Day 18: Jail House Rock
Student will be able to analyze the character motives of the mob in chapter 15.
I'm having a bit of a mental crisis. The educational philosophy I parroted to the mirror in preparation for my job interviews went something like, "I believe every child has the ability to succeed with the right motivation and academic support." What that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, fresh-out-of-college philosophy doesn't include is the fact that some kids are just not nice enough to want to put that effort out. What do you do when you realize you don't like all of your students? Most of them are wonderful, witty (or think they are), and usually delightful, but every so often one or the other says something that is just plain mean. It makes my heart break when I hear them talk to each other in such horrible, unthoughtful ways. Teenagers are so mean to each other. I had a blast in high school; I'd like to think I was never intentionally cruel to my peers, but then I don't know if my students are being intentionally cruel to each other either - just thoughtless. I hope I don't accidentally say anything cruel and thoughtless to them - sometimes it's hard to know which kids appreciate being picked on and which kids clam up and decide never to talk in class again. I had a kid today who I know for a fact had answers written on his paper, but when I asked him he said he hadn't gotten anything. I know he's a student not to be picked on...if only I can figure out the other 134!
I got a new student today who had never read To Kill a Mockingbird...and it's awful hard to catch somebody up on 193 prejudice-filled pages in 5 minutes. She may have received a bit of a shock when we watched the jail scene in the movie when the mob of shotgun-clad menfolk show up to drag Tom out of the jail, but face a precocious and unknowingly-important Scout who saves the day. It's pretty confusing. However, my class was excited to introduce themselves and teach her some of our classroom routines. That was edifying, at least. Despite the fact that period was a little unruly today, they did seem to communicate their genuine enjoyment for my class...now if we can communicate some genuine learning, this week will have been a success.
On an unrelated note, I have been on an Elvis kick all week; I keep hearing songs on the radio in the morning that get stuck in my head all day. Monday was "Heartbreak Hotel". Today was, appropriately, "Jailhouse Rock."
I'm having a bit of a mental crisis. The educational philosophy I parroted to the mirror in preparation for my job interviews went something like, "I believe every child has the ability to succeed with the right motivation and academic support." What that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, fresh-out-of-college philosophy doesn't include is the fact that some kids are just not nice enough to want to put that effort out. What do you do when you realize you don't like all of your students? Most of them are wonderful, witty (or think they are), and usually delightful, but every so often one or the other says something that is just plain mean. It makes my heart break when I hear them talk to each other in such horrible, unthoughtful ways. Teenagers are so mean to each other. I had a blast in high school; I'd like to think I was never intentionally cruel to my peers, but then I don't know if my students are being intentionally cruel to each other either - just thoughtless. I hope I don't accidentally say anything cruel and thoughtless to them - sometimes it's hard to know which kids appreciate being picked on and which kids clam up and decide never to talk in class again. I had a kid today who I know for a fact had answers written on his paper, but when I asked him he said he hadn't gotten anything. I know he's a student not to be picked on...if only I can figure out the other 134!
I got a new student today who had never read To Kill a Mockingbird...and it's awful hard to catch somebody up on 193 prejudice-filled pages in 5 minutes. She may have received a bit of a shock when we watched the jail scene in the movie when the mob of shotgun-clad menfolk show up to drag Tom out of the jail, but face a precocious and unknowingly-important Scout who saves the day. It's pretty confusing. However, my class was excited to introduce themselves and teach her some of our classroom routines. That was edifying, at least. Despite the fact that period was a little unruly today, they did seem to communicate their genuine enjoyment for my class...now if we can communicate some genuine learning, this week will have been a success.
On an unrelated note, I have been on an Elvis kick all week; I keep hearing songs on the radio in the morning that get stuck in my head all day. Monday was "Heartbreak Hotel". Today was, appropriately, "Jailhouse Rock."
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