Yesterday the sophomores did make-up work. Several of them were missing the Code of Ethics assignment and the Little Rock Nine assignment.
All students need to do a better job at taking notes in at least 3 classes a day.
Today the juniors worked on the following questions about the Achievement Gap in Tacoma:
1. TEACHER QUALITY
Write about a time when you feel you learned more because of your teacher.
Write about a time when you feel you didn’t learn as much as you could have because of your teacher.
2. CULTURAL COMPETENCY
Write about a time when a teacher or staff member at school did or said something racist either purposefully or out of ignorance.
OR
Write about a time when you could relate to what was being taught because it included your culture or something that is unique about you. Did it help you learn the material better because you could relate to it?
The Seniors continued their work on the Palmer Scholarship which is due on Monday!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Conclave and Palmer Scholarship
The kids are working hard. It's impressive to see this, especially since the last day of school before the holidays is Friday.
The Juniors had a binder check and Conclave. They are stressed about their grades and missing work they need to turn in, but excited about the holidays. One interesting revelation: I told them that in college there is no such thing as late work. It's either on time or an F! Two of the kids said they wish their teachers had a no late work policy, and that they would get their work in on time if their teachers made them.
The Seniors worked on their essays for the Palmer Scholarship. The Foss Scholarship form is due tomorrow, so we discussed that. I also told them about the Workforce Central Youth in Demand program.
The Juniors had a binder check and Conclave. They are stressed about their grades and missing work they need to turn in, but excited about the holidays. One interesting revelation: I told them that in college there is no such thing as late work. It's either on time or an F! Two of the kids said they wish their teachers had a no late work policy, and that they would get their work in on time if their teachers made them.
The Seniors worked on their essays for the Palmer Scholarship. The Foss Scholarship form is due tomorrow, so we discussed that. I also told them about the Workforce Central Youth in Demand program.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Conclave and Recycled Journals
The Freshmen had binder checks today. Grant and Shanice were the only kids who showed up. I think the SAMI kids aren't coming because they are already on Winter Break. I did tell them we had class this week.
Anyway, we did Conclave. We talked about grades, Homecoming and Wrestling.
The freshmen also wrote some answers to some questions to help them relate what we are reading about the Tacoma Achievement Gap to their own lives. They answered the following questions:
TEACHER QUALITY
Write about a time when you feel you learned more because of your teacher.
Write about a time when you feel you didn’t learn as much as you could have because of your teacher.
2. CULTURAL COMPETENCY
Write about a time when a teacher or staff member at school did or said something racist either purposefully or out of ignorance.
OR
Write about a time when you could relate to what was being taught because it included your culture or something that is unique about you. Did it help you learn the material better because you could relate to it?
The sophomores didn't get to the questions above. We just did Conclave. They are a tough crowd. I am really having to be firm with them in their constant yacking. Last time we had Conclave I had to cut class short because they were being so mean to each other. Today they were mean again! Instead of stopping class I just told them why what they had said was so mean. The kids have to learn empathy and they have to learn how to behave in a college classroom.
Anyway, we did Conclave. We talked about grades, Homecoming and Wrestling.
The freshmen also wrote some answers to some questions to help them relate what we are reading about the Tacoma Achievement Gap to their own lives. They answered the following questions:
TEACHER QUALITY
Write about a time when you feel you learned more because of your teacher.
Write about a time when you feel you didn’t learn as much as you could have because of your teacher.
2. CULTURAL COMPETENCY
Write about a time when a teacher or staff member at school did or said something racist either purposefully or out of ignorance.
OR
Write about a time when you could relate to what was being taught because it included your culture or something that is unique about you. Did it help you learn the material better because you could relate to it?
The sophomores didn't get to the questions above. We just did Conclave. They are a tough crowd. I am really having to be firm with them in their constant yacking. Last time we had Conclave I had to cut class short because they were being so mean to each other. Today they were mean again! Instead of stopping class I just told them why what they had said was so mean. The kids have to learn empathy and they have to learn how to behave in a college classroom.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Achievement Gap and Palmer Scholarship
Seniors spent the entire period working on their Palmer Scholarship. They also have the Foss Scholarship which is due next week. Their Achiever counselor said they have to turn in all of their college applications before Winter Break. They need to get busy!
Juniors continued their look at the Tacoma Achievement Gap Report. They started to get mad today. I think hearing the findings of the report made them realize that that it really is true. It's all stuff they have experienced or seen but I think seeing it in writing verifies that these things are truly happening across the board and that they are unacceptable.
We also had a conversation about their peers telling them they aren't "black enough," or they need to "act more black."
Juniors continued their look at the Tacoma Achievement Gap Report. They started to get mad today. I think hearing the findings of the report made them realize that that it really is true. It's all stuff they have experienced or seen but I think seeing it in writing verifies that these things are truly happening across the board and that they are unacceptable.
We also had a conversation about their peers telling them they aren't "black enough," or they need to "act more black."
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Looking at the Tacoma Achievement Gap Report
The Freshmen and Sophomores took notes on the Tacoma African American Achievement Gap. We discussed how and why the Black community doesn't trust the school district and also the disproportionate number of discipline reports for black students in the district. We also practiced our breathing and Jamie graded the sophomores' binders.
Table Manners, The Achievement Gap, and the Palmer Scholarship
The Juniors and Seniors continued their breathing exercises today. We are doing a very basic breathing exercise where we sit up straight, feet on the floor, close our eyes and breathe deeply through the nose. The only thing we have to think about is our breathing. It's amazing how relaxing a few minutes of this is!
Both classes were assessed on their table manners. The only real glitch was they didn't know where to put their napkin after they were finished with the meal and leaving the table (tucked loosely under the plate). The students said they used their newly-learned manners at the Hilltop Scholars Formal Dinner last Saturday night. Yay!
The Juniors began looking at the Tacoma District's Achievement Gap Report. They are taking notes on this.
The Seniors continued their work on the Palmer Scholarship which is due on 12/21.
Both classes were assessed on their table manners. The only real glitch was they didn't know where to put their napkin after they were finished with the meal and leaving the table (tucked loosely under the plate). The students said they used their newly-learned manners at the Hilltop Scholars Formal Dinner last Saturday night. Yay!
The Juniors began looking at the Tacoma District's Achievement Gap Report. They are taking notes on this.
The Seniors continued their work on the Palmer Scholarship which is due on 12/21.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Checking Notes and Assessing Table Manners
Here are the sophomores plates after they finished their meal. Check out the knife and fork right next to each other, blade towards the center of the plate, handles at 5:00! Wow!
Today was the first day that we checked notes for Freshmen. They did okay, not great.
With the freshmen and the sophomores we assessed the students' table manners, asking the following questions:
What do you do with your napkin?
Where do you put your napkin if you leave the table during the meal?
Where do you put your napkin after the meal?
Once the meal is served, when is it okay to begin eating?
Which spoon do you use for soup?
How do you eat the soup?
Which fork do you use for salad?
Which fork do you use for the main course?
How do you cut meat and then eat the meat?
How do you eat peas?
Where is the utensil you will use for dessert?
Where do you put your utensils to show you are finished eating?
Do you know the answers to these questions?
The freshmen also began looking at the report on the Achievement Gap in Tacoma. We will be studying that document over the next couple of weeks.
Did you know that in 1969 only 13% of the Tacoma student population were kids of color? Today 51% are kids of color! Also, in 1970, Tacoma School District was the first district in the country to voluntarily desegregate without a court order.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Table Manners for All!
Yvonne doesn't like peas, and she really doesn't like chasing them around on her plate! Phu Tai should get his elbows off the table.
Today was a blast teaching table manners and etiquette to the Juniors and Seniors. I felt like a kid hosting a tea party as I brought in my silverware (not real silver!) and china. We used apple juice for soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for meat. The students learned about proper napkin use, which utensils to use for which course, how to hold their fork, how to eat soup and how to chase peas around on your plate with your fork. It was a great chance for them to ask questions about what is and isn't polite in a safe environment.
They also practiced receiving a compliment in front of other students with the perfect response of "thank you." I told each student what I admired about him/her. Their reactions were very sweet and there were even some teary eyes. Awwww.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Quick Review and Chivalry is Finished!
Today I began two new things with our students in CLASS. First, we are beginning each class with some breathing exercises. If you ever walk into our class and we are all looking down and not saying a word, it's because we are practicing our breathing. You will never hear the sophs this quiet!
Both classes did a great job at their breathing practice. We first had to talk about "how" to breathe -- by filling the belly and then the chest with air. Most of us never think about how we breathe. But those few minutes of forgetting about everything except your breath, can really change a person's energy. It feels totally different in the classroom after we finish our breathing practice. Ryan noticed how "chill" our freshmen were.
The other new thing that we began today is requiring the students to take notes in 3 classes per day. This will be part of their binder check next week, so it will become part of their grade. If they are unable to take notes in 3 classes, then they must do a learning log where they talk about what they learned in a specific class.
I spent some time with the freshmen reviewing past lessons on GPA, test taking and goal setting. They said they do think about their GPA and understand it's importance. I also told them that colleges want to see an upward trend of the GPA. They said they used the test taking tips I gave them and both Kiah and Angelina saw improvement in their test scores! Yay! Shanice hasn't had a test since I taught these skills. Angelina wrote some new goals for herself and all three have their goals taped inside their binders. Kiah also has hers taped to her wall under her Twilight poster of Taylor (the werewolf)!
The sophomores finished their discussion about chivalry. This led to talking about meeting our date's parents and whether or not to put the toilet seat down. Just FYI, it the ladies unanimously felt that the toilet seat should be put down. arrghh.
Cedric wants to talk about how girls treat boys and I think that's a perfect idea, although I had emphasized the idea of mutual respect.
