Notes from the Playground

Dear Valued Customer

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:10:46 GMT

Kid: Hey, are you the science lady?
Me: Um, yes, I guess so.
Kid: Well, I think you should change some things about the science unit. You should make it more challenging.
Me: Okay. What specifically would you like to be more challenging?
Kid: Well, you know all that stuff about how the Earth spins? We already know that. I think that the first part of this unit is boring for like 70 or 80% of kids. Kids my age already know that the Earth spins and what shape the Earth is and all that. If I were you, I'd start with years instead of days and talk about how planets go around the Sun. That's much more challenging. I think that would be more appropriate for fifth graders.
Me: Well, thank you for your suggestions. I'll see what I can do.

We're not changing it, obviously (that kid probably knows these things because he lives in California, where they study days and seasons in fourth grade), but hey, at least someone's honest.

Kids want to know...

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:38:53 GMT

"If Canada is above us, how come we don't see it when we look up?"

Whoa.

And yet again, SCIENCE!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:22:43 GMT

Kid: I'm done with my scientific explanation.
Teacher (reads explanation): Wow. You are really thinking like a scientist.
Kid, looking genuinely perplexed: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Teacher: Think about it. We are learning science. I am a science teacher. If I say you're thinking like a scientist, do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?
Kid: Good thing?

The kid, however, wandered off looking seriously unconvinced. (He did write a really good explanation, though -- the teacher made him show it to me.)

So far that's the only exciting thing that has happened this week in the Continuing Adventures of the Astronomy Unit That Would Not Die.

Quick post

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:48:11 GMT

I have just completed the first week of the research project for which I will be spending several weeks in classrooms. I am currently Somewhere In California, where I visited five schools and interviewed teachers and students. I'll write more about the whole experience in depth later, but for now you get two awesome things kids said:

Question: Why does the moon appear to change shape?

Kid #1: Well, the Moon rises and sets. It rises and sets just like the Sun because they're almost alike, except the Moon is used for darkness and the Sun is used for light.

Kid #2: It happens because it's getting nighter and nighter and then finally it's very night, like eleven o'clock.

I think I'm going to say "nighter" instead of "darker" from now on, because that is the best invented word ever.

Observations

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:24:20 GMT

According to the science folks I work with, observe means to collect information using all your senses. For the past couple of months, I have been trying to be more present and to not let my stupid brain get in the way of me experiencing what's going on in the moment. It's difficult and I forget most of the time. I am sure that even when I'm trying to pay attention I miss 90% of what's happening around me. And tonight I was blind-sided (in a good way) by the fact that have gotten in the habit of missing beautiful things that are right in front of me.

So, this is just a note to self to pay attention, which is the hardest thing thing in the world to do. And just maybe, I will continue to observe things that remind me that life is worth living and people are amazing, and that it's better if you're paying attention.

Welcome back to school, America.

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:22:31 GMT

The New York Times provides a rather apt note in their story on the Obama back-to-school speech:

Millions of students watched, but not all with rapt attention. At Bolingbrook High School southwest of Chicago, about 200 students viewed the address on a large screen in an auditorium, and a few of them looked downright drowsy.

“It made me want to fall asleep,” said Sarah Vogt, a sophomore. One of Sarah’s classmates seemed to take Mr. Obama’s study-hard message a bit too literally: calculator in hand, she worked on homework throughout the presidential address.

There you have it: despite all the uproar, all the partisan ridiculousness, all the adults getting in a tizzy...it all comes down to whether kids listen to you, and a lot of them won't. You can prepare for years and hours and days for your perfect back-to-school speech, construct the best lesson plans ever written, incorporate every research-based pedagogical strategy you've ever heard of -- but if a kid decides in that moment that you're not worth their time (or, in my experience, decides to run out of the room, cry hysterically, or hide under a desk), it's all for naught.

I guess this is my way of saying that this year, for the first time, I'm glad not to be going back to school. And my heartfelt sympathies are with all the teachers that are working for less pay, with more students, with fewer resources and more pressure, with more mandates and more tests, with a system that doesn't validate what their students know and care about. As horrible as this sounds, this year, I am glad I'm not one of them.

I hope Obama's speech was inspiring to some teacher, somewhere. Because whoever she is, she's going to need it.

