My new job and lots of books

So tomorrow I go in for my first orientation at my new job and I am pretty excited. I will be
working with a independent school called the Unity School. They use the
High/Scope curriculum which for my little bit of research is Dewey
like in that it allows the children to learn via inquiry, but also
like Reggio as the teachers do a lot of documentation.

via the High/Scope web site:

What is the HighScope Curriculum?

HighScope's educational approach emphasizes “active participatory learning.” Active learning means students have direct, hands-on experiences with people, objects, events, and ideas. Children’s interests and choices are at the heart of HighScope programs. They construct their own knowledge through interactions with the world and the people around them. Children take the first step in the learning process by making choices and following through on their plans and decisions. Teachers, caregivers, and parents offer physical, emotional, and intellectual support. In active learning settings, adults expand children’s thinking with diverse materials and nurturing interactions.

Unity school has 2-13 year olds and focuses mostly on the early childhood. I will be
working in the 3 year old room as a teacher assistant. Here are a few pictures from their website, I think the pictures speak for themselves.



Last year, I work as many of you might know as a Nanny or as everyone wanted to
call me Manny. I spent most of my time with a little guy named Walter.

When I started he was about 2 and half years old and seeing his
progress and helping him grow and learn was one of the best parts of
the job.

Walter was just one child and this will be a whole class, but I
think I am going to enjoy it more then I think.

My horoscope from my birthday, said I would have a crumby June and be very happy in September. While in June, I got my car stolen right before I moved to Eugene. I could tell myself, "I guess at least September would be great." :) Anyway, I am going to have a lots and lots of stories about the little ones and all

all the great things they're teach me about life and learning and myself.

My studies are going great, I can't stop reading and acquiring books, I
think about my classmate, Max and his love of Record dollar bins.

Yesterday I said no more books and then I went to a thrift store that was all used books. They had books for only 1.25, so I bought two more. This should not really surprise
me, I guess.

My mother has more books then anyone I know. She loves to
read, mostly spiritual and self help books, but books stores are her
drug.

I actually started looking through her books, and found more
then a helpful handful. These books have been there for years, but now
they are more then just titles. She had almost every Alice Miller
book, which was funny because I had bought "The Drama of the Gifted Child" a few
months before.

I will have to take a picture of my living room because
I stacked all my books in piles and well it a lot, I going to have
time to read them all......Right.

Do you know what it means to learn?

I think the quote below really sums up what I have been feeling lately. I am finding it hard to separate my life from my education, or my studies. I find I am learning in so many different ways, Krishnamurti has reminded me to look at myself and look at my process and the processes of our society.

"Do you know what it means to learn? When you are really learning you are learning throughout your life and there is no on special teacher to learn from. Then everything teaches you-a dead leaf, a bird in flight, a smell, a tear, the rich and the poor, those who are crying, the smile of a woman, the haughtiness of a man. You learn from everything, therefore there is no guide, no philosopher, no guru. Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning"

Krishnamurti, J. Think On These Things. HarperOnel New York, 1989. (pg. 6)

I am excited and a little unfocused on what my first packet of writing is going to look like, but I know it is just the beginning. I am a little confused on how to balance my need to see this as a journey, allowing myself to trust the process and built up my knowledge and wisdom day to day and also stop and formulate some thoughts.

I know the minute I hit the tipping point of my writing, I will not be able to stop. When that time comes I will look back and be able to see the path I have taken, but right now I am seeing the trees and the forest and the sky and the birds and the clouds along with build and dissecting the meta-narrative within me.

I also started another blog to keep track of all the little sights along the way, all the education blogs, quotes, links, etc that I find. I will try to touch on them in more depth in this blog, but I needed a place to store them. I also did not want to make this a running list.

my new blog is www.adventuresinlearning.tumblr.com

I really enjoy the ease of tumblr.com, and would recommend it to everyone, who is new to blogging.

Tomorrow, I begin the process of training my body and a little bit my mind for the coming school year; in terms of work at the Unity School and also my studies. So that means up at 7am. I have a packet due next week at this time, so that means while I don't have Unity School work, I do have school work.

I haven't forgotten you!

I am going to post this even though I wrote it on August 4th. Hopefully I will be writing everyday not or at least a few times a week.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Since returning from Goddard, I have been reading and looking for work non stop.

