Keeping the Kids Entertained

Though there are times I definitely dislike my job, for instance when I have to wrestle with a student for 20 minutes to keep him from running in front of cars or when I have to take a 20 something year old to the restroom and do a change. Then there are times when I love my job; when I get to go to In N Out Burger for lunch, cook food items that I particularly love or just play a board game with my students. I have to admit, from what I see standing in front of my classroom, I have never had students who were extremely bored with what I was teaching, but then again, most of the time my students are up and moving around and do not have the opportunity for boredom to set in because we move from one thing to the other quickly. However, I have always wondered what I would do in my class if students started yawning or completely ignoring what I was teaching them. So, when I saw an article entitled "Ten Simple Strategies for Re-engaging Students" by Andrew Marcinek, I had to read on. My first thought as I was reading though, how does this person have all this time to go home every night and just spend hours and hours doing school work. I personally believe in a balance and if my life is consumed by my job, then I am doing something wrong. I have to take care of myself first before I can be a good teacher...but that is just how I feel. Anyways...then the teacher thought of doing a class wiki page. Now, before this class, I had no clue what I wiki was. Now, I can see how wonderful it can be and very useful. So he wrote up some rules for his students, which were not the boring old rules that state what you must do. Instead he made them interesting and funny. Step 9 "Eat a Sandwich." He started to go into an explanation of how a sandwich is like an essay but then cut it short and said, "Just make a sandwich and eat it." I like his rules. We are all tired of having rules all of the time so he kept them light and it made me laugh! However, the biggest learning lesson that I got out of this article was the final sentences: "Set a course for learning and be prepared for rough seas. Create a practical alternative or adaptation that blends elements of what we have been doing and what we would like to do better. The connections will follow." The one thing I have learned from teaching is that I can plan something great, but those rough waters do come in and throw the boat completely off course. I am fortunate that my curriculum allows for fun interactions and fun times with my students so that they do not have the chance to get bored, but I know that I will have to have a back up plan if my teaching position changes.

Source:
Marcinek, Andrew. "Ten Simple Strategies for Re-Engaging Students." Edutopia. 11-21-10. Retrieved 11-21-10.