Have you seen the ads? Well, first I should ask if you watch the Science Channel? If you do, then you've probably seen the ads.
They're doing this black hole special thing on Sunday. And because the Science Channel is my go-to channel for background noise, I've seen the commercial numerous times. It asks the question: What if a black hole appeared in our own backyard?
I assume the shows will address this possibility. But it got me thinking...
What if the Earth had been swallowed up by a black hole a long time ago? What if we are in the maw of a black hole that destroyed our world and we don't even know it?
Yeah, I know, not likely. But my what ifs aren't supposed to be likely. They're just out here to make you think.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Graduation Daydream
This has become an annual post for me. It all started a few years ago when I was subbing for a special ed teacher on the last day of school (she was attending her 8th grade son's promotion ceremony). I had some time to myself (read: no students), and I was kind of dozing.
I went home and wrote the whole thing into my blog. Then the next year at the end of the year, I reposted it. I've done this enough times that it's now become my end-of-school-year tradition. (The school year ended last week.)
It starts with a stage filled with teens in caps and gowns. A graduation ceremony. The new graduates look over the audience filled with proud parents. They're excited. They've finally finished school, and they're looking forward to the next phase of their lives.
The new graduates exit at the side of the stage. They hug each other. Many are in tears. They meet up with parents, take pictures, and gradually leave the area.
The stage is empty, but not for long.
Off to the other side of the stage is another group of students a year younger than those who just exited. They climb the stairs and claim the stage for themselves.
The new senior class surveys its domain. Some look in corners. Others go to the edge of the stage and peer out at the audience. Many are cheering, fist pumping, and bouncing up and down. Two boys run at each other and bump chests. They have arrived.
While the new senior class celebrates, the area just off the stage that was just vacated starts to fill. This group looks around in awe and wonder. A few look up the steps, itching to join the new seniors. Several look out over the line that stretches out behind them. It's a long line and it seems to disappear into the horizon.
As each group moves up to the next position, they look over their new surroundings. The new freshman class, however, is so busy celebrating and laughing at the group just below them that they don't notice how trashed their new position is. Then again, their old spot in the line wasn't much better.
The newest middle schoolers carefully take up their new position. They are all wide-eyed wonder. The more adventurous pull their peers along. They take their time looking around, acclimating to their new position in line. There's a demarcation behind them, and they thought they'd never get beyond that border. Now that they are, they're not sure what they're going to do next.
Each elementary grade moves up one. As the former kindergartners take their first grade spot (and make themselves right at home), an empty spot is left at the end of the line. But like all the other spots in line, this one doesn't remain empty for long.
Off in the distance, family groups start to arrive. The parents push their little ones into their spot in line. Some of these children run to take over their spot. Others cling. The families stand there, watching their little ones for some time, not sure what to do next.
One mother shakes her head as she watches her little one acclimate to the line. "They grow up so fast," she says.
Nearby, various people are on their way out of the area. One woman hears the kindergartner's mother, so she turns to her and says, "You have no idea."
The woman looks off into the distance where her graduate is off with friends. "You have no idea," the woman repeats.
I went home and wrote the whole thing into my blog. Then the next year at the end of the year, I reposted it. I've done this enough times that it's now become my end-of-school-year tradition. (The school year ended last week.)
It starts with a stage filled with teens in caps and gowns. A graduation ceremony. The new graduates look over the audience filled with proud parents. They're excited. They've finally finished school, and they're looking forward to the next phase of their lives.
The new graduates exit at the side of the stage. They hug each other. Many are in tears. They meet up with parents, take pictures, and gradually leave the area.
The stage is empty, but not for long.
Off to the other side of the stage is another group of students a year younger than those who just exited. They climb the stairs and claim the stage for themselves.
The new senior class surveys its domain. Some look in corners. Others go to the edge of the stage and peer out at the audience. Many are cheering, fist pumping, and bouncing up and down. Two boys run at each other and bump chests. They have arrived.
While the new senior class celebrates, the area just off the stage that was just vacated starts to fill. This group looks around in awe and wonder. A few look up the steps, itching to join the new seniors. Several look out over the line that stretches out behind them. It's a long line and it seems to disappear into the horizon.
As each group moves up to the next position, they look over their new surroundings. The new freshman class, however, is so busy celebrating and laughing at the group just below them that they don't notice how trashed their new position is. Then again, their old spot in the line wasn't much better.
The newest middle schoolers carefully take up their new position. They are all wide-eyed wonder. The more adventurous pull their peers along. They take their time looking around, acclimating to their new position in line. There's a demarcation behind them, and they thought they'd never get beyond that border. Now that they are, they're not sure what they're going to do next.
Each elementary grade moves up one. As the former kindergartners take their first grade spot (and make themselves right at home), an empty spot is left at the end of the line. But like all the other spots in line, this one doesn't remain empty for long.
