As Plain As the Nose on My Face

As plain as the nose on my face. The expression has taken on a new meaning for me. Some of the paras would not let the kids touch them. Children are germy creatures. And who says children are not good at sharing? One of my students shared her impetigo with me. Undiagnosed for too long while I tried home remedies, it dug in deep, leaving me easily susceptible to recurring infections that have thankfully dwindled over time.

As plain as the nose on my face. Some days I have to resist the urge to hide. I try not to worry what people might think or how they might react to the horror that is my face. I dress up, hold my head high, put my best foot forward, and fake the confidence I don’t feel. How can I convince my students that it’s what is on the inside that counts if I don’t at least act like I believe it about myself? I hope that my care for others can be as plain as the nose on my face.

As plain as the nose on my face. They said children with autism have trouble expressing emotion, but she wore hers on her face and clothed her whole body in them. Her difficulty communicating with words did not keep people from understanding—if they really wanted to. When she was angry or upset, great storm clouds would gather in her eyes and across her brow. Her body would hum with a violent electricity as she gathered lightning bolts in her fists and the thunder rumbled low in her throat. All it took to calm the rising storm was someone paying attention, listening beyond the words she couldn’t find to speak. And when she felt happy and safe and loved? Who was I to shy away from a slobbery hand on my face that spoke clearer than any words ever could?

As plain as the nose on my face. So many times I sat next to that little boy, listening to him recite all the knowledge he had gleaned from hours of poring over the encyclopedia, understanding the joy and wonder so big and full it had to come spilling out during math practice, reminding him at last to focus—focus, cringing inwardly as he dug deep in his nostrils and then, without pausing, tapped insistently with the same finger on my arm. “Mrs. Bader! Mrs. Bader! Mrs. Bader! Did you know there are 206 bones in the adult human body and more for babies? Wanna hear me name them? Huh?” Always I waited a few beats—until he was back on track with his math facts—before calmly walking to the hand sanitizer and bathing in it with my back turned so he couldn’t see. Next time, I would be faster to remind him of tissues and manners and hygiene. But who was I to trample his joy in knowing things too big and wonderful to contain?

As plain as the nose on my face. The lanky sophomore with stringy hair dyed an impossible shade sits in his desk, legs sprawling outward, head hung down, earbuds silencing the world crowding around him. He comes to class, but he never does the work, rarely speaks to anyone, only reads his favorite book series over and over again. Sometimes I can get him to say a few words to me. Other times he only snarls. I won’t stop trying. For him I will finally read Harry Potter. I don’t need to see his IEP or his 504 to read the anger and depression that are as plain as the nose on my face.

As plain as the nose on my face. She shuffles shyly to her seat, trying to draw as little notice as possible to the growing bump that has replaced the firm, flat belly she so recently flaunted. Some of her classmates already know, others are too lost In their own teenage drama. Last week her boyfriend stopped coming to class. He wasn’t doing his English work, so he might as well get a job to support them all. I hope he will still get his GED. When I get the chance, I ask her about her plans, try to show excitement about a new life rather than expressing judgment over things she can’t undo. I offer encouragement: finish school, you can make it work, I know. Her smile lights up her face and spreads its warmth across the room, plainer than the nose on my face.

Rigormarole*

Before the start of the school year, I attended what can best be described as a staff pep rally at the school where I am doing my student teaching. From my experience as a para-educator and what I’ve seen on You Tube, this is standard practice for most schools, and it isn’t a bad idea. We need to remember our goals and be united in our motivation to pursue them. Two speakers from the district office and several members of the administration spoke to the group gathered in the gym. Along with acknowledging the excitement of starting a new year at a brand new facility and what that indicates about the importance the community places on education, the need for rigor emerged as the unifying theme of the meeting.

Rigor seems to be one of the buzzwords in education lately, and for good reason. Our students deserve a rigorous and thorough education that will help prepare them for whatever futures they decide upon. While we pay lip service to rigor and set up complicated systems of standards and testing and teacher monitoring in the name of achieving it, rigor often eludes our actual practice. There are many reasons for this. Not all students come prepared to the same degree to learn, and, as much as we want a level playing field for all students, achieving an environment and preparing lessons that are equally accessible to all students may not be entirely possible. Yet I wonder if the systems we put in place to ensure rigor are not sometimes at fault.

One of the most unsettling trends I have noticed is the push for quantity of literature to read and writing assignments to complete over quality—all in the name of rigor. Too many teachers feel pressed to cover a specific amount of material by the end of the year or before students encounter it in state testing, which causes them to push through at a rate determined by their calendars and instructional guides rather than what students are able to handle. Students are frequently overwhelmed by this pace and move through lessons, readings, and assignments without understanding, connecting, or retaining, much less mastering the material or making any meaning from it. While an increased number of assignments gives the appearance of holding students to a high standard, this approach amounts to teaching the subject rather than the students. Good teaching practice requires fitting the curriculum and schedule to student needs.

