Radical Teacher on the Loose

I wish I could do as my action research capstone project  along the lines of "the fight against standardized testing and the dumbing down of america's youth". I realize, I really am a radical in this thing called teaching. Today, when we talked about static and dynamic characters, I brought it all the way down to my 9th graders level of understanding-- I dragged in the fish movie. That's right, FINDING NEMO. :) I also managed to bring them closer to the surface of my thinking. By the time we were finished with that movie, they realized that story is just as deep as the Big Blue and has just as many surprises too. I'm finding that the harder these politicians and public education killers fight to strangle creativity of thought, the harder I fight back. Oh, I read the assigned stories and I talk about the skill that's there but I don't leave it as just that story. I drag in allusions to all the other stories read so far, having the kids make connections across the board. I fill their head with movies and news stories that match what I'm talking about. I haven't written a lesson plan since 2005-- yes, the year I began teaching because I realized that shyt doesn't vibe with who I am. Planning sucks the life out of living. Thank goodness for pre-made pacing guides.