Ramblings about the Middle, Moderation & Compromise

I have not blogged in quite some time. I am going to indulge a bit. Since I can remember I have been opinionated and passionate about things in life not being black or white- about allowing other people to have an opinion different than mine and trying to reach a middle ground. It is about listening to others, valuing their opinion and reaching compromise. I am not someone that takes a lot of risks. I like to think that I am open minded about things and not very judgmental. Moderation for me is the key. I take what might be considered a wait and see attitude, thinking that this too shall pass. In the educational realm, I think that there are things that can always be improved upon just like in business or government and society in general.

One of the reasons that I like President Obama is because he speaks to me and others in a way that gives each of us our dignity. He is not always going to be right on everything. I respect a person that respects others and lives by that. We can agree to disagree.

As I listen this summer to the news of the world, I am sad. There are so many injustices happening. There are so many people that are suffering needlessly. I wish that others in positions of power could remember that there are basic human dignities and that our time here is short and decisions need to be made to make our modern society a place of peace and happiness for all.

I truly believe that there are some things that are basic to a good society and that ultimately we could live together on this planet if only we could reach compromise with each other. Basic needs such as an affordable place to live, healthy food for sustenance, affordable health care (both preventative and for illness), education for all and a job that allows you to pay the bills are reasonable things to expect from a modern society. The question of how can we afford this certainly needs to be addressed. My question is how can we NOT afford this? I do not want my child or yours, my family or yours, my neighbors or yours to be hungry, uneducated, sick or suffering. This gets me back to the middle ground. We live in a world of stark contrasts and startling excesses. If we could begin to speak with each other about what is really important in life then perhaps we could reach a middle ground and afford what really matters.

What we value says a lot about us. We need to get rid of the "red tape" and the hoops that people have to jump through in order to get their needs met. Starting with pregnant mothers I would want them to have ready access to prenatal health care, emotional support and healthy food. Once the child has been born, the family needs to be given the means to nurture and develop a positive relationship. All children need safe and decent schools that educate them to become caring and productive members of our society no matter their talents. Our older citizens need to be respected and taken care of and not be forgotten. The earth, the air, the water, the other inhabitants of the planet need to be taken care of with the same passion as our families. We have been doing some of this for a long time. Some places and people are doing a better job of this than others. I hope that we can work together, compromise, reach a middle ground... :) and do what is right for the world.

the state we are in

Last night I sat at a table with legislative members from our state government. I was heartened about their positive support of public education. There are so many things to balance when we speak about the national and state budgets. Health care reform and education are two of the most critical in my opinion. The people that I spoke with undoubtedly had an audience of like minded individuals that they were speaking to. One person spoke about how just because we are in an economic crisis does not mean that the students can take a year or two off from funding schools until the economy turns around. Our children have once chance at this and to lose the skills necessary for our educational progress is foolish at best. This is the time that the government is called on the most- when the economy is in hardship. Hard decisions must be made about how to proceed in a way that will not jeopardize our future. Tough choices will need to be made.
On another note, in the very recent weeks I have noticed our students rising to the challenges that their teachers have put forth to them. We are holding them accountable, pressing them to learn more and not be distracted by the warm and changing weather. Here in the state of Wisconsin the start date of school is being dictated by the tourism industry. This is not in the best interest of the students. Instead, individual school districts need to decide what is best for their students. Some teachers, myself included would like to see an all year schedule and an elimination of our 10 week summer vacation. For a number of reasons this would be prudent. All of us need to have continuity in our lives. School for 9 weeks and then 3 weeks off would not disrupt the learning process to the same degree as a longer summer vacation does.

A thought to ponder about social networks

Social networking for both personal and professional reasons has taken off in an incredible escalation in recent months. People are hearing daily about Twitter, Facebook and other not as popular networking sites. They are popping up all over. There are many reasons why and the most important is so that we can connect with others. We are social beings. We can be anonymous or important just with a few clicks of the mouse. Personally I feel like the amount of time that I could spend on these sites is huge. I am a very chatty gal who likes networking with others.

I am concerned though that the amount of time that I spend in networking has changed me in a way that is not necessarily positive. I can easily get lost in networking sites for two or three hours. I don't think that I am alone in this. How does this happen one wonders? It is easy. I write something on a networking site, read what others are saying, visit links that others suggest, find something interesting and before I know it, 2 hours have passed. Is this wasted time? In some ways "yes" and in other ways "no". I am going to get better at watching the time, walking away after a set amount of time and being more judicious about the purpose of my time on the computer.

I think I will always enjoy social networks. It is about balancing time and that is not always easy for me.

Partner? Educational Use?

Our school districts spend many millions of dollars to adopt reading, math, science and social studies textbooks and series resources. They have been for years the partners that school districts and teachers have counted on to help our students to learn in a organized and thoughtful way.

Something distressing has come to my attention that I think others need to be aware of- Tim Holt's Blog "Intended Consequences" David Vs. Goliath: The Right Thing vs. Copyright has a podcast in which first grade teacher Janice Schlottmann explains what she would like to do with the little books that her students use to practice their reading. The school district has purchased multiple copies of the books, purchased the audio recordings and now she wants to record herself reading the books so that her students and the parents can listen on a podcast from home. As any responsible teacher would do, she requested permission from Houghton Mifflin and was denied this electronic use. This teacher is not interested in selling or profiting in any way from this educational use of these books. Her students were going to be able to benefit from listening at home and following along with the words in the book.

The copyright violation that the company is claiming is not rational or thought out clearly. Prior to the internet, podcasting, and the ease of transmission of audio and video files, these companies that provided educational series had much at stake to keep copyrighted materials free of violations. Now however if these companies wish to stay in business they need to truly partner with the schools, families of the students and the world at large.

We are living in e-times. Without forward thinking educational companies realizing the benefits of integrating technology tools with the purchase of their educational series, we are making the job of our teachers much harder than it has to be.

When it goes right!

I have been witness to a few incidents this week that have been extraordinary. We as teachers need to be reminded that our efforts are paying off. At times it seems like we are pushing that boulder up the mountain only to see it fall down the other side. Sometimes the effort that we put forth pays out in rewards that we can see. Other times our efforts are never seen by us.

The following was shared with me. It is truly a wonderful thing to witness. A student that had been unwilling to work for their primary teacher in the classroom has had a complete turnaround and is showing tremendous effort and enthusiasm for learning. Another student that has worked very diligently but the school work has been difficult a has had a breakthrough and the concepts are clearer. It makes your heart feel glad, your body jump for joy with excitement and your tired mind renewed with enthusiasm for teaching.

We need to celebrate and remember these times because teaching is challenging for many reasons. We are here for the students. Our reasons for getting into education are many and the daily grind does not often allow us to step back and see our students progress. Keep at it!