On the work front, I have got a job working in a after care program, and I will sub the next couple of days. I hope to blog about my experience and relay my stories and observations. The opportunity to be around children will be nice. I have missed working with kids the last couple of months. Hopefully this job will lead me to a classroom position as that is where I would ideally like to be. It is a great start. I think I get to swimming tomorrow, which should be fun.

On the School front, I am excited and overjoyed to finally have the chance to start my studies on Education. I am finding my love and passion for education growing with every page I read. I have finished two books since I have been back. Both eye opening.

Last night I finished Ron Miller's What Are Schools For?: Holistic Education in American Culture. I can't just write a few sentences about this book, so I will wait to write a longer blog about it. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of education and alternatives models of schooling and learning.

Home from Goddard! The Adventures continue from Eugene!

I returned home from Goddard College, yesterday morning a little after 3 am. My flight from JFK caused my trip to last a little longer then expected. They blamed weather, but I expect it was the universe giving me a couple extra hours to ponder my experience at Goddard, before I returned home. I am happy to be home with my lovely partner Marta and to start my studies.

The discussions started at Goddard will continue at home, my studies will be focused and my mind active. As I begin to reflect on my experiences at Goddard, I smile with appreciation of all the love and caring I witnessed during my week. I think of all the friendship I began and wisdom I gained. Goddard is a lot of things, but above all it is a community. At Goddard, we are told to "Truth the Process" and trusting the process is what I hope to reflect on, in this blog.

I am going to work this week to process and remember my time at Goddard. Check back often if you are interested in knowing more. Here are a few more pics from Goddard.

Pictures From Goddard College!

This week has been amazing for so many reasons. This week has given me a chance to meet and get to know a great group of loving,caring, generous people. It have also got to know myself, my pursuit to become a educator has been strengthened and enhanced by all the people and conversations I have engaged in. Most of all I am happy, I have got to share with week getting to know so many great new friends. I want to write more but I most head to lunch. Here in a quick overview of my time at Goddard College in Pictures.

A few pics from Burlington Vermont

At JFK, Just doing a little painting with the sunrise!

I arrived in New York a little after 3am or 6am. I am not even sure either of those numbers make sense to my body. My body is tired, my mind a little hazy, but Jet Blue did their best to make the flight as good as possible. Flying for the first time on Jetblue, and I am already sold. I enjoyed the Cable TV attached to the seat in front of me. Nothing like watching Reno 911 a mile high, Or the food network. or Classic MJ videos. I loved the Tv, but the sight out of my window around 5am or 2Am was magical. The sunrise was glowing and my camera allowed me to play with the exposure and contrast. It made the lack of sleep worth it.

Off to meet Casey my Goddard Buddy and fly to Burlington.

Until then.

On route to Goddard College for the first time!

Tomorrow I will be at Goddard College. Tonight I fly out on the red eye, first into JFK Airport and then into Burlington, Vt. I am meeting up with another first year Education student. We are planning on spending a few hours in Burlington and then taking a Express Link Bus (4 dollars) into Montpelier(about an hour away) and then catching a cab to take us up to Goddard, which is about 10 miles from the capital.

I am feeling a nervous, reminded of the feeling of going to summer camp. I will do my best to update everyday to keep you all informed and a little for sanity sake. Feel free to email me or call me or snail mail me while I am there.

Goddard College
c/o David Loitz
123 Pitkin Rd,
Plainfield, VT 05667.

Okay I need to get back to packing.

My Personal Journey to Goddard College!

My experiences as a student, my achievements professionally and my ultimate goal to fulfill my aspirations as a educator and life-long learner have lead me to Goddard College. My goal to educate was born from my rejection of Henry Ford's factory approach to education. Working professionally and creatively in the educational environment has strengthened my desire to attain an active role in reforming the current system of education and shaping the future discourses in education. Gaining a theoretical foundation through completing a self designed study plan will give me the framework and knowledge to draw on during my student teaching period. Combining the theoretical and practicum learning into a mastery of elementary education will prepare me to confidently execute the role of a teacher in the classroom.

During my life as a student and working in educational settings, I have come to believe that the current system of education in the United States is in need of reform. John Taylor Gatto writes about the industrial system Henry Ford developed, that turned schools into factories, and students into a standard product which schools and teachers produce in order to participate in the modernizing economy. While never completely successful, this system has outgrown it usefulness and produces a learning environment where both the student and the teacher are at a disadvantage. I believe that schools can, and should, treat students as individuals, and harness children's natural impulses for self-learning, instead of subjecting students to a 'one size fits all' philosophy.

