Blog Assignment:
Oh President Obama, we must…
1)
Establish a national university for the
professional development of educators and policy makers. This university will not directly monitor
educational reform, but will be a forum for educational professionals and
policy makers to discuss outside the direct influence of lobbyists. .
2)
Be real about national results. The jukeing of state by state statics are out
of control and need to be publically challenged. Then publically reward the states that set
high standards.
3)
Get rid of the utopian thinking. Having lofty ideals is admirable, but
achieving everything is impossible. 100%
“proficiency” will not be possible until we have 100% buy-in. I’m not sure that is possible with a
post-modern society. Therefore, we must
provide opportunity to all, not mastery.
4)
Get rid of Arne Duncan, the guy is a tool.
5)
Get in the conference hall and back common sense
agreements between unions and school districts.
Negative portrays in the media will hurt unions and you need their
support. Help them help themselves and
plan for some concessions so they save public face.
2)
I attended the AVID Summer Institute this last week and I
found myself in a particular situation.
I was participating in the Culturally Relevant Teaching segment and we
were conducting a Socratic Seminar. One
of the articles that we had read claimed that too much of the curriculum that
students learn is “western” based and should be augmented to suit the needs of
our students. On principle, I agree that
learning should be student centered and their buy-in is nearly the most
important component of any course. But I
found myself arguing from the conservative vantage point.
Ravitch’s argument of institutional change and conservatism
in education found a home in my voice.
Instead of changing curriculum, I argued for the maintenance of high
standards and applying the curriculum to specific circumstance. I argued that Plato still needs to be taught
because educators have a professional responsibility towards other educators
and the expected knowledge that students will carry with them to the next grade
or collegiate level. I fail to believe
that we, as individual educators, can take personally vain idea that we have
the capacity to majorly change a curriculum because they are from a different
culture. There is power in the western
canon.
Ravitch’s argument lies on the fact that the American
Education System is not broken, it just suffers from a lack of high
expectations because we are missing the main points. We are focusing on the testing of high
expectations instead of creating a society of professional and capable
educators. We are searching for a fast
solution to a hard problem, students and teachers are not working as hard as
previous generation. This is compounded
by the (now decreasing) American monopoly on capital and opportunity with world
markets. Other countries are
making/allowing/motivating their youth to a level that equal or above that of
American children. But Ravitch believes
the core ideas are still strong and the applicable solution to the ills of the
education system. If teachers have high
standards, administrators assess with high standards, and policy makers allow
for common sense structural changes, dramatic changes will not be necessary.
3)
School teachers have the opportunity to work deeply and
personally with a person for 181 days in order to teacher them content,
resilience, responsibility, and respect.
I can’t think of a more noble and important responsibility. I believe that a teacher who takes their job
seriously is the front line against idiocy and societal self-destruction. Therefore, as people with important positions,
we must use the old adage and “think globally, act locally”. We must problem solve in our own situations
and help students on an individual basis.
We need to check our self-righteous behavior in regards to both best
practice and radical reform in hopes that we don’t move too quickly or become resolute
against change. By doing this, we can
provide hope and structure for future generations and their ability to
participate economically and in our democracy.
4)
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association provides monthly mailers
with publications from leading historians.
It also provides an extensive annual conference that has up to 300
presentations with new research. The
membership is steep, but the association does cater some of its efforts towards
k-12 teaching. They offer a booklet “Perspectives
on Teaching” that presents about history specific viewpoints and skills. It also provides packaged lesson plans. In addition, I stumbled upon a letter from a
Superintendent to all new history teachers.
It provided an interesting take until what it “takes” to be a history
teacher.
Romantic Novel Association
I began searching for associations that deal directly with
Romantic literature, please notice the capital “R”. Instead, I found the Romantic Novel Association
which unfortunately should be the romantic novel association. This page helps writers participate in activities
and workshops that help develop a sense of the romantic and how to write
compelling romantic fiction. The website
states that 90% of all readers need some form of romance in the novels that
they read and this is a resource that could help the average reader satisfy
those hungry readers. All joking aside,
even this association could provide different types of structures and methods
for developing and implementing a writing workshop.
5)
Places that I would
like to see in the Bay Area:
1.
Tule Lake War Relocation Center
a.
Even though this is not in the Bay Area, a pilgrimage
or hike to this area would be an interesting trip. I could bring along some of the literature
about the relocation camps and relive the terrible migration suffered by
Japanese Americans during the period.
2.
The Google Teaching Academy
a.
The Google team holds a workshop that puts
technology into the hands of teachers.
Even though it has an exclusive admission process, I would like to
participate and take tech to the next level in the classroom.
3.
Bay Area Writing Project
a.
They have summer workshops that look
interesting. I’ve seen a lot of their
essay development stuff, but I’m excited to see what they come up with
regarding common core and new projects.
4.
John Steinbeck’s House
a.
Salinas would be worth the trip and spending a
weekend finding out more about the great author.
5.
Central Nigeria Unmasked at the Cantor Arts
Center (Stanford)
a.
This sculpture show could provide some valuable
information for comparative government.
Books:
1.
The J-Curve
2.
No Matter How Loud I Shout
3.
Graceland
4.
The Greater Strategies
5.
Wild Swans: Three Chinese Daughters
Journals:
1.
Foreign Affairs
a.
I’d like to actually find time to read the
copies I get.
2.
Perspectives on Teaching History
Conferences:
1.
I’d love to attend the American Art History
Association’s Conference. They have some
amazing speakers and the art provides great structure for my historical
thinking.
2.
As mentioned before, I’d like to get into the
Bay Area Writers Workshops.
Places I’d like to
see in the World:
1.
I would love to make a trip to China. My knowledge of the Far East is minimal and I
would like to expand that area of my studies.
2.
I would love to go to London and do the
Shakespeare thing. I’ve never been to
the globe. A historical theme journey of
the city would be amazing.
3.
I love Russian literature. I want Moscow to become safe and then I could
travel there with little fear and see the landscape where the soul develops.
4.
Athens is on the schedule for next summer.
