I am currently having my leadership students make videos relating to the Bully Project after having watched the documentary Bully.
Here is one of the videos.
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Thursday, April 04, 2013
The Great Gatsby
Monday, January 31, 2011
Another Reason Teachers Are Needed
Last Friday, I offered my students extra credit if they were to buy their own copies of the next novel we would be reading in class: The Great Gatsby and 1984, for my juniors and seniors respectively.
Today in class, a number of students told me that they went to Barnes & Noble and had a difficult time trying to find the book. They knew it was located in the fiction section, but when they looked up the title the book wasn't there. They were searching for the book by TITLE. My students assumed the store shelved books alphabetically by "title."
Immediately, I realized that they don't go to the library for books. Heck, our school even moved out many of our books to a storage portable classroom. When we teach research skills, almost all the research is done electronically now. There is no logical mindset for our students, no rhyme or reason for how information is stored, particularly in the form of books.
I asked my students why they searched for it by title. Response: "Because that's what you do when you google search. You input what information you need to know." And this makes a whole lot of sense from their point-of-view. They are accustomed to instant access. Put in the key word in the search box and suddenly a list of responses spews forth. The thought that the non-digital world works the same way makes perfect sense.
so what does this mean and why am I bothered?
Students rarely ever read, much less go to a bookstore to buy a book. If they enter one, it's probably to go to the cafe and grab a coffee and red velvet cupcake. Just about any day of the year, a U.S. resident can pick up a newspaper and read that American scores are falling and we're lagging sorely behind the rest of the world. America's best students may still be able to compete with the world elite, but the student majority seem to lack motivation.
I often wonder why is it that I felt compelled to learn when I was a student, why was I willing to do what many of my students are not, what changed in the world/society in the past 20 years since I graduated from high school. Maybe, the Cold War and the Nuclear Arms Race pushed my generation into making math & science a priority. I did grow up next to an army base and the military was an omnipresent entity during my formative years. I feel like my generation grew up with a bit of fear in our hearts. As kids, we saw watched "The Day After" on TV and began to consider the flight time and paths of ICBM's in Siberia. We were pushed to learn, for if we didn't, we may not survive. War, natural disaster, famine... many generations seems to have been marked by some kind of moment, whether it was Vietnam, the Cuban Missle Crisis, World Wars, the Great Depression, Industrial Revolution (and that's just the 20th century). I wonder if today's teenagers have anything to truly fear.
I realize that the 90s began with the Bay Area recovering from the Loma Prieta Quake of '89. As the area tried to heal, our school's rival football game, the Bell Game, experienced a bomb blowing up the scoreboard just before half time. A couple months later, my classmates and I were fixated to the images on CNN when the U.S. went into Iraq for the first time. The decade continued, and as the Bay Area recovered, prosperity came with an economic boom largely due to Silicon Valley. Yet, teenagers at our school soon learned about tragedy when the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado arrived at the end of the decade.
The world transformed as the internet became accessible to the masses. Emails and chatrooms allowed long distance instant communication. Pagers allowed people to get in touch and develop a pager language which is now supplanted by texting. And with cell phones, the tethers to being a grounded person were broken and freedom of access to the world created new visions. Students were born into a new technological world, and instant gratification of food, text, youtube, social networking created new invisible tethers in which a perfect world continues as long as an electric pulse courses through our digital veins.
I wonder if today's teenagers feel any sense of purpose, drive. Terrorism once was a mark for my students to instill some of that fear, but even that didn't seem to take a firm hold with the enemy being elusive and without a constant face or symbol to rally against. Anything that may have been something to fear now only appears to as a surreal image that belonged in a film. I remember the most common comment from all my students after 9/11 was that it felt like they were watching a movie.
Our world seems detached from itself. No matter how closely we may be connected through a wireless network populated with hundreds of psuedofriends on Facebook, students do not really know how to communicate. Students don't even talk to teach other. They don't have those nights I grew up having when I would sneak on the phone in the kitchen and stretch out the cord to the next room so I could stealthily have a conversation with my newest infatuation. They text each other and say LOL without experiencing any real laughter. Why say LOL when you could just laugh?
