Inspired to Teach: 2/7/10

Monday, February 8, 2010

Stagnant Slacker

I confess, substitute teaching has not kept me at my sharpest. No lesson plans to prepare, no papers to grade, and no specific math concept, historical period, or even a particular grade level to study up on has left me floundering. Coupled with the fact that I am no longer a student myself -- The Breadwinner's slight income slump and The University's insistence on huge chunks of money having led to a Master's degree hiatus -- I find myself regressing academically/intilectually. See, I can't even spell good no more.

So I am rededicating myself to the pursuit of smartness, revitalizing my appreciation and application of that great gray mass of matter that of late has been preoccupied largely with creating playlists for the iPod (great Thanksgiving Day songs, lead singers with "Q" in their name, etc.) and dialing the sub job services hoping for sick teachers. I have kept up my reading lately, but now that the football season is over ("Wow Dat!") I need to step it up a notch. So here's the plan...

Read Bigger Books. Picked up Churchill: A Biography, weighing in at 952 pages, and The Seven Basic Plots, a bit lighter with 711; did a few curls with them as the cute Librarian passed by, and now they're making a fine ottoman while I ice my shoulder...
Re-Read Text Books. There are several degrees worth of books surrounding me, text books and gift books and hand-me-down books and yes-honey-I-neeeeed-to-buy-this books, all centered on various aspects of teaching. Maybe I should be using them for more than keeping the dust off the shelf?
Utilize the Internet. For more than Facebook, I mean. I get updates daily from all sorts of amazing educational sites, including blogs and YouTube, and I usually say something along the lines of "Great idea Angela, I'll read/watch/check it out later!" yet never do...
Talk To Myself. Or blog, whatever you want to call it. Putting it out in the blogosphere somehow holds me accountable, if I post the title of the text I've pulled off the shelf it somehow helps me to actually open the book and do more than look at the pictures.
Eat With Others. I need to take my lunch to the teachers' lounge instead of dropping crumbs all over the afternoon's lesson plan. It's tough, on one hand 'cause I'm kinda shy and on the other because I really want (need) to read the lesson several times and practice a couple of problems or read a few chapters before attempting to teach it. I like to get as much up on the white board ahead of time as well, I never like to turn my back on the pack, er, class. Plus you never know when the Principal might stop by, and the whole idea is to look like I know what I'm doing so I'll get offered a contract on the spot. What? It could happen, couldn't it?

Any suggestions? How do keep moving forward and always improving your self and your craft?

Praise Song for the Day

Elizabeth Alexander

Inauguration Poem 2009

Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other,
catching each other’s eyes or not,
about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise. All about us is
noise and bramble, thorn and din,
each one of our ancestors
on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem,
darning a hole in a uniform,
patching a tire, repairing
the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music
somewhere, with a pair of
wooden spoons on an oil drum,
with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son
wait for the bus.
A farmer considers
the changing sky.
A teacher says,
Take out your pencils. Begin.

We encounter each other in words,
words spiny or smooth,
whispered or declaimed,
words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads
and highways that mark the will
of some one and then others,
who said I need to see
what’s on the other side.

I know there’s something better down the road.
We need to find a place
where we are safe.
We walk into that
which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain: that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks,
raised the bridges,

picked the cotton and the lettuce,
built brick by brick
the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean
and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle,
praise song for the day.
Praise song for every
hand-lettered sign,
the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.

Some live by love thy neighbor
as thyself, others by
irst do no harm or take no more
than you need.
What if the mightiest word is love?

Love beyond marital,
filial, national,
love that casts a widening
pool of light,
love with no need
to pre-empt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle,
this winter air,
any thing can be made,
any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim,
on the cusp,

praise song for walking forward
in that light.

I know it's probably copyright infringement, and I promise I'll teach my students to never, ever plagiarize, but these are awesome words-- probably just the weight and emotions of the day, but didn't you feel she was speaking directly to you?

Mandated Disclaimer:

“The views expressed on this site do not reflect the views of the San Diego Unified (or any) School District. This site contains user-created content which is not endorsed by the District. The purpose of this site is”…(then specify the purpose).

The (multiple, related, connected) purpose(s) is to learn, share, discuss, collect, reflect, whine, practice, read, watch, organize, test, adapt, refine, laugh, listen, and yes, show off sometimes, anything and everything about my career and life as an Educator.