Back to the grind...

It was a little hard to get them motivated on Monday, so I made it a fairly easy day. I didn't want to come back either, but I wanted to see the kids. I had both classes write about their Christmas and New Year's. We also talked a little about the tsunami and it's effects on people, the countries, and other resources.

I started a new story with the 9th graders, "The Grandfather," written by Gary Soto, who is Mexican American. It is a very short story, but one that they can all relate to.

Today, I had them write about what "home" means to them and to also include what part of their house is their favorite. This writing assignment falls along the lines of "describing a place," which is a required assignment. I couldn't believe the amount of writing some of them did and what they wrote. I plan on having them describe what their homes look like tomorrow, and then the neighborhood after that.

I started The Diary of Anne Frank with the 8th graders this week. There's barely enough students to cover all the roles. But they seem to be interested in this young girls struggle for survival. I also plan on showing the video along with it. Today I had them write directions for tying their shoes. A couple of students were able to give good directions and I even tried them out to make sure they worked. Most of the students interact very well in open discussion, except for this one student who makes the most ignorant and off the wall comments. He thinks he knows everything, but he's a product of too much television and believing what people tell him. He also thinks it's okay to plagiarize other people's work, pay teachers for grades, and that only black people receive scholarships if they're good in football or basketball. Sometimes I just want to smack some sense into him, but he is someone who has to learn the hard way.

I also experienced my first drug sweep. It was very interesting, but I really wanted to pet the dogs.