#SOTU

If you don't know what the title of this post means, please continue reading. This is obviously not my first time witnessing the presidents annual* State of the Union address. As an informed citizen, I believe events such as these are critical to civic responsibility and action. There is nothing that will destroy this republic more surely than ignorant apathy. The true value and function of the State of the Union is debatable in that it is almost always filled with optimistic and promising rhetoric. But only the informed can see where rhetoric ends and action begins.

For several days, analysts and reporters have all made their predictions, judgements, and evaluations regarding Obama's speech. While I do hold opinions regarding the content of the message, I do not really intend on making any judgements or criticisms of the President's speech here. Why? Mostly because I'm tired of it for today. But also because I found this SOTU to be more enjoyable than any other I've ever watched.

Like anything else, this speech can be best enjoyed in the company of good friends. While I sat alone in our living room after my girls were asleep, I had the next best thing - Twitter.

Before you pass judgement on me, let me explain... My PLN has been a source of constant quality learning. Since Twitter, I've stopped subscribing to blogs, discontinued visiting my iGoogle page, and had built a system of utilizing Tweets from those I follow in order to keep me up on what I should be reading. Twitter, therefore, has served as a information aggregator for me based on the great people I follow.

This evening during the SOTU, I found comfort in the communication shared from friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Whenever Mr. President mentioned education, comments, points, jokes, and disappointments were Tweeted and fed to my desktop, updated in read time. The hashtag, #SOTU, was used to further delineate Tweets specifically pertaining to the address. By doing so, this impromptu informal response to the speech becomes more remarkable. No planning was necessary to facilitate such engagement.

While the White House had stepped up it's role toward increasing public engagement in his State of the Union, no planned, organized, and funded communication tool could have functioned as well as this did in providing me with the best State of the Union I've experienced.

* The Constitution states that the President must "from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union" (Art. II, Sec. 3). This has generally been interpreted as annually.

Halfway... Where are your students?

Friday my students completed their last exam of the first semester. Tomorrow (today, I guess) we being semester 2. I don't know what other teachers do at this halfway point, but I've found it extremely valuable to take some time and evaluate what went right and wrong in the first two marking periods. 

What growth have my students experienced? Their grades tell only part of the story. Is the growth I seek measurable? The growth I'm looking for comes from their ability to inquire, reason, explore, and draw conclusions. The essay's I had my students write as a part of their exam was intended to measure the growth that the mandated multiple choice test could not show.

While grading students' written work is no simple task and demands hours of patience and dedication, I can declare to have a greater insight into how my students are learning far beyond what most teachers are able to gather about what their students are learning. Which is more important? 

As we begin semester two tomorrow, I need a gauge on how my students have grown. 

Woah... I need more fiber in my writing diet.

Sorry for the title, but I can't help but feel a bit "bound-up", so to speak, in terms of my written voice. If you look at my next most recent post, it's been a few months since I've posted anything. Punya Mishra, my doctoral advisor (see http://epetphd.ning.com/), has suggested on numerous occasions to blog daily for a period of time until you feel that "regularity" that we all desire. His own web site is updated regularly with posts from daily and weekly thoughts and musings, so he serves as a great example for me. What a good advisor.

Regular writing serves several functions. Writing is more than a task, it's a release. It provides opportunity for reflectivity. This can be simple and basic, or functional and elaborate. Larry Ferlazzo, educator extraordinaire, wrote a blog post this morning on how he used an thorough reflection from a class lesson and used it in class. His lengthy reflection-turned-article, became a source of conversation for his ELA class. Read it. It's awesome! Another great example of reflective writing comes from George Couros, a K-12 Principal in Alberta, Canada. His blog, "The Principal of Change" has almost daily reflections of thoughts and challenges from his perspective as an administrator. Very professional and progressive.

Daily writing can also help refine, define, or discover your voice. Thoughtful, written expression comes from deep within. As a teacher, I'm aware of my voice as it pertains to how I interact with adolescents. I am also aware of my voice as I relate to friends, family, and co-workers. However, as a student advancing in academics seeking scholarly acceptance, there is a need to develop a stronger, more declarative and authoritative voice. Regular writing can serve such a purpose. Hopefully, my writing can provide insight into classroom community and social capital in education for any readers.

It seems this is my year for commitments. About a month ago, I decided I was finished with pop. I consumed probably 100oz of Mt. Dew daily. I quit "cold turkey" - an expression I have never understood - and now consume about a gallon of water daily. Three weeks ago I began a strength and fitness program (P90-X) that is already working wonders in improving overall health and satisfaction. Such an endeavor would have been almost impossible if it were not for my wife. Karen had done the program more than a year ago, and now is working through it a second time with me. If you want to get to know your spouse better, spend an hour every day completing a brutal workout with her. Trust me, it must be better than marriage counseling.

Given those commitments, I suppose I can declare to undertake a new one. Hopefully my written expression can unclog the pipes and unleash the intellectual waste that has been building up and provide some clarity and productive thought. 

What a disgusting-sounding way to end this... Sorry to anyone reading. :)