In class blogging: Respect in the classroom

In conceptual physics all eyes are on the teacher. There is no talking and the teacher demands the respect of the students and their constant attention. In honors physics the kids talk, they text, they pay very little attention to the teacher and he doesn't ask for it. I've noticed a serious lack of respect in this school between students and teachers. Students maybe talk about their teachers positively; they do like a majority of their teachers but they don't treat their teachers appropriately. I believe that, partially, it is the fault of the student because it is their job to learn, but also the majority of the fault falls in the hands of the teachers. They teach to a noise class, they don't necessarily engage their students in the material, and they let the students walk all over them. Perhaps the students don't respect the teachers because they feel they don't always deserve respect. I've witnessed an unprofessional teacher first hand today.
Today a teacher, who shall remain nameless, was talking about similar triangles and his students started to refer it to CPCTC (corresponding parts of congruent angles are congruent). This is a geometry term that you use when solving proofs about congruent triangles. The kids were explaining to the teacher what CPCTC meant and his immediate reaction was to call it useless. He told his students that CPCTC sounded like a waste of time and that you should stop memorizing it now. He basically called it a waste of memorization and brain space. Immediately after he said it I was VERY offended. I found it so unprofessional to denounce another subject and say that another teachers curriculum was useless. I'm sure I overreacted a little (not that I said anything anyway) but I was very angry when he said this. I felt that I needed to share it because I would hope that no teacher in any school, needless to say PMHS or even MV would ever let a teacher denounce another teachers subject. It was very unprofessional.
Furthermore, as a student, I can say (off the top of my head) that their are three key things that teachers must have/do to be an effective teacher. Teachers must know their subject material, engage their students, and demand respect. If the teacher doesn't know their material, then they are not qualified to teach. If the teacher doesn't engage his or her students then there is no guarantee that the students are learning and that puts too much responsibility in the students to learn (though they do deserve some responsibility). If they do not demand respect then the students may not be able to find a logical reason to pay attention. As a teacher you are the head of the class. It is your job to educate your students in their subject and also teach them about how to function in the real world. If a student doesn't learn to respect their teachers then when will they learn to respect their bosses? Also, all of these key components lend themselves to each other. If your students respect you then they will want to engage. If you know your material your students may want to engage and they may respect you. I'm sure there are other key components to teaching (as I am not a teacher and I may not know all of the work that goes into teaching) but the three I listed seen to be three of the most important from a students perspective.
I apologize for the rant-like style of his blog. As part of my stay in New York, I've decided to note the different teaching styles of teachers and I felt it necessary to write down that I witnessed today before I forgot it. I hope this blog doesn't offend anyone and it can be viewed solely as the opinion of a traveling student.

ELECTION NIGHT

THE RESULTS CAME IN AT 11:20-something last night. Sarah and I were laying around my room, she was in her computer and I was in my iPad, and we were just watching the election results on the Huffington post website all night. By the time that Obama hit that 273(I think) in electoral votes, we had turned off all the lights and Sarah was in her bed and I in mine. The second the numbers hit over 273 we both screamed. Sarah opened my door and screamed a series of joyful profanities and then we went to sleep. Congratulations Barack Obama on four more years.

What day is it? (I keep forgetting)

