My Saturday began at 5 am, when I arose [too quickly for someone with low blood pressure and no food in her system, but I recovered after some OJ and deep breaths] to get ready for the Teaching Social Justice conference two hours away. I did not return home until 8:30 pm, after dropping off my accompanying friend/colleague and joining my family at Mason's video-game-crazy birthday party at the community center. Even for verbose loquacious me, it was a lot of socializing; I am going* to bed at 9:15 (*but I'm retro-dating this post because I don't want to screw up the NaBloPoMo...shhhh).
A few words about the conference: enlightening, useful, inspiring.
A few words about some of the attendees (mostly teachers, a few high school students, some student teachers): inattentive, preoccupied, belligerent.
On the positive side, Ira Shor was a brilliant speaker, conveying relevant, practical ideas generously with care & humor. The workshops I attended were interesting and engaging, taught by knowledgeable teachers & professors who clearly felt passion for their topics. And the lunch provided by a local deli was scrumptious.
Unfortunately, there were a number of people who seemed to have signed up simply for the clock hours - they chatted during presentations, wandered out of workshops in progress, corrected papers during lectures, or refused (seriously - refused) to participate in an activity or discussion. Sure, I would have liked to spend more time talking with my friend Monica or strolling around the Resource Fair, or to have completed some school work; maybe it would have been more comfortable to not be involved in a particular activity or discussion. But I'm a professional - and a grown-up - and figured since my district paid for me to be there, away from my family for the day, it made sense to actually attempt to learn something.
I can occasionally be a bad example [see "Exercise," "Procrastination," and "Stalking"], but wasting opportunities along with other people's time & money?
That is plain juvenile.
6 comments:
I hear you. So many teachers exhibit disgusting, unprofessional behavior at workshops--sometimes it's hard to hear over the talking. Then those same teachers complain about student behavior when the kids do the same thing. Seriously?
Wow, rather enlightening and reassuring. I always thought that some teachers don't care about education and therefore are very poor at their jobs.
That is just so very sad. I wish I could be a fly on the wall at the conferences my own kids' teachers attend.
For some reason--and to their discredit--there seem to be a disproportionate number of teachers who don't behave professionally. It's sad.
As a parent AND a taxpayer,this kind of stuff infuriates me. Furthermore,it illustrates the coarsening/lack of manners in our society.
I am glad that you did enjoy the speakers,though.
Remember those educator days at the bookstore? I used to loathe them because this group of professionals - THAT I ADMIRE VERY MUCH - was so rude & demanding about their free stuff.
I was always confused by that behavior given they are the ones molding the future.
I guess some just get jaded.
I'm glad you are not.
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