...you want *what*??
...which was my ill-concealed reaction to K's request today. What did she request? A math test. Just to see what she could accomplish.
And the room filled with a slow chorus of "Yeah, me too"s, and even a couple of "Not me, I tested yesterday but I'll take some worksheets." So I tested almost everyone and gave the rest some primers on whole numbers and arithmetic practice. The thing that continually surprises me about this reading class (I guess I should be calling it the pre-GED class now) is that they are not afraid to make mistakes. They want to do everything they can to improve, and I have never, ever seen a group of people do that so consistently. This class represents a broad spectrum of ages (16-60), races, income levels, cultures...all they have in common is my class, but they're all on the same page, motivation-wise. It blows me away. They practically teach themselves.
M. and W. intend to come every Friday (in spite of their 4-day-a-week, 4-hour-a-day obligation to their new class) so they can continue to do computer lab and take extra grammar/structure/mechanics work home.
By taking that extra half hour a day on T-Th-F, I have just increased the school's income per week by something like $125. They like me right now. Except the coffee pot broke today, so I need a replacement if one of the students doesn't have an extra one kicking around. And I think I might start making puppy-dog eyes for a computer in the classroom with net access. Maybe a printer, too. *dreams of not having to use the computer lab for impromptu in-house research*
And the room filled with a slow chorus of "Yeah, me too"s, and even a couple of "Not me, I tested yesterday but I'll take some worksheets." So I tested almost everyone and gave the rest some primers on whole numbers and arithmetic practice. The thing that continually surprises me about this reading class (I guess I should be calling it the pre-GED class now) is that they are not afraid to make mistakes. They want to do everything they can to improve, and I have never, ever seen a group of people do that so consistently. This class represents a broad spectrum of ages (16-60), races, income levels, cultures...all they have in common is my class, but they're all on the same page, motivation-wise. It blows me away. They practically teach themselves.
M. and W. intend to come every Friday (in spite of their 4-day-a-week, 4-hour-a-day obligation to their new class) so they can continue to do computer lab and take extra grammar/structure/mechanics work home.
By taking that extra half hour a day on T-Th-F, I have just increased the school's income per week by something like $125. They like me right now. Except the coffee pot broke today, so I need a replacement if one of the students doesn't have an extra one kicking around. And I think I might start making puppy-dog eyes for a computer in the classroom with net access. Maybe a printer, too. *dreams of not having to use the computer lab for impromptu in-house research*