NaNoWriMo Day 6 (Oh, and Election Day)

Today on my way home, I was trying to gather my thoughts for my novel.  I'm kind of getting bored with it, which means it needs an injection of new ideas.  I'm into the action, but I haven't developed any characters besides my main character, and that only internally, really.

Maybe because it is election day, and my novel takes place in the future, I started to play "What If..." with the school in my story.  What if schools were well-funded by the time my novel takes place?  In fact, what if they are completely privatized... but still public in name?  I'm thinking:  Seniors don't pay for any graduation paraphernalia, but their caps, gowns, announcements, class rings et al are covered with logos and slogans.  Marquees scroll across the tops of the plasma boards.  Lessons are routinely interrupted by short ads which you can skip after 10 seconds.  Candidates run on platforms of supporting educational funding, but what it really means is a new form of pork-barrelling, but from the corporations into the schools vs. the other way around.  Students become a major market.  It took a foothold when parents became so grateful for all the "support" companies were providing trying to encourage graduation.  Meanwhile, up to one full graduation credit can be earned by cutting out boxtops and pasting them onto colorful worksheets and handing them into the office. I'm trying to focus on all the possible manifestations of this idea, but I'm distracted by my actual teaching load.

My novel may turn into satire.

My student numbers just don't seem to go down.  156.  And most of them show up. The grading load is going to do in my nanowrimo novel.

Meanwhile, hypothetical projections of presidential winners are being declared all over the networks, one state at a time.  And my kids somehow managed to turn on The Simpsons.  How did that happen?

Voting for Education: Resources in Arizona

Please register to vote before October 9.

If you've read my blog at all, you've probably seen some of the entries that express frustration and exhaustion surrounding my work as a teacher.

While teachers have always worked hard and sacrificed personally in order to teach students, working conditions for teachers (and other support staff in Arizona's districts) have come to a tipping point.  No longer do we have the support structures in place to do the job we need to do to prepare students for their futures and workers, learners, informed citizens and happy human beings.  

Working conditions for faculty and staff are learning conditions for students.  

1. When we work second and third jobs to keep up with the rising cost of a middle-class lifestyle, and to provide our own families with health care, transportation, multimedia communications, college educations, and healthy lifestyles, we reduce our ability to meet the needs of our students. 
2. When we lack librarians, teachers' aides, admin assistants, school nurses, copy clerks, security monitors, custodians and disciplinary support (such as parent liaisons at the high school level, a position which was abruptly cut in recent weeks in TUSD), we either take on extra responsibilities or ignore important aspects of creating a safe and responsive learning environment for students.  
3. As a parent, when district services such as after school programs are centralized (to be more "efficient"), the ability of school staff to be flexible and work with parents on payments is limited; tuition money goes back to a central pool instead of back into the schools where those parents' kids attend.
4. When we lack technical support, equipment, software and training, we use less technology in our instruction.
5. When we lack money for copy paper, students spend more time copying what is on the board and less time learning.  This is not why districts have purchased sophisticated tools such as Smartboards.
6. When class sizes are larger, we lack the time and energy to learn about and respond to our students' needs; we lack the time to give good quality, timely feedback on the complex assessments that are required by new more rigorous standards.  

These and many other changes are happening which have VERY concrete and observable impact on schools and classrooms.  As a parent, I wish that I had even more time to invest in researching and advocating for all the issues, especially at a local level.

Here are some resources for voters in Arizona who want to learn more about the issues and who want to vote for propositions and candidates that will support strong funding and a drive for excellence in Arizona's schools.  Of course my agenda here is to support both excellence and to FUND excellence in AZ education.  I'm sure my list is biased toward that goal.

• Voting information for supporting education (AEA fund for public education).  Includes candidates and propositions.
• Quality Education and Jobs Act-- Prop 204.  Information.  Vote for this, please.
• Expect More AZ -- A broad-based organization devoted to supporting excellence in education in Arizona
• Arizona Education Association's Legislative Issues page
• Arizona Education Network  
• [Please send me more if you've got 'em.]

TUSD/ Southern AZ issues/ candidates:

• Vote this woman onto the TUSD board: a teacher, and a teacher of teachers.  A Southern Arizona Writing Project fellow. Kristel Foster for TUSD board!  I have met her in a variety of contexts, and completely trust her intelligence, knowledge and judgment. She will help to change the conversation.
• TEA's endorsement for Cam Juarez and Kristel Foster.

Blogs about teaching in Arizona:

• www.storiesfromschoolaz.org  Arizona K12 Center runs this blog about how policy affects practice.  See my entries there, of course, while you're there.

Send more resources if you have them!  This is just a start.

Things that Need Posting

OK-- so, there are a few things that need posting.

First of all, Tucson is going to choose its first poet laureate, and here are the procedures for nominations if you'd like to participate.  I am open to suggestion and would love to form a coalition for someone local.  We need a true poet, and a true Tucsonan:  http://www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org/public-art/opportunities/tucson-poet-laureate-nominations/

Second of all, a teacher colleague of mine from Southern Arizona Writing Project is running for TUSD School Board this fall.  After the AZK12 Center's Teacher Leadership Institute, I am convinced that we need more teachers on school boards, and Kristel Foster is a great choice.  Check out her website and facebook page, and spread the word, and more importantly, VOTE.

Another sweet opportunity is that the deadline for Copious, an effort by Charles Zoll to recognize local artists, and if you are a Tucson poet you can have your poem put to music as part of the performance next year: http://www.copiouscollaboration.org/#!

Fourth, my children need something to do.  L is currently dancing, writhing on the floor, singing under her breath... everything except sweeping the floor, which I asked her to do.  They are getting the summer boredom, and word to the wise:  It takes proactiveness to sign your kids up for summer programs early.  They are all full or already in session at this point.  I'm screwed!  :)  It's okay, though.  We have projects to do.  But it would be easier if it weren't June in Tucson (i.e. Hell Month.)