Critic FaceTime, or Hangouts with Liner

One of the most dreaded student questions in all of education... WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS? Ugh. When teachers hear this uttered within the hollowed walls of our classrooms, so many thoughts go through our heads...

          Because I am the teacher and you are the student!

          Because I had to do it and you must suffer the same fate!

          Because it's on the test/final/state assessment!

          Because my principal/coordinator told me I had to!

          Beacuse you'll need it for college!

While some of these fleeting thoughts may be accurate some of the time, there are those lessons or assignments (more common than students think) that are applicable to life as an ordinary human being on the planet Earth. Yes, there are real people who are doing exactly what they are being required to do. When we explain this to students, we are someties met with resistance.

"No way. You're just saying that. Nobody seriously has to do stuff like this once they leave school."

In Humanities, our students have arts experiences throughout the year and write critiques of those experiences. This assignment is lovingly referred to as the HAE (Humanities Arts Experience). On the brink of our looming HAE deadline, our classes had an opportunity to have a video chat with one of the most established and well-respected critics in our area. Students submitted questions for Elaine and each class had their questions answered and heard some fun stories and thoughful insights from the mind of the critic herself. Throughout the chat, students picked up some valuable tips to make their criticism more colorful, concise, and gramatically correct. More than that, though, they got to take a journey through the thought process of a critic from the moment they walk into a venue through the performance, wiritng process, and (sometimes negative) feedback following publication.

The magic of Google Hangouts allowed us to do at school what people do at home or on the go all the time using tools like FaceTime or Skype. It was easy, accessible, and it got the job done. It is definitely something we will do again. It helps students to see people out there in the world doing the kinds of things they are being asked to do in school. Will this make the assignment more fun to complete? When it comes to writing a paper, "fun" is not a word that most freshmen and sophomores would use; however, the assignment can become more meaningful.

I am beyond grateful to Elaine Liner, theater critic at The Dallas Observer to sharing her knowledge, experience, and one-of-a-kind snark with our classes. 

What Just Happened?

I saw a play Saturday night called The Dumb Waiter. In case you don't know what a dumbwaiter is, it's this small elevator thing that was used back in the day to transport food from a lower floor to a higher floor in a cafe or fancy house.

In this particular play, two hitmen were waiting on instructions about who they were supposed to kill. After a while, the dumbwaiter started delivering food orders, which confused both the hitmen as well as the audience, as there was no food or even a working stove in the room. I won't tell you how it ended in case you ever get a chance to see it, but trust me when I tell you that it has one of those endings that causes you to replay the entire play in your head to figure out the moment when the end makes sense.

Sometimes, things don't make sense until the end. We ended our first unit of AP World History last week. Over a period of a few weeks, we read and took notes at home over a few chapters and then used class time to try and make connections across these various parts of history. Many students may have wondered, much like many audience members in the play I attended, what the point was. Why do I have to take these notes at home? Can't the teacher just teach me? Why do I need to make this Venn diagram of explorers? There is more to history than the details. The details have their place, which is why you need to do reading assignments and take notes. Making the connections can be a little more difficult to do on your own, which is why we spend time in class with that part. But hopefully, at the end,  during the test - it all starts to make sense.

Some people may not have been over the moon when they saw their test grade. But I have a suspicion that the next end - the next test - will be better. Why? Because you've seen an ending now. You know what types of questions to expect. The mystery and anticipation are gone. Don't give up. One woman in the audience of The Dumb Waiter got up and walked out RIGHT BEFORE THE BEST PART. She decided that it would be better just to bail rather than waiting it out to see if it paid off. Don't walk out. Don't give up. The best part may be coming your way soon.

Check Me Out! (from a library)

I love to read. I always have. It may be your thing too, or it may not. If it's the latter you're probably not even reading this blog anyway, but I'll try to sway you to the literate side regardless. If you do love to read, then I will from time to time catch you up on books that you may want to check out. Have you read a book recently that peeps may want to read? Guest bloggers are welcome, so just ask!

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Nate Foster is an almost 14-year old who knows he is meant for something bigger than the smallish Pennsylvania town he is stuck in.  He is outshone by his track star big brother, picked on at school, and misunderstood by...well, pretty much everyone. So when he finds out about open auditions for ET: The Musical on Broadway, he knows that this is his moment. With the help of his best friend, some elaborately rehearsed stories, a full bag of donuts, and a semi-charged Nokia cell phone, Nate sneaks out of town on a bus headed for the Big Apple. This hilarious and heartwarming book follows Nate through his adventures navigating New York City for the first time on his mission to be discovered as Broadway's next child star.

