Tuesday April 12th

Another interesting day today for many reasons...
Students who went to rep. team soccer tryouts seemed to enjoy it. Good luck to everyone waiting for a place decision.

Homework
Nothing new BUT ...
Math- today due to our fieldtrip, I didn't have a chance to collect the owed booklets So lucky for some students, they have ONE more evening to complete the booklet which was due yesterday
Novel- Today I individually 'visited' the students during novel time to ensure every one knew what they needed to complete for Ch 1-5

General Day
We began the day with time novel activities from 9-9:45am

At 9:50am we walked over to HSSS to watch the high school production of  "The Outsiders" which was approx. an hour and a half.
It was fabulous and I was extremely proud to be watching ten of our former Squamish Elementary students cast in the production. I was also very proud of my students for being such a good audience given that it was a particularly long time for grade sevens to sit. They did though. :)
The production was well done and the characters were very believable. The audience was moved (in some cases to tears). To have high school students put on such a complex play and have a group of Grade seven to ten students buy in completely to the story, the characters and the emotions is a feat in itself! Congratualtions to the cast and my former colleague Jan Carroll (director/producer). The production is Jan's final project for her Masters and I think she'll be passing with 'flying colours'. Way to go!

Back in class we discussed the production over an extended lunch (extra ten minutes) as we had no morning break and the students were hungry and needed some social time. The general consensus was that the play was excellent.

DEAR time - I helped a student who missed some math instruction during this session
sent two students to listen to a cd version of their novel as they are struggling to read it
the rest either were given time for novel work and/or independent reading

Socials- Ch 8 Greece: Searching for the Good Life
(must confess I am not wild about the chapter title but it is our text book) Today we did a bit of textual reading and connecting to the text. We considered the growth of early city-states and looked at reasons why they might have been so philosophically (there's a good Greek word) different while they culturally shared the same ideals! When I was thinking about it today, it occured to me that Ancient Greece was kind of like a big family that spatted and fought tooth and nail with one another until threatened by an 'outside' faction and then they all came together like families should and do (usually) to protect one another.
The early olympics in Greece it was the same - everyone laid down their weapons and competed naked in good faith despite wars only to resume battles after the games in wars that waged for tens of years.
I love ancient Greece study... just a taster today unfortunately

Phys Ed. We managed to get a bit longer playing time today so now I know I have truly made up all the missed gyme time that happened before spring break.
We did continue with line hockey as there is a boy's game tonight (unfortunately the girl's game was cancelled due to GHS not having enough players). Today is the first day I have observed the 'competitive' edge getting in the way of skills and enjoyment so I guess it is time to switch activities.

Back in class at 2:50pm we discussed the observations from our Phys. Ed. class today and I am happy to report it is not just me that saw the uneccesary aggression. So we are all agreed that we need to 'switch' things up.
Homework plea for the SAME OLD work that I have been requesting for about a week- time to have a movement or get off the pot. lol

3pm dismissal

One of the frustrating things about working with this age level is the difficulties that can come from the measures we take to get work in or enforce nebulous expectations like homework. I can't make them do it- parents can't make them do it- they have to want to do it for themselves- they're not doing the work for me or their parents but for themselves. So the question is how to get them to buy into doing it for themsleves?
Me, my answer is to be as patient as possible, to provide multiple opportunities or methods to do the work expected and be open to some negotiation. I can only provide opportunities and hopefully the students will do the right thing for themselves (which might not be what I consider to be the right thing). The truth is there is only so much time and so I do provide timelines which are flexible but not forever extendable.
Have a good night.
Mrs. J.