A bit behind on posting. I have completed my bookmark and will update pictures soon. Just didn't want the blogosphere to forget I exist.
On a funnier note, I had a pretty good student quote last week. Kids were giving presentations on a variety of topics about the Civil Rights Movement- people, places, events. I had given the students instructions to try to use more compelling adjectives and adverbs in their PowerPoints. Everyone gets tired of seeing very, great, wonderful, etc. I got my wish. When discussing someone who a student would have normally as "very" educated, they instead had this: "He was a severely educated man." I burst out laughing, and had to stop the presenter and have them explain the word severely. They then sheepishly told me they didn't have a real reason for using it, only that it was listed in the thesaurus . I applauded their use of the thesaurus, and gently reminded them to be sure it makes sense in the context they use it.
Showing posts with label Student Quote of the Week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Student Quote of the Week. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Long Week. L o n g .
Last week was the first full week I had worked, with students, since before Christmas. I realize that complaining about having to work 5 days in a row may seem whiny and ridiculous, BUT it is my firm belief that part of the reason kids get a summer off is to protect them. From what, you ask? From teacher's who have been driven crazy and might snap. For example, yesterday I had to catch myself from ripping one young gentleman's head off for spelling my name "Mortan". Innocent enough, but it was one of those things that got under my skin. And kids who I let go to the library kept leaving the door slightly cracked instead of closing it all the way. And I won't even get started on my seniors... okay, but not too much, lest my blood pressure cause blood to shoot from my eyes.
I haven't taught seniors until now, and it is very difficult. Not the content. Not the books we are reading. Them. On average, they miss 1-2 times a week, then they become indignant when you tell them their make-up work needs to be done at home, or the test made up after school. And they become completely belligerent if you give them a deadline, they miss it, and you refuse to let them turn in their work. I think what bothers me most about it all is the fact that they will be entering college and careers, and neither will let them do the things they are trying to do. I guess the best lesson comes with the life experience.
On to other things. The student quote of the week for last week is actually a teacher quote, by me. Let me give the setup so no one assumes it was real advice I was dispensing. With my beloved senior class (please note the drip, drip, drip of sarcasm oozing from that comment), we are reading Brave New World. In this novel, there are no parents, all children are decanted, and since "everyone belongs to everyone else," promiscuousity is permissable and encouraged. Lenina, one of the central characters, is chastised in the beginning for only "having" one man multiple times for a few months. A student, who was not really comprehending the oddness of this in comparison to our culture, asked, "But with all the sex, someone has to be a mommy."
Here it comes. I, in explaining their method of birthcontrol and the emphasis on sex as a pleasurable means to placate the masses, made this simple statement:
"Sex is for fun-- not for making babies."
Snicker. Snicker. Guffaw. Full out laughter. I have had at least one student tell me they have posted that as a quote on their Facebook wall, as said by JM, so as not to incriminate me.
In stitching news, I entered the February contest on the Sprite Stitch forums. The theme was an unlikely partnership. Since I thought a little love needed to be tied in, I created this:
Yoshi and Mario had been having problems, sure. He would be out all night with Luigi and come home with no explanation. Mario would sometime not even ride on Yoshi for days at a time. But Yoshi never saw this coming. Mario, with a Chocobo of all creatures!
Still need to finish my Mother Clucker quilt square, but today I am focusing on creating the pattern for my Earthbound square.
I haven't taught seniors until now, and it is very difficult. Not the content. Not the books we are reading. Them. On average, they miss 1-2 times a week, then they become indignant when you tell them their make-up work needs to be done at home, or the test made up after school. And they become completely belligerent if you give them a deadline, they miss it, and you refuse to let them turn in their work. I think what bothers me most about it all is the fact that they will be entering college and careers, and neither will let them do the things they are trying to do. I guess the best lesson comes with the life experience.
On to other things. The student quote of the week for last week is actually a teacher quote, by me. Let me give the setup so no one assumes it was real advice I was dispensing. With my beloved senior class (please note the drip, drip, drip of sarcasm oozing from that comment), we are reading Brave New World. In this novel, there are no parents, all children are decanted, and since "everyone belongs to everyone else," promiscuousity is permissable and encouraged. Lenina, one of the central characters, is chastised in the beginning for only "having" one man multiple times for a few months. A student, who was not really comprehending the oddness of this in comparison to our culture, asked, "But with all the sex, someone has to be a mommy."
