The Downside to Teaching

I can't wait for the day that young people are able to learn for the sake of learning, and not for marks. Or maybe it's parents who want the marks. Or administrators. Or universities. Regardless of who wants them, I would be happy if I didn't have to give them. Isn't it possible to learn without needing a grade assigned to your learning. I mean, either way you look at it you know what you know and no mark is going to change that.

Now, I don't want you to misunderstand me, because this is a matter of my career and profession we are talking about (a career and profession that I absolutely love): I am saying that I'm not a fan of assigning grades, NOT that I disagree with assessing what students have learned. There is a difference. Assessment is imperative to learning, and a fairly recent development in education is something called "Assessment FOR Learning" rather than the old idea of assessment OF learning. I am in total agreement with assessing students (and myself for that matter) for the purpose of seeing where errors are being made and providing opportunity to learn from those errors and make corrections. Really, what is the point in knowing that you don't know something if you're not going to go back and figure out what it is you don't know?
Assessment is key to learning, but marks just rank how your current understanding compares to that of others; and I find that to be an unnecessary statistic at best, and a destructive statistic at worst.

If you are wondering where this new rant is coming from, I'll tell you: It's report card time! I hate report card time. Teachers get cranky because they are trying to finish off a unit and have assignments completed and give tests so that they can have all the marks possible to report to parents. Then the kids get cranky because they are getting overworked with homework and studying for tests. This makes the teachers more cranky because the kids are complaining, and the stress of it all in the end is most likely skewing the results we get anyhow. I hate report card time. And yet, for the last year and a bit (or should I say my first year and a bit) I have fallen into this same problem despite my best efforts to avoid it. Lessons take a bit longer than planned, special days creep into the schedule, kids need a bit more time for consulting with me, and all of a sudden, the unit that should have been completed 2 weeks before report cards is finishing 2 hours before the marks need to be in . . . and then I have to mark their work.

It was kind of funny today when I had a student complaining they would be pulling an all-nighter to get their work in for 2 classes tomorrow and I replied that my all-nighter would be Tuesday night trying to get my marks in for 5 classes. It was a bit of an eyeopener for the kid as he realized that he has one assignment to complete for each class, for a total of 6 at the very most but us teachers have 6 classes worth of assignments to grade with 15-25 kids per class. I'm wasn't kidding about the all-nighter. He finally understood why the cut-off for my classes is the Friday even though report cards don't come out until a week later (and it takes our wonderful and under-recognized administrative assistants a day or two to put all those marks together and create report cards for an entire school). Hopefully, as I gain some experience in teaching, I will be able to perfect a schedule that will help me avoid this problem.

Or maybe I should just stop blogging and get back to work.

Blog Ideas

How many of us have sat down at the computer to do a blog post only to discover we are uncertain what we should blog about? I know I have. And I know my students have. So I did up a post on my school blog that can inspire my students to keep up with their blogs. Some of these ideas may not be suitable for all your blogs, but some can certainly be adapted to fit any blog, blogger, or niche (a new blogging term I learned that basically means the topic of your blog or your area of expertise). Check out my list of great ideas here.

Stupid People--At least they're good for a laugh!

Sometimes I really hate being an "English Guy." It ruins movies, songs, and I found out today that apparently it ruins the pleasure of listening to radio ads. On the plus side, I did have the opportunity to enjoy one of those laugh-out-loud-at-someone's-great-stupidity moments that I otherwise may have missed.

On my way to work this morning I was listening to Shine Fm and heard a radio ad that caught my attention (unfortunately I was not able to catch who it was for, but if I find out I will update this post). Now, I often praise advertisers for a well thought out and convincing ad; they have a tough job selling products to an overcrowded market; but today I couldn't help but literally laughing out loud at the stupidity of the ad that said this:

"Electricity isn't just a convenience; it helps us live our lives."

I'll give you just a moment to digest that statement, if you need it, and tell you that I shared this quote with my classes today. None of my students were able to figure out why I would be laughing at this statement--and let me be clear, the statement is not funny haha, but it is a definite head shaker how this statement made it through however many people without being noticed and corrected. Either, it was a mistake, which I genuinely hope, or the advertiser actually thinks the general public is stupid enough to be convinced by this statement and will buy their product.

