Back to the grind soon

[lunadelcorvo]

Well, it's one more day and a wakeup before I'm back in the classroom. I can't complain - I got a full extra week on account of the snow, which I will never turn down. It makes going back seem so surreal though.

It will be a day of reteaching expectations (how to be a student as opposed to a feral meerkat), and then it's on to Mongols, then China, then the Middle Ages. I think for China, we will do the blue pottery art project again, and for the Middle Ages, I'm thinking of having them make manuscript pages... I've done it in a one-week, half-day summer camp, so maybe? No calligraphy pens, though! I'm not that brave!

For now, though, one more lazy, snowy Sunday ahead... Time for cocoa, I think.

Comments

[glowingfish]

So interesting thing about where I find myself---
Well, physically, I am in Costa Rica, so there is not much difference in the seasons. It is a New Year, but I am not anticipating the days getting longer! So it is kind of hard for me to remember that time is passing.

Also, I teach one-on-one, remotely, to adults...and they all take vacations at different times. Over the past few weeks, they all have taken vacations...but for different amounts of time, so they don't all come back at once. So as the new year starts, I don't really have that bustling, "back to school" energy, for better or for worse. My year is starting with a whimper, not a bang!

[lunadelcorvo]

I understand, actually - I had a very good friend who taught one-on-one remotely, though to both kids and adults. And my ex went (still goes, just now sans me) to Panama City to teach for the university for about a month every summer, and 2 or 3 weeks in December. Seasons in the tropics must feel...odd? I mean I suppose if it's what you're used to, then the wildly changing climate we have would feel distinctly wrong, too, so it's all about perspective. it's funny that you mention the passing of time, though. One of the things I love about my academic life is that it runs with the seasons. I can't even imagine having every day, every week the same, when the days lengthen and shorten, or maybe doubly so if they don't! Even living in California felt off-key to me.

Anyway, ridiculously verbose ramblings aside, your teaching set-up sounds both freeing and kind of a headache!

[glowingfish]

ridiculously verbose rambling is why I came back here! :)

Yes, my schedule is very much freeing, and also sometimes a headache. And probably not long term financially feasible.

[lunadelcorvo]

You're definitely in the right place then!

I TOTALLY understand the lack of financial sustainability and stability. I would SO much rather be teaching Dante and Orwell and Machiavelli to undergraduates, or game theory to grad students, but sadly, the utility company does not accept 'intellectual satisfaction' as currency.

[in_sufficientdata]

I hope you're able to enjoy this last day off! I just started classes (as a student, in my case) on Wednesday myself and yeah, it's definitely a different mode.

[lunadelcorvo]

I can't believe I missed this! Sorry! What are you taking, and where (to whatever degree you want to share of course!)?

(Who am I kidding - I miss school and want to live vicariously! LOL)

[randomdrops]

Oh I would have been all over making a manuscript in school. (I'd be all over that now actually...) It sounds like a fun unit coming up! I hope the kids have fun with it.

We just had a snow storm that knocked out the water to the whole city, so schools were closed all week. I know my friends that have kids were all going a little batty, since they had just gotten over the whole winter break. Enjoy the lazy day and cocoa while it lasts!

[lunadelcorvo]

Back at it now, but a new storm is looming.... And (per the following comment), yeah, both our water and our electricity are both held together with mostly hope and chewing gum... I'm not much for the 'burbs, but doggone, those underground power lines must be nice! LOL

[petit_elan]

I hope that you get to enjoy your last day. Hot chocolate is the best. I love it. Specially with marshmallows. My friend Julie teases me about it because she sometimes comes at home for a cup of coffee and I switch my own hazelnut coffee for a cocoa 9O% of the time. Do not get me wrong. I love both drinks.

[lunadelcorvo]

LOL! Same! I have a giant box of the instant (poor substitute, but one does what one must) in my classroom, so when I can't be arsed (or run out of time) to make coffee, it's cocoa. I think the cocoa is all that got me through last year, come to think of it....

[jehanne1431]

A ms page sound wonderful! And I always enjoyed pottery. Your classes sound like fun!

I'm up near Canada. Snow rarely impacts our schedule. I hope you had a nice day!

[lunadelcorvo]

If I end up doing it, I'll post some of the results! I should clarify, I don't mean actual pottery - the idea of these kids with actual clay gives me cold shivers, TBH. We do a project where they have to make their own designs based on Ming Blue China. They come out pretty nicely! Here are some from last year:

[jehanne1431]

Oh, those are lovely!

Last school year, I hosted an exchange student from Japan, and she's a brilliant artist. I loved going to the art shows at her school and seeing what the kids created.

[lunadelcorvo]

Thank you so much! I always seem to have a couple of artists, the ones who are constantly sketching. I wish I had time to do more art with them. (I miss teaching art in general, but I digress.)

I had one kiddo last year who was a bit of a behavior problem (we call them 'high flyers'), who was an incredibly talented artist. I managed to get some better behavior and better grades from him by shamelessly bribing him with art supplies and a deal where if he would give me a solid 30 minutes of his best effort, he could have the rest of class to sit by himself and draw. *shrug* Whatever works...

[jehanne1431]

I agree. Whatever works!

[randomdrops]

Oh those are lovely and look like fun! They did a great job.

[lunadelcorvo]

Thank you, on their behalf, and my own. I usually do art projects along with the kiddos, not to show them up, but to model that they can have fun with it, etc. I really enjoyed that project!