So its been awhile. Basically, every day I get the chance to discuss, describe, and analyze teaching in the car ride back to school. Therefore, when I get here, I really dont feel like typing in the blog. This really is a problem, but I just don't have the heart to tell people I carpool with the shut up because I need to save it for on here.

I do want to talk about one thing I've noticed in my classes though: there is a surprising lack of diversity in them. In my history class, the students are doing verbal reports on thier cultural background (a continuing feature from the immigration age chapter). So it is interesting to hear about all the different places these students have come from. However, most of them as the steriotypical Ohio resident- WASPS who had a family member come over in the late 19th century. One interesting situation did come up in my Psychology class though. It happened a while ago, but don't worry I'm currently teaching a chapter on memory so I'm confident I will have the ability to remember how it went (I just can't seem to kill the sarcasam or jokes even on a school blog, sorry).

Anyways, in my classroom the teacher was doing taste tests the first day or so I was in the room. There were two Islamic students in the class, Somalian I believe. This was the time when Ramadan was going on, so they were fasting during daylight hours. An interesting dilemna for a taste test. My cooperating teacher was very good about not making them do anything, and telling them they could leave the room if it bothered them. Sounds pretty good right? Well my question is this: why not move that chapter back a section? The teacher has been teaching this for 14 years, I doubt that this is the first time he has experienced this problem, and I'd hope he saw it coming. Instead of having to draw attention to the Islamic students, I would have thought he could move the chapter so they could participate and it would be a non-issue. The next two chapters I have taught have not included food. I will have to remember to ask about this sometime, if I think I can pull it off without seeming like a know-it-all college student that has no experience.

Interesting little story though, thought I would share and see what anyone (and by anyone I mean the one person that is probably reading this) thought they would do in this situation. I would give my teacher an A+ for caring professionalism, probably a D for creativity and adapting to the environment around him. But at least he tried, I suppose in the eyes of the students that is the most important thing. Knowledge to keep in mind for the future. (And yes I just graded my teacher. With evaluations and finals coming up I wanted to turn the tables just once, for my sanity's sake).

Hey, its time for me to type my first rant of this blog. I'm very happy that my first experience of teaching is coming with a subject matter that I know nothing about and find dull. I have taken one psychology class in my life, high school or college. And that class produced the worst grade I have gotten in my years at Capital, probably due to my apathy and dislike of the subject. It is ever so fun to walk into school in the morning knowing that I'm teaching something that I taught myself the night before. I suppose that its good I'm teaching this, as I will technically be licenced to do so, but I really do question the grouping of high school psychology as a soft or social science. I would equate it to an art teacher having to teach shop class. Sure there are some drawings and colors involved, but they really arent the same thing at all. I wish I could focus on becoming used to being in front of a classroom without having to worry about the fact that I barely know what I'm talking about. The only saving grace is that I enjoy the students, and honestly want them to get to learn if they are interested. I learn the material because I want to be able to help them understand it if they chose. But there is no doubt in my mind that they would be better off having a teacher that cares and knows more about this stuff, its really not fair to them, no matter how hard I try to fake that I think this is exciting, important material and/or give them interesting examples or activities. Sure there are moments when you see you sparked an interest or something in a student, and that is a large part of wanting to be a teacher. But I can't help but think that there would be much more of those moments for me if i was teaching something I cared for or even knew, or that the students would have more of those moments if they had a teacher with those qualities. But I suppose you get thrown into situations like this all the time when you're really teaching, at least if you are a substitute. Which makes me believe that I will be doing a lot less substituting and a lot more librarian-ing if it comes down to it in the future. Teaching something you dont like simply isnt (capital letter, grand scheme of things for everything and everyone) Good.

Okay, so if you're reading this you probably already know that I've waited way past when I was supposed to post for class. So I suppose that I should give an explanation.

Basically, I was debating if this was going to be something that I really thought I should do. Those of you that know me know that I have frequent battles between doing what will give me a good grade and what will be good and worthwhile to me. It is surprising how many times I determine that those are two seperate things. Anyways, I have come up with a solution to this little problem. What you are reading now is basically what you are going to get for the entire project. If something interesting strikes me while I am teaching, or if something comes up that I think will interest or help me to write (because lets face it, these journals are basically just about writing for yourself as the audience) then it will find its way onto the website.

Yes, I know that this is not the intended use of this journal. And yes, I'm well aware that my grade is probably going to be hurt by this. But the way I see it, I'm an education major. And as an education major, I have been taught that students should be given the freedom to do what interests them and makes them learn within the framework of a broad assignment. In this case, I'm the student, and its my learning and educational value that matter. So what the heck, here goes nothing, and let the grades fall as they will. (Somehow I doubt my education professors will derive the same conclusion when it comes time to grade).