Some of my brighter students began to piece it together when I asked them to simply define the word: "convenience." Some slow smiles edged their way over their faces and I gave a small nod for them to allow the others to piece it together themselves. So some students said that convenience was making something easy, others that it was something we don't need but it's helpful, etc. You all know a valid definition. At that point I said, "You know what else is a good definition for the word 'convenience?' It helps us live our lives." That got most of the others smirking, though there were some that I fear never did grasp the nature of the blunder.

I mean, come on, you paid how much money to have this ad on the radio and thought it would be appropriate to prove how stupid you are?!? Brilliant! And by brilliant I do indeed mean moronic. The fact that you can't get basic English correct does not inspire a great deal of confidence in me that you can look after my consumer needs. This goes beyond the basic errors that everyone makes from time to time (that even appear in some books we read after dozens of times through top notch editors). This is a basic problem in logical thinking. Either that, or you actually do think I am stupid enough to not pick up on this, which means you certainly will not get my business.

I informed my students that I better never get any work from them with such a glaring error in the defense of a statement. If you are going to tell me that something is more than just *fill in the blank*, then you sure as heck better tell me what else it is, and not simply and stupidly prove yourself a moron (I didn't put it quite this way, but I'm certain they got the gist of it).

What was really funny were some of the comments I got afterward from some students. Like, "if I didn't know you were an English teacher before, I would think so now", and "Uh-oh, you really pick up on things like that?" Those also made me laugh out loud.

New Music

So I added some different music to my player on the sidebar, but have moved it off the side bar so that you can scroll down the list (it was getting half of it cut off on the side). There is some fairly old stuff there that I listened to back when I was in high school. The second song on there, 3 minute song, is one that Shine FM is playing a lot. At first I thought it was a bit silly, but the more I hear it, or rather once I stopped to really listen to it, I realized I really like the message of the song. Give it a listen. The others are songs that I liked a lot and hadn't thought of in quite some time. See if you recognize any and leave a note about your favorite.

I, personally, am having a very hard time choosing a favorite. Michael W Smith's, This is Your Time is an extremely touching song "about Cassie Bernall, one of the students who was killed during the Columbine massacre. She was killed when one of the shooters reportedly asked her if she believed in God, and she said yes—although some reports of the killings indicate that a different girl who was shot but survived was asked that question. In the music video for this song, the beginning shows a real video of Cassie talking about her religious beliefs and how she wanted to spread the word of God.)" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W._Smith. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. It really got me to thinking about whether or not I would be able to face death for my faith in God. But that's another post for another time.

Desert Rose by White Heart has a great tune that first caught my attention. This song talks about God's faithfulness to us even when, or maybe especially when, we feel all alone in our desire to serve Him. It's a very encouraging song that always brought me a great sense of peace.

Worlds Apart by Jars of Clay is another song that first grabbed me because of it's tune. This song always helped remind me that every day, every choice I make, every moment I live I need to choose to follow Jesus and live my life for Him. It also helped me to realize that I could always come back to God, even when I screwed up and didn't feel that I deserved His mercy and forgiveness. Being "broken on my knees" touched my heart and made me want to pray for God to help me live for Him.

I guess these would be my top three from this list, but all the songs on there are excellent (in my opinion) and worth your time to listen to.

A little while ago, I also changed the player from auto-play to manual start. Now you have to press the play button if you want to hear the music. My wife was complaining about some of the songs I had on before, but she is always on checking for updates (even when I'm in class and couldn't possibly post)--but it's great to have a fan base, even if it is a base of just a few. I also turned off the randomizer (I'm not certain that's a word, but it is now) so it will play straight through the list every time you check the site. You can change the song manually to begin where you left off if you like.

Feel free to turn on the player anytime you are at work or home and don't want to use your own playlist, or don't have your own to listen to. I want to check my sitemeter and see some of you on the site for half an hour as you enjoy the tunes.

Oh, and by the way, I know there isn't a lot of interest on my school blog, but I changed the music there as well. For the next while it will be featuring a variety of swing and jazz music. I've got some tracks from Swing Kids, Ella Fitzgerald, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (the few that are clean enough for grade 6 students to listen to), Benny Goodman, and of course, Frank Sinatra. Again, you can choose the songs you want to listen to if you don't want to listen straight through. My favorite on this list is most definitely Bei Mir Bist Du Shon by Janis Siegel. This one is from the Swing Kids soundtrack. These songs are great for a bit of a pick-me-up of energy and will have you bopping along to the beat. Be free and dance a bit. I had a student working on her blog this afternoon after school and I had this playlist playing in the background and had to consciously contain my terribly horrible singing voice from spontaniously breaking into song. They are catchy and will make you want to move. Let me know what you think. Heck leave a comment on that school blog as well. No one will know who you are and it might spark some other comments.

