If I had to pick one word to describe how my classes were going so far, that word would be frustrating. I have a lot of nice kids, and my AP class in particular are very motivated and eager to learn, but (predictably) not all of them are that way. It’s enormously frustrating to try to explain what a Petrarchan sonnet is to a group of 17 and 18 year old guys who think that making farting noises in class and then complaining about the smell is the epitome of humor. It’s frustrating to go through a lesson with the class and assign a worksheet and have the student who wasn’t paying attention ask if he had to do the worksheet because he “didn’t hear” the lesson. And it’s even more frustrating when anytime you verbally discipline a student who is misbehaving in class, they accuse of you of being racist/sexist/or any other ‘-ist’ that mentions any difference between you and them. How do you teach students to take responsibility for their own screw-ups? How do you get them to stop focusing on themselves long enough to understand that you’re there to teach them and help them, not to oppress them by making them do work?
I suppose this is more or less a universal dilemma for secondary teachers, but I have a bad case of it right now. The problems are always there, but they really come to the surface when the kids who don’t want to be there are numerous enough and vocal enough to hijack a class, and I have two classes that are currently being hijacked, with a third teetering on the brink. Unfortunately, this means that I have to be mean and nasty to keep control, and they have less fun in class, so they like it even less. Oh well — it’s their doing.
Don’t get me wrong, I like teaching. I just wish that my students were willing to put up with learning.
Archive for January, 2007
How It’s Going
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007How It’s Going
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007If I had to pick one word to describe how my classes were going so far, that word would be frustrating. I have a lot of nice kids, and my AP class in particular are very motivated and eager to learn, but (predictably) not all of them are that way. It’s enormously frustrating to try to explain what a Petrarchan sonnet is to a group of 17 and 18 year old guys who think that making farting noises in class and then complaining about the smell is the epitome of humor. It’s frustrating to go through a lesson with the class and assign a worksheet and have the student who wasn’t paying attention ask if he had to do the worksheet because he “didn’t hear” the lesson. And it’s even more frustrating when anytime you verbally discipline a student who is misbehaving in class, they accuse of you of being racist/sexist/or any other ‘-ist’ that mentions any difference between you and them. How do you teach students to take responsibility for their own screw-ups? How do you get them to stop focusing on themselves long enough to understand that you’re there to teach them and help them, not to oppress them by making them do work?
I suppose this is more or less a universal dilemma for secondary teachers, but I have a bad case of it right now. The problems are always there, but they really come to the surface when the kids who don’t want to be there are numerous enough and vocal enough to hijack a class, and I have two classes that are currently being hijacked, with a third teetering on the brink. Unfortunately, this means that I have to be mean and nasty to keep control, and they have less fun in class, so they like it even less. Oh well — it’s their doing.
Don’t get me wrong, I like teaching. I just wish that my students were willing to put up with learning.
Assassination Confirmed
Friday, January 26th, 2007It\’s more or less official now: Alexander Litvinenko was murdered in a \”\’state sponsored\’ assassination.\” This comes as no suprise, but it makes one wonder just what the British authorities plan to do about it. The only thing I know of that they could probably do would be to take it to the Hague and try to get the international courts to prosecute the case. However, the international courts (being generally useless and indended for publicity attacks against the United States) probably will do nothing about it. Technically, government assassination on foreign territory is probably an act of war, but I highly doubt that Britain will push things far enough to even start mentioning that.
Busy Busy
Monday, January 22nd, 2007I’ve been somewhat busy lately with one thing and another, so I haven’t had much time to update the blog. Between working as a sub until the week before last, suffering through the flu (if you haven’t had a flu shot yet, GET ONE. I kept wishing I was dead.), and then applying for (and actually getting!) a long-term English sub job at Tuscarora, I’ve been on my toes. It’ll probably take me a little while to get into the swing of things — I’ll have to come up with what units I’m going to do for the rest of the year and get myself a week or so ahead with lesson plans here right at first. So if you don’t see any posts for a while, don’t worry. I’m no longer dying of the flu.
Dreaming Of The Future
Friday, January 12th, 2007Overheard conversation:
“I want to win the lottery and never work again.”
“Will you buy me a horse and some allergy medicine?”
A Dumb Idea
Monday, January 8th, 2007This sounds like an incredibly bad idea. I mean, Iran surely knows how big the US is on freedom of the seas and everything — we’ve gone to war over it, and more than once. Blockading the Strait of Hormuz sounds like a good way to start a shooting war with the American Navy — something that the Iranians really would be better off without.
Your Own Private Island
Monday, January 8th, 2007Somebody should write a history of Sealand. Sounds like some pretty crazy things have gone on there!
More Celebrity Uselessness
Friday, January 5th, 2007I don’t really object to celebrities having political opinions. After all, they’re people too (with the possible exception of Paris Hilton). I just wish they would either expend more mental wattage on them, or not go shouting them about everywhere. Classic case in point:
January 3 — National Guard troops in Arizona are overrun by gunmen from Mexico. The gunmen were likely smuggling drugs.
January 5 — Sylvester Stallone, discussing the idea of building a security fence along the Mexican border “‘crazy’ and ‘ridiculous’… arguing that nations should be able to interact without being divided by walls.”
Remind me never to try to ‘interact’ with this particular man.