Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Maybe it's a bad thing my students are so comfortable with me.

I have always been mistaken in appearance as younger than I am. Always. When I was student teaching in middle school, I needed a band-aid from the nurse to fix a nasty paper-cut (me = wimp. I'm okay with it.) However, before the nurse could give me a band-aid she needed me to clarify if I was a student or a teacher. Mind you, this is happening mere months before I graduate college, become a real teacher, and get married, and she wanted to know if I was a student. at. the. middle. school.

Not so lately. In the eyes of my students, I'm apparently beginning to look quite weathered. Today, one of my students was looking at a picture on my desk from my wedding (taken less than two years ago) and was confused as to why I had the picture. He was asking if it was my sister, having a hard time believing it was me. I thought it was simply because I was so fancy in the picture, since they have never seen me that gussied up, but no. No such luck.

He said "Well, if that's you, then that picture must be really old. Must have been taken in like 1999 or somethin.'"

. . .

(Also, is 1999 really that long ago? Geesh!)

Then later, at choir, I told the kids that I had sung a song they're currently learning when I was in eighth grade. To which one student retorted, "Wow. This song must be really old then."

. . .

So, in my not-quite-two-years of teaching, I have gone from being mistaken as ten years younger to 10 years older than my actual age. Maybe, just once, someone will mistake me for my actual age. A girl can hope, can't she?

Either way, I'm starting to think the relationships I've worked so hard to build with my students for the last two years have begun to backfire. At least I know they feel safe to speak their mind, even if it's making me think Botox.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Honduran Loves

I know I'm a little late, but I wanted to join in on the Portrait Party over at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures. While these are not portraits taken specifically for this project (seeing as I'm sick and not in Honduras) these are some of the photos I'm most proud of. They were taken back in '08 while we were on a mission trip in Honduras. These kids still have my heart (along with my 500 students . . . guess I've got a big heart?) and they were easy subjects to photograph. Great lighting (hello Honduras!) and great subjects allow even the least gifted of photographers to get great pictures!

Precious girls with lots of personality.
 

If I hadn't been in college, I probably would have taken Kingler home with me.
She is as sweet as she is gorgeous! I used my camera to make this picture sepia.
I like that the background was overexposed, as it brings more attention to her gorgous face!
 

Some may not like the way I cropped this one, but it's one of my favorites from the whole trip.
 

This picture completely represents Lucito, the only boy in an all girl's orphanage.
He is the defintion of a ham (probably from getting lots of attention). I love this guy . . .
  I am most happy with the personality I was able to capture in these shots. I literally took hundreds of pictures, and that's what I learned from shooting here. Take lots and lots of shots, because in the end, you can't ever completely recreate the environment or the feeling in that moment -- and that's what makes for a good portrait!

So I'm linking up (never done this before!) with the Portrait Party!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Proceed with caution -- radical politics ahead!

As in the radical politics of providing our children with the best public education possible, even in a recovering economy! I know, I'm crazy, but I just don't think that public education should bear the burden of fixing our nation's budget woes. The quality of my students' education should not be sacrificed to the budget gods! What follows is a letter I sent to my congressmen -- you should send one, too!

I am writing to you to discuss my fears regarding Washington’s current stance on education, specifically the language in Continuing Resolution H.R. 1, and the impact it has on my students’ education and available educational programming. I am well aware of the budget crisis facing our great nation; however I am distraught at the thought of our already struggling public education system sustaining any more cuts in funding. Few agencies affected by the budget deficits are also entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the future presidents, senators, representatives, doctors, teachers, and technicians that will guide our nation toward bigger and better things. My fear is not for myself, my income, or my retirement, but that my representatives in Congress have no knowledge of how the proposed cuts will affect the 500 young minds I am charged with inspiring and educating on a daily basis.
The majority of the proposed cuts will drastically affect educational programs, specifically Arts in Education programming. These programs provide essential enrichment activities for students, many of whom are from rural communities in Kansas and would otherwise miss out on these opportunities. Arts-based programs are proven to promote more authentic learning, collaboration across the curriculum, and the creativity necessary for problem solving. Moreover, study after study confirms the necessity of these enrichment activities (or so-called “extras”) as they play a pivotal part in learning theory, thereby making enrichment programs essential, not optional. I cannot accept that cutting funding for these critical educational programs is the best way to solve our budget problems because I know there are more options available. Surely Congress is creative enough to find other ways to reduce the budget that will not directly impact students? What about ending the tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of the country and fixing corporate tax loopholes? While cutting this funding might provide a short-term solution, the long-term ramifications to our students’ education are simply not worth it.
I am also repulsed by the banter in the Republican Party about what is happening in Wisconsin, most specifically the regarding the value of teachers. I have heard prominent Republicans refer to teachers as “part-time” workers who are earning “too much,” doing whatever they want to do with no accountability because they can “never be fired.” This sort of speech shows sheer ignorance on the part of the Republican Party and in no way whatsoever represents the realities of teaching in the public education system. I am held accountable for everything that I teach my students, and I know the same is true for every one of my colleagues. Teachers tend to the educational, emotional, and physical needs of hundreds of students every week. For anyone to imply that we are over-paid babysitters is absolutely ignorant. You or any member of your staff would certainly be welcome to spend a day in my classroom to garner first-hand experience with what it’s really like to be a teacher under NCLB.
I am sure that as my senator you will make my voice heard. Education is far too important to the future of our America to offer it as a sacrifice. Education is a necessity, not a privilege, guaranteed to every American student, and as such it should not bear the burden of fixing our country’s budget problems. In the interest of all of your current and future constituents, please find another way to balance the budget.