Day Eighty-Five
Today I found myself wondering how it's only Tuesday because I've done so many things this week that it should surely be at least Wednesday, if not Thursday, you know? But, like I said yesterday, I'm managing. I don't feel overwhelmed or super tired, just busy. I suppose I've grown into these department head responsibilities of mine, and that helps, as do my colleagues, who really are a fantastic support system.
I spent my morning grading a lot of make-up work (because so many kids have been home sick lately), planning my next few Global Studies lessons, and getting stuff together in case the teacher who's on leave doesn't come back and we end up having to hire a long-term substitute.
Then, in Global Studies, I showed a short clip about the writing of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and then we discussed the document itself. I took questions first, and I was pleasantly surprised how many students had; sometimes, they're hesitant about asking for clarification because they think it makes them seem dumb (I've been working all year to change that perception), or they're tired, or they're not engaged, or whatever. But today they were on fire. Where they did hesitate was when I asked them to tell me which articles they thought were the most important and why- expressing opinions can be intimidating, too (another thing I'm working to change)- so I just called on all of them. Everyone had to throw something out there, which ended up leading to some brilliant discussions. I was so happy about how that went.
Another brilliant discussion? The one my APGOV students had with today's guest speaker. There's an open congressional seat in NH, and all the candidates running for it have been invited to come to class. One of the Democrats came today, and fielded questions from my students about her personal background, why she's running, why she should get their votes, and what her views are on a variety of things: healthcare, education, ICE, the shooting of Renee Good, our involvement in Venezuela, the threats the administration's been making about Greenland, our foreign policy in general, tax policy, abortion, rural access to technology. I was impressed with the research they'd done, the thoughtfulness of their discussion, how open the exchange was between them and the candidate (who asked for their views or feelings multiple times). It was super cool, and a lot of students hung around after the bell to say so.
Can't wait to talk to them more tomorrow!
I had three places I was supposed to be after school: track practice, a meeting with the other junior advisors, and a Zoom meeting with one of the CBE facilitators we've been working with. I went down to my office and did the Zoom first, then went and met with the junior advisors, and was able to catch the end of track practice.