Poetry and Hypocrisy

New Poetry Prize Aims to Honor, Promote Creativity in Youths

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/11/start_with_line_of_poetry.html

By Erik Robelen on November 21, 2011 3:34 PM

Arthur Rimbaud, the 19th-century French poet, was apparently still a teenager when he produced some of his best known works. A new poetry prize announced today aims to spotlight a new generation of young talent, with the idea that these high school poets will serve as "literary ambassadors" who encourage their peers to explore and develop their creative side.

Five outstanding high school poets will be chosen each year under the new program developed by a public-private alliance that includes the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

The award will go to students whose work demonstrates "exceptional creativity" and dedication to their craft, according to the announcement. The winners will receive a $5,000 academic award and be asked to promote the appreciation of poetry and the importance of creative expression through readings and workshops at libraries, museums, and schools.

"What you learn through reading and writing poetry will stay with you throughout your life," first lady Michelle Obama said in the press release. "It will spark your imagination and broaden your horizons and even help your performance in the classroom."

The National Student Poets Program is a collaboration of the White House advisory panel, as well as the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

The presidential panel in May issued a report that highlighted the potential the arts hold to bolster student engagement and academic achievement.

"As the data consistently shows, students who are engaged with the arts do better in school and life," said Rachel Goslins, the executive director of the presidential advisory panel. "We can think of no better way to demonstrate these benefits than by engaging a class of talented and promising students to work with their peers and lead by example."

The first batch of winners will be announced next summer and introduced at the Library of Congress' National Book Festival in September.

Increasing Science Instruction Time

It seems there is a push from the National Center for Time and Learning to increase the amount of time students receive instruction in science. According to THIS article, increasing science instruction is imperative if US students are going to make advancements in science. It tells of a middle school in Massachusetts where 100 minutes of instruction was added PER DAY and all of it devoted to science instruction. Now, I believe I'm devoted to my students, and I believe that teaching is a calling more than a choice, but I also have to admit that the very first thing that popped into my head upon reading that was, "Where did they get the money"? I don't know what kind of contracts teachers in Massachusetts work under, but I know MY contract and this would be an expensive thing to do! I love what I do, but I'm not doing it FOR FREE! Someone wants to increase student contact time by more than 10 minutes and we as teachers have to agree to it. Adding 100 minutes would add at least 60 minutes to the work day. You do that for the 165 real student contact days of our contract year and you are talking about serious cash!

I agree that science instruction at the elementary levels is indeed being squeezed out of the curriculum, but the fault lies with high-stakes tests, not lack of time. And why should science receive such an influx of time? I'm sure math, language arts and social studies could use some more time as well! Shouldn't having a firm grasp of society and history be important? Call me crazy, but I truly believe in the idea that a society that forgets its past is bound to repeat it. We already saw a scary flashback to McCarthyism when the reasons for going into Iraq started to unravel back in the days of ol' GWB. Wouldn't having a strong grasp of mathematics improve society's ability to combat political lies about debt and taxes? Shouldn't language arts teachers have more time to read and discuss Rev. Martin Luther Kings letters from the Birmingham jail so that students can turn a critical eye back upon themselves and their peers when confronted with homophobia, racism, violence, and hatred?

More time? Sure, I'll take it, I could use the extra cash, but time isn't going to fix the issues we face in public education. I'm facing a 7th grade class the likes of which I have NEVER seen before. Never have I encountered a lazier group of students. Never have I encountered parents more disconnected from their responsibilities as parents. Never have I seen parents blame teachers for the inability of the student to come to class with their binder and a pencil. Never have I seen so many students DO NOTHING in class and expect to receive an "A" for their troubles. It's starting to make me sick. No, not metaphorically, but physically, emotionally and mentally ill. Sorry, but neither time nor money is going to fix this problem.

I thought it callus and cruel at first, but what Judge Posner has to say about "Spoiled Kids" rings terribly true for me.

Keep the faith!

Common Core Standards

The newest attempt at improving public education - Common Core Standards - have now been adopted by 47 of our 50 United States! These standards, some say, are yet another set of skills that already over-burdened teachers are expected to take on. Others claim that the standards are nothing new, simply a refocusing of efforts on skills that will return benefits to the widest spectrum of subjects.

It certainly doesn't help when the facilitator in a district which will remain nameless starts the common core standards information session with, "We aren't going to teach literature anymore because the majority of what kids will be tested on and therefore need to be reading is fact-based information". Not the way to win friends and influence people, that's for sure!

What is amazing is that this same person repeated the same statement prior to a training session during which the trainer pointed out that more than 50% of Kindergarten, 40% of 1st to 2nd grade, 35% of 3rd to 4th grade, and 30% of 4th to 8th grade English/language arts reading instruction will still be literature. I ceased to listen to what the facilitator said several years ago, and this only solidified my practice of putting things this person says in the "junk-mail" folder.

What I hate about the "new" common core standards (CCS's) isn't the standards themselves, but rather the reason behind them. Like many "new" education mandates, the CCS's do not spring from a desire to help children grow into well rounded, inquisitive, thoughtful, creative, caring, logical, healthy, happy adults but rather from the mandate that they PASS THE TEST!!!

And it's really not even the test I hate. After all, "The Test" has been around since before I was in grade school. I remember filling in the bubbles back in the 70's. What has changes is the emphasis on the results. If you feel like reading a tirade of sorts see this post of mine.

So, what are your thoughts on the CCS's? How do you feel about teaching reading and writing skills in Social Studies, Science, or Math? Have a great day!