I'm really starting to fall into a pattern. Everything in New York feel so normal. This is starting to feel like home. This morning Sarah woke me up and I went to school. I had history like always and Ap Lang after that. Today in Lang I even raised my hand to throw my opinion into a debate we were having about George Orwell. In chorus I sang along with the tenors as they learned a new song and in voice class I sang for the teacher and she helped my technique a little bit and we decided on a performance date for the class (Friday). During my free I starting reading my over winterim book for LK and my new friend Justin talked to me about life. It didn't occur to me until ceramics started and I had to stop working in my piece today so that it would be ready by Friday that Friday is my last day here at PMHS. I took my art piece home for drawing and painting II because it has to be finished by Friday and tomorrow we won't be working in class. It feels so weird knowing that my time here is almost up. My new friends are starting to realize it to because they keep making plans to come see me after I go home. Allie and Mary Pat are planning to come see me when they visit Oberlin and Sarah wants to go on a business trip with her mom to Ohio just so she could see me for a little while. Michael keeps telling me to live here forever and right now I kind of want to. The people I've met here and the experiences I've had are like no other and it feels amazing being in New York and knowing that there are still more days here to come. Unfortunately I also have to remember that those days to come are numbered and I will be back on the midnight train Saturday. It's sad to think that, even when I do come home, my friends will not be home to see me. They are all networking and out of town and will not be back for another week. I guess his gives me some time to pulling everything together and be alone after my two weeks of constant contact. After school Sarah, Allie, Mary Pat, Michael, and I went to a new restaurant called Hungry's where they put all of your meal in a styrofoam box and you shake it up and eat it. It's called a garbage plate and it might be the most disgusting thing I've ever seen, but it was also the best tasting thing ever. I took a picture (its below) with everyone sitting at the tiny little bar in this tiny little restaurant, leaning over their garbage plates and looking crazy (as usual). When we got back to Sarah's house, everybody took naps while I started writing music and lyrics for my week home (where I will be recording the songs that I have written over these past weeks). The election is tonight and the votes are coming in right now and I know I should be watching it but I'm exhausted. These kids are always on. They have all the energy in the world and sometimes it's really hard for me to keep up. I'm trying though. Sarah had someplace to be tonight so it was relaxing night. I ate a lot of candy and took a long shower and layer in my bed and watched Netflix, just like being at home :). I'm so torn about leaving. I'm going to miss this place so much and all of the people I've met, but at the same time, I really miss home. I miss my friends and my family and my new puppy, Cassuis, and my bed. I REALLY miss my room. I guess the good thing is no matter where I am I know I'll be happy. Having such a great time here in Pittsford, New York I almost don't want to go home.

In class blogging: GEOMETRY

Shadowing a geometry class is a blast from the past. Currently, the freshman honors geometry class is learning about how to prove parallel lines. While the kids are reviewing, I start to notice a bit of a lack of method while solving the proofs. Mainly, the kids don't know they can label their diagrams; if I had not known that during my geometry experience, proofs would have been MUCH more difficult. On the other hand, there are quite a few similarities in this class and my geometry class with Ms. Posta: this class is very organized. They have packets of problems just like Ms. Posta's binders and they have pre written notes like Ms. Posta's. (I only compare this class to Ms. Posta's because I found her teaching style very effective for my learning style.)

The kids are walking around, doing parallel line proofs to practice for an upcoming quiz and I've decided to do one if the problems myself. At first, my geometry skills are very rusty. I always had problems with geometry because I could see how the conclusion was true but I was always missing a step in my proofs. While I tried this first problem with supplementary lines I realized that that problem I had had not gone away. I had to look at the answer to find the correct way to phrase my statement (which was annoying AND cheating). I ended up being able to solve the problem (which I will show below) but I realized why it had been so difficult for me: there were congruent lines drawn on the diagram that were not in the givens. Ms. Posta had never done that before. I wasn't sure if that was something normal or not but it almost seemed like cheating because it showed you what you needed to prove to solve the proof. It also threw me off because its something that I wasn't used to. I wondered if this was something that the kids in geometry had been taught as normal or if this three some of them off too? I know that teaching styles change between teachers, and I'm not saying that one teaching style is more effective with the just by what I witnessed today, but in very curious as to which method of geometry is more effective in a new student. If some of these kids in class took Ms. Posta's geometry would they develop different weaknesses and strength than they have now under this teacher?

MONDAY MADNESS

But not really Monday madness because today was very relaxed. Same old morning schedule except in a new household. The Flynn's took me in yesterday and this morning neither Sarah nor I got ready on time. Although we were late to get ready we were not late to school ad I went to history and then AP lang just like normal. In chorus we listened to the concert and gave comments about the performance. In voice class I got to practice the song I just learned Friday and I will get to sing it for the teach, Mrs. Rice, or the first time to receive pointers. Lunch was awesome, as usually. In ceramics I continued to work on my beautiful coil pot, which I'm hoping will replace the pot I broke right before I left for New York. In drawing and painting II I got to work even more with detail as I started the value part of my drawing of Dylan and Natasha. After school Sarah, Todja, and I went back to Sarah's where we played and sang for almost 3 hours before dinner, shower, and bed. It was an exhausting day and I just want to sleep. GOOD NIGHT WORLD! (Below is a picture that Michael drew of me today. It is his version of me as my favorite character from a television show called Adventure Time. He girls name is Marceline and she is a vampire who plays this sick red bass. THANKS MICHAEL!)

