Alternate Careers

I’ve been giving thought to alternate careers lately. I’ve been a teacher for seventeen years now. The same school. The same grade. The same room. It’s been a good run. It really has.

But…

I think back to all the reasons I became a teacher. I wanted to shape the future, inspire young learners, better humankind. Lofty goals, but good fuel on which to stoke the fires of a career.

Have I reached any of these goals? I’d like to say yes. I run into former students on a regular basis and a good many of them have turned into something productive. Most have gone on to college. Some are already beginning their own careers. A few have written to me, thanking me for my guidance. These are all good things. Things that help me wake up each day and get my ass into work.

As I look at the current state of education, however, I grow weary. Teaching is less and less about shaping the future, inspiring young minds, or bettering humankind. Teaching today is about accountability. Now, don’t get me wrong. I understand that we need ways to measure student progress and teacher effectiveness. We need methods to improve our educational practices. We need to hold teachers and students accountable for what goes on in our nation’s classrooms every day.

But we’re sucking the fun out of learning, peeps. Totally. And not just for the students. I don’t have fun at work like I used to.  

I’ve had a few moments more recently where I’ve been in the middle of a lesson and I think to myself, “Does anyone care about this? Is this going to change students’ lives in any way?”

Are those expressions on students’ faces ones of boredom? Is the inattention a sign that this is all too easy, too hard, not relevant? Can everything students “need” to learn just be googled nowadays on their cell phones? Am I less interesting than an online multimedia experience that can present the material in a more engaging way? A way that will capture students’ attention and keep it?

Sometimes I feel as if I’m competing so hard for students’ attention that I’ll never succeed. Gone are the days where my students and I would thoroughly explore a topic through good books and solid conversation with sustained involvement. Now it’s all two-minute videos with music and animation. It’s short, mini-lessons – quick hits – because the human attention span is like under ten seconds. It’s power-up-your-laptop-kids-and-click-your-way-through-your-education, followed by take-this-online-assessment-so-I-can-collect-buttloads-of-data-on-you. Data that directly affects the ratings I receive from my administration. Ratings that don’t take into account all the variables—many that I have absolutely no control over—that go into a student’s success. 

Meanwhile, kids don’t know how to talk to each other anymore. They’re going to grow up to be adults who don’t know how to talk to each other. Respect appears to be a non-existent skill too.

This depresses me.

I need an alternative… or I need to make changes. Changes that maybe don’t jive with the “requirements,” but make good sense. For me. For them. For society.

I don’t have any answers just yet, but I’m keeping an eye out for new opportunities. Mostly ones that have to do with writing. That’s where I always feel pulled. That’s where I always feel inspired. Writing offers the chance to live in a fantasy world where things make sense to me.

Where things are fun again.

So what do you think? Mid-life crisis? Real concerns? Shut up and be happy you have a paying job with health benefits? Weigh in.

  

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series – More Than Pancakes, Book One is always FREE! 

My Take on Movies & Videos - Comment for a Chance to Win a Free Book!

We’re talking about movies this month, and it’s not a subject I’m really well versed in. I know people who can recall the plots and quote lines from all kinds of movies, most of which I’ve never heard of. It kind of makes me feel left out when I’m with people who do this. Imagine the scene.

Me: So, what are we doing today?
Friend 1: How would you like a nice bass? Girls like a nice bass.
Me: I don’t see that on the menu…
Friend 2: No? Take that, you dirty yellow rat….

I’m left confused while they fall about laughing. Friend 1’s comment is from Napoleon Dynamite, Friend 2’s is from Home Alone 2….Leaving me wondering who’s the dummy, them or me.

I don’t watch a lot of movies. I did enjoy Noah, and thought Avatar was interesting. I hated Wolf of Wall Street, which was highly recommended by critics and friends. Am I odd?

I do watch television, though, and love English police dramas (Inspector George Gently, Foyle’s War, Dalziel & Pascoe, Endeavor, Inspector Lewis….even Midsummer Murders) And I’m not embarrassed to admit (although I maybe should be) that I have the Young & The Restless on my PVR.

One trend I have noticed – it would be hard to miss – is the prevalence of short videos that have spilled over from YouTube. I have MSN as my home page and many of these are featured in the videos list there. Some are fascinating, some educational, some delightful, and some leave me wondering ‘What just happened?’ Do I really want to spend even 30 seconds watching a video of a cat sleeping with its tongue out? Or how about a clever goat getting some fruit?
Of course, there are some great videos, too – like my talented son, Garth O'Connell,  doing a cover of Crack The Sky… http://t.co/9k5IccpP4F :-)

 As a writer, I tend to look at my viewing time as research. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. I have written two stage plays that have been produced and even won awards, and I was on the list of writers for a proposed new Irish teen soap, except that the project, three years in the making, was cancelled before production started due to budget cuts at the RTE. :-)

So writing a script for television or movies is on my dream list.

One great use of videos is for educational purposes. There’s a wide variety of really informative videos on a huge range of subjects, from health to cooking to car mechanics to fashion, woodwork,  painting…you name it. Some great ones on writing, too, and I’m thinking of putting my writing course, Naked Writing: The No Frills Way to Write Your Book, on video.

When I can find a camera that makes me look good, or at least, human. Oh, and to answer the question I’ve heard so many times about the title of this course, I don’t and won’t do it naked. Believe me, that’s a blessing for the viewers.

So, having successfully led this month’s theme away from movies and onto other topics, I’d love to hear your thoughts on videos. Have you found any particularly funny, horrible, helpful? Have you taken any courses that were run online through video?

There’s a signed copy of the print version of Naked Writing, or of my romantic comedy, the No Sex Clause, for one lucky commenter!

You can read first chapters of my books on my website www.glenysoconnell.webs.com/

 

 

Breast Cancer Awareness

by Diane Burton

October is apple cider and donuts, baseball, and breast cancer awareness. One month set aside to remind us to be aware of our bodies. In the “olden days” when doctors knew everything, we acted like children and were treated as such. The doc knew best.

As the saying goes, “we’ve come a long way, baby.” We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves, to be responsible for our physical well-being. We must educate ourselves about our bodies.

Two weeks ago, my daughter invited me to attend an evening of education. Doctors and other health professionals conducted mini-workshops on things like genetic testing, nutrition, stress management, surgical options, and more. I wish there had been time to attend more than two workshops. Fortunately, some of the workshops are available as podcasts. http://www.hollandhospital.org/WomenCenter/Overview.aspx If your local hospital has an event like this, I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about your body.

In my last post (October 8) I joked about something silly scaring me more than breast cancer. Sometimes the more serious a situation, the only way to deal with it is to find humor. Otherwise, we cry. I’m well aware of the seriousness of cancer. Both of my sisters, an aunt and her daughter are breast cancer survivors. They survived because their cancers were detected early. One of my sisters discovered hers through self-examination. The other through an annual mammogram.

Just because one month a year is devoted to breast cancer awareness doesn’t mean in two days we can forget about it. Be aware of changes in your body. Get regular mammograms. Take care of yourself.

I blog here on the 8th and 30th of each month and Mondays on my own blogsite http://dianeburton.blogspot.com My first romantic suspense, One Red Shoe, is available on Amazon.