Not Yet

I'm fortunate to have many friends that care about education. Yes, I even have friends who are outside the field who care about it deeply, and they should. We all should. However, it became very clear to me that I had very different ideas than the people who are outside the field of education. For a time, I didn't have a good way of debating against what they were saying; I just assumed that it was more of a matter of opinion. It never sat right with me though, and when something doesn't sit right with me it sort of claws at the insides of my brain until a solution comes forward. Well, I found my rebuttal today.

The question was whether people should be given an education that was more tailored to their interests and skills - sort of like what's done at the college level - or do we keep the education system established as a more general font of knowledge. We all can understand the concept that everyone is usually good at something, that people are usually analytically minded or creatively minded. So why teach analytical subjects like calculus or physics to creative minded people? Why teach art appreciation or literature studies to someone who is more analytically minded? My friends would suggest that we need to find out what students are good at and interested in, and then design curriculums around that. That sounds nice, but what we are really teaching with this model is that, so long as you think you aren't good at something, you don't have to try or succeed at it. 

Now, I've created a bit of a strawman argument in that last paragraph. I'm sure people are shaking their heads and saying, "But Jake, that's not what I meant," and I believe them. Really, I do. But you still can't escape the fact that, when you vouch for an education system that only focuses on your natural abilities and interests, you not only take away the one thing necessary for a republic to function (which is a general education by the way), but you create a fixed mindset.

Carol Dweck does a much better job explaining growth mindset and fixed mindset, but I can tell you that you want students to have a growth mindset, that they can become better at anything they put their minds to with enough practice and effort. When I tell students that I appreciate their effort on something or I recognize that did try really hard, I'm creating a growth mindset. I want to encourage the idea that my students can do anything they put their minds to because I know they can. On the other hand, when a student does well on a test and a teacher tells them, "Wow! You're so smart!" and then the next test rolls around and the student fails it, what message does that convey to the student? That they weren't smart enough to pass that test. See the difference?

So let's go over it again (a lesson wrap up if you will, hehehe). A growth mindset is when you encourage the idea in students that they can do anything. Good effort is what you praise rather than whether the student succeeded or not. A fixed mindset though praises the innate abilities of your students - like their intelligence - which will eventually backfire into making the student think they aren't really all that smart when really they are. A general education - one that encourages students to attempt learning and grow in areas where they otherwise wouldn't be good in - is the type of education system that will win me over every time due to its importance for creating educated citizens of a republic, and creating a population that believes they can do anything they can put their minds to.

What I'm Doing

School starts on the 13th. I've just arrived in my village, my classroom has yet to be cleaned up and arranged, the smartboard still needs hooked up, and I'm pretty sure I have all of my textbooks and supporting materials. The question is: What in the world am I teaching? I know that I'm teaching a 9th grade, 10th grade, and British literature courses, but what are the particular passages I'm supposed to teach? What skills should I be focusing on?

Luckily, I was able to learn how to access the district's curriculum maps during my time at the inservice. I’m excited to say that I’m in love with my curriculum or at least how it is set up. As my site administrator told me: the curriculum is set up the way it is so I can have more time making the lessons fun rather than worrying at four o’clock in the morning wondering what I'm going to teach. For someone who has stayed up until four o’clock in the morning finishing up lesson plans, I just about cried when I saw that everything was already planned from August to May. All I have to worry about was the execution of the content and lessons, and differentiation of instruction. It’s still a bit of work, but now I don’t have to figure out if I want to teach the ellipsis first or the colon. The curriculum isn’t necessarily a script though; there is wiggle room for me in case I feel there is a better story or better way of going about teaching the skill for the day.

When my site administrator was telling me this, I remembered a huge revelation I had in one of my education classes. Language Arts education is moving from a content-based education and is moving towards a skills-based education. That is, I don’t really care if you’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird, but rather I care if you are able to explicate the themes from the novel, from other novels, and other genres of literature. This isn’t to say that reading To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t important. It is an important American novel (although stay away from Go Set a Watchman). However, being able to say that you’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird doesn’t really do anything for you in the long run except make you sound like some kind of literary snob. Being able to apply different skills for analyzing literature, applying writing and speaking skills, and applying reading skills are important for everything you read.

Of course, I’m not doing any sort of literary analysis while reading Game of Thrones. I think I’d much rather suck on a bucket of dried seal flipper (which tastes like fish flavored jawbreakers in case you’ve never had it). But we write every day. We talk every day.  We listen every day, although maybe not as much. These are skills that I teach, and I can teach them by using any good novel, poem, short story, novella, flash fiction, script, play, prose poem, or graphic novel. But then there’s the topic of teaching the different genres, but I think I’ll save that for another post in the future.

In short, I'm not worried. I'm not in a panic. I'm not even sweating bullets yet. I'm enjoying my time in the village, and also enjoying putting my class together. We'll see how I feel come Wednesday though.