One week

It's been a week since I left Toledo, Ohio and ventured into the strange (yet oddly familiar) streets if Pittsford, New York. Since I didn't do very much today I thought I would start my blog off with a little reflection. This week I've gone to a new school. Image tons of new friends and I learned that I will always be able to find friends no matter where I go. I've also learned that students can manage things on their own, like the drama department that Allie and her friends run, and that had inspired me to speak up and start taking advantage of my capability to run things on my own. Maybe I'll start a club when I get home. Maybe I'll revamp the drama department. I've even strongly considered getting a job because everyone here seems to have a job. Kids in New York are very independent. Maybe it's time that I start becoming a little more independent myself. I've also learned that not all schools are as personal and individual as MV and sometimes being individual like that is the best thing for my education (no matter how much I complain about that individuality). I feel very fortunate to go to a school where everyone knows my name and wants to be a part of my education and wants what's best for me. I'm very lucky to have people looking out for me no matter where I am. One week of New York has gone by and although I have made a lot of friends and had some great some great experience and I'm having a fantastic time, I still really do miss home. Maybe I don't necessarily miss Toledo, Ohio but I miss the people and the places in it. My friends and my family, teachers and other students, I miss being back in my own comfortable atmosphere. When I go off to college things are going to feel like going to New York. Hopefully I'll be able to create a safe place like Toledo wherever I end up going, if not I will know what I am missing.

Today, because it was Sunday, was a very relaxed day. Allie drove us around to the mall and to target so she could buy sweatpants for a trip she's going in soon. After we were all done, I was transferred over to Sarah's house. I ate dinner with the Flynn family, which was a blast, and Sarah and I covered some songs. The night ended with me laying on the most comfortable rug, wrapped up in a blanket, watching arrested development. I was very content. Another calm day in Pittsford.

Guy's Might

Saturday was our first full free day. No homework for anyone. Nowhere to be. Well Allie had work Saturday night... But besides that we were FREE! Saturday morning I woke up in a reclining chair in Sarah's theater. That night's sleep was probably one of the best sleeps I've ever had in a chair before. I woke up to a ton of whispering. "Should we wake her up?" "I'll throw something at her!" "NO DON'T DO THAT! That's the Worst way to wake up!" "Here I'll wake her up. Watch this." And then Allie jumped on too if me and started to hug me like a koala; both arms and legs were wrapped around me. "Good morning sweetie!" I woke up laughing. After that we cleaned up and Allie drove us back to her house. As soon as we got home Sarah and Allie stared planning my first trip to Wegman's, the biggest supermarket in Pittsford. While they were explaining it to me it occurred to me that it sounded a lot like The Anderson's. Wegman's was owned by a local and rich family. There were a few Wegman's in the area but they were slowly spreading out to other states. As we pulled up to Wegman's it had started to snow a little. Honestly it looked like Hogwarts. It was huge! The supermarket part of the store was about the size if Anderson's but also attached to the supermarket was a GIANT homemade food court and a cafe. We went there to eat lunch and when we reached the food part of the store I just stood there screaming WHAT DO I DO! It was so busy and Sarah, Allie, and I were all just running around and freaking out because it was my first time and I was in shock! I ended up eating from the home style section and the Asian wokery (which I'm still convinced is not a word). After our little freak out at Wegman's, Allie drove us all back to her place and Sarah and I took a 2 hour nap. It was very pleasant. When I woke up Allie was going to work and Sarah's dad was picking her up and taking her home. Then I got a text from Michael. He invited me to go see Little Women with himself, Sean, and Kevin. I had just gotten invited to Guy's Might. Guy's Might is what eVeryone calls guys night. The 'might' part came from a typo in a text that Allie won't let due and it stuck. Now whenever the guys plan a party (even if you're not a guy you're allowed to come) its called Guy's Might. So we went and saw Little Woman and it was probably the worst play I've ever seen in my life. Worse than any MV play. The mics kept going in and out. There was so much feedback. The set was not very nice. The acting was mostly mediocre except for the two girls that we had all gone to support. On the way home we were all harsh critics and I felt bad but apparently they never say bad things about shows so this was a first for them. When I got home I passed out on my bed. It was a great night. Every night is a great night here in New York.