Christmas in Ghana and Togo

Back in 2002 I was a member of a U.S. delegation of speakers/teachers/preachers to a Christian conference and camp meeting in the COUNTRY of Ghana on the CONTINENT of Africa. I taught a class numbering in the thousands on the camp grounds of this West African Christian conference. I remember having to teach slowly, speaking in phrases so that my two translators could translate my lesson into the various dialects and languages that the native Ghanians spoke.

I also remember the fact that I spent my first Christmas away from home. I spent that Christmas overseas and it was quite different for me.

Here are some pics from back then (coincidently enough on #tbt)

#ClassOnGeek

I believe that teaching and learning should be as experiential as possible. To that end, I try to make learning a pleasant and unforgettable experience!! From video chatting with experts to handling bugs, learning should be an unforgettable, positive experience!

Last Friday, we took a trip to a bug museum, Philly's Insectarium. Needless to say this was quite an experience.  Some of the brave kids and I ate mealworms, handled reptiles and an assortment of critters including a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach! (We also purchased one to be our class pet!)

Tuesday was our class "Read In". This is an event that I've put on with the kids for a 7th year. The focus is on extended reading for pleasure, while also enjoying some goodies! In the last week I've adopted the phrase and hashtag, our class is on geek (a spinoff from a newer slang term for "nice"---"fleek"). So my #ClassOnGeek and we're proud to be! Intelligent, witty, scholars, thinkers, movers and shakers!

"Pedagogilese"

So, I think I'm making up a word in pedagogilese, (ped-a-gog-a-lese) (sad, I know) to mean terms of or related to pedagogy (pedagogy meaning the practice of teaching and its theoretical framework).

Blah, blah, blah

I'm making up the word in order to emphasize how much I despise being told to frame lesson objectives on board space using pedagogilese. Acronyms and "teacher-words" mean nothing to the student. And it is my belief that ANYTHING that I put on a chalkboard, whiteboard, overhead, etc. is for the benefit of the student!

Using pedagogilese on a chalkboard in no way benefits students!

As a high school student, quite familiar with teaching, and as a pre-service teacher, I didn't even believe in putting objectives on the board, period. I saw no point. I've come around to doing it, even though I still don't consider it one of the ten necessary commandments of teaching and learning.

But *if* I'm going to put an objective on the board, it will be in the first person and it will kid-friendly language, student-lese, if you please!

What's paper mache?

Some of my 3rd graders wanted to present their 3D insects and other critters to the class, so I let them. One girl described her butterfly and said that she used paper mache.

The same kid who asked when they would have art, asked what paper mache was? His question reignited my disdain for those who chose not to fully fund our schools so that ALL of our schools could have BOTH a full time art teacher and music teacher!

I vented with the kids for a minute or so about how I wish that they had a real art class and not just Mr. Flemming trying to infuse art into our academic program. I told them of where the art suite used to be in the building and all of the space they would/could have to do a whole lot of art projects!

John B. Kelly does have an art teacher. Once a week. On Tuesdays. Well over 600, probably near 700 students in the building. I wonder if the schools in Lower Merion or Upper Dublin have a similar arrangement?

Why am I even typing this? Why is it that a quality art program is a luxury or something that we'd have to try and fit into the budget? This is ludicrous! smh

First thougts??

Mr. Backwards Hat with a gang sign?

OR

Young man who holds a Bachelors and Masters in Education, three teaching certificates including Secondary English and Reading Specialist, studies and speaks French with a certain degree of proficiency (since 7th grade), traveled to Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Switzerland, France, England, and Canada, loves teaching and will often get into character in a judge's robe, assume a rapper's mode, or even use street code to get his point across to his students?

Which one did you assume at first glance?

P.S. There are great educational raps out there, add a little spice to playing them by dancing, waving your hands, or throwing on a cap---backwards. Let them know you're a human, with rhythm....or not lol

We don't get books for homework...

As I sit and await the arrival of parents for report card conferences, I'm taking a look at the similarities and differences my students found between a one-room schoolhouse they read about and our school.

One difference a child listed, "They get books/We don't get books for homework."

Hashtag Activism

My little post-script to what I just wrote re: my not being able to breathe...

I tried to read some #CrimingWhileWhite tweets and saw that #ICantBreathe was also making the hashtag activism circuit as well and I'm all for it. I have nothing against this show of solidarity, unity, and sounding of the proverbial clarion call. I couldn't get as involved as I normally would have, because I was too "done" with everything. I'm all for the outcry, I have my share of outcrying (and, to be honest, real tear drop moments...)

But what next?
Now what?

We've marched, shed light, shared stories, exposed bias, passed certain laws, reviewed policies, now what?

Wait?
Hope?
Wish?
Die?