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About Me
- Dr. Susan Ferguson
- I teach English Education, Foreign Language Education, and ESL Education, and I advise STEM Education Majors at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama--and I LOVE IT! I love to invite others to find the poet that is within them--I am certain a poet lies within each of us!
Am I the first? Are you kiddin' me?
ReplyDeleteWell, this week was ridiculously short due to Mardi Gras break; for Dunbar, the students were given Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off.
The students were assigned a milk jug project, using the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, over the break. I was shocked because maybe HALF of each class turned projects in. Even today, only a few more projects trickled in. The students who turned theirs in today get a 79. The teacher stressed that the projects should be turned in Monday for a 69, because it will be better than a zero. Somehow, I do not think any more of the students are going to do the project.
I realize that motivation is a huge part of what happens in school. The students have no real grasp of consequences if they don't turn in a milk jug. I feel like there is this overwhelming attitude of "Oh well" in the classroom. I wonder if someone can quantify the thing that separates students who do their work from those who don't care. Is it like a recipe? Do we as teachers need to give a little more of x to this student, and a tad less y to that student so that each of them become participating members of the class? Tell me!
Paige
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone enjoyed Mardi Gras, I know I did. Friday was an interesting day. The advanced class presented their book jackets; a black history month project. Each student had to choose a black person from history, design a book cover, then get in front of the class and give a little bio about their person. I could tell the students had no idea why they had to do this because the question was asked by a student, "Why do we have black history month anyway?" And another student chimes in, "Yeah, why don't we have white history month?" Then, grumble, grumble, grumble from the whole class. Talk about teachable moments! Paige, I think this book jacket project could have been much more effective if it were based on the novel your class is reading, TKAM, instead of just being, pick a person and give a report. What were the milk jug projects anyway, it sounds interesting. Here's a question, are teachers allowed to invited guest speakers into the classroom?
Yeah...This week was hard to get anything accomplished with only two days. The kid's brains are not at school, even if their bodies are.
ReplyDeleteAnywho, we have CRTs this upcoming wed/thurs and grad exams start this upcoming friday for seniors.
You guys know I teach that remediation class and I don't think they're ready for the grad exams. They just haven't been applying themselves and I don't know what else to do with them. I've tried to tell them SO many times that this is their last try or they don't graduate, but they're too busy being seniors. They have such a bad attitude. I honestly wish them well, but I'm not really expecting much.
Ladies,
ReplyDeleteAlthough the week was short, it certainly was interesting! My coop. teacher was out on Friday, and I had planned on supplementing the grammar worksheets she had given me with an interactive activity. After battling with the laptop and projector, I had to scrap my original plans and do my grammar lesson the old-fashioned way. Oh yeah, I gave the students the SGA letter we received in Dr. K's class to correct; they got a kick out of correcting a college students writing! Melanie, I am not sure if my students are ready for the CRTs either. We plan to focus this week's lesson upon grammar.
Paige, You have put into words exactly how I feel. You are exactly right when you say "there is this overwhelming attitude of 'Oh well' in the classroom." My cooperating teacher was absent today and assigned workbook pages to the students for practice for the CRTs. The kids did not understand the grammar concepts fully, I could see that from walking around the room and looking for myself. So when I get everyone's attention so that we can go over the answers and clear up confusion, they were so irritated that I couldn't just leave them alone so they could just talk. These kids needed further instruction, but they honestly do not want it. I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteYes. Teachers may invite guest speakers. It's a great idea, actually. Last year in the Junior High where I taught we had parents and guardians come in at various times througout the year to talk about their professions. We had other parents bring food from their native countries. I once had a priest, a rabbi, and a Muslim minister come to my high school Language Arts class. They were all friends, actually, and a I talked with them ahead of time to tell them what to expect in terms of questions. I will talk more about this in class.
ReplyDeleteWhat IS a Milk Jug project?
ReplyDeleteBrad, I find the term "ladies" offensive.
ReplyDelete(jk)
"I once had a priest, a rabbi, and a Muslim minister come to my high school Language Arts class"
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the beginning of a joke. hehe
Brad,
ReplyDeleteYou are having really bad luck with your computer stuff!
Hey guys!
ReplyDeleteI was going to post the exact same topic as Paige. What is with these students? I gave an assignment last week and I still have students coming up to me asking if they can turn them in. They are only 5 or 6 days lates! One interesting thing my teacher does at the beginning of the year is pass out 2 "My Dog Ate my Homework" slips. The students can use these 2 passes to turn in late work without any penalty. I think that it teaches them responsibility because they only get 2 slips, and we have all had a day where we forgot something was due. However, if they do not use the slips at the end of the semester, they can turn them in for extra credit points. I thought it was a good idea....until I saw a kid buy a slip for $10 yesterday. Oh well, they will try to get away with anything.
Brad,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that I loved the fact that you gave your students the SGA letter to correct. What a great idea! (and what a joke!)
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Since I teach 10th graders who are forever forgetting to turn something in or have about fifteen excuses for why they don't have their homework, I may incorporate this into my lessons for next year. I had known teachers to do the bathroom passes but never homework passes! Maybe then I can stop the parent phone calls about the students having so many zeros...
Something that I am finding odd is how often teachers are out for workshops. Is it standard to be gone atleast once a week for several weeks at a time? Since we have began this semester our teacher has missed a day each week. I believe Paige and I are really getting our money's worth having to teach days subs are there. I don't mind this at all because its the experience I'm able to recieve that keeps me motivated, I just want to know if workshops are ran in this manner. I do have a problem with the wierd subs I have seen. Where do they come from?
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I will never understand remediation until I am put in that position. I wish you well and I pray that next year they just let you teach German. This week was very light due to only two week in school. I allowed my students to due art pretaining to Spanish for points. The Spanish art class lasted for two day and I have to say my portable look greaaat. I love my job!
ReplyDeleteThis week we worked on our masks for Drama 1. The students got really creative and had to act out scenes wearing the masks. This was a good time to do the mask activity sice it was Mardi Gras season!
ReplyDeleteUrsula,
ReplyDeleteI think that Dr. Crowell is absent excessively. I do not think that all teachers miss this much class. Maybe it has something to do with Dunbar being a magnet school?
Paige
Teachers are made to go to workshops, I have missed 10 days this year due to workshops that Mobile County makes me go to. I still have two more days to be absent before this year is over. You will find out soon enough. I worked at Dunbar, there is no reason to be absent unless you have some problems at home. I only missed one day in a year at a magnet school.
ReplyDeleteJenny, I wish I had a portable!
ReplyDeleteAbout the workshops, when I was in middle school we were obligated to go about 15 days if I remember correctly.
I have a hard time with students not bringing their books to class and not taking assignments seriously. If I don't give them something that has to be turned in for a grade every day, they won't do anything, but then I have so many zeros I go crazy! I am going to pin down a veteran and see what works for them.