Sunday, July 15, 2012
The challenges I face at MOSI
Since it's been 3 weeks of teaching now at MOSI, I can now make some observations about the challenges I face there while teaching. Oddly enough, it's not the kids themselves that I find challenging, especially since I have experience teaching in low-income neighborhoods before teaching these kids. It's other various unnecessary things, some beyond my control, others not.
The first and most important challenge I faced was writing my week long curriculum. The first thing that made this challenging was the lack of detailed information about what the class should be about. I don't think this was a mistake on MOSI's part (although I don't agree with their methodology) as I was told during the interview that teachers are expected to write the entire class curriculum and that the entire class itself was at the discretion of the teacher. Now, this wouldn't have been so hard had the mini class descriptions we were given had been far more detailed. For example, I had one class description for an online web design class for kids that mentioned using animation, music, and photography to make a web site, and the more and more I read it, the less sense it made. I simply cannot find the correlation between animation, music, photography and web design! Of course, you can make animation, music, and photography and put those things on your website, but these skills do little to aid in the actual design and creation of a website. I tried all these things, actually, and found out the the kids JUST wanted to make a website. All that extra stuff was just getting in the way of doing that. Funny huh?
The second part that made teaching challenging was the fact that I had the kids for 6 hours (7 minus lunch). I had to teach them something.... for 6 hours straight?! At first, I didn't realize how odd it was, but once put into practice, you start to see the insanity of it. I was trying to keep them occupied every hour, but no matter what lessons I threw at them, they finished it within an hour and didn't want to go back and do it again. Of course, I could have made them do it again, but this is camp, not school. I didn't want them to be miserable and bored, ya know? I started to think about it, and I was wondering if the problem was me, maybe my lessons and curriculum were really just not that good, and then I realized something important: wait, in any school, in any class, and any grade level is no teacher made to teach the same subject for 6 hours straight! Your math, English, computer, art, science, etc are all taught for about 45 minutes to an hour and a half each, depending on the school schedule, and often by different teachers. In college, the max is 3 hours, but those are for work classes, in which the professor teaches for the first hour and then allows the students to work the rest of the time on their work, and as adults, we have the ability to focus that long without needing more work from our professors. So now, it's got me wondering... what if MOSI is the one doing it wrong? Well, apparently, they have been doing this for 30 years, so perhaps they aren't and I really am just making bad curricula... I wish I knew, because I honestly am trying to be a better teacher. It's my career goal, after all. I want to improve...
And finally, I had some serious technology problems that I wasn't sure whether it was my fault or not (although I was told that it wasn't). I was given very old and very ancient mini mac computers for the kids. The OS on these machines haven't been upgraded since they first got them. Some of them had the very first version of firefox! Woah (and in case you didn't know, firefox has about 13 versions of their web browser out now, so that's a whole lotta upgrading that was not done to these macs). Some didn't even have flash and others were hooked up to those huge CRT monitors that I didn't even think a place like MOSI would still have. Honestly, it felt like me and my class got the poop end of the stick here. I felt belittled and angry. MOSI did have a set of ASUS gamer republic laptops, and I knew this because I've used them in previous classes before. So I wondered, why am I not using those? I was told the week before I could, so might as well forget these garbage mini macs and go back to the PCs. To make the long story short, I had trouble getting those PCs for my class for reasons I am still unsure of, but when I spoke to my directors about it, they told me that I should be allowed to use them and no one should tell me otherwise. I got them for one whole day after that and that was it.... still not sure I understand why. Honestly, I am still wondering why those PCs were not reserved for my class (those kids parents PAID for them to be there after all). And I don't understand why I was expected to use old mini macs that had software issues up the butt and why I had to do countless amounts of IT work on them just to make them somewhat okay to use when they apparently had an IT guy... I still don't get it, and I wish it was better explained to me. I just wanted to teach the kids something.... Funny thing is, that one day that I got the laptop PCs for the whole day was the most productive, for the kids, in the entire week. They got so much work done... it's sad that they were not allowed to use them again...
Despite the issues I had, I am not unhappy about my experience. Every challenge I face I am grateful for, because that is just something new I can now handle in the future. I now know more about macs then I ever did before, and I I know a little more about IT stuff than before. So I learned a little something in this process to. The only thing I wish I could have had was some information... I just wanted to know what in the world was going on so I didn't have to constantly wonder.
On top of that, the kids were still amazing. They were fully capable, they were interested, and they were kind. They were unbelievably chatty and they seem to have an obsession for computer games, but despite that, they made it all so worth it. Children are such beautiful human beings, they express so much happiness and joy that sometimes I forget human beings, child and adult alike, are capable of such happiness and kindness.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Anxieties over South Korea
So much is required to prepare for the trip. I got my passport for the first time and applied for my visa. I bought suitcases and my carry-on bag, and I have plastic boxes to fill with things I can't take with me for storage purposes. I've got a lot of things to go through...
