Friday, December 19, 2014

Olaf The Snowman

A student gave me a Christmas present ... it's his semester final art project. 




... but I think he's missing arms and feet ... ?


I know what you're thinking ... it's the thought that counts!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Woodblock Door Jam

I rehearse the Men of Faith choir at lunch on Wednesdays and quick access to a men's room in the music complex is surely helpful!  How appropriate that they would use a woodblock, of all things, as a door jam!  Genius, I say!

Note the cool ... eighth note on the tiled floor!
Will do!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Five Hundred Retweets

Finals are coming up and some students in one of my classes are tried to bargain with me.  If they got 500 retweets of the following screen shot, then I was to forego giving out my final synthesis project for the semester.  

First of all, I had no idea what was in it for me, and I made mention of this to the students. (In hindsight, it's kind of funny that they didn't mention to me that I'd have nothing to mark at the end of the semester!)  So, they decided to sweeten the deal by adding two Canucks vs Sharks tickets to the pot.  The deal became 500 retweets or a pair of tickets to a hockey game.  They quickly broke down the math and figured they could all chip in a few bucks to get me a pair of tickets. 

Secondly, they also had to figure that the time they would spend trying to get retweets versus working on the project was risky given that they had other exams to study for and other projects to work on.  It seemed like a risk they were willing to take.


Of course to be sure, I was not going to let the students off by getting away with no final synthesis project for the semester as that would amount to a educational malpractice on my part, but I let them entertain the possibility.  It's cruel, I know.  And, I could very well pay for my own tickets to any game, but it was fun to keep the carrot going. 

And, I was curious to see if they could actually get 500 retweets.  It was an interesting experiment to validate our human desire to take the path of least resistance when available.  It was also interesting to see if they could rally their friends around a particular social media initiative, even if it's something as lame as getting away with no final synthesis project. 

So, did they get 500 retweets?


Looks like they did it.  Anyway, we had a good chat as a class, and I acknowledged the power of social media, or rather, their power with social media.  Somehow, I managed to convince them that doing the final synthesis project was essential to their learning.  

How did the projects turn out?  Well, here is an example of one such final synthesis project's essential question: "What drives the unconquerable soul?"  

... Can you believe it?  A sophomore Religious Studies class trying to answer a question that has confounded philosophers and theologians for ages.  And, here they were trying to take a crack at it.  

I'm proud of all of them.  I'm glad they got the 500 retweets, but the true reward was the quality of the presentations.  And, I promised the instigating student who drove the retweet campaign that we're going to put that social media prowess to good use the following semester. 


Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Cardboard Box Boat

Our physics teachers give some pretty interesting assignments to their students.  One such assignment takes advantage of our school's pool.  The students task: build a cardboard box boat that will hold two students.  And, that boat needs to complete a series of laps and needs to float longer than any other boat to win the competition.  The students can use as much cardboard as they want, but they only get a single roll of duct tape. 

It's a brilliant assignment that's fun, engaging, and has real-life application in case ... you know ... you need to build a cardboard box boat when you're stranded on a deserted island!


So far, so good!

Holding onto the frame of the boat before it disintegrates.  Bonus points for neat design, though!

Trying to bail out water!  Needless to say, this boat didn't make it for very much longer.

Friday, November 14, 2014

VCanucks and JChrist

Students will do anything to get ahead in class.  One such student decided to get into the "good graces" column by taking some time to show me the compatibility of our subject of study in class, and my favourite sports team.  He created a poster and shared it with me.



He also claims that it is now his favourite sports team as well.  Well played, young student Spartan, well played.  Now, if only the Canucks can win a Stanley Cup in our lifetime!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Whiteboard Art: Can I Get A Ride?

Getting a driver's license is a pretty big deal in high school.  For some, it's a symbol of freedom.  For others, it's having friends bug you for rides.  One of my sophomore students recently got his permit, and some of his classmates were so overjoyed, they took the whiteboard markers to express their delight.



Wednesday, November 5, 2014

BYO Cracked Device

Our school currently operates on a Bring Your Own Device scheme.  I do have a love-hate relationship with technology, in that I love the educational possibilities that exist, but I hate the unintended consequences it inadvertently promotes, including easily getting distracted.  Anyway, being that my students are digital natives, it's important that I meet them where they are.  So, my classrooms are 98% paperless.  All assignments are handed in electronically.  But, truth be told, some of our students need a refresher in care and handling of their devices!



