Observing Classroom Teachers

I brought Mr. K my carved LD mascot pumpkin to try to bring some holiday cheer and school spirit into the classroom.

Period 1 - A creative writing class with the student teacher.  This class had 4 students in it.  Yes, 4 students.  I cannot believe how small some of the class sizes are at LD compared to the horror stories I've heard in Philadelphia (30 +) students.  The kids were going over how to compose a mulitimensional fictional character and then assigned a short writing exercise.  This class sorely needed peer review strategies.  While Mrs. Bott is one of the oldest English teachers at LD, she is probably the best.  Students trust her.  She's got that "withitness" we are always stressing at PSU. And, even better as I'll write later, she tries to involve me in her classes when I'm just sitting there observing.

Period 2 - AP 12th grade English with the head of the English dept.  - Metaphysical Poetry - John Donne - really tough stuff here.  These kids are amazingly bright to me.  "Forbidden Valediction" is a difficult poem.  One major thing that urked me right away Mr. K asked for the meaning of the poem.  I think this should always come last.  However, these students really got it right away.  This class let me know that I need to brush up on my classics and classic literary terms over the holiday break.  Mr. Keiner is probably the most intellectual member of the English faculty and his knowledge is obvious in his classroom and his teaching.  He's pressed, clear, and that yoga word I'm always searching for DELIBERATE.

Period 3 - Wow, this teacher has one too many classes.  Her desk looks like a bomb exploded.  And, she's pregnant.  This is a shame because when you get a sense of her teaching style it's really up to date.  She's into peer review for papers and makes clear the difference between editing and revising - something no student seems to understand.  Her students are in the midst of writing their own epic, the most creative writing assignment I have seen so far at LD.  She also asks all sorts of questions about me, which I find refreshing.  This real interest carries over into her students.

Period 4 - Yearbook.  A controversy has divided the yearbook staffers.  This has brought into the spotlight the students' frustation with Mr. K for his seeming lack of organization and their own inability to meet deadlines.  I'm not sure if Mr. K is really disorganized or he's counting on them to take the bull by the horns and pull this together.  It is their yearbook, not his, and I'm hoping they soon discover Microsoft Excel.  I'll try to stem the tide later.

On and on the rest of the day went ... OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE ... and then back to PSU for class and class.  All this sitting is SO BAD for me.

And then it's off to Philadelphia for Halloween weekend.