Lacking Connection

*Pictured above reads: “The society we live in where shoving knowledge about some of the most irrelevant books ever will never make sense to me. But it is what it is, only few more days.” The student wrote this to me in their Macbeth unit test.

First and foremost, I have no problem with this student voicing their opinion. It is their right. It is how they feel. In fact, it is likely how many students feel and it just so happens that they had to guts to let me know. 

In the note, I see one main concern: They want to know the relevance of the material being taught. 

It’s the same old story, really. Ask any math teacher if they’ve ever heard the question: “When will I ever need this?”

On day one of a fresh semester, I make sure students understand that my goal is not to make them LOVE literature, but rather to understand it. I don’t try to burden myself with the belief that my students will suddenly want to run to the local bookstore and grab a classic or the newest bestseller. In fact, I make it quite simple: I will equip my students with reading strategies so they can read a text and understand it. If I am also so lucky, I can get the students to a place of self-reflection.

Reading is challenging. If a student sees literature as a bunch of characters and stories that have nothing to do with them because the characters are “not real”, then yes, one will fail to understand what literature can teach them. One of the first concepts I teach is the S.T.E.A.L chart – it is an acronym that helps readers connect with a character by analyzing: Speech, Thoughts, Effects on Others, Actions, and Looks. As a practice, I have students complete one on themselves – I have them write down a list of things they’ve said, thoughts they’ve had, the impact they’ve often had on others, things they’ve done, and the way they present themselves. Then, I have them imagine that someone were to find that list… What would they say about that person? What conclusions would they draw? Are they a positive person or a negative person? It’s only a snapshot of a person, but are there any fair judgements that can be made? What assessments can be made about the quality of that person’s character? And so on. This is the same thing we, as readers, try to achieve with the characters within a text. But if we create barriers between ourselves (as the reader) and the text, then there is only a small chance that the literature will have any meaning. 

Anyway, back to the original complaint…

What can or should Macbeth teach us? Macbeth warns readers what can happen when greed consumes us and ultimately negatively impacts our decision-making and relationships. Macbeth’s ‘tragic flaw’ was overconfidence (according to the witches it is humanity’s greatest flaw) – so, what else can act as our own tragic flaw? How does the play teach us about gender stereotypes? What can it teach us about our own ambitions? The list goes on… Again, if the response to the play is, “Well, I’ll never be King so this doesn’t pertain to me” then that student is right, the literature just won’t make sense. 

I told the student that we also live in a society where many students are quick to give up and often choose to solely participate in things that are for entertainment. Can Macbeth or 1984 or Lord of the Flies or Salinger’s work or any other great work of literature compete with TikTok and other forms of social media? That’s a tough sell. It’s like trying to make literature more appealing than drugs, alcohol, or pornography. I doubt many students are going to the classics for their next dopamine hit.

I told the student that I worry about a society that lacks grit, perseverance, and a desire to challenge oneself.

But, I continue on. I’ll take a lesson from Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird) and keep fighting the good fight against all odds simply because it is the right thing to do.

The student is right though… it is what it is.

Censorship & Sensitivity

I’m sorry to break it to you, but literature’s objective is not to make you feel good. Not always, anyway. Literature’s objective is to make the reader think and reflect. Often times literature places us in situations that are uncomfortable, forces us to examine perspectives drastically different from our own, and perhaps even forces us to encounter language that is ugly. And you know what? That should be okay. 

It’s becoming increasingly challenging to be an English literature teacher because the scrutiny involved can be overwhelming; it seems to be popular, these days, to question the texts being studied. Surprisingly, I don’t have much of an issue with that. In fact, I think it’s incredibly important to provide students with a rationale behind the text choices prior to reading them. However, this rationale never includes how I think the text will make students feel – that’s up to them and their level of engagement. I worry that our civilization is very much concerned with feeling good all the time (cue up soma from Brave New World) that we’re willing to sacrifice good learning opportunities in order to leave room for happiness. It has become easier for our world to censor texts based on fruitless arguments. For example, I LOVE having to defend my choice to teach Lord of the Flies (something I’ve only had to do in recent years). I NEVER get tired of hearing: “But c’mon, it’s a really depressing novel”, or “Why not teach something more modern?” If I didn’t relay the sarcasm strong enough, just know that it’s there. 

