It’s time for the final project!

I’ve just introduced our final project to my 4th period U.S. History class.  They’re making a music video for Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”  (Here’s an example!)  I’m sure teachers all over the country are assigning the same project, but it looks like something my students (many of whom are part of the media technology specialty) will enjoy.

The song is already stuck in my head.

Thanks to this guy for letting me borrow the idea.

SO UPSETTING!

It’s not even 9:00 and I’m already worn out.

The funeral is this morning, it’s rainy outside (again!), and don’t even get me started on the Mavs’ heartbreaking loss to those thugs from Golden State last night.

I’m mad at Bill Simmons, I’m mad at Don Nelson, and if I have to look at one more headline about “Golden Boys” with Baron Davis’ smug face staring back at me from the photograph, I’ll poke my own eyes out.

Could someone please write something about how this “upset” was not as “surprising,” “stunning,” or “historic” as it looks on paper?  Can someone please mention the tiny detail about how Golden State finished off the regular season with the best record in the league?  Can someone talk about how they weren’t a true eighth seed?

Here’s the thing.  I play fantasy football with my husband and his buddies every year.  Yeah – I’m THAT girl.  Every year they laugh at me during the draft, but every year they’re crying about my team when the playoffs roll around.  On my fantasy team, there are no thugs allowed.  You don’t make my roster with a bad attitude, a diva mentality, a drug problem, pending criminal charges, or a mouth that constantly talks badly about your teammates and/or coach.  So what if I pick my defense in the third round?  In my book, that’s how you end up with a better defense than the other guys – and defense counts for half the game as far as I’m concerned.

I’m mad that my Mavs can’t get a break.  I’m mad that they don’t get the credit when they deserve it but they get all the blame when they don’t.  I’m just mad.

I know I’m whining like a spoiled child, but I don’t care. I just need to be mad right now.

On the positive side: today is our employability skills lunch.  The beef mist will be permeating the air in a matter of hours!

Differentiation

A colleage started a discussion on differentiation last week, and I decided to write my own post about it.  If you feel like joining the discussion, it’s probably best to do it over on his blog.

The word “differentiation” kind of depresses me.

The thing is, I get mired in the irony of the fact that I could differentiate to the point that my kids are doing the same lesson 150 different ways, but in the end, the State is going to gauge mastery by testing all of them in exactly the same manner.

(Quick side note: I love that the Wikipedia article on TAKS now has the “The neutrality of this article is disputed” disclaimer.  LOVE IT.)

Well, that and the fact that it’s only my second year and I just don’t have it down yet.

I’ve had small successes this year; I think I’ve got a decent grasp on differentiating by product, like one of the commenters on the other blog said.  It’s probably the easiest way I can think of to integrate differentiation into the classroom, but I also draw a blank when I try to think of ways to do it really effectively without using technology.

I think for me the key is to do a little bit more each year.  I’m proud of how much I’ve grown in the last year, but I have no qualms about admitting that I still have a long way to go!

I probably have more to say on the topic, but I just got home.  I took tomorrow off – just because I need a random weekday break – and I don’t feel like putting my thinking cap back on until first thing Friday morning.

Until then…!

On Being Unprepared

I got to school this morning a few minutes before my first class of the day.  It was a normal day until a colleague pulled me aside and let me know that we lost a student last night in a fire at her home.

Last year was my first year to teach, and I had this student in my 6th period U.S. history class.  She was a beautiful, delightful young lady to work with.

It’s a sensitive situation, and I’m not sure how much is appropriate for me to say.  What I do know is that I wasn’t prepared for this moment.  There weren’t any classes on this in my certification program.  We have crisis counselors on campus to help students handle the news, but I’m not sure what I am supposed to do….