Tanned, Rested and Ready - and Anxiety Ridden!!

Well, not actually that tanned. I try to make an effort not to get too much sun on my skin. These days, who knows how many UV rays are coming through the atmosphere. Anyway, just back from a week at the Oregon Coast - lovely, relaxing, sunny and fun. It's become a tradition for us now - my parents host a big rented beach house and family and friends come - some flitting through on the weekend, some staying the whole week. This week was later in the summer than usual, and I found myself starting to get a little tense towards the last few days because I'm now feeling the pinch of getting ready to GO.

But despite a nice holiday and time still left, I'm starting to feel that ol' school-is-starting-anxiety. You know the kind - where you start breaking out even though you're 36 years old (just in time for your ID Badge picture), when your dreams become increasingly anxiety ridden (leading up to the inevitable arriving-at-the-first-day-of-school-with-no-pants-on dream), and everything in life begins to become peripheral when compared to GETTING-READY-FOR-SCHOOL- AAAARRGGGGHHH!!!

So my latest dream is this: I arrive to teach in my new classroom (I've already had several about not being able to find the new classroom or it not being completed yet) - only to discover my schedule's been changed! I'm only teaching ONE Social Studies course - and it's the new AP US government course - BUT, I have to teach it as HALF of a class period with ....wait for it.... DRAMA! Yes, I have to teach drama and AP US Govt at the same time. Then my other classes are all Drama. I gasp, horrified - not because I have anything against Drama, but because I know nothing about it except what that young teacher down the hall always enhances her life with everytime anyone asks her how she is - so I rush to the VP and I say, "VP, this is all wrong! Only yesterday my schedule was normal with government, global studies, etc! I can't teach Drama!" His response: "Darn, I hate it when this happens." I am agog. Who is teaching the courses I was SUPPOSED to teach? "Well," he says, "there just weren't as many students as we thought, and so instead of putting them in social studies, we're changing that to drama." What? What kind of sense does this make? Then he looks more closely at my new schedule and his eyebrows go up. "Look, this last class isn't drama!" I look with him at Period 8. No, that one is teaching girls how to become secretaries. I kid you not. And it is in Room 742 - 742??? Our rooms only go up to 320!! Thankfully I wake up (panting) to the knowledge that I still have all my regular social studies courses listed on my schedule.

Now, I'm not saying that this dream could have anything to do with the fact that I have no idea how I'm going to teach a year of AP US Government, or that Little Guy was in a summerfun drama camp, or that I was a legal secretary/paralegal for 15 years before becoming a teacher. It probably isn't any of those things combined to play on my worries about the new year starting. (It was hardly bizarre as the dream I had two weeks ago about being forced to teach Calculus and, not knowing diddly about Math, started the class by grilling up crabcakes on the Coleman in front of the blackboard.)

And don't get me wrong - I can't WAIT for it to start! I LOVE teaching, I never would have thought to find a career where every morning I wake up excited about the day. I am really looking forward to this year. It's just that age old thing about wanting to be a GOOD teacher that always gets me. Well, I can only forge ahead. Dreams be damned.

Maybe I'll work some more drama into my lesson plans this year...

Legendary!

Tense Teacher made my day and has me grinning continuously! Check out her stories on becoming a legend...and join the legions wishing she had been your English teacher!

...I should be doing some more planning and prep but I would rather daydream about what to pack for my end of summer beach trip that starts tomorrow. Am I so wrong?

Turning US Government on its Ear

I have been wrestling with a major question the last months as I've prepared for this coming year. I teach US Government to seniors (both a regular semester-long course to seniors and a year-long AP course to seniors (this one is new this year)). Of course I have curriculum planning concerns and all the usual stuff. But this year, I feel confronted with something new.

The major question I have been struggling with is a philosophical question about the nature of the US Government course in general (whether regular or advanced)...and this is it:

Do I teach US Government as a history course now?

It's not hyperbole. Hear me out.

Up until this school year, the government/civics course I teach has relied on one specific text: the Constitution. Our school has a text book, but I never crack it open. I use other sources of reading for articles, and base the bulk of the course on an exploration of the Constitution itself - sandwiched between an introductory unit on how the Constitution got there in the first place and concluding units on voting/elections and citizenship.

But this administration has so violated the Constitution that the operation of the three branches of our government no longer looks like anything the Framers of the Constitution wrote down. Nor are the Bill of Rights intact any longer. With the last six years ushering in the "unitary executive" - with George W. Bush signing more than twice the number of signing statements to every piece of legislation than have ever been signed by all preceding presidents total; the complete domination of the Supreme Court by justices who actually BELIEVE in the unitary executive theory, and a republican Congress for the first 6 years that was a rubber stamp to the executive branch, and a recent Democratic Congress that seems to be completely unconcerned with that part of their oath about "protecting and defending the Constitution" - and these are only a few things - the current US Government is no longer an example of what the Constitution says.

