Ahhh...the respite that is Thanksgiving break. In the frenzy that holiday season begets, it was nice to sit down and actually have time to read for pleasure. Yes, I actually found the time and mental space to read a book that was highly recommended by a friend.
Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was an incredible metaphor for how the processes of the story actually mirrors life. We are all characters, often prompted by "inciting incidents" and the climactic situations in order to force us along our personal journies. It was a great read and I came back to The School lighter...a renewed perspective after being stagnant in a personal cesspool for too long.
Anywhoo...the first trimester is officially over and now I must begin the task of transcribing my class discussion and cataloging the data I've collected from the "Girl" unit I did with the boys a few weeks back. I was supposed to do a focus group, but decided after the awesome discussion we had that it might be repetitive. Hopefully, I won't regret not doing it. Maybe I'll do some sort of summative thought/writing/feedback closer to the end of this project.
It's funny...I don't view this task as a project all that often. It feels more like what I'm supposed to be doing as a teacher. You know, thinking about how to engage my boys, listening to what they're saying (even if they've muted any audible utterances), and make everyday adjustments to how and what I "teach." I like eavesdropping on their conversations and hearing especially when things are dry and boring. My boys challenge me everyday to be creative and while not "all the world's a stage" everyday, I'd like to think that beyond critically interpreting characterization or learning grammar, they see some relevance to what I'm doing.
Recently, I introduced the "dreaded" research paper (3-4 pages is hardly anything to dread) and because I'm heading to a conference, I decided to use Google Docs to keep up to speed with the first steps. It's been a good tool to use, though I haven't left for California yet. I am able to immediately respond to emerging theses statements and brainstorms. Plus, I can tell when the boys actually did their homework :) For a while, I was hesitant about the "glitzy glam" of technology that seems oh so trendy in classroom nowadays. If it didn't make the product or the process better, why use it. I guess I'm taking baby steps...interestingly, though, I'm part of a generation that grew up with computers and cell phones readily available.
Off to the West...
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