Some of you are back, others will be soon. Here at the Underground, school starts next Tuesday so once again It's Go Time! I've had a little time to think over the summer, and here's what's buzzing around my brain as this year begins.
The Olympics
While watching this year, my oldest son asked, "Do you think we'll ever stop breaking world records?" In sports that require equipment (golf, tennis, etc.) there's no question that improvements in equipment enhance the performance of the game. But why do we run faster today? Look at his image from the New York Times:
It compares Usain Bolt to the fastest men in the world since 1896. I don't think it's just the shoes. I told my son that when I was a child, the things athletes are doing in the American Ninja Warrior competitions were unimaginable, like superheroes. It's not just physical, the Flynn Effect is the well documented increase of I.Q. over the last century.
For us, that means that we can't dismiss the human potential that we're entrusted with every day. We spend so much time in awe of the progression of technology that it is easy to forget that it is the human that drives progress in our world, and this is the most important element of our classroom. So this year, I won't stress so much about how to be innovative and novel as much as trying to answer the question: "How do I help students that are smarter, faster, and stronger continue the road to human improvement independently and collectively?"
The Donald
I'm so glad that I don't have to teach US Government this year. How did we get here? Most of America will make a decision this year by voting for the person they dislike the least. -- if this election isn't an argument for greater support for Social Studies education in the United States I'm not sure what is. For some voters, he is a middle finger to the establishment. He has a base of support that will not waver even if he were to,"stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody". Certainly it doesn't apply to all voters, but it does apply to all of those who believe that they've been left behind, who believe there is no longer a place for them at the table. This leads me even more so this year to ask myself: "How do I make sure that my students know they have a place at the table in my classroom?"
Non-Complementary Behavior
Thanks to a recent episode of Invisibilia, this term is making the internet rounds. I won't rehash the concept, but basically, it's human nature to react to one another in reciprocal ways. Repay kindness with kindness, spite with spite. Another element is dominance and submission-- we tend to react to dominance with submission and vice-versa. The podcast describes several tense situations that were de-escalated through the use of "non-complementary behavior." For example, a victim offering an armed robber the invitation to sit and join him for a glass of wine.
That's my final thought as this year begins. "When does the situation call for me to pause before reacting in the normal way, and consider the impact of a non-complementary response?"
So tomorrow marks the official end of summer for teachers in my division with the arrival of students back at school. The week long formal preparation has come to an end. Most teachers have been prepping on some level since school got out in June but day 1 sneaks up quickly and you must manage the butterflies and find ways to serve your future students. This year with 1 to 1 rolling out at our school there has been a bit more preparing than normal, but preparing is a rite of passage for teachers in August.
As I did prepare I was making a few copies in our new "Paper-Lite"(buzzword anyone?) technology blended workplace, I overheard a younger teacher ask a much more seasoned teacher if they were ready for school to start. The reply fit the moment.
"You are never really ready...You just go."
That statement epitomizes my feelings exactly. And tomorrow is go time. I could spend a whole month getting ready for the arrival of students and still find in many ways I still eel unprepared.Truth is I hate Pre-school week as I spend the majority of it in meetings or engaged in Organized Procrastination ( We can all get a little blue from the start of school). Yep...some might say I seem intent on rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic instead of getting down to preparing in ways that really matter. I focus a lot on my room. Learning spaces are important...and recent trends to continue to place focus on shiny new spaces. So I spent much of this week removing dated furniture, storing rarely used texts and finding a way to open things up a little by removing the clutter. Hopefully it will be an improvement. But we are still in a basement you know.
Another reason I don't enjoy this week is that there are no students in the building. If the school building is the body, the staff is the skeleton that holds it together and the students are the blood in the veins. The place lacks life without them. Save the occasional visit from those getting a head start and mapping out their travel plan or those fixing scheduling issues its been just us teachers. As energetic as we've been we can't replicate the buzz created by the young folks when they fill the building. This year especially they will really FILL our building but until tomorrow it has just seems stale and empty. At least when they are there going crazy there's some energy in the place.
