What an amazing way to start our week... a rant...
So fitting because I was just reflecting yesterday on the irony that is: My biggest concern right now is that I do not have enough money to buy my children their daybooks, which means I cannot get them while they are on sale, which means I will end up paying full price for them, which means on the next payday I will be spending my money on that, which means that at the end of the month I'll be short again, all becuase I will have spent all my money on school supplies, when it is my school that isn't paying me enough to sustain....BLAH BLAH BLAH...
...On a brither note, my demo is officially over! A breath of fresh air! I think it went pretty well... I got some great feedback via the discussion and twitter, so that was encouraging. I love to hash through this idea of grammar with other people who are also worried about the delivery/acquisition of grammar for writing. I am not quite sure if this was as much grammar, though, as it was revision strategies? Prewriting strategies? Writing in general? Definately a place to continue my inquiry...
As I was thinking through the socratic seminar with the weekends readings, I was plagued with concern: why do we have these standardized tests that simply measure social awareness? How can we create a testing language that is accessible to all literacies? After all, recognizing and teaching multiple literacies will enrich the educational experience of all students! We must permit each child to bring something to the table so that he/she can feel a part of the conversation.
Time to rethink, rework, revise, revision, re-type, etc... I could spend hours doing this! I very rarely find the time to look back to my writing; today I spent most of the time re-reading my daybook, and found the experience very rewarding. I have learned so much during these very fast 5 days, and really appreciate the time to just sit back and reflect on what I have accomplished...
Can't wait to see what the next 4 days hold :)
I love your comment, "We must permit each child to bring something to the table so that he/she can feel a part of the conversation." So true...it's almost hospitable, isn't it. I mean, when you are invited to a party, don't you want to contribute something, or at least bring a little gift for the hostess?
ReplyDeleteSo after the Institute today I started to wonder about assessment and the ways our categories get us to think in particular ways. What is some other categories were dominant. I started to wonder why "My long-haired crazy terrier" was not as effective as "my terrier, long-haired and crazy." Why is one "better"--or different--or more disruptive than the other. Who gets to say so and why. Why do we as teacher enforce certain codes of grammar and not others. I wonder . . .
ReplyDeleteGotta tell you this--when I went to post--the script I had to decode spelled "spit i on." So who says so?
ReplyDelete