Academic Men Explain Things to Me: Portrait of the Artist as a Powerpoint
I was taking my English 100 requirement my freshman year of college and our professor gave us a low ball assignment where we basically just had to do a power point presentation about a famous author. One guy decided to do his on James Joyce and when he asked for questions or comments I raised me hand.
“Um, on the slide where you talked about his books-” I started before he interrupted me.
“Yeah, I know,” He said, “His books are really long and complicated. It’s okay if you don’t know them.”
“It’s not that I don’t know them-” I tried again.
“Oh, so you didn’t get them? Yeah, they can be pretty difficult, but if you work hard you should be able to get some of it.”
“Actually-” I tried again and this time I was treated to a mansplaining of the themes that he had just gone over. Finally when he finished, I looked him square in the eye and said:
“If you’re done telling me how much more you know about James Joyce than me, I just wanted to let you know that it’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” not author.
Been there, done that, glad to be finished with grad school.
Congratulations, College Graduate. Now Tell Us: What Did You Learn? | LinkedIn
A few years ago, two researchers tracked a representative sample of 2,300 students at 24 colleges and universities who took the CLA three times in their college careers: at the beginning of their freshman year, at the end of their sophomore year, and finally, before graduation.
The study’s bottom line: 45 percent of students in the study made no gains in their writing, complex reasoning, or critical-thinking skills during their first two years of college. After four years, the news wasn’t much better: 36 percent failed to show any improvement.
The main reason for this, the researchers found, was a lack of rigor. Through surveys they learned that students spent about 12 hours a week studying on average, much of that time in groups. Most didn’t take courses that required them to read more than 40 pages a week or write more than 20 pages over the course of an entire semester.
Students who studied alone did better, as did students whose teachers had high expectations or assigned a significant amount of reading or writing. Those who majored in the humanities, social sciences, hard sciences, and math did the best. And the majors that did the worst? Education, social work, and the most popular major on US college campuses: business.
(via green-street-politics)
c. sea.: Swearing in front of your students - yay or nay?
Just curious to see what the tumblr teachers think.
I remember the only teacher who ever swore in front of students was my AP English teacher. I loved him. All of his students did. He dropped F bombs on the daily and was so real and badass. He taught me shit about books and poetry and grammar that blew my mind. He’s one of the reasons I became a teacher.
But personally, I never swear in front of students. I don’t even say shut up or damn. And it ruffles my feathers when students curse. Which is funny because if you know me then you know I curse like a sailor.
So what do you think?
It’s a matter of asking yourself whether or not the language is productive and has a purpose in class. Are you saying these words because they are genuinely the best way of expressing your points to your students? Would you be at a loss without them? Or it is simply a method of being “badass” and attempting to be seen as the cool teacher? Language and the way that we present ourselves are some of the most important tools we have in the classroom.
I don’t see myself ever swearing in front of students. But considering that I mostly teach high school level students, it’s not a matter of protecting them from certain language or words. They hear enough profanity in the hallways and on the school bus. But there’s a particular environment that teachers should be creating for their students - Our rooms should be safe places where everyone is comfortable.
For every student who feels closer to a teacher who curses, there are going to be others who feel alienated. But guess who is more likely to speak up about it? The rowdy ones who laugh at every “fuck” or the shy ones who sit in back with their head down? I’d always fear that the ones I’m hurting won’t ever feel comfortable enough to say something to me.
Besides - If you have a truly good teacher, one who sticks with you, I’m more than willing to bet that cursing isn’t their sole talent. They’re doing other things right too. It just happens that cursing is usually the most noticeable and memorable actions. It’s important to look at the many other elements of a good teacher’s style and management instead of simply using profanity as the explanation for their success. True teacher-student bonding takes more than a couple 4-letter words each day.
Accurate representation of what it feels like to teach middle school.
(via second-breakfast)
Tips From a Sub: Part III
How It Starts: “Can I have a hall pass?”
The Problem: Unless you’re addicted to the label maker, then I don’t know where you store different materials throughout your classroom. Are the hall passes in the top drawer of your desk? Is the stapler next to the computer printer? Do you have any extra cough drops for the kids?
I don’t want to go through your personal things, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. The search for paper clips/pens/high lighters often means that I’m opening a couple drawers on your desk, searching around the classroom and asking students to look through the many shelves lining the walls. Sometimes finding our materials is simple, but sometimes the search means that I’ll be accidentally discovering your secret hidden cache of personal items.