So no I am not complaining about being back at work, quite the contrary. My sister who teaches in Southwest VA has been back for 2 weeks already so I count my blessings for a little extra time with the family. Sure I'd need my head examined if I didn't secretly wish for a few more days(or weeks) of summer. But it is go time. Time to get back to the routines, the normalcy, the unpredictable chaos. Schools in our area will fill with the young and the not so young but the mission is the same. Help them grow, learn, think, engage, understand, cope, create, discover and do our best to educate them to the best of our ability.
Students, parents and teachers alike will lay our heads down tonight with a curious blend of anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and even dread. In the months ahead we will will journey together with all of life's little adventures. It will take time to learn each others stories and there is so much to do but at 8:55 tomorrow we get down to it. Best of luck to all those who will greet the new and old faces and wishing everyone the best for a safe, successful and memorable school year!
I found this video yesterday, and I'm not sure who made it, but it is a funny and inspiring message for students as they return to school.
Some highlights: "If you look at human history from like the time of the agricultural revolution, the period of time featuring compulsory public education looks like this...(250 years very short)"
"You'll also notice this 250 year period has been a pretty good one for humans, featuring Steam Engines, the internet, antibiotics, skyscrapers... and landing a freaking mini-Cooper on Mars! This is not a coincidence."
"Physical Education is NOT an oxymoron because your body was not born knowing how to do this...(picture of Olympic gymnast in action) "The whole pleasure of being human is being STUPID, but learning to be less STUPID together." "Public Education isn't a charity project, I pay for your school because I want you to grow up and make my life better." "You've been chosen for a mission that's been denied to 99.9% of all humans ever."
It's four minutes long, but worth the time. And if you missed yesterday's post, we're still hoping to hear more first day stories from you.
It is that time of year again and proof that the passage of
time is relative. Summer months go
by at least three times as fast as the ones during the school year. What August really means is students
and teachers are headed back to school.
This is often accompanied by an unmistakable decline in happiness. Most teachers love their work and working with their
students, but they are after all, human and it is work.
So a post to share proven ways to avoid the Back
to School Blues is warranted. A more fitting
title of the post might be “Ways I distract myself from Going Back to
School.” The time frame for commencing such
activities varies depending on the acuteness and severity of the anxiety and
depression that seizes all teachers. I recommend ignoring the encroaching deadline until
the weekend before and then employing these measures with great haste, leaving
little gap between them.
My normal approach to avoid dealing with emotions would be to go fishing but as my children
age, the guilt of being apart from them right before I go back to work gets the
better of me. So now I stay close
to home but it could be argued I’m not spending time with them since I try to
stay so busy.
Do Some Work
If you like me are a 10 month employee this has little
appeal. But easing into the first
week might be useful since anyone and everyone who is a 12 month employee has
spent the summer coming up with ideas for meetings to completely occupy the
first week and keep you from your own classroom preparations. Still, the prospect of burning up your last precious few hours
loses its appeal fast.
Watch a Movie We had some suggestions a while back but pick one you like. Maybe revisit a movie from your youth(Goonies, Karate Kid, Beverly Hills Cop…just from 1984). If you have the time maybe screen all the Harry
Potter films, Star Wars Episodes(Purists know there are only 3 real
ones Ep. IV, V, and VI). Just steer clear of flicks like Prince
of Tides, The Great Santini, The Champ, or Titanic. Blah on the first and
last one on that list.
Spirits
This is almost too obvious. For centuries Western Civilization has used alcohol as
a means of escape. There are some beautiful wineries in our area. As I am of northern European descent I
have always preferred Hops and Barley to Grapes but to each his own. This activity can be combined with a few others but one must be responsible.
Cleaning
I like to start
with our vehicles. Give them that once a year wash and vacuuming. Discovering once lost items under the
seats is always uplifting. Plus
the extra cash from change pried from sticky cup holders and underneath the
floormats will buoy spirits and wallets. The main downside is the challenge presented by having
two small children who deposit all manner of food stuffs amidst the car. Approach this with a sense of wonder as
it is true what they say about McDonald’s food not changing appearance after a
few months.
