Becoming a Teacher

As I delve into my education classes, I find that more and more things are overlapping and relating. I absolutely love learning about teaching, its techniques and nuances. I love learning about children, about parents, and about other teachers.

Currently, I am contemplating the education provided to students through the IDEA legislation. It states that all children, no matter what mental capacity or physical state, deserve a free and appropriate education, and that it is our job as teachers to provide it for them. I find that a daunting task. It frightens me how responsible I am for these childrens' lives and their futures. What if I don't reach them? What if my instruction isn't appropriate?

As I learn, however, I now understand the complex system that is in place within our schools to provide an appropriate education for students with disabilities. It is a collaborative effort of all involved; classroom teachers, special ed teachers, referral teams, parents and students. It is therefore important that everyone is committed to education, and to the success of all students.

Miss Gabbert

Writers in Conversation

Olin 102. 7:00 pm. What did I expect? I expected it to be boring. I expected it to be pedantic and vapid, as many lectures on this campus are. Two professors, talking about writing. How bad could it get?

I sat down. And was instantaneously intrigued. Amy Weldon started out the night by reading an excerpt from her novel-in-progress. It was of a girl named Janie, and her extreme infatuation with a half-Brazilian boy named David. David was beautiful. As the scene progressed, Amy's voice intonation rose and fell with each passing moment. Janie was with David! David was with Rain. Everyone was smoking pot! Kevin the gay guy made a move on David. All the while, Janie watched. It was the way Amy had thrown herself into these characters, as if they were only an extension of herself, that captivated me there. I had lost all sense of self, sitting there with the scene washing over me, taking hold in my head. It was beautiful writing. But not beautiful in the happy, romantic sense. But beautiful in the way you are able to feel the words, have them become a part of your life, even if only for a passing moment.

Next on the agenda were a series of essays on camping by a professor named Rachel Faldet. They were satirical and hilarious! She was so adamant about her relationship with nature and its detrimental effects on her self-esteem and overall morale. This writing style contrasted with Amy's novel, being non-fictional it made it for a different type of relationship between the reader (Rachel) and the audience.

The purpose for the lecture was to show the professional relationship between writers, and how important that interaction truly is. The writers are able to critique each other, encourage, guide, direct, suggest changes, all of which are helpful throughout the writing process. It was valuable to see the process mid-stream, and see how the relationship molds the actual material written.

I was very happy with my lecture choice, and was pleasantly surprised with its content.

Ms. Gabbert

Lions For Lambs II

They died. The soldiers had been in the class of the professor, and that was why he was telling their stories to Todd. At the time he had no idea that they had died, but they did. They died fighting to end the war someone else had started, to bring a fresh start to their own lives at home. Except they never made it home.

What also infuriated me was that senator. He was willing to waste lives to do "what ever it takes" to win the war. Disgusting. Not only our lives, but other civilians' lives as well. Not that those count, but are labeled as collateral damage. That man had his sights set on power, on te White House, that he didn't bat an eye to any of the objections Janine made to his tactics.

If you'll excuse my fanaticism, I hate war. If anything should be done to the extreme, it should be to end the war not extend it. What is worse, a little hurt American pride, or the slipping economy, rising anti-American sentiment, and increasing debt? You tell me.

The movie was thought provoking and I appreciated it.

"Lions For Lambs"

"Write a blog entry reflection for 'Lions for Lambs.'" Easy enough, I thought, so here I am. Except for the fact that I am handicapped in my analysis because of the technical difficulties in Olin 102. As a result of this, I saw the opening twenty minutes of the movie, which I didn't quite understand. Therefore, come Monday night at 6:00 pm, I will be able to give a more thorough explanation of the "why" in education. As for right now, however, I will reveal all I can.

The Congressman/Senator represents the idea that in the education field, we need to be ever-adapting to new circumstances and challenges. ( Maybe it is for that purpose we educate children, to be open to new ideas and to formulate the new ideas to deal with new situations.) The Congressman is aware that his plan for the troops in the Middle East has failed thus far, and in reaction to that he proposes a change in strategy to stay in the game. In the same way, we see children not meeting the standards in the classroom, so we change our tactics. The congressman is playing the part of the school administrator (or President Bush with his "No Child Left Behind" act) in order to raise the level of achievement, to "win the war" on the achievement gap. However, with the congressman, we are able to see the almost instantaneous impact his tactics have on the "students" (the troops).

We are introduced to the troops in what seems to be a briefing on the new plan. But instead of unanimous support, the Sergeant is bombarded with questions, inconsistencies in the tactics. All this is pointed out by an intelligent private. In this scenario, the sergeant represents the teacher, forced into a new curriculum. He is outwardly confident in what he is telling the troops. But ultimately he is questioning the plan. The troops on the other hand represent the students, who at this point can say nothing against the new approach, and must do as their told. Although the troops have valid concerns about the tactics, they are utterly at the whim of Washington (administration, teacher, etc). This could also be a reason why we educate: so people learn to do what they're told.

I have no idea why the Californian kid is in the picture right now, but I do know that he is wasting his life and is reluctant to put forth any effort. Why do we educate kids who don't want to learn? What is the point (if any?)

More to come.

Ms. Rachel Gabbert