Homework

It's a rough afternoon/evening in my house.  With a fourth grader who does not work quickly, I have been quickly going grayer because of his homework.

First, he did not finish all the homework he was given yesterday.  I oversee all the work, but the little stinker did not write down that he even had an assignment in that subject.  Then, when I had to sign a note to the teacher saying I was aware that he had missed an assignment, my boy had written the wrong subject.  There was a lot of shouting going on here as I tried to figure out where his homework for social studies was only to learn that it was health homework that needed attention.  Even now I am confused.  Yesterday for health he missed questions 1-6; today his assignment book says questions 1-4.  Even he doesn't really know what to do.  Then, when he did the work, most of it was wrong so he's back at it.

This week he has already spent an hour coloring a leaf.  (Where is the educational value here?) And, he has a map to accompany the book Ribsy due tomorrow (but he tells me they got an extension -- I have too little faith to trust him.)  We still need to review for the spelling test tomorrow.  

He got off the bus at 3:10.  It is now 6:35  and I guess he has at least 2 more hours of work to do.  This is miserable.  I can't wait for the weekend.

It's a good thing I am not working now.  IF I heard one parent complain about 2 and a half hours of homework for a 7th or 8th grader, I'd probably lose my temper big time!!

The saddest part is that even with all this homework, my boy still has trouble actually understanding the material.  He is so swamped getting the work done, he doesn't even know what it's all about.  What a shame.

Literacy

I think it's safe to blame text book companies of dumbing down our children.  As a teacher, I have personally witnessed students do homework without actually reading the text.  They simply look for the answers to be placed in bold text and for them to follow along in a linear fashion.  If you can't find the answer to question 4 but found the answer to questions 3 and 5, just look somewhere between those areas.  No reading is involved.  I know this happens.  I did it myself.  And, that, paired with weak history teachers, is why I have such a weak history background.  I did not read the material.

Sadly, I witnessed the same thing here as Tyler was doing his homework.  He came home with a 4 paged newspaper.  His assignment was to do the crossword puzzle on the back page.  Unfortunately, Tyler did not understand that it would be much easier to read the clues on the puzzle then read the paper.  Instead, he dove head first into the puzzle only to have no easy way to get it done.  Furthermore, he lacked the literacy skills necessary to know where in the newspaper to find the answers.  For example, when the clue had to do with mountain ranges, Tyler did not automatically look at the map page.  

Yesterday I met with the head of the graduate education department at Mount Saint Mary College.  Initially I thought I would get certified in special education (or see what I needed to do so).  However, I left that office thinking that perhaps getting certification in literacy is the correct path for me.  

What is literacy?  It's the ability to not just read but recognize how printed material is placed on the page.  It's the skill students have when the teacher says, "Open your books to the chapter on commas."  And they can.  (I know students who cannot...I've taught them.)  Who knows, perhaps one day I will have the power to get those text book companies to reconfigure the end-of-the-unit questions so students will actually have to read to get the answer.

Miracles

Since the first day I saw it at the library, I wanted to read James McBride's Miracle at St. Anna. Now that Spike Lee is making the movie, I had the incentive to actually sign it out.  I am 170 pages into it, but I am still waiting for the miracle.  Frankly, I don't fully understand how this is going to be a movie.  The book is not told in a linear way, and much of what happens is background, not actually action but description.  It took me a while to warm up to the rhythms of the book, but even at that it requires me to have a certain leap of faith.  For example, a character in the book communicates with a young boy he finds through a series of taps.  How the hell can two people communicate that way?  I really don't buy it.  Nevertheless, I will finish the book.  In fact, I hope to finish it today.  

Anyone interested in miracles that are believable, may be interested to read The Miracles of Santo Fico by D.L. Smith.  It is a fun romp through Italy and looks at people trying to be good despite evidence to the contrary.  Frankly, I think this book would be a great movie.

Vouchers

About seven years ago I worked with a woman who was very suspicious of vouchers.  She said they sound good, but she did not trust the spirit with which they were being pushed.  I agreed with her at the time and only just recently realized why.

Vouchers give people an opportunity to send their child to a private school if they feel their local public school doesn't serve their child well.  However, the money offered through the voucher program doesn't really offer opportunity.  The independent schools where I taught cost around $25, 000 per year.  The voucher program will not pay for that.  What then is being offered?  Further, the problem with vouchers is that they work to blame the schools where supposed learning is not occurring while not actually doing anything to improve said schools.  Public education is a part of what makes this country great.  But if we allow that right to evaporate, what then will our children have in the future?

