People who misuse the words “then” and “than” give me fits. It’s like someone raking their fingernails down a chalkboard (Remember those?). I also am not too jazzed about seeing “compliment” instead of “complement,” “towards” instead of “toward” and, let’s not forget the absolute misunderstanding of the words “its” and “it’s.”

It doesn’t hurt my feelings to be labeled picky and uptight about the use of the English language. I take it as a compLIment. I am passionate about the English language and even more passionate about its (no apostrophe!) usage as a means of survival. I believe communication via the spoken or written word is a necessity to develop, learn, relate, and navigate through life.

I initially chose to work toward (no “s”) teaching English in a secondary classroom because I wanted to help create the next generation of great communicators. I would hereby like to amend my goals now that I have more than five months of learning theory, social context, and now human differences and integrating English and social studies classes under my belt. I want my students to walk out of my classroom with the ability to speak with confidence, write with resolve, and read with comprehension.

How to accomplish this, though? I may be asking for the impossible. Adolescents have, on occasion, been known to say, “No one understands me!” And, a time or two, we adults may have said something like, “Talking to my teenager is like talking to a wall!” If adults and adolescents can’t find a way to communicate then (no “a”) Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory on learning becomes null and void. I think Donna E. Alvermann, in Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice (2007), is on to something. She cautions us to treat adolescents as young people that possess expertise in the spaces and situations they occupy. Adolescents are not “not-yet adults,” but rather young people worthy of contributing to the human dialogue through multimodal means.

For adolescents and adults to communicate, we must agree to meet in a symbolic space that may include the use of text messages, social media, or blogs. Yes, folks, you may have to get a Twitter account. Within this space, as we exchange information, we may take a few shortcuts with the language, which in my (new and improved) book isn’t so bad. What’s important is that we’re writing and reading and speaking with one another. We’re communicating, and thus creating new knowledge. OMG! We r lrnng! LOL

Until next week … Fight On!

Part of the reason I chose the MAT@USC program is because I am very interested in reform and policy making, and one of the foci of USC’s program is on problems of practice within the field of education.  So far, I have learned a lot about the realities of issues that teachers face in their classrooms everyday in this country.  I know that the academic perspective that I am acquiring will sometimes be challenged and sometimes be reinforced once I move into the Guided Practice (student teaching) segment of the program.

I am excited about gaining experience in the classroom so that when (if!) I move into an administrative position, I will know what it is like to be a teacher in a classroom.  These of course, are my plans for right now.  Maybe I will enter a classroom and never want to leave!  Who knows?  But I am definitely interested in problems of practice and possible solutions.

This week will be my first week back in a classroom since the Framing Course.  This will be my first opportunity to apply knowledge about learning diversity, learning theory, and problems of practice that I have acquired in the program to classroom observations. I’m looking forward to it!

As an aside, I had the opportunity to hear Cindy McCain (USC Rossier Alumna!) speak about problems of practice in the field of education at the Rossier 100th Anniversary Gala. Rossier is establishing a travel fellowship in her name for future MAT@USC students! Here is a link to a news article about the Gala.

I try to keep myself as up to date as possible on the issues facing education, whether it be through the newspaper, radio, or in class.  In California, education seems to be a hot topic and in the news daily.  A recent article in the Los Angeles Times with the headline “Female teachers may pass on math anxiety to girls, study finds” caught my attention for many reasons.  One: I am a teacher. Two: I am female.  Three: I love math.

In one of my classes, I was asked to recount my own experiences with math from elementary school through college.  Surely, I must have encountered female elementary teachers with math anxiety yet I have always enjoyed math. I realize that I had an unusual amount of math support and encouragement at home from my mother, the math teacher, but the thought never entered my mind that girls were somehow less capable of doing math.

Perhaps positive support from a female figure is what girls need to feel confident in their math abilities. Or maybe we are seeing the effects of women still working their way to job equality.  After all, we’re only a few decades removed from a time when women weren’t commonly found in math/science jobs (Translation…children seeking homework help are told to “ask their father” and thus equate math ability with being male).  Of course, maybe it isn’t either of these reasons.  But it’s something I like to ponder.  How am I affecting my female students’ confidence in math, and how can I help them not only succeed but soar?  I look forward to learning more about how I can contribute to all my students’ success both in class and in talking with my classmates.

Until next time, Fight On!