World Cup and Action Research...

They broke my heart.

It hurts me as an American that our nation did not field a competitive team for the world’s most prestigious event in the world’s most popular sport. I don’t care that they don’t win it. Frankly, I like it that most of the world is better than we are. It irritates me that we didn’t show up to play. It’s no wonder the U.S. is ridiculed by the rest of the world. We’re a superpower. We can launch rockets. We use 97% of the world’s resources. Yet, we can’t find, in a nation of nearly 300 million people, 23 who can want to play this game consistently as well as any other nation in this half of the world. Even Trinidad & Tobago, which has a population of only 34 people, have done better in Germany than we have. They came to PLAY. We came to GET OUR ASSES BEAT.

Now I’m pulling for Ghana. They came to play, and showed they’ve got the stuff. They play Brazil next. They probably won’t win, but they’ll put it all out there. That deserves some support. Go Ghana!!

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Countdown to M.Ed. -- 3 courses.

The next one is a research class. Action research. Sounds all superhero-y doesn’t it?

Action research is the kind done to directly affect current practice (in my case, teaching practice), so it’s supposed to have something to do with what I’m doing in my classroom currently. Well, not currently, since I’m essentially done teaching until September, but you get the idea.

The thing is, I’m torn. I have things relative to my current teaching I could explore, but I’ve been so thoroughly disgusted with my teaching this year that examining it objectively is going to be tough.

I’ll admit it. It’s been a tough year. Being gone the first two months of the year. Trying to make up for that lost time while still trying to figure out which way is up. Graduate school kicking back in. No Child Left Behind.

I feel like my students haven’t learned a god. damn. thing.

Worse than that is the nagging, gnawing feeling I have that I didn’t teach them anything. They went through this whole year and got nothing worthwhile from me, and when I look back at why, there is so little that I can honestly say I could have done differently. I don’t have any problem taking responsibility for my teaching, and I’ll own up to the fact that I made decisions that meant my teaching was less inspired because I had other things to do, but it happened the way it had to. I’m not happy with it, though, and I’m carrying a little resentment at having to make decisions that don’t support the part of my life that really nourishes my soul.

Maybe that’s what I should research: The effect of real world bullshit on veteran World Language teachers.

Actually, I’m debating whether I want to make the effort to research teaching practices in schools and programs that work primarily with foster/adopted children. The Landmark Community School project is investigating whether this is a viable demographic to serve, and it makes sense to get the lay of the land, to see what people are already doing and whether it’s effective. It’s a lot of work, though. I’m not sure my constitution is going to handle it. Maybe I just need some coffee.