Saturday.

Have you ever wondered what the Saturday was like? I mean we have Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but what was it like on that Saturday? Were there any who thought that just maybe... just maybe He isn't really gone? Were there hearts filled with utter despair, or were there some who thought about the words that He had used and began to wonder? Did any anticipate what was to come?

I can't imagine the grief. I can only try to imagine the despair. I wonder what the conversations were.

dt

Long Hard Slog

It's been a trying couple of weeks. Acid Reflux, Big Family Decisions, and a mutual weariness on the part of both students and teacher. But Easter is just around the corner. Birthday party (go team orange), High Rock Lake, the Beach, and the Zoo, and some much needed R and R will surely bring about renewal.

After all, that's what this holiday is all about. Renewal. Perhaps a post for a later time. Now I must to the television to watch Clifford the Big Red Dog.

dt

The Condition.

I've heard the phrase "human condition" so many times in the past. But it is really only in these past few days of physical/psychological stress that I've truly begun to get a grasp on the meaning. It is amazing the amount of pain we can feel as humans. Pain can be physical but often it seems as if the worst kind is psychological/spiritual/mental...

Millions of people are suffering all over the world. Many are within mere miles of me. Yet I am only consumed with emotions of sympathy and empathy and grief when suffering directly touches my own existence.

To be a Christian must mean more than that. It must mean that I should seek to empathize with those who are suffering all over, whether that is a newly made widow in Iraq or some random person down the street. We strive for happiness in this great land. Happiness is for sale all around us. But Life is not happiness--at least not always, and for many it is rarely.

Happiness is too shallow. Joy is what has roots. The understanding that despite the sorrow that I may feel from time to time, that Joy comes in the Morning. That Truth gives strength to not only bear my own burdens, but to bear the burdens of all others. All others!

dt

Confrontation.

One thing that we learn in Psychology is that as humans we desire homeostasis. That balanced state is achieved in large part physiologically--the body is wondrous. We do have battles in our minds as well, however. We like to be in that "comfort zone" psychologically and spiritually as well. But once in a while--for some more often than not--we are faced with THE motivator that disrupts that sense of stability.

I speak of mortality.

Once in a while we come face to face with the prospect--no the certainty--that life is not in our hands. People deal with this reality in many different ways. Some turn to religion for a short time only to resume fulfillment of personal desires once the crisis has passed and things seem back to "normal." Others maintain their commitment. I, unfortunately, fall in the former category... Still others I'm afraid disregard death as anything to be concerned about and continue to live out the desires of the flesh.

When I think about Death, the biggest worry that I have--worry is probably not a strong enough term--is the fate of my family. I have a beautiful wife and a son that brings us joy that cannot be described. I tremble at the thought of leaving them alone; at the thought that I will not be here to provide for and Love them with all that I am.

But who am I? Who am I to believe or think for one second that I deserve another day of life on this Earth? I am but a sinner. I am but a man. Sometimes I make pretensions of moral striving, but in reality my own desires and thoughts rule the day. I am weak. I have little self control. And I look and think about the lives of so many others across this world and throughout history, and see that life is not guaranteed for even one more minute.

Therefore, Lord, let me learn from You. Let me serve You. Let me glorify You. Let me trust in your Glory and Love and Promise. May I rest in the fact that regardless of any outcome that I am safe within your hands and beyond that the ones I love are also found in your Embrace. Let me not forget these desires for You, when my confrontation with the thought of my own mortality has passed. Let me persevere.

dt

Feedback.

Using myspace to manage and further discussion outside of class has been very interesting. It took a few days before it took off--partly because I came with the thunder on the first topic post--but now discussion is quite beneficial. The students are able and willing to tell me how they learn best and what motivations and incentives respond to. (at, by, with from for)

I'm starting to dig this technological revolution thing.

Free Exchange of Ideas

Ok, so this article doesn't stand up too well. There are specific issues to be dealt with, but overall his argument is built on faulty premises.

Staying on the conservative side of the spectrum, I would now offer this article as, perhaps, a better summation of the thoughts of those on the right regarding illegal immigration. I find the rebuttals of the arguments that "they do jobs Americans won't do," and "we can't possibly enforce such a law," to be especially valid.

I'll look forward to dissent.

dt

9 weeks to go.

Time to reflect a little bit. This semester has flown by it seems--although, it actually has gone by at the same speed as always. Ok, enough about perception and reality.

