Homework

I would say that I owe my students an apology, particularly after spending the last hours helping my 13 year old work on his fucking Gubernatorial project in between helping the 10 year old work on his fucking triorama project in between, well, let's just say that no amount of obscenities will be enough to cover that portion of the program. But, I don't owe my students an apology because they are in college so I guess I don't feel as guilty. HOWEVER, if I ever go back to teaching high school or middle school English, I am never assigning another project. I swear it; make a copy of this and tape it to the fridge because it ain't happening. And, I hate the word ain't so you know I mean business. The project is actually a good one; interesting and relevant, but not for a 13 year old boy whose idea of a citizen's responsibility is wearing his helmet so that when he cracks his head open on the city street that the workers don't have to come and clean it up... then again, it keeps people employed so maybe he's on to something there. And, of course, I must factor in the fact that he has had over a month to work on it... ah, well, did I mention that I still have to carve the pumpkin... somebody help me.

Homework is a vile, unnecessary monkey on the backs of children and their families and I say families because it really is rare these days when a kid can sit down and do all of their homework in a timely fashion with no assistance. I mean, a fucking reading log? Please, I can't think of a quicker way to kill a love of reading than to have to write down how many minutes you read each day? This is why I don't keep weapons or hard drugs in my house. If I could find a baseball bat right now, I might just knock the window out (sighs in disgust). The mere thought that a worksheet will somehow help a child to want to learn something or to actually learn it? Where was the teacher educated? Prison? If I see another printout that asks a kid, What do you think about that? I am going to get my baseball bat. See, I have a kid who is marvellously verbose. Ask him to talk about a subject and pretend that you're interested and really, you'll be surprised. Ask him to write down his responses and forget it; might as well fail him right now. Sure, writing skills are vital; I'm preaching to my own choir right now, but I also think and I am not the only one who thinks this, but I think that there have to be and soon, alternative measures implemented to test the mastery of knowledge of students in any given subject matter. Everyone learns differently and there is no single measuring tool for assesment. Why would we have one anyway, I mean, in what field is anyone reviewed on their job performance in EXACTLY the same manner? I mean, sure engineers have to have a degree, they have to be able to compute and measure and blah, blah, blah, but don't those requirements come prior to being hired? After that, sure everyone has to show up on time, put in his/her hours and do their jobs but aren't they then evaluated on the basis of their individual projects or particular fields of expertise? Seriously, there is a minimum standard, but if your teepee doesn't have the right color cloth, can we honestly say that the kid hasn't "mastered" Social Studies or should they fail because their picture wasn't big enough? I guess I'm kind of arguing againt myself but I'm also looking at the possibility that not every kid is going to college. So instead of belittling them and constantly telling them how and why they are failing, why don't we, as educators, instead make an attempt to capitalize on what they do well and by virtue of that, use different methods to test their knowledge and understanding? Do you remember anything from 5th grade Social Studies? Do you want to? And I know the counter argument or the rebuttal, the system is broken, the classes are too large, teachers don't have enough resources, blah, blah, blah. Why don't we go back to the basics and eliminate all of this crap that just wastes time, frustrates everyone involved and instead of cutting and pasting, we have them speak more and write more and teach them how to love what they are studying instead of hating it. My kid is not dumb nor is he incapable. He struggles, he is lazy sometimes and he's bored. And I don't blame him one bit, well, I blame him for being lazy, but we're working on that.

The system is failing so why do we continue to do the same damn things that we did last year and the year before? You know why? Because it's easy and it doesn't require change and discipline and imagination. It's easier to rest on what you've been doing than to change it, even if that means that you might fail or it might fail, still, think about the possibilty that you might inadvertently encourage or inspire a student to want to think outside the box or want to study for a test or want to actually read on their own. Passion for something is underdeveloped in public schools and in the curriculum. Most of the work is boring and pointless and poorly taught. I'm tired of all the nonsensical bullshit and I'm especially tired of the students who show up in my classes and tell me that they've graduated from high school yet they can't pass a 7th grade level reading test. Where does the blame lie?

I admire anyone who steps in front of a class and who attempts to teach another human being something; it is a daunting task for the brightest and most creative people yet I have very little tolerance for the apathetic and those who literally sit on the past and who refuse to accept that whatever they are doing is NOT working. I'd respect them more if they acknowledged that and made a viable attempt to change it. It's one thing to feel like your hands are tied to a chair, but it's another thing entirely to choose not to struggle against those constraints. Apathy is a choice, not a predisposition. I take my share of the blame and the responsibility for my children and my students and so I expect the same in return. There should no longer be an idealogy that includes "teaching to the middle." Whatever has to happen, that train of thought has to change if all children stand a chance of survival in this fucked up system that we call Public Education. And don't even get me started on Special Education, I don't have time right now, I have to go and help with pages in a Science notebook.

Happy Halloween... yeah, okay.