They never saw it coming :)

Today's reading: Mairs
Before class, I wrote the words/phrases always, all, most, never, obviously, this shows that, we can see, is, and almost up on the side board out of the way so that I could use the main board first without having the list be a huge distraction.

To start, I wrote the overly-used Act II scene II quote from R&J, ("What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet") and asked them if it was true. They all said "yeah..." and that was that. So I asked if it would MEAN the same, and then had them do a quick write on the idea, and told them they had to come up with one example of how renaming something might change the meaning. We discussed their answers, and then, to push it further, I broke them into groups where:

1. Each group had to come up with 5 characteristics of a parasite. 
2. I wrote the characteristics up on the board as they told them to me (gross, dependent, life-sucker, insensitive, carries contagions, doesn't leave the host alone, etc., etc.), and then I asked the groups to re-name the parasite they'd described using a word they thought fit all of the characteristics 
3. Answers varied from Voldemort, third-wheel, someone's mother-in-law, etc., etc., and I added the last one "baby"... which most laughed at, and then followed the laughter with "that's just not right!" 
4. We discussed why the word would be inappropriate (the meaning fits, but the relationship between meaning and people's perceptions of the person who says a baby is a parasite changes for the worse). 

After, I broke them up into groups again to discuss the reading's major terms: Crippled, Handicapped, Differently-abled, and Disabled. They created characteristics for each term, and decided which term they would prefer to use, and why (some had more negative connotations while others seemed a little more broad and less offensive). I asked if it were important to consider the words that they use so as to produce a strong piece of writing without offending their audience, to which they all responded positively, and then I turned to my other list of words and asked how they could be problematic.

They unanimously decided that "only jerks use the word 'obviously,'" and proceded to point out how the other words fail to leave a strong/lasting impression without leaving someone/something out.

And then I lay it on them: "Y'all, that was a great analysis. My only problem is that this list of words came from your papers."

(Insert laughter here): "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" ... "She got us good!"

=D Yes, class.... yes, I did.

I passed back their papers explaining that I didn't significantly mark them down for using the list of words this time because we hadn't discussed it, but that they can see how it might be useful for them in the future to be more aware of their word choices. Optional revision is due Monday, and I'm giving 3 extra credit points towards "participation" category for coming to class in costume...

Monday will be amusing for us all :)

An Ode to Silence... Well, not really.

What I would have posted about Monday:
I now see why conferences can be a pain in the butt.
In the week's absense from class, have you forgotten how to communicate?
Is this silence meant to scare me?
It's working, but I won't let you know that.
I'll just stare right on back
Untill you crack.
And you will crack.
Because that's the way I roll.

What I AM posting about today:
Class wasn't horribly silent, but they weren't so quick to participate... and I didn't have a media source to jump into conversation with today...

As I grade papers; I've only seen one truly sad piece of writing...
And it was one that made me have to take 20 minutes out for a very quick run before I came back to it.
The student was concerned about his writing during his conference, so we talked about what his options were, how much work he would need to put into his paper, and he left with a smile on his face, and a promise to get going on it...

He arrived late to class Monday when it was due, and, to my horror, gave me a fresh copy of the SAME PAPER HE BROUGHT TO CONFERENCES... If there were changes, they were minimal at best.

I know it isn't for me to give good grades, but for them to earn them.However, I was just shocked that, after we'd discussed the possibilities and he'd come up with a plan, he didn't do any of it.

He also didn't show up to class today for me to ask him about it.  Which marks day 3 of his being completely absent... as is his journal due today.

They should call conferences "super helpful 1-1 time with the students"... that's the new definition. USE IT.

So... As you can tell from the title, conferences are going well :) I'm glad that I chose to hold the paper's due date back so that we could talk about it during the conference; they've got a lot of questions/comments that they haven't asked/made in class, and I'm loving getting to talk one on one with my students and getting to see where  they feel that they're at in the class. I love getting to ask questions about their papers, making suggestions, seeing how they approach my suggestions or don't change, and how some explain why they didn't change... I love getting to see their writing processes...  =D

There is, however, one conference I'm dreading...

It's coming.

Tomorrow.

At 9:45.