Almost every vision they have now seems to be provided by some director (the media, the film, the internet). The ability to imagine a story is nearly impossible for many teenagers. They want to be force fed and told how to view something rather than paint an image for themselves. Every time I have a student ask for the movie of a certain story or book, I ask why? So they can "see" the story. I remind them that they are only being shown one person's, one media source's perspective. Isn't this true of an author writing a book as well? But the students need to construct and build their own walls instead of trapping themselves within artificial ones.
One of the biggest points I try to make in class about reading is this. Why would so many conquerors destroy a defeated enemy's books, take them out to the town square and burn them? Why would leaders and governments censor the news or try to control it? Why are they throwing away a right for which so many gave their lives? A right they learn about personally form Frederick Douglass' Autobiography. Why are they allowing themselves to be subjugated to the whims of whoever controls the information?
I can only hope that reading 1984 will help open their own eyes.
Today in class, a number of students told me that they went to Barnes & Noble and had a difficult time trying to find the book. They knew it was located in the fiction section, but when they looked up the title the book wasn't there. They were searching for the book by TITLE. My students assumed the store shelved books alphabetically by "title."
Immediately, I realized that they don't go to the library for books. Heck, our school even moved out many of our books to a storage portable classroom. When we teach research skills, almost all the research is done electronically now. There is no logical mindset for our students, no rhyme or reason for how information is stored, particularly in the form of books.
I asked my students why they searched for it by title. Response: "Because that's what you do when you google search. You input what information you need to know." And this makes a whole lot of sense from their point-of-view. They are accustomed to instant access. Put in the key word in the search box and suddenly a list of responses spews forth. The thought that the non-digital world works the same way makes perfect sense.
so what does this mean and why am I bothered?
Students rarely ever read, much less go to a bookstore to buy a book. If they enter one, it's probably to go to the cafe and grab a coffee and red velvet cupcake. Just about any day of the year, a U.S. resident can pick up a newspaper and read that American scores are falling and we're lagging sorely behind the rest of the world. America's best students may still be able to compete with the world elite, but the student majority seem to lack motivation.
I often wonder why is it that I felt compelled to learn when I was a student, why was I willing to do what many of my students are not, what changed in the world/society in the past 20 years since I graduated from high school. Maybe, the Cold War and the Nuclear Arms Race pushed my generation into making math & science a priority. I did grow up next to an army base and the military was an omnipresent entity during my formative years. I feel like my generation grew up with a bit of fear in our hearts. As kids, we saw watched "The Day After" on TV and began to consider the flight time and paths of ICBM's in Siberia. We were pushed to learn, for if we didn't, we may not survive. War, natural disaster, famine... many generations seems to have been marked by some kind of moment, whether it was Vietnam, the Cuban Missle Crisis, World Wars, the Great Depression, Industrial Revolution (and that's just the 20th century). I wonder if today's teenagers have anything to truly fear.
I realize that the 90s began with the Bay Area recovering from the Loma Prieta Quake of '89. As the area tried to heal, our school's rival football game, the Bell Game, experienced a bomb blowing up the scoreboard just before half time. A couple months later, my classmates and I were fixated to the images on CNN when the U.S. went into Iraq for the first time. The decade continued, and as the Bay Area recovered, prosperity came with an economic boom largely due to Silicon Valley. Yet, teenagers at our school soon learned about tragedy when the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado arrived at the end of the decade.
The world transformed as the internet became accessible to the masses. Emails and chatrooms allowed long distance instant communication. Pagers allowed people to get in touch and develop a pager language which is now supplanted by texting. And with cell phones, the tethers to being a grounded person were broken and freedom of access to the world created new visions. Students were born into a new technological world, and instant gratification of food, text, youtube, social networking created new invisible tethers in which a perfect world continues as long as an electric pulse courses through our digital veins.
