One of the service department girls had her last day today. She was going to get another job at an apartment complex, being a secretary or front desk worker there, I'm not sure. I was talking to some of the other teachers about this, since there has been some heavy turnover in that department. The truth of the matter is that they are not treated that well. They are forced to come in on Saturday even if there is nothing to do. I have seen them just sitting there painting their nails on Saturday because they have to be at school.
One Saturday, they actually had to clean out a sewage drain or something like that. They took pictures and showed them to me the following week. I can see how there is a lot of turnover in that department. If they don't treat them well, they will eventually leave. It may not be easy for them to find another job without much free time, but they won't be at the school long.
On another note, it looks like I will be teaching a high school math class next year, even with the difference in the schedules for the middle school and high school. The middle school will be on 8- 37 minute bells while the high school will be on 4-70 minute bells. I just found out today that our numbers are dropping so much that there will only be one class in each middle school grade. So that would take up 3 of the 8 middle school bells. Giving me a high school class will take up another two and that would make 5 of the 8 total bells of me having a class.
I could handle that since I would have more prep time than I have now and I would be able to teach a high school class. It looks like it would be Pre-Calculus. I was tutoring a girl with geometry the other day and we got into some Pre-Calc material with Sine, Cosine and Tangent. I really enjoyed it and was having a blast with it. It's been a while since I've gotten into some of the material, but I'm sure it won't be too bad, like riding a bike.
Aaron
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Silence is Golden
Not sure if it is proper teaching practice or not, but today I taught a complete class without saying a word. We had a quiz on Friday, so we didn't have to grade anything. It was my quietest class, which has a few bright individuals but its very hard to get them to participate. I'm not sure why I did it, I guess I wanted to see what would happen and how they would react.
It was actually very interesting and funny. I handed back the quiz and then I started working the extra credit problem that only one student got correct. After that, I started into the lesson over solving systems of equations by using elimination through addition and subtraction. I started with just putting some equations on the board and using substitution to solve, which is what the quiz was covering.
The most interesting part is that it didn't take the students long to realize that I wasn't talking. But instead of speaking, they thought that they could not speak either. The students who speak the most in my class were using actions and not words. I even had students starting to raise their hands and hold up numbers for the answers or next line. In fact, I got more participation out of some of the quieter students than normal. One student in particular who usually struggles and doesn't say anything seemed to really enjoy it and actually answered 2-3 questions voluntarily.
Overall, I do think the lesson went fairly well and they understood the main concepts. I almost feel they were paying attention more because I was not talking and they had to see what I was doing on the board. It was good because I had to use actions more to emphasize things. I did write a few words on the board and pointed to them from time to time (ex. done?, fractions are bad, etc.).
I actually had a lot of fun with this lesson and not talking. I'm not sure anyone thought I could go a full 55 minute class bell without speaking, but I did it. I almost think the silence gave some of the students more confidence to participate. I did receive the snicker and giggles from some students when it began, but that was expected. For the most part, when the lesson got rolling, they were very attentive.
Aaron
It was actually very interesting and funny. I handed back the quiz and then I started working the extra credit problem that only one student got correct. After that, I started into the lesson over solving systems of equations by using elimination through addition and subtraction. I started with just putting some equations on the board and using substitution to solve, which is what the quiz was covering.
The most interesting part is that it didn't take the students long to realize that I wasn't talking. But instead of speaking, they thought that they could not speak either. The students who speak the most in my class were using actions and not words. I even had students starting to raise their hands and hold up numbers for the answers or next line. In fact, I got more participation out of some of the quieter students than normal. One student in particular who usually struggles and doesn't say anything seemed to really enjoy it and actually answered 2-3 questions voluntarily.
Overall, I do think the lesson went fairly well and they understood the main concepts. I almost feel they were paying attention more because I was not talking and they had to see what I was doing on the board. It was good because I had to use actions more to emphasize things. I did write a few words on the board and pointed to them from time to time (ex. done?, fractions are bad, etc.).
I actually had a lot of fun with this lesson and not talking. I'm not sure anyone thought I could go a full 55 minute class bell without speaking, but I did it. I almost think the silence gave some of the students more confidence to participate. I did receive the snicker and giggles from some students when it began, but that was expected. For the most part, when the lesson got rolling, they were very attentive.
Aaron
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Songkran Celebration
Today, we had a celebration for Songkran, the "water" festival that is coming up next week. It was really interesting because the teachers were honored by sitting in front of flower pots and having the students come by and pour flower scented water and oil on our hands into the flower pots. It was a sign of respect and appreciation.
I learned that the Songkran festival started in relation to the zodiac sign Aries. It was originally a celebration to bless the farmers to have a good season and healthy crops. It started (and in some cities, still is) as a simple pouring of scented water on the hands or the shoulders for good luck and blessings.
However, this all quickly changed (mainly due to the westerners who now partake in the activities). Right now, the week of Songkran is pretty much a warzone of people getting blasted with water guns, water balloons and even fire hoses. Sometimes there is more than water in the ballons or water gun. My understanding is that the westerners got a hold of it and went overboard in an effort to have some fun and one gigantic water fight in the streets of Bangkok. I think some of the streets are alright but I have heard of certain streets that are absolutely horrible and you should avoid unless you want to get completely blasted.
I've heard stories of westerners setting up shop outside of buildings or at bars and blasting people as they walk by or come out of other buildings. I think the holiday itself has some very nice beginnings, but I feel the westerners have ruined it and used it for purposes that are not culturally relevant. I am actually happy that I will not be in town from everything that I've heard about it.
Aaron
I learned that the Songkran festival started in relation to the zodiac sign Aries. It was originally a celebration to bless the farmers to have a good season and healthy crops. It started (and in some cities, still is) as a simple pouring of scented water on the hands or the shoulders for good luck and blessings.
However, this all quickly changed (mainly due to the westerners who now partake in the activities). Right now, the week of Songkran is pretty much a warzone of people getting blasted with water guns, water balloons and even fire hoses. Sometimes there is more than water in the ballons or water gun. My understanding is that the westerners got a hold of it and went overboard in an effort to have some fun and one gigantic water fight in the streets of Bangkok. I think some of the streets are alright but I have heard of certain streets that are absolutely horrible and you should avoid unless you want to get completely blasted.
I've heard stories of westerners setting up shop outside of buildings or at bars and blasting people as they walk by or come out of other buildings. I think the holiday itself has some very nice beginnings, but I feel the westerners have ruined it and used it for purposes that are not culturally relevant. I am actually happy that I will not be in town from everything that I've heard about it.
Aaron
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