[MOSAIC] Comprehension in general

[Eve]

Bill,

Speaking of poets, a good one that my teenagers connect with is 
Taylor Mali http://www.taylormali.com/.  He sells CDs of his work and 
does poetry slams, so the tapes are good for listening.  I'm not 
sure, but I would guess he would do site visits.  Maybe that would be 
a point of connection for your students, bringing someone in from 
outside?  Whom do they admire?  I know you said they're 
self-centered, but do they talk about *anything*?  Sports maybe?  In 
our area, a lot of people follow the local university sports teams, 
for example.  I would think if someone in your position contacted the 
coach or some of the student athletes, they might be willing to visit 
your class.  You mentioned that they think they will be successful 
and that it will just happen.  What is it that they plan to be 
successful at?  If you can get that information from them, maybe you 
could get some people from those fields to visit your class.  What 
are the reactions of the parents to all of this?  Could you get 
parents to come in and visit the class?  The idea behind the visits 
would be to help the students see why school is important, and more 
specifically, why what they can learn in your class is important.  In 
other words, helping them see why they should bother, from someone 
else's point of view, not yours, and preferably someone they 
respect.  Not that they don't respect you, just that sometimes people 
have to hear things from several sources before they catch on and/or 
believe it.

Again, these are just ideas off the top of my head that I'm throwing 
out there for your consideration.  I hear your frustration and would 
love to be able to help.

Take a deep breath, and treat yourself in some way.  A little R&R can 
do wonders,

Eve

At 01:01 PM 3/11/2007, Harvey Family wrote:
>Hi Bill
>
>Something IS going on in their lives. You just have to find it. One powerful
>access point is the Spoken Word. Poetry made to be performed. Find a young
>poet with a boom box and a contemporary issue and they will create a spark.
>A poet who can help them find their voice. There are probably all sorts of
>issues within your room - issues of drugs, abuse, poverty, and power - that
>have kept these students down. Even affluence has major stuff going down -
>status, video violence, and, once again, drugs.
>
>Not everyone is comfortable with the Arts but the students have to find a
>passion or they will sink out of sight. It can be scary for the teacher but
>what power you give them. Administrative support is another issue because
>you would be open to criticism. But if it's a choice between saving some
>lives and playing it safe...
>
>We have an amazing Spoken Word poet in Tacoma named Luke Smiraldo. He deals
>with many contemporary issues, networks with other "cutting edge" poets, and
>really connects to kids. I wish everyone could see him work in the
>classroom. He's also done some site specific performances at the Museum of
>Glass and Tacoma Art Museum.
>
>The Arts Save Lives
>
>Anyone interested in Luke's ideas? I could try to get him to respond if the
>listserve is interested.
>
>Alan H