... How can anyone do any work on this?  Sheesh!  It kind of reminds me of this commercial ...



Tuesday, November 4, 2014

No Candy ... For A Week!

Our Student Life-Campus Ministry office is one of the places-to-be on campus.  Perhaps it has something to do with offering free Jolly Ranchers!  Lately, however, the Jolly Rancher fairy has had enough ... and so, a moratorium on free Jolly Rangers because of this ...


... so, no candy for a week.  Have some peanuts, instead! 

Monday, November 3, 2014

Prefecting: No Cleats and No Flip Flops?

Every teacher has prefecting duties.  More than just monitoring spaces and places on campus where students congregate, Lasallian teachers believe that prefecting gives us additional opportunities to interact with and build positive relationships with students.  

It's November, and it is my turn to prefect the ... parking lot.  Now, back when I was going to school, the parking lot was the space where a lot of foolish things could possibly happen.  These days, the parking lot is empty at break.  Just me and the cars.  

Walking to the end of our parking lot, I happened to notice this sign by the entrance to the track and field ...



... I think the flip flop on top means (1) flip flops aren't allowed on the track either; (2) flip flop jogging is relegated to the outside lanes only or; (3) let the flip flops remind you that "No Cleats Allowed On Track."  Runners and joggers beware!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Whiteboard Art: Rock On!

We have ten minute passing periods as we have to accommodate transitions between two school campuses.  Sometimes, students make it into class early and in the anticipation to start, use the whiteboard as an expressive canvas.  As long as nothing lewd makes it onto the board, I'm generally okay with it.  

As we are in the midst of final exams and project presentations, this particularly perplexing whiteboard "art" appeared!  I'm not sure if it is supposed to represent me as a musician playing a 4 string instrument ... or, if the Sharks tag is another giveaway.  The hair certainly isn't mind, but perhaps the flustered face is another indication of student stress!

Anyway, whatever or whoever this person was gave us a good laugh before we got things going.  



Friday, October 24, 2014

Project Managing with Posters for Homecoming Week

This past week was homecoming week, and the student council was in charge of the activities and the festivities.  They use a big white board in the student life office to organize their work.  Impressive as the planning as, I couldn't help but smirk at the detailed directions.  

To wit:


(1) When creating the 2 posters detailing the timing of all the activities for the homecoming rally, make sure to check the poster example ... the left column has the event and the right column has how long it takes.  Oh yes, make sure that the poster reads "portrait" rather than "landscape" ... this is indicated by the long (height) and regular width (wide).  Remember, what's written in the brackets: you do not need to include anything else!

(2) For the next poster, pay attention again to the length and regular width indications to ensure that the poster is correctly made.  Again, remember what's written in the brackets to let you know what the poster is for: this is for homecoming dance set-up.  Very important!

(3) Be sure that the homecoming dance banner includes the dance name (Casino Royale, in case anyone forgot!) and be sure that it has cool designs, and good artwork.  Not great artwork, just good, decent, hard-working artwork.  As long as it has cool designs, it'll be good to go.  Oh yes, and look for the * (asterisk) on the example poster to tell you where to place said cool designs/(good) artwork.  By the way, make sure that the poster is really long!  How long?  We don't really know ... just make sure it's really long.

(4) Finally, it better be good because this poster will be seen by everyone and will be at the entrance of the dance!

Cool hipster lo-fi green numbers brought to you by Paintbrush, the Mac OS X equivalent of the old classic MS Paint!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Case of the Missing Bubble Wrap

On Thursday, October 16, 2014 at exactly 2.10 PM, a plea over email to all hands went out.  It read: 




A nice image of an empty cardboard box accompanied the pleasantly worded email.






Exactly 25 minutes later, the very same day, a follow-up email with a huge clue was sent in response.  The subject line said: "We need to look for a Chevy S10 pickup" ... the email read:


Sadly, no image of a Chevy S10 pickup accompanied this email clue.  But, let me include a sketch here just in case you don't know what it looks like. 


... wait, maybe that's not it.  Let's try this one.


... and, here's what bubble wrap looks like up-close in case you've never seen bubble wrap before.

 
... and, here's what bubble wrap looks like on a roll ... you know, in case you're wondering.


... and, here's a random comic of people dancing on bubble wrap.


... maybe, this is what some faculty and staff decided to do ... have a little fun on a Thursday afternoon and perhaps they disposed of the evidence!  After all, doesn't doing this bring us all back to our carefree childhood days?