Off in the distance, family groups start to arrive. The parents push their little ones into their spot in line. Some of these children run to take over their spot. Others cling. The families stand there, watching their little ones for some time, not sure what to do next.
One mother shakes her head as she watches her little one acclimate to the line. "They grow up so fast," she says.
Nearby, various people are on their way out of the area. One woman hears the kindergartner's mother, so she turns to her and says, "You have no idea."
The woman looks off into the distance where her graduate is off with friends. "You have no idea," the woman repeats.
Monday, June 24, 2013
School Year End Review
The last day of school was June 18th. Which means that it's time for my annual end of year review. I started doing these a couple years ago when another blogger posted his stats for the year. (To recap: 2012. 2011. 2010.)
There were 178 school days. I worked 127 of them. This is way up from each of the previous listed years.
I did not work the first nor the last day of school. (Some years I do.) Of those days, 15 were in classes that did not have a prep period. (I'm pretty sure half of those were for the same math teacher who I covered several times this year.) And 27 of those days I covered another class on the prep period.
I spent one day in an elementary class (the less said about that the better). 52 days were in high school classes, 30 days were in middle school classes, and 44 days were at the continuation high school. This is another surprising number--I was sure I spent way more time at the continuation high school than anywhere else.
Some specifics:
There were 178 school days. I worked 127 of them. This is way up from each of the previous listed years.
I did not work the first nor the last day of school. (Some years I do.) Of those days, 15 were in classes that did not have a prep period. (I'm pretty sure half of those were for the same math teacher who I covered several times this year.) And 27 of those days I covered another class on the prep period.
I spent one day in an elementary class (the less said about that the better). 52 days were in high school classes, 30 days were in middle school classes, and 44 days were at the continuation high school. This is another surprising number--I was sure I spent way more time at the continuation high school than anywhere else.
Some specifics:
- Science: 33 days
- 5 days of physics (up from last year)
- 11 days with the 8th graders
- 6 days in health (5 of those for the same teacher)
- Math: 31 days
- 11 days of Algebra 2 (Woot!)
- 4 days of Calculus (including those zero period days)
- 10 days of Algebra 1
- English: 13 days
- 5 of those continuation high school English
- Social Studies: 29 days
- 13 days of US history (several of those for the same teacher. She's never absent. This year was an aberration.)
- 9 days of geography (most of those at the continuation high school)
- Reentry: 9 days (this is because they added another reentry teacher, and she was having medical issues this year)
I did not cover a full day of special ed, but I did cover one period on my prep period on 7 different days. I covered 5 days of art, one day of band (Woot! Only one day!), two days in computer classes, and one day of Spanish. I had no opportunity days (a great big WOOT!), but I did get to cover a new leadership class seven different times.
What's great about these posts is I can go back and compare to previous years. And this year was wildly different. In a good way.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Doorkeeper
The lesson plan stated:
So, when Zachary asked to turn in a found cell phone to the office, I said no. It was a reasonable request. One I might have granted under other circumstances. But (1)Zachary (2)leaving class wasn't going to happen.
I offered to do it myself later. Zachary took the phone back, saying that he wanted to be the one to be a good citizen. Uh huh. Sure.
Some time later (maybe a half hour) a student from the previous period arrived. "I lost something. I hope I left it here."
She was halfway into the room when Zachary held up the phone. Yep, it was hers.
Which is another good reason not to turn in cell phones to the office. Students usually come looking for them.
Zachary and Jamal are not allowed to go to the bathroom... I have told them this past week they cannot go to the bathroom any more during my class... Don't let students go take care of things for other classes.Translation:
Students have been finding excuses to avoid class (probably especially when there's a sub). Keep them in class. Especially Zachary and Jamal.I've been warned.
So, when Zachary asked to turn in a found cell phone to the office, I said no. It was a reasonable request. One I might have granted under other circumstances. But (1)Zachary (2)leaving class wasn't going to happen.
I offered to do it myself later. Zachary took the phone back, saying that he wanted to be the one to be a good citizen. Uh huh. Sure.
Some time later (maybe a half hour) a student from the previous period arrived. "I lost something. I hope I left it here."
She was halfway into the room when Zachary held up the phone. Yep, it was hers.
Which is another good reason not to turn in cell phones to the office. Students usually come looking for them.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
A Video Game?
It's the end of the school year. My brain is a little fried. So, apologies for today's question:
What if we are the computer simulations being controlled by players in some elaborate video game?
What if we are the computer simulations being controlled by players in some elaborate video game?
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Quotes from Fifth Period
I don't know what it is about 5th period. This school year they've been the weirdest of the bunch.
The group I had last Tuesday had a get-ready-for-finals assignment. Some worked on it. A group near the front spent the period mostly in conversation. And what a conversation it was!
"One year, I got 139 detentions."
