Hello everyone. I know it has been awhile. I have had some interesting turns on my own educational path. I graduated with high honors from Swarthmore in English and Education.

I traveled through Peru, visiting Lima, Cuzco, Machu Pichu, and Iquitos.

Now I have found a new home for the summer: Washington, DC.

I am working for the Student Conservation Association.


The SCA is " America’s conservation corps. Our members protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks and community green spaces in all 50 states."

I have a crew of 6 high school students from the Washington, DC area. We are working in Rock Creek Park,



and Dumbarton Oaks

Bad News for New York City Bound Teachers

PANIC!

I was planning to develop a teaching career in new york city. I may have to think again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/nyregion/11teachers.html?ref=education

"In an effort to cut costs and avoid teacher layoffs, the Department of Education on Wednesday ordered principals to fill vacancies with internal candidates only."

Even scarier is this:

"But this year, the department anticipates fewer openings and will not hire externally except in certain high-needs areas like speech therapy and bilingual special education. Instead, principals can fill spots only with internal candidates, including teachers from a reserve pool made up of those whose jobs have been eliminated and many who have earned unsatisfactory ratings."

They will be hiring unsatisfactory teachers instead of fresh, energetic ones coming straight from teaching schools. People from NYCTF and TFA, who often have only a few weeks of teacher training, will prioritized over those who have been training for years.

Future Plans

I begin my lifelong journey as an educator.

This summer I will work as a Summer Commuting Crew Leader for the Student Conservation Association in Washington DC.

http://thesca.org/serve/community-programs

6 High Schoolers and I will restore trails and sites in Washington, DC area parks, meet with leaders of the Environmental movement, learn about conservation and environmental advocacy, and take an incredibly fun trip at the end of the summer. I am absolutely pumped.

Some concerns I have:

My role as white male outsider.

The culture of SCA and other environmental institutions.

Being a good role model.

Being a firm but understanding boss.

Some things I'm looking forward to:

Getting Outside!

Working Hard!

Educating the Youth!

Being in DC during the Obama generation!

A Conversation About Standards

Recently a reader was kind enough to post a comment on by blog:

"Pardon my ignorance, but don't kids need to know what they need to know regardless of where they are? And why would national standards stop you from having community involvement.

All of life has standards that you either meet or don't - why should schools be any different? It is time we start holding kids accountable for their own success - isn't "that" what this country is made out of - hard work by those who are passionate about something?"

I would like to comment about several points.

How do we define what "they need to know?"

Is it what is going to guarantee them economic success in the capitalist system of the US?

Is it what is going to give them entrée into the intellectual elite of the university system?

Is it what is going to make them thoughtful, curious, lifetime learners?

Is it what is going to inspire them to change our world and give them the critical tools to do so?

Another question, who is the they? Students are becoming increasingly, increasingly diverse. They bring with them different racial, national, religious and sexual identities. All of these imply a different worldview. These "standards" are never neutral. In fact they imply a dominant, normative set of knowledge and behaviors that is categorically white, European, and middle class. Often this "school culture" is constructed through content, like Literature and History, with capital L and H, but it also can be constructed through the attitudes and practices of Math and Science pedagogies. To assert that all students "need" to know this information, these attitudes, this culture...is racist.

Now, of course I admit that the reality is, for economic success and a greater chance of improving life chances, it is important to have access to a high level of standard academic fare. However, what happens is that these standards have been used against the students who were not properly prepared, by their communities and their schools to meet the standards, and so it becomes a loosing game, by which the standards are used to keep them from advancing to the maximum of their potential. Especially under the Bush administration, standards were used to color the public schools a "failures", so that public funds could be siphoned off to private schools, charters collaborating with "business partners", and faith-based initiatives. Public money in the private interest.

The interesting question is whether this pattern will continue under Obama. I hope that it doesn't, but Arne hasn't suggested otherwise.

If we are going to have standards, they need to be drastically rewritten, and the evaluation of those standards, and subsequently what is done with that evaluations drastically rethought.

Finally, I'm not sure what "all of life has standards" actually means, but the rest of the paragraph about hard work in success in the American dream...has largely, conclusively, statistically, been proven by sociologists and economists to be largely that...a dream. Social mobility is largely illusion, and for those who do achieve it, usually involves dramatic losses to sense of self, rootedness, and background.

In fact, that to me is the scary, underbelly to the Obama myth. I have tremendous respect for Obama, and I know he worked his but off, for decades, to get to where he is. But if anyone thinks he is a regular joe, they are off their rocker. He lived in Indonesia, Hawaii, had a government official as a dad, in fact two international father figures, and went to one of the best private schools in Hawaii. He worked hard, but he had a hell of a head start. And yet, the Obama myth suggests that any struggling Black kid in North Philly, College Park, South Bronx, East Cleveland, or any similar place can "make it" to the top. Do you believe that?

Obama Makes Me Cry

I was having a great Obama day on Tuesday. The family was out with the dog, I felt so happy and proud to see our first Black first family in the limelight. And then I read Sam Dillon's NYT article about education : "Education Standards Likely to See Toughening"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/education/15educ.html

And I wanted to cry. I began to ask myself why I had spent all those hours during election weekend canvassing, calling, hoping, asking the electoral college gods to spur fortune, "that strumpet", to our favor. Why, as an educator, should I vociferously fight for Mr. Obama, if this is what we get:

Arne Duncan saying he wants to be "a catalyst for the development of national academic standards."

What happened to local control, community involvement, and autonomy?

What comes out of this article is that Arne and the Obama administration are pursuing "more of the same failed bush administration policies" to fix education. By the way does my quoted rhetoric sound familiar to you? If it does, it's because that's the rhetoric Obama used to call McCain the same as Bush in the election. Irony.

What's really dissapointing is the cheer-leading sils on the so-called progressive left that just love president Obama's plan.

The Center for American Progress: " 'They’re putting money and ideas behind what they think are the changes needed in public education,” Ms. Brown said. 'That signals their seriousness about major reform.' "

Randi Weingarten, of the so-called stick in the mud unions said she would "give the new administration the benefit of the doubt". The unions rocked it for Obama in the campaign! They should be all over his ass, making sure his education plan is bold, new, and progressive, instead of boring, old, ineffective, and not good for students! Sheesh.

Congressman Sestak was on campus on Monday and he loved Obama's education plan to death.

Listen, I love Obama as much as the next guy, but we need some people to stick up to him and tell him what is what. I thought the benefit of having a moderate democrat in office was so that we could push him to the left.

The Arrogance of our Educational Leaders

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/education/04educ.html

"Mr. Fenty said he made the trip to New York to observe the “endgame” of mayoral control of public schools, a controversial governance model that New York adopted seven years ago and that Washington turned to in 2007."

As if all big cities must inevitably succumb to mayoral control.

"In another classroom, students for whom English is not a first language studied a drawing and tried to name the objects they saw — cows, birds, trees. Mr. Klein expressed approval when he noticed the children were dressed in white uniforms. “Muchas gracias,” Mr. Klein offered. “You look so beautiful! Does everyone like their uniform? So do I!”"

This sounds like some totalitarian dictator at an educational brainwashing session.

It just shocks me the way these men in charge run around town dictating the terms of the game to everybody else, as if they, and only they have the right answers. We really need to take back control from these people.

Mapping Experience

A current dilemma:

A student I tutor asked me to help her with maps. I quickly realized that her schools had dismally failed her. As a freshman in high school, she had practically no fluency with maps, georgraphy, history, or political science. She didn't know the difference between the US and the rest of the world on a map, what or where Europe really was, how many languages people spoke in different countries, etc... It seemed more like she didn't have "map language" than that she didn't know anything about these issues, but I knew that she needed to know this stuff in order to succeed in school. I quickly pulled up a world map on a computer and launched into a 90 minute survey of all of world geography in history, including the 7 continents, basic introduction to government and economics, a brief brief brief idea of colonialism, and any other pertinent interesting information I could think of.

You can imagine how problematic this was. I'm stuck. I want her to succeed in school, but I don't want to fall in to the trap of enslaving her within the dominant discourse without any sense of critical thought. I tried to show some of the ways that the "map" of the world is unjust, but with 90 minutes, I was racing to tell everything I knew about the map. I am going to keep working with her on this stuff, and any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Major Props

I want to give major props to a blog I LOVE. A fellow swarthmore alum and current teacher, Scott Storm's Pedagogy With Class is an amaaaaaazing blog on pedagogy radicalism and just good teaching. Please check it out!

http://pedagogywithclass.wordpress.com/

Data for Duncan

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/education/02educ.html

Arne Duncan has said that to qualify for a second round of educational stimulus funding, schools are going to have to submit data on performance, teacher assessment, and data on student success in terms of graduation and college.

Yall are expecting a rant from me, right?

Well, actually I think this is a good thing. Of course we should be tracking and monitoring the performance of our schools and the success of our students. The thing to be worried about is what data is collecting and how is it being used. If data on struggling schools is used to shut them down, shuttle their students to privates, and take their funding away, that is B.A.D., BAD. But there is no reason why the government should throw away taxpayer's money without seeing any critical reflection on the part of administrators, politicians, and stakeholders on the ground.

Mais Quoi?

Ummmmm?


"Staff at a high school in the US state of Texas had students settle their differences by fighting inside a steel cage, a local newspaper has reported." - BBC

Diversity Conversations Lacking in Our Schools

Attended a talk today by Anita Chikkatur. Ms. Chikkatur is an alum of Swarthmore and is pursuing her Ph.D at UPenn while teaching at Carleton college. Ms. Chikkatur's talk was called Difference Matters: invisible and incomplete narratives about race, America, and inequality at a diverse, urban public high school.

The talk focused on the ways the high school failed to adequately address the issues of race class and gender clearly present at a diverse urban school. Chikkatur's research and talk focused mainly on the teaching of an African-American history class, which was interpreted as a way for the school to diversify its curriculum. The teacher, however, was ill equipped to teach the class as she had not studied African-American history and did not feel comfortable discussing race.

Here are a couple of Chikkatur's findings that I find most provocative:

Diverse schools should offer opportunities for students to discuss and critique race class gender and sexuality and critique systems of oppression in the US.

Schools right now often ignore the two "foundational holocausts" of the formation of the US: the genocide of the Native American people's land and lives, and the enslavement and transfer of Africans to American soil to drive the nascent American economy.

I certainly agree that diverse schools need to do more to get their students talking about what is going on in their schools and how that reflects forces and systems in the wider society. I know, from having attended diverse high schools in Atlanta and Cleveland where practically no attempt was made to address diversity, that this can have disastrous consequences for students of all backgrounds.

I was also interested by Chikkatur's insistence on a hierarchy of oppression, arguing that the Eastern European immigrant experience and the hardships experienced by that community can not be compared with those of the enslaved African peoples.

I wonder if we can come up with a way of talking about oppression and domination that doesn't equate oppressions that are obviously difference in scope and effect and yet doesn't denigrate the real experiences of people, communities, and histories.

Some great commentary on recent issues by Gerald Bracey and Pedro Noguera

Spent some time skimming blogs for good commentary on Obama's ed speech.

This one, from Gerald Bracey on the Huffington Post, is great.
Gerald Bracey: On Education, Obama Blows It, Part II

Posted using ShareThis

Favorite line:

"I voted for Obama. I canvassed for him. I registered voters for him. But on education, he has yet to hit the basket. Diane Ravitch, never once called a bleeding-hear liberal and assistant secretary of education for George H. W. Bush, recently said that, from what she's seen, Obama is a third term for George W. Bush and Arne Duncan is Margaret Spellings in drag. She was not doling out compliments to either man. (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2009/02/is_arne_duncan_really_margaret.html."

Pedro Noguera's is great as well.

Favorite Line:

"The most successful charter schools -- and let's be clear, not all charters are successful -- have demonstrated that increased autonomy, combined with site-based decision-making over the use of resources, can sometimes contribute to greater effectiveness. There is no reason why similar strategies cannot be deployed in regular public schools."

Obama on Education

Obama finally made a policy speech on education today. From the Washington Post, New York Times, and Education Week coverage of the speech a few things are clear.

Barack Obama cares about our children and their eduction. And for that we should be very grateful. These are not the Bush years, where pure cynicism and business interests were the rule of the day. Bush did not care about children or their education. He simply cared about pushing for the reforms that would benefit his friends in the business-style reform industry.

According to the white house website, Obama supports:

1) "Investing in early childhood initiatives" like Head Start;

2) "Encouraging better standards and assessments" by focusing on testing itineraries that better fit our kids and the world they live in;

3) "Recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers" by giving incentives for a new generation of teachers and for new levels of excellence from all of our teachers.

4) "Promoting innovation and excellence in America’s schools" by supporting charter schools, reforming the school calendar and the structure of the school day.

My Responses:

Much of Obama's rhetoric on education has stressed the need for America to be the best. Echoing jingoistic , conservative ideology of the Reagan years and the anti-Russian 50's and 60's before them, Obama is rehearsing a kind of America is best exceptionalism that we need to get away from. We live in an interdependent, globalized world. What we need is for every student to be educated to the best of their ability and in a way that allows them to be critical actors within the world in which they exist. Why is the level of education in Africa not as important as that our students score better on tests than Chinese ones? What we don't need is a kind of test-driven arms race between the students of the United States and China? What does that accomplish? Who wins? And what to they win? A medal?

The four pillars:

1) okay, all good people in education support early childhood initiatives, no controversy there, good move Barry.

2) Now, this one is complicated. It all depends on the specifics of how these policices play out. If by "testing itineraries that better fit our kids and the world they live in," we are talking about culturally relevant pedagogy that accoutns for race class gender sexuality literacy and locale, then I'm totally down. If we are talking about alternative assesment strategies like portfolios and teacher assesment, then I am oh, so down. But if we are talking about simply tweaking tests, then, yes, okay, do what the research says, but I am not so down. We have established that testing is detrimental to students' education and students' self concept. Why are we rushing to continue the same test-based reform ideology of the Republicans?

3) Again, sounds great right? This third pillar has some really good things and some not so good ones. The idea of creating a teaching corps, creating new incentives and routes to recruitment is all great. The more the merrier. Let's make sure they get the training they need, but seriously this is all awesome.

Now the problem I have, and it is a big one, is a merit-pay based system, which is essentially what Obama is proposing, and by the way he has indicated his willingness to go up agains teachers' unions, the very ones that worked their buts off to get him elected, to push through this reform. Under a merit based system, outstanding teachers could get paid much more. Now since I plan on being an amazing teacher, this sounds great to me! Right?

But think about this. Imagine two rubrics under which performance could be measured:

1. Standardized testing. If raises are linked to score increases on tests, then this could encourage cheating by teachers at the worst and an even more dreary test-driven slave master approach at the best.

2. Selection or assesment by superiors. Imagine school politics. How in the world could this be done effectively without encouraging favoritism?

Obama says we need to find a way to move bad teachers out of the classroom. I agree. But how are we defining bad teachers? Who gets to define it? What happens when a teacher who is pursuing a politically unorthodox curriculum that stimulates his students but offends his superiors is characterized as "ineffective"? That's why the tenure system we have is crucial.