I wonder if today's teenagers feel any sense of purpose, drive. Terrorism once was a mark for my students to instill some of that fear, but even that didn't seem to take a firm hold with the enemy being elusive and without a constant face or symbol to rally against. Anything that may have been something to fear now only appears to as a surreal image that belonged in a film. I remember the most common comment from all my students after 9/11 was that it felt like they were watching a movie.
Our world seems detached from itself. No matter how closely we may be connected through a wireless network populated with hundreds of psuedofriends on Facebook, students do not really know how to communicate. Students don't even talk to teach other. They don't have those nights I grew up having when I would sneak on the phone in the kitchen and stretch out the cord to the next room so I could stealthily have a conversation with my newest infatuation. They text each other and say LOL without experiencing any real laughter. Why say LOL when you could just laugh?
Almost every vision they have now seems to be provided by some director (the media, the film, the internet). The ability to imagine a story is nearly impossible for many teenagers. They want to be force fed and told how to view something rather than paint an image for themselves. Every time I have a student ask for the movie of a certain story or book, I ask why? So they can "see" the story. I remind them that they are only being shown one person's, one media source's perspective. Isn't this true of an author writing a book as well? But the students need to construct and build their own walls instead of trapping themselves within artificial ones.
One of the biggest points I try to make in class about reading is this. Why would so many conquerors destroy a defeated enemy's books, take them out to the town square and burn them? Why would leaders and governments censor the news or try to control it? Why are they throwing away a right for which so many gave their lives? A right they learn about personally form Frederick Douglass' Autobiography. Why are they allowing themselves to be subjugated to the whims of whoever controls the information?
I can only hope that reading 1984 will help open their own eyes.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Another reason to be a teacher pt. 2
Particularly on the eve of another school year, I need to remind myself of the joys of teaching and forget the summer daze. Just last night I already had a dream of my lessons for the first day. I could see the ninth graders in their desks waiting for the day to end as their thoughts drift back to waking up late. Maybe a handful of them a bit concerned with "what is high school?" Maybe, there will be a few students like me, who thought eighth grade was "the best of times; the worst of times" and the promise of high school will be a welcome relief... though mine started with feelings of discombobulation, I ultimately discovered the foundation of who I am now.
Many teachers keep a brag box. I think I've mentioned this before in a previous blog. When times are difficult, the box holds many of the mementos amassed over the years that remind us teachers that what we do is important. Every year, I ask my students to write me an evaluation based on their learning experience and my teaching style. Many are positive, but I am indebted to those students who provide constructive criticism so that I may improve for the next year. Every now and then though, I receive an evaluation written from a much different perspective. I asked Raisa if it would be okay with her if I shared it on my blog, and she agreed happily. So now I share with you -- her words...
Hi Mr. Padilla! So, I decided to send my appreciation and gratitude through a sonnet.
I’m sorry if it contains many errors and is not the best but I’m hoping that whatever I learned in your class through hard work will pay off somewhat in this sonnet. I just want you to know that I’ve enjoyed your class, its moments, discussions and debates.
Your style of teaching is probably the most unique and unforgettable. The stories, thoughts, and styles of thinking has given off a tremendous effect on my attitude towards everything. Thank you so much for all that you’ve taught and I wish you the best of luck with future classes!
Many teachers keep a brag box. I think I've mentioned this before in a previous blog. When times are difficult, the box holds many of the mementos amassed over the years that remind us teachers that what we do is important. Every year, I ask my students to write me an evaluation based on their learning experience and my teaching style. Many are positive, but I am indebted to those students who provide constructive criticism so that I may improve for the next year. Every now and then though, I receive an evaluation written from a much different perspective. I asked Raisa if it would be okay with her if I shared it on my blog, and she agreed happily. So now I share with you -- her words...
Hi Mr. Padilla! So, I decided to send my appreciation and gratitude through a sonnet.