I have not unabashedly loved a book like this in a long time. Nate is truly a one-of-a-kind character whose voice is so distinctly written that he seemed like me, lots of my childhood friends, and many of my students all rolled into one. If you are a theatre kid, are related to one, or are lucky enough to have one as a friend, then this book is seriously a must-read.

If you have a few minutes, here's Tim Federle talking about his inspirations for the book...

History of the World, Part I

History is hard.

I mean, right? Living it is one thing, but then re-living it over and over? Sounds pretty terrible, but making connections among themes throughout world history is one of those things that sharpen those critical thinking tools that people (hopefully) use their whole lives.

There is A LOT of history in the world. I mean A LOT. In Humanities, we teach the AP World History course over a period of 2 years. That system has some advantages and some disadvantages. The biggest advantage is that we get to linger in some periods of time if we want or need to because we don't feel the rush to scramble from the dawn of civilization to the present in time to study for the big AP test in May. One of the main disadvantages, however, is that every couple of years, a new batch of Freshmen has to start in the middle of history. This is one of those years. 

Classes this week were divided into groups with the task of summarizing periods of history in order to review the Sophomores who learned about this stuff last year and to catch the Freshmen up on what they missed (and have to look forward to next year). Basically, everything from Mesopotamia to the Mongols. This brings me back to my two recurring notions (in case you missed them):

1. There is A LOT of history in the world.

2. History is hard.

Now, I do have to say that that second statement is a little misleading. History itself isn't hard; however, what we saw this week is that summarizing it can be a challenge. For many people, summarizing an episode of The Walking Dead can turn into a thirty-minute monologue. Try summarizing the roughly 500 years of China's Tang and Song dynasties. Geez. Students had just 6 minutes to do just that, and they were successful in completing that daunting task. Sure, they may have mangled an interpretation of The Weeknd's I Can't Feel My Face in doing so, but their point was made (see original video below for pop culture reference). But what about the rest of the class in the audience?

Observers were asked to make a note of TWO things from each presentation that they saw as the most important. TWO. You mean I can only write down TWO things about the history of Africa from the beginning of time through 1450??? Yes. TWO. If you thought the first summary was a challenge, then this one is like finishing one of those giant plates of food where you get a free t-shirt if successful.

Summarizing is difficult, but it is important. Not only important, but crucial. It's a skill that we will continue to work on throughout the year. Sometimes (and not just in school), we get bogged down in the details without looking for the big picture. Details have their time and place, but they tend to become irrelevant without bigger ideas guiding them. 

What's the big idea?

Um, we're working on that. Big ideas aren't big enough if they're simply handed down from a teacher to a student. Let's discover some big ideas together, shall we?

What We Learned This Week: First Week Edition

Well, we are wrapping up the first week of school here at Shepton, and I have to say that we have had a lot of fun. In fact, I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty that I haven't laughed like this during a first week of school...ever. In the midst of all of the fun, however, I did manage to learn some stuff. Yes, teachers learn at school too - don't think that students get to hog it all. As I reflect on the past week, I present (in no particular order)...

THE TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNED IN MY FIRST WEEK OF HUMANITIES

by Mr. Moore

1. We love us some selfies.

On the first day of school, we played a game called Quest in which teams were given a series of quests to complete. When it came to the quest that asked a team member to bring a previously photographed selfie to the front of the room, it wasn't a matter of if anyone had one...it was a question of which one would be the representative team member AND which selfie they would choose. The struggle is real.

2. Old School Game Shows Need a Comeback

On Day 2, we started working on Game Show Introductions as a way to find a little more out about each other. You remember game show introductions, right? Those pithy, well-crafted blurbs that made contestants seem like the most intriguing person ever? We saw some clips of The Dating Game and Hollywood Squares in all of their 70's glory, and although the teachers in the room dated themselves by being the only people in the room who knew who Farah Fawcett and Paul Lynde were, we all left with dreams of someday being The Secret Square (okay, maybe just me).

