Interdiscipinary Projects

I've been meaning to write this post for a while but never got around to it for one reason or the other...

While I was subbing for the aide, I noticed that the eighth grade English teachers in particular liked to do interdisciplinary projects (that is, projects that incorporate other subjects along with English). One example of this is that the students had to write an essay with the topic "If I were a climate, this is the climate I would be because..." which I thought was clever for a variety of reasons. First (and most obvious), it helped them get a more definitive understanding of their geography terms. Secondly, it's an atypical essay which required more creative thinking than most. I really enjoyed helping students write theirs.

Another example which also involves Social Studies would be their Living History Project. Students had to find a person at least 50 years older than them to interview. This not only involved history, but also journalism (and therefore, research). I left before the students presented these, but I heard they were great.

The last example deals with science. They had to pick an element from the periodic table and personify it either by dressing up like the superhero (or villain) version of the element, or portraying it on a poster. This was a good project too, though I'm still not sure how it incorporated English, which, you would think, would be necessary for an English class. However, that doesn't discredit the project's merit.

Each of these were creative and enhanced the students' ability to make connections and their critical thinking skills. I'm a big believer in holistic learning, anyway, and the above are good examples of that.

I'm not going to end the week without reverence to you know who (did you think I would?). This first article is really a letter about why the Wisconsin boycotts are important (from a Wisconsin resident.) This one, actually written by Strauss, once again exploits the evils of a certain ex-Chancellor and makes me ponder yet again how the hell she became so popular. Cannot wait to read "The Bee Eater."

Who's in charge here?

So the woman in charge of the sub assignments (including mine) sent me an email WEEKS ago about the fact that I'm covering an English teacher first period today due to a meeting she has to attend. But apparently another teacher is running late so she asks me to sit with her TA class until she arrives (this teacher doesn't have a first period so it's not a conflict). I'm getting my stuff together right before TA when the other school based sub sticks his head in the door. I'm confused. So is he, because he was told to go where I already was. Ummmmm... k. But he leaves when he sees I'm there.

But then I'm called away from that classroom and back to the office. So the other SBS shows up again. When I get to the office, the woman in charge (supposedly) tells me to cover a math teacher for first period. I tell her about the email she sent, and she's confused, which makes me confused, because I think I have the date wrong. So I go to the math teacher's room, and she says, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to cover Ms. L's class!" Ummmmm... k. I go back to where I was originally supposed to be to teach Englishy things. Yeesh.

Then. I go back to the office after first period and she tells me to cover for an aid starting fifth period. But I have nothing to do until then, so I get on a library computer. She comes looking for me in the library at the end of third period and tells me I'm supposed to be covering for said aid. I tell her, "You told me not until fifth period." She looks confused, but then realizes I'm right. So then she asks me to cover for the drama teacher fourth period. So I go down there.

As the students are wandering into the class, she calls and tells me a different sub is going to take my place so I can sub for the aid like I was supposed to do. Ummmmmm... k. I do, and the last three periods of the day go off without a hitch. But still.

Holy crap, woman. Get your head on straight.

However, a bright point in the day came during the ESL History class (which I have helped with before so really know the kids). The teacher had them play a game of tug-o-war with slightly different rules to mimic the conditions of the Continental Army v. the British Army during the American Revolution. The kids loved it, and really understood the parallels. It was awesome.

Short n Sweet (like me)!

Today I asked facilities to open a classroom. I used the word "janitor." The woman in charge of making sure doors open scolded me and said, "We call them custodians." Whoops. My bad. Didn't realize "janitor" was such an epithet. I guess I should have in this PC world, but geez. Calling them "custodians" doesn't erase the fact that they clean toilets for a living. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Also, my love affair of Valerie Strauss continues (also of Diane Ravitch, who is of fault in this article). It discusses what's going on in Wisconsin and why. Hooray!

To Yell or Not To Yell... That's Not Really the Question

It's obvious that different teachers have different methods of discipline, and even different views on what warrants a particular punishment. But what's not so obvious is why teachers hold these different views.

Case in point: My write-up of the student on Friday. The principal has asked him and me to sit down and "talk it out." Which I feel is a waste of time. So does the lead classroom teacher who was also involved. But the principal loves to micromanage and give certain students a chance. Which I already did with this boy. But whatever, clearly I'm not the one in charge.

