I'm waiting.

A central measurement of a democratic regime can be gauged by questions its leaders share with the public, how important decisions are explained and defined for the country at large. The business of war entails the severest sacrifices that can fall on ordinary men and women. In war, more than at any other time, the people must be sufficiently informed to understand the choices that are being made. In the end, no statesman can successfully pursue a war policy unless he has instilled a sense of shared direction and purpose, unless people know what to expect and what is expected of them. By all these standards of candor and collaboration between a leader and the people in the critical time of war, Lyndon Johnson had failed.

Page 342 in Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Today is Sunday, January 5, 2020. Three days ago, on Thursday, January 2, 2020, President Donald Trump moved the United States one step closer to another war in the Middle East. NPR has a nice timeline available in Timeline: How The U.S. Came To Strike And Kill A Top Iranian General. The quote regarding Lyndon Johnson, which I read just last night, seems timely.

Doris Kearns Goodwin worked for Lyndon Johnson, standing before him in the Oval Office of the White House. She went on to teach at Harvard. She worked with Lyndon Johnson on his memoirs, wrote one book about him, wrote the previously mentioned book which featured him, and is coming out with another book about his domestic affairs. She likes the guy's work. She admires him. But she minces no words when she says that he failed as a war time president and she is quite clear in her reasoning.

This quote is timely because I don't know if I've heard a good explanation for the killing of the Iranian general Suleimani. Although I am not a fan of President Trump, in this moment I'm awaiting to be convinced of the necessity of this act. I have not come to judgment yet. I've read some about it (example: Pompeo scrambles to defend Trump claim killing Suleimani will save US lives), and I'm still unconvinced. I acknowledge that there's a lot that I may not need to know, as I'm further than far from a need to know basis. But I'm pretty sure that details regarding why Suleimani might have been a bad guy and actively been against the US and its citizens could easily have been disclosed to paint a sufficient picture. Current details are insufficient. News that President Trump was golfing on Sunday while his Secretary of State was standing (and sitting on talk shows) to defend the actions does not give me great confidence. President Trump may have taken to Twitter to make his case, but I'm not going there. I probably should, to be more informed, but dear God, he's the president. Stand at a podium and tell us what is up.

In Leadership in Turbulent Times, Doris Kearns Goodwin shares how four presidents moved from ambition, through adversity, and into leadership as the President of the United States. Her depiction of Lyndon Johnson was nuanced. His ambition seemed selfish and self-righteous. He might have done good for others, but he seemed to only find worth in himself when he was in charge, hard-charging. His adversity appeared to be a mixture of nature--heart disease in his family--and the negative aspects of his ambition catching up with him. And then when he found himself in office as president, he did so much good, making so much progress domestically. I went from despising him to admiring him and thinking that I needed to read more about him. But Goodwin couldn't leave it there, because she knew how her description of Johnson would need to include reference to the Vietnam War. That is where the above paragraph was shared.

I've judged President Trump in lots of situations, but I'm forming my opinion on this issue. My mind is mostly made, but Doris Kearn Goodwin's writing has pushed me to welcome a message from our standing president after taking decisive war action. So I'm stepping back. I'm listening. I want the decision to be explained. I want to understand the choice. I want to know what to expect and what is expected of me. Given that information, I can support a cause and rally, but without it I can't.

I'm waiting.

it's been a while

It's been a while since I've stayed up until 1:00 am and enjoyed it, but today is different. The work has been worthwhile, the reading meaningful, and the conversations rich.

Thanks for that, friends and neighbors. Without you, the work would be scattered, the readings uneventful, and there would be no conversation. So, again, I say, thank you.  

Tucker the Trucker

I started class today with the "Tucker the Trucker" sentence combining activity. Here's the scenario:

1 - write the following four sentences on the board: Tucker is a trucker. He is from Winnemucca. He is stuck in the muck. He is out of luck.  

2 - have someone combine the sentences as the model sentence (in this case it was my Assistant Principal, who's in her first year at the school)

3 - challenge the students to combine the sentences themselves; if anyone gets it exactly right they win a prize (in this case $5)

I did this with four separate classes, approximately 120 students total, and only one kid came close. And that's because he cheated with a student from an earlier class. The cool thing about it all: when I approached the AP about doing this she was in a huge hurry, which is how she basically walks the halls everyday. Well, she started to write a sentence, then scratched it out. Then she wrote a sentence and didn't like it. So she wrote another sentence. After rereading and thinking, she decided on the second sentence. Pretty awesome. She was thinking, revising, editing, and doing so in a way that it was transparent because the students got to see it all. It provided a great example of what writers do.

It is a fun challenge. It got the kids thinking. I'll be trying things like this just about every Tuesday, before we go to the Library. And now, after a good day like today, I've got to say that Tuesdays could be one of my favorite days as a teacher. It's days when I chunk the material down: 8 minutes max for intro activity--something quick like "Tucker the Trucker" or a similar sentence level writing activity; to the Library for information about new books, new reads, and for the students to check out books and read; discussion time about your books interspersed; return to class for a closer--could be anything, today it was updates on writing contests and outside publishing opportunities, and games of Free Rice.