Next I gave an assignment to help the sophs come up with their own code of ethics. This is due on Wednesday. Here is the assignment with my example code below:
PERSONAL CODE OF ETHICS
WORKSHEET
Please answer the following questions on your own sheet of paper.
1. How do you want to treat or take care of yourself?
2. How do you want to treat your family members?
3. How do you want to treat your friends?
4. How do you want to treat your boyfriend/girlfriend? (Answer this even if you are single.)
5. How do you want to handle conflicts with people you love?
6. How do you want to handle conflicts with people you know but don’t necessarily love?
7. How do you want to handle conflicts with strangers?
8. How do you want to treat the environment around you, including your home, school, church, Peace, etc.
9. How do you want to live your life?
10. How do you show that you value your education?
Example Code of Ethics:
I want to take good care of my body so it will last a long time. I want to get enough sleep, exercise and eat nutritious food.
I want each member of my family to know I love them because I talk to them often and ask how they are doing. I send cards for birthdays and I tell them that I love them.
I want my friends to feel special. I want them to feel loved, supported, and uplifted by me. I want to be there for them when they need me.
I want my boyfriend to never worry about my love and care for him. I want to always be honest and authentic in loving relationships
I want to handle conflicts with others in a respectful way and look for a win/win situation or at the very least agree to disagree. I want to not let other’s problems become my problems.
I want to take good care of my home and my stuff. I want to leave places as I found them and make them better if possible, certainly not make them worse.
I want to live in the moment and with intention. I want to control my life and not let life control me.
I show my value for education by learning new things every day and by teaching my students (and others) what I have learned and what I know is true and helpful to them.
Both classes did a great job at their breathing practice. We first had to talk about "how" to breathe -- by filling the belly and then the chest with air. Most of us never think about how we breathe. But those few minutes of forgetting about everything except your breath, can really change a person's energy. It feels totally different in the classroom after we finish our breathing practice. Ryan noticed how "chill" our freshmen were.
The other new thing that we began today is requiring the students to take notes in 3 classes per day. This will be part of their binder check next week, so it will become part of their grade. If they are unable to take notes in 3 classes, then they must do a learning log where they talk about what they learned in a specific class.
I spent some time with the freshmen reviewing past lessons on GPA, test taking and goal setting. They said they do think about their GPA and understand it's importance. I also told them that colleges want to see an upward trend of the GPA. They said they used the test taking tips I gave them and both Kiah and Angelina saw improvement in their test scores! Yay! Shanice hasn't had a test since I taught these skills. Angelina wrote some new goals for herself and all three have their goals taped inside their binders. Kiah also has hers taped to her wall under her Twilight poster of Taylor (the werewolf)!
The sophomores finished their discussion about chivalry. This led to talking about meeting our date's parents and whether or not to put the toilet seat down. Just FYI, it the ladies unanimously felt that the toilet seat should be put down. arrghh.
Cedric wants to talk about how girls treat boys and I think that's a perfect idea, although I had emphasized the idea of mutual respect.
Next I gave an assignment to help the sophs come up with their own code of ethics. This is due on Wednesday. Here is the assignment with my example code below:
PERSONAL CODE OF ETHICS
WORKSHEET
Please answer the following questions on your own sheet of paper.
1. How do you want to treat or take care of yourself?
2. How do you want to treat your family members?
3. How do you want to treat your friends?
4. How do you want to treat your boyfriend/girlfriend? (Answer this even if you are single.)
5. How do you want to handle conflicts with people you love?
6. How do you want to handle conflicts with people you know but don’t necessarily love?
7. How do you want to handle conflicts with strangers?
8. How do you want to treat the environment around you, including your home, school, church, Peace, etc.
9. How do you want to live your life?
10. How do you show that you value your education?
Example Code of Ethics:
I want to take good care of my body so it will last a long time. I want to get enough sleep, exercise and eat nutritious food.
I want each member of my family to know I love them because I talk to them often and ask how they are doing. I send cards for birthdays and I tell them that I love them.
I want my friends to feel special. I want them to feel loved, supported, and uplifted by me. I want to be there for them when they need me.
I want my boyfriend to never worry about my love and care for him. I want to always be honest and authentic in loving relationships
I want to handle conflicts with others in a respectful way and look for a win/win situation or at the very least agree to disagree. I want to not let other’s problems become my problems.
I want to take good care of my home and my stuff. I want to leave places as I found them and make them better if possible, certainly not make them worse.
I want to live in the moment and with intention. I want to control my life and not let life control me.
I show my value for education by learning new things every day and by teaching my students (and others) what I have learned and what I know is true and helpful to them.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Conclave and College Apps
The Juniors had Conclave today. There was a lot to talk about including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which we think one of our kids might have. Also, finding a date for winter formal, and finally, finding motivation to do homework. We decided that sometimes you simply have to force yourself to "just do the damn work!"
Yvonne was absent today so I only had Phu Tai and Lisa as my seniors. We sat in the computer room together and Phu Tai worked on his Eastern application and Lisa looked into what it would take to apply to FIDM. She will have to draw 10 designs!
I'm signing off the blog until Monday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Yvonne was absent today so I only had Phu Tai and Lisa as my seniors. We sat in the computer room together and Phu Tai worked on his Eastern application and Lisa looked into what it would take to apply to FIDM. She will have to draw 10 designs!
I'm signing off the blog until Monday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Monday, November 23, 2009
"There is a difference between being poor and being a bum."
In both the freshman and sophomore classes we discussed some changes that will be starting next week. At the beginning of each class we will spend 5 minutes practicing relaxation breathing techniques. Also, students will be required to take notes in 3 classes a day and will be graded on that beginning on December 7.
We had Conclave today, which gave the students a chance to share their highs and lows.
With the sophomores, we also discussed whether or not an apology implies that you will change your behavior. They agreed that if some one says "sorry" then does the very same thing to you again, then their word is meaningless. This led to a discussion about integrity which lead to Montel telling us about a family in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" which would not take anything for free. They would trade for something they needed but not take anything for free. I said there was integrity in this example, but it was actually a better example of dignity. That's when Vince said, "there is a difference between being poor and being a bum."
During Conclave, I'm sorry to say I lost my patience with the sophomores. They were being too talkative and actually mean to each other. I tried to get them to stop but they wouldn't, so I just dismissed the class. We will definitely return to this topic when they return on Monday. Hopefully they will do better in their seating chart and after 15 minutes of relaxation breathing.
We had Conclave today, which gave the students a chance to share their highs and lows.
With the sophomores, we also discussed whether or not an apology implies that you will change your behavior. They agreed that if some one says "sorry" then does the very same thing to you again, then their word is meaningless. This led to a discussion about integrity which lead to Montel telling us about a family in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" which would not take anything for free. They would trade for something they needed but not take anything for free. I said there was integrity in this example, but it was actually a better example of dignity. That's when Vince said, "there is a difference between being poor and being a bum."
During Conclave, I'm sorry to say I lost my patience with the sophomores. They were being too talkative and actually mean to each other. I tried to get them to stop but they wouldn't, so I just dismissed the class. We will definitely return to this topic when they return on Monday. Hopefully they will do better in their seating chart and after 15 minutes of relaxation breathing.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Freshies and Sophs Have a Writing Assignment too!
The Freshmen and Sophomores were given the following assignment today. We went over the questions so they should have a clear understanding of what I'm asking for. It is due next Monday and will be considered an assessment (test).
Little Rock Nine Writing Assignment
Think about a person in the Little Rock 9 story whom you would most like or least like to be. Why would you like/not like to be this person?
What do you think were the most important influences on this person?
What do you think were the greatest challenges this person faced?
Describe situations of inequality you have witnessed at school. These can be based on race, gender, income level, or perceived intellectual level.
What is your definition of courage?
How did the Little Rock Nine show courage?
Write about a time when you have shown courage.
Write about a family member, relative, or some one you know who has shown courage and describe their courageous act.
Little Rock Nine Writing Assignment
Think about a person in the Little Rock 9 story whom you would most like or least like to be. Why would you like/not like to be this person?
What do you think were the most important influences on this person?
What do you think were the greatest challenges this person faced?
Describe situations of inequality you have witnessed at school. These can be based on race, gender, income level, or perceived intellectual level.
What is your definition of courage?
How did the Little Rock Nine show courage?
Write about a time when you have shown courage.
Write about a family member, relative, or some one you know who has shown courage and describe their courageous act.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Juniors and Seniors write about Courage
The Juniors and Seniors were given the following assignment today. We went over the questions so they should have a clear understanding of what I'm asking for. It is due on Thursday and will be considered an assessment (test).
Little Rock Nine Writing Assignment
Think about a person in the Little Rock 9 story whom you would most like or least like to be. Why would you like/not like to be this person?
What do you think were the most important influences on this person?
What do you think were the greatest challenges this person faced?
Describe situations of inequality you have witnessed at school. These can be based on race, gender, income level, or perceived intellectual level.
What is your definition of courage?
How did the Little Rock Nine show courage?
Write about a time when you have shown courage.
Write about a family member, relative, or some one you know who has shown courage and describe their courageous act.
Little Rock Nine Writing Assignment
Think about a person in the Little Rock 9 story whom you would most like or least like to be. Why would you like/not like to be this person?
What do you think were the most important influences on this person?
What do you think were the greatest challenges this person faced?
Describe situations of inequality you have witnessed at school. These can be based on race, gender, income level, or perceived intellectual level.
What is your definition of courage?
How did the Little Rock Nine show courage?
Write about a time when you have shown courage.
Write about a family member, relative, or some one you know who has shown courage and describe their courageous act.
November 11 Field Trip and Activities
On Veterans Day the CLASS students took a field trip to the Museum District in downtown Tacoma. We visited the Icons of Washington exhibit at the Washington History Museum and learned about the wagons pioneers used to cross the Oregon Trail, a huge portrait of Mt RAnier that used to hang in the Rainier Brewery, and Galloping Gertie the bridge that fell into Puget Sound into 1940s.