Contemplating the need for a new system where the student is the center of the learning, brought me to the the works of John Holt and Daniel Greenberg from the Sudbury Valley School. I connect with Holt's ideas that students are best served by teachers who are guides to their learning, allowing students to learn by doing. The story of Sudbury Valley School conveys that school can be an environment were student and teacher can democratically learn together. Researching both of these educators led me to question not only my role as a teacher, but also the need to align myself with a progressive college, where I could continue my investigation.

Upon reflection, my journey toward Goddard is fueled by three attributes I have developed during my life. The power of questions; being a keen listener and observer; and the importance of taking charge of my learning have always guided me to personal, artistic and professional success. Analyzing each success and its accompanying lesson confirms my readiness for Goddard's graduate school and the process of becoming an educator.

At a young age, my mother taught me the principle of questioning everything. This virtue spoke to me as a child because of my natural curiosity and tendency to inquire about the world around me, and as I grew older it evolved into not just questioning, but challenging preset notions and injustices in my school and society. I am an eager learner, always looking for new answers. Now, I am excited to learn the history and tradition of education, with a critical lens, which will give me a foundation on which I will rely when developing my own theories on learning and education.

During my childhood I was surrounded by adults of various ages, in the form of child care providers, friends of my mother and relatives. The ever changing environment of my childhood strengthened by ability to listen and observe, first at home and expanding into the community. I learned that being a keen listener could teach me a great deal about different personalities and situations. I see listening as an important trait for an educator because it lends to better communication with students, parents and administrators. In addition, appreciating the different perspectives present in a classroom will help me create a safe and calm environment where the student can be the center of learning.

Most of my significant learning did not occur in a classroom, it often resulted from taking charge of my own learning and seeking out experiences in my environment. My early science classes were not taught by a teacher, but from my brother and I exploring the woods in our town. We did not learn scientific names of plants and animals, instead we learned adventure and risk. My ability to adapt and problem solve is not a result of an assignment, instead, I was allowed to make mistakes so I could learn from them. Through building tree forts or seeking out work via paper routes or collecting cans, I learned the value of self-generated goals, and being responsible for my own success.

The experience of learning to cook taught me about my own learning process, and the way a necessity can spark a passion to take that simple skill to a level of mastery. As a teenager I decided to take on the challenge of cooking for my family. Drawing from basic skills I learned from watching my grandmother in her kitchen, I began to experiment with new ingredients and techniques, eagerly consulting books and experienced cooks. After a few years of cooking, I realized I could tackle any complicated recipe, not because I was a master chef, but because I built a confidence in my ability find a solution. As I now transition from from active learner to teacher, I still do not have all the answers, but I help students understand how they can find their own answers.

My success in self directed learning and projects of various sizes gives me the confidence that I will be able to complete the unique program at Goddard. One of my greatest successes is creating the International Student Original Film Art Festival (SOFA). During my Junior year at Wilsonville High School, my friend and I decided to move from theater to film making. We wrote scripts and filmed a number of short films, learning as we went along. After a few attempts we had a film we wanted to show to an audience other than our parents. We decided we could created our own venue: a film festival. Starting with a web site and quickly growing from a local event to an international film festival with multiple screenings around the country, drawing submissions from around the world. The festival lasted five years and grew larger than the two of us with a organization of like minded students and teachers. With only hard work and internal motivation we created a full fledged business. I understand the process required to take a simple concept and cultivate it, in collaboration with others, into a meaningful mechanism for building community. The festival was a reflection of the passion I have for the creative and collaborative process, and for the dialog I crave to engage in with others in my field. My experience with SOFA led me to seek a learning environment that embraces my desire for self learning. One year at a traditional college confirmed my need for a more progressive, student focused learning institution.

I found such an institution when I joined California Institute of the Arts' Film and Video program in the fall of 2001, where I was treated as an artist joining a progressive group learning space. Cal Arts believes its role in education is to provide a broad framework in which individuals can experiment and grow within a supportive and critical community. This community includes a faculty of established and respected working artists. At Cal Arts, the relationship between a teacher and student is more of a mentor-ship because the teacher is not there to impart information, but to help the student access and develop the skills needed to achieve their own unique individual artistic style and voice.

