Tuesday, 1/8/13

Dear Journal,

So if today had been a canvassing day, it would have been one of those days where you smile bigger, act cheerier, affirm a few more people, and give out a few more hugs because you had a miserable day and you don't dare dwell on it or it will pull you down.

Even at the breakfast table there was a sense of foreboding. Ms. Wanda had had a nightmare. A terrible nightmare.

Apparently Laurelbrook had decided to punish three students by burning them at the stake! Crowds were gathering and news publicity was going balistic. She searched everywhere for the president and finally found him holed up in a little cabin. "We can't do this!" She told him.

"Look! I'm with you on that!" he remonstrated, "This was all Mike Mudd's idea!"

lol!!

Mercy.

So I taught Computer Literacy class again. Thought I got all the issues fixed with Scripture Typer so that we could finish getting that set up so they can use it as a beginning-of-class bellwork procedure.

I also prepared a few questions to ask them in groups (like Ms. Wanda pulled off so beautifully yesterday) to get them thinking about why they were studying computers and to indirectly answer the question one of them had asked the previous class "what on earth would the Bible have to do with computers?"

Then I had a couple exercises from the book for them to work on for learning Access.

I arrived at the classroom 40 minutes early to work with Mr. Sarr on getting the computer issues ironed out.
I had a step-by-step procedure written on the board for them to follow to get all their settings right for Scripture Typer. (Fred Jones calls that a Visual Instruction Plan in his book Tools for Teaching and he's right on the money! Having a clear visual step-by-step model on the board for the students to refer back to is amazing. You don't have to repeat yourself and explain the concept over and over again. They can just look up at the board and read it. I plan to develop that as a regular habit.)

Class started, and I pointed everyone to step 1 on the board. "Go to mail.laurelbrook.org and sign in to your student email."

They did so, and 6 of the students couldn't remember their password. No problem, Mr. Sarr had the server page pulled up on the teacher computer at the back of the room to give it to them... Except, Mr. Sarr was nowhere to be seen at that moment, and this green little teacher ended up just looking like a fool that had no idea what she was doing.

I tried to move them on to set up their computer folders, but I had already lost them. Some were rolling their eyes at me. Others were chatting with their neighbors and ignoring what was going on.

Finally Mr Sarr appeared and began helping them with their password issues, at which point 7 out of 10 computers stopped loading the pages. It was a mess.

So I finally got their attention, split them into pair-share groups for discussion and started asking my questions. Bless them... I know it's rough having a green teacher, but wow...
Those same sweet kids that got right into discussions and had a great time talking for Ms. Wanda yesterday, somehow turned into real little grumpies this class period.

But some good things happened! When some of them were still engrossed in their computers, I calmly said, "Nobody should be needing to use their keyboard for this discussion," and they all pulled away from their computers and started paying attention. While one kid was reading a Bible verse, two in the opposite corner of the room started talking and looking at something on the computer screen, and I implemented some good old MBWA (management by walking around), just strolled over to where they were and they stopped talking in good order and started paying attention.

My nervousness got the best of me when I tried to introduce databases though... my whole explanation flopped like a dying fish so I just cut it short and got them into their exercises from the book. Things went smoother then, until the end of class where I let those who had gotten Scripture Typer working go a couple minutes early, and the rest had to stay.

Little Firecracker had dallied at his work and was the last to finish, but as soon as he got his exercises done he hurried up and signed out of his computer and said with a charming little grin, "Ok Miss Beth, I'm going now. I'll set Scripture Typer up first thing tomorrow."

So you're a manipulator are you, little cutie?

I calmly reminded him that he still had a couple minutes before class technically let out and told him that yes, he did need to do it now. He was unenthusiastic and highly impatient. Several choice words later, he finally got it done and huffed out of the classroom with a parting sarcastic remark that I don't care to repeat.

I looked up to meet Mr. Sarr's understanding eyes.

"We all have days like that," he said. "All of us."

I'm grateful for my experience canvassing which has taught me that tough days are only, well, tough days, and they can only make you stronger if they aren't allowed to get you down. I'm glad I've had enough experiences where the teenagers that hated me and complained about me the most were the ones that turned into my closest most loyal friends. I know it'll be the same here.

Debriefing later in the kitchen over toast, Ms. Wanda asked about every detail. (She had been gone at a board meeting this afternoon.) She told me to just start the next class period out with a smile and tell them "Well we kind of had a rough time of it last class, but thankfully we've got those problems smoothed out and let's go on."

They acknowledged that some things could have gone smoother, but they affirmed several things I had done right, and assured me that I had especially done the right thing by holding my ground with Firecracker.

The conversation meandered to discipline for specific student issues, then lapsed for a few moments as each of us was busy in somber thoughts about the needs of the poor, hurting students we have been given to love.

Then, instantly breaking the mood--

"Just please don't burn them at the stake!"