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Friday, November 13, 2009

pay no attention to the woman behind the bedsheet

Ah, Friday. It's a day off, but it's also my school VoMo day. I just got back from Meego's class. There was a bit of rowdiness going on.

See, there's a sub today. Teacher's out of town, so bring in the sub and let the hellions at her!

The sub happens to be a friend of mine, who also has kids at that school, who also is a familiar face to many of the kids. Still, she is not immune to substitute teacher abuse. I'm actually a bit glad to be out of there right now...

And it makes me appreciate my own job. Growing up, I didn't plan on being a teacher, it's just where I find myself now in this season of my life. Don't know how long I'll stay with it, assuming it's entirely up to me, but it's good for now.

Had both live-in-the-flesh class sessions this week and a couple of live online class sessions. The live online thing is really growing on me. It's a bit weird because we can't read our students' body language. Also, we're told in our training, that it's different for them too, because they mainly just see a small head-and-shoulders shot of us rather than having a full sized 3-dimensional teacher. So everyone's adjusting.

We get all these tips about making the most of our little head-and-shoulders box in the "classroom". Tips about what color to wear, about what color to use for our background, etc. I remember a trainer saying, "you don't want it to look like you've just got a bedsheet hanging behind you".

Well, newsflash: I DO just have a bedsheet hanging behind me.

Works for me. In fact, it's appearance is very similar to the background that particular trainer had. I wonder, does SHE also just have a bedsheet hanging behind HER?? (Pay no attention to the bedsheet hem there, just under the right armpit...)

Last night's online class was going nicely. I was just TAing with another teacher, so I was completely offscreen anyway. We were discussing stress management - strategies to get their minds off of test anxiety - when one student suggested Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2!!!

Oh, the excitement that brought about in the chatbox! In fact, looking back, it was very similar to the just barely controlled chaos going on in Meego's classroom this morning.

This was for a GMAT class - future MBA's. Is there no escape?

Maybe Chaco has a future in management.
.

5 comments:

brandy101 said...

hahhahah...the bed sheet just looks like a cubicle wall...v. professional-looking for the online teaching.

My kiddo is home sick AGAIN - this time with fever, cough, congestion. I am sick of all the virus gunk going on around here!

Judy said...

Bedsheets are useful for all sorts of things - covering plants, photographic backdrops, sleeping...

:-)

terri said...

Oh come on! Liven things up a bit. Grab one of the kids' old Star Wars sleeping bags and hang that up behind your head. You'll be a hit!

No, you're right. Maturity on the part of the teacher is probably a better idea. Stick with the bedsheet.

Anita said...

I think you're having some fun with this new adventure. :)

bingo girl said...

Online teaching is cool! You can be dressed up with the top and wear some shorts! LOL! You don't also have to whine when students are not participating. When you are having a class, you don't have to raise your voice and scold students. That's what I like about online teaching. Good thing you have a bedsheet that blends with the wall. It's not really obvious and it's not distracting.