My first weeks of the 2009 - 2010 school year have been incredibly busy. I had good intentions of writing my blog last night during the Georgia game, weather however, was not cooperative. My power went out at 7:45 p.m. This is the first deadline I have missed since freshman year in college. I won't say how long ago that was!
It's amazing how much energy middle school students have. Incorporating interactive computer games and websites into my lesson plans has been my life preserver. I was showing my sixth grade students range of motion of the upper extremities and one of the students said, "I see you are extending the humerus, radius and ulnar bones. I had not formally taught anatomy of the skeleton but had assigned an Internet game involving the skeleton. This student had enjoyed the interactive game so much, she often plays it at home. She was so proud to surprise the class with her new knowledge.
At the beginning of the year, one of my sixth graders greeted me at the door with "Elllo, Gov'na". This went on for the remainder of the week. On the second week I asked him to consider greeting me with "Ello, Gov'ness". The next day our exchange at the door was "Ello, Gov'ness", "Ello, Gov'na". I think I have a friend for life. I look forward to seeing him everyday.
Eighth grade students seem to have as much energy as the sixth grade students, but when in a group, redirect their energy into being cool, appearing unimpressed by anything an adult has to say. They truly are trying to establish some independence and sense of self. Getting them to participate with enthusiasm can be challenging.
Seventh grade students, obviously fall in the middle chronologically, and their behavior falls somewhere in between the silly, talkative nature of sixth graders and the cool, detached behavior of the eighth graders. One challenging situation in my seventh grade group this year is the boyfriend, girlfriend issue. It's funny, in the sixth grade if you sit a boy with a girl, no talking or eye contact concurs, in the seventh grade if you sit a boy by a girl, you can forget about any focus on the lesson.
I enjoy the students and look forward to finishing the certification process so I can be more focused on getting to know the students as individuals. I love Elluminate Live! I will imagine seeing you all on Monday night.