Sunday, April 11, 2004
Good Idea, Bad Idea: Spring Break Edition
This was originally slated to be posted sometime before the last few hours of spring break...but better late than never.
And now another edition of Good Idea, Bad Idea.
Good Idea: Helping students prepare for standardized tests in their regular classes.
Bad Idea: Not helping students learn what appropriate test taking behavior is their regular classes. (So much cussing...)
Good Idea: Coaching students in the freshman intramural basketball tournament.
Bad Idea: Playing against the winners of the freshman intramural basketball tournament.
Good Idea: Ordering pizza for the students after the final basketball game.
Bad Idea : Ordering pizza from a new place, resulting in pizza showing up 30 minutes later than expected.
Good Idea: Holding an anti-violence assembly with speakers from local community organizations.
Bad Idea: Not informing the faculty outside of a tacked on addendum to a memo the day of the event forcing a certain teacher to run around like a crazed idiot trying to find out what was going on.
Good Idea: Giving students individual pieces of dry ice to work with in class.
Bad Idea : Giving students the means (ziploc bags) to smuggle pieces of dry ice to other classes. (Fortunately, the other teachers recognized the substance for what it was and avoided student entreaties to touch it..)
Good Idea: Taking students to the science labs on the third floor.
Bad Idea: Expecting students who have forgotten their safety contracts for the entirety of the marking period to change this habit.
Good Idea: Checking out an alternate history novel to read for fun.
Bad Idea: Finishing an alternate history novel in one four hour sitting...beginning at 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM.
Good Idea: Spending spring break by myself catching up on work.
Bad Idea : Spending spring break by myself catching up on work.
In other news, there are approximately 10 weeks left in the school year. That’s about 50 days. In my experience, it isn’t particularly healthy to look beyond the moment when one is attempting challenging tasks...but this seems like a momentous occasion and one worth noting here. I can only hope that I can get through all the material my students deserve to learn in the short time remaining to us.
Oh...and happy Passover all.
This was originally slated to be posted sometime before the last few hours of spring break...but better late than never.
And now another edition of Good Idea, Bad Idea.
Good Idea: Helping students prepare for standardized tests in their regular classes.
Bad Idea: Not helping students learn what appropriate test taking behavior is their regular classes. (So much cussing...)
Good Idea: Coaching students in the freshman intramural basketball tournament.
Bad Idea: Playing against the winners of the freshman intramural basketball tournament.
Good Idea: Ordering pizza for the students after the final basketball game.
Bad Idea : Ordering pizza from a new place, resulting in pizza showing up 30 minutes later than expected.
Good Idea: Holding an anti-violence assembly with speakers from local community organizations.
Bad Idea: Not informing the faculty outside of a tacked on addendum to a memo the day of the event forcing a certain teacher to run around like a crazed idiot trying to find out what was going on.
Good Idea: Giving students individual pieces of dry ice to work with in class.
Bad Idea : Giving students the means (ziploc bags) to smuggle pieces of dry ice to other classes. (Fortunately, the other teachers recognized the substance for what it was and avoided student entreaties to touch it..)
Good Idea: Taking students to the science labs on the third floor.
Bad Idea: Expecting students who have forgotten their safety contracts for the entirety of the marking period to change this habit.
Good Idea: Checking out an alternate history novel to read for fun.
Bad Idea: Finishing an alternate history novel in one four hour sitting...beginning at 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM.
Good Idea: Spending spring break by myself catching up on work.
Bad Idea : Spending spring break by myself catching up on work.
In other news, there are approximately 10 weeks left in the school year. That’s about 50 days. In my experience, it isn’t particularly healthy to look beyond the moment when one is attempting challenging tasks...but this seems like a momentous occasion and one worth noting here. I can only hope that I can get through all the material my students deserve to learn in the short time remaining to us.
Oh...and happy Passover all.
