Good Day or Bad Day?

Miguel, having finished both the 5th and 8th grade FCAT Explorer Science programs, gets to choose his science experiment for the day.

Checking the evaporation levels of his experiment to see which container allows for the greatest amount liquid to escape into gas in the form of water vapor.


Nick, having finished the 5th grade FCAT Explorer Science program and working on the 8th grade program, invites me over to listen to a song...

....Proving he can listen to music (clean music - no swear words) and still be productive,



I liked "Stricken", by Disturbed so much that I wouldn't give him the headphones back.

From the look on his face I doubt if I get invited to listen anymore. (Hunter, behind me, doing his best to understand this Chaos Theory - Methods of Mayhem teaching style)

Raymond, who did all of the assignment I assigned over the weekend, learned from this and had two computers going and two headphones before inviting me to listen to Mary J. Blige's song, "Just Fine" (technically we're not supposed to assign homework over the weekend. If there's learning to be done and it doesn't get done during the week, then it needs to get done over the weekend....Excellent motivation for them to really work in class).

He says the positivity in the song reminds him of the positivity in the class. I heard that he had been teasing Taylor today during phys ed and I got on him for not seeing that it had gone beyond teasing and into hurting, emphasizing again that interpersonal intelligence, the ability to read and get along with others, is among the most important of the multiple intelligences to develop.


Later, Shawn told me that while some of the boys were horsing around during lunch, it was Raymond who got them to stop. Lunch happened BEFORE phys ed, but look at what I heard first, the bad.

"Twice I did good and that I heard never.
Once I did bad and that I heard ever."
- Dale Carnegie

Praising Ray as soon as I heard this, and sharing the above quote with the class, I asked Ray before he left what kind of day he had. He said, "It was good...no bad...no good". I asked him why and he said, "Well, I guess I fell down but then got back up. So I think it was a good day."

Amen Little Brother! We talked about failure only being the failure in getting back up after you've fallen, and I shook his hand like a man. (which I've learned from the past is not being so overjoyed with his progress that I almost break it :-)

Some students didn't like the assignment they were given so we sat down together to design one that will still achieve the learning goals but in a more desirable process.


I'm smiling at Luis, whom I taught how to self-time the camera, and has snuck into yet another picture like some Where's Waldo project.



They share their ideas...


...Sandria coming up with the first legitimate alternative (while Taylor, knowing how important it is to respect others and not speak over them, is literally bouncing in silence as her idea is ready to burst)

...goes off to make her idea a reality

....While Taylor expresses an excellent idea that was built upon by the others so much that it became an INCREDIBLE idea



We could turn the classroom itself into a giant game board (Katie)

With giant dice (Taylor)

And we could be the pieces (Florencia...who has stolen the hat I love to wear that Sky-Man-Skyler gave me last year)

I'm very proud of how far they've come;

....from talking over one another,

....to staying quiet while another speaks but thinking only of their idea and not listening to their classmates,

.....to finally actively listening to each other's thoughts and building upon and co-creating incredible thoughts (something Courtney is VERY good at)

Engaging in REAL dialogue!

Katie showing me the notes she took in preparation for tomorrow's science project (an incredible feat for her, who used to refuse to take notes in the beginning of the year - She's a student you can't authoritatively demand she enter your world and see your vision....You enter hers if you hope to see how to teach her )


And after we call Taneicea and Kristen at home who were out sick today, straight-A student Nick gets a little golf in at the end of the day... (my grandfather's club)

While the rest of the abled-bodied class dances to "I Like To Move It, Move It" from the movie "Madagascar".

Chad is the straight man Dean Martin, while Luis is obviously Jerry Lewis

Andrew reminds me of Frank Sinatra, just as much fun with a slightly cooler edge


After buses were called Raymond had to drag you away Luis, reminding me of the Jim Carey movie, "Liar, Liar" when he's trying to make his one phone call from prison and hanging on the phone as he's dragged away. Luis, or "Big Fun", ....you make me laugh. Thank you for producing the Big Results academically that allow me to let you be yourself, and have Big Fun!


I believe Luis has the most Math Classworks units mastered in the entire school, second only to Andrew, who is here with Nick and Chad doing some kind of boys-will-be-boys momentum-in-science experiment using Luis as the object of motion :-)

So, was it a good day or bad day?

I'd have to say it was a very good day!
(because Luis got back up after his friends dropped him :-)

(Andrew literally feeling SKY HIGH from his accomplishments)