Observation Complete!

I finished my 50 hours of observatin for ENG 505 this week! I am really happy to be done. The kids and the teacher were very nice, but the class was totally unstimulating. All they did was fill out worksheets, watch movies, and occasionally do a little reading. Hardly any writing and definitely no tech stuff. The world we have been discussing in 506 is so far from coming to fruition in this woman's classroom. Early in my observation, I mentioned the computers class to my host teacher and she basically said that I would never be able to do "that kind of stuff" in her school. But she has no interest in trying to branch out and experiment with the "kind of stuff" that we are doing in 506. There was only one tech-related incident during my entire fifty hours. I cam in one day and we went to the computer lab to do what she called a "webquest" on the Salem Witch trials. I was excited for a minute, but as it turned out it, wasn't really a webquest. The kids visited a page on the National Geographic website to find out about the Salem witch trials. You guys can check it out here. It's kind of interesting, and I guess that it's good to bring in the computer at some point, but it just seemed like busy work.

I guess the experience in this class bothered me because everything that the kids do seems so pointless. This teacher is very comfortable with her setup, which consists of the units that she has planned out with all the worksheets to go with it. She is basically an 8 to 3 teacher. She came right out and told me that she doesn't like to take work home. So her class is boring but easy and the kids don't give her any problems, but I don't feel that they're getting much out of it, either. She doesn't seem to have very high expectations for the kids. I mentioned on the class blog, and I think that I've mentioned in class also, that she shows them films of the classics rather than having them read. It's only November and her Regents kids won't be reading another book until Spring. Instead they'll be watching the movie versions of Moby Dick and Huck Finn. And rest assured there will be plenty of work sheets to go along with them. i understand feeling like the kids won't read Moby Dick if you assign it. The book isn't one of my favorites either. So throw out Moby Dick and bring in some YA lit or something. The kids should be reading, period.

One of our major points in 506, aside from all the tech aps, has been exploring the "why"--why are we doing what we do in these classrooms? Why are your kids reading this and writing about that? Why are you asking them to do x, y, z? If nothing else, this is probably the most crucial thing that I will take away from 506. I hope that someday, if someone comes to my class to observe me, she won't sit there constantly asking herself "Why are they doing this? What is the point?" and finding no answer. It's a dreadful way to spend 50 hours, let alone an entire school year.

Please Help Fight MD!

My fiance, Waylon, is participating in a fund raiser to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He, along with many other community members in the Syracuse area, will be put in "Jail" and must raise $1200 in bail money, which will go to MDA. He has a website where people can go to make donations to MDA in his name, which goes toward his bail. He has to raise the money by Nov 15th.

Here is an email message from Waylon:

This year, I have the honor and pleasure of participating in MDA's 2006 East Syracuse/Fayetteville-Manlius Lock-Up to help "Jerry's Kids®". To reach my goal I need your help!

I'd like to include you or your company on my list of contributors who are helping me reach my goal. Your donation would help MDA continue the important fight against muscular dystrophy. Check out my web page by clicking on the link below. There you'll find all kinds of information about MDA, and be able to make your tax-deductible donation on-line using your credit card.

MDA serves people in our community with neuromuscular disease by providing clinics, support groups, assistance with the purchase and repair of wheelchairs, braces and communication devices, and summer camp for kids. MDA also funds research grants to help find treatments and cures for some 43 neuromuscular diseases that affect people of all ages, right here in our community.

I sincerely hope that you'll take the opportunity to support MDA. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me.

On behalf of the families MDA serves, thank you!

Warmest Regards,
Waylon Dahl

I know that we are all poor college students, but if anyone is willing and able to donate anything, we would both appreciate it so much. Every little bit helps.

Click here to visit Waylon's participant page.

Thanks!!

Another positive thing to say?