Higher education is the path to a better future for us all.  If we fail to address the problems that plague public schools, we fail as a nation.  Stupidity is not going to solve the gas crisis, or global warming, or war.  We should urge our representatives to put money in education.  That means helping poor students and giving them a school where they feel safe.  It means getting them food.  It means providing healthcare to them.  A couple thousand dollars a year in vouchers can't fix the problems that schools face.  

Unemployment

For the first time in my life, I have to file and collect unemployment.  Trust me, this is not the path I ever wanted to follow.  And, to make matters worse, despite my intelligence, I find the whole process to be quite confusing.

First I had to call in to start.  That, thanks to phone tree technology, took three phone calls. When I did finally get through, the computer voice told me that I couldn't call until Wednesday so I had to start all over again.  When Wednesday came, I did finally get everything in order and the woman with whom I spoke was very nice to me.  When I called the computer system was down, so she wasn't able, at the time, to enter my information, but she thought everything was in order.  Just in case she took my home phone number so she could reach me.  Not ten minutes later she called to say all was well and I should plan a phone interview for Sept. 15 and another one for the 24th.  She further informed me that I would be receiving several mailings.

The mailings came.  Apparently, I am scheduled to attend a Reemployment Services Orientation on Sept. 16th in Newton, NJ, a mere 56 miles from my house.  Now I don't mean to sound like a whiner, but I don't want any job other than teaching.  I spent a lot of time and money to get the experience and education I have.  I do not want to do something else.  Anyway, now I have to duke it out on Monday and plead my case.  REally, do I have to go all the way to Newton??

In the meantime, I have applied to three jobs in the last week.  Just today, I applied for a leave replacement position at Copper Beech Middle School.  I interviewed there earlier in the year, but did not receive the job.  However, it seems that this is the third time this position has come up.  Clearly, if they had chosen me in the first place, they wouldn't be in this fix.

So, I just wait.  Wait for an unemployment check.  Wait for an interview.  Wait for the understanding of why I am in this position in the first place.

Teachers Need to Step Up to the Plate

I was reading an article in the latest issue of Phi Delta Kappan and the writer spoke of NCLB with much venom.  Much as I like to blame George W. Bush for anything that is making me unhappy, I have to say that I was aware and saddened when students were suing their schools in the 80s because they couldn't read.  Teachers, and bad systems, were at fault then and failed to make changes.  So, GW steps in and devises NCLB to hold schools accountable to the students they are supposed to serve.  Although it has become a disaster, George W. Bush did not make it so.

In 2000 when I went back to school to get my Master's degree, I was in a class where the discussion came around to a local district that was planning a teacher strike.  While one of my classmates was employed in that district and could speak clearly about why the union was suggesting a strike, the news was reporting that the teachers wanted more money.  My classmate couldn't deny the charge.  Naturally I voiced my opinion.  If teacher unions want more, they need to address the issues that motivate the masses.  Get kids interested in learning.  If our children were doing well in schools, especially in poor districts, there would be no justify a strike and no tax payer would begrudge a teacher a higher salary.  

Teachers need to clearly and repeatedly state what is wrong with NCLB while showing how they can be accountable without having the constraints of standardized tests hanging around their necks.  Too many teachers do little more than teaching kids how to take a test.  I don't think they deserve higher pay.  And, regardless of their qualifications or pedigree, I don't believe they should be considered highly qualified.  I am tired of going to parent-teacher conferences and meeting teachers who are just going through the motion.  Covering material is not teaching it.

So, the educational field doesn't like NCLB?  Big surprise!!!  But public schools need to find a way to do the job (get kids learning) while distancing themselves from the stress of the test.  If they can't do that, then they should stop complaining.  Recognizing problems is easy.  Fixing them requires truly good teachers.

Neon Lights for Noisy Neighbors

I personally love when the weather allows us to have the windows open.  Fresh air and the sound of birds chirping keep the house homey.  Sadly, with such pleasure comes the down side.  For me, at my house, it's the neighbors.

