I am aware of the legal and protection issues involved in publishing my students’ works. So I made sure that I have their parents’ consent for this project. Their parents were thrilled and positively agreed as long as personal identifications are kept private and no identifiable pictures are shown.
I have asked for the evaluation of the website from the concerned authorities and appropriate education technologists nationwide, statewide and district wide and got positive comments from them. As far as I know I am in compliant with this Class Digital Anthology (but then as a new teacher I could have missed something, please let me know).
It seems just yesterday when I felt like giving up on my students…
My students are struggling writers, hesitant writers, in short, they abhor writing. They are the students whose score in SAT 9 range from below basic to below basic. They are diagnosed as either Learning Disabled and/or Emotionally Disturbed. Every teacher in every school in every district leaves their profession because of these kinds of students. I was thinking of joining the band wagon.
But that was yesterday, and yesterday was not very long time ago. Last week, one colleague from the National Writing Project commented:
“I enjoyed the blog, and your students' work, enormously, Maria!!! Thank you for sharing such a fascinating project. Please let us know how your students react to the comments, from each other and from the world at large“.
My mouth fell and I felt goose bumps all over.
Last Wednesday I was smilingly watching my students doing a free writing activity, one of them noticed me.
He said, “What is it Ms. Angala?”
I replied,” do you have any idea how many people are reading your poems?”
They were just looking at me, they had no idea!
I said, “In the third floor of this school, that big banner says: ‘TECHNOLOGY brings you to places’ …ladies and gentlemen, the whole world is reading your poems!”
How did my students react to this?
They took writing more seriously, knowing that they actually have readers whom they want to please with their writings. Some stars who used to be dull started to shine. I myself didn’t think he was a star, I didn’t realize that his poems were really “that good” until he got more positive comments in his page; that made him feel good about his writings that he couldn’t get his hands off the computer. Some students remarked: “I can’t believe I typed this much! ...I can’t believe I can write poems”. Again last Wednesday, I got 3 students asking me if they could be in my class. I let them in since their teacher was absent for that period. Unbelievably, one student who was branded as a problem student was just quiet in one corner writing, and he was able to write 4 poems during that class. My co-teacher said: “Now you know that your students can do miracles”.
Do you believe in miracles? Now I do.
We can make a difference in their lives by commenting on their poems. Click here: DIGITAL ANTHOLOGY OF MS. ANGALA'S STUDENTS.
(Excerpt from Ms. Angala's Reflections as a teacher...more to come)
24 comments:
mam sol, that's really inspiring. you have to be commended for your creativity and making a difference in your student's lives. good job!
Hi Sol. With a teacher as dedicated as you, miracles could happen everyday. This reminds me of my favorite film "Dead Poets Society" where an endearing professor had created such a lasting impression on his students that their lives have become more envigorated and learning ever more meaningful. Its a movie that made me somehow wish that I should have been a teacher.
Sol, this is awesome!!! You are really making a difference in these children's lives. Am sure they are proud of themselves and so are their parents, and we are proud of you! Keep up the good work.
My cousin, Gracie, graduated summa cum laude last month from La Salle in Philadelphia. She also specialized in special ed, chose to go back to the Philippines to work there. She accepted an assistant teaching position at the Beacon International School in Manila.
one of mf all tive fave is a song by crosby, stills, nash and young "Teach Your Chidren Well"
KA URO, thanks po. Each of us has our own advocacy, I choose this path. It's very challenging but the outcome is very rewarding.
MAJOR TOM, I watched "Dead Poets Society" but I have to watch it again. I was too you when I first watched it that I didn't understand the true meaning of it. I should have a personal copy of classic movies about exemplary teachers such as that so I can emulate their teaching practices. I'm a newbie, have to better myself pa.
ANNIE, I wish I have the wealth that Imelda has so I can go back to the Phils that easy and I wouldn't have to worry about putting food on the table and sending money to my family back home. I tried to make a difference there to the pinoy children back home, kailangan lang talaga unahin ang kapakanan ng pamilya.
