Quotes only for my benefit because they were adorable; for the most part they have absolutely nothing to do about learning.
"Miss Franklin, this is my favorite class. Well, yours and Miss Filkin's class. No really! For real. It's just so nice down here. I have so much fun in this class." --Emina 6th; Tammesha and Maria chimed in that this was their favorite class as well, besides Mr. Walker's class.
"Miss Franklin, you're so nice. You, be mean? I don't think I've ever seen you be mean. I like you. You're just so nice." --Donta, 7th.
"Can I have an eraser as a goodbye? Cause this is my last day in this class. I want to remember it." --Deavon, 6th.
After getting mad at my 6th hour, I sat down and was silent; my arms were crossed and I had a stern, unhappy expression on my face. "You're wasting my time by talking, so I'm going to waste your time for learning. Let me know when you're ready and I'll teach." I read fanfiction while I waited for them to be ready to learn. Suddenly, the class quieted down from their discussion about teachers' first names and I heard several soft, "I'm sorry, Miss Franklin." Omida (6th), Brandon (7th), and Veli (7th).
"I like you teacher." Danijel, 7th.
After asking my 8th hour if they really hadn't learned anything in here, Kevon (7th) replied, "I learned how to look stuff up on the computer. And we learned lots in here."
I then informed them that several other students had said they hadn't learned anything, and both Kevon and James (7th) gasped and said, "WHO SAID THAT!?" James shook his head and muttered to himself, "We learned lotsa crap in here. They be trippin."
"Don't talk to strangers," Damir (8th) stated to Sierra (6th), whom I happened to be talking with at that moment. Sierra gave him a strange look and said, "She's not a stranger, she's our teacher." Damir turned back to his project and muttered, "Teachers are strangers; do you know anything about her?" Sierra then countered, "Do your parents tell you not to talk to your teachers!?"
"Have you heard from the poetry contest people yet? I'm pretty positive that I won. My poems were awesome." Seth (6th) and Nickolas (7th), who are in different classes, during various times of the quarter. I had the students write three poems for a poetry contest.
About Me
- MsFranklin
- I am an oddball of a girl that is worth getting to know... or at least, so I'm told.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Just knife me in the heart, why dontcha.
So, I've been having my students working on the computers with who, what, when, where, why, how questions that I have literally hand-written for each students' needs, based on what their Read 180 book is about. If that's not modifying a lesson to accommodated each of their needs, I don't know what is! The students then go to http://www.google.com/ and they search for their specific subject. Subjects range from how to make chocolate, who is the founder of Halloween, who climbed Mount Everest and survived, what is the history of baseball, what is the most haunted house, who is your favorite band and what is their biography--it's all based on what book they are reading. They each have six questions to answer.
For example, I have several students reading the book, The Band. I sat down with each student and wrote out questions that were based on their reading levels. For Kasim, I made sure that the questions were fairly simple and short. "Who is your favorite band?" It sounds so simple, but it took him forever just to figure that one out and how to google it. Not to mention he was just screwing around on the internet by typing gibberish into the search line and then telling me he couldn't find anything. That boy absolutely infuriates me sometimes, and no, I didn't help him because he chose to waste my time. Anyhow. For another student who is more proficient, I wrote it in a different manner; "Who is your favorite band? Who are the members within that band (real names)?" Obviously it doesn't seem like that much of a difference, but the added sentence bogged down his time and he had to search within the text a little more.
I'm also having the students work on Responsibility posters. I'm pretty sick of the posters to be honest. However, Emina made me this really cute poster with my name on it, and it completely warmed my heart.
Speaking of my heart, it was crushed today! It's the last day of first quarter, and I posed the following question for the warm-up: "Think back on all of the things we have done this quarter. What do you think you learned the most about? Reflection should be 5-6 sentences."
Third hour had no problem with this. They wrote about our Alliteration sentences, the Donner Party project, the DOL, the posters we've done about respect and responsibility (and therefore what they've learned about those two words), about the centers...
And then fifth, six, and seventh hour came along. "Miss Franklin," Omida stated. "I didn't learn anything. All we did were projects."
O.O
It's true. For the most part, all we did were projects; there were no specific units of study because I don't have a textbook to follow and I'm pretty much just going by what I think they'd enjoy learning about. But they didn't learn anything from them? At all!? Just because I didn't do what the teachers upstairs were doing--for example, what Ashley's doing with her How to Write a Friendly Letter, which looked amazing and I wanted to steal it for myself for use later in life--doesn't mean I wasn't having them learn anything.
I posed my sad question to Sierra who had come up to my desk while I was writing this entry.
"Did you really not learn anything at all in this class?" I asked, saddened by this new, incredibly embarrassing knowledge.
Sierra frowned and said, "Yeah, we learned a lot in this class. We learned.... well, I can't think of anything but math right now, but we did learn a lot."
They don't even consider what they're doing with this research project learning!
So... my sincere, bottomless, completely wrong and stupid hope is that the projects were so much fun and so effortless for them that they learned things without even realizing that that's what they were doing.
Have the past nine weeks been completely useless and dumb? Oh my gosh. I'm so sad right now.
For example, I have several students reading the book, The Band. I sat down with each student and wrote out questions that were based on their reading levels. For Kasim, I made sure that the questions were fairly simple and short. "Who is your favorite band?" It sounds so simple, but it took him forever just to figure that one out and how to google it. Not to mention he was just screwing around on the internet by typing gibberish into the search line and then telling me he couldn't find anything. That boy absolutely infuriates me sometimes, and no, I didn't help him because he chose to waste my time. Anyhow. For another student who is more proficient, I wrote it in a different manner; "Who is your favorite band? Who are the members within that band (real names)?" Obviously it doesn't seem like that much of a difference, but the added sentence bogged down his time and he had to search within the text a little more.
