Thank God!
I was getting tired of them. They were getting tired of me. We all needed a break.
We spent a good portion of the week with PowerPoint presentations. They did okay on the PPTs, considering it was the first time for most of them. The presentations were a different story. I put a notice on the board to NOT read the slides to the rest of us. I read it out loud to them. Then most of them proceeded to read the slides. Their final project (no exam) will be a presentation. We'll work on it again before then. (Seven weeks of instruction!)
I brought a ton of grading home for the break. I really should be able to go through it quickly, I just need to sit with it. When we get back, I'll be presenting every student with a progress report to be signed by a parent and returned. This is mostly CYA for the seniors who are hoping to graduate in May. Eyes will open.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Projects
My wife and I are collaborating. I'm taking my 2 US History classes into her Computer Apps classes to do PowerPoint presentations on WWII. Her students are teachinng mine how to create the PowerPoints. My students provide the content and her students provide the skill.
We weren't sure how it would go today. I didn't get word through to my inclusion teacher, so he brought his 5 students in unprepared. My wife was worried that the 9th & 10th graders in her 3rd period would be intimidated by the 11th graders in my class. Both classes worked well. With the exception of my perpetual whiner in 3rd whining about her topic, everyone was able to work. What I saw looked good. They were working together. We were both pleased. They have tomorrow to finish up.
My econ classes have been working all week on a "moving out" project. They're hunting apartments and furnishing them. It's been a hoot watching them. They've called numbers in ads and come back to tell me, "Ads lie!" Several boys discovered sofa beds and think they're the neatest things they've ever seen. One boy who's opted to live alone asked me if I'd heard of freecycle.com. They're working so hard on this in all 3 classes that I could walk out after I get them started and they'd never notice.
We weren't sure how it would go today. I didn't get word through to my inclusion teacher, so he brought his 5 students in unprepared. My wife was worried that the 9th & 10th graders in her 3rd period would be intimidated by the 11th graders in my class. Both classes worked well. With the exception of my perpetual whiner in 3rd whining about her topic, everyone was able to work. What I saw looked good. They were working together. We were both pleased. They have tomorrow to finish up.
My econ classes have been working all week on a "moving out" project. They're hunting apartments and furnishing them. It's been a hoot watching them. They've called numbers in ads and come back to tell me, "Ads lie!" Several boys discovered sofa beds and think they're the neatest things they've ever seen. One boy who's opted to live alone asked me if I'd heard of freecycle.com. They're working so hard on this in all 3 classes that I could walk out after I get them started and they'd never notice.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Saturday Grading
I just finished grading notebooks. I go to the library to do this because it's easier for me to stay focused there than when I'm at home. With a few notable exceptions, the scores were low. Only a third of the students in my 2nd period turned theirs in. This batch of 11th graders we have this year are at best minimalists, at worst gross underachievers.
Of course, with the attendance so low at NCLB testing on Weds and Thurs, they were pulling the no-shows out of class on Fri to make numbers. Still, only 3 left my class when they heard the announcement.
It can be discouraging. I look at their grades, and there are so many F's. The thing is, they don't seem to care. They've got another year before graduation. That's plenty of time to re-take US History. And "everybody knows Night School is easier." (Real quote.)
The seniors are a different story. They're divided between those who are set to graduate in May and are going to let a 1 semester Economics class pull down their GPA (I have their valedictorian in 6th period), those who are set to graduate in May and figure they can take it easy and still pass with a D, and those who are ditching the majority of each week and will start freaking out around May Day when it's too late.
Extra credit for them is extra work for me. If they won't do the regular work, I'm not rewarding them with something special.
Of course, with the attendance so low at NCLB testing on Weds and Thurs, they were pulling the no-shows out of class on Fri to make numbers. Still, only 3 left my class when they heard the announcement.
It can be discouraging. I look at their grades, and there are so many F's. The thing is, they don't seem to care. They've got another year before graduation. That's plenty of time to re-take US History. And "everybody knows Night School is easier." (Real quote.)
The seniors are a different story. They're divided between those who are set to graduate in May and are going to let a 1 semester Economics class pull down their GPA (I have their valedictorian in 6th period), those who are set to graduate in May and figure they can take it easy and still pass with a D, and those who are ditching the majority of each week and will start freaking out around May Day when it's too late.
Extra credit for them is extra work for me. If they won't do the regular work, I'm not rewarding them with something special.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
More Testing
We just spent 2 days testing 9th & 11th graders. This was our annual NCLB extravaganza. The students I proctored actually worked on the test. Unfortunately, attendance was abyssmal. This means we'll be pulling students out of class to do what they should have done this week. I told my 11th graders that the only way to avoid this round of testing was to drop out of school. I have some of the no-shows from the group I proctored. They'll learn I was honest with them.
I doubt we'll make AYP. Again. We won't make AYP until we do something about our attendance problem. We have an attendance policy, but enforcement breaks down. The kids know there's no real consequences to ditching, so they go for it. So to get 95% attendance for the SBA testing, they have to drag in kids who haven't been in class a full month this year. To expect them to be able to post a score that will register anywhere is just silly.
Back to teaching tomorrow. March is a wasted month. With testing, holidays, spring break, and our lovely flex schedule, we only have 12 real days of instruction this month. But I'm still trying to teach my 12 grade Economics students how to survive on their own and my 11th grade US History students why the Germans followed Hitler.
I doubt we'll make AYP. Again. We won't make AYP until we do something about our attendance problem. We have an attendance policy, but enforcement breaks down. The kids know there's no real consequences to ditching, so they go for it. So to get 95% attendance for the SBA testing, they have to drag in kids who haven't been in class a full month this year. To expect them to be able to post a score that will register anywhere is just silly.
Back to teaching tomorrow. March is a wasted month. With testing, holidays, spring break, and our lovely flex schedule, we only have 12 real days of instruction this month. But I'm still trying to teach my 12 grade Economics students how to survive on their own and my 11th grade US History students why the Germans followed Hitler.
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