Happy to be a teacher

Here's all the news from Sarah-land that's fit to print.
Just got a new laptop (MacBook to replace our iMac), and it's taking me a while to get used to this keyboard. Fortunately it's not like other laptop keyboards, which I despise. Now I'll be able to take notes with something other than my mass of legal pads when I go to educational conferences and events. Some departments in my school have laptops, but since English is pretty stationary with only a couple of us sharing classrooms, they decided to go with the crummy, gigantic Dell monstrosities we have in our classrooms. God, I hate PCs.

Anywho, I just had the most awesome day ever. A fellow English teacher and I had four of our students win a statewide essay contest. The 25 winning students and their teachers were invited to a private reception with Thomas Friedman since his book The World is Flat was the subject of the the contest. We also got to bring our principal and assistant principal, who were completely thrilled. In addition to the reception for the essay winners, we also attended the educational forum afterward, which was attended by about 900 business and education leaders from around the state, but primarily the TC area. It was a $300 a head event, so the food was pretty darn awesome.

So the students, my coworker, and I got to listen to Friedman speak for a while, and during this time he mostly answered the students' questions. Then we got our certificates and posed for our picture with him. At the big event, we were divided up among a few tables with various business and education people. There were people representing Century College, Winona State, MNSCU, and some businesses at my table. They were very cool people and obviously used to this kind of networking event.

Now to the Friedman speech. I have not always agreed with everything he has to say about globalization and such, but his speech was phenomenal. Although many think he just touts math and science and the idea that all American youth should become engineers, he had some amazing things to say about the need for liberal arts education. He stressed the importance of art and creativity, and the message was very positive. It was not doomsday prophesy like other highly-paid speakers I have heard...

I left the event inspired, and I will definitely view Friedman in a different light from now on. Just as awesome as the event was the ride home. These four teenagers didn't stop talking the whole way back about how much fun they had and how awesome everything was. There's nothing quite like excited teenagers. It reminds me that this is why I went into education in the first place.

The Sad State of Affairs

As a teacher, I know that it's impossible to tell students to do one thing if you're going to do another.  Example: it would not work if I told my students to sit quietly if I sat on the phone in the back of the room chatting with a friend.  So where am I going with this?

In pondering the ever-present dilemma of public education in our country (i.e. we say it's important and yet underfund it), I have come to a conclusion:  Our administration is full of hypocrites and liars.  Nothing new, I know, but case in point:

A friend and coworker recently was named as a recipient of a huge national award.  So he was flown out to D.C. with teachers from every other state, and they had this whole agenda planned: Smithsonian, monuments, etc.  But the climax of the week-long event was a private reception with President Bush and a tour of the White House.  Each award winner would also receive a signed commendation from Bush.  

So he sends me a text the other night.  The reception with the President was cancelled.  Why?  Did he have to fly to Iraq to call off the war?  Was hiding in a secret bunker because of a terrorist threat?  Did Laura have the flu? Not quite.

Nope.  He had to meet with Super Bowl XLII Champions, the New York Football Giants.  Weak.  Seriously weak.  Our whole country is like those schools where the jocks and the dropouts are the popular ones (or Presidents) and the ones who work hard and achieve in other areas are brushed aside and never celebrated.

So while teachers are getting laid off and schools are having their funding cut because of poor test scores, our president says thanks to those who are working hard every day by canceling on them and hanging out with the football team.

But it wasn't so bad for my friend.  At least he got to meet Dick Cheney.