Class is over...

What a wonderful class this past week!!!  I got to reconnect with friends from various schools... travel to a museum and play in the dress up section... and gain a WHOLE bunch more knowledge.  


For starters, I learned all about how railroads developed the West.  VERY interesting!  Dr. Carlos Schwantes was an amazing speaker, discussing how the West wasn't developed, and railroad companies had to determine how our western portion of America was to be laid out.  These same railroad managers are actually who created time zones and where the time zones would be located.  THEN, he gave another presentation on how our society had been altered based on our transportation methods.  We talked about airplanes, railroads, etc.  SO fantastic!!!!


After our amazing trip to the museum, we were welcomed back with more presentations.  Dr. Ruth Cowen Schwartz gave two amazing presentations on the changing roles of women throughout American History AND their involvement in technology.  One of the most interesting sections was women's role in contraception.  SO fascinating!!  It was actually headed by a lady who, after getting married, found out her husband was schizophrenic and beginning his first break.  She didn't want to be forced to have children only to continue to pass the disease, since schizophrenia is hereditary.  So, being a wealthy, intelligent female, she worked with one other lady to fight against the Comstock Laws (banned the advertisement, sales, etc. of ALL contraception)... and the ladies were successful.  THEN they began working towards the development of a contraceptive pill in order to reduce pregnancies in third world countries!  The ladies realized that these countries needed to reduce the number of babies born in order to improve the conditions of these countries.  So fascinating! (At least to this nerd).  Finally, we had a presentation by a local museum curator who talked about the history of our city in comparison with the development of other neighboring cities.  VERY fun stuff!  Especially since I'm not originally from this area, I have the chance to learn more about this region.


Now, my final assignments will come from fun time in the local achieves. Love it!


The only down side of the week... my principal called to discuss next year's classes.  Because of the new pay for performance plan, if my students don't pass the tests they won't get credit for the class EVEN if they do amazing in the class!  My district is making me sooooo mad!!  And I feel bad because I know my principal isn't in favor of these new changes.  He knows that these choices are going to be very harmful to our students but he has no choice.  I am so very upset by this! But there's nothing I can do... and the ones that will suffer are my students.  I don't understand how our superintendent can be so blind.  He has an image of what a student is... he/she is a perfect angel who has a strong desire to excel at everything, comes from a happy and healthy family with no outside problems, etc.  Even though he understands that he works in a school district of a more impoverished population, he still believes that all kids learn the same way and there is no excuse for why a teacher can't get through to 100% of his/her students.  Sometimes I just think he needs a HUGE wake up call!  No student learns the same.  No student fits perfected into a round hole... they're all different shapes with different styles and backgrounds and needs.  I really think you should only be in control of educational systems if you were a longer term educator... not 2 years of teaching.  I've taught for 2 years so far, and I really don't think that I've even hit the tip of the iceberg with  how much I still have to learn about students and education. 


Oi... vay