Substitute's Report - November 29

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Hi X,

I had a great day and your detailed lesson plans made things go smoothly, so thanks for that.

English

I administered the inclass essay and there were no problems aside from the expected whining about the idea that they may actually expected to demonstrate that they have read the material. There was a general unfamiliarity with the word 'secular' so I defined it for them. Also, as you predicted, I had to explain the questions to X. Once the tests were passed out the class worked silently and when students were finished they respected the others who were still writing.

English

As with the class above there was a group kvetch about having to do the test. But, once I passed out the tests they got down to business. I gave out copies of A Christmas Carol and recorded the numbers on the sheet provided. There wasn't much time left in class so I introduced who Dickens was and the rise of 'people's art' in the 19thC. We had a very good discussion about the role of art in our common lives – empathy & escapism ... You can tell the class that I enjoyed our little discussion and I appreciated that they were able to listen to their classmates.

English

I just followed your game plan and we had a good class. I filled in a few blanks and suggested where a certain term might be helpful on a test. The presentations were very thorough and the reception was positive. We got through questions #5, 7, and 9. So, #10 is still left to do. FYI – they picked their Secret Santa at the beginning of class.

English

Uneventful as I just passed out the tests and the students set to it. Again, I had to define 'secular' for them but they worked well and quietly once things got going. X told me that you gave here the option of writing today as she has missed some classes. I believed here and she just worked quietly on other homework while the rest of the class expounded on Dracula. I hope this was OK.

English

A very energetic group and I remembered some of the students from last year (and them, me, which was nice). After reminding them of the upcoming assignments we just got into a circle and the pairs gave their presentations. We stopped along the way to discuss and clarify points. A really good group.