Substitute teachers often snoop simply because we don’t know any better. We’re not deliberately invading your personal space and looking for that hidden Mars Bar. Instead, we’re just trying to navigate your classroom without a guide - Sometimes, the places where I would personally store the post-it notes is going to be where you keep your date book. Our brains just work differently and I couldn’t have guessed that.
The Solution: This is a two parter:
1. Lock up the drawers and cabinets that do not house necessary classroom materials. It may seem extreme, but that is the only way that both subs and students will inherently know that “Oh, I guess that I shouldn’t be opening that.” Even if the only thing you’re protecting is a coupon for one free Big Mac, you deserve to have your personal items kept safe and private. A lock is a simple and very effective way of making sure that no one accidentally snoops through your belongings.
2. Any materials that students typically need should be kept out in the open. aka, not in (or on) your desk. Lined paper, the stapler, pens, pencils, tape, textbooks, paper clips, highlighters, etc. These are things that the students do not need permission in order to grab on their own.
Any materials that subs typically need should be kept right on top of your desk, not within any drawers. Hall passes, lesson plans, worksheets, referral slips, etc. These are the things that only a teacher should have access to. Keeping them on top of your desk means that they are within easy reach, are immediately visible and the sub does not have to search for them. If you are not comfortable keeping these things in view, then place them within one of the top drawers of your desk and then label that drawer. Reference the drawer in your lesson plans to the sub and put some form of identification on it, like a magnet or sticker.
If your sub has to hunt down items, then something is wrong. Never assume that we will intuitively know where you keep any item.
Question for those in #education that have worked or are working as substitute teachers
Do you have any advice and experiences you could share that would help someone starting out as a substitute teacher?
1. Bring your own resources. This includes multiple pens, a package of lined paper, post-it notes and a book. If you’re subbing for a math or science class, bring along small calculators as well. Students will ask you for them and having your own will mean that you don’t have the waste time searching the classroom for the teacher’s supplies.
2. Always leave a report behind for the absent teacher. Specifically name the students who were absent, how the class behaved, any ways in which you deviated from the lesson plan, wish the teacher well and legibly sign your name at the bottom.
3. Always have an outfit picked out and a bag packed. At some point in time, you will get that 6am call and there will only be 5 minutes to roll out of bed, get dressed and ignore the speed limit on your way to school. Everything is easier if you’re already prepared.
4. Get to know the school’s secretaries and butt-kiss at every opportunity. They know what’s going on in the school at all times and they’re the ones who need to like you. Know their names, know their pet peeves and always be nice as pie.
5. Give the students an inch and they’ll take a mile. Most students already tune out when they see a sub, so it is worth your while to be more strict than you otherwise would act. Don’t hesitate to send pot-stirrers down to the office or write out referrals. If the students know that you mean business, they’ll be more likely to work with you. But if they see that you’re lenient, then they won’t even consider you a real teacher.
6. Learn how to use your school’s AV equipment. You’ll be spending lots of time watching movies in your classes, so know how to set it all up. This may sound like stupid advice, but most schools have outdated equipment that doesn’t work so well - Ask around, know the tricks and don’t get caught with your pants down.
7. Write your name on the board. It’s simple and highly effective - That way, students aren’t just yelling out “Hey!” when they need your attention.
Any good ideas for books my high schoolers can read about culture or living in Africa?
Looking to get some ideas so I can see if our library can order some great books before we get into that unit.
What aspect of Africa are you interested in teaching about? Because the continent is huge and diverse - That’s a lot of mash together into one unit/lesson/concept. Not only is it a time and scope constraint, but: Seeing you consider the individual communities (or nations) would be a good model for students to start thinking of Africa as more than just a monolithic landmass.
But to start off with, here are some of my favorites:
“Child of Dandelions” by Shenaaz Nanji follows a Ugandan girl in 1972. Think of this as a teen version of the film The Last King of Scotland. This is a decent description of Uganda’s history and also gives students a historical perspective that they usually aren’t taught about.
“The Egg Polisher and Other Tales” by Funwi F. Ayuninjam is a collection of folk tales from Cameroon. The stories are short, fun and are a great way to teach about culture. High schoolers may feel that the stories are beneath them, but there is a lot of good literary criticism that can happen here.
“Amanfi’s Gold” by J.O. de Graft Hanson is set in Ghana. It follows a couple teens who search for the mythic gold of Asebu Amanfi. Although it takes place in modern society (it was published in 2003), Hanson makes a point of using cultural folktales and urban legends in order to comment on social issues.
