Acceptable Use Committee
I made the mistake of joining the committee regarding the Acceptable Use policy of the district.
"We need kids to know about Pencil Predators."
"Oh, I heard about that. They send notes to kids and then lure them in."
"Nice, what else?" our leader scribbles away at her tablet.
"Teach kids not to tear the goddam paper," a man says.
"Please, these are Victorian times," a woman says.
"This is a the U.S.A. I'll use whatever goddam language I choose. Just add the part about tearing paper."
"What if the goal isn't acceptable?" I ask.
They stare at me blankly.
"Yeah, what if it's about being ethical instead?"
"Okay, well anymore ideas?" the woman says.
"I'm not done. Why are we even here?" I ask.
"To craft an Acceptable Use policy."
"Yes, but numbers are used to marginalize people and we don't have an Acceptable Use policy for math. And kids get hurt in P.E. Where's the policy for that? Then, there's language art. If we're really serious about the art of language and the power words possess, why don't we have an Acceptable Use policy for that? Come to think of it, people have been abusing science to justify Social Darwinism and history is often used to justify injustice. So, why don't we create Acceptable Use policies for those subjects?"
The leader misses my point and says, "I think that's a brilliant idea. I'll bring that back to my supervisor. We should have Acceptable Use policies for all subjects."
Or we could teach students to be ethical critical thinkers.
"We need kids to know about Pencil Predators."
"Oh, I heard about that. They send notes to kids and then lure them in."
"Nice, what else?" our leader scribbles away at her tablet.
"Teach kids not to tear the goddam paper," a man says.
"Please, these are Victorian times," a woman says.
"This is a the U.S.A. I'll use whatever goddam language I choose. Just add the part about tearing paper."
"What if the goal isn't acceptable?" I ask.
They stare at me blankly.
"Yeah, what if it's about being ethical instead?"
"Okay, well anymore ideas?" the woman says.
"I'm not done. Why are we even here?" I ask.
"To craft an Acceptable Use policy."
"Yes, but numbers are used to marginalize people and we don't have an Acceptable Use policy for math. And kids get hurt in P.E. Where's the policy for that? Then, there's language art. If we're really serious about the art of language and the power words possess, why don't we have an Acceptable Use policy for that? Come to think of it, people have been abusing science to justify Social Darwinism and history is often used to justify injustice. So, why don't we create Acceptable Use policies for those subjects?"
The leader misses my point and says, "I think that's a brilliant idea. I'll bring that back to my supervisor. We should have Acceptable Use policies for all subjects."
Or we could teach students to be ethical critical thinkers.
My Comment:
In very classroom there are rules. They are set up to keep the student from doing things that they should not be doing. This is also true for the internet. There are so many things out there that students should not have access to during there time at the school. For example facebook and myspace are blocked at most schools. But so many students know how to work around the blocker. However rules are put into play to help our students. With out rules our classrooms would be in trouble.Mr. Spencer's Comment: @ Ashleigh - In my class, we have three rules (very vague): be respectful, be safe, work hard. I wouldn't even consider them rules. More like guiding principles. However, we have a smooth running class, because of the procedures and the clarity of academic expectations.
My Comment 1:
5 Reasons for Leaving the Pencil Conference
In the past, I've learned some neat things in the PIE Conference, including how to fold oragami, the wonders of colored pencils and how to use notebooking (yet another chance to turn a noun into a verb) for student learning. This year, however, I left a day early. I boarded the train and headed back to my wife and daughter and realized that I will grow more as a teacher spending a day with a two year old than with a crowded lecture hall full of experts.
Here are my reasons:
1. Many presenters I've met are unapproachable. Yes, they give nice speeches, but I've been disappointed that some of the ones who claim to love all the social media tools are quick to shy away from using those tools for honest discussion and debate. "Hey, you should use a pen pal network. But don't try and send me messages. I'm much too important than that."
2. Many presenters are arrogant. I can't listen to you if you are automatically the expert. I can't listen to you if you won't ask questions. I can't listen to you if you are unable to share some of your difficulties. If you believe that your job is to change me as a teacher, I'll kindly ask you to eff off and I'll listen to someone else. News flash: just because you got yourself an Edison Projector and fancy new phonograph doesn't mean you are now the Pope of Paper.
3. Many presenters fail to grasp complexity, paradox and mystery. It has to be about "their" way and in doing so they engage in tribalism and provocation for the purpose of sounding different. It's like hanging out in a stuffy art house. Don't talk about why we need to move past the one-room school house unless you are able to recognize that the one-room school house had a few redeeming qualities (multi-age classrooms, for example)
4. Many presenters speak like addicts. Yes, paper is flat and smooth and ultra-portable. But save the addictive language for the opium dens. If I want to feel coked-up, I'll stop by the drug store for a soda.
5. Many of the New School folks won't admit that there are some great ideas from the past - whether the idea is ten or two thousand years old. That bothers me. Innovation for the sake of innovation is novelty and ultimately it will eventually lose their luster. Remember those Chester B. Arthur sideburns? Yep, your phonograph might just be headed that way.
This by no means makes up all of the Pencil Education community. I've found great people in plogs and on the pen pal networks. However, I've also ran into my fair share of prima donnas that convince me that the conference circuit can all too quickly become a cute, glossy version of show and tell. I don't mind show and tell, either. But I need to to show me reality and tell me more than simply what I need to do to "fix" my teaching career.
Here are my reasons:
1. Many presenters I've met are unapproachable. Yes, they give nice speeches, but I've been disappointed that some of the ones who claim to love all the social media tools are quick to shy away from using those tools for honest discussion and debate. "Hey, you should use a pen pal network. But don't try and send me messages. I'm much too important than that."
2. Many presenters are arrogant. I can't listen to you if you are automatically the expert. I can't listen to you if you won't ask questions. I can't listen to you if you are unable to share some of your difficulties. If you believe that your job is to change me as a teacher, I'll kindly ask you to eff off and I'll listen to someone else. News flash: just because you got yourself an Edison Projector and fancy new phonograph doesn't mean you are now the Pope of Paper.
3. Many presenters fail to grasp complexity, paradox and mystery. It has to be about "their" way and in doing so they engage in tribalism and provocation for the purpose of sounding different. It's like hanging out in a stuffy art house. Don't talk about why we need to move past the one-room school house unless you are able to recognize that the one-room school house had a few redeeming qualities (multi-age classrooms, for example)
4. Many presenters speak like addicts. Yes, paper is flat and smooth and ultra-portable. But save the addictive language for the opium dens. If I want to feel coked-up, I'll stop by the drug store for a soda.
5. Many of the New School folks won't admit that there are some great ideas from the past - whether the idea is ten or two thousand years old. That bothers me. Innovation for the sake of innovation is novelty and ultimately it will eventually lose their luster. Remember those Chester B. Arthur sideburns? Yep, your phonograph might just be headed that way.
This by no means makes up all of the Pencil Education community. I've found great people in plogs and on the pen pal networks. However, I've also ran into my fair share of prima donnas that convince me that the conference circuit can all too quickly become a cute, glossy version of show and tell. I don't mind show and tell, either. But I need to to show me reality and tell me more than simply what I need to do to "fix" my teaching career.
My Comment:
It's always so much fun for me to read your stories. They are always so amazing. I really enjoy how you are the critic. I believe that you are telling them what the problem is so they can fix/work on it for the next pencil conference. I see nothing wrong with you leaving the conference before it was over. I believe that everyone can learn something. No one knows it all.
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