It doesn’t take much to lose your edge… assuming you ever had one in the first place.
I’ve been blogging less this summer. But reading more. Considering how the mathematics of educational logic function (more time reading + less time spent socially networking = greater intelligence), one could probably assume that I am now smarter, about to write with more keen and astute insight.
Bzzzzpt! One would be wrong.
To wit, I spent about 5 hours working on one of my new books today. My best line.
“Your butt says HOME OF THE AARDVARKS. Aardvarks is a funny word. Wanna play after school?”
Taken in context, I think it’s going to be somewhat funny. Of course, taken out of context, I might be mistaken for someone that is, as the Australians say, “A real wanker.” (NOTE: I am writing a YA comedy… but please don’t unfairly judge me by that non side-splitter; I’ve got plenty of other non side-splitters by which you can judge me more fully once the book is complete.)
Basically, I am already out of blog shape. I ramble, I don’t hyperlink, and my sauciness doesn’t feel like it has nearly the bite it should.
Heck, I even have nice things I am ready to say about the bubble tests.
Okay, let’s not get cuckoo.
The big point is that, like all other activities, if you do not practice regularly with attention, intention, and focus, your whetness will be blunted.
Now think about what your next year’s students have been doing for the past few weeks. And then think about what they are going to be doing for the next month and a half.
Yep, reach for another sip of bourbon, baybee, cause they are gonna come in to your class about as sharp as marbles. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… SUMMER BREAK IS TOO LONG.
Sure, it’s fun to be able to go do errands at 12:15 on a Tuesday afternoon and not have to wait in line for squat but summer slide is in full swing right now. And our students are, in my estimation, the worse for it.
With all the challenges on our horizon, do we really need the crop of 2010/2011 students to be less sharp? Goodness, I hope (at least) the rich kids, are enriching. Cause my students, with limited finances and even less being offered in the community due to recent budget cuts, are probably, for the most part, slothing away.
As this blog post illuminates, it doesn’t take much to lose your edge… and that’s assuming you ever had one in the first place.
How about a bubble test for politicians? I mean since they are so accurate and insightful — and can be used to determine so much authentic insight into actual professionalism — why not make the people who are making our students student up to the scntron have to step up to the scantron sheet themself?