I haven't written here in a great long while, and my apologies to you, loyal readers (both of you[Hi mom!]).  It's a busy time for me right now.

In hopes of posting something here in a desperate attempt to prevent myself from winding up lost in the dusty bins of thousands of started-and-never-updated blogs, I will give you a smattering of something I produced this semester. I will be intentionally vague about the circumstances regarding the class, but suffice it to say that for this class, we were asked to write in a "journal."  What follows are a couple of selected entries from that "journal."


9.     Why is it important that a teacher selects study skills that are geared to the requirements of the course/content?

It's important for the teacher to select study skills that are geared to the requirements of the course for exactly the same reason that it's important for a skydiving instructor NOT spend his time in the plane teaching first-time jumpers how to knit.

10.    What factors may affect student motivation?

     Lack of sleep, fighting parents, bully on the playground, boredom, hunger, lack of respect for teacher, lack of respect FROM teacher, under-stimulation, over-stimulation, disappointment, disapproval, disillusionment, lack of structure, too many rules, bully on the bus, parent's divorce, custody battles, no breakfast, stolen lunch money, stress over standardized tests, college pressure, puberty, self-image issues, sexuality issues, self-confidence issues, panic attacks, anxiety. Angry teachers, angry aides, angry principals, angry lunch ladies, angry secretaries, angry janitors.

     Plenty of sleep, supportive parents, knowing how to deal with bullies, interest, being well-fed, feeling respected by the teacher, feeling respect FOR the teacher, just the right amount of stimulation, success, approval, realizations, fair, firm, consistent structure, reasonable rules, knowing how to deal with the bully on the bus, understanding parent's relationship, whatever it is, good breakfast, enough lunch money, no standardized tests, no pressure about college, understanding physical changes, strong self-image, thoughtful instruction about sexuality and its issues, good self-confidence, no panic, as little anxiety as possible. Happy teachers, happy supports staff, happy administrators, happy peers.

     There's a lot that goes into every kid every day in every classroom. Seems like the important thing is to be a bright spot in the day, rather than a dreadful one.