Comments on: Two Notes From Vacation

By: Dina

Dina — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:35:29 +0000

The tragedy of ANY typical classroom. At least in E/LA a process orientation is folded in via revision and editing of writing. (My colleague down the hall has a rubric she has developed totally around how definitively a kid makes changes from one draft to another.) But reading comprehension questions, say, or vocab? It’s all or nothing, baby.

And here’s the kicker: study after study says authentic learning occurs via what? Hypothesis, experimentation, practice, and revision.

I’ve never understood that, though. I mean, if I don’t back the car into the garage straight the first time, screw it. No driving.

By: dan

dan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:51:42 +0000

Isn’t this the tragedy of the typical math classroom, lousy with summative assessment. You miss it or you get it, whatever, we’re moving on. A single try. A single attempt at success. The needle hovers at 100% or 0% for each question and concept.

By: Dina

Dina — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:16:30 +0000

On failure and satisfaction…

I do these little summative quizzes. They’re the bitty procedures or knowledge I want my students to know absolutely cold; the acronym to help them flesh out an extended response, how to set up a formal letter heading, stuff like that. I correct them in front of the kid the second they finish; I get a bead on knowledge and 25 small, but decently reflective grades, in 10 minutes tops.

Usually it results in a swift 100, which the kids love– but often, it does not. (A period is out of place. Spelling is off. Something is reversed. Absolutely everything counts.)

Sometimes it will take a kid two or three tries (over the course of as many days– the rule is a 24 hour lapse between tries) to get it absolutely, perfectly, correct. And then they run out into the hall and scream in joy.

No kidding.

By: dan

dan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:36:46 +0000

Well, obviously. We’re teachers. This is the only profession in the world to which definitions of “success” or “merit” do not apply.

By: ken

ken — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:54:15 +0000

hopefully no one will ask you to clarify the term ‘successful’.

By: dan

dan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:08:49 +0000

@Tom, students don't select teachers, specifically, but they select from a certain platter of electives, some of which go underenrolled for reasons of lousy P.R. and are cut or re-staffed. I don't know if Ben is being totally literal there, but if a kid signs up for computer programming, she knows she is taking it from Ben, whereas enrolling in Algebra 1 could mean Paul, Dan, Rob – anybody's guess. @Darren, the gender thing is a force of habit. Happy New Years likewise.

By: Darren Draper

Darren Draper — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:27:43 +0000

Hey, I thought you did good on the driver analogy. Or at least you got the sex of the bad drivers correct. ;)

And as for driving diligently? My hat goes off to any teacher that can make it 30 years in this business with all of their nerves still intact. This job is as emotionally draining as anything out there – pot holes and all.

Happy New Year, Dan.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:59:21 +0000

Good thing you’re a math teacher and not a writing teacher—the left-lane driver analogy is terrible. Slow drivers in the left lane are a minor nuisance, especially when compared to those who drive faster than they can control their cars, tailgate aggressively, and smash their cars into the Jersey barrier in the middle of Highway 17.

Try again.

By: Ben Chun

Ben Chun — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:53:39 +0000

If you teach an elective (like, say, computer programming) then kids are definitely picking the teacher as often as they are picking the course.

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:20:52 +0000

Kids get to pick which teacher’s classes they enroll in? Is that a California thing?