It's not you, it's me.

I imagine it's difficult for all humans to understand time as a concept.  I do not feel like the year is over.  How and when did it end?

As I was reflecting on the year at home Wednesday night, I had the thought that the end of the school year is so much like a Junior High break up.  How appropriate that I teach Junior High.

I remembered the thought toward the end of the school day yesterday, and shared it with my last class.  I talked about how weird it is that we've spent all this time together, we were around each other everyday.  Generally speaking, we really liked each other, but at times I annoy the class and they annoy me.

I mentioned that things would never be the same between us.  They'd get awkward.  Next year as 8th graders they might see me in the hall, maybe we'd high five.  Maybe they'd ask how Gandhi's doing.  (He's still dead...)  But we'd both know things aren't the same.

I told my class, "it's not you, it's me."  And they asked me if there was someone else.  I told them, well... yes... There's a group of 6th graders that's*

And the class cut me off: "SO YOU'RE TRADING US IN FOR SOMEONE YOUNGER?!?!?!"  (I kid you not, 7th hour really did say this...)

I hemmed and hawed for a while, but admitted it was true.  I apologized, but I think they were too upset at the moment to accept.

And lets be honest.  It's not me.  It's you.  We've both changed, but you're the ones who are moving on.  If we're being honest, it's this 7th grade class that's breaking up with me.

At any rate, it's not a perfect analogy.

As all endings are, yesterday was a time of reflection.  As a teacher, I think that's one thing many teachers don't do well enough (myself included...)  We're so focused on doing, that we leave little time to sit, and think, and reflect.  It's always go, go, go.


That's been one of the benefits of the blog - it's good for the students, but it's also good for me.  I get a chance to sit down and think about how the day went.  What we did, what went well, what didn't...

And so, we reflected on the year.  But we also thought about the future.  Every year I make 5 goals for the summer and 5 goals for the next school year.  I also make a 5 year goal and a 10 year goal. We discuss keeping the goals attainable - yet not too attainable.  I tried to talk them into choosing goals that make them into the person they want to be.  (So we discussed academic goals, athletic goals, relational goals - helping out around the house, etc...)

They didn't have to write any, but many students did.  If they wrote them, I encouraged them to put them somewhere they can be seen.  I keep mine on the side of the fridge.  They're not in a very prominent spot, but one that I see everyday.  Every once in a while I look at them and it reminds me of where I want to be going, and it helps me regain my focus.

If you didn't write any, it's not too late.

Here are my goals from last year - in case you're interested:

I've got to finish cleaning my classroom.  Thanks for a great year.  If you're ever wondering what's going on, feel free to leave a comment.

If you're reading and discussing the blog for extra credit... seriously... you probably have enough.

Stop by Tomorrow

This was a fantastic last day of school.  Unfortunately, with all the partying, I don't have time to give my final thoughts/ reflections on the year.

Of course, you can't get extra credit for them anyway...  But they might be fun to read.  Especially if you're really bored or something... summer's like that.

THIS IS IT

Feel free to check back in over the summer and leave comments - but this is it: the last chance at getting extra credit for reading/ discussing the blog.

We've done a lot this year.  (Just read back through old posts and see for yourself...)

What I'd like you to do for this blog post is discuss how the year went with the adult.  I'd prefer if you focused specifically on this class, but you can venture into school in general if you please.

What was your favorite activity or moment from this class?  What lessons went well?  What didn't go well?  Can you name anything you learned?  Do you remember anything from back at the beginning of the year?  (Think about latitude and longitude; culture; ethnocentrism; globalization; etc...)  What are you going to do this summer to avoid brain drain?  When reflecting on the year, there's plenty to discuss.  So reflect; discuss.

Maybe I'll post tomorrow and give you my thoughts on the year, and how I plan on avoiding summer brain drain.

To get the extra credit, write 3 sentences from your discussion, and have the adult you discussed with sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow.  (I wouldn't wait until Friday.)

Summer... here we come.

In the Lead

We're looking at the leaders of Ancient China.  The chancellors met with groups of people in various provinces.  They had to determine who was most fit to rule China.

All three groups won at different times of the day - which was nice, because it is also true of China.

The emperor met with the chancellors, and listened to their advice.  I was impressed with the maturity showed by these leaders.  They asked valid questions and generally took the advice of their chancellors.  There was one case where 3 chancellors voted one way, while 2 voted another way - and the emperor went with the minority.  When he was questioned about this, he said it was because his most trusted chancellor was in the minority.  Great answer, man.  Great answer.

If you want the extra credit for reading and discussing the blog... well... you have to read and discuss it.

Tell the adult you read the blog with about the role you played.  What did you do?  Who did the emperor choose?  Why do you think he choose them?

On a scrap of paper, write down 2 thoughts about this activity.

Have the adult you read the blog with sign the scrap of paper.

See you tomorrow.

Winding Up, Winding Down

When there are less than 5 days of school left, and everybody around us is already on vacation, it's sometimes difficult to retain focus.

Yet here we are.

We started an activity today on the Chinese dynasties.  There are 3 groups we are looking at: aristocrats, scholars, and foreigners.  Each group believes they should rule.  They plead their case before the chancellor of their province.  The chancellors will take their case before the emperor, and the emperor will decide.

Today, the students are still in their groups, trying to figure out why they should lead.  Tomorrow, they'll argue.

If you want the extra credit, you were supposed to have read this blog with an adult.  If you did that, discuss with them what makes a good leader.  Then, on a scrap of paper, tell me whether you see yourself as a leader or not, and tell me why.  Have the adult sign the paper.

Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray.