Teaching Today
A blog following teacher Aaron Jura as he plans engaging, yet relevant English Language Arts content for High School students in New Orleans, LA.
Mr. Aaron Jura, a local English teacher from Warren Easton Charter High School, has been selected as an NEH Summer Scholar from a national applicant pool to attend one of 26 seminars and institutes supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Endowment is a federal agency that, each summer, supports these enrichment opportunities at colleges, universities, and cultural institutions so that teachers can study with experts in humanities disciplines. Mr. Jura will participate in a seminar entitled "Voices from the Misty Mountains." The 3-week program will be held at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV and directed by Dr. Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt. The 16 teachers selected to participate in the program each receive a stipend of $2,700 to cover their travel, study, and living expenses for this program. Mr. Jura will also create a teaching unit and digital project titled Folklore of Appalachia to bring this experience back to his classroom in New Orleans, LA. The project will include a website where students can engage in the history of the region, read or listen to Appalachian folklore, and a section where the general public can submit their family stories for publication in this digital archive. “The NEH Voices of the Misty Mountains seminar allowed me an opportunity to gain experience in the unique regional voice of the Appalachians and to bring this narrative back to the English classroom in New Orleans,” Jura said, “I hope that the digital project at folkloreofappalachia.com will allow people to continue sharing their stories and that classrooms across the nation will find a use for this free resource.” Topics for the 26 seminars and institutes offered for teachers this summer include A Reverence for Words: Muslim Cultures and the Arts; Abolition and Women’s Suffrage, 1830s–1920s; Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad; The African-American Freedom Struggle from Plessy to Brown; America’s Gilded Age and Progressive Era; Appalachia: Land, Literature, and Culture; Central Asia in World History; Charles Dickens; The Chinese Exclusion Act; Communism and American Life; The Dutch Republic, Britain, and the World Economy; Existentialism; Hannah Arendt; Immigration in California: Literature and Theater; Immigration, Industrialization, and Illness in 19th-Century America; John Steinbeck: Social Critic and Ecologist; Philosophers of Education; Punishment, Politics, and Culture; Race and Mental Health in History and Literature; Religious Worlds of New York; Roman Daily Life: Petronius and Pompeii; Shakespeare; Slavery, Equality, and the Constitution; U.S.-Russian/Soviet Relations, 1776-Present The approximately 544 NEH Summer Scholars who participate in these programs of study will teach almost 68,000 American students the following year. National Endowment for the Humanities: 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024 P 202.606.8500 F 202.606.8394 E [email protected] www.neh.gov
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Today we read through and discussed the poetry of Cherokee poet Marilou Awiakta. Several of the poems really spoke to me and I could see their application in the secondary English and/or social studies classroom. You can read more about Marilou Awiakta here. The Birth of Selu Mother Nature Sends a Pinkslip Dying Back Out of Ashes Peace Will Rise These pieces help to explore the uniqueness of the Cherokee poet and people. This perspective is important and often left out of our textbooks or provided minimal coverage. The anthology that includes these poems can be purchased here. We have all been struck by the violence we see each and every day on the news from all around our county. Recently in Louisiana, Baton Rouge (about an hour and a half away from New Orleans) a man named Anton Sterling’s murder, at the hands of officers, was caught on cell phone video and virally hit the Internet. Of course, many were outraged at the multiple angles of different cell phone video, which seemed to show a cold-blooded murder at the hands of officers. This along with other stories of murder and brutality has plagued people of color in our communities for far too long. The question is: How do you broach the topics of race and race politics in the secondary classroom? The answer seems to be, it depends. Teaching in an urban environment with a high proportion of African American students means I do have to maneuver through these complex issues with students as they grapple with the violence that seems to be all too common in interactions with individuals whose duty it is to protect and serve. The issue with the concept of the “all lives matter” movement is a complicated one. There are many great articles breaking down how the all lives matter phrase is a boondoggle. See here and here. But, the real question is – if all lives matter, which ones matter most? It’s obvious based upon subjective data that institutions and society at large systematically oppresses people of color and has done this throughout American History. While there aren’t easy answers we can start with living as an ally not an adversary. The term ally doesn’t mean one who is passively committed, but instead that you are actively pursuing justice and equity. If you aren’t doing that you are not being an ally. Coming back off my trip to California (where I learned the news of the murder in Louisiana) I knew I had to do something to show support to the community I live in, love, and value. I went online and organized a contingent of teachers to drive down to Baton Rouge and stand in solidarity with the African American community as they struggled to figure out how they could live in peace and without fear. The protest was a peaceful one (of course, we are teachers) but the emotions were raw. Of the nearly 400 protesters who showed up on Saturday the 9th of July at the site of the murder of Alton Sterling we were greeted with love and gratitude. It really took me back that I was being thanked for showing up with hugs and tears from African American protesters and one thing became clear: the divisions that have long been used to separate us must be broken down. Show your support, lend your voice. If you don’t want to be political all it takes is a simple acknowledgement of the fact that the community is in mourning. Be there for your fellow man. The parallels to the civil rights struggles of the 1950’s and 60’s are clear as day. I choose to support those I serve and not simply serve myself, will you remain silent or will you lend your voice and understanding? Also, I recommend reading Christopher Emdin’s For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education.. I have always feared playwriting in the secondary classroom. I guess I thought my students wouldn't get it, or wouldn't enjoy it. Today I had the pleasure of working with Peggy McKowen, Associate Producing Director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival hosted at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV. She did a playwriting activity with us that could easily be applied to the classroom -- plus it was a lot of fun. Here are the steps to this process:
Anyone can be a playwright -- this is a great way to break the ice and transition to your playwriting or drama unit. Hope you enjoy it! I did!
