Novels on the sly.

     Orwellian seems the best word to describe this paradox: a program whose chief product is culturally illiterate students actually calls itself a literacy program? It's not that the College Board people don't try to help students become more sophisticated readers; it's just that they have them read so very little.
     I taught at a school once where the football coach had the players spend lots of time visualizing the perfect block, the perfect tackle, and the perfectly-executed dive play. They didn't spend all that much time actually blocking, tackling, and running dive plays, but they knew the techniques. The end result was predictable: they lost with great regularity. 
     How will it be any different for my students if they read only one or two short novels a year; but--if I follow the instructional plan--they spend lots of time TP-CASTTing and  K-W-L-ing through song lyrics and movie reviews? Instead of meeting Steinbeck, London, Richter, and Orwell, my students would be framing movie shots  through notebook-paper camera lenses.
     So, what do my students do? They read the novels prescribed in the programs and they write about them. They write in journals and in essays; and I actually grade their work on the evidence of thoughtful reading. Then I sneak in a few more short novels and buy time by skipping pages in the SpringBoard book. I'm just lucky that the SpringBoard room police that I've heard about in other districts aren't walking the beat here.
     But it all feels so treasonous, sneaking in some Orwell here, a punctuation lesson there, and and essay or two over there.

Introducing "One Flew over the SpringBoard"

Hello, citizens of SpringBoard. I've started this blog to provide a sounding board and a resource site for teachers, serious students, and maybe even a few skeptical administrators who are not yet SpringBoard true believers.

While the tone may be less than reverent towards College Board's product, I don't intend for this to be a clearing house for complaints or sleeper cell for English department malcontents. I intend, rather, for this to be a place to discuss how we maintain our standards, our passion for teaching, and our sanity while staying out of the doghouse and on the payroll.

Sadly, candid discussion and evaluation of SpringBoard isn't happening. Once the program is adopted (and perhaps even before that), administrators and wannabe administrators still in the classroom send clear messages that dissent from the party line is treason. Many teachers also know that their place in the building or district is pretty dependent on the good will of administrators. Hence SpringBoard is the emperor's new clothes.

That brings me to the issue of anonymity. This blog is anonymous; the email address I registered it with is anonymous. Even though I would like to discuss how to supplement particular lessons or deal with district-specific problems, I'm reluctant to provide those who feel threatened or angered by SpringBoard criticism with a means to identify the blog's author.

Maybe if the blog gains broader attention, people won't be afraid to address specific issues. Right now, I'd like to hear from teachers and others about what they see as the most serious voids in the program. I'd also like to hear about how your efforts to co-exist with SpringBoard have been received Also, please email a link to this blog to other SpringBoard teachers, especially teachers in other districts who might contribute