We are a class not small yet not so large
We started out quiet, simple and shy
Walking into the room, we would not barge
Sitting in desks with no noise or reply
And out comes our teacher well dressed and sane
He introduces himself to the class
Listening at desks we chose to remain
We need to learn to break out of our glass
A few days pass and it all starts to shift
As Life Soundtracks teach about each other
Connecting the pieces that cause a drift
Relating as friend, sister or brother
Soon we learn our sane teacher’s crazy side
Catching some people with immense surprise
We release emotions we cannot hide
It may be laughs, giggles, and even cries
He taught to think in ways we never could
Expanding our thoughts out and beyond
Not understanding on whether we should
Go on like ocean or stop like a pond
Through him we learned life, language, history
Facts, people, sports, and games, also,
Science, words, understanding mystery
And comprehending the film Vertigo
Sweet, crazy and kind with soft heart within
Rough, sensitive, and loud with energy
Acting evil with mischievous grin
Child like features revealed for us to see
He may not be a saint or a preacher
But I’m so glad he’s my English teacher.
We started out quiet, simple and shy
Walking into the room, we would not barge
Sitting in desks with no noise or reply
And out comes our teacher well dressed and sane
He introduces himself to the class
Listening at desks we chose to remain
We need to learn to break out of our glass
A few days pass and it all starts to shift
As Life Soundtracks teach about each other
Connecting the pieces that cause a drift
Relating as friend, sister or brother
Soon we learn our sane teacher’s crazy side
Catching some people with immense surprise
We release emotions we cannot hide
It may be laughs, giggles, and even cries
He taught to think in ways we never could
Expanding our thoughts out and beyond
Not understanding on whether we should
Go on like ocean or stop like a pond
Through him we learned life, language, history
Facts, people, sports, and games, also,
Science, words, understanding mystery
And comprehending the film Vertigo
Sweet, crazy and kind with soft heart within
Rough, sensitive, and loud with energy
Acting evil with mischievous grin
Child like features revealed for us to see
He may not be a saint or a preacher
But I’m so glad he’s my English teacher.
I’m sorry if it contains many errors and is not the best but I’m hoping that whatever I learned in your class through hard work will pay off somewhat in this sonnet. I just want you to know that I’ve enjoyed your class, its moments, discussions and debates.
Your style of teaching is probably the most unique and unforgettable. The stories, thoughts, and styles of thinking has given off a tremendous effect on my attitude towards everything. Thank you so much for all that you’ve taught and I wish you the best of luck with future classes!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Drumline Battle Answer #5 - O Captain, My Captain
Well, Lance is now posting his answers to the battle. He actually explains how all this started better than me. He went straight to his all-time favorite speech in a film. Therefore, I have no choice but to place my favorite finale to a film (Cinema Paradiso, The Empire Strikes Back and The Usual Suspects rank right up there though). The movie that helped make me what I am.
I remember watching this movie in the theater towards the end of my sophomore year in high school. I think E, M, C, LL, and Emo were with me. I hated the movie when it first began because the Chem book kept popping up all through the film and it was the same text we used in our Chem H class. But the movie brought everything from my Freshman year English class full circle. I knew writing a poem helped me rediscover my identity, yet this film helped me realize I could also reach out to others.
I remember watching this movie in the theater towards the end of my sophomore year in high school. I think E, M, C, LL, and Emo were with me. I hated the movie when it first began because the Chem book kept popping up all through the film and it was the same text we used in our Chem H class. But the movie brought everything from my Freshman year English class full circle. I knew writing a poem helped me rediscover my identity, yet this film helped me realize I could also reach out to others.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
D & D (teachers doing spoken word... sorta)
I just can't say no to anything this year. I had to support our first ever E.Y.E. hip hop/spoken word showcase. If you read my earlier blogs, you'll know that I was too busy to try and write a piece just for this evening. However, my teacher buddy neighbor had an idea. Let's do a piece in which we poke fun of the students and comment on their comments to us. Say our little poem is called "Do You Have Any Questions?"
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Inspi(red)
Inspi(red)
the El Camino version of the NBA "Where Amazing Happens" commercials
here's the Golden State Warriors version in order to compare
Welcome to the INSPI(RED) Campaign!
This past summer at our CADA leadership summer training camp, along with previous ideas from past Conferences I had attended, my students and I formulated a new idea/mission/theme for the school year 2007-2008.