Your cousin is lucky to land a good job there with a good pay, I'm sure she'll be an exemplary teacher with all the professional development trainings she got from here. Give her my Teacher Sol website please, so I can keep in touch with her. I want to be updated to with the Phil Educational System.
AIR MILIKAY, I like what you wrote in the tagboard, i thought it should go in the comment box...hahaha...I will find this song and listen to it. must be touching. thanks for sharing.
Maria,
Beautiful job with the site and poems. I posted a number of responses. I really enjoyed the writing. I signed myself as Mr.Hodgson, sixth grade teacher, Southampton, Massachusetts -- but you can tell them that I run a blog site, too, for student writing.
What age levels are your students?Would you be interested in doing some sort of writing exchange through blog technology? Just a thought. Great job!
Kevin H
sixth grade teacher
Southampton Massachusetts WP
Writing Consultant/ Tech Liaison
SOL,
again bilib ako sa iyo....
P.S. teka...WORRY ABOUT PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE --i like this. is this my line ?? he he he..
KEVIN, your support to this project is very much appreciated. I am teaching Junior HS special ed grades 7-9, but they're probably in grade equivalent to your regular ed students so i think there would be no problem if they interact thru blog technology. See you in our Tech Liaison's National Conventions.
ARVIN, yep, your words "putting food on the table" will be used more often now. Can I borrow it? hahaha...sabi ko sayo marami akong natututunan sayo aside from kalokohan.
wow ipagpatuloy ang magandang layunin.pagpalain ka maam' sa yong mabuting kalooban :)
okidoki
Dear Maria,
I have just gotten to view- and therefore, to read--your digital anthology for the first time today.
I enjoyed your student's anthology very much--especially your own introduction in which you refer to yourself as an accidental special education teacher. I think its terrific and that you should definitely continue to publish it. I look forward to receiving future editions and sharing them with my own students.
Thanks for doing this and for sharing it with me
...Kathy E.
DC Area Writing Project
Writing Consultant
LWS, gotcha...your entries are down at the bottom, or is it just my CP? Catch u later!
KATHY, I'm so glad my fellow teacher consultants are very supportive of each other... teachers teaching teachers indeed. Thank you for giving my students a slight push, they need this motivation to improve their self esteem. Glad to be with the company of veteran teachers who challenge a newbie teacher like me to be the best teacher I can be.
maam dito ko na lang lagay tapos yung isasagot niyo sa email ko na lang ha...
note:pwedeng pakisagot in ingles and in tagalog version?thanks:)
addy ko
simple.whitelady@gmail.com
Titulo: Balanse
TANONG1:ano ang "wildest dream" ni teacher sol dahil natalakay mo na ang filipino dream ngayon naman nais ko din mabasa ang yung wildest dream maam':)
q2:ano ang magagandang aral na napulot ni teacher sol sa kanyang pagmamasid sa kanyang mga estudyante (all positive)
q3:paano mo maihahayag in 3 paragraphs (o pwedeng ding 1,000 sieti mil in words)ang pag-ibig sa #1 sarili #2 inang bayan #3 pamilya #4 sa giliw mong mambabasa topic "love"
q4:para sa'yo,sino ang tinatawag mong "phenomenal sa buhay"mo maam'
q5:piborit superhero
q6:size ng paa(eto ay bahagi ng aking q&a)sa giliw na tagasubaybay ng digital book mo po maam' kaya wag mabibigla...ha...
last: magbigay ng isang qoute na gustong gusto mo at ipaliwanag at bakit mo eto nagustohan?(pwedeng hango sa bibliya or mga magagaling na philosopher tulad nina bill gates ooops wrong pala..sina aristotle,blaise pascal, at marami pang iba).
hirit:) paano magalit ang isang teacher sol at paano umiyak at saan huluhugot ng lakas si teacher sol?o sige po :)
ang pagpasa ay maaring i-pasa sa nakatakdang sipag ng iyong puso magsulat.
PEACE ON EARTH
Cheers!
maam',pakiemail na lang ha yung sagot niyo.
pag ie na test ko kahapon sa mall na yung bawat entries ko nasa baba,ewan ko kung bakit...etong pc ko galamay na ang firefox..
