Capture 3

So today we went to observe at Oak Canyon Jr. High School in Lindon. The teacher we observed was not incredibly hand-on but went to help out kids when they raised their hands. He sat at his computer for a little bit, but he had parent-teacher conferences later that afternoon so he was probably preparing. He wore a microphone around his neck, and I don't think I'll do that for my classes. It seemed like a cowbell.

His students seemed to be doing well. They had previously drawn orthographic sketches on paper and were working with CAD on some imacs. The teacher asked several students who finished early to walk around and help others. I think that is an effective method. The teacher also seemed to be interested in and excited about what he was teaching. I think that is really important.

When we left, it was in between hours. Wow. I don't think I want to ever be in the hall again in between classes. There were over 1,000 kids in narrow hallways that are name-calling, shoving, teasing, with the cracks filled in by students who are trying to get by. As I remembered back to my Jr. High days, they were just like that, but it didn't bother back then.

As we drove home I had a weird sensation, the same kind I got back in high school when I would get out of school early for a dentist appointment or some other reason. It was a very strange feeling. And that was the day.