Emotions are weighed heavier than intellect these days. I want to say that it’s because everyone can relate to their emotions because they’re obviously personal, but not everyone is guided by intellect. 

It is often suggested that I should teach something more happy. 

Perhaps it’s important to uncover why it is that there aren’t more “happy” texts taught. 

Over the years I have given this a lot of thought and have drawn only one conclusion:

Self-reflection, change, and learning typically occurs during times when things don’t go right. Think of times when you’ve experienced trauma, or difficulty within relationships, or challenging obstacles, these are times when things didn’t go right and when you felt like you were at your lowest point. These situations cause us to problem solve, reflect, and/or learn. Novels allow us to experience these same traumas, relationships, and obstacles in the pursuit of obtaining understanding and, sometimes, showing empathy. Novels of this caliber is the perfect medium that enables us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. If we continue to discourage students from reading novels because of the fear that they may encounter something uncomfortable, then we’re limiting their capacity to learn.

Moreover, as our sensitivity continues to grow, cancel culture becomes stronger. The merit of an author should be based solely on their art yet there seems to be some controversy with this as well. Shakespeare could create a character like Shylock (a Jewish-Venetian moneylender – The Merchant of Venice) and that used to be okay. But now, look at what happened to a young author in 2019: Amélie Wen Zhao’s novel Blood Heir was nearly pulled from publication because her depiction of black slavery was deemed insensitive. Furthermore, it seems as though critics didn’t want this perspective of slavery being shared by an author writing outside of her own cultural experience – that is to say, they didn’t want an Asian writing about slavery. Amélie eventually decided to go through with her publication despite the heavy criticism. 

Reading a novel is an experience – some novels you will like and others you won’t, but why not let the individual reader decide? I stay away from roller coasters because I’m afraid of heights. I don’t rally to shut down the whole theme park by trying to be the implementing voice for all people afraid of heights. 

I’ll leave you with a passage from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451:

Coloured people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it. Someone’s written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book. Serenity…Peace… (Bradbury 59)

The Beauty of Innocence

*Pictured above is Jerome David Salinger – author of Catcher in the Rye*

I’ve often asked my Grade 11s what they notice as the biggest changes within themselves since childhood. As I make the list, I quickly realize it’s a bit of a bleak affair. They are working harder, some have part time jobs, they are exposed to more negativity in the world, school is more challenging, they are having less fun, and they have lost their innocence. In respect to the latter, this could mean no longer believing in Santa Claus, no longer exploring the outdoors, or no longer believing that world peace is attainable. In any case, our teenagers today have been hardened.

We remember innocence nostalgically, yet any teenager or adult who tries to maintain it, is viewed as immature. Soon enough, innocence seems to be overtaken by naivety.

My school recently suffered the loss of a grade 11 student. For many students, this may be their first brush with death. I thought about how experiences can taint our childhood – in this case, the loss of a member of our student body forces everyone to think about their own mortality.

JD Salinger is the author of a beautifully-tragic short story entitled A Perfect Day for Bananafish. It is a story that covers many themes, but at the forefront is the beauty and preservation of innocence.

