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12 tweets,
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My list-Tweet in response to a list-Tweet prompted a lot of traffic and responses. I think lists are inherently flippant and the original Tweet, to me, was uncritical and misguided by suggesting "fun" somehow erases the problem of worksheets 1/x
First, I regret that a few people saw my Tweet as an attack or promoting a poor tone. The original Tweet offered a practice; I responded critically to the practice. I think this brief format often allows people to assume the most negative intent. 2/x
Also I find it odd that since I currently teach in higher ed, people who bristle at my tone think it is OK to profession-shame those of us in higher education. Let me note that I taught high school English for 18 years, and I love and actively advocate for K1-2 teachers 3/x
As a high school teachers, I taught every level of students, including AP. I also practiced reading/writing workshop and de-tested/ de-graded my classes while teaching in high school. And, yes, in AP we had to prepare for the actual exam 4/x
My students across 35+ years would also attest that I advocate and practice that students and teachers should have fun learning every day. Every. Day. But I also work very hard that anything done in class or for class has clear critical purposes 5/x
Reading is learned by reading; writing is learned by writing. Games teach people how to play games; competition is mostly harmful (there is an abundance of research on this: brill.com/abstract/title…) 6/x
My stance here is that, yes, worksheets are mostly ineffective practice, usually disconnected from authentic learning and artifacts of learning. This by Lou LaBrant represents well what I think - Masquerading (1931) loulabrant.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/mas… 7/x
While I absolutely meant in no way to make my Tweet some sort of personal or professional "piling on" I also resist the respectability politics of those worrying about whether or not the response was "professional" but I also so accept responsibility for appearing to be harsh 8/x
Finally, I fully acknowledge that K-12 teachers work under ridiculous and restrictive conditions that I advocate against publicly in my role as an educator and scholar. Often teachers must make the best of really bad conditions 9/x
I fought the system from within for almost 20 years and it came with extreme costs to me physically and psychologically. I apologize fully for any who think I would criticize K-12 teachers for **those conditions over which they have no control**. 10/x
I do, however, urge all of us who teach to seek out those conditions over which we do have control, and to do the best we can in the name of our students 11/11
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