So Far

Hey there blogger folk,
I have had several interviews, no job yet. I was contacted by a small public charter school. I always thought I would like to teach in a charter school environment. At least I wouldn't have to worry about being in a district where the curriculum is scripted according to NCLB and test compliance. I worry about the ability to institute any creativity in those situations. I believe one of my best qualities as an educator is my creativity. I think creativity requires a certain amount of autonomy, and autonomy seems to be less and less desirable in some school districts these days. So it goes......
At any rate I will be subbing this semester if nothing else turns up, and I honestly think that subbing will be a positive experience, of course I am one of those odd people that believes any experience is good, be it positive or negative, as long as you learn something in the process.
A short poem by Shel Silverstein;
THREE STINGS (from Falling Up)
George got stung by a bee and said,
"I wouldn't have got stung if I'd stayed in bed."
Fred got stung and we heard him roar,
"What am I being punished for?"
Lew got stung and we heard him say,
"I learned somethin' about bees today."
I want my students to be Lews.
I often read this poem to students, both at the prep school level as well as to college students. One must be intrepid (= resolutely courageous, fearless) to receive the full education of life.
Of course "intrepid" can be interpreted by some as careless. Not so. Fearlessness involves risk. I guess I've never been a big proponent of playing it safe. Does that make me dangerous, or just mean?
I was described by a person I admire as intrepid. I didn't know what she meant. I had to look it up. Iwas quite flattered by that description. It still has the power to make me smile.
Speaking of intrepid, and for your viewing pleasure "V is for Vendetta" This is a must view film for all of you freedom loving conscienscious objectors. It has a very important message about the power of fear to create a culture prone to totalinarianism. Whew. The film is based on a graphic novel. I plan on using graphic novels as well as comic books as reading mediums in my class room. It's part of my "Read Please Read" philosophy.
Book Stuff; The Time Traveler's Wife, wow, a real wild sci-fi ride, loved every page of it!
Music Stuff; The new Gnarles Barkley. Not for the faint of heart, great music, adult understanding only please.
Enough meanness for now, this was quite an intrepid post.

I hate job hunting

It's so funny to sit in the hotseat as someone looking for a job, since forever I have been the interviewer in these situations. It is so hard to let someone know what a good teacher you will be while just trying to sell yourself in a twenty minute span of time. They want to know about my education. I have learned cross- cultural sociology and the family in a cross cultural perspective from an American Indian who was taken from his family at age 11 and placed in a boarding school where he was supposed to be "Americanized". He pulled himself through the anger and hate and is now an educator who is sympathetic and knowledgable about and toward all cultures, even the culture that nearly destroyed him. I learned English and Humanities in a combined course that focused on the diverse cultural contributions that led to the creation of western civilization through literature and the arts. I learned American History from a Mexican American who taught me the destructive US policies that have created corruption and inhumanity in South American countries based on corporate greed. I learned the sociology of women in a cross-cultural perspective, I have learned the contribution of women across all cultures to the expansion of the literary canon. I have learned how women, as well as others who hold minority status among the dominant culture, have had to fight to gain an education. I have learned about creating a caring and compassionate class room from a Japanese American woman who wrote the book on the subject, literally. I learned how to deal with special needs children, something especially dear to my heart as I have two grandchildren with disabilities. I have learned educational technology from the guy who got me started on this blogging thing, and who is constantly innovative in his field ( hi Bernie). I have spent time volunteering to cut hair in a group home facility with emotionally troubled children, I have volunteered in alternative education sites. I have developed a family within each classroom I have been a part of, and now I can't get a job. I have letters of recommendation from my master teachers, but I tend to show off the letters of recommendation I have received from my students, because you see I may not be impressive to some of the administrators I have met, but they are not the audience I am trying to reach, I want to reach the students I will be sharing my time with, they are the ones I want to impress. How's that for mean.