Praxis of Pedagogy Day 24

I'm thinking that I'm going to go with the title Praxis of Pedagogy. So then knowledge, action, and reflection of the art and/or science of teaching. If someone in blogosphere thinks this might be the wrong wording combination please comment.

Anyways... today I started off all my classes reading from "Animal Farm." I really wonder whether or not I will finish this book by the end of school. I also reminded all classes that their funniest piece of writing or funniest anecdote is to be posted on their blog by the end of the day tomorrow. Also, tomorrow will be a day to work on their final project so they better bring in stuff and work on it or I would give them a zero on their contract.

In my Asian american studies class we finally finished the Perpetual Foreigner Syndrome. This took to till the end of class but on Monday I'll have them summarize the writings. This is an excellent writing and having done this and the model minority I feel that I can now move onto specific discrimination against Asian Americans. I'm thinking that I want to work on the Japanese internment camps because then I'll be able to show my movie "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips."

In my US history class we finished up the chapter in Zinn on Imperialism. Then I had them work in groups on the "Template for a war in Iraq." Check this article out on my Read this links. This is a cool reading that ties into what I've been teaching. I've been drawing analogies between the Spanish American war and Iraq and then I went online and found this great article. The author takes a piece of writing about the Spanish American war and changes the names and dates and it matches up very well with what's going on nowadays with 9/11 and Iraq.

In my Multicultural studies class I was supposed to interview my principal but I totally spaced on a conscientous objector presentation. 2 people from the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors came to my class and gave a class long presentation on conscientious objecting. I have to say I was pretty embarrassed by my class. They were rowdy and rude. I'm going to have to yell at them tomorrow. Freshmen. I even had to throw one student out of the room cause he couldn't control himself. That's the thing with teenagers... so many hormones, so much arrogance, so little self control. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything. ;)