Okay, I have another positive thing to say, so I guess that I can't jump to my death after all. My CAPP report is green!! Yeah!! Now that I am officially registered for student teaching and have taken both of the workshops, all of the requirements for my degree are either completed or "in progress." The end is in sight! Assuming that I make it through the semester alive and pass everything, student teaching is right around the corner. Yikes! I don't know about you folks, but I'm scared. It's so much responsibility: young, impressionable mind under our complete control! Am I ready? Am I actually cut out for this?

As most of you know from Tuesday's class, I met one of my host teachers last weekend, and she seems pretty awesome. Jen Donegan teaches 11th and 12th grade at Westhill High School which is thankfully quite near my house in Syracuse. She is really energetic and passionate about teaching, and also really into mulit-modal literacy-- film, music, literature, internet, etc all included as legitimate modes of literacy to be studied. After only one meeting and an email, I can already tell that she is going to be totally supportive of me and great to work with. She was fabulous when I expressed apprehension about student-teaching, assuring me that it's "actually a positive aspect." She gave me a copy of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" which we will be doing in the Murder and Mayhem elective (which Karen showed the Urban Legends podcasts from). Apparently the kids usually get pretty into it, even though it's "old," so that should be exciting. I'll also be doing the 11R class, and Jen said that I can decide if I want to do short stories or Macbeth. I'm leaning toward short stories at this point. I was thinking of trying to come up with a short story enhanced podcast assignment for them, since Jen is pretty into technology apps. After they read a lot of short stories, they can write their own and read it in an enhanced podcast with photos to illustrate it. Or something. I don't know, let me know what you all think. Suggestions are definitely going to be welcome.

Okay, I'm going to get back to my piles of books and articles on informal writing-to-learn now. But, I have to say, two blog posts in one night is a pretty impressive feat.

It's Snowing in Syracuse

I haven't blogged in a really really long time, so this will probably be my usual mishmash of incoherent rambling. First, I have to say that I am so overwhelmed right now that I am ready to toss myself over a bridge. In fact, it's a good thing that I moved away from Ithaca, or there's a high probability that my body would be discovered frozen and partially eaten at the bottom of a gorge. Okay, that was gross, apologies. And, of course, I'm not totally serious, but there's a huge part of me that's ready to throw up my hands in surrender. Some of you may have noticed that I decided to stay home from class tonight in order to work on other things. I've spent most of the day working on my journal article for Dr. Kennedy, which is still in its infancy, after observing this morning. About an hour ago I decided to take a break and get on the computer to look at the class blog. And it's like the blob. There was so much to read and try to process that my already overwhelmed brain pretty much blew a fuse. I've just had so much work to do and so little time to do it in that everything is getting pushed to the last minute and the time crunch is excruciating. But I have to say that I totally appreciated reading everyone's comments, in particular Dave's comments on doing "good enough." Because I am totally there, and it's not a place I generally find myself and it's not a place that I'm very comfortable.

I used to be smart. Like, really smart. I think I'm getting dumber as I get older. At an alarmingly speedy rate.

One positive thing that I do have to say about my life at this point: I loved making the imovie. Even though it was a ton of work, and even though the limited access to the mac lab was incrediably frustrating, it was definitely one of the most positive experiences that I've had this semester. Charm and I collaborated well together. She came up with a great idea for a film, and I helped tweak it a little bit with added suggestions. We shared the responsibility for filming, audio and editing pretty evenly (even though I am an admitted mouse-hogging control freak--sorry Charm!). We learned how to assemble our film--adding music, voice track, transitions and credits--mostly through experimentation. When we got stuck, we had two heads to figure out a problem. We had fun. And, most importantly, we produced something that we love and are really proud of. I definitely support Alex's assertion that he will have students work together on this project in the future. Even though it's hard to arrange time to get together when trying to accommodate two disparate schedules, I think that working with a partner made the whole experience infinitely better.

Oh, it stopped snowing. But now the trees look so pretty. Hmmm....did blogging just improve my mood? I think it did.