Last Day of the 5th 6 Weeks

I have to say that I'm proud of the efforts of most of my students. They're a great group of kids and if they continue to work hard, they'll go far in life! However, a teacher's support can only go so far. In the end, the student is responsible for making it happen.

Yesterday, one of my classes gave team presentations of 'battery powered' projects they created on their own. I emphasized that a small portion of the grading rubric was based on whether their project actually worked or not. The remainder had to do with team work, individual contribution, and originality of their work. I video taped their team presentations. I was excited when the students learned, as I expected they would, that leadership, individual effort, team consensus, team coordination and communication were equally as important as the product itself. The project was a success and the students really enjoyed the break from the rigor of 'book work'.

TAKS testing is next week. I'm amazed at what the State puts a school through in order to ensure the validity of the numbers. I fully support the end result, but I think we could come up with a better 'method'. However, when one sees the extent that some school districts go to in order to inflate their numbers, perhaps the method is appropriate.

On a personal note, my husband and I had dinner with an old friend and business colleague of mine this past week. We had a fantastic time. This friend is now in the business of selling outsourcing services. Their primary center of business is in Bangladesh. His company's headquarters is in Paris.

If you haven't read the book "The World is Flat", do it now. My friend, Charles, is living proof that every word in that book is true. That's why I'm passionate about teaching our students that they will have a lot of competition when they graduate. Our students have to be prepared to compete globally or their jobs will relocate to another country, leaving them with no means of gainful employment in this country!