Teacher 2.0 » AP Lang

Forgive me…

dcadams — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:42:40 +0000

Last year at this time, you, students, knew more. Part of this may’ve been your preparation in the past, but I feel like part of this is my fault. See, the last couple of years I had the curriculum all planned out and I really enjoyed my job. This year, things are different. Planning is more confusing and not as solid. Part of this was changing things to correlate to APUSH, but there’s probably much more than that. I know right now that my students aren’t as prepared as they’ve been in the last few years. Sure, some students are doing well, but many of them came in knowing how to write. Having an idea of how to write. But you know what? You’ve not done AP timed essays yet? By now last year I can guarantee at least two if not three. I’ve scheduled one for October 16th, but is that soon enough? It’s as soon as I can. I know this sounds random but it’s what’s on my mind and I’ve not written recently. We’ll see how it pans out.

AP Institute Bellevue, WA

dcadams — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:45:21 +0000

This week I am at the AP Institute in Bellevue, WA. Last year I came to this same institute alone, because I’d heard it’s the best around. I agree. Last year it rocked, and my presenter was the Chief Reader for AP Language. The beginning of the week began a bit quieter until my friends Ryan & Laura drove up; we spent week nights together after the conference and then the weekend before I flew home. This year I brought about 25 people with me. Ryan asked about coming up again, and I apologized that with so much work to do here this year I would be relatively MIA. I asked if that bothered him, and I didn’t hear back so I assume it was a problem. It’s cool. I just hope to see them again soon, and if they were in town, I’d keep worrying that I wasn’t seeing them enough.

So now here I am again, and Perry High sent Shirley Crabtree to this same conference. I didn’t realize how much I missed her until I saw her again, knowing in 3 weeks I wouldn’t see her every day. Sitting in my room. Copying with me. In-servicing with me. Talking with me. Teaching with me. I’ll miss that, and even talking with her about curriculum mapping, I realized we’d never plan together the same again. Sure, we’d share ideas. Sure, she’d give me her advice, but never would we be on the same page day in and day out, again.

As for the overall conference, I didn’t realize how much I like quiet traveling. This time I am mostly surrounded by my friends and peers. Out of class, we’re at dinner or walking somewhere. In class I am with my new friends, reading, working, thinking. Sylvia, my instructor, is amenable albeit a but flighty (but that’s her charm), and our group is smaller. Last year there were thirty of us, and I could zone out if I wanted. This year I can’t.

I need to work on our AP Calendar. I need to work on our English 11 scope & sequence. I need to revamp things, and I wish I weren’t level lead, but I am. I trudge away in the work that has become me.

Here come the Googlers!

dcadams — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:04:11 +0000

We’ve begun going to talk to the current Sophomore Honors students about AP English & American Studies. Mostly the course curriculum they disregard until we get going because there’s just too much, and typically they can’t wrap their minds are AP vs American Studies vs AP Exams vs Dual Enrollment. I get a lot of the same questions each year, and I should start an FAQ or something! Anyway, this year we decided to start them on the technology early early… Like Now. Students are required to log into Gmail and create an account. My goal is then to reply immediately so my email is in their address book. I then add them to gTalk and open their contact book where I add them to my APES 0809 mailing group. Some of the students are also NHS now, so I add them to that, too. This way in July, I don’t sit for hours doing this. I’ve begun finding some on chat and one even thanked me for forcing the classes to use this set up!

This student also wanted to know when I would set up a Google Group for the 08-09 APES. I told him to remind me tomorrow night and I would do it. The group’s main purpose is to be a space where the students can begin dialogging about the course, the summer reading, the teachers, etc… I think it’ll really help.

American Studies update

dcadams — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:50:37 +0000

This Friday we’re headed to Hamilton High School to observe their American Studies course before a meeting with their instructors. At last week’s meeting the admin laid down the expectations of how we, the AP Language and the AP US History teachers, will work together on everything. We will develop rubrics together and keep one gradebook. We have 40 kids per section, and everything’s based off of Advanced Placement. There’s definitely some perks to the program, including historical trips to Boston. I did this trip a couple years ago, and I am looking forward to doing it with a more education spin. We’ve got 80 kids signed up, and we’re ready to roll. The summer book is Rise to Rebellion on Jeff Shaara, and I will be reading it right along with them.

This is why I teach

dcadams — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:32:45 +0000

This afternoon after we finished the final lesson for the quarter, I asked my last class of the quarter to evaluate the course. They were to include weaknesses and strengths of the course curriculum, and then weaknesses and strengths of me as an instructor. The first time I did this, I cried. I cried all night. I was student teaching. I remember in Casa Grande Union High School I did this after the first semester of a Gifted Seminar that I built from scratch and had the school board approve. I cried again. All night.

I won’t lie. Teaching isn’t always fun and wonderful. I joke some weeks about how I am going to go teach college where I have less of the complaints from here and there. Sometimes I believe it more than others. Sometimes I inquire as to the pay. Sometimes I just shrug and move on, and sometimes I sit on the couch and don’t want to do anything when I get home. But today I asked for an evaluation, because as a teacher I cannot get better unless I keep asking and keep changing. And every now and then we, as teachers, receive these little nuggets, these little rewards, that help us get through the day, finish the year, sign those contracts and return next year. This is what I just read.

“Mr. Adams, your strength was allowing your students to believe they can do better than what they’ve previously done because they’ve leaned and grown. I don’t know how you did it, but it sure as hell worked for me. So thank you. Your weakness, however, was… I really don’t know. I guess the reason why most of your students change their perspective on learning and life is because of who you are and what you teach. So Thank You.