That's right. Even the simplest act of doing what you're supposed to do would be a welcome change for many teachers today. I recently assigned a Civil War project to culminate the Civil War unit in US History. Part of the reason is because I believe in differentiated learning, part is because even with open notes, my students don't generally test well at all. So I spent a few hours researching different options for proving the objectives that appealed to the multiple intelligences I have in eighth grade, created a bingo board with the options carefully arranged so that a complete bingo would cover several objectives, and made sure all the students had the rubric four weeks ahead of the due date. The due date comes, and in period 4, ten out of twenty students had no projects to hand in. Not only have I wasted my time creating the project sheet, but my students have not proven that they have even a basic understanding of the objectives in this very important event in American History.
I love teaching. I love my students, my colleagues, most of the parents, and even the lunch ladies. I love being part of a bigger mission where we are all united in one goal. I especially love when I see my students after they leave middle school, because they finally get what I was trying to tell them all along - high school is hard! I think most teachers don't feel like they need "things" to show them they're appreciated. They just want respectful students who work hard, involved parents who trust teachers to do their jobs, and administrators who don't micromanage.
I watched an episode of "Inside Man" last night on Netflix. Morgan Spurlock went to Finland to experience their top education system, teach a class to Finnish students, then teach a class to an inner-city charter school class. I was definitely impressed by the Finnish educators and principal, who emphasized trust and a holistic approach to teaching. I was not as impressed as Morgan was, however, with the charter school (even though I teach in one). It seemed more of a behavior management teaching style as opposed to a higher-order thinking, problem-solving style. I did like the culture of respect engendered by the school as well as the attention to detail and emphasis on college.
So what's teaching in Abu Dhabi going to be like? I'm pretty sure I will be using some of the behavior management and engagement strategies, but like the Finnish teacher trainer said in the documentary, I will be using entertainment as a tool most of the time. I'm not an actor at all, until I get in front of a group of teenagers. Then I'm on, and I don't mind even when I get on a tangent, as long as the information is relevant to my students' lives. I'm looking forward to project-based learning with them, getting to know them and their culture, and finding out what makes them motivated.
Rant over. I've figured out how to get some pictures on here, so without further ado,
My husband, the baby and me:
My three oldest kids:
My adorable dogs, Bas and Lily:
And just for fun, my niece Lulu in some amazing sunglasses her sister brought back from Greece:
This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. :)
Hope you laugh too!
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