The Power of Persuasion ... at Any Age

Everyone has heard the age old maxim, "practice makes perfect." In innumerable cases, this maxim proves its truthfulness, time and time again. However, no one has ever heard this maxim put this way: "practice makes perfect, only at a certain age." That is a bit odd, isn't it? It's also, as Diane Downer Anderson maintains, false, especially when discussing the idea of introducing the genre of persuasive writing to elementary aged kids. In Anderson's essay, "The Elementary Persuasive Letter: Two Cases of Situated Competence, Strategy, and Agency," the argument that elementary aged children don't have the ability to write persuasive texts is felled, and then, Anderson starts to enumerate all the ways in which introducing the persuasive writing genre to elementary school children is successful, as long as certain teaching strategies are in place.

One of the first points that Anderson maintains, in Research in the Teaching of English, is that, "Elementary persuasive writing is a powerful genre because it is a scaffold to argumentative writing in high school and college ...." (271). This is probably the most salient point. As a teacher of nine years, I've witnessed first hand what introducing and practicing a concept does for students. It does not matter so much what age something is taught, as how it is taught, and what tools are being used to drive the concept home. Anderson underlines the importance of this when she states, " ... wrting persuasive letters suggests that teachers who include persuasive writing in their curricula and scaffold such writing through talk, explicit forms, and topics on which children have much to say will find that children dsplay competence in their persuasive thinking and writing" (271).

The idea of introducing a concept and supporting it with things such as graphic organizers, class discussions, outside ideas that have parallels to the topic at hand, and explaining why the particular topic is an important one, are all examples of what Anderson calls "explicit forms," and why these forms should be considered appropriate only at a certain age is hard to understand. I taught high school, and if I did not introduce and practice these forms explicitly, my high school students would have had the same difficulty a third grader might possibly have with persuasive writing. Although the fallacy of persuasive writing at a certain age is obviously wrong, strong teachers with best teaching practices should be given to students of every age.

Persuasive writing should be introduced, made explicit, and practiced many times in elementary school. And knowing that "Persuasive writing is the primary genre on which students will be assessed as writers ... culminating in a written essay on the Scholastic Achievement Test ...." (273), shouldn't we as educators and parents demand that persuasive writing should be in the curriculum long before kids enter junior high and high school? I think so.

For more information on finding an English tutor, in the Scottsdale and Phoenix area, who tutors in the Persuasive genre, please visit http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/.

Lucky Number ... Six?

Writing is not as hard as you might think it is. Really. All it takes is some effort and some know-how. I can help you with both. Teaching and tutoring English for a number of years has given me the opportunity to train with a multitude of methods that all have beneficial effects on a student's writing. As one quickly learns in the area of writing, what seems like an abstract, ephemeral process can be turned into something that is concrete, doable, and most of all, writable. And, that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is where six, does indeed, become your lucky number. Really.
It has nothing to do with games of chance, the same suite of five, or three "sevens" matching across a quarter slot game. It does, however, have everything to do with a thing called the Six Traits of Writing. And what are they? A group of teachers came together and graded many pieces of student writing (hey, some things in life never change). As a result of their collaborative grading, they came up with six traits of writing that strong papers in the pool all had, as a unifying theme: ideas and content, mechanics, word choice, organization, voice, and sentence fluency. What developed out of this collaboration can help your student become a skilled writer. Really.
So, here is the breakdown of the six traits: each trait is graded on a scale of one to six, with six being the highest. What is also given under each score is some written text that exemplies, for better or for worse, what makes a score what it is. There is a total of six numbers, and those numbers are then averaged for a score that ranges anywhere from a zero (the student wrote nothing) to six (highly improbably, but it has happened). Aiming for a total score of four to five is a goal that can be reached. Really. So, how do you get your student there?
Well, hiring a tutor that has a mastery of the English language, but also, who has a mastery of the types of rubrics school districts are using is a step in the right direction. Taking writing step by step, in addition to teaching the traits in chunks, can solidify an exemplary writing model that your student can use in any classroom. Since many students have difficulty with developing and elaborating ideas, I usually start tutoring with the trait of "ideas," and show them with graphic organizers, with the recalling of prior knowledge into other subjects that they know, and with showing them the cause/effect relationships their own ideas have, how to turn a one sentence wonder into a beautifully substantial paragraph with innumerable possibilities for discussion and thought. All it takes is the introduction of the process and some practice.
Really.
For more information about students being tutored in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas, please visit www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com.

For more information about the six traits (now Six Traits +1), please visit www.nwrel.org.

What You Should Know about Tutoring

Two weeks ago, I had an enlightening conversation with a woman to whom I had been describing my business. She asked me what kind of services I provided for the students I tutored, and as I ticked off a myriad of situations in which a student might benefit from the use of a tutor, she was quiet for a moment, and then replied, "I always thought tutoring equalled trouble!" It was then that I had an epiphany. As a teacher that is "true blue," and as a tutor who understands all of the ways tutoring can help children, I was flabbergasted to realize that, maybe, a good chunk of the population believed the same way that my lunching companion did. If that is the case, then please allow me to make my case for illustrating the innumerable ways parents can benefit their children by hiring the likes of me (your English and reading specialist, extraordinaire):

• curriculum enrichment: Think of tutoring as preventative maintenance on your child's knowledge for the school year - tutoring can reinforce, supplement, and assess what is being done at his school, and also provide additional knowledge to widen the child's knowledge base.
• specific academic goals that need to be met: Whether your child needs to get an "exceeding" or "meets" on her English portion of the AIMS test, whether your child is gearing up to write her senior research paper, or whether your child needs to learn the "ins" and "outs" of the library in order to do proper research, tutoring can help with all of those tasks.
• literature enrichment: Would you like to improve your child's analytical, higher-level thinking skills? Would you like to see your child make connections between the literature he's reading in school and with happenings that are taking place on a national and global level? How about having your child make connections between the literature and himself? (by the way, those are all ideas that are listed in the state standards of this beautiful state, of ours). Well, proper tutoring done by an expert can help develop those critical thinking skills that each teacher, nationally, wants to see in their students' work.

