new directions.

last night, i had a little chat with my lovely sister about how her classes were going. she did the usual complaining, i commiserated, and then we started talking about a different aspect of school altogether.

we started talking about those classes--those TEACHERS--that just get you fired up to learn.

you know the ones.

the ones whose classes you ACTUALLY DO THE READING FOR.

the ones who inspire you to speak up in class, or whose classes you find yourself impulsively shouting out opinions in.

the ones who you seek outside of class time, because you just know they have SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE to give you, and you don't get enough of it when you're only seeing them three times a week.

the funny thing is, a lot of students don't like these teachers, because these teachers are often the ones who ask you to work the hardest.

i've never really minded that bit.

i figure, if the teacher's worth it, the work's worth it. right?

anyway, my lovely little sister was telling me about a few teachers of her own, whose classes were particularly compelling. one was a teacher who used a lot of hands-on activities in the classroom.

as she regaled me with stories of the team building and leadership activities she'd experienced in his class, two things became very apparent to me:

(1) i needed to get these activities down on paper as quickly as possible (we were driving at the time...) because

(2) these were things I WANTED TO DO IN MY CLASSROOM.

i'm hoping to post some (or all) of the activities she described to me at some point in the future. she also suggested i sit in on the professor's class and take notes, because it would no doubt be an interesting experience.

as an english teacher, we're painfully aware that we're SUPPOSED to be teaching speaking and listening along with everything else, and that sometimes, these two things get pushed aside, and only pulled out when we ask our students to give presentations.

we forget that one of the most important parts of our class is the conversations students should be having with each other. i want my students to be comfortable enough speaking with each other to discuss novels, poetry, and the like with each other. but the truth is that it's hard for a group of 30 high school students to get to the point where they're all comfortable voicing their opinion. up to that point in their lives, most students have learned to keep quiet, because saying what they think only gives other students ammunition.

BUT, if we do some low-risk activities, where students are making decisions and discussing thought-provoking concepts, we can kill two birds with one stone.

we can get students talking, listening, and realizing the importance of each of these skills. AND we can start breaking down some of those walls.

THAT'S what i'm after.

p.s.: sorry about the no capitalization thing i've got going on. i realize it's very e.e. cummings of me. i don't know what's come over me, lately. those english language values are going right out the window!






also, if you're wondering, i DID name this post after the awe-inspiring glee club in Fox's GLEE. because i love that show. it's got teachers, and students, and singing, and dancing...and the cutest little guidance counselor EVER.