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Cons of Students Knowing Skill Levels

Previously, I discussed how it was brought to my attention that some schools are now helping students to understand their skill levels. The students are being given a skill number that helps them know where they stand academically. In my last article I discussed the pros of students knowing their skill levels. In this article I will address some cons of students knowing and understanding how they compare academically. Lack of Effort When an intelligent student is given a very high skill number and realizes that his or her number is much higher than some other students, the child may … Continue reading →

How Students can Affect One Another

Children are each complete individuals. They think, learn, and act differently. They respond to the world differently. They react based on their personalities and experiences. Children all have different thoughts, ideas, and feelings. It is amazing how different environments and different stimulus can make children act differently. A very outgoing talkative child may become quiet and shy when presented with a new or unfamiliar situation. A very quiet and calm child may become loud and excited when placed in a high energy setting. Children also respond differently among other children. Some children bring out the best in each other while … Continue reading →

Students Paid to Attend Tutoring

It seems as if schools and teachers will do almost anything now to get students in school and learning. Each and every day educators are working on ways to get children actively involved in their academics. However, the challenge is getting greater and greater. It is harder and harder to compete with the world’s action and troubles. Lack of discipline, lack of parental involvement, and drugs all play a part in the competition that teachers face. Georgia has created a plan in which students cannot afford not to attend school. Two schools, one a high school and one a middle … Continue reading →

Reasons Why Students May Have Personal Assistants

I previously discussed the services provided to students by the public school system. In this discussion, I addressed the fact that some students receive special services from the faculty and staff of a school. Included in these services is a personal assistant for some students. In most cases, people think of special services for students who are challenged academically. While those students do receive the help that they need. Other students can also receive special services. There are several reasons why a student may have a personal assistant. By personal assistant, I mean a staff member that stays with the … Continue reading →

Personal Assistants for Students

The public school system provides many services for its students. Some of these services are academic related and some are not. Some services provided by the public school system are home related. Others are health related. The public schools can provide free lunch for students, hearing and vision exams, and in some cases even medication. In addition to having different services in the public school system, there are also different levels of students. Some students are in a regular classroom and receive a regular education. Other students receive what we normally call “special services”. In most cases, people think of … Continue reading →

The Syllabus Minimum

Another warning for students as we head full-steam into the end of another semester. Today I’m going to talk about easy ways to embarrass yourself. No, this has nothing to do with that bar and that song at the end of the night and that tradition and the prevalence of cell phone cameras. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with your roommate. It doesn’t even have anything to do with that awkward conversation you tried to have with your lab partner in that required science class. This is about something I’m going to call the “syllabus minimum.” What is … Continue reading →

Taking Chances – Teaching Beyond the Text

One of the strange things about being a full-time graduate student and a part-time college instructor is that you’re really not hired to “create” content as much as follow a set of guidelines already laid out before your time… lessons passed down from generations of other student/teachers that you mildly modify to suit your teaching taste, particular students, etc… Something strange happens, though, when you feel like deviating from this design. There is a fear. There is a danger. There is (gasp!) no extra pay or assurance of future employment. There’s also a lot of extra work. The most difficult … Continue reading →

One of the Joys of Teaching

I’m teaching a 400+ student introductory course in film this semester and because of that I don’t get to personally meet many of my students. I lecture, show a film, and let my teaching assistants do the grading for this managerial nightmare. My teaching assistants act primarily as a buffer zone between me and questions I don’t need to answer 400+ times. The questions that get through to me are generally legitimate questions pertaining to actual problems in the course and, by semesters end, the litany of requests to be given free points despite a semester having been spent by … Continue reading →

Lying is Bad

A student lied to me today. Actually, this particular student lied to me, to one of my teaching assistants, and to themselves. In a last ditch effort to salvage their grade for a course they’ve obviously never attended or done work for, this student tried to lie. I’ve never understood this compulsion to lie. I mean, I guess I “kind of” get it, but in my soul it just doesn’t make sense to me. Today I’m going to talk about honesty and success. Before my time as a graduate student/teacher I spent time working in a bank. As you may … Continue reading →

School Overcrowding

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Schools face many different problems in today’s world. They must deal with new types of behavior troubles. They must address children with various emotional issues and unique family situations. In addition to these personal problems, teachers and schools must also deal with physical issues such as overcrowding. When the number of students is excessive, the schools have no choice but to create new classrooms. The states typically mandate a maximum number of students that can be in each classroom. Schools may not go over this number. However, schools may find themselves in a crunch when there are no more rooms … Continue reading →