My new jobs are helping to fund for my trip to Korea, which is a huge help. I just wish the jobs weren't so mentally and physically intensive; It makes it so much harder to do well for those jobs. I have bought my basic toiletries, and I have some clothes to take as well. I am just hoping it is all enough...
Mental preparation is going to be a lot harder to do though. I can't get over how much I am going to miss my boyfriend of 5 years. I trust him enough that I know we will make it through these 6 months, but I really don't know how I am going to handle being so far away from him for so long. We're currently spoiled: 3 minute drive away and very few things holding us from being able to see each other. Never went more than a week without seeing him. Just 2 days makes me terribly lonely... I'm not gonna lie, sometimes, I cry when I think about it. I'm a big baby, I know I am, so I'm afraid of what to expect. It's a rather large leap though. If I was moving within the country, that would be a lot easier to handle. But I am going to practically be on the other side of the planet. Pretty far :/
I worry about my family while I am away. I am sure they'll be fine, but I can't help but worry. It's only natural. I'll leave behind good friends, but all we live so far away already, it shouldn't be much different, right? Haha. I know I am going to miss my dog, Bongo. I really do love that dog, and he helps to bring up my mood when I am down like no human being can... so it's going to be really depressing not having him there. I have thought about taking him, but I know I can't. It's just a wish.
I am also worried about whether or not I am doing everything right. I just want the trip to go smoothly. I hope I don't lose nay luggage, get lost, miss a plane, or have trouble with communication. I hope people aren't rude or snooty and will understand my anxiety. I hope I don't screw up in a massive way.
On top of all that is my phobia of airplanes. I don't know how one can be phobic of riding airplanes having never been on one, but from what I hear, the experience of actually doing it is what helps to relive some of that stress. I've been watching videos of people riding airplanes and it does make me feel a little better seeing how smooth it really is. The thought of being trapped inside that tube for so many hours with the possibility of death always there certainly doesn't make me feel better though. Honestly, I can imagine myself getting queasy or fainting from nervousness (which I do).
When the day comes closer, I am sure my anxiety will increase for all the reasons above. Right now, I have about a month left. I wish I could spend it relaxing and not having to worry... but I can relax when I get there, right?
What's going on at the Museum of Science & Industry?
The next stop in my journey through teaching and education is MOSI, the Museum of Science & Industry! I currently work here as a "Technology Instructor" for the Museums Summer Science Camp. I recently finished my first week and I believe I should take some time to reflect on my experience there. There is just so much to say; It was quite possibly one of the most exhausting and hectic week of my life. Despite that, it has also been so incredibly satisfying. These kids are the bread and butter of why someone becomes a teacher.... So let's get started!
Curriculum and Lesson Planning:
This is probably the part of the week I found the most difficult. I had a curriculum firmly set in place, but after the first day, I realized the students needed more than what I had planned. First off, I taught something that was actually quite new to me: game design for kids. I created a curriculum for the week and was ready to go! I thought it was going to be wonderful, because the software I was using, Kodu, had so much hype built around it on the internet, especially by Microsoft, who developed the program. After the first day, the students got the program but were unable to move forward with it in the manner I hoped for. It was so educational, they got bored of it. Sad, huh? They were hoping for something for along the lines of Roblox or Minecraft (God, I hate those games). Kodu was supposed to teach programming and logic, something 8-9 year olds are not particularly interested unless they're kid geniuses. Because of this, I tossed out my curriculum and went back to the drawing board... every single night. Despite this, I was still able to find new programs for them to learn every single day as there are a plethora of game design programs for kids out there. They loved them for 2 hours or so, but after that, they went right back to whatever else they were interested in. Well, it was my first time teaching this subject but after this week, I think I feel a little better about teaching it again. Experience is everything when it comes to teaching.
Asperger's Syndrome
I've had special needs children in classes before at the Tampa Housing Authority, but they were never problems. They never made a fuss and they never acted out. In fact, despite their odd behavior, they were absolutely brilliant. I loved them! But this was my first time having a kid with aspergers in my class. I knew it existed, but I never knew what it was about. I have done some research, but despite that, I still don't completely understand it. I guess this is the problem with the fact that I didn't go to college for an education degree, so I wasn't forced to study this stuff in school. What I do know, is that is related to autism in some way and that the main problems people with this disorder have is their abnormal social behavior and communication. The main problems I had with this student was that he tended to have a mental break down every time something went even slightly wrong. For example, if the computer froze, he would bring is legs to his chest, pull his hair, and begin to cry and scream. He would then begin to whine about the situation and often repeat his words a few times before getting up to pace the room and find someones computer to steal. What I found incredibly interesting was how a few of the kids in the class would actually try to help calm him down and they were just.... wow. They would make eye contact with him and say things like "it's okay, you can have my computer". It was just amazing how empathetic 8-9 year olds can be! It showed that our human nature of love and care starts at an early age... despite this, there is also another side of human nature that begins at an early age: cruelty.
