As a teenager, I was a wannabe renegade anarchist punk with spiked green hair and piercings … and to be honest ... in my mid-40s that unsettled angst can resurface.
Yesterday, in reflecting upon how the academic year is going, I lost my ever-loving mind and had a rage against the machine moment and steadfastly acknowledged that “stuff” needs to change – not just for my sanity, but so that some actual real learning can take place in my classroom.
According to my curriculum map, I am supposed to start Gatsby with my juniors on Monday.
You oughta seen the look in their eyes when I told them this.
While my AP kids are rockstars, my Regents students got the pandemic double whammy of intellectual disengagement and apathy.
Here’s a certain truth – if I roll out Gatsby on Monday – I’m probably not going to ignite many fires.
So much of what is stipulated … so much of what I am mandated to teach feels completely misaligned with the lives of my students.
And for certain … hence the apathy and disengagement.
I think that there is a wonderful opportunity in probing why so many of our students have checked out.
What I did was create a unit that explores the following essential question: to what extent does your current level of motivation align with your future goals?
I gathered a few articles that take a psychological and sociological look into this.
I even have a really cool electronic survey that measures and assesses where students are at.
In terms of the essay, it’s pretty neat in that it is one-part personal reflection while also incorporating synthesis.
So, in today’s video I “Bob Ross” for you and your students how to incorporate my templates from start to finish while constructing the essay.
I can’t wait to launch into this!
It feels relevant and responsible, especially with what we know about SEL.
Gatsby can wait.
Here’s the link to the writing workshop that I have posted in my YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBexUQ2t7OY
If you’d like the accompanying material such as the articles, survey, and PowerPoint featured in the video – shoot me an email and I’ll send everything your way.
Happy teaching and happy writing!
Kristian
https://teachinghow2write.com/
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