Ms. Nadel, whats your opinion on service? Elaborate. - Obviously I feel that service is important. I feel that life has to be meaningful on some level - otherwise, why chose to do one thing over another. I suppose that the significant people in my life have always done things for others, starting with my parents. And I suppose President Kennedy's call to action "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" seeped into my unconscious. I am a big fan of Aaron Sworkin's The West Wing and they are all about service. Doing something bigger than you. Doing something that will benefit others. And, doing it so that others don't even necessarily know that you did it. There is a proverb that says Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Miss, why do you prefer to be a high school teacher than elementary or middle? - Not sure if this one is for me, but I'll answer it regardless. I prefer high school -- it is more precise to say I chose to teach high school partly because of the way teacher education is handled and partly because of the students. Let me explain... I did not want to study to be a school teacher. I wanted to study English Literature and to teach! I didn't have much experience with children - except for being a child myself. Although the initial impetus to become a teacher was somewhat silly (I wanted to be able to travel in summer and the two week vacation of corporate America wasn't doing it for me) I definely knew I made the right decision when I found myself in college classes with young people who had just graduated from high school and were behaving really badly in college classes. They were rude, and at times they were ignorant and they seemed proud of their ignorance. Instead of being humble and thoughtful and interested in learning, they prefered to be loud and thoughtless. - This is a long way to answer -- but, I chose to teach high school because I wanted to be able to give students the push or acknowledgement or encouragement that I did not get until I was in my first Miami-Dade College English Lit. class. And in high school, it felt, they were close enough to being adults that they could do something with that push. Also, I felt that I could talk with older students and that I would not be able to reason with middle or elementary students because they were not critical and metaphorial thinkers yet.
Teacher, if a student said she/he thought you were the worst teacher she/he ever had, what would you say? - Let me answer this one too -- I would ask what makes them say that. I would consider what they had to say and if I felt that the reasons were thought out and reasoned, and that I could actually learn from them and become a better teacher as a result, I would see what I could do to change.
Ms. Nadel, if I were your principal and we were setting goals for next year, what would they be? - What an amazing question! The three goals I would want to are: 1. To support students on their way to becoming the sdults they want to be. 2. To give students real voice in what they study in class. 3. To provide an outlet for students to do authentic service.
These don't seem really well-defined right now, but this is the direction I'd want to go in. To make it okay for students to stretch and to take risks -- to risk making a mistake, to risk getting a bad grade, to risk learning something bigger/more than what is in the textbook... To make sure students know they are great, they are worthy, they are worthwhile, they have something to contribute and they are valued.
Teacher, have you ever considered to publish a book? - Again, not directed at me, but I have written a couple of creative nonfiction pieces and I do have an idea for a book. I even have one of the chapters "written" and ideas for two more chapters. It is a scholarly book about what happens to the way we think when we come from more than one cultural heritage -- what we do when we have two perspectives rattling around in our heads...
Ms. Nadel thanks for answering my questions!!!! It helped alot!!! I think that posting our homework and etc. on the blog was a great idea. Sincerely your an awsome teacher. Your Student, VaNe
Let me answer the questions directed at me:
Ms. Nadel, whats your opinion on service? Elaborate.
- Obviously I feel that service is important. I feel that life has to be meaningful on some level - otherwise, why chose to do one thing over another. I suppose that the significant people in my life have always done things for others, starting with my parents. And I suppose President Kennedy's call to action "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" seeped into my unconscious. I am a big fan of Aaron Sworkin's The West Wing and they are all about service. Doing something bigger than you. Doing something that will benefit others. And, doing it so that others don't even necessarily know that you did it. There is a proverb that says Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Miss, why do you prefer to be a high school teacher than elementary or middle?
- Not sure if this one is for me, but I'll answer it regardless. I prefer high school -- it is more precise to say I chose to teach high school partly because of the way teacher education is handled and partly because of the students. Let me explain... I did not want to study to be a school teacher. I wanted to study English Literature and to teach! I didn't have much experience with children - except for being a child myself. Although the initial impetus to become a teacher was somewhat silly (I wanted to be able to travel in summer and the two week vacation of corporate America wasn't doing it for me) I definely knew I made the right decision when I found myself in college classes with young people who had just graduated from high school and were behaving really badly in college classes. They were rude, and at times they were ignorant and they seemed proud of their ignorance. Instead of being humble and thoughtful and interested in learning, they prefered to be loud and thoughtless.
- This is a long way to answer -- but, I chose to teach high school because I wanted to be able to give students the push or acknowledgement or encouragement that I did not get until I was in my first Miami-Dade College English Lit. class. And in high school, it felt, they were close enough to being adults that they could do something with that push. Also, I felt that I could talk with older students and that I would not be able to reason with middle or elementary students because they were not critical and metaphorial thinkers yet.
Teacher, if a student said she/he thought you were the worst teacher she/he ever had, what would you say?
- Let me answer this one too -- I would ask what makes them say that. I would consider what they had to say and if I felt that the reasons were thought out and reasoned, and that I could actually learn from them and become a better teacher as a result, I would see what I could do to change.
Ms. Nadel, if I were your principal and we were setting goals for next year, what would they be?
- What an amazing question!
The three goals I would want to are:
1. To support students on their way to becoming the sdults they want to be.
2. To give students real voice in what they study in class.
3. To provide an outlet for students to do authentic service.
These don't seem really well-defined right now, but this is the direction I'd want to go in.
To make it okay for students to stretch and to take risks -- to risk making a mistake, to risk getting a bad grade, to risk learning something bigger/more than what is in the textbook...
To make sure students know they are great, they are worthy, they are worthwhile, they have something to contribute and they are valued.
Teacher, have you ever considered to publish a book?
- Again, not directed at me, but I have written a couple of creative nonfiction pieces and I do have an idea for a book. I even have one of the chapters "written" and ideas for two more chapters. It is a scholarly book about what happens to the way we think when we come from more than one cultural heritage -- what we do when we have two perspectives rattling around in our heads...