Bullying
I've dealt with bullying before, but never to this extant. It got to the point were it was starting to get completely absurd. I always thought bullies like this were only in movies, but this week taught me that those bullies are very real. The bully was a nice kid, he really was, but he seemed to pick out specific kids in the class and pick on them in one way or another, and usually this picking involved physical contact, which for some reason, he did not get the severity of. First, he drew on one kid with a pen after taking the pen away from him. Then, he pushed the kid with aspergers into a water bottle, causing the water to spill and the kid to break down crying. Then, he grabbed a plush toy that belonged to a little girl in the class and questioned her about it in a rather mean manner causing her to cry. Then, during a conversation with other boys about who is the toughest, he randomly picks the quiet kid and points out that he is the weakest, causing him to cry also. It doesn't end there! Then, while walking to lunch, he pushes the kid with aspergers against the wall because he was in his way. And finally, while taking the kids out to play, for some odd reason, he slaps another kid in the butt.
So much happened by this one bully in one week with so many different victims, that I am honestly perplexed as to the reason behind such behavior and he inability to stop, even for one day. I am still in the process of understanding and learning, so maybe one day I will get it. Of course, i always hear about how it is something going on at home, but I honestly don't care about what is going on at home. I don't think that is any excuse to let a bully be a bully. Yes, I did contact my camp directors about this, and I asked to have him removed from the class. They wanted me to give him a chance. Next time, I won't be giving chances. If a student won't behave, by Friday, they're out.
Parent Interaction
Something I am definitely not used to is parent interaction as a teacher. Before, I worked in communities and neighborhoods where most parents could not give a rats arse what activities their kids were doing outside the home, so you heard of the less and saw them never. At MOSI, that was the opposite. Well, I saw the parents at least twice a day for sign in and sign out, and so that increased the interaction ten fold. I gotta admit I was incredibly nervous communicating with them and talking to them. I mostly worried about whether they were judging me or not, whether they thought I was doing a good job or not, etc. Also, because of the bully, I had some parents come to me with concerns, and it was a surprise to me. I did not know the kid would tell their parents, but I guess I should have expected it. I had one parent tell me that she was not afraid to talk to the parent of the bully, and I had to reassure her that I would take care of it although it was my first time dealing with it. I also had one parent come to me with concerns that his son was playing a video with blood and killing in it. I was so surprised that a parent actually cared about that! A good surprised of course. I was always under the impression that most parents these days don't care what horrible games their kids play. I was a little embarrassed too though. The game was NOT in my curriculum, but I let the kids play it during free time (the game was given to me by a co-worker). So I gotta watch out for that from now on.
Above are just a few of the points I wanted to cover about my one week experience at MOSI so far. I have 3 more weeks to go and I am excited to experience them. I just I didn't have the anxiety from having to travel to South Korea looming over me... it's making things so so much harder for me right now... I think I am going to have to blog about Korea too, just so I can get all this anxiety out of me right now :S
Curriculum and Lesson Planning:
This is probably the part of the week I found the most difficult. I had a curriculum firmly set in place, but after the first day, I realized the students needed more than what I had planned. First off, I taught something that was actually quite new to me: game design for kids. I created a curriculum for the week and was ready to go! I thought it was going to be wonderful, because the software I was using, Kodu, had so much hype built around it on the internet, especially by Microsoft, who developed the program. After the first day, the students got the program but were unable to move forward with it in the manner I hoped for. It was so educational, they got bored of it. Sad, huh? They were hoping for something for along the lines of Roblox or Minecraft (God, I hate those games). Kodu was supposed to teach programming and logic, something 8-9 year olds are not particularly interested unless they're kid geniuses. Because of this, I tossed out my curriculum and went back to the drawing board... every single night. Despite this, I was still able to find new programs for them to learn every single day as there are a plethora of game design programs for kids out there. They loved them for 2 hours or so, but after that, they went right back to whatever else they were interested in. Well, it was my first time teaching this subject but after this week, I think I feel a little better about teaching it again. Experience is everything when it comes to teaching.
