Some days, working with troubled youth means everything is an encounter. Everything is an issue. Everything offends. Everything upsets. Hairs are split, then split again, and yet again.
Morning Walk II
We tried again this morning.
The light was not as great as it certainly will be tomorrow morning, driving to work. But still, better than yesterday.
Morning Walk
Every cloudless morning as I drive to work, I'm treated to a most spectacular view of the early morning sun. Just as I turn a bend, it always hits me square in the eyes, making me hope there's not a car coming the other direction.
More than once, I wished I had a camera with me.
Last autumn, K and I drove out to the Blue Ridge Parkway to watch the sun rise one Sunday morning.
Last night I hit on the brilliant and more convenient idea of K and I going on an early-morning walk here.
The sun, however, did not exactly cooperate. Nice colors, but nothing truly brilliant.
Washboard Babies
There were about thirty couples altogether. A good general mix, but a surprising amount of young people.
"I'm starting a family about ten years later than most people here," I thought as we walked in, looking at the young faces.
Tonight, we went for our first of eight two-hour birthing classes.
What an odd thing -- classes on how to give birth. Our great-grandparents would have laughed at us. "You might as well be going to a class on how to peel potatoes," they might say.
Still, there we sat, listening to the symptoms of premature labor and discussing what to do about it should it happen to us.
"The rate of premature births in less industrialized nations is much lower," our instructor pointed out. "We have amazing technology, and we do a great job of keeping premature babies alive," she continued, "But we're relatively lousy at preventing them."
Push-button ease has put our babies at some degree of risk. We don't move as much as people in the non-industrialized world. We wash our clothes by pushing a button and take our trash by car two hundred meters to the apartment-complex dumpster.
Ironic: technology has both helped cause the problem and effectively dealt with the result.
Third Rail
There is no middle ground in United States politics because there is no viable third party. America's black-and-white thinking is reflected in our political system. "You are either with us, or you are against us."
The void created by having a two-party system has hurt both the Democrats and the Republicans -- not to mention the general population. Joe Lieberman is a good example of a politician who could use a viable third part; I'm a private citizen who could use a viable third party.
I think we call could.
Bush stayed in power with a combination of support from hard-line Republicans and individuals who might not agree with Bush's stance on everything, but voted for him because of the perceived continued threat of terrorism. A viable third party would have helped.
Ross Perot was a one-man third party, until he stuck his gilded foot in his mouth at the NAACP.
Poseidon Akbar!
Interesting juxtaposition in the Scotsman yesterday:
ONE of Germany's leading opera houses has unleashed an angry debate over free speech by cancelling a production over security fears because a scene featured the severed heads of Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed. [...]
After its premiere in 2003, the production by Hans Neuenfels drew widespread criticism over a scene in which King Idomeneo presents the severed heads not only of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, but also of Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed.
Now, who did they have in mind when they cancelled the production?
Christians?
Buddhists?
Ancient Greeks?
"We know the consequences of the conflict over the [Mohammed] caricatures," the opera house said in a statement. "We believe that needs to be taken very seriously and hope for your support." (Source)
Are we living in dhimmitude?
Tuesday
Tuesday is a harsh and heartless taskmaster. It is the only day of the week that has nothing going for it. Nothing about a Tuesday eases getting out of bed. Nothing about a Tuesday gives me any hope that I can survive the week.
Monday is a matter of brute force. I get out of bed because I have to. It’s a matter of mind over drowsiness — something that has to be done, and so I do it.
Wednesday is the halfway mark. Sisyphus finally gets the boulder to the top and, by the grace or inattention of the gods, gives it the final push to get the boulder rolling down the other side.
The only thing Thursday has to recommend it is its proximity to Friday. I can make it though a bad Thursday solely by thinking, “Tomorrow’s Friday. Tomorrow’s Friday.”
Friday, of course, is Friday: it has everything going for it.
But Tuesday? Other than time with Morrie, whom I don’t even know, I can’t think of a single good thing about Tuesday.
I don’t recommend it.