I have a student who's turned in his first paper, and hasn't really turned in anything since. He participates in class, but I haven't seen a single draft of his paper 1. I've sent out a general "those of you who haven't already, send me your papers ASAP" type of e-mail to the entire class, but I've got nothing on this kid. Tomorrow I have to discuss how his not turning in journals and not participating in workshops is effecting his grade... Yippee.

"Oh, I believe in Yesterday!"

Yesterday, I went to two kickboxing classes, I ran while on campus, and the only meal I had/made time for was breakfast. That was very, very stupid. This resulted in my running, kneeing, punching, push-kicking, etc., "-ings" (and consequently being kneed/punched/push-kicked, etc., etc.) twice as much as normal with not near enough calories to help me rejuvenate over-night with what little sleep I got ... All of this made me very bruised and tired this morning, and I was not at all on my game. 

My list of things that needed to get done today:
1. Discuss essay workshops
2. Go over the general issue people had (i.e. summarizing rhetorical moves instead of analyzing how they work)
3. Get them signed up for conferences
4. Vote on moving final due date back a week
5. Open discussion of the reading

What actually got done:
Numbers 1-5

What was done "well":
1-4


They took part in conversation, which was fantastic, because they picked up on the energy that I didn't have, and really took over class. FABULOUS. Did it go where I wanted it to go? ... not really. What we ended up talking about today was sort of a tie-back to what we'd discussed earlier in the quarter, but I guess that's kind of great in a way. It shows that they were paying attention then, and that they're still thinking about it. I love that. Even though we didn't do exactly what I wanted. It's still a win. 

And now a clip of "how it should have ended..."

Berger (Monday/Wednesday) was mildly successful in that they were interested in talking about it, but not so successful in that almost all of their journals reflected the idea of "original work" as "true meaning" that we need to get back to...

So today I brought out the Atari.
Well, I brought up the Atari on Google. We looked at the original gaming console, and they were amazed at such "old-school" technology. So I asked them what's changed since then? : MORE BUTTONS. Lots more buttons.

Yes. Brilliant. But how did we get more buttons? Technology advanced, and POOF! More buttons!?...

"People furthered technology."
Fabulous. How? (Questioning them felt like pulling teeth!)

"By taking what others had, and improving it."
But Atari came first - don't you wish you could go back to Atari, and that PS3 never existed?

...
that sunk in a bit better...

We then discussed forwarding information, learning from others around us, and then switched over to our reading for the day, McKibben, and true conversation began :)

Fabulous tales of exploitation were told, we discussed "Shark Week," shark-finning, and I asked how other sources are exploited. One student mentioned vampire stories, and another brought up Twilight. Jackie's right - it gets them talking, and I'm glad I wasn't the one to bring it up because it never ended: Twilight books, movies, soundtracks, graphic novels, television shows (True Blood?), other movies, and one of the most popular sources that bred them all - Dracula (but not the book - they still went to the old black and white film!). 

We talked about what moves all horror films had in common (scary music, a shower scene, something popping out, blood, etc., etc.), and how each film still remained unique (the way they use the commonalities, and the audience they're intended for)... it was cool....I related that to genre of text, and we started talking about what expectations we have for certain texts, but ran out of time... *sigh* Conversations like today make me wish class wasn't just an hour long.

... Honest questions make for awkward silences...

Three of my students didn't do the reading on Monday, so I hung the three of them up on a clothes line by their ears, and everyone took turns throwing chalk at them.

... just kidding.

I honestly didn't know what to say. I decided to steal Darcy's quote-passing activity to get discussions going, and as quotes were passed, three students ended up without quotes to work with. Two students said they weren't able to get the reading (even though I made sure to show them how to get it the Friday before), and another said he hadn't finished it (he'd read the first page). "How can you participate unless you read the material? More importantly, how can your classmates participate now that you can't contribute a quote for them to work with? This is an honest question, guys." ... I found myself in a very quiet room, and so I asked if the students sitting next to the students without quotes could share the one they received, and we moved on.


For a brief moment, I thought about sending the students out to go read the article, but being absent from class wouldn't do them any good, and I also wanted to talk about citing their sources... if they were gone from that, it would just be more stress for them and for me to have to re-tell them what they missed; besides, I'm not their disciplinarian. That's not a role I'm here to play.

SO... I think I scared them enough - I did tell them last week that I "reserve the right" to give them response papers to each reading if I think they're not doing the work. Maybe that fact will have to come up again.