Randy Bomer stresses the importance of writing as a process in Building Adolescent Literacy in Today’s English Classrooms. In reference to this process he states that “Making quality things . . . is not simply a matter of having high standards; it’s more a matter of strategically lowering one’s standards when it’s time to make a first move, and also being able to raise them progressively across the revision process” (Bomer 204). This approach emphasizes the importance of scaffolding student learning by building on the previously laid foundation and providing plenty of time and opportunity for practicing the skills taught. By shifting the focus from speed and quantity to process and quality, teachers can promote true rigor and purposeful learning that surpasses the ability to churn out shallowly developed essays only good enough to meet the benchmarks on formal assessments.

*This is an intentional misspelling and re-purposing of rigmarole/rigamarole (both correct spellings).

Killing Hope

Please STOP. We all need to STOP. Just cut the foolishness and the drama and the hatred NOW. We are not just hurting ourselves and each other; we are damaging our kids. They see our anger and our ugliness, and they are afraid because we are the adults and we aren't acting like it. We're throwing insults and threatening each other and treating one another exactly opposite of how we've always told them they should treat each other.

I just saw a sophomore in tears because she is so overwhelmed with so much more than her schoolwork and basic teenage concerns. She said she's worried about the election because it's HER future, too, and it isn't only about who wins this election.

"It doesn't matter who they're voting for, I'm tired of seeing everyone fighting." THIS is the future she sees, not the wrong person getting elected but everyone at war with their neighbors, friends, and family.

Do you know what I told her? The same thing I'm going to tell you. It will all be okay, no matter who is elected. Go ahead and repeat that slowly a few times to yourselves.

It. Will. All. Be. Okay.

Some things could get worse. Or they could get better. But we will all make it through the next four years of whichever of these clowns gets elected. Eight if necessary.

So suck it up and quit scaring the kids, please.

Quit scaring yourselves while you're at it.

Stop calling one another names and saying that those voting for the candidate you oppose are committing treason or should be rounded up and incarcerated or deported or shot.

Do you hear yourselves? What would you say to your child if (s)he came home from school and said the same of a classmate with whom (s)he didn't agree? Parents need anti-bullying programs more than children do.

Maybe this is why there have been so many fights at my high school. Perhaps it's part of the reason why kids are shutting down or overwhelmed and breaking down and apathy is on the rise. This is the death of hope in the next generation, and every single one of us who does not do something to stem this tide of hatred is guilty of sticking a knife in that hope and bringing it closer to its ever-quickening demise. WE did that. Are doing it still.

But we can STOP.

We can change. We can love. We can encourage. We can curb our judgments and temper our words with kindness. We can build hope.

Or we can destroy it.

The choice is ours.

2016 KATE Conference

On Thursday and Friday of this week I attended the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE) Conference in Wichita. As excited as I was in the weeks leading up to it, the conference still managed to exceed my expectations. The mutual goal of educating and supporting young people served as the uniting bond, strengthened by a high level of professionalism. These, along with the warmth and openness of all present proved a refreshing tonic after months of slogging through the current social and political climate. This is what people can achieve when they set aside their differences and work together.

One big surprise of the weekend for me was how much I got out of the first keynote address. I have never read any of Bill Konigsburg’s books and doubted if I ever would. There are so many books and just so little time. From what I had heard about this author and his books, I didn’t think this keynote would benefit me much. Dear reader, it is a foolish and dangerous notion to judge that another person has nothing to contribute to your life. Such thinking goes against my core beliefs, yet I sometimes catch myself heading down that treacherous path, and I am thankful for the warning signs and reminders that put me back on track.

During his keynote address, Mr. Konigsburg spoke very honestly about the emotional turmoil he experienced while grappling with his identity as a young gay man. It takes a lot of guts to share such a personal story with a room full of strangers, and I am grateful for his willingness to do so. Although these are experiences I do not share, this perspective increases my ability to empathize with others who may be going through similar trials, and it informs my words and actions so that they can be imbued with greater kindness, gentleness, and care.

Toward the end of his keynote speech, Mr. Konigsburg said something that particularly struck me. He said that someday he hopes to meet a teacher who is “a Christian, a pro-lifer, and who believes being gay is a sin” and that this teacher will save just one kid who is going through what he did by showing that they care. I had hoped that I would have the opportunity to talk with Mr. Konigsburg later in the day and thank him personally for his speech and especially for saying this one thing, but I didn’t see him when there wasn’t a crowd around him. The description may not fit me precisely, but it’s close enough, and I am certain there are quite a few more Christian teachers and student teachers who feel the same way. It is possible to love and support people individually without agreeing with them on everything.  I think the world has forgotten that. It’s time we remembered.

There are so many more things I learned this week. I am still trying to digest it all. Several of the breakout sessions as well as the Thursday lunch keynote speech and the Friday lunch panel dealt with diversity and inclusiveness. All of these fit very well with my own presentation on teaching social justice, and several others offered ideas I would like to incorporate into my teaching on this theme. Kevin Rabas’ Thursday presentation on ekphrastic poetry, poetry in response to art, gave me a specific way to use the art I had been thinking of pairing with some of the written texts I’m considering, and I added this idea to my own presentation on Friday.

