Sunday, March 7, 2010
Instrumental/Choral
I'm starting to think more and more ahead about what's next for the music program here as we grow and add grades. Part of that decision I think is deciding whether or not I want to try and invest in an instrumental program or to continue to nurture vocal music through extra choral classes etc. I'm not really sure and it's a cool decision to get to make. I wonder how I can share this decision with the students. They obviously have a huge stake in this. Hmm.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
That's So Gay
I really enjoy infomania. In one of their recent segments "That's So Gay", they highlight the coverage of Johnny Weir in the Vancouver Games.
On the way to extended day today, one of the students had her umbrella. On the handle was a monkey. Nothing about it indicated sex except for the flower in the hair. Even then the color and face of the monkey were completely neutral. Yet, the student right away talked about the girl monkey. We talked about why we thought it could be a girl monkey and when it seemed to be the flower, she was not so surprised and only smiled a little when I mentioned that I'm sure boys can have flowers in their hair as well.
I wonder if/how this conversation can happen now. I think we need to challenge sex vs. gender now. It only seems awkward when we carry assumptions about what these words mean but deconstructing them seems no less important than deconstructing racial and vulgar word usages.
On the way to extended day today, one of the students had her umbrella. On the handle was a monkey. Nothing about it indicated sex except for the flower in the hair. Even then the color and face of the monkey were completely neutral. Yet, the student right away talked about the girl monkey. We talked about why we thought it could be a girl monkey and when it seemed to be the flower, she was not so surprised and only smiled a little when I mentioned that I'm sure boys can have flowers in their hair as well.
I wonder if/how this conversation can happen now. I think we need to challenge sex vs. gender now. It only seems awkward when we carry assumptions about what these words mean but deconstructing them seems no less important than deconstructing racial and vulgar word usages.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Teacher Prep
I felt so disheartened this evening. I was reading some recent posts and links on Eduwonk and it took my to this blog. Even reading the last three posts and the link to this old post, I just grew so frustrated.
Yes, LOVE is at the roots of who we are and how we engage and name our world and each other. But, to cite Freire within this framework seems like such an insult to his philosophy. To rail on "student choice" in the classroom as a loss on learning time indicates to me someone who has not grappled with what this "learning" could mean. The profession of support for TFA and MATCH continue this attitude that we can in fact "teach how to teach", as if there is such a thing.
And then he's cited on Eduwonk. I would love to be cited there. I differ with much of the opinion expressed but I think this dialogue is so essential and I appreciate so much the space and attention Eduwonk has gathered. I just can't believe however that those who have power to write and influence policy seem so singleminded and unopposed by mutually powerful stakeholders.
And you know what? I think I'm doing ok. Do I seek EVERY DAY to fight a classroom regime and afford space for "authentic" student choice and ownership over who, how, why, with whom, for whom (and why not) we engage every day? Yes. I try. It doesn't always happen. But I will sit there and wait. I will not call it a failure if it means waiting. Because what's the hidden curricula if I do not afford this space? That it doesn't matter? That it's not "real"? And here I am 104 days into my teaching career and I feel great. I think the students do have ownership of their space and I love being there.
Mock student choice all you want, endorse programs that neither grapple with the intensely loaded words and ideas of "teaching" and "learning" nor ask men and women for the commitment and long term love and care these children ask of us. In the end, I'm thankful that the students with whom I seek to engage musically every day are here and not at some charter school where they may be treated as robots...yes robots who can tie shoes to overhead projectors, but robots nonetheless.
Yes, LOVE is at the roots of who we are and how we engage and name our world and each other. But, to cite Freire within this framework seems like such an insult to his philosophy. To rail on "student choice" in the classroom as a loss on learning time indicates to me someone who has not grappled with what this "learning" could mean. The profession of support for TFA and MATCH continue this attitude that we can in fact "teach how to teach", as if there is such a thing.
And then he's cited on Eduwonk. I would love to be cited there. I differ with much of the opinion expressed but I think this dialogue is so essential and I appreciate so much the space and attention Eduwonk has gathered. I just can't believe however that those who have power to write and influence policy seem so singleminded and unopposed by mutually powerful stakeholders.