3. We love Mac and Cheese

During the day of Game Show Intros, one favorite food stood above the rest: good ol' mac and cheese. I think at least one person in every class singled out this pasta and dairy combo as their go-to meal of choice. 

4. Beliebers Are A Proud Bunch (Well...not so much)

One of our first-day quests was to produce proof of having downloaded a Justin Beieber song. Although there were a handful that were proud to display their cover art, some feigned surprise as they "discovered" a download that must have appeared "because I share an account with my little sister". Don't worry, your secret is safe with us.

5. We Have Spirit, Yes We Do

There  were only a small handful of quests that every single team could complete throughout the entire day. Yes, the selfie was one of them. BUT, I am happy to say, another two quests that achieved 100% success involved possessing an item with our school logo printed on it and knowing the Shepton Fight Song. Throughout the day, teams showed off their pencil bags and t-shirts while sending multiple representatives (mostly of the band persuasion) to perform rousing renditions of our fight song. In one class, we were treated to a full symphonic version, albeit one lacking actual instruments. It was awesome.

6. Humanities Students (and Teachers) Get Around (the World)

During our introductions, we learned that virtually no corner of the world has gone un-visited by our classes. From Central and South America to Europe, East, South, Southwest and Southeast Asia, and Africa, we covered a whole season of The Amazing Race in just one day!

7. Our Hair Is Perfection

Remember the comb you got on picture day? You won't find one in our room. Does your vision of a high school girl involve obsessive Marcia Brady-esque hair brushing? Not here. Although there were a couple scattered throughout the day, the quest that asked for a brush or a comb went largely unfulfilled. 

8. Old MacDonald Has A Very Odd Farm

Students were asked to sing a verse of Old MacDonald, and no repeats were allowed. Aside from learning that Old MacDonald might not be a nursery rhyme that is cool anymore, we learned that Old MacDonald had a super weird farm. In addition to cows and dogs, we also discovered a t-rex, a fish, a hawk, and  a snake in this bizarre menagerie. However, those classes that included a horse were treated to en extra-special performance of the Nae Nae from Miss Havins.

9. No Pet Is Safe

We could apparently fill an entire pet cemetery with the fallen pets of our collective classes. I unknowingly got the ball rolling when I confessed to the accidental death of my pet hamster Hershey in 3rd grade. Hamsters, turtles, gerbils, and beta fish were among the most commonly fallen companions.

10. Everyone Can Wobble, But Nobody Looks Cool Doing It

Eventually, even those teams that did not think they were able to commit to performing the hottest dance craze from several years ago learned that it really is the easiest dance ever. Don't know how to Wobble? Just stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-distance apart, slightly bend your knees, and bounce while flailing your arms and body like your dentist gave you way too much laughing gas and you are celebrating something monumental. Yes, you'll look totally goofy, but you will soon be having a great time, and so will everyone else. (Instructional video below)

WHAT WILL NEXT WEEK HOLD? STAY TUNED!

Happy New Year!

Ask different people when they celebrate the New Year, and you will get a bunch of different answers. For many of us, January 1 is the day for blackeyed peas, football, parades, and resolutions. Ask someone who celebrates Chinese New Year, however, and you'll get a different answer every year. That's because it depends upon the lunisolar calendar (look it up), which means the celebration could happen in January or February. In case you were wondering, Chinese New Year 2016 (which is actually 2130 on that calendar, which is a whole other story) is on February 8, which will be the Year of the Monkey.

If you work for the US Government, your New Year on the job will be October 1. If you're Tony Romo, it's March 10. If you're asking for alumni donations at Southwestern University, they better be in before the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1. I think you're getting the idea...

For us here at Shepton, the New Year begins when our first groups of Freshmen and Sophomores walk through the doors of the school. Sure, your teachers and administrators and support staff and maintenence crew and cafeteria workers have been working for a while before that happens, but that's just like preparing the seven-layer dip for your big New Year's Eve party. 

Our year truly begins with you, and we couldn't be more excited about it. This year is going to introduce some new faces, some new experiences, some new challenges, and some new opportunities. This blog will be a place for anyone who wants to take this journey with us or for anyone who wants to check in from time to time to see what's going on in our world.

Since no Back to School post would be complete without the obligatory funny/cute/inspirational video, we feel we must oblige...

And with that, we will head into our New Year with a crazy amount of excitement. We're glad you're here!

Mr. Moore and Miss Havins