We combined the ideas of the RED campaign (we did call and ask for permission, although they seemed rather surprised we did ask, but they didn't mind as long as we were doing our part for the Global AIDS fund), got milk?, the homecoming service components that existed at a couple of other schools, and a variety of other ideas. We took the idea of a one word theme (which came from Richard Parkhouse one of the educations services people at Jostens and former activities director) and selected Inspired, in large part because it ended in RED.
The idea was to find a slogan/motto/theme which the students and faculty could get behind. Although we had doubts initially, the favorable response of the staff encouraged us to execute the idea. The commercial above is just one of the many ways we've begun to reach out to our students, alumni, and community.
We now have Inspired students of the week/month. The theme of our fashion show was "(Red)esign with style" and many of the flyers that promote school events now include a red word. We had two weeks devoted to the concept as mentioned in my blog entitled "March Madness." Overall, a great idea that my students have run with and it has helped make for a more interesting year. One of the homecoming competitions was to raise funds for a childhood charity. The penny wars battle was held for the first time in years. So far, the school has raised over $4000 for various charities with more than half of that going to the leukemia society.
The theme song has been the Goo Goo Dolls' "Give a Little."
Here's a clip from the 2005 NBA all-star festivities
Take a look at some graphics. The first two pictures are flyers posted around school and the third is our t-shirt design.
A special thanks to my CTS/AV commissioners for making the video and flyers.
the El Camino version of the NBA "Where Amazing Happens" commercials
here's the Golden State Warriors version in order to compare
Welcome to the INSPI(RED) Campaign!
This past summer at our CADA leadership summer training camp, along with previous ideas from past Conferences I had attended, my students and I formulated a new idea/mission/theme for the school year 2007-2008.
We combined the ideas of the RED campaign (we did call and ask for permission, although they seemed rather surprised we did ask, but they didn't mind as long as we were doing our part for the Global AIDS fund), got milk?, the homecoming service components that existed at a couple of other schools, and a variety of other ideas. We took the idea of a one word theme (which came from Richard Parkhouse one of the educations services people at Jostens and former activities director) and selected Inspired, in large part because it ended in RED.
The idea was to find a slogan/motto/theme which the students and faculty could get behind. Although we had doubts initially, the favorable response of the staff encouraged us to execute the idea. The commercial above is just one of the many ways we've begun to reach out to our students, alumni, and community.
We now have Inspired students of the week/month. The theme of our fashion show was "(Red)esign with style" and many of the flyers that promote school events now include a red word. We had two weeks devoted to the concept as mentioned in my blog entitled "March Madness." Overall, a great idea that my students have run with and it has helped make for a more interesting year. One of the homecoming competitions was to raise funds for a childhood charity. The penny wars battle was held for the first time in years. So far, the school has raised over $4000 for various charities with more than half of that going to the leukemia society.
The theme song has been the Goo Goo Dolls' "Give a Little."
Here's a clip from the 2005 NBA all-star festivities
Take a look at some graphics. The first two pictures are flyers posted around school and the third is our t-shirt design.
A special thanks to my CTS/AV commissioners for making the video and flyers.
Monday, March 17, 2008
EC Track Commercial
The video here and the one below are my leadership class' efforts at promotional videos around school. Here's the track team:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Nostalgia
Last Thursday, I happened to have to cover another teacher's class and it was in my former classroom. Although the room is drastically different (the office has been taken out of the room), I felt this nostalgia overwhelm me. Looking at the same trees out the window and going off on one of my mini-digressions to express my thoughts on students who say they're bored by reading, I remembered what it was like to be a new teacher again. Those early years seems far away now, especially since I've been attending the weddings of those former students. But as I eased into this nostalgic attitude, I recalled how much harder I was then and how my standards were more often met than they are now. The curriculum that I gave my first junior CP class when I student taught was handled more easily then the same curriculum now with the junior honors students. It makes me wonder about the state of education and all the various points a breakdown could occur in one's own learning process.
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