I'm the king of the rabbit trail. See? Teaching two AP classes has been challenging. The numbers for the class grew in size a bit and we were in a bind the first 3.5 weeks. We only had about 30 books for 50 students. The plan was the ol' A and B schedule, although 3rd period kept them a few extra times I think. Instruction was fair during that period. I'm not as solid on the anatomy of the Brain or the scientific aspect of the subject in general. I'm a liberal arts guy. The discussions within Learning and Intelligence and Motivation are fascinating to me. We still have motivation/emotion, personality, stress and health, treatment, and Social Psychology remaining, but I'm on schedule to finsh the content by May 1. That will leave about 7 school days for review before the exam, which is the afternoon of May 10. Review will be critical.

The students are exceptional. 3rd period has more characters and 4th period is laid back, but both sections have worked as hard as any students I've ever taught--as a whole I mean. I think they can reach the stated goal of 70% passing. I'm not sure that many of them are doing the reading anymore. They're trying to get by only listening to the lecture, but the test scores haven't been that great. A good per centage of that is that the tests need revising, but I think much is due to the lack of/ineffective studying. I also think that I need to tweak my grading system.

Teaching Civics to 1st period has been interesting as well. I would think that we are several days ahead of last semester's pace. Much less time spent on the Revolution. The Boston Massacre lesson plan that we devised last year during the Teaching American History Grant was pretty effective. It's kind of tricky to switch from teaching History to teaching Civics and then to Economics. 4th amendment always generates good discussion. Bill of Rights, in general, was a successful unit. The Month of May will be critical for Civics. I think Congress is going pretty well currently, and I'm not too concerned about the Executive or Judicial branches. I need to brush up on law. I think Shields is right to focus on State and Local government as well--and more time on Economics.

The air is on in the building, Easter break is around the corner, and June 7th will be here before we know it--May 10th before that! Finish the race then rest for a few weeks. Refine and revise and then start all over again. What a profession!

dt

Speed of light.

Maybe it's faster than that. Things are moving that quickly these days. Products/values/ideas... all moving so quickly via the WWW. The times have been tumultuous in many regards, but there are many out there who are progressive. I don't mean to intend the political/social value that "progressive" bears. There's no stopping us as we tumble forward, so progression--or adaptatation--is key. In fact that's what satisfies the definition of intelligence.

Anyway, enough waxing philosophic... here read this about a few progressive guys.

dt

Midterm.

Note to self: midterm interviews.

it's unbelievable that it's March 18th, 2006. Much to write, but no motivation to do it this late. March madness is upon me. Spring fever, too.

Abridging the freedom of speech?

I disagree with pretty much everything that this guy has stated--or at least with the context that he uses to frame his statements. But don't we want our kids to learn how to think critically? Isn't this the point of education?

"Now I'm not saying that Bush and Hitler are exactly the same. Obviously
they're not. But there's some eerie similarities to the tones that they use.
Very, very ethnocentric. We're right. You're all wrong. I just keep waiting. I
mean, at some point in time I think America and Mexico might go to war again,
you know? Any time Mexico plays the USA in a soccer match, what can be heard
chanting all game long? (student answer — unintelligible) Pretty close. Pretty
close. Now, do all Mexicans dislike the United States? No. Do all Americans
dislike Mexico? No. But there's a lot of resentment, not just in Mexico, but all
across the whole world, towards America right now." (Check out the entire
story--or at least one of them--here.)

When does the age of non-impressionability begin? Am I still impressionable? Is that a legitimate argument to stifle the opinions of an educator? of anyone? Is it okay for students to be exposed to Howard Zinn? Is it only okay if they are also exposed to Paul Johnson? I mean, I understand the desire for objectivity, but that's a myth. Even if its implicit, teachers are human beings and have biases. Why not admit those biases up front, and challenge students to develop their own, based on as much knowledge as possible? I guess this is the unpopular position to take on this story. Most I have talked to today say that the teacher being put on administrative leave was appropriate. I say, long live debate and the free exchange of ideas. If this guy wants to put his liberal mantra out there to be absorbed, then let someone counter with her conservative response. Are we afraid of truth? Is that why we have decided that there is none? It's just all spin, now. If I get 5 minutes to espouse my views, then you must get the same 5 minutes. Regardless of how ridiculous my argument--or yours--may be, it's only fair to get equal time. Our political debates are canned. Our media is canned--and sensational--and ratings driven. Our education is canned and a farce at best.

