Jan 30, 2011
Jan 3, 2011
VIP
"My Grandparents always made me feel I was the most important person in the world. Most children will make it if they have just one person who makes them feel that way.” -William Jefferson Clinton
You know, Clinton was never a teacher but in his autobiography he carves out the core of Education. Recently, I've rediscovered the secret to teaching in its simplest form. Caring. Simply... caring. till it hurts. It’s sad because after 4 years of Education Theory classes, "Believing in Students" has almost become cliche... and even worse, underrated. It wasn't about till my second month of school that I even realized I wasn't really committing to my kids. Eventually, I had to stop trying so hard to become a good teacher because it was getting in the way of helping my students grow. There's a huge difference between, "How can I be better?" and, "What do they need?"
I started investing in my students personally. emotionally. financially. I would think about them constantly... during the weekends. I started seeing their faces everywhere. The first image as soon as I wake up. Last thought before I fall sleep. I was lesson planning in the shower. Reciting motivational speeches in the car. My day started and ended in room 205 of the 11th grade wing. And slowly, things began to change. When I lectured, she would listen. When I questioned, he would answer. They could see it in my eyes.
My students began to really respond to me when I started becoming personally destroyed by their failures. When I'm genuinely hurt that they cut my class. Extremely disappointed when they miss homework. My commitment laid the foundation for my discipline. My yelling and screaming that they refer to as "Super Saiyan". I've earned the right. But my heart had to break for theirs to move.
At the peak of my "Denzel" swagger, I sound like this:
"No. That's NOT good enough. Yes. You ARE smart. And NOT later. Right now. We're going to finish and we're not leaving this room until we do."
Then, he hangs his head and starts to scribble in his notebook. And in that moment, he is the most important person in the world.
You know, Clinton was never a teacher but in his autobiography he carves out the core of Education. Recently, I've rediscovered the secret to teaching in its simplest form. Caring. Simply... caring. till it hurts. It’s sad because after 4 years of Education Theory classes, "Believing in Students" has almost become cliche... and even worse, underrated. It wasn't about till my second month of school that I even realized I wasn't really committing to my kids. Eventually, I had to stop trying so hard to become a good teacher because it was getting in the way of helping my students grow. There's a huge difference between, "How can I be better?" and, "What do they need?"
I started investing in my students personally. emotionally. financially. I would think about them constantly... during the weekends. I started seeing their faces everywhere. The first image as soon as I wake up. Last thought before I fall sleep. I was lesson planning in the shower. Reciting motivational speeches in the car. My day started and ended in room 205 of the 11th grade wing. And slowly, things began to change. When I lectured, she would listen. When I questioned, he would answer. They could see it in my eyes.
My students began to really respond to me when I started becoming personally destroyed by their failures. When I'm genuinely hurt that they cut my class. Extremely disappointed when they miss homework. My commitment laid the foundation for my discipline. My yelling and screaming that they refer to as "Super Saiyan". I've earned the right. But my heart had to break for theirs to move.
At the peak of my "Denzel" swagger, I sound like this:
"No. That's NOT good enough. Yes. You ARE smart. And NOT later. Right now. We're going to finish and we're not leaving this room until we do."
Then, he hangs his head and starts to scribble in his notebook. And in that moment, he is the most important person in the world.
Dec 21, 2010
Fusion Words
(As students enter my room)
O: Hey Mista.
Me: Morning, Otistia.
O: You still rockin them Smedium pants...
------------------------------------------------
(In the car)
Me: So you guys are friends?
Erin: Well, we're kind of frenemies...
O: Hey Mista.
Me: Morning, Otistia.
O: You still rockin them Smedium pants...
------------------------------------------------
(In the car)
Me: So you guys are friends?
Erin: Well, we're kind of frenemies...
Nov 18, 2010
Correlation
I have a lot to learn about teaching, but in some respects I will never be better than I am right now.
Nov 15, 2010
Eric
"Slowhand Clapton soloed with a daggerlike tone and pinpoint attention to melody."
-RollingStone
"His 'woman tone' is an overdriven sound that is articulate yet thick."
–Gibson
"I think it's important to say something powerful and keep it economical."
-Clapton
Eventually, I’d like to write the way Clapton plays.
-RollingStone
"His 'woman tone' is an overdriven sound that is articulate yet thick."
–Gibson
"I think it's important to say something powerful and keep it economical."
-Clapton
Eventually, I’d like to write the way Clapton plays.
Nov 14, 2010
Nov 6, 2010
On Alcohol
Erin: Oppa, I don't really get drinking.
Ben: Yea, it's silly. Adults do it together to have fun.
Erin: So like a playdate.
Ben: Yea, it's silly. Adults do it together to have fun.
Erin: So like a playdate.
