and i thought I might explain why, after spending some time in the school yesterday, and having been in electronic communication with several teachers today. First let me note this:
I do not go on the payroll until mid-August
I am already doing work to plan and prepare for what I will teach
Just remember that the next time people tell you teachers only work 9 months a year!
Half of my students will be in AP US Government and Politics, a course I taught for 7 years before I retired. This will be the first time since 2005 that I will not be the only teacher in the building with this course, and we are already planning to get together (next week) to do some brainstorming and co-planning. It will be with a new book (which I do not yet have), and it will be in double period classes which meet every other day. So it will be something new for me, which will keep me fresh.
But it is my other courses that are the real reason I am excited.
Follow me below the fold as I explain.
North County High School has a relatively new STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) program. I will as a social studies teacher be a member of that department, but my other course make me part of the STEM faculty as well, even though I am not a scientist.
I will be teaching a semester course in STEM policy (11th graders) and year-long courses kn Environmental Media and STEM Research and Data Analysis to seniors. Since most of my AP Gov students will be 10th graders, it is theoretically possible I will see at least some of the same kids for three years, which is an exciting possibility.
Let me offer some information about the courses, so you will see why it is not totally whacko that a former Music Major and social studies geek is teaching them.
Environmental Media is a 12th grad STEM Capstone course . In this interdisciplinary course, students will examine the influence of media on shaping the individual's understanding and response to environmental issues. During the 2nd semester students will apply the concepts, skills, and experiences acquired during the 1st semester to a local multimedia presentation to a panel of their peers and community stakeholders. hE FINal multimedia presentation will be designed to be used by a community and/or regional stakeholder
in the first semester will be topics like introduction to media, types of media, analyzing media, media and the environment, media skills.
Although I am not scientific in my personal focus, i have often written here at Daily Kos on environmental issues. I am certainly knowledgeable about media and skills that will need to be applied. I may need to beef up some of my multi-media skills, which will also keep me fresh.
Included in this course will be revisiting the issue of environmental research and analysis. This includes issues of Reliability of data, bias of data, and politics of data. Here the work that I did in my now-abandoned doctorate in education is very relevant: I have had training in research design, and statistics through multiple regressions. Having served as a peer reviewer for several professional educational publications, I have also had to examine and raise questions about research as it was designed, organized and presented. Many of those skills are transferrable.
I note that among the materials already included are part of Silent Spring, including an introduction by Al Gore, and part of Thoreau's On Walden Pond. The course also includes Controlling our Food and Food Inc.
the STEM research and Data Analysis course is also a Capstone course for seniors and is designed to suport student exploration and research in an area of the students' choosing (student would NOT take both this and Environmental Media). They will be expected to write a submit a professional paper (White Paper), create and present a scientific poster, and formally present their experience ad/or findings. Students will develop project management skills that they apply to their year-long endeavor, with daily updates and modifications to their plan.
In the first semester they will work on topic selection and literature review, methods of statistical application, writing/data analysis model, and collect data, analyze and prepare an abstract.
Some of this will continue into the 2nd semester, and might add prototyping, finalizing the project, creating Oral, written and multimedia presentation, and also explore issues of funding/Grant writing and seeking patents (the last of course interesting in light of today's SCOTUS decision on not allowing patenting of human DNA).
I have already mentioned my background with some statistics and research design. To that I can add that I am quite knowledgable about project management, having (a) served in a management position of what was then the largest vendor of project management software for a number of years, and (b) having managed software development projects.
STEM Policy is a fascinating course. It is designed to engage STEM Students with STEM-related public uses, government reports, and white papers that are used to brief legislators and provide information to the public, critique and analyze STEM policy issues, and a lot more. While there is a lot that has already been developed, I have been encouraged to think of other things that should perhaps be included, and I am already exploring using the letter Leo Szilard sent to other scientists on the Manhattan Project in an attempt to persuade the President NOT to use the atom bomb.
In the first of the two quarters (remember, this is a semester course), topics include the Policy-Making process, importance of STEM-related policies, who and how to inluence public policy, Policy analysis process, policy evaluation process. In the e2nd we get into Policy Brief practice, student research and policy selection, point and counter point on a select policy, and then the final policy. That final policy will inclde having collaboratively written an annotated executive STEM policy related summary, a sound policy brief, and prepare and present an oral presentation to a panel of experts.
They will also get experience in peer evaluations, reflective writing, and Socratic dialogs.
Much of my experience in dealing with educational policy is transferrable to this. I am known to teach using Socratic dialogs, and have practiced reflective writing for most of my life. i have also in AP Government taught students how to do reflective writing.
Perhaps you can now begin to understand why I am so excited by the position, and why i am already working on plans. The position will challenge me, it will connect students with real-world issues, it will give me chance to help them think well beyond rote learning and regurgitation of facts, it will require me to continue to learn, it gives me an opportunity to bring together a large portion of my skill set and experience,.
I turned down a good offer of another position because I was willing to role the dice in the hopes of getting this position. I did that only knowing the outlines of the position and before I had visited the school to discuss the opportunity in detail. I am certainly glad I rolled the dice.
I am a teacher.
I am also a life-long learner.
I believe wherever possible in connecting what happens in the classroom with the real world.
I hope to use connections with people in the greater DC area to further enrich the experience of my students - some of you should start expecting the request from me to visit!!!
THis job is very much a fit for me.
I feel honored to have the position.
I feel obligated to give it all I can.
thanks for reading.
Peace.