Asperger's Syndrome
I've had special needs children in classes before at the Tampa Housing Authority, but they were never problems. They never made a fuss and they never acted out. In fact, despite their odd behavior, they were absolutely brilliant. I loved them! But this was my first time having a kid with aspergers in my class. I knew it existed, but I never knew what it was about. I have done some research, but despite that, I still don't completely understand it. I guess this is the problem with the fact that I didn't go to college for an education degree, so I wasn't forced to study this stuff in school. What I do know, is that is related to autism in some way and that the main problems people with this disorder have is their abnormal social behavior and communication. The main problems I had with this student was that he tended to have a mental break down every time something went even slightly wrong. For example, if the computer froze, he would bring is legs to his chest, pull his hair, and begin to cry and scream. He would then begin to whine about the situation and often repeat his words a few times before getting up to pace the room and find someones computer to steal. What I found incredibly interesting was how a few of the kids in the class would actually try to help calm him down and they were just.... wow. They would make eye contact with him and say things like "it's okay, you can have my computer". It was just amazing how empathetic 8-9 year olds can be! It showed that our human nature of love and care starts at an early age... despite this, there is also another side of human nature that begins at an early age: cruelty.
Bullying
I've dealt with bullying before, but never to this extant. It got to the point were it was starting to get completely absurd. I always thought bullies like this were only in movies, but this week taught me that those bullies are very real. The bully was a nice kid, he really was, but he seemed to pick out specific kids in the class and pick on them in one way or another, and usually this picking involved physical contact, which for some reason, he did not get the severity of. First, he drew on one kid with a pen after taking the pen away from him. Then, he pushed the kid with aspergers into a water bottle, causing the water to spill and the kid to break down crying. Then, he grabbed a plush toy that belonged to a little girl in the class and questioned her about it in a rather mean manner causing her to cry. Then, during a conversation with other boys about who is the toughest, he randomly picks the quiet kid and points out that he is the weakest, causing him to cry also. It doesn't end there! Then, while walking to lunch, he pushes the kid with aspergers against the wall because he was in his way. And finally, while taking the kids out to play, for some odd reason, he slaps another kid in the butt.
So much happened by this one bully in one week with so many different victims, that I am honestly perplexed as to the reason behind such behavior and he inability to stop, even for one day. I am still in the process of understanding and learning, so maybe one day I will get it. Of course, i always hear about how it is something going on at home, but I honestly don't care about what is going on at home. I don't think that is any excuse to let a bully be a bully. Yes, I did contact my camp directors about this, and I asked to have him removed from the class. They wanted me to give him a chance. Next time, I won't be giving chances. If a student won't behave, by Friday, they're out.
Parent Interaction
Something I am definitely not used to is parent interaction as a teacher. Before, I worked in communities and neighborhoods where most parents could not give a rats arse what activities their kids were doing outside the home, so you heard of the less and saw them never. At MOSI, that was the opposite. Well, I saw the parents at least twice a day for sign in and sign out, and so that increased the interaction ten fold. I gotta admit I was incredibly nervous communicating with them and talking to them. I mostly worried about whether they were judging me or not, whether they thought I was doing a good job or not, etc. Also, because of the bully, I had some parents come to me with concerns, and it was a surprise to me. I did not know the kid would tell their parents, but I guess I should have expected it. I had one parent tell me that she was not afraid to talk to the parent of the bully, and I had to reassure her that I would take care of it although it was my first time dealing with it. I also had one parent come to me with concerns that his son was playing a video with blood and killing in it. I was so surprised that a parent actually cared about that! A good surprised of course. I was always under the impression that most parents these days don't care what horrible games their kids play. I was a little embarrassed too though. The game was NOT in my curriculum, but I let the kids play it during free time (the game was given to me by a co-worker). So I gotta watch out for that from now on.
Above are just a few of the points I wanted to cover about my one week experience at MOSI so far. I have 3 more weeks to go and I am excited to experience them. I just I didn't have the anxiety from having to travel to South Korea looming over me... it's making things so so much harder for me right now... I think I am going to have to blog about Korea too, just so I can get all this anxiety out of me right now :S
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
My Thoughts on Standardized Testing
LINK: Parents-outraged-after-nearly-75-percent-of-students-fail-writing-portion-of-2012-FCAT-
After reading this article, I figured I should jot down my thoughts on this matter, as it has always been something that I have very strong feelings about, as I am sure most people do. By the way, the result of this mass of failings was that the State Board of Education decided to lower to standards for a passing score on the test, meaning that instead of 75% of students failing the writing portion of the FCAT, 80% of them actually passed! *winkwink!* What a great way to make educating our children a priority. Instead of admitting that something with the test is wrong, and thus needs to be removed, they admit that our students are just too stupid to pass the standards they set (which I am sure weren't too high).
Thing is, this brings up two issues now that we need to address: one, is the FCAT really doing it's job? Should we overhaul it, replace it, or remove it? Are standards really TOO high? Second, are our students really that inept at literacy that they cannot pass a writing test? Are our students really just uneducated? Whose fault is that? Apparently, what got the students was the higher standards placed on grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and quality of the writing. Now, in my opinion, I believe standards on those particular parts of a students writing ability should always be high. I am a big advocate in high quality writing and seeing how kids and teens write these days really grinds my gears. But the bigger question is, is teaching to the FCAT (which is what many teachers are forced to do in schools in Florida these days) the reason why so many students are so bad at writing, or are there other factors impacting it as well?
