Discipline and Definitions

September 28, 2007

Note: This post was made after the journal entry.

The Algebra 1A class took a test and I graded it. Some students did really well--others did rather poorly. Also, those students who finished early had nothing to do while they waited for their classmates to finish. This proved to be too great of a temptation to talk. I think Ms. Screws should have planned an activity for after the test to keep them busy. Instead, she was forced to keep calling them down and threatening to give them zeros for "cheating."

In Geometry, Ms. Screws started with some vocabulary review--supplementary, complementary, acute, and obtuse. She gave really good word associations to help them remember the definitions.
For example:
Supplementary Angles - supper time is at 6:00 which is 1800 military time. Therefore, supplementary angles sum to 180 degrees.
Complementary Angles - hotels serve their complementary breakfast at 9:00. Therefore, complementary angles sum to 90 degrees.

During the question and answer time, I felt like she was leading the students. She never asked questions that made them think outside of the box. The questions were generic, and you could tell what answer she wanted them to give. I don't think these questions were profitable for learning.

I'm also rather concerned about one of the students. She looks perpetually sulky (more than the normal teenager) and I'm not sure if she's getting anything out of the class. She sits right in the front, and I think Ms. Screws looks over her. Maybe she's just bored. Maybe confused. I'm not sure, but she's not paying attention or taking notes.