Media presentation

Here's where we dig into some new ideas. It will be a challenge to pull these last set of presentations off. Time is short, energy is low and the competing demands are high. I hope the topic of media controversies pulls them in.
Problems are cropping up in predictable ways. Those who have trouble with language are having getting through the work and processing the depth of the information. Those with attention difficulties are scattered and less than efficient. When push comes to shove, these difficulties become even more pronounced and more difficult. We will survive.

famous speaker presentation

Well, I put the fear of god in them to get this assignment to work out. Things have just been chaotic, with student breakdowns all around. It's to be expected, that's what we are here for. But we also need to keep to the syllabus and fulfill the course expectations for the credits to have some integrity. At least, I hope that is what is happening.

low point

I am so discouraged. I feel like Sysisphis. Today is just another uphill battle and it feels like we are losing with not much chance of real progress. It never seems to stop. My first period class continues to come late or absent, unfocused, to be sporatically productive. Instead of getting better, it is getting worse. I am frustrated by their inconsistencies which interfer with having time to actually doing some teaching. They have been defined (received grades) based on their work habits rather than their intellectual capabilities. These also define my work with them. I have more conversations about work habits than work. I feel out of control (as I am sure they do many times), reactive to uneven and unpredicatable behavior. Besides the frustration, it humbles me. It is about me, what I can or cannot do, and how whatever I seem to do has little to no effect.
I find myself sucked in, as in a vacuum. When they are not capable I start to feel as if I need to be more capable. I need to hold back, to let some things run their course and let the chips fall as they may. I am already demonized (by role definition as much as anything) as "the man" so I might as well relax into it. But I can't.

Breakfast Club

I really enjoyed the Breakfast Club assignment and how the students handled the assignment. It was clearly a struggle for them - not the content (mostly) but the working together, group work. But they did it for the most part. They exhibited a professional, positive attitude, although I am getting the growing impression that generally they are beginning to get sick of these "throw them together, it's good for them" assignments. This is a stressful enough environment dealing with your own issues but then you have to manage navigating with all of the complexitiy of each other. It's not easy and at times there are some understandable strains. Each student here bring liabilities (as well as strengths), and assignments such as this surely test them.