The Beautiful:

The story centres around Seymour Glass who is on vacation with his absent wife, Muriel. ‘Absent’ in the sense that she pays him no mind. He has returned from war and seems to suffer with PTSD – this is highlighted by the references to and examples of his frequent outbursts of anger, as well as his disassociation with adults. However, he has found a connection with Sybil – a young girl who is vacationing with her mother, but who is often left to play by herself. Seymour befriends her and they engage in conversation on the beach. Since no one is taking Seymour’s condition (PTSD) seriously – including his own wife who would rather vacation than seek help for him – he is desperately looking for someone with whom he can share his troubles. Therefore, Seymour and Sybil venture out into the water to search for bananafish. What the reader soon finds out, is that bananafish is a metaphor for soldiers who fight in the war. Seymour tells Sybil:

[Bananafish] lead a very tragic life…they swim into a hole where there are a lot of bananas. They’re very ordinary-looking fish when they swim in. But once they get in, they behave like pigs. Why, I’ve known some bananafish to swim into a banana hole and eat as many as seventy-eight bananas…Naturally, after that they’re so fat they can’t get out of the hole again.

When Sybil asks what eventually happens to the bananafish, Seymour tells her that they unfortunately die. They become afflicted with “banana fever”. We’re not at the beautiful part yet. Seymour has managed to share his experiences of war with Sybil in a way that she’ll never fully grasp, but it allows Seymour to express what he’s feeling. So, let’s assess: The bananafish are the soldiers and they live a tragic life. They go overseas (banana hole) where they are ordinary people at first, but then are forced to kill once they are engaged in war. He has seen one soldier kill as many as 78 enemies. Then, tragically, once they have engaged in war, it’s tough to come home (get out of the hole) and reintegrate back into society. The soldiers get PTSD (banana fever) and they die. Okay, the beautiful. Soon after this explanation from Seymour, Sybil is looking in the water and excitedly claims that she saw a bananafish with some bananas in its mouth. Her innocence here is beautiful and touching. Sure she doesn’t understand the pain that Seymour is expressing, but her imagination runs free. Seymour is so overwhelmed by this beautiful moment that he grabs her dangling feet (as she sits atop a float) and kisses them. This emotional scene sums up Seymour’s desire to connect with someone and Sybil’s ache for attention.

The Tragic:

As Seymour’s story suggests, the bananafish die. Seymour has planned out his eventual death and the story of the bananafish that he has shared will culminate in his own demise, as he tells Sybil: “This is a perfect day for bananafish.” As soon as Sybil and Seymour part ways, Seymour’s demeanour changes and suddenly the diction indicates that he is quite angry having to return to his reality occupied by an apathetic wife. Seymour returns to his hotel room, which smells of nail polish remover indicating that his vain wife has been doing nothing all day but beautifying herself while he’s been suffering in loneliness (except for the moments when he’s with Sybil). Muriel is asleep on the bed and sadly Seymour takes a gun that he has packed and shoots himself in the head.

A January 3, 2018 article from faith.org.uk (Innocence in Today’s World) states that “To most of our contemporaries, innocence is something to be lost. It’s cute to see kids think and behave the way they do, but eventually they have to abandon all belief in fairy tales and deal with real life.”

Vaping in Schools

*The above picture was taken from vapingdaily.com. Look how cool he looks! That could be you!*

For all of you uncool people, vaping is the act of using a vape pen or other device to inhale and exhale aerosol. The pen or device that is being used has a few components such as: a battery, a mouthpiece, a heating device, and e-liquid. There is no tobacco present, but some e-liquids contain nicotine and THC (the main mind-altering chemical in marijuana).

The issue is that vaping is becoming more popular amongst young people and therefore, the act has made its way into the schools, specifically into washrooms and classrooms. Here are two facts taken from Ontario.ca, which highlight the specific laws revolving around vaping in Ontario:

1. You cannot vape in any public or private school nor can you vape within 20 metres of any school grounds. Consequence: You can be charged up to $5,000.
2. You must be 19+ to purchase and use a vape. Therefore, all retailers must only sell their products to people who are 19+.

Given the two laws above, this is a cause for concern for teachers who need to know what their school’s protocols are and how serious this issue should be taken.