Besides teaching to the FCAT, I do believe that a lot of knowledge loss is being done at home, where parents are putting their children in front of TVs, video games, computers, and cellphones, instead of books and extra-curricular activities vital to a child's development. The FCAT is a horrible thing, but parents are not helping either. Text speak and ghetto language seems to be most popular amongst kids these days. The less grammar and punctuation you have, the cooler you are! And don't you dare correct someone for their grammar, oh no. That's not cool. I've seen what kids write on the internet and it is horrible to see that they cannot differentiate between there, their, and they're, nor can they differentiate between then and than. Nor do they know when to use commas or periods (often times they never use them at all). The more they get used to writing this way, the more it sticks and when they get older, they will have a harder time breaking out of it and actually may not at all.
Standardized testing in and of itself is a plague on education. Although I passed my FCAT back in high school, standardized testing did not stop there. Colleges forced students to take tests before entering, and if they failed a certain portion they were forced into taking an extra course related to that portion before being able to take courses required for their degree. On top of that, I was forced to take the CLAST as requirement for graduating, although my adviser later removed this requirement after I told him I did not need it because I already passed all my classes required. It didn't stop there, as I was also forced to take a foreign language test as it was also required for my degree. They really put a lot of burden and worry on my shoulders and on top of that, they weren't cheap. The tests do not actually test anything about what a student knows and doesn't know. It may test how well a student is at short term memory, but like high GPAs, passing a standardized test does not necessarily mean you are knowledgeable in that particular testing area. Because of this, I can't help but wonder why the school board is so certain we need these tests. Is it money? Is it boredom? There is no logical reason to keep the tests, so why?
Our country really needs an education overhaul. Our parents need to enforce it more on their children, our schools need to hire more qualified teachers, and our students need to actually start caring about it. How is that other countries can teach their children to value their education but we can't seem to get them to read one book? I'm not sure what the school boards are thinking or doing, but I think we need to get more qualified people in those positions, like, people with actual degrees in education or actual experience teaching, rather than the old farts who know nothing in there right now. Just my two cents.
After reading this article, I figured I should jot down my thoughts on this matter, as it has always been something that I have very strong feelings about, as I am sure most people do. By the way, the result of this mass of failings was that the State Board of Education decided to lower to standards for a passing score on the test, meaning that instead of 75% of students failing the writing portion of the FCAT, 80% of them actually passed! *winkwink!* What a great way to make educating our children a priority. Instead of admitting that something with the test is wrong, and thus needs to be removed, they admit that our students are just too stupid to pass the standards they set (which I am sure weren't too high).
Thing is, this brings up two issues now that we need to address: one, is the FCAT really doing it's job? Should we overhaul it, replace it, or remove it? Are standards really TOO high? Second, are our students really that inept at literacy that they cannot pass a writing test? Are our students really just uneducated? Whose fault is that? Apparently, what got the students was the higher standards placed on grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and quality of the writing. Now, in my opinion, I believe standards on those particular parts of a students writing ability should always be high. I am a big advocate in high quality writing and seeing how kids and teens write these days really grinds my gears. But the bigger question is, is teaching to the FCAT (which is what many teachers are forced to do in schools in Florida these days) the reason why so many students are so bad at writing, or are there other factors impacting it as well?
Besides teaching to the FCAT, I do believe that a lot of knowledge loss is being done at home, where parents are putting their children in front of TVs, video games, computers, and cellphones, instead of books and extra-curricular activities vital to a child's development. The FCAT is a horrible thing, but parents are not helping either. Text speak and ghetto language seems to be most popular amongst kids these days. The less grammar and punctuation you have, the cooler you are! And don't you dare correct someone for their grammar, oh no. That's not cool. I've seen what kids write on the internet and it is horrible to see that they cannot differentiate between there, their, and they're, nor can they differentiate between then and than. Nor do they know when to use commas or periods (often times they never use them at all). The more they get used to writing this way, the more it sticks and when they get older, they will have a harder time breaking out of it and actually may not at all.
Standardized testing in and of itself is a plague on education. Although I passed my FCAT back in high school, standardized testing did not stop there. Colleges forced students to take tests before entering, and if they failed a certain portion they were forced into taking an extra course related to that portion before being able to take courses required for their degree. On top of that, I was forced to take the CLAST as requirement for graduating, although my adviser later removed this requirement after I told him I did not need it because I already passed all my classes required. It didn't stop there, as I was also forced to take a foreign language test as it was also required for my degree. They really put a lot of burden and worry on my shoulders and on top of that, they weren't cheap. The tests do not actually test anything about what a student knows and doesn't know. It may test how well a student is at short term memory, but like high GPAs, passing a standardized test does not necessarily mean you are knowledgeable in that particular testing area. Because of this, I can't help but wonder why the school board is so certain we need these tests. Is it money? Is it boredom? There is no logical reason to keep the tests, so why?