Disgruntled, (could you tell?)
dt

Apples and Oranges.

A weekend or so ago, someone told me that my former school--private, Christian--is starting teachers at $28,000. And that 28K is pretty much all take home--what I mean is that health care is not taken out of the monthly pay check.

Now, I am currently credited with being a 3rd year teacher. I did get credit for teaching two years at the private school, but I have made no progress towards tenure--which requires 4 years. I cannot make any progress towards tenure until I have a "cleared" license. I am seeking lateral entry licensure. That means that I am having to take somewhere in the neighborhood of additional hours of college classes in order to be/stay a teacher. The average class costs about $450. The county does reimburse up to $300 per class, so that is a pretty good deal. The point is that I am going to spend probably $1500 net on tuition, another $800-1000 on those "required" textbooks. I spent $190 this past weekend forthe opportunity to take the Praxis II. I will have to cough up some cash in order to pay for my license when I do get the "cleared" status.

As I mentioned, I'm a 3rd year teacher so that correlates to about 27,900 on the salary schedule for NC. The problem is that health care/other benefits are deducted out of that sum. Because of skyrocketing health care costs--and the fact that I cover my entire family--close to $500 per month is deducted. Then Uncle Sam gets his cut and then all the old people get their cut. All that said, now I'm bringing home less than $1500 per month + I have all of the expenses mentioned above just to keep my job.

I'm not complaining per se. I get off before 5pm almost every day, I never have to work weekends, and I get about 2.5 months of vacation each year.

But when trying to understand why more people aren't energized to get into the public teaching field, it's easy to see.

Pinnacle.

Is there anything better in sports?

Charades.

I need to prepare for the Praxis II--Social Studies coming up on Saturday. One of those things that goes into being "highly qualified". I went to a workshop the other day with one of the few professors of education that seems to have some clue about how things should work. In the Praxis workshop, however, he basically taught us how to BS our way through the exam. Granted, the multiple choice portion is designed to guage content knowledge, but the pedagogy section is set up such that if one knows the language that ETS desires can be easily handled.

A better example is National Board Certification. I've been watching a few of our teachers who are aiming to gain their NBC. It's just that they are performing for the camera. The portfolios and video taped classes are all made up. The teachers don't really teach that way. But if they can fool enough people on video and paper then they will receive recognition--amd more importantly a 12% pay increase.

It just seems like these patterns continue to emerge the longer I witness the bohemoth public system. We use smoke and mirrors in the testing process, we pretend to be good teachers for the camera, we learn the right language to use to impress and maybe even to move up to--dare I say? dare, dare--ADMINISTRATION.

I'd love to have a significant pay increase. But I don't think I would want too many more of my tax dollars to go to fund the status quo. More money has been issued over the past decade with what results? I don't remember the situation being so dire when the class of '96 came through. But now with the class of '06 on the verge, we are facing tangible economic concerns abroad and at home.

To Be or Not to Be...

One of the clearest summaries of this soliloquy was provided by Schopenhauer :
'The essential purport of the world-famous monologue in Hamlet is, in condensed form, that our state is so wretched that complete non-existence would be decidedly preferable to it. Now if suicide actually offered us this, so that the alternative "to be or not to be" lay before us in the full sense of the words, it could be chosen unconditionally as a highly desirable termination ("a consummation devoutly to be wish'd" [Act III, Sc. I.]). There is something in us, however, which tells us that this is not so, that this is not the end of things, that death is not an absolute annihilation.'

"What Dreams May Come..."

Last night was amazing. We went to G'ville to see a production of Hamlet. As we walked out of California Dreaming--stuffed to our faces--we heard the news that another of our former SCS students was killed in a car accident. Nathan was killed on Thanksgiving. Wednesday night John Nichols died as well. I had a dream last night that I didn't realize was a dream until early this morning. I was having a conversation with Michael Stemler and we were talking about whether John and Nathan know each other again. We began to weep together... I had similar dreams after Nathan passed on.

I wonder what it's like for them now. I remember the two young men as having purpose. They were sure in their mission. They wanted to love other people, they were excited about the Lord, even passionate.

They are two young men whose faces are imprinted on my memory, and I pray they would remain.

Sensation and Perception

Check these out.

dt

Remember Who You Are.

"it's not what you do as a parent; it's who you are..."

What a phenomenal statement by the authors of Freakonomics. In the chapter on "What makes a perfect parent," the writers provide ample evidence from several studies that would seem to back this statement up. By the time it comes time to worry about parenting, it is often too late.