Oct 24, 2010
Interim
There's a certain relief I feel since I’ve given up trying to capture the teaching experience in a blog. Or a conversation for that matter. I mean I appreciate the gesture but really ... how do I respond to, "So how's teaching going?" It’s so much bigger than I am, that right now I'm just scrambling for any kind of footing.
It seems every morning, I still wake up giddy in the honeymoon period of my job. I pull out of the driveway thinking I’ve figured out this teaching thing but second guess myself the whole drive home. Some days at the end of class, my kids throw me nods and fist-pounds on their way out. Other days, they step over my dignity and out the door, as I exhale in defeat. But no matter what, I go to sleep every night full and used. It’s the release that comes only when you're doing exactly what you were born to do. When you're living at your workplace, without wanting to be anywhere else. Spending yourself completely and feeling that it's all worth it. I can deal with the days I suck as a teacher because I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
It’s kind of like a first love all over again. When you have no experience, you're just happy to be there. It’s not better or worse than anything. It just is. Being in survival mode is simply about finishing. And when I do, THEN I’ll tell you how teaching is. In the meantime, this poem(0:58) says more about the first time than I’m able to say right now.
It seems every morning, I still wake up giddy in the honeymoon period of my job. I pull out of the driveway thinking I’ve figured out this teaching thing but second guess myself the whole drive home. Some days at the end of class, my kids throw me nods and fist-pounds on their way out. Other days, they step over my dignity and out the door, as I exhale in defeat. But no matter what, I go to sleep every night full and used. It’s the release that comes only when you're doing exactly what you were born to do. When you're living at your workplace, without wanting to be anywhere else. Spending yourself completely and feeling that it's all worth it. I can deal with the days I suck as a teacher because I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
It’s kind of like a first love all over again. When you have no experience, you're just happy to be there. It’s not better or worse than anything. It just is. Being in survival mode is simply about finishing. And when I do, THEN I’ll tell you how teaching is. In the meantime, this poem(0:58) says more about the first time than I’m able to say right now.
Sep 3, 2010
|x|
A funny thing happened at the library, as I’m helping my 10 year old sister pick out her weekly book. She looks up from the stack of Juvenile Fiction novels I picked out and says in frustration, “Oppa, I just want to read a book with a good ending. I don’t care if it’s funny, happy, or sad, I just want it to be good.” And with that that, she confirmed my long-held suspicion that she, too, has my germ. A disorder I can only classify as "emotional appetite". My mom calls it passion. My friends call it annoying. We all have it to a certain degree. It’s what keeps us up at night and out on weekends.
Like this. My mom and I recently waged the 2nd Korean War. It was our first shouting match in what seems like years, so it drew out all kinds of deeply-rooted baggage. But in hindsight, I didn’t hate it. To be perfectly honest, I kind of enjoyed it. The tears, gestures, and shouting. Throughout the work week, it’s just nice to feel alive.
Cause my sister and I are sort of addicted to stimulation. And we'll take it at any cost. Watch this video(1:52)of Kanye and you’ll know what I’m talking about. He doesn't mind the pain. Maybe, he even prefers it. And he doesn't mind disasters. Just look at his life. At the end of the day, I want to be a high-risk/high-reward guy. Hit or miss. Whether my students like me or not, I just want to get a rise out of them. get their minds churning.
For now, I'm just focusing on the Absolute Value. Remember in Algebra, where if two lines flank an integer you ignore the sign and the answer becomes its distance from zero? For better or worse, I'm just trying to go big. These days, Erin follows me to the Adult Section of the library, looking for Absolute Value.
Like this. My mom and I recently waged the 2nd Korean War. It was our first shouting match in what seems like years, so it drew out all kinds of deeply-rooted baggage. But in hindsight, I didn’t hate it. To be perfectly honest, I kind of enjoyed it. The tears, gestures, and shouting. Throughout the work week, it’s just nice to feel alive.
Cause my sister and I are sort of addicted to stimulation. And we'll take it at any cost. Watch this video(1:52)of Kanye and you’ll know what I’m talking about. He doesn't mind the pain. Maybe, he even prefers it. And he doesn't mind disasters. Just look at his life. At the end of the day, I want to be a high-risk/high-reward guy. Hit or miss. Whether my students like me or not, I just want to get a rise out of them. get their minds churning.
For now, I'm just focusing on the Absolute Value. Remember in Algebra, where if two lines flank an integer you ignore the sign and the answer becomes its distance from zero? For better or worse, I'm just trying to go big. These days, Erin follows me to the Adult Section of the library, looking for Absolute Value.
Aug 1, 2010
Downplay
Lately, I get off on the blogs I don't write. Kinda like a secret between me and God. Besides, I wouldn't know where to start anyway.
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