College

At tennis, one the kids - a typically loud, cocky, doesn't listen to anyone but is a very talented kid - came up to me because he wanted to ask me a question. This kid and I barely spoke to each other at all during last year's season, and this year we have talked here and there but in no way would I see myself as someone he would approach with a question.

For the next half hour we had a full-on discussion on his college plans for next year and how picked one school, sent in his deposit, but now is having second thoughts. We talked about what he liked about his two top schools, what he hated about them, what he thinks, what I thought (but I made sure not to force my opinion on him - it was more important for him to figure this out, I was just going to help him get there), and so on.

At the end of it, he decided to switch schools, had the biggest smile on his face, and now knows that he can come to me if he has an issue.

Made me feel good as a coach

Plagiarism

Over the month of April - since we only had 11 days of actual school (Easter, vacation, professional days for teachers) my students had to either watch Remember the Titans or The Help. Then write a page and a half essay explaining how the movie portrays the Civil Rights Movement and which characters best represent desegregation, and which represent segregation. 


I assigned the essay April 3rd - it was due April 30th.


On May 1st, two students hand in their papers (already a day late) and after reading through one and then the first four words of the other, I realize they are the exact same. Within the first few words they both spell "movie" without the "i" even. I will say, the essays aren't the EXACT same, one student said "blacks and whites" and the other wrote "African-Americans and Caucasians."


In any case - brought that to the Vice Principal of Academics and they both got zeros for the assignment. Also, both students have already come to see me to apologize (not something they are told they have to do)

On a plane!

I class earlier this week we were talking about the JFK assassination and went through the entire ordeal. The next day we started talking about Robert F. Kennedy and a student asked if he got assassinated too. I explained that he did, but that we would talk about that later on.

“On a plane! He died on a plane right?”

“No, he died in a hotel kitchen.”

“Well which one was assassinated on a plane?”

I had to stop and think, but I realized he was talking about John F. Kennedy Jr.

“JFK Jr. died in a plane crash, he wasn’t assassinated – but that’s how he died”

“Wait? JFK Jr.? Wait, whose son was he? ……… Ooh, that was bad”

(same girl who thought Iwo Jima was the Moon landing)

Coming Soon!

• JFK Jr.
• College decisions
• Plagiarism (again)

Review Game

Question: What was the name of the speech Martin Luther King Jr. Gave at the March on Washington?
Answer: (student yelling) I GIVE A SPEECH!

Schedule

Just found out my schedule for next year. Sadly, I no longer have only one prep (US History II). I'll only have two sections of juniors, and now I will also have three sections of the highest level freshmen.

Fun.

Blank

Oh school.


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