The point here is that there is always a reason to hone and develop your child's writing, reading, and analytical skills. The point is that not only does learning never go out of style, but that this schematic building of knowledge will enhance the child's worldview, and, as an adult, will line his wallet. Knowledge makes you rich mentally, spirtually, and in this earthly world, financially.

For more information about tutoring in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona, please visit http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/ for services that will assist your child in being a standout, but also, a child that stands apart from others.

Kids Need the Skills to Help Them Study

My report card for science had a glaring "D" marked offensively on the page, and I remember being as shocked as my mom, when I saw how poorly I did. It has stuck with me, so much, in fact, that I can remember the incident, clearly, even now, as an adult. The funny thing about it is that I had no idea I was doing poorly in science. It really came as an unpleasant surprise.

As a business owner of a tutoring company, and working with kids with their own studying habits, it comes as a bit of a shock that I didn't put my own experience together with what some of my students struggle with, at the present time. It did not take me long to figure out that almost as much as poor grades result from lacking the comprehension of a particular subject, another major factor in not achieving the highest grades in school is due to a lack of a structured environment at home, that consists of a schedule as regimented as the school day itself. No reason anyone should feel bad about this, as it takes discipline, even from the most Spartan of individuals, to daily plan out his days. However, keeping a few things in mind will help get your student on the right track (and most importantly, the right grade).

1. Students should always carry an agenda book with them, that not only are they responsible for, but that the parents and tutors are responsible for, too. Having teachers contact the parents and tutors about what's on the agenda for homework and major assignments is beneficial, especially when signatures are required from a parent or tutor. Having all the key players involved really makes it foolproof for the most lackadaisical student to go through her academic career with blindfolds on. It might not always take a village to raise a child, but having a few extra pair of eyes always keeps straying ones from roving too far from the academic objectives, at hand.
2. Parents or people that work closely with the student should help their student by creating a daily agenda, in which homework, time for major assignments, time for studying for tests, and even chunks of time that are planned for fun, are all written down on a weekly basis. This daily agenda can be written on a calendar, or even a makeshift one that the student creates himself. There are very few things that help a student internalize her responsibilities more - having her write what not only the things she's accountable for, but scheduling in free time, or activities that come as a reward, will also give the student the power over the academic reins, and that is what we want.
3. Students should have support not only from parents, but from teachers and tutors, as well. Teachers and tutors can supplement the child's knowledge with the content that they need, but also, with the knowledge of what is needed to pass the next test, or to earn the next "A" on the child's paper.
4. Giving students "tricks for the trade" also help tremendously with study skills. Making games out of vocabulary that will be on the test, testing students on the material that will be tested, and giving them an ample amount of practice with assignments that reinforce the academic objectives that are being taught, are all invaluable ways of ensuring success.

Lastly, maybe the most important thing to keep in mind is balance. I remember that after the upset with the science grade, I worked so hard to bring it up, that all of my other content areas fell behind. Everything in moderation!

Everyone Should Practice What He Preaches

In a commentary in Education Week, Joseph Renzulli passionately--and somewhat patronizingly--argues that "Engagement is the Answer." In fact, he maintains this so vehemently, it is the title of the commentary itself. Although there are some issues he raises that ring with some truth, the truth is only perceived with one angle. Two points of Renzuli's article will be introduced, and then examined.

Point One: Renzulli lists the implied evils of what education has done in the name of narrowing the chasm of achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students: smaller schools, year-round schools, single-sex classes, charter schools, merit pay for teachers, and a long list of other plans that imply failure. He states, "...these structural changes have focused too much on low-level, highly prescriptive pedagogy intended to improve standardized-test scores" (www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/07/16/43renzulli.h27.html?print=1).

There are at least two major problems with this argument. What Mr. Renzulli doesn't do when he implicitly states that public education, as a whole, is a failure, is list or research its successes. Research in the field of education is an evolving body of knowledge, and this evolving body of knowledge does give proof that year-round schools and single-sex classes do have positive, quantifiable research that offer benefit to why these types of schools and classes exist. And these are only two examples. Granted, it does not mean it is the only answer for narrowing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, but to say that engagement is the only answer, too, is short-sighted.

The other problem is that this "prescriptive" pedagogy that Renzulli speaks of is not for the sole result of improving standardized testing. What schools and their districts are trying to do is not only improve testing scores, but show a quantifiable improvement in learning and comprehension. It is not solely the onus of public education that has made it the puppet of forces higher than it. Namely, the government. When state and national legislation involve themselves into things that are not in their field of expertise, public education has to bend itself to their latest demands and whims.

I am not, also, saying that public education is perfect. There are many fissures in its system, but being within that system for many years has shown me firsthand that schools are improving, and that student learning is occuring. Renzulli's use of the word "prescriptive" is almost said as if it were a curse word. It is insulting to true educators to have a word that is connected to the ideas of structure and method, which by the way, are connected to student success, to be bandied about like it is a taboo.

