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2004-10-03 - 10:04 p.m.

Vero and I saw The Corporation yesterday. Horrifying. I can tell you, we are both going to be more politically active. And it's going to influence even more what I'm saying in the classroom.

I have been thinking, however, that maybe I should move to a high school. I could cover so much more and get into controversial material more thoroughly - and the kids would get more out of it. I dunno. What do you think? I love middle school, but I might be more effective in the high school. People tell me I should teach at a junior college, but a lot of kids don't ever get that far.

Of course, finding a local high school that's not on the federal governments hit list (aka NCLB) could be tough.

I just finished Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi. I really liked it, read it in one sitting. It even distracted me from Law and Order CI to the point where I honestly couldn't tell you what happened on the show.

Now I'm starting The Zinn Reader (Howard Zinn). I had read his People's History of the US and then found this book. It has some good essays I can use (perhaps in part) at school.

I was reading Fifth Estate (about education) and one author (in the midst of the many articles about how worthless public schools are and how no one ever learns anything of value in them) said something about sharing controversial essays with the students. He said that the teacher should read them to the kids because of the problem of so many kids being illiterate. I'm sorry, but perhaps he should also be spending some time helping the students learn to read? Several authors derided the idea that an education helps someone to find a job and survive better in society ... but how does being functionally illiterate do anything but further marginalize someone who is already at a disadvantage? I'm not saying we shouldn't be reading controversial essays to kids, but we should also be helping them to be able to read them for themselves ... and giving credit to quality schools for attempting to insure that everyone learns reading, writing, and math at least! There was also a self-congratulatory article about a teacher who was canned from a all-white, affluent school and went to work at a"minority" inner-city school for a couple of years. It just rubbed me the wrong way - like he was this heroic person. Meanwhile, he and the other authors were talking shit about "most teachers", as if they know anything about those teachers. There are three teachers at my "minority" inner-city school that have taught there for 30+ years, and while they certainly aren't perfect, they don't ever walk around giving themselves airs about being some kind of martyrs.

Whatever. I've never been radical enough.

My head hurts. I'm so sick of migraines. I've had this one since yesterday and I'll probably have it for a couple more days. It sucks.

I need to renew my gold membership so you can see the dogs. Maybe I should make an effort and try to jazz up this page, too. My diary looks like such shit compared to everyone else's.

Opal

 

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