This next story comes to us from a dear friend of mine. I simply couldn't resist to share it with you. She is a teacher for 9th grade English.
As I explained the directions for the test my ninth graders were about to begin, I told them that the first nineteen questions were multiple choice and they needed only write the letter to the correct answer on the answer sheet. For the last question, I asked them to pick any story we read and give it a label (make an inference or judgment about the story). Then, they needed to provide three details from the story to support that assertion. To make sure the students understood, I used the movie we had recently watched as an example. We said that Stranger than Fiction was a funny movie. We then gave these three examples: he yells at the sky trying to figure out who is talking, a giant machine takes a bite out of his apartment while he watches tv, and he gives the baker he has a crush on a box of flours (not flowers). I reiterated that they should not use the movie as their example, but they should pick one of the stories or poems instead. I then had a student repeat that to me. When it seemed like a few students were not quite listening, I had the whole class repeat after me:
"I will not use the movie as my example on my test," ("I will not use the movie as my example on my test,")
"If I use the movie as my example, I will receive a zero," ("If I use the movie as my example, I will receive a zero,")
"I will not only receive a zero on the question, but on the entire test if I use the movie as my example," ("I will not only receive a zero on the question, but on the entire test if I use the movie as my example,")
"If I use the movie as my example, I will be publicly humiliated, not for being stupid, but for not listening." ("If I use the movie as my example, I will be publicly humiliated, not for being stupid, but for not listening.")
A quick side note: As I mentioned earlier, this is HIGH SCHOOL. That should be enough said. And while I'm sure you can tell where this is going, true to form...
When I graded the tests later that night, I found that five, FIVE, students had used the movie as their example.
Really...FIVE??? I'm not sure what wasn't clear about NOT using the movie as the example. They should be publicly humiliated for not listening AND being stupid. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is the future of America. Or as we so fondly refer to it Amerka.
Until next time,
Zozo and Leggy J
"A handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning" ~ Proverb quote
As I explained the directions for the test my ninth graders were about to begin, I told them that the first nineteen questions were multiple choice and they needed only write the letter to the correct answer on the answer sheet. For the last question, I asked them to pick any story we read and give it a label (make an inference or judgment about the story). Then, they needed to provide three details from the story to support that assertion. To make sure the students understood, I used the movie we had recently watched as an example. We said that Stranger than Fiction was a funny movie. We then gave these three examples: he yells at the sky trying to figure out who is talking, a giant machine takes a bite out of his apartment while he watches tv, and he gives the baker he has a crush on a box of flours (not flowers). I reiterated that they should not use the movie as their example, but they should pick one of the stories or poems instead. I then had a student repeat that to me. When it seemed like a few students were not quite listening, I had the whole class repeat after me:
"I will not use the movie as my example on my test," ("I will not use the movie as my example on my test,")
"If I use the movie as my example, I will receive a zero," ("If I use the movie as my example, I will receive a zero,")
"I will not only receive a zero on the question, but on the entire test if I use the movie as my example," ("I will not only receive a zero on the question, but on the entire test if I use the movie as my example,")
"If I use the movie as my example, I will be publicly humiliated, not for being stupid, but for not listening." ("If I use the movie as my example, I will be publicly humiliated, not for being stupid, but for not listening.")
A quick side note: As I mentioned earlier, this is HIGH SCHOOL. That should be enough said. And while I'm sure you can tell where this is going, true to form...
When I graded the tests later that night, I found that five, FIVE, students had used the movie as their example.
Really...FIVE??? I'm not sure what wasn't clear about NOT using the movie as the example. They should be publicly humiliated for not listening AND being stupid. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is the future of America. Or as we so fondly refer to it Amerka.
Until next time,
Zozo and Leggy J
"A handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning" ~ Proverb quote
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