Here's another example: Since it was so nice today, the kids could go outside to play after they finished their lunch. The other school-based sub and I were outside supervising. I feel that this is the one time in the day when kids can be kids, and as long as they're not putting themselves or anyone else in danger, they can basically do whatever they want. However, the other SBS is a friggin' stickler. The seventh graders were sitting on the concrete wall that separates the playground from the parking lot, and I berated students who were grabbing at these students' shoes or horse-playing while sitting on the wall. SBS was watching something else. I turn my back for two seconds and a boy is standing up on the wall. Not only does SBS yell at him incredibly loudly, but he made the student go back inside. If I had seen him first, however, I would have asked him (not scolded) to not stand up, because he could get hurt. I also wouldn't punish him and make him go back inside. I wouldn't want to imply anything besides a safety concern. But the way this guy did it, it sounded like the kid was doing something completely unforgivable. Whereas in reality, kids don't always acknowledge danger. This teacher has a reputation for being a strict ass, but even so. I found that utterly ridiculous.

Sometimes specific regulations are bad, but in this case, the same standards need to apply to all teachers. It confuses kids otherwise.

My virtual hetero-love affair with Valerie Strauss continues...

Even though she didn't write this one, she found it, so I must give her credit for that. I found it very profound and informative.

This one is all her, and it makes perfect sense. I'm all for idealism, but policy makers need to be realistic. Goals set through idealism (and this sounds horrible) based on false evidence (or none at all) will only result in failure.

Also, kids were hopped on on sugar and crazier than usual yesterday. The English teacher I subbed for had them use Valentine's heart candy messages to write couplets. It was a creative lesson plan, but did not help assuage the sugar high. Oh well. Today seems more mellow.

When Rudeness Manifests...

Wrote my first ever referral today. I was helping out the Spanish teacher last period because she had to do oral tests with the kids and I was monitoring the class while she was out with them individually. One boy who is known for his orneriness purposefully dropped a fellow student's notebook on the floor and refused to pick it up. I called him over after the bell to let him explain himself but he was more interested in packing up and rushing out of the room than even looking me in the eye. He essentially dismissed himself and the Spanish teacher told me to write him up, so I did. It seems ridiculous that a huge disciplinary action started due to a dropped notebook. And because part of our goal as educators is to teach kids how be decent human beings, rudeness to this extent is completely unforgivable. Regardless of how good a student this kid is (and he's not, but even so), if a student is completely rude, he/she has not benefited from his/her education, or the teacher has failed that student. Oh, holistic teaching.

Like zombies, the arts are aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains.

That's what the arts replenish (and that's where the zombie metaphor ends).

In the past few days, I have been fortunate to sub for a variety of arts teachers-- on Friday I taught chorus for two periods, yesterday taught art for three, and this morning did about 30 minutes of orchestra. The kids in these classes seem genuinely curious and hard-working (with the exception of the orchestra class today, but that's because we were reading some music history). That's not to suggest, though, that students not involved in art are less curious or hard-working, but these qualities certainly seem necessary to take arts classes, whereas they are just "nice to have" in core classes. However, I did think it was interesting that in the art class yesterday, I had to push the kids to think abstractly. Granted, they are just 11-13, but they were really struggling to break out of their literal mindsets. Just another drawback of traditional education, I suppose.

But teaching art classes is fun! Even when I barely know anything about it. (Although I was able to play the melody on the piano during chorus, poorly, but that's what I get for sight-reading.) Hooray!

I need sleep.

Crazy, crazy day. The morning wasn't too bad, as I was subbing for the librarian and just had to check out books and shelve. But in the afternoon, something in the water must have turned the kids into monsters...

The last period of the day I had to sub for a self-contained science class. I knew most of the kids in there from the self-contained math class I used to aide. They were horrible. Part of the problem was that the teacher didn't leave solid lesson plans and I knew nothing about her materials or curriculum to improvise, so often they were left with not a lot to do. Toward the end of class, the SPED teacher from next door came in and told them their behavior was unacceptable. I was embarrassed that I couldn't control them. She told me to write up the ones who were being really heinous, so I did.

Then, I help with after-school play rehearsals, and the kids today were absolutely atrocious. Most of them didn't know their lines, but you couldn't hear them anyway because there was so much noise in the room. Even the kids who were on stage were being disruptive. The director said afterward that she wanted to stab herself in the eye with a stick. It was really torturous.

Also, on a completely different note, I came across this article (not from the Post this time, believe it or not) about former DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee's new program, Students First. Shock, shock: it is riddled with problems.

The wonders of science

I got stuck judging the science fair today. That was.... interesting, to say the least. I had to help set it up during 7th period, and since I originally thought it would start after 4 (like a normal science fair) I was taking my time and trying to keep the boards organized. But oh, just kidding; I found out at 2:15 that the fair started at 2:30. Whoops. The science teachers were attempting to keep organized and numbered all the projects and situated them all by genre (i.e. biology, chemistry, physics), but eventually they stopped numbering and we had to scramble to find space. Then some judges didn't show up. So I got to judge. It was actually not that difficult. And kind of fun. But tiring. And I really don't want to do it again, but I suppose I will if asked. (I did get free tasty snacks out of the deal...)