The Teacher- Encouraged Peril Within Challenge

The Constitutional journey continues this week. Thus far, we have explored the Preamble, the goals of the Constitution and the principles to accompany it. The reality is that we have much more to go in this voyage. Our focus this coming week will focus on attaining concepts regarding the different branches of government. The very nature of this inquiry is differentiated so that students of all levels can probe deeply into the nature of United States government as well as the structure of political institutions. Evidence of this would be how students sought to forge connections between goals and principles, as well as methods how students seek to understand modern applications of the topic of the Executive Branch. The use of Outcome Sentences also differentiates as students are the active agents of understanding in the concept of creating a one sentenced result of their learning. Students are being asked (and, in some cases, forced) to raise the level of commitment, focus, and heart in emerging into the domain of scholarship.

In a larger sense, the middle school ideals can be seen in this idea of student responsibility and accountability. The idea of differentiated instruction works best when the student conducts the differentiation. When students can be trusted to be the arbiters of academic conceptions of the good, we place a level of advocacy and autonomy on students that allow them to be stronger scholars. This aspect of freedom is integral to the middle school concept. When students are encouraged to take chances and engage in intellectual risk in the protected domains of a middle school, the results yield a critically discerning author of their own intellectual journey. Our unit on the Constitution is one of those instances where students can take risks in their thought and their production. Yet, these risks can only be taken if students are willing to put their imprint on their time in this classroom. One of the questions that I have started to pose to students is how are they going to leave their mark in their time in 7-1 Social Studies? What will they do with their time that shows meaning and purpose? The study of the Constitution has been peppered with statements such as, “You will be coming back here next year and telling the student sitting in this seat to listen to these notes on the Preamble” or “You will be appreciative of how you memorized the Preamble next year.” These ideas force our current students to start playing with the image of time in so far as seeing themselves as future students for a moment in the present coming back to speak to the future beings who will inhabit their present space. For a moment, I can catch some of our students creating a mental projection into this time/ space continuum and at that moment, I can see the precursors to understanding develop. I believe that the current stress on differentiated instruction can be understood in a more coherent and, perhaps, healthy context if we empower students to be authors of an emotional and intellectual journey. If they are willing to undergo it and endure the trials and terrors that seem intrinsic to it, they will find triumph in the final analysis. This dynamic of endurance and triumph is not only a Faulknerian theme, but one that injects purpose and relevancy into instruction. Once this dynamic has been accomplished, students have become scholars, instruction has been met to students’ needs, and all have raised their capacity for greatness. It is not only a goal of a middle school, such as Percy Julian, but embodied in the principles of 7-1’s Unit on the Constitution.

As always, the middle of the year seems to embody more red tape items than originally thought. Conference sign up sheets have been sent home and confirmations will be or already have been sent home. (At this time, my conference schedule is posted under the link of “Handouts” on the pdf pane to the left hand side of the blog.) Additionally, we will be going “live” with online grades very soon. Our tentative plans are to be ready by the 29th of January. In addition to this, students will receive weekly progress reports in Social Studies that can be signed by parent/ guardian and submitted by Thursday of each week for five points of extra credit. In class news, the “Meet Social Studies” study session will start on Monday, 2/11, during 5th period lunch. Simply put, it’s a Tim Russert- like “Meet the Press” setting where students have the chance to ask questions and seek clarification about the curriculum or specific content. It’s not a moment to complete homework (students can make individual AM or Lunchtime appointments to do this). Instead, this “Meet Social Studies” study session is intended to enhance dialogue about the curriculum and offer clarity where confusion might be present. To paraphrase the words of the great Buffalo Bills fan, “If it’s Monday, It’s meet Social Studies!” Finally, students should be on the lookout for Election ’08 Extra Credit opportunities in the next week or ten days.

As the songs in our garden strove to be heard, their notes are struck through the emergence of scholarship through challenge and academic austerity. The only piece of advice I can offer is for students to keep singing their songs.

All best and happy hunting.
Mr. Kannan