Nuclear. Option.

(Hopefully)

Something's gotta give in my 8th grade class. The students in there who want to learn can't because of the noise and disruptions. The ones who are causing all the noise and disruption obviously don't. Last week I unearthed some workbooks that go along with our textbook (imagine 10 workbooks with guided notes, flow charts, and worksheets of every variety). I'm going to spend most of the drive home tomorrow figuring out which worksheets to use on which day. I'm thinking 2 worksheets on our current unit and another on a past unit to review each day. Plus another for homework. It will be ABSOLUTELY silent all class. Each time a student talks, s/he will owe me a continent with all its countries and capitals labeled (first Asia, then Africa, then Europe, then the Americas). These will all be due at the end of class. If anything is incomplete, it counts against the classwork grade for the day. Once you climb that ladder, I may just call the parents right then and there and put them on the phone with their dear little piece of God's creation.

By the end of the week, I'll be able to tell whether or not I will need to send home 30 worksheets for homework over next weekend. If that happens, I will send home a note with them explaining whey it was necessary. I will explain it to the class as a way to make sure that we catch up with where we need to be. I'm envisioning something along the lines of:

"I don't mean for this to be a punishment. I have a job, and that job is to teach you social studies. Many of you come in here day in and day out and struggle through our lessons with me despite the commotion. However, nobody is learning as much as I would like, and I take the blame. Obviously I cannot get the job done. So, for the foreseeable future, I plan to let you work in silence on worksheets and activities that someone else wrote. Hopefully this will let those of you who want to learn figure things out. If you talk, I will assume that you are finished and give you a continent to label. Whatever classwork I hand out this period is due at the end of the period. If anyone talks, we will all need homework tonight to reinforce the material."

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was nice. I spent an extremely relaxing and beautiful break in Tampa, Florida. I'm heading to Austin, TX for an ACE retreat next weekend. My community is flying out on Thursday night, which mean I have this (four-day) week, a five-day week, and then finals week (five days) before Christmas break. I'm not sure when I'm going to start the day-by-day countdown. Possibly when I get home. Tomorrow.

Happy Holidays!!!