Above all, the collegiality at this conference made it such a wonderful experience and really helped build my vision for teaching as a member of this community of teachers and also for working within our individual schools and communities. I am truly blessed to be part of such an amazing group of student teachers who add such depth and richness to my life and my understanding of it. The opportunity to glean from the experience of seasoned teachers already in the field has been priceless, too. My biggest take away from the conference was that together, with love, we can do great things.

Incorporating Art Into a Unit on Social Justice

Below is a list of artworks, artists, and links to include in a unit on social justice. I'd love to add your recommendations to the list!

·      Photography of Dorothea Lange – Depression Era, poverty, migrant workers, Japanese internment camps

·      Guernica – Pablo Picasso (protest against bombing of a village in Spain)

·      The Third of May 1808 and The Disasters of War series – Francisco de Goya

·      The Raft of the Medusa – Theodore Géricault

·      The Uprising – Diego Rivera

·      Self Portrait Along the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States – Frida Kahlo

·      The Prison Courtyard – Vincent van Gogh

·      The Problem We All Live With and Southern Justice – Norman Rockwell

·      Roger Shimomura – works on racism, Japanese internment, identity, culture

·      Liberty Leading the People – Eugene Delacroix

·      Flower Sellers of London and London – Gustave Doré

·      Art of Käthe Kollwitz

·      http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1678584_1477732,00.html

·      http://digitalsynopsis.com/inspiration/36-thought-provoking-paintings-pawel-kuczynski/

·      http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/banksy%E2%80%99s-10-most-powerful-works-social-commentary

·      https://nladesignvisual.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/willie-bester-1956/

·      http://www.boredpanda.com/powerful-social-advertisements/

·      http://www.boredpanda.com/collage-art-social-issues-joe-webb/

·      https://amandalouisesummerscales.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/artists-research/ (domestic violence)

·      Nicolas Lampert, A People's Art History of the United States: 250 Years of Activist Art and Artists Working in Social Justice Movements (New York, The New Press, 2013)

·      http://www.nicolaslampert.org/ - Pages on community art, art activism, art focused on social justice and ecology

·      http://urfaim.blogspot.com/2009/06/peoples-media-case-study-on-art-of.html (The art of Emory Douglas for the Black Panther Party)

·      https://www.pinterest.com/explore/political-art/

·      http://art-for-a-change.com/blog/

Poems About Social Justice/Social Issues

I will continue adding to this list as I find new poems. Please leave any recommendations you have in the comments below so I can add them.

·      Langston Hughes

o   “Harlem” (“Dream Deferred”) – “I, Too” – “Let America Be America Again” - “The Weary Blues” – “Theme for English B” – “Madam and the Charity Child” – “Mother to Son” – “Out of Work” – “The Ballad of the Landlord”

·      Countee Cullen

o   “Incident” – “Thoughts in a Zoo” – “Tableau” – “I Have a Rendezvous With Life” – “Uncle Jim” – “Saturday’s Child”

·      Maya Angelou

o   “Still I Rise” – “In All Ways a Woman” – “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” – “On the Pulse of the Morning”

·      Paul Laurence Dunbar

o   “We Wear the Mask” – “Sympathy”

·      Alfred, Lord Tennyson

o   “The Charge of the Light Brigade”

·      Rudyard Kipling

o   “The Last of the Light Brigade” – “Justice”

·      William Blake

o   “The Chimney Sweeper” (from Songs of Innocence) – “The Chimney Sweeper” (from Songs of Experience)

·      Jacqueline Woodson – various poems from Brown Girl Dreaming

·      Robert Frost

o   “Mending Wall”

·      Yusef Komunyakaa

o   “Ghazal, After Ferguson”

·      Ailish Hopper

o   “Did It Ever Occur to You That Maybe You’re Falling in Love?”

·      Tony Hoagland

o   “America

·      Chase Twichell

o   “Corporate Geese” – “Negligent Worldicide”

·      Robinson Jeffers

o   “The Answer” – “The Purse-Seine”

·      Richard Michelson

o   “Counting to Six Million”

·      Nikki Giovanni

o   “The Song of the Feet”

·       

While You Were Sleeping (Creative Reflection #1)

While You Were Sleeping,

We discussed the novel:

Broad themes, finer points,

Literary devices,

Plot structure,

Character analysis,

The author’s redress of the

“Manic Pixie Dream Girl” trope,

And the dark side of

Young adult lit.

We left the classroom

Went Looking for Alaska,

Wandered the Labyrinth,

Sought a Great Perhaps,

Spoke of life and death and

The depression that can

Swallow the one to

Spit it out as the other.

When still you did not stir

For that oh-so salacious scene

The “good” stuff they say teens want—

“Raw, honest, real,”

I leaned in and listened

To hear you breathe.

A slim, glistening thread

Coupling lip to desk

Quivered and broke as you

Sleepily sighed,

Stopping me short

Of checking your pulse.

And then the bell sounded,

Instantly sending you upright

And out the door,

As if you had never

Suffered an English-induced

Coma,

As if you had never been

Engaged.