SCHOOL
Note to self, if I ever become a teacher: Do not fill the classroom with dorky kitten and puppy slogan posters. Do have a permanent place to post date, goals, homework.
The automated system said the assignment would be middle school social studies: imagine my surprise when I noted “Math 7 & 8” on the door. Luckily, Mr. W. left fabulous directions and plans – and I understood the lesson on angles.
First curve ball: Cristopher is new in the class and does not speak English.
Second curve ball: a huge chorus of teen voices saying “we’ve never seen this stuff before.”
Third ball: Hey, they’re hittable from here on out! The other two classes get the lessons and are easily kept in order with the Don’t Mess With Me tone of voice I retained from the first class.
I had an interesting conversation with Stephen and his crowd about the movies Holes (which I want to see). Some of its premises immediately reminded me of God’s Little Acre (Erskine Caldwell).
AFTER SCHOOL
The consignment shop on Lakeside Avenue has great 1950s and 60s metal porch furniture at a good price. Also, a pair of blonde end table ($95 for both).
While waiting for the Library strategic planning committee meeting, I read Nicholson Baker’s Double Fold. Baker is one of my top five favorite authors. In the book (so far), he asserts that the “newspapers disintegrate because of the acid content” argument so many libraries use as a reason to buy themselves more storage space has resulted in the loss of beautiful, full-color original documents and actual information since microfilms were often poorly shot and do degrade. And, it's not entirely true.
Two thoughts from Baker:
1) “Reading a paper is not the only way to understand the lost past life of a city, but no other way will enclose you so completely within on time-stratum’s universe of miscellaneous possibility.” (p. 39)
As I researched Sharon Indian School, I also kept an eye on the world news the West Point, Va., paper reported; what movies the DAW showed and how often they changed; what tone editorials took; what Capital City stores advertised; and of course all the youth group activities.
2) “Since the seventies, image-ergonomists have known of a kind of motion sickness that afflicts some microfilm users which seems to be caused by the difficulty of visually tracking the creep and lurch of passing text scapes.” (p. 40)
Thank goodness I am not alone in this weakness! An over-heated the room contributes, too.
I can't believe my nice neighbors are moving.
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Sunday, April 27, 2003
Kevin Millwood, who pitched here in Capital City for the RBraves, once upon a time, pitched a no hitter today!
I planted impatiens and hosta, then attended a charming garden party at the Valentine Museum. I do like mint juleps.
I planted impatiens and hosta, then attended a charming garden party at the Valentine Museum. I do like mint juleps.
Friday, April 25, 2003
Did you play any of those early role-playing-type computer games? My high school friend Minda had a wizard-themed one. Through text and simple line drawings of passages, rooms, stairs, and doorways we would navigate characters through a maze and conquer goblins, or whatever.
Navigating the halls of the middle school near the mall reminds me of our early struggles to get oriented in that game. There are no windows. The vistas all seem as alike as amber lines on a tiny black screen. “I know I’ve seen these stairs before, but is that good or bad? Am I headed towards the teachers’ lounge or that dead end that I keep choosing?”
The building wants to communicate to me, with its halls tiled different colors, and letters and numbers prominently painted above the tile. Yet somehow the muted tones and identical cross halls all read the same to me.
Speaking of reading, a learned friend loaned me The Gospel According to The Simpsons. I believe I read an excerpt or summary on the web. Author Mark Pinsky argues that we see the Simpson family in church and using their faith to get through problems much, much more often than pretty much any other TV characters. As I read, I have been surprised and delighted to find that even when I know the line, the scene that must be coming, I chuckle at old favorites, like pork-and-mayo laden sandwich at Izzy’s Deli named for Krsuty. Take a look at it sometime.
Navigating the halls of the middle school near the mall reminds me of our early struggles to get oriented in that game. There are no windows. The vistas all seem as alike as amber lines on a tiny black screen. “I know I’ve seen these stairs before, but is that good or bad? Am I headed towards the teachers’ lounge or that dead end that I keep choosing?”
The building wants to communicate to me, with its halls tiled different colors, and letters and numbers prominently painted above the tile. Yet somehow the muted tones and identical cross halls all read the same to me.
