Recently I have wondered–a lot–about what kind of job I would enjoy most, but I always count the trade offs as not worth giving up teaching: most jobs give but two weeks off each year (last year I got that much time off for snow days alone–paid), require evening or weekend work, lack stability…you know, all those things. Teaching affords me the money and schedule to prioritize family, which in turn occasionally allows me to pursue my other creative endeavors.
What really sounds appealing to me is having a creative space laboratory and a benefactor, someone who pays my salary for five years while I write a book or work on music. Kickstarter wouldn’t cut it: I don’t need supplemental cash as much as a stable, cushy salary with traditional benefits and no strings attached. eHow’s How to Find a Benefactor pointed me to an arrangement seeking website which wasn’t quite what I’m looking for, either, given its gentlemanly tendency of calling benefactors “Sugar Daddies” and touting Playboy‘s endorsement.
I clearly need an alternative; in the meantime, I’m trying the next best thing: giving what I want (sort of) to others. I surveyed my students, “If you could do anything you wanted to do in this class–and it has to be related to English and Reading—what would you do? I want this school year to be meaningful for you, so give me your ideas. How do you want to show your creative productivity? And how do you want to be graded? What materials would you need?”
Students seemed interested in giving their ideas, of which quite a few sound a lot like assignments they would have completed in late elementary school, some are already in my plans, and too many have relatively little value when it comes to learning to read and write. Others just might work as new options.
At this point in the year I know little about my students, but their responses–and one boy’s situation, in particular–suggest either the same need that I have for self determination and creative liberty or a dire lack of originality: CG, who I’ve heard that, due to an incident involving his dad that nearly resulted in CG being removed from the home, which really scared his parents, is always sent straight to his room after school so that his parents won’t be in danger of doing anything that would risk social services’ involvement again, wrote that he wants “quiet space” and to be graded with an “A+.” (He clarified a bit later that the quiet space would be for reading and that the grade would be for “how much i did or if i did it.”)
I’ve compiled a number of the responses:
Straight from (I suspect) fifth grade:
-“posters hands on projects and themes”
-“I would like to do these things were you take shoe boxes or any type of box, (depending on the size) , and find items that you could stick in the box that relates to a certain book……. You could make the box what you think is describing the book.”
-“We can do a children’s book on the computer.”
-“sculptures/diaramas that are based off of our ssr book.”
-“I want to read a book about horses and make a poster with cool facts about them.”
-“i think it would be fun to read a class book and go outside and play kickball but you have to answer a question about the book to be able to kick the ball.”
-“creating with wood sticks and glue and make a sculpture of what was in the book like a building or charicter.”
Already in my plans (more or less):
-“I would read because i think it is fun to read a book in the car and at my house i spend a alot of time a reading books when i really injoy.”
-“I think reserching projects would be fun.”
-“book projects that are fun.”
-“I show my creative process with multiple colors, and alot of orginization.”
-“I would like to do writing and to read stuff and discussed what i read to my friend and write about it.”
-“I would take a poster board and draw about rikki tikki tabby.” Graded by: “spelling and neatness.”
Possible and realistic new options that I’d maybe already thought about:
-“Write Music, Make a magazine, Make A newspaper.”
-“Make a magazine with articles and pictures.” Materials: “colored pencils, markers, lots and lots of paper, the internet to get pictures for the magazine/articles.”
-“I think we should show are creative by drawing and writing.I think we should make like, make a news paper or like a play. This is how I think we should get graded for preparation and good writing.”
-“I think that we should make movies slides on the computer and stuff that we can use the computers such as slide shows of a story on the computer or mini movies that we can make and show the class.”
-“make a movie of some kind and show it to seventh grade….I CALL LEAD ACTOR.”
-“write music and act in plays and draw and write.”
-“sing, wright, teaching Ukrainian.” Graded by: “how many things defined. neat. took time on it.”
-“I want to show my creativity by doing a project on the history of video games.”
Maybe….or maybe not:
-“By creating a game with boy vs girls involving dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedea. The teacher ask to find any word or a date or anther meaning and you have to pick if its one of the 3 books you have and find the word and write it down first one done win that round and gets a tally mark.” Materials needed: “1encyclopedea 1dictionary 1 thesaruse for each group and paper, Pencil and draw erase bored to keep in tack with tally marks.” Grading: “the teacher would look for who trying the hardest and who being the quietest and witch team is not cheating also who being neatest.”
-“by building things and have plays and git prizes”
-“talking.” Materials: “mouth tounge lips voicebox.” Grading: “if my voice is pertty.” (This student is nearly as tall as me, weighs maybe twice as much as me, and is, like me, male.)
-“I like to draw so when i get bored i draw and I like to draw and use old makeup to color my drawings with or old anything. When i am in a mood I draw about my mood.” Graded by: “The Creativity the Texture and the neatness.” (I’ve seen one of these drawings, by the way. It was great.)
-“by making a movie and have free time.” Graded by: “with a star rating (5 stars).”
-“i am much more creative when sitting next to C___:). the class is much more interesting when teachers read love notes from in the hallway. projects that we have to create all on our own and work on in partners chosen by us(c___).”
-“I’m more creative when listening to music and sitting with WN. Poster Board.”
-“i want to work outside.”
-“i want to write a small book with a group.”
-“wach tv.”
-“I would wan’t to show my creative productivity by just reading a book the whole block.”
-“By my spelling,by my creativity,by how many pictures I have,by how many words I have,and by my presentation.”
-“building models” using the materials “blowtorch welder hammer nales power tools” and graded by “how good i did it”
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sk
Ukrainian!