Well, its mid term week at WHS. I think there has been so closure to my "room" situation. I havent really written about this, but the "room" in which I was slated to teach was too small to fit the students I have in English. I literally could not fit 25 desks in this room . . .no joke. The renovation of WHS is definitely laughable in many aspects, but that is all I'll say. My new room (I think the one I'll be in) is very nice; I can fit my students in it at any rate. Plus, it has a great history: it was the former educational forum for the young and talented Zachary Longyear, my good friend. Here are some educational ideas I was thinking about as I watched fat old people swim at the pool today.
1. At what point do you delineate between "art" and "skill?" And I'm not just talking about education . . .I'm talking about life in general. We call some things "art" and some things "skills." But there seems to be shades of gray amongst these ideas. For example, it is status quo to call painting, songwriting, and music an "art." But something like math, Spanish, or grammar is a "skill." But then little kids are taught "skills" on the pop warner football field which someone like Tom Brady can then turn into an "art." I guess the reason it concerns me so much is because there seems to be no accountability (from a teaching perspective anyway) with "art." If a kid takes "intro to drawing" or "chorus" and can neither draw a square nor sing an un-flat note, they don't necessarily fail. Not only that, but its seen as "okay" if they can't do these things. Did they TRY hard enough though? That is the question. Why is this the case? As a teacher of writing, I believe writing is, in many ways, an "art" not a skill. Some people merely do not posses the ability to write well--they have no vision, no purpose, no sentence fluency. I dont necessarily think writing is a "skill," as it is probably thought of in academia (since skills can be assessed, and arts cannot). Furthermore, it bothers me that math teachers and English teachers are "hung out to dry" when kids fail at learning paragraph formation or quadratic equations . . . .so why isnt an art teacher called on the carpet when a kid sucks at drawing? And why isnt a gym teacher chastised if we have a losing season of football or soccer? Were they not teaching the skills??
2. I dont know if its true for other disciplines, but I feel like its true for English: teachers are expected to "practice their craft." And why shouldnt they? Obviously, we teach according to our passions, right? I know Fuzzy, who teaches American government, is an ardent fan of politics, and probably will make a great town clerk one day (ha ha). And I know that I am passionate about my songwriting . . .and crafting entertaining and original (at least 13% of the time) blogs each day. This is why I feel bad for math teachers: what is their "art?" And, although a lot of academic teachers do in fact practice their "craft," one looming segment of our teaching population stands out: the gym teacher. I'm curious to know: has anyone out there EVER had a gym teacher who could run a mile in under 10 minutes? Or do 30 pushups? Every gym teacher I've ever had has been fat and out of shape (Morse, Duggan, Trombley . . .) My friends can attest to this. Isnt that hypocritical? Shouldnt they be in shape? I'm expected to write well. Rick is expected to answer tax questions (he teaches accounting). Its a given that Karl is fluent in Spanish, since he teaches it. How did gym teachers somehow become exonerated?
3. Finally, since I am on somewhat of a rant here, let me bring up another valid question (which I know is ridiculous . . .but it hilights some of the absurdity with our educational system). One of the gravest epidemics facing our young people is childhood obesity. Yet, English teachers are put on "probation" if kids dont perform well on writing tests. There is virtual "surveillance" on math teachers if their kids don't perform well on state assessments. But there is nothing even WHISPERED about holding P.E. teachers accountable for the fatness of our youth; and I think this problem FAR outweighs the "problem" that a kid can't write well . . .I mean, we're talking about lifelong health, heart disease, cancer, etc. The gym teachers obviously aren't teaching the kids well enough, because obesity continues to be a problem. I have kids who play guitar hero and "World of Warcraft" for 5 or 6 hours a day. That is laziness. Its a serious problem . . .they need to LEARN how to implement some "physical activity" into their lives. So how are these kids "graded" in class? Is it from their own performance on physical fitness tests? Is it a "self improvement" journal where they chronicle ways in which they are eating healthier? Is it from a report they do on cholesterol or protein? No. In fact, many of the gym teachers with whom I have experience determine half of your grade if you simply change your clothes. Wow. What do you think about that?? (oh . . .but you can't MAKE the kid exercise . . .you can't MAKE them eat well at home . . .blah blah blah . . .)
Welcome to my world.
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