After an amazing two weeks in sunny San Diego, CA I must say this has been one of the best experiences of my life -- and many memories will be cherished forever. The USS Midway Museum's Midway Institute for Teachers is a top-notch teacher professional development program offered aboard the USS Midway Museum for two weeks over the summer. Participating in scholarly lectures ranging from the Cold War to the Vietnam War we engaged with the best scholars available on the topic.
Institute Director John Burns and Dr. Kirk Ankeney along with many others from the educator and curatorial departments provide teachers with the opportunity to engage and experience the period in one of the museum's classroom spaces. I highly recommend applying to the program for next year's application cycle (see link above).
Historians, led by the incomparable Robert Dallek, presented a two-week intensive with sessions on the Cold War, Korean War, the Vietnam Era, etc. The sessions don't only cover the events -- they go deep and analyze the experiences of these important points in history. The institute gives a very well-rounded view of the periods being discussed with lectures on Women, African Americans, Latinos/Chicanos, etc. These lectures are punctuated by oral history presentations from people who experienced the wars. The experience cannot be beat and the institute ranks as the best professional teacher development experience I have ever had the pleasure of attending.
It's hard to put into words how important this was for me -- but, more importantly how important the experience I had will be for my students. Thanks again to the organizers, attendees, and all the presenters. This is an experience NOT to be missed.
Below you will find the slideshow of my tours of the USS Midway:
A cool video with the EVOLUTION of radar equipment (and a fitting tune):
As I had previously posted, I was fortunate enough to be selected for the 2016 summer teacher institute aboard the USS Midway (now a museum in San Diego, CA). Well I am here now (actually writing this post from the carrier) and I am having an excellent time learning with fellow educators and history nerds. I will post a ton of pictures soon, but one of the many highlights was the experience I had on the 4th of July. A friend of mine is stationed aboard the USS Carl Vinson here in San Diego and I was able to be escorted aboard to watch the 4th of July fireworks from the flight deck of the carrier. I put up a pic above. If you want to keep up with my trip follow me on Twitter or Instagram for constant updates. The week before a trip I am usually a mess -- house is a disaster, running all around town picking up "necessities", etc. But, for some reason the stress of travel hasn't hit me yet. Maybe this is because I am traveling and getting paid to do it! As some of you know, I was made aware of summer teacher travel opportunities last year. In 2015 I went to NYC for an amazing seminar with Gilder Lehrman Institute at Columbia University on the Underground Railroad. This year, I have accepted two (back to back trips) one with the USS Midway Institute for teachers and the other with the National Endowment for the Humanities on Appalachian storytelling. From June 27th through July 8th I will be in the beautiful city of San Diego, CA aboard the USS Midway -- learning all about the Cold War and Vietnam war. From July 10th through the 30th I will be at Shepherd University in WV learning all about the unique regional literary voice of Appalachia. While these applications are competitive, many summer teacher institutes pay for travel and lodging and some even pay you a stipend. YES, that's right -- I am getting paid to learn and travel this summer. Sadly (or happily) from these two trips I will make about 20% of my annual salary in stipend payments. Anyway, before I left I wanted to share some resources -- in case you might be interested in traveling or looking into summer teacher travel. Here are a few links: EDUTOPIA - No-Cost Summer Travel for Educators TEACH TRAVELING - 24 Teacher Travel Opportunities GEEO - Global Exploration for Educators Organization I will be sure to update the site with resources from these trips and photos. I hope you are enjoying your time off and spending a bit of time enjoying life. - Aaron
I must admit -- like most teachers, I get my best ideas by lifting them from other great educators. Check out my Pinterest feed below:
It's that time of year again -- when teachers go absolutely crazy over state, district, and end of year tests. I have decided to NOT go insane over this and instead will be working to inspire students to know that they CAN do this.
I know, from my semi-pro career in college, that when you are nervous and stressed you tend to under perform on a test or exam. That being said, I am working on focusing students on the positive. Here's how: 1) Focus on how well a student did on a particular test, standard, or question type. 2) Motivate students to perform better by focusing on how great they're already doing! 3) Inspire students to engage with the material -- think about a person like this character, etc. I'm hoping this pays off. So far the data shows it's working -- crossed fingers for next Monday and Tuesday! - Aaron My class has been studying the Serial - Season 1 podcast to engage with literary non-fiction. I purchased a great resource that utilizes Google Drive for students to engage with. The lessons have been highly engaging and stimulated discussion in the classroom. Also, the content has really activated students who previously appeared as disengaged with the study of English. As this year comes to a close we are moving into the state mandated End of Course test for my English III group. Working on argumentative writing and persuasive appeals this week along side drilled practice using released test items. Overall, I know students are well prepared and ready to nail this exam. I am also very excited to announce that I have accepted a 9th grade English/Reading position with Warren Easton Charter High School in New Orleans for the 2016/2017 school year. I have had such a great experience with Helen Cox High School and have grown as an educator during my time there. However, I am so excited to join an amazing team as a Fighting Eagle next school year. Let the packing begin!! |
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Mr. J is a high school teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. J believes in the power of educators to help children and families achieve. Follow his blog for tips and techniques to keep engagement high and student achievement at the forefront. Archives
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