4. Okay, the school calendar thing I'm not really going to touch. I don't know enough about it. Charters. Charters. Charters.

Positive aspects of charters:

1. sometimes they work.
2. sometimes really cool charters get created, like all black afrocentric curriculum charters.
3. having a self-concious mission can often create results.

Negative aspects:

1. they skim the best students and resources away from the surrounding schools, moving the cream of the crop away to islands of excellence (a phrase obama used). But EVERY student deserves excellence.

2. they often use recruitment policies to keep out special ed students and students with behavioral problems.

3. they are notoriously unstable and can have their charter revoked at any time, effectively ending all the work and promise that created the charter and put the students their in the first place.

4. they are often a site for pofit seeking, business interest, direct-instruction education types to pursue their goals.

We should learn from the positive aspects of succesful charters and incorporate those into our system of education. but Charters are by nature provisional and therefore can never be a long term solution to the woes of our education system.

Which brings me to my strongest criticism of Arne Duncan and Obama:

They have no systematic, comprehensive, long-term vision of a succesful school system. They piece meal embrace policy solutions that may or may not work. What we need is VISION.

Bush and the Republicans. They had a vision. It was evil. But at least they had one. That is what we need from Obama. And I'm afraid we will be waiting for quite some time.

Personal Attention

I was checking out this article on the experience.com education site... Interesting that the public school teachers say they only spend 4 % of their time giving personal attention to students! How can we fix this?

Powershift

(Youth educating youth at Powershift...)

This weekend I attended a unique educational opportunity. The conference Powershift.

The conference brought 12,000 youth climate activists from all over the country to build the movement to end the climate crisis and lobby congress for change. There were panels, presentations, workshops, films, a career fair, grad school fair, lobbying training, and lobby day on Monday.

For my part, I opted to train participants in the ins and outs of Lobbying. The training was put together by Wellstone Action. These types of training programs, outside the standard curriculum of colleges and high schools are so powerful, that they tempt me to seek a career doing workshops and trainings rather than a career within the imprisoning halls of a high school. We shall see.

Some provocative questions stay with me whenever I go to conferences like this. What happens when you bring together are large amount of people around a specific issue, who may have very different ideas of what change needs to be made or how to make it. Thinking specifically about Powershift, what happens when the participants (and remember the whole idea of the conference is about empowerment) shift the power away from the organizers and come up with their own agendas? For example, a brilliant young woman fiercely questioned the environmental advocates who led our legislative briefing questions, saying the platform we were asking for was not bold enough to stop the most catastrophic effects of climate change. What happens when conference participants on their own organize direct action tactics that were not sanctioned or organized by the conference?

Furthermore, one of the major goals of powershift was social justice, equality, and dismantling of opression within the movement. To that end, there was strong representations of oppressed commnities at the conference, African-American youth from ecocnomically depressed areas, Native American reservation youth, to name two examples. But what was to stop the dynamic of having a mostly white participant body from continuing oppression. The occasional workshop on race or class privelege or dismantling oppression would most likely only be attended by people who are already allies. Even more, on the lobby day, where it would certainly be possible to have groups of 60 people meeting with 1 congressperson for 10 minutes, and factual knowledge and appropriate political discourse is prized, who is given voice, who takes voice, and what does this mean?

To learn morea bout the organizations involved with powershift check out:
Green For All-- pushing for "green the ghetto"...aka Van Jones
Energy Action Coalition--Youth led coalition of climate activist organizations
Sierra Student Coalition-Student run arm of the Sierra Club
National Wildlife Federation--one of the oldest conservaqtion orgs in the US

Literacy Lecture

Last night I went to a lecture. Here is the description: 

The Language of Schooling and Academic Success

    Louise Wilkenson     
Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology, and Communication Sciences at Syracuse University
7:30 p.m. Science Center 109

Students in the United States must develop proficiency in English that 
is sufficient to meet the increasingly complex academic discourse 
requirements of American schooling.  Students' school achievement 
depends upon their being proficient in academic language, which is the 
language of classroom instruction and of textbooks.  This presentation 
will describe the sociocultural and linguistic components that define 
academic language proficiency, including the academic discourse 
requirements of schooling. Implications for teaching students whose 
first language is not English, as well as effective classroom teaching 
in general will be addressed.

The speaker basically argued that English Language Learners are often able to learn English well enough for social interaction and to Read for Pronunciation... so they can read out loud something to you, but NOT for Comprehension, so they wouldn't be able to tell you what they read or understand it. She says that this will have drastic consequences against their academic success and so individualized action should be taken to help them. 

She cited the concept of different tiers of words. 

Tier 1: common general words: baby, daddy, etc.

Tier 2: more academic, words

Tier 3: esoteric contexutualized words

She submitted that elementary teachers need to explicitly teach these tier 2 words as early as possible.

While Dr. Wilkenson and her colleagues clearly have good intentions and are working towards something that they think will be beneficial to the communities they have described---English Language Learners (those students for whom English is not their first language)---it definitely reeked of cultural defitism. There is something WRONG with these students that NEEDS to be fixed. And we, the wise educational researchers know exactly how to FIX them. We will fix them, integrate them into the system,  mainstream them, and take away their differences. It is the subtractive schooling that Valenzuela writes about (citation will come). Take away from them all the strengths they have: their native language, home culture, identity; create a deficit for them, identify them as in trouble; and figure out how to subtract their otherness in order to make them just like everyone else.

Look, of course she is right that somebody who cannot perform in writing the way that somebody from a literate, middle or upper middle class family would is going to have trouble in school and be punished academically for it. But that to my mind identifies a problem WITHIN SCHOOLS, not within the student. Are we going to change the student to fit the institution or can we change the institution to recognize the strengths of the student? 

I am attending the following lecture tomorrow and will report!

Thursday, February 19th  
The Black Struggle for Education: Civil Rights, Community Activism, and 
Parental Choice.
4:30 p.m. Science Center 101

Moderator: Cheryl Jones-Walker, Visiting Assistant Professor of Black Studies and Educational Studies

Panelists:  Professor Dionne Danns, Education, Leadership and Policy Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington; Isaac Ewell, Director of the Gates Small Schools Project, and a board member of the Black Alliance for Educational Options; and Professor David Stovall, Education 

For the Love of the Art

I was browsing the experience.com education website and read their most recent article:

Will you love teaching ?

The article asks teachers what they love about the job and then lists their responses:

1. The Students

2. Responsibility

3. Creative Work

4. Summers Off 

5.Other Faculty

6. Variety

While I certainly agree with "the students," "creative work," and "other faculty," I thought of some other reasons why I want to get into the field. 

Social Justice 

This can be viewed from two lenses. 1- Highly qualified and critical teachers are not being employed in large numbers in poor communities of color. Attempting to correct this disparity on an individual level is one motivation. 

Then there is also the idea of trying to help students develop critical lenses with which to analyze and critique society in a way that leads to an understanding of institutional injustices and curricular forms of oppression. Furthermore, a radical teacher might be able to work with students on activist projects towards justice and liberation. 

Teaching What You Love

I can't get away from this. I love books. I love reading. I love the stories. The conflicts. The characters. The writer's vision. There is a sense in which a good teacher should want to teach because they truly love the work of the domain they are teaching. 

Public Service 

I have to admit, I also am on the public service kick. As a teacher you are employed by the state to hopefully help transition youth into critical and actualized members of society, who are productive members of your community. 

I would love it if you all would write in what it is attracts you about education!

Love and Solidarity, 

Marc Engel 

Some organizations I think are cool!

These are awesome people on the ground trying to make praxis: turning theory into reality!

Ed Liberation

New York Collective of Radical Educators

USSA

These organizations are a great resource for those working as teachers but wanting to do more to implement their radical values. Sometimes it can be hard to get past the nitty gritty of working all day just to keep your kids under control, make lesson plans, and stay on top of everything not to mention, figuring out how you are going to overthrow the system! These organizations do lots of events, dialogs, campaigns, and organizing to keep you in touch with youth, and to keep you in the movement!

Love and Solidarity, 

Marc Engel

Opportunities? for Aspiring Teachers

Hello faithful readers...it turns out during this week I've been a less than faithful leader. Swarthmore college turned up the heat on me with presentations on Fyodor Dostoevsky and Shakespearean plays. Wow, there is so much going on out there in education right now I don't even know where to start. But I think I'll begin with what is going on in my life, education wise. College students all across the country right now are trying to finalize their summer plans, and so am I. We education majors often look to organizations that could give us some hands on teaching experience before doing the real thing. Probably the one most well known summer teaching opportunity is

Breakthrough Collaborative: http://www.breakthroughcollaborative.org/

The students Breakthrough recruits are mostly students of color from low-income communities. The program uses a multi-year process and youth teachers to give these students guidance and instruction to keep them on track for college.

some other summer teaching programs that people do are CTY- Center for Talented Youth
http://cty.jhu.edu/

The catch? Well, you only get a 1000 dollar "living expenses" stipend for the 6 week program. I don't know about you, but for 1000 dollars don't go very far for rent, food, transportation, etc... The other thing is that it is only a 6-week program. So for folks looking to take care of a sizable chunk of their summer, this doesn't help either. The other downside is that the application is relatively involved and competitive. One has to write up lesson plans, activities, come up with three references, do several interviews. And who at top colleges has time to do all of that?

While we are on the topic of applications, there are a few other programs I would like to discuss with you all. Several college grads at my school decide last second that education might be a good career path to them. They haven't done any of the coursework to get a license to teach. Enter Teach for America and the various teachers' fellows programs. Teach for American offers basically a Peace Corps model teaching experience for graduating college students or adult career changers; you get a crash course (and I think its important to emphasize the abbreviated nature of this crash course) in education during the summer, some short student teaching experience, and then you are in the classroom to start teaching. The advantages are that you only have a 2-year commitment, you get your certification to teach and a Master's degree practically for free (big plus, for people like me it could cost anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 to get a master's), and a guaranteed salary. Programs like Philadelphia Teachers Fellows, Washington DC Teacher's fellows, and the biggest most sought after one: New York City Teacher's fellows, all have similar systems and perks.

Okay, sounds great right? Here are my problems with these programs.

1. They don't look for EDUCATION students! I know, it sounds crazy. But honestly, these programs will disqualify you if you've studied education too much. Because they want a blank slate, where they can pump you full of their philosophy and their style, and get you to teach according to their goals. Furthermore, and this does make some sense, they are looking to attract people who weren't going to go into education. The downside, is that it reserves the rewards away from the people who have always been committed to making a difference in education.

2. Very, very little training. Schools that TFA and teachers fellows put teachers in are the hardest, most difficult places to teach in. They are riddled with problems, don't have a high level of institutional support, and have great and deserving, but very tough kids. Sending idealistic college students, who (statistically) most likely came from a white, middle or upper middle class background, into these classrooms with little training or support doesn't seem to help anyone. Neither the teachers, nor the Students.

3. Doesn't encourage lifelong teachers. TFA's 2-year commitment seems to encourage people to do the program for 2 years, then go to med school, or whatever other prestigious career they had in mind. There isn't an emphasis on selecting, training, encouraging, and building a corps of dedicated teachers who want to stay in the system for life.

And of course, these programs do little to address the institutional and structural problems facing our nation's schools. After all, TFA's website boldly states that educational inequality is our nation's greatest injustice....so what is TFA doing about inequal funding policy?

Finally, and after this I will get off of my soapbox, these programs are fully complicit with the corporatist, standardized testing, frenzy that has been killing our schools since the 90s. Rather than working on alternative ways to assess student learning so that they can actually learn something rather than how to take a test, these programs pump more teachers into the field who's number 1 goal is a number on a test. We have to understand that this entire movement, while it may have SUPPORTERS from a diverse group people, the KEY INTERESTS in the movement are those businesses that stand to profit the most: the testing industry, and the privatized education industry.


So choose wisely fellow teachers and stay true to your critical principles!

Love and Solidarity,
Marc Engel

Regime Change

An old president leaves office, a new one takes the oath. An old blogger retires his post, a new one begins hammering the keys. 

My name is Marc Engel and I will be sharing with you my hopes and aspirations, anxieties and insecurities, rantings and treatises, all in good blogging taste of course. I'm taking over for a dear friend Evan Nesterak, and we all know he did a wonderful job. I will do my best to live up to his standard. 

I am interested and committed to many terms in Education: Critical Multiculturalism, Critical Pedagogy, Radical Education...that is education which is antiracist, antisexist, and anticapitalist. 

I will try my best to flesh out some of these concepts as I myself struggle through them...their ideology, their theory, and that ever elusive praxis....the taking of theory and putting it into action. 

Of course, there is also the practical side. Bills gotta get paid folks...Getting certified to teach, taking tests, licenses, states, finding a job, interviewing, etc... All that wonderful career-ey stuff will be here.

Because I am an idealistic college senior who wants to teach English literature in a subversive way, join the movement to reform education in our country in a JUST and RADICAL way, but of course have enough dough for challah and hummus. 

That's all for now, but expect more throughout the week.

Love and Solidarity, 

Marc Nathan Engel 

Education and the Future

Thank You Experience.com
I have had the pleasure to blog for experience.com for the past summer and fall semester. I would like to thank them for the opportunity to share my thoughts about education and life. Blogging has definitely been an educational experience in its own right, and I hope, as I have learned from it, others have learned or at least thought about the words I put forth.

Education: the Past and the Future
There are a few ideas that seem to permeate many of my posts. First, appreciate education in its own right. Find a topic, an idea and pursue it; not because of its payoff, not because others tell you you should do it, not because somehow you feel like you have to do it. Find something that gives you joy, where you need no motivation, an idea that occupies your mind no matter what you're doing. If you follow your heart, because that is really what you're doing, you will find a way to make use of your love, you will be happy, and the world will be a better place; because when you are passionate that passion grows. Lead by example and lead with your heart.

Second, pursue education inside and outside of the classroom. From early education through college and beyond. I often feel a strict curriculum can be detrimental to real learning. Sure, by the end of the year students can regurgitate facts and figures, but what have they really learned? We must teach students how to think about and approach different issues and problems. Take the environmental problem for example, what good is a student who knows how severe the problem is, without being able to propose a solution?

I have gone to public school, parochial school, and an all boys private school. My K-12 education happened in 4 states. I have had a pretty ranging experience and I must say that when I really felt I was learning was when I was challenged to think about issues, not just remember facts that I forget as soon as I turned in the test. I knew I was learning when I found myself applying what I had already learned to a new task. We must focus on fostering this type of growth in our students.

On the college level, I feel it is very easy to get into the rhythm of classes and feel like we are learning so much. We are learning a lot, but let us not forget that people are writing about our various topics of study for a purpose; to teach us about something about life, to convey to us a thought or feeling that will affect how we view the world. So, instead of being satisfied with what we learn in the classroom, we must apply that to our lives. I urge every student to become involved in a group or cause through which you can apply what you've learned. The two forms of learning will grow upon one another, until you see no difference between learning for in college and learning for life. You will know when you reach this point, it will be a feeling of warmth and invigoration. A happiness about life and what it can offer. The following quote from a Zen Buddhist Text:

"The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play,
his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his education and his recreation,
his love and his religion.
He hardly knows which is which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does,
leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.
To him he is always doing both."




