Graduation

It has been another emotional week. Perhaps I should start off this blog by saying that I have not slept in about 30 hours. I have done a ton of laughing, and a ton of crying, and a lot of laughing 'til I was crying too.

Ten years ago, I graduated high school. I remember that week so clearly, practically as if it were yesterday. I remember listening to the Vitamin C song "Graduation" over and over (which is possibly why I started to get so emotional on Wednesday at a luncheon when the seniors chose that song as their music for a slideshow). I remember being SO proud of the 4.0 I finished the year with. I remember being too sick to go to grad nite (damn allergies). And I remember walking the stage and feeling like I was leaving the best years of my life behind. 

SO not true. 

Truly, the last 10 years of my life have been way better. I think about the lyrics of that song....

"And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives

Where we're gonna be when we turn 25..."

I certainly did that when I graduated high school. But I did more of it tonight. You know where I was when I turned 25?  I had just finished my first semester teaching here. Teaching these students, the class of 2011, who walked the stage yesterday afternoon. 

The graduation was beautiful. Their advisory teachers each read their names along with where they would be attending college. Every student graduating from our school is attending college of some sort, and so many are attending universities. I am so proud of them. They are amazing, beautiful people, who I am lucky to know. 

Then, at 8:00, we boarded a bus for Grad Nite. 

With Brenda and Steven

This was far more special to me than mine own would have been. From the moment we boarded the bus, it was clear the students wanted to share these last few hours bonding with us, their teachers and counselors, but on a different level... as newly "former" students. They told us all their stories of the terrible things they used to do in our classes that they never got caught for and wanted to tell us how much they would miss us and how much we meant to them. 

Maribel and Joe

Joe said to me, "Mrs. Mohr... you changed my life. I'd probably be a druggie lying on the street all strung out if it weren't for you." He was joking- well, about the druggie part- and he has said similar things to me before, but coming from him on this night- his graduation night. It was meaningful. 

They made us so proud all night long. As we passed them in lines or caught a glimpse of them on the dance floor, they were truly "our" students. While students from other schools tried to figure out how to break the rules and not get caught, our students wanted to make 100% sure they were following them to a T. 







While other students "danced" in ways that I would hardly call dancing, our students stayed on the outskirts of the dance floor, partying so innocently and respectfully. Not a one of our cell phones rang with a call from park security, and they were truly the outstanding leaders we have aimed for them to be. 

On the way home, the two boys behind us decided not to sleep, unlike the other 44 students behind them, and they had us rolling in the aisles laughing with impressions of each other, impressions of their teachers, stories from the past four years, and just random nonsense. I have to admit, we woke up the bus with our laughter... more than once. But it was good times. It was a nice way to say goodbye. It was what I needed.

I returned to school just as second period was beginning. It made me feel so good that my 2nd period Honors class was excited that I had made it back in time for their class period. They are such wonderfully sweet kids. They are more genuinely sweet than any other group of teenagers I have ever worked with. I would do practically anything for these kids. They wanted to take a group picture... in fact, we took several (because everyone wanted a copy). When I sat down at my desk as the bell rang and looked at the picture in my camera, I just started to cry. 

It was a combination of everything. The overall feeling of loss of how much I will miss class of 2011, mixed with the pride and joy of knowing they are off to amazing future, and the feeling of loss of this wonderful Honors group of 2013, of whom I have grown so fond of. I tried to hide my tears, but just one student saw and suddenly, before I knew it, I was being engulfed in the biggest group hug I have ever managed to be at the center of. Class of 2013 truly has a special place in my heart. 

By 11:30 a.m., I was falling apart with exhaustion. I was almost sick with sleep depravation. I decided the best way to end the year would be games. (Not to mention, it would wake me up enough to drive home). So 5th period played hook up tag and sharks and fishes. Then, my 6th period drama class had a jumping contest. It was fantastically wonderful stuff.

 

So this is what it is like to have a legacy of high school students. It is amazing... and hard... and wonderful, all at the same time. 

A new approach to instructional materials?

There is a whole section of the California State Standards for English that focuses on informational materials, and some of them are very specific, particularly these two:
2.6 Demonstrate use of sophisticated learning tools by following technical directions (e.g., those found with graphic calculators and specialized software programs and in access guides to World Wide Web sites on the Internet).
2.7 Critique the logic of functional documents by examining the sequence of information and procedures in anticipation of possible reader misunderstandings.

To me, the standards are so specific its like... um, how do you really teach this other than just having them do it? But the "it" to me is always so... what do you do? If you make something up and it is not real, then it is sort of pointless and the kids don't get into it enough to really learn from it.

But today was fantastic. I think I figured it out. But it wasn't in my English class. It was with my play production class. You want to teach kids the critique the logic of functional (or sometimes dysfunctional) documents by examining sequences and procedures? Buy them furniture from Ikea and tell them to assemble it.

I literally handed each group of students a box. Most of the boxes contained chairs (one of the more simple Ikea pieces, as far as assembly goes). Two of the groups got a desk to assemble. When they finished with the chairs, those groups moved to helping the groups with the desk. I let them get from opening the box to finishing the piece of furniture with very little assistance from me.


Critique the directions they most certainly did. If you've ever looked at Ikea directions, they are not very descriptive. At one point, a student said, "This is like a whole book, yet I somehow still have no idea what to do."

They argued with me about the necessity of actually screwing in the seat part of the chair. "Can't it just sit on the base?" one girl asked. The same student also kept insisting that it must require power tools, which I would not give them.

But they took ownership. When the bill was ringing at 3:25, I asked them to pack up, but they asked if they could keep working. I had to go to a meeting, but my colleague agreed to supervise them, so they stayed working. When I came back, all 7 of the chairs were complete and one of the desks.

It may not seem like this incredible learning experience, but they learned that Ikea furniture can be put together usually without power tools. They learned how to use an itty bitty little metal tool to put together furniture. They learned to pay close attention to a diagram. They learned to improvise when they mess up. Now, someday, when they go away to college and end up at the local Ikea to buy a desk that they can actually afford, they will not feel as completely helpless when they open the box and find 100 parts.

All, in all, I was very proud of them. Watch the video clip of part of the process if you are interested.