So Long, Farewell…

Like the song from The Sound of Music, I am leaving my quest to understand and discuss issues involving student freedom of speech and press on an optimistic note. Although I have found many disappointing examples of schools overreacting and inhibiting students’ first amendment rights, I think that there is also a lot to be said for our schools today. There is an overwhelming amount of negativity in the news, but everyday unsung heroes teach the “leaders of tomorrow” and inspire students with a love of learning. In the same thread, there are administrators like the one I discussed earlier from Conneticut, who handle censoring issues in their schools with tact and understanding, not spite. I have to hope that these sort of administrators and teachers will only increase, and that there are a lot of them who simply do not make the news.

On another note, my Eng 310 experience is also coming to an end. I must say that I have in fact learned a lot, including how to manage a blog – a though that terrified me a mere semester ago! Granted, I am still not very comfortable with this, I really do not think that I am a technology kind of girl. That doesn’t mean that I won’t make use of technology when it can improve my classroom and my students’ learning. This excursion into the world of RSS blogs was a useful if painful experience. At least now, even if I never use another blog my whole life, I know what they have to offer and can keep them in mind for possible classroom use. You never know. Stranger things have happened than me changing my mind about something. 

My little nuggets of wisdom – or insanity

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Bright Ideas and Great Expectations

This past Saturday I woke up at 6 am, showered, filled my travel mug with coffee, and set off down Lake Michigan Dr at 6:30 am to begin my hour and a half journey to MSU. The sun was just rising and I was driving straight into it – a beautiful experience I can’t say I’ve had all that often. I arrived at MSU right on time for the 2007 Bright Ideas Conference and some more caffiene by way of more coffee. I expected the “Great Expectations: Literacy, Language, Literature & Learning” conference to be very boring, to be honest. I was thinking longingly back to my still-warm bed. Getting up at 6am definitely had its advantages, however. I experienced a full day’s excitement and revelation all before noon, leaving plenty of time for that pesky stuff called homework.

The keynote speaker, Jacqueline Woodson, was actually familiar to me. Having always loved reading and writing (when I was younger, my ambition was to be an Author), I was priveledged enough to attend a National Book Foundation Summer Writing Camp in 2000. There, Jacqueline Woodson, along with Cornelius Eady and Norma Fox Mazer, led a bunch of us in a writing experience that I will never, ever forget. So, long story short, I was quite excited to see Jackie Woodson again. She certainly did not disappoint.

Jacqueline Woodson recommended and urged that we teach our youth to use their voices, not to silence them. She asserted that everyone has the RIGHT to tell their story. I think this is wonderful, and perfectly in keeping with my Eng310 class. Further, Woodson said that fear should not be allowed in writing. She doesn’t believe in writer’s block. She only believes in fear. I think this is excellent. As long as you aren’t afraid of your word’s worth, they will come – just keep writing! Very much a process pedagogy believer. I also loved that she said that one of her best editing techniques was to simply read her work out loud – if it doesn’t sound good, it needs to be fixed. I have done this for years – was it my own idea, or a remnant from writer’s camp? In either case, when combined with the performance of some of her writing, Woodson was an excellent keynote speaker and gave me hope for the rest of the conference!

The first session I attended was “Using Art in an ELA Course”, given by Anna J. Roseboro of GVSU. I got many excellent ideas for my future classes. I hate the standard forms of assessment – tests, boring analytical or comparative essays – so Roseboro’s presentation offering art as an alternative was very exciting. She cited Howard Gardner and his Multiple Intelligence theory as the basis for the use of art in an English course. The best examples she gave were a geometric character analysis, which allowed for a lot more creativity than a standard character analysis, and a literary weaving tape, on which students can pictorally, symbolically, etc. the major themes and issues in their text. These are a great start for making high school English courses more interesting for more students and providing htem with alternate forms of assessment – so the bad test takers and lousy paper writers can have a chance too. A little bit of everything is a great mix.

The second session I attended was “Let’s Talk About Writing!” presented by Christine Dawson of MSU. She gave us strategies for improving peer sharing and response in the classroom, an issue that I am admittedly a little nervous about. One of the great ideas she had was a “Quaker Share”, in which students read brief excerpts of their writing into the air, without any feedback given. When one finishes, another begins… whoever feels like it, with silence in between perfectly okay. This strategy seems perfect to relieve much of the stress that centers around sharing your own, personal writing. There is no expectation of criticism, the spotlight quickly moves off of you and onto the next person, for their brief share. I was also particularly impressed by her “partner response” technique. Overall, Dawson stressed building a supportive writing community in the classroom. She also demonstrated many of the strategies with us, which made me even more excited to test them out.

The Bright Ideas Conference defied my expectations and proved to be both interesting and beneficial. I got lots of wonderful ideas from other educators and wish I could have sat in on many more of the sessions.

A Happy Ending, Off Broadway

A Conneticut high school canceled a play students were preparing that focused on the Iraq War, but instead of litigation and protesting, this situation has turned out well for the students involved. Even though their play was censured, they have been offered a surplus of venues in which to perform, including the Public Theater in New York and the Culture Project, “which is known for staging politically provocative work.” I read about this incident in an article titled “Canceled by Principal, Student Play Heads to Off Broadway” by Alison Leigh Cowan on the NY Times website.

Apparently the play is

“a series of monologues mainly from soldiers titled “Voices in Conflict”"

The school principal gives his reasons for canceling the play :

“the school principal, Timothy H. Canty, cited concerns about political balance, sourcing, and the possibility of hurting Wilton residents “who had lost loved ones or who had individuals serving.”"