Point Two:
Mr. Renzulli states that alternative, even counterintuitive, approaches should be taken when talking about bridging the distance of achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students. He lists some of the following ideas as to what contributes to the bridging of the gap, but also, to how it relates to the idea of student engagement: monitor understanding and the need for additional information; identify patterns, relationships, and discrepancies; draw comparisons to other problems; transform factual information into usable knowledge; and finally, extend one's thinking (www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/07/16/43renzulli.h27.html?print=1).

It is ironic how listing these truly wonderful objectives are labeled by Renzulli as "counterintuitive," because, guess what? Any teacher who has been teaching in the public education system will tell you that the language and ideas he thinks are counterintuitive are found in the state standards, the standards by which districts, schools, and teachers form and monitor how students are taught!

Not only have I taught all of my years as a teacher with the standards in the forefront of my mind, but I have also performed contracting work aligning state objectives and the state standards. I have done this for several states, and all of these states are states in which I have not resided. I remember being proud that the standards were unified in idea, whether we were discussing North Carolina, Arkansas, or Arizona. And these unified ideas are inculcated into teachers in every teaching college across the nation. So, are the colleges producing teachers that are brainwashed and beaten, like Renzulli's idea of what today's students are, or are the ideas from public education that have been inveterate very similar to Renzulli's "counterintuitive" ones? I vote for the latter.

Mr. Renzulli does bring into light some valid concerns that our society is facing with the problems of public education. However, "engagement" is not solely the answer. Bridging the reality of today's classroom with the teachers and the teachers' support systems--parents and tutors, namely--are also key factors into what will bridge the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

Tutoring - Education's Necessary Invention

"'Your job description is 'whatever needs to be done,'" stated Tom Meardon, a principal of a high school in Colorado. And he should know, as not only is he the principal, but he also serves as a coach for track, basketball, and he also serves as a sponsor to the school student council. In an article listed in Education Week, "Rural Schools Doing a Better Job with Fewer Resources," it states what will confound people. Even though the schools in this article are economically poor, with meager funding, the schools in question all have students meeting or exceeding the reading scores for their grade levels. And to put it succinctly, " ... a collection of small towns in this corner of Colorado's farm country are dodging the disadvantages of remoteness and poverty, thin resources and shrivelling economies to produce some of the state's best schools" (http://www.edweek.org/). And, as one can imagine, it will mystify anyone who has lost sight of what the true marks for a successful student are. Curious as to what they are? Well, read on ... the next paragraph is only underneath this very sentence.

So, if money isn't the issue and the solver of problems every single time, what are these clusters of schools doing that some other schools aren't? They are holding the students and parents accountable for student success, and it turns out not only is that the key to success, but key. Period. Education has always triumphed or suffered at the hands of whatever has come into vogue in the political educational world, and to be frank, the lack of success with education as of late does not have its biggest correlation tied to a lack of funding, or a lack of effort. As an English teacher of nine years, I was in the "trenches," and saw the effort that both teachers and schools put forth in order to gain success. What I have also seen, however, is a going away from the student seeing consequences for taking responsibility in his learning and behavior. I've seen coddling take place, in lieu of a firm hand. Luckily, this "firm hand" method has not gone by completely unnoticed. And it's not gone by unnoticed because people paid an exhorbitant amount of money to have a consultant tell them that a firm hand is needed; like the small communities these schools spring from, the staff of the school does not spare the educational "rod": "The students [who] had gotten D's and F's that morning ... earn[ed] them[selves] extra time with a teacher instead of the privilege of watching the junior high volleyball game" (http://www.edweek.org/). It's as simple as that, folks.

Since we know these particular schools in the rural part of Colorado absolutely make the students accountable, the other factor of success in this amazingly simple equation is the parent. It's stated in the article that the parents are expected to support the school--ideologically--and some parents, sadly, have moved their families away. But, when this happens, not only is the rod being spared, but the real factors of what makes successful students are being spoiled. Some times, it does take a whole village ... or community.

Excellence in Academics Tutoring, LLC. wholeheartedly believes in the idea of everyone being accountable for student success, and so that is why our mission with working with parents, so their children excel is so paramount to our success as a business, and your student's success in school.

The "rod" (the mental, not necessarily, the physical) that is used today will be the sceptre your child has gleaming by his side, as he sees his success grow commensurately, with his own accountability in learning.

What Gets Lost ...

