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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Period One

As the middle of the school year approaches, as a teacher, I usually get the mid year blues. The self examination questions re-appear. Am I doing all I can?" "Am I making a difference?" "Are they learning?" "What am I doing wrong?", "Why aren't they listening?" etc. I teach important subjects. Economics and Government. One could argue that in our current times these subjects are amongst the most important for the future preparation of our youth. With an economic crisis and an upcoming Presidential election you would think that students would jump through hoops to learn. These are my annual thoughts at this time of year. They quickly dissipate, I re-energize and move ahead. Yesterday during my first period AP class, given at 7:40 AM my students were asked to be ready to discuss an assignment from the previous evening. They were to watch fully, the State of the Union address and answer some questions that related to the experience. Most had never seen one or knew the genesis or history of its existence. The bell rang and I immediately launched into the discussion. Lo and behold, they had watched, they had understood, they were willing to share their views, they gave high level analysis and reaction as good or better than the cable punditry that envelops the airwaves. They presented reactions that I myself had not thought of. They were wonderful. More than that, I think they enjoyed it. It's experiences like these that make it all worthwhile. Thanks kids. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

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