A bit late...

So, it's been a while!  Sorry about that. So, WOW.  Where to begin!?


I am on my fourth full week (fifth week) of school at THS!  How's that possible?  My classroom has undergone some transformations since the first day of school.  For starters, I have no idea what a row looks like.  That or clean floors or an empty desk!  I got an Elmo, yahoo!, so I moved some things around so I can better use that and my desks are changed to talk with students more easily.   I like it!  

The best thing about teaching is getting to laugh at things... I'm sure if I didn't laugh, I honestly would hurt one of these kids.  Here are some of the "insights" high schools have shared with me:
1. "I can't remember your name.  Do you know how many teachers I have?"  (Yes.  8.  Opposed to my approx. 175 students!)
2. "Wow, Frau B.  I can't do this.  I don't know German."  (Thanks.  I know that.  Hence your being in German 1.)
3. (3 weeks in to the year.... after I told the students I taught German AND English) "So... who teaches English in here?"  


Hopefully, I can bring some more... even better "insights" from THS soon!  


One of the sad insights that I gained last week was that high school juniors do not know/understand 9/11 AT ALL.  We had an OPTIONAL assembly.  I made my seminar students attend... not that they listened to any of it.  Afterwards, I had my junior English students journal about it.  Of course, I didn't think about the fact that these students were in 2nd grade in 2001.  Quite a few remembered where they were the first time they heard about it but in both of my classes, I had a few students that asked, "Why are we writing about Sept. 11?  What happened in 2001?"  I spent probably 30 minutes with one class, watching YouTube clips of news footage and talking about what happened.  


I know it's not THEIR faults that they don't know.  But what have their teachers and their parents been doing the past 9 years?   How are schools not recognizing 9/11 at all?  I commend THS for having an assembly.  But why optional?  And if it's optional, shouldn't there be a sort of announcement or statement during the week?  Apparently not.  But I think that's sad.  Next year, if I teach juniors again, they will have been in 1st grade.  I highly doubt that any of those students will remember that day personally.  Will they know anything about it?  


As always.... my thoughts go off in random directions...!  So it goes when you spend your time with teenagers, I suppose!!