Monday is Memorial Day and so it will only be a 4 day week next week. On Monday June 3rd Senior Finals start and Friday June 7th is only a half day of classes with the Senior Assembly in the afternoon. June 9th is our Advisee Day out- no regular classes. The Seniors are gone at this point having graduated on June 8th. June 10th is a regular day of school, but then the 11th-13th are half days for students with Finals in the morning. Monday June 16th is the last day of Finals and June 17th is the awards assembly with students going home at 11:30. Then school is out, and so this is the last normal week!
My VHS class ended last week and those grades are all turned in, so I am now done with that. Its hard during the year with vacations to always check in to that class, but it ends early as a result and now I have some time freed up. In Psychology and Ethics classes I gave a lot of class time to work the Finals this week because the Seniors would be turning in their iPads on May 28th. Many will have access at home, but some will not so I figured it best to give class time while they still had them. Students are researching Psychological disorders in Psychology and current Ethical dilemmas in Ethics and creating Keynote slide shows to present to the class.
On Wednesday we had our final PLC of the year. These Professional Learning Communities are designed to help teachers improve their practice. I find this time very valuable and this meeting we focused on our colleague who teaches Physical Education. The teacher had several questions with which they needed help and advice. I found it very helpful and interesting to see things in a different class and with a different perspective. It seems each time we meet in PLC I learn something new about an aspect of the school and teaching. I am concerned about a lack of support for the PLC this year in general and I hope the school can find ways to improve the support for next year.
Now that AP class has taken the Exam, there is not the same level of rigor needed in the class. My students watched the film "Thirteen Days" based on the book by Robert Kennedy about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Next week week we will start work on the Final which is a presentation related to Native American Rights.In U.S. History we discussed the War in Vietnam and students participated in a mock trial. I got this trial from a company called Interact. The trial was a simulation of the real life trial of Lt. William Calley. Calley was accused of murder at the village of My Lai and his defense was he was "just following orders". Each student had a role in the trial and had to do some preparation to perform the trial almost like a play or a skit. For some, its a bit scary, but many really enjoy it. The students did a great job with it and I think they learned a lot! I like how it brings up the issue of how polarized the country was during the Vietnam era and how the complexities of the war effected the way people thought about it.
My Grandfather and Great Uncles fought in World War Two, and they are all dead now. The work with my students in this new course and on this project bring my Grandfather back alive in a sense, and so it really is personal for me in many ways.
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| (My Grandfather Charles O'Reilly taken in Japan while he was in the Army during the War) |
The best news of the week came at the end! I found out the proposal I had submitted along with the Newseum to present on the Civil Rights Multimedia Module they host on their website was accepted for the National Conference on the Social Studies. They have graciously offered to pay my registration fee, which I am very thankful for. I have already reserved my Hotel at the Hyatt in Medford, which is just off an Orange Line T Stop and half the price of the Hotel rooms next to the Conference location offered at a "discount". I have a bunch of student work to share from my teaching of the Module this Spring and I very much look forward to this presentation!
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