Drinking From the Fire Hose

I’ve had several of my peers from Kent tell me they’ve learned more from their districts’ in-service days than they have in their entire college career. I’m not sure if I can say the same, but I've certainly learned a lot. For two days, each of the new educators of the Lower Kuskokwim school district came together and learned a little about the culture and what it meant to teach for the district. We covered topics concerning the cultural practices of the different villages and teaching which included: Yuraq (you-hawk) which is a traditional dance of celebration and prayer, subsistence living, how to cut a salmon, what I may expect when I land in the village and begin interacting with the families, my curriculum, and how the district can support my teaching. Did I mention I learned how to cut a salmon? It’s been quite a bit of information to say the least, but it’s been a wonderful experience thus far.

The culture here is amazing and diverse. The in-service days was opened by local dancers who came in and showed us Yuraq. Yuraq is a form of celebration and/or prayer through dancing. I can say it’s quite a bit of fun considering me and the other educators were invited to join in. The motions are all in the arms, shoulders, and head, and the women stand in the back while the men kneel in front. A drummer sits in the back and sings while beating a simple 4/4 rhythm. Each song tells a story that has a moral, and they range from songs about cranes and ravens to village elders speaking to young men. It’s a very freeing form of dance because, if you mess up, there is no pressure to correct yourself or make sure you don’t mess up again. People will laugh, but it’s a contagious laughter. If you aren’t good at laughing at yourself before you dance Yuraq then you certainly learn to by the end of the dance.

I also got to try some of the local dishes. I tried the baked salmon, fish stew (eyeballs, eggs, bones, and fins included), fish strips (sort of like a fish jerky), and seal. All were very good in their own ways. The baked salmon and fish strips reminded me of food I’d have back at home. The stew was delicious; it tasted like a any kind of chowder. You definitely had to get over the fact that it had a lot of eggs in it, and you had to be careful about the bones. The seal, although still good, was my least favorite because it tasted like eating a fishy tasting piece of leather. It’s supposed to be served with more oil on it than it had though, so I’ll chalk up my disappointment to that.

The last thing I’ll write about today are the expectations I’m supposed to have for living in the village. The more experienced staff said having a more reserved approach. Bush villagers are more quite and enjoy the silence of the day where as people from the lower 48 – like myself – are more prone to breaking that silence because we feel uncomfortable in it. Luckily, I have grown to have a better appreciation of silence ever since I started teaching. However, I was also told that the reserved attitudes of the villagers towards me will be temporary, that laughter is usually what fills the void after a while. I look forward to that very much.

Coping With Questions

It's about two hours until I have to board the first plane of four that will take me to Bethel, Alaska for my introduction to teaching there. Lots of thoughts are swimming through my head: What will the kids be like in Alaska? What will I be required to teach? Will I survive the depressing winter? Are chips and guacamole really worth $3.49 here at the airport? 

It's hard to determine when the questions will end. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've been asking questions, both profound and simple, since I learned to talk. My mother would tell you that, out of her three children, I was the worrier. So it's a wonder how I made it this far in life without most of my hair turning gray, or the need for some kind of medication for anxiety. How did I do it? How am I able to deal with all of these things at once while still being able to put my thoughts to words on a blog that, for once in my life, isn't required for a class I'm taking? The answer is pretty simple, and it's something that I think we all realize at one point or another: I've had a lot of help along the way.

One of the lessons I've learned in both my student teaching and education classes is that your friends and family are indispensable throughout life. I didn't keep in touch with a lot of my peers who graduated with me just because they're awesome and I love them all (that is a big part though), but also because I respect them as educators and can depend on them when I need them the most for advice and material. I've had wonderful professors along the way who've helped me with becoming a better Language Arts teacher as well. It's the same with my family. I have many family members who are great at what they do and can help me with just about anything, and they all love me and support me in what I'm doing.

Now it's pretty simple to say, just as the Beatles did, that we all need a little help from our friends from time to time. But really think about all the different things people do for you for a moment. C'mon, really think. They don't even have to be big favors. As my mother told me when I started dating, "It's the small things that really matter."

So before you go and thank whoever it is you thought of for whatever it is that they did, I'd like to take a moment to thank the people who've helped me along the way:

Mom and Dad: I can't even begin to describe or explain how thankful I am to have two wonderful parents who care for their children so much. You guys have been so supportive of me, and I hope that I continue to make you proud.

Mike and Angela: The amount of research you've done for me on Alaska is sure to put even the best of my research papers to shame. Thank you for your never-ending enthusiasm for my journey, and for providing me with a roof over my head during the summer. Oh, and sorry for the mess in the basement. 

Kent State INLA Class of 2015: You all continue to be models for me for being a great teacher and a great human being. Thank you all for your support and your dedication to improving education the world over.

My past teachers and professors: A lot of educators have told me that this job is worth doing so long as you reach at least one student, that you make a difference in at least one person's life. Well, I'm here to tell you you've done that. You all have inspired me to do what you do, and you all shaped me into the teacher I am. Thank you.

My friends and family: Thank you all for your immediate support in my decision. I will miss you all very much, and I hope to continue hearing from you all.

And thank you, reader, for taking the time to read my thoughts. Sometimes writers forget that it is the reader that we must depend on for our writing to mean something. I hope you will continue to visit and get to know me. Oh, and learn a few things along the way. After all, that is why I'm here.