Off the Junk Heap

I asked my students to compare their writing from the beginning of the unit to the end and then to explain whether they felt their argument skills had improved or not. Most writers felt that they had learned a bit about claims, evidence, and reasoning, and were happy to document their improvement. A few kids did not see any growth, though. One of them volunteered, "My essay at the beginning was trash, and this one is too!"

"I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your writing," I said, "but I don't agree that it's garbage."

"I said 'trash'," she corrected me.

"What's the difference in your mind between trash and garbage?" I asked.

"Trash is trash and garbage is garbage," she replied dismissively.

"Wow! You really are bad at arguing," I teased her.

That got a little smile. 

"Now let's work on that writing!"

Clarity

The building that I teach in is 50 years old. Of that time, it has been my work place for 29 years, and despite its many flaws (very few windows, hulking architecture, early 70s style brown brick, looks like a prison, interior microclimates, leaky roof, cinderblock bathrooms, and more!) I have the warmest of places in my heart for that big, dark, drafty old building. 

But when there were nascent plans to remodel and displace me to move the front office to the where I've been comfortably ensconced for the last three decades, I wondered if it was time to say good-bye. Oh, I got on the committee, and I did some community networking, and I told my tale to anyone who would listen, but in the end, I knew it was out of my hands, and I had to let go, so I did. 

And every day since then has been almost like a gift. There have been countless times when I've paused to consciously appreciate the way the light falls in the late afternoon when I am planning or the quiet of the space as I ready for the day or the joyful energy of a room full of sixth graders. Realizing how fleeting it all is has reminded me of how wonderful it all has been. Today I received word that the renovation is indefinitely on hold; it seems that I may keep this space a little longer, if I will.

I think I may do just that.

One Star Review

For the second weekend in a row, despite high hopes, we watched an unsatisfying movie on Saturday night. Last week it was the new Marvel flick, The Eternals, and last night it was Ridley Scott's medieval drama, The Last Duel. Although very different films, in my opinion both suffered from the same problem: too much information. With running times of over two and a half hours, the movies were too ambitious for their own good. 

In The Eternals, we must meet and learn the stories of the ten (ten!) title characters. There's over an hour and a half of exposition before the true conflict is revealed, and then another hour to resolve it. Marvel is setting up a new franchise here, possibly to replace the Avengers, but even in the Academy Award winning hands of Chloe Zhao, the movie lags. 

Oscars are in no short supply for the cast and crew of The Last Duel, either. Ridley Scott and Ben Affleck both have directing nods, and Affleck and Matt Damon won for their screenplay of Good Will Hunting. None of that talent could salvage Duel for me. Based on the true story of Marguerite Carrouges, who accused Jacques Le Gris, a squire of Normandy, of rape, triggering her husband's duel to the death with him, The Last Duel is a compelling story, told once, maybe even twice, but in this film we see the same events from the perspectives of all three main characters. As each re-telling adds very little to the narrative, the technique is overkill, ultimately unpleasant and worse, boring.

Fingers crossed we'll have better luck next Saturday Night.

One Satisfied Customer

 At the end of the essay unit yesterday, I was helping a student finish his writing. "What's your claim?" I asked him.

"That you are a terrible babysitter," he told me, "because you are bossy, evil, and manipulative."

I nodded, unfazed. I knew he was writing his essay about the story I had written about a bad babysitting job. "What's your evidence?" I asked him.

We spent the next few minutes going over the story and polishing his argument. "Thanks!" he said when we were through. "That's a lot better."

"I guess I'm a better teacher than babysitter," I laughed.

"You really are!" he agreed.

Brain Freeze

The question today was, What one super power would you choose if you could? I was not prepared for the lively discussions that ensued; it seems like everyone has some serious thoughts on this issue. 

"I would control time!" declared one student. "That way I would never be late."

His classmates laughed.

"That's right," he continued, "everyone would be frozen, and I would be taking my time, stopping at 7-11 for breakfast."

"How would you pay?" someone asked. "The people would be frozen."

"That's right!" he said. "Even better! Think about everything I could take while everyone was frozen! And not just at 7-11."

"So you would be a super villain, then?" asked another student.

"Uhhhhhhh," he hesitated, "not exactly."

"Really?" she pressed. "Because it sounds like it to me."

"Okay," he conceded, "maybe I would unfreeze time to pay for my breakfast."

Age Appropriate

After doing a couple of jigsaw puzzles over the snow days, we decided to go all in and so we ordered a couple of new table lamps and fancy puzzle board with drawers and a cover. This way, we can do puzzles AND put them away should the need arise. I set it up right away when it came, and I have to admit, it's pretty cool.

Back at school, I was telling my friend Mary all about our nifty new set-up and all the puzzles we were planning to do.

"Wow!" she replied. "You really are turning sixty this year."

And Fun for All

"You know what I want to know?" I asked my homeroom the other day. We were watching the morning announcements, or "my favorite show" as I like to call it, and one of our ASL interpreters was standing behind the student announcements as usual. "I want to know how to do the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language!" 

They looked at me with a mix of amusement, interest, and skepticism. 

"We can do it!" I said. "I'll find a video!" And I did.

Over the years, I've mastered all sorts of random things that were of interest to my students. For example I learned the names of the Spice Girls, all the members of the Back Street Boys, and the words to Eminem's "Lose Yourself". One year, I bought juggling balls and we all tried to learn to juggle, and another year we sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" accompanied by a student on the violin and me on the ukulele. 

The pledge is a little complicated for this old brain of mine, but that's okay. We are going phrase by phrase, and so far we've reached ...to the United States of America." It's slow-going, but we've got time, and learning together is really fun.