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I knew it! My sisters, however, will disagree that the eldest sibling has an edge on the others when it comes to smarts. This article cites a Norwegian study of birth order and intelligence. Should we be watching for schools to ask for birth order information on enrollment forms?
My favorite assignment in senior literature class was to read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. I identified with the isolation and desperation felt by Holden Caufield, not particularly because of any devastating event in my life, but simply because I was a teenager (with all the angst that implies). When I became a middle school teacher at the tender age of 22, I vowed to read the novel every summer, so as not to forget what troubles my students may be experiencing. I kept that promise.
As each additional year of teaching passed, and as the age gap between me and my students increased, I found myself growing apart from the kids with whom I identified at the beginning of my career. Gradually, I fell into the ranks of the veteran teachers - those who saw my youthful enthusiasm at 22 to be amusing. However, I was grateful my mentors had empathy for a young girl whose ambition outweighed skill, and in whose shoes they had walked at one time. It is, perhaps, one of the primary reasons I remained in the profession.
If you are a mentor to a new teacher, consider reading this article. It may refresh you in the same way "The Catcher in the Rye" helped me keep perspective with my students. A little empathy for your protege will go a long way. . .
Merriam-Webster is issuing the newest version of its dictionary, and included in this publication are "words" such as ginormous (a blending of the words gigantic and enormous), crunk (a term associated with rap music), and smackdown (a way to describe a bout in entertainment wrestling).
Call me old-fashioned, but I am extremely disappointed that such fad-oriented distortions to the English language are being adopted by Webster. When I last taught a communication arts class, I was battling student use of informal abbreviations like "'b-4." I'd be going out of my mind these days to combat shortened words, text-messaging lingo, and the slang now deemed acceptable by the most recent copy of the dictionary.
Surely, I am not the only one who holds this opinion. Those with an opposing view, please teach me the error of my ways "cuz" I don't get it!
(Note: While spell checking this post, ginormous, crunk, smackdown, b-4, and cuz came back as erroneous - just like they should!)
"Classrooms can be the safe haven where academic practices and classroom strategies provide students with emotional comfort and pleasure as well as knowledge. When teachers use strategies to reduce stress and build a positive emotional environment, students gain emotional resilience and learn more efficiently and at higher levels of cognition. Brain-imaging studies support this relationship."
Judy Willis writes an uplifting article that should remind us all of our mission in education. I don't believe the information is new or revolutionary, but is serves to focus our efforts as we return to the classroom this fall. Learning can and should be an enjoyable experience! However, the testing bandits have wreaked havoc with this premise.
Take a quick look at what Willis has to say about giving students a break, creating positive associations, prioritizing information, and allowing for independent discovery learning. I promise - it is a short article well worth the read.
Politics aren't "as usual" for teacher unions these days. A recent study from Education Sector shows that local union presidents aren't as active in traditional labor negotiations as they used to be. . .
It is about time they recognized the benefit of collaborative meetings with school boards and administrators. What MSTA has known all along is that putting on the gloves and emerging from separate corners of the ring doesn't garner desired results in education. Shared accountability for student achievement puts us in the same corner, and the only opponents to tackle are literacy, proficiency in mathematics, science education, the arts, etc.
So has NCLB threatened the viability of teacher unions? I don't think so. There will always be a need for employees to voice concerns about salary and working conditions. But if we can expand those discussions to include what is best for kids, we'll have created a climate in which real progress in education can be achieved.
There is my optimistic outlook upon returning to work from an extended break!
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