So who knew there is one type of plunger for a toilet and one type of plunger for a sink?  It's is good to have a good relationship with your custodians and gain access to the storage closet.  Now, I can unclog my classroom sinks with reckless abandon!  Free drains for all the photo classes!!!

I sent my first group of kids home with cameras yesterday.  There were a couple of e-mails from students with questions once I got home.  Another sign they are more attentive than other years?  No one tried to shoot after dark.  They have not yet been taught low light shooting and must not change the shutter speed - only the aperture - to get a good exposure.  And I do not teach flash in PI.  So far, so good.    Today?   Teach them how to put the film on a reel and in a tank for developing.  In total darkness...  Here is where the fun starts.

So I read two more essays in my Studies in Socialist Pedagogy.  It truly is a phenomenal collection of essays.  I know most of the people would balk at the names of some of the authours (Lenin, Mao) but there are plenty of others in there that are unfamiliar to the average person.  In those cases, the name does not cause the skittish reader to enter with a preconceived notion.  Part Two is titled "Who Are We Teachng?" and it is fabulous.  The first essay is about how to differentiate between lecturing and teaching.  The main difference is how a teacher presents the information:  Does he present a stream of facts and knowledge or does he enter into a dialogue with the students, helping them gain information and draw their own conclusions?  There is a partial transcript of a session between teacher and students.  I kept reflecting back on my classes.  I hate the idea of standing behind a podium or such structure.  I move around the room constantly.  I present information as well as ask questions to pull conclusions from the students.  I never use the words "you're wrong".  I will try to pull out how a student came to such an answer and try to reframe or retrace the path to that conclusion and try to help him or her get redirected to find the right answer.  If I can guide the direction and the path taken, the correct methods or answers might be better remembered.  Banking versus problem-posing.

There are also issues of class and education regarding types of colleges attended or available to the student based on class and/or financial situation.  While I don't teach at that level, this stuff is still quite insightful.  The authours address the problematic qualities of the professors, but I think I can learn how to teach a student to best deal with such a professor if I read these pieces closely.  If I learn the recommendations for the professors, I can figure out a way to guide the kids regarding how to deal with such a teacher.  Too many of our kids go to community colleges for whatever reason, but drop out.  Lots have issues with the teachers.  What if they know how to approach the professor in such a way that they can guide the professor to be of benefit to their learning?  More studying for me.....