“Baals of the Niger” by Gabriel Orji might be a little dense for high schoolers, but it has one of the best discussions about the impact Christianity had on Nigeria. This is a good post-colonial novel that shows the fight between traditional and imported cultural values.
If you want to read through more, I recommend that you check out the African Books Collective. It’s a great website founded and owned by African publishers. Not only is it a high database for African-based books, but if you have any trouble getting access to any of them, the publishers have all books available for instant order.
Gave my students a pop quiz today and learned something new:
If you make all the answers to the questions C, you will see 35 of the most hilariously panicked and confused faces in the world.
are you satan
you really do not live up to your url
In 9th grade biology, my teacher used to have the multiple-choice answer key spell out vocabulary terms. However, he’d intentionally misspell them.
I will never forgive that man. I’ll respect him until the day I retire, but may he rot.
(via second-breakfast)
Historical Indulgences: I've said this before, but there's no hurt in saying it again:
There are certain very popular vintage photo blogs here on Tumblr that either steal images from collections without citing them, or steal word for word information without sourcing it.
What’s more alarming is the consistency in which these blogs are the ones featured within the history and vintage spotlight. It seems we (the Tumblr community or staff) enjoy rewarding a broad readership to those who have neither cared to research a subject before spouting “information” nor taken the time to give credit to the institutions and archivists who devote their time and energy into making the objects available to use.
To the History tag editors: stop promoting unsourced posts. Is this how we want to represent our community?
I’m actually considering starting a wall of shame for those blogs that consistently plagiarize text and steal images—both as a call to boycott as well as a call for reform in the Tumblr community.
We’re totally better than this.
Today, one my students asked me, “There really isn’t a movie of The Catcher in the Rye?” I said no, and he said, “So we never really find out what Stradlater looks like? That’s such a bummer… I want to know what Holden looks like, too.”
This is the new generation. They need a movie in order to picture a literary character.
This rubs me the wrong way.
Visual learning is not just a generational thing. Even decades ago, there existed students who needed visual cues in order to retain information and truly understand complex concepts. Reading comprehension is an incredibly difficult skill to develop as it is: There has always and will always be children who have difficulty interpreting the written word and understanding the connection that writing can have with real life. That is one reason why illustrations have so often accompanied educational written works. Even hornbooks would have small pictures and changes in text size in order to help the reader make connections.
Yes, students today are more accustomed to having technology at every turn. They’re used to films and televisions showing them exactly what the characters are experiencing at any given time. This means that they often don’t have the opportunity to develop such skills as creating their own imaginary visuals from written words. But we have to remember that their environment is not their fault. We cannot blame students for existing in a social climate that they have no control over.
And you know what? Your student will never actually “know” what Holden looks like. Even if they are able to become completely engrossed in the process of reading and create their own mental images of each character, that is only one interpretation of the character among millions of others. It’s fluid and will change over multiple readings of the book, not to mention that it will change from reader to reader. For students who have difficulty accepting that sort of multi-faceted interpretation, one single answer is much more appealing and attainable. That is when a film benefits their line of thinking - It still leaves the book open to interpretation, but gives them a far more concrete idea of how they should go about thinking about the story. This isn’t laziness. It’s a way of adapting the resources around them in order to serve their own personal needs.
I move the stars for no one.: Not being able to read a book in one day, or one week does not...
Not being able to read a book in one day, or one week does not mean:
- you’re stupid
- you hate books
- you are somehow less of a person
- you aren’t a real reader
Being able to read a book in one day, or one week does not mean:
- you’re a god
- you love books
- you’re a genius
- you’re a real reader
How It Works:
- During the next 24 hours, you will message me the title and author of your favorite book.
- If you’re a good person, you’ll share this message throughout your page and friends list so that others can see it and send in their favorite books as well.
- On the morning of February 15th, I will mix up the list and you will receive a message that includes another person’s username and their favorite book. Meanwhile, another participant will be given your name and book.
- You will then read this book! And post about it on your tumblr! And either praise or curse the name of the person who gave it to you!
By going on this “blind date,” you’re agreeing to try out whatever new form of literature comes your way. It’s the opportunity to try something new and exciting. Perhaps it will fall flat and you won’t fall in love, but perhaps something magical will spark between you two. You never know, so why not give it a shot?
To participate:
- You don’t have to follow me or reblog. No worries.
- You must message me under a username. This does no good if you’re anonymous.
- The honor code means that you agree to read your “blind” book and will give it an honest chance. If you’ve already read it, then read it again!
- The honor code also means that you will submit your genuinely favorite book. Not one that you’re using to make yourself look good, not one that you want to torture other people into picking up. Find a title that you love dearly and want to share with the world.