And let's not forget those pesky civil liberties - the most basic being the rescinding of habeas corpus. But alas, no more rights to privacy, no freedom of speech ("free speech zones", anyone?), and let us not speak of all the trial rights that have been removed. With corporations having more personhood rights than persons, and with the common good being a notable asterisk in the history book of governmental priority, there seems to be no end to the violation of the rule of law our country was founded on.

Do we even need to mention that the entire executive branch colluded to lie to the American people in order to invade a sovereign nation and then proceed to completely destroy all vestiges of foreign policy and international relations built up over centuries, while killing hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and dooming our own military to destruction and thousands of our soldiers to death and permanent, lifelong debilitating injury (both physical and mental)? No, I didn't think I needed to mention that...

The amount of power in the hands of the executive branch is something that has never been seen in our history. And if Congress doesn't take action to correct the balance of powers and protect the Constitution and the rights it demands the government protect for the people, then the next president, whether Republican or Democrat, will enter office with the most power any US President has ever had. And do you think any of them (no matter how noble they seem) will give that up once it's in their hands?

So I am in a quandary. Do I teach government class as a history class ("Students, this is how our government USED to work!"). Or do I start right off with the grim realities, building from a platform of the Constitutionally-mandated act of impeachment (not removal from office, but rather a hearing of accountability), which so far this Congress refuses to consider? I am not a preacher in my classroom, but when it comes to this subject, the facts speak for themselves, and it is getting harder and harder to encourage a generation of high school graduates to become citizens eager to participate in democracy.

And why would they be interested in participating in that democracy... when even their government teacher has a hard time discerning where that democracy has gone?

Heading back to the chalkboard...

Wow! Check out the discussion over at Dennis' blog after his post about how he wants to deal with cheating this year. The comments and discussion are truly brilliant and very thought provoking.

It started me thinking about my own cheating policy... and the fact that I don't actually test that much. I have only recently started adding more tests and quizzes into my curriculum. But that's a theoretical discussion for another time...

And another teacher hits the boards (wait..that's what actors do...wait, that applies to us too, right?). Anyway, Tense Teacher started back this week, and in fine form. I love reading all the back to school posts, it's like having my own personal cheerleading section as I get ready to go back!

Perspective

I found out yesterday that I will become a union rep this year. It's something I've wanted to do for a while now, and a place opened up (we have several per school in our district - so I'm one of 4 for my building). We just came out of an incredibly painful, tense and very stressful contract negotiation where it became clear that the district was participating in a statewide effort to break the union. We finally got pretty much everything we needed (trust me, we weren't asking much) - but it went on a year into the new contract period. So now, only 2 years later, we're already facing a start to new negotiations. Knowing how unions continue to get the shaft from this government and this country, it's not promising. But I'm glad to have the chance to be an advocate for my fellow teachers. Hopefully my degree and experience in conflict resolution will help...or not!

I was thinking about what teachers are facing this year - especially teachers like Strausser who is starting the year without a classroom, or me and my social studies division who are being moved into a new building -- that isn't complete yet, so we don't know if we'll have rooms to teach in when the year starts either. ...Then I popped over to Daily Kos and saw this:

Right now, there are two men with a tough job. They're at the back of a drill truck, pushing a growing length of steel to reach a group of miners trapped 1500' below ground and four miles from the mine entrance.

How is it in 2007 in the United States of America there are men trapped 1500 feet below ground in a coal mine? Is it just me or should this sort of thing have only happened 200 years ago? It puts much in perspective as I start the school year. I get to rise every morning and see the variety of faces that make up our future and actually get a chance to influence them with knowledge and hope.

I can not complain. Ever.

My prayers to the people in this country who really have tough jobs...

And the Circle is Unbroken...

I can't believe it, but some teachers are already back in the trenches! Wasn't it just the last day of school?

While I'm starting to fret over what little time I have left - I discover it is a luxurious 3 weeks compared to Clix, over at Uncomfortable Adventures, who is already teaching! I admire that she is going after student feedback right up front. A lot of teachers aren't courageous enough to do this, and yet I think it's one of the most valuable way to improve teaching and to build community with the students - as long as you stay in charge!

Mysterious Teaching is also back to school with some great thoughts on that ol' doody -er, duty - schedule (I wonder what duty I'll get this year?).

And Musings has some thoughts on getting organized. Everyone has file systems and other ways to get themselves "formatted." I like his idea about the birthdays. With 200+students through the year, I'm not sure if I'm up to it, but it would be nice to find some way to celebrate each kid's special day.

Now that I'm already starting to have the return-to-school-anxiety dreams, I figure I should start with the necessary lists.