Here it comes. I, in explaining their method of birthcontrol and the emphasis on sex as a pleasurable means to placate the masses, made this simple statement:
"Sex is for fun-- not for making babies."
Snicker. Snicker. Guffaw. Full out laughter. I have had at least one student tell me they have posted that as a quote on their Facebook wall, as said by JM, so as not to incriminate me.
In stitching news, I entered the February contest on the Sprite Stitch forums. The theme was an unlikely partnership. Since I thought a little love needed to be tied in, I created this:
Yoshi and Mario had been having problems, sure. He would be out all night with Luigi and come home with no explanation. Mario would sometime not even ride on Yoshi for days at a time. But Yoshi never saw this coming. Mario, with a Chocobo of all creatures!
Still need to finish my Mother Clucker quilt square, but today I am focusing on creating the pattern for my Earthbound square.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Student Quote of the Week
This was a short week. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday. No school for me Tuesday for a doctor's appointment. Normal day on Wednesday and Thursday. No school Friday because of snow.
Even in this short week, I have a great quote from one of my students.
I enjoy having a "thread" or common theme/idea run through a unit of study. Before delving into Shakespeare's Othello, we do a study about race and religion. We read some poems, "Incident" by Countee Cullen, "Cross" by Langston Hughes. Move on to the short story "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison. With my very white, very Southern-Minded students, I like to talk about race. For some, this is the only way they will learn etiquette when talking about race. I begin a transition to the religious discussion by having them do research on different aspects of the Civil Right's Movement. With this, they get there first taste of MLA formatting, and while I do not have them do an entire research paper, I find this very beneficial. They take all this information, and do a presentation. After they have all presented, I give them my presentation on Malcolm X.
When discussin Malcolm X, I spend about half of the presentation discussing the similarities and differences between he and his contemporary Martin Luther King Jr. I focus a lot of attention on teaching my kids about the Islamic religion and the simlarities and differences between it and Christianity. We then watch the Spike Lee movie, and students select a symbol to trace the development of throughout the film. In the end, this culminates with reading Othello, a story of a racial and religious outsider, a black muslim in a white Christian society.
I'm pretty proud of this thread running throughout my 12 week class. Since we finished up the Malcolm X portion of the class, I decided to share this photo my husband found on the website http://artoftrolling.memebase.com/ .
Before projecting the picture, we discuss what an internet troll is. I then ask them to write in their notebooks what is wrong with this picture. While discussing the photo in one class, this is what one student said:
"So, Malcom X and Martin Luther King aren't the same guy?"
I'm still trying to determine whether it was a student fail or a teacher fail.
Even in this short week, I have a great quote from one of my students.
I enjoy having a "thread" or common theme/idea run through a unit of study. Before delving into Shakespeare's Othello, we do a study about race and religion. We read some poems, "Incident" by Countee Cullen, "Cross" by Langston Hughes. Move on to the short story "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison. With my very white, very Southern-Minded students, I like to talk about race. For some, this is the only way they will learn etiquette when talking about race. I begin a transition to the religious discussion by having them do research on different aspects of the Civil Right's Movement. With this, they get there first taste of MLA formatting, and while I do not have them do an entire research paper, I find this very beneficial. They take all this information, and do a presentation. After they have all presented, I give them my presentation on Malcolm X.
When discussin Malcolm X, I spend about half of the presentation discussing the similarities and differences between he and his contemporary Martin Luther King Jr. I focus a lot of attention on teaching my kids about the Islamic religion and the simlarities and differences between it and Christianity. We then watch the Spike Lee movie, and students select a symbol to trace the development of throughout the film. In the end, this culminates with reading Othello, a story of a racial and religious outsider, a black muslim in a white Christian society.
I'm pretty proud of this thread running throughout my 12 week class. Since we finished up the Malcolm X portion of the class, I decided to share this photo my husband found on the website http://artoftrolling.memebase.com/ .
"So, Malcom X and Martin Luther King aren't the same guy?"
I'm still trying to determine whether it was a student fail or a teacher fail.
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