L is for Loss

Today, I lost.  Yep, a loss.  And not a NHL overtime loss that still gets you a point.  I was soundly defeated in regular time.

Why did I lose?

• My new table arrangement was a mess.  It didn't flow once students were sitting down.  Students were in the wrong positions to learn.  I moved the tables back this afternoon and moved some other things around to improve flow.
• The 6th graders weren't ready for the responsibilities of working independently.  I don't know when they will be.  We've been working on it.
• The 7th and 8th graders were chatty today.  They have days like that and I've learned to accept it to a small extent.  They've never been chatty on the same day though.  Perhaps it was coming off a long weekend.
• We used paper.  I know.  Paper!  It was a disaster.  I need to figure out how to integrate Google Docs or their blogs into this particular unit that we are working on.  I forgot how much I hate instructing and using paper in the classroom.
• My lesson wasn't the strongest.  It could have been better.  It was strong last year and I thought my modifications were good for these groups.  Perhaps I should have just left it along.  Dang.

On the up side, I've got a 4 hour training tonight to do some more reflection.

L is for Loss.

This is a picture that a wonderful young lady drew on one of the tables in the AVID room.  Yep, that is a direct reflection on today's day in AVID.