My final project combined many of my visual storytelling skills and took the form of a video installation. The installation was an expression of my focus for telling small stories that included the relationship of the viewer to the material and how a intimate experience was created. Taking what I learned in class and producing a piece of work that showcased my singular voice, afforded me a dialog with my classmates. This dialog gave me the chance to reflect about my own inspiration for the piece and allowed an angle in which to discuss my work and the work of other artists from different disciplines. Cal Arts' unique culture fed my strengths as a student and and cultivated my aptitude for self directed learning. During my time there, I learned not only the art of film making, but I became aware of what environment best suits my creative and academic growth.

I see Goddard as a similar environment to Cal Arts, and their roles of educational settings stem from the same ideals. I see the community at Goddard as a place where I can continue my self directed learning and hope to form the same type of relationships as I did with the faculty and fellow students at Cal Arts. I see my work as an educator being influence and enhanced my discourse with the broadest range of disciplines which are offered within the Goddard community and the community I will build for my self. I believe my successes and lessons learned at Cal Arts have prepared me to succeed within Goddard's unique low residency program.

After completing my bachelors of Fine Art from California Institute of the Arts in 2005, I returned to Oregon, instead of seeking work in Los Angeles. This choice limited my opportunities to work in the film business, but increased my quality of life. In reflection, I see how this decision led me to Goddard. Choosing to return to Oregon gave me a chance to really explore what drew me to film in the first place. Fighting for Portland's limited film work made me reflect upon why I chose a career in film making. My passion for film making is grounded in my love of the creative process along with the medium's strength to inform a vast number of people about social issues and stories. While I have decided to focus my energy on my growing love of education, I believe my skills and passion for film will strengthen my career in education

My first experience as a teacher came my Junior year at Cal Arts, when I began teaching film making at Oakwood Secondary School. I envisioned my role as a teacher to be much like my experiences as an director in theater and film or hold similarities to my work with SOFA. I realized that while leadership skills are needed, teaching requires a balancing act that I had yet experienced. During my first semester, I lacked classroom management skills and relied heavily on trying to create an environment where the students held primary control of what we did; myself often being timid and lacking a clear idea of how to design my curriculum. Some students took charge of their learning and succeeded, but others never really engaged in the class. Over the course of the next year and a half, I built confidence in my skills as a teacher, learning how to balance a student-centered learning environment with classroom management and curriculum diversification for a wide range of learners. Each semester, I learned a new aspect of teaching, from incorporating unstructured time into structured time; forming specialized lesson plans for individual students, and knowing when to step in to help a student, or when to step out and let a student discover a new solution.

Teaching elementary-aged students at Oregon Episcopal School presented me with a new set of challenges and lessons in adapting my film-making classes for a younger set. The curriculum I created for high school students included mostly unstructured time with my role as a guide. I learned fast that my lesson plans needed more structure and had to accommodate the group dynamics and the different attention spans of boy and girl students.

One particular class demonstrated how complex circumstances can effect my ability to teach and the method with which I teach. It was not only the age and gender of the student, but the way 4th grade girls and boys interact in spring that affected my curriculum. My early attempts to corral this energy was challenged by the one hour length of the class and lack of a proper classroom space. It was not until the end of the semester that I learned I needed to separate my lessons for each group. Normally I would not separate genders, but I found the girls could focus and work on their own, while the boys needed to have a structure assignment and help keeping focus and on task. My ability to adapt and reflect on my own teaching, allowed me to turn an unruly and unproductive learning environment into a place where all the students were able to produce a final project. Oregon Episcopal school offered me the chance to continue teaching film, but I did not expect to find a more meaningful experience in a larger setting as an Extended Care Teacher.

