Back

Ok, so the year has been a rough one, but I'm back, I think. I tried some really new things so far this year and really feel that I did a much better job the way I did them last year......so I'm going back to what has worked in the past. This year my room has been sooo much less fun for my students and not nearly as beneficial (as far as my students' grades go). Something is lost when you force yourself to be some one you're not and all suffer. Before our Christmas break, I'll start a new unit that will go back to the idea that learning happens in many different ways and of course depart from the worksheet frenzy I've been in since adapting to the methods of a much more experienced teacher. There are benefits to this, but the downfalls seem so much greater with it than the rewards.
So, other than a little issue with a Jehovah’s Witness who thinks that the geologic timeline sounds like evolution, and another student who claims the entire textbook is a lie(I'm still awaiting his list of lies so we can discuss them) all is pretty good right now. I'm always amazed at how close-minded certain people are. I'd really like to get deeper into this, but really don't have the energy. It's impossible to convince these sorts that there are other books out there, and that it wasn't that long ago that their faith accepted much of what I'm teaching now... so the nasty "E" word really isn't bad (I've done a bit of research to see what I'm dealing with). I wonder what will happen when we start looking to the universe to see stars being formed and explain their evolution. Fortunately there doesn’t seem to be much written that contrasts this aspect, but I’ll see what happens.
We have about 18 inches of snow in the area, most of which fell last night and it really feels like winter now. The first hunting season will close tomorrow so I can start feeding the wildlife again and look forward to the second season after Christmas. All is right with the world here for at least a little while.

I’ll try to do better at keeping up with the posts.