Vocabulary Challenge

English class at the continuation high school. The kiddos were to read a very short excerpt from John Locke's Of the State of Nature.

The students at the continuation high school aren't the strongest students, so the passage was a challenge for them to decipher. (I did read it with them and I tried to break things down so they understood.) Part of the assignment was to circle any words they were unfamiliar with so they could look them up.

I bet you know what's coming. I was expecting it.

"I am familiar with all of those words."

I believed two or three students. But way more than two or three students claimed this. So I warned them.

"If you're going to tell me that you know all the words in the excerpt, I'm going to ask you to prove it."

I had a group of students turning in their work. None of them had defined any words. Considering the paragraphs I had in front of me, I could give each student a different word. Words like: reciprocal, promiscuously, subordination, dominion, promulgated, and absolved.

And so I did. I asked each student to define a different word. And they made good stabs at it (using the context a bit). But they weren't even close.

Eventually they took their papers back. They didn't then look for words. Of course not. But at least they couldn't claim they were done.

(Considering that I heard one student looking up "arbitrary" but pronouncing it "obituary", there were more words that would have tripped them up had I asked for definitions.)

The Stomach Ache

Winter break is over, but I didn't work last week, so this week's posts are from before the break.

"My stomach hurts." Russell said this while munching on a bag of Hot Cheetos.

"Those aren't going to help," I said.

Mitchell chimed in, "You don't know that. He could be hungry."

"But when you're hungry, you say you're hungry. Hunger is a specific kind of stomach pain. If you say your stomach hurts..."

They weren't listening. Both argued over me. Russell didn't care. His argument had something to do with him having the snack meant he had to eat the snack. And Mitchell seemed to think that pain = hunger.

Russell asked to return to the health office. He had been there the prior period, but as his grandmother wouldn't come and pick him up, they sent him back to class.

There's a procedure to these things. For general malaise, the health clerk lets the student lie down for twenty minutes. Depending on the severity of the ailment, the clerk may call the student's parent(s) to pick the kiddo up. If the student feels better after the twenty minutes, they go back to class. Or, if someone won't pick the kiddo up. If a parent will pick the kiddo up, they are released for the day.

As Russell headed to the health office, he had switched to eating Funyuns. (He had finished the bag of Hot Cheetos.)

About a half hour later, Russell returned. His father wouldn't come to pick him up.

He admitted the Funyuns might not have been a good idea... as he continued to consume them.

On the bright side, he did not vomit in class. But, alas, he didn't grasp the concept that eating junk wasn't going to help the situation, especially as he was going to have to finish the school day.

(He said his mother lived at least an hour away, so he was out of options as to having someone pick him up. And students can't be released from school on their own. So, unless things got serious enough to call an ambulance, he was going to remain at school until the final dismissal bell.)

Not so Sick

We are currently on winter break, but I had a few left over posts from the last couple weeks before the break. 

"I need to blow my nose."

Ten Minutes then picked up the box of tissues.

I know, it's that time of the year. I'm dealing with sinus issues and a cough myself. But no, he doesn't get the classroom's full box.

We compromised. Ten Minutes took five tissues.

Later in the period, I noticed movement near Ten Minutes. He and the girl two seats over were throwing tissues at each other.

Naturally.

(He looked miserable. I thought he was actually sick and needed multiple tissues. My mistake.)

The New Class

There was a batch of new students at the continuation high school. Well, there's always a new batch. They break down their year into eight blocks, each about a month long. The school admits a new class of about twenty for each of those blocks.

(Students graduate on their own timeline, as well. As soon as they reach 220 credits, they're done, no matter when in the year it is.)

Sixth period was the class that had all the newbies. I realized this when I got a look at the roster. I recognized a couple names. And not from the continuation high school.

I have mentioned Kevin before. In fact, I predicted that he'd end up here. (It was a rather obvious prediction.) He'll fit right in.

The other student I recognized just by his name I have not mentioned on the blog before. That's because I try to think of him as little as possible.

Many mornings I would walk onto one campus and hear my name bellowed across the expanse. Each syllable enunciated. Followed by giggles. And repeated.

I quickly learned to ignore it.

Angelo even would run up to me and bellow my name to my face.

I asked him to stop. He would not.

Then I had him in a class with a co-teacher, and I learned that I was not special. He did the same to all his teachers. Whew. I'm so glad he wasn't singling me out.

Yup, now he's at the continuation high school. He seemed surprised to see me. And, as luck would have it, he's stopped the bellowing of my name. So, progress.

I didn't recognize the other students. But I'll learn their names. Because I do spend a lot of time at the continuation high school. (Little did they know that they can't escape me there *insert evil laugh*)

The Challenge

Last Thursday it rained. A lot.

The rain was pretty steady all day, and it had the students in a mood. Especially at the continuation high school.

Second period. English. Most of the students were on task, or at least making a pretense of doing their work. However, a couple frequent fliers seated right by the teacher's desk spent the period avoiding work.

I've mentioned Jason before. I have no idea if he ever figured out how to write a music review, but he's still trying to promote his album. It's on SoundCloud and all major outlets. He told me this several times.

Mitchell hasn't made the blog before. I've never seen him do a lick of schoolwork. Every time I see him he's "taking the day off". He was in the CAD class in August. Yup, he took the month of August off. Yet, somehow he claims to be within three credits of going back to his home school for second semester. In about a month, I'll know if this is a true statement.

So, it was raining. I had the door open, mostly because I like to watch the rain. But when it went from light to a bit heavier, Jason couldn't resist and ran outside.

Mitchell followed, ostensibly to bring him back.

Jason was disappointed he wasn't more wet. At least he wasn't looking to go back out.

But Mitchell spied a puddle, and he wanted someone (not him) to slide through it. Jason wasn't interested. Mitchell attempted to entice a couple other (quiet) students. He offered a bribe. No takers.

Then Mitchell turned to me. Would I go run through a puddle for $100?

My no needed a reason, he said.

I pleaded illness. I had a low level cold since the weekend. Not enough to stay home, but enough that I was taking it easy.

The conversation then turned to my car. (A comment that $100 could pay my insurance is how that started.)

But the point of all this is a warning. In case any of you are ever tempted to take a teen challenge--don't. Because I don't for a minute believe that Mitchell actually had $100 and/or that he would have paid up had I taken the challenge.

Besides, it was idiotic anyway.

Blame Lucy

I was back at the continuation high school. English class.

The assignment was a group project poster discussing fixed mindsets and growth mindsets using examples from the movie Freedom Writers.

It was one of those assignments where I needed to spend a while on explanations. They had two pages of instructions. Each person in the group was assigned a specific job.

Fifth period. Ms. S had said that periods five and six already had their groups. So, when Lucy said she knew what to do, I was ready to not launch into the big, long explanation I had to give all the previous classes. And when she and her group wanted to work outside, I was happy to let them.

The first hint that I'd been duped was when two girls walked in late and went to join Lucy's group. They were in groups of four. Adding two put Lucy's group at five.

Then another late student informed me he was part of Lucy's group, but he didn't want to go outside. He'd wait for their return.

A quick glance at the group told me they definitely weren't doing the group project. They were clearly playing cards.

I'm generally hesitant about letting students work outside. Lucy just burned all goodwill over working outside for the rest of this year, at least.

I brought them back in the room. Oh, I was livid. I probably shouldn't have been. When they were outside, the room was calm. Back inside, not so much. When they returned, they did no work. Naturally.

Ah well. Now I have a handy reason for when a student asks to work outside, I say no, and they ask why not.

Blame Lucy.