Learning
Friday, October 7, 2011
Themes
Monday, August 29, 2011
Earthquakes, Street-Musicians and Janitors
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tea Party of the Radical Center?
Like NYCORE (NY Collective of Radical Educators) and Grassroots Education Movement (grassrootseducationmovement.blogspot.com), I was expecting the event to feel something like a scientology convention. When Joel Klein said, "Is this our Egypt moment?" and something like "Don't be afraid to stand up to the big interests," I felt a little seasick. Does he say things like that to Rupert or Bill and Melinda. Disgusting. Orwellian.
However, I chose to attend sessions throughout the day that were led mostly by TFA alums who have been in the classroom for 10 and 15 years. Are they the majority? No, but they're out there. And all reaffirmed my connection to the organization. They shared tips and stories about building strong community with students, parents and fellow teachers.
With this in mind, I felt much better at the closing session. An alumna who is a PhD candidate at Temple had good things to say. And I was convinced that the two alumni state senators who spoke are more faithful public servants than the average politician. At the end, a kid from KIPP's orchestra was singing under his breath as he was playing backup to John Legend. Pretty good stuff.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Progress with Non-Fiction
About the difference between fiction and non-fiction, I'm afraid that my kids only understand that "stories are not real" and that "non-fiction is not a story."
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time
1. I have my kids watch it all the way through twice and say what they notice
2. I play it again but stop it every 15 minutes, and ask them each time “Where is the hour hand?” and they use the following words
a. Right at
b. Just past
c. Almost_____ but not yet. So it’s still _____ 3. I play it again and stop it to quiz them on some times, like this:
a. Where’s the minute hand?
i. Is it easy or hard? (hard if the minute hand is past 30)
b. Where’s the hour hand?
i. Right at
ii. Just past
iii. Almost_____ but not yet. So it’s still _____
c. What time is it?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
silence
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I think TFA’s mission has encouraged me to see my students as either future middle class wage earners or not. Today I looked out at my class and saw black children and I felt more content, more comfortable than in the past with what I saw.
They’re beautiful and quirky, and confident and unsure. They know a lot about what it means to be black children in Brooklyn in 2010. They know a lot about what it means to be children. They know a lot about Trinidad, and Prospect Park, cornbread and pet deer.
Am I going to add to their emerging awareness of identity by acknowledging their funds of knowledge or will I heighten their insecurities by making them feel only as if they’re preparing to become part of the middle class?