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.
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