Just wondering

The other day, I walked into the bathroom at the elementary school w/ Sarah. She commented that she always went to this one stall when she went to the bathroom here.

I know I always head to the same stall when going into a public bathroom I use on a regular basis, but I thought I was just a bit odd.

So, now that I know my 6 y.o. has already started the trend, I started to wonder if all women do this. How about men, do they always head to the same urinal?

Since I should be grading papers and finishing my teaching statement, it's only natural that I would blog about bathrooms.

Sunday Six - school

"Sunday Six!" is a game where Kelly asks us to have six questions answered. Remember, the idea is to post answers to the following six question, but the trick is to get your kids to answer them! If you don't have kids, use your imagination... Your pet, your neighbor, your elderly family member, your roommate, etc. Did you play? Let me and Kelly know.


Today I was able to ask Sarah (SB - age 6) and Sydney (SK - age 3) the Sunday 6. Smart assed husband wanted to answer to so he is JH. I asked Sydney first so she was not influenced by her big sister's answers. Here they are:


This Week's Sunday Six:

1. Why do we go to school?

SK: Cause our friends are waiting for us.

SB: To learn

JH: Becuase the law mandates that we do.

2. What is your favorite subject in school?

SK: Playing with Trains

SB: Recess

JH: Non equalillibruim multi-phased thermodynamics

3. How do we learn new things?

SK: Do trains, I guess

SB: By listening to your teacher

JH: We read books

4. Do you (or do you think you will) like your teacher?

SK: Yes.

SB: Yes

JH: No (I don't have a teacher though)

5. How do you get to school?

SK: Find the way.

SB: By car

JH: I drive myself in the little blue car

6. What does it mean to make straight A's?

SK: You only get one, I guess

SB: Listen.

JH: You have no other life.

Did you play? Let me and Kelly know.

The Struggle

Struggle - Interestingly enough, I've struggled with writing this post.

Freshman are an fun as well as difficult to teach. Their views are very absolute - there is right and wrong. I view that part of my job is to help them start to understand that there is a middle ground that should be considered.

Unfortunately, one of the hardest parts of my job is to help develop their writing. I know what I am looking for in papers, I'm just not sure how to convey this information. Many of their papers include a paragraph about a topic, stating information they have learned and concluding with a one sentence conclusion. What they really need is a paragraph introducing a section of the paper, and a paragraph of analysis.

As I'm grading their first papers, I'm struggling with how to provide constructive comments. Determining their grade is easy, writing comments is hard.

Thankfully, I have a writing center who I will sent the kids to for re-writing their papers.

I'm a tough grader. Part of the reason that I am so tough is that I know that the kids have a chance to re-write their papers to inprove their grades. My thought is that since this is the first college writing class they take, this is where they learn what is required. The other reason I am tough is because they are going to continue to experience tough professors for the rest of their college career. They are going to go on to careers where bosses will require them to write well. If I let them pass with so they can get a good grade, I'm not helping them.