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.
'Tis the Season
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.
“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."
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
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
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
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.
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
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
