Math Teacher and stories

I recently read Blankinships's associated press article.

The main reason I feel passionately about the article is that I have a story. I know what it was like to think that I could teach but I learned how to in these past 8 years, like a contractor learning to fix houses. Effective teaching increases, not by getting a masters, but with collaboration. A major issue is that parents don't take a test depicting who can have a child. Imagine if "A" parents were the only ones allowed to have children. We, the people of the US, all have to care for the children regardless of the parents effort. The tax system makes all of us pay, hence care. The parents (by the way I have great ones in the town I work in) are the purple elephant in the room and Bill Gates knows this but Blankinship took an angle (math term) and ran with it. Not your fault, money gets people passionate so well done. Real issue behind education, "Finding Superman" and "200 minutes" which do a decent job of explaining the plight, is best described in epilogue of this blog

Masters are all about collaboration with teachers. Masters degrees force teachers to talk and reflect on what works like doctors do. Sorry Blankinship but you missed something. You missed the point of education. Bring ideas, effort, visions, but most importantly people on this planet together for some project that is bigger than anyone. My story begins and end with people forcing me to think big. I thank my first Principal and vice principal, Mike D'Angelo and Tom Darby, for giving me a chance. See there is a story behind everyone you didn't see coming. I thank Laura Hoey, Ray Dewar, Mike Ward, and Mary Taylor my first bosses in Norton. I thank Stephen McNeil my boss from my Bentley College days. All of them collaborated with me on projects. The project was me. I use analogies from those experiences to know that time may be hard but we will make it work in education. I recognize the impact of these people, and if I ever write a book they will all get a paragraph.



Masters = not a major concern

Here is a poem that demonstrates the problem

How do I study material I don't want to own?
Everyday it’s harder to care without a safe and steady _________

Don't punish the yesterday while being advert
Reward people that have character, time, and effort

Projects

I am not for doing a project for projects sake. In the end you realize something about your self and whether you can work with people. Either at work or whereever you finally get a job lean into the discomfort and work well with others. I believe finding your groove or niche is the main thing I should focus on. I am not sure but when I hear things like, "every 5 to 10 years we should revisit the way we do things" I get chills. I can't remain stagnant. I like the idea that we are not working with perfection. The most creative idea I had for 2008 was that Romeo and Juliet was good but not the greatest that will ever be. There have been great stories since and they will get better, especially with movies that have new movie tricks like time travel. Movies are even getting more randomly creative. I think Jackass 3d is dumb but it is the new way of thinking. Throw out the old and start the new. I have to embrace the change even though I yearn for Unstoppable, New Tron, and I look forward to the new Little Fockers movie.