Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
I'm not gonna lie - when you think about it, this entire week is pretty much my introspection on my little slice of the world right now. Well, at least two of the poems are. Sonnet from last week also touched on some school stuff, and my whole perspective on students and self-confidence and education versus teachers and school and dependence. Then this week's sonnet was definitely a more optimistic approach to the potential of some of my students' imaginations.
"U.S.ED," definitely, was an enormous undertaking (approximately eight pages handwritten), and it was mostly inspired by another spoken word artist who you really do need to check out. His name is Suli Breaks, and the spoken word piece, "I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate," can be found right here. This was the piece that, in several ways even if not all, really synced with my perspective on the school system versus actual education, and really, you can go through so many poems and stories and spoken word pieces that travel along the exact same vein.
Perhaps the artists all have a sound point! How 'bout dat shit?
I really did try not to parrot too much of Suli Breaks in "U.S.ED" because first of all, I didn't agree with every single point he made; and second of all, the points I did agree with, I wasn't interested in simply copying and pasting because those were his words, not mine. However, I did find myself nodding when he mentioned the idea of exams and test results being the faulty end all, be all of perceived human intellect. So I tried to tackle the idea of exams dominating the school system as well as other points that he did not touch completely on, while connecting it back to my personal experience in a local, mostly ELL student elementary school in the Canal District of San Rafael.
Now, I grew up in a white neighborhood in an affluent Marin County suburb. This school I work at, and the community it was built in, is an entirely different demographic than I'm accustomed to. I've reminded my students over and over that just as much as they're learning from me, I'm learning from them, because we are very different people living and learning together in the same place within the Bay Area. And yes, the "We're reading to pass a test" line was a real response from one of my second grade students, which just broke my heart because it really does show how school has become all about assessment rather than considering the growth that is meant to be documented within that assessment.
My students are right in the middle of STAR testing, and while they claim it's easy for them, it's tiring them out and draining them mentally and creatively. I know that several teachers agree with me that all this testing is too much and takes away from the actual point of education - experience, wisdom, adventure, and unearthing new puzzles to solve. "U.S.ED" may be partially about my bitterness, but it's mostly about my concern for these youths who were raised with limited opportunities to try new things and expand their perception of the world around them. They see everything through a narrow telescope, or line segment of "School to after school to home," and that alarms me.
Unfortunately, the system I work in also limits me as a teacher, and I wish there was something I could do. I can't overhaul the system, but I can challenge it. As seen in my most recent sonnet, I went entirely against the expectations of my literacy program's curriculum to get the girls to focus on imagination and creativity - not just how to pronounce and spell the word "shine" (though I do understand the importance of accurate reading and spelling). I converse with them, ask them questions, and encourage them to try new things. Sometimes, it works. Other times, like today, it falls flat. I also blame the early heat wave we've gotten. Can we have spring back?
I guess what I need now is, well, not luck, but confidence. Not confidence in how well I can do. But confidence in the idea that what I offer strengthens the mindsets of these children even if not directly affecting my own. Because this isn't about me. This is about them.
Writer's Quotation of the Night:
Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?
- Joan Didion
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
"U.S.ED," definitely, was an enormous undertaking (approximately eight pages handwritten), and it was mostly inspired by another spoken word artist who you really do need to check out. His name is Suli Breaks, and the spoken word piece, "I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate," can be found right here. This was the piece that, in several ways even if not all, really synced with my perspective on the school system versus actual education, and really, you can go through so many poems and stories and spoken word pieces that travel along the exact same vein.
Perhaps the artists all have a sound point! How 'bout dat shit?
I really did try not to parrot too much of Suli Breaks in "U.S.ED" because first of all, I didn't agree with every single point he made; and second of all, the points I did agree with, I wasn't interested in simply copying and pasting because those were his words, not mine. However, I did find myself nodding when he mentioned the idea of exams and test results being the faulty end all, be all of perceived human intellect. So I tried to tackle the idea of exams dominating the school system as well as other points that he did not touch completely on, while connecting it back to my personal experience in a local, mostly ELL student elementary school in the Canal District of San Rafael.
Now, I grew up in a white neighborhood in an affluent Marin County suburb. This school I work at, and the community it was built in, is an entirely different demographic than I'm accustomed to. I've reminded my students over and over that just as much as they're learning from me, I'm learning from them, because we are very different people living and learning together in the same place within the Bay Area. And yes, the "We're reading to pass a test" line was a real response from one of my second grade students, which just broke my heart because it really does show how school has become all about assessment rather than considering the growth that is meant to be documented within that assessment.
My students are right in the middle of STAR testing, and while they claim it's easy for them, it's tiring them out and draining them mentally and creatively. I know that several teachers agree with me that all this testing is too much and takes away from the actual point of education - experience, wisdom, adventure, and unearthing new puzzles to solve. "U.S.ED" may be partially about my bitterness, but it's mostly about my concern for these youths who were raised with limited opportunities to try new things and expand their perception of the world around them. They see everything through a narrow telescope, or line segment of "School to after school to home," and that alarms me.
Unfortunately, the system I work in also limits me as a teacher, and I wish there was something I could do. I can't overhaul the system, but I can challenge it. As seen in my most recent sonnet, I went entirely against the expectations of my literacy program's curriculum to get the girls to focus on imagination and creativity - not just how to pronounce and spell the word "shine" (though I do understand the importance of accurate reading and spelling). I converse with them, ask them questions, and encourage them to try new things. Sometimes, it works. Other times, like today, it falls flat. I also blame the early heat wave we've gotten. Can we have spring back?
I guess what I need now is, well, not luck, but confidence. Not confidence in how well I can do. But confidence in the idea that what I offer strengthens the mindsets of these children even if not directly affecting my own. Because this isn't about me. This is about them.
Writer's Quotation of the Night:
Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?
- Joan Didion
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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