Assessment

During our last meeting at new teacher training we had a discussion about giving "0's." I think there is a time and a place for a zero but they are far and few between. If a student has been given every opportunity to gain their points and they just refuse to do the work then their grade should reflect that. If a student cheats on a test then it may have something to do with my teaching. Maybe I didn't teach the material well enough and I should reflect back and see how I can evolve my strategies. Instead of giving that student a zero I could give them another similar test that is worth 50% of the original test. That way there is still a consequence for cheating but the student still has a chance to pass the class.

Assessment is something that could take an entire career to perfect, so I'm trying lots of strategies to see which ones work for me.

Love and Logic? Video Streaming

I have made an effort to meet every students as they come into the classroom. It seems to work pretty well. There are times that I have students to talk to etc that prohibit me from meeting every student. I have not used the video streaming because I do not have a T.V or projection unit in the Gym or the Shop lab. I am trying to work something out to get some sort of unit in the Gym to show short videos of games the student's aren't familiar with. Sometimes if they can see it in action they get a better understanding for the content.

2nd Tri

The second trimester is officially underway. I can already tell that my teaching has improved dramatically so far this year. My lessons for the first day of class were much better this time around. The students seemed to be better engaged and more informed about what was expected of them. I am looking forward to integrating some of the techniques and strategies that I have learned so far this year.

PE/Shop Update

School is going pretty well so far. I am always busy but thats not such a bad thing either. In PE we engage the students in 2 week units. We have completed our football and volleyball units. We are just now starting a soccer unit. In Shop the students have passed their initial measurement projects as well as their safety tests. They are now working on their projects. The 6th graders have a choice of building either a jewelery box or a clock. The 7th and 8th graders are building scale models of a house. They have to draft their houses before they can build them. I am also coaching the 7th grade football team. They are currently ranked 2nd in the league and will host a playoff game next Monday night.

.....And yes my students and myself still have all of our fingers and toes.

First Week of School

The first week of school was last week. Nobody lost any appendages and I didn't lose any kids so it wasn't too bad. I was pleased with the participation by the students. They all seemed like they were glad to be back in school. A few kids tried to push their luck and see how far they could take things. I think I handled it pretty well. Everyone has always told me its easier to be strict at the beginning then ease up later on, rather than the other way around. We'll see how the kids act this week now that they have a week under their belt.

School starts in a week

School starts August 31st. I will be teaching PE and Industrial Arts. My degree is in Exercise and Sport Science from Western State College. I have never taught shop a day in my life so it should be an interesting learning experience.