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Category: Teaching
The Next Page Entry 62: Overheard in Room 36
Glad I’ve been keeping a small notebook with me…
Overheard in the classroom yesterday. :
— “Do you think Ms. Page has a plan for today?”
— “No way! I would never mix sardines with peanut butter!”
— “They should make kids be the crossing guards. My grandpa said he used to be one.”
— “I think I saw Ms. Page talking to Mr. Taylor after school.”
“So? Teachers are always talking to each other.”
“What do you think they talk about?”
“Probably snoopy kids like you.”
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
The Next Page Entry 61: One year ago today…
One Year Ago Today…
I was teaching lockstep with the instructional schedule.
I was teaching straight out of the district-approved and embarrassingly overpriced language arts series. The scope-and-sequence was the Bible.
I was bored with the reading selections and so were the kids.
Our writing assignments were dry as dust and so focused on non-fiction writing and ‘writing to learn’ that nothing felt new or original.
One year ago today I wasn’t bringing brownies and apple cake to staff meetings and I hadn’t forged a friendship with Mrs. Helm.
I think I’m liking this year a whole lot better.
Not sure how much grief might be awaiting me around the corner, but that’s a shruggable item for another day.
The Next Page Entry 60: Weekend Homework? Really?
So, I gave the kids homework over the weekend.
Yes, ruthless, aren’t I?
I kept it simple.
“Bring in a piece of cardboard at least two feet wide and two feet long.”
And I gave them two nights to do it. And I encouraged those who had extra cardboard to offer some to others who weren’t able to [or choosing to] track some down. And I suggested to the cardboard-deprived kids to ask their classmates or neighbors or a store for a single sheet.
Two nights!
Ask for help!
Result: 12 out of 27 kids brought some in.
Give me a break!
And yet, I had a feeling this would happen, so I was ready.
I had sauntered down the aisles of Foodko during late-night shelf stocking and asked the folks for the emptied boxes. They were champs.
So, yesterday I had cardboard sheets stacked for those who hadn’t followed through.
But everything has a price, even castoff cardboard…
A good intro to your next Zoom lesson…
Now…if things don’t move seamlessly during the lesson,
stifle your temptation to resort to this…
The Next Page Entry 58: Word clouds and class rules–perfect partners
Gotta say, I’d be in dire straits without ol’ Beth and Sanjay looking after me. At least when it comes to technology. These kids know everything, and not just about the inner workings of the equipment.
They showed me a site that makes word clouds.
I love the randomness and freedom these things give the kids, who can still show what they know in their own personal style. And when it’s something new, it’s easier to sneak in an actual lesson, some valuable content, without them realizing I’m actually assessing them. They see it as more of an art-type project. Perfect.
Note to self: Ask teachers if they’re open to giving up their designated bulletin board month. We won’t need to let Mrs. Nix know…
***
And so, why not keep up the momentum on mutual respect [I prefer that topic to ‘bullying’.].
Simple: Make a word cloud of rules or guidelines focused on courtesy and consideration of others.
List your guidelines on paper. [At least five.]
Throughout the day, take turns with the iPad to use that list to create your word cloud from your list.
At the end of the day, we will create a whole-class word cloud so be ready to contribute one of your guidelines.
[This journal is turning out to be a good way to think through activities.]
***
I wonder if I can use these things for math…
Science would be a breeze. And it’s time for another field trip to our park…yes, our park. Hey, why not give the kids a little sense of ownership when it comes to a study site? They like that phrase, ‘study site’. Makes them feel all ‘college-ish’, to use Beth’s word.
The Next Page Entry 57: A matter of time…
Saw a cartoon in the paper recently with the caption, ‘Alarm clocks…because every morning should begin with a heart attack.’
My version: “School bells…because every day should end with a heart attack.”
I swear they [whoever ‘they’ is…but I have a pretty good idea.] crank up the volume to 11 [aka’ Led Zeppelin-KISS-AC/DC’] at 3:00.
And is it just for Room 36?
Or am I being paranoid?
Or, should I say, more paranoid than before?
The Next Page Entry 56: P.S.
Received a memo about a districtwide change in expectations–an uptick, really–re: our adherence to the common core standards. [Hmmm, I noticed I didn’t use upper-case for ‘common core’. Shrug.]
Anywaaaay, an observation…P.S. In a letter, it usually suggests an afterthought, some added notion to throw in at the last minute.
Pendulum Swing. And. Paradigm Shift
Both favorite momentum killers in education today…
Both are P.S.’s.
Coincidence?
The Next Page Entry 55: An intriguing delivery
Found this tucked under the ‘welcome’ mat at my classroom door.
Why do I think the heart symbol is less-than-sincere?
Dare I try to root out the offending culprit?
The Next Page Entry 54: Bullying…fill in the blank
Re: the bullying activity…
Three additional bullying prompts…more like ‘treating others decently’ prompts, actually.
This time, I asked them to fill in blanks.
I created groups of three for them to share their answers.
I didn’t require them [though I encouraged them] to share their answers.
Sanjay was in Jeremy’s group. Yes, I engineered that. It was to be a test for both of them. If Sanjay could at least address the peripheral issues of bullying, with Jeremy in the group, that would be a step forward for him.
At the last minute, I switched cards. I decided ‘too much too soon’. And instead—wonder of wonders—Beth ended up in the group with Jeremy.
Here were the prompts I provided:
—By standing up for a friend, I learned to…
—Knowing what’s right is meaningless unless you…
—Respect others, so that…
I was tempted to linger/lurk near the Beth-Jeremy group, but that would have been too obvious. So I circulated and watched from afar.
Beth read her answers and I noticed she went wellllll beyond short phrase fill-in responses. And she looked right at Jeremy as she read, with an occasional glance at Annie. Jeremy sat with his arms folded, looking elsewhere as Beth read, but watching Annie as she read. Watching her intently, in fact.
Hmmmmm…
Do I possibly have another ‘ally’ in my search for justice in Room 36?
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