The Boys and Girls of Summer, continued

How to teach the fundamental skill of applying oneself to students who have resisted learning said skill for three years of high school? And what about this whole differentiated learning thing? It's harder than it looks- half of my class today was filled with a bunch of bright students who had passed their regents or in one case, kicked out of the test for carrying a cellphone! They were doing creative writing projects on their own and wanted to engage. I taught one, who was writing about a "twin" who's not your blood relative, the meaning of "kindred spirits." He laughed at my handwriting but added the term to the essay. I explained that he was writing about a theme that many famous writers tackled, and he seemed really pleased.

The other half of the classroom was filled with "how do I write an essay?" or "what's an outline?"-- kids stealing each others' stuff, throwing things, and being unable to focus.

It was good to see the challenges I'll be facing firsthand.

To Be Continued...