Technology in Teaching

NOVEMBER 24, 2004

BACK - I'M BACK - WHAT - YOU HADN'T NOTICED I WAS GONE?

I just was looking over old blogs, and I noticed I hadn't used this one for a while. I've been blogging on the political one, Right As Usual.

But, with the election over, it seems time to turn the focus to other issues and concerns.

Where I'm at:

Semi-employed, in a local middle school, on a long-term sub assignment as a technology teacher. It's been a really good experience, since it's allowed me to try out things in the classroom in an atmosphere of little pressure. If it works, great. If it doesn't, ahh- what the heck, I'm only subbing.

The students have been pussycats, just adorable (with occasional slight moments). In general, teaching in a suburb is FAR easier than the urban districts. It's not that the kids are so different (OK, they're a little quieter and less volatile), but the administration has the attitude that the kids CAN and WILL behave, or there will be consequences.

That's not generally the case in the city. There, the automatic assumption is that any challenges in the classroom are strictly the teacher's fault, probably because the teacher hates minority kids, or is not competent at his/her job, or just didn't have a good enough lesson plan.

Lesson Plans - yeah, that's the ticket. Just get a good one, align it to the state standards, and the kid with the substance abuse problem will sober up.

Yeah, right.