Our country really needs an education overhaul. Our parents need to enforce it more on their children, our schools need to hire more qualified teachers, and our students need to actually start caring about it. How is that other countries can teach their children to value their education but we can't seem to get them to read one book? I'm not sure what the school boards are thinking or doing, but I think we need to get more qualified people in those positions, like, people with actual degrees in education or actual experience teaching, rather than the old farts who know nothing in there right now. Just my two cents.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Journal Writing for Teachers
I'm reading a book about teaching English as a foreign language (actually, I'm reading many books on this) and I found a part that is interesting and useful. I want to write it down here so I can keep a virtual copy of it with me all the time. The book is 'Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language' by Jerry G. Gebhard:
Writing about Teaching
...we can explore teaching by writing in a journal or diary. The purpose of writing in a journal is to have a place to record our observations of what goes on in our own and other teachers' classrooms, write about our discussions, consider teaching ideas, and reflect on our teaching. However, journals are a place for us to raise doubts express frustrations, and raise questions. The following is a list of what some teachers include in their journals.
Writing about Teaching
...we can explore teaching by writing in a journal or diary. The purpose of writing in a journal is to have a place to record our observations of what goes on in our own and other teachers' classrooms, write about our discussions, consider teaching ideas, and reflect on our teaching. However, journals are a place for us to raise doubts express frustrations, and raise questions. The following is a list of what some teachers include in their journals.
- Quickly written descriptions of classroom interaction collected in their own and other teachers' classrooms, as well as analysis and interpretations of these descriptions.
- Tally sheets, transcripts, sketches, and coding as a part of their description and analysis
- Photos (snapshots) and descriptions of what goes on in each photo
- Summaries and reflections on discussions with other teachers
- Lists of alternative ways to teach aspects of a lesson (e.g. different ways to give instruction)
- Stream-of-consciousness writing (to let ideas flow)
- Reflections on language learning experiences
- Thoughts on their beliefs about teaching and learning
- Questions about teaching and learning
- Answers to their own questions
- Summaries and critiques of journal articles and books
- Lesson plans and teaching aides
...I encourage you to write entries soon after teaching, while the experiences are fresh. Finally, at the end of a period of time (for instance, two months), I encourage you to take the time to read your entries thoughtfully, look for patterns in your teaching and thinking about teaching, and write an entry on this analysis. Taking time to review past entries is important, as it is through this kind of reflection that we can see ourselves as teachers and view our teaching differently.
Some thoughts on college education...
I think I love college. I really do. The idea of being able to learn a mass amount of knowledge and information, especially stuff I really enjoy, and being able to use that information for my future career, is really a genius idea. Although, despite that, college education isn't perfect, isn't always ideal, and isn't always fair. It's come to the point where a bachelors degree isn't quite as amazing as it is made out to be. Sure, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get one, but it certainly doesn't always mean you have the qualifications and knowledge required to work in your field. It's not always the colleges fault, and it's not always the students fault. But it's come to the point where your college degree means little compared to your extra-curricular activities, your internships, and your portfolio. If you can't show it, you ain't got it. Students struggle to attain stellar GPAs, only to realize that their GPA means little in the workforce. A student with a 3.0 can be far more successful than a student with a 3.5 or even a 4.0 GPA in their careers, and I think employers are starting to catch on to that now as they have noticed the incompetence of their high GPA employees.
From an art student point of view, I have actually seen some really... bad... student portfolios and I have seen students graduate with these portfolios only to wonder where in the world they plan to go with it considering the hundreds of thousands of other artists out there whose skill significantly outshines their own. I'm not bragging about my own skills, I don't consider them fully professionally polished, but I know for a fact that I have made significant amount of progress in my skill and work and that I will continue to do so as the years go on. I still have a few years to go before I can feel comfortable being a professional in my field, or even seeking out an illustration gig. I won't deny it if it comes along, but in the mean time, I'm just going to practice until I get there.
