Thursday, November 20, 2008
the end is near!
I can’t believe the end of the semester is upon us! I just finished putting my final exams together. I have noticed some of the end of the semester burnout! My students are fried and so am I. I plan to collect my last batch of writing tomorrow and spend Monday and Tuesday reviewing for the final and eating treats! I am having a party for my 50 students on Tuesday. I need to do something to let them know how much they have contributed to my life, so I am going to make some banana bread, éclairs and a few other holiday cookies for Tuesday. I simply cannot end the semester without doing something special. In my short teaching career, I have (regrettably) let the opportunity pass and I decided, not this time. Students, even the slackers, light up my world in their own way . So that’s my weekend in a nutshell. I think we will review and spend the rest of the time visiting and taking pictures. I find that international students love to take pictures, so there will be many Kodak moments I am sure and a Pictionary showdown. In addition to writing, I teach a course for graduate students to help them succeed on the GMAT and GRE. We do lots of practice writing tests, and idiom and vocabulary work. I found that the best tool for building vocabulary is playing Pictionary. The students love it. We divide the class into teams and the competition is fierce. I really believe that learning should not be sheer drudgery (even if it is GMAT prep). I think back to the “fun” teachers I had, and I actually can recall what we covered in class. I think the idea of drilling and pop quizzing endlessly is a fate worse than death for the student (and the teacher!). It is always fun to see what the students come up with.
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4 comments:
The "fun" teachers are those that inspire us. Those fun teachers I have had throughout my life are now inspiring me to think about myself becoming a teacher and hoping I will be able to make the classroom a place where the students don't dread coming in every day. I love your Pictionary idea!
It's awesome when you can make learning into a game. They always remember it better that way. When you're working with high school students, it also helps them to burn off some energy.
I'm so glad that this semester is almost over. It's been a tight squeeze getting everything done. I will also miss my students, though...they've been a fun bunch! And I love end-of-semester parties! :)
I'm sorry to see the end of the semester close as well, especially when I'm teaching two of my favorite subjects: autobiography and the personal essay. Should we have a party on the last day of class? I'm game.
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