Speaking of reading, a learned friend loaned me The Gospel According to The Simpsons. I believe I read an excerpt or summary on the web. Author Mark Pinsky argues that we see the Simpson family in church and using their faith to get through problems much, much more often than pretty much any other TV characters. As I read, I have been surprised and delighted to find that even when I know the line, the scene that must be coming, I chuckle at old favorites, like pork-and-mayo laden sandwich at Izzy’s Deli named for Krsuty. Take a look at it sometime.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Some sort of cosmic justice was served today, as I helped three classes of sixth graders sort out fractions. Find the lowest common denominator. Which one is greater? Convert this mixed number to a fraction. Simply this and show your work. No, I didn’t get it at twelve years old, I didn’t keep practicing, I didn’t take math in college, and here – at long last – it has come back to haunt me.
I could just about keep up with the first two classes by falling back on the strategy of having one or two key students “explain to the class” bits I didn’t remember. The third block, though, had all this stuff about estimating that I didn’t get and that no student grasped well enough to show the class – indeed, the kids shouted down Andrew, who did give it a try.
Today, maple tree seeds, those tiny natural helicopters, litter my front porch more thickly than the pollen of the previous few days.
I could just about keep up with the first two classes by falling back on the strategy of having one or two key students “explain to the class” bits I didn’t remember. The third block, though, had all this stuff about estimating that I didn’t get and that no student grasped well enough to show the class – indeed, the kids shouted down Andrew, who did give it a try.
Today, maple tree seeds, those tiny natural helicopters, litter my front porch more thickly than the pollen of the previous few days.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Happy Holidays
It's National TV-Turn Off Week and, of course, Happy Earth Day.
Back to School
Today I taught at my first grade alma mater. I wonder if Mrs. Haslett's class was in Room 4? With the tiny, new windows and replaced floors, I wasn't hit with an immediate sense of familitarity when I first walked in the building. But in a quiet moment at the end of the day, the short hall near the office and a certain flight of stairs spoke to me.
Looking back across the past two months, I realize that an amazing number of sick and home-with-sick child teachers manage to leave a good-to-great lesson plan. Today, however, I was working from the phone notes another of the fifth grade teachers jotted down when Mr. Whitehead called.
For math, his had a quick exercise in congruent, similar, and symmetrical figures. That group also had music and recess in the morning. Then I led a science lesson on plant reproduction, four times, as the classes rotated. I had the students read out loud, calling on the next student when they felt done. It struck me how eager they all were to read, even the kids who turned out not to be strong readers, and even the ones who would have to read (surely they saw them coming?) loaded words like stamen, pistil, or ovule. Not a flinch, not a giggle. As an aside while they tackled the comprehension activities, one girl knowingly asked the teacher’s aide (who came in with some special ed students), “don’t we have ovaries, Ms. Wilkinson?” One boy might have had a certain tone in his voice, but he had a certain attitude all day. When, as I shared these reflections with the other fifth grade teachers (three delightful, sharp, and motivated women) over lunch, they noted that students had had some sex ed earlier in the year, so they knew. I can’t explain it; I know middle schoolers would have caused a scene.
Capital City Weather: mostly sunny, seventy, and pollen-y.
It's National TV-Turn Off Week and, of course, Happy Earth Day.
Back to School
Today I taught at my first grade alma mater. I wonder if Mrs. Haslett's class was in Room 4? With the tiny, new windows and replaced floors, I wasn't hit with an immediate sense of familitarity when I first walked in the building. But in a quiet moment at the end of the day, the short hall near the office and a certain flight of stairs spoke to me.
Looking back across the past two months, I realize that an amazing number of sick and home-with-sick child teachers manage to leave a good-to-great lesson plan. Today, however, I was working from the phone notes another of the fifth grade teachers jotted down when Mr. Whitehead called.
For math, his had a quick exercise in congruent, similar, and symmetrical figures. That group also had music and recess in the morning. Then I led a science lesson on plant reproduction, four times, as the classes rotated. I had the students read out loud, calling on the next student when they felt done. It struck me how eager they all were to read, even the kids who turned out not to be strong readers, and even the ones who would have to read (surely they saw them coming?) loaded words like stamen, pistil, or ovule. Not a flinch, not a giggle. As an aside while they tackled the comprehension activities, one girl knowingly asked the teacher’s aide (who came in with some special ed students), “don’t we have ovaries, Ms. Wilkinson?” One boy might have had a certain tone in his voice, but he had a certain attitude all day. When, as I shared these reflections with the other fifth grade teachers (three delightful, sharp, and motivated women) over lunch, they noted that students had had some sex ed earlier in the year, so they knew. I can’t explain it; I know middle schoolers would have caused a scene.