I'll be back...

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:45:44 GMT

It looks like I will be spending a large chunk of my fall in classrooms. I'm very excited about this. (It's doing research, not teaching. And I'm kind of freaked out by the fact that I'll be observing teachers teaching a unit I wrote, but I am sure it will be a positive learning experience rather than completely traumatic. Yeah. Science!)

It's been way, way too long since I spent any significant amount of time with kids, and I was feeling as if I was starting to lose my perspective on what it's like. So, this will be good for me. The catch is that I will probably have to spend five weeks in Another State, but there are worse fates. At least it isn't in Georgia this time.

And, of course, I hope to get something interesting out of this for your amusement, Dear Readers. It's been far too long for that too.

Anchors

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:45:40 GMT

Yesterday, I finished the Astronomy Unit That Would Not Die.

I've worked on this thing off and on for three years, and this was the last unit that I was to see through from "Hey, we should write a unit about space" through "Here is a published 600-page teachers' guide and nine books." This also marks the end of the Big Curriculum Project for the next several months, and our future at the moment is kind of uncertain.

Of course, there are millions of little questions to answer and things to fix before the astronomy unit is published; we will soon be supporting teachers in implementing our existing units in a wide variety of settings across the country; we're writing grant proposals to (ideally) get us funded to write more units; and there are many questions still unanswered and a infinite amount of writing and research left to do. Hopefully, this project that I have poured my heart and soul into (not to mention my employment) will continue.

Still, it's the end of an era. And, dare I say (even though I may get my life outside of work back, if you all will still have me), it's bittersweet.

Curriculum Editing WTF #367

Sat, 16 May 2009 04:25:02 GMT

"Tell your students to imagine they were led blindfolded to a very large building."

(This, coupled with the imaginary placement of their nose on the side of this theoretical building, apparently helps kids visualize why the Earth looks flat even though it's round. And so, with that vaguely disturbing sentiment, the Astronomy Unit That Would Not Die is back.)

nothing

Thu, 07 May 2009 07:49:29 GMT

I ran into the mother of one of my former students at the grocery store the other day. (Teacher's Rulebook #47: Always dress like you're going to work when you go to the grocery store, because that is the main place you run into parents. You know, because they tend not to go to nightclubs.) We chatted for a while, she explained how her son is having a hard time making friends in high school (he had the same problem in first grade, so that was kind of depressing), I fielded all the usual questions that I have to respond to with "no" (are you still teaching? oh, so are you working on your doctorate?), I was glad I remembered to ask if the kid was still into the violin (he is) and baseball (not anymore).

But I guess there's really not much else to say about an exchange of pleasantries with an acquaintance except that it made me inexplicably miss teaching. Like, a lot.

Not sure what to do with that. Probably nothing.

Minor whoo-hoo.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:18:38 GMT

Chemistry unit #2, done! Thank god. That took what, four months, when it was supposed to take two? No more splitting atoms with scissors. We can all sleep a little easier.

Next on my plate: Astronomy Unit That Would Not Die Returns. Um, whoo-hoo.

Coachella Index, Year 3 (or, Icons of My Youth Tour '09)