2k
One of the young men I work with was doing afternoon chores today, and he asked me to show him how to tie up a garbage bag. When I finished, I asked, “Would you like me to help and take the trash out for you?”
“If you would, please.”
Such a simple response — something most of us might not pay much attention to. But when working with kids who sometimes demonstrate that, through no fault of their own, they have somewhat limited social skills, I notice.
Indeed, it’s my job, among other things, to notice.
I pointed out that I felt he’d earned 2,000 points for that interaction. He pulled out his point card and jotted them down, and after I signed it, I asked, “Do you know what you did to earn those points?”
He explained that he’d been polite.
“Correct.” I asked, “Do you know why it’s important to accept help politely like that?”
“Not really.”
Indeed, why? I paused for a moment, thinking about it. Why is it better to say, “If you would, please” than respond, “Yeah,” or “If you want to,” or any number of less-than-perfect formulations. It’s one of those things many of us parse without thinking, a response we expect to hear.
I thought for a moment, but not long. To be honest, I’m beginning to develop a skill for this explaining of social conventions.
“Because the next time you need help, I’ll be more likely to offer it. If you’d just said, ‘Yeah, if you want,’ I probably wouldn’t have felt that you really appreciated my help. But saying it like you did showed me that you really appreciated it, and so I’ll be more likely to offer to help you the next time I see you working on something.” Not a bad reason.
He accepted it and moved on.
The question is, will he remember it next time?
I’m starting to be optimistic enough about my job to think it’s quite possible. Dare I say, likely?
Microsoft Voice Mutilation
I can’t recall all the steps that led me to doing this insanity, but for some reason, the install wizard popped up and offered to install Microsoft’s voice recognition program. I figured, “Why not? Let’s see how M$ does with voice recognition.”
What I said:
I am so thankful that my job does not depend on using this sorry technology. I’m not even sure why I took the time to do the voice recognition training. I think it popped up on its own somehow, knowing Microsoft, and I thought, “Why not?”
What it produced:
- I’m so thankful to the using this very moment . I’m not even sure why the times to worries me to train. I think of the ones I’m so Microsoft and I saw one
- I am so I’m told the job, and using is so late in the period in the nation we’re going to be two ways recognition training a week off a moment so million Microsoft and I saw when the
- I am so
During the last one, I slowly said each word distinctly. It couldn’t get “thankful” even though I’d said it three times.
About what I was expecting.
Chili
A’s
In science class, we’re learning about the atomic world and what makes different elements different. To their surprise, it’s just the number of protons. Some are somewhat interested, but we’re not yet to the interest level that produces questions like, “You mean mercury could turn into into gold if we just took away one proton and one electron.”
What I wouldn’t give for a question like that. But we’re getting there.
One thing I’ve done to try to keep interest levels up is to make as many lessons hands-on as possible. Thus, last Friday we put all our new knowledge to work by making clay models of atoms. Each student chose an element (from a list I provided — I didn’t want anyone coming up with protactinium, for example) and then devised a way to make a model. Forgetting about the number of neutrons, we made semi-anatomically-correct models of sodium, oxygen, neon, and others. And at the end of the lesson, I announced there would be a quiz Monday.
The young men I work with probably have made very few A’s in their lives. This is not because of a lack of ability or intelligence, but the fact that their behavior problems get in the way of learning. And so, to this point, the grades have been relatively low as I learn how to tweak my lessons and quizzes and homework assignments just so — they must be instructive, vaguely interesting, challenging, yet not defeatingly so.
The quiz was simple: I put each clay model on a piece of paper that had a number in the corner, gave the students a periodic chart and sheet of paper, and told them to identify the elements. I let them take the time they needed, because when I saw some counting protons, others counting electrons, I thought, “This could be it — the quiz everyone passes.”
Not only that, but everyone got an “A.”
There was some bravado, as showing pleasure at having aced a quiz would have been a sign of weakness to some of these kids. But their eyes told me that they were pleased.
With that positive start, it was difficult not to have a productive lesson
Pasta
The sauce:
- sauteed onion
- garlic
- tomatoes
- some green olives
- artichoke hearts
- capers
The ravioli: chicken and Parmesan cheese.
