Mr. Caruthers and his Twin.

Fifth and Sixth days of Student teaching? Came and went pretty fast! This past Friday the rest of my students just finished the rest of National Treasure. Last week I watched that movie six times. Wow. Never had so much Nicholas Cage in my life. I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I spent my weekend planning my lesson that I’m hoping to teach on Wednesday (It may be next week if this snow/ice goes ham). I’m looking forward to teaching, I know my students are. They cheer whenever my cooperating teacher says that I’ll be teaching them for the next several weeks. I hope I don’t bore these kids! Well fast forward a bit to today. Very nice. You know for a minute (like two years ago I was really skeptical about whether or not I would really mind putting up with people’s kids. I had a lot of silly fears two years ago, but I’m really past it all). The kids I’m with are at that stage where they are beginning to think abstractly. They are also straddling a “morality fence”. Some will fall on the “taboo” side others will fall on the “approved” side. Just listening to them talk at times when they don’t think I can hear them had provided me with plenty of insight. At age 13 and 14 these kids are trying to figure out who they are and its interesting because they won’t really know till their early 20’s (if they get lucky). So they are going to try a lot of different things these next several years. Positive role models are a must, that is what my cooperating teacher told me. She told me that a lot of these kids like me because they don’t all come from homes where there is an older male figure. She told me that it is good that I’m here. So I know for a fact good men in the classroom are a must. So pray that I’ll be solid! That I’ll be a role model for these kids.

Now about today…

I wrote up a pre-test about the American Revolution and handed it out to the kids. I learned that I am going to be the teacher that won’t grade things that I can’t read or papers without any names. I wrote on the board that the first thing they needed to do when they got their test was to put their names on their test!!! I see why my teachers used to trip out over that. The kids took the test and they didn’t do horrible. They knew things like how the colonist didn’t like, “Taxation without representation” and that an advantage that the colonist had was “knowledge of the land”. The average score on the multiple-choice part was about a 50% so what I’ll be teaching them will be new. So it should hold their interest.

Also something funny happened. So according to the students I look like one of their classmates. He was getting teased because they think we look alike. I told him to take it as a compliment! Everyone laughed and one boy was like, “Mr. Caruthers is slick wit it!” I guess that means clever or witty. I hope so.

These kids like to get in my business as well. They have asked me my age, if I’m single, and my first name. Regarding age I responded with this, “Between 21 and 29.” Regarding relationship status I said, “What does it matter?”. Lame responses but they don’t need to know that, especially because I’m just a student teacher. The principal told me to watch out because some of the girls like me. She laughed. I was like, “Oh no”. (Seriously that is all I said)

I think it is funny that they want to know my first name- bad. I like withholding that from them the most. It’s a game. They know that the first letter is a “J”. So they try and guess and I just laugh. Good thing my first name is usually seen as a last name!

Hopefully this week my next blog will be about me teaching my first lesson. I have also decided to read as many “Barnes & Noble Classics as possible. My thinking is I can’t talk about important books like “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and not have read them. I don’t want to be teaching and the students ask me have I read the book. I’ll feel like a somewhat good teacher if I can at least answer yes. So I’m going to be indulging in a lot of good literature. I’m excited. My parents taught me that reading is good. One thing I’m a show these kids during Black History Month is that having the ability to read should not be taken for granted. Blacks used to be tortured, beat, and killed for even attempting to learn how to read let alone get a decent education!

Here is a quote,

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”-Nelson Mandela. If kids feel that this is true then they would take what they are learning now and treasure it. That is our problem. What is our generation taking a stand for? I really admire the Civil Rights movement, The Protestant reformation, The American Revolution and some select others. Malcolm X said,
“A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” I may be sticking my neck out. But the current generation is falling, and falling bad. We need a something to stand for and we need it soon. We need a revolution “By any means necessary” (another quote from the Malcolm X). Good night.