Education for all
The opportunity to learn and grow intellectually and morally should be available to all. With the current financial situation it is becoming more and more difficult to afford higher education. This article in the Philadelphia Inquirer discusses that it is not a lack of motivation, but a lack of opportunity that prevent people from pursuing higher education.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20081212_Helping_more_students_afford_higher_education.html

At Swarthmore, there have been discussions of affordability and opportunity wound deeply within issues of class, and race. There is not an easy solution to the cost issue, but that doesn't mean nothing can be done. We must do everything we can to provide opportunity to those who may see it slipping away day by day as tuition increases. I urge you to read the the discussion of the issue by students themselves in Swarthmore newspaper "The Phoenix." (Debate over financial aid policy intensifies)

The question we must ask ourselves:

Is education a RIGHT or a PRIVILEGE?

I believe education is a right, and just because someone's parents happen to have more more than another's shouldn't prevent someone form going to college. After all, did any of us choose to be born? We had no part in the matter, so by shear luck we are alive and were born. And we did not choose to be born anymore than we chose into what situation to be born. So why let arbitrary chance decide who gets what in education?

Well, some may say as a society we have limited resources, and unfortunately these resources cost money; so those who can pay will, and those who can't---we will either help through aid, or they will not get the chance at a higher education. But why must we choose who gets what in education?

The Iraq War costs billions and billions of dollars. Why send so much on destruction, when we can construct an unparalleled education infrastructure here in the US. The website www.nationalpriorities.org has a place where you can see the trade offs between the war in Iraq and other more productive uses of our tax dollars. (http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs)

National Priorities
"Taxpayers in the United States will pay $656.1 billion for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

193,370,980 People with Health Care for One Year OR

679,232,570 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR

14,170,626 Public Safety Officers for One year OR

11,251,447 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

101,437,848 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

5,103,740 Affordable Housing Units OR

289,177,337 Children with Health Care for One Year OR

90,037,052 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

10,777,823 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR

9,479,502 Port Container Inspectors for One year"

So let us live life with the purpose to learn and foster learning in others. Learning is progress, learning is change. There is so much we can offer to the world let us realize our potential as we help others realize their's. I repeat one of my favorite quotes:

"If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together"

-African Proverb

Change.gov

Participation and Change.gov
The November 11th Democracy Now episode emphasized the importance of the people's, the masses', participation in government. We must show Barack Obama and Joe Biden what we value what we care about, and we must realize that even though the election is over, our task if far from completion. Obama and Biden were elected because of the strength, effort, and will of the people. We must now help them enact the change we hoped for by selecting them. It is not over it is just beginning.

There are many ways to show Obama and Biden what vision we, as Americans, have for our country and our people. But I want to alert people's attention to the website Change.gov. It is the website of Obama, Biden and their tranistion team. Here you can submit ideas, view policies in action, with video. This is groundbreaking and the transparency is like never before. But efforts like this from Obama and Biden mean nothing if we as citizens don't use them. So I encourage all to go to the site, submit ideas, and participate in your future. This is an opportunity not many others have in the world, it is a priviledge. Let us make the best of it.

Lastly, for those of us in education this is a chance for us to starting changing the education system for the better. I hope that teachers who see the possibility for change, will use this opportunity to share their ideas and opinions. For the teachers who day in and day out see education in America become more standardized and less thought provoking. More rote memory and less thinking. Change is now. Get your message to the President-elect, and get your message to others. Furthermore, ask your students to get on the website. Get them thinking critcally about the issues and get them to take action. This is how we will build the America we all dream of, through active and constructive participation of many. Because we must work as one to get where we hope to go. I will end with and African Proverb: "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to far, travel together."

"A house built by slaves"

The White House
"A house built by slaves"
It was extremely moving to see the Obama's visiting their future home, The White House, a house built by slaves. Yesterday on the independent radio/tv news program Democracy Now, Alice Walker read her open letter to Barack Obama. Alice Walker was the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. She won the award for her work The Color Purple. Walker exudes a calming wisdom as she reads her eloquent and powerful prose.

I suggest that everybody take a few minutes and listen to Walker's words. They are profound and capture some of the magnitude and hope of this historic moment.

Click the link below for the entire show from Tuesday November 11th. I reccommend watching the entire episode, however for just the Walker portion, go to minute 9:56 and watch from there.

Enjoy!
http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2008/11/11

And please leave your thoughts and comments about the clip, the election in general, or any other thoughts you may be inspired to leave.

"Work Hard. Be Nice."

As a senior at Swarthmore, I have to decide on my future. What to do, where to go? Right now it's all up in the air. My friend, Chris, who is thinking about applying for Teach For America sent me this video about KIPP Schools.

The schools are inspirational, and utilize alternative instruction methods to empower youth with a solid education. Watch the profile of KIPP schools on Oprah below. It will make you understand how essential education is to an individual, because of how it makes the child feel. Hopefully with the new Presidency education can help all. (The only link to the video is through facebook, so you must have an account to see the video).

http://www.kipp.org

The video:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/video/video.php?v=1049580592849

The Benefits and Burden of Academia- The Writer-Professor

The past two posts have focused on how there may be too much catering to the current view and understanding and not enough exploration into new areas of study, utilizing the New York Times Magazine "It's all about Teaching." Also, as Barry Schwartz points out, it may be that in our market crazed society, the Universities have no choice but to meet the demands of the students. But as discussed previously, when the market encroaches into non-market sectors we lose. Though universities may be making an honest effort to accommodate students, it may not serve them as well as we intend.

Today's post discusses another article in the NY Times Magazine. The article is entitled "Those who write, Teach," by David Gessner.

The Writer-Professor
Gessner discusses his transition from a full-time writer to life as a professor. The benefits are measurable. A steady income and the benefits of health care, the chance to teach eager students, and on the whole a more stable life. But Gessner points out that a question about this transition is often left unanswered. "What exactly does all this teaching do to our writing? And what, if anything, does it mean for a country to have tenured literature?"

Gessner eloquently describes what may be lost for the person in this dual position. "There was an essential fanaticism in all their efforts (Thoreau, Dickinson, Melville), then sense of an entire life thrown into the great project of creating works of art. Even if we grant that you can be as original within the university as up in your garret, we must concede the possibility that something is lost by living a divided life. Intensity perhaps...the creation of literature requires a certain degree of monomania, and that is, at least in part, an irrational enterprise. It's hard to through your whole self into something when that self has another job."

I believe that Gessner is not alone in feeling that he lives a divided life. I feel that many of us may feel drawn towards one area of work, only to be tethered by our "obligations" to another area. Those in all levels of education may feel this tug-of-war. This dual between passion and pragmatics. How do we rectify the two?

For Gessner, as for many I believe, compromise is difficult to reach. He worries that his "own words may have grown tame along with [his] life." Later he writes, "I don't know how long I can survive in captivity...I do love teaching and recognize how lucky I am to be living for at least part of each day in the real world, but while I try to be commonsensical, lately I have begun to feel something rising up inside me."

The answer?
This internal battle is not new and the question is not an easy one to solve. I do have an answer, but it's more of a suggestion and one's own path can only come from within.

What we must realize is that we all can contribute to society, and an individual must find the area of work, where he or she contributes best. Some of us are called to teach, some of us are call to write. But we must understand that "Those who Write, Teach" as the title says. Meaning that if an individual feels he/she can educate, challenge, probe the minds best through literature they must write literature. If an individual feels they are best suited to teach in a more formal way, it is their duty to teach. After all someone must teach students the literature that is out there. If a teacher or writer decides to cross over and eventually comes back, his/her students (or readers) will be better off, because of the gained experience.

It's a dilemma, how to use our time. But all we can do is go for it for who know how long we've got.

Too much input? Part 2: An encroaching market

The following is an excerpt from the book The Costs of Living: How Market Freedom erodes the best things in Life (1994), by Swarthmore Psychology Professor Barry Schwartz.

"As this economic imperialism continues to occur, each of these domains of activity [i.e. professions such as lawyer, doctor and professional athlete] is eroded as a distinct practice; its goods are replaced by economic goods.

"Another example of this process...is education. The goal of education is to impart knowledge and develop in people the ability to think critically. Education at its best creates well-informed, responsible, concerned citizens. Education at its best is essential both for the well-being of our economy and for the well-being of our democracy. What happens to the practice of education as increasing competition among member of society for material resources leads to increasing competition for good (that is, high-paying) jobs? In response to this competition, employers keep creating new educational hurdles that must be jumped before job entry in possible. These hurdles have a profound effect on the way people view education. With education closely tied to job entry, job training, and material success, it becomes an 'investment' (literally, not metaphorically) in your future. The money spent on school is expected to be returned, with interest, later on. You start putting a dollar value on a college degree by surveying the salaries paid on the jobs to which it gives access.

"It is easy to imagine deciding whether or where to go to college by engaging in the following kind of calculations: A degree from the state university will cost $40,000. If you took that money and invested it, and entered the job market four years earlier than you otherwise would, would the interest on the investment coupled with the four extra years of earning power compensate for the higher-paying jobs forgone? If the answer to this question is yes, you don't go to college. Or perhaps the calculations might go like this: Harvard will cost $100,000, while the state university will cost $40,000. Will the job opportunities provided by a Harvard degree pay back the extra $60,000 invested? If the answer to this question is no, then you might go to college, but you won't go to Harvard.

"Once people start thinking about education in these terms--as an economic investment--it affects what they want out of education, and thus how they evaluate what they get. Suppose people stop valuing knowledge as an end to itself, or as an essential ingredient in the making of mature, responsible citizens, and start valuing it only as a means to material ends. If enough people assess their education in this way, what actually goes on in the college classroom will change. Colleges and universities will have to be sensitive to market demand; they will have to provide what students want, or the students will go elsewhere. The goal of education will shift from creating well-informed, responsible citizens to creating skilled, high-income workers. And in pursuit of that goal, the institution will change what it does. The very practice of education defined as are all practices, byt he goals that direct it, will lose its disticitiveness. It will simply become a part of the economy, an input, a cost to be factored in when the economic consequences of various possible life decisions are evaluated. To the extent that this 'economization' of education occurs (and it already has at many if not most of our universities--even the 'elite' ones), the practice of education will cease to be a counterforce to the pursuit of self-interest that governs behavior int he marketplace."

I feel this excerpt dictates what we will lose if education becomes a means to an end; if education is simply about getting a job. To take it furter--if a job is a means to an end; a job is simply about getting paid in order to by things, what are we really after in our society. It seems all our actions are a means to achieve money and the ability to buy things. Is that what we want? Are the best things in lufe those you can purchase?

Think about what you value most in life and if it can be purchased? For me things education is about the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake and we must appreciate learning for learning not just because it's going to buy is things we think we need.

Further this passage relates to the case of Annemarie Bean discussed last week. Whereas she may have contributed to the overall culture and character of her college, some students were not getting what they thought they should be getting so she was let go. Colleges and universities must be careful especially in this consumer culture, where we (mslef included) often tend to believe that we can have everything. It's not true and we must understand that our preconceived notions of what a college or a particular class is supposed to be like may not be correct. And instead of finding fault with the institution we must take a look at ourselves and ask what we are really trying to get out of college: Is it a path towards more money? Or is it about the experience of learning in an institution with others who are also there to learn and grow intellectually.

I understand that change is part of the process and colleges must change as knowledge changes but we must fully assess ourselves and the goals of our institution before we mold our higher education system as a mirror of the economic system.

Too much input?

The September 21st issue of the New York Times Sunday Magazine is entitled: Teaching. The articles discuss everything from tenure, to academics at the Naval Academy, and to the dual-life as a novelist and professor.

The benefits and burden of Academia
I will first summarize the articles and then discuss how life in academia can be too comfortable for students and professors alike. What are the drawbacks to the increased freedom and stability that come from life on a college campus? On the opposite end of the spectrum, what is life like without enough choice at college?

For this post I will discuss tenure. Next, the dual life of the writer-professor. And the thrid post in this series will discuss the academic life at the Naval Academy.

Tenure: Decided by students?
This past week I received a memo requesting a written evaluation of one of my professors. The letter reads (I will refer to the Professor as DR. P):

"Dear Evan,
During the present academic year, Dr. P is being considered for reappointment and promotion to Associate Professor. Your comments on Professor P as a teacher and as a faculty member outside the classroom will be of great help to those involved in making the reappointment and promotion decisions."

Wow! My comments, my thoughts on my professor decide whether or not he/she will have a job. Tenure decisions are extremely serious. At Swarthmore, when a professor is up for reappointment, a wide range of students receive a letter just like mine. Students with high grades, medium grades, low grades; majors, minors, non-majors and non-minors. Class evaluations are also give out, but these letters are the serious ammo to be used in favor for or against a certain professor. For the most part I feel the letter request at Swarthmore is pretty good. There is a wide range of input and the content of the letter is left up to the writer, and not predermined by a stock set of questions. However, Swarthmore tenure decisions are not perfect. Just last year, after a professor was denied tenure, students started a campaign to reevaluate the tenure decision. This was a professor they loved. It just goes to show how complicated the tenure process is. And though Swarthmore's process is not perfect, I do feel it is more just than the tenure process at Wesleyan College, as dicussed in the NY Times magazine.

Author of the article "Judgment Day," Mark Oppenhiemer details the tenure process of Annemarie Bean. She was hired at her almamater Wesleyan, and was told that on her course evaluations 85% of her students must rate her course as Outstading or Good, for her to cotinue as an member of the college. Dr. Bean teaches unique classes, such as the history of minstrelsy, and is rather quirky person. But as Oppenheimer describes, Bean only receive 76% Outstanding or Good and her job was in trouble, and she was ultimately denied reappointment. She was also denied reappointment at Williams. But, what Oppenheimer finds, by looking through her course evaluations, is that most students really loved or hated her. Some found the quirks endearing, others grating. Some liked the loose structure of the class, others despised it.

(Digression: there is much research on whether studets evaluations are accurate or not. It seems to be largely dependent on the context, (marks may not be as high if given out before the final exam, or may be high if studets are given a treat while they rate the courses. For more see NY Times: Judgment Day, by Mark Oppeheimer.)

So I ask, are we losing some of the character at our colleges because some students don't rate the course outstanding, but others do?. Don't many of us choose colleges where we can learn for the sake of learning? Aren't professors like Dr. Bean the ones we go to college for?; the ones who open our minds to think about a topic in a way we didn't think could be possible.

My good friend took a course on the band the Beatles, which he loved. He did all the reading knows the stories behind the songs, some might say useless others might say fascinating. Currently, Swarthmore has a class called "Battling Against Voldemort," that was recetly featured on MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1595623/story.jhtml

Read the article and watch the video. Should quirky classes such as these be cut out fo colleges.