While working in Extended Care, I came to understand that my enthusiasm for teaching was not only from my passion for film, but it was fueled by the students themselves and my own love of learning. Extended care began once the school day ended, occupying the time before the student went home, in the evening. For two and half years, I worked along with a co-teacher with students in the 1st and 2nd grade. My role could have easily fallen into a that of glorified babysitter, but I realized early on that EC is just as important as classroom time. EC was structured to allow for daily creative projects and ample amount of time to socialize and play. My co-teacher and I gave our students a choice of which activities they wanted to participate in or to not participate at all. This gave the students an environment that they did not have any other time in the day. I came to understand that we offered the one place in children's day where they were treated as peers to the adults around them. While many of the kids and parents didn't see me as a Teacher, I believe my role was beneficial to their development and allowed them to relax without pressure to perform. Often my students were able to work out tension and stress that had built up during the day both at home and school. Along with helping them wind down from the rigorous academic setting of their classrooms, I decided early on that I was going to push the boundaries of the projects and activities we offered them. One of my greatest strengths as a teacher is my belief that students can and should be treated as equals, and treated as I would treat my peers or friends. I believe the only power I needed to wield, came with keeping the children safe and stepping in if a situation had grown out of control. I believe it is important to be sensitive to their development level, but often children are sheltered from making mistakes. Students can thrive, by learning that they can fix their own problems or try things that might not be comfortable at first. While teaching in Extended Care, I spent time reading John Holt and Daniel Greenberg, and started to contemplating a child's ability to take control of his own education . I see the complex challenge of knowing when and how to let students learn for themselves, as a one of most important skill I hope to master at Goddard. .

During my time at OES, my passion for education started to cement itself. .My job was not work to me, but a new adventure and learning experience. I fostered relationships with students and saw the impact that my role could have in their development. I challenged myself to work with the students that had a hard time functioning within the freedom we offered. I knew that building trust was essential in helping them. I did this by looking for their strengths and giving them more opportunities to experience the power of getting attention because of their positive actions. I also had the freedom to experiment with different class management techniques. After recess, I notice the students having a hard time refocusing their energy into a creative project. Instead of forcing the issue I decided to allow the students a chance to channel their energy into something productive. I initiated a comedy sketch time, a setting for my students to laugh and giggle and perform for their classmates. It wasn't long before they began asking for this time and making it their own. My confidence in reading a class situation and the different dynamic of the students allowed me to keep calm and not become overwhelmed by challenging groups of students.

Being the only male teacher in the EC program informed my role in the classroom and also plays a huge part in my desire to become a elementary school teacher. Teaching is not a gender specific role, but I experienced a level of sexism in my role with elementary age level that I did not see in my work as Film teacher. My intentions as a teacher were often questioned, and I constantly worked to convince parents and even peers of my qualification to work with children. I have made it a mission to reinvent the role of males in elementary education. I believe positive male role models in school and young children's life are just as important as females.

Students benefit from the interplay between male and female teachers and are provided a more holistic earning environment in the years when they are still developing their understanding of gender and of self along with the complexities of the world around them. One of my focuses at Goddard will be to study the history of gender roles in education along with developing a theory on the benefits of a more diverse teacher pool that includes a combination of male and female teachers of different backgrounds.

With my completion of a degree from Goddard I hope to secure a license to teach Elementary Education. I have come to the decision to focus my teaching on the Elementary grades after a reflection of my experiences, and a survey of my strengths and dreams. My energy and enthusiasm for learning complement the developmental spectrum of children. I am excited about my chance to shape and guide the future education and development of children who are just beginning their journey as learners. My artistic background will lend to and enhance the wide range of activities and learning options that are available in an Elementary classroom. The flexibility of the elementary curriculum is appealing because it allows for multi-subject learning, and lends to experiential learning and the possibility of spontaneous student-generated adventures. I look forward to the challenge of helping children adjust to the vast amount of changes that happen in the short period of elementary school.

Honestly I love working with children at this level, the wonder and excitement they have for the world is contagious. I see a similarity between their eagerness to learn and my tendency to gravitate toward learning experiences and new skills to master. I see myself setting a tone in my classroom that learning occurs over a lifetime, not just from September to June. It is my dream to be a teacher. I know through my theoretical and practicum learning at Goddard College I will have all the tools necessary to confidently enter the classroom and began helping the next generation discovery their own dreams and become life long learners.

Documenting My Learning.

Early last week, I was accepted to Goddard College in the Education Licensure Program. I plan to focus on Elementary Education. This blog will be a place for me to document my adventures in learning and my education process both at Goddard and on my own. This will include just day to day notes, book list, and just general links to interesting sites and readings. I also hope to poise questions for me and other students of Education. Hopefully this blog can create a debate or discussion with other students at Goddard College and Other school. I expect this to evolve as I start my actually studies. For now, I am going to just be reading and doing brief write ups.

My first entry will be my letter of intent I submitted to Goddard College.

Please feel free to commit and add to any post.