Independent Study

Independent Study

Rookie Year – 1991 (Part II)

June 8, 2009

Our guest artist continues with his glimpse back at mrC’s first real job – teaching independent study stylie – while mrC (his present self) studies for Saturday’s CTEL test. 1991 – Rich (continued) “Do you have your history homework for me… today?” “I did it. ” It sounds like deed it. “But do you have it? Here? Now? At this place and time?” “I left it at my pad, eh.” Re: His American history homework. He is currently taking (which means he has a copy of the textbook) US History A. The district curriculum guide lists this as a semester-long course. The class is worth 5 credits out of the 225 that are needed to graduate from the high school. The book that he took home a week ago is about 200 pages long, with 44 chapters divided into 8 units, and purports to cover the time period between the pilgrims and the Reconstruction. Each chapter is approximately 3-5 pages long, and is followed by about 2 pages of MC, T/F, and fill-in-the-blank exercises, with some time-line exercises and find-a-word puzzles thrown in for variety. The time-line ones can often be quite entertaining. To introduce the concept, the book shows

Guest Artist. From 1991.

June 5, 2009

By mrC

I got my credential in 1990. My last cooperating teacher of my student teaching days would have chastised me for using the word got, but there you go. Then I spent a year subbing (sorry, we call it guest teaching now), and I enjoyed that. It was also my in for my current job; someone I had subbed for a lot (another no no adjective for my old master teacher) suggested me for an opening 16 years ago. I also enjoyed being able to take the phone off the hook (can you tell I don’t have a cell phone?) if I didn’t want to work that day. In 1991 I took a job in a high school district about a 1/2 hour drive from where I live. This “commute” is one of the things that drove me to my hatred of the automobile, but that’s for another day. This is about the job. It was part-time, teaching what they called independent study. For a while it was the perfect part-time job. I worked 8-1, and the last hour was considered pe, so I played hoops with the kids. We got free hot lunch trucked over from the high school (we

You Gotta Have a Shtick (or a stick).

One of the things I like to say about teaching junior high is down at the bottom of this page in the footer. You’re too lazy to scroll, aren’t you? Fine. “Five shows a day, 180 days a year.” And there aren’t many crowds tougher than 7th graders. “This is boring.” The worst of all sins. Most of us who teach junior high have a shtick. A role we play, some isms we like to use again and again. Idiosyncrasies we play up for entertainment/attention value (oh the sharing I get when we talk about that word idiosyncrasy during “Monsters are Due on Maple Street“). The key is to make the shtick such a natural part of the classroom routine, that it doesn’t distract too much. Well, sometimes we need the distraction. There’s the Raffle King. There’s the Timer. There are the clickers. The Cage. Mental Floss. Nutty videos. MYOB. All of these are stalwart features of my classroom shtick. And as of a few years ago, there’s also the Quiet Stick. (four or five years ago – me visiting another teacher’s classroom before school) “Leenie! What the shiggy are you doing? Where’d you get this, and WHY ARE YOU [...]

more -->

Recent Comments

May 2012
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Apr
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

mrC commented on State Testing–Tips for Teachers… Interrupted@ Heather - Ouch. 'nuff said.

mrC commented on State Testing…and etc.@ Kelli - Texas. 'nuff said. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Heather commented on State Testing–Tips for Teachers… InterruptedRequired. Every department does one, usually the released test from the previous year, so by the time the school year is over the students have actually taken 8 standardized tests.

Mrs. M~ commented on State Testing…and etc.Standardized testing is one of the banes of my existence as a teacher. We each give our own subject's state test during our class time, so by the time we are done with all subject areas, the kids have been testing for about three weeks straight. (But we all prefer this method--we have

Kelli commented on State Testing…and etc.In Texas, 5th and 8th graders can be held back if they fail their state tests... this year, however, we have a fancy NEW test, so they've given us a reprieve on that requirement for this year. (Oddly, the new test looked just like the old test, but with a different logo on the

Meg commented on State Testing…and etc.I will say that testing is a great time to get caught up and lesson planning done. AMEN! We do SAT 10 at our school for K-8th and it's a nightmare. Especially since the Social Studies part is about 1/3 US history, and we're an international school in China that doesn't teach US history

mrC commented on State Testing–Tips for Teachers… InterruptedI'll bet if you were at the high school, you'd hear kids joking about that acronym, especially AFTER scores were released. Did you just say that your practice tests are required. Ouch. Good call with the change in plan.

mrC commented on State Testing — Tips for Teachers IICali tests spelling like I do: pick the wrong one or say they're all correct. Your approach is fine. I use spelling lists as a way to talk about roots and origins and use analogies. The actual spelling of the words is sort of secondary, and a small part of the grade.

Heather commented on State Testing — Tips for Teachers IIFor the spelling section of the California tests, do students have to provide the spelling from scratch or choose the best spelling from a list? Our spelling questions are multiple choice and there are usually only a few; I spend a little class time on spelling rules, make sure they know how Spanish letters

Heather commented on State Testing–Tips for Teachers… InterruptedSOL = Standards of Learning. Clearly, the department of education did not think the acronym through. For high schoolers, the "real" meaning of the acronym is appropriate - they have to pass, I believe, 6 of the tests to graduate. Totally with you on this post topic - I worry that the required practice

mrC commented on The Titanic Finally Really Sinks! (Also: Sidekicks.)@Mrs. M- I had forgotten all about those. I just spewtubed them...hahaha. Luv it!

mrC commented on The Titanic Finally Really Sinks! (Also: Sidekicks.)@Anna- Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Mrs. M~ commented on The Titanic Finally Really Sinks! (Also: Sidekicks.)Those "psychic mediums" would be great to research, right?

That reminds me of those great SNL skits about the Sofa King. You know, how the prices are "Sofa King" low, the deals are "Sofa King" great, etc. (You obviously have to say those phrases out loud to get the joke.)

Previous 150

Rookie Year – 1991 (Part II)

Guest Artist. From 1991.

Random Featured Post

You Gotta Have a Shtick (or a stick).

Archives

Recent Comments

Links

Tags