- Any questions or concerns can be messaged directly to me, litglutton.
Let the dating commence!
"A machine is a great moral educator. If a horse or a donkey won’t go, men lose their tempers and beat it; if a machine won’t go, there is no use beating it. You have to think and try till you find what is wrong. That is real education."
- Gilbert Murray (via historical-nonfiction)
(via historical-nonfiction)
Blind Date with a Book!
You know I will do ANYTHING to help my boost interest in reading in my 7th/8th grade classes. Last week I saw a post making the rounds about a library that wrapped books and put just a few key words on the front (of course, now I can not find that post for the life of me! If you know of it, please let me know! I give ALL the credit to their fantastic idea!).
I decided that would be great for my room, as all the hormones are raging!
“Blind Date with a Book”
1. Read the key words, pick a book, and go see Miss before you unwrap.
2. Wrap and see what you picked!
3. Read at least 30 pages - if you decide that your “date” is going well and you want to see where it leads, keep reading! If your date is “nice, but not for you”, return the book.
Luckily, I found this adorable Valentine’s wrapping paper at Target (honestly, where else?!) to make things festive. Some of the tags include: fast paced, action, 1st person narrative, inspiring, dark, page turner, popular author, brand new, now a movie, etc.
Here’s hoping to fun times and good reads!
I’ve had roughly a year to mull over this book since I last posted about it. While I don’t entirely disagree with what you’ve said, this novel has way, way too many problems for me to ever feel comfortable teaching it. It’s a nightmare.
The entire novel is based upon a gross set of cultural appropriations. Basically, a young white boy is adopted by Tlingit elders who use the wisdom and spirituality of Native Americans in order to solve his emotional troubles and force those same teachings onto the people that he deems worthy.
99% of the Native American concepts in this novel are made up on the spot. Seriously –Oyate.org recently removed their “Books to Avoid” page, but this topped their list. From the animal dancing to the totem pole to the ancestor rock, Miklaelsen blatantly made up Native traditions in order to keep his protagonist busy. Even the concept of Circle Justice was exaggerated to the point of lying. All of his decisions to include Native “culture” ignores any actual cultural significance that may be attributed to these items and actions. The result is that this book presents the reader with a fill-in-the-blank fantasy sort of culture that has no basis in reality.
First and foremost, this is a problem because Ben Miklaelsen is not Tlingit. He isn’t Native American at all. The guy is actually of Danish descent and was born in Bolivia. His decision to base a novel on Tlingit culture was due to the fact that he enjoyed travelling and once spotted a white “spirit” bear too. Oh, and he was inspired by the Columbine massacre. Not really a great connection to the culture he insisted on writing about.
When discussing this novel in both guides and interviews, Miklaelsen speaks as though the Tlingit don’t exist anymore. He outright states that they aren’t a modern culture. Every time he discusses the Tlingit, he pits them against “American society” and the American audience, as though they exist at opposite ends of the spectrum. This only reinforces the idea that Native Americans are some magical group that are spiritually and ancestrally linked to nature. It stops us from thinking of them as actual people.
But moving along from the cultural side of it:
I am not a fan of the way that Peter, the boy who was brain damaged from Cole’s attack, was treated within the story. His case is one of “tough love,” where he was forced to spend time with his abuser in an isolated setting because it was supposedly for his own good. His concerns and fears are ignored, his own desires to leave and never see Cole again are brushed off and his violent outbursts are hailed as a wonderful show of recovery. This is a young boy who attempted suicide twice since he was attacked. Somehow, despite the fact that he still suffers from vivid nightmares about being beaten, every adult in this situation agrees that learning how to forgive is what he needs the most. Forget that he needs to feel mentally and physically safe, forget that he currently has no trust of the outside world, forget that he is still coming to terms with the fact that his body will never again be fully functional: Nope, the only thing that will “fix” this teenager is if he forgives the boy who nearly killed him.
This is not safe and it is not healthy. That is not a message that I am comfortable sending, especially since there is a good chance that many students have experienced abuse in their own lives. This book essentially teaches that they must ignore the voice in their head that preserves their personal safety and keeps them out of danger. It’s the comfort and happiness of their abusers that supposedly matters the most.
Just typing that out makes me angry.
So during the past year, my opinion about this book has gotten much more harsh. I’ve talked about it with other professionals, I’ve been a part of the discussions that it provokes in the classroom and I’ve seen the misinformation that it spreads among students. If I can avoid this book for the future, I’ll be much better off.
