Do I have to??

I'm beginning to wonder who does what for my kids when they're at home. In class today, I gave an assignment to answer some questions after reading a couple of pages in the text. Not more than 5 seconds after assigning the task does one hand go up.... "I don't get it." I SO wanted to say- Of course you don't, you didn't bother to try!

I'm also learning that I hate the phrase "Do we have to?" ... this is in response to all kinds of directives and activities....

Do we have to ....

• take notes? ... nope- just practicing my handwriting.
• show the work? ... only if you want to get a good grade.
• put a heading and write in script? ... only if you want me to know to whom the grade goes and you want full credit....
• have to finish this for homework? ... nah- it was something for you to do because you were being noisy.

and about the returning of homework/folders/signed papers/etc?

• my mom forgot to give it to me.
• mom didn't put it in my backpack
• i didn't know we had to do that
• i was supposed to bring that back?

I mean, wow! What would they ever do without mom!? In my elementary days, if we left it at home, not only was it our fault, but it stayed there and was brought in the next day. There was no going back after hours to get books/assignments/clothing/lunchboxes/etc. There was no going back home to get the forgotten homework, musical instrument, or sneakers for gym class. We also didn't get to do the "good stuff" like play or have a treat of some kind, until all the "yucky stuff" (like homework) was done. And, WOW! If a bad grade came home, or I got in trouble in school... forget it!! Big time punishment that I didn't even think of trying to get out of.

What ever happened to teaching responsibility for one's actions? to owning up to making mistakes and/or doing something wrong, and then paying the consequence? Do kids even have consequences anymore?

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about because I'm not a parent (had a colleague say that to me once)... but I've been responsible for more than enough kids in my "short" life... some as teacher/mentor, some as employer/employee... they've all turned out good by my estimation. I know I can't take total credit for the whole person they've become, but I can tell you this- "my kids" know my rules and follow them... whether they're 10, or 26... and I've even seen some of the older ones pass on some of my tricks and particulars to the kids in their lives.

I turned out OK- mom did a good job with me. I know who I am (most days) and I make pretty big difference in some small worlds. That's good enough for me.

Genius strikes again?

Well... I learned that I'm not the only one who is being taught these new lessons in school. A fellow collegue was telling a story at lunch the other day... she happens to teach Social Studies, as do I.
She asked her students (who were mine last year) to write the names of the 6 New England states as a bonus question on a test. The responses?

Cape Cod
Mississippi
Europe
North Dakota


and she mentioned to them that she heard me actually teach them the correct answers...

makes me feel a bit better about my own geographical deficiencies... but also makes me wonder- what happens to brains over the summer?

Um... what am I supposed to do again??

Directions... are they just decoration, or do they serve some kind of purpose? Do I have to read them, or will they tell me what they say?

Being a person who reads and uses directions every single day, and especially if I'm trying to put something together, I don't get how some people just choose to ignore them. It makes me wonder sometimes how they get through the daily grind.

I'm convinced that these questions actually run through some kids heads when there's work to be done or a test to be taken. What I don't think will ever be made clear, is whether or not the kids figure out the answers to them. And of course, there are my two personal favorite phrases: "What?" and "I don't get it." - both of which are said immediately after directions are given- either to the general population or specifically to the individual.

Now, I know when I was a kid I used to say "what?" all the time... so much so that my parents had my hearing tested. Wasn't a hearing thing. Today processing would be questioned... wasn't that either because I could basically repeat what I had questioned only a few moments before. So it must have been a listening thing. Which I got over. But how do you teach that to a group of students? How do you stress the importance of listening the first time, and make sure they've all heard what's being said?

I'm trying an experiment in my class: giving the directions only once. So far (and it's only been a day) it's failing miserably. Whether it's selective hearing, selective listening, or something else altoghether, some things just don't compute. Volume doesn't help, and speed can only help some. The thing is to find a trick that will catch them all at the same time so they're all listening attentively to you... not their neighbor. I'm still looking.

Mrs. Anna said it best

If you've ever seen The King and I, you know that Mrs. Anna is the teacher that is brought to Siam to teach Western ways to the princes and princesses. In one of her many songs, she mentions that "... if you become a teacher, by your pupils you'll be taught..."

and boy have I been learning!

I've learned that math is totally different from when I learned it in school. That the two parts of Congress are the Senate and the White House of Representatives. That a reason for giving an answer was "because it sounded good". That random facts are excellent distractions to a teacher giving notes. And that every teacher exhibits a bit of "ADD" on a daily basis.

I've been learning that socks with holes are reason to interrupt lessons. The most annoying thing to hear is "Can I ask you a question?" for no reason at all. That any other topic is more important than the one that is being presented at the moment. And every subject in school can be related (randomly or not) to something that happened to them yesterday, last week/month/year, or "when I was little".

Laughter is said to be the best medicine. Whomever said this must have had access to children, for they are the best source of laughter. They laugh at themselves, each other, the teacher, the silly noises they make, whatever it is that strikes them funny. And being a contagious disease, laughter spreads from one student to the next, throughout the class, and eventually to me. So I guess I'm going to be the smartest, healthiest teacher in the business by the time I'm ready to be done.

To think that I'm at the beginning of a lengthy career in education makes me ask just one question: If I keep learning, what am I going to do with all this information? My family thinks I should write a book!

New Math!!!

O.K. ... so I gave a math test the other day. I have learned that I have been doing Math wrong for all these years.

$12.00 - $4.00 = $12.00

14 - 5 = 19

17 - 9= 9


among many others. All, of course, after I read the directions to them and had them highlight the important bits.

When I put these new math problems on the board this morning, they looked at me like I had 12 heads! "Those aren't right!" I heard from many. My response to them: "Duh!"

It all comes down to these few simple words... THEY DON'T LISTEN! and if they are listening, it doesn't compute. Where is the connection between the brain and the ears?? Which synapses have gone on vacation months early, if they were even there in the first place?

And it's like I tell my "loud-volumed" friends- volume does not increase understanding. In fact, I sometimes get better results when I whisper. At least I know they're paying attention then.