I remember skyline. I didn’t go there. Inemebrr you went there, and so did Richard. And a bunch of other people from earl warren. I remember skating there a couple times...
I went to Del Mar hills but that felt similar. A public school that was “different” basically because it was in an upper middle class neighborhood and received tons of help from parents.
We didn’t have walls. It was two giant rooms with a bunch of temporary moveable walls. It actually wasn’t a disaster, except that one time a wall fell over on a table of kids and one girl had to go to the hospital. She was ok. Pretty sure the parents didn’t sue.
We had tons of outdoor space. Cans for critters. Rolf bernerschka (sp?) qb for the chargers would show up at assemblies with someone from the zoo and an animal. It was cool. We were pretty ducky lucky, privileged.
I see that especially now teaching the population of kids that I teach. But I still remember the things that stuck with me were the weird experiences. Like seeing what it would be like to run with my eyes closed directly into the handball wall. Hurt more than I expected.
These days I try to facilitate room for my students to have experiences they will remember. However stupid they might be. ...you know without getting me fired for child endangerment. Sometimes it really is walking that line. Last year I took a group of students on a field trip to this park with all these cool rocks all over the place. Giant quartz monzonite boulders. One girl slipped and fell between two boulders wedging her body in a giant crack with her legs dangling free over a hidden cave. I struggled not to panic. I got some of the bigger kids to help me haul her out. They were all in my medical detectives class (elective) where I teach wilderness first responders training. So we went into patient assessment mode and then treatment of her scrapes. It was kind of cool. But I was also 100% sure my career was over. I immediately called her parents and the school and told them what happened. I didn’t get bad sounding answers but I didn’t get good sounding answers. For the next two months I waited for the other shoe to drop. Nothing. Now I’m permanent so I guess it’s all fine.
It was scary for me but I know it’s one of those experiences the kids will remember...
I don’t know. They might not have passed every quiz or test or whatever but at least they got that.
Oh, my! They'll remember that for sure! Now, you're like that awesome 6th-grade teacher I didn't get to have! I think our schools were pretty amazing / and also the availability of safe afterschool stuff like the boys and girls club. This dude, Raul - at the club in Solona Beach was magic. He had the art room - and the woodshop and I loved working in there with him. He could whip up those awesome signs with the giant markers in a jiffy - and I could hide out in there. Super cool.
I think that 'safety' is wild. I mean / I actively taunted the police and security guards - but I could walk across 10 miles of Del Mar after dark without ever worrying about anything. It's weird... that the things I remember most - didn't really cost money. Some scrap wood, some paper, some old crayons, a lot of laminate. Raul's time was probably donated. There were some cherry balls. Linda and Bobby and that cool dude (I hope I remember his name sometimes...) and Miss Lawson - probably poured their hearts into that stuff for decades... but - the money doesn't seem like it should be the problem. In another photo - there's 'the band room' - which was a temporary space / and you could totally build a school on the edge of a park for next to nothing - if we want to. I think that the best of the best parts of the most rewarding teaching and learning experiences can cost very little money... so - to give everyone better opportunities - we'll have to fix the real problem. If we put the money into the education / and get rid of this crazy expensive system of jails and red-tape / we can pay teachers like properly+ and still come out WAY ahead. Too many thoughts there for a comment...
I’m fully of the belief that everyone should just become a teacher. It was the best career choice I ever made hands down. Harder than any job, but indescribably rewarding. You’re right. It takes very little to facilitate learning experiences, but there is very little value placed on public education in this country. Can you imagine what teachers could do with the amount it costs one F16 or whatever to do a flyby over the sierras? Insane.
I remember skyline. I didn’t go there. Inemebrr you went there, and so did Richard. And a bunch of other people from earl warren. I remember skating there a couple times...
I went to Del Mar hills but that felt similar. A public school that was “different” basically because it was in an upper middle class neighborhood and received tons of help from parents.
We didn’t have walls. It was two giant rooms with a bunch of temporary moveable walls. It actually wasn’t a disaster, except that one time a wall fell over on a table of kids and one girl had to go to the hospital. She was ok. Pretty sure the parents didn’t sue.
We had tons of outdoor space. Cans for critters. Rolf bernerschka (sp?) qb for the chargers would show up at assemblies with someone from the zoo and an animal. It was cool. We were pretty ducky lucky, privileged.
I see that especially now teaching the population of kids that I teach. But I still remember the things that stuck with me were the weird experiences. Like seeing what it would be like to run with my eyes closed directly into the handball wall. Hurt more than I expected.
These days I try to facilitate room for my students to have experiences they will remember. However stupid they might be. ...you know without getting me fired for child endangerment. Sometimes it really is walking that line. Last year I took a group of students on a field trip to this park with all these cool rocks all over the place. Giant quartz monzonite boulders. One girl slipped and fell between two boulders wedging her body in a giant crack with her legs dangling free over a hidden cave. I struggled not to panic. I got some of the bigger kids to help me haul her out. They were all in my medical detectives class (elective) where I teach wilderness first responders training. So we went into patient assessment mode and then treatment of her scrapes. It was kind of cool. But I was also 100% sure my career was over. I immediately called her parents and the school and told them what happened. I didn’t get bad sounding answers but I didn’t get good sounding answers. For the next two months I waited for the other shoe to drop. Nothing. Now I’m permanent so I guess it’s all fine.
It was scary for me but I know it’s one of those experiences the kids will remember...
I don’t know. They might not have passed every quiz or test or whatever but at least they got that.
Oh, my! They'll remember that for sure! Now, you're like that awesome 6th-grade teacher I didn't get to have! I think our schools were pretty amazing / and also the availability of safe afterschool stuff like the boys and girls club. This dude, Raul - at the club in Solona Beach was magic. He had the art room - and the woodshop and I loved working in there with him. He could whip up those awesome signs with the giant markers in a jiffy - and I could hide out in there. Super cool.
I think that 'safety' is wild. I mean / I actively taunted the police and security guards - but I could walk across 10 miles of Del Mar after dark without ever worrying about anything. It's weird... that the things I remember most - didn't really cost money. Some scrap wood, some paper, some old crayons, a lot of laminate. Raul's time was probably donated. There were some cherry balls. Linda and Bobby and that cool dude (I hope I remember his name sometimes...) and Miss Lawson - probably poured their hearts into that stuff for decades... but - the money doesn't seem like it should be the problem. In another photo - there's 'the band room' - which was a temporary space / and you could totally build a school on the edge of a park for next to nothing - if we want to. I think that the best of the best parts of the most rewarding teaching and learning experiences can cost very little money... so - to give everyone better opportunities - we'll have to fix the real problem. If we put the money into the education / and get rid of this crazy expensive system of jails and red-tape / we can pay teachers like properly+ and still come out WAY ahead. Too many thoughts there for a comment...
I’m fully of the belief that everyone should just become a teacher. It was the best career choice I ever made hands down. Harder than any job, but indescribably rewarding. You’re right. It takes very little to facilitate learning experiences, but there is very little value placed on public education in this country. Can you imagine what teachers could do with the amount it costs one F16 or whatever to do a flyby over the sierras? Insane.
Some people are just really bad teachers though... right? Some of the "smartest" programmers I know - can't explain anything...
All of the sudden we'd transform and use 10% of our brains over a few decades! We can do it. I've got some ideas.