I was teaching a genetics lesson that involved an example regarding colour blindness. Behold!
Me: "So if the mother gives the recessive allele for vision to her son, he will definitely be colour blind. This child will still live a normal life but he won't be able to do certain things...like be a pilot."
Student: "ARRRRRRR!"
Me: "A pilot. Not a pirate."
I'll be honest. I laughed quite hard at that comment. That kid did not miss a beat.
Monday, November 30, 2009
An Astute Observation
This happened last week...
One of my colleagues walked into my class and remarked:
"Well it looks like the chickens have finally come home to roost!"
I laughed and agreed.
Within seconds of him leaving this question was posed by one of my elite:
"Sir, did he just say that so we wouldn't get what he said?"
It really is the little things in life that make me smile...
One of my colleagues walked into my class and remarked:
"Well it looks like the chickens have finally come home to roost!"
I laughed and agreed.
Within seconds of him leaving this question was posed by one of my elite:
"Sir, did he just say that so we wouldn't get what he said?"
It really is the little things in life that make me smile...
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Teachers hate coverages
I hate covering classes. A lot. They are the worst. I especially hate tech class coverages for two reasons:
#1: The students are not allowed to use the machines because the covering teachers are, for the most part, unqualified to use them. They hate this.
#2: I have never in my 6 years of teaching been left meaningful work for the students to accomplish. Instead I am left babysitting while the students watch various movies or play Guitar Hero. I feel like an underpaid babysitter.
With that in mind, this exchange occurred during a tech coverage I had yesterday morning.
Student: Sir, can I get a drink?
Me: No. There is five minutes until the end of class. You can wait.
Student: I’m not even in this class.
Me: Well then why are you here? What class are you suppose to be in?
Student: Mr. X’s (another tech teacher) class.
Me: Why aren’t you there?
Student: We have a supply teacher and we’re just watching a movie.
Me: Oh ok. Well you can go then.
Student: *as he leaves* I’m just going to go back to my class, sir. Thanks anyways for letting me go!
Well at least he was polite.
#1: The students are not allowed to use the machines because the covering teachers are, for the most part, unqualified to use them. They hate this.
#2: I have never in my 6 years of teaching been left meaningful work for the students to accomplish. Instead I am left babysitting while the students watch various movies or play Guitar Hero. I feel like an underpaid babysitter.
With that in mind, this exchange occurred during a tech coverage I had yesterday morning.
Student: Sir, can I get a drink?
Me: No. There is five minutes until the end of class. You can wait.
Student: I’m not even in this class.
Me: Well then why are you here? What class are you suppose to be in?
Student: Mr. X’s (another tech teacher) class.
Me: Why aren’t you there?
Student: We have a supply teacher and we’re just watching a movie.
Me: Oh ok. Well you can go then.
Student: *as he leaves* I’m just going to go back to my class, sir. Thanks anyways for letting me go!
Well at least he was polite.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Makin' Babies
My grade 11 biology classes were working on a genetics activity where they need to partner up with a member of the opposite sex, determine some of their traits (eye colour, hair line, etc.) and make a baby exhibiting a random mix of these traits.
The students like this lab because at the end they need to name and draw their baby and make an announcement. This always results in some interesting comments.
"Sir, we couldn't agree on a name so we named our kid Ladasha"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Me: "You need to come up with a birth announcement for your child."
Student: "Ok. *loud and to the rest of the class* I had a boy! He looks like me!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Student: "We named our kid Wilson."
Me: "Wow! Well thats a pretty standard name. I expected something a little more wacky from you."
Student: "I named it after the volleyball in Castaway."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Me: "Did you have a girl or a boy"
Student: "A girl."
Me: "Then why does it have a beard?"
Student: "Because I do!"
Me: "That is really not how it works...and this picture disturbs me."
The students like this lab because at the end they need to name and draw their baby and make an announcement. This always results in some interesting comments.
"Sir, we couldn't agree on a name so we named our kid Ladasha"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Me: "You need to come up with a birth announcement for your child."
Student: "Ok. *loud and to the rest of the class* I had a boy! He looks like me!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Student: "We named our kid Wilson."
Me: "Wow! Well thats a pretty standard name. I expected something a little more wacky from you."
Student: "I named it after the volleyball in Castaway."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Me: "Did you have a girl or a boy"
Student: "A girl."
Me: "Then why does it have a beard?"
Student: "Because I do!"
Me: "That is really not how it works...and this picture disturbs me."
Thursday, November 19, 2009
A tough decision
I think that this short conversation highlights how teaching is full of weird little moments.
Student: Sir, would you rather work in a sweat shop or as a prostitute?
Me: Uhhh
Student: I'd rather be a prostitute since I think it would be fun.
Me: I really think you have a distorted view of what prostitution entails.
Student: [silence]
It is (maybe?) worth noting that this was a male student.
Student: Sir, would you rather work in a sweat shop or as a prostitute?
Me: Uhhh
Student: I'd rather be a prostitute since I think it would be fun.
Me: I really think you have a distorted view of what prostitution entails.
Student: [silence]
It is (maybe?) worth noting that this was a male student.
Monday, November 16, 2009
This makes all sorts of sense.
This past Friday in my period 4 environmental science class I decided on an activity where, with a partner, students are to develop a parcel of land adjacent to a river. The idea is to see what types of pollutants end up in the water and how it will affect the environment as a whole.
The following is an exchange between a member of one group and myself regarding the agricultural parcel he was developing.
Me: “Where is your farm house?”
Student: “They live in a castle.”
Me: “Ok. Well…I think this lollypop factory has been improperly zoned and why is there a goomba (think Super Mario Brothers) outside of it?”
Student: “He’s guarding the lollypop factory from the goat.”
Me: “Oh. Of course.”
Seems reasonable enough.
The following is an exchange between a member of one group and myself regarding the agricultural parcel he was developing.
Me: “Where is your farm house?”
Student: “They live in a castle.”
Me: “Ok. Well…I think this lollypop factory has been improperly zoned and why is there a goomba (think Super Mario Brothers) outside of it?”
Student: “He’s guarding the lollypop factory from the goat.”
Me: “Oh. Of course.”
Seems reasonable enough.
Why not?
This conversation occurred in my grade 11 university prep biology class.
Student: “Sir, last night my head was hurting.”
Me: “Oh yeah?”
Student: “Yeah, it felt pressurized.”
Me: “Explain.”
Student: “You know. It felt like my brain was pushing on the back of my head.”
Me: “Oh ok. What happened?”
Student: “I don’t know. It was probably when I hit my head again.”
Me: “Again? How?”
Student: “I was running around the school field full speed with my eyes closed and I ran into a low beam”
Me: “Wait...Let me write this down.”
Student: “Why?”
Me: while writing this account down “I have a blog.”
This last comment was met with gales of laughter from the rest of the class.
I don’t…that is until now. I figure, ‘why not?’
We’ll see how long this lasts.
Student: “Sir, last night my head was hurting.”
Me: “Oh yeah?”
Student: “Yeah, it felt pressurized.”
Me: “Explain.”
Student: “You know. It felt like my brain was pushing on the back of my head.”
Me: “Oh ok. What happened?”
Student: “I don’t know. It was probably when I hit my head again.”
Me: “Again? How?”
Student: “I was running around the school field full speed with my eyes closed and I ran into a low beam”
Me: “Wait...Let me write this down.”
Student: “Why?”
Me: while writing this account down “I have a blog.”
This last comment was met with gales of laughter from the rest of the class.
I don’t…that is until now. I figure, ‘why not?’
We’ll see how long this lasts.
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