The Last Week of School!

The last week of school was a very telling one, and how each last class went tells a lot about my relationship with each of them.

10^th:  I had them do a writing exercise because they had plagiarized their speeches.  They blew it off, so they ended up writing for the whole class period.  They did however, manage a ten-minute speech in English, so I was simultaneously very proud of them and very disappointed. 

9^th:   Most of the class did make-up work while the one student who was finished with his semesterly work watched videos on my computer.  They worked less than all the other classes somehow, and still didn't complete their work.  Laid back and lazy, you can't help but like ninth class...that's a problem.

8^th:  I had them do a writing exercise because over 50% hadn’t done any homework for me all semester.  They did it, and did it well, so we watched Super Bowl Commercials.  Hopefully this is a good sign for next year.

7^th:  I went through, student by student, and told them each what I like about them and what they can work on.  They loved it.  Then we played games.  We get each other.  

6^th:  English-Speaking World Olympics!   We had a two-day bonanza of games, in which the students answered various questions and did various tasks related to the English-speaking world and some of the grammar we’ve worked on.  They're a little wild, but they learned a lot this year, and they did their homework...eventually... 

5^th:  Fifth class didn’t get to play games on Wednesday, because they didn’t settle down.  I’ve continuously tightened the leash with them, and it seems “very short” is the proper setting.  But on Friday we did a gameshow sort of thing where I asked them questions about the various topics and American cities we had “visited” this year.  Strict and formal isn’t so much who I like to be, but there is a certain level of it that is necessary, particularly given the culture (students here generally stand at attention at the beginning of class and when they are answering a question).  Whereas 7^th and 10^th class appreciate and recognizes my informality as a different modus operandi, the younger classes in particular just use it as license.  I can’t imagine handling a 40-person classroom; 16 people is our maximum, and it’s a handful at times.  It’s also amusing, looking over the year, two of the boys had a full letter grade higher the quarter  they sat with Alyona, one of the girls most enthusiastic to answer questions.  Sometimes it’s the little things. (The grades are mostly participation.)  

I can't believe the school year is already over!!!!