“A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.”

One of the keys points I learned from reading Chapters 11 & 12 of Daniels and Zemelman is that teachers need to promote texts that students can successfully read. Providing an assortment of reading materials at different levels is key in promoting success among a wide range of readers. The Key Strategies for Helping Struggling Readers chart was great because it targeted the strategies in a clear and decisive way. For me, having that chart to refer back to after the reading was very helpful. I especially liked the Model Thoughtful Reading strategy, which talked about using think-alouds. I think it is crucial for the teacher to show students how to interact with the text and make connections. Both chapters touched on a variety of topics discussed last semester. It was a nice review coming into this semester.

Charlton had a lot of information to offer about assessment.  Assessment allows teachers to determine how students approach and interact with text. I enjoyed reading Chapter 2, which talked about learning to listen. We are all guilty of not listening at times, but listening to a student is critical. By effectively listening and understanding a student, the teacher can collect information, which will help determine what kind of learner the student is. Charlton also talks about achievement and how it looks and feels for the student, as well as the teacher. That was interesting for me to think about, and goes beyond a structured assessment. Watching a student achieve something must be a wonderful feeling for a teacher.

Will Okun, a Chicago schoolteacher, wrote a great article in the New York Times this week called “Understand?” Okun talks about his experience as a white teacher in a low- income area of Chicago. Okun asked teachers and students if there is a difference between black teachers and white teachers. A good majority of the students feel there is a major difference. White teachers, according to black students, have no idea what it is like to be black and face the struggles they face. Students feel black teachers are harder on them than white teachers. Interestingly, black teachers say that white teachers have lower expectations for black students and give up on them too easily. Black teachers also think white teachers are afraid of being labeled racist if they are too hard on black students. Okun questions if his race limits his effectiveness in the classroom. Does he have the right to lead a discussion in African American Studies, when he has no idea what it is like to be black? How crucial is personal experience to knowledge and understanding?

 The reason this article caught my attention is because I am observing at Franklin Middle School, which is primarily all black students. The teacher I am observing is a white, middle-aged man, who lives in Victor. I honestly think his interaction with the kids is horrible. They just can’t find a connection with him. I’m not saying black students should have a black teacher; I’m saying he puts little effort into teaching because of his frustration with the kids. He has looked at me a few times and said, “Am I talking German here?” because the kids haven’t understood an assignment. To tell you the truth, he isn’t clear in his expectations so I don’t blame students for questioning him. So many kids have problems and it shows in their schoolwork. I don’t know what it is like to live in poverty or be surrounded by violence. As teachers, we have to be prepared to teach kids from many different cultures and communities.

The Frankenstein symposium was interesting, but not what I expected. I was a bit disappointed that the speaker didn’t talk about Shelly’s book until the end. I read Frankenstein last semester and was looking forward to a session focused more on the book. The medical jargon became a bit boring after a while, and I was more interested in hearing about the cases than the causes of deformities.

Susan Hodara wrote an article in The New York Times this week titled “A Range of Disorders Tamed by the Beat.” Music is being used as therapy for children with developmental delays and many other disorders. Children receiving this therapy seem to be very responsive to the approach, which is also used for all ages and many different conditions. The guitar engages the children, and once having their attention can lead into other activities. I can totally relate to this line of therapy. My son, Dillon, who is turning three in December, has been receiving speech therapy for the past six months, which is one of the delays music therapy is for. He has always enjoyed music, and I find that engaging him in musical activities really keeps his attention. My older son, Tyler, who is thirteen, watches MTV videos in the morning and Dillon loves dancing to the music. People respond to music for many different reasons. Music seems to have a relaxing affect on people, so I can understand why it is used as a therapeutic tool. I wonder how many teachers use music in their classrooms.

Over the weekend, I read an article in The New York Times called “Bronx Boy, 7, Collapses at School and Dies”. My first thought after reading this article was, how would I, as a teacher, handle a situation like this? A child tells you they don’t feel good and requests to go to the bathroom where he ends up collapsing. Would the situation have turned out differently if the teacher had taken the time to ask what was wrong or sent the child directly to the nurse’s office? I’m not implying that the teacher is at fault for the child dieing. There are so many situations a teacher has to contend with on a daily basis. During my field experience, kids are lined up asking to go to the bathroom as soon as class starts; granted, these are older kids. As a teacher, I would probably be more attentive to a second grader not feeling well, just because they are not old enough to understand when their illness is in need of medical attention. Teacher’s are pulled in many directions and are not always able to give their undivided attention. This has been made clear to me while observing at Franklin Finance Middle School. The 8^th grade teacher I’m observing does more trouble shooting than teaching. The kids are not focused, or they don’t feel good, or they are on suspension for fighting, or they just don’t care. It is a really sad predicament and the teacher basically says you can’t drive yourself crazy worrying about every child’s problems. I disagree with that. I would feel somewhat responsible if one of my students dropped dead in the bathroom while on my clock. How could you not feel some kind of guilt for not paying closer attention? This is one issue, as a teacher, I’m having trouble with (among other’s). How do you not become emotionally attached? How do you devote time to each student?