The art world is a really strange place. I've learned so much about it during my coursework, so many new things and so many disappointing things. Honestly, at times, I felt strangely uncomfortable to be associating with other artists. It was like... I didn't belong. One of the things about the art world that made me feel a little less comfortable in my own skin every day, was the fact that now a days, "conceptual art" aka work that has little to no skill but a really cool idea (but not really), was becoming increasingly popular, especially at my particular college. I just couldn't stand it. I felt like the outcast, the rebel, when in fact conceptual artists are the ones who were supposed to be the so-called rebels, rebelling against traditional art that requires years of practice, skill and dedication to get right. I saw things such as filthy mattresses with stuffed dead animals shoved in between them or crafty projects made of foam and mirrors to represent a self-portrait of some sort... or something like that. Or even white and black canvases splattered with drips of paint and odd shapes that my 4 year old niece could draw better... It looked like garbage, it really did. I'm not being mean because I don't LIKE conceptual art. I would be alright with art that has meaning AND skill. But this stuff often lacked both. It was just really crappy artists trying to be clever in some way but failing utterly at it and living in some self-delusional world where they think that they are actually doing it right! *breaths* There was no development of skill, there was only... garbage :/ I think their idea was that anyone can and should be able to be an artist. But, I beg to differ. Artists are not made, they are born (and that is coming straight out of artists mouth). You develop something, but if the talent and passion isn't there to begin with, you're not likely to get far in the art world. Honestly, I prefer it is left at the way it was supposed to be. You know you're an artist, you go to school to expand your knowledge and develop your already inborn skills, and you network with others. Now, it's something far more different. Something that can actually be mocked...
I recently watched a movie called 'Art School Confidential'. As an artist, I SHOULD take offense to the movie. The movie IS portraying artists in an unfair light after all, aren't they? Well, as a film, the movie did not play out very well. Perhaps, the sub-plot was too cheesy, but the film failed. But what the movie did not fail to do (and it is not necessarily praise to the director, because this movie was based off a graphic novel) was to portray a realistic (albeit slightly twisted) image of art school life and the art world. The class critique expressed my utter frustration I had every critique, in which I wanted to yell "this is awful!" while students praised and found meaning in something that was obviously lacking any skill or effort. I remember one student who often was blunt and honest during critique, and although I at first found him too harsh and critical, I later realized he was not only right, but that I shared the same thoughts and feelings he did, I was just too afraid to say it. Need less to say, his work was always amazing. He had stable ground to speak from.
I want argue that art should be this way and not that way, but I think I may have to come to terms that two different realms of the art world now exist. The one I experienced at my art school, and the one we see most every day being used in practical means: illustrators, concept artists (for film and video games, they draw the characters and background), and designers. I'm sure I am missing a few, but they pretty much all fall under the same categories. We see illustration and design in our products, in our movies, video games, book covers, animated films, and so on and so forth. This is the kind of work you will most likely NOT see in a prestigious gallery of some sort, such as at Guggenheim or Saatchi. Art in galleries is useless to everyone but the wealthy. Why hang up somewhere for only a few lucky to see when you can print it and publish it for the entire world? Isn't that what art is for? Oh dear, don't get me into the art world now, that is a whole other discussion and this is long enough already...
And that means that I must conclude. So, to put it simply, did I enjoy going to college? Yes, I did. Most certainly. Do I think I made the right choice in my degree? Not really. Although I consider myself a skilled artist, a studio art degree is a far cry from where I want to be. Like I said, I constantly felt out of place and out of touch with my classmates. Although we were all artists, we were operating on completely different realms of art. I learned a lot though. I got to understand a whole lot more about the art world, and I am glad I now know. However, it only means I simply wasted a few useful years that could have gone to development of my skill and the publishing of my work, which will now have to be done on my own time... In the meantime, I'm going to teach, because education and knowledge is another passion of mine. Teaching is an art form in itself. Now, we must find out, can it be taught, or are you born a teacher?
From an art student point of view, I have actually seen some really... bad... student portfolios and I have seen students graduate with these portfolios only to wonder where in the world they plan to go with it considering the hundreds of thousands of other artists out there whose skill significantly outshines their own. I'm not bragging about my own skills, I don't consider them fully professionally polished, but I know for a fact that I have made significant amount of progress in my skill and work and that I will continue to do so as the years go on. I still have a few years to go before I can feel comfortable being a professional in my field, or even seeking out an illustration gig. I won't deny it if it comes along, but in the mean time, I'm just going to practice until I get there.
The art world is a really strange place. I've learned so much about it during my coursework, so many new things and so many disappointing things. Honestly, at times, I felt strangely uncomfortable to be associating with other artists. It was like... I didn't belong. One of the things about the art world that made me feel a little less comfortable in my own skin every day, was the fact that now a days, "conceptual art" aka work that has little to no skill but a really cool idea (but not really), was becoming increasingly popular, especially at my particular college. I just couldn't stand it. I felt like the outcast, the rebel, when in fact conceptual artists are the ones who were supposed to be the so-called rebels, rebelling against traditional art that requires years of practice, skill and dedication to get right. I saw things such as filthy mattresses with stuffed dead animals shoved in between them or crafty projects made of foam and mirrors to represent a self-portrait of some sort... or something like that. Or even white and black canvases splattered with drips of paint and odd shapes that my 4 year old niece could draw better... It looked like garbage, it really did. I'm not being mean because I don't LIKE conceptual art. I would be alright with art that has meaning AND skill. But this stuff often lacked both. It was just really crappy artists trying to be clever in some way but failing utterly at it and living in some self-delusional world where they think that they are actually doing it right! *breaths* There was no development of skill, there was only... garbage :/ I think their idea was that anyone can and should be able to be an artist. But, I beg to differ. Artists are not made, they are born (and that is coming straight out of artists mouth). You develop something, but if the talent and passion isn't there to begin with, you're not likely to get far in the art world. Honestly, I prefer it is left at the way it was supposed to be. You know you're an artist, you go to school to expand your knowledge and develop your already inborn skills, and you network with others. Now, it's something far more different. Something that can actually be mocked...