I am a Blogger

Well, it would appear that I am a blogger. This is post #30 for me and I know I can't give it up now. I have never been a diary writer, but I am opinionated and this is a wonderfully excellent forum for sharing opinions. I have also given up on Facebook; actually, I gave up on it before I even began, but have found that my blog allows me to share things like pictures and experiences, just like Facebook, but without the incessant, mundane, and frivolous chatter. I also have hopes of one day becoming a writer, a published writer, a published writer of something that a publisher actually feels is worthy to be published, rather than a poetry contest or a self-published blog. (If there are any publishers out there reading this leave mea coment.) This blog is a step in the right direction, as I get to share my thoughts and ideas with the public--assuming "the public" is actually reading. Either way, it's sharing.

I waited until June 28 of this year to begin my blog because that was the last day of school for me. I was a little concerned that with my career as a teacher that I would not have time to blog. As school began this year I wondered if my blog would fall into disrepair. It's now a month and a half into the new school year and I seem to be keeping up. Maybe it's because I have forced every student I teach (about 75 of them) to begin blogs and write something twice a week. I'd feel like a bit of a hyprocrit telling them to make time if I wasn't going to be willing to. Though, if you remember back to my first post this wouldn't bother me as much as some may think it would.

I am happy that I took this opportunity to try something new and different. And I thank my father-in-law for getting my father into blogging, and my father for getting me into it. I am looking forward to continued writing for a long time to come. I find it a good oulet for my feelings, thoughts, experiences, likes/dislikes, complaints, and for staying in touch with the world. Please, continue to feel free to leave comments and please keep visiting.

Suing God

Here is a story in the news that I heard for the first time this morning on the Christian radio station here in Grande Prairie, Shine FM. I found an article from The Associated Press that says:

Suit against God thrown out over lack of address

By NATE JENKINS – 1 day ago

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address. State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God.

He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Polk wrote.

Chambers, who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam, thinks he's found a hole in the judge's ruling.

"The court itself acknowledges the existence of God," Chambers said Wednesday. "A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God's omniscience."

Therefore, Chambers said, "Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal. He said he hasn't decided yet.

Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, is not returning next year because of term limits. He skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians.

The DJ's mainly focused in on the anti-Christian comments that Chambers makes and his skipping of the morning prayers, and they wrote this off as another attempt to undermine God. While that may be so, I think we need to accept Chambers' motivation as he states it: "he [Chambers] filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor." Other reports state that the lawsuit was filed in response to a motion to prevent frivolous lawsuits and Chambers is trying to make the point that anyone should be able to sue anyone else.

Regardless of motivations or intent, I thought it was ironic that a man who criticizes Christians and skips morning prayer would acknowledge that God exists at all. If he can admit this fact, why then would he not be a believer himself? He comments that because the judge threw the case out due to lack of address this means the courts are acknowledging that God exists and thus, by extension, that He is all-knowing and can be sued. I would suggest that Chambers' admittance should thus extend his beliefs to other Biblical truths about God--that he is loving and merciful, and does not terrorize people,and does not deserve to be sued.

A Still Small Voice

We were at my wife's parents for Thanksgiving last night and they had some company over to enjoy the meal with us. It was a wonderful evening, but between the racket of our two young kids and their two young kids, Oakley, our youngest, only 15 months old, was up a lot later than usual. When we finally got her to bed she had a very restless sleep, and at 2:30 in the morning I got up to calm her screaming. I got her settled down, changed her, held her and got her to sleep on my shoulder as I rocked her.

Then, as soon as I put her down in her playpen, she woke up and started crying again. I used a trick I learned with my other children and stroked my middle finger down her nose while the fingers on either side gently brushed her eyelids closed--it has always seemed to have a calming effect and gets their eyes closed. I did this until she was back asleep, but again, as soon as I took my weight off the playpen and started to turn back to bed, Oakley was awake again and crying.

