Extra Credit

Not a week passes by that a student doesn't ask me about extra credit.

"What can I do to bring my grade up?"
"Can I do some extra credit to pass the class?"

The obvious and easy responses are, respectively, "Do your work" and "No, you should have done the original work in the first place." In our culture, however, it seems as though "extra credit" is a scourge which is here to stay. My husband, also a teacher, likes to say that only two groups of students ask for extra credit: those who already have A's and want higher A's and those who are failing and will never do it. While this doesn't always prove true, more often than not, he is right.

What is it about our society that has given students the idea that extra credit is a right? Even a short *gulp* fifteen years ago when I was in school, extra credit was like a gift. The best I could expect consisted of a few extra questions on the occasional quiz. That is definitely not the case today. Students demand extra credit as though they deserve even more opportunities than what is offered in class. I find nothing more frustrating than when a student asks if they can "just write a book report" to bump up their grade.

If extra credit is offered, it should be meaningful to the class. I have come to the conclusion that fighting the battle against extra credit is a lost cause. Now, I try to think of ways for my students to earn extra credit that, ultimately, force them to become engaged with something meaningful and create as little work as possible for me. By no means do I want to grade more papers every week because a student wants a higher A.

One of the ways I have accomplished this is to show films outside of class which are connected to in-class studies. This accomplishes two goals for me. One, I can utilize class time differently. Now time which I would have spent showing a film I can use to add instruction time. Second, I can enhance the set curriculum with films which may not even be shown in a traditional classroom setting.

For example, my Sophomore Honors class is currently in the middle of a Holocaust unit. In the past few days I have shown "Schindler's List," "Hotel Rwanda," and "The Pianist." Two of those films cannot be shown in class due to their "R" ratings. With a parent's permission, my students can experience these films with a group of students learning the same things they are learning. Between my section and my husband's section of students, approximately 40-45 students watched all three films. I believe watching these films has truly enriched the lives of those who have viewed them. Sophomore boys have been brought to tears, a feat I thought not possible.

So, while extra credit may be a scourge which is here to stay, I think teachers have an obligation to make sure that any extra credit they offer be beneficial to the overall academic improvement of their students.

Snow Delay

What is it about snow days that makes all of us, no matter what age, feel like a 7-year-old? In a town like Wenatchee, surrounded by mountains, even a two-hour delay because of snow is a rarity. Since I started teaching here seven years ago, school has not been closed due to snow once.

When the news came last night that school would be delayed two hours I actually "whooped" while in my car. Thank goodness I was by myself.

A two-hour delay has no effect on teachers; we still have to be here at the same time. Only students get the extra two hours of sleep. However, every teacher I've seen this morning has been grinning from ear to ear. This brings me back to my original question: What is it do we find so exciting about snow days?

I think it is the unexpected time we suddenly discover. I am positively giddy right now about the idea that I have two free hours to work on anything I need. I can grade papers. I can read ahead in a novel for my class. I can organize my desk. I can clean out my cupboard. I can chat with other teachers. I can write a cheer newsletter. I can even crank up my stereo and dance crazily around my classroom. It is completely up to me.

An unexpected present of time.

The days of most 7-year-olds contain these large chunks of time where they are free to play. These two hours are my play time, and I plan to make the most of them. What am I going to do? I still haven't figured it out yet, but when I do, you better believe that I am going to enjoy it.

The People You Know

It struck me today that, in the words of Dickens, "A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other." This was clear to me when I finally had the opportunity to have a real and prolonged conversation with a member of our Social Studies department here at the high school. I've always known that Mr. Bailey is an incredibly intelligent man, but I've never taken the time to really sit down and talk with him.

During my prep period today we spoke of everything from Medicare to the war in Iraq. It was probably the best forty minutes I have spent in a while. So many times we skip by those around us and never bother to contemplate the mystery of each other. For example, I never knew that Jim's son Pete was in Desert Storm or that he had been able to spend some time on a carrier with his son. Learning details like these make me appreciate those who live their lives around me even more.