I recently watched a movie called 'Art School Confidential'. As an artist, I SHOULD take offense to the movie. The movie IS portraying artists in an unfair light after all, aren't they? Well, as a film, the movie did not play out very well. Perhaps, the sub-plot was too cheesy, but the film failed. But what the movie did not fail to do (and it is not necessarily praise to the director, because this movie was based off a graphic novel) was to portray a realistic (albeit slightly twisted) image of art school life and the art world. The class critique expressed my utter frustration I had every critique, in which I wanted to yell "this is awful!" while students praised and found meaning in something that was obviously lacking any skill or effort. I remember one student who often was blunt and honest during critique, and although I at first found him too harsh and critical, I later realized he was not only right, but that I shared the same thoughts and feelings he did, I was just too afraid to say it. Need less to say, his work was always amazing. He had stable ground to speak from.
I want argue that art should be this way and not that way, but I think I may have to come to terms that two different realms of the art world now exist. The one I experienced at my art school, and the one we see most every day being used in practical means: illustrators, concept artists (for film and video games, they draw the characters and background), and designers. I'm sure I am missing a few, but they pretty much all fall under the same categories. We see illustration and design in our products, in our movies, video games, book covers, animated films, and so on and so forth. This is the kind of work you will most likely NOT see in a prestigious gallery of some sort, such as at Guggenheim or Saatchi. Art in galleries is useless to everyone but the wealthy. Why hang up somewhere for only a few lucky to see when you can print it and publish it for the entire world? Isn't that what art is for? Oh dear, don't get me into the art world now, that is a whole other discussion and this is long enough already...
And that means that I must conclude. So, to put it simply, did I enjoy going to college? Yes, I did. Most certainly. Do I think I made the right choice in my degree? Not really. Although I consider myself a skilled artist, a studio art degree is a far cry from where I want to be. Like I said, I constantly felt out of place and out of touch with my classmates. Although we were all artists, we were operating on completely different realms of art. I learned a lot though. I got to understand a whole lot more about the art world, and I am glad I now know. However, it only means I simply wasted a few useful years that could have gone to development of my skill and the publishing of my work, which will now have to be done on my own time... In the meantime, I'm going to teach, because education and knowledge is another passion of mine. Teaching is an art form in itself. Now, we must find out, can it be taught, or are you born a teacher?
Friday, May 11, 2012
What's going on with... ME?!
Teaching is still something I will continue to pursue and I have made efforts to do so. I went through a long and difficult process to apply for an English teaching program in South Korea. English is quite different from visual arts, but not quite different from what I am. I love writing, as one can see, and I love teaching. So it seems just as fitting as art. I have always been told that I am a good writer, although I struggled to get my grammar and punctuation up to speed as High School didn't teach me much. Mostly my fault, but I don't dwell on it. I am just glad I have manged to catch up to where I should be as far as grammar and punctuation goes.
With all the new things occurring in my life, I think it is imperative I keep a written record of it here. I still love reading a lot of my old journals from my past, and I know when I am older, I will love reading this one too :)
College has been difficult for me, and I don't know what to think of my chosen major. Although I don't regret having chosen studio art, as I am incredibly passionate about this field, the degree itself is not worth the thousands of dollars I had to spend on it, from a career standpoint. I would have been much better off getting a degree in education and I think that is what I will do with my masters, if not, I shall see if a second bachelors is a better option. As far as the continuation of my education goes, I am not sure which path to take. Perhaps it will all become much more clear with time.
I am not sure what exactly I will be writing in the next few months, or even years. I guess, it doesn't matter. Just whatever my heart desires. I may also write some posts on art and my experience with being an art student. After watching 'Art School Confidential' last night, I feel inspired to write about my experience. Oddly enough, I do not disagree with a lot of the mockery in the movie. Many artists may find it offensive, but only because they fit in with the categories. The art world is not a fair and kind place and it is why I may not pursue the life of a studio artist. If I do pursue art as a career, it will only be as an illustrator. I just don't fit in with artists.
Until next time...
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