Exercise your Green Thumb
Want more corn kids? Too bad.
Urban or rural most people can find some green space to tend
to nearby. If you keep a garden it is a great time to make the most of
what remains. This summer has been
tough on agriculture and my corn crop was no exception. Taking out some frustrations on the
squash bugs offered an outlet and I felt much
better after disposing of a dozen or so with my flip flop. I also mowed the lawn, ran the weedeater, and pulled some
crab grass from the mulch. Seeing as this is weather dependent, you'll need an alternative. Something like a visit to the supermarket and a good imagination might suffice.
Take a Dip
In this diversion we took a trip to the pool where my sister
lives. It is a beautiful farm in the western part of the county. The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains
made it hard to pout. The only down
side was when we went to retrieve Spiderman from the skimmer we found the
corpse of a large rodent…likely a vole.
The resident Jack Russell took care of the remnants. We also took advantage of the county’s
local park and ran over to the beach park where I snuck in a few casts. We topped it off by heading next door
for a visit to the lowest maintenance kind of pool, the next door neighbor’s.
Try to Figure Out the Last Episode of Lost Again
I’ve never really felt we covered this topic in sufficient
depth on TU, maybe some day.
Hit the Links
The TU got together for our Biannual golf outing at the famed
Old Course at Meadow Creek Golf Course. This was planned the week we got out but sponsors
pulled their endorsements so we had to re-schedule. We both play the lauded Wilson Tour Model II Irons. Turner plays a more modern game while I
prefer a more traditional one, favoring the wooden drivers I’ve had since I was
14. The pace was painfully
slow as we were locked in behind the Havercamps.
The delays gave us plenty of time to chat at the tee
box and plan some mischief for the upcoming schoolyear. Toward the end of the round we picked
up a 3rd player in a recent UVA Law School Graduate. Despite his skill and the orange Hummer
he arrived in we summoned all our hacker skills to quickly best him on our
first hole together. We
out drove(with the persimmon wood mind you) him and then posted birdie and par raising the
banner for underpaid educators everywhere. Settling back in our unmatched skill level we completed the round somewhere near the century mark.
Later in the week I headed to Putt Putt and remembered that it is indeed
fun for the whole family.
Especially when you are beating them all on your way to a 1over
par. That would have been lower
had I not been distracted by my son whose first golf experience was highlighted
by trips into the water hazard on the 17th.
Pick Out Your Outfit
This will be more fun for those into clothes but the first
day back with colleagues you want to look, cool, casual and still sporting your
summer attire. When students
return you’ll need to look sharp and send the message you mean business. For ladies pants suits, dresses and the
like…for guys back to school means new sneakers.
Hang Out with Family
This seems like the perfect option. Family first I always say. But if both of you are
experiencing the stress and feelings since you both work in schools, beware! This can be a volatile scenario.
Back to School is coming whether you like it or not. The Olympics are over and the awful part of the political season is on the horizon. We can’t stop time but we can make the
most of it. Unless of course you
live on some weird moving island that has these stations and a big wagon wheel
in a cave that affects the passage of time. Who are we kidding, the end is near. All you have to do is meet the year
with the same sense of wonder and anticipation as you did your first year. If you aren’t excited when those students start showing up
and you don't feel those butterflies on Day 1, well then, you need professional help. More than a hastily authored blog post can provide.
Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your
peace with that and all will be well. Buddha
I'm so glad that I don't have to teach US Government this year. How did we get here? Most of America will make a decision this year by voting for the person they dislike the least. -- if this election isn't an argument for greater support for Social Studies education in the United States I'm not sure what is. For some voters, he is a middle finger to the establishment. He has a base of support that will not waver even if he were to,"stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody" . Certainly it doesn't apply to all voters, but it does apply to all of those who believe that they've been left behind, who believe there is no longer a place for them at the table. This leads me even more so this year to ask myself: "How do I make sure that my students know they have a place at the table in my classroom?"