We then went to the Museum of Glass where we saw work by Preston Singletary and we also got to actually see Mr. Singletary making glass in the Hot Shop. Also the students loved the "Kids Design Glass" exhibit. For this exhibit, kids drew a picture and wrote a story about the picture. The picture was then turned into a glass piece which is now on display in the museum. They have 52 of them now and they are so colorful and whimsical and hysterical. Our students smiled and laughed all the way through this exhibit.
The students spent a little time in the studio making some art of their own, Native American masks which they busily colored.
Next we had a lovely lunch at Spaghetti Factory. We chowed down on bread, salad, pasta, and spumoni ice cream.
Back at Peace the students learned some salsa steps from AmeriCorps tutor, Josh. They also learned to make spring rolls from another AmeriCorps tutor, Cam Tu.
We watched a movied called "The Ernest Green Story" about the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, AR, in 1957.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Discussing the Little Rock 9
Over the past few days I have led a discussion with all of my CLASS students about the Little Rock 9 and the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Last Wednesday I showed them the movie "The Ernest Green Story" which dramatizes this event from the point of view of Ernest Green a high school senior and one of the Little Rock 9.
We discussed why the white people were so afraid and angry about integrating the schools. The students agreed that this is the way the white kids were raised and I added that it wasn't just their family that influenced their opinions, but also the segregated society in which they lived.
My students admired the courage of the Little Rock 9 and many didn't think they would have been able to do it. One said she feels badly that they went through all they did and today's students don't have to go through that.
I asked them if they have ever seen students treated unequally in their school setting. All of them said yes. We will be writing about this during our next class period.
We discussed why the white people were so afraid and angry about integrating the schools. The students agreed that this is the way the white kids were raised and I added that it wasn't just their family that influenced their opinions, but also the segregated society in which they lived.
My students admired the courage of the Little Rock 9 and many didn't think they would have been able to do it. One said she feels badly that they went through all they did and today's students don't have to go through that.
I asked them if they have ever seen students treated unequally in their school setting. All of them said yes. We will be writing about this during our next class period.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Personal Statement and College Apps
The Juniors requested Conclave today so we talked about our highs and lows. A couple kids' highs were good grades! Yay!
We continued to work on our personal statements after that.
The seniors worked on college applications.
Yvonne: UW
Phu Tai: Gonzaga
Lisa: TCC
We continued to work on our personal statements after that.
The seniors worked on college applications.
Yvonne: UW
Phu Tai: Gonzaga
Lisa: TCC
Monday, November 9, 2009
Test Taking Skills and Chivalry, part 2
Test Taking Skills was the topic for the freshmen today. I taught them how to go through a test and answer all the questions you can, put a check by the ones that will take you a while to figure out and an x by the ones that you have no clue for. Also, never change your first guess unless you are certain you know the answer.
True/False questions: if the words always or never are in the question it is almost always false. Try to prove a statement false, if you can't then it's true!
Multiple choice questions: choose the BEST answer. Sometimes there is more than one correct answer. Use what you know to narrow down the choices. Try to prove the statements false.
Essay questions: show off what you know. Organize it like a 5 paragraph essay with thesis, supporting points and conclusion.
Short answer: use flash cards to prepare for these.
Then we took a little practice test that was actually taken from a US Citizenship test. They practiced the technique of using the check and X and also using what they know to narrow down the choices.
The sophomores continued their loud discussion about chivalry. We had a long talk about holding the door open for a woman and about complimenting her. The door-holding seems to be something all of the kids do to be polite, especially to their elders or people whose hands are full or people who are coming through the door directly behind them.
The young ladies in the room made it clear they don't like being called "baby" and don't especially like being complimented because it's awkward and sometimes they think the guy isn't serious. It's especially demeaning if it comes from a stranger driving by in a car or on the street. It's hard to say thank you. I told them "thank you" is always the appropriate answer to a compliment.
We also talked about who should pay for a date. The guys seemed very reluctant to let a young lady pay for the date. Some of the girls felt it was not right for the guy to always pay for the date. They felt it was kind of disrespectful of their independence and their ability to make and spend their own money.
This is all about how to we treat each other politely and with respect without offending each other! We don't want to be sexist or make people feel badly, but we do want to be respectful to each other.
True/False questions: if the words always or never are in the question it is almost always false. Try to prove a statement false, if you can't then it's true!
Multiple choice questions: choose the BEST answer. Sometimes there is more than one correct answer. Use what you know to narrow down the choices. Try to prove the statements false.
Essay questions: show off what you know. Organize it like a 5 paragraph essay with thesis, supporting points and conclusion.
Short answer: use flash cards to prepare for these.
Then we took a little practice test that was actually taken from a US Citizenship test. They practiced the technique of using the check and X and also using what they know to narrow down the choices.
The sophomores continued their loud discussion about chivalry. We had a long talk about holding the door open for a woman and about complimenting her. The door-holding seems to be something all of the kids do to be polite, especially to their elders or people whose hands are full or people who are coming through the door directly behind them.
The young ladies in the room made it clear they don't like being called "baby" and don't especially like being complimented because it's awkward and sometimes they think the guy isn't serious. It's especially demeaning if it comes from a stranger driving by in a car or on the street. It's hard to say thank you. I told them "thank you" is always the appropriate answer to a compliment.
We also talked about who should pay for a date. The guys seemed very reluctant to let a young lady pay for the date. Some of the girls felt it was not right for the guy to always pay for the date. They felt it was kind of disrespectful of their independence and their ability to make and spend their own money.
This is all about how to we treat each other politely and with respect without offending each other! We don't want to be sexist or make people feel badly, but we do want to be respectful to each other.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Obstacles in Life and College Apps
The Juniors worked on creating essays on this question: Describe any personal hardships or unusual circumstances you have had to overcome. How have these experiences shaped you as a person and how can they help you in the future?
This question led to a remarkably interesting conversation about Alex's early childhood. Nicole had a very good self-reflective insight about herself as a friend. Our conversations felt very confidential so I don't feel good about outlining the details here. Just know these kids are doing some great critical thinking.
The seniors began working on their college applications. Yvonne is currently applying to Seattle University, Phu Tai to Gonzaga and Lisa looked at the Seattle Art Institute website. There was a lot of cranky grumbling about how college apps are stupid. OMG. . .
This question led to a remarkably interesting conversation about Alex's early childhood. Nicole had a very good self-reflective insight about herself as a friend. Our conversations felt very confidential so I don't feel good about outlining the details here. Just know these kids are doing some great critical thinking.
The seniors began working on their college applications. Yvonne is currently applying to Seattle University, Phu Tai to Gonzaga and Lisa looked at the Seattle Art Institute website. There was a lot of cranky grumbling about how college apps are stupid. OMG. . .
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Voice Finder and a Discussion about Chivalry
Wow, what fun and interesting classes we had today! The freshmen completed and discussed an activity called The Voice Finder. You can look at it online here: http://www.seancovey.com/pdf/teens/VoiceFinder.pdf . Their sharing about their answers was fascinating. For example, question 7: If money were no obstacle what would I spend my time doing? Most of us were interested in traveling. And question 16: What single thing could be my downfall if I'm not careful? The kids answers included: "my mouth," "temptations for things," "my kind heart," "my enemies," "failing high school." We talked about standing up to people, even when it's hard to do and about not letting manipulative people take advantage of us.
The sophomores had a lesson on Chivalry. First we had to learn what chivalry is! Vince helped us with that. Then we read an article called "Chivalry: Dead or Alive?" You can read it here: http://answer.rutgers.edu/file/chivalry_article_v6.pdf I am moving into the Sexuality unit with the sophs, so I wanted to start with how we treat each other and really delve into the issue of respect. We are not quite finished with the lesson, but it was interesting to hear the kids talk about this issue. Maranda pointed out that chivalry, in its purest form, is actually sexist. And Jewan said sometimes women get mad at him if he holds the door open for them. So how do we learn to be respectful to EACH OTHER and treat EACH OTHER kindly? That is where we are going. More on this next Monday!
The sophomores had a lesson on Chivalry. First we had to learn what chivalry is! Vince helped us with that. Then we read an article called "Chivalry: Dead or Alive?" You can read it here: http://answer.rutgers.edu/file/chivalry_article_v6.pdf I am moving into the Sexuality unit with the sophs, so I wanted to start with how we treat each other and really delve into the issue of respect. We are not quite finished with the lesson, but it was interesting to hear the kids talk about this issue. Maranda pointed out that chivalry, in its purest form, is actually sexist. And Jewan said sometimes women get mad at him if he holds the door open for them. So how do we learn to be respectful to EACH OTHER and treat EACH OTHER kindly? That is where we are going. More on this next Monday!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Messing up life plans and thinking 'bout college!
In both classes we drew names and problems and messed up a few kids' life plans. It was fun and torture all at the same time! The first kid's name I drew is Nicole. And then I drew her problem: disorganization. How ironic is that? There she was, having lost her binder, trying to organize a brand new binder for binder check. So we talked about how hard it is to be disorganized and we also talked about disorganization's best friend: procrastination. This was also funny because when Nicole get's overwhelmed by her disorganization, she gives up and watches NCIS! Way to procrastinate, Nicole! Seriously, Josh Cushman helped me explain how to get through procrastination and disorganization by using baby steps.
The juniors wanted to do one more of these, so I drew Loren's name and her problem: addiction. The kids decided that she became addicted to alcohol after trying her first drink at age 21, a Cosmo (this is actually on Loren's life plan). Nicole said Loren's addiction ate up all her money so all she could afford was a mixture of "Red Bull and Budweiser." (How are our kids so clever?) At any rate, this gave us the serious opportunity to talk about how easy it is to fall in with the wrong crowd and drink to excess to the point where it hurts your life. Nicole made the point that sometimes we think we are "untouchable" and "that won't happpen to me" and then we find ourselves in compromising situations thinking "how did I get here?"
