Satisfaction

Today I was really anxious to try a new lesson plan idea, but I think it's working. The objective is for students to be able to explain how the history of the atomic theory helped contribute to modern theory. The lesson is over three days and starts with a discussion of students preconceptions about the history of atomic theory, and some note-taking on the six notable contributors: Democritus, Dalton, Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, and Chadwick. Students are then split into 6 teams, and each team is given a 1-2 page reading (Wikipedia copy-paste) and a series of 7 questions to guide them through the reading. Finally, each team is responsible for a 5-minute presentation on their scientist, making sure to include the answers to their 7 questions (most importantly, how this scientist's discovery contributed to the current understanding of atomic theory).

I was worried they'd all decide not to do it or something, but it's going pretty well. I've introduced the assignment to all three eighth grade classes, and I'm learning a few things on the way. One class definitely needed more explanation on the questions. Another class probably thought the questions were too restrictive, and the other class required me to make their groups for them, or nothing would get done.

In my homeroom class, I'm beginning a 5-day inquiry activity on the different factors that affect heart rate. I'm so excited! I really enjoy the job part of this job. The politics are another story.

Today, two students (male/female) were found in a bathroom stall together. One of the students had wandered off when I had taken my class to the bathroom (she went to the other bathroom), but thankfully the assistant principal said there was nothing I could have done to prevent it.

In other news, the four toughest kids in my homeroom class and one in the other 7th grade class recently got into some serious trouble when they jumped an eighth grader as he got off the bus (at their end, not at the school), and the kid ended up in the hospital. A police officer came to the school on Friday to speak to them, and now they're all suspended for 10 days (a serious one), pending possible suspension. It's so frustrating to always go out on a limb to help these kids succeed, and then they go do something like this. Almost every one of those kids took pride in success independently, but always gave into the peer pressure of the "thug life". At the very least, I'll have a smaller (and much better behaved) homeroom class for a while, which is a huge advantage to the other 25 students.

Yesterday was my 4 mile race, and it went really well! I ran in 42:18, which is a 10:34 mile. I previously thought I could only do a 10:30 mile for 2 mile, but I guess I was wrong. I was running with two friends (both faster, but less trained), and they kept me moving. We passed the time by sharing stories. In the last mile, we split up, and I finished a minute behind one and two minutes behind the other. It was a flat race, but all on a high-crowned asphalt road, which left me with some sore knees and ankles. Even though I want to run today (gorgeous weather), I'll take the day off. I was surprised to hear that my two friends are much more sore today than I am; I guess even though I'm slower, my training paid off. I'm even looking forward to yoga tonight.

This weekend also involved some great weather and great cooking. On Saturday night, I was so stressed out that I had to make zeppoles. Other highlights include eggy pasta, a cheese plate, and a burrito adventure.