If it were up to the teacher and her student, maybe education would have a fighting chance. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Involve the state, the government, and its legislation, which of course, do not have a pedagogical background regarding education, and you have a quagmire that gives competition to the most insidious quicksand. Let's take a few examples, shall we? Don't worry, take my hand - I will lead you deftly through the soft, sinking parts ...
So, we really need to discuss the No Child Left Behind initiative, because even though the road by which it came to light was paved with good intentions, we know where that road can sometimes lead. Part of the way that No Child Left Behind (herein referred to as "NCLB"), tries to improve the quality of education is by stating that all teachers must be highly qualified. "Highly qualified," as reiterated and defined by ed.gov, is a teacher that is fully certified, has attained her bachelor's degree, and has a sufficient knowledge in the particular subject area in which she teaches. These requirements are a fantastic start. Really. Especially on paper. However, to play the devil's advocate, who looks awfully school marmish, with a ruler in hand, and an apple on the desk, let's just bandy about the idea that being highly qualified goes beyond what the definition hints at, when discussing what makes a quality education. You may have heard it before, but if the teacher is uncomfortable with managing and disciplining the class, the highly qualified teacher, and her education, go out the classroom window. Oh, yes, I said it - the "D" word. The word that is the most significant, but simultaneously, the most obscured because it's constantly decorated as the elephant that's sitting in the living room, while everyone takes her afternoon tea, not with scones, but with blinders. Blinders, you ask? Yes! Blinders! Over her eyes, Sillies!
And, ostensibly, I do seem to be poking fun, but like any good satire, the satire is meant to stir a social awakening. If a teacher is not comfortable disciplining, is afraid to discipline, or is more concerned with not having the battles that go with asserting authority, then what good is the highly qualified person who isn't highly comfortable establishing herself as not only the facilitator of knowledge, but the facilitator of structure and boundaries, the two things that go hand in hand with education in the public sector? What needs to happen to not only facilitate teachers becoming more skilled in their craft, but to also facilitate the legislation in helping the teachers more effectively is to have an actual, highly-qualified, "doesn't mind getting her hands muddied with discipline, and other issues that affect the education of students daily" talking to the "higher-ups" in legislation. Come-what-may, having teachers being directly involved in the legislation of education, would, hold on to your hats, folks, improve the legislation of education! How about those apples ("those" being correct, as "them" is an object pronoun, and not a demonstrative adjective)?
And even though the teachers are the first, last, and major defense when speaking of education, the school districts do try their hardest to meet the educational goals put into place with legislation like NCLB, and any variants that are born from it. For example, in order to get English language learners meeting the demands of legislation, it is required that schools implement a program in which students labeled as English language learners (ELL), are put into an intensive English block of four hours. Oh, and, by the way, those hours are run consecutively. You will not find any lover of English whose ardor runs more passionately than mine, but honestly, four hours is a long time for anything. Especially, given that four hours of anything can squelch a love, passion, or quite realistically, any spark of interest in a given subject. We want kids to be English language lovers, and not English language detesters. And to top this all off, there was a meeting in which school districts were able to come up with their own version of the legislation's requirements. Out of a multitude of districts that presented their plans (anywhere from ten to eighteen), only one plan was accepted. And the reason was that the board changed some of the rules, midstream, without telling it, and all of the remaining districts' hard work and effort was for naught. So, to come full circle, what does get lost?
Our students. Our children. Our teachers who get frustrated, constantly. Our education of the students. And until legislation enables requirements that teachers have direct input in, it would be better if it were left to the teacher and her students.

A New Me Helping the New You

I stand on the precipice of a new self, and the view is just dandy. Welcome, everyone! What is the welcome for, you ask? Why, it is the welcoming of a creation of a blog without the title of "public school teacher" attached to its author! On May 28 of 2008, my nine year identity of a high school English teacher ended, so that I may pull up stakes, and plant new ones in the fruit-bearing grounds of education. However, instead of sowing the seeds as a teacher in a public system, I'm now sowing the seeds in the private sector, as a new owner to my one year old business, Excellence in Academics Tutoring, LLC. Watch for the name, as you will see it on a marquis in the near future.

And it is amazing to see how quickly the transformation from teacher to entreprenuer has taken place. After the initial "work so hard that you don't even realize school is over until two days past" coma had subsided, I got down to business - quite literally. I called my website company that's designing my new webpage, and sent them my new logo (I don't think I've ever loved the possessive pronoun "my" until becoming a business owner), and finished writing the text that will be going on the pages of my site (did I mention that I love "my")? I also, on the wise advice of my superior business coach, joined a networking organization, from which I've already gained a new client, whose kids with whom are wonderful to work! In addition to that, there are blogs to write, articles to transfer, and the creation of material for my tutees to be done. And, as I expected, instead of it being fatiguing, it has been nothing short of exhilarating!

In a previous post, I brought up the idea of a person trying to juggle her passion with her life's work, and in a point that's been long culminating, I've created a business that absolutely meshes the two! There is nothing more intoxicating for me than knowledge, and now, I've opened up a business that's centered around it. I've made it my business to have knowledge about English and reading, and now, in the greatest joy, I get to share and teach that knowledge to kids in the privacy of their home, or the nearest library. It is absolutely cutting out the middle-man, and brings back the discussion and absorbtion of knowledge to a personalized level. The relationship between tutor and tutee cuts out the classroom dynamic, which is always entertaining, but not always the most effective when the process of learning is happening.

So, as the newer version of the older me develops as a business owner, the newer older version of you as student will develop into a student who excels in academics - thus the new entity, Excellence in Academics Tutoring, LLC.

What You Don't Know ...

I am not trying to be a snob. I am unfolding a sequence of collected experiences to illuminate a certain conclusion I have been drawn to through my own ponderings. Here are the events, and they are unrelated to each other:

The Bad -

• An acquaintance of mine has a limited scope of how she views and processes things. She doesn't have enough foresight to think of things she is trying to achieve, and because of it, she has lost out on job opportunities that would have provided for a higher income, and for a better quality of life. Unfortunately, she doesn't see her culpability in the matter. She is blissfully ignorant about her station, and how its ceiling is suffocatingly small.


• English teachers (ashamedly enough), newsmen and women, and billboards across the state, (and sadly, I'm sure, across the nation), are promoting illiteracy, and the destruction of the English language. I think with gloomy amazement about how many people will think that bad grammar and usage is the correct, standard way of speaking.


• Interest in reading is at a depressingly low point for teenagers. Granted, there are many things to have an interest in, but few interests spread the spark and rabidity of ideas the way that reading does so quickly.

The Good -

• An old dog learning new tricks: I am always amazed about how talented some of my students are. A couple I know thrive, flourish, and perform with their own musical groups, several are outstanding athletes; for someone whose athletic ability is inversely proportional to her "book smarts," dumb, speechless admiration is the only thing I can use to describe how impressed I was with this grace on the field and court. Some are so talented, as a matter of fact, that they have scholarships with "free rides" to renowned universities. Just think where their natural skill will take them. Just think about the natural skill of universities, that can open their minds to more than just the ball, but the book, as well.