An interesting change from the English related incidents I have previously discussed, I thought that the controversy surrounding this play and its cancellation has turned out well. I would even dare to call it an optimal situation. Having absolutely no knowledge of the contents of the play, I respect the principal’s decision because he gives clear, rational reasons for not allowing the play to be performed on school grounds. Considering the polarizing nature of the Iraq War, if the play did not walk a very fine line just  right, I could see how it could be possibly quite offensive. Apparently,

“The students were also awarded a “Courage in Theater” award last month for their “non-performance” from Music Theater International, a New York agency that licenses many high school productions”

And,

“Martin Garbus, a First Amendment lawyer who has been working pro bono with Ms. Dickinson [the theater teacher] and several parents of cast members said yesterday that schools are allowed to regulate speech that has the potential to disrupt learning.”

I am glad that I have finally found  a case in which I agree with the principal and think that everyone concerned has handled the issue appropriately, so that I won’t sound like such a broken record in my postings. Why do I make such an exception in this case? Well, the principal did not punish either the students or the teacher for trying to go forward with the play. The principal also explained his position and reasons, which were valid (an evaluation I might disagree with if I was more familiar with the contents of the play). The students and teacher, though they have been in contact with a lawyer, have accepted the principal’s ruling without letting it stop them from performing a play they evidently feel is important. They have found another, off school grounds, way to bring the play to the public. This is excellent. There are rules out of necessity that inhibit a person’s freedom of speech, especially in a school, but that does not mean that there aren’t other ways to voice your opinions. The principal has not condemned their decision to continue with the play; he only had an exception with it being held at school. This all makes me very happy.

 On a sadder note, many many families and friends are grieving today because of the shooting that took place on Virginia Tech’s campus, in which many lives were lost. My heart goes out to all concerned. Talking about censure, I am curious how the fact that many students and faculty found out about the first shooting two hours later by email just in time for the second shooting to take place will influence the investigation and whether there will be new regulations regarding the proper protocol in similar emergencies.

“Canceled by Principal, Student Play Heads to Off Broadway.” by Alison Leigh Cowan. April 12, 2007. The New York Times. Read full article.

“Bong Hits 4 Jesus” ??

Scanning the headlines of blog postings that have to do with students’ freedom of speech/press the words “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” definitely caught my attention. Considering the full title of the blog was “”Bong Hits 4 Jesus” to the Supreme Court”, I must confess that this blog piqued my interest. It seems almost too ridiculous to be true.

However, according to this Student Mentor Blog, posted by “Josh” on March 30, the Supreme Court will be addressing a case that deals with the suspension of a high school student for holding up a sign with the above words during a local parade. Keep in mind that this incident happened 5 years ago, the student was 18 years old, it occured off of school grounds, and the student, Joseph Frederick, has won every single case in the lower courts.

According to “Josh”, what happened was:

“Normally, the student, Joseph Frederick, who was 18 years old at the time, could not recieve any disciplinary action for the event, since he was a private adult citizen expressing his veiws … however, the catch is that his school had been let out early to watch the Olympic procession on its way to the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. Thus the parade became a quasi-school sponsored event, as teachers and administration were present, watching the parade along with the students and the rest of the city.”

Here Frederick held up the extremely ill-advised sign stating “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” – to all accounts a stupid, non-sensical quest for attention. “Josh” writes,

“his principal, who witnessed him unfurling the sign and told him that he had to put it away or face disciplinary action. He refused, and she immediately suspended him for 10 days.”

Okay. So those are the facts. Now, did this principal have the right to suspend Frederick in this instance? “Josh” seems to think that she didn’t, and I think I would have to agree. Why? Well, just keep reading.

1. If this took place on school grounds, say during a pep rally, I would be the first one to advocate disciplinary action. Drug references meant to disrupt are completely innappropriate. However, this was off of school grounds.

2. If attending the parade was a fieldtrip, a school sponsored event, then yes, Frederick’s suspension would have been completely justified. In that case, he would have been acting as a representative of his school. However, he wasn’t. School had been let out, so he was completely on his own.

3. If the parade was connected to school, say a parade to congradulate the state champion football team, then the  disciplinary action would have been just. Though this is less clear cut, Frederick would have been purposely disrupting a school event. As a student, he would fall under school administration in this case. But it wasn’t.

4. Maybe, if Frederick had been a minor, the principal would have had more justification, but I don’t really think so. Being a legal adult does not change his right to freedom of speech in this case; it just emphasizes it.

So, even though I can understand the principal’s motivation in warning and then suspending Frederick, even though I think Frederick made a poor decision in making and then flying the banner, I think that the court case is unfounded.

My question is, who is pushing this case all the way up to the Supreme Court? There doesn’t seem to be any question in my mind as to what the ruling must be. Especially since,

“Joseph Frederick has won at every single lower level court against Deborah Morse, the principal who suspended him.”

If you have read my previous postings, you will have realized that I am a very strong proponent for freedom of speech, but in this case, even if I wasn’t, I don’t understand the principal’s actions. I would probably also have the instinct to tell Frederick to lower his statement were I a teacher or principal. But, considering the circumstances, I would probably have limited myself to advising him of the stupidity of his action, of possible repurcussions, and of whether that was really how he wanted to present himself to the world.

Read Full Blog. “‘Bong Hits 4 Jesus’ to the Supreme Court.” Josh. March 30, 2007.