Unliterate

"You know, I really don't know why you hand out this book. Nobody reads it. As a matter of fact, I barely opened the book and passed easily." The sense of pride in Devin's mini-lecture to me I discern, also has a tone of comeuppance. It certainly isn't the only time I've heard this refrain, and not only sung as solo, but duet, and sometimes an organized chorus. "You have got to be kidding! Ten pages to read! Nobody reads that much!"

Some students offer appealing reasons for my own self interest. "You really shouldn't waste your time making all these reading assignments. You could be doing something more productive with that time. Nobody pays attention to them." Even more shocking (at least for me), and it never seems to be less so, is the conversation with students revealing that it isn't just the book they don't read, but, rarely read much of anything.

"I really liked that book, but I just got bored and couldn't finish it. I have other things to do."

When a ten page reading assignment traumatizes student sensibilities as excessive, reading is in trouble. I'm not one of those reading purists who believe that reading opens up the world to enlightenment and salvation. But it does have a very important place. And I don't really blame students, or video games, or TV. At the core of my lesson planning, even if almost unconscious, is the knowledge that I assume that many students won't read and adapt accordingly. If students can pass my class with barely reading, I have enabled it to be so.

But I can't blame myself either. Students will rarely be brow beaten into reading, and failure is often a less costly option to them than actually applying the time and effort to study. How do I explain to my administrators and parents that 80% of a class has grade "F" because I have structured independent reading as a requirement of passing? Believe me, I wouldn't have support.

Being able to read is a far cry from being a reader. A few students have an aptitude and talent for reading. But what about the rest? How do you take students proficient at reading, mix in personal responsibility and motivation, enhance curiosity, bake in the heat of discussion and create a curious reader. Letting students chose their interests was a solution in the past (and still promoted). But that has two critical problems. Students still rarely become readers, in my experience, and, most importantly, are not challenged out of their reading "comfort zone." Exclusively reading Sports Illustrated is not lifelong learning.

Clearly, we, in education, are trapped in a system that creates literate non-readers. I don't see clear way out. But I am convinced it is absolutely critical to keep looking.

Learning Community Haiku

A colleague e-mail/invitation. How could you say no to this one?

Peach cobbler so good
Bubbling with peachy goo
Teacher's lounge at lunch

That's collegiality.

Genocide

At times classroom discussion can seem almost heretical to some topics. How do you lead a serious and respectful conversation about an issue such as genocide? We began by reviewing the Genocide Convention and discussing what is and isn't considered genocide according to the Convention and, therefore, international law. In that sense, it seems legalistic and abstract. To put it into perspective, we watch the Frontline Special on Rwanda. The video opens with a distant, but still distinct beheading and mutilation.

For me, as a teacher, bringing such material into the classroom requires a certain level of decorum and respect for the real suffering of others. That is not the time to giggle, pass notes, and play the usual disruptive student games. I have no compunction about removing students who are not able to muster the ability to empathize during this topic. We can debate about the removal from reality of images on a screen or words in a Convention, but this is one time when I expect students to rise to the occasion or to excuse themselves from participating.

Most of the story of Rwanda is how all the hollow pledges of the years since 1945 to "never let it happen again" have continued to fail time and again. It is about people who should know better also showing little empathy for the suffering of others and instead debating the legalisms of the definitions of genocide. It is about students, just like mine, murdered. In the discussion afterward, most students were appalled and outraged at the international and US inaction during the Rwanda genocide. And the simple solution? We should have acted.

In reflection/reaction papers, students vented their outrage.

It would have been very surprising, but it wasn't the first time that I've heard about this. It was horrible, and to think people in our modern society still think and act this way really makes me mad.

This is disgusting/appalling/revolting. The blatant disregard of the right to life infuriates me, as does the fact that no one could be bothered to help.

Yet, a week later as part of a review assessment, many responses to the question,

"Read the following article on John Bolton and Darfur. Article Sound familiar? Assuming that we have a responsibility as individuals in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide: Article 4, and, assuming that the United Nations does have a responsibility to act under the UN Charter, propose: a) an action for you to take as an individual to help protect human rights and prevent or stop the genocide in Sudan; b) an action for the US to take, taking into consideration "lessons learned" from Rwanda."

reflected familiar helplessness and sense of remoteness from the problem. "For the most part I can't think of much more that I could do other than sit here and wish that someone would actually want to listen to what I might have to say about preventing/stopping genocide." "I, myself, don't have enough authority to be able to actually do something that is worth it."

One of the more positive and eloquent:

Since we as individuals have a responsibility, we simply have the responsibility not to remain complacent. That is, we must merely take action. This could be anything from writing a letter to a congressman, or representative, or the UN, or it could be a personal crusade, flying there, and personally upholding the Convention. There is, however, an unfortunate relationship between effectiveness and feasibility between these two options.

