Saturday, December 8, 2007

Stranded in Bethelda

So I won't be making back to the rock today, I'm stuck in Bethelda. They canceled all the flights to the coast for "weather reasons," which is the popular term for the condition that airlines get when "Tununak, Toksook Bay, Nelson Island, Mekoryuk run is going to be too much of a pain in the ass for us today so we'll cancel it and hope some of y'all won't come back tomorrow." The positive of that is this twist of fate is that I might get in a poker game tonight, which will be fine I guess. I'll give all you loved ones a call when I get back to the MekRockyuk on Sunday.

"Realize with Real Eyes Real Lies"

a quote from Isaac and Jessica and Tacoma School of the Arts

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kale,
Man this is pretty intense. Taken in all at once I find myself trying to pore over the pieces of shrapnel you have cast into the education system. Wild and erratic as the questions were I find myself trying to develop a myriad of answers. I have had simlilar questions and always I seemed to have at some point in my life some one generally more experienced to ask. Yet advice out here, man, stuffs as rare as hens teeth. As I think about it I know how my mentors have always addressed the questions I asked trying to guide me to an answer. I don't think they knew the answer beforehand, yet somehow at the end of the discussion there was some resolution. As I sit here and read this stuff I am pretty sure I don't know the answer right at this moment but as we walk through all of this lets see if we can get somewhere. We could just be the blind leading the blind, but we may find our one eyed king. Man how does someone give advice. There are things I want to say but there is a core of beliefs that maybe shuld be brought up. This is going to be rather disjointed but I know no other way. Truly blind. Watch out for limitations, my older brother once cautioned me with this phrase "No one can MAKE you do anything. (Like the phrase you make me so mad) you yourself choose to get mad at what someone does. It is a decision on your part." Phases can't break the glory that is science for you or your students. You could let it be the excuse, or you could fight it. But how, phases are not going to go away, how big of an obstacle are you going to make it for yourself. Find the chinks in the armor, it is your classroom, you determine what is proficient. WHat is your goal and do you feel your student has mastered it? I fthey have they have passed your class. Forget about the grades do you feel the student is adequately prepare for the next level of devlopment. Phases are just paperwork, if the district wants to give the kids tests so what. It is your classroom, is the test out of the book? let the kids use the book on the test. There is not that much difference between that and teaching to the test making sure you cover everything they will tested on. either way the district gets its due dilligence You have just cut out the middle man and saved the time that you have with the students. Now the onus is on you. What are you going to do with this time? How are you going to engage these apathetic kids to become curious. Chess is incredible, although I am not that good at it, it has almost become an odd philosophy of life for me. Checkmate is the goal, everything else is meaningless. Getting the kids to think is the goal, grades are useless. So was thinking about engagin the kids, I have never taught science, but what have you done with music in the class for science. Juggling at all? What do you know about your students. They all have their pieces and it is like a game og 12 on one. Snowmachines, religion, anything that can be an angle. This is what I am realizing, history itself is pointless, it is only useful as a medium for engaging students in thought. If it isn't working what other mediums can I use. Out here we can achieve what ever we want with our students, in the right light the phase system is almost liberating.

I am not sure how this blog thing works yet. Feel free to respond whichever way is easiest.
Mark

Anonymous said...

My friend had a shirt that had a picture of native americans standing in a line (black and white photo)with the phrase "Real eyes realize real lies" above it. It was an awesome shirt! Not sure where he got it, but cool none the less.

Maleia


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