Kurt Vonnegut thinks you're great!
(And so do I.)
Recently I was at the library, and I ran across a book of commencement speeches by Kurt Vonnegut.
I was intrigued, so I took it home and each night before bed would read a speech. I may not be that young anymore, but I’ll take all the advice and wisdom that I can get!
In my journey through it I came upon this quote and knew I had to share it with you all:
“I hope you know that television and computers are no more your friends, and no more increasers of your brain power, than slot machines. All they want is for you to sit still and buy all kinds of junk, and play the stock market as though it were a game of blackjack.
And only well-informed, warm-hearted people can teach others things they’ll always remember and love. Computers and TV don’t do that.
A computer teachers a child what a computer can become.
An educated human being teaches a child what a child can become.
. . .
Teaching, may I say, is the noblest profession of all in a democracy.”
-Kurt Vonnegut, “Advice to Graduating Women (That All Men Should Know!),” Commencement Speech at Agnes Scott College in 1999
I hope this quote makes you feel great about what you are doing every day as you teach your students. It made me think of all the wonderful teachers I know, and all the subscribers to this newsletter who are practicing “the most noblest profession of all in a democracy.”
It also made me think of how dependent we have become on technology in every facet of our lives, including the classroom. Which is why I am offering a challenge: Plan one intentionally tech-free day day with your kids in the next few weeks. I’m not talking a day when your kids need to take a paper-based test or write an essay for a benchmark or something like that. I’m talking about a day where they can authentically interact with each and with you, an “educated human being” who can teach them “what a child can become.” Here’s a list of four suggestions of ideas for accomplishing this:
Pick a favorite poem or short story of yours and give your students copies of it to annotate. Lead students in a discussion of it and have them reflect in writing.
Pick a play to read part of together. Assign roles and let them do a reader’s theater, stopping for discussion and commentary along the way.
Choose a text to have a Socratic seminar over. Give students time to read and annotate it, then see where the conversation takes you.
Have a writing day. Pick a mode for student to write in (or allow them some options) and spend the day doing writing and exploring where it goes.
Whatever you do, I challenge you—do something with your students that YOU truly enjoy. The enthusiasm you have for a poem, or story, or creative writing prompt WILL shine through and rub off on them. I’m a big comedy nerd who has spent 10 years studying it and performing. One of the most fun things I ever did with my students was teach them how to write a comedic monologue and have them perform it in character. Comedy is naturally fun for kids, but the passion that I had for it helped keep them engaged and on track. Plus, those were really fun days for me too where I was able to bring this quirky expertise I had to the table and share some of myself with them.
Here are some previous resources from the newsletter that can help you take your learner offline, too!
May you have a happy tech-free teaching day!
-Jonda