• The little piece of paper that can mean so much, and no, it's not the one that puts you in a church or Justice of the Peace. A degree, Silly! Obviously, it doesn't always guarantee a person to be wiser, but if a person is wise, the person will make a correlation between what she knows, and how much money is in the wallet because of what's in her brain. It never fails to astound me in the most profound way that I've made a healthy livliehood just because I know and love English (I think to love equals to know). I've worked my degrees as soon as I've earned them, and it's amazing to realize that one can put a price on knowledge (a lucrative price, as well).


• On a grand scale: I just received an e-mail about an organization you can find at http://www.freerice.com/. Based on your skill with vocabulary, you donate, through your knowledge of vocabulary, grains of rice. The highest level you can achieve is 60, but many people don't get above 50 (I earned a 41, and donated 1,000 grains of rice). Literally, you can help save lives by what you know. Miraculous.

I guess this blog has to do with my amazement based on the knowledge one has, and where it can take him, or the people affected by his life. There are no shortage of corny maxims around teachers, and how they affect lives, but when you stop to think about it, it doesn't stop at teachers. Musicians, artists, the "movers and shakers" of this world, the people who stop to think about things in a different way, and because of it, affect something else positively. If people started looking at what they didn't know, maybe it would motivate them to find out how it could help them. The other "H" word that does much more good than the other.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

"Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one's liberty." As I embark on my last two weeks of school, I find this idea, stated by Henri Frederic Amiel, especially poignant, as the last day of this school year is not the start of the countdown to the first day back. It is the start of a whole new enterprise, as I've made the decision to retire, permanently, from teaching. So, yes, I hope to find many secret joys, as I sever a major tie to my identity, and more fearfully, a tie to a livelihood that, if not always competitive, is always consistent and stable.
I firmly believe that we are who we are, even starting from the beginning of childhood. It's not that we necessarily change, but as people who mature, we change into our ultimate selves - our honed "irreducible self," as James Joyce so aptly put it. Because teaching is the conveying of knowledge, my alternate line of work is not far from it: I have opened up my own tutoring business, and am planning on changing the way kids not only learn knowledge, but how to appreciate it, as well. It is our responsibility in life to acknowledge the exigent inside of us by showing others that they have an inner "something" that makes them tick. One of the chief means of doing this is by education, as it shows people a myriad of ways in which to reflect on themselves, and on the things they will experience in life. In art, it is argued that artists do not create because they want to, but rather, it is because they have to do so. The inner fire that burns within them won't let them cease creating an expression of themselves. But, why draw the boundary line at artists? Maybe one of the secret joys of life is to realize that we all have an artist within us, and we just have to learn how to coax it out with the purposeful strokes of the brush.
And as far as gaining liberty goes, an idea that seemingly contradicts the previous sentiment is one said in the literary world: that nothing new can ever be created or written. That each theme written upon deals with the universal ideas of God, love, and death. Certainly, these things have been written about, and mulled over through the ages, but the challenge in self-education, or helping someone else with his education is seeing these universal ideas in a way that is uniquely impacting to him. Not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, but the old dog will be thrown a bone in this sometimes harsh world in which we live. And sustenance, of the literal and metaphorical kind, is a freedom that has no value.

An Out from Down in the Dumps - Art as Weapon

"The first condition for the liberation of mind is the liberation of man...." Andre Breton figured it out. As an individual in society, one not only contends with who he or she is as a person, but to compound the issue of finding one's place in the world is the idea of being encumbered with the responsibilities of mundanity (at this moment, I have ten research papers in my car that I still have not graded, but I'd rather talk about my liberation from the papers to discuss art). Ahem. My witty repertoire aside, the idea of freeing man to expand one's mind is seminal in understanding what makes for a satisfied humanity.

So, clearly, one has to determine what is the cause for the feeling of satiety in her own life; I think we get glimpses of it in who we are as people, and also, the things that we are exposed to as we develop into the "irreducible self" (thank you, Mr. James Joyce) we inevitably become. However, I think exposure to art, and the arts in general, help us in discovering the divine within ourselves. Quirt, a Surrealist artist, argued that, "...we all have essentially the same fantasy life ... and [the artist should learn to] release his own fantasies ...." in order to evoke something from humanity. Maybe one can argue that part of this same fantasy we all share is the desire for beauty, in any way one thinks of it, in order to remind us that there is something divine within us inherently. Even if it gets mired down in the "everydays" of life, we always see, read, or experience something that breaks through the stupor of life's heavy burdens. And even if we don't literally shout for joy, we can feel that joy surge. And that is the purpose of art. If life beats us, and can at times make us downtrodden, then art as a weapon makes sense. The troubles of life could use a cudgel from life's beauties every once in a while.

Sometimes, in It Sinks.