I'm also having the students work on Responsibility posters. I'm pretty sick of the posters to be honest. However, Emina made me this really cute poster with my name on it, and it completely warmed my heart.
Speaking of my heart, it was crushed today! It's the last day of first quarter, and I posed the following question for the warm-up: "Think back on all of the things we have done this quarter. What do you think you learned the most about? Reflection should be 5-6 sentences."
Third hour had no problem with this. They wrote about our Alliteration sentences, the Donner Party project, the DOL, the posters we've done about respect and responsibility (and therefore what they've learned about those two words), about the centers...
And then fifth, six, and seventh hour came along. "Miss Franklin," Omida stated. "I didn't learn anything. All we did were projects."
O.O
It's true. For the most part, all we did were projects; there were no specific units of study because I don't have a textbook to follow and I'm pretty much just going by what I think they'd enjoy learning about. But they didn't learn anything from them? At all!? Just because I didn't do what the teachers upstairs were doing--for example, what Ashley's doing with her How to Write a Friendly Letter, which looked amazing and I wanted to steal it for myself for use later in life--doesn't mean I wasn't having them learn anything.
I posed my sad question to Sierra who had come up to my desk while I was writing this entry.
"Did you really not learn anything at all in this class?" I asked, saddened by this new, incredibly embarrassing knowledge.
Sierra frowned and said, "Yeah, we learned a lot in this class. We learned.... well, I can't think of anything but math right now, but we did learn a lot."
They don't even consider what they're doing with this research project learning!
So... my sincere, bottomless, completely wrong and stupid hope is that the projects were so much fun and so effortless for them that they learned things without even realizing that that's what they were doing.
Have the past nine weeks been completely useless and dumb? Oh my gosh. I'm so sad right now.
Friday, October 12, 2007
A nice off day
I truly wish I had more days like today. I've done nothing but laugh and feel warmth from my students, not that half of them or here or anything.
It's a Muslim holiday, so a lot of them are missing today. Some of my little Bosnians and Russians showed up today, but a mass majority didn't.
It's not that I'm glad those students are gone. Many of the students absent today are ones that I really have fun with normally. But it's just that today is very relaxed. The students here are literally just a blast today. Deavon, who is reading my Harry Potter books, is curled up in my little nook with the pillows (at this very moment), and at one point had made a little fort, calling out names of kids and making them curious as to where he could be; Brandon turned around, looked at me, then turned around again and muttered, "Where on earth is he? I know he said my name...". I burst out laughing when I noticed what he had done; it was just too cute! There have been moments like this all day so far, and it's really refreshing.
Sanela, a girl that I normally have a lot of issues with, stayed with me for two whole hours today, cleaning my desk, taking roll, going outside the classroom and taking down all of the old projects, cleaning out the file cabinet, and even going through the Respect posters and writing down the names of those who had done them. She was beyond helpful, and I think we had a good connection today as a result. She left after 3rd hour to go celebrate the holiday with her family.
Lauren's been very chipper around me since my talk with her a few weeks ago. Everytime she sees me her face lights up with a smile and she makes it a point to stop in front of me and say, "Hi Miss Franklin! Are you having a good day today?" Her classwork leaves much to be desired, but it's okay since I know that she's a resource student; she's going to have some trouble with what I'm asking of her in the hour she has me, and I've been doing my best to modify her lessons. For example, she is to create a board game for her book report, and instead of creating 20 facts I allowed for 10, and I also informed her of a way in which she could make the board, watching as she attempted to follow my directions. She seems to be doing very well right now, and I'm pleased with her.
I have oldies music playing right now on the radio, and the kids for the most part ignore it placidly, and sometimes they break out in silly song voices. It's really funny and adorable.
It's a Muslim holiday, so a lot of them are missing today. Some of my little Bosnians and Russians showed up today, but a mass majority didn't.
It's not that I'm glad those students are gone. Many of the students absent today are ones that I really have fun with normally. But it's just that today is very relaxed. The students here are literally just a blast today. Deavon, who is reading my Harry Potter books, is curled up in my little nook with the pillows (at this very moment), and at one point had made a little fort, calling out names of kids and making them curious as to where he could be; Brandon turned around, looked at me, then turned around again and muttered, "Where on earth is he? I know he said my name...". I burst out laughing when I noticed what he had done; it was just too cute! There have been moments like this all day so far, and it's really refreshing.
Sanela, a girl that I normally have a lot of issues with, stayed with me for two whole hours today, cleaning my desk, taking roll, going outside the classroom and taking down all of the old projects, cleaning out the file cabinet, and even going through the Respect posters and writing down the names of those who had done them. She was beyond helpful, and I think we had a good connection today as a result. She left after 3rd hour to go celebrate the holiday with her family.
Lauren's been very chipper around me since my talk with her a few weeks ago. Everytime she sees me her face lights up with a smile and she makes it a point to stop in front of me and say, "Hi Miss Franklin! Are you having a good day today?" Her classwork leaves much to be desired, but it's okay since I know that she's a resource student; she's going to have some trouble with what I'm asking of her in the hour she has me, and I've been doing my best to modify her lessons. For example, she is to create a board game for her book report, and instead of creating 20 facts I allowed for 10, and I also informed her of a way in which she could make the board, watching as she attempted to follow my directions. She seems to be doing very well right now, and I'm pleased with her.
I have oldies music playing right now on the radio, and the kids for the most part ignore it placidly, and sometimes they break out in silly song voices. It's really funny and adorable.
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Smacking a gorilla"s behind
at World's of Fun, June 2, 2007