You teachers out there, doesn't the job feel like a real jungle sometimes with the children looking as if they want to eat you or chew you to pieces? I feel that way sometimes, and it's not when it's close to lunch time! It's usually when you have to correct one of their misdeeds.On a daily basis there are so much issues to deal with, we needs lots of vitamins - natural or otherwise.
One issue I have to address in all my classes is the issue of illiteracy. How can I deal with that, since I am a Food and Nutrition teacher? I know how to read, but I can't teach others to read. Should I ignore it? I can't because the problem is consistently there so I decided to take 10 courses of vitamins. I know you think that's a lot! But to deal with the problem of illiteracy at high school, I signed up to do a Master's of Education Programme in Reading at the University of the West-Indies.
You know what; this 10 course multi-vitamin programme will strengthen my skills. As a Reading Specialist I'll be in a better position to survive in my local school jungle. Hey! Don't be misguided; I love my children and my jungle!
Victoria Cunningham
Your jungle sounds like fun judging by your tone, or is it because you share that love for teaching and nurturing that led us down this path to this Masters in Reading Programme. Sad to say but we are sorely needed out there. I hope that we can all stand the test of time. I wonder if ten courses of vitamins is enough.
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria, what you said is so true. I experience that with my class as well, I always ask myself that... AM I IN A JUNGLE? Seriously though illiteracy is like a disease with endless cure but we don’t need a cure we need ultimate prevention. Indeed this M Ed degree is a huge enough dose of vitamins as you said to sufficiently deal with this great weakness in our students, that of reading. Given that we will be well equipped I truly wish to see that we can improve the reading situation in our schools and we can decrease that statistic of the 2000 children who scored below 30% in SEA 2010. Imagine the challenges these children will encounter in the future. Reading brings success and I am sure that we as educators can all attest to that. Oh your Goofy cartoon was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteHello Hana
ReplyDeleteIt is commendable that you empathetically foresee the challenges our underachievers are likely to encounter in the future. Oh! How I hope that the policy makers and decision makers that may be nesting within their cloudlike realm can return to ground, and see beyond these politically unacceptable numbers and commit themselves to the humanistic principles that bestows upon all the right to be educated. Simply put I hope they are able to see through our lens and observe that the main problem affecting our children is their inability to read. I hope appropriate action is taken to support the cadre of reading specialists that will soon be available to our nationals.
Vicky
I think that one of our primary functions as reading specialists would be to effectively support/train teachers with the necessary skills for teaching students how to learn. This relates directly to the challenge for all teachers to foster the development of students' literacy skills regardless of content area. This is not the sole responsibility of the language arts teacher. In fact, literacy--listening/speaking, reading/writing, and media/digital/viewing/representing--is an essential part of the learning process.
ReplyDeleteHey Victoria, these days one of your vitamins tastes like a bitter pill in my mouth.That would be the early extra classes that we've been given along with the ICT course that is just so demanding.I am so glad to be learning all these new strategies and ideas but I think that the powers that be are expecting us to take straw and turn it into gold.
ReplyDeleteHowever on the brighter side I look forward to using what I have learned so far to help me in the new term. I've heard that the administration has plans for me to work with others to see what we can do to formulate a plan for the remedial students who despite the current reading programme still has reading prooblems(well some of them).Keep up the good work.
Yes we all got our own jungle and the tricks and treats though constantly changing are no different. Unfortunately after using one set of vitamins for a while, the jungle seems to get immune to it and we have to move on to find new vitamins.
ReplyDeleteRemember just like, no one vitamin will prevent all diseases, so to no one strategy will work with all the problems in the jungle...we must continue plodding on to discover and devise new schemes (of work)
Vicky
ReplyDeleteJust thought that I'd share this site with you...
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/erl/FOODS%20PAGE/foods_and_nutrition.htm. very great resources for your content area. Hope that it helps. Edlin R
Victoria I love the passion you exude through your posts.Yes oh yes it's definitely a 'jungle'when it comes to classroom teaching and we lack the skills and strategies to 'tame' the learners.
ReplyDeleteI have taught for twenty years and struggled here and there trying to meet the literacy needs of my students.I would try on my own but it would be what I term a "Frankenstein' strategy: a bit here and a bit there and when it came together it was disjointed with little accomplishment of a cohesive plan
I really wish that this structure, the methods, the concepts, this new knowledge and understanding that I now have, was available to me when I started my teaching career.
I started sharing some of the strategies and thoughts with my other Heads of Department...Some are so reluctant to change their approach after having it done one way for way too long.
I am convinced that there are ways to make readers of all our children and we, the teachers and reading specialists must find and lead the way out of the 'jungle'.