Explorations in Anarchy

How do you make learning fun when any freedom results in chaos?

I quit reading the all-class book on Friday… seems they would rather argue about why I want them to stop drawing on the whiteboards or texting or whispering… “Why is it ok for us to kill trees but not use the re-usable white boards for drawing?” Instead they preferred to sit in silence for 10 minutes.

Teacher: “put the rubber band away.”
Student: “ok”
Teacher: “I told you to put the rubber band away.”
Student: “I did”
Teacher: “Then why do I hear you still snapping it?”
Student: blank stare…
Teacher: “Don’t play dumb.”
Student: “You just called me dumb!”

So freaking glad the week is over!

Well I was until today at noon. Fluffy decided to catch squirrels… She was successful, but only after the severely shaken victim retaliated with a bite to the face. The squirrel was shaken then dropped, and the process was completed three times to the soundtrack of me sternly telling her to stop. The rest of the day was spent trying to decide if she needed a rabies booster (an answer that was debated by multiple veterinarians), trying to find a veterinarian open before Monday (the nearest one is an hour away and all closed on weekends), and trying to keep the wound clean. Of course now Fluffy is on a mission to rid the yard of all vermin. The bite just increased her motivation. She loves the open space but so far it has not been overly good for my pocketbook or her health.

On an up note, the parents I spoke with on the Friday afternoon conferences encouraged me to call whenever I had trouble with their children, and were shocked by the stories of the behavior of their students. (Read the student/teacher interaction of the week… yup their child.)

If you would like to understand the internet and isolation of my present situation I invite you to watch The Proposal, specifically the scenes when she reaches Sitka Alaska and the internet café.

Why do the contestants on Wheel of Fortune yell their letters? Everytime they do I see Pat give an odd little smile. I wonder how annoying that has to be after so many years.