Attitude Problem

I don't think it's a big secret that I have an attitude problem.

I spent a short amount of time as a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy. I did push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, screamed, yelled, ran, and even pissed in my pants trying to be a good follower. One of the few things I remember from the Academy is one line on my basic training performance evaluation: Attitude problem.

I've tried to keep it in check for the last two and a half years, as I'm in the one silly little profession that grants tenure after three years. I've done pretty well according to my own standards, but people say stupid stuff, people do stupid stuff, people ask me to do stupid stuff, and then my mouth says stupid stuff.

Let me clarify: In general I don't respect my elders. I do believe that they have a lot of life experience and a lot of good things to say. I don't believe they are right. They usually know that I don't think that they are right. Attitude problem.

Let me clarify: My school has created a new reading group program. Students signed up for books to read, were assigned a group according to those books, and were told to read with their group for 40 minutes a day. Sounds great to me. I love to read. Half of my reading group skipped class today. Their parents excused them. The school has no recourse. The students have no consequences.

Let me clarify: Students at my school are not allowed to wear their hats backwards, because it is a sign of gang behavior. Gangsters wear their hats forwards with a flat bill still adorned with the sticker that came on it. So do my students. The principal wears a bolo tie.

That's enough. I think I can be at peace and go to bed now.

Writing is Thinking

As one of my good friends often says, writing is thinking. I'll not explain, google it if you want to know more. My point, instead, is this: I haven't had any time to write and haven't had any time to think.

I set up this blog in the summer when I had a little extra time. My intention was to help drive my thinking about educational technology as I went through the school year. All of that intention was blown away within the first week of school. Before the students even showed up.

There is too much going on here at our high school. Too many directions. Too many agendas. Too many solutions. Every teacher seems to agree on this fact, but that doesn't seem to matter.

The good news is that I haven't heard talk of technology or twenty-first century skills all year. Or wait, isn't that the bad news?

Time to sit and think about this for a minute.