They moved in about 6 years ago.  What I first noticed about them -- and thought I admired -- was that they had Boxers.  I love Boxers because they are friendly and quiet.  However, upon closer inspection I noticed that these Boxers were fat.  Boxers need to maintain their shape because they are prone to hip problems.  Needless to say, I had concerns about my neighbors then.  When I met them at a neighborhood party, I was even more unimpressed.  They are natives of Stony Point.  Now, Stony Point seems, on the surface to be a nice place.  But talk to people who live there -- even those who've lived there since birth -- and a dirty secret is revealed.  They're hillbillies.  So, lucky me, I have hillbillies for neighbors.

It didn't take long to realize that that was the least of my problems with my neighbors.  They're loud too.  Trust me, I know loud.  And the language!  I know I can sound like a trucker, but I try not to announce it to the world.  This summer I was especially cognizant of the language because it starts so early in the morning (and we've had the windows open).  For some reason they carry on business via phone from their back deck.  And judging from the conversations I can't help but to hear, they do not speak nicely to anyone.  

So, this morning I couldn't help but overhear the neighbor (there's a father and son team) carry on his business.  Whoever he was talking to got his hair up.  I heard, "What shit?" at least six times with no time for an answer.  Then a couple F words and yelling.  Jeez!  I can't begin to number the times I've wanted to shout across the stream, "Shut up".  This morning was no different.  Then, I began daydreaming about how I could change the neighbors' behavior.  I could install a neon billboard on the back of my bungalow (which faces the neighbors) and type what they're saying.  I could be a light up reminder of their behavior without becoming a bother to other neighbors.  I suspect if I could throw in their faces what I hear every day it would change their behavior (or be annoying which would be just as satisfying). 

Polls

I cannot believe that the McCain ticket is doing so well now that the inflexible, poor example for a person Sarah Palin is running with him.  How can the American people be so gullible?  Don't they wonder about a woman who preaches abstinence but can't practice it (nor can her daughter).  I don't care much about her daughter being pregnant; I am sure there are many 17 year old girls in the same boat.  I really don't understand how the American public can be so dumb....

But, I never fully understood how numbers work.  Take ratings for example.  How can a wonderful show like Joan of Arcadia be pulled from the airwaves when Survivor is still on?  Perhaps this is all just an indication that I am not like the rest of the people in this country.  This line of thinking worries me ... if I am not like the American people, does my vote really count?  Maybe my opinion really doesn't matter.  Well, I will (and usually do) still vote.  I'll also be wondering how these polls work.  And, I'll take the time to answer questions the next time I get one of those phone calls.

Football

I genuinely enjoy watching football on Sunday afternoons with Rod.  However, it is no fun when the team you want to win doesn't.  Case in point, the Dolphins.  While I know Jets fans did not like Chad Pennington, I still think it stinks that he was out of a job because Brett Favre decided he didn't want to retire after all.  As one who lost a job this year I am especially empathetic towards Pennington.  So, what must the poor guy face?  First game of the season he has to meet his old team the Jets with their new quarterback Brett Favre.  And he lost!  Poor kid.

The second game of the day was worse...the Cowboys beat the Browns.  I just hate the Cowboys and I could care less who they play as long as the Cowboys get beat.  But why did my Sunday have to get ruined because network programming forced me to watch that game.  couldn't they have given me something else?

Next week should be better because the Giants will be playing on Sunday.  Even if they lose, I still have a real interest in the game, the players and their stats.  Sadly, I will be stuck with another Jets game, but that's the nature of the programming beast here in New York.  My only real concern is whether or not I will be able to really let loose and cheer when our cadet (one we are sponsoring...more on that topic at another time) is here.   We'll see.  He didn't get offended when I joked with Tyler about how they serve "snacks" at church.

Just the Beginning

Well, here I am.  I thought, right up until now, that I was up for this adventure, but I am not so certain now.

Why Blog?

Mostly to practice writing on a daily basis.   I have many thoughts which do not get spoken or written because, now that I am not working, there is no one to whom to say this.  Also, I have time to post ideas and rants.  If Julia was able to do this, then so am I and here I am.

I have to admit that for the first time in my life, I watched any portion of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.  How did I make it to the age of 45 and never watch them before?  I am driven, for the first time, to actually speak out about what the issues are and how I perceive each candidate.  Mostly I am interested in education.  Is there a way to improve public schools?  I don't know but I will be sharing my opinions in the coming days....

Sit back and relax and enjoy!