One must remember that college is a business, no matter how lowly of lofty the institution, colleges must make money. And who are the college catering to? The students.

Some might say this is great. The students must have more say, after all it is they who must take the course and they (and or their parents) who are paying for it. But college should be about more than what a student wants. After all, I am sure when I am 50 years old I will have a different perspective on my college experience that I do now. After all how much do 18 and 20 year old college students know? Quite a bit, I am one of them. But I haven't finished college yet, so I am not going to pretend like I know how I will remember the impact of my various courses. The President and Deans of the college must seek to mke colleges uique. They must provide niches of thought and understanding that cannot be found elsewhere.

Do we really want all our youth learning the same things in college, having the same experiences, and getting the same jobs? We are close enough to that if not there already. I hope to meet college graduates who can teach me something, I want to find people from whom I can learn. Let it be the role of the institutions, the institutions must take responsibility to provide the world with diversity of thought, creativity in ideas, and an overall way more fascinating existence.

Troy Davis and the death penalty

I want to make people aware of Troy Davis' case. Troy Davis is a death-row inmate who was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection today. Only two hours before he was scheduled to die, the US Supreme Court placed a stay on the execution. The Supreme Court is scheduled to meet on September 29th about the case.

For those unaware of Troy Davis' story, it is one that seems as if it was ripped from Hollywood. Troy Davis, an African-American, was convicted of killing white police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. Since 1989, 7 of the 9 non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony. There is large doubt surrounding the initial conviction. People ranging from the Pope to Jimmy Carter to Susan Sarandan have pleaded with the state of Georgia to stay the execution and grant a retrial. There is no direct evidence such as DNA linking Davis to the crime. Everyone except those in power seemed to want to stay and retrial. Though all this information is out there it took the Supreme Court too long to intervene. They have know for weeks that they (The Supreme Court) were to hear the case on the 29th but Davis was to be executed on the 23rd. What took so long? I hope that those in charge of this debacle don't believe that the public will just forget the murder of an innocent man. After all would the murder of one innocent man in Troy Davis really recitfy the initial murder of police officer MacPhail? Though cliche, this is a matter of life and death and life is too precious to be rushed through an extremely fallible and often prejudice criminal justice system.

(Side note from psychology research this summer: criminal justice system was first used by a review board bake in the late 1960s. The name is similar to that of an eco-system. However, unlike an ecosystem; however, the different layers of the justice system do not seem to be self-correcting. It's more of a criminal justice assembly line: arrest--trial--jail. The different levels of departments involved with justice must look critically at the other levels, if we really want to look at the set up of justice in America as a system.)

The link below is a list of articles from ajc.com about the Troy Davis case.
http://www.ajc.com/search/search/search/UnifiedSearch?query=troy+davis&collection=site

You can also go to:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/23/race_is_everything_in_this_case
Here you can read or listen about the Troy Davis case from the program Democracy Now.

All I can ask for people to do is educate themselves on the issue. If you feel compelled to act on behalf of Troy Davis you can visit Amnesty International at:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/troy-davis-finality-over-fairness/page.do?id=1011343&n1=3&n2=28&n3=1412
or
http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/

Higher Education outside of the Lecture Hall

Senior Year
This is my last year at Swarthmore. It is sad in a way, because I wish I knew as a freshman what I know now. But one cannot dwell on that for too long. It is important to understand that certain events must happen before the importance of others becomes known. My experience with extracurricular activities at Swarthmore is a prime example.

The Beginning
When I entered Swarthmore in the Fall of 2005, I came knowing that I was going to get a top-notch education in a liberal atmosphere, and that I came to play soccer. Let's just say aside from soccer, I was not really sure what my future would hold. I was unsure of my major or minor, and career ideas were all over the place.

For my first two years I like to think that I was gaining experience. It was a transitional period. A period where my experiences slowly and gradually built upon one another so that I could arrive at my present understanding of who I am and where I want to go.

During this time, I was unsure of where I was headed, but knew where I was. I was a student and an athlete, so I solidified myself academically and physically. Importantly I learned what it took to succeed in both aspects of my life. It was difficult for me to spread myself across both academics and athletics. Throughout high school and early in college I often found myself placing all my effort in one area, leaving the other wonting. My freshman and sophomore years allowed me to understand what it takes to succeed in multiple disciplines at the same time.

Little things about my life also began to change. I watched too much TV and realized it's definitely not worth the time. I realized that it is perfectly fine if I do not know all the football or soccer scores. I realized that knowing the lines from the latest "Office" was really not as important as I once thought. One of my favorite textbook quotes helped me push towards this change. "In the average home, the [television] set is on seven hours a day, with individual household members averaging three to four hours which means that someone living to age 80 would have spent a decade watching television" (Myers, 2005). I look back now and want to say, wow I watched way too much TV, I wish I had read more. But one cannot think that way. One must understand that the experience was necessary and learn from that experience.

Junior Year
Junior year was the first year when I had my academics and athletics under control and I was able to look to new opportunities. I decided to join Earthlust, the environmental group on Swarthmore's Campus. Luckily my friend Ladule was involved, which gave me the push I needed.

I eagerly, but nervously tagged along to the first meeting. This was uncharted waters for me. I was not an expert in environmental causes and I definitely felt out of place for the first few meetings. But I stuck with it. The cause was worthy (working for environmental justice in exploited parts of Philadelphia) and I felt invigorated. It was a sensation different from the soccer field or the classroom. I sensations which I now better understand after my experience this year.

Today
After a semester abroad, I came back to Swarthmore and rejoined the Earthlust and became a part of the Swarthmore Labor Action Project, who work for labor rights in various industries. One of the first meetings for the Labor group was with Swarthmore Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies Aurora Camacho de Schmidt. She discussed a project to help immigrant farm-workers in nearby Kennett Square. The farm pickers work in poor conditions, for low pay, and have an extremely difficult time organizing into a solid and cohesive labor union. Not to mention the language barrier and deportation issues that many of the immigrant workers face on a daily basis. For more info visit http://www.cata-farmworkers.org/


She said something that puts words to the feeling I get when I attend these Labor group and Earthlust meetings. She said that helping these immigrants is a chance to put one's education to the test. It is real world learning. I now realize that all the hours and all the cups of coffee that it took to finish that political science, history, psychology, or sociology readings aren't just for the sake of a grade, a simple letter on a piece of paper.

The readings we do in college are assigned to teach, invigorate and inspire. We cannot sit by and let our education be simply one of papers, problem sets, and lectures. The world has its own set of problems and because of the time we have spent studying we have the opportunity and the responsibly to put that knowledge to the test in the real world. We cannot sit idly by and let our education be passive, let us be active and utilize the education we have been so fortunate to receive.

If only I would have understood all this as a freshman... I could have been involved in so much. ...This is a dangerous line of thought.

As I alluded to earlier, I like to believe that I could not be where I am today, without the specific experiences I had in the past. In other words, I believe that the change is gradual and builds up over time. As one amasses various experiences, we find things out about ourselves and the world. After many experiences, we can better decide what is important and what we as individuals must do with our lives.

I am glad to have the opportunity to put my three years of education to the test outside of the lecture hall this year. I want to tell others that at college or at anytime, anywhere you have the opportunity to learn not only in the classroom, but out of it as well. Do not be afraid. Get involved! If there is no organization, create one! "Be the change you see in the world." -Mahatma Ghandi. You will undoubtedly have an experience that will stay with you long after your lectures notes have faded and been lost.

Back at Swarthmore

Summer is Over
Well, the summer has finally come to an end. For me, the end of summer is marked by an alarm at 515am followed by the Cooper Test, 2 miles in 12 minutes at 6am. Yes, it is preseason for the men's soccer team at Swarthmore. With 2-a-day practices, meals, and naps there is not time for much else, but I finally have a chance to reflect on my summer experience.

In California
The summer was amazing. For the first part of the summer I returned from England and started as a research assistant at Stanford. It was a time for me to experience graduate school first hand. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Stanford. I was able to participate in experiments, run subjects through experiments I helped develop, and share interesting ideas with all the other RAs and grad students. The atmosphere was one of progress and production. There people are always thinking, driving forth with new ideas. There is also loads of pressure, but it is good pressure. It is the kind of pressure you place on yourself when you want to excel at something you love. Once I again I want to emphasize the power of the situation. Chose, drive for, apply for, and actively seek situations where you will be challenged and you will learn. There is no better place to do than than in education. Check out this article from experience.com. It outlines many ways education can help put you in a situation where you can grow and learn as you impact others. Even if you didn't graduate with an education degree, the education industry is a great place to find fresh air and fresh ideas. Experience.com: Jobs for the non-ceritified

On top of the research at Stanford, I had the opportunity to live in California with new people. I was able to explore California with them: hiking, biking, and kayaking to name a few. It was an added bonus to the internship and my time in California, and one I won't soon forget.

Christina, Shiho, and me at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

South America
After a few days driving from California to Philadelphia, I set off with my soccer team to Brasil and Argentina. Another experience to remember. From painting the day care to watching the professional matches; climbing up to Corcavado to toruing Pele's old locker room. It was an education in soccer, and South American culture. We tried yerba mate, a tea popular in Argentina and southern Brasil. We partied hard in a Sao Paolo night club. All my experience in California and especially more recently in South America has indicated to me that I have not seen or experienced enough of the world to settle down yet. I may choose to volunteer, or travel. But who knows. I have one year left at Swarthmore and a lot can change in a year.

The future
One thing I know for sure is that learning and expanding you boundaries is invaluable. Whatever you do make an conscious effort to learn something new, and connect with people. It may be hard to find in some careers, but in the education industry those two traits describe much of the careers and opportunities out there. I wish everyone luck on their paths in life and hope learning and the education industry are never too far away.

Schools Out

Classes have ended for me and it is finally time to start enjoying my summer, textbook-free. I took two summer classes that really tested my self discipline. It’s been a challenge to stay focused but I can honestly say that I am saddened to see one of my classes end.

Maybe you’ve never had a class like the one I’ve just finished. It’s the kind of class where the teacher is exceptional and the humor and expertise brought to the class by him rubbed off onto all of the students. We all became fast friends and took a difficult assignment from drab to extraordinary. In fact, we’ve even all formed a post-semester discussion board so that we can stay in touch. These types of relationships are long-lasting ones that will improve not only my classroom experience but my future career. I hope that everyone out there gets the chance to connect in a class like this at least once in their academic adventures.

We’ve all made a pact to stay in touch and now we are seeking a venue for our continued relationship. It seems that the easiest way to keep tabs on one other is to talk online, which led me to search for free message boards.

If you have had a class that you never want to see end, or just need to stay in touch with colleagues or classmates, you can follow our lead and check out one of these great friendship-assisting boards:

-www.proboards.com
-www.suddenlaunch.com
-www.aimoo.com
-www.boards2go.com

Also make sure you check out the Education Channel on Experience.com for great articles and advice!

To Argentina and Brazil

A day of painting

These past two weeks I had the opportunity to travel to Argentina and Brazil with my soccer team from Swarthmore College. It was a chance to experience the sport in places where it is more than a just a game, it is a way of life. On top of an education in soccer (and believe me we were definitely taught some things by the South America teams we played), the trip gave my team and I the chance to learn two different languages, and immerse ourselves in the culture of the various places we traveled.

One experience I especially want to highlight was our trip to an Argentinian Day Care for children who come from difficult homes. We woke up bright and early, ate breakfast at the hotel, and then drove about 45 minutes to the outskirts of Buenos Aires. We turned into a pretty impoverished residential area, and as we navigated our way in a giant charter bus through the narrow dirt streets, residents definitely sent some inquisitive looks. We arrived at the Day Care, Hogar de Dia, Jesus de Belen. We we greeted by the mom and daughter team, ages 65 and 45 respectively. They explained that about 13 years ago they had saved up enough money to buy an apartment in Beunos Aires, but had decided instead to come to the outside of town to start up the day care. The prupose of the Day Care is to provide a safe place for children, for ages up to 13, who come from homes that may have problems with violence or alcohol abuse. They provide two meals a day. They also provide education for the parents, on how to raise their children.

The surrounding neighborhood around the day care.



The Day Care center "Hogar de Dia, Jesus de Belen" with our soccer team and the children.

We painted the Dare Care center, the playground equipment, and the outside fence. Half way through the production the children who attend the center arrived and scurried around as we painted. I tried to speak some Spanish, and a few of the guys who are more fluent than me were talking to the children for ages. They joked and learned about Argentina and the children learned about the US. We ate a traditional Argentinean lunch with them, chorizo sausage, black sausage, and steak all cooked on an outdoor brick grill behind the center. After that some of the guys played soccer with the children there and it was an all around wild and fun time. The kids were asking for our autographs and made us feel like celebrities. Also, a few of the guys on the team asked for one of the children's autograph. His name was Pablo and he was a sensational soccer player. Hopefully the day care can provide him with more of a chance to excel at the sport in the future.


Some of the playground.


Andrew Hoot (far right) was in charge of the detailed painting.


Jeff Kushner and Adreas Lagos using some interesting painting techniques.


The children asking sophomore Morgan Langley for his autograph.

This trip represents how education and sport can team up to help and a community. Swarthmore College and the Men's soccer team provided me with this great opportunity to travel to another country and learn about another culture. It was an education lesson outside of the classroom and and off the soccer field. It was a time to immerse ourselves in their lives and understand even for a little while, how they lived, how they spoke, and realize how fortunate we are in the US. A person can be told a million times the conditions in which others live, but experiencing the place first hand really effects one deeply. It was an experience I will never forget.

Why you should care about that home next door in foreclosure

What’s all this housing mess really matter to you anyway? Most of the readers of this blog aren’t homeowners. They are college students or recent graduates trying to make their way in their young careers. They haven’t begun to think about having to keep up with the landscaping or replace that leaking roof. So, most aren’t that worried about the mortgage crisis. It has no effect on them, right?

Wrong.

Think about this: for every home that sits empty, abandoned by families facing foreclosure, that’s one less home that the local municipality can collect tax dollars on. For the houses that surround it, that means that their property value is in jeopardy of falling. A falling property value is reflected in falling property taxes.

As educators (or future ones) we should all be keenly aware of what that means. Stop and think about who writes your paycheck and you may be even more disturbed by the mortgage crisis than ever before. That’s right - your paycheck comes from the property taxes paid in by homeowners in your school district.
This same principle is what keeps many municipalities fighting to keep a limited number of trailer parks from entering their community. It isn’t that they don’t like the looks of them, but these virtually property-less, low-cost houses are home to hundreds of school-age children who need to be educated, but whose parents don’t pay in enough property taxes to come close to paying for their share of the educational tab.

So, questions remains about what can be done to ease the financial burden and alleviate the triple-threat that school districts are feeling these days brought on by rising gas prices, rising food costs and falling income.

I’d like to hear your ideas on the matter, since I’m a little short of answers myself. Respond to this blog posting by commenting and giving your best shot at solving this issue.

