Pacman going to see Jesus

"It's pacman. And he's going to see Jesus."

For our project on surrealism, one student is painting exactly that. It's pacman. Going to see Jesus. The big yellow guy is on one side, gobbling up ice cream cones on his way across the page to a cross.

"See? It's pacman going to see Jesus!" he keeps telling me.

I helped him draw the pacman ghosts as angels with wings and a halo. He graciously let me keep it as a sample for future classes. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen.

"It's pacman. Going to see Jesus!"

Also, as part of the project, students read some surrealist literature and composed a surreal story to accompany their painting. Below, the legend of pacman going to see Jesus. A new religion, anyone? (Is it any less plausible, or relevant to modern times, than the Mormon bible?)

My First Bruise

Just below the knuckle of my left-hand forefinger there is a dime-sized bruise growing steadily darker. It is the result of my feeble attempt to break up two students who were aggressively play(?)-fighting by slamming each other into the wall. I don't know how it happened, this bruise. I only remember strained faces and grunts, a laughing audience, and one of them stopping the fight because they lost their balance.

"Damn, I tripped over Mr. W's big-ass feet", he breathlessly reassured onlookers.

Interesting Sketchbook Entries, part 4

ASSIGNMENT: Read the quote below and respond in two short paragraphs. First, what does he mean - how does a "painter" become an "artist"? Second, according to him, are you an "elephant" or an "artist"?

Painting is one thing but art is another. You can teach an elephant to paint, but you can't teach it to be an artist. (Warren Criswell)

DE, grade 10: "You can paint but I think it would be hard 2 teach a elephant 2 paint not less he little. aint no big elephant going 2 listen 2 u not less u train them when they are baby's"

19 Days til Summer

A Teacher Detached

Lowered standards? New perspectives? A war veteran's tolerance for traumatic experience?

How else can I explain the matter-of-fact comments that I enter in my book labeled "Student Contact Info", which is really a notebook in which I catalog student (mis)behaviors to justify points docked or earned on their daily process grades. Sometimes I cannot believe what I am writing - what I am willing to accept to get a student to create art. A sample, DM, 4th period, 5/11:

"Used excessive profanity and pulled pants down to expose his behind, but was otherwise on-task and respectful"

Rate My Teacher

Time to grade the teacher!

I have been mentally compiling a report card for myself, to be completed at the end of the year as a tool for reflection and to identify things to work on over the summer. Now that I have finally put pen to paper - or finger to keyboard, as it were - I am posting the report card in advance so that I can keep these areas in mind, and also share with folks who might be similarly inclined. Here 'tis:

TEACHER NAME _________________
SCHOOL _______________________
SCHOOL YEAR __________________
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ___________

SUBJECTS:

1. Developing Meaningful Lessons A B C D F
2. Engaging Delivery of Instruction A B C D F
3. Making Personal Connections With Students A B C D F
4. Effective Behavior Management A B C D F
5. Effective Discipline A B C D F
6. Consistency A B C D F
7. Attitude A B C D F
8. Professionalism A B C D F
9. Developing Relationships With Colleagues A B C D F
10. Additional comments:

FINAL GRADE (AVERAGE): _______

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS: