Day 157: Elevator

It's in the 80's outside meaning that it's in the upper 80's in my room.  I spent most of the day finding excuses to stand in front of my fan.

Luckily for me, all of my classes are working on independent work and required very little of me, aside from some minor redirection.

The Math 8 kids continued working on their blueprints and, being notified of a unit test next week, also worked on their notes.  A major advantage to my room being this hot is that most of the students are pretty subdued.  They don't have the energy to run around, so instead they work productively.

Tomorrow, the geometry students are presenting elevator speeches for their games.  I gave a quick rundown of the purpose and length, giving a few examples and non-examples.  I also told them that they will be giving suggestions and asking questions of the other teams, providing feedback in the hopes of refining the ideas.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you have a moment to talk about the Dark Side of the Force? Yes, I can see that you're manacled."

The class jumped in full force and began writing.  I was very impressed with what I saw and I'm looking forward to being an observer tomorrow.  Several of the groups actually practiced and timed themselves.

While they were working, a student pulled me outside to talk about some things that are happening.  I offered the advice that I could and was very touched that it was felt I could be trusted to give sound advice.  It's often very hard for teenagers to open up their lives to others and especially to adults.

I hope that I have earned the trust of my students by providing a safe place for them.