Well, the countdown has begun - for both the students, and the teachers. With less than a month of school left, war weary from the battles and victories in the classroom, both I, myself, as the teacher, and my students that I teach, have settled into an understanding of each other; it's quite lovely to watch their interaction with me, but even more special is their interactions with each other, and how their dialogue has been influenced by how I talk to my students. Yes, along with their learning, learning how to be decent to each other, sinks in, too.
I've seen a few examples of this decency, and it is touching, whether the humanity seen within the classroom is directed toward another student or me. One example that was especially poignant happened only but a week ago. There was a student in the room who was sporting a redhanded look based on something that happened. It was an awkward moment within the classroom, and I wondered how it was going to play out the following day because it involved another student who was affected by the behavior. Well, as Scarlett intimated, "tomorrow is another day," and sure enough, the sun rose on it. Class had begun, and all the players arrived. Before the second bell had rung the clarion call of the start of class, the one student asked to speak privately--outside of the class--to the student affected by his behavior, and I was so impressed by his manly behavior of addressing the issue. Both students returned a few moments later, and as the students like to say, it was "squashed." No theatrics, no posturings of violence, it was just settled as two, young men worked it out with each other. I was so proud to see it, as when I am addressing an issue with a student, I will always take him or her outside to the hallway, so that it does not become the showdown at the O.K. Corral in Scottsdale.
At the start of this school year when I did this, I do not think it was clear to the students as to why I chose to speak to them outside. They saw it more as an embarrassment because they felt themselves being singled out. I find, though, that when I speak to them calmly, and explain my reasoning, it not only rubs off on them, but sinks into them, too. Too see them, then, internalize this behavior, and model it themselves is a great accomplishment.
Frequently, in the classroom, I see the happenings within it as a series of "washes." One has good days, bad days, and everything in between those two points. What was a complete loss one day when dealing with a student, can turn into a victory the next by discipline, or by further communication. Again - the idea of "washes." However, when I see a student show decency based on something he or she sees in class, it is not just a victory, but a victory of both the battle and the war. As a society that's become desensitized to violence, to brash words that show a lack of dignity, and to too familiar language that would make anyone blush, it is validating to see young students practice the art of a kind humanity.
Even more beautiful is seeing a student practice kindness because of love for one another. On the very same day the sun rose on the two students settling the issue, a good friend of the student who could be seen as the transgressor, expressed his solidarity to him by going up to him, putting his arm around him, and having a good talk with him while in a half-embrace of support. And that is when, as a teacher, I am reminded of the inherent goodness of each of my kids. At that moment, in it really sinks.

"'[A]y, there's the rub'" (Hamlet).

"Compared to all the forces tearing apart the larger world, the destruction of American education may seem a minor matter. But it looms large in my small world and, I think, in yours" (Yatvin 363). And if this statement, quoted from Joanne Yatvin's speech in Research in the Teaching of English, from an address she delivered at a NCTE convention does not move you, perhaps it will after considering the following discussion.

The speech from Yatvin delineates the breakdown of the American educational system, and how it seems to have become an issue similar to the magnificent elephant that is in the living room that no one is brave enough to acknowledge.

As I drive past schools within Phoenix, I am always taken aback, as I see big, lurid banners professing the labeled school as "excelling." For those not in the know, there are now labels the government has put in place to make schools accountable (sadly enough, the latest trend in education is to put all the accountability on the school and teachers within it; however, accountability on the students themselves, seems to be lacking). Ranging from "failing" to "excelling," it always reminds me of the exploitation of our educational system, which is being swept up by initiatives that do no work, and a "selling out" in the most promiscuous of ways: let's not be concerned with the fact that this craze to "making the grade" has less to do with actually ensuring the educational system is serving our kids, and more to do with a quick "bandaid" on the eyesore that is really festering. And the eyesore, as I see it, is that the schooling system within America has fallen mercy to political correctness, and a spinelessness brought about by educational notions that say the system needs to be "sensitive" to the kids in order to avoid "damage" to their esteem. Combine this with an enervation of a disciplinary structure that disciplines unwieldy students, and one can most assuredly smell that something is fishy in the state of Denmark.

And, obviously, this weakening of our educational system does not stop at making kids accountable for their behavior. Of course not. It insidiously sweeps into their learning, and the teachers' pedagogies. If you are a teacher, throw away any confidence or training that you have been taught, because the government has superceded anything you might know as valid for a program that is sure to fail. Yatvin elaborates, as she realistically explains the issues of the initiative, "No Child Left Behind:" "Underlying the creation of NCLB is a profound mistrust of schools and teachers, concealed by the term 'accountability" (368). This mistrust has completely taken the teacher out of the learning equation. And because of this, teachers, and therefore, students, fail to see the importance of tests that do not connect with any of the learning that is, indeed, going on in the classrooms across the nation.

All of this is a hard, educational pill to swallow. As a teacher, it is hard to accept the degeneration of a schooling system which is supposed to engender a love of learning and knowledge. As more teachers leave the profession of teaching en masse due to these very reasons, I leave you with a poignant statement espoused by Yatvin: "Our students, our colleagues, our knowledge, our ideals, our profession; these are our loves. Be true to them all" (372).

While Reading "Macbeth," "Screw your courage to the sticking-place, and [you'll] not fail."