Education Policy

With the election around the corner, I thought I would post some education policies of the Presidential candidates. Follow the link for more information and platforms for other issues.

Cynthia McKinney:

• subsidized higher education for everyone
• affordable childcare and parent education programs
• enforcement of equal access including prosecution of those who do not take action to protect the rights of students of color and girl children like in the Jena 6 and Palmdale 4 cases
• support policies that decriminalize students/youth and work toward behavior change

Source: http://profbw.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/cynthia-mckinneys-platform/

Barack Obama:

Early Childhood Education

• Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.

K-12

• Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers

• Recruit Teachers: Obama will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.

Higher Education

• Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year's tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.

Source: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/

John McCain:

Excellence, Choice, and Competition
in American Education

John McCain believes American education must be worthy of the promise we make to our children and ourselves. He understands that we are a nation committed to equal opportunity, and there is no equal opportunity without equal access to excellent education.

Public education should be defined as one in which our public support for a child's education follows that child into the school the parent chooses. The school is charged with the responsibility of educating the child, and must have the resources and management authority to deliver on that responsibility. They must also report to the parents and the public on their progress.

The deplorable status of preparation for our children, particularly in comparison with the rest of the industrialized world, does not allow us the luxury of eliminating options in our educational repertoire. John McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to all schools of demonstrated excellence, including their own homes.

No Child Left Behind has focused our attention on the realities of how students perform against a common standard. John McCain believes that we can no longer accept low standards for some students and high standards for others. In this age of honest reporting, we finally see what is happening to students who were previously invisible. While that is progress all its own, it compels us to seek and find solutions to the dismal facts before us.

John McCain believes our schools can and should compete to be the most innovative, flexible and student-centered - not safe havens for the uninspired and unaccountable. He believes we should let them compete for the most effective, character-building teachers, hire them, and reward them.

Source: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ce50b5-daa8-4795-b92d-92bd0d985bca.htm

The View From Here

It’s a tough world right now. Here’s how I know:

1. The mayor of the biggest city in my state, Michigan, has been dubbed the definition of a profane word by Esquire magazine for his alleged criminal activity and overall sliminess.

2. People are being shot to death. At church.

3. I was ecstatically thrilled when I saw gas selling at $3.82 a gallon this week.

4. A fifteen year old’s pregnancy has been celebrated on the cover of OK! magazine.

5. Reading the blogs of financial analysts is like reading the obituaries of America’s who’s who of the business world.

6. When a plane gets a gaping hole in its cargo compartment over the middle of the ocean, we have to rule out terrorism first.

But, then again, maybe it’s all in the perspective.

1. Thousands, if not more, teenagers will be foregoing the traditional summer vacation in favor of a get-away centered around improving a community through building houses, creating parks and dispensing food to the needy.

2. A postal carrier placed himself in harms way to save a baby this week by catching her when she was falling out of a window.

3. A New Jersey cab driver returned the 285-year-old Stradivari violin to its Grammy-nominated owner when he forgot the $4 million instrument in the back seat. The incredibly honest cabbie was then treated to a free, private concert for himself and all his cab-driving friends, about two hundred of them.

4. Because of increased production prospects, the price of rice will fall in Japan and worldwide, easing a hunger situation in the country that depends greatly on its harvest of the grain.

5. Even though the church-goer opened fire on members of a Knoxville congregation while they gathered to watch a children’s musical, a good citizen and church usher jumped in front of the gunman and took what would have been a devastating shot at the children. The usher was killed but also saved countless lives.

6. In a new report from Good Morning America, actress Kiera Knightley will not allow a movie studio to enhance her cleavage on movie posters promoting an upcoming flick, because she wants to promote a healthy body image and stand up for herself.

When all the dust has settled, it matters more which perspective you have at the end of the day than the news that you came across. The only way to ensure a good perspective is to be a part of the side that you want to promote. Enjoy good news more than the down-side of life? Be a good-news maker. As educators we already have a leg-up because we contribute to effecting lives everyday. Let’s make sure that we make good things happen, even if that means that we are swimming upstream all day.

The Power of Metaphors

The Power of Metaphors

Aside from researching for my senior thesis, I assisted Paul with his work on metaphors. Paul studies how metaphors can frame or shape our thought about certain issues. For instance consider the metaphor "crime is a wild beast preying on the city" vs. "crime is a virus infecting the city". Amazingly, when these metaphors are embedded in paragraphs about crime in a city, participants choose to solve the crime problem differently.

For the "wild beast" metaphor, people tend to look towards stopping crime through stricter enforcement of the law, adding more police, or harsher sentences for criminals.

For the "virus" metaphor, people tend to look towards the cause of the problem, and crime prevention. They suggest crime can be reduced through more community programs, and better education.

Amazingly these differences occur without the explicit awareness of the participant. In other words, participants do not know their conceptualization of the issue is affected by the metaphor.

Metaphors can serve as tools to help us understand new issues and are often extremely helpful. For example if I told you than an argument is like a building, you might realize that you need support for your ideas, and to make sure there is a strong fact base. This is obviously helpful, just as the crime metaphors are helpful; however, there are limitations to how much a metaphor can aid our understanding.

If policy makers believe that crime is a wild beast they will focus their attention on stopping crime rather than preventing it, and may neglect the prevention aspect. Furthermore, when crime is conceptualized within a particular metaphorical frame, it becomes difficult to argue against that conception because it makes sense to stop a wild beast. But prevent a wild beast attack isn't as natural a conclusion from the wild beast metaphor.

A real world example comes from Buffalo, New York, where a serial rapist was harassing the city. Police had a good description of the perpetrator, who had already committed several acts of rape. Was it their resposibility to prevent more rapes or catch the criminal? The two may seem one and the same; however, they are clearly different. The police chose to catch the criminal themselves, rather than release the perpetrator's picture to the public and educate them on how they could avoid further attacks. The rapist struck three more times before he was caught. A job well done?

Well the police had done their job, they had caught the criminal, but only after he attacked again. And it seems that society's definition of police "doing their job" isn't enough. The focus on stopping crime needs to be centered around prevention.

I know a person who teaches in the juvenile detention system in Los Angeles. She said that it costs $ 120,000 per year per student in LA county. She said that if only half of that money were spent on community development there were be fare less crime and the tax payers would get a break. And as a taxpayer, would you rather spend less money developing a community that will likely have a more positive impact on people's lives; or spend more money on a system of punishment? Do we want a proactive positive approach, or a response approach to the problem?

Two great articles that discuss this issue are:

George kelling - taking back the streets: http://www.city-journal.org/article01.php?aid=1428

Kotlowitz - blocking the transmission of violence: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/magazine/04health-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin

There will be more discussion on how metaphors shape our understanding of our world; how they can both enhance and hinder our ability to problem solve. Think about your life and what metaphors or concepts shape the way you think. Teachers are constantly using metaphors to teach students. I would love to know how people think about different issues, and I invite you all to think about how an alternative understanding could shape your opinion differently. I would also like to know of any teachers experience using metaphors in their classroom. Feel free to comment.

Also if you would like to know more about Paul's research email him at pthibod1@stanford.edu

A New Test

A big thanks to everyone who answered the poll… more on that next week!

For now, I digress to a few weeks ago when I was telling you about the preparations for my Michigan Teacher’s Basic Skills test. If you’ll remember I was a little frustrated to learn that a “basic” skill included the quadratic formula, Pythagorean Theorem and more mathematical tasks far beyond the reach of my puny art-centered, right-brained mind. These are all things that I have put out of my head in favor of reserving the space for things that I will use again in my lifetime: like an interactive, highly accurate map of my favorite store. (I swear that I could stock it in my sleep – wish someone would put that on a test!) Anyway, that’s all irrelevant to the bigger point that I am trying to make.

I showed up for the test a half hour before it started, at the first time that the doors were slated to be open to test-takers. To my complete surprise, about five hundred anxious testers were already in line ahead of me. I never imagined that I’d be testing with this many. We all filed through the doors, hearing again a warning (this was about the fifth time that we’d been told) to not bring a cellphone into the testing center. For those that had to park miles from their testing site and forgot to leave their phone in their car, people were on-hand at a special table that allowed them to check their phones. Then, we all filed into a hallway to begin looking up the classroom that corresponded with our testing identification number.

Then we waited.

Finally, eight o’clock and time for the test to begin when what should appear but a last-minute test-taker. He showed up, looking like he had a very rough night, still in his pajamas. His shirt was wrinkled, stained and with a vulgar saying too vile to mention. He slid into his seat with seconds to spare, only to finally figure out that he was in the wrong room. He left. But, in ten minutes he was back. He said that he couldn’t figure out the testing i.d. number/find your classroom system. Eventually, after disrupting us serious test-takers for about fifteen minutes, the administrator escorted him to the proper testing room.

More than an hour into the test we had another disruption. You guessed it… a cellphone rang. Not just any ring, but one of those rings that only cellphone owners with the most obnoxious taste in ringtones would pick. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The girl was upset when the testing administrator told her that she would have to leave, forfeiting her test. She explained again and again that she didn’t know she couldn’t have a phone. Right. I wondered how anyone could be so dense. She didn’t even have the common sense to turn it off. Even most movie-goers are smarter than this.

This left me to wonder… isn’t it more important that you are a decent (non vulgarity-wearing) person that can follow basic directions (like not bringing in a banned item) than one who knows how to find the length of the side of a right triangle? In my own opinion, its common decency, honesty and basic consideration that are the foundations of a good teacher.

I wish there was a test for that. I bet some people would have to start studying today.

Altruism

I received this comment and thought I would share my response as I feel it can illuminate some of the issues presently affecting our thought.

Comment:
Your ideas about charity and communism are nice, however, as a psychology student, I'm a little surprised. Evolutionary psychology explains away what we view as altruism as evolutionarily advantageous. This is why communism doesn't work, man is not forward thinking enough to realize the benefits of true collectivism and will always try to take advantage of the siutation.

My response:
First let me discuss the merit of evolutionary psychology. I feel I share the view of many psychologists, when I say that evolutionary psychology, while informative, is not empirically testable today, which greatly weakens the arguments. To say something was advantageous a million years ago does not mean it is advantageous today, especially as our social environments are different. One way to create a strong argument for a specific behavior is to utilize different lines of evidence, thus creating a stronger claim. (Evolutionary evidence combined with biological evidence and social evidence paints a clearer picture than any of the individual lines alone.)

That being said, let me address your claim that there is no evidence for altruism as advantageous. First, studies of birds have shown that when a predator is attacking it is advantageous for a bird to call out to the others, even though it puts itself in more danger in the present situation. This is the idea of reciprocity.

One may argue that reciprocity is simple selfish behavior as well, but here they are mistaken. It is a collective behavior for the greater good of all. The bird who makes the warning call does so, because in the long run he will also receive warning calls. So the sacrifice an individual bird makes at one specific time actually pales in comparison to the benefit that bird will take in the long run, as it benefits from other warning calls.

Furthermore, biological evidence supports the argument that altruism is a heritable trait. In a study comparing identical twins to fraternal twins, Rushton et al. demonstrated that identical twins had a higher correlation of altruism (r = .50 males, .54 females) than fraternal twins (r = .23 males, . 26 females, .28 male/female pairs). This study controls for environmental cues as best any study can by comparing sets of twins. The fact that identical twins showed higher correlated behavior than fraternal gives further evidence that altruism is indeed heritable. Furthermore aggressiveness was correlated higher in identical than fraternal twins. For identical males the correlation was r = .33 and for fraternal males was less than half, r = .16. A common argument against the concept of altruism is that has no genetic foundation in the claims. Aggressiveness however can be accepted as genetic because it helped human ancestors survive in nature. This research does not claim, evolutionarily that altruism is more or less helpful than aggression and other ego related behavior. What it does demonstrate is that altruism is not simply a socialized behavior based on an individual’s guilt and distress due to situational and social norms. But in fact it shows altruism has a genetic base, and therefore influences human behavior.

I would also like to point out that even though we tend to explain much of human behavior in terms of self-interest this may actually be a self-fulfilling norm. Please read the Dale Miller's Norm of Self-interest, to which there is a link under the original article.

Lastly, I would like to pose a hypothetical to you. If a society was collective enough that free-riders and highly selfish people were ostracized, how much anti-group behavior would you expect? Much of our behavior is shaped by our relationships with others and whether or not our peers condone or reject the behavior. If this were true one could expect a similar pattern from humans, as was demonstrated by birds. This is exactly the case.

Fehr and Gachter performed a study with 240 college-age students and demonstrated altruistic punishment improves group performance, even when the long-term benefit for punishing an individual is zero. Half of the 240 students performed six punishment trials, followed by six no-punishment trials, while the other half performed the reverse order. Groups of four were formed and each participant received 20 monetary units (MU). With these MUs, a player could put it toward the benefit of the group for a return of 0.4MU, or keep the money. If each group member invested all of his MUs, the total reward per person was 12 MU (total 32 MU). Each investor was unaware of his or her group members. The participants submitted their decision simultaneously, then were informed of their group mates’ decisions. For the punishment condition, a player could decide to punish a group member based on a ten point scale. Each point cost the punisher 1 MU and the receiver 3 MU. To ensure the punishment was truly altruistic, group members changed in each trial, and no participants were with a similar group member more than once. So, a player who chooses to punish is not rewarded in any way. Punishment can only help future group members of the punished individual. So by individual sacrifice in the short-term, the group is helped in the long term. (This seems the opposite of what we see in America today: competition and little sacrifice in the short-run, and the long-term effects are disastrous. One example is our impact on the environment. Small sacrifices in the short-term, rather than no sacrifices, would make the job of reducing our impact on the climate much easier today)

I would like to conclude by saying I am glad you commented. I hope I have shed light on the lay presumptions of altruistic behavior and hope that we can alter the norm of self-interest. Recall, it is not that everyone must always sacrifice him/herself for the greater good. Only that we all must alter our behavior enough so that as a group we will all mutually benefit, more so, than if we are still constantly competing and undercutting one another. And remember your peers note how you act, so set a good example. Not only will you get in the habit of helping, but so may your friends too.

"American Blackout"

I just watched this documentary on voting in America and found is both heart wrenching and uplifting. It was so depressing seeing how many people were not allowed to vote, but the fact is that we can rectify the situation in 2008.

Any teacher out there who wants to hype up American democracy, let him/her watch this first. To borrow a phrase from the movie- we must stop believing in our American myth of democracy and must start promoting real democracy. Just because we claim we have a democracy doesn't make it so. If we can educate people about the trials people face, even today, when voting we can end our charade of democracy and again have real democracy.

American Blackout. Watch this before you vote.

What am I doing?

In addition to helping Paul with his work on metaphors (which will be discussed in a future blog when we get more results back), I have been preparing for my senior thesis in psychology. At Swarthmore, honors majors in psychology must complete a year long thesis. The thesis is extremely important piece of work. Not only is it important to graduate and when applying for graduate school, but it is the first real step towards a career in psychology.

