Back to Education: Teaching Rabbits to Fly

This school year began for me with a training session on the UbD concept. For the most part this was a review of my class from UFL recently. This half day in-service was OK, but did have its issues. We started by hearing about the school for animals, where a fish excelled in swimming, but had to stay after school to improve on its climbing and running, which made the fish loose interest in school. The rabbit, who happened to top its classing in running, had to work hard just to be proficient in swimming...and so on through the animal world. I like the concept of UbD, but really don't like the examples used here. They are so extreme and designed to scare, I think, people into seeing something.
Another part of this training was dividing up into groups by our teaching styles. Being pigeon-holed into one is really unnerving to me. I looked at the choices and saw myself fitting into any of them, so I asked a co-teacher of my learning support classes what she thought. Her choice put me into a group that I fit into OK and that I did learn from. After that portion was over, other teachers approached me wondering why I was in that particular group and suggested that I would fit better in another, from what they know of me. I would have fit in with the other suggested groups too. It's just interesting that being labeled an in a group is so important to some. I agree with the idea of the exercise, looking at our individual teaching styles to improve our classes. I just don't like the method. I'm different(OK, those who really know me can stop nodding and laughing now) and really don't want to fit into just one category.
We ended our training with a reading of the children’s book, Giraffes Can’t(or Don’t, I can’t remember) Dance. There’s something to be said for our elementary education teachers. Our presenter was one. I’m just glad that none of our taxpayers saw that many teachers, sitting and having someone read to us in a very childish voice, about a dance for animals!

With that I close my Labor Day writing and complete the last half hour of getting my room ready for tomorrow's first day back with students. Yes, we did start pretty late this year. I'll most likely be explaining that soon. Today is also the first day of the long weekend that it hasn't rained here...lousy hurricane remnants! I'll keep you all posted on the events that ensue in the coming weeks...good luck and take a good look at yourself this week.