Week 2

Before I tackle the prompt we were given, I want to clarify that I didn’t get too hands on in this first week of placement. I wanted to quietly observe the students, their behavior, the classroom dynamics, the teacher’s behavior, as well as other aspects of the classroom before jumping in myself. With that said, I want to emphasize that the following observations are simply cursory. They are likely to change as I get the chance to speak with the students, an opportunity I very much look forward to.

A loner-

 Intimidated isn’t the right word. When my cooperating teacher pointed to a class roster of her Block 3 students and showed me ‘Marvin,’ I was more than intimidated—I was shaking in my boots. Even the term ‘Block 3’ sounds daunting enough on its own. Block 3. It sounds like the name for the wing of a prison. Then, I processed Marvin’s picture. Not to be grim, but he looked like a young Charles Manson. His eyes had that glazed over look that you see in pictures of ax murders. Not a great first impression, especially when your co-op adds, “I won’t subject you to working with him one-on-one. His problems are too far reaching for your expertise,” while tapping her forefinger on the lost eyes in the picture. To add to the horror, my co-op reports that Marvin is known throughout the English wing for threatening teachers. Oh goody, I think to myself.

After seeing Marvin in flesh and blood, I must admit, I was slightly relieved. He didn’t look nearly as intimidating as his picture lead me to believe. I don’t know much about Marvin yet, but I hope to establish some contact with him. I want to get to know him—while keeping a safe distance at first. Maybe I could start by asking him about the book he’s reading. It’s manga. I’ve never given it a chance before, but maybe I could reach him by reading it. Hopefully I can help him feel a little more welcome in the classroom by doing so. If he were a student in my classroom, I might even look into including a manga text in the curriculum.

A student who struggles-

‘Kyle’ sits at his desk, playing with his bottle of iced tea, peeling the label, stabbing a hole in the top, and smirking as he calls out, interrupts, and pushes the buttons of surrounding students and my cooperating teacher. As soon as the bell rings, Kyle leaves the room and my co-op and I both let out a sigh of relief. “He’s probably on some spectrum of the ADD scale, just undiagnosed,” she says.

I don’t want to place negative labels on Kyle, but based on my brief observations, Kyle seems to be a student who is responsible for his own failure. His behavior is a choice. He is disruptive, rude, and disrespectful. I want to give Kyle the benefit of the doubt. I want to give him a chance. I want to feel sympathy for him, but as far as I can tell, he’s ruining the learning process for those around him and that’s inexcusable. It’s sad and I’m sorry to admit it, but I don’t feel much sympathy for Kyle. I counter that thought by assuring myself that I will encounter many Kyles in my career. It’s up to me to engage them. I convince myself that under the right set of circumstances, I could engage, enrapture, and involve a student like Kyle. He looks like a bright kid. English just doesn’t seem to be his thing. He needs real world connections and authenticity. I bet he’d love to read “Of Mice and Men.” He talks fondly of farm life, just like Lenny and George. Once I get to know him, maybe I’ll make the recommendation. Until then, I can only hope he stops ruining other students’ experiences. There’s always next week, right?

A popular kid-

‘Dylan’ is cocky. He knows he can get away with a lot in the classroom. He doesn’t face forward in his desk. He sits side ways and up front so everyone can see how he feels about the learning experience. He makes faces of approval when a student says something with which he can agree. He winces to express his disapproval of the teacher, too. He wants to be the center of attention. He flirts with the female students in the middle of classes, knowing he can charm his way out of any reprimand that the act may bring upon him. I haven’t had a chance to talk to ‘Dylan’ yet, but he’s certainly seems like he’ll be an interesting student. He didn’t volunteer to answer many questions, but I’m sure his confidence could be filtered into writing or some productive aspect of the English curriculum. I look forward to working with him. His confidence, while slightly abrasive, could prove worthwhile, educationally speaking. As the unofficial class spokesman, I’m sure I can get him to endorse me to the rest of the class if I make a good initial impression.

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In his interview with Michelle Rhee, the former Washington DC public schools chancellor, Jon Stewart managed to make more intelligent statements than his guest. While Rhee had some interesting insights, Stewart ultimately trumped the controversial and ‘radical’ reformer.

Rhee did bring up some interesting points. Some of her general statements rang true for me. For instance, Rhee insists that schools need to remove the bureaucracy that keeps effective education from happening. That is a statement and a goal that I can stand behind, but unfortunately Rhee’s methodology for achieving this goal, as well as others, seems poorly explained and ill developed. Throughout the interview Rhee continually repeats the goals she hopes to obtain, but she never properly explains the procedures for achieving said goals. For example, Rhee continually falls back upon the claim that we need “effective educators,” but she never fully develops her definition of an effective educator. From inference, I can assume that a good teacher, in her eyes, is teacher whose students receive good results on a standardized test, but I can’t condone that. As Stewart says, standardized tests cannot predict one’s ability to work in a collaborative environment on creative problem solving. A good teacher fosters the skills that result in collaborative and creative problem solving; he does not create good test takers. One of my biggest problems with Rhee is that she never explains much. Maybe the answers are in her book. I don’t know. Judging solely off the interview, I would venture to say her book probably isn’t any good.

Stewarts’ solutions and sympathies for teachers are more on par with my beliefs. Stewart is aware of the pressure that teachers encounter from students, parents, and state and federal legislators. He points out that “teachers are just one tool to fix schools, but they are the only tool that ever gets yelled at.” I really do enjoy his critique of the system and revel in the sympathy he gives to teachers. In fact, I love his analogy for the hell teachers face: “It’s like a football team that keeps getting a new offensive coordinator every year.”

Generally speaking, Stewarts’ critique of the school system seems more informed and more developed than his guest. Rhee, on the other hand, stands on a soapbox making vague statements about the state of education without ever defining the terms she uses in concrete words.