I've got to say a huge thank you to Julie Sheerman for introducing me to the "Tucker the Trucker" activity, and to Julie Mahaffey who is our school librarian and works amazingly hard to make sure that the library offers lots of different books for our kids. They're both awesome people, and in a time when I'm beginning to feel isolated in my classroom, I know that I am nothing without the awesome support around me.

PS - I'm trying to get into reading more of the yalit stuff, so I'm reading Meg Cabot's Pants on Fire, and it's pretty much hilarious simply for the front and back cover picture, but it creates opportunities for discussion with the kids, even more so than when they see me reading my own books (I'm currently still trying to finish Zeitoun and How Soccer Explain the World).

stream of consciousness

What’s on my mind?

Sometimes I do just want my students to listen.

I like being surprised by my students, but not when they say something vulgar or they hit someone. I know it happens, but I figured they might try to hide it at least a little bit. Blatant disregard for another really makes me mad. Add pure, narcissistic egotism to the list too. (That’s what my 7th period class feels like).

I’m totally cool with my students when they think outside the box. When I “hand” them the box and they think outside of it, I get excited because then we get to have some fun. Who likes being stuck in a box anyway? Right now, though, when I “hand” them the box, they ignore the box completely and do something completely different. It makes no sense. I don’t understand it. I’ve had 26 students doing a timed focus writing in their Writing Notebooks, and then have 3 guys listening to music on the computers or walking across class to talk to a friend. I could understand drawing, or not writing, or even reading a book.

What has just occurred to me is that I am changing. Dear Lord, please help me to not become “that” teacher. For the most part, I’m cool with students doing a bit of chatting, as long as they whisper and can still do whatever I’m asking of them. Lots of times, that chatter is important for some students to process and think aloud through an assignment. But lately, I’ve noticed that I’m being a bit harsh about every little thing, and that’s just not me. The students need some leeway right now. As I write this, I hate phrases like “whatever I’m asking of them” and “’hand’ them the box.” Why can’t I have my students set their own goals and objectives, and then determine how to meet those goals? Is that doable in a room of 29 to 32 8th graders? Can someone out there tell me?

I want to get to know my students. I want my students to get to know one another. I want my students to work toward independence. When they walk into my class, a structure should be in place that supports their learning, without totally directing it. They determine the direction. Is this possible?

I liken my goal as a reading instructor to that of a connector or a bloodhound. I simply want to connect readers to texts in a meaningful way. Students are given books to read on a regular basis. I don’t want to give anything to anyone; I want to help students find what they’re looking for, even if sometimes they don’t know what they’re looking for. And if I can connect readers with one another in meaningful ways, so that conversations take place, so that questions are raised, so that solutions are sought, then I would be really happy too. I’ve found that, sometimes, in an effort to connect a reader to a text, it is first important to connect the reader to another reader. That added connection sometimes makes the connection to a text easier and stronger at the same time. I’ve used the word sometimes quite a bit, because I’ve also found that there is no absolute when it comes to human beings.

When it comes to my goal as a writing instructor, I’m at a bit of a loss. Basically, I think of writing as a journey on this really long path. When I look at my own path, I see that I was a good writer when I was young, but only when writing essays and arguments. Those were things that I enjoyed engaging in because it was about organization, it was about research and synthesis, it was about reading and learning and then taking that and putting it together to say something meaningful. I’m pretty sure I first learned that when I was in 8th grade and had to write an essay on either The Crucible or Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. I had to write a paper on both of those plays, but I don’t remember which one was in 8th grade. I didn’t quite understand the grammar and sentence level complexities and creativity that is available to writers until I got into college and started taking foreign languages. When I had to break down Greek into phrases and then translate it, I began to gain the ability to think of my writing in English in the same way. So now, often, I’m thinking of English in words and phrases rather than sentences and paragraphs. Maybe that’s why it’s hard for me to write longer pieces. How does this relate to me as an English/writing teacher? I’m not sure.

When it comes to my writing instruction, I simply want to point the way for those that I teach; I liken myself to Google Maps and Wal-Mart. There are lots of paths that writers can take. They should get to choose. I want to be there to say, “OK, this is where you’re going. Let me show you three ways to get there. You choose which you think is best.” That’s what I want to happen in my classroom. When my students start writing, I want to have a conversation with them that helps them along their way. Whatever tools or supplies they need, I can help them get. Whatever direction they need in how to get there, I can provide. Maybe that is a pretty narcissistic, egotistical thing for me to think, but I guess that’s how I want to think of myself. Maybe it would be a whole lot better if I were able to help them be the Google Maps and Wal-Mart for each other. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that would be much better. First I need to get there though.