A fifteen-minute meal.
Dinner
Math
There’s an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times about the ineffectiveness of “fuzzy math” instruction:
One of the most infamous fads took root in the late 1980’s, when many schools moved away from traditional mathematics instruction, which required drills and problem solving. The new system, sometimes derided as “fuzzy math,” allowed children to wander through problems in a random way without ever learning basic multiplication or division. As a result, mastery of high-level math and science was unlikely. The new math curriculum was a mile wide and an inch deep, as the saying goes, touching on dozens of topics each year.
I was shocked about this time last year when I was substitute teaching for a few weeks at the level of math juniors and seniors were working on. “We did that in fourth grade,” was K’s response.
K, studying for a national licensing exam for the last few weeks, recently revealed that the math she was working was “fun.” Matrices and such. “When did you learn that?” I asked, fearful of how her response might indict American education.
“Well, we started learning about it in primary school.” Around seventh grade (at the time, primary school in Polska was K-8).
Now some American educators are aiming for algebra by the seventh grade:
Under the new (old) plan, students will once again move through the basics — addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and so on — building the skills that are meant to prepare them for algebra by seventh grade. This new approach is being seen as an attempt to emulate countries like Singapore, which ranks at the top internationally in math.
The question is, what are students in Singapore studying in seventh grade math? I’d be willing to bet that, like in Poland, they’ve left algebra far behind by seventh grade.
The answer to catching up with some parts of the world in the education level of our schools lies not only in curriculum changes – rearranging deck chairs in the oft-used cliche. The answer depends, in part, on more educational time: a longer school day and a longer school year.
Out of the Closet
So I recently admitted to reading the Washington Times.
Sure, it’s a rough-and-tumble mouthpiece of the right wing, but it’s so much fun. Just look at this stuff from the op-eds:
- The French irritation with America grows out of wounded pride, a sense that France is not as important in the world as it once was, but a President Sarkozy might restore some of that lost pride and with it an appreciation for stronger links with America. (Suzanne Fields)
- The following are the chamber remarks of the fictional Lord Harold Reid (whose fictional grandson, in the 21st century would become leader of the fictional Democratic Party in the U.S. Senate).I regret to have to stand up tonight, on the day of defeat at the hands of the Germans of our French ally’s armies at Sedan and on the Meuse River to observe that on this solemn occasion Prime Minister Winston Churchill has chosen to politicize and cheapen the moment. (Tony Blankley)
- Just as the mainstream media is fond of Bush bashing and calling all Republicans right-wingers — even when there is no conspiracy — the local press view politicians through biased eyes. They demonize pro-life politicians as anti-abortion rights; they view advocates of school choice as opposing public schools; they write profusely about a Jewish Democratic candidate Ben Cardin beating Kweisi Mfume, who has a African name, in Maryland with only 44 percent of the Democratic vote, and practically ignore the fact that Michael Steele, a black Catholic Republican, bested his primary run with 87 percent of the vote — nearly twice that of Mr. Cardin. (Deborah Simmons)
- Yet the ephemerality of the sense of solidarity, to me, seems more an indication of its artificiality than of squandered sustainability. The United States, in the post-September 11 world, would be going places where few would be able to follow even if they were inclined to do so, starting with Afghanistan. Because Afghanistan was a quick success in terms of ousting the Taliban government and scattering al Qaeda to the four winds, people tend to forget the “graveyard of empires” analysis that swirled around the notion of dispatching the U.S. military to undertake “regime change” there. People also tend to forget the early reports of a bogged-down operation. (Tod Lindberg)
Good stuff…
Seriously, though, I find it difficult to understand folks who say, for example, “Oh, I never read the New York Times — too much liberal bias.” How would one know, then?
“I don’t watch CNN because it’s owned by Ted Turner.” “I don’t read the Washington Times because it’s owned by Sung Yung Moon.” I don’t see much difference.
Occasionally I’ll even find myself somewhat agreeing with the WT — but that’s for another day.