The search for a writing sample

It has been a long time since I've written a Slice of Life post. Despite my best intentions, I let the end of the year madness, starting with the last grades of 3rd quarter and the insanity of testing season (May-June) get in the way of my own reflection and writing. I can't believe I haven't made a single Tuesday "Slice of Life" challenge post since April...there's so much to revisit and write!

Early in my March blogging challenge, I wrote about going to an accreditation meeting for potential PhD program. Well, that program was approved and is accepting applications for this fall. Even though I won't be going for a full-time slot, I have been working on an application.

Part of the application calls for an academic writing sample. This poses a bit of a problem for me. I have some academic writing, but most of it is over 10 years old.

• While I do have some electronic copies of literary analyses I completed during my MA in English (1995-1997), I'm not sure that these are appropriate. 
• I already mentioned that my own rhetoric and composition study has some significant holes, and I have yet to turn up a copy of my 1997 thesis. 
• Most of my education courses have required shorter reviews and practice reflections. I'm not sure an "I-Search paper" or a multigenre study will be perceived as "academic" enough.
• My more recent writing has been blog or book review posts. Would my Nerdy Book Club post from April be "academic" enough?

The solution I've come up with is to present a selection of shorter writings that demonstrate a range of my work. 

1. A shorter MA literary analysis paper I delivered at a small conference in 1996 (7 pages, single spaced)
2. The I-search paper on using journals in the English classroom written in 2003 (7 pages, single spaced)
3. My Nerdy Book Club guest post written this year (3 pages, single spaced with the images removed)

I like #1 because it's an analysis that was actually submitted to and accepted by a small conference. That gives it some credibility as a peer reviewed work. Also, the paper itself demonstrates that even as a "lit student," I was already looking at the audience effect on the shaping of a rhetorical message. It's funny to see how close this is to what I ask my own students to attempt...

#2 demonstrates some thought into the practice of teaching reading and writing. Even though the journal isn't as central to my writing instruction as I envisioned, I keep going back to this practice in my teaching. I'm hoping this piece helps demonstrate that I look to research and to other teachers in forming my classroom practices, and have done so since I took education classes.

#3 also reflects on my teaching, but has a reading focus. Since I'm interested in looking at the reading/writing link, I hope this piece demonstrates that interest in more than just my goals statement.

I'm probably putting more thought into this than it needs, but that's been my pattern...lots of thinking and chewing followed by bursts of productive reflection and writing. This application process really is a slice of my life.

Tuesday slice: books in the class.

Today, as my students took a diagnostic test (grrr), I went through my library logs and figured out what students had checked out and had had since early February. Then I eyed the shelves and figured out what might be missing that wasn't recorded.

I know that books will go missing. They will migrate to beneath beds, in closets, unused bags, and even trunks of cars. Sometimes, they are needed elsewhere. But I'm hoping many of the 20-30 titles (I didn't count) come back. 

To inspire them to repatriate, I made a little display. I ended up taking two small white boards and writing down all of the missing books. Then, I used push pins to secure them to a corkboard and put little signs around them that said things like:. 

• Have you seen me? 
• I'm missing!
• Please find and return to room 213!
• If you find any other books marked KERVINA, bring them back to 213, too. Their friends miss them!
• If you have good books that need a new home, bring them to 213. They will make new friends!

Maybe they will come back. Maybe some won't.

I do know that one of the girls in the class immediately said " I have three of those! I meant to bring them today, but I woke up late and I was tired."

That gives me hope.

Infographics assignment

So, for my last slice, I'm going to do a little experiment in collaboration.

I mentioned in an earlier slice that I was working with my librarian colleagues to create as infographics assignment. Well, I'm going to share that document and invite comments, suggestions, and critique.

• I've uploaded it to Google Documents, and I've share it so anyone can comment or edit it. Let me know what you think by inserting comments, making suggestions, or asking questions. Don't get tripped up by the formatting; the conversion process destroyed it.
• Since the upload from Word to Drive destroys the formatting, I've also uploaded a PDF version so people can see it as students will.
• If I incorporate your suggestions, I'll certainly credit you on the handout and thank you profusely.

I don't know what will happen or if anyone will even look. My blog is an experiment...