Anyhow, I digress with this report.  At least 12 hours went by, and still no sign of the missing bubble wrap.  Another all-hands email went out with the following message:


... and, once again, accompanying that message was another pleasant image ... this time of Jimmy Kimmel in bubble wrap appearing on the Ellen show.



A whole weekend went by, and not a single sighting.  So, the original email sender sent another call out, this time with a more detailed description of the kidnapping victim.





I think by adding the description, the height, and the fact that this particular bubble wrap from Staples is made from 30% recycled content (15% Post-Consumer Content and 15% Pre-consumer [PIRC] Plastic Recycle Content) ... I bet this will turn the corner in the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile ... life went on at school.  Nevertheless, the case of the missing bubble wrap clearly affected even those sending out announcements about upcoming field trips. 



Slowly ... teachers lost interest.  Their minds, like the 24 hour news cycle, clearly gravitated to other things like prepping for classes, grading papers, attending life-sustaining meetings, and ... wait for it ... wait for it ... wait for it ...

Teaching!

UPDATE:  On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 9.47 AM exactly 6 days and some 19 hours later, yet another email went out declaring that the case of the missing bubble wrap mystery was solved by our amazing head librarian!


And, a photo of the missing box and bubble wrap a little roughed up ...



Thank goodness, we did not have to go out to buy a whole new roll of bubble wrap to replace the missing one.  

Still ... questions remain.  Who would have dared to hide the missing bubble wrap in the first place?  Why was it never returned to its proper place?  Is all the bubble wrap accounted for?  Is the bubble wrap actually "long-lasting" and more importantly is it really "reliable cushioning"?  

Perhaps the case of the missing bubble wrap is not fully solved ...

Monday, October 20, 2014

Sympathy or Extension for Sophomore Excuses?

I imagine that, as a parent, it is hard to stay angry at your children after they have done something wrong.  I was lucky to grow up in a household with a mom, dad, and sister, a grandmother, and a couple of uncles.  But, boy ... whenever I did something foolish, all of the adults in the house would be on the same page and united in ensuring that whatever discipline I was receiving was consistent.  In other words, I could not go to my mom if my dad was upset with me, nor could I seek refuge with my grandmother.  My uncles would have an "I told you so" look on their faces.  My sister would generally be in my corner, unless, of course, I somehow crossed her in the process as well!  The key was for me to seek forgiveness and to atone for my wrongdoings, whatever they happened to be.  Then, I would cry and all would be forgiven. 

Anyway, I assigned a group project twelve calendar days ago that was a culminating summative assessment.  I clearly laid out my expectations for the project, and pre-selected the group members to ensure that there was a good balance of personalities and talents.  I had them create a working document that they would keep up to date with all of their progress and work.  I gave them their rubric and a clear deadline.  They were given some class time, but they had to do some work off-hours to ensure that the project was completed.  The project was due today, a Monday. 

I was away for a few days the week before for an immersion experience.  But, everything was set and the students were on their way to success ... or, so I thought.  Why wasn't I surprised when I received a barrage of emails from some members of the class asking for extensions on the group project?  All sorts of excuses peppered the various emails.  

I had to crack a smile, however, when I came across this message ...


First, note the time stamp.  Pretty late on a Sunday evening, eh?  Second, how about acknowledging the lateness of the ask.  Okay, a few points for acknowledgement and owning up.  But, the kicker is in the last two sentences!  This is a typical diversionary tactic to stem away the sting of asking for forgiveness by asking about the immersion experience and then wanting to hear all about it!  It also seems to fast-track the assumption of my granting absolution for the infraction with the quick "thank you, see you tomorrow!"

I was not amused.  


Neither was Captain Picard.

In class today, we talked about accountability, responsibility, organization, and communication.  In truth, I want my students to own up and to communicate earlier in the process if they should encounter any difficulties.  I'm much more tolerant and lenient if they plan appropriately and if they attempt to anticipate their scheduling issues.  At this age, we all know that the adolescent male does not yet have a fully developed frontal lobe.  

So, for this reason, and because I occasionally get emails that give me reason to smile ... even if they are late on a Sunday evening, I can't stay mad for long.  





Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Grading ... Assessment ... Evaluation ... Oh My!

So, after conversation started to heat up in our joint De La Salle and Carondelet Grading and Assessment Committee meeting during our recent Professional Development Day, I showed our group this clip from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's sitcom Mr D to lighten things up a little.  Here's a little gift from my home country of Canada.*




*Remember, folks, that this is meant to be funny!  And, to be clear, we Canadians don't actually mark this way.  Yes, marking to Canadians is grading to United Statesians.