With the Seniors, I drew Yvonne's name and her problem, bad accident. We decided she fell off a ladder and messed up her back and neck. Yvonne said she would not drop out of school but would set up a network of classmates to share their notes with her and she would keep up with her reading and assignments. Wow. If anyone could do it, it's Yvonne.
The beauty of having only 3 seniors is that I'm able to work with them individually on their post-high school plans. Yvonne looked up the due dates for the colleges she wants to apply to. Phu Tai worked on his application for TCC. Lisa and I discussed potential plans she has including looking into Seattle Art Institute. I can really see her there!
The juniors wanted to do one more of these, so I drew Loren's name and her problem: addiction. The kids decided that she became addicted to alcohol after trying her first drink at age 21, a Cosmo (this is actually on Loren's life plan). Nicole said Loren's addiction ate up all her money so all she could afford was a mixture of "Red Bull and Budweiser." (How are our kids so clever?) At any rate, this gave us the serious opportunity to talk about how easy it is to fall in with the wrong crowd and drink to excess to the point where it hurts your life. Nicole made the point that sometimes we think we are "untouchable" and "that won't happpen to me" and then we find ourselves in compromising situations thinking "how did I get here?"
With the Seniors, I drew Yvonne's name and her problem, bad accident. We decided she fell off a ladder and messed up her back and neck. Yvonne said she would not drop out of school but would set up a network of classmates to share their notes with her and she would keep up with her reading and assignments. Wow. If anyone could do it, it's Yvonne.
The beauty of having only 3 seniors is that I'm able to work with them individually on their post-high school plans. Yvonne looked up the due dates for the colleges she wants to apply to. Phu Tai worked on his application for TCC. Lisa and I discussed potential plans she has including looking into Seattle Art Institute. I can really see her there!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Yikes! I messed up my life plan! Grades 9 and 10
NOTE: both classes were challenged to take daily notes in the 2 or 3 classes they are doing the worst in. Please encourage this!
With both classes I put all of their names in a bag and pulled out one and then pulled a problem out of another bag and applied it to the student's life plan.
For the freshmen the story ended up being that Ramon had a life tragedy at the age of 19 while he was in college. The rest of the class decided that his tragedy was that he got kicked out of school for doing drugs and he lost his scholarship. They decided he should deal with his drug problem first, then get a job and find a way to get back into school. Ramon certainly didn't like being even the hypothetical main character and said he will never end up in that situation. We talked about addictive behaviors and how they can be inherited.
With the sophomores, the unlucky one was Devin who during his junior year bowed to peer pressure. Again, the kids decided that Devin was caught smoking weed and he got into lots of trouble with his school who demanded that he go to rehab. Devin said if that happened he would feel bad and would want to apologize. Again, we talked about how getting caught up in this kind of behavior really can affect your education and scholarships. We talked about surrounding yourself with positive people.
The freshmen finished working on an activity called "Finding Your Voice."
The sophs discussed the personal statement question #4: Describe a time when you felt at a disadvantage because of your or your family’s educational level, cultural background and/or financial status. Explain in detail how you worked through the situation. How have these types of experiences influenced your day-to-day actions and/or your goals for the future?
We spent quite a bit of time discussing this question and our answers to it. In the sophomore class we have students who have grown up in varying states of poverty and some who fall between poverty and middle class so they don't qualify for opportunities that the lower income kids do. We also have some middle class kids in there. So it was an interesting discussion around how they are disadvantaged because of their income level. We also had a raucous discussion about reparations for African-Americans.
With both classes I put all of their names in a bag and pulled out one and then pulled a problem out of another bag and applied it to the student's life plan.
For the freshmen the story ended up being that Ramon had a life tragedy at the age of 19 while he was in college. The rest of the class decided that his tragedy was that he got kicked out of school for doing drugs and he lost his scholarship. They decided he should deal with his drug problem first, then get a job and find a way to get back into school. Ramon certainly didn't like being even the hypothetical main character and said he will never end up in that situation. We talked about addictive behaviors and how they can be inherited.
With the sophomores, the unlucky one was Devin who during his junior year bowed to peer pressure. Again, the kids decided that Devin was caught smoking weed and he got into lots of trouble with his school who demanded that he go to rehab. Devin said if that happened he would feel bad and would want to apologize. Again, we talked about how getting caught up in this kind of behavior really can affect your education and scholarships. We talked about surrounding yourself with positive people.
The freshmen finished working on an activity called "Finding Your Voice."
The sophs discussed the personal statement question #4: Describe a time when you felt at a disadvantage because of your or your family’s educational level, cultural background and/or financial status. Explain in detail how you worked through the situation. How have these types of experiences influenced your day-to-day actions and/or your goals for the future?
We spent quite a bit of time discussing this question and our answers to it. In the sophomore class we have students who have grown up in varying states of poverty and some who fall between poverty and middle class so they don't qualify for opportunities that the lower income kids do. We also have some middle class kids in there. So it was an interesting discussion around how they are disadvantaged because of their income level. We also had a raucous discussion about reparations for African-Americans.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
More Personal Statement Questions
The Juniors worked on the question: Explain how you contribute to the well-being of your family, school, workplace, community or place of worship. What have you gained and/or learned from that experience?
This provoked an interesting conversation between Alex and the rest of us about his autism (Asberger's Syndrome). He taught us about his unique symptoms of Asberger's and how it can vary from person to person. Some students struggled with this question, feeling that they hadn't contributed enough. Hopefully, when they write this again next year it won't be so difficult to answer.
The seniors worked on the last Act Six question: "Describe any personal hardships or unusual circumstances you have had to overcome. How have these experiences shaped you as a person and how can they help you in the future."
We discussed the struggles of growing up in poverty and of losing a parent. I continue to be amazed at how perseverant and resilient our students are.
This provoked an interesting conversation between Alex and the rest of us about his autism (Asberger's Syndrome). He taught us about his unique symptoms of Asberger's and how it can vary from person to person. Some students struggled with this question, feeling that they hadn't contributed enough. Hopefully, when they write this again next year it won't be so difficult to answer.
The seniors worked on the last Act Six question: "Describe any personal hardships or unusual circumstances you have had to overcome. How have these experiences shaped you as a person and how can they help you in the future."
We discussed the struggles of growing up in poverty and of losing a parent. I continue to be amazed at how perseverant and resilient our students are.
Finishing the Great Discovery and Montel's Visit to Morehouse
The Freshmen and I finished sharing our answers to The Great Discovery. If you want to check out the activity, you can view it here: http://www.seancovey.com/pdf/teens/The_Great_Discovery.pdf .
I think we all learned a little more about each other and we had some good laughs and poignant moments as well.
The Sophomores go to hear all about Montel's visit to Morehouse College in Atlanta. Montel is so excited about what he learned and saw at Morehouse. He really wants to go there!
After hearing all about his trip, we worked on the third personal statement question: Explain how you contribute to the well-being of your family, school, workplace, community or place of worship. What have you gained and/or learned from that experience?
I think we all learned a little more about each other and we had some good laughs and poignant moments as well.
The Sophomores go to hear all about Montel's visit to Morehouse College in Atlanta. Montel is so excited about what he learned and saw at Morehouse. He really wants to go there!
After hearing all about his trip, we worked on the third personal statement question: Explain how you contribute to the well-being of your family, school, workplace, community or place of worship. What have you gained and/or learned from that experience?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Conclave, Nicole's dilemma and Act Six Essays
During Junior Conclave we listened to everyone's highs and lows. The students seem to be doing pretty well right now, still behind in a few classes like Chemistry. Always trying to do make up work.
After that we did a protocol where we helped Nicole with her dilemma as to whether or not she should play Fastpitch in the spring. We asked her some clarifying questions like "how much time does it take?"
We then asked probing questions like, "why do you have this dilemma; what are you worried about?" and "how would you feel if you didn't play fastpitch?"
Then Nicole had to just listen and be quiet while the rest of us discussed her dilemma. She said it was somewhat helpful and she thinks she will wait to see what her grades are like first semester and make her decision based on that.
The Seniors continued to work on their Act Six essays. Each of them wrote a beautiful response to the question "Describe a concrete way your ethnic or cultural heritage has impacted your life." Honestly, they are fascinating essays. Nice job, seniors!
Yvonne and I are working feverishly to make sure her Act Six application is completed by Friday.
After that we did a protocol where we helped Nicole with her dilemma as to whether or not she should play Fastpitch in the spring. We asked her some clarifying questions like "how much time does it take?"
We then asked probing questions like, "why do you have this dilemma; what are you worried about?" and "how would you feel if you didn't play fastpitch?"
Then Nicole had to just listen and be quiet while the rest of us discussed her dilemma. She said it was somewhat helpful and she thinks she will wait to see what her grades are like first semester and make her decision based on that.
The Seniors continued to work on their Act Six essays. Each of them wrote a beautiful response to the question "Describe a concrete way your ethnic or cultural heritage has impacted your life." Honestly, they are fascinating essays. Nice job, seniors!
Yvonne and I are working feverishly to make sure her Act Six application is completed by Friday.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Conclave and a Guest Speaker!
During Conclave today the students didn't complain about school as much as they usually do. It appears they are now suffering the consequences of their behavior as at least 3 of them had their phones taken away by their parent/guardians.
The highlight for most of the kids was the recent field trip to the Haunted Corn Maze. They each had to tell their own story about what happened in the corn maze, who scared them, who they scared, who they ran into, etc. Vince and Grant (brothers) both had the same "low" which was Grant getting pushed down accidentally and Phu Duc hitting him in the face with his knee. Poor Grant!
Our guest speaker for the day was my former student, Sam Means. Sam is now 22 and a student at TCC. He has a new light that shines in his eyes as he finds success in math which used to be the bane of his existence. Sam shared some tips with the kids, like take notes in math and study them the same day you take them. Thanks Sam!