I turned my attention back to her and she quieted down. So I pulled up some pillows and a sheet right next to her playpen and laid down where she could see me in the darkness. She scuttled over to the side of the playpen and we stared at each other for a while before we both fell asleep.

Unfortunately that was not the end of the night, as every half hour or so she would wake up and begin crying. I too would wake up and whisper quietly to her that I was still there beside, that everything was still okay, that she had nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes it took a little bit for her to hear me over her crying, having to wait until she stopped for a short breath, but when she heard my voice beside her she quieted down again and went back to sleep. I never wanted to use anything more than a quiet voice being fearful she would be roused from her state of slumber and fully wake up. So I settled for a still small voice and continued my reassurances until she was ready to hear.

And as I laid there whispering to my daughter it occurred to me that this is how God often speaks to me--In a still small voice. A voice, that too often I refuse to, or can't hear over my own crying and complaining, and trying to solve my problems on my own. A voice that does not call louder than that quieted whisper, but waits until I am ready to hear and listen. It also struck me that, like Oakley, I forget that my Heavenly Father is always there, whether I can see him or hear him, or not. God is always there for me, waiting for me to come back to Him, waiting for me want to listen to His promises that He will always be there to protect me and guide me and love me.

Today's Attitude (Portrayed by James Blunt)

There is a song on the radio right now that makes me cringe every time I hear it. It is a song that sums up the attitude of the world today quite nicely--and it's not a good attitude. Worse yet, it has a nice tune and is sung by a popular artist, which serves only to make people want to listen to it and internalize the theme.

The song is "Same Mistake" by James Blunt. I wanted to avoid putting the song on my blog because I didn't want to promote it, but sometimes it is necessary to share the idea and hope people stop to read my comments. I was able to find a YouTube video that did more to help me than hurt me: The video plays the song, but rather than showing Blunt's video it simply puts up the words to the song, saving me the bother of quoting it.




My problem with the song is the fact that the narrator is willing to admit he has a problem, which on the surface seems like a good thing, but he is unwilling to do anything about the problem. Rather, he asks that others take away his choice so he doesn't repeat the mistake--He is not mature enough to take responsibility for his own actions.

This is an issue that I see all the time with my students; they are perfectly willing to acknowledge they have shortcomings, but rather than fixing the problems they choose to blame others for the mistakes they make. "If you wouldn't ask me to do ______, then I wouldn't have to tell you I didn't do it." "You didn't give us time for ______, so I didn't finish it all." etc., etc..

I have heard people blame God for the same things. People wonder why God gave us free will if he was going to punish us for making the wrong choices. "If he is so powerful why doesn't he just force us to do the right thing?" "If God didn't want me to do that, then He shouldn't have let me be tempted to do it." (or worse, He shouldn't have temted me to do it)

I even catch myself in this attitude from time to time: blaming others for giving me a choice when I choose to do the wrong thing. Or not stopping me from doing something I shouldn't be doing. It's not a good attitude to have. I need to accept responsibility for my actions and work to improve myself.

This attitude is very prevalent in our society and Blunt's song serves only to reinforce it. It has no positive message, no sign of hope for change, just a negative mind-set that perpetuates a big problem present in society: I will not change, so if you want me to act differently you better change.

Change

Jen and I were talking on the weekend about buying a house (something that is still at least another 2 years off) and I made a comment that I didn't think I would ever want to buy a house because like change too much. I don't usually like staying in the same place doing the same thing for a very long time. That means that every year or two (at the most) I start to get a bit antsy, restless, ready for a change. If I buy a house that means I'm stuck where I am, that I've made a commitment and have to stay. That isn't something that I've liked to do. I grew up with a lot of change in where I lived--3 different provinces and moving between two of them twice a year for four years, and 4 different cities; and since I've been married (11 years) we have lived in 3 different cities and 9 different houses. Likewise, I have had more jobs than I care to recount.

But I got to thinking today that for the first time in my life I am actually happy in the job I am in and extremely happy with Grande Prairie. I go to work most mornings excited to be a teacher (though sometimes I come home a little less excited) and I hate it when I have to miss days. True, it has only been one year, but I am really very satisfied and feeling fulfilled. I'm even to the point where I am thinking I could make a home out here in GP. And that is a nice feeling.