A Purposeful Gait

I am subbing for an English class over the course of the next few weeks. I have a few sessions under my belt, which is just as many as the students have. After reading the results of the first few essays I felt perhaps I was doing the students and school a disservice by taking on the teaching assignment. However, I was (and am) determined to rise to the occasion.

There was something different about my gait as I walked down the hall to English Composition class on Thursday. Ironically, the new Katy Perry song was echoing between my ears. I was ready to pounce. Eagerly, I set up the room with laser focus visuals and quality speakers. When the students arrived and class commenced, our audio and visual senses were engaged. As a result of our persuasive writing essay lesson, students successfully:

1. Created introductory paragraphs modeling video supplement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3COR_IKG2c

2. Created five good paragraphs modeling video supplement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zYfztmFD5g

Introductory paragraph example (2nd draft):

“Are colleges providing students with the robust skill set employers desire?  Are high schools preparing young adults for the rigor and self-motivation required to excel in the college environment?  Perhaps, not as it appears there are gaps in the education process.  We live in a fast paced environment where technological, medical and social advancements are made at lightning fast speed.  Today, everyone expects more.  Based on our culture, it is reasonable to assume that employers expect more as well.   Students require real-world application and connections to meet and exceed the job demands of the 21st century.  In addition to memorization, critical thinking, decision making and analytical skills must be developed as there can be negative consequences when these skills are not obtained.“

Taking on new challenges can be a bit of a roar. However, when you execute with the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ the students and teacher create an environment conducive to maximizing the learning objectives — an environment where a tiger feels very proud of its pride.