This is my first year to ever teach American history. I really love it. History was my favorite subject while in school. In second grade I made my parents take me to a Civil War battle ground while on vacation (in 100F heat in Tennessee – my mom will be glad to give those details). High school history classes were boring to me. My teachers would either talk the entire time and give us notes or had us read then answer questions out of the back of the chapter. Gag! I skipped history to make signs for football games in the cheerleading office to avoid Mrs. Plaster and her stupidity. (yes I called a teacher stupid, but she really was y’all – I could write a book on this woman).

My freshman year in college, my LOVE for history came back to me. Samford had these history classes all freshmen had to take called “Cultural Perspectives 101 and 102.”  It blended Literature with history. First assignment was to read part of the Republic by Plato. I was immediately hooked! Not only was I learning ancient history, but was seduced by the writings of the eras studied.

This all came back to me the other day in Barnes and Noble where I saw the Republic. And the format of this class as been on my mind ever since. In two weeks (hopefully) I start my WWII chapter. I have decided the best way to teach this is to blend in literature from that time. I have a few books in my mind. I want to read them a chapter/longer book and have them read through some shorter passages or picture books. I am so excited about this. I think this may be a great experience for the students!

I’ll let ya know how it turns out!

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What is the main purpose of a teacher preparation program? Um duh (my 4 yr old’s new favorite saying is appropriate here)! “Prepare teachers,” was your answer wasn’t it?  So what are they preparing teachers for? Teaching curriculum and standards? Learning about metacognition? How about 21st century learning (whatever the crap that actually is)? What? Anyone? How about all of these – that includes how to use technology to support what is being taught in the classroom.

Monday a student teacher joined my coworker in his classroom. She is from the same undergrad I attended, Samford University. She and I were walking to the front office together and I asked her if she still had to do a senior eportfolio (you know me, I go straight for geek questions – not what soroity are you in – and typical Samford question). After she replied yes, I asked what format were they using, hoping it still wasn’t DreamWeaver. Her answer literally stopped me in my tracks. I was pretty much frozen. She said “We are using Word. Its terrible, my tables don’t line up.” Yes Word, saved as webpages. Um, hello? This is a step BACKWARDS from DreamWeaver I used 7 years ago. Both are not good tools for use in a classroom, so why is she spending hours upon hours working on it? Really, how much easier could this be?! The student teacher actually said to me she wished they would teach her to use wikis and blogs instead  because she has a feeling she will use it in the classroom. You think?!

Colleges are doing a disservice. She has to take these two technology classes. That’s all. Why can’t the person teaching this class not teach them something beyond websites and webquest (there is a tech pg on her eportfolio and webquest was what was on it)? It is time to update the curriculum.

We hear so many times that its the “older” teachers who are not ready for tech integration. What about the new ones who are coming out of colleges who are not sure how to use technology in the classroom. College grads today are more “tech savvy”  but do they know how to take that and use it in a classroom? Wouldn’t it be so much easier on the school systems not to have to retrain these teachers?

I have no stats on this or no research, and maybe this is just a problem in the Birmingham area. Just really got my blood moving and me thinking. Its just two courses, the failure to teach them correctly can negatively effect these student’s careers.  I know @mandybfox has done research on this and I cannot her results.

I just wanted to share my thoughts on this.

Sorry Samford, I’m a bulldog forever, but you dropped the ball on this one!

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I HATE drama. I just do. I do not have many close girl friends for that reason. This school year has been wonderful, and I think its mostly because my classes are 74% boys. Boys do not like drama.  Sixth grade girls are pretty dramatic. Cheerleaders are even more dramatic.  Put that all together and its a nightmare at times.

This past cheerleading season, I did not have much drama where cheerleaders are concerned.  I had little tiffs over who was going out with whom but the relationships never lasted longer than a day, so no biggy. My girls last year got their first kisses during football season (most by the same two guys – can we say playa?). All had straight As and Bs, I think only two Cs this school year!  It was a coach’s dream!

Which brings us to this year.  Tryouts were last Friday. I do not get to choose my squad. I have to hire judges to choose the squad, which means character has nothing to do who makes the team.  If it was me, I would choose totally on character.  I’m that good of a coach that we can still win competitions with a squad with less talent.  Since Friday, I have had reports of new squad members failing tests (and classes) and major conduct issues.  In addition I’ve had one say she was going to tryout for volleyball and if she makes it quit cheerleading and I’m a racist. I have a full email box with parents asking questions or defending their girls.  I had teachers tell me of sexting (yes in 6th & 7th grade!), them making out (beyond kissing) with guys in the parking lot, and we won’t even get into their facebook walls.

