Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Too bad, so sad, no techie for you.

My school is limited in the available technology hardware we have available, though not from lack of wanting. Our two computer labs are booked for the entire year on the first day of school; teachers race to be the first one to block off their dates on the calendar, knocking down anyone or anything that gets in their way, like the running of the bulls. To combat this problem most teachers have given up on having students use computers individually; they kindly let the runners pass them by, then turn and leave.

I am a runner.

However, as this is my first year teaching in this building I did not catch on to the game until the calendar was already full. That did not deter me though; I simply decided I would have to find other ways of using what little technology my students and I can access.

The truth of the matter, is that kids these days need to know about technology, whether it is all around them or whether it hidden by a brick wall; they need to know various applications if they are going to succeed in this world. I believe that as an educator I have the responsibility to help them with this goal.

As a New Year resolution, I decided I would do more with technology in my classroom by not being afraid to have students do their technology work in the evenings on their home computer. Eighty percent of my students have a computer with internet access available in the evening. But, what about those that do not? This is a problem that prevents many teachers from assigning technology projects. They fear they will come across as un-empathetic to students who are not as advantaged, and who do not have computers at home.

I look at it this way (prepare for harshness!): Deal with it. You may not have a computer at home, but you need to figure out how to access one sometime during the week. I am sorry your family is not wealthy, neither was mine, but you can sit back and let the truck of technology run you down, or you can run after it and catch the bumper. The world is not going to wait for students to get their own computer; the world is not that patient. When my washing machine breaks (and I am expecting it to any day now!) and I cannot afford a new one, I do not wear dirty clothes, I go to a laundry mat.

Armed with this new philosophy I did however decide to do something to make accessing computers easier for these students. With the support of our school librarian I blocked off one of the computer labs every Tuesday for an hour after school; reserved for my 8th grade team only (I stay to supervise). In the three weeks since open lab started, I am amazed and pleased at how many students take advantage of it! They are free to do anything on the computer in that hour that is for a school subject and is within the appropriate policies. In addition to this, our students do have the option of going to the media center to use a computer during their free period. These strategies combined, I feel assured that I can defend myself if someone approaches me about students who do not have their own technology (no one has yet.)

There is nothing more satisfying (and rare) than an untenured teacher feeling confident in breaking the mold of educational norms. Leave it to my students to put a kink in the plan.

I received an email just yesterday that two of my more iniquitous students had breeched library code-of-conduct and decided to locate gang signs, inappropriate song lyrics, and YouTube videos while in the library during free period. Their user accounts are henceforth terminated for the remainder of the school year. In simple terms, this means they cannot use a computer in our building for the rest of their junior high career. Hmm...so much for getting them to post their poetry assignment to our Moodle site....

To my knowledge, both of these students fall into that group of tweens who do not have computers at home. My theory? Too bad, so sad, guess you will have to figure out a way to go to the public library or else get an F. Yes, I know I may sound insensitive, but I also believe that these students should not have the privilege of having an alternative assignment because they made bad choices. If they were sophomoric and made the bad decision to misuse the school computers, then I truly believe they should have to face the consequences.

In writing this- heart and logic stand behind my convictions, though whether or not administration or parents will agree with me is yet to be seen. I hope to remain strong, knowing truly that it is far better for students to be held responsible for their actions, then to be flittered along into adulthood, unprepared for the world of technology and the world of consequences.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Don't look a gift potato in the mouth.

In 1999 a vision of the Virgin Mary was reportedly seen in the window of a building in Clearwater, Florida. This wasn't the first "sign" America would see, nor the last.

Plagued by indecision, it was the only immediate solution we could come up with- going to Buffalo Wild Wings for twenty-five cent Tuesdays. L and I sat there, sipping soda and mulling over our options, none of which seemed to lift my spirit nor steer us in a clear direction.

Vandals once threw corrosive liquid over the image on the glass, but the representation returned.

Most people are indifferent towards unexplainable signs, though there are a few pertinacious individuals who cling to the belief that any sign, whether found in a mirrored window or a gum wrapper, is a divine message from God, sent to ease their suffering and provide hope. Ironically, it was not the indignation of vandals leading them to destroy it; they believed in the phenomenon the most, enough for it to scare them into attempting to get rid of it.

I had long stopped asking God to give me a sign for my issues. Either she never complied or I am too oblivious to notice. I can see the outline of a Mary-esque figure, but I'm not sure I believe it.

As the waitress dropped off twenty-four wings and an order of cheesy potato circles I could feel myself finally coming to an answer. I thought it over before saying anything, letting the hot spices, married with drippy grease, weakly attempt to make me feel better.

Just as I was starting to feel nauseous from indecision (or possibly the grease was eating away at my insides) I picked a solution from my virtual hat and laid it on the table. THIS is what we're going to, I proclaimed to L. He agreed.

With sticky fingers I reached in to grab another cheesy disc, beginning to feel a small weight release from my shoulders. The dimly lit room caused me to squint my eyes and immediately pause....my potato was smiling at me.

No, I do not usually see faces staring at me from my victuals, nor am I like Aunt Glady (Marge Simpson's aunt) who cherished her collection of potato chips that resembled famous people. My potato actually had two distinct eyes and a smile (as you can see.)

I told L it was a sign. What else could it be? At that exact moment I had just made a decision on something that had bedeviled my mind for well over six months, and there appeared before me a salty sign from above.

Skeptics claim the "Virgin of Clearwater" was "...the result of ground-water being sprayed up onto the windows from the sprinkler system, depositing a layer of metallic oxides there, and by thin-film reflection effects showing a fuzzy rainbow-like pattern on the glass." Maybe so, but it still formed that exact pattern at that exact time.

My potato friend is likely a natural cause of the intricate gourmet preparation of cheesy potato discs, but it was no less an auspicious gift, much needed at that exact moment.

I have no doubt that signs will continue to reveal themselves in unique ways until the end of time. Some of us will claim divination in an arbitrary picture; others will stare blankly with bemusement. Regardless, if my eyes do happen to be open at the time, I won't look a gift potato in the mouth.