Hey Teacher Sol,
The students' poems are incredible and of course your influence on them is priceless. You know, I also work for the schoolboard in north america. We encountered resistance on the use of technology in teaching ( surprise ... most teachers are afraid of technology ). This is a great example where kids could express themselves freely!
LWS, sige, mag-email ako sayo, pipilitin ko tapusin agad para di sumabay sa karamihan ng trabaho...hehehe...almost end of the school year na eh graduating mga estudyante ko kaya dami kong IEP reports due, paper checking at final grading.
ANONYMOUS, I advocate for this strategy of integrating writing and technology inside the classroom as a DCAWP Tech Liaison. I give professional development trainings and presentations to my fellow teacher consultants about Blogging 101. At first I was intimidated by these veteran teachers who are usually my audience, but when I saw that they're just like my students who are just learning how to blog, I got very confident. It's so amusing how they would ask for my help, or help each other during workshops, they work just like my students in the classroom...very interested and excited with technology. They are my fellow teacher consultants in the DCAWP who know the importance of technology. But I learned that some of them are indeed scared of touching the keyboards or manipulating the computers. We'll they gotta learn,the means of communication by their students is not paper-and-pencil anymore, but texting and chatting and emailing.... they gotta wake up, they're now living in the digital age. Right? Thanks again for a good comment you left here and for sharing.
mam sol,
your use of poetry writing reminded me of one of the methods used by john holt in his books "how children learn" and "how children fail".
i remember in a previous post of yours you were commenting on how state exams affect the self-esteem of your students. one of the miracles that happened is that through your influence, a lot of your students are discovering their self-esteem. that is indeed a great accomplishment! i'm no fan of examinations and grades. what matters most is what the students feel and their attitudes towards learning.
major tom,
pareho pala tayo ng peborit movie. lines from "dead poet's society" - "o captain, my captain..." at yung "Carpe Diem (seize the day)". i won't forget those. basta movies about teachers, type ko, tulad ng "pay it forward" at "finding forrester".
balang araw, magkakaroon din ng movie tungkol kay mam sol. abanggan niyo.
i just remember my other fave movies with teachers as main roles:
Dangerous Minds -- starring Michelle Pfeiffer
Mr. Holland's Opus - starring Richard Dreyfuss
And my all time favorite... Iskul Bukol starring the Eskalera Brothers. hahaha.
I truly admire teachers like you, Teacher Sol. It's hard enough to be a teacher in itself, but to be a teacher to special needs stuents? You must have TONS of patience.
How do you deal with attitude from your kids?
KA URO, wow!3 comments in one entry from you, I am so honored! Iniyakan ko ng ilang balde ng luha yan movie na "Pay It Forward", feeling ko ako yung bata dun (hindi yung teacher...hehehe...
isip bata talaga ako), tapos when I got the job as an inner-city school teacher binili ko talaga yang "Dangerous Minds" dahil eksakto sa kinaroroonan ko ngayon, feeling ko naman ako si Michelle Pfiffer. Bibilhin ko yang "Dead Poets Society" at yung isa pang binanggit ninyo. Any more suggestions? It helps me a lot watching these movies, believe me.
RENEE, yep, that's the secret, TONS of patience, at saka walang personalan, trabaho lang yan. It is important to separate the bad deeds from the person.
teacher sol, can my grade 7 students collaborate with your students via egroups/blog? we usually have this project in the 3rd quarter. it began 3 school years ago. the first grade 7 batch to do the activity are incoming seniors in xavier high school. we've been doing this for 3 consecutive years now. the first attempt was with a school in germany. the second was with filipino writers of chidlren's literature, and the most recent was with chinese exchange students.
i'll be posting about this technology integration project in my school librarian blog on the 2nd week of june.
It is powerful stuff--no question. I especially like (and I smiled, reading this): "I know how you feel / When I walk past you and smell your stench / Because sometimes I stink too." I can really hear these children's voices.
Michelle G
National Writing Project
teacher sol, your story made me more inspired to finish sped as a major! kip it up and gudluck! godbless
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