That is really scary. The fact that a choice I make now, as a senior in college, will affect my career 10 years from now! If I choose a thesis in social psychology, I will likely need to apply to a social department. But what about cognitive psychology? What if I want to do that, but I did my thesis in social? What if I can’t get in to graduate school, because I chose the wrong discipline?

Maybe I am making too much of it---In fact, I know I am. After all, the thesis doesn’t really decide my career path, but it is weird to think that if I do change my area of interest, all the work will seem to have been for nothing. Well, you can see my fatalistic attitude seeping onto the page.

What I should actually be thinking is that I have the opportunity, my senior year, to explore an issue that I may never have the chance to learn about again; that I have the opportunity to broaden my research skills; and that I have my first real opportunity to sink my teeth into an idea and run with it.

But that is not the way I am thinking. It has been really hard for me to rationalize a thesis topic that doesn’t interest me, even though it may be a more practical topic, or may look good for graduate school. What is the point of toiling over a thesis for which I may be unmotivated? Like most of us, I feel I do my best work when I am motivated. Thus, I am searching for a topic, searching for a situation, in which I am motivated and can thrive.

So, what am I doing?

Well I have been reading a lot. Research on perspective taking, the concept of self-interest, and metaphors have all crossed my desk. At times I feel like I am reading in circles. At one moment I feel the perspective taking is definitely what I want to do, only to read another article on self-interest and subsequently have an intense desire to spend more time on that topic. I was trying to fit my thesis topic within a framework. I had the notion that I needed to choose a topic that is both doable and interesting. Though I did get inspired by the ideas I read, this inspiration was short-lived. Nothing I searched for stuck.

So I asked myself- What do I want to do? Regardless if it is practical, regardless if it will look good on an application. What motivates me? What do I think about when I am not working?

I decided to examine how our (the USA) economic structure affects our perceptions, assumptions, and behavior. How does our competitive structure influence our cooperative behavior. I have begun to read Marx and have found it invigorating. Not only am I motivated to do the ‘work’ but I feel I am learning information that will affect me for the rest of my life. To be fair, it is going to be a lot harder to create a psychology experiment out of what I am reading, because it is lies outside of the discipline. But I am not worried. I am learning and progressing, I am sure an idea will find me.

Even though I have at times gone in circles and I am not as far along as I would like to be on my thesis preparation, I do not feel negative about the path I have taken. And whatever path we take we must be honest with ourselves. Are we doing the things we want to do? Are we doing the things we planned to do? Will we be able to look back and say “I am glad I chose the profession I did?” It may seem rather utopian and idealistic, but why give up our ideas for a job, that we may not enjoy, may not fit our beliefs. In fact it may only pay the bills.

My advice: Don’t focus on a job that only pays the bills. Life is too short. It is not money we must grapple with. It is time. Money can be made and lost in a day. Time is limited. We cannot get more time, no matter what we do (at least not yet). So use your time to fulfill your goals, and change people’s lives.

Some may argue that money is a way to change lives. I do not dispute that this is possible. I only respond, who would you want your child to emulate: The man or woman who donates 10 million of his or her 100 million dollars? Or the man or woman who donates his or her time, his or her energy, and his or her life? It is our behavior, our actions that matter. It’s easy to donate money once you have it. But when all that one possesses is time and energy and he or she still chooses to give this up that, to me, is a more powerful decision.

Once again, I defend education. Here is a profession that is dynamic, fulfilling, and world changing. Do teachers do what they do for the money? It’s a choice to help and bring knowledge to others.

I hope my words have helped people in a similar spot grappling with the notion of a career versus an ideal. Choose the ideal. It will keep you upbeat, keep you happy, and your attitude and actions just may influence others to do the same. We don’t remember people who chose the easy route, we remember those who actions carried forth their beliefs.

A couple great things to read:

Dale Miller (1999)- The Norm of Self-interest
http://64.233.179.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&q=cache:JzzRNxtpO6kJ:www.law.berkeley.edu/institutes/law_econ/workingpapers/PDFpapers/dtmiller.pdf+

Peter Singer – Marx: A very short introduction
http://www.amazon.com/Marx-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0192854054/ref=pd_bbs_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215753343&sr=8-9

Marx and Engels- The CommunistManifesto http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html

Don't Forget to Laugh... and VOTE!!!

Vote - and take a minute to find the funny side of the not-so-funny economic times!

Check out our on-going poll on the upper right-hand corner of the Education blog and give us your feedback!

The power of the situation

First, I want to mention Rachel's poll about year long school. Give your opinion. Personally, I think kids need a summer. I need a summer. How else would I have gotten to California to learn a lot and have a blast. I hope she can recharge for the upcoming year, I am sure all those classes and work this summer will pay off.

The power of the situation

If there is one thing I have learned in psychology it is that the situation has immense power over our feelings and actions. This summer I decided to live with a family rather than individually in an apartment. I put myself in a situation where I knew I would have an interesting experience.

Sure, I was nervous, but I people tend to underestimate their ability to adapt and therefore do not take the chance and seek out the experiences that can prove so important. So my advice is to put yourself in an interesting, perhaps not always comfortable, situation that will only lead to personal growth.

Amanda’s experience is a prime example. TFA is selective, rigorous, and extremely challenging. Yet, each week we get a taste of all the benefits that Amanda reached simply by placing herself in an interesting and challenging situation.

Needless to say I have learned a great deal while in California. I expected to learn from my internship but being able to gain knowledge outside of work has been just as much as worthwhile as what I have gained from my job. I want to share my past week, which was both unexpected and amazing.

So my California mom as I call, Christina, in whose home I am staying, invited her friend and co-worker Shiho to stay in the home, for a week as she met with the California office. Shiho flew in from the Tokyo office and I met her on a Friday, and on Saturday we travelled into San Francisco with our bikes, with our goal to cycle from San Fran to Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge. Kind of a big trip when you’ve known someone less than 24 hours.

Once again I didn’t know what was going to happen, but why not go for it. We had a great time. But the Golden Gate Bridge was freezing! Weird, but that is San Francisco weather for you. Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” Well the weather was definitely weird for the end of June. After our lunch in the beautiful town of Sausalito we took the ferry across the bay, passed Alcatraz, got off, and made our way to Lombard Street.

We finally made it up a side street, a very very steep side street, and came to the top of Lombard. Shiho really wanted to bike down Lombard Street, but it’s not really allowed. But she came all the way from Tokyo, and the policeman wasn’t looking, so we went for it. The picture of Lombard Street doesn’t do the street’s incline justice. It is a solid block of clutching your breaks and hoping they don’t give out and you slam into someone’s car door. Well we made it and continued along the boardwalk back to the train station where we made our way home to Palo Alto.

Photo source: http://www.visitingdc.com/san-francisco/lombard-street-picture.asp

Next weekend was another adventure. We kayaked in a slough near Monterey, where there were otters, and sea lions in the water with our Kayaks. It was amazing. Our guide was a marine bio major and filled us in with loads of knowledge about the slough and the ecosystem. After that adventure, we made our way to Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Wow. The aquarium is amazing, and the fish very beautiful. As we made our way through the various exhibits, Shiho made sure to tell me which fish were “tasty.” A bit off color, but hilarious. Imagine a petite, sweet, Japanese woman telling you she wants to “cuddle that tuna” because it is so beautiful. If anyone has ever heard someone say “I want to cuddle that tuna” please let me know because this person should meet Shiho.

After shopping a bit in Monterey, we stopped at a bar and joked and laughed until I the designated driver, reminded Christina and Shiho that Shiho had a flight in the morning and we had a one and half hour drive back home.

All this experience was unexpected, but it all stemmed from picking a situation that could only be interesting. I could have stayed home, but then I would have missed learning various Japanese words like kampai (cheers), arigato (thank you), and ita daki mas (about to receive- not a great translation, but you say it before you eat). I would have missed out learning about Christina’s family in the Philippines and Chile. We discussed how time is conceptualized in Japan versus the US. It was great and words don’t give the warmth I felt from my experience over this week.

We often think we can control the situation, but as psychology will teach you: we can’t. So pick a situation where you can grow and learn. Pick a situation where you are unsure what might happen, and perhaps you will find wonderfully unexpected events waiting for you.

SO Crazy!

Hello everyone! It's been a little while since I have posted, but that's because my summer teaching Institute is CRAZY! For those of you just tuning into my life right now, last week I finished Teach For America's Induction in Los Angeles. Our week was a series of content sessions, talks, guest speakers, and programmed social events. An example schedule of a typical Induction day looked like this:

7:30-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-10:15 Content Session: What is the Achievement Gap in America?
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-12:00 Content Session: Stewardship in the Movement
12:00-1:00 Lunch with your Content Session Group
1:00-4:15 Diversity Session: Culture and Cultural Schisms
4:15-4:30 Break
4:30-5:30 Corps Value Club #5: Integrity
5:30-6:30 Dinner with your Corps Value Club Members
6:30-7:30 Guest Speaker: Los Angeles Culture
7:30-10:00 Social: Lucky Strike Bowling

Doesn't it sound like every day was very planned? You have no idea. Induction was nothing compared to Institute. Let me back up a little. Some important things about Induction need to be addressed. First of all, the people. I have never in my life met so many accomplished, intelligent, genuinely nice, compassionate and well-rounded people. Everyone here (for the most part) seems to have their heart in the right place. Although there are definitely discussions and debates around every corner, people really want to get to the bottom of deep issues, particularly involving education, policy, and achievement. I get along with just about everyone I meet, and it's amazing to be somewhere going through something so specific with others. It would be like college if you were taking all the same classes with the same people all day and it was for a specific profession where many of you would be working together. "Tight knit" doesn't even come close to describing it.

Ok, now let's talk about Institute. Institute started this past Monday. This is what the schedule for Insitute looks like:

4:30-5:30 Go for a morning run (if you're me)
5:30-6:00 Get up, shower, run and eat breakfast if you have time (not if you're me)
6:00-6:30 Grab a "to-go" lunch (or two, if you're me and did not eat breakfast) and get on a bus
6:30-7:00 Bus ride to the school at which you will be teaching during the summer
7:00-7:15 Sign-in at your school and find the room you are supposed to be in
7:15-7:35 Corps Member Advisor Meeting: Discuss your learning objectives for the day
7:35-7:40 Transition time
7:45-9:15 Curriculum Session: Five-Step Lesson Planning
9:15-9:20 Transition time
9:20-10:50 Literacy Session: Literacy and the Achievement Gap
10:50-10:55 Transition time
11:00-12:30 Curriculum Session: Rules and Consequences in the Classroom
12:30-1:00 Lunch (but actually work with your collaborative group on lesson plans for the upcoming week)
1:00-2:30 Collaborative Group Session: Basic Planning Principles
2:30-2:35 Transition time
2:35-4:05 Curriculum Session: Classroom Management
4:05-4:20 Message from School Director
4:20-5:00 Bus ride back to school
5:00-5:30 Personal time
5:30-6:30 Dinner
7:00-9:00 Resource room time/random activity to encourage us to work together to plan lessons and collaborate

Micromanagement, anyone? It's a crazy schedule. But I am learning so much! I start teaching with the other three members of my "collab" or Collaborative Group next Monday. Basically what that means is that the four of us are teaching a summer school class by ourselves. Each of us "lead teach" for one hour a day. We're teaching Algebra 1 to a class of mainly eighth graders who are hoping to move along to the ninth grade. Many of them have already taken Algebra and failed, so we have our work cut out for us. We will have a faculty advisor who will sit in on every class we teach and observe us, but will not be allowed to speak during any classes. They'll help by providing us with reviews and feedback. I heard that sometimes the criticism gets pretty intense. Well, I should probably go and finish planning my lesson for Tuesday. My objective is to teach students to "combine like terms in an algebraic expression using the distributive property." Good times.

In the Good Ole Summertime

I envy my co-bloggers this semester, and for more reason than one. First, they are both part of fascinating programs, working to further their studies through incredible internships. If you aren’t reading their posts, you’re really missing out because they are detailing their experiences for you, the reader! Second, they are working, and therefore not in school, like me. That’s right, I’ve signed up for the dreaded spring and summer semesters where lengthy lectures fill sunny afternoons better fit for poolside than the classroom.

I am sure that in the long run, I’ll be happy with my decision to accelerate my school schedule and possibly graduate ahead of my anticipated date. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
For now though, it’s not so great. Come September all of my friends will be returning to class tan and refreshed, excited to learn again. I, on the other hand, am really feeling the toll of all of this work. When I return to campus in the fall I’ll be fried alright, but it won’t be because I sat in the sun for too long. Instead it will be because my brain never got a rest.

This raised some questions in my weary mind. Elementary, middle and high schools across the nation are contemplating a new year-round schedule, as they have been for some time. Sure this set-up would have a few week or longer vacations thrown into it, but gone will be the lazy summer days. Proponents of the new system say that students loose too much of the information they worked so hard to learn while they are on a three-month hiatus. While discussing this with some friends the other day they raised an interesting point by saying that we really aren’t preparing our kids for life after school where there is no extended summer vacation. Others, like me, say that there is much to be learned outside of the classroom – either at home or through internships such as Evan’s and Amanda’s or those offered by Experience.

So, now it’s your turn. Talk back. Give your opinion. Let me know what you think by answering the poll (top right), leaving a comment or both.

'Tis the Season

This summer there are more than a few things on my to-do list. I am sure that the rest of you feel the same. But here’s a list of the top-ten things that I am actually looking forward to:

10. Weddings! Call me corny or old-fashioned, but nothing says summer like a wedding, especially an outdoor one. I can’t wait to get all dressed up and watch friends make one of the most important promises of their lives. It’s such an honor to be a part of the whole thing! Short on cash and need a great gift? Check out these sentimental favorites sure to test any bride’s mascara.

9. Sun-bathing! There is no better way to celebrate summer than to wear it! I know that the way to a tan is to avoid a burn, so I’ll be wearing sunscreen, as always.

8. Lemonade! Famous summer refreshments abound, but lemonade is a classic drink that takes one back to the carefree days of childhood as soon as it hits your lips. Stir up a glass today by choosing your favorite drink mix or a tried-and-true recipe.

7. Yard Sales! I know what you’re thinking but for the short-of-funds college student a yard sale can mean furniture! I’m talking real furniture: not milk crate coffee tables or inflatable loungers. The only bad part of a yard sale is that you often have to look through loads of junk before hitting a jackpot. Remember to shop early and often. Don’t give up and always think about what you could do with what’s in front of you. Paint and new hardware can really update an old piece.

6. Open Houses! I’ve heard from some friends that these celebrations for graduates are a purely Yankee thing. I hope that’s not the case because the rest of the country is missing out on some serious fun and good eats.

5. Movies! Summer blockbusters are among the most-anticipated entertainment of the year. Check out Experience’s entertainment blog to see what the writers have to say about the latest movies to debut. I myself am excited to see Heath Ledger in his last role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

4. Fireworks! I’ve seen fireworks all over the world – Athens, Greece; Maui, Hawaii; Niagara Falls, Canada; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Boston, Massachusetts; the Caribbean - and I’ve learned the trick on how to catch the best show. The key: it’s not where you watch the big lights, but who you’re with.

