Those that know me well would define me as a hard worker and one who suffers from chronic happiness. Absent my feelings towards my current employment , I would have to say that I live up to that definition. Or maybe I should say that I try to live up to that definition.
A friend of mine who has read through my posts called me today. Amy seemed displeased to say the least. She asked me when I became so negative and cynical...I was perplexed to say the least. I had no idea where this statement was coming from.
She said that the general tenor of my posts were somewhat negative...I had to stop, think, and reread...It is a true rarity to have Double Hooks and negativity in the same sentence. I wanted to know the basis for this observation made by a dear friend.
I conclude that Amy had mistook passion for negativity. Though I can see how someone can misinterpret some of my words as negative. I assure you that there has not been nor will there ever be implied or expressed negativity or ill will in my words.
I believe that I am part of a cause greater that myself. That cause being the NYCTF. Like it or not we are all representatives of the NYCTF program and failure is not an option. I have pledged 110% of my efforts to become a success in this program and in the classroom come September. While I will never be perfect, I can strive for perfection. Is it wrong to wish the same for program management and my fellow fellows?
The beach was great on Sunday...91 degrees and perfect...That was yesterday...Today was The Special Education online course...Chapters One and Two.
What I enjoyed about the chapters:
I liked the K-W-L Chart on Special Education. Admittedly it is a cheesy chart but, I think it was a good base point for the progression of the reading.
The history section and use of US case law (Brown v. Board) was informative. It gave a good background of where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going as it relates to education.
The Special education today section focused on the Federal Statutes. Remember that just like in the legal world, the Statutes will be your bible...Respect your IDEA...Pay close attention to all statutes. The section was a good mix of statues and practical information.
LRE was informative and I enjoyed the use of the perspective scenarios.
The breakdown of the 13 identified disability categories gave good background information. I liked the technical definitions of the categories. The definitions allowed for a better understanding of the categories.
What I did not care for:
The writing structure was very very poor. I did not know whether I was supposed to read the pages or bust out my red pen and mark up my computer screen. The passive sentence structure of the entire chapter made the reading very tedious.
I cannot stand contractions in professional writings. My jaw dropped when I saw them throughout the online course.
I would have like to see hyperlinks to ALL of the cited materials. I wanted to see where the NYCTF's research material originated.
Overall I would give chapters 1 and 2 a solid B...Great information but, the writing style was too distracting.
I will continue with the next chapter tomorrow...Until next time.
Cheers!
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Greetings, Double Hooks:
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't describe your writing as negative and cynica;. Now, honestly, your webpage wallpaper...that's a bit depressing. Something about the solid black page...just a thought. Maybe your friend is a truly visual person and the experience of being cloaked in black while reading your blog just got to her.
Your comments, on the other hand, are fairly chirpy. I enjoy your blog, Double Hooks. I think what's been difficult for me to convey to people is that while I am interested in the ultimate marketability of the Teacher Certificate that I will acquire, I am also participating in NYCTF out of a sense of altruism and service to others. Maybe it's just difficult to convey this point. I mean, at least in my example, why would I liquidate the vast majority of my worldly goods, hug friends of 20 years goodbye, move even further from my family, and set up residence in what has been called the worst urban center in the country (Bronx) if it were not out of some calling from a higher power?
As for your comments on the Special Ed course, I believe your point is well taken regarding the extensive use of the passive voice in the text. I would offer the opinion that they were trying to avoid the use of "you" or "we," while also trying to remain politically correct in describing some of the situations that will inevitably occur in the Special Ed classroom. Now, if I were really going to offer due diligence to this post, I would hyper link to an example from the text that would illustrate my point. Instead, I will be somewhat annoying and speak in generalities.
Like...Yeah.
Speaking of hyper-linking, I, too, wish they would have provided more hyper-linking for the reference citations. Who ya gonna blame? The writers of the course, who may well have been typing furiously from the random outpourings of knowledge gleaned over the years, or the tech people, who needed to keep the course secure and self-contained within the confines of the NYCTF Learning Management System?
I thought the SpEd course did an excellent job of presenting the information on the 13 different types of disabilities in nice, tidy screens. Remember, this is merely the introductory course. It is also in addition to the 604 page .pdf that we are supposed to read. And, this course is not to be confused with the other 2 courses (so far) that we have to take from the Learning management dashboard, all of which needs to be completed before we start training.
Passive voice. Bah! Perhaps a bit passive aggressive?
Double Hooks, where have you been? I hope I didn't offend you with my comments about the dark screen. Come out, come out, wherever you are!!!
ReplyDeleteDid you enroll today, Double Hooks?
I agree with Double Hooks that the text was difficult to read. It was quite obvious that they were attempting to be politically correct. I can't wait to finish the course, but it's been taking me a long time simply because of the writing style.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I enjoy your blog Double Hooks. I've just started one too, also in Cohort 18. http://thirdgenerationteacher.com/
Let me know what you think!