Oct 30 2006
Memories
OK, I knew last year’s 8th grade Computer class was special. They were, without a doubt, my best class ever! It made last year probably my best teaching year ever. I even still have kids from last year come to volunteer after school, or just to talk. I really miss those kids…..
But there’s a downside to having a great class ……. the next year! You never know what you’re going to get. This year’s 8th grade class is not last year’s class. I keep telling myself that, and I keep reminding myself that I can’t expect every class to live up to my memories of last year’s class. But even worse than that, this year’s class is reminding me of some of my worst classes. I have a few – it’s always just a few – who ruin it for the rest of the class.
The 8th grade computer class is usually the favorite of all my classes to teach, so I get really cranky when the kids ruin MY fun 
I wrote last week about how I canceled podcasting. Today, I threatened them with textbooks and no computers – I CAN teach this computer class without ever turning on a computer. I had to do it for a while a few years ago with a class that just wouldn’t follow directions, no matter what I tried. Today we were doing an HTML lesson and a few kids just decided that it was their own social hour. A few others decided they didn’t need to raise their hands and just started shouting out answers. finally, after the umpteenth time of asking the kids to stop talking, I lost it. Using my favorite piece of software, I blanked all their screens and gave the the lecture of the year. I pointed out the textbooks that I have piled in the back of the room and how I can teach this class without computers and that I have done it before! The kids do know that I mean what I say and that I follow through on threats like that, so when I went back to teaching you could have heard a pin drop
At the end of class I reiterated that they need to listen and follow directions while I teach and they will have plenty of opportunities to have fun with the HTML after they have learned what I have to teach, but they won’t get to the fun part if they don’t get through the lessons. What they don’t know yet is that I’ll be springing some pop quizzes on them – to make sure that they DO pay attention. I’m also making some seat changes. And tomorrow is a new day…..
Thank Goodness my other classes are going well this year……
