Learning by Experience
How to cover 1800-2000 in two days after weeks of prep...
Kerry is a high school history teacher. Chance is a fifth grade teacher.
They are cousins. They talk to each other over email.
This is the place to follow their year-long journey through one school year.
Teaching is rewarding and full of interesting challenges.
Navigating school district politics is difficult and grueling.
If you missed earlier episodes, the best way to binge-read Scrambling for Voice, Choice, and Agency is to use this Table of Contents link to previous posts.
Fear not: If you miss reading some episodes of this serial story, you can still pick up the action.
Episode 45 of 49 episodes
From: Chance
re: A day in the life of……
To: Kerry sent - Gmail at 9:31 PM
Hi Kerry—
Next Wednesday and Thursday are the performance days.…….It will be a great way to spend Friday reviewing all of the learning before heading into the Memorial Day long weekend……
We cover 1800-1900 on Wednesday and 1900-2000 on Thursday.
I can’t wait to hear what a business person wants to say to a teacher leader and a school superintendent. Let me know how your meeting goes….
No time for a long email……I still have some planning to do for tomorrow and some math papers to grade……
PLUS: I am completely exhausted….I did not leave school until after 7….It was a very long day of painting sets and other preparations for our big historical role playing.
I wonder what the test prep people would have to say about allowing kids to paint sets during school hours?!?..…HA!
We really lucked out……a family who owns a painting business donated ten sturdy canvas drop cloths for the backgrounds. None of them are new, but the kids did not care, and the splashes of paint from previous jobs actually add to a look of authenticity….and the kids were able to paint over any color that truly did not work for them….The family also gave us plenty of paint and some guidance on applying paint to cloth.
Other than the canvas drop-cloths being a bit heavy when they are covered in paint, the backgrounds look great.
News Flash: I told my principal today that I am not coming back. She was shocked. I think she is going to try to talk me out of it…
That is not going to happen….my mind is made up….I even have a firm July 1st start date with Rich’s company.
Chance
–—
Kerry
re: A day in the life of……
To: Chance sent - Gmail 6:03 AM
Hi Chance—
To be fair: Your principal is not the only one hoping that you change your mind.
I’ll be at your school on Wednesday……I can’t be there on Thursday because it is my date with the Superintendent and the Chamber of Commerce person. I hope she is not going to complain about my lunchtime presentation. I suppose I should start forming my defense. Why are teachers put on the defensive so often?
I am looking forward to seeing how ten year-olds portray the Civil War years from the point of view of economic and social oppression of various groups of people.
Kerry