Okay – so what’s the big deal? Students have smoked in washrooms for decades…

My initial feeling is that it’s illegal for students to vape, so that should be a good enough reason for teachers to take it seriously. But aside from the legality of it, students should not be encouraged to engage in it but rather discouraged from it through the facts – the following facts are taken from the John Hopkins medical website (hopkinsmedicine.org), so I think the information is trustworthy 🙂

1. Vaping is less harmful than traditional cigarettes. However, the website does state that you are still ingesting toxic chemicals…just not as many as a cigarette.
2. Vaping is bad for your health. “Nicotine is the primary agent…and it is highly addictive… It raises blood pressure…and the likelihood of having a heart attack.” The long term effects are still unknown.
3. Though many cigarette smokers use vaping as a way to quit smoking, a recent study showed that cigarette smokers are more likely to engage in both forms.

The issue, of course, is that vaping is cool to students which trumps any factual information.

What really sparked this post was that on AM640 this morning, briefly referenced was a high school in Ottawa (St. Joseph’s in Barrhaven) that has decided to remove some washroom doors to better detect the scent of vapour and intervene more quickly. Speaking of being aware of a school’s protocols, the Principal of St. Joseph’s (Mr. Don Murphy) has made it clear that his staff are prepared to phone bylaw to enforce fines. Too much?

If so, then what type of a consequence for this illegal act is necessary? What will actually get students to stop engaging in it? How do you make facts cooler than breathing in vapour?

Snowplow Parenting

A little while back I wrote a post on ‘helicopter parents’ and their ‘teacup children.’ This term is slightly different. Emma Waverman, in her January 14 – 2015 article for Today’s Parent, states that “the snowplow parent is defined as a person who constantly forces obstacles out of their kids’ paths. They have their eye on the future success of their child, and anyone or anything that stands in their way has to be removed.” Is that really so bad? Actually, by definition, it sounds amazing! It sounds like a parent who is relentless in their pursuit to ensure that their child is successful. That’s awesome.

I have begun a lot of my posts by stating that I am not a parent, but since I’ve recently become one, I now have a dog in the race (so to speak). It makes my wife and I constantly ask ourselves what type of parent we think we’re going to be – Will we be strict or lenient? Hands on approach or hands off? Should we spank them or not or call it something else? Do we give consequences and what kind? Are we buying them a cell phone at 4yo or not? What vehicle should I be – helicopter or snowplow?

Intense snowplow parents are those that are heavily convinced that removing challenges for their child will pave the way towards their future success – it’s the belief that hiding from or avoiding stresses and obstacles is the best way to keep their child free from anxiety. Ms. Waverman goes on to state that it’s the ‘blame school first’ mentality rather than examining the areas for improvement within their own child. Waverman, herself, even claims to have some snowplow parenting characteristics, so she somewhat empathizes.

There are a couple of talking points here: My first and obvious concern is that if we remove any and all obstacles for children, they will never learn the skills necessary for overcoming hardship (possibly why mental health is such a big issue right now). This not only affects their school work, but other aspects of their life as well, including relationships. My second concern is about children with legitimate needs that may require some differentiation when it comes to their schooling – so yes, some roadblocks can and should be removed/changed depending on the child (this is situation-dependent). My third concern is that by plowing a path for their child, it hinders them from selecting their own path.

David McCollough, award-winning author, made the claim that this type of parenting has actually created students who are more narcissistic and anxious, interestingly enough. Therefore, the snowplow parents are having detrimental effects on their child(ren) rather than positive effects. The intentions of the parents are good, but where do you draw that line between helping and hindering? How is a parent supposed to know the difference? I bet it’s not easy to watch your child struggling and simply say, “Deal with it.”

An article from Daily Parent suggests the following strategies to help change one’s snowplow behaviours:
1) Disagreements between students and teachers should be worked out between them – very seldom does a parent need to get involved.
2) Allow bad grades to happen – treat these as teachable moments on accountability.
3) Give responsibilities at home – this sets expectations and a community of service for the household.
4) Do not organize their life – instead, encourage them to create their own schedule through the use of a calendar or planner and checklists.

When life throws you lemons, make sure your mom or dad are around to swat them away!