Getting to know old friends

As I do not have a computer and must use my phone for today's slice, it will be less linked than usual.

Tomorrow is the last day before the last march begins. In the school year, Spring Break is the last pause for breath, the final chance to push, cajole, kid, compliment, or sometimes castigate. The end of the year is in sight, and so the momentum slows. Our students lose focus, as do we at times, as spring promises summer and our energy flags. But between us and the summer lies our last chances to learn before testing season and finals leave us wondering how we got here so quickly.

Most years, I spend the last weekend frantically sorting ideas and prioritizing. In truth, I will do more of that tomorrow. But, today, we met some old friends for a day away from our respective lives. In a place none of us live, we met to go to a play none of us had ever heard of, have dinner, and catch up.

Eric and I have known Jim and Pam since before we married. Eric and Jim met when they both lived in the enlisted dorms at Langley Air Force Base on 1997. At the time, Jim and Pam, high school sweethearts, lived several states apart. Eric and I,  soon-to-be-reunited post-high school sweethearts, didn't actually get back together until 1998, and married in June that same year.

When Eric deployed in July 1998, it was Jim who took care of Eric's townhouse and his cat Abi because I still lived in New Jersey and hadn't begun looking for a job closer, yet. When I moved to Virginia in October, Abi moved in with me in Manassas (the closest I could find a decent job) while Jim and Pam coordinated their wedding and her move from Ohio to Newport News. That's right...I've lived with the cat for longer than I've lived with Eric.

Abi, wondering why I'm disturbing his nap.

Jim, a flight line guy, got permission for me to be in his truck on the line when he guided the plane Eric and his unit returned in. Thanks to Jim, not only did Eric and I not have to worry about maintaining two households for 5 months, I got to see Eric the very first moment he stepped on American soil since a month after our wedding. Even though I couldn't get out to greet him on the runway (I didn't have flight line clearance!) and Eric didn't even know I was that close, I won't ever forget what it felt like to see him safe with my own eyes.

In the last months Eric spent in the Air Force, he lived with Jim and Pam during the week, and came to our townhouse in Manassas on the weekends until he finally went on terminal leave in June 1999. Soon after, Jim and Pam were stationed in England, and we didn't see them until Jim came back to Newport News a few years ago and got out of the Air Force himself. It's tough to get together, but we keep in touch.

About a month or so ago, Eric and I got away for a weekend and went to see a production of Julius Caesar at the American Shakespeare Theater and stayed in a local bed and breakfast nearby. We loved the production, and  immediately thought Jim and Pam would enjoy this getaway. The day we got home we suggested to them that we meet here, a place that's about 2 hours from each of us. This weekend was the first weekend that worked, so I made room reservations, arranged for tickets to The Custom of the County, a play written by Shakespeare's successors in The Kingsmen, and dinner reservations.

We have had an absolutely wonderful time.  The play was hilariously ribald and engaging. The cast has us in stitches as they engaged the audience in the play itself and sang interesting renditions of popular songs during the intermission (Nine Inch Nails and banjo...I cannot do it justice in a blog). Jim remarked he had no idea "culture could be so funny." It made me wish high schools taught more Renaissance comedy rather than drama. My students would be delighted by the innuendo so much more than they are with the whinings of Romeo and the brooding of Hamlet.

Since we met here an hour or so before the 2:00 matinee, we have stopped taking and swapping stories long enough only for the production itself. The four of us enjoyed a tasting menu and wine pairings at dinner, and a bottle of port and chocolates in the hotel as  we laughed about our jobs, Eric and Jim told Air Force stories, and we carried on as if no time had passed.

Even though I know my "to do" list will clamor all the louder tomorrow, I cannot think of a better way to have spent my day. All of us agreed we needed this time out from our routine. Tomorrow morning, we will meet for breakfast before going our separate ways once more, and will probably soon plan the next weekend away. I can't wait.

GoodReads Goodbye?

