Fire Up Your Engines, Josh Arnold Takes Superintendent’s Cabinet On An Adventure In The Way-Back Machine

Culver City, CA —

“Balemtimes Day. That might not be the right spelling. But, that’s sure how it sounds. I should know. Every February 14th, for three years, my students would wish me a Happy Balemtimes Day.”

“But that’s not all…” Dr. Arnold, the Culver City Superintendent tells me.

“I have been called everything from a Human Bean, to a clumsy volleyvall player. And each time I heard my students “mispronounce” a word, I did what I always do… nothing.”

(By this point, I’m intrigued by Josh Arnold. His enthusiasm is fire and electricity all wrapped into one.)

“I learned very early, at Fremont High School, that people can still communicate even if they do not speak the exact same language.” (It is this idea, in fact, that allows the reader of this article to understand what Balemtimes Day, Human Bean, and volleyvall, all refer to.)

“For the students in my A.P. Literature and Composition class, they were not mispronouncing anything. How could they be? This was the way many kids in South-Central Los Angeles had learned these words. It does not matter if you are Latino, or African-American, or rich, or poor, or white, or “educated”… if your friends and family wish you a Happy Balemtimes Day, you are going to wish them one right back.”

(Dr. Arnold is right. This is just as true in Culver City as it is in any part of Los Angeles.)

“Even with such a glaring “problem” in my class, I still chose not to “fix” my students pronunciation habits. Instead of doing skill-building, vocabulary, and phonic drills with them, I decided to teach literature — nothing recent, only the canon. And the same way I understood what was meant when I was called a human bean, my students understood what was meant when Meursault “wish[ed] that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of [his] execution and that they greet [him] with cries of hate.” Camus does not write in the language used through the halls of Fremont High School… but the The Stranger still can be understood there.”

“I had a theory. I thought that by exposing this population of students to texts that they would otherwise not encounter — and by being their guide — I could develop their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills without being so obvious about it. They would learn how to pronounce Valentine’s Day; but, by not embarrassing my students, pointing out their mistakes, and trying to turn errors into “teachable moments,” the kids would be more receptive to the idea that they may have been operating outside the lines of Academic English at times.”

(Dr. Arnold’s results at this point speak for themselves. He fired up his students by believing in them.)

“No student had passed the A.P. Literature Exam at Fremont High School in 20 years. The first time I taught it 4 students passed. The next year: 6. My third year: 10.”

“A few years have passed since I last taught at Fremont. And, I know now that I did a lot more than “nothing” when I recognized my students’ language deficiencies. I did everything! I used a novel as a focus, and employed students to think critically about language, philosophy, and morals. Through a series of discussions, essays prompts, and analytical assignments the young men and women in my class dissected Shakespeare, debated Milton, and even filled in some of the gaps that may have existed in their own English development. My students learned how to say Valentine’s Day without explicitly being told how to. But I still don’t know why.”

“Why was what I did at Fremont successful? I’m not sure if the strength in my pedagogy was psychological and emotional: not making students feel as if they were wrong and inadequate by constantly correcting them… or, if it was academic: choosing books that had just the right level of vocabulary and syntax — so that my students were always being challenged, but never given anything they would not ultimately be successful with. There are lots of reasons why those classes at Fremont achieved so highly. I’m just not absolutely certain about any of them. Superintendent’s Cabinet can change this.”

“The resources at SC will help me define the underlying principles behind the teaching of English, for myself. So far, my research has been in my classroom. At most, I can make hypotheses about the two schools I have taught at. A Superintendent’s Cabinet education in The Teaching Of English enables me to contribute to the discussion of how to educate people on larger scales. My future research will prove why teaching literature instead of direct vocabulary to students at an urban school was successful in building up basic skills.”

I have lots of “theories.” But I lack the evidence to prove them. The “coursework” for the Superintedent’s Cabinet can be as expansive as we want; and within its framework are the answers to my questions.”

(Only time will tell, Dr. Arnold)

“I don’t teach at Fremont High School anymore. My years afterwards were defined by the more affluent Santa Monica High School, in Southern California. And, even though my students know how to pronounce Valentine’s Day, they still have gaps in their English learning. To fix them, I teach the same books I taught at Fremont — the same way, and with the same fire, enthusiasm and effort.”

“I need Superintendent’s Cabinet to give me the terminology, background, and experimental proof so that I can start articulating to others the reasons this approach to teaching Secondary English works.”

“Every February 14th, some high-schooler wishes their friend a Happy Balemtimes Day. That doesn’t meant they can’t pass their A.P. English exams. And years from now, with an education from Superintendent’s Cabinet, I will be able to explain why.”