Comments on: Really Stupid Fun

By: First Day Activities | When Math Happens

First Day Activities | When Math Happens — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:40:19 +0000

[…] First Day of School […]

By: Ready for day 1 | Sustainably Digital

Ready for day 1 | Sustainably Digital — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:37:00 +0000

[…] vaguely recalled an old post on dy/dan where a beginning of the year “get to know you” activity was shared that struck me as […]

By: Linda F

Linda F — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:09:15 +0000

That assignment epitomizes the plastic nature of the under 25 crowd. Sometimes, even I forget that who they are is changeable.

I take a lot of pictures at the beginning of the year, and in labs. Kids always enjoy the end of the year slideshow of those pictures.

Could you post a link to a template of your activity? I’d like to modify it for my science students.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:31:40 +0000

….and a mass murderer from America’s Most Wanted—wanted to help Rich identify all the usual suspects.

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:19:24 +0000

I’m curious (and a little bit sad) about whose caricature was the garbage can.

And that final drawing appears to show that Courtney Love is in your class?

By: dan

dan — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:09:38 +0000

@Ken, obliged for the sound financial wisdom. I’m making my way through those three as fast as possible while at the same time keeping The Church happy.

@Dina, I’m being disgenuous & self-deprecating all at once in that last sentence & the title. I’m not gonna jump in and say this is what it’s “all” about but I do acknowledge and embrace the interplay between my students’ willingness to let me teach them linear equations & their sense that their class is fun and their teacher respects them and they can actualize a lot of their own ambitions within it.

Definitely, yes.

By: ken

ken — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:32:42 +0000

I think a “really great teacher” would have had the kids upload their images to a class Ning. From there, he’d embed old 8MM film footage and have each student complete an embedded poll to vote on ‘who’s who’.

Then, he’d provide the link in Twitter so the rest of the world could take note.

On another note, sorry to read that you owed a lot of money for taxes this year. The secret to my refund windfall appears to hinge upon three life-altering decisions:
1. marriage
2. home ownership
3. an inability to curb procreation

Still not feeling esoteric enough to be jabbering about on your blog, but I thought I’d give it another try.

By: Dina

Dina — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:22:51 +0000

See, you SAY this is really stupid fun, and I say this is what it’s all about. I’d like to see assessment data from one class section where you strip “really stupid fun” out, versus all the others. Maybe there’s more in heaven and earth than is dreampt of in your math standards.

By: dan

dan — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:56:52 +0000

@JackieB: heh. check with her again a month into my class.

By: Mr. K

Mr. K — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:58:41 +0000

really great teacher probably woulda had his students write some new-school-year resolutions

i think a really great teacher would do both.