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| Luke Teaching the Word of the Day |
Have you ever wondered what 22 five and six-year-olds look like charging down a small hallway? I didn't, but now I know. They look terrifying. Let's be clear- the behavior of these children is closer to American expectations than most schools in our province (if not the country), but they still haven't mastered walking in lines or being quiet in the halls. I'm not convinced they ever will, and I'm not the one to lay down that particular law. I'm a terrible example. I love getting other classes riled up when they pass me. It's free entertainment!
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By The Way, Class, We Are Going To Be
On T.V. Today |
We implemented an intervention program a couple of weeks ago, hoping to provide struggling math students with the extra support they need in order to actually understand all the work they're expected to memorize. Once again we've launched into something unheard of. Nobody we've worked with so far had even the slightest clue as to what intervention was. "You mean tutoring?" No, we mean teaching effectively by helping students during school hours!
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Across From The School
(local troops on a walk?) |
Every year students are expected to pass this big state test to prove the school doesn't completely suck (in certain years it proves students are ready to move or not). We started our math intervention by designing a test that would assess our 6th grade students' knowledge of the previous year's concepts. Over half of them failed. In fact, we tested them twice, with similar tests of varying difficulty and length and had the same results. These children are moving through the grades with massive gaps in their learning. There's a similar problem in the Vietnamese language class (literature, grammar, etc.), and we've implemented a similar process.
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| Writing Class In The Library |
To accommodate this program, we shortened nap time by an hour
- and yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds in the first place- and launched our interventions in mid October. Because this was a grade-wide program, we had to find something for those students who didn't qualify for intervention. This is where I came in, teaching writing and reading. "Reading" essentially became allowing students access to the school library, and encouraging them to sit quietly and read, or perhaps read to a partner. Prior to this, the library was locked. Always. Now it's unlocked all day, every day. These different approaches send wildly opposite messages about reading, libraries, and books. In fact, sometimes I visit the library just because I can.
Our writing program is a bit more exciting. We've been able to tap into these students' creative sides and get them thinking and writing with a level of excitement and comfort that you don't see in most classes and activities. Consider this: our Vietnamese students won't draw something in art class unless you first draw it for them. They've learned to imitate and they do it with amazing skill. See, failure to imitate can result in mistakes, which results in punishment. The critical thinking and creativity has been beaten out of these students (sometimes literally). So, the fact that we've been able to get them writing and that they are currently working on a modified version of NaNoWriMo's (National Novel Writing Month) young writers program is a tribute to our endurance and is exactly what this project is all about.
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| My Teacher's Day Gift: Laughing Cow Cheese |
I always make an effort to keep my students on their toes by surprising them with the most preposterous statements or actions I can concoct, but these guys often get me right back, without even realizing it. November 20th is Vietnamese Teacher Day and it is a big deal. Students and their families try to find their teachers a really nice gift, and then show up at the teacher's house to give it to them and hang out for a bit. Yep- it was a bit difficult to process. It's like a home visit, but after school's already started and with the roles reversed.
Teacher Day fell on a Tuesday this year, and we got the day off. Students began to stop by to visit as early as Saturday, when half the 6th grade came by to wander around and stare at us and our stuff. We don't really have a lot of stuff, but apparently it's interesting because it belongs to us. We had a couple more visitors on Sunday and Monday, and then Tuesday we saw the last of them. Monday was the weirdest day, however, because the local television network decided they wanted to interview us and film a spot for the evening news. They also wanted to film my class. I refused all requests, and then submitted anyway. What can I say... I'm a team player. Also, in Vietnam, you don't get to say, "No."
I'm kind of tired of having people observe and film my class this year, but it has been nice to receive so much positive feedback. At least for this news piece all I really had to do was teach and eat some cake, unlike one of the other teachers who they asked to pretend to play piano so they could film her with some students, or my mother, who they asked to play guitar but promised not to record her singing then did so anyway.
And here you have it- your moment of Zen!
Please note that we are not wearing any shoes!