3. Sleeping In! Better than Saturdays, weekdays when you can hit the snooze button are like little nuggets of gold. Summer lets me do this, occasionally. I hope you are getting the chance too!

2. An Indulgent Read! Most of us are college students or new-graduates, which means that the bulk of our reading material is either assigned or necessary in order to look competent at the next corporate meeting. That’s why this summer, when things are a little slower for me I’m looking forward to catching up on some reading – from my own selection! Check out some of these suggestions.

1. Countdown to Fall! Okay, so it’s not exactly what tops a “normal” person’s list of the perfect summer, but fall is my absolute favorite season. There is something about the autumn chill in the air that makes one of the shorter seasons warm my heart. Fall brings on the countdown to the holidays, as well as a plethora of colors cascading from the sky to blanket the ground. I can’t help but love autumn and remembering that summer ushers it in makes me appreciate the longest days of the year even more.

Be prepared

No matter what profession you undertake, it is important to be able to discuss your work with members of the field. Whether you are at a lecture, a conference, or are simply talking at a dinner party these are all places where you will need to discuss your research. And it is important to make a good impression. Your ability to convey your work to another can get others interested in your ideas, may spark collaboration, or may even create a possible opportunity for funding for the research.

When I worked with Professor Andrew Ward at Swarthmore he explained that he was always prepared to discuss his work in a manner that would be easily understood, but in a way so that it didn’t lose any of its flavor. Below is a short example paragraph of what I would have said while doing the research with Professor Ward.

Statement:
“Our research focuses on mental control. Philosophers have discussed the expression ‘don’t think about the pink elephant in the room.’ You may have also experienced something similar. Has anyone ever told you not to think of something and then you find yourself constantly thinking of it? In psychology, this research was headed by Dan Wegner who told people not to think of a white bear."

“However, in our lab we feel a white bear is a complete out of the ordinary request for a participant, and that the novelty and pressure of a white bear is what causes people to constantly think of it when instructed not to. In the past, Professor Ward has done studies in which he has attempted to minimize the novelty and reduce the pressure of suppressing ‘white bear’. For instance he told participants that they would be required to suppress thoughts of an animal and a color. Then he explained they were in the white-bear condition. He also instructed people to suppress thoughts of a mood survey. Lastly, he told participants: ‘Don’t think of a white bear, but if you have to feel free.’ In each of these three instances participants thought less about the target stimulus, white bear or the survey."

“These finding led Professor Ward and I to wonder if we could manipulate the ability to suppress thoughts on a more subtle level. Currently we are working on this more implicit manipulation. Before participants attempt to suppress thoughts of a white bear, we prime them with thoughts of ‘freedom’ and ‘choice,’ in the hope that this priming will help participants suppress unwanted thoughts. This research has implications for depression and PTSD, where unwanted thoughts often take over a person’s life”

This statement relates to the audience in the beginning, gives them adequate background information, and follows to the current line of research. Simply writing down a statement such as this can greatly enhance your fluidity and ability to convey what it is that you do on a daily basis. After all, if you do it everyday, you better at least look like you know what you are doing. You don’t want to be stumbling over words about your own work; people will take you less seriously and be far less interested.

So, I suggest that no matter what profession you are in; be it education or entertainment, take time to write down a statement of your work. You never know who you will meet, and for the sake of your work and reputation it is important to be prepared.

I am finally here!

Induction only began the day before yesterday, and already there are so many amazing people I've had the privilege of meeting and so many informational sessions I've attended that have really helped me to reflect upon what kind of a teacher I want to be. Most of all, I feel very inspired and encouraged by everyone here who shares my ideas about educational inequity.

Let's break it down. There are 185 corps members (CMs) here in Los Angeles for induction. The corps here is 30% male. There is a very elaborate team structure, building from the CMs at the bottom to their Transitional Team Leaders (TTLs), who are each in charge of eight CMs. A Program Director (PD) is in charge of a similar group of TTLs, and there are various other administrative positions above that, culminating in the Executive Director. All the acronyms take some getting used to, but they're very reflective of the way Teach For America (TFA) works. It is all very structured, organized, and supportive. Support is rampant here. Everything also seems very transparent. We had a session about misconceptions about TFA and criticisms of it that was stimulating (see my earlier blog post). I also attended a session about how to have a good interview, since there will be a placement fair tomorrow very early in the morning. Hopefully by the end of the day, I will know exactly what grade level and subject I will be teaching and where. I'm a little nervous about the interviews, but overall I feel confident in my ability to be calm, honest, and well, confident. Some of the questions are tough, but today they really prepared us well. Lots of mock questioning and practice.

For anyone planning on interviewing to be a teacher, here are some of the most common questions that are asked:

• What is your teaching philosophy?
• What is going to be your classroom management system? [Or, how would you handle a disruptive student?]
• How would you handle teaching students in your class who are working at very different levels academically? (Answer: Differentiation.)
• What does "at-risk" mean to you? (Answer: Unequal opportunities and low expectations.)
• Are you willing to tutor after school, participate in extracurricular activities, teach summer school, etc.? (Trick question: The answer is that academics come first.)
• What are your thoughts on standardized testing? (Trick question: Your answer is that students' high performance is what counts, not your personal feelings on the issue.)
• How will you foster relationships with parents/guardians? (Saying something that implies that you aren't psyched about it is a red flag.)
• Why do you want to work in a low-income community? (The answer should be about your students, not you.)
• Do you work well with others? (The answer is yes.)
• Define your working style. (The answer should involve being open to learning and new approaches.)

Fun, huh? Well, I should go to sleep so I can "perform" well at any interviews I get tomorrow. Should be fun!

Learning in the US and England

This past spring semester I spent at Royal Holloway, University of London. It’s a beautiful school, with 7500 students, located 40 minutes west of London (www.rhul.ac.uk). I took courses in psychology and geography (a hybrid discipline that involves biology, astronomy, political science, and economics). One of my courses on psychology was entitled ‘Brain and Behaviour.’ It discussed the mechanisms of neurological functioning, as well as topics like the impact of neurological impairment for diseases like schizophrenia and depression. The lead lecturer was Narendar Ramnani, who performs fMRI research at the University. I approached Dr. Ramnani and asked if I could help in his lab. He was extremely welcoming and I was able to work with one of his graduate students Josh Balsters on his work.

For Josh I recruited participants, and was able to sit in on the brain scans during the experiment. While we were working we started talking about the differences between college in the US and England, so I thought I would share some of those differences.

In the US, undergraduate degrees usually take 4 years to complete. While in the England they take only 3. The primary reason for the difference between the two is the amount of attention paid to your main focus of study. In the US for many of us, the first year is the year we test the waters and begin to decide our majors and minors. We all know that we can dabble and take a random course every now and then. In England my friend astutely described their system as sink or swim.

In England, your course of study is basically decided before you even enter university, during high school. Until the age of about 16 (equivalent of finishing sophomore year), English high schools are much like those in the US. Students take a number of courses in a variety of topics: Math, English, History, Science, and Foreign Languages for instance. At this point the student has achieved their GCSE, or General Certificate of Secondary Education. They can continue for two more years on a more focused plan of study (only three or four topics), and begin to prepare for college entrance examinations, or a student may decide to stop education and enter the workforce. These last two years are preparation for what are called A-levels, the college preparatory examinations. Here the student takes the A-level exam for the three courses they have studied in depth for the past two years.

A-levels essentially determine your future. Students apply to about two universities, and their entrance to the university depends upon their marks on the A-level examinations for those courses. If you achieve the marks set by the university you will likely gain admission, if you do not, it is highly likely you will not gain admission. The A-levels are given on one day and one day only across all of England. You better not be sick, nervous or tired, because if you mess up you must wait an entire year to take the test again. SATs don’t look so bad anymore do they? It’s only one test and you can take it as much as you want. Seems better than three tests you can only take once.

If a student is still swimming and survives the horror of A-levels they usually take only one subject at university, psychology for instance. So, for the entire 3 years at university students take all or nearly all courses in psychology. While this does allow for a great depth of knowledge, it does not allow for much flexibility. You make the choice and live with it.

After the three years of undergrad, it is common for students to do a masters degree for their fourth year. To obtain a PhD; however is much different than in the US. In the US, it often takes 5 years to complete a PhD, whereas in England it typically takes 3 years. The difference is that for the first 2 years in the US, many PhD students take higher level courses, and the last three years are for more intensive research. In the UK, the three years are of intensive research. Both US and English PhDs are obtained after a final year dissertation, the culmination of all the research.

I must admit that I believe the US system to be more beneficial. Next semester I am going to take a statistics course, prepare my senior thesis in psychology, take a modern art history course, and perhaps a computer science or political science course. In England, I would not have that flexibility and I feel that the malleability in course selection allows for the ability to see more complex relationships across different fields of study, which makes for a richer learning experience. For those that have experience with the English system as well as the system here in the US, I would appreciate your opinions of the two methods of study.

A-levels are so important in England, the results are consistently broadcast on many news channels. Here is a clip:

Four Days Until Induction

I am excited. This Friday, I will finally begin the next step in my journey towards becoming a teacher. I will begin induction, which seems to really be just another way of saying "orientation." I will be congregating with my fellow Teach For America Corps members at a small college where we will be staying for the summer, learning how to be the best teachers we can possibly be. Here are the parts of induction I am looking forward to the most:

1. Meeting other members of Teach For America and making friends
2. Being back in a classroom (hello comfort zone!) learning
3. Obtaining valuable knowledge about how to be an awesome teacher
4. Living away from home without being halfway across the country

I looked at the tentative schedule for induction online and it basically looks like every day we will have training sessions about teaching, because later on during institute, we will be teaching summer school! I know, it's crazy, but I'm sure it will be a great way to learn. What happens during institute is every day each corps member gets to "lead teach" for an hour as well as observe others teach for the remaining 3-4 hours of the summer school day. It will be a great way to learn how to teach quickly. I really hope that I end up teaching high school science of some kind, because it would be really great to teach the same grade level and subject I will be teaching in the fall.

Also, it seems that there are a lot of social events planned for induction and institute. For example, we're going to a Dodgers v. Angels game and having formal dinners. I guess I'm just the kind of person that can't be idle for long, because these three weeks of vacation are about all I can take. I need to get busy again. The college I'll be staying at during induction and institute is also about 45 minutes to an hour away from my house, which is grand because I can go home during the weekends if I feel like it...or not. This is a really different kind of arrangement for me, because my only experiences of living are of being at home or at college 3000 miles away.

So, it's going to be fun! I have been working hard doing my pre-institute coursework. The work is reading and reflection pieces, and they are the kind of things that can either take forever or no time at all, depending on if my brain's in gear or not. For the next few days, I'm going to have to kick it up a notch so that I can get it all done. Wish me luck!

The Best Teachers

When I was four, my dad taught me how to hit and catch a baseball.

When I was nine, my dad taught me how to multiply.

When I was sixteen, my dad forced me to spin out my car in a parking lot until I learned to control it on the wintry roads.

From the beginning of my memory, my dad has been teaching me. Some things, like math, have been taught in a direct way. Other lessons, such as how to be a great parent, a diplomat, a devoted spouse and a humanitarian, he’s taught from the back of the classroom. I’m very fortunate in that both of my parents have done this for me my whole life. They have been my best teachers. They are the first people who made me want to teach. They are the people who have been on the sidelines cheering from the first day of school, and are still sitting right there.

Great teachers come in all forms: some with degrees and certifications to teach; others without, like my dad.

Some great teachers stand in front of a classroom between the hours of nine and three; other great teachers can’t confine their lessons to a room and a time, but instead share their knowledge constantly and everywhere.

Some great teachers relay information through lecturers, other great teachers relay their lessons through example.

So, in the spirit of Father’s Day, I’d like to say that I hope to be like one of the best teachers I’ve ever had: my dad. I hope that you’ve had at least one great teacher in your life, be it in the classroom or outside of it. If you have, remember to say thanks and acknowledge a life lived for the betterment of you.

The First Day

Today, I began my internship at the Stanford Cognitive Lab. It is actually a “CogNation” (n): a sovereign state devoted to the study of Cognition. Here the grad students and researchers are the citizens, and those abroad are the exiles. Many of the researchers examine language and there is no lack of playful language scattered around the lab. For instance, I took a prerequisite ethics course (so I can run participants in experiments) on the laptop called “Cogmandu.” Every computer has a name of a city formed with ‘cog’; and as it should—this is Cognation. More information on the citizens of Cognation and even their theme song can be found through this link: http://cognation.stanford.edu/index.html. You won’t be disappointed; the site is both interesting and entertaining.

Even before I entered the Cognation and worked on Cogmandu, I knew this internship would start great. I emailed Paul Thibodeau (the grad student I will be working with) Sunday night and asked a few questions about the first day. I asked: what to wear, when to arrive, things I needed to bring. I don’t think I could have dreamed Paul’s response. He replied: “clothes - anything really. no dress code. we are pretty informal. this is cali; needs - nothing i can think of; time - whenever. i wont be getting in until about noon that day. no one comes in before 10.”

Really? Oh yes. A bit different from my internship at a bank last summer when I woke up at 630am and drove 35 minutes to work; and where not having to wear a neck tie was considered a plus. Compare that with today: I woke up at 8 (without an alarm), threw on jeans and a t-shirt, hopped on my bike, rode in the beautiful weather to Stanford’s stunning campus, and arrived at 11 to meet up with Paul and begin the day.

Once at the lab Paul gave me a brief tour. He took me to the main quad of Stanford, outside of a beautiful church. He explained that he has enjoyed his first year so far. The campus is always beautiful, there are always people and tourists visiting speaking many different languages, there is always something interesting going on. In general, a great place to be.

A highlight of the tour was seeing the rooms where the famous Stanford prison experiment was conducted by Phil Zimbardo (http://www.zimbardo.com). In this experiment male college students acted as either prisoners or guards in a mock prison, located in the basement of the Stanford psychology department. The experiment was supposed to last 2 weeks, but only lasted 6 days after it became too real. Guards were acting too much like guards and prisoners too much like prisoners. It shed light on how we certain roles can shape our behavior. And even though we may not expect that simply putting on a prisoner’s jump suit or a guard’s uniform will alter our behavior the fact is that it does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KXy8CLqgk4&feature=related

After that Paul and I discussed his research on language. We talked about metaphors and their ability to color our interpretations of certain situations. We began to map out research goals and Paul made sure I knew that he wanted me to get as much out of the summer as possible. He explained that we would work together, rather than me being a drone that simply enters data and does the grunt work. He took me to lunch on campus, where I ate a delicious salad. We sat under an archway outside, and while a welcomed breeze passed by, I got the feeling that I am in for a summer of intellectual and personal growth.