List #1: How to Prepare for Going Back to School

1. Start waking up earlier than 8 o'clock
2. Start dressing in "outside" clothes once I DO get up early
3. Start eating a healthy breakfast for energy (not toasted waffles)
4. Collect various reference and other books from nooks and crannies around the house so I can actually start using them to plan the class
5. Actually WATCH the films I was supposed to preview for this coming year
6. Find out what the first day of school is....

Priorities

Even as the country watches the tragedy in Minneapolis/St. Paul unfold, we receive more and more evidence that the government is no longer in the business of fulfilling its social contract with the citizens. That social contract is the oldest model in democracy: the people exchange some of their natural rights for the government's care of the common good. This is the foundation of our Constitution - the balance between individual rights (many specifically protected in the Bill of Rights) and the common good. Our government, dominated by conservative anti-common good politicians has been folding into itself since before Reagan.

High-paid media salesmen have been able to sell a bill of goods to everyday Americans that they are being overtaxed and the government is not there to assist the society, so it should be done away with. The problem with this is that by ceding more power to the government, citizens not only have given up more rights, but have also lost out on the care of the common good. Why, when a bill, like today's child health care bill being passed in the Senate (which, of course Bush will veto - because poor children don't contribute to his party's political campaigns!), is up for passage, do people constantly question "where will the money come from?" But when it comes to the billions and billions being signed off for Iraq, no one asks that?

Meteor Blades over at Daily Kos is on target (of course) with the discussion about the organized effort across this country by Norquist's group and others to eliminate taxes that go for the infrastructure of this country. It's like public education. Why is it so evil to insist that the public participate in the education of our children through tax support? What has all this "Freedom-from-taxes-let-the-FREE-MARKET-decide!" gotten this country? The worst healthcare system in the industrialized world, the worst and most rotting, out of date infrastructure in the industrialized world, a faltering electric grid, the still unprepared security and safety across the board, and an education that not only fails our children, but leaves them behind because even if they make it through, they can't afford the most expensive college system in the industrialized world.

Now, we find out that the federal government continues, in the face of the fact it should consider the rights of its citizens, has decided once again in the favor of billion-dollar corporations. Today, Katrina victims lost their bid to get their insurance companies to cover the destruction of their homes. Many of the companies used the flimsy excuse that it was "water damage" that caused the destruction and not storm or wind damage. Thus, they have now been able to avoid fullfilling their role in the insurance contract. The people now lose everything, and the corporations keep their money and get richer. Meanwhile it's church youth groups and Habitat for Humanity that are trying to clean up and rebuild New Orleans TWO YEARS AFTER THE FACT, while the government turns its attention from helping the poor in the Gulf Coast and other parts of this country to trying to keep them from voting.

When will Americans decide to renew that social contract, force the government to provide for its citizens, stop empire-building and rebuild this republic based on the common good? If we don't do this soon, there won't be a society left to maintain a democracy.

The Back To School Lists Begin

Ha! This brightened my day: Teacher To Do List

That's a Great Idea! ... but can you please write in complete sentences?

Check out Dr. Homeslice's Carnival today!

Two different posts caught my attention today because I am in the midst of planning for an entirely new course for this coming year. The first was at D-Ed Reckoning about the lack of basic math skills being taught along with computer applications. The other was from Joanne Jacobs about basic research paper writing skills. Both of these posts address a challenge I face in planning this year. Our school is trying to refocus efforts on basic literacy skills (gee, what a concept), and so a lot of our inservice and faculty meetings last year were to try and gear us up for this. But on my own, I started incorporating a lot of basic literacy skills into my classes last year after discovering the year before that my seniors didn't even know how to write a basic thesis statement, much less a good essay. So now I scaffold a LOT of writing into my sophomore and senior classes.

From my unscientific survey of veteran teachers, it seems that a lot of teachers have gotten away from writing assignments because of two main things: 1) having to prep students for required testing and 2) overcrowded classes make for massive amounts of grading. I don't, thankfully, have the first problem because our state has continued to procrastinate on pushing a Social Studies standardized state test. But I do have the 2nd issue - most of my classes are 30-35 students, sometimes more. It was actually very hard to commit myself to the extra writing assignments knowing there would be that much more extra time having to grade (because we all know teachers have SO much time on their hands because they have such EASY working hours!). But once I did it, I found that it was a good way to keep myself disciplined as well.

Now I'm adding to the challenge with the new AP US Govt class I'm designing. Our school has decided to move more towards college prep and is adding many new AP courses this coming year, and I'm the one in charge of the US Govt class for seniors. So the teacher who teaches the AP US History course for juniors and I decided to collaborate on teaching basic research paper skills to our students. Over the summer we have planned out a 6-wk seminar to be taught along with content in our classes starting the 2nd week of school. We are going to teach one basic skill each class day (we teach in blocks, so we see our students for 85-minute periods every other day - don't get me started on how that screws with core courses!).

