How to make writing a teacher work sample fun!

Right now I have just about completed my “teacher work sample” – a giant boring paper that teachers have to write so they can graduate. As I was reading the “Teacher Work Sample Handbook” (which is a truly fascinating read) I stumbled upon this passage:

“To protect the privacy of the students, do not include any student names in any part of the TWS including references and appendixes. Also use a fictitious name for the actual school in which your TWS was completed.”

Here are a few excerpts from my TWS which show that I for one took the instructions seriously:

Hogwarts High School is a regular school located in an urban community primarily consisting of families of below average socio-economic status (Hogwarts High School Website, 2007).

Mr. Snape’s 8th hour drawing and painting class meets during the last hour of the day. Two of the students in the class are in gifted programs while 2 are in special education programs because of learning disabilities. One of the learning disabled students, Harry, has difficulty vocalizing his needs to authority figures, and sometimes refuses to do his work...

References:
Hogwarts High School Website. (2007). Retrieved March 15, 2008, from http://www.hogwartshighschool.org/usd666.com

I do not get to know which WSU professor gets to grade it, but I do get to know that they will be delightfully surprised.

Oh yes, above is a photo I took of a typical day student teaching in Mr. Snape's drawing and painting class.

Happy Saint Patrick's

Silly White Teacher

At the high school in which I am student teaching, black students are the majority and I am getting too accustomed to hearing their slang. One student in the class has the name KeadRIAN, but the black kids call him KeadRON. One day, the inevitable happened. I recorded what was said below:

Me: Keadrian. Have a seat please.
Keadrian: (has a seat and then when I am not looking gets up again).
Me: Keadron!
(all the black kids laugh)
Jasmine: she call you Kead-RON!
Latisha: Yeah she be talking black!
Me: (quietly) I meant Keadrian.
(they keep laughing)

In the same class we are working on basket weaving...

Me: Hm.. You need to weave your basket tighter, Jasmine
Keadrian: Look at how tight my basket is Miss Page.
Me: Wow, your basket is crazy tight!
(all the black kids laugh at me again)
Jasmine: She say yo basket is “craayzee tight” Keadron.
Latisha: Yeah, she one of us now.

Another basketry conversation:

Me (looking at a student’s basket): So why did you choose to weave a smiley face on your basket?
Jack: Because I’m a happy person I guess.
Me (when the same student starts walking aimlessly around the room): Have a seat.
Jack: Why do you have to enforce the rules?
Me: What would the world be like if no one ever enforced the rules?
Jack (looking dreamily off into the distance): Then I would have two smiley faces on my basket.

Let the search begin

Dale: What CD do you want me to put in Eden?

Me: Lets try one of the hymn CD’s.

(Dale puts in a CD – music plays)

Me: This is awful, the men are singing all preppy.

Mom: Yeah, like they're in some high school boy's glee club.

Dad: It’s better than the urban yodeler hymn CD’s you guys have been listening to.

He has a point. If anyone ever finds a hymn CD that doesn't have the problems we found above, let us know.