Kids
The topic for the month—kids. I strayed away. So here's my "kids" post. After teaching learning disabled youngsters for "lo" those many years I know how magical thinking begins to take hold by the end of July. One youngster told me that he truly believed that when he returned to school all the letters would stay in their rightful places and not change their sounds for no apparent reason.
"By the time I reached middle school I knew that writing a paper still presented more problems than the medal I won in swimming, the tricks I learned on my skateboard, or learning how to take apart a computer."
They'll come with their new notebooks, just sharpened pencils, a new assignment pad, and a hope that they will blend into the class.
So if you teach—give a first assignment where they can fly. Everyone deserves an A occasionally. I remember Brendan who brought in all the materials necessary to give a demo on Fly Tying.
The assignment: a new skill learned during the summer. Choice: Write about attaining the skill or give a handson-on demo with handouts. He received an A for both the handouts and the presentation. Not a gift— an honest A.
"By the time I reached middle school I knew that writing a paper still presented more problems than the medal I won in swimming, the tricks I learned on my skateboard, or learning how to take apart a computer."
They'll come with their new notebooks, just sharpened pencils, a new assignment pad, and a hope that they will blend into the class.
So if you teach—give a first assignment where they can fly. Everyone deserves an A occasionally. I remember Brendan who brought in all the materials necessary to give a demo on Fly Tying.
The assignment: a new skill learned during the summer. Choice: Write about attaining the skill or give a handson-on demo with handouts. He received an A for both the handouts and the presentation. Not a gift— an honest A.
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