Considering that there are 180 days in the school year, that's quite a run. How does one get a detention practically every single day? I don't want to know.
"[One teacher] really liked me, but [another teacher] had my other brother in class. She asked if I was Trevor's brother. I lied and said I wasn't. No one liked Trevor."
Apparently Trevor was a bad, bad kid.
"[One teacher] really hated me. Passing period wasn't even over and she kicked me out of class."
"Most bullies aren't evil enough to give you a black eye the day before picture day."
"In 4th grade, I learned not to hit the teacher."
I wasn't the only one taken aback by that. The others in the group wondered why it took that long. The boy explained that everyone told him not to hit. I guess he hit everyone. It was only in the 4th grade that he got that hitting the teacher was worse.
The girl in the group was astonished that I hadn't been warned about the two boys. I didn't explain that the teacher only left emergency lesson plans that day (must have been a very last minute call out). Because, apparently the two boys were that teacher's terrors. One slept for much of the first semester, and the other explained that he had had practically every seat in the room (the teacher kept moving him, hoping that would help him settle).
I found them entertaining. But then again, I wasn't asking for silence. Since I let them talk, they didn't feel the need to do battle with me, and that made my day all that much easier.
I have a feeling they'll be repeating this class next year.
The group I had last Tuesday had a get-ready-for-finals assignment. Some worked on it. A group near the front spent the period mostly in conversation. And what a conversation it was!
"One year, I got 139 detentions."
Considering that there are 180 days in the school year, that's quite a run. How does one get a detention practically every single day? I don't want to know.
"[One teacher] really liked me, but [another teacher] had my other brother in class. She asked if I was Trevor's brother. I lied and said I wasn't. No one liked Trevor."
Apparently Trevor was a bad, bad kid.
"[One teacher] really hated me. Passing period wasn't even over and she kicked me out of class."
"Most bullies aren't evil enough to give you a black eye the day before picture day."
"In 4th grade, I learned not to hit the teacher."
I wasn't the only one taken aback by that. The others in the group wondered why it took that long. The boy explained that everyone told him not to hit. I guess he hit everyone. It was only in the 4th grade that he got that hitting the teacher was worse.
The girl in the group was astonished that I hadn't been warned about the two boys. I didn't explain that the teacher only left emergency lesson plans that day (must have been a very last minute call out). Because, apparently the two boys were that teacher's terrors. One slept for much of the first semester, and the other explained that he had had practically every seat in the room (the teacher kept moving him, hoping that would help him settle).
I found them entertaining. But then again, I wasn't asking for silence. Since I let them talk, they didn't feel the need to do battle with me, and that made my day all that much easier.
I have a feeling they'll be repeating this class next year.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Hiding the Assignment
Last week was the last week of school at the continuation high school. (The other schools have two more days this week. Not sure why they did that...) Those that were graduating no longer had to attend. Those that weren't just kind of hung on for the remaining days.
The students all had things to do. They were supposed to be doing lessons on the computers. Some were. But many were just there. And they had computer access.
Yeah, so many were playing computer games.
I would walk the room, stopping behind those that weren't on task. Tsking them for not being on task. Some had the decency to pretend to work as I'd approach, but not as many as other times in the year.
I approached one boy. Playing game. Not bothering to hide it. I asked him what he should be doing. He informed me that he was working on his assignment. He was just taking a short break.
I scanned the tabs at the top of the screen. I looked at the little boxes along the task bar. There was no indication of the program that should have been open. I pointed this out to him.
He explained that he had hidden the program. There was something new that could hide things from the task bar so that nosy subs wouldn't see what the student was actually doing.
Um, okay. I know I look along the task bar to see what the student has open that he shouldn't have open. But why would he hide the thing that he was supposed to be doing? Shouldn't he hide the game?
I asked him this. He didn't have an explanation.
If only they spent that time and creative energy on their work, they might have been among the graduates last week. Sigh.
The students all had things to do. They were supposed to be doing lessons on the computers. Some were. But many were just there. And they had computer access.
Yeah, so many were playing computer games.
I would walk the room, stopping behind those that weren't on task. Tsking them for not being on task. Some had the decency to pretend to work as I'd approach, but not as many as other times in the year.
I approached one boy. Playing game. Not bothering to hide it. I asked him what he should be doing. He informed me that he was working on his assignment. He was just taking a short break.
I scanned the tabs at the top of the screen. I looked at the little boxes along the task bar. There was no indication of the program that should have been open. I pointed this out to him.
He explained that he had hidden the program. There was something new that could hide things from the task bar so that nosy subs wouldn't see what the student was actually doing.
Um, okay. I know I look along the task bar to see what the student has open that he shouldn't have open. But why would he hide the thing that he was supposed to be doing? Shouldn't he hide the game?
I asked him this. He didn't have an explanation.
If only they spent that time and creative energy on their work, they might have been among the graduates last week. Sigh.
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