These three kids are among my best workers. Z, the boy in the middle, wasn't the best worker last year.
This year, he is. When I told the seventh-grade administrator about the change, she threw her arms up and proclaimed, "Hallelujah!"
At Work
Month: September 2024
Old Friends, Old Teammates
They've known each other for years. They've played together on at least three different teams. During high school season, they've played against each other for four years.
Two years ago, when he Mauldin girls took state, L's team beat S's and E's team in straight sets.
Tonight, the roles were reversed. Woodmont is a regional powerhouse this year just like Mauldin was two years ago.
But no matter who wins, the after-game picture is always the same.
Weezer
First (and maybe only) full family concert.
Krakow, Early Morning
From School
English I students continued with their parts of speech review, getting out of the traditional order and skipping from adjective to prepositions in order to help students identify prepositional phrases. This will help them with all the other parts of speech, especially since we're going to be covering active/passive when we get to verbs later this week.
English 8 students continued with the district-designed unit on argument based on the newly adopted textbook looking at argumentative writing. We're looking at a second article dealing with automation and employment: this article makes the opposite claim as last week's article "The Automation Paradox."
Team Member of the Quarter
This is from some time ago, but we are still all proud of our K.
Game Day
Name-Calling GOP
I was looking through old posts in the "random post" widget the other evening before heading to bed, and I saw this from 2008.
Sixteen years later, and nothing has changed.
Maybe immaturity is just a GOP thing?
Goodbye to the Bard?
South Carolina Regulation 43-170 has been wreaking havoc on education this year, and few are more directly affected than humanities teachers. It reads, in part, "Instructional
Material is not “Age and Developmentally Appropriate” for any age or age group of children if it includes descriptions or visual depictions of “sexual conduct,” as that term is defined by Section 16-15-305(C)(1)."
In turn, Section 16-15-305(C)(1) reads:
(1) "sexual conduct" means:
(a) vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse, whether actual or simulated, normal or perverted, whether between human beings, animals, or a combination thereof;
(b) masturbation, excretory functions, or lewd exhibition, actual or simulated, of the genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, or female breast nipples including male or female genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal or covered male genitals in a discernably turgid state;
(c) an act or condition that depicts actual or simulated bestiality, sado-masochistic abuse, meaning flagellation or torture by or upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a costume which reveals the pubic hair, anus, vulva, genitals, or female breast nipples, or the condition of being fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restrained on the part of the one so clothed;
(d) an act or condition that depicts actual or simulated touching, caressing, or fondling of, or other similar physical contact with, the covered or exposed genitals, pubic or anal regions, or female breast nipple, whether alone or between humans, animals, or a human and an animal, of the same or opposite sex, in an act of actual or apparent sexual stimulation or gratification; or
(e) an act or condition that depicts the insertion of any part of a person's body, other than the male sexual organ, or of any object into another person's anus or vagina, except when done as part of a recognized medical procedure.
This is in the 2023 South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 16 (Crimes and Offenses),
Chapter 15 (Offenses Against Morality And Decency) Section 16-15-305 (Disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity unlawful; definitions; penalties; obscene material designated contraband).
So this morning, I walked into the teacher's workroom this morning to put my lunch in the refrigerator, and the drama teacher was making copies.
"Are you still able to teach Romeo and Juliet?" she asked.
I told her that as far as I knew, we were still able to teach it. It is, after all, in the textbook the South Carolina Department of Education approved. I asked her what she meant.
"We're getting word that his plays are a bit too controversial, and we might not be able to act them anymore," she explained.
Pretty much.
Re-creation
The Honors kids are working through a parts-of-speech review, and today we went over pronouns. (Not for the whole class, mind you -- we only spend about 15 minutes per day working on this. Otherwise, it would be numbingly boring for everyone, including me.) Students were identifying demonstrative, interrogative, and relative pronouns, and number five was a question, an excellent opportunity to see for interrogative pronouns.
"Let's skip to five," I said, giving them a moment to read it. "The first pronoun in that sentence -- can anyone identify it?"
A smart young lady raised her hand. "What," she replied correctly.
And then it hit me -- there's always a joke of the day. I like to make the kids laugh, though most of my jokes make them groan. But here was a chance to recreate a classic.
"Number five," I repeated. "The first pronoun."
"What," she repeated, a little confused.
"I'm asking you -- the first pronoun in number five." I had to phrase the next part just right. "It's what?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"It's what," she confirmed, her eyebrows furrowing a bit more, smiles starting to appear around the room.
"What?"
"Number five?"
"Yes. I'm asking you. The first pronoun."
"What." She was starting to catch on here.
"The first pronoun!" I let a little faux frustration creep into my voice. "Look at number five and identify the first pronoun."
"It's what!" a full smile as she had caught on at that point.
"Why are you asking me?! I know what it is. I want to see if you know. What is it?"
"Yes!" Now she had it.
"Yes, what?!"
"Exactly!"
By now everyone was giggling, including her.
"Does anyone know what we just recreated?" I asked.
"Who's on first?" came a voice from the back.
"Very good!" And our first brain break of the day was to watch the first few minutes of that classic.