i'm so curious about you, mystery blog reader. i'll continue to share my life with you briefly. how was february 18th? you checked out my blog 9 times that day. of course, i'm assuming you are the exact same person every time, which is probably impossible.
currently, i am procrastinating what we in teaching call the "unit plan". we alternatively say "busywork for education and/or graduate level students".
in my entire life, i've never been much of a planner. this, in teaching, is presenting some sort of a problem. i ALWAYS have to be well-planned. maybe i'm "transitioning to adulthood" as helen, my Teach for America advisor would say, but i still don't really like it.
I had a very candid conversation with my students about why I am a teacher today. in a couple of classes, it actually went well and served a purpose. in others, it didn't necessarily mean much. but one student said something today that really taught me a lesson, whether he meant to or not. i was in the process of describing how i wasn't really aware of what i had until i had some real interactions with a camper that was battling sickle cell anemia, living in Memphis. but before i got to that, i remarked, something to the effect of, "i had gotten through high school without really trying - i was going to college without really trying, and it all seemed to be because of where and with what resources i grew up." not the exact phrasing, but you get the picture. of course, i was getting to the point that i previously highlighted - that my naivete to this has actually ignited my passion to help out with educational inequity. but before i could get those words out, one of my students said,
"but that's not fair."
and you know what? he is right. it is not fair. it is not fair that some people are dealt the hand where they spend their life in suburban kentucky wearing polo and going to keeneland while others are struggling on the street in chicago.. needless to say, i think we are on the breaking point for a few of my classes. i just don't think i'll ever be able to get that image out of my head.
"but that's not fair."
currently, i am procrastinating what we in teaching call the "unit plan". we alternatively say "busywork for education and/or graduate level students".
in my entire life, i've never been much of a planner. this, in teaching, is presenting some sort of a problem. i ALWAYS have to be well-planned. maybe i'm "transitioning to adulthood" as helen, my Teach for America advisor would say, but i still don't really like it.
I had a very candid conversation with my students about why I am a teacher today. in a couple of classes, it actually went well and served a purpose. in others, it didn't necessarily mean much. but one student said something today that really taught me a lesson, whether he meant to or not. i was in the process of describing how i wasn't really aware of what i had until i had some real interactions with a camper that was battling sickle cell anemia, living in Memphis. but before i got to that, i remarked, something to the effect of, "i had gotten through high school without really trying - i was going to college without really trying, and it all seemed to be because of where and with what resources i grew up." not the exact phrasing, but you get the picture. of course, i was getting to the point that i previously highlighted - that my naivete to this has actually ignited my passion to help out with educational inequity. but before i could get those words out, one of my students said,
"but that's not fair."
and you know what? he is right. it is not fair. it is not fair that some people are dealt the hand where they spend their life in suburban kentucky wearing polo and going to keeneland while others are struggling on the street in chicago.. needless to say, i think we are on the breaking point for a few of my classes. i just don't think i'll ever be able to get that image out of my head.
"but that's not fair."
