and action,<br />Endless invention, endless experiment,<br />Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;<br />Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;<br />Knowledge of words, and ignorance of The Word.<br /><br />All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,<br />All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,<br />But nearness to death no nearer to God.<br /><br />Where is the Life we have lost in living?<br />Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?<br />Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?<br /><br />The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries<br />Brings us farther from God and nearer to the Dust."<br /><br />Hope you're good, Hil!!!Quinn the Eskimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17476587042538779513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-78676720183813294492010-03-01T02:15:51.672-05:002010-03-01T02:15:51.672-05:00Great, great post Hilary. The concept of audience...Great, great post Hilary. The concept of audience and appropriateness. YES. I could go on and on. One of my closest friends is an English professor here where I teach, and In the last year she has taken to writing all her emails to me with indented paragraphs. No one does this anymore. How much more time does it require to hit that little tab button? But we've all dispensed with it. <br /><br /> And what about proper salutations? I get emails from my students that are absent any formal Dear such and such. They just start right in with the message or if one is lucky a Hey. A little context would go a long way here.<br /><br /> Btw :), I don't understand the sentence diagramming. I went to that Palin link and didn't get it. Admittedly, I didn't spend a lot of time there. <br /><br /> Also, I used to be dead set against any LOL-ing etc. But I've since taken on a few of the ones I can stomach for the exact reasons that you describe. But if time is the issue, I still don't understand the current fetish of spellings out words phonetically like eezy instead of easy. I found this particularly annoying. <br /><br /> Thanks for writing this and making me think about it.<br /><br />PS I've attempted to indent my paragraphs, but I doubt the blogger software will accept it.GirlfromtheBronxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03167012579990349168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-79964077429992016672009-09-13T21:16:57.936-04:002009-09-13T21:16:57.936-04:00I completely agree! The main difference that I se...I completely agree! The main difference that I see between upper education and lower education is that most of the teachers in grade seven through twelve treat teaching as an eight to three job. It is very unusual for me to walk out of the building within an hour of school getting out and I still having to bring home a bag of papers to grade. What is frustrating is when my high school colleague’s call to chat and they give me a hard time about over working. I know they love to teach and are good at what they do, but it amazing to me that they have so extra time on their hands. Isn’t high school harder than elementary? I remember being swamped every night with homework until the week before I graduated, when are they finding time to grade all of the assignments? As a fourth grade teacher, I put so much time into what I do that I have to limit it so that I maintain having an outside life. Even though we are all teachers and completely committed to what we do, what a mentality difference there is between secondary teachers and elementary teachers. Michelle MellisMichelle Mellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08938281499446217933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-89920081425358430622009-09-13T20:30:25.395-04:002009-09-13T20:30:25.395-04:00I am a first grade teacher. I had to laugh when I ...I am a first grade teacher. I had to laugh when I was setting up my room two weeks before we had to be in school. Every elementary teacher was in his or her room working away. Our middle/high building is across the street and I looked to see that the parking lot was empty. We have amazing middle and high school teachers who are great at what they do. This just made me think about the differences between us. We put so much emphasis on the classroom atmosphere, teaching strategies, etc. Secondary teachers seem to put much more focus into the content area which they teach. It seems as though we could learn a lot of great things from each other. If we could combine the elementary and secondary teacher we'd have a force to be reckoned with!Katey Kleinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04869010500692400137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-71241223109081012422009-09-04T14:00:18.085-04:002009-09-04T14:00:18.085-04:00I'd add those teachers who pretended to love o...I'd add those teachers who pretended to love only the subject and hid their affection for students, because that affection might vary between students who loved the subject also and those who did not.Tom Manoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546486165634992389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-45830917926236018982009-07-27T12:41:31.692-04:002009-07-27T12:41:31.692-04:00An interesting question about great teachers revol...An interesting question about great teachers revolves around generations. My best teachers lived in the 50's and 60's. Well, that's when I went to school. They were smart people, all highly accomplished in their field.<br /><br />I don't know what's up with teachers today. As an author of textbooks I have been deeply troubled by the dumbing down of material requested by teachers at the college level. Of course one is more likely to hear from the dumbos about dumbing down than the smart ones who probably don't write the author.