The highlight for most of the kids was the recent field trip to the Haunted Corn Maze. They each had to tell their own story about what happened in the corn maze, who scared them, who they scared, who they ran into, etc. Vince and Grant (brothers) both had the same "low" which was Grant getting pushed down accidentally and Phu Duc hitting him in the face with his knee. Poor Grant!
Our guest speaker for the day was my former student, Sam Means. Sam is now 22 and a student at TCC. He has a new light that shines in his eyes as he finds success in math which used to be the bane of his existence. Sam shared some tips with the kids, like take notes in math and study them the same day you take them. Thanks Sam!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Writing, writing, writing
The Juniors spent the period answering this question:
"What living person do you most often go to for support and advice? How would you access support if he or she did not have the knowledge to help you?"
One of the students struggled with this question because he feels he deals with his problems himself. He finally wrote about how he goes to Daniel if he has problems with his grades and to his teachers if he has problems with their classes. But he deals with his personal problems himself.
Another student wrote 2 pages on this question! She has many people in her life who she goes to for various reasons, including several of us here at Peace. awwww.
The Senior class was interrupted by a problem outside of the class, so I was pulled out twice to help deal with that. In the meantime, Cam Tu graded their binders and held down the fort. The students continued their writing from Tuesday.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of Yvonne and Lisa who were once again dressed for Spirit Week in clothes from another decade. Lisa with pink hair and Yvonne in "mom jeans." OMG, it was hilarious
"What living person do you most often go to for support and advice? How would you access support if he or she did not have the knowledge to help you?"
One of the students struggled with this question because he feels he deals with his problems himself. He finally wrote about how he goes to Daniel if he has problems with his grades and to his teachers if he has problems with their classes. But he deals with his personal problems himself.
Another student wrote 2 pages on this question! She has many people in her life who she goes to for various reasons, including several of us here at Peace. awwww.
The Senior class was interrupted by a problem outside of the class, so I was pulled out twice to help deal with that. In the meantime, Cam Tu graded their binders and held down the fort. The students continued their writing from Tuesday.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of Yvonne and Lisa who were once again dressed for Spirit Week in clothes from another decade. Lisa with pink hair and Yvonne in "mom jeans." OMG, it was hilarious
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Great Discovery and the Person You Go To For Advice
With both classes I discussed the concept of self-discipline, especially around the ability to stay focused on a task. Almost all of the students struggle with this. I told them to try setting a timer for 15 to 20 minutes and trying to stay focused on a task for that long, then take a little break, then come back for another 20 minutes. Students also suggested listening to music and trying to get a certain amount done during a song. They also liked the idea of rewards for their efforts.
The freshmen completed an activity from "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" called "The Great Discovery." It asked questions like "If a steel beam (6 inches wide) were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be willing to cross?" We shared our answers with each other. We are not quite finished with this activity.
The sophs worked on the 2nd question for their personal statement which is "What living person do you most often go to for support and advice? How would you access support if he or she did not have the knowledge to help you?" Interestingly, 3 of the students said their grandmother. They talked about trust, which I think is a very important issue for our students. Several also talked about their mentors here at Peace and about Peace as a place they come to for support and information.
The freshmen completed an activity from "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" called "The Great Discovery." It asked questions like "If a steel beam (6 inches wide) were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be willing to cross?" We shared our answers with each other. We are not quite finished with this activity.
The sophs worked on the 2nd question for their personal statement which is "What living person do you most often go to for support and advice? How would you access support if he or she did not have the knowledge to help you?" Interestingly, 3 of the students said their grandmother. They talked about trust, which I think is a very important issue for our students. Several also talked about their mentors here at Peace and about Peace as a place they come to for support and information.
Tuesday, 10/20 Grades 11 and 12 CLASS
It was "Nerd Day" at Foss so I took a picture of Yvonne and Lisa in their nerdiness:
The Juniors spent the period writing their answers to the question "What are your educational and career goals? What specific steps have you already taken on the path to reaching them? Which of your personal weaknesses could keep you from achieving your goals, and how are you addressing that?" I was able to go over everyone's answer with them except for Mar Mar. I will keep their essays for use in the creation of their Personal Statements next fall.
Seniors Lisa and Phu Tai wrote their answers to the Act Six Scholarship question:
"In an opening paragraph describe something that you appreciate and something you would like to change about your current community. In the next paragraph, describe what leadership skills you will need to improved during college to serve your community and bring about the transformation you hope for."
Yvonne had already written her answer to that question so she wrote her answer to the second question:
"Describe a concrete way that your ethnic or cultural background has shaped your life."
The Juniors spent the period writing their answers to the question "What are your educational and career goals? What specific steps have you already taken on the path to reaching them? Which of your personal weaknesses could keep you from achieving your goals, and how are you addressing that?" I was able to go over everyone's answer with them except for Mar Mar. I will keep their essays for use in the creation of their Personal Statements next fall.
Seniors Lisa and Phu Tai wrote their answers to the Act Six Scholarship question:
"In an opening paragraph describe something that you appreciate and something you would like to change about your current community. In the next paragraph, describe what leadership skills you will need to improved during college to serve your community and bring about the transformation you hope for."
Yvonne had already written her answer to that question so she wrote her answer to the second question:
"Describe a concrete way that your ethnic or cultural background has shaped your life."
Monday, 10/19 9th and 10th grade CLASS
Grade 9:
Students did an activity where they wrote their ultimate career goal -- where they wanted to be when they were in their mid-40s like me. (This created some debate as to whether or not I am in my mid-40s.)About 10 lines below the goal they wrote where they are right now, 9th grade. We then thought about all the goals they have to reach in between now and their ultimate career goal and we wrote those down between 9th grade and ultimate career goal. I told them these are long-term goals. All of them have the long-term goal of graduating high school and going to college.
Then we talked about what they need to do right now every day to make sure they achieve the long-term goal of high school graduation and going to college. They said, "have good attendance, do all of my homework and turn it in, study for tests, etc." I had the students write down these short-term daily goals on a notecard and tape it to the inside of their binder. So you can ask to see it and check in on how they are achieving these goals.
Grade 10:
We spent the period writing our answer to a question that can later be woven into a Personal Statement. The question is: "What are your educational and career goals? What specific steps have you already taken on the path to reaching them? Which of your personal weaknesses could keep you from achieving your goals, and how are you addressing that?"
All students went over their written answers with me and I will keep these in a file to pull out next year and tweak as needed.
Students did an activity where they wrote their ultimate career goal -- where they wanted to be when they were in their mid-40s like me. (This created some debate as to whether or not I am in my mid-40s.)About 10 lines below the goal they wrote where they are right now, 9th grade. We then thought about all the goals they have to reach in between now and their ultimate career goal and we wrote those down between 9th grade and ultimate career goal. I told them these are long-term goals. All of them have the long-term goal of graduating high school and going to college.
Then we talked about what they need to do right now every day to make sure they achieve the long-term goal of high school graduation and going to college. They said, "have good attendance, do all of my homework and turn it in, study for tests, etc." I had the students write down these short-term daily goals on a notecard and tape it to the inside of their binder. So you can ask to see it and check in on how they are achieving these goals.
Grade 10:
We spent the period writing our answer to a question that can later be woven into a Personal Statement. The question is: "What are your educational and career goals? What specific steps have you already taken on the path to reaching them? Which of your personal weaknesses could keep you from achieving your goals, and how are you addressing that?"
All students went over their written answers with me and I will keep these in a file to pull out next year and tweak as needed.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Conclave Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
Over the past two days we have held Conclave during CLASS. This is a time for us to discuss our highs and lows and also how we are doing in school.
Freshmen: Several students are busy trying to make up missing assignments. One is failing 3 classes and I am particularly concerned about her. Others are having drama at school and at home.
Sophomores: Continued struggle with Honors World Cultures class. Cedric got his mentor to talk to the teacher and that seemed to help. From the students' point of view, the teacher is difficult to understand and doesn't always answer questions. Chemistry and math are ongoing problems. Two students are having behavior problems with particular teachers. I spoke with their mentors about this. We cannot have behavior problems!
Juniors: One student failing 3 classes. arrrgghhh. Another hasn't done her IB Chem in a week!
Seniors: finished their English papers! Woot Woot! Math is hard.
With the Seniors we began brainstorming how to answer an Act Six scholarship essay question.
Here are their thoughts on the following question: "Describe something that you appreciate about your current community and something you would like to change about your current community. Describe what leadership skills you will need to improve during college to serve your community and bring about the transformation you hope for."
Freshmen: Several students are busy trying to make up missing assignments. One is failing 3 classes and I am particularly concerned about her. Others are having drama at school and at home.
Sophomores: Continued struggle with Honors World Cultures class. Cedric got his mentor to talk to the teacher and that seemed to help. From the students' point of view, the teacher is difficult to understand and doesn't always answer questions. Chemistry and math are ongoing problems. Two students are having behavior problems with particular teachers. I spoke with their mentors about this. We cannot have behavior problems!
Juniors: One student failing 3 classes. arrrgghhh. Another hasn't done her IB Chem in a week!
Seniors: finished their English papers! Woot Woot! Math is hard.
With the Seniors we began brainstorming how to answer an Act Six scholarship essay question.
Here are their thoughts on the following question: "Describe something that you appreciate about your current community and something you would like to change about your current community. Describe what leadership skills you will need to improve during college to serve your community and bring about the transformation you hope for."
Giant Catch-Up Blog
I have been a very bad blogger. Sorry! Here's what's been happening:
Last Wednesday, 10/9 and Thursday, 10/10 the students shared their Life Plans with each other and then as a group we brainstormed the possible things that could happen to keep them from achieving their life plans or to slow them way down in achieving their life plans. Occasionally I will pull out one of the ideas on their list and pull a student's name and age out of a bag and put them all together to create a problem. Such as "Daniel gave all his money away to family/friends at the age of 20. He wants to finish college. What should he do now?" Then we will work together to find a way out of the hole Daniel has dug for himself. This is to help them see that their actions/behaviors can have direct affects on their life plans, but that there are also solutions to problems and it's not always "the end of the world."
