Tom
Your sharing about team working amongst kids is instructive to us older
"kids." In management school, what you do in practice as you probably know
is now christened a name, Teamworking etc. Your observations fit theory very
well, but interestingly it seems that kids go through the 4 or 5 step
process much faster than adults. They are able to go past the storming stage
onto the norming and performing level.
And I agree, teaching is a great experience, not just a great money maker.
The satisfaction is in the heart, not in the mind.
Titoy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Scales" <tscales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 8:27 AM
Subject: [OM] OT - The things kids do
> I am also learning the, well, interesting things that happen to teachers.
As
> most of you know, I am now a technology teacher for Kindergarten through
5th
> grade. It's a huge career change for me and I really love it (except the
> money, but that's another story). In the fall I'll move to the Technology
> Magnet high school (more on that in another off-topic post one of these
> days, for the nerds on the list).
>
> For example, yesterday I was teaching a Kindergarten class. This one girl
> just wouldn't stay on task (the outrageously difficult task of doing a
> puzzle -- with two other people to help her). She comes over and
complains
> that she has a bug bite.
>
> And proceeds to pull down her pants and underwear to show me.
>
> Luckily there are other adult teachers in the room :)
>
> Needless to say I had her pull them right back up.
>
> Today was hilarious, though. I'm truly a mean-spirited teacher :). Since
> this is Monday, I have new classes (I teach a different group of children,
> from each grade, every week and get them back every five weeks). In my
> fourth and fifth grade classes, I have them working in math projects --
> they're pretty hard to accomplish and doing them quickly shows real skill.
> The 4th graders compete with the 5th graders, which is fun in itself. On
> Mondays I have them work with a partner.
>
> One of the reasons I was hired was to bring 'real world' experiences to
the
> job. So, to start off the lesson, I told them they would be working with
a
> partner. There was much shifting around so that they would be sitting
next
> to their friends -- which was quite handy to me. I discussed how when
they
> start working, they will often have to work with people they don't like.
If
> they can't do it, they'll end up losing their job. I then explain that I
> appreciated their letting me know who they would LIKE to work with, since
it
> made it easier for me NOT to assign them together. Imagine the looks on
> their faces.
>
> I then proceeded to try to make the WORST possible pairings that I could
> find. First on my list of objectionable pairings were any two that I
> thought might actually like each other (I do boy-girl pairs). In 4th and
> 5th, liking someone is new to them and seems to involve intense hatred.
> Then I just filled out the teams with mortal enemies.
>
> We have a reward system, so if they work well together, I give them reward
> points. MOST teams fussed for a few minutes, then got lost in the
intensity
> of the competition and getting rewards and did well together. A few,
> particularly in fifth grade, didn't. Really didn't. They got private
chats
> about how they wouldn't cut it in the real world if they couldn't overcome
> their differences.
>
> One pair of fifth graders were the loudest complainers when paired
> together -- and ended up beating all teams in what they accomplished.
Their
> anomosity lasted about 20 seconds once they got excited about what they
were
> doing.
>
> I fully expect them to name their first child after me.....
>
> Tom
>
>
> Tom
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Hawkins" <rhawkin3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 5:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [OM] Self-portraits - was Camera Frinzy!!
>
>
> > Tom,
> >
> > Truly hilarious the things that kids bring to school. I once had a
student
> > bring in their fathers broken dentures. They wantes to know if I could
> > repair them...........Yes , I did and they were pleased with the repair
> > work.
> >
> >
> > Rich
> >
>
>
>
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