We will see at the end of this week if getting the kids to teach each other via "teach/ok" has any effect. I was real enthused about this when I started, but despite modeling for the students, and encouraging them, cajoling them, etc. I fear I have some, nay many, that may not be learning from this. I will give a quiz on Friday. We'll know more then.

Perception is reality. We know this to be true, and Fay and Funk tell us so in L&L. I work with some pretty poor kids. This was really brought home to roost when my wife conducted an activity with her kids. She had them look at photos of poor African-American sharecroppers. No text, just the pictures of these poor people dressed in rags, living in abject poverty. As part of their assignment, the children were required to write some about what they saw in the photos, and what about them made these people look poor, repressed, etc. Many, and very significant amount could not state any reason. Why? Some of them live in circumstances bordering on being just as bad, and the kids do not perceive themselves as being in poverty.

How does this apply to my classroom? Well, it alters the approach that I must take in teaching geography, particularly when it comes to poor populations in the third world especially. It alters how I approach a student (or their parent/guardian) in respect to an academic problem. I just cannot give the pat answer most teachers I am sure give, "If she/he is to be successful in college . . . ". A lot of these kids have no hopes, dreams, or aspirations of attending college. For many, the thought of it has been drummed out of them by their parents, either out of despair, or sometimes out of jealousy. The latter being so sad.

On a brighter note, I am trying to be more conscious of making students "choose" their behavior in my classroom. "You can continue to do that and go out in the hall, or you can be quiet, and pay attention and stay with us." This seems to work well, so far.