Here are the students' lists:
Grade 9
skip class in college
bad teachers
bad professors
you give your money away to family members/friends
you are not accepted to college
you fail your classes
marry early
have a baby
life tragedy
not enough money for college
transportation problems
career plans change
legal/criminal problems
bad influences
drugs
sexual activity
alcohol
you have no community service
lose your job/laid off
kicked out of your house
fighting
drop out of school
Grade 10
change career plans
parents divorce
peer pressure
depression
babies
having to take care of your parents
hanging with the wrong people
drugs
alcohol
lack of money
big tragedies
being in debt
not getting scholarships
car accident
disability
kid's disability
dropping out of high school
bad grades
bad credit
low self-esteem
not organized
overwhelmed
not accepted to college
marriage proposal denied
health issues
disease
death
jail/prison
dog bites
suicide
family problems
legal problems
financial problems
bad economy
killing some one
11th Grade
Suicide attempt
Get fired
Laid off
Trauma
Raped and impregnated (used this as a teachable moment to talk about how rape victims should go immediately to the hospital, don't shower or change clothes. They can collect evidence at the hospital and give you Plan B which can help you prevent pregnancy).
Bad credit
Join a terrorist organization
Car accident
Identity theft
Car theft
Big tragedy
Loss of loved one
H1N1
Bombings/terrorism
Can’t find job
Family issues
Family illnesses
Loss of family support
Failing a class
Financial problems
Feeling threatened
Kidnapping
Severe disaster
Bullying
Stress
Weight gain/loss
Depression
Bad roommate
Bad environment
Bad economy
Babies
Losing academic integrity
Serious injury
Prison
Loss of motivation
Changing major
Criminal problems
Addiction
Eating disorders
Arranged marriage
12th grade
Bad accident
Prison
Death of a loved one
Hair falls out
Bad credit
Bad debt
Lose scholarships
No food
No water
Get distracted
Not accepted to college
Just quit/give up
Not good at job
Don’t pass training
Flunk out
Natural disaster
Pregnancy
No money
Addictions
Abusive relationships
No transportation
No phone
Financial problems
Lack of support
Swine flu
Last Wednesday, 10/9 and Thursday, 10/10 the students shared their Life Plans with each other and then as a group we brainstormed the possible things that could happen to keep them from achieving their life plans or to slow them way down in achieving their life plans. Occasionally I will pull out one of the ideas on their list and pull a student's name and age out of a bag and put them all together to create a problem. Such as "Daniel gave all his money away to family/friends at the age of 20. He wants to finish college. What should he do now?" Then we will work together to find a way out of the hole Daniel has dug for himself. This is to help them see that their actions/behaviors can have direct affects on their life plans, but that there are also solutions to problems and it's not always "the end of the world."
Here are the students' lists:
Grade 9
skip class in college
bad teachers
bad professors
you give your money away to family members/friends
you are not accepted to college
you fail your classes
marry early
have a baby
life tragedy
not enough money for college
transportation problems
career plans change
legal/criminal problems
bad influences
drugs
sexual activity
alcohol
you have no community service
lose your job/laid off
kicked out of your house
fighting
drop out of school
Grade 10
change career plans
parents divorce
peer pressure
depression
babies
having to take care of your parents
hanging with the wrong people
drugs
alcohol
lack of money
big tragedies
being in debt
not getting scholarships
car accident
disability
kid's disability
dropping out of high school
bad grades
bad credit
low self-esteem
not organized
overwhelmed
not accepted to college
marriage proposal denied
health issues
disease
death
jail/prison
dog bites
suicide
family problems
legal problems
financial problems
bad economy
killing some one
11th Grade
Suicide attempt
Get fired
Laid off
Trauma
Raped and impregnated (used this as a teachable moment to talk about how rape victims should go immediately to the hospital, don't shower or change clothes. They can collect evidence at the hospital and give you Plan B which can help you prevent pregnancy).
Bad credit
Join a terrorist organization
Car accident
Identity theft
Car theft
Big tragedy
Loss of loved one
H1N1
Bombings/terrorism
Can’t find job
Family issues
Family illnesses
Loss of family support
Failing a class
Financial problems
Feeling threatened
Kidnapping
Severe disaster
Bullying
Stress
Weight gain/loss
Depression
Bad roommate
Bad environment
Bad economy
Babies
Losing academic integrity
Serious injury
Prison
Loss of motivation
Changing major
Criminal problems
Addiction
Eating disorders
Arranged marriage
12th grade
Bad accident
Prison
Death of a loved one
Hair falls out
Bad credit
Bad debt
Lose scholarships
No food
No water
Get distracted
Not accepted to college
Just quit/give up
Not good at job
Don’t pass training
Flunk out
Natural disaster
Pregnancy
No money
Addictions
Abusive relationships
No transportation
No phone
Financial problems
Lack of support
Swine flu
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Juniors and Seniors Get Oganized and Plan Lives
Above, Yvonne works diligently on her assignment for CLASS. Phu Tai is in the background thinking.
The Juniors did a nice job of organizing their binders today. Josh graded their binders and said they looked good except they are not using their assignment logs as well as they should.
The Seniors'(Yvonne and Phu Tai) binders were already in good shape.
Both groups worked on the Life Plan assignment which you can see in yesterday's blog. The Juniors got distracted by the People magazines I had brought for them to use to help decorate their Life Plans. It's funny when you have to tell a kid to stop reading and get back on task. All three seniors finished their assignment in class. Proud of them! For the Juniors it's due on Thursday.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Clean out that backpack and plan your life!
9th and 10th graders were given time today to get their binders in order. The binder graders complained that they weren't seeing the student's corrected work or tests filed in the binders. I knew where all that stuff was. At the bottom of their backpacks! So we took about 1/2 the period to just concentrate on getting those binders straightened up and organized. The 9th-graders then had their binder check.
Next I gave them the Life Plan Assignment which is due on Wednesday.
LIFE PLAN ASSIGNMENT
Your assignment is to make a time line of your life. Indicate various milestones in your life by showing what age you plan to achieve these milestones. Some of the milestones you might not ever want (like marriage and/or children, or military or Americorps service). If there are other milestones that are not listed here, please feel free to add them.
Be creative. These are going on the walls of our classroom.
Title your life plan with your name. Example: “Daniel’s Life Plan”
Milestones (in alphabetical order):
AmeriCorps Service
Begin career
Buy first house
College entrance (which college/university do you hope to attend?)
College graduation
First child
First job (part-time or summer job)
Fourth child
Graduate school (after you finish college)
High school graduation
Marriage
Military service
Second child
Third child
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Taking notes on Pres Obama's speech
Most of the Juniors and Seniors had not seen the speech to America's school children on September 9. We practiced taking notes on his speech and I pointed out the vocal and verbal cues he gives that tells us he's about to say something important. I wish I could practice this more with the students, but it's time to move on to other things. So AmeriCorps, if you have the opportunity to help kids figure out the main points a teacher is making in a lecture, that would be great.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Notetaking from a video and Loving Kindness Meditation
Grades 9 and 10
Both classes practiced taking notes from a video of President Obama's speech to American school children on September 9. They all said they had seen the speech several times! We watched only about 10 minutes of it. I pointed out to them what they didn't need to write: his chatty beginning of the speech, various examples he gave. I also showed them that he gave clues that he was about to say something important which you should write in your notes. Obama uses terms like, "at the end of the day," and "today I'm here to talk to you about. . ."
The freshmen seem to be very comfortable with their note taking ability. The sophomores not as much. I would like the AmeriCorps tutors to practice taking Cornell notes alongside our students in the classroom, so the kids can see that it CAN be done. They like to argue with me about their inability to take notes in this format or to take notes at all.
The sophomores need to work on their respect for their teacher (me). They aren't trying to be rude, they just have a lot to say to each other. They are great friends with each other which is wonderful but their self-control is lacking. We will work on this together.
Today I taught both classes the Loving Kindness meditation. I couldn't believe it, but the sophomores did it beautifully!
Both classes practiced taking notes from a video of President Obama's speech to American school children on September 9. They all said they had seen the speech several times! We watched only about 10 minutes of it. I pointed out to them what they didn't need to write: his chatty beginning of the speech, various examples he gave. I also showed them that he gave clues that he was about to say something important which you should write in your notes. Obama uses terms like, "at the end of the day," and "today I'm here to talk to you about. . ."
The freshmen seem to be very comfortable with their note taking ability. The sophomores not as much. I would like the AmeriCorps tutors to practice taking Cornell notes alongside our students in the classroom, so the kids can see that it CAN be done. They like to argue with me about their inability to take notes in this format or to take notes at all.
The sophomores need to work on their respect for their teacher (me). They aren't trying to be rude, they just have a lot to say to each other. They are great friends with each other which is wonderful but their self-control is lacking. We will work on this together.
Today I taught both classes the Loving Kindness meditation. I couldn't believe it, but the sophomores did it beautifully!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Conclave and the Loving Kindness Meditation
Today was Conclave for the Juniors and Seniors. It was our time to share our ups and downs. Some of the juniors are struggling with sickness right now. This seems to be going around. They had fun over the weekend seeing movies, going to the Fair, football games, etc. The seniors are struggling with their World Lit class. They are having a difficult time with The Iliad and the essay assignment that goes with it.
In both classes I taught them the "Loving Kindness Meditation." This is simply repeating the following phrases over and over and trying to maintain your focus on the phrases:
May I be happy and peaceful.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I be safe and free.
May I care for myself with ease and joy.