What hidden secrets lurk below the surface of those who walk these halls each and every day? Often those secrets are really nothing more the details of an ordinary life, but therein lies the problem. If we don't take the time to discover those ordinary details, then how can we expect others to take an interest in the life we lead? If we become more human through our interactions with others, then we owe it to ourselves to find out those details and attempt to solve the "profound mystery" that is our existence.

I am so grateful for my conversation with Jim today. I learned about his life, and he learned about mine. When we finished our conversation I believe both of us felt a little bit lighter and more ready to take on the rest of the day. Jim thanked me for the talk today and said it was "fun," but I owe him a great deal as well. Thank you, Jim, for a prep period well-spent.

It Can Happen Again

My husband and I recently finished watching "Hotel Rwanda," the story of how Paul Russesabagina personally saved 1200 Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the horrific outbreak of violence in 1994. Before viewing "Hotel Rwanda" I was woefully uneducated on the atrocities committed in this country and the reasons behind them. Like most Americans, I knew "something like genocide" had occurred, but I had never taken the time to fully research the events. This film helped remedy that situation and struck an emotional chord with me that still resonates.

Some of the issues raised in the film that stuck with me are as follows:

1. I can't believe that the whole situation was started by the Belgians. While "colonizing" Rwanda, the Belgians chose those natives with lighter skin, narrower noses, and taller physiques to be in charge of various governmental arenas. This group was called the Tutsi and was given complete control over the other group, called the Hutu. Before the Belgians made this distinction, the native peoples of Rwanda were not divided into these classes. Like any beginning psychology student will tell you, the Tutsi, once given power over their former "equals," quickly began to abuse that power. Once the Belgians left, the Hutu regained control and quickly began repaying the Tutsi for years of mistreatment. Damn Belgians. As if Africa didn't already have enough problems. That years of violence and racial hatred were artificially created due to European standards of beauty astounds me.

2. Going back to the issue of my ignorance, I realize I am not alone in this. In the film, Joachim Phoenix portrays a cameraman named Daglish who comments that people in the United States will see the pictures of the atrocities being committed in Rwanda and do nothing in response. He says, "They'll look at the screen and say 'Oh, that's terrible' and go right back to eating dinner." He was right. I think back to my days as a college student in 1994, and the genocide being committed in Rwanda received little attention on the evening news. Our entire country ate dinner while a million people were slaughtered.

3. I teach a unit on the Holocaust in my Sophomore English classes. We talk about "The Final Solution," the plan to completely eliminate European Jewry; the dehumanization of Jews by the Nazi party; and the apathy of the public which allowed the Holocaust to take place. We even briefly mention Rwanda. One of the final questions that I asked my students this year was whether or not an event like this could ever take place again. With very few exceptions, the majority of my students claimed that the United States would not allow such an event to happen again. They justified their response with such reason as the availability of information, the increasing goodness of the United States, and the ever-popular view that people are more tolerant these days.

Bullshit.

If we as a country truly cared about those around us, Africa wouldn't have the largest number of AIDS patients in the world. The genocide in Rwanda took place in 1994. I don't think the world has changed that much in 10 years. The United Nations was fully aware of what was going on and refused to step in. The information was out there, and no one acted on it. As a result, one million people were killed in a four month period.

One million people. Four months.

4. Finally I was struck by the politicized use of the word "genocide." The United States and other countries are now frightened to even use the word because they are compelled to act on their knowledge of genocide. We now get bogged down in semantics, and doublespeak phrases such as "acts of genocide" are used instead so that countries can turn their backs on these atrocities. I'm not sure what the exact difference is between "genocide" and "acts of genocide," but I do know that in both of these, people die. When will we finally learn that even one "act of genocide" is enough for us to step in?

The images from this film are still with me a few days after watching it. If you have not yet seen "Hotel Rwanda," I suggest you do so as soon as possible. If more people are made aware of what is going on in world around us, then maybe we can prevent something like this from happening again. Until then, I'll keep watching the news a little more carefully.

Why Is Feminist the New "F" Word?