<br /><br />Perhaps it's nonsense, but I think what may constitute great teaching and great teachers may have changed over generations. I wonder if there is any book on the matter.Tom Manoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546486165634992389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-12348573626011977672009-07-02T10:03:23.809-04:002009-07-02T10:03:23.809-04:00Thanks! It bothers me that so many people end up ...Thanks! It bothers me that so many people end up with negative views of their own intelligence because of the narrow-minded focus in schools on reading and math. I read this rather interesting book recently on how lasting the effects of these attitudes (and other things) are - it's called <a href="http://www.kirstenolson.org/wounded.php" rel="nofollow"><br />Wounded by School.</a> Part of the problem is this pervasive notion that the only path to success or happiness is college. I should also add that I'm not exactly entirely free of this notion either - partly because I love and hold learning & education in such high regard - but then again, I don't look at college as job training. <br /><br />I would love to see something like Finland's system in which students can choose tracks. I think it might help with the dropout rate as well. <br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Finland#ISCED_-_education_ratingHilarym99https://www.blogger.com/profile/14083829960213960224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-46371608672080764042009-07-02T00:58:42.215-04:002009-07-02T00:58:42.215-04:00I can't believe nobody has commented on this p...I can't believe nobody has commented on this post. I love it, absolutely love it. And it is completely true about intelligence in other areas than math or reading. My father did not even make it to high school and I am pursuing my master's degree, yet he can build a house or fix anything on a car and I probably couldn't build a birdhouse or fix the wheel on a matchbox car. I sincerely hope that more middle schools and high schools offer alternative tracks for students.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-33267467653397649012009-06-23T17:53:07.110-04:002009-06-23T17:53:07.110-04:00You know, I really don't know - but the thing ...You know, I really don't know - but the thing about the 70s is that there were some really great progressive movements in education then, alternative schools, people that wanted to try new, real ways of learning. <br /><br />What's really amazing is how much educational debates fall down political lines - I mean, almost ridiculously so. Like the debate over how to teach reading - this hugely volatile argument where it really ends up landing on conservative vs. progressive. Weird.Hilarym99https://www.blogger.com/profile/14083829960213960224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-25780910118322391752009-06-23T10:43:42.355-04:002009-06-23T10:43:42.355-04:00Where do we place the blame? My vote is the emerge...Where do we place the blame? My vote is the emergence of permissive, no-nothing, it's-all-O.K., educational policies circa 1970.Tom Manoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546486165634992389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-59336254151387396302009-06-08T12:41:37.522-04:002009-06-08T12:41:37.522-04:00Too few hours. So many good blogs. Oy.....I need a...Too few hours. So many good blogs. Oy.....I need a Magellen to find my way around.Tom Manoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546486165634992389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-33357956132507686222009-05-08T11:58:00.000-04:002009-05-08T11:58:00.000-04:00I see it all now and I'm only here to learn.I see it all now and I'm only here to learn.levihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11532599287176502323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-30311169733645142262009-05-08T11:56:00.000-04:002009-05-08T11:56:00.000-04:00Windows hath a most foul soul......Windows hath a most foul soul......levihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11532599287176502323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-82824126263426612812009-05-08T11:54:00.000-04:002009-05-08T11:54:00.000-04:00Hmnnn.....Hmnnn.....levihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11532599287176502323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-86492035162996488052009-05-08T11:52:00.000-04:002009-05-08T11:52:00.000-04:00No foul knight wouldst ever flog
She who sees all ...No foul knight wouldst ever flog<br />She who sees all on her blog.levihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11532599287176502323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-77832288931274923412009-05-08T11:48:00.000-04:002009-05-08T11:48:00.000-04:00Try and get away with as many as you want. Who are...Try and get away with as many as you want. Who are the blog police;)Tom Manoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546486165634992389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070212704025110862.post-73244744638952479692009-05-05T14:08:00.000-04:002009-05-05T14:08:00.000-04:00I'm reminded of my basic botany class, freshman ye...I'm reminded of my basic botany class, freshman year. For some reason, I became interested in leaf senescence, and why they turned such vivid colors in the fall. I went off on a tangential exploration of glycoside linkages and temperature induced biochemical reactions. Got no extra credit for the exercise, and there were certainly no questions on any exam that were pertinent. Yet the exercise in itself was instructive, and encouraged similar digressions on my part. Some people may be more adept at the rote approach, but I have to agree with Vonnegut, who I saw speak at a local college in the early 90s, when he said to the graduating class, "You're here to fuck around". I think he meant that in the sense he did in 'Cat's Cradle', when Dr. Felix Hoenniker, 'father of the atom bomb' decides to stay home from work when he becomes interested in discovering whether his son's pet turtle's neck compresses or buckles when it retracts into its' shell. He only returns to work after a few weeks when the company sends some security guys to drag him back to work. I don't envy the decisions you have to make as an educator. It is a mess.Miguelitoh2ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12058579019714806156noreply@blogger.com