Calling, vocation, purpose and play

Why bother? Becomes a big question for so many students at this time of year with graduations on one level – real as in complete with ceremonies – and private, the changes that each of us feels taking place as we publicly or quietly move ourselves forward. Spring and the Academic Year working together, there is a sense of renewal in the air.

Somewhere between the “I don’t wanna Grow up” (Toys R Us slogan) and the making of plans for the tomorrows, the sense of play or pure enjoyment without reason (too much analysis can spoil the fun) may be lost – we have all heard how important “play” is, yet it bears repeating. I keep a simple page from “Surely you’re joking Mr. Feynman” by Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winning physicist (yes English teachers do read Science materials, and social studies, and history…but that’s another post on how reading, writing, and improved test taking are not isolated skills) where the physicist comments on his own break-throughs and discoveries, sharing how he had needed to return to “doing things for the fun of it” to experiment (in his case literally, with electron orbits) to reencounter that “flow” situation where time and energy meld and the simple actions of “doing” take on a creative force and become the purpose itself- pleasure through the learning and the discovery.

Some students seem to know early exactly which direction is meant for them- with others the changes and choices present too many options- or not enough- and the need to allow oneself the time to grow can seem overwhelming. How important then for us as adults to remember the discomfort that “growing pains” do create, and that there is a difference between the ideal and getting “there”.

All About “Titles”

TITLES: we use them all the time, automatically addressing each other by first name or simply adding the title as a courtesy gesture. With Literature analysis I find so many students ignore the title of the piece of writing they have been asked to read and search, sometimes with a hint of desperation, for “clues” to the understanding of a “theme”. An Author’s choice of a Title is not only to grab readers through “curb appeal” (fancy cover, shocking picture- great title…etc.), it will also give insight into some major purpose behind the writing itself.

Take for example the Charles Dicken’s classic, “A Tale of two CIties”; the underlying comparison between the passionate French at the beginning of the French Revolution and the implied cooler British, the Lawyers and the Bankers, with the two principal characters lawyers, and a secondary character, the Banker, a Mr. Lorry, to change a system from within, without heads rolling – literally on the guillotine-

But heads do roll, as the drama unfolds. The Title takes on more meaning when the parallel legal courts try the same man- first in England then in France- for a form of treason, and the concept of identity and how it is imposed comes to the fore. With the very famous closing lines, Dickens as narrator gives to the concept of “Cities” further meaning- the city before the Revolution and the city that “hero” Carton envisions will rise up once the change is complete. Equally important is the change of name – three times for a main character, and with each name change though same person, a different obligation imposed. Titles – how someone or something is “called” – but I will save the multiple meanings in the use of the word “Calling” for another time.

Best wishes

January 2013!

 

   Yes, I have heard that there are people who find the number 13 scary- but I love the idea of the century moving into its teens- having worked with students through the middle years and been privy to the wonderful changes that occur as childhood becomes youth and movement towards independence grows – I have seen the maturing that the teen years do bring.  Also the experimenting and the challenging, that we as adults come to recognize as part of this growing.

 

In my cultural background, 13 is a lucky number.  It is a recognized time for children to begin the formal understanding of adult community and when many ceremonies publicly enhance this recognition.  Perhaps on a global level, throughout this year, 2013, we adults can extend our understanding of how little we truly know, and encourage the youths around us to continue to strive for greater knowledge, to remain curious, to not be afraid to challenge “accepted” wisdoms and to respect themselves and their dreams – especially necessary as it is a “tough world out there” and being able to – here I will defer to a well-respected former public figure for a quote: “ Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway” (Eleanor Roosevelt) can often be one of the more difficult things to accomplish.

 

  Simple wishes then for the 2013 Academic Year:  for everyone to keep growing. 

 

As always,

 

   Best regards.

 

          Alison (Ali the English Tutor)

 

 

My wish for 2012-2013; Keep Learning

Bullies: not just in the playground? As adults what do each of us do each and every day to if not stop, then at least curtail the level to which those with supposed authority operate with impunity rather than with equal or more so levels of responsibility? Kudos to Newspaper Reporters, Journalists the world over, Artists in every media, Teachers at all levels and Students who are prepared to take a stand and stop the, if not yet criminal, then potential to be criminal, bullying when they see it-

And a giant thumbs down to those in power who hide behind curtains of Klout to impose only their way of thinking and only their way of acting on others.

As an educator I am blessed with the opportunity to meet and work with a broad variety of younger (K-12) students, their parents, and the adult students who select private tutoring as a means to learn and grow their Reading and Writing – This also means that I am in a position to encourage students of all ages to read the words on a page for surface meaning , and to delve further, to get at deeper text. The curriculum, whether here in Toronto, Ontario, or the Common Core Curriculum in the States or the lauded curriculum in Finland, Japan, the Middle East, China, …, professes to encourage literacy. Many tests are created to determine that students can in fact READ; I wish there were more emphasis on encouraging students to -in fact- feel- feel something for others- we use a fancy term called “empathy” when what we are really after is the ability to care; care about one’s actions; care about one’s commitments; care about building rather than burning bridges; care about railing against complacent acceptance of meanness and cruelty on the part of one group of people to another. Care about Caring.

