I was strolling around the classroom, collecting names...
Nope, this is not #ThrowbackThursday. This is an actual new subbing story. The continuation high school is on a different schedule than the rest of the schools (they go back at the end of the month), so they've been in session for a couple weeks.
The assignment was to read a couple pages from their literature books, and then they had questions to answer. My first reading volunteer wanted to know if they'd get "credit" for reading. I told them I'd leave the names of readers so their teacher could give them "credit" if she wished. (She has in the past.)
So, this class actually volunteered to read. Unlike the other periods.
The first girl who volunteered was well known to me. So was the second boy. But the third student was not. And since I hadn't been asking for names and I didn't have a seating chart, after they finished reading I needed to take down the names of the readers I didn't know.
Rather than be an adult about it and just ask their names outright, I played sneaky. They all had an assignment to work on that they should have put their names on. They also all had folders with their names on them.
Well, I needed to walk around the room and check on them anyway.
I meandered to the back of the room. I wasn't looking for anything or at anyone in particular, but the boy in front of me jumped.
"I didn't see you there."
I guess I was stealthy.
He wasn't doing anything he shouldn't, except he hadn't started doing any of the questions. Me standing there got him started, though. And then another student asked for my assistance.
And my mission was forgotten. For a while.
Actually, there were only two students whose names I did not know. But I did know them when I looked at the roll sheet. (Don't ask how that works for me. I don't know. I just realized that I did know the names of the two students when I had a list to work from.)
Its sad when a student will read only for credit. There is a reason they are in continuation and one would think to get the education no questions asked. Perplexing to say the least.
ReplyDeleteGetting volunteers is always a challenge. Kids don't like to be singled out, and they worry that others will make fun of how they read. I think that's more a teenage thing than a continuation high school thing. (I have trouble getting volunteers everywhere.)
DeleteI always hated reading out loud at school too and so have never insisted that kids do it. I will read to 'em if I get no volunteers and then when I make a mistake they can see it doesn't hurt too much and are more inclined to give it a go...well sometimes anyway. What were they reading?
DeleteWith their teacher they were reading The Crucible, but with me it was the intro stuff--about the author, the times in which the play was written, etc.
DeleteIt's probably tough remembering everyone's name! It usually takes me a couple of weeks to remember my students' names.
ReplyDeleteI don't. I use seating charts, the photos on the roll, and looking at their papers usually.
DeleteNice. I had one choir teacher who would memorize every student's name on the first day of class. Serious gift there. I couldn't do it.
ReplyDelete"I didn't see you there." Sounds like something to be suspicious about!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be nice if they were name tags so you could identify who they were?
ReplyDeletebetty
I would love name tags. I have found, though, that one can find their names if one knows where to look.
DeleteI would also have trouble remembering the names of everyone. I'd have to wonder what the student was up to when he said, "Oh, I didn't see you there."
ReplyDeleteSunni
http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/
Yeah, it made me suspicious. I didn't see anything, though. I guess I missed it.
DeleteI remember names I see on paper better too. Photographic memory?
ReplyDeleteHart has the answer to that.
DeleteRecognition is a far easier memory function to elicit than cold recall. I will have you know you are NORMAL, or even prompted recall. I've been putting together a survey at work and this fact determines question order (don't want to give people information BEFORE asking for their "top of mind".
ReplyDeleteI always hated reading aloud. Partially because I was in speech therapy from 1st - 6th grade and had to read aloud for evaluation. The clicks every time I missed made things that much worse. Then in 7th grade we moved from the east coast to the mid west and everyone made fun of my accent! And when I got nervous, my voice got really high... No wonder I skipped class so much!
ReplyDeleteYour student wanting to know about credit sounds like a future successful businessperson...negotiating the deal up front. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so terrible with names. Sounds like you have a good system!
Some teachers do give credit for volunteering. And hey, if it gets them to read...
DeleteI liked reading because I knew I was good at it. That one boy was probably day dreaming and trying to get out of doing any assignment but you shook up enough to get him out of dream land.
ReplyDeleteI'm bad at names! Seems like you have a good work-around.
ReplyDeleteI've encountered many of them in other classes, so it gets easier the more I call roll.
DeleteI am not familiar with continuation high school. I am happy that my teens like to read. But I doubt either of them would like to read aloud!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, volunteers are hard to come by.
Delete