Behavioral Problems

Classroom management issues can be debilitating. When Monday rolls around, anticipating the arrival of a "difficult class" can rob your entire practice of a sense of joy. Of course, since there is no quality teaching without a sense of joy, the problem is compounded. If there is no colleague in the building to commiserate with, or no time to problem-solve classroom management issues, a bad situation can get worse.

How do we encourage young people to participate? How do we proceed when student behavior is disruptive? How can we transform our relationship to students so that classroom management is not about discipline?

In his book Encouraging Children to Learn, Rudolf Driekurs presents a radical re-thinking of our relationship to the concept of discipline. Instead of reward and punishment, he argues that children should be made aware of logical consequences for their behavior.

A radical idea.

In the news:

Detroit's unemployment rate nears 50%.

The number of people applying for Food Stamps is rising fast.

Uncertainty grows about whether the Imperial Senate will be able to pass a health care bill before 2010.

Goldman Sachs is having the best year ever!

Radical Love

Over at Unlocking the Classroom, I am following a series on Friere and the concept of love, as it relates to doing the work of a Teaching Artist.

In my experience, when someone starts talking about love in the classroom, people get nervous--which is kind of the point of the essay:

How appropriate is it that we, as teaching artists, theatre practitioners, actors, and educators explore and create our own vocabulary of love? Or are we too, ashamed of something that appears to be too gushy, silly, or emotional?"

I write this paper is because I want to know what love means for Freire, other educators, and me. Perhaps my exploration of my own definition of love will help you to agree, disagree, and ponder the meaning and concept of love within your own educational practice.

Must read.

Forget Your Troubles

Many of us are gay and other things. This brings up real and complex issues in our workplaces and if you don't think so that may be because no student has ever called out "faggot" while you were trying to save the world. It also may be because gay stuff makes you slightly uncomfortable. How should I know?

Anyway, I am making this LGBTQ day.

In case you were wondering, I'm Questioning.

How am I going to help make my workshop environments safer this year for everybody, including me?

The HMI/Harvey Milk High School After School Program offers arts and culture in a safe environment. 

The ACLU LGBT Project's Youth & Schools program has online information for students, parents, teachers, and school administrators. 

Also, a useful video called "That's So Gay" at the Working Group site on youtube.

Plus: Judy and Babs