This is a great mantra for bringing positive thoughts into our minds. You can also say this mantra for others, for example: May you be happy and peaceful. You say it in your head but direct it to others.
I thought the students might think Ms Ruiz had lost her mind and gone all "woo woo" but they said they liked the meditation.
In both classes I taught them the "Loving Kindness Meditation." This is simply repeating the following phrases over and over and trying to maintain your focus on the phrases:
May I be happy and peaceful.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I be safe and free.
May I care for myself with ease and joy.
This is a great mantra for bringing positive thoughts into our minds. You can also say this mantra for others, for example: May you be happy and peaceful. You say it in your head but direct it to others.
I thought the students might think Ms Ruiz had lost her mind and gone all "woo woo" but they said they liked the meditation.
Conclave and a Visitor!
Above is a photo from our hike at Mt Rainier on 9/26. We hiked around Reflection Lake and then around Narada Falls.
Conclave is our time to check in with each other about how things are going in our lives and in school. It's a confidential time, so I will just sum up by saying that some of the freshmen are having some major frustrations at home and one is struggling to adjust to his new school schedule and catch up with his classes. We also discussed how to deal with a messy locker partner.
I gave them a couple of nuggets of wisdom: 1. You are not responsible for other people's happiness. 2. Friends should not be toxic to you. They should be there for you in good times and bad. Friendship is give and take. So if you have a "friend" who is toxic and always taking and never giving, you should let them go!
The freshmen had a visitor: Dr. John Woodward, Dean of the Education Department at the University of Puget Sound. He was one of my professors when I got my Masters in Teaching degree there in 1993-94. He is interested in the work we are doing here at Peace and asked the students to talk about an assignment they did well on and why they thought they did well on it and then an assignment they didn't do well on and why they thought they had failed at it. For the most part, the students said they did well because they had been well-taught and understood the material, or they felt connected to the assignment and had a strong opinion and much to say. They failed because they didn't like the teacher or didn't feel good in the class atmosphere, or didn't understand the assignment and needed some re-teaching. It was fascinating to listen to this conversation.
The sophs are particularly frustrated with their Honors World Cultures class. They are having great difficulty understanding the lectures. All five of them who are in this class are struggling. There was some success on a recent Chemistry safety test. Yay! The hike to Mt. Rainier was a huge high point for our students who participated.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
More time management, Juniors and Seniors
First of all, these kids have way too much time on their hands this weekend. Some evil teacher must give them an enormous assignment that is due on Monday! Just kidding.
The Juniors and Seniors received the same lesson as the Freshmen and Sophs did yesterday. I really tried to impress upon the Seniors how important time management will be when they are in college. They will practice what I taught them for the next week.
In the Spring we will learn about time management in college. Organizing your time in high school is very different from college so it takes another few lessons to learn how to do it.
The Juniors and Seniors received the same lesson as the Freshmen and Sophs did yesterday. I really tried to impress upon the Seniors how important time management will be when they are in college. They will practice what I taught them for the next week.
In the Spring we will learn about time management in college. Organizing your time in high school is very different from college so it takes another few lessons to learn how to do it.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Time Management for 9th and 10th Graders
Both classes received corrected work from me today. This should be put into their binders in the section for CLASS. The odd thing is the corrected work is also notes, because it is their practice of Cornell notes. I want them to store these in the notes part of the CLASS section.
Today we learned about how to manage their time. I told them to imagine they were filling a bucket with rocks, then filled in the space between the rocks with pebbles, then filled in the rest of the space with sand. The bucket represents their time. The big rocks represent their obligations. The pebbles represent what they want to do. And the sand represents time wasters.
Next, I gave them a calendar for one week with the times of the day listed for each day. I told them to fill in their "rocks" for the next 3 days. Rocks are things like school, sleep, eating, chores. Then they put in their "pebbles" like the fair, time with friends, etc.
Then I told them to pretend that an evil teacher assigned them to write a 5 page research paper on Shakespeare on Friday. It's due Monday and three of the sources have to be books. What on their calendar could they cancel or postpone so they can get the paper completed? We practiced prioritizing. It wasn't fun because we had to cancel the fair and the hike at Mt. Rainier! ouch.
Their homework is to complete a weekly calendar for next week, filling in all the obligations and fun activities they have planned. This is due on Monday.
Interesting side notes: Shanice had a weird allergic reaction to something on her face. She broke out in hives. But as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared.
During the sophomore class we got a bit off task and talked about problems some of the kids are having at home. I let them talk it through and then we got back on task.
Today we learned about how to manage their time. I told them to imagine they were filling a bucket with rocks, then filled in the space between the rocks with pebbles, then filled in the rest of the space with sand. The bucket represents their time. The big rocks represent their obligations. The pebbles represent what they want to do. And the sand represents time wasters.
Next, I gave them a calendar for one week with the times of the day listed for each day. I told them to fill in their "rocks" for the next 3 days. Rocks are things like school, sleep, eating, chores. Then they put in their "pebbles" like the fair, time with friends, etc.
Then I told them to pretend that an evil teacher assigned them to write a 5 page research paper on Shakespeare on Friday. It's due Monday and three of the sources have to be books. What on their calendar could they cancel or postpone so they can get the paper completed? We practiced prioritizing. It wasn't fun because we had to cancel the fair and the hike at Mt. Rainier! ouch.
Their homework is to complete a weekly calendar for next week, filling in all the obligations and fun activities they have planned. This is due on Monday.
Interesting side notes: Shanice had a weird allergic reaction to something on her face. She broke out in hives. But as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared.
During the sophomore class we got a bit off task and talked about problems some of the kids are having at home. I let them talk it through and then we got back on task.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Juniors and Seniors Practice Cornell Notes
The Juniors and Seniors continued their learning of the Cornell note taking process today. I told them the notes themselves are important, but it's the process of interacting with the material 4 times that will cement the info in their heads. The process also sets up the notes for study.
We finished the process from last weeks' notes and then practiced taking notes from a text. Students turned in both sets of notes.
Juniors had their binder checks today. Josh said they looked pretty good. Today was the first day that binder checks will count for a grade.
Yvonne got her senior pictures done by Peace Lutheran Church member Jil Hendershot. They are gorgeous!
We finished the process from last weeks' notes and then practiced taking notes from a text. Students turned in both sets of notes.
Juniors had their binder checks today. Josh said they looked pretty good. Today was the first day that binder checks will count for a grade.
Yvonne got her senior pictures done by Peace Lutheran Church member Jil Hendershot. They are gorgeous!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Cornell Note Taking Process
Here is a photo of Angelina's Cornell Notes.
Cornell Note Taking Process:
Draw a line from the top to the bottom of the page about 1/3 from the left edge of the paper.
Write the topic in the upper left hand corner and the date in the right hand corner
Take notes to the right of the line
Compare notes with another student and write in your notes what you missed.
Create questions that correspond with the notes, so you have the question on the left side of the line and the answer on the right side of the line.
At the bottom of the notes draw a line from the left side to the right side of the paper.
Below the line write your summary which should include who, what, where, when, why.
When you are finished with this process you will have interacted with the material 4 times. That is the point of the Cornell Note Taking process.
Today in both the 9th and 10th grade classes we finished the note taking process. We also practiced taking notes from a text.
The students turned in both sets of notes.
9th graders had their binder check with only some small complaints from the grader, Ryan.
Wednesday and Thursday 9/16 and 9/17
Fell behind on my blogging, sorry!
The last class for each student consisted of beginning the process of learning how to do Cornell Notes.
Cornell Notes is a note taking system developed by a professor at Cornell University. He created the process in response to the disorganized notes he saw his students keeping. He realized his students were spending too much time organizing their notes in preparation for study.
If students, will follow the process I am teaching them, their notes should be well organized and ready for study when it is time to prepare for a test. My goal is for this process to be second nature to them by the time they go to college.
Last week we just began the process, so rather than explaining the process over 2 blogs, I will explain the entire note taking process in my blog after today's class.
You can check what the students have done so far. Their notes should be about the Achievement Gap and should cover the introduction of Closing the African American Achievement Gap in Washington report which was given to the State Legislature in December 2008, and the presentation of Thelma Jackson's African American Achievement Gap in Tacoma report which was given to the Tacoma School Board in September of 2009. We looked at some of her recommendations for closing the gap which include: making it a priority, having a strategic plan, and mandatory teacher training in the areas of multicultural education, cultural competency, culturally and linguistically-responsive teaching, culturally-inclusive curriculum, learning styles, understanding institutional racism, and cross-cultural communication with staff, students, parents/families, and the community. You can also ask them what these topics mean. We discussed them, but I don't think they took very good notes on that part.
The last class for each student consisted of beginning the process of learning how to do Cornell Notes.
Cornell Notes is a note taking system developed by a professor at Cornell University. He created the process in response to the disorganized notes he saw his students keeping. He realized his students were spending too much time organizing their notes in preparation for study.
If students, will follow the process I am teaching them, their notes should be well organized and ready for study when it is time to prepare for a test. My goal is for this process to be second nature to them by the time they go to college.
Last week we just began the process, so rather than explaining the process over 2 blogs, I will explain the entire note taking process in my blog after today's class.
You can check what the students have done so far. Their notes should be about the Achievement Gap and should cover the introduction of Closing the African American Achievement Gap in Washington report which was given to the State Legislature in December 2008, and the presentation of Thelma Jackson's African American Achievement Gap in Tacoma report which was given to the Tacoma School Board in September of 2009. We looked at some of her recommendations for closing the gap which include: making it a priority, having a strategic plan, and mandatory teacher training in the areas of multicultural education, cultural competency, culturally and linguistically-responsive teaching, culturally-inclusive curriculum, learning styles, understanding institutional racism, and cross-cultural communication with staff, students, parents/families, and the community. You can also ask them what these topics mean. We discussed them, but I don't think they took very good notes on that part.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Conclave Grades 11 and 12
Josh did binder checks for the Juniors and he said they looked good! Yay!
