Thursday, November 6, 2008
Friday 31st New York Adventure
I had a very early flight to Detroit and from there I flew to New York. The airport in Detroi was unexpectedly beautiful. I had to change gates to get the next flight and the walk to the next gate was a pleasure. Music and colour mixed up in the corridors so you felt like in paradise.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Thursday 30
I went back to elementary school to see the 2nd grade Spanish lesson. Daniela Vazquez is the teacher. She has two groups of 14 students and they are starting to learn colours, food and animals. they first group was not very active and didn't do well at the beginning, then they got the idea and started very slowly to work well. I thought, maybe the teacher is not very good for kids, she's not dynamic enough. The second group was fantastic, wonderful, they got the idea immediately and the teacher allowed them to learn by themselves leading them to the right answers. She was really very good and the children absolutely wonderful.
In the afternoon there was a debate, simulating Obama and MacCain's debate. Two important people from Roanoke have come tho debate ideas, Mr Bracht and Mr Fishwick. The level of the debate was not very adecuate, the students had prepared very interesting questions, but the two speakers did not go deep into the topics, they had underestimated the audience, I think.
In the evening we went to have pizza in a restaurant.
In the afternoon there was a debate, simulating Obama and MacCain's debate. Two important people from Roanoke have come tho debate ideas, Mr Bracht and Mr Fishwick. The level of the debate was not very adecuate, the students had prepared very interesting questions, but the two speakers did not go deep into the topics, they had underestimated the audience, I think.
In the evening we went to have pizza in a restaurant.
Wednesday 29
Westside School (Public school)
I watched Judy Marlow working with children whose origin is not American and they basically don't know how to speak or read or write English, most of them understand because they have been living here for some time. So they have extra classes with Judi to help them catch up with the rest. It is basically making them literate. Some are stronger than others, some have been longer in the school so they have more advantages, some have just arrived in the country and they don't know the language, the culture, the school customs and habits, and most of them have parents who don't speak the language. When families emigrate from their own countries they don't realize that in the other place they become iliterate, and that produces a stressing situation for their children.
Then I went to a Math class, the teacher was using a technique called the lightening round, they are given a whole sheet of paper with 40/50 divisions in this case, they are given 4' and they have to solve as many as they can. They keep a record of the amount of right answers to see if they can improve their previous mark. It is not a test.
I watched Judy Marlow working with children whose origin is not American and they basically don't know how to speak or read or write English, most of them understand because they have been living here for some time. So they have extra classes with Judi to help them catch up with the rest. It is basically making them literate. Some are stronger than others, some have been longer in the school so they have more advantages, some have just arrived in the country and they don't know the language, the culture, the school customs and habits, and most of them have parents who don't speak the language. When families emigrate from their own countries they don't realize that in the other place they become iliterate, and that produces a stressing situation for their children.
Then I went to a Math class, the teacher was using a technique called the lightening round, they are given a whole sheet of paper with 40/50 divisions in this case, they are given 4' and they have to solve as many as they can. They keep a record of the amount of right answers to see if they can improve their previous mark. It is not a test.
Tuesday 28
7:15 Yoga, always a pleasure to start they day stretching out for almost an hour, next swimming and then at 9:30 Angie's class.
At 12 I went to see a Graphic Design lesson. They have a different lab, with 15 new Macs especially for design. They students were working on a campaign about Cleaning Roanoke and an ad for a Nikon camera. Something interesting, this is one of the elective subjects and there were no girls in it.
Back to Angie, she was reviewing the subjunctive. Quite a tough work but working on the small boards is a very usefull resource.
I went home early, we had chicken and pasta for lunch. When I went to my room, my son called me and I talked to Alejo, my grandson. I cried I lot I miss them so much.
At 12 I went to see a Graphic Design lesson. They have a different lab, with 15 new Macs especially for design. They students were working on a campaign about Cleaning Roanoke and an ad for a Nikon camera. Something interesting, this is one of the elective subjects and there were no girls in it.
Back to Angie, she was reviewing the subjunctive. Quite a tough work but working on the small boards is a very usefull resource.
I went home early, we had chicken and pasta for lunch. When I went to my room, my son called me and I talked to Alejo, my grandson. I cried I lot I miss them so much.
Monday 27
I went to the Elementary School. I saw Mrs Farley's English class. She had a revissio lesson, the kids had been reading some Indian American legends and their task was to make a cover and a table of contents with all the material they had, worksheets, directions, handouts, tests, grade sheets. It was a very independent work, they reviewed all the material and furthermore they realized what they hadn't done and what they had. Self-evaluation at the same time. Then I went to see Mr Douglas in action, he much better with younger kids than with teens. The topic was the family and the students worked very enthusiastically and practiced their Spanish a lot.
After lunch I went to see Mr Dehart English Lesson on King Lear. It was a round table discussion on scene 3. (If any of the students had not read the scene, they had to go to the study hall and do their reading, after that they could come back, all the same they can also be given a detention for this. There were 14 students, 4 very active, the rest very weak or uninterested)
Last period with Chris Davies, History. They were doing also some revision, especially they worked on how to orgaize their schedule to be able to study and finish with all their homework. Back home we had dinner, left overs, and that's it.
After lunch I went to see Mr Dehart English Lesson on King Lear. It was a round table discussion on scene 3. (If any of the students had not read the scene, they had to go to the study hall and do their reading, after that they could come back, all the same they can also be given a detention for this. There were 14 students, 4 very active, the rest very weak or uninterested)
Last period with Chris Davies, History. They were doing also some revision, especially they worked on how to orgaize their schedule to be able to study and finish with all their homework. Back home we had dinner, left overs, and that's it.
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