And you know what? I think I'm doing ok. Do I seek EVERY DAY to fight a classroom regime and afford space for "authentic" student choice and ownership over who, how, why, with whom, for whom (and why not) we engage every day? Yes. I try. It doesn't always happen. But I will sit there and wait. I will not call it a failure if it means waiting. Because what's the hidden curricula if I do not afford this space? That it doesn't matter? That it's not "real"? And here I am 104 days into my teaching career and I feel great. I think the students do have ownership of their space and I love being there.
Mock student choice all you want, endorse programs that neither grapple with the intensely loaded words and ideas of "teaching" and "learning" nor ask men and women for the commitment and long term love and care these children ask of us. In the end, I'm thankful that the students with whom I seek to engage musically every day are here and not at some charter school where they may be treated as robots...yes robots who can tie shoes to overhead projectors, but robots nonetheless.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Bilingual Ed
So I spent most of today working on a policy analysis project. My partner and I are looking at bilingual and dual language programs, specifically in the district of my school. It's amazing to me how underrepresented languages (and the cultures tied to them) other than Spanish are. Though a huge percentage of ELLs in the district are Spanish speaking, the remaining ELL numbers are quite substantial. It's frustrating to me that this the duality of Spanish/English seems to be what bilingual education has come to mean. Meanwhile French and African Languages are ignored. The ties that these languages have to identity and culture are so strong, I don't understand what makes it ok to ignore this.
Is parent advocacy an issue? I think so. If a parent can't read or write then how can they advocate for a bilingual ed program? Then again how can they get into a charter school? Oh what, it's a different issue...or is it? I think the tie to bilingual education programs and charters could be interesting as charter school presence increases. They certainly do take and look for specific students. As public schools become the excess and hold over, how can we make sure we are advocating for parents when parents aren't aware of how to access this information?
Is parent advocacy an issue? I think so. If a parent can't read or write then how can they advocate for a bilingual ed program? Then again how can they get into a charter school? Oh what, it's a different issue...or is it? I think the tie to bilingual education programs and charters could be interesting as charter school presence increases. They certainly do take and look for specific students. As public schools become the excess and hold over, how can we make sure we are advocating for parents when parents aren't aware of how to access this information?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Stratification
The children that engage in musicing with me everyday listen to lots of different kinds of musics. Most of the musics are not necessarily the ones we are singing and listening to in music class. Are some? Certainly and I love those moments especially when they are unexpected. In the meantime, however, I worry that I'm not engaging the way I could be. I think too that there certainly is an underlying problem here. While I attempt to shy away from strictly western musical epistemologies, they are still present. I worry that even with this in mind and the attempt to critically engage in a musical framing of our world and naming our world through music it is not enough. I need to be doing more.
The situation as it stands is that the children are mostly all free lunch and racially there are zero Non-Hispanic White students. What does this have to do with anything? Well, the economic, social, and cultural stratification that exists in our system is being replicated here in my school. We work hard and yet I see information like this:
Go here for the full entry on contexts.org
What does this show? This shows that the tie between parental and student income in the United States is still serving to stratify affluent whites. Social mobility is not as possible here as it is elsewhere. And why? Well, why do our kindergarten teachers only have enough level appropriate books to give the children one take home book per week?
What happens when we challenge this data? Is this data telling us that social mobility is tied to parent income? Or is it telling us that students who currently have access to social mobility attend institutions where most parents are middle or upper class? If this is the case, then we have no excuse despite the challenges inherent in current federal and state policy.
But more than anything, this is not an excuse. We must continue to challenge these social mobility data. We must fight the replication of social stratification that exists because of the inherent de facto segregation in our schools spurred onward by district lines, voucher programs, tuition-tax credits, and charter schools. If we are mindful of the existence of these injustices and inequities than we must combat them with our own vigor and practice. I had a wonderful conversation with someone I admire very much a couple of days ago and was reminded that policy writers are not just the people in Albany or Washington D.C. Each rule and expectation is a policy that we ask ourselves and our students to be mindful of. What policies then can we begin examining now? After all, policy regime change comes from intertial forces with the top down AND the ground up.
