Monday - Elections
2004.
HW - None
Tuesday - Today
we will begin a course on violence prevention called Second
Step. This course is led by our school counselor,
Marilyn Sterbick.
HW - Read and sign
the Second Step take-home letter. Due Thursday, but
I told kids to just get it done tonight and turn it
in tomorrow.
Wednesday - Elections
2004 cancelled for today! Read tomorrow's entry
to see why.
HW - None
Thursday - Yesterday
we started a class discussion during social studies
having to do with students' behavior during the elections
project. I must admit that I was quite taken aback
because students let their frustration and confusion
get the better of them.
Students do not want
to study the issues facing our country. I had to remind
them that one of the main purposes that in this country
public education was started was to educate the populace
so that they could vote intelligently. That is one
of the most important responsibilities for citizens
of a free, democratic country! Freedom does not beget
anarchy. Quite the contrary, freedom means that we
must be very responsible. Imagine if people stopped
obeying laws in the name of being free!
This Elections
2004 project is not an easy project. I am helping
students as we go along when I see problems but these
types of projects take time. Learning doesn't always
happen right away or quickly. That does not seem
to be enough and students are not working well on
this project, so they acted as if they wanted to
give up on it. If our kids cannot read candidates'
websites, cannot read articles in the papers or discuss
what they hear on television, then our future is
in jeopardy. I am not taking a stance on these elections.
As their teacher I cannot take any actions to sway
my students, but I can encourage them to read all
sides of the issues for themselves and to come up
with their own conclusions. That is freedom!
Half the students in
our class voted to stop working on this project and
to work out of the social studies textbook. They claimed
that the elections are all over the news and commercials
and they are sick of it all, they claimed that getting
information from websites is too difficult, and finally
they claimed that working in cooperative groups causes
them to goof off.
All the things that
went through my mind were quite numbing because all
the things they dislike about this project are all
the things I do and do well. They are all the things
I have worked for years with 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and
8th graders to perfect. I stand behind everything I
do because my methods are based on best practices in
teaching and are all backed by research. Besides, where
in life in the 21st century can one work without using
technology and without having to deal with and get
along with other people?
As I dismissed groups
to the busses, the most I could get from my students
was that they were still not sure as to what they wanted.
I ensured students
that my goal this year is to stimulate learning by
placing them in situations like the challenge course
where they will be frustrated and confused. That is
when the best learning takes place. Our new math supports
this belief and I have been trained in the same manner
in science. What stimulates great social studies and
language arts discussions? The challenging and confusing
topics! I believe in teaching through inquiry. Stimulating
curiosity helps students learn and retain.
If you don't believe
that the way I teach and the projects my students work
on, which are heavy in technology-use, are the best
way for your child to learn, come in and talk with
me.
We actually began to
use the textbook today. Students read p. 4 to p. 9
to answers the review questions on p. 9.
HW - None
Friday - We
reviewed the storyboard
scoring rubric to see if students
agree with it so we could use it.
HW - None
