So, today was a total crapshoot.

Before I start this rant, my freshmen were awesome. Really, really good. They are really getting in to what they are doing. More on that in a future post.

My seniors, however, are another story. We're doing pastorals and sonnets, which I realize are archaic and a little complicated. And some of them are a little boring. My goal here is to expose them to universal literary themes. These guys were struggling with the same things they are. Love lost, unrequited love, love, love, love. All you need is love.

In order to balance things out, the class sat in pairs. Hard literature is sometimes easier with a friend, I think. We started with a review of the pastorals we covered on Tuesday. They charted each of the shepherd's stanzas and then looked at the nymph's reply. There were a lot of light bulbs. The poems got the attention they deserved. No one was glossing anything over.

Then we moved into sonnets. A little background notes and then some translation. And this is where I lost them and my headache came back. There was talking and texting and daydreaming. There were very few giving me or the sonnets any attention at all. We got through one translation before everything fell apart and I gave up. Luckily, I did make it to the last ten minutes of class and pretty soon the announcements were on. Not much time wasted. Now they have a homework assignment over the weekend. And I still have a headache.

Once again, I'm left with the question, what in the world do I have to do in order to get these kids to pay attention? They don't want to do the work in class and they don't want to do the work outside of class and sometimes I swear they don't want to be taught. So I'm sending home six Fs next week on the report card. Six Fs. Seniors. They need this class to graduate. I think I care more than they do.

Two days down, three to go

11:30 a.m. will mark the middle of the first week back after Christmas break. And since my teacher cadets are going out into the field for research, my day will technically be over. You can color me excited.

This week has been better than I expected, and just as hard as I expected. I am immersed in Shakespeare and Elizabethan England. Lovely, ain't it? The ninth graders are starting Romeo and Juliet and the seniors are starting the English Renaissance in order to move into Macbeth. The lessons have gone well, but every spare second has been spent trying to decide where to go next.

Romeo and Juliet has been my challenge. I haven't taught the play in eight years and I didn't know ANYTHING eight years ago. I thought you taught things like Shakespeare because it was what was taught to you. I thought kids HAD to read Shakespeare, like it was law or something.

The truth is, it's not. There is no law that kids have to read Shakespeare. However, they do need to learn how to struggle with a text and come out the other side successfully. And that is was we are going to do. That is what is feeding my plans for this play. I need for my students to experience the Prologue in it's original language. I need for them to study the balcony scene and recognize it's beauty. I may even want them to study the death scene and understand the conclusion. Other than that, what do they really need? There's a lot to R&J that is extraneous and causes excess pain. So, we'll read certain sections and then study other texts that represent the universal theme of the play. They will have their Shakespearean experience. They will deal with a difficult text and be successful.

I hope.

That's the plan anyway.

The end of books?

I adore Jenn Lancaster! She is one of my favorite authors and really turned me on to memoirs. I used to hate reading true life--even though I adore trashy reality TV shows and really like it with Law & Order is "ripped from the headlines." But memoirs were never my cup of tea until I read Jenn Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat. Now I follow her blog fairly regularly and keep up with her antics online while I wait for a new memoir. Today, she posted a link to this. And it got me thinking.

I don't have a Kindle. Nor have I looked at a Nook. For starters, I try to stay away from technology in it's first generation. There will be bigger and better versions soon to follow. But more importantly, I love books. I love the crack of the spine. I love that my shelves are bulging, both here and at school. But the Kindle might have some merit for me, if Jenn is telling the truth.

See, about two days ago, I finished every book that I brought home for the break, plus one that I bought at B&N. So I'm in a lull. I haven't picked up anything new. I sometimes go through these commitment issues. I just finished the House of Night series and I'm anxiously awaiting the newest installment. None of my fave authors have anything new out. So I'm in a rut. According to Jenn, this wouldn't happen with the Kindle. There would be another book at my fingertips, some of them free, and I would be a happy reader once again.

Some may think that the Kindle signifies the end of reading as we know it. I'm not buying into this. There are enough of us that still have to have that paper/hardback feeling at our fingertips. But the Kindle might be a little bit more convenient. It surely would stop all that fussing that my kids do when they get their 30 pound textbook at the beginning of the year. And if all of their textbooks fit in one place, they might actually bring them to class everyday.

Imagine that? Students WITH books EVERY day. That doesn't sound too bad to me at all.

It's a New Year! Time for a New You!

I've spent a lot of time on the couch this break and it has been wonderful! I believe that it will make me a better teacher and colleague in the coming weeks. I've seen a lot of weight loss commercials the last week or so. Since the new year is here, people are vowing to improve themselves. I'm vowing to improve myself, too.

I resolve to continue to perfect my pedagogy every day. I'm not going to stop trying new things until I find something that works.

I resolve to use my inside voice with my sweet little children. Even when they aren't being so sweet.

I resolve to remember my student's learning styles and personal interests when planning our units. Since I have 50 freshmen, that can be a little difficult. But I resolve to try.

I resolve to stop focusing on these tests so much and just focus on good teaching. If I am a good teacher, surely they will learn the reading skills they need in order to find success on standardized tests.

Finally, I resolve to be on time. Even early. Our school day begins at 7:40. That is SOOOOOO early. If I had thought this out, it is possible this would have been a deterrent to the field of education. 7:40 is really early. My new goal is to leave my house by 6:50 in order to have a few extra minutes to myself before the day starts.

That is easier said than done. If I know me, by the end of the month, I will already have been late at least twice and I will have yelled at least once. Each week. But I know that I will continue to work on my pedagogy. That is what I have set my sights on from the very beginning of the year. It isn't easy coming back into the classroom after three years in coaching. But reflective teaching is something I am committed to. It's a resolution that I can keep.