Properties of Matter

Sorry it has been so long; there has been a lot going on in my life lately! We have ended our Washington State Geology and Convection unit, and are moving swiftly into Properties of Matter (POM). I was very familiar with the first unit, since it was what I did student-teaching. However, I am in uncharted territory, so the planning has been much more extensive.

I have been checking and rechecking my script (in my head) and boy, am I glad I have! Kids are asking new and interesting questions left and right, and I am so excited that they are! BUT--it takes a lot of work to think of a somewhat simplistic answer or another question to aim back at them to deepen their thinking skills. It has been so cool to watch the students finalize one unit (which they were so happy about) and start another one with such wonderment in their eyes. Truly a great feeling as a teacher--one of the best so far!

Right now, we are practicing measuring using the metric system. I have introduced the metric system, and we have measured length/distance. We discussed volume of solids (and measured), but are still working on volumes of liquids. I had them get familiar with beakers and graduated cylinders without liquids, and I can see that reading measurements accurately might be tough for them. Students see a lab set-up and want to get to it right away. They get a little carried away and then add error to the lab because they rushed through the measuring bit of it... So, instead of pressuring myself to keep up a consistent pace, I am going to take my time, and beat the dead horse so their measuring skills are up to par for when we make it to Reactions and Mixtures.

Other than that, we are also starting a new unit for Math: Populations and Data Sets. I think the kids will dig it because it's a lot more visual than equations are. We will be working with graphs, word problems, and could even fit in a project or two! They love using color on poster paper :-)

In another note, my family and I buried my maternal Grandfather on Tuesday, February 19th. It turned out to be a beautifully sunny day, although cold, and he is now laid to rest next to his wife. It is good to know they are together again with new bodies and in eternal peace.

More adventures to come as we get further into POM!

Anti-Bullying Campaign

My school has a big bullying problem. Middle schoolers are already in a weird middle-ground, where they are battling new feelings, hormones, and independence, but now they are dealing with another beast--bullies. On Friday there was a theatrical performance by the Taproot Theater, who put on a play about how bullying affects others. After the performance there was a conversation between the audience and the actors. We had two performances; one for 7th graders, and one for 8th graders. I took my 7th grade science class, and when we made it back to the classroom I asked if they enjoyed it and learned something. Most of them said they had a good time, and learned something. However, when I asked my 8th grade math class, they laughed saying, "it was stupid."

The 8th grade class is responsible for most of the bullying at my school. It is really sad to see how they treat each other--putting up a facade in front of their peers, then spreading rumors. Students even meet up at the local park off-campus to fight. There was a recent video posted online about the fight, and several of my students were suspended. So not only is the bullying hurting feelings, but it is affecting kid's education because any bystanders are also suspended if caught partaking in the fight.

My Reaction: Mostly, I am shocked because I never dealt with any of this when I was in school (I went to school in the same district in which I teach). It has only been 7 years since I was in high school---not that long ago! How have things changed so quickly? I was never involved in off-campus fights (as a bystander or fighter) and so maybe I didn't even know it was happening then...Who knows!? But what I do know is that middle school kids, especially girls, say extremely mean things about each other all the time, and think that is the norm.

How can I teach my kids that it is not normal? When I hear negative things said in my classroom, I tell students that those comments are disrespectful and uncalled for. They are asked to stop, but I know that is not enough. I need to show them a different way. Empathy is such a hard concept to teach. If you have found a successful method to teach kids about bullying, please share! I would love to hear about your experiences with and battles against bullying.