Finding Forrester

My Grade 11s tackle Finding Forrester as their film study. The film surrounds Jamal Wallace – a 16yo African American boy from the Bronx with talents in both academics (writing, specifically) and basketball – two tickets out of his poor neighbourhood. He befriends William Forrester – an older white man who is also a prized-winning writer turned recluse. Forrester helps Jamal realize his writing talents while Jamal helps William reclaim a hold of his own life.

There are numerous themes that come out of this film including (but not limited to), racial discrimination and the concept of friendship. Amongst the lessons that William teaches to Jamal involve the understanding of a ‘soup question’, which is a question someone asks in order to gain information that is directly related to the person asking. Example: Jamal asks William why his soup doesn’t firm up at the top like his mom’s always did growing up. To which William replies that Jamal clearly grew up in a house where milk wasn’t wasted in soup. In other words, Jamal asked a question to gain knowledge about his own upbringing. To contrast, Jamal asks William about whether he gets out of his apartment to watch the birds. William tells Jamal to “stick to the soup question” because the answer to Jamal’s question to William has nothing to do with Jamal and therefore (according to William) is pointless. Funny enough, William asks Jamal towards the end of the film if Jamal missed his free throws on purpose or not, to which Jamal tells William that his question is not a soup question.

Another lesson William teaches Jamal is getting him to think about why it is that the words we write for ourselves are always better than the ones we write for others. Are we more capable of being true to ourselves? Are we better writers when there’s no fear in being judged?

In response to William’s latter lesson, I give my students a pretty straightforward task: ‘I want you to write about someone or something that is important to you.’ That was it. That was the end of the instruction. At one point in the film, as Jamal is typing out his first bits of writing, William loudly prompts Jamal to ‘POUND THE KEYS, DAMNIT!’, which I inevitably shouted to my class to encourage them to get started. My students had difficulty with this task, which I assume proves William’s point because they knew this response was going to be submitted to me. Even though students knew this response was not for a grade, they asked the following questions or made the following statements:

1. Do you want three points per body paragraph?
2. Can we use personal pronouns?
3. I just don’t know what to type.
4. I don’t have anything or anyone that’s important to me.
5. Is this supposed to be in MLA?
6. What font size do we use?

As an English teacher, I’m happy they are focused on the format of their response, as I’ve spent years teaching MLA and explaining why formatting and grammar are so important. However, I think I’ve also shot myself in the foot because now when students are asked to just write freely, they can’t. As William tells Jamal, “the first key to writing is to write” and that “thinking comes later”. He even tells Jamal that the first draft should be written from the heart. So, when students are asked to simply write about something or someone important to them, they get hung up on the conventions of writing. Maybe this form of expression is also outdated; Should I have asked them to express themselves in emojis or in 280 characters or less (Twitter) or in an Instagram post or in a Snapchat story?

To Kill A …Classic

*Above is the cover of Harper Lee’s classic To Kill A Mockingbird*

Joseph Brean, writer for the National Post, published an article on October 18, 2018 highlighting recent pressure made by an Ontario school board to get their teachers to stop teaching To Kill A Mockingbird. If you’ve never read it, the novel (written by a white woman – that’ll be important for later) focuses around Atticus Finch (a white lawyer) defending a local Black man (Tom Robinson) who is accused of raping a white woman. The novel takes place in the early-to-mid 1930’s in Alabama and is narrated by Scout Finch (Atticus’ 6yo daughter). There is the overall theme of racial inequality while our young narrator also tries to navigate a world that is new and increasingly complex.

Okay – onto the matter at hand. This novel, as well as other classics like Catcher in the Rye; The Grapes of Wrath; and Invisible Man, has consistently been on a number of ‘banned books lists’ since its inception. In the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, the consistent use of the N-word (it appears 19 times), the “objectionable” content, and the fear that it may make Black children who read it upset were all justifications to have it banned in certain parts of North America since 1977. So, this National Post article in 2018 shouldn’t be all that surprising. In fact, we should have seen this coming. Why? Well, because we live in a society that is beginning to appreciate the destruction of language (cue up the ‘Newspeak Dictionary’ from Orwell’s 1984). The National Post highlights two issues from the novel: 1) The language/violence – they believe the use of the N-word and behaviour towards Blacks perpetuates racism, 2) The novel perpetuates the need for a white saviour.