My jaw dropped when I read the article in The New York Times “Birth Control on the Playground?” I am in shock that a Maine middle school is dispensing birth control to their students. Call me old-fashioned, but isn’t that condoning sex? I have a thirteen-year-old son and cannot imagine him coming home from school with a bunch of condoms. Playing the devil’s advocate, I know teen pregnancy is a concern everywhere. The school system is taking preventive measures to decrease statistics. I might be swayed to believe a high school was right in taking this action, but middle school? We are talking about 11–13 year olds having sex. Parents need to take some responsibility here. I know kids can be sly, but knowing where your son or daughter is and whom they are hanging out with is not too much to ask. Come on parents; be proactive!

The poverty statistics are staggering. There is a quote in “Rigor + Support = Success” that sums up a formula for change when addressing poverty, “Education is a way out of poverty.” Children facing poverty need to continue their education so they can eventually change their lives.  All of the readings this week are an eye opener to what is occurring in our country. We, as teachers, have the tools that can help change the lives of these young people and give them hope. Inequality in school spending, segregation, inexperienced teachers, and a lack of resources are all obstacles in higher learning these children face. It bothered me that elite schools have so many advantages over other schools. Smaller class sizes, new textbooks, and qualified teachers are a few of those advantages. Why is it ok with the government that inner city schools are faced with overcrowding and unqualified teachers? Why don’t these children deserve the same opportunities as others? It’s like the old saying goes “The rich grow richer and the poor stay poor.” After reading the assignments this week, I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility teachers face these days.  I think most of us have figured out that teaching is not as simple as composing lesson plans and teaching The Great Gatsby. It’s a bit intimidating to enter a profession knowing the obstacles you’re up against and hoping you can make a difference in the end.

 In the New York Times this week, an article called “Mission: Making a Love of Reading Happen” caught my eye.  This article demonstrates how parents can make a difference by promoting literacy in the lives of their children. The author shares how he and his wife encouraged and enforced reading while their kids were growing up. Many strategies were listed: a twenty-minute reading rule was applied every night, books on tape for long rides in the car, limited television time, reading aloud, and subscriptions to magazines. Their goal was focused on having their children become life-long readers and therefore life-long learners. I definitely applaud them!

I really enjoyed the reading assignments and podcast this week. The end of Teacher Man is so interesting I plan on reading the whole book. The book provides a realistic insight into the world of teaching ranging from student affairs to parent issues. Until now, I mostly thought of student-teacher interaction, not parent-teacher interaction. The Korean boy that hates his father, and Stanley’s parents who are going through a divorce and bring their problems to Open School Night is quite an eye-opener for a teacher to be! The student-teacher stories are very touching.  I loved the story about Bob, the Jewish student who has dreams of becoming a pig farmer, to his parent’s dismay. The ending to that story is what teaching is all about.  What struck me the most is how McCourt gains the respect of his students. I’m interested to hear about the first part of the book in our jigsaw workgroups.

 The Lesson is also an interesting reading. What struck me is how uncomfortable the children become when they are outside of the toy store. The group is very boisterous until they enter a white, upper-class neighborhood. Class difference and the need for education stick out as themes. This is a great selection for classroom discussion. 

 The Diane Rehm broadcast was very informative and I enjoyed listening to the debate. I didn’t realize the No Child Left Behind Act is such a needle in many educators’ sides.  I found it interesting that private schools do not pay attention to the act and are not involved in standardized testing. Also, tracking the art of civil discourse was fascinating. All three men disagreed without being disagreeable. Kozal said quite often “I disagree respectively.” The debate was enjoyable to listen to because everyone was professional, had good evidence, and never became disrespectful. I plan on reading Brown and Kozal’s new books as well. The story about “Franchesca” caught my attention. Kozal makes her out to be godlike, which I found interesting coming from a renowned teacher.

In our continued reading of Daniels and Zemelman, chapter four focuses on what content material students should be reading. According to the national curriculum standards, teachers should be diving deeper into a smaller number of topics. Lesson plans should not revolve around one textbook. Using supplemental texts will give students a deeper understanding of important themes. Another way in which students promote literacy is selecting their own books to read, which reflects their own interests. Building a classroom library is a great way of promoting literacy. Many of my son’s teachers incorporated classroom libraries throughout his elementary years. Now in middle school, he still enjoys selecting his own books and utilizing the classroom libraries. I began a library of my own a while back with the intention of having a classroom library when I begin teaching. Another useful tip in the chapter was making sure you have something for everyone, since girls and boys often have different preferences in books.