I am older now; old enough to recognize when students (of any age) are getting excited about ideas, (not to be confused with ideologies) and to be grateful for these exchanges, to know that these exchanges are the “real” teaching moments and to be aware that with each student my goal is to encourage him/her toward independence- so I am careful about using qualifiers, while recognizing that my own ideals of the way the world is “supposed to be” were formed much earlier; engraved when I first began reading and questioning what I was reading – that the learning to question “why” has become second nature, carved into a portion of my brain by all the caring writers of all the texts that I had been privy to as a child. “Great Literature?” — yes, many classics, but also comics and magazines, and “trashy” novels and bestsellers, and what ever printed word I could find. Because each one of these artifacts of someone’s thinking provided me with another way to become more curious-

Parents wonder if their children are reading- and I see kids quick to understand technology but dreading a novel study- “reading” technology is a form of literacy essential and practical. I see kids who can do figures in their heads but struggle with story content because the printed word moves about on the page in front of them yet, when given the oral information. can clearly discern both meaning and moral. I see students who discover that there is a “method” to writing – some run with it, others simply apply it, all realize that words have power and make a difference.

My wish for 2012-2013- health, happiness and a positive learning experience – Share it!

　

　

　

　

　

　

True story:

I’d love to build the kind of school that banned the word “punishment” & replaced it with “here-Read this!”

Do you ever get ” RUSTY? “

If I do, I know its time to change direction-

The rhythm of a school year is quite set- both students and teachers can feel the changes as May arrives- with June, there is a strong sense of completion- down time in the positive sense.  Here, in my place, I have one student graduating High-School, another just returned from studying, 5 months, abroad- and as mom, I love noting how these two young adults continue to challenge each other and themselves.

So…we are celebrating!  

All it takes to feel a little less stiff is a good belly laugh and hugs all around- school systems being what they are- hugs are rarely possible between students and teachers, so we have to hope that our students do indeed recognize the genuine warmth and best wishes that are offered along with the final reports.  Teaching privately to a range of ages gives me the chance to move to a different rhythm, in keeping with a student’s needs, and this in turn keeps me jumping- TRY it! Differentiated direct instruction makes one hyper aware of each student’s challenges and each student brings me a new perspective on what is meant by “learning” objectives.  ‘Cause as they grow- so do I. 

Tutoring also puts into practice the current “new phrase”,  bringing a “flipped” classroom experience to every session.  Students bring their questions, their curiousity and even their irritation to a lesson.  And while I would like them to “nail it” on quizzes and tests and any form of assignments they may have, I’m most impressed when they exhibit “polish” and shine with excitement as they share ideas-

“Polished”, “refined”, “sophisticated”; all antonyms to the original adjective in question; and the changes that I see over the course of months when working with writing skills.  But not at all “done”.  The challenge I give myself? To instill a genuine interest in improving, from an evolutionary perspective- at times. stochastic leaps, at other times, subtle, incremental steps towards a genuine understanding of self; not only how one learns best, but also how to keep learning.   

Tomorow I will be posting links to annotated book lists, by age, and to interactive websites.  So many students bring their cell phones to camp- I wish everyone would bring an empty journal and fill it with …what ever appeals. 

I teach throughout the summer, and bring a little bit of the outdoors inside whenever possible.  I also am known for encouraging my students and my children to recognize the truly symbiotic relationships between science and art; both require: dedication to a craft, working with tools and technology, practice and experimentation. 

Here is a link to an article featuring an artist who is combining the two fields and a potent reminder about the serendipity of innovation. 

 http://www.fastcompany.com/1839469/struggling-artist-turns-to-tissue-engineering

Honour your kids

A friend sent me an email with a link to an older article published in The Chronicle for Higher Education in 2010- two years ago when I was starting this Tutoring venture.  The link opens to a story on a tutor who happily is a ghost writer for students- the friend had been worried that I might grow disillusioned quickly as this trend to hire tutors specifically to cheat on behalf of students appeared to be growing.  Fortunately I continue to connect with parents who wish to have their children grow and develop their own skills in Academics and Socially- not to merely purchase a paper or have me “just sit beside the student throughout his/her online exam” – as one parent did (not- so- subtly) request.   

Have you listened to your children lately? Have you heard them when they say things like “so and so is in the smart group”  and aren’t referring to themselves? If yes, please find an activity that you know the child excels at- or if not excels, then actually enjoys- for it is far more important to continue to help your child grow in his/her best fashion than to be grade focused.  I have heard students excitedly share insights about topics that they have become curious about but which weren’t directly on the school curriculum, and definitely weren’t going to be featured on a standardized test.  And I wished I could bottle that excitement and display it so the child would receive credit.

All of us are constantly picking up subtle clues about where we fit within different systems.  K-12, is a lengthy expanse of time and thankfully one in which students will be exposed to a variety of situations, teachers, classmates, and I hope, challenged by ideas.  With the “new” buzzword being “innovation” and the suggestion that perhaps emphasis on standardized tests doesn’t in fact encourage lateral thinking because, to do well on these tests students must respond to the tests in a particular fashion, problem solving is being seen only from one perspective.  Problem solving is not just the ability to combine ideas and “create” new methodologies- problem solving is also the ability to work through a problem – as basic as this sounds.  There is an irony in this situation for the student who is outspoken, who is generating personal connections, who may try to challenge a teacher or, without trying, be seen as challenging to the teacher, can find the confines of the classroom, stifling.  If your child does complain about the above, respect the complaint.  Recognize the grade for a score on activities presented within a classroom and not as a mark that a student (like the Scarlet Letter!) must bear. 

If your child’s “problem” is getting through the school year, some questions to ask the teacher(s) as this term comes to close:

1) Could you tell me something positive about my child?

2) What have you noticed my child enjoying in your class? Which activities did He/She seem most engaged with?

3) Have you any suggestions for what gaps you are noticing in his/her learning?

and finally 4) What could we do to organize differently for the coming September?

Thank you for honouring me with the opportunity to work with your children: I love tutoring and feel lucky being able to share this excitement for learning, together with students and their families.