Mr D deserves a "D" because his system amounts to educational malpractice!  In fact, it might actually be downright DGrading to any student who is bent on collecting points and gold stars!

Nevertheless, a little levity at the right moment in meetings might help to ease any tensions, especially when it comes to discussing policies around the ever-contentious issues of grading ... assessment ... and, evaluation!

 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Coffee with Fr LaSalle Hallissey

Father LaSalle Hallissey, OP is our school chaplain.  In addition to being an OP, or, a Dominican friar, he is also a self-proclaimed OS.  No ... he is not an operating system, but rather, a member of the first graduating class of De La Salle High School - Concord.  This makes him an Original Spartan!  Shortly after graduation, he studied to become a De La Salle Christian Brother before following God's call to ordained ministry as a priest.  That's when he took the professed name of LaSalle in order to honor the patron saint of all teachers of youth.  When he is not ministering to the sacramental needs of our school community, he is out and about making students laugh, sharing stories of way back when to whomever will listen, or indulging in his favorite activity of running marathons.  We are indeed lucky to have him as part of our Campus Ministry team.

Though Father LaSalle has many gifts, he is sometimes not attentive to the occasional food or drink spilling on his white Dominican habit.  On one such occasion, he really goofed and spilled a whole bunch of coffee.  Ever the good sport, he consented to being photographed for this blog for posterity.

Better get that habit in the laundry before your abbot gets mad, Fr LaSalle!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Natural Organic Healthy

Vending machines are common place on any school campus.  At De La Salle, several line the corridor in the Hofmann Student Center.  Several of these machines have a curious slogan written up top.  Hmmm ...


But, upon closer inspection, something seems a little awry.


Now ... I love Welch's Fruit Snacks as much as the next person.  And, perhaps those snacks can belong on the periphery of Natural Organic Healthy. 

But, M & Ms?  Or, Snickers?  At a $1.50 a pop?  Somehow, I don't think these qualify for Natural Organic Healthy! 

Maybe this is a part of a much larger educational initiative to teach students about healthy choices. 

Wait ... who are we kidding?  These are hungry young men looking for a quick carb fix!  Just don't call this stuff natural, organic, or healthy!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Five Bucks Per Tissue

The warm weather continues outside, but inside the cold virus is beginning to make its rounds.  Sneezing, coughing, and runny noses are common afflictions amongst students (and some faculty) as closer contact through exchanges of high-fives and fist-bumps along with unwashed hands makes for a wonderful breeding ground of this seasonal annoyance.  Tissue boxes seem to be at a premium these days as classrooms are constantly running out of the necessary disposable hygienic paper handkerchiefs. 


One student decided to charge $5 per tissue after he was tasked repeatedly with having to go to the main office to replenish our class supply!


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Oh Say Can You See ... Oh Canada?

I am one of three De La Salle High School faculty members (that I know of) with connections to Canada.  Two of us are native-born Canadians and the other has family who originally came from Quebec.  In fact, this latter person's first cousin was the parish priest of the parochial French Immersion school called Ecole Saint Sacrement that I attended as a youngster.  What a small world!  

I display my Canadian pride quite loudly in the Campus Ministry-Student Life Office!
Elsewhere in the Campus Ministry-Student Life Office there is a calendar helping to keep our events organized.  However ... "oh say can you see" something fishy about this particular calendar?

What's with September 25? 


Captain Picard and Commander Riker would not be happy about this ...


... I would hazard a guess that even they would know that Canada Day is on July 1st!

Friday, September 5, 2014

The Donut Aficionados of De La Salle

Club fair is just around the corner and a proposal came through for an interesting club: The Donut Aficionados of De (La) Salle, or, DADS.  Their aim is to purchase donuts from local bakers and to ... evaluate them.

Here's the evaluation form they came up with ...


... I wonder how they will assess "Effect on Stomach" on this perfect honey glazed donut!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Bananart: Creation of Adam


This work of art was produced by a student-artist who has made a hobby of etching famous works onto ... banana.  What makes this work even more amazing is that he used not a pen, but rather the edge of a ruler.  So, as he's etching he doesn't actually see the result until the image appears through the banana peel's natural bruising!

... and the original, for comparison.


... and for the record, the banana was consumed.  And, the peel?  Not spared.  But don't worry, the student said he'd easily come up with another appealing work of banana art.