well DUH!?!?!

One project down – actually it’s THREE down and a new one starts now. My students have just finished their Louisiana Festival projects and I have posted the edited videos online. Yesterday we began a little bookwork on Louisiana Native Americans which will be followed up with a bit more today. From there it will be another project.

Over the years I have modified the project to a model building, photo taking, and a bullet point power-point since I had 13 computers in my classroom. However, here at my new school I had to go back to my “old school” way of doing the project. Funny thing is, they loved the old idea. It’s all about writing, drawing, researching by reading, and creating a table of contents and a bibliography. Funny how all old things are new again.

It may be a new school – for me – but a very different setting in which to work. They are even still using a text book that the system changed six years ago. Luckily I still had all the old questions from the old green book PLUS all the questions from the new blue book. Good thing I keep everything on multiple jumpdrives.

Nine weeks of school and I still have 19 of 24 eighth graders with A’s. My worst grades are a couple of C’s. Last year my best grades at this time were a couple of A’s and a whole lot of U’s. And I have not changed a thing about what I am teaching, how I am teaching, or what I am requiring. It’s all about WHO I am teaching. Even the worst kid in my class is making a strong C grade.

Over the years I have been told to stop teaching this way, modify this lesson, rewrite this work sheet. I was always told HOW to do my job. It wasn’t me that needed to change. This I bring the same lessons, projects, goals, to my new school with a better class of students and thye eat it up, do a better job and make better grades. What happen? Oh, I know, better students!

Duh!