Rize

English was the only class I ever received a failing grade in; It was the class that presented my greatest headache, that I applied myself the most in, that I achieved the least in. I was not enthusiastic about the language portion of my job description. Teaching, I'm learning, is about passion for your subject matter more than techniques, strategies, or lesson plans. My lackluster attitude towards language, reading, and grammar, became the foil to the enthusiasm and passion for my mathematics.

Fortunately, 75% of my assignments did not require it of me as my colleagues and bosses did their best to clear me of these duties, a good math teacher being almost an endangered species; I let the remaining 25% slip...

...to the obvious detriment of my students' performance, as monthly testing in verbal and mathematics life skills continually verified for us. Students who had supplemental language instructors far outperformed my students who had not - even in the math area since 100% of the math tests are life skills problems presented in words. Students unable to decode the intent of a question made any mathematical skills gained and mastered mute. Results-driven motivation drove my conversations with reading-teacher-friends for direction in language instruction.

Through tentative efforts, I re-discovered my love for words and joy in idealogical debate. Recently, my class had a discussion about the relative legitimacy of a biography vs. an autobiography. Equally compelling arguments on both fronts left a question in the air; my favorite form of discussion.

Soon after this unresolved debate, I ran across the following two views on a film I love, RIZE:

One told in the voices of the dancers in the film and the other by an outside observer. Truth all around, but radically opposing viewpoints. A perfect revelation of the finer points of our recent debate!