Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Update: Week 5 Goals
Just wanted to follow up on this week's lofty goals. So far I've got a few things done:
- I haven't got that koala sketch finished...still a work in progress. ART takes time (I always capitlize ART...however, I do not always remember to put another "a" in "capitAlize")
- I have tried out my new sonic flag football belts: I'm not impressed and I want a refund.
- The Elizabethan high-five is looking promising. I mentioned recently the "roundhouse high-five." The Elizabethan high-five is probably going to be a roundhouse high-five performed very slowly...kind of like some sort of Elizabethan ballroom dance...and then we'll sort of change places and do it again but counter-clockwise. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
- Got some French Vanilla coffee creamer just in time.
- Freshmen did amazingly well on their literature tests. I'm *sniff* almost proud of them.
- And, finally here's the opening stanza of my no-holds-barred lyric celebrating sock puppetry:
Cloth they remain, yet when they obtain
Their all important roles,
With hands inside, they feel new pain
Deep inside their soles.
- I haven't got that koala sketch finished...still a work in progress. ART takes time (I always capitlize ART...however, I do not always remember to put another "a" in "capitAlize")
- I have tried out my new sonic flag football belts: I'm not impressed and I want a refund.
- The Elizabethan high-five is looking promising. I mentioned recently the "roundhouse high-five." The Elizabethan high-five is probably going to be a roundhouse high-five performed very slowly...kind of like some sort of Elizabethan ballroom dance...and then we'll sort of change places and do it again but counter-clockwise. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
- Got some French Vanilla coffee creamer just in time.
- Freshmen did amazingly well on their literature tests. I'm *sniff* almost proud of them.
- And, finally here's the opening stanza of my no-holds-barred lyric celebrating sock puppetry:
Cloth they remain, yet when they obtain
Their all important roles,
With hands inside, they feel new pain
Deep inside their soles.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Week 5: Goals (some of which are not lofty)
1. Convince ten tenth-graders that a novel that does not include (too much) mayhem and adventure (like Silas Marner) can be enjoyable and profitable to read.
2. Convince freshmen that studying for Vocabulary/Spelling quizzes is not optional.
3. Try out my new sonic flag-belts for flag football in P.E.
4. Remember to take snack bar orders in home room at least one day this week.
5. Wear a sweater-vest at least one time.
6. Get some coffee-creamer for the academy mini-fridge that isn't hazelnut.
7. Portray my enthusiasm for Elizabethan literature without appearing to eager: I plan on doing this by (a.) not letting my voice crack with excitement when I explain the "Marlowe assignment," and (b.) not creating a special Elizabethan high five.
8. Take a "writing break" in each of my English classes to encourage creative writing.
9. Initiate a campaign that promotes irony as "ah-ha" funny and not always "ha-ha" funny.
10. Write a compare and contrast paragraph about Dr. Pepper and Pibb Xtra.
11. Draw a really good picture of a koala bear holding a 12-gauge shotgun.
12. Avoid crying while grading English 9 literature tests.
13. Explain why Quixote is not pronounced with an x sound while quixotic is.
14. Avoid repeatedly banging my head on my desk when I find out how few of my freshmen actually read their book report books.
15. Perfect my Silas Marner impersonation.
16. Perform a one-minute pantomime of Booker T. Washington's autiobiography Up from Slavery.
17. Sing the praises of sock puppetry in a no-holds-barred lyrical ode.
18. Remind one specific junior that Wildfire was not a person. He was a horse.
2. Convince freshmen that studying for Vocabulary/Spelling quizzes is not optional.
3. Try out my new sonic flag-belts for flag football in P.E.
4. Remember to take snack bar orders in home room at least one day this week.
5. Wear a sweater-vest at least one time.
6. Get some coffee-creamer for the academy mini-fridge that isn't hazelnut.
7. Portray my enthusiasm for Elizabethan literature without appearing to eager: I plan on doing this by (a.) not letting my voice crack with excitement when I explain the "Marlowe assignment," and (b.) not creating a special Elizabethan high five.
