Learning Connections: One Teacher's Story
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LEARNING CONNECTIONS: ONE TEACHER'S STORY bY Jeff Doran Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University @ Jeff Doran 1995 National Library Bibliothëque nationale I*I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliagraphic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON KI A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your Jm vm&&ence Our f3e Notre refdrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or selI reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otheniise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT A high school teacher reflects on three years of teaching general English students in grades ten, eleven and twelve, beginning in 1990-91 when the Learning Connections Project brought Internet to Park View Education Centre. The author comments on his own reflections in footnotes which point out changes and constants over the three years. Rather than seeking to identify problems and suggest solutions, the purpose of the narrative is to name forces which act on the teacher and the student. The goal of the thesis is to share experiences with other teachers in a way which "rings true," thus helping to break down the isolation of teaching. At the end, the author offers no conclusion other than the intention to continue teaching, writing and reflecting. Writing is lonely work. 1 am thankful for the Company of many who helped provide the time, place and means to make this work possible and a little less lonely: Lunenburg County District School Board, for granting me an Educational Study Leave, 1993-94. Blye Frank, Andy Manning, Allan Neilsen, Lorri Neilsen and John Portelli of Mount Saint Vincent University, for sharing with me their explorations of literacy. Teachers and students at Park View Education Centre, for inspiration and rejuvenation. Allan Neilsen and Lorri Neilsen of Hubbards, for hospitality and generosity. Anne Morris, colleague, for sustenance of mind, body and soul. My mother, Dorothy Doran; my father, Leonard Doran; my dailghtsr, Zu?ielia Sorân; aïid sûn, Lucas Ccïaz; fûï affirming that this effort is worthwhile. CONTENTS Prologue ..................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................. 2 The Tens ....................................................14 The Elevens ............................................... -130 The Twelves ................................................ 214 Epilog~e.................................................. -384 References . ............................................ ....386 PROLOGUE 1 have good news and bad news for the reader. The bad news is this story has no happy ending. Thatfs also the good news- Who needs another tale of someone elsefs success to make us feel more inadequate? Let me assure the reader that there were times during the three years Ifm writing about when 1 would have considered mere inadequacy a high-point. 1 have tried to remain true to each feeling I recïekt~. Only 1 can know when the recreation feels true- That has been my prime concern in this writing. Footnotes indicate my reaction as a reader to my own writing. Here 1 note themes, contradictions, ironies and fallacies in the text. I also note when 1 think 1 was bluffing. My notes try to make sense of experiences which may have seemed senseless at the time because 1 was tao busy to worry about anything more than surviving. This reflection on my om retrospection allows me ta question what kind of teacher 1 am and what makes me this way. Thinking of my teaching and writing as research has helped me see a reason to continue teaching and to continue telling my stories. INTRODUCTION Who Am 1 1 first heard about the Learning Connections Project in the fa11 of 1990. Dr. Lorri Neilsen wanted to make telecommunication available to non-mainstream students, and if Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia participated, we would get new cornputers and be connected to something allowing our students to mite to people around the world. 1 had no idea what this meant. 1 only knew my school would get something for free. I will scrounge for anything free. 1 am a public school teacher. 1 sift through trash for classroom materials. Teaching brings out the cannibal in me. Thatfs why 1 agreed to take part in the Learning Connections Project for al1 the wrong reasons. Maybe cannibal isnft the right word. 1 donft mean eating your enemyfs heart to gain courage; 1 mean eating the victims of a plane crash so you can survive. 1 mean hoping there will soon be someone for you to eat. 1 mean looking out for Number One. 3 Consider Monday morning: 1 need to make 90 copies from a spirit duplicator stencil by first period. It should only take a couple of minutes to run them off. There are two duplicating machines: one in a storeroom near the office and one upstairs in the teachersr workroom. I donft expect anyone else to be using the machines this morning, since most teachers use the photocopier. There is always a big line-up for the photocopier. That is why 1 plan to use the spirit duplicator. To Save time. But itfs not that easy. The duplicator near the office is newer, electric, in the same room where the paper and duplicating fluid are stored, and on the way to the stairwell nearest my classroom; but 1 will have to get the key from the secretary. Sometimes the secretary is not at her desk. Sometimes the storeroom key is missing, someone having forgotten to return it. So it might be easier to use the machine in the workroom which is always open- But the machine in the workroom is older, manual, and usually needs priming since it is seldom used. If ic is ou= of fluià or paper, 1 will have to go al1 the way back downstairs to the storeroom and end up having to get the storeroom key after all. So Icould swinç by the workroom on my way into the building, see if there is paper and fluid for the machine, and if there is not, continue downstairs to the storeroom. But if 1 check the machine upstairs first and it is ready to use, later 1 will have to go downstairs 4 anyway to check my mailbox in the staffroom, since there are often memos and handouts that we need to have for homeroom in the morning. So it makes sense to go by the staffroom first and then head for the storeroom and hope that 1 can get the key. But if 1 canrt get the key, 1'11 be heading upstairs after all. Of course, sooner or later 1'11 have to go upstairs to my classroom. If 1 had a key 1 would be set, but the storeroom cantains pop for the vending machine and also the door to what is called the wvault," so it is considered a high- security area. Actually, the lmvaultflis just another room inside the storeroom with an ordinary door and an ordinary lock, The only valuables stored are rolls of masking tape and packages of coffee. Masking tape is valuable since there is never enough to go around. Everyone uses it to stick up posters and signs, and you have to use a lot since it doesnft stick very well ta the walls. Coffee is, after all, a drug. The coffee machine in the staffroom is always running out. Then the teachers raid the machine in the office so the administration locks up the coffee, 1 have to look out for Number One. 1 know the chances are good there will be no paper in the workroom. The solution is ta carry a stack of spirit duplicator paper with me when 1 go to the workroom. These 1 can get from a package I have hoarded in my classroom from the last time 1 got the key to the storeroom. 5 1 enter the school and go straight to the staffroom to check my mailbox. As I had anticipated, there are handouts for homeroom. 1 pass the office on my way to the stairs, noticing the line-up at the photocopier. In my classroom 1 drop my coat and pick up duplicator paper from my cache. 1 take the paper to the workroom. As 1 had expected, the duplicator is not being used. "Therets no paper," one of the teachers says. 1 fil1 the tray with my paper, prime the roller, and crank off 90 copies. It only takes a couple of minutes. The purple print is dark and distinct. I have made good copies, and in plenty of tirne. Al1 because 1 looked out for Number One. As 1 straighten the stack of copies, trying to keep the purple off my shirtsleeve, 1 hesitate, looking at the few remaining blank sheets in the feed tray. 1 could run off more copies than 1 need or 1 could leave the blanks in the tray. But there are not enough sheets to do anyone any good. 1 might as well take them back to my room. Then the machine will be just the way 1 found it: unusable.