Over the last couple of years, I've been logging the books I've read and want to read on GoodReads. I've challenged myself to read more in the last couple of years by making and tracking reading goals. When I finish a book, I note the date I read it and sort it into rough categories. Sometimes, I write reviews; sometimes I just give the books star ratings. I also follow what friends, acquaintances  and even like-minded strangers are reading and adding to their virtual read and to be read (TBR) piles. In all, I've added 229 books I've read and marked another 169 to read. I'm never without a list of potential books to pick up when I'm out and about because I have the GoodReads app on my phone, too.

Now, Amazon has announced they are buying GoodReads, and I have mixed feelings about this. I freely admit I do a fair amount of business with Amazon, and have for years. Even when I don't buy from them, I have been known to look at their product descriptions and browse the reviews of customers. 

But I like the independence of the GoodReads community; though there are booksellers, publishers, and authors aplenty, I didn't feel like most of the reviews might be pimping a particular book or bookseller. In fact, the little buy bar at the bottom, which I never use, does offer some seller options. Now that Amazon is a player, I'm fairly certain that choice will disappear, and I'm not the only person to think so. In fact, Forbes even ran a column on how the acquisition will hurt competition.

I also wonder if my independent reviews will become marketing fodder, even more so than they probably are now. I know there are sites that link to GoodReads already. It's not that I have a problem with someone using my openly published review to make decisions; it's that I'm not sure I like that Amazon may start using those reviews as they see fit. Will they be able to excerpt my reviews? Even though Amazon says it will let GoodReads operate independently as it does with IMDB, I'm skeptical.

Beyond that, I'm not sure I like the vertical integration implications, a concern shared by other GoodReads users and the Authors Guild. Amazon has already moved into the publishing business by making direct deals with authors and offering self-publishing services; has had spats with traditional publishers over eBook pricing and print on demand; and is currently being sued by some independent stores over its DRM practices. Now, it's not just dabbling in the consumer review business; it owns the two major customer review sites, Shelfari and Goodreads. What am I to make of that?

So, I'm starting to investigate potential replacements for GoodReads. LibraryThing is a possibility, and they are sweetening the deal by offering free memberships. But it, too, is partially owned by Amazon through Amazon's acquisition of ABEbooks, which owned 40% of LibraryThing.

The truth is, I like GoodReads. I like the community. I like the functionality. I like the system. But I'm just not sure where this marriage with Amazon leads. 

Thoughts?

Travel bug

In February or March, I start to realize that summer is right around the corner. This year, I haven't made any plans to go to seminars or schools, but I'm feeling the urge to make plans.

That's not to say I don't already have some plans. My family will be meeting in Idaho for a reunion. We'll be spending a week at a rented cabin near Yellowstone. It will be the first time all of my siblings, parents, nieces, and nephews have been in the same place since the last family wedding in 1999. We've met in smaller groups, but my school schedule, my sister-in-law's work schedule, and my other sister-in-law's family vacations have kept us from finding a common time. I still have to look into the Yellowstone days and book flights/cars out there. But that vacation feels like a done deal.

Today, three things contributed to the flair of the travel bug. 

1. I received the notification of my additional duties pay. I work at athletic events, sponsor two school publications, and have done a little homebound tutoring this year. The athletics, tutoring, and part of the advising stipends in my little savings account make me feel a bit flush with cash.
2. As I listened to NPR while doing dishes, I heard a story about Guatemala's first female attorney general. About 6 years ago (?!), I studied for a month at Celas Maya in Xela, which was a wonderful school (one other student's 2011 account is here; my abandoned travel blog is still up, too). Earlier this week, I'd already made a couple of Internet forays to look at what it might cost to go and brush up on my Spanish in Guatemala (it's still a heck of a deal for lessons and homestays!), and that thought still tickles my mind. I'd kind of like to spend a week at Lago Atitlan if I go back. I stayed in Panajachel for two weekends, and I know I could do more exploring of the little towns and sights along the lake. Plus, my Spanish has faded in the two years since I last studied it at Personalized Spanish in Costa Rica, another wonderful, though more expensive, school.
3. Travelzoo sent me their top 20 deals email. Because I'm already feeling comfortable and wondering what to do, the Costa Rica packages made me wonder about revisiting that country, too. I'd like to go back to Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. I visited each place for a weekend, and there's more to see. There are several other locations I didn't get to visit, too, like La Fortuna and Guanacaste. 

