Midway Point!

Yesterday I finalized grades for the quarter in my classes (with the class only being a semester long, that is the midterm grade) and was pleased to see that of 50 students only 4% were failing.  This 4% are frequently absent and consistently do no work...  The rest of the class, while they have good days, better days and not so good days continue to consistently achieve.  The trouble with this assessment of course is that I am biased to believe they will achieve, but, my tests are pretty much the same as the past years and the kids are doing well on those...  The biggest sticking point is still written expression, but we continue to work on it. 

Today the hiatus ended and the kids picked up with Season 2 episode 1, In My Time Of Dying paired with Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death."  I was excited and happy to see how many saw the connection and recognized the metaphors and personification and then noticed the same thing in the episode.  The class discussion of Dutch Angles in filming and noticing the lighting choices was particularly touching.

Several students came to admit to me (I think this makes five total) that they had watched the episode on their own, earlier, despite their promise not to, BUT (!) and this was a huge flourish on their part, that was it.  They hadn't seen tomorrow's.  We will be watching three episodes this week.  Then we have a week long Fall Break. 

Oh!  I also heard from a teacher in Alabama about how her class is having extended discussions on Facebook about their journal topics because there just isn't enough time in class....  How cool is that?