Our lessons will be: How to write a thesis, Finding Sources, Works Cited, Quoting-Paraphrasing-Summarizing, the Notecard strategy of research, Outlining, Structure, and along with those the basics of grammar, spelling, etc. I have no idea if it will work, but we're combining these steps with the first research paper assignment, so that the students are actively researching and writing as they learn. We are also going to incorporate different note-taking strategies and require they use their notes as part of their source material for their first paper.

We are also going to focus on vocabulary. This is something that will be across the board in all our classes, not just our AP courses. We're taking a page from Heidi Hayes Jacobs and going to work with a vocab list each unit that includes 3 types of vocab words:

"high-frequency words" - these are words that students should know and be able to understand and use both in academia and life (ie, analyze, cite, develop, elaborate, significance, identify, marginalize, etc).

"specialized words" - these are words specific to our unit content (ie, democracy, federalism, republic, separation of powers, etc.)

"embellishments" - colorful and meaningful adjectives that are valuable for students language and writing (ie, fluid, turbulent, strategic, charismatic, incisive, intriguing, etc.)

Part of their note-taking will include working with the vocab words in various ways. These skills alone could be an entire year long class! The challenge will be integrating them into an advanced course on US government (along with other classes). But I think it will be worth it. I sound like an old fogey when I complain that I couldn't get out of 7th grade without writing a comprehensive essay and had to write research papers throughout my high school year. I don't know why these requirements don't exist now (though my gut wants to blame the creeping decay brought on by standardized testing), but my goal is to do my part to counteract it. I guess we'll see how it works.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Babies Going to War (or Not)

If you don't regularly watch Bill Moyers' Journal on Friday Nights, I highly recommend you get in the habit (Comcast On Demand saves them up if you want to watch without having to tape it while you're out on a Friday night). Two weeks ago was the scorcher about impeachment. And last night was also incredible.

But the thing that really got me was the very brief segment at the end about young people in this country. With one month to go before I face my 16-18 year olds (the prey of this occupation's designers), it was a frightening reminder of my lack of success in keeping several of my boys from becoming the fodder for the empire-makers. Moyers final segment started off with a profile of 18-year old LeRon Wilson who was recently killed in Iraq. Yes, 18 years old.

LeRon Wilson grew up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad where his father is a military officer. With his mother he came to Queens when he was 11 and dreamed of serving in the U.S. Army. After graduating from high school he enlisted.

Less than a month ago, July 6, Private First Class LeRon Wilson, and another member of his platoon were killed when their military vehicle hit a roadside bomb south of Baghdad.

This already has me doubled over thinking of the 3 boys in my senior class last year who enlisted and joined the Marines (2 of them were coerced by their recruiter to leave BEFORE graduating). My school is a prime target for recruiters because we have the highest percentage of poverty of our entire area. It is difficult for me not to consider the recruitment tactics as brainwashing based on the things my boys told me before they left this last spring. I am not anti-military; my father and husband are veterans, my brother is active duty (and thank god has survived 3 deployments since 9/11). But I am anti-occupation and I know, even if my 18 year old students don't, that they will be sent to the front lines of this heinous hellhole we are continuing to perpetuate. Will they survive until their 19th birthdays? I can barely stand to think of it.

But Moyers was not done. He then switched to some video he'd found of a Young Republicans Convention that interviewed several of these up-and-coming conservatives and not one of them, despite their gung-ho support of the occupation, were willing to enlist. One example:

JUSTIN YORK, UNIV. OF CENTRAL FLORIDA '10: We are all supportive of the war; we all believe that it is very important to win the war and to fight Al Queda in Iraq so we are not fighting them here in the United States.

BLUMENTHAL: Why are you not fighting them over there?

JUSTIN YORK, UNIV. OF CENTRAL FLORIDA '10: Well I'm an undergraduate right now and I had a scholarship...I just didn't have any real urge...I just didn't have any strong urge...

I weep for our democracy when the boys with means who want to be leaders in the Republican party eat up and spout back out the propaganda of an illegal and immoral occupation while the poor boys get seduced by the same propaganda - and both groups lose their way. The only difference is the poor boys are more likely to die before they become men.

BILL MOYERS: Private First Class LaRon Wilson has been posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He was the 30th 18-year-old American soldier to be killed in Iraq.

---------------------------------------

If you're interested in ways to counter the recruitment of your students (or at least interest them in getting ROTC scholarships instead of going directly to war), students themselves have stepped up the plate:

Campus Activism
National Youth & Student Peace Coalition
Youth Against War & Racism

And Veterans for Peace will gladly come to your classroom to do counterrecruitment