The memo from the board to its schools also claimed that calling this a censorship issue is no reason to keep teaching the novel. The Region of Peel’s superintendent of curriculum and instruction (Adrian Graham) stated that this memo is not a call to “ban” the novel nor is it an argument not to teach it… But then what is it? Apparently it’s a warning to teachers that if they choose to teach it and someone complains, the teachers will not be supported. The memo goes on to infer that Harper Lee is a white supremacist…

White writers write from their own schemas, their own perspectives and white supremacist frameworks that reflect the specificity of their culture and history on racialized peoples…

Lesson? White writers are not allowed to write about racism. Okay. Got it.

One teacher (highlighted in the article) stated that simply discussing the history of racism isn’t racism in-and-of itself. In other words, the novel is not promoting racism, but highlighting the reality of it. As I’ve said before, if a student (or in this case, the school board) chooses to focus on the surface level use of language in Of Mice and Men or the fact that Piggy uses the N-word in Lord of the Flies, then they’ve missed the point of the text. For example, Curley’s wife, a white woman in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, tells a Black worker: “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Students can choose to focus on the surface level use of the word or examine the historical context and what it tells the reader about the character of Curley’s wife. Not only was the word commonplace for the setting of the novel, but it reveals the hierarchy of the characters in the novel as well… I’ll spare you from the full lesson – you’re welcome.

Anyway, I suppose the school board is hoping that if you don’t talk about racism or read about it, maybe it’ll just go away and won’t be a problem anymore… I love living in ignorance. I apply the same mentality to taking the garbage out to the curb, marking essays, and brushing my teeth…

Good novels generate healthy discussion about tough topics. They should force society to reflect and take a good look at itself. This is what I aim to accomplish with Lord of the Flies – is this a novel about what boys do to each other on a deserted island, or is this a broad discussion about what humanity is capable of without law and order?

The same thing applies to To Kill a Mockingbird. I asked a colleague (who teaches the novel) to give me a similar phrase to the one above to help illustrate my point – he stated: Is To Kill a Mockingbird a novel about a white man saving a Black man, or is it a novel that teaches students that despite race, if you’re a person in a position to help others, you should? My colleague went on to say that being a person in a position of power and privilege should not automatically make you an enemy of those who are not.

No Zero Policy

Diane Tirado, former elementary school teacher in Port St. Lucie – Florida, was recently fired from her school for not giving her student a 50% grade on an assignment that was never submitted. Her school has a “no zero” marking policy that requires teachers to grant at least a 50% for assignments that are not submitted. Tirado refused to give the student a 50% stating to West Palm Beach TV (WPTV):

“If there’s nothing to grade, how can I give somebody a 50 percent? I’m arguing the fact that you don’t get something for nothing. I want the policy changed…”

Tirado was then fired without cause. Since she was a new teacher on probation, the school stated that they could let her go without a reason. She left a note on her whiteboard for her students wishing them all the best and stating exactly why she was fired. Tirado snapped a picture of the whiteboard message and shared it online – it went viral.

I have found this U.S news story covered in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The point being that this issue isn’t a school-specific thing, or a district thing, or an American school system thing, but rather part of a bigger conversation. My immediate and consistent thought is that Tirado was right, as her overarching question aligns with mine: What are we teaching these kids if they can receive something (in this case, grades) without completing any work?

