Can't Stop. Won't Stop.

Dear Lord I love teaching high school kids. I also love thinking about history, of ourselves, and of other people far across the world. And I love talking about it..with high school kids..because they are crazy, and it is fantastic.  And I have zero intentions to stop. Can't stop. Won't stop.

So this article was a good read for me.
Periodically I will come across articles such as these.  Essentially, this writer is explaining how the institutional nature of public schools, and its dependence on politics, creates an untenable situation for modern teachers.  That the static is overwhelming the signal in many classrooms. And much of this is true, and I have sometimes felt that the extraneous requirements of a public educator can make for long days.

So, maybe instituting the punk rock approach to teaching is even more urgent now than ever.  The true punk rock models that I have admired do not simply reject all elements of the mainstream institution - instead they use the institutional tools to create something new.  Both Chapel Hill's Merge Records, and Washington DC's Dischord Records continue to put  out amazing records by some incredible punk and indie rock bands.  And they have continued to thrive, and fulfill their mission by both sticking to their DIY ethos, while also adopting some elements of the modern music industry, including online purchasing - and the resurgence of vinyl.  Even Ryan Adams formed his own record label PAX-AM so that he could put out as many recordings as his heart desires (which, it turns out, is many).

These are pathways that we can emulate in teaching.  Large institutions like a public school system have much available space in which we can innovate.  Actually, in my experience, most leaders are looking for new ideas, and success stories - and unlike most jobs, teachers spend 6-8 hours a day in small workshop studios (classrooms), full of energy, that are begging for new ideas. We can use this space to cultivate and share ideas, and build a movement from the ground up. 

So, instead of leaving the profession - I believe it is time to double down on building relationships that inspire us to create. And let's invite the people to us, to witness our movement in these schools. Let's build something for us, by us - to serve our community with energy and enthusiasm. 

Costa Rica

There are many valid reasons to have year round school.  I actually am a proponent of the year round schedule, as I believe that it has the potential to create a more complete balance in our scheduling for time off - without losing so much content.  But, man I love having a true break in the summer months...

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

You see, it is no great secret that we teachers get paid less than most jobs that require a specialized college degree.  One of the reasons is that we work 10-11 months.  But, few other professional jobs require the level of performance/engagement/energy that teaching does, on a daily basis.  

Surfing-O-Rama

As a teacher - it is simply not possible to report to work, hunker down at the computer and crank out your obligations.  We walk in to a room with at least 25 people staring at you and challenging you waiting for leadership.  As much as I love teaching, the daily grind of it is truly exhausting.  So, taking care of myself is one of the most important skills that I have tried to learn.  The summer break is the best time to seek out my folly, and recharge. I always have a summer reading list that focuses my mind - but my favorite activity is travel.  This summer, my wife (with other friends) got the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica for a week.  I have written extensively about my constant need for travel, and our return to Latin America for the first time in 15 years (we visited Aruba in 2001) was incredibly exciting.

I love to see new places, and obviously have worked diligently to create more opportunities for annual student travel (Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans).  But most importantly, traveling abroad is just a great practice to place ourselves in new circumstances that create opportunities for growth.  This trip to Costa Rica absolutely checked that box for me, as our friends had done most of the planning - and we simply had to be open to the possibilities. 

Nuetstra Casita: best local Costa Rican food...ever

So, the new experiences were legion, and included some of these highlights:

• I actually had to have a lengthy conversation entirely in Spanish in order to buy my son a Costa Rica soccer jersey...and I pulled it off, barely (Thanks Senora Blythe!).
• I learned to surf from a guy named Gustavo. He was a great teacher, and I ended up going surfing again and again while there. 
• We watched a fair amount of The Firm in Spanish, while waiting in a shack to board a tiny boat to Bula Bula - an old hotel/restaurant a few miles up Las Baulas National Park Estuary (infested with crocodiles). 
• We found some amazing local eats at Nuestra Casita - where we dined on the local staple of Casado (rice and beans and fish).
• The sail boat ride out to a secluded bay - where we saw sea turtles, went swimming in the crystal blue Pacific, and ate Casado. 

So how has this trip impacted my teaching, which is my passion?

First: though international travel can be informative, and answer many questions- I feel that it mostly serves to illicit more questions. I came home from Costa Rica hungry to learn, see, and do more. So though I have gained more knowledge of this country that I can share with my students- my primary hope is that I can exude enthusiasm and curiosity for new places - and better show these ties that bind all of us together.