Summertime on the Porch

Two weeks of travel in June rather delayed pictures of the front porch in June.  It was lovely and prior to my departure, I enjoyed a cup of coffee in this rocker each morning.

The table had a bright oilcloth covering and the plants enjoyed the sunshine and warmth.

I hung some bright lights along the porch ceiling.  Thanks to a timer, the lights came on in the dark and turned off at sunrise and they added cheer to the June porch.  Just the edge of the light string can be seen in the picture below.

As is my custom, things are changed up for July.  The lights have been removed and my summer flag has been added.  It’s cheerful in the breeze.  

I added some new plants to the mix on the table and changed out the oilcloth covering for some red polka dots.  

I also added some polka dots in the form of a teal blue cat in the schefflera pot, a Christmas gift that is quite charming.

I have a glass of iced tea and read a book out here most afternoons.  Summer seems to settling in quite nicely.

That's happy!

The Problem of Homework

A few weeks ago, I read an essay in the New York Times by Judith Warner.  When she characterized children's homework as "compulsory school "involvement" (that is teacher-delegated busywork packaged as a way to Show Your Child You Care)" I wanted to shout my affirmation out loud.  Really, really loud.

I've had a lot of reasons to think about homework of late.  I haven't had much time to actually think about homework, however, because that work doesn't get done on its own.  And that reality, the reality of assignments for my child that require hours of time and parental help to complete, has got me thinking about homework in the classes I teach.

Most nights, JT comes home from school with an hour's worth of homework.  Often, it takes more than that to complete.  When you add in additional projects that are an even greater time commitment, we are feeling a little overwhelmed at Sassafras House.  And I'm not convinced that the end result of all this work is beneficial to the bottom line goal of sustaining an engaged, independent, life-long learner.

The good news is that my frustration has gotten me thinking about my own classes and how I use homework.   And I'm in a mood to put down my thoughts in a more concrete form.  Before I assign any homework, I ask myself the following questions:

1.  How does the assignment support my instructional goals and the materials we are studying in class?

2.  Am I giving the students enough time to complete the assignment and actually think about the ideas?

3.  How does the assignment coordinate with other work my students are receiving?

4.  How does the assignment serve the larger objective of the course?  For example, if I want the students to master the details of a particular event or concept, how does my assignment help to make that happen?

Finally, and this is a deal-breaker:

5.  Can my students complete the work on their own?  Independent learning is essential at all levels of instruction.  Full stop.  If the students cannot do their work on their own, then the value of the assignment is so compromised as to make it meaningless because it's not showing the student how to be responsible for his or her own learning.

Asking these questions will make me a better teacher.  More to the point, it will help to make more effective learners out of my students.  And isn't that a teacher's ultimate goal?

The Joys of Irregular Verbs

JT decided that last weekend's homework should be completed on Friday night, so as to free up his weekend for the non-stop party that is a sleepover with six 9 year old boys.

I will let you briefly digest what that meant for my weekend.

Friday's assignment: Irregular verbs. The task: change verbs from the present to past tense and then back again. It was all sorts of fun.

Never mind that part of the assignment asked me to think in a fashion I simply could not master (going from past back to present tense was more than I could handle at the end of the week). Never mind that I am not a big fan of grammar even in my finest moments. Never mind that it was Friday, traditionally the point in the week when I'm lucky to make it up the stairs before I pass out from exhaustion.

We would complete this assignment. We completed this assignment.

In fact, we were doing quite nicely until we came to this sentence: "They went to the library." We needed to convert it to present tense. We were stuck and finally agreed upon "They go to the library." I knew it was wrong, but I was way past giving a damn. And it would certainly be much better than the option JT selected for a different part of the page, one that required making present tense words into past tense words. To convert "bring" to the past tense, JT recommended "brang."

You, of course might have brought something. We brang it, suggesting a certain ghetto style here at Sassafras House.

Are you feeling critical of our verb usage practices? Two words for you: Bring it.

Disappointment

Earlier this week, JT had a homework assignment that required him to solve some math problems in order to find the answer to a riddle.

The question part of the riddle read: "How is a T-Rex like an explosion?"

Though he has a good enough work ethic, JT is never an overly-enthusiastic homework scholar. But this assignment caught his interest such that he was actually eager to find the answer.

He quickly solved the puzzle. The answer to that age-old question, "How is a T-Rex like an explosion?" He's full of dino-might.

JT read the answer, looked at me, and said evenly, "Well that was disappointing."

Indeed.

The English Language Can Kiss JT's Bootie

Last night's 3rd grade homework featured a grammar worksheet. The task: convert words from the singular to the plural. But not just any words. Instead he was working with the likes of leaf (leaves), volcano (volcanoes), and that classic Dan Quayle conundrum: potato (potatoes).

The discovery that there was no hard and fast rule for this practice just set the boy off. How is it that chef converts to chefs but calf becomes calves?

The mind boggles and if one is eight years old, the mind eventually concludes that the grammar homework can kiss one's bootie.

Grammar Police

You'd think that a book with a title like G.U.M. and all those pretty gumballs on the cover would be fun.

You would be wrong. A couple times a week, JT brings home the G.U.M. book for some grammar-related homework. Predicates, prepositional phrases, subjects, nouns, and verbs. This book and these assignments like to kill me.

And now I'm reviewing this post to see that I've used the proper grammar. I face a constant personal challenge to use active language, but perhaps I commit other grammar sins as well? I'm guessing that the upcoming year of grammar homework will make that abundantly clear.

Goody, goody gumballs.