Teacher's Lounge: Refocusing

An educated mind is an opened mind. An opened mind is a liberal mind. Teachers don't have to intend to create liberals, it happens naturally.

On the inside:

• Refocusing (an essay)
• Links to other education-related stories.
• As always, the topics will be whatever you want to discuss and there will be good community.

It's not for teachers only.

Door's Open...

Refocusing

Don't get me wrong.  If there were not winter breaks, I'd not have survived to be as old as I am.  I've spent the last month or so of every semester with my mind on its knees begging for rest.  But rest never happens.  It can't.  I'm a teacher.

Being a teacher is a 24/7 thing.  One doesn't turn one's mind off when not in the classroom.  One eats, sleeps and dreams teaching.    At least I have always assumed other people are like me.

So when "rest time" comes, all that really happens is refocusing.  The time is meant to be used and the teacher in me will fill it with work.  

It has never been the case that there is nothing to do.  There are the things I should have done.  There is always a looming Next Big Thing that I should have started by now but haven't.

And all too soon classes start again.  I'm sure most of the public school teachers are already back at work.  We college professors have another couple of weeks...which we will fill with work of some kind.  Syllabi are due.  I have a new prep this coming semester and really should do a runthrough of everything so that I will be able to anticipate possible problems.

There are the three students who received incompletes...who have one month left in which to "complete."  A letter of recommendation to grad school needs to be written.

Over there is the door behind which Critical Thinking lies lurking, ready to be the death of me.  In its way is the ugly visage of Assessment.  I look in that direction and wonder what in my life I did to deserve being saddled with these burdens.

In a stray moment, I wonder about the possibility of stealing some moments to work on family and relationship and manage to wonder why I have no rubric for these.  

And then there is the Thief of Time, the person who wrote this little piece instead of spending a Saturday morning doing some of that overwhelming stack of work, the Me who fills the nooks and crannies of that other life with thoughts that insist upon being written...sometime, the Me who has a story to tell and who doesn't want to spend any more time waiting to tell it.

That Me will soon have to be chained so that refocusing can occur.  School happens.  Education must be served.

--Robyn Elaine Serven
--Bloomfield College, NJ

Education Round-up:  I've categorized. For examples of People Teaching, please visit What have you got to learn? (or teach) ANNIVERSARY free coffee and champagne! by plf515 Philosophy and Politics Bloomberg as "Unity" candidate? I don't think so. by textus TAG: You're not it by Citizen Rat The Tale of Two John Edwards by iowafarmboy Stories:  Ourselves and Others History for Kossacks: Acoustic Pooties by Unitary Moonbat Is Our Children Learning? (2007 Wrap Up) by Ruben Salazar Embracing Chaos by Karen Hedwig Backman Back in the Trenches (Is Our Children Learning? Week 16) by Ruben Salazar Is Our Children Learning?: Class Meeting by Ruben Salazar Freedom and Justice on Campus High School Hijinks - First Amendment Issue or Just Stupid? by Richard Cranium School Integration 2007; A Difficult Proposition by Forgiven NCLB/Department of Education/Standardized Testing/Assessment The OBR and NCA: Leaving College Students Behind-One Bullet Point at a Time by Citizen Rat Bush to be first president to tour disasters he created! Breaking! by iconoclastic cat Money None.  I thought about the diary about how Coach June Jones deserves to be paid more money at the University of Hawaii, but declined.  Don't get me wrong.  I went to school with June Jones at Portland State University and wish him the best, but that was not a diary about education. Action, Advocacy and Information Better Days Ahead by Asinus Asinum Fricat I Need a Hero by janefleming The Davos Question by j0ek0s

I'll be hanging around most of the day, actively waiting for your comments (actually, I'll be working in another program, but I'm close by), so at least one person will be here to discuss whatever anyone wants to discuss.

The Not-so-many Rules No general bashing of administrators, politicians, etc, just on general principles. If you want to bash them, have a point and a plan. No bitching about students unless you're talking about what you are going to do to alleviate the problems you think the students have. Introductions are encouraged, but not essential. I have no investment in hosting the Teacher's Lounge. If someone else thinks they can and wants to do it better, cool.  I just want the space. And not for teachers only, but respecting the general theme of teaching and learning. Teacher's Lounge can be "slow blogging" if you want it to be.  You don't get quality writing if you demand velocity.  It doesn't have to be the case that something posted today is dead by tomorrow. I would like it to eventually be up and active 24/7, but that may have to wait until I have developed an independent blog site.

Every Saturday I'll post a clean slate, around 12 noon EST.