So, from what I researched, advocates for this no zero policy indicate a few things:
1) Student behaviour (work ethic) and late marks are often factored too highly on student grades
2) A zero may not accurately reflect what the student knows
3) Low marks may discourage students from trying

#1: I actually agree with this. In Ontario, students are “graded” separately on their responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative, and self-regulation. These are graded with: Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, and Needs Improvement (E-G-S-N). Though teachers would love to more carefully assess these learning skills (and arguably more important attributes for future employment and success), we are barred from doing so. Therefore, the lateness of an assignment should have no bearing on the student’s grade. For example: If I deduct 3% of a student’s mark on a paragraph response lowering their grade because it was late, that new grade will not reflect their knowledge and writing ability. If I want to express my distaste in their tardiness, I can hit them with the E-G-S-N evaluation. It’s just too bad that it doesn’t carry more weight.

#2: Well, I suppose this is true. But I side with Tirado on this one – I can’t grade what’s in their brain if they cannot produce any work (verbally included). It’s impossible to give a grade to a student who says they know how to write an essay, but won’t actually complete one.

#3: So is our answer to this to make up grades for them? Instead of trying to bubble wrap students, why not teach them coping mechanisms to deal with tough news or see a not-so-good grade as a learning opportunity? It’s also an opportunity for teachers to intervene or a chance to teach students how to ask for help (I’ve been told that some students don’t know how).

I’ll state that a no zero policy makes no sense. Teachers should be trusted that if a zero is given, it reflects that no work has been submitted. Moreover, that steps are taken to ask why the work has not been completed. And possibly to help the student develop time management skills if their tardiness in submitting work is habitual.

Sidenote: I read in the Miami Herald (article written by Ana Veciana-Suarez) that Tirado was also possibly let go because she didn’t adhere to IEPs and demonstrated a lack of professionalism with staff and students. So there is likely more to the story.

Wanna know what’s weird? The Superintendent defended the school’s policy, yet a spokesperson for Tirado’s school claimed there is no such policy in place, yet Tirado cited the no zero policy in the student and parent handbook, but also the district claims that it’s not a policy followed by the district… Soooo….huh?

Alan November

*Pictured above is Alan November*

Mr. Alan November is a former teacher and now a keynote speaker on education and online literacy. I had the pleasure of listening to him speak a few nights ago at a school in Toronto.

He began his talk by asking us if we thought we knew how to use Google. Of course, the majority of us nodded our heads – I mean, who doesn’t? It’s a search engine and it’s pretty simple…type in what you want to know. So, he challenged us. We had to find out about “Vacanti’s mouse” (the mouse with an ear seemingly growing out of its back). The BBC reported on this mouse claiming the ear was grown. Published in 2002, the BBC reported this: “The scientist who grew a human ear on the back of a mouse has suggested…”. However, if we go to good ol’ Wikipedia, they state: “…biodegradable ear shaped mould and then implanted under the skin of a mouse.” Hmm. The BBC reported it was “grown” while Wikipedia states it was “implanted.” Surely the BBC is more reliable than Wikipedia…(and don’t call me Shirley). As it turns out, if we wanted the truth (in this case), we needed to find the source document. However, very few of us knew how to find it (my wife did, but as I’ve mentioned in many of my posts, she’s much smarter than I am).

Well, Google is simply an algorithm. They aren’t interested in finding you the most accurate information, they simply try to help you find the information that best relates to what you’re searching for (more on this in a moment). So, let’s get back to Vacanti’s mouse. With Google, you need to learn how to enter in the correct code to find the most accurate information (there are many codes and it takes practice to learn them). So, by entering: ‘vacanti ear mouse site:edu harvard’, Google can find the primary source and make the results more accurate. Result? The ear was implanted…not grown. Wikipedia was right. The BBC was wrong. These site codes are crucial in finding articles that are unbiased or even helpful in showing students the CRAZY AMOUNTS of bias. For example, a news story as reported in Canada may be drastically different than how it’s reported in the United Kingdom. So, “site:uk” is a quick code that can search for news items in the United Kingdom only. Want to know what Japan thinks of our PM Justin Trudeau? Easily type in his name with ‘site:jp’. Need academic articles from the United Kingdom? You can add in the code ‘ac’.  For example, ‘breast cancer research site:ac.uk’.

