Reflections

They trickle in, one by one, looking as if it's the first day of their senior year rather than their last.  Some are decked out in all their senior garb, flaunting the fact that in two days they will be official graduates of MHS.  Others wander about as if they have no idea where to go - in the building or in their post graduate life.  This is a day that is bittersweet.  And as a teacher, it has been a tough year.  This class, save for about a dozen, is a very jaded group.  Lots of anger, angst, and negativity.  Quick to pass the blame and slow to find motivation.  Regardless, they are on their way to the world beyond our classrooms and some are very ready. 

It is a time for me to reflect, professionally and personally, and take some notes.  There were the lessons and novels that looked great on paper but were awful in real life (no more Things Fall Apart!).  Lots of great class discussions and some that fell on deaf ears and blank faces (1984 anyone??).  The live theater performances we attended were great for those who ventured beyond our small town boundaries.  And connections with particular classes or individual students are always special, though today I realized just what that means.

As the senior pictures and thank you cards cross my desk, I get a bit immune to the tears and sentimentality.  I guess having done this for 12 years, it all begins to look and feel the same.  Just another group of seniors restating the same "I love your class" and "I will miss you" messages that I've heard for over a decade.  Now I don't want to sound callous or ungrateful.  My students are a pretty good bunch of kids and I wish them each the best of luck as they head off into the next phase of their lives (I know, cliche graduation phrase!).  But countless seniors say those things to countless teachers across the state and nation this time of year so it gets a bit generic. Makes me wonder if, as they say, teachers really do touch lives. 

Apparently I did: 

• One young lady remembered how I offered my slippers to wear during class because her feet were aching in her high heels. 
• A shy, reserved, nervous young man joined the cast of my drama production and remembered it as one of the best things he's been encouraged to do.  He was also an extra in a recent movie, by the way...
• Another member of my drama cast reiterated the fabulous friends she made and appreciated the chance to learn some new skills and just cut loose. 
• My self-motivated independent student helped supervise my freshmen and we shared countless conversations about college courses, moving away from home, and growing up. 
• Former student/babysitter stopped in to visit just because he missed chatting and catching up (two young children provide lots to share!). 
• One young man realized I had his bests interests in mind as I strongly encouraged him to go to college up north, but he ultimately chose a local community college with the promise to get out of town in a couple of years. 
• And several kids mentioned the fact that they appreciated that I "set aside what I am doing" to talk or offer advice. 

So despite the more-than-usual awful days this year, it is nice to think back and know that I did, in fact, make an impression on my kids.  And I hope they'll keep in touch and fill me in on all the fabulous things they on college campuses, in foreign countries, and in industrial cities.  It really was a pretty good year.

GRAD Room

It's official.  The seniors already want out.  We worked in our newly established GRAD room today to update educational plans and resumes.  The classroom is home to banners, viewbooks, pennants, posters, and paraphrenalia from virtually all Michigan colleges and universities as well as the armed services, and ACT information.  We'll host college admission representatives here and today, seniors were exposed to the room and its decor as they updated their information. 

As the year goes on, it is our goal to get every senior applied and/or accepted to at least one college, university, trade school, military branch, or technical institute.  Some are already ahead of the game and others need some coaxing but we'll get there.  Thanks, counselors, for your diligence and assistance.

Check out photos of the kids in action today.

Words, Words, Words, I'm So Sick of Words!

"Why do we have to read?" 

"I've never read a book on my own!" 

"This one has too many pages." 

And as Eliza Doolittle sang, "I'm so sick of words!"

In the life of an English teacher, these words are heartbreaking.  To think that lots of teens these days do not consider reading as something to do in their spare time, voluntarily, saddens me.  Even the advent of          e-readers (love my nook!) doesn't seem to bridge that gap between paper and electronic books.  Regardless, while they're stuck with me, my students will read and hopefully some will get turned on to the idea that books really aren't as bad as they seem to be.

In addition to at least four novels read as part of the class curriculum, I'm having my seniors read an additional two books of their (guided) choice.  From a stack of pre-determined novels, they chose one to read for each semester and then will do an analytical paper of sorts about it.  So I feel a bit better about my kids' exposure to classic and contemporary literature if only in the confines of MHS!

But, there is a huge push in the education world to get our kids reading well at an early age and then keep up that skill as they get older.  Somewhere around middle school it seems it drops off and in this age of state assessments, there is a need to light that fire again in high school so students can practice basic reading and comprehension skills.  Don't get me wrong, there are just as many avid readers as non-readers so all is not lost.  We just need to keep enforcing the importance of good reading skills and the idea that reading for pleasure is not dorky.

The MEA has partnered with the Detroit Red Wings to promote reading this fall and winter.  Students can earn discount tickets for a Wings game if they register with the program and read five books by March 2012.  I'm going to look into it for my second-grade daughter.  I'll keep things posted as to how it goes.

Michigan Reads Registration