Recently in my English classroom, my students read several poems by women authors. With the notable exception of Harper Lee, none of the other works which are in our standard curriculum were written by women. Quite ironic, considering that the Sophomore year is supposed to be one of inclusion.

After reading these poems, some of which include "Marks" by Linda Pastan, "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" and "Living in Sin" by Adrienne Rich, "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood (God, why can't we teach The Handmaid's Tale?), "One Perfect Rose" by Dorothy Parker, and "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy, the discussions which ensued flattened me.

Marks

My husband gives me an A
for last night's supper,
an incomplete for my ironing,
a B plus in bed.
Mu son says I am average,
an average mother, but if
I put my mind to it
I could improve.
My daughter believes
in Pass / Fail and tells me
I pass. Wait 'til they learn
I'm dropping out.

-Linda Pastan (1978)

After reading the above poem, my students first expressed outrage that a mother would even consider abandoning her motherly duties because she was being judged. "Isn't that her job?" one student asked. This poem led to a pretty lively debate about the roles of men and women in our society today, and I found myself in awe at the backwards ideas my students hold. Discussion topics ranged from equal pay in the workplace to the amount of work done by women in the home. I cited studies which show that today it is still common for women to earn less than men even in the same job and that even in households where both parents work, the woman is the primary caregiver and household chore performer. "So what?" they replied, "Men do most of the outside yardwork."

They didn't really have a response when I wondered what outside yard work was being done from November to February when the grass did not need to be mowed. One student even went so far to address the issue of equal pay in the work place with the following statement: "If a father and a mother are both doing the same sort of job, then the mother is probably going to be more worried about her house and kids and won't do as good a job as the man and shouldn't get paid as much." It was through sheer self-preservation that I did not immediately go over and choke the living crap out of him.

Other students brought up the issue of women in sports. "Women's sports are boring," "Girls shouldn't play with boys," "I could never play with a girl on the team" and so on. Needless to say, my female athletes were not impressed. Many of the girls in the room jumped in to shoot this argument all to hell, thank goodness.

My biggest issue, though, was with the girls in my classes. I would guess that maybe three girls spoke up in favor of feminism in any sense of the word. Why has feminism become such a dirty word? According to Webster, a feminist is one who "advocates for the social, political, and economic equality of women." What is so terrible about that? Plenty, if you believe the conservative talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, the coiner of the phrase "feminazi." I fail to see how the equality of women would be enough to make a man quiver with so much fear that he is forced to compare an entire movement based on equality with the mass extermination of the Jewish people. Is he worried that the women will conduct their own holocaust? Does he really think that the equality of women will decimate the population of men? Now we all know that Limbaugh is a kook, but why do my female students buy into this garbage?

Every day I see incredibly intelligent girls pretend to be dumb in order to attract attention or to avoid the wrong kind of attention. Why do they feel the need to do this? If, as these girls seem to think, we don't need feminisim any more, then why do they play off gender stereotypes? Obviously some sort of double standard is at work here. We need to educate our young girls so they see the need for a new class of feminists. Let's all work together to make sure they get A's.

It Never Stops

I finally just glanced at my calendar this week and realized that I seem to have scheduled myself out of a life for the next few weeks. Between showing films after school for students, my second job waiting tables (yeah, like a teacher's salary is adequate), and the normal grading which accompanies being an English teacher, I don't believe I'll even have the time to get a good night's sleep. Every day on my calendar this week has something extra on it scribbled for me to do.

I'm beginning to wonder if life is really becoming too scheduled and planned. Every moment of every day is filled with required activities and obligations. Where is the time to be spontaneous? Where is the time to do something just for me? I realize that sounds selfish, but I'm feeling a bit cranky with all of these intrusions on my personal time.

The best vacation I ever took was one on which my husband and I were able to be completely spontaneous. Hit the beach? Sure! Drive to San Diego for a night? Let's hop in the car! I really miss that capability to decide to do something at the last minute and not have a meeting interfere with a great idea.

My life is no longer my own, and I want it back.