At the end of the day, I guess empathy means doing something. We are wearing Save Darfur bands, writing letters and e-mails, and donating. As the bracelet says, "Not on my watch." The lesson is to give meaning to "never let it happen again." Here is your opportunity. A place to start.

Darfur.

Question Central

After the video ends with Peter Jennings commenting on the inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1980, students finalize notes and ask questions that they may have about events covered and discussed in class in the 1970s. Many questions are rather predictable, considering the complexities of Watergate, the Iranian hostage crisis, and '73 oil embargo.

"So who was Ford? And what was that dude's name that resigned as Vice President? What was Watergate; I didn't understand any of that?" Mostly these are clarification questions, or trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together that creates a picture as unfamiliar to most students as an alien landscape.

Yet there are so many parallels with current events. The Supreme Court battles. Nixon's presidency as a divisive, rather than uniting one. Explaining why we have the moniker "-gate" after most presidential-level scandals. The current foreign relations with Iran.

But today these clarification questions that focus on historical information shift to curiosity. Of course, one of the purposes of the questions to come are to draw out the discussion time and use up the remainder of the class period. OK, I know that. But, at times, the curiosity questions are legitimate probing of adults by adolescents eager to understand and hear an "alien" perspective. We are, after all, usually as strange to them as they are to us. So, the tone (and enthusiasm) of the questioning changes.

"So, what do you think about the new Supreme Court nominee? Will Roe v. Wade be overturned? What did you think about Nixon? Did you watch Watergate on TV? Were you in the Vietnam War? Were you a Hippie? How did you vote today? Do you support the war in Iraq? I talked to my mom, and she is voting against C & D because it's her tax money. What do you think? And, of course, so how old are you?" (This from students who think that Kennedy was very old when elected at 43!) The age question I always leave as a mystery.

These kinds of question happen every day in every classroom around the globe. Some educators are reluctant to air personal views, especially in the social studies, for fear of influencing student views too much. (A tad arrogant isn't it, to think that teenagers will just fall into line from a teachers influence? Just as often, it is the opposite.) But objectivity isn't what these students are craving. And objectivity often comes across as apathy.

Students need to know, at appropriate times what a teacher's views and passions are. They need to know from many teachers. The contradictions of perception, commitments, and passions between adults is one aspect of what these adolescents are trying to understand--and reconcile. If only to have a context within which to place their own ideas.

It goes without saying that not every question is appropriate and not every view of a teacher is open for inspection. Nevertheless, this "reverse" Socratic questioning has an important place and time.

In-serviced

An inservice day is supposed to be a day of professional learning for teachers and staff to help improve what we do. Students are at home today, sound asleep, while teachers arrive at the usual time.

At the beginning of the day, (7:30 am) we sit down to a staff breakfast. This is essentially a thank you for all the staff's hard work. It is also an opportunity to just sit and chat with colleagues that we rarely get to see from day-to-day. Since we are under construction and the band room is the only space left that can accommodate us, (the media center also echoes with pounding, sawing, steel-on-steel noises, and a strong smell of tar) we mosey on over at 9:30 to begin a presentation on differentiated instruction. For the lay person, that means a teacher attends to student differences by modifying the content, process, and result of instruction. This is not a one-on-one modification, or individualization, according to Carol Ann Tomlinson, the guru of differentiated instruction, but rather generalized modifications for different ability levels.

Today, we focus on differentiation for Learning Disabled students, whether or not officially designated as such. One irony of all the inservices that I have attended over the years is that we rarely follow our own advice. So, we are not assessed for our level of performance at "differentiating" in the classroom before being here, we are all supposed to be here. Still, it is often a useful reminder to look at things that we often take for granted or forget to reflect upon in the daily hustle. Although, one thing that drives me to distraction in education is the sweeping statements we make in discussions. "If we do X, all kids will Y," should be banned from our conversation--and our inservices.

After a lunch break, we return to the 60-odd degree-band room to shiver our way through a presentation on ESL (English as Second Language) learners and strategies. Again, some of this is useful and usable. However, no distinction between those who have had ESL training and those who have not. Out at 2:30 pm.

Talk to most teachers about inservice days, and mostly you'll receive groans and moans. Rarely do we assess the value or impact of these days. Somehow it doesn't really matter. Districts have always had inservices, and, from all apparent signs, that isn't about to change. Most teachers would much rather spend the day teaching with students than spend time being "inserviced." Two signs of something awry: when asked for questions or feedback, you could hear a spider walking; if made "voluntary," teachers vote with their feet, and mostly out the door.

Not all are dreadful, of course, Education reform could nevertheless include a think-outside-the-box change for teacher inservice training/learning. At the very least, maybe another day with students would just be more productive.