Capital City Weather: mostly sunny, seventy, and pollen-y.
Monday, April 21, 2003
Lest I continue to offend Henrico County public schools graduate, and my inside source at the Virginia Historical Society, let me share his take on the Westhampton:
The Times-Disgrace quotes Dick Westerling, Sr. VP of Marketing for Regal Entertainment Group, as saying "his is a viable location for us, and we've made some capital expenditures to upgrade the facility-- new carpeting, new concession stand. The cash flow is positive...." and that although Westhampton is not typical of Regal's theatres, they do have "some complexes with a 'lower screen count, that are successful and profitable.' "
My guess is that they're looking to sell the place to someone like the 501c(3) that now operates the Byrd, or a for-profit that's willing to accept a poorer-than-average return on their investment in return for the satisfaction of operating an art-movie-house. Alternately, they may just want to boost awareness of their theatre, without having to pay for advertising. Either way, I don't see them closing the Westhampton in the immediate future. Huzzah!
The Times-Disgrace quotes Dick Westerling, Sr. VP of Marketing for Regal Entertainment Group, as saying "his is a viable location for us, and we've made some capital expenditures to upgrade the facility-- new carpeting, new concession stand. The cash flow is positive...." and that although Westhampton is not typical of Regal's theatres, they do have "some complexes with a 'lower screen count, that are successful and profitable.' "
My guess is that they're looking to sell the place to someone like the 501c(3) that now operates the Byrd, or a for-profit that's willing to accept a poorer-than-average return on their investment in return for the satisfaction of operating an art-movie-house. Alternately, they may just want to boost awareness of their theatre, without having to pay for advertising. Either way, I don't see them closing the Westhampton in the immediate future. Huzzah!
“Analyzing Hamlet, Act I”
Why is the ghost of Old Hamlet denied eternal rest?
What is “rotten in the state of Denmark”?
What advice does Polonius give Laertes?
Ah, yes, the Monday after spring break started with a little Hamlet with “advanced” seventh graders. Actually, I started the day with two blocks of “advanced” sixth graders. While half the class spent time with the guidance counselor discovering careers, the rest of us watched a video about cartoonist Ub Iwerks. After sitting through it once, I felt the need to add a pre-show vocabulary list and quickie history lesson on Saturday kids’ matinees. (Word list: animation, draftsmanship, synchronization, shorts, main feature, talkie.) Yes, we got to watch some of “Steamboat Willie.”
Once I had the video down pat, I browsed the paragraphs the students wrote about how they felt about the careers the activity must have suggested will suit them. A boy plans to be a neurosurgeon so he can have the satisfaction of saving lives and making money. A girl who loves little kids wants to teach K-2, even though teachers don’t make as much money as they should. A girl thought voice over artist sounded cool, because she could read and act without being seen, but she’s not sure she’d like the long hours.
As ever, I have The Simpsons on. Remind me why I didn’t call this “Dear Log” – Lisa’s diary-entry opener? “Floor Pie” was taken (and is not used).
Why is the ghost of Old Hamlet denied eternal rest?
What is “rotten in the state of Denmark”?
What advice does Polonius give Laertes?
Ah, yes, the Monday after spring break started with a little Hamlet with “advanced” seventh graders. Actually, I started the day with two blocks of “advanced” sixth graders. While half the class spent time with the guidance counselor discovering careers, the rest of us watched a video about cartoonist Ub Iwerks. After sitting through it once, I felt the need to add a pre-show vocabulary list and quickie history lesson on Saturday kids’ matinees. (Word list: animation, draftsmanship, synchronization, shorts, main feature, talkie.) Yes, we got to watch some of “Steamboat Willie.”
Once I had the video down pat, I browsed the paragraphs the students wrote about how they felt about the careers the activity must have suggested will suit them. A boy plans to be a neurosurgeon so he can have the satisfaction of saving lives and making money. A girl who loves little kids wants to teach K-2, even though teachers don’t make as much money as they should. A girl thought voice over artist sounded cool, because she could read and act without being seen, but she’s not sure she’d like the long hours.
As ever, I have The Simpsons on. Remind me why I didn’t call this “Dear Log” – Lisa’s diary-entry opener? “Floor Pie” was taken (and is not used).
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Speaking of old theaters, I went to hear some bands play at the Hippodrome on Friday night. It's a little "transitional," a little shabby, but still a wonderful space. The parts of the ceiling not covered by acoustic tile boast lovely painted curlicues.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)