See, this is why my students need to be readers who can apply text-to-world critical thinking to our classroom and the world at large.

Take for example, the inimitable actor Woody Harrelson, most famous for being Woody on Cheers but also pretty well known for a heck of a lot of other quite solid — and not so solid — movies he’s done.

White Man Can’t Jump… big thumbs up!

Money Train… big thumbs down!

Anyway, Woody admits getting into a physical confrontation with a paparazzi a few days ago. But he had a good reason. And I quote…

“I quite understandably mistook [the photographer] for a zombie.”

Yep, he really said this. And he also said this…

“I wrapped a movie called ‘Zombieland,’ in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character,” Harrelson said in a statement issued Friday by his publicist.

Niiiicce!

Now if my students were actual readers of the news — any news; The NY Times, The AP wire, FOX or MTV (those last 2 are kinda the same) — they could build a text-to-world connection that could easily get them out of their homework for the night.

I mean if I had a kid come into my class and tell me that “…while scouring the Washington Post for the latest political insight into world economic fiduciary policy they ran across this brief but salient human interest story about Woody Harrelson and then — whodda thunk it — alien zombies ate their HW assignement and there was simply no way Mr. Alan that it could ever be replaced.

And so, I should give them full credit yet not require to see the actual work.”

I’d go for it.

Text-to-World connections. If only our kids could see how valuable what we perpetually advise really could be to their lives.

Midterm exams. The school year is halfway over. So much I still want to do yet still, so much that I know will not get done.

So far we have read 6 novels — I am a bit behind my typical pace. Usually, I like to tackle 14 books a year but we’ve been doing more intense Project Based Learning, 21rst century, collaborative, high level projects than ever before in my class and the learning curve for both myself and my students has been steep.

However, being that it’s always good to reflect and see where you are as a teacher at times like these (because it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees in the day-to-day barrage that teaching can be), I’d have to say I am quite happy with the way the year has gone thus far. Plus, as far as tackling the standards, they are coming more quickly than ever as a result of all the PBL. Truly, my kids are just drinking the knowledge down. My best guess is that since they are being forced to apply their learning in a tangible manner, they are commensurately being forced to learn more — and learn about these things more deeply and quickly — than most of them have ever been challenged to do.

And what have I found? That my kids have stepped up. I mean I have scores of kids who had never done any sort of projects in the world of digital literacy who are now virtual maestros on computers. Really, kids are just sponges and if you give them an opportunity they will reveal talents which many other educators who do not challenge their kids in this way never get to see.

American education is changing. I see it. And that’s a good thing. And while people moan about how complicated changing our schools can be, how difficult the challenges are and blah, blah, blah, what it really boils down to is a simple willingness to adapt. For educators who are open to learning, open to growing, open to realizing that they don’t always have to be the “holder of all wisdom” in the classroom, the world of schooling is a spectacular oyster: fun, surprising, innovative, challenging and supremely beneficial to the kids.

It’s a new world out there and any teacher who is still doing things they way that they did them even as recently as 5 years ago needs to, in my opinion, think about freshening up their approach and reflecting on the types of skills which have become more valuable for the next generation of learner. Spelling used to be so important. Nowadays, I think spelling is unquestionably trumped by the need for kids to be able to discern fact from opinion. (We have Spell Check — how long before google or Microsoft comes up with Fact Check and, with a click of a mouse, will highlight all the bullshit on the internet posing as credible information? Now that’s an invention society can really use!!)

Of course I’ve stumbled thus far this year as well. It’s inevitable. But I’ve also expanded my practice and tried new things which are steeped in educational value for 21rst century students. For this, I feel good.

However, being that I am pausing to reflect I realize, I do need to step it up. More reading. More reading. More reading. Considering that I have a chest full of tools at my disposal to elevate their reading comprehension as well as their academic performance — not to mention their writing skills — I need to step on the gas to make sure I get through a bunch more of it. The first half of the year has vanished in a blink of an eye and the second half will, I am sure, do the same.

Watch out kids! If you thought we were moving at a demanding pace first semester, it’s time for Mr. Alan to step on the gas!

Michael Cirelli flew in from New York and for the past few days we’ve been hammering away at the creation of our super-secret, top-priority, no one knows about it, ultimate urban, supremely-stealth literacy weapon.

Okay, you got me. It’s BookJam #6 on the horizon… The Poetry Jam. Flat out, this thing is going to be off the charts!! If you are not familiar with Michael, you are missing out on knowing about the work of of one amazing guy in the world of contemporary poetry. And not only is he a GREAT writer and performer, he is one of the nation’s leading teachers in the world of teaching spoken word poetry to teens. Ever heard of Urban Word NYC? If not, you have no idea what kind of cool stuff the kids in our country are doing with words, ideas, books, and passion these days.

Michael Cirelli and Alan Sitomer already teamed up once — and this is what they created.

The Poetry Jam. We broke ground today big time today. Look for it in 2010. Once again, the best teaching I have ever done.

Go ‘head. Chime in on the ning. We need you.