Wow, I simply cannot believe this semester, let alone this class is already over. I have met some of the most amazing people in this class. Not to mention I have learned and gathered so much insight from our class discussions and my own research inspired by those discussions. On the chance of coming across as a suck up, I just want to thank Kim Jaxon for the most amazing semester. I have to admit that I did get into this major because I personally love to read and write. However, Kim has taught me that not everyone else in the world of learning feels the same (baffling, I know). And along with this particular situation I came to discover an intense curiosity of how Kim herself would teach a classroom full of children who particularly hate literature. And the answer I received was astounding. I will admit, with standardized testing and learning policies I do believe her ideas are a bit revolutionary but with our constantly evolving world of education, I think we will be there in no time. She told me that she would not have everyone do any one assignment in any one way. She would give them an objective and let them convey their own message through their own mode of presentation. For example, some could write an essay, some could write a short story, others could give a speech, others could write a sonnet; some may collaborate on a video, and so on. I believe that my own personal philosophies of literacy have, without a doubt, completely changed. I believe there is no standard of literacy to base language off of, and along with that I also don’t believe that any one test can assess that literacy achievement. And through this discovery I have become immensely proud of my major. I am part of the movement of language. We are constantly evolving. If you said “wassup home dawg get on my level wasz happnin” to Moses, he probably wouldn’t understand you. But now, even the most educated know what that means even if they do not choose to speak that way. It may not be “proper” but its functional. Like in my very rushed Ignite speech, I believe that if we as future teachers tell someone that they do not speak or write correctly we might as well say they are not living correctly because they are gay, or have green hair. We are evolving as a race, nothing is wrong. In fact, I move to take the word “wrong” out of our dictionaries completely, but that’s a whole different discussion. There are so many perspectives our world is missing out on because the people who have walked those roads, who have lived those hard lives, those who see and paint the sky green and the grass blue, were once upon a time told they were incorrect. They were told that not only their ideas but their mode of communication was wrong. And there their literary road ended. It’s a premature death for those who could learn so much and be so inspired by the written word. I myself, once I learned how to read and finally write, fell head over heels in love with literature. My parents have told me recently that when I was younger I had the most insane imagination. I used to love to write and tell stories. However, my 4th grade teacher called my parents into a very important parent teacher conference and revealed to them that I could not spell to save my life. She told them that it was vital to begin teaching me the construction of proper grammar and spelling. My parents simply told her that it was more important to them that I cultivated my imagination than my writing construction skills. Six years later I found myself in an AP English Composition class in high school where I was taught the dynamics and fine details of writing construction. Then and there I fell even more in love with English because I had already had many years of free creative writing. Everyone needs my experience. I am not the most amazing writer that ever lived, but I will never be able to thank my parents enough for letting me try something with the possibility of failing. They had faith in me, and therefore I have learned through this class that I need to have faith in others abilities as well. Having said all of that, I will use the knowledge base and new perspectives I have gained from this class throughout the rest of my time here at CSU Chico, and into my future career and a teacher and molder of young minds. I cannot thank you enough Kim, and now I will stop because I’m going to cry.

As for my Internship with Ms. Fisher at Pleasant Valley High School. Wow has this been an experience. Let me start by saying that this woman is real. And by real I mean really amazing. She has so much compassion and discipline. She is known by her students as “that strict teacher no one ever wants.’ And let me tell you, its true. When Ms. Fisher sees potential she doesn’t stop pushing until you’ve reached it. I just have to say I have learned so much from her throughout my internship this semester. I had days where I wanted to quit, she seemed impossible to please. She was not only the strict teacher for her students but her interns as well. She had me grade papers, revise resumes, grade tests, and even give a mini teach on the importance of syntax to a room full of junior AP students a week before their AP test. That’s a lot of pressure, I do not regret a minute of it. She was so honest with me about everything from content and relevance, to even the choreography of teaching as well. She told me I needed to be engaging while also readying my power-point, pulling down the projection screen, turning off the lights, closing the door, and following through on mini assignments. I was terrified, I just thought I was going to give a presentation. But right before I walked up to give my mini teach she leaned in and told me if I stuttered, if I stumbled, if I lost my place, or if I tripped and face planted, I needed to get up dust off and laugh. And all at once I had all the confidence I needed. She told me that because I was in this awkward limbo of not being old enough to be their authority, but not young enough to be their friend, that they, believe it or not, really actually wanted me to succeed. And because of them, and because of her I did. I pulled through because they, strangers, all wanted me to. Those kids are at such an advantage in life simply by being in Fisher’s class. She has taught them valuable life skills, such as presentation and speaking skills, and resume building. They are already so much more prepared for life than I was when I graduated high school.