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:27:17 GMT

Trend alert: Band names beginning with "The" are out. Bands with "Glass" in their names are in. Also - random animals, still popular.
Best show: Leonard Cohen, duh.
Second best show: Throbbing Gristle
Surprise awesome: Patton & Rahzel
Major Fail Award: Morissey. Apparently the smell of burning animal flesh (aka barbecue) is so horrifying that it makes him forget the lyrics to "Ask." Dude. Get it together.
Runner-up, Major Fail Award: Perry Farrell (Said ammonoid, "At least you know it's live.")
Most overwhelming sensory experience (in a good way): My Bloody ~~Eardrums~~ Valentine
Band that really isn't the same without kampachi: TV on the Radio
Biggest logistical nightmare: The Chemical Brothers
Number of wasted teenage ravers: probably hundreds (see above)
Number of Joy Division t-shirts: 6
Oldest people at the event: Well, according to the news it was the oldest crowd ever, and I did see lots of boomers...but we felt pretty old all weekend, so I'm gonna go with: us.
Biggest mystery: Why would they put Throbbing Gristle and The Cure on at the same time?
Little-known Coachella fact: The videographer for the main stage seems to have a foot fetish. On a related note, the various female singers of Thievery Corporation have nice shoes.
Most popular genre: Country/folk/rock. Ick. Wasn't a good year for new bands.
Most popular instrument: horns, horns, and more horns. Also airhorns.
Most popular band activity: asking the audience if they've ever been in love/lost in love/had various love-related experiences.
Sentence I never want to utter again, even though at the time it seemed like a good idea: "Let's stay for a few songs of The Killers."
Best quote of the weekend, from bodyfour, imitating the lead singer of The Killers emoting about love: "Have you ever had a pet hamster? And the hamster died? And all you wanted was to get your hamster back, but you just couldn't?"
Best team effort: as usual, booking out of the parking lot before the headliner
Best band for my inner angsty teenager: Fucked Up
Weirdest musical transition: Crystal Castles --> Leonard Cohen
Best-dressed band: The Ting Tings
Best hat: Flavor Flav
Best-preserved rock star: Chris Carter
Second-best preserved rock star: Robert Smith. Yes, seriously.
Best musical moment: other artists in the wings of the Throbbing Gristle show, rocking out.
Best non-musical moment: driving around the Inland Empire listening to bad radio. (Oh wait, I guess that's a musical moment too.)
Number of bands I saw: 29
Number of bands that sucked: 7
Most missed person at Coachella: defenestr8r
Awesome people who rock: ammonoid and bodyfour

And some math...

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:39:10 GMT

Remember that child from hell in my first class? The one who got suspended three times in the first grade, stabbed another kid with a pencil, pulled over an easel in the middle of class, and initiated me into my illustrious career of ducking chairs?

Yeah, he's old enough to DRIVE now.

You're welcome.

Your deep thought for the day.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:12:08 GMT

Science is hard.

Is it Coachella yet?

Small curriculum editing amusements

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:10:28 GMT

I just came across this unfortunately-worded sentence in one of our chemistry lessons:

"Tell students to cut the atoms apart with scissors."

Uh...okay. Duck and cover, kids!

(What the author actually meant was "Tell students to cut apart the circles of paper that represent atoms." But hey, that's less fun.)

ETA: I found another one. A truly challenging task: "Ask students to find the atoms in baking soda. Confirm that they have the correct atoms by asking them to hold up sodium, hydrogen, carbon, and three oxygens."

I doubt anyone will ever notice this (in fact, it probably goes into my ongoing list of items designated "If Any Teacher Ever Notices This, I Will Personally Give Them Five Bucks"), so maybe I'll leave the kids to their atom splitting and call it a night.

Decompression

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:25:58 GMT

I just returned from our annual pilgrimage to the National Science Teachers' Association annual meeting. This time, we did a two-day workshop along with all of the normal two-hour presentations and various schmoozefests. All of them went fairly well, even though I was horribly unprepared for one of the presentations (panic = realizing you are a) the only non-science person in a room full of science teachers and b) that you have to summarize the conceptual logic of several activities' worth of genetics-for-kids to said room), and only four people showed up to another.

I did manage to orchestrate a room full of 60 teachers moving around and talking to each other all at once in a very small space. The main problem was that I am short and, with everyone standing, they couldn't see me or hear my directions very well. But, while I managed to get everyone's attention (using the "Touch of Silence" instead of the Quiet Coyote we all know and love), I was afraid to stand on a chair so people could see me -- because once one of my colleagues did that and we got a lower mark on the evaluation forms at the end of the session (one of the items is: "Safe practices are employed." I mean seriously, what they mean is that you put on goggles before blowing things up, not that someone stands on a chair, but whatever. Teachers are sticklers).

I much prefer longer workshops to short presentations, even though the long ones are an exponentially larger amount of work. You get to explain things in multiple ways, correct yourself if you say something wrong, and get to know the participants and try to help them see how the curriculum might be useful in their actual classroom. I can't read people very quickly, which is why I usually spend most of short presentations worrying that people think our curriculum sucks -- when in fact they are probably just looking at me funny because they are trying to comprehend the massive amount of information we're throwing at them in a short period of time.