Chapter seven involves building community in the classroom. Teachers need to make students feel comfortable about asking questions and participating in classroom activities. If a teacher is too rigid, a student may shut down and never take any risks. Every student is different so teachers need to be aware of how students function.  Providing students with choices promotes their independence and encourages responsibility in the classroom. I have experienced many teachers who are not open to what students have to say, and in turn, students don’t bother participating. Group dynamics are also an important part of the classroom. Group activities promote leadership, friendship, conflict control, and communication. They also help one another to understand the course material. Most classes I attend involve some sort of group work. It helps break up the monotony of a full class lecture.

The Daniels and Zemelman readings hit a nerve in me this week. Thinking back to my high school years, there is nothing positive I can say about textbooks. They are big and bulky, a burden to carry, and pretty boring to read.  My college years have not changed that opinion. In fact, my textbooks seem twice as heavy and less appealing to read. Though I get much more out of the readings now than in high school, it seems like more of an imposition to sit down and read thirty pages of text.  The problem is, every professor assigns me readings, and so I sit and read textbooks all day, every day. After a while, it gets monotonous. So I think to myself, how can I, as an educator, change that mode of thought for my students? How can they get the most out of textbooks without feeling overwhelmed or under whelmed? As an English teacher, I fortunately will not be stuck with one textbook. Poetry, novels, and plays will be other avenues of reading assigned to students. Textbooks contain too much material and are not clear to students. Educators need to use them as a reference tool, not as a bible. Having a class focused on one textbook will surely prevent students from other valuable sources of information and subjectivity, which can only lead to a more knowledgeable individual.

Using strategies that make textbooks more accessible would most likely endorse a student’s success. Guide-O-Rama Study Guide is a favorite strategy of mine presented in Chapter 6. This step-by-step process guides students through the text, as well as any diagrams, charts, pictures, or terms so the reading is clear. Another guide I find useful is the Vocabulary Word Sort. Having complex words defined before a student begins reading will promote a clear understanding of the text right from the start. What it comes down to is when you are using textbooks, have study guides available so students don’t get lost in the depths of textbook hell. Always be on the lookout for new materials that will keep students focused and interested.

A New York Times article “Math Scores Rise, but Reading is Mixed,” reveals how America’s math scores have increased, but reading achievement scores have not progressed and in some instanced have decreased since the No Child Left Behind law was instituted. While President Bush is ecstatic the No Child Left Behind has made its mark, educators feel numbers were rising faster before the act was set in motion. The country has been very focused on getting students up to par with other countries in math and science. Unfortunately, it sounds as though reading, and other content areas, may have taken the back seat. Personally, it concerns me that reading has hit a plateau. What is going on? Literacy is a necessity that must be put at the forefront.

     This week I decided to read something a little different. Gardiner Harris, of The New York Times, wrote an article titled, “Doctor Links a Man’s Illness to Microwave Popcorn.” The article caught my eye for two reasons. The first reason being I love popcorn and wanted to know what the hell is going on, and second, how literacy plays an important role to this article.

     In summary, a man recently became very ill from eating microwave popcorn. It is reported that a chemical called diacetyl, which is a synthetic butter, can cause serious lung conditions that are normally only found in people working in popcorn plants. When diacetyl is heated, it becomes a vapor. If inhaled over a period of time, your lungs may become damaged or even destroyed.  The formal name of the disease is bronchiolitis obliterans or “popcorn workers’ lung,” which can be fatal.  Diacetyl is found naturally in butter, cheese, milk, and other products.

     The man who became ill ate popcorn twice a day for over ten years. After heating the popcorn he would open the bag and inhale the fumes because he enjoyed the smell. Specialists found high levels of diacetyl in the man’s house; levels comparable to popcorn plants. The doctor told him to stay away from popcorn and six months later his lungs have stopped deteriorating and he lost 50 pounds.

     My first concern is for the people who work at popcorn plants! They obviously know the risks connected to working there, or do they? This is where literacy comes into play. I have never heard of ‘popcorn workers’ lung,” and did not know the harm in smelling the fumes of microwave popcorn. Smelling popcorn fumes as you open the bag is one of the best parts of having popcorn!  Being able to read labels and finding out what you are eating is something everyone should be able to do. Who takes the time to read labels on products? I do at times, but I definitely couldn’t tell you what most of the chemicals are that I’m digesting. People need to become proactive, label literate and find out what these companies are putting in our food. Many people trust that companies would not put a product on the market if it weren’t safe.  They take for granted that the Food and Drug Administration has all the bases covered. Think again. After reading this article, I will never smell the vapors of microwave popcorn, and will be sure to share the article with friends and family.

     This is an example of how education and literacy work. Reading a single article has opened my eyes to an area I would never have thought to investigate. Science isn’t my strong suit, but the writer of this article made it simple for me to understand the problem, diacetyl, can possibly be harmful to my health. I know it is found in microwave popcorn, cheese, milk, butter, and other products.  Read, read, and read! Reading is such an invaluable tool.