Begin Again

There was an old man named Michael Finnegan.

He had whiskers on his chinnegan.

They fell and and then grew in again.

I posted this already as a response to this blog post, but I'm posting it here for myself!

As a 9-12 teacher, I use the 5 paragraph essay with my lower grades and lower level students. It provides structure to their thinking, especially when they lack the experience to express themselves on literary topics.

With upper level grades or advanced students, we really focus on tight theses and support, not so much on format.

I think the reason that this is an issue with colleges is systemic to both the k-12 system and college system. While it is true that public schools often don’t push students to develop critical thinking skills, and therefore produce poor writers, it is also true that colleges are being run more and more as businesses, and accepting students of lower caliber.

I don’t believe that there has ever been a time in history where a society has attempted to educate, at such a high level, it’s entire populace. So, we have a systemic ‘problem’ that emerges as poorly literate college students, when really they’re highly literate elementary ones.

Our district is really undergoing growing pains as we develop a comprehensive k-12 literacy program. As a 13 year veteran, I’m basically relearning my craft. I don’t think it’s that high schools are necessarily producing less literate students, it’s just that more are choosing to go to college than ever before, and current research in literacy is exposing a gap that we’ve had for quite some time.

Poor old Michael Finnegan.

Begin again.

The Struggle Within

(Struggle within) It suits you fine,
(Struggle within) Your ruin.

I'm attending a training on working with struggling readers this week. It's truly something I want to learn more about.

We're 'unpacking' our own reading by attempting a difficult text - "Oracle Night" by Paul Auster. This text contains narrative-within-narrative structures that make it difficult to read. I see how it could be, but for me, it's not, really. I'm currently reading a much denser text by Carl Sagan. It's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Darkness", and it is a text with which I struggle. I've spent time metacognizing about why it's difficult for me, as we're supposed to do with "Oracle Night". This is my second go at it, as the last time I tried to read it, my personal life created barriers. At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I understand the desire to increase student achievement. Reading is critical to the success of this endeavor, and the success of the respective student. Yet I feel continually disappointed in the inservice we receive on these topics. Will this be another year of prolonged diatribes and misapplied concepts from the administration?

I'm afraid it will.

The superintendent is currently reading about the crucial role that literacy plays in a democratic society. But this is something we covered in a one-day workshop when Kelly Gallagher presented in the valley a couple of years ago. It is something that, left to my own devices, I've worked with my students on since then.

This workshop presenter posed the question about why is reading valuable; my answer, read Gallagher's nine Reading Reasons. Sheesh! The thing I like about Gallagher is that it isn't just about research, it's about practical applications. Why is it assumed that we don't listen, don't care, or don't know?

The authoritarian structure just really irritates me.

I think this will be a good workshop. Even though I go into these feeling like I'm reinventing the wheel (or, more precisely, watching someone else talk about how they've reinvented the wheel), I remain optimistic.

At least I got a free book out of it.

As my favorite band asked:

(What the hell) What is it you think you're gonna find?
(Hypocrite) Boredom sets in to the boring mind.

(Struggle within) You seal your own coffin,
(Struggle within) The struggling within.