This past week included a whole bunch of March Madness fever! Between dress-up days, shamrock scavenger hunts and two, yes TWO afternoon assemblies where competitions ranged from sumo wrestling to "Don't forget the lyrics" I have to say it was a very exciting week. It's always good to let off a little steam and have some fun with the students.
Next week is back to work though. It's difficult sometimes to find the balance between hardwork and a little bit of socializing time. While the amount of information that needs to be covered seems daunting, I've received some good insight this week that it all gets done, and it's more about quality than quantity. So whether or not the students skim from the beginning of civilization through to the Industrial Revolution all in one year doesn't make too much difference so long as they have a really good understanding of what they've covered.
I've also tried to find the balance between teacher-centered and student-centered activities. I think this will be a work in progress for the rest of my career. There are days where it seems the only way to get across the information is through lectures and note-taking. Other days there's an activity that takes up the entire day. It's not too often that I've been able to find a middle ground or consistency with these and often find myself giving notes day in and day out. Hopefully through continued work and some help from my very helpful and supportive colleagues I'll be able to find the happy medium and keep it going.
I had a wonderful opportunity last night to be a judge for a pageant/talent competition for the senior guys at my high school. It was very entertaining and I really felt like I've become a member of the community. It's amazing how in such a little amount of time you can make connections with students, faculty and staff on many levels and I look forward to having a long-time career in a high school much like this.
Now, it's St. Patrick's Day so I'm going to go and enjoy my afternoon!
-MB
Next week is back to work though. It's difficult sometimes to find the balance between hardwork and a little bit of socializing time. While the amount of information that needs to be covered seems daunting, I've received some good insight this week that it all gets done, and it's more about quality than quantity. So whether or not the students skim from the beginning of civilization through to the Industrial Revolution all in one year doesn't make too much difference so long as they have a really good understanding of what they've covered.
I've also tried to find the balance between teacher-centered and student-centered activities. I think this will be a work in progress for the rest of my career. There are days where it seems the only way to get across the information is through lectures and note-taking. Other days there's an activity that takes up the entire day. It's not too often that I've been able to find a middle ground or consistency with these and often find myself giving notes day in and day out. Hopefully through continued work and some help from my very helpful and supportive colleagues I'll be able to find the happy medium and keep it going.
I had a wonderful opportunity last night to be a judge for a pageant/talent competition for the senior guys at my high school. It was very entertaining and I really felt like I've become a member of the community. It's amazing how in such a little amount of time you can make connections with students, faculty and staff on many levels and I look forward to having a long-time career in a high school much like this.
Now, it's St. Patrick's Day so I'm going to go and enjoy my afternoon!
-MB
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