mbperrin
mbperrin's JournalDo you teach?
I do. I teach inclusion classes at the senior high school level, economics and government this year.
What this means is that I have "regular" students, special ed, deaf, wheelchair, blind, 504 (dyslexic and other conditions not special ed which require modifications), 5th year (up to 8th year) seniors who are now overage 19-22 years old, exchange students, students on probation or parole, English Language Learners, with an average of 32 in the classroom, which has 3 student computers and a smartboard for technology.
I have a special ed inclusion teacher for 5 of my 6 classes every day, and I have a deaf interpreter one period.
The room is 22' x 24', and is part of the 1946 addition to our 1909 high school, renovated in 1988 to include air conditioning.
Here's the sum total of my rules for handling 32 students and up to three teachers at a time:
Special note on classroom behaviors and etiquette:
Mutual respect is the key to civilized behavior. We will all use normal courtesy when dealing with each other at all times, such as saying “Please” and “Thank you” and by listening attentively when others are speaking and by having something to say when talking. “Content-free” comments are a waste of everybody’s time.
In addition, I have no problem with bringing drinks to class, provided that all trash ends up in the trash can at the end of the period. Please, no food. No one, including me, will be excused during class to purchase snacks or drinks from any source, including vending machines and the cookie fund-raiser across the street.
Absolutely no hats or electronic devices will be permitted. They are unwelcome distractions to our learning environment.
Cheating is unprofitable, and therefore, will not occur.
Please just throw out all the rules there that you find stupid. Thanks.
(Oh, I forgot to mention that 85% of my students graduate each year and have for 18 years now.)
The real problem is for the students who need the structure and can't operate well in a chaotic
environment with people talking, taking phone calls, texting, eating, walking around the room, and otherwise disturbing any chance of a routine.
And of course, you can coast for a while on previous knowledge, but there is going to come a time when you will really need to know how to closely read for meaning, take efficient notes for recall without having to do the whole sequence again, and learn how to work with other people.
The idea that results can be divorced from process is stupid, really.
Process is all we have in the end, because simple "facts" change often in our lifetime as new analyses are done, new discoveries made, more curious questions answered. I give this program three years at the most. It'll take a decade to straighten out the mess it leaves.
Easiest thing would be to prohibit the corporation as a business organization.
Adam Smith didn't think corporations should be allowed to exist. Neither do I. They're a dodge to avoid personal liability for economic crimes.
Anytime you have a chance to lose everything you own, pauperize your family, and/or go to jail, you get a bit more responsible, a little more law abiding, and somewhat more interested in customer service.
The corporate form of business is at the root of all economic problems in the world today by creating a way for business to make money other than their actual business - stock manipulation.
So kill corporations and enjoy the benefits.
Profile Information
Member since: 2003 before July 6thNumber of posts: 7,672
