Roller coaster day

The ups and downs of teaching....

I don't know if it was me or it was the students

Well, this week is back to normal classroom type learning, as last week was Project Based Learning....very successful in my opinion. All my classes had to construct a structure, within budget, to prevent a 'Hershey's KISS' from being melted when tested under an infrared lamp. It culminated with poster presentations, and even a view students volunteered to produce their own videos with my new digital video camera I got for Christmas (because I wanted to be able to do stuff like this!)

Project X



I used Microsoft Movie Maker to spice up one of the projects that show the students really had fun!

This first movie set the bar, and I truly owe these two guys, I gave them a rough idea of what I wanted...I just said explain what you did and follow around explaining the experiment and have fun. Once I was able to show this to other students, they were confident they could do their poster presentation in front of camera. Some were even looking forward to it.

Stop the KISS from Melting



So you know as a teacher, I was basically high last week having so many students put real quality work out for me.

So we come back this week, and its back to lectures, powerpoints and things like that.

Well, first period was typical...1/2 zombie the other half answering when called on

Third period, my favorite class, one had to donate blood, then our class had to go do yearbook pictures, then I decided lets try the GAS PRESSURE SONSORS for the CBL equipment, but many of the syringes had busted tips....but it was a bit tedious, so I don't know if kids knew what they were doing.

So I decide to avoid the CBLs and do a nice powerpoint on GAS LAWS. The students try to leave their math skills somewhere else, so when I ask the class what is 1 times 100, very few answer. Then I have this amazing student who had given blood and after a little while she ask for pass to restroom. Few minutes later this boys brings me pass telling me my student passed out in hallway. Well I tell class to behave, I have emergency to attend to. I was able to help and comfort the student also until nurse arrived. An hour later students show up to pick up her stuff, under her won power and I get a wonderful hug, showing appreciation. I needed it, because her class when I returned just couldn't get the PV over T stuff at all. I got kind of pissed because they don't try to do it....they just decide I can't do it so I am going to entertain myself. PIsses me off on the inside...so I of course assign homework - because they truly need the practice. Thank goodness though, I had about 5-6 students on the other side of the room who made sure I explained how to do it, or wanted to know if they were doing it right.

Next class with those guys, seating assignments. Close table gets high performers, and low performers farther away from me. Based on their behavior, I'll move them between seats immediately! I already did this seating thing on Monday with preAP, again, got underachievers in there too.

Lunch was this get to together with pizza for our Math Achievers. I skipped it because I really didn't want to be around students right then, because of their apathy.

I'm doing Chemistry Part A (Fall) on Mon & Wed nights for kids who failed or want to get ahead. My class size jumped to around 22. Not real happy about that, I liked it when it was 12. I'm probably going to have to get friends not to sit near each other, unless they don't mind failing again!

So on a day that was ending with a down note, I go to Rice Univ after school to hear Rafe Esquith speak, and he brought about 8 students with him. He is one of my teaching heroes, after watching a documentary on PBS about him! I think he hit 25 years teaching this year.

So with that, we'll say the roller coaster ended up with more PE than KE!