 |
| Mitlon Bear, Me and the 4th Grade Class |
 |
| Milton Bear, me and the 8th Grade Class. |
The teacher:
Today I had the opportunity to watch an amazing teacher. After all of the talk about how the education system here in Georgia is very tradition stand and deliver and memorize rote facts, I saw a teacher that promoted group work and presentations. Students were doing group work, giving presentations and seemed very engaged and happy. It reminded me very much of the work that I see teachers do on my house. I even had to laugh because she was correcting students on putting words on presentations that they did not understand. I have heard Ms. Endres give the same critique to my students numerous times. I was also very impressed with the content the 8th grade students presented on their favorite TV shows and the 7th grade students presented on environmental issues. This may be my American ignorance, but I was shocked to see them presenting on environmental issues. At the end of the lesson, the teacher gave an impassioned plea for bike lanes in Georgia to help cut down on green house gasses. And given the way people drive in Georgia, I would be very hesitant to get on a bicycle and ride the streets of Georgia. Another thing that was impressive was the vocabulary of the student explaining such complex issues in a language that was not their own. I could not envision any student in Vermont giving the same quality presentations in a language other than English.
The students:
The students were awesome. They were very courteous and curious. They asked me about my favorite TV Shows, DC vs. Marvel, and music. During the 8th grade presentation about TV shows here were their answers:
In order of most popular:
Flash (3)
Georgia X Factor (2)
Shadow Hunters (2)
Teen Wolf (2)
Harry Potter (2)
Georgia Dancing with the Stars (2)
Once Upon a Time (2)
Prison Break
Grey's Anatomy
Shannara Chronicles
Arrow
The Legends of Tomorrow
Umaru
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
Flat 18 (Georgian Sitcom)
Sometimes they watch the shows in English and sometimes they watched them dubbed in Georgian.
Another thing that was interesting is that one 7th grade class asked for my autograph. I felt like a celebrity of sorts.
Below is a video of Happy Birthday and part of a presentation on Harry Potter.
 |
| 8th Grade Art Work |
 |
| 8th Grade Presentation |
 |
| 4th Grade |
 |
| 4th Grade |
 |
| Miton Bear and 4th Grade eating Salt Water Taffy from New Jersey |
 |
| Student Presentation on her favorite band. Look familiar? |
 |
| Milton Bear 4th Grade |
It's so fascinating to me to see the students' work - it feels so familiar in some ways, and different at the same time. The drawing of the face for example. The feeling behind it feels very similar to work of our middle schoolers - there's a starkness there, and an seriousness to it. But the lines feel so sharp and angular - in a way that would surprise me here (not in a good or bad way - just an unexpected way).
ReplyDelete