Salvete!
The eternal question: is doing your hair more important than homework? Of course it is!
A student walked into my class today with his hair freshly braided. I asked him how much time he had spent doing his hair, since I knew how little time he spent doing his homework. He became immediatley defensive, saying that he couldn't come to school looking like a fool with his hair like that guy's (as he pointed to a responsible boy in the class, including the necessary "no offense"). I told him he looked like an even bigger fool if he didn't have his homework done.
The argument went on for a little bit, and the guy with the bad hair (an amazing afro that I think is pretty cool) stepped in to try to explain some things about responsibility. Eventually, they came back to me, and I told the irresponsible student that I thought he was full of balogna. He took offense, of course, which encouraged me to insult him further. He just makes it too easy.
I have now spent the rest of class pretending that all I could hear come out of his mouth was the phrase, "I'm full of balogna," every time he asks me a question.
Valete,
Magistra
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
If you try sometimes, yeah you just might find...
...I got what I need!
A specific child is no longer in my class. This child, who (of course) shall remain nameless, was a hol[ier than thou] terror for six weeks. I wasn't aware that a fifteen-year-old could know everything, including what was best for itself*, but apparently this child does. The child also is fully trained in educational best practices (to a degree far beyond both of mine), and is fit to decide what it will need after the age of 18, a place it has not been but seems to know all about.
And I ask you, why should we read books in English class? Preposterous. Yet, the child seems to have decided that this must be so. I ask you too, why should we take notes in a style confirmed as a best practice by law schools and 30+ years of research? Ridiculous! Let the reform begin!
On a less sarcastic, caustic, and demeaning note, this week may have been a rough one, but it was nothing compared to what it could have been, had this child still been in my class.
That is not to say that I did not love the child. Of course I did. In a way. A small, very difficult-to-see,-detect,-or define way. Am I embittered? Certainly not. Am I relieved? Of course. I could have survived all year with it in my class. I originally typed, "very well could have," but then decided that that was a falsehood. There would have been nothing going on that anyone would have described as "very well."
*I refer to the child as "it" in order to refrain from revealing the gender, not to suggest something about the gender (or the usual lack thereof that comes with the pronoun "it").
Anyway, we took the kids on a field trip this week. They had a wonderful time, and I rode on a school bus, surrounded by germs. The germs germinated, and became a cold or some other contagious plague. At least it was not the flu. *Knock on wood.* I am over it now, since I received the infection on Tuesday. Hopefully this means that my immune system is appropriately fortified against any new strains of whatever, and I won't get sick the rest of the year.
Speaking of sick, I watched "Shutter Island" today. It was recommended by a friend, and was very good. I will now recommend it to you, my non-existent audience.
Valete,
Magistra
A specific child is no longer in my class. This child, who (of course) shall remain nameless, was a hol[ier than thou] terror for six weeks. I wasn't aware that a fifteen-year-old could know everything, including what was best for itself*, but apparently this child does. The child also is fully trained in educational best practices (to a degree far beyond both of mine), and is fit to decide what it will need after the age of 18, a place it has not been but seems to know all about.
And I ask you, why should we read books in English class? Preposterous. Yet, the child seems to have decided that this must be so. I ask you too, why should we take notes in a style confirmed as a best practice by law schools and 30+ years of research? Ridiculous! Let the reform begin!
On a less sarcastic, caustic, and demeaning note, this week may have been a rough one, but it was nothing compared to what it could have been, had this child still been in my class.
That is not to say that I did not love the child. Of course I did. In a way. A small, very difficult-to-see,-detect,-or define way. Am I embittered? Certainly not. Am I relieved? Of course. I could have survived all year with it in my class. I originally typed, "very well could have," but then decided that that was a falsehood. There would have been nothing going on that anyone would have described as "very well."
*I refer to the child as "it" in order to refrain from revealing the gender, not to suggest something about the gender (or the usual lack thereof that comes with the pronoun "it").
Anyway, we took the kids on a field trip this week. They had a wonderful time, and I rode on a school bus, surrounded by germs. The germs germinated, and became a cold or some other contagious plague. At least it was not the flu. *Knock on wood.* I am over it now, since I received the infection on Tuesday. Hopefully this means that my immune system is appropriately fortified against any new strains of whatever, and I won't get sick the rest of the year.
Speaking of sick, I watched "Shutter Island" today. It was recommended by a friend, and was very good. I will now recommend it to you, my non-existent audience.
Valete,
Magistra
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Anime Club Commences Again
Hey there.
Er, Salvete.
I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never be teaching Latin again. I'm too specialized now in my department. I've been trained to teach upper-level classes, as well as trained to pilot a program for kids in the academic middle. I get to use Latin many days, but so much of it has slipped away. I still love it, but I am ready to accept that I am done using my Latin certification for which I worked so hard.
Now, on to less dismal thoughts!
Anime Club has indeed begun again. Expect posts on Wednesdays. Unbelieveably, everything is graded and I can pen a post. There are approximately 40 students in my class right now, half watching "Princess Mononoke," and half doing various other things. There is one student in a gas mask (speaking in a terrible Russian accent), four playing Yugio, and all is well. Just another day at Anime Club.
They have about eight minutes until I kick them out. If you are unfamiliar with the blog, last year I had about 10-15 students weekly. 40 students is a lot, especially considering I only have 15 desks, and am aiming to take that number down to 12. Many bodies are on the floor, which is disgusting, because I am fairly certain that the floor gets cleaned only in the summer. Yay, public school!
But really, my custodian is very nice, and most days we have an awkward conversation in Spanish, often consisting of him laughing at me and calling my teaching partner a gringo. My teaching partner does not speak Spanish at all, and I speak enough to exchange pleasantries. I guess that saves me from gringo status. Not that there's anything wrong with being a gringo, or gringa, for that matter.
It's sushi night, and I am thankful.
Valete (bye),
Magistra (female teacher)
Er, Salvete.
I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never be teaching Latin again. I'm too specialized now in my department. I've been trained to teach upper-level classes, as well as trained to pilot a program for kids in the academic middle. I get to use Latin many days, but so much of it has slipped away. I still love it, but I am ready to accept that I am done using my Latin certification for which I worked so hard.
Now, on to less dismal thoughts!
Anime Club has indeed begun again. Expect posts on Wednesdays. Unbelieveably, everything is graded and I can pen a post. There are approximately 40 students in my class right now, half watching "Princess Mononoke," and half doing various other things. There is one student in a gas mask (speaking in a terrible Russian accent), four playing Yugio, and all is well. Just another day at Anime Club.
They have about eight minutes until I kick them out. If you are unfamiliar with the blog, last year I had about 10-15 students weekly. 40 students is a lot, especially considering I only have 15 desks, and am aiming to take that number down to 12. Many bodies are on the floor, which is disgusting, because I am fairly certain that the floor gets cleaned only in the summer. Yay, public school!
But really, my custodian is very nice, and most days we have an awkward conversation in Spanish, often consisting of him laughing at me and calling my teaching partner a gringo. My teaching partner does not speak Spanish at all, and I speak enough to exchange pleasantries. I guess that saves me from gringo status. Not that there's anything wrong with being a gringo, or gringa, for that matter.
It's sushi night, and I am thankful.
Valete (bye),
Magistra (female teacher)
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