Wednesday August 22^nd 2012

Day Thirty Three at Mountain Creek State High School

I have to say I am quite proud of myself today! This was the first oval lesson I feel went very smooth. I was organized, firm, and the students participated well! My year 12 REC class was combined with another year 12 class leaving me with about 17 students to participate. It is so sad that even with two classes combined, when you eliminate those who are out for work experience, those who are excused absent, and those who just do not come, we are only left with 17. It worked out pretty well with numbers though considering lacrosse is usually 10 players for each team. This morning I had already planned out whom to ask to set up the goals and the two girls are great students and set them up just how I asked. I found it is easier to choose those well behaved students to ask for help because they will do it right, rather than asking those who misbehave and have them help for punishment. Yes helping me may give them a sense of responsibility, but in reality it just wastes more time because I have to redirect and instruct them after they try the first time. Once the goals were set up, the class and I were already reviewing from last class. I went over the basic rules and safety concerns, throwing and catching, and a few rules of the game. I gave quick instructions and got them into drills right away. It is always hard for me to decide how to organize drills. I do not want to waste a bunch of time placing markers out on the field to keep them in lines, but at the same time, without the markers they sometimes do not stay in correct positions. Today I chose to use a clear indent line on the oval for one partner to stand on, and told the other partner to go across from them. This worked in a weird way. They got the point and understood, but still spread out in their own ways. I let this slide because to me it was more important for them to be practicing throwing and catching that where exactly they were standing. I am learning to react to the more important things during the lesson. Depending on the class, the age group, and what game we are playing, I need to remember all these are factors in the student’s behavior. We got into game play faster today and we even played field positions. We were able to man up, and switch positions on the field every 10 minutes. I think the students are terrible at lacrosse, but they were all participating, smiling, competitive, and sweaty by the end. I thought this was a good sign! My year 9 sexuality class went good as well. These students are just to die for. Sometimes I need to raise my voice and remind them to listen, however they behave very well considering. I am under covering all these classroom techniques I never knew I was capable of. Yesterday I was grading papers, and today I was designing new assignments for the class. We went over the reproductive cycle last week and today they had to bring in homework of a story of how babies are made. Some students were asked to read their stories out loud which a fun way to encourage participation was. I created a new assignment for this class to create a television commercial promoting the contraception method they are assigned. Next week they get to work on it within their group’s then act it out for the class. I love the fact that I am finding ways to have the students more interactive! Tomorrow I am visiting a different school where my friend Sharon is teaching. It is a multi-aged school and I am so excited to engage in a different school!