Conclave gave us some time to talk about our lives. The Juniors seem to be doing very well and are, in general, a happy group. Again, the overriding concern is time management. One kid asked another, "are you doing stuff that's important?" I thought that was a great question and from there we were able to talk about prioritizing. They did a great job at practicing The Relaxation Response. It was so quiet in there, I could practically hear their hearts beating.
Get this: the seniors are all happy with their classes! Wow, that is a rare statement! There are only 3 of them so Yvonne's hyperness rubbed off on everyone else and they didn't do as well at the Relaxation Response. Phu Tai says he's always relaxed. I am proud of him for stopping his procrastination habit. Funny thing: Yvonne's struggle class is Lisa's easy class and Lisa's struggle class is Yvonne's easy class. Do you think these two should study together? Um, YEAH!
Senior binder check on Thursday.
Homework: practice the Relaxation Response twice before Thursday.
Conclave gave us some time to talk about our lives. The Juniors seem to be doing very well and are, in general, a happy group. Again, the overriding concern is time management. One kid asked another, "are you doing stuff that's important?" I thought that was a great question and from there we were able to talk about prioritizing. They did a great job at practicing The Relaxation Response. It was so quiet in there, I could practically hear their hearts beating.
Get this: the seniors are all happy with their classes! Wow, that is a rare statement! There are only 3 of them so Yvonne's hyperness rubbed off on everyone else and they didn't do as well at the Relaxation Response. Phu Tai says he's always relaxed. I am proud of him for stopping his procrastination habit. Funny thing: Yvonne's struggle class is Lisa's easy class and Lisa's struggle class is Yvonne's easy class. Do you think these two should study together? Um, YEAH!
Senior binder check on Thursday.
Homework: practice the Relaxation Response twice before Thursday.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Conclave Grades 9 and 10
Today was the first day we had "Conclave." This is a time for us to just shut the door and talk about what is going well and what is not going well in our lives. If some one wants advice we offer it. But sometimes we just want to talk and have others listen.
Issues on the minds of our 9th and 10th graders include: missing assignments, getting along with teachers, learning to play by all of their teachers' rules, taking classes they need instead of classes they don't need and where nothing is being taught, time management, staying out of trouble, dealing with drama from antagonistic peers.
On the good side, they are happy about staying out of trouble, good classes, avoiding drama, and looking forward to a summer travel opportunity.
I taught the Sophomores the Relaxation Response. They giggled a bit, but their homework is to practice it twice before Wednesday.
Issues on the minds of our 9th and 10th graders include: missing assignments, getting along with teachers, learning to play by all of their teachers' rules, taking classes they need instead of classes they don't need and where nothing is being taught, time management, staying out of trouble, dealing with drama from antagonistic peers.
On the good side, they are happy about staying out of trouble, good classes, avoiding drama, and looking forward to a summer travel opportunity.
I taught the Sophomores the Relaxation Response. They giggled a bit, but their homework is to practice it twice before Wednesday.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Achievement Gap to be Addressed in Tacoma?
Here is Thelma Jackson's report on the African American Achievement Gap in Tacoma. It addresses about 15 issues as potential causes for the gap.
http://www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/information/departments/assessment/Achievement%20Gap%20Documents/Addressing%20the%20Achievement%20Gap%20Report.pdf
Here is an article from the News Tribune about the School Board's response to Thelma Jackson's report:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/education/story/876717.html
http://www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/information/departments/assessment/Achievement%20Gap%20Documents/Addressing%20the%20Achievement%20Gap%20Report.pdf
Here is an article from the News Tribune about the School Board's response to Thelma Jackson's report:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/education/story/876717.html
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Freshmen and Sophomores Get Their Binders Organized
Today I learned about the "flunking pocket." This is what Jason Lee 8th Grade AVID teacher, Anne Hawkins, calls the front pocket of the binder. When it's time for binder check, if there is anything in that front pocket, you fail the binder check! Wow, she's harsh!
For CLASS the students reserve that pocket for homework that needs to be turned in.
Freshmen and Sophomores were taught how to organize their binders in the same way the Juniors and Seniors were taught (see yesterday's post). Ryan and Jamie were the AmeriCorps tutors who helped me get them organized. They all walked out of class with beautiful, organized binders. First binder checks will be next week!
No CLASS tomorrow as we are having a Staff Retreat.
For CLASS the students reserve that pocket for homework that needs to be turned in.
Freshmen and Sophomores were taught how to organize their binders in the same way the Juniors and Seniors were taught (see yesterday's post). Ryan and Jamie were the AmeriCorps tutors who helped me get them organized. They all walked out of class with beautiful, organized binders. First binder checks will be next week!
No CLASS tomorrow as we are having a Staff Retreat.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Juniors and Seniors Organize Their Binders!
The Juniors and Seniors got their binders organized today! Everyone has a binder with dividers and each section should be organized in the following way:
Divider
Assignment Log
Notes and Hand-outs
Corrected Homework
Corrected Tests and Papers
AmeriCorps members will grade the binders, so Josh and Cam Tu sat in on the classes today to learn the binder organization and assist the students.
Josh said it was an amazing thing to see a bunch of disorganized papers come together nice and neat in an organized binder.
The students were a little fussy about having to organize their binders "my way." But the binder system has to be standardized so we can grade it.
I am proud of Tasia and Yvonne who showed me positive teacher comments on their corrected work. Nice job!
Divider
Assignment Log
Notes and Hand-outs
Corrected Homework
Corrected Tests and Papers
AmeriCorps members will grade the binders, so Josh and Cam Tu sat in on the classes today to learn the binder organization and assist the students.
Josh said it was an amazing thing to see a bunch of disorganized papers come together nice and neat in an organized binder.
The students were a little fussy about having to organize their binders "my way." But the binder system has to be standardized so we can grade it.
I am proud of Tasia and Yvonne who showed me positive teacher comments on their corrected work. Nice job!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
First Day of CLASS for Juniors and Seniors
I met with the Juniors today. They are a great group, very friendly and supportive of each other. There were 5 students in the class and each of them attends a different school! We have students from SOTA, Bellarmine, Curtis, Foss, and Stadium. They are mostly concerned about the difficult classes they are taking and having the time to do their homework and keep up with their studies. But overall, they are a happy group. I met with Andy and Nelson before tutoring started because Nelson has to go to karate and can't make class and Andy needs the uninterrupted time from 3:15 to 5pm to do his homework.
In the Senior class there are only 3 students, but all 3 have been with us a long time. We have worked with Lisa since 8th grade! It's hard to believe she's a senior. The seniors are worried about managing their time and getting into college, and they are very excited about graduating high school at the end of this year.
The agenda for both classes was:
Introductions
Expectations/Grading/Attendance Policies
Binder Organization Preview
Raid the School Supply Cabinet.
Next week we will only have one class for each grade because Monday is a holiday and Thursday we are closed for a staff retreat. So we will actually get our binders organized next week during class and also learn to use our planners and our assignment logs.
Here we go!
In the Senior class there are only 3 students, but all 3 have been with us a long time. We have worked with Lisa since 8th grade! It's hard to believe she's a senior. The seniors are worried about managing their time and getting into college, and they are very excited about graduating high school at the end of this year.
The agenda for both classes was:
Introductions
Expectations/Grading/Attendance Policies
Binder Organization Preview
Raid the School Supply Cabinet.
Next week we will only have one class for each grade because Monday is a holiday and Thursday we are closed for a staff retreat. So we will actually get our binders organized next week during class and also learn to use our planners and our assignment logs.
Here we go!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
9/2/09 First day of CLASS!
Today was the first day of CLASS for our freshmen and sophomores. It was also the first day of school.
There were only 2 freshmen present because the other 3 are at camp with SAMI. The students were frustrated with their schedules, feeling they had been placed in classes they didn't need to graduate such as Auto Body and Marine Tech. They are both on advanced classes but they appear to be hard-working students, so they should do fine.
The sophomore class likes to talk all at the same time. We will work on that! They also have some concerns about schedules, but their bigger concern appears to be balancing extra-curricular activities with school with life in general. 10 out of 12 students showed up. Esther and Maranda are going to join us. Devin didn't show up today and Gustavo will start with us next Wednesday.
We raided the school supply cabinet and all students have the supplies they need. I have to go back to Office Depot tomorrow to stock up on binders, dividers, and those cool 3-hole punch thingies you can clip into your binder.
Our agenda today was as follows:
Introductions. We said one thing we were excited about and one thing we were concerned about in this new school year.
We reviewed my Class Expectations/Attendance/Grading Policies and students need to get this signed and return to me.
We also reviewed how to organize your binder and then we raided the supply closet.
I want to upload my documents but I have to learn how to do that.
There were only 2 freshmen present because the other 3 are at camp with SAMI. The students were frustrated with their schedules, feeling they had been placed in classes they didn't need to graduate such as Auto Body and Marine Tech. They are both on advanced classes but they appear to be hard-working students, so they should do fine.
The sophomore class likes to talk all at the same time. We will work on that! They also have some concerns about schedules, but their bigger concern appears to be balancing extra-curricular activities with school with life in general. 10 out of 12 students showed up. Esther and Maranda are going to join us. Devin didn't show up today and Gustavo will start with us next Wednesday.
We raided the school supply cabinet and all students have the supplies they need. I have to go back to Office Depot tomorrow to stock up on binders, dividers, and those cool 3-hole punch thingies you can clip into your binder.
Our agenda today was as follows:
Introductions. We said one thing we were excited about and one thing we were concerned about in this new school year.
We reviewed my Class Expectations/Attendance/Grading Policies and students need to get this signed and return to me.
We also reviewed how to organize your binder and then we raided the supply closet.
I want to upload my documents but I have to learn how to do that.
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