Okay, so as I mentioned, Google is interested in finding results that match what you’re looking for and not necessarily what is accurate/truthful. Here’s the example Alan November used to demonstrate this: He told us to Google search whether cats are better than dogs and then to search whether dogs are better than cats. Interestingly enough, if you search whether cats are better than dogs, it will lead you to websites that intend to give their opinion that cats are better than dogs and vice versa. So, based on what you typed in, you get relatable information and not necessarily accurate information. In a world of fake news, all of the aforementioned information becomes that much more important and the tools become that much more necessary. Moreover, if you really want to know whether cats or dogs are better, you can type in: ‘dogs versus cats’ into a website called Wolfram Alpha (wolframalpha.com) and it will calculate the hard stats for you within a few seconds. Yes, calculate it for you, not simply provide you with some chart that has already been created or some scientific report that’s been released. Try it.

Anyway, the majority of the audience realized that we didn’t really know how to use Google at all. So, it seemingly became our responsibility to teach this skill to our students. So the question was asked: When do we teach this Google skill? November’s response: When do you teach kids to read?

 

Teachers and Guns

*I took the picture above from a “kveller” article written by Emily Burack*

FINALLY someone is linking my profession with gun ownership! Why teaching isn’t already synonymous with gun ownership I’ll never know. But at least it’s now a topic of debate… *rolling eye emoji*

So, for those who don’t already know, U.S President, Donald Trump, posted this statement on his Twitter account: “Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them…Shootings will not happen again…” This post, of course, came after the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Florida). The post from Trump seems to propose the idea of arming teachers with guns as a way to deter assailants.

Two thoughts immediately came to mind:
1) President Trump wants MORE guns to ward off possible attacks from assailants with guns.
2) President Trump is advocating for guns in the classroom.

Now, by the time I started writing this post and by the time I finally got around to finishing it and posting it, there has been one more school shooting in America (Maryland) and a teacher who shot a student by accident. What the hell is wrong with America?!? The senseless violence and a government that is doing very little to stop the senseless violence has spurned the #armmewith hashtag (where teachers advocate for anything and everything BUT guns) and the “March for our Lives” movement.

I’m not advocating for the banning of all guns in the United States. Doing so will unfairly penalize the responsible gun owners who participate for sport. I suppose I’m wondering, as a Canadian, how difficult/challenging the process is to re-visit the United States’ second amendment, which states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This means that it is an American citizen’s RIGHT to own these “arms” (the definition seems to be a bit hazy on that), and not a privilege. How could this young man (Nikolas Cruz) acquire an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle (legally or illegally) and shoot and kill 17 people while wounding over 15 more. How?

It was on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 when a teacher in California accidentally fired their gun in the classroom. The teacher shot the ceiling by accident and a gun fragment injured a student. You wanna know what’s really funny? The boy’s father said that he actually supported Trump in his claims to have guns in the classroom, but after his son was injured, he was quoted as saying: “After today, I get why people say there should be no guns in schools.” (CNN, Nicole Chavez, March 15, 2018). Umm, okay. So, let me get this straight, your son had to get accidentally shot for you to see why there shouldn’t be guns in schools? Okay, great. Father of the year, I guess.

The “March for our Lives” movement had a massive (and successful) rally on March 24 (2018) in Washington DC. They made their voices heard hoping for: 1. a ban on assault weapons, 2. stopping the sale of high-capacity magazines, and 3. requiring background checks on guns bought at gun shows and online. Where was Donald Trump? Golfing in Palm Beach, Florida.

How does former U.S Senator Rick Santorum feel about the rally? He stated: “How about kids instead of looking to someone else to solve their problem, do something about maybe taking CPR classes or trying to deal with situations that when there is a violent shooter, that you can actually respond to that.” (As aired during his minutes on CNN’s State of the Union show). What an absolute idiot! Basically, his point is that since school shootings are so common, students should prepare to give a fallen classmate CPR rather than complaining about gun laws…

It’s incredible that the U.S is still standing.