Emotions in 3C & all around...
I failed my second lockdown drill.
If you remember here, I had the hardest time trying to do the simplest task for our first drill.
Now that my students and the world know that I can't lock a door under the pressure of a ringing bell, I might as well let it be known I failed the second time too - only this time I wasn't in class when we had our drill. I was on my prep period, and I, along with two other teachers, were supposed to be in charge of the cafeteria. I don't want to go into details but let's just say that we weren't supposed to get down on the floor of the cafeteria like we thought we were supposed to.
***
My 3Cs are a great group of kids and we spend a lot of time branching out from the literature to talk about religion, politics, and everyday life. It's been proven that students learn more when they can make connections to real things. For example, it's great if you read a book. However, it's even greater and more worthwhile if that book speaks out to you in some way, if it touches you or gets you to think differently about something through the activity of your reading. I've charted the 3C course so that the main theme is social justice. Right now we're in the middle of one of our more serious novels - one dealing with death on a large scale. Needless to say, emotions will be running pretty high in my class for awhile, especially since I can barely hold back my own tears when I'm reading.
My students were quite shaken up this week and so was I. We spent a whole class discussing Virginia Tech and what it means for students who go to school in this country and the next, with the idea that school is a safe place for them. I'm having them watch Bowling for Columbine tomorrow. I think it's excellent for them to watch, it'll give them a break from the loads of writing that I weigh them down with every class and it will also help channel our discussions to something that might actually make sense. I want them to see that we can't end all our discussions with "I hate Bush" statements, but rather there needs to be a "why" reason. I want to know the "so what" reason to their thesis statements. That means instead of "Bush sucks," I need "the gun control laws in that the U.S. government supports, sucks." Once they've got that down, they can go thesaurus happy and substitute something better for "sucks."
In case you can't tell, we're working through the steps of composing an argumentative essay backed with evidence.
P.S Please remember the students at Virginia Tech in your prayers and at the same time, remember the people who suffer everyday all over the world. There are students who will never write an essay again and there are those who on a daily basis don't have the resources in place for them to even go to school. Both situations are equally tragic.
If you remember here, I had the hardest time trying to do the simplest task for our first drill.
Now that my students and the world know that I can't lock a door under the pressure of a ringing bell, I might as well let it be known I failed the second time too - only this time I wasn't in class when we had our drill. I was on my prep period, and I, along with two other teachers, were supposed to be in charge of the cafeteria. I don't want to go into details but let's just say that we weren't supposed to get down on the floor of the cafeteria like we thought we were supposed to.
***
My 3Cs are a great group of kids and we spend a lot of time branching out from the literature to talk about religion, politics, and everyday life. It's been proven that students learn more when they can make connections to real things. For example, it's great if you read a book. However, it's even greater and more worthwhile if that book speaks out to you in some way, if it touches you or gets you to think differently about something through the activity of your reading. I've charted the 3C course so that the main theme is social justice. Right now we're in the middle of one of our more serious novels - one dealing with death on a large scale. Needless to say, emotions will be running pretty high in my class for awhile, especially since I can barely hold back my own tears when I'm reading.
My students were quite shaken up this week and so was I. We spent a whole class discussing Virginia Tech and what it means for students who go to school in this country and the next, with the idea that school is a safe place for them. I'm having them watch Bowling for Columbine tomorrow. I think it's excellent for them to watch, it'll give them a break from the loads of writing that I weigh them down with every class and it will also help channel our discussions to something that might actually make sense. I want them to see that we can't end all our discussions with "I hate Bush" statements, but rather there needs to be a "why" reason. I want to know the "so what" reason to their thesis statements. That means instead of "Bush sucks," I need "the gun control laws in that the U.S. government supports, sucks." Once they've got that down, they can go thesaurus happy and substitute something better for "sucks."
In case you can't tell, we're working through the steps of composing an argumentative essay backed with evidence.
P.S Please remember the students at Virginia Tech in your prayers and at the same time, remember the people who suffer everyday all over the world. There are students who will never write an essay again and there are those who on a daily basis don't have the resources in place for them to even go to school. Both situations are equally tragic.
posted by 'liya @ 8:02 p.m.
12 comments
12 Comments:
At 10:34 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
It's so sad that these are the drills they have now...I had fire and tornado drills. Never a "if someone comes in trying to kill us all" drill. I'm glad your school is preparing for something that hopefully never ever happens. I hope schools stay safe, and get safer, and we don't have to rob our children of all their innocence too soon.
At 7:04 a.m.,
sara said…
1016Liya i'm so proud of the way you're teaching and making your students really think. And having the confidence to interupt your sylibus to stick in something relevent and topical!!!! On a funner note, let me know how your shopping trip with my mom goes today!
At 5:18 p.m.,
Nikki Neurotic said…
You sound like one of those teachers I would have loved to have...somewhere along the lines of my eleventh grade English teacher. She was a lot of fun, she gave a lot of work that was challenging but at the same time it was the good type of challenging.
What grade do you teach?
I think it's good, but sad that your school has the drills. Even if you didn't do what you were suppose to (hey, I'd have done the same thing!) I'm sure you'll remember for the next drill.
At 7:45 p.m.,
'liya said…
Ruby: Yeah I never had lockdown drills either... it's scary... and just sad, but completely necessary to have.
Sara: We watched the first part of the movie today and I'm happy with their reaction to it (only one of them had seen it before).
And I'm going to email you two pictures from the shopping trip. I'm modelling so ignore the scar on my forehead.
Silverneurotic: Well what a coincedence, I teach grade 11! It's the best!
I hope I remember for next time too... our next drill is supposed to be a surprise (we were told ahead of time about this one).
At 10:35 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
Good choice Liya, Bowling for Columbine will help open their eyes.
Take care,
- Bilqis
At 11:33 p.m.,
'liya said…
Bilqis: Oh it definitely did, their reactions were exactly how I hoped.
At 11:37 p.m.,
Abigail S said…
This whole thing is so sad. What is happening to the world?
My school has drills like that, too. If we're in the cafeteria, we are supposed to run into the kitchen storage room... Though, I don't think it's big enough to hold all the kids... The kinks need to be worked out on that one.
At 3:33 p.m.,
brandy said…
You sound like a great teacher, and honestly, last month I was teaching and forgot that a child had gone to the bathroom during a fire drill, so I you're not the only one who makes mistakes. I felt really horrible about it until a teacher who had been teaching 30+ years told me she's done the same thing. Oh, and about your question, I sub, so I'm at different schools all the time..
At 4:44 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
if u taught in an islamic school u wouldnt have these problems!!!!
At 5:08 p.m.,
'liya said…
Abigail: Well that makes more sense then what we have to do which is to move all the cafeteria kids to the library - which means you have to walk through the hallway to do that :S
Brandy: We're supposed to keep track of who goes to the washroom and everything but it's so hard especially when you're in the middle of a lesson so I know what you mean. Usually I get them to write their names on the blackboard if they're leaving the class but during a real life situation am I really going to check the board? No!
Anonymous: I don't think any school/place of learning is exempt from any kind of surprise attack like this.. if you're referring to drills then I certainly hope your school practises them.
At 3:48 a.m.,
sara said…
i don't get anonymous' comment. that's like saying if you taught at an islamic school, there'd be a risk of getting blown up.
At 11:36 p.m.,
'liya said…
Sara: I don't really get it either but I hopefully my current post will clear things up for Anonymous here who seems to keep leaving 'Islamic school' comments - why I can never teach at an Islamic school and why I'll never send my children to one. Because they aren't good. And if you're in charge of teaching other people - you need to be the best and that means working for the best.
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