Tuesday, November 23, 2010

11/23

Luc annoyed!  Luc frustrated!  Luc smash!  Well...almost.

Remember when I was getting meaner and succeeding in reigning in some out-of-control students?  Since then, I've somewhat reverted back to my overly patient/tolerant/forgiving self.  I have recently been letting students get away with far too many disruptions and today I should have given out about 12 detentions.  Seriously.  The General Music students were so immature today that, in the last class, I resorted to putting names on the board with check marks next to them, promising a detention at 3 marks (which is too many, I didn't give any detentions).  I even told them I would have to treat them like 3rd-graders if they kept acting like 3rd-graders.  They did, so I did.  I'm scared to discipline (partly due to my naive educational ideas about making kids care more about teachers being disappointed in them than in threats of punishment), and I need to get over it.  We're going to watch a movie tomorrow after I tell them that I will be giving detentions when I have to and that after break, I'm dropping the hammer.

I forgot to complain a couple days ago about how I was preparing to show that movie in Theory and noticed that our projector (on a cart in the choir room) was missing.  Nobody knew where it was and I borrowed one from the library.  I've continued borrowing because the projector is still missing and nobody in the HS knows where it is.

My final frustration for today: this week is a waste.  The week prior to any major break from school is a waste; students have left early either physically or mentally.  My solution to this would be to make no pre-break week any longer than Monday and Tuesday (with an early dismissal).  I think that the week before the winter break is a complete M-F, and I'm pretty sure most classes won't be able to accomplish anything worth those 5 days.

5 comments:

  1. What does your cooperating teacher offer as advice? I'm sure she is wise, and you should immediately implement her ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  2. She's a bit of a nut case...if you only knew!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How long has she been teaching? Was she once upon a time nice and naive? What will happen to you? (I feel like there should be an evil laugh inserted here...but the idea of you needing another reason to smash has me resisting ;) )

    ReplyDelete
  4. She's been teaching for almost 20 years. She was never nice! Haha, she's actually very nice, the students love her, but I don't know if naïvety lasted long for her. I've no clue what will come of me.

    ReplyDelete