8. Take a "writing break" in each of my English classes to encourage creative writing.
9. Initiate a campaign that promotes irony as "ah-ha" funny and not always "ha-ha" funny.
10. Write a compare and contrast paragraph about Dr. Pepper and Pibb Xtra.
11. Draw a really good picture of a koala bear holding a 12-gauge shotgun.
12. Avoid crying while grading English 9 literature tests.
13. Explain why Quixote is not pronounced with an x sound while quixotic is.
14. Avoid repeatedly banging my head on my desk when I find out how few of my freshmen actually read their book report books.
15. Perfect my Silas Marner impersonation.
16. Perform a one-minute pantomime of Booker T. Washington's autiobiography Up from Slavery.
17. Sing the praises of sock puppetry in a no-holds-barred lyrical ode.
18. Remind one specific junior that Wildfire was not a person. He was a horse.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Teaching: Why I'll keep doing it for a while
One of my freshmen talked like an android for the entire period yesterday. I had no problem with that: it meant that he talked less because he had to keep remembering to use his android voice. It was one of my quietest 5th periods to date.
Android freshman gave up on that today. I guess he's showing off an array of thespian abilities. Today's task: be sad. He gave a weepy prayer request that he needed to find Joy. I looked up later in class, and he had cried two symmetrical tears from each eye. He was ironically overjoyed with his ability to cry on cue like a real Hollywood actor (like Britney Spears).
I guess I should have given this anecdote previously. I was saying something along these lines when talking about medieval pageant wagons - "...if you consider yourself some sort of serious big-time actor, like ... well I can't think of anyone right now." (don't ask about the complete context because I don't remember) - and one of my seniors offered the great screen legend...Britney Spears. I gave him "the look" and a B for daily participation.
One of my juniors bought me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book last week. I don't think he even knew it was my birthday. The backstory there: last semester, I set some sort of teaching record by alluding to the Ninja Turtles in like 88 straight 6th period classes. I guess he was (rightly) impressed. (One of my better allusions was when I said Daren looked like a member of the Foot Clan when he had his hoodie bunched over his face. I also liked my comparison of the greenish fruit punch at the Senior party to mutant ooze.)
I personally enjoy greeting the early junior high arrivals with renditions of "Good Morning!" and "How's Everyone Doing?" in my ethereal falsetto singing voice. They've started doing it back and it's really funny. It's especially funny that they think it's falsetto when it's actually just their voice cracking (kidding).
The new trend is "roundhouse high fives." No explanation needed. They're dangerous though. Don't walk by during.
Android freshman gave up on that today. I guess he's showing off an array of thespian abilities. Today's task: be sad. He gave a weepy prayer request that he needed to find Joy. I looked up later in class, and he had cried two symmetrical tears from each eye. He was ironically overjoyed with his ability to cry on cue like a real Hollywood actor (like Britney Spears).
I guess I should have given this anecdote previously. I was saying something along these lines when talking about medieval pageant wagons - "...if you consider yourself some sort of serious big-time actor, like ... well I can't think of anyone right now." (don't ask about the complete context because I don't remember) - and one of my seniors offered the great screen legend...Britney Spears. I gave him "the look" and a B for daily participation.
One of my juniors bought me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book last week. I don't think he even knew it was my birthday. The backstory there: last semester, I set some sort of teaching record by alluding to the Ninja Turtles in like 88 straight 6th period classes. I guess he was (rightly) impressed. (One of my better allusions was when I said Daren looked like a member of the Foot Clan when he had his hoodie bunched over his face. I also liked my comparison of the greenish fruit punch at the Senior party to mutant ooze.)
I personally enjoy greeting the early junior high arrivals with renditions of "Good Morning!" and "How's Everyone Doing?" in my ethereal falsetto singing voice. They've started doing it back and it's really funny. It's especially funny that they think it's falsetto when it's actually just their voice cracking (kidding).
The new trend is "roundhouse high fives." No explanation needed. They're dangerous though. Don't walk by during.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