The situation as it stands is that the children are mostly all free lunch and racially there are zero Non-Hispanic White students. What does this have to do with anything? Well, the economic, social, and cultural stratification that exists in our system is being replicated here in my school. We work hard and yet I see information like this:
Go here for the full entry on contexts.org
What does this show? This shows that the tie between parental and student income in the United States is still serving to stratify affluent whites. Social mobility is not as possible here as it is elsewhere. And why? Well, why do our kindergarten teachers only have enough level appropriate books to give the children one take home book per week?
What happens when we challenge this data? Is this data telling us that social mobility is tied to parent income? Or is it telling us that students who currently have access to social mobility attend institutions where most parents are middle or upper class? If this is the case, then we have no excuse despite the challenges inherent in current federal and state policy.
But more than anything, this is not an excuse. We must continue to challenge these social mobility data. We must fight the replication of social stratification that exists because of the inherent de facto segregation in our schools spurred onward by district lines, voucher programs, tuition-tax credits, and charter schools. If we are mindful of the existence of these injustices and inequities than we must combat them with our own vigor and practice. I had a wonderful conversation with someone I admire very much a couple of days ago and was reminded that policy writers are not just the people in Albany or Washington D.C. Each rule and expectation is a policy that we ask ourselves and our students to be mindful of. What policies then can we begin examining now? After all, policy regime change comes from intertial forces with the top down AND the ground up.
Oops
I guess I didn't do such a great job on that last mission. But here I am again. I've been rethinking and refocusing my ideas. I'm not satisfied with what this blog is becoming. Well, first it's not becoming much since I haven't been posting. Moreover, I don't know the purpose. I mean, the purpose is somewhat selfish I suppose. Feedback, thoughts, comments-those all go towards what I'm working on. I do have plenty more stories. I have had hard days and the best days. I think though, I need to start considering something greater here.
As of late I've taken to reading and commenting on a series of other blogs. That interaction is no less valid or dare I say, valuable, then what I do here. In fact, I've been getting MORE out of it. It reminds me of an interesting article by Peter Cookson. He discusses internet media and the direction of pedagogy that engages and thinks through a technological or media based lens. Specifically, he references two tracks. The first views internet content as a static entity like a book, periodical, encyclopedia, etc. The second sees the internet as the means for the creation of this content. In grappling with which of these possible tracks is more engaging it seems clear. Especially thinking about curriculum and how relationships really shape the space in a classroom (relationships with each other, relationships with content, etc.) These relationships are what create or discover knowledge. Therefore, the pedagogical promise of internet technology comes not from reading JSTOR articles or looking up dictionary.com, but instead comes from web 2.0 realtime content creation blogging, feedback, wiki spaces.
So where does this leave me? Back here. And here to stay (actions--or tomorrows post--will have to speak louder than type here). My focus? I do want to continue thinking about my personal experiences but I want to and need to articulate and think out loud how my daytime experiences are tying into my philosophical, political, and sociological thinking.
As of late I've taken to reading and commenting on a series of other blogs. That interaction is no less valid or dare I say, valuable, then what I do here. In fact, I've been getting MORE out of it. It reminds me of an interesting article by Peter Cookson. He discusses internet media and the direction of pedagogy that engages and thinks through a technological or media based lens. Specifically, he references two tracks. The first views internet content as a static entity like a book, periodical, encyclopedia, etc. The second sees the internet as the means for the creation of this content. In grappling with which of these possible tracks is more engaging it seems clear. Especially thinking about curriculum and how relationships really shape the space in a classroom (relationships with each other, relationships with content, etc.) These relationships are what create or discover knowledge. Therefore, the pedagogical promise of internet technology comes not from reading JSTOR articles or looking up dictionary.com, but instead comes from web 2.0 realtime content creation blogging, feedback, wiki spaces.
So where does this leave me? Back here. And here to stay (actions--or tomorrows post--will have to speak louder than type here). My focus? I do want to continue thinking about my personal experiences but I want to and need to articulate and think out loud how my daytime experiences are tying into my philosophical, political, and sociological thinking.
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