One of the most quoted and seminal poets of our time is Shakespeare, a man who is solely responsible for infusing today's language with 1,600 phrases, and is the only known man in literature who has an Elvis Presley reputation: the King has his name, and Shakespeare has his - the Bard. Why, then, does a man who has such an infinite knowing of the human psyche instill fear and dread in his readers? If you are a high school student, or if you remember your high school days, reading Shakespeare was about as fun as getting a root canal, although, in most cases, sadly, the root canal would be preferred. For the sage that said in "Macbeth," "'Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep ...'" (531), it would probably come as a surprise to him that many students think he, himself, has murdered any fun in the high school canon. Students just think that Shakespeare is b8%$ng (I can't bring myself to type out the accursed word). Why are students so circumspect in digging into Shakespeare like anyone of his gravediggers that besprinkle his plays? His words are the things that make reading him in high school have such a sting.
Yes, many would be surprised to find out that as archaic and intimidating as Shakespeare's words may sound, they are still considered modern language. I'll wait for the suprised gasps to end ... that is right. If you were to follow the timeline of the English language (God bless it!), you'd find that old English doesn't even look like anything that resembles what we know of today as English. Considering this, it is easy to put in perspective that as foreign as it may sound to some ears--especially ears of the high school kind--that Shakespeare's language is, indeed, modern English. But the sting also comes not just from the words, but from the fallacious thinking that Shakespearean plays are just not that interesting. The human spirit is a mystery, and the high school spirit is even more confounding.
Being a high school teacher in the depths of "Macbeth" with my students, I've had a chance to probe them about why they are so reluctant to appreciate the play, and they are hard-pressed to come up with any redeeming qualities about the work itself. However, they also do not see the connection between the universal ideas that Shakespeare espoused, and the very same ideas that they find in contemporary movies and books of today. They would rather read The Outsiders. And granted this book does have some great plot, students fail to realize that the plots are even juicier and more titillating in "Macbeth," and other plays as well. So, as a parent who might be frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm your child has of his schooling, what suggestions can be offered to you?
Some of the suggestions I have are to be a bit as devious as the villainous Macbeth. Even though I've found the kids proclaiming their boredom from here to Verona--where we lay our mutinous scene--a little encouragement and accountability on their parts go a long way. In school, my success has been in getting the kids to do the thinking in cooperative groups, and then make a game out of their answers. I randomly assign numbers, and when the number is called, the person assigned those numbers stands up, and talks about the answers the group came up with in their assignments. Because it's an arbitrary assigning, the pressure is alleviated, and the encouragement from the teacher puts them in a productive, and most importantly, open state of mind so that they can appreciate what they used to denounce.
If students regularly get those assignments that put them in the thinking "hot seat," and if it is done in a way that encourages a friendly learning environment, they wouldn't be so "brainsickly" in nature to Shakespeare's genius. It would do Lady Macbeth proud.

An SAT Sitdown

Picture a high school student methodically going over the answers in her head to this Sphynx like question: Because our supply of fossil fuel has been sadly ___, we must find ____ sources of energy. The possible answers are: a. stored...hoarded, b. compensated...significant, c. exhausted...inefficient, d. increased...available, and e. depleted...alternative. If this question raises the stress in your system, just imagine what it does to the high school student whose vocabulary isn't up to snuff, and whose world is increasingly more complicated by the high stakes world of college admissions. Based on GPA (grade point average), a student's writing skills, and the scores she can earn on questions like this found on the SAT college entrance test, getting into the right competitive college can seem more elusive as the educational buzzer rings its ominous bells.

The SAT, one of the more prominent college entrance exams a student must take in order to get into a choice university, is a test that is challenging and multi-faceted in its testing approach. Not only must one have an extensive knowledge in vocabulary, a high comprehension in reading selections, a vast understanding of the "ins" and "outs" of grammar, and a deft skill of writing, but today's high school imminently graduating senior must also know the "how to's" of how the test "thinks," and have a mastery of identifying the "traps" the test sets out to its gullible test takers. The SAT is not for the weak of heart; however, be stout-hearted. If a student--and her parent--properly gird themselves with the proper tutelage, and an awareness of what it takes, getting the appropriate scores on the SAT will be a conquerable goal, with the ultimate conquest: the multitude of acceptance letters from the select colleges of choice.

First, students and parents must realize that the SAT is an "academic's" test. The English portion of the test is the largest portion, and it consists of an essay writing section, reading comprehension sections that vary in length, sections that require knowledge in grammar and sentence syntax, and lastly a working vocabulary that is well into the post-graduate level. Not only must students be able to confidently answer all questions regarding content, but they must also know, that, similar to Darwin's theory of the "Survival of the Fittest," the SAT put tricks and traps in its test to weed out the unsuspecting and unprepared student. The use of negative words that students are not looking for encourage the student to pick the wrong answer because she is not expecting the "switch" in idea. There are various sentences in which the ideas of the sentence are subtly changed, so that the student is not aware of the shift in thought. Students not cognizant of the different structures of ideas will unwittingly choose an answer that shows a causal relationship, rather than picking the right answer that shows a structure of comparison. Finally, another, but certainly not last, hurdle a student must overcome is realizing that vocabulary words put in the test will expect the student to answer knowing the word's secondary meaning, rather than the common one used in everyday vernacular.

Furthermore, students and parents must realize that tackling the SAT is a reasonable goal, as long as they also realize that they need a "plan of attack." Getting a tutor, taking a class, making a schedule in which a student can study and practice, and continually adding to the student's knowledge of the different aspects the student will be tested on are all things, that if used consistently, will help earn the student a desirable score on the SAT. Doing all these things will deplete the source of test anxiety, and leave the student with the only alternative possible: success (the italicized words indicate the right choice for the multiple choice question).

A Poetic Bookkeeper?

“Wanted: A Poetic Bookkeeper Who Can Be an Inspirational Muse and Balance My Checkbook”

