Even though I didn’t get to sleep until around 2 am, I woke up right on time - 5:58 - two full minutes before the alarm was set to sound.
I made it to work early and was able to get everything ready to go by 8 am. This left me some time to walk the halls and see everyone again. Of course, my freshman football players - one was even clad in a suit - were on me immediately, but they are good kids. I also saw several familiar faces - plenty of juniors. As usual the seniors were scarce. I guess the right of being a senior under the block scheduling system is getting to schedule free periods from amassing credits during their sophomore and junior years, so many were gone.
But the jaunt around the place got me ready for the day.
First hour - Literature and Language 11
A full house - 30 students. I didn’t try the “Let’s have all 60 eyes up here on me” line. I forgot. One thing I truly appreciate about these kids is how well the relate to me. I had them laughing right off the bat. It wasn’t the same story when I tried to get a discussion going on the concept of “The American Dream/Nightmare,” but it never is easy.
We discussed what comprises the American Dream - mainly money, a good job, and freedom. I tried to use that as a connecting point for some of the motivation Columbus and other explorers had for sailing to the New World. Then we discussed the American Nightmare. Here I used some of the gloom and doom stuff from William Dagget Jr about this generation of kids not being expected to earn as much money as their parents and intense competition in the global economy. I used this as a connecting point to what the natives in the New World faced when the Europeans came. Here I talked about Columbus’s “Gold Dust Rituals,” in which he forced the Taino Indians into bringing him a certain quota of gold periodically. If the quota wasn’t met, he had their hand(s) severed. Not exactly the old grade school version of Columbus that we are taught early on is it?
Then I tried a discussion on what we could possible compare Columbus’s voyage to the New World to today. I tried a mission to Mars, but that didn’t go anywhere.
Next I had them read two selections from the text, a bit of Columbus’s journal and a section from de Vaca’s journal.
I finished the hour having the students fill out a note card with the following information on it -
I have my reasons in parenthesis.
1. Name
2. email (if you have one) -- (A good way to contact them if they’re gone)
3. Do you have an ipod or mp3 player? - (to use in the lab and for podcasts)
4. List three of your favorite hobbies? - (to see if I can tap into any of these in class)
5. What are you most passionate about? - (ditto)
6. What word best defines you? - (just to see what they will say)
7. In a sentence, sum up what a friend would say about you? - (again, to see what they will say and to see if they can write a complete sentence)
8. What is one goal you have for this class? - (always an interesting one)
9. If you could ask one question about this class, what would it be? - (to see what they are worried about or might be unclear on)
10. What was your favorite class before this one? - (obviously their favorite all-time class will be this one when they’re done, but I want to see either what they liked or what they did well in previously)
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My prep was productive. I called Kristie to see how KoKo got off for her first day of ‘high school’ - her school has no middle school, so it’s just 7-12. Kristie said she came downstairs and saw KoKo sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal saying, “Just think I was right here last year as a sixth grader. But now it’s seventh grade and I’m off to high school.” What a thing to say!
Later I saw a former student, Justin, from last year who just about drove me nuts. He missed almost half of the entire first class until he was put in a half way house. Then he still put in a minimal effort. However, we soon began to get to know each other. I particularly liked his sense of humor (I’ll never forget the time he was lamenting about having to go to court yet again. One student said, “Justin you wouldn’t have to go to court all the time if you could just stay out of trouble.” Justin, without really thinking about it, replied with an air of experience and regret about him, “Man, I don’t get into trouble. Trouble gets into me!”). Once we had a relationship built, his work began to flow in. Mind you it wasn’t great work, barely passing, but that was a major accomplishment for him. So when I saw him, he got a big smile on his face and shook my hand. Then he followed me in to my room and filled m in about his trip to Wisconsin Dells. I didn’t realize just how much I missed having him in class until just then.
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I muddled my way through Lit and Language 12 (British Literature). The class is rowdy and I had to get on top of things right away. So I was off and running before I really knew what I was doing. But I am passionate about British history and literature, so that carried the class. The discussions weren’t anything great, but it’s the first day. I called on several various students and tried to make eye contact with everyone else. I hope they felt connected. Most are former students, but there are a few unfamiliar faces.
Day two will only be better.
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