I may not end up doing any of these in the end. I do like to dream, though, and Central America seems to call me back.

Why I stay...and what makes me think about leaving

Recently, one of my online tribe (I haven't been a good tribe member lately--I've been blogging instead of Tweeting) announced she's leaving the classroom, at least for now. Beth will find a role in education, I know. But her very difficult decision to leave sparked an idea for a graduate class project: a video from teachers to let people know why they stay.

This project has been on my mind all week long. I have a good idea of the piece I want to contribute; I had a tough time narrowing it down. There are so many reasons why I stay. Still, I didn't want it to be MY video, so I thought I'd write a bit down here. 

• I've already written an entire post about being part of the community. That's primary reason I stay.
• The students do make me laugh. They do unexpected, silly things. I get to watch them grow up, become more independent, and move on to new places. I love being part of their stories, and I would miss that.
• I'm the safe place for some of my students. I've held them as they've cried; I've cheered for them when they've succeeded; and I've listened and offered my opinions when asked. I needed that safe space when I was a teen, and I pay it forward by being that trusted adult.
• This year, before Spring Break, no fewer than 4 students came to me to ask for book recommendations. My decision to value independent reading is paying off for quite a few of my students. Some still aren't on the bandwagon, yet. But, sometimes, I run across tweets like this: "Mrs Kervina is the only teacher that gets me reading for fun" and I know I'm getting through sometimes.I work with some fantastic people who care about kids. Seriously, I'm pretty fortunate that I can name   several professional colleagues who will bounce ideas around and do care about learning and about the art of teaching.
• I do firmly believe that reading and writing are so very fundamental to our ability to be part of society and to make rational, intelligent choices. I know reading fiction increases empathy and can help foster a sense of belonging. Writing is not only valued by employers (who want to see more emphasis on oral and written communications in colleges), it can help one better understand the self and the world. It's a process that can be used for thinking, reflecting, learning, expressing, arguing, advocating, or even entertaining. Our stories are who we are.

But there are also aspects of what I do that I don't like. These are the things that drive me to look at Monster.com from time to time.

• Grades. I'll say it: I don't like grading. I don't love mountains of paper. I don't love endless to-do lists. Almost all of these things are the result of grades. We're so grade and score-focused in education that there's a constant pressure to put some sort of mark on each piece of paper generated. It's hard to push back, even when I point out that not every note in every scale is assessed in music, not every dribble of a ball is assessed in basketball, and not every brush stroke or sketchbook drawing is assessed in art. 
• The constant thinking about school. I don't love that I cannot turn off my job brain. Seriously, thinking about my job wakes me up at night. I love the challenge of creating a classroom where kids learn. But sometimes, I just want to go to sleep and sleep through the night, or spend a whole weekend without thinking in terms of lessons, assessments, and to-dos.
• Discipline. I get it; it's the job of teens to push the boundaries. That doesn't mean I love being the one who has to set them or who has to enforce them. However, I'm the adult in the room. I accept that.
• The endless rhetoric of blame. There are a few voices calling for moderation on the blame game. There are voices who point out that this focus on bad teachers will drive people out of education.In fact, teacher job satisfaction is at the lowest it has been in 25 years. 
• The consistent implication or outright claims that teachers are lazy and greedy. I work harder at this job for 5 figures less than I made as a government contractor. Yes, I don't "work" from the last week in June to the last week in August, in that I don't go to school and teach; I also don't get paid for that time. Nor do I get paid for spring break, winter break, or federal holidays. I'm on a 193-day contract. The rest of the time, even though I'm often working late, on weekends, and over breaks, is uncompensated time. But, if you read any comment on any story, blog, or opinion column on the web, someone's going to say that teachers like me should be thankful for our easy, cushy, summers-off jobs and should stop being so greedy.
• Decision fatigue. I'm on whenever there's a class of students. I take my responsibilities quite seriously, too. So, I have literally hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions I make each day. the first 6 months I taught, I also worked 10 hour days every other day. I can tell you from experience that working for 10 hours in an office doesn't hold a candle to working with kids. The 10-hour days were easier.

I do live with a sort of anxiety that the balance will tip enough that I'll leave the classroom. But, for now, the reasons I stay still outweigh those for leaving.