I am clueless where to start.  The girls had to sign a contract before trying out for squad that stated their conduct would be “above reproach.” I have a demerit system in place that allows for punishments for actions.  So yeah I can punish, but what good does it do?

As a coach (and yes I COACH cheerleading not sponsor) I feel somewhat responsible for teaching ethics and behavior.  I am with the girls in a less structured environment than a classroom teacher.  I think citizenship and sports (YES cheerleading is a sport) go hand and hand.

I just do not know where to start with these girls.  I do not know what to do.  I had a talk with two of them today (didn’t have much choice they were kicked out of class and instead of office he sent them to stand outside my room) and I really do not think they “get it.”  I do not think they understand that there are consequences for their actions nor the importance of choosing correct behavior.

I do not know the purpose really of writing this blog entry.  It is just something I am dealing with.  I HATE drama and I am buried pretty deep in it.  Maybe I just need advice.   It is easy to say, this is their parent’s job.  But for some reason once they are on my squad I feel like they are mine – part of my life in a large way.

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I just found this essay I wrote back in August 2008 for a class that focused on the Digital Divide.  I had to explain what the DD was.  Not my best work, not a fan of homework assignments 😉 So in honor of Spring Training starting yesterday I decided to share:

What is the digital divide?

As a Boston Red Sox fan I love nothing more than to see the NY Yankee’s lose.  Until this year, it seemed impossible.  If you ask any baseball fan to explain to you why the Yankee’s are constant winners they will tell you one thing: George Steinbrenner.  He is not just the back of a man’s head from Seinfeld, he is a real person and owner of the Yankee’s.  Since his ownership the Yankee’s have won 6 World Series!  It is not because he is a good motivator, it is because he is worth $1.3 billion and uses that money to buy talent for “his” team.  No other company has the financial backing to spend on talent than the NY Yankee’s.  You will never see the Oriole’s win the number of pennants, unless someone decides to fork out the money Steinbrenner does.  Years ago the government stepped in an issued a salary cap, and anyone who goes over the “cap” must pay a “luxury tax.”  Even with the government stepping in, the Yankee’s still have a way around paying the players.  Every year the Yankee’s spend what ever they want on player’s salaries, then just pay the luxury tax.  (yeah I know the Red Sox did, too.)  So the team with the most money and the team that uses it wisely wins – again.

This is what the digital divide is like.  It is the Yankee’s module.  Those with the most, wins.  The countries, or even communities (when looking at a small model) with the most money or even resources get the better technology than those who have less.  The government can step in (like with the salary cap), but there will never be equalness across lines.

The school I work in is a wonderful example of the digital divide.  Of our three feeder schools, one is considered urban where the other two are rural/suburban.  I had kids in my class last year who did not know where the “start” menu on windows was, while others ask me to be their MySpace friend and text me questions constantly.  In my classroom it is not so much a race issue, but a socio-economic issue.  The students who parents are middle class (or higher) are the “haves,” while some of my children who do not have running water or electricity in their homes are the “have-nots.”  Luckily they all will get the same education while in the school, but once they go home, different situations await them.

As educators we must do the best we can while we have these “have-nots” in our classroom. Schools MUST level the playing field, they have no excuse not to.  Who knows, that “have-not” sitting up front may be like the 2001 Diamondbacks who beat the Yankees for the championship.

Wow, I cannot get enough information about Central Falls High School in Rhode Island.  The entire story shocked me. All fired?! The first thing that I thought was “good, fire bad teachers” then reality of the situation sunk in. Wow 93 people are now without jobs. All because a test says they are not doing their job. Media reports are praising this school system. As an educator I do not see praise.  These teachers are now jobless. Now new teachers will have to be hired and trained.  Where are they going to find these “perfect” teachers they are in search of, and who would want to apply for that job?

I just kept thinking of ways this situation could be different.  How instead of tearing down these teachers, better educators could come out of this group. This reminded me of a school in my district.  The school is Brighton school and is a k-8 school.  Brighton is not only the poorest school in the Jefferson county but at the time the on school-improvement longer than any other school in the district.  Instead of shutting it down they had a new plan. Betsy Rodgers, the 2003 national teacher of the year, came into the school as the curriculum coordinator.  They started training the teachers on best practices.  There were walk-thrus, professional development, team meetings, etc. The teachers who didn’t want to change left. There was a huge group of young, new, energetic teachers being hired and working with these students who had been called failures for so long!  The school finally made AYP and the students had pride in their school, the teachers had pride in their students.

I know Brighton’s success would not always be the norm, but its proof that there is other options. Options that work and not a mass firing!

I have had classes that no matter how hard I tried I could not reach, I know the fear of losing my job because of students. The mass firing of teachers cannot be the answer.

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