The institution is generational. We may need to increase federal funding of education--although the Constitution seems to say something about reserved powers. We certainly need more technology available for the students; we need quality teachers in every classroom who are committed to continuing to be students themselves; we need innovative administration without the baggage of bureacracy...

But more than anything, we need a renewed commitment to the idea of family stability. I could easily boast about the fact that I'm 28 years old, own my own house, and only bring home around $20,000 annually. Of course, the bragging doesn't lie in the sum of money, but in what I've been able to accomplish with such a paltry amount. But the reality is that we are in this positive position because of the stability of my parents. They worked hard to get an education and to do a little bit better than their folks before them. That's the American dream after all. Now because of their example and my grandfolks before them, my wife and I are in the position to understand the responsibility of parenting. We understand the value of education, hard work, values, perseverance, community, etc... and because of that--at least according to those Freakonomics professors--Samuel Adams Thomas has a pretty good chance in this ol' world.

It's not about ME. That's what the Spirit has always taught us. Somehow, we have to return or perhaps move forward towards strong family structures. We can debate the methods, but shouldn't we agree on that principle?

Swamped.

This semester I'm teaching one Civics class, two AP Psychology classes... I'm taking 9 hours of online course work--including Geography, Secondary Methods, and Cultural Diversity--

I'm participating in a T.A.H. Grant that requires tons of reading and reflection, and on top of it all I'm studying for and planning to take the Praxis II next month.

Time and money, two things a classroom teacher has little of, but is required to spend in order to remain a teacher. Even though I've been at it for 4 years now.... not complaining, just saying.

dt

Pieces.

So these are the job skills that students need to possess ? High tech clerical jobs. Working for people who have the best ideas and can implement those ideas with their access to capital. Seems like that's the way it has always been. Sounds a bit like Atlas Shrugged I guess.

The ICT Literacy Assessment touches on traditional skills, such as
analytical reading and math, but with a technological twist. Test-takers, for
instance, may be asked to query a database, compose an e-mail based on their
research, or seek information on the Internet and decide how reliable it
is.

I'm pretty sure we have a few business classes that emphasize the use of technology. I will try and develop ways to integrate it into AP psych and Civics classes.

Relevance

First of all, you should go and check out the 2 part pondering podcast(1,2) on education/india/china etc. fascinating.

the purpose of this post, however, is simply to mention a few plans i used in the classroom this past week--both in AP Psychology. earlier in the week as we were discussing neuroscience i had the students read the first chapter of Daniel Pink's newest "A Whole New Mind." In that chapter he discusses left brain/right brain function as well as giving description to fMRI and the like. The reading led to a decent discussion on the specifics of right/left lobe function--which was the point as far as the curriculum, and it also provided me the opportunity to expose the students to the tripartite problem of ASIA, ABUNDANCE, and AUTOMATION. That discussion wasn't as active as I would have hoped, but i think in large part that has to do with the fact that these students have never even thought of such things.

Another thing that I did this week had to do with evolutionary psychology. i don't necessarily subscribe to this theory all that much, but it did give me a chance to put up some "animal behavior" pics on my powerpoint. the one with the lady bugs doing it was a hit... i also used a pic of GWBush scratching his head and making a patented face to illustrate the similarities in genetics between humans and chimps--i know my left leaning friends will appreciate that one.

shall i return from yet another rabbit trail? so the relevant issue i used today in class came from the book Freakonomics. it was from the part that talks about people's preferences on EHarmony.com and like sites. I then related it to Evo. Psych. But again, it provided me with the opportunity to explain to them some of the premises of the text.

Igniting the conversation is what it's all about right? I even admitted not knowing how evolutionary psychologists would explain the issue of racial preference, but analyzed/synthesized and extrapolated right in front of their eyes/ears. On top of it all, I let them know that's what i was doing--that's tough sometimes with the ego of a teacher:)

I've never worked/prepared/innovated as much as I am doing this past 2 weeks in AP Psych. But they make it easy, because they provide the reward by eating it up/soaking it in and striving to do better and learn more. That type of effort doesn't get rewarded in the same way, nor nearly as often in less advanced classes. That certainly doesn't mean we should subtract time or resources from less advanced students, but it does indicate that mental/emotional-- dare i say-- spiritual toughness is required to make a dent in some of their lives. (that would be a positive dent)