And last but not least, Ms. Fisher’s dance class that I had the pleasure of being invited into through the course of this semester. Wow, wow, wow. The progress, the talent, the attitude changes, the discipline, the motivation, the determination. I have watched this classroom full of students I knew nothing about blossom into these amazing dancers, and more amazing people. I have watched students with little to no experience learn to move with such grace and poise. I have watched students completely uninterested in actually dancing, but just trying to get an easy A, become some of the most motivated individuals. I have watched Ms. Fisher change the lives of the students in this classroom. This last Friday the 9th, I was in her dance class as usual, talking to the students, giving them feedback and pointers when Fisher asked me to record some duo performances on her ipad so that she could critique in her own time. Many pairs went and really showed off their new-found skill set. Then this couple went. I recorded their every move while watching with absolute shock. When their dance was finally over I put the ipad down and walked outside because I didn’t want the students to see me cry. There are no words to describe that piece. These two students worked so hard, gained so much progress, and just brought the house down with their performance. I cried like a baby at the sheer magnificence of their bodies together. It was nothing less than magical. Another young lady followed me outside and hugged me while we both cried and giggled at our silly feelings. And at that moment I had never felt more connected to that group of individuals. Fisher even gave me a hug too when she saw how effected I was by the performance. And finally another young lady approached me at the end of that class and told me she really appreciated how emotional I got. She told me that there have been other interns that have come and gone throughout that class and that she felt that I just wanted to be there and hang out with them and watch them grow the most. I told her that I felt like I knew them all so well with having spoken so little. I could see their pain and their success through their dancing alone. I told her I had watched them blossom. I cannot believe next week is my last. I’m sure this week will see many more tears. And more than anything I’m sure I’ll cry like a baby at their recital on Tuesday the 20th.

Both this class and this internship has completely changed the person I am today. I have gained many new perspectives, I have gained much more patience, and I have fallen even more in love with the subject I wish to teach and the place, high school, I wish to teach it. And here come the water works. Alright I’ll wrap this up. Thank you for everything Kim Jaxon and Ms. Fisher.

This video will push some buttons but I personally enjoy Fry’s talks and I felt this one had a very strong message.

Stephen Fry Typography – Language

“cultural fabric of a community [might] be stretched or altered when it encounters new ideas and members.”

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment, this is exactly what we are all afraid of in some way or another. Change. Something revolutionary and brilliant may come along but many of us will just let it pass by on the chance that it may upset the status quo. Being a Catholic, Conservative myself I am terrified of new things. I don’t mind innovation as much as forgetting tradition. I’ll be the first to admit I dodge change whenever I can. Not because I am anti-innovation, I mean I sure as hell love new, faster, and better ways to do even the simplest day to day tasks. That lets me be #lazy and the slowly evaporating teenager still in me loves letting technology do all the work. But because I sometimes feel targeted with “old-school” or “ancient” or even “bigot” stereotypes whenever my views are exposed and challenged I tend to shy away from such topics. In other words I am am prime example of someone set in a direction, on a paved road to success and terrified of off-roading.

This is all relevant to the article I read I promise. The article I read was by a 9th grade English honors teacher by the name Sean Hackney who is currently reading the book “Things Fall Apart” by  Chinua Achebe in his classroom. The quote I began with is “essential question” he asks his students when introducing them to this novel and an insightful nudge for all of them to apply the concepts they learn from their book to current time. He goes on to relate that to an announcement he heard on the radio about new ways to define relationships on facebook. In this case leaving more room for facebook users to describe the true essence of themselves and their chosen romantic endeavors could be viewed as revolutionary. It is remarkable how some people would describe their own personal accounts when given the room to do so. However, this could be entirely too dangerous for any society to dive into blindfolded. When people are handed the power of true, essential, expression what they do with it is out of our hands. And for those not so accepting of change, like myself, it can be detrimental. Some people do not account for the things they say in self expression as a personal assault on another’s beliefs. There are ways to say things in a neutral manner, and then there are people who say things to purposely ruffle others feathers.  And this is where Hackney tries to walk that line with his students while also trying to show them the endless possibilities one could be presented with if they were simply not afraid of but embracing this ever changing world.

Hybrid Pedegogy Article Link:

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HybridPed/~3/g33ho1SUzic/

The book I and my group read was very insightful. We read the first three chapters together then broke up the last five. My chapter was about a little boy named Marcel. Marcel was very ordinary with streaks of extraordinary. He, like many other little boys, was really involved in the world of sports. He played on an imaginary football team with a very strict imaginary coach. He and his teammates had a very strict practice schedule and didn’t quite make it to the super bowl. However, Marcel unintentionally taught himself basic American geography and also how to spell through his love for sports. His teacher Ms. Rita understood that most children this age did not spell very well so she taught them to learn to spell from resources other than a dictionary. She provided them with globes and maps and all sorts of other material that they could learn form. Then somewhere along the line she discovered that Marcel was teaching himself how to spell and write through the use of mock writing. Where he would copy things he saw on maps or the board or on the television in regards to sports news. He would copy things that broadcasters typically said and taught himself how to read and write essentially through the realm of sports.

Can someone please tell me why our university provides us with this wonderful course on literacy and what it means to be literate, while our sister junior college (who will go unnamed, though we all know what I’m talking about) is teaching a friend of mine that goes there that the way she speaks is specifically “illiterate” and not a useful form of communication? This friend of mine was born and raised in an inner-city location and life style. On top of that English was not her first language. All that being said, I was raised in private schooling and English is my first language and I still manage to understand her. We laugh and joke and text and write each other little notes, hers in the way she speaks and mine in the way I do and yet somehow we understand each other and genuinely enjoy each others company. How is it that I have no problem with the way she speaks yet she can be told by a teacher that the way she communicates “isn’t good enough?” That sounds like a set literacy standard to me… Uh-oh what’s going on here… This is the kind of behavior in teachers that turns on the mute button for too many students these days. Can’t we just work together?  This just baffles me. If anyone wants to attempt an explanation please enlighten me.    I just felt like bloging this, I thought it was relevant.