I felt this way because every person I met gave me the impression that they are here; researching and studying because they want to, not because they have to. There is so much more energy and life when there is self-motivation rather than obligatory motivation. They have chosen a lifestyle. They have chosen to spend their time learning and creating. And whether or not I decide to attend graduate school and become a professor, I realize that I will choose a profession that I enjoy. After all, time is limited why not take on the attitude of Stanford and California: do something worthwhile, do something you enjoy, and do it well. For me, education abides by this attitude and I will strive to do my best.

Lastly, as the prison experiment demonstrated, we often become the role we enact, so I am glad to have chosen a role in education that can only lead me in a positive direction. I would also like to mention that I envy Amanda, my fellow summer blogger, and her role for TFA. Again another example of how the field of education epitomizes positive growth on a personal and societal level.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008!

Wearing a cap and gown while marching across an amphitheater, and picking up a diploma is one of the proudest days in the life of any student. But, how much do you really know about the all the pomp and circumstance to which we parade?


Let’s start with that Pomp and Circumstance, the first march of a series of five composed by Sir Edward Elgar. The march was composed in 1901, and only four short years later, on June 28th, 1905, the song was first played at a commencement ceremony. Yale University played it for their graduates who were also honoring Sir Elgar himself that same day with an honorary degree. If for some reason you can’t seem to get enough of this tune, or need some practice before picking up your diploma, you can make it your ringtone by clicking here.

Most learning institutions stick with “Graduation Day” or “Commencement Ceremonies,” to tell of the events to take place on the day one receives a diploma. But, there are some other names that graduation goes by... “Convocation, Invocation, Degree Day, Commencement Day,” or as the University of Cambridge prefers, “General Admission.”

Did you know that, traditionally-speaking, different gowns are issued for Bachelor of Arts degree recipients than for those receiving a Master of Arts? BA robes have long sleeves that are bell-shaped at the end, while MA robes have long sleeves that are closed at the ends with a slit for the arm to exit the sleeve at the elbow.

What’s under that gown? Everyone’s heard that jokes about going au naturel under the gown on graduation day, but it isn’t very common knowledge that many universities require a dress code for what professors are to be wearing underneath the gown. That leads one to wonder, was this ever a real problem?

Did you know that when worn properly, all caps, or mortarboards, are to be level to the ground, and not slanting back? While most men wear their caps this way, women often do not. Also, etiquette requires that men take their caps off for the national anthem, while women are not required to.

Many graduates in America perform the ritual of moving their tassel from the right to left side of their cap, indicating the passing from student to graduate. Masters students and doctoral students are not supposed to take part in this tradition, but instead wear the tassel on the left from the beginning of the ceremony. This rite came about as a way to get around the more lengthy customs of the United Kingdom, in which students would change gowns and cords completely.

Some universities are calling on politicians and famous persons to deliver their commencement addresses, while others are sticking to the tradition of offering the prestigious honor only to alumni. Here’s a list of some of those more well-known orators:

Bill Cosby, actor (Hampton University, 2003)

Nancy Pelosi, politician (Webster University, 2007)

Rudy Guiliani, former mayor of NYC (Highpoint University, 2008)

John Lithgow, actor (Harvard University, 2005)

Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman (Harvard University, 1999)

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of NYC (University of Pennsylvania, 2008)

Barbara Bush, first lady (Wake Forest University, 2001)

Oprah Winfrey, talk show host (Stanford University, 2008)

High Hopes

So, to pick up where I left off last time, I think I should mention a little bit more about what Teach For America is. Basically, its an organization that was founded in 1990 based on the principles I talked about in my last entry; that although America promises equal opportunity, it does not exist in our nation's schools. Thus, TFA collects promising recent college grads, trains them in the leadership skills they will need (in just six weeks) and sets them on a course to close the achievement gap over two challenging years.

A lot of people don't seem to like Teach For America. Most of what I heard about it from people when I was considering applying was negative. (Of course, this only prompted me to dig deeper to find out if what people were saying was true. I found that it wasn't.) People said that it's a "Band-aid solution" for a large-scale problem. I guess it depends on what you mean by Band-aid. Since 1990, over 17,000 people have served their two years (or more, as often happens when people come to love what they're doing) of teaching. Currently, there are 5,000 corps members across the country placed in 26 different urban and rural regions. So far, TFA has impacted the lives of almost 3 million students. Is that a Band-aid solution? You might still think so, in the grand scheme of things, but what does that mean? Should someone not join this organization because it isn't bigger or more powerful? I don't think so.

Another critique of TFA is that members are only required to teach for two years. Of course, some choose to teach for longer than that, but many do not. People argue that this leads to "unrest" in schools as it increases teacher turnover and ultimately is somehow detrimental to students. But, even if you take this line of reasoning, the "dropout rate" of teachers after their first year in the lower-income districts where TFA places teachers is obviously much higher than that of TFA. It's more like TFA is encouraging and giving incentive to teachers to resist becoming discouraged and giving up after their first year.

Something else that I think should not go unmentioned about TFA is that the people who are accepted are college grads that arguably could get much higher-paying jobs elsewhere. When I applied to the 2008 Corps, I was one of about 24,700 applicants for only 3,700 slots. This means that the acceptance rate was about 15%. According to an article called TEACH FOR AMERICA PLACES LARGEST-EVER CORPS, EXPANDING ITS IMPACT TO 26 REGIONS NATIONWIDE, in 2007 TFA received applications from "11 percent of the senior classes at Amherst and Spelman; 10 percent of those at University of Chicago and Duke; and more than eight percent of the graduating seniors at Notre Dame, Princeton and Wellesley." Think about it: most of us could have done other, more self-seeking or possibly higher-paying things with our lives. (For example, I could have gone to medical school.) But we didn't, because we wanted to take two years out of our lives to work hard to make sure that students in underfunded districts have the same opportunities as those in more affluent districts. How can you criticize that?

Anyway, that's a little bit more about TFA. To be more specific about what exactly I'm doing, I will be teaching some kind of science course at the secondary level (grades 7-12) in Los Angeles (probably South Central). I won't know for sure what my placement is until I have interviewed with a principal or two. I have been doing a lot of reading to prepare myself for my training, which starts June 29th, and I have already learned a lot about how I can work to develop the leadership skills I will need to succeed as a classroom teacher. According to my reading, these skills include

• setting big goals for students' academic achievement
• investing students (and their influencers) in working hard to reach the big goals
• planning purposefully
• executing effectively
• continuously increasing effectiveness
• working relentlessly

Sometimes when I am doing this reading, I feel overwhelmed and wonder what I have gotten myself into. But most of the time, I just feel optimistic and confident about my ability to have a positive influence on my future student's lives.

A Little Testy

I am preparing to take the Michigan basic skills test for teachers in a few weeks. The information on the test plugged it as a simple examination to assess whether or not education students possess the knowledge necessary to complete basic skills in reading, mathematics and writing. It sounded simple enough.

Then, I got the study book.

Are you kidding me? Since when are polynomials and quadratics a basic skill? Clearly it is has been way too long since I had a math class. To be honest, I can’t remember ever seeing the quadratic formula shown in the workbook. Is it possible that I loathe math so much that I repressed all of this? I will be doing some serious studying.

Now the reading and writing stuff, that’s easy. I glazed over the study book’s sections covering the subjects, but I doubt I’ll do more than that to prepare.

Hopefully there is a bigger lesson for me to learn here. I’ll try and remember this test when I have to face a room full of students who aren’t as crazy about English as me. I’ll be keeping in mind that while I can talk for hours about the symbolism in A Room with A View, someone in the crowd actually knows how to use the Pythagorean theorem.

I guess we all have our own strengths.

Then and Now

As this is my first post, I feel an introduction is in order. My name is Evan and I am now senior at Swarthmore College, in Philadelphia. There I major in Psychology with a minor in Statistics. I also play on the men’s soccer team; participate in the college’s environmental group: Earthlust; and serve as a psychology tutor. My goal is to attend graduate school and become a professor of psychology. Lastly, I really enjoy puns. And though I feel I have heard a great deal, I am always apun to hearing new ones.

Then and Now
For centuries authors have been investigating human behavior, attempting to uncover those human truths which seem to guide us all. This summer, I will be in sunny California, uncovering those human truths in the cognitive psychology department of Stanford University. In addition to my role as a research assistant to the lab, I will be specifically working with Paul Thibodeau, a graduate student at Stanford. We will be performing experiments that examine perception and language, as well as investigating how metaphors shape an individuals understanding of how a government should work. We will use the current political election as an arena through which to examine the impact of metaphors on an individual’s beliefs about government. (For further reading on this issue, see George Lakoff’s Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think, and Metaphors We Live By; http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/people/lakoff)

My previous experience includes research in both the social cognitive neuroscience disciplines. At Swarthmore College I worked with Andrew Ward on thought suppression. This past term I spent at the Royal Holloway, University of London. There I had my first taste of neuorimaging research. I even climbed in the fMRI and now have a picture of my brain! I look forward to the working in the cognitive psychology lab, because it provides a new angle to study and understand human behavior.

Now that you have a taste of where I am, I thought you might like to know how it all started. It is often difficult, if not impossible to understand how certain events have shaped our lives. However, an event early in my education symbolizes how my experience has led me into psychology.

It was Mr. Early’s sixth grade pre-algebra class and I was sitting in the back left corner, with my friend Matt sitting directly in front of me. Matt had an itch on his back; one of those unreachable itches that you cannot scratch no matter how hard you twist and bend. He decided to use his pencil in a last ditch attempt and dropped it down his shirt. Twisting and squirming, nearly falling out of his chair, he frantically maneuvered to regain his pencil. Mr. Early sprinted over and began to admonish me for pestering Matt! As I protested my innocence, he continued to scold and berate me. After I received quite a lecture, our actual lecture resumed, and I left bewildered trying to make sense of the situation.

I returned home from school and recounted the story to my mother. Her words left a lasting impression. She simply wondered whether Mr. Early may have had an issue outside of school that may have affected his reaction to the situation. A short while later I learned that Mr. Early’s wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer. From that day on I always seemed to search for the reason underlying a person’s behavior. The experience taught me that to understand behavior is not simply to know an individual’s disposition; rather it is the complex interplay of a multitude of factors. Though as a sixth grader this definitely passed over my head, I believe that the lesson to always walk in another’s shoes shaped my thoughts and actions in the years to come, so that it was almost inevitable that I entered psychology.

Over the summer months, I look forward to sharing my experience as a research assistant in the cognition lab. Be on the lookout for information about working in academia, results of cutting edge research, and generally cool things about psychology. Finally, never hesitate to respond to a post with questions or comments; I would love to hear your thoughts.

Nostalgia and Excitement

I can’t believe where my life has taken me in the last four years. Looking back, college was an incredible journey, and it only makes sense that I’d be doing something I had never expected to do. In a nutshell, when I began at Smith College in Northampton, MA., I was planning on being a psychology major and toying with the idea of being pre-med. But, apparently life's not that simple.

In my first semester, I thought I’d take African Philosophy for a “fun” class. As it turned out, the advisor my school had arbitrarily chosen for me happened to be Catharine Newbury, an expert on Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As I gushed about my philosophy class and lamented my lack of ideas about what to do with my upcoming summer, Catharine told me if I wanted to, I could apply for funding to take an indigenous African language through an intense program called SCALI. I did it, ended up taking Swahili and loving it, and during the next year I decided to self-design my major in African Studies, all the while staying pre-med. I also applied for and won the David L. Boren Fellowship, which allowed me to study abroad for one year at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. After that, I figured I’d go to med school right after college, someday becoming a Doctor Without Borders.

As if this wasn’t already an erratic enough college experience, my life got turned around again this past October during my senior year. I was running down the stairs to check my mail in the campus center when I slammed into a woman carrying several folders. After apologizing to her, I learned she was a representative from Teach For America. Several conversations, an application, and various forms later, here I am, about to embark on a two-year teaching career.

Basically, TFA is an organization that subscribes to the belief that where someone is born should not determine their educational and life opportunities. They recognize that there is a large achievement gap in this country, and corps members, as they're called, work to close it. I'm going to positively affect change in the lives of my students by holding them up to higher standards than they can imagine, hopefully pushing them to pass an AP exam or something like that. I'm already excited to see what me and my students are capable of.

Thus far, this is what being accepted to TFA has been like:

• January: Received acceptance to the 2008 Los Angeles corps
• March: Passed the General Science CSET, a science-specific California teaching exam
• April: Took the CBEST, a California basic skills exam for all teachers
• May: Graduated from Smith and started prep reading for my summer training institute

It hasn’t been too stressful up until this point, but I know that institute will be insane. Institute is what TFA provides for its teachers. Mine lasts from June 29-August 2, and that, in conjunction with the pre-reading I am doing, will serve as the entirety of my training for becoming an excellent high school science teacher. Most likely I will be teaching at a low-income school in Los Angeles, and although I grew up in southern California, I know that it will be a very challenging endeavor to work there. Well, now you know a bit more about what it took for me to get to this point. I think in my next post I’ll write more about what Teach For America means in general and to me personally. Like, why did I choose this for myself when I could have just simply (ha ha) gone to medical school? Stay tuned!

Final Thoughts

Today, I graduated from college. Thinking about this last entry on my blog from the position of a college graduate reminded me of all the teachers that helped me get to this place.

I still remember the name, face and personality of every teacher I have had since kindergarten--they didn't just teach me how to read or how to do calculus, they had a lasting impression on my life.

As an encouragement to teachers out there at all age ranges--your work matters, and students will always remember you.

Making Choices

Now that you've aced all your interviews, offers start coming in. The real fun begins.

I'll be honest, when choosing which college to attend, I didn't visit all the colleges, compare their programs online, make spreadsheets or call the offices to get answers to the tough questions. Duke just felt right. In the last 2 years, I've been giving tours to prospective students and their families; one of my favorite stories, as the students are listing off their other options and what they're looking for in a college, is how I never visited Duke during high school; I hadn't even stepped foot on East Campus (where all the freshmen live) until move-in day. As far as the tangibles went, i knew Duke had them, but i hadn't really encountered any of its strengths firsthand. Having finished my last final exam this week, I can honestly say that I never had a second thought, not in four full years of papers, exams, classes, professors, friends and experiences.

Interestingly enough, the same sort of thing happened when i made my choice to study abroad last summer. I talked to one of my professors who was from the U.K., I asked him where he might know someone who would be willing to have a free research assistant for the summer, and I ended up in Edinburgh. A year later, I still miss Scotland every day, and can't wait to have the means to return!

And now, another big decision: which job to take? I don't have a "gut" feeling this time, so i'm stuck calling the offices, asking questions, making spreadsheets and researching the cost of living. From all my mulling, i have a few questions one might like to keep in mind:

• Location: Where will you be working? Is the cost of living something you can afford on the salary you've been offered? Will you be able to find roommates? Do you know safe places to live in the area?
  
• Quality of Life: Will you have enough money for a gym membership or to save for a vacation? Are you content with the ratio of work-hours to salary? Will you have satisfying benefits?
  
• Job: Does this position provide the professional development you're looking for? Does it move you toward your career goals? Can you stand your potential coworkers? Is the office vibe/philosophy something you can live with?