November 2007
16 posts
Oh happy day...
Introduced Human Rights Day curriculum, and it went very well. Don’t get me wrong, the kids are a handful now (those weeks between Thanksgiving and Xmas). Third Grade: Discussed rights of the child, had them discuss and brainstorm what rights they think children should have. Some mixups with responsibilities and rights, but got focused. They then watched a story about a girl with a lot of...
ARGHHH!
Have you ever had one of those experiences during a fire drills? Kids talking the whole time? Not following directions? Going back to room to get backpacks? That was my fire drill experience today. I want a glass of wine just thinking about it while I’m writing this.
SES Tutoring
That last quote refers to the mountains of paperwork required to do SES tutoring. This tutoring is the “outside help” that students in “Program Improvement” schools are supposed to get under NCLB. It’s so bad, that rather than tutoring, I’m coordinating the tutoring at my site, and spending time chasing paper (and bringing snacks to kids).
“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”
– Matthew Chapter 22; Verse 21
Tumblr
The gods are conspiring against my attempts to get tumblr going as a blog interface for my students. RSS from tumblr is not working. The district is continuing to block it. So I’ve been experimenting on my son (isn’t it cruel how we teachers do that?). Fortunately, he is in a writing mood (my budding Stephen King). Check out his posts at http://leepea.tumblr.com. He is doing pretty...
SES, trying to make NCLB pay
Welcome to SES tutoring. I did not have great experiences with tutoring at my last school (too much trouble) such that I declined to do it last year even at the fantastic rate of $60 an hour. This year at my site, a former principal is the provider, and wants someone on site to coordinate (at those rates, there is a lot of paperwork), so they asked me to do it at $50 an hour. I need money, so I...
Welcome back...
Monday with a whimper, Tuesday with a roar. The difference between Monday morning (somnolent) and Tuesday (wide awake and catching up on 3 days of lost gossiping) was significant. I was also spoiled by being able to sleep in. Nice video on the Magic Eggs that had the second graders enthralled (not my goal, I know go for engagement). They also seem to be getting the kindness theme. I am short of...
“When I gave food to the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor...”
– Dom Helder Camara, Brazilian Roman Catholic archbishop, author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee from UN Cyberschool Human Rights Quotes
Oh, yeah I remember...
I have come to one conclusion about teaching a movie making project. When this last project was underway, I don’t think I did a great job of checking in with student groups. For the ones I did this with, I think I was able tor point out things that will make their movies better, but I think a lot may have sipped between the cracks.
Where messy may not be learning...
The sixth grade movie project chugs on, and the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT an oncoming train. I expect to have a product to share next week. I have no idea what to expect, and this in inhibiting my ability to reflect on this. If the movies turn out well, it was all good (if a bit circuitous), but if the quality is awful, or uneven (and who can tell mid-process with a movie?), then some...
I'm reflecting...
on this post from Doug Noon, where learning was messy, with the work that I and a fellow teacher did to prepare students for an owl pellet dissection. I think both approaches were valid, but what lessons can be learned from each situation?
And it keeps coming...
The third graders studying owl pellets did the actual dissection in their class today. Their teacher took pictures, and I put them in a PowerPoint and recorded their impressions. The pre-work I did with the class having them do a Flash based virtual dissection, and watching a video on owls before the actual dissection were apparently very helpful for the kids, and for the teacher. YEAH! for...
Hollywood visits...
in the form of the “Spiderwick Chronicles Experience” van promoting this movie, which was parked outside my lab. The kids were all excited and got to make creatures that will show up online. Because of minimum day during parent conferences, some classes couldn’t go, so I just sent the to the Website. The roadies doing the show were impressed with our lab and the work I was doing...
Doing good
Informal while I was teaching third graders about owls and owl pellets. Awesome lesson, all went well, even after admin was gone. Kids loved KidWings! Fifth grade was rushed, lots of time showing Magic Schoolbus. Universally popular was this Scholastic News - Postcards for fifth, third, and second grade.
Email from my former attendance clerk
ME: How did you send out those podcasts I sent you over ConnectEd?
HER: I just put the phone up to the computer speakers while I played it on the computer.
ME THINKING: Hmm, well that was a low-tech solution?
Conversation with a Luddite
Substitute Teacher: This generation starts out using computers.
Me: Yeah, soon we'll all be using them.
Substitute Teacher: I'm not going to.
Me: We'll have to.
Substitute Teacher: I won't
Me thinking: Well, have fun in the unemployment line sister...