Nathaniel Hawthorne, American, Romantic writer extraordinaire, astutely noted that, “No man can be a poet and a bookkeeper at the same time,” and today, as I struggle with balancing responsibilities for career and home, while still maintaining a rich
enough personal life to combat my own personal ennui, it resonates especially. Writers such as Hawthorne, Gertrude Stein, and others have continually strived to satisfy the inner conflict of being true to their artistic genius, while still paying tribute to the gods of the mundane; paying bills, feeding and housing children, and taking care of the responsibilities of everyday life must be addressed, paying no matter to whether these actions can or do inspire enlightenment or personal satisfaction. It might not be a dirty job, but everyone has to do it.
So, the question does beg to be answered: how does a person who has a mammoth load of responsibility to everyday life still keep a semblance of a life that gives personal happiness in order to be able to keep up with the everyday with an awareness of vision that keeps in sight the pleasures that let us “take care of business” with aplomb? A possible answer might be to go into a “survival” mode, where only the basic necessities of things are taken care of, and others fall to the wayside as one finds time to enjoy the simple and beautiful things in life. This might only provide a fleeting satisfaction, as the dirty dishes on the counter pile higher, and the living of a “Bohemian” lifestyle includes visions of people living in boxes, but reading to their hearts’ content. A heart’s content should always make room for the arts and for paying mortgage payments.
This, however, is easier said than done for people like me who value doing a job well done because the same fire for otium—time spent in leisure to pursue one’s interests and happiness—is the same fire that ensures lessons for school are done, that bills are paid promptly, and that the house is vacuumed well enough to not have guests gossip about the upkeep of the house once they leave it.
Maybe all a person can hope for is an uneasy balance between the seeking of pleasures and the keeping of regular responsibilities. That there might be a new term created by the person herself who lets work responsibilities dominate one weekend, while another weekend is dominated by the museum, or by books who speak of a beloved writer or artist. That part of this uneasy balance is an acknowledgement to the fact that the marrying of these two things will never run smoothly. But the course of poets and bookkeepers never do.

It's the Little Things, Grammatically Speaking

The teacher struggle within me starts making itself known, as one of my freshman girls talks excitedly about any of the many things freshman girls get excited about to the point where their voices are raised to a preternatural pitch that even dogs cannot hear. As she giggles endearingly, she ends her conversation with "anyways." I can no longer keep my red-inked tongue from staying its course: "K..., 'anyways' is not a word; however 'anyway' is." She takes it in stride, and now, anytime she says "anyway," she says it loudly enough to catch my attention, with a sly and knowing look on her face. It's become an inside joke with her and her friends, and not least importantly, me. One small step for K, and one giant step for helping save the English language, one student at a time.

Being a teacher in today's changing climate of education, where one must always take into account the political movements sweeping the region of the country in which one lives, is a tricky business, indeed. Issues of immigration, political sensitivity, educational institutions moving towards an insidious notion of a "customer service" industry rather than an educational industry, and educational and political leaders not acknowledging the tough issue of discipline within the school system are all issues that impact the teacher in the "trenches." And it is that reason why teachers are trying persistently to instill a love, knowledge, and respect for the content they teach to their students. It becomes ever more sacred, as traditional notions of what education should be fall to the wayside.

And even though as a teacher, I might fall sway sometimes to the idea of "correcting equals hurt feelings," I still correct gently because I hold reverence to a language that enables its speakers to use a vast array of words in a dizzying multitude of ways just to express one clear thought. And the speakers that are in today's classrooms should understand and acknowledge that grammar, vocabulary, and syntax are all tools one needs in order to shape roughly hewn ideas, lingering in shells, into liberated pearls of wisdom.

I fancy myself an English commando, as I maneuver my students through the tricky labrynthine mazes of "good" vs. "well." I see them stealthily climb over the walls of "their," "they're," and "there." I watch with pride as my freshmen can recite the differences among homonyms, synonyms, and antonyms. I feel the impact that I make, and not the impact that the educational tides have on me, as I watch my students correct themselves over something I've taught when speaking to me. And, when I go home at the end of the evening, I know that I have done not good, but well. Grammatically speaking.

Letting Natural Passions Lead to Self-Awareness

As I head out into the brisk London air, full on a proper English breakfast, a thrill of excitement and joy flood me. I am headed off on a literary adventure—to visit William Blake’s tomb—and for a person who is directionally challenged, half the love of seeing it is just getting there! However, getting there is a breeze, and I am breathless knowing, that in moments, I will be in front of a tomb that has the remains of a man whose work I admired, whose poetry I read, and whose struggles with his existence of life and his relationship to religion still linger in my brain years after I’ve learned it. In fact, this special knowledge is the glorious red carpet that leads me to the past, and simultaneously leads me to a new awareness of myself, as I revel in knowing that a passion whose ardor still burns bright within me—a passion for literature—is the same passion that has liberated me from fears of being lost, fears of being a woman traveling on her own, and fears from the tiny self-doubts that can insidiously creep into a person’s psyche. All of this liberation found within the words of books. Miraculous.

These words, from the time I was a young girl, have always had a hand in telling me who I am; the reason I love literature so much is because I see the whole of humanity in it, and that whole includes all the colors and hues of whom I am. And I am an individual who thrives on sharing her love of literature and curiosity about everything; I naturally assume everyone wants to know everything.

Thus, this blog is created – to share with the segment of a curious humanity that takes second looks at people who catch their eye, the humanity that caresses the image in the photograph, wistfully dreaming itself there, and the part of humanity that is awed by what it still does not know. The part of humanity which peeks into the unknown, discovers a new place, and simultaneously discovers a new awareness of itself.

The awareness of self I’ve discovered is that the passion for eliciting an excitement about anything in life is one of the main reasons why I tutor students. There’s rarely anything more exciting than watching a student internalize and own the material he or she is learning; I would venture that is akin to watching your own child take his or her first steps as a toddler. It’s not so much that all of the excitement stems from watching learning happening, but it’s even more profound when you realize that the learning stems from connections being made through storytelling – first, the storytelling of the author, but then, the storytelling of the person who’s had an engagement with that author, and who is now getting to watch a new relationship build through the eyes of a student who’s looking at reading with new eyes. Miraculous.

It is with this awareness that I look back fondly to my visit to London this past Christmas, and to the tan stone of Blake’s grave that had a ladybug sitting atop of it. I took my own stories to it, communed with the stories that Blake shared with me, and the union of those two stories has now had rebirth while I share all these stories—this awareness--with you.