So, I seem to be getting better at these things, but I am still glad I don't have to do another round of this for a few months. (My job would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have to write curriculum AND convince people to use it at the same time, but oh well.) And, as always, traveling was fun (non-conference-related highlights included drinking beer out of paper bags with my co-workers and omfg vegan key lime pie), but it is so, so wonderful to be home.

You know you work in a science museum when...

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:35:32 GMT

Today I learned that if you pulverize Total cereal and mix it with water to form a (rather nasty-looking) goo, and put this goo in a plastic bag, you can then extract the iron in the cereal with a magnet. It forms a visible pile of iron bits.

Go on, try this at home. Also I am somewhat disinclined to eat Total now, even though they are clearly making good on their claims about its nutritional value.

Double meaning

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:08:47 GMT

In one of our recent studies, we posed the question: How can models help scientists understand the Solar System?

One student wrote:

"The model can get a book for the scientist to read."

(Thankfully, that was on the pretest. If I can say nothing else about our instruction, I do know that this particular confusion was almost certainly cleared up.)

Similarly, a colleague found an amusing typo in one of our teacher's guides:

"Point out to students that one of the important things scientists do is mack models."

Now I know why you science types enjoy your work so much.

I've got your chemical bonds right here.

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:35:06 GMT

One chemistry unit down (only two weeks late! I rule!), one to go. The one I just finished had a lot of heady conceptual visualization for fourth graders. ("Everyone put on your 'nanovision goggles' and imagine what's happening with the molecules.") The one I will start revising tomorrow actually has 'splodey things. Okay, it's only somewhat reactive and safely contained 'splodey, of course, but still more excitement than usual. Apparently once you hit the age of nine, handling chemicals is okay, but at the age of seven you can't even read the word 'alcohol' without people going off the deep end. Whatever. I don't make the rules and I have no idea who does, but as long as someone gets to mix chemicals in a baggie, I'm happy.

And so it goes on the Big Curriculum Project. If anyone is harmed in the making of this unit, I'll be sure to let you know.

Album widow

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:54:00 GMT

And once again...if I hear the same part of the song one more time I just might possibly go insane. We need a giant house with a separate studio. Also a pony.

I wonder if I could get any work done at Godspeed?

A small blip from the Paranoid Publishing Company

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:39:33 GMT

We were asked to remove a picture of hot dogs from one of our books because hot dogs contain nitrates which are Bad for Children.

I can think of a much better reason we shouldn't show fourth graders a picture of hot dogs, but whatever.

Some yay

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:00:03 GMT

So far, 2009, I like you a lot. You have been full of friends and family and baked goods, and this weekend promises more.

Now, back to work. This chemistry unit isn't going to revise itself, people. However, this unit is actually really fascinating (chromatography! extreme phase change! blowing styrofoam bits across the room with a fan!) and has been -- gasp -- fun to work on. Wonders never cease.

I always thought this would happen at a bar.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:04:03 GMT

I have just inadvertently found kids I used to teach on the interwebz. This is what happens when you add those former co-workers who were the extra nice, over-involved type of teachers to your friends list -- they have the former student hookup.

Kids from my first class are in HIGH SCHOOL, apparently. I had lost track. They have profile pictures where they are kissing people. And, you know, good for them. Apparently my no-kissing-it-spreads-germs policy back in the day did not adversely affect them.

I am sure that, thankfully, they will not seek me out -- what teenager cares about talking to their first grade teacher? I'm just glad they are alive, jubilant, enrolled in some form of school, and computer literate. And I can continue to be glad from afar.

DONE!!!

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:07:35 GMT

I just turned in the curriculum unit I've been writing (along with five other people -- it takes a lot of bodies to churn out 600+ pages), off and on, for almost three years.

DONE. DONE. DONE!!! I get my weekends back! Yay!!!!!

Surprisingly, although it is flawed in many ways, I actually think it's kind of awesome and that it actually teaches some valuable things. It's the first thing I've ever written that I'm genuinely proud of. I suppose that's saying something.

And now, beer.

Overheard

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:46:23 GMT

Dear Middle School Students on the 1R Bus,

"Sexy babe" is not a Halloween costume.

Sincerely,

Ms. Jen