I got this from Julie. I don’t really have an answer. Here it is:
Hi Ben,
I’m looking for some advice, probably from the whole group, (as subscribers we don’t post new topics, right?) so I’m hoping you could put this out there to everyone. [ed. note: if you want something to appear here as a separate blog post and not a comment the software requires that you send the text to me in an email and then I will just make it into a separate blog entry.]
I live near Binghamton, NY. We had our first day of school on 9/7, and then our whole area was flooded – it broke flood records in the district where I teach. Many people lost everything. I know there are students and staff who have lost their homes. We will be starting back to school again tomorrow, Tuesday 9/13. Even though many people still have weeks (months) of clean up ahead of them, it was important to return as many aspects of the students’ lives to normal as possible.
So we’re going to start school again … only, now the beginning activities of Circling with Balls to get to know the kids, and to show them that this class will be about them, seems like it might be difficult to pull off. Those severely affected by the flooding may want nothing to do with this (understandably), or else they may just want to talk about it. I’m even having a difficult time explaining my concerns. I don’t want to rub salt in anyone’s wounds; I don’t want to ignore students’ losses; I don’t want the class to be a “downer;” I don’t want to force them to pretend to be silly; and I don’t think I can just go in and do this on the fly depending on how each group of kids seems.
My response: My gut tells me to go back to traditional teaching for awhile. This is for real. I really don’t know what I would do. Not the Circling with Balls. You can sneak one kid in per day in a month or so, but not now. Then what do you do? One Word Images? I can’t see that. It requires that same element of frivolity that has been sucked out of the kids’ lives temporarily. We require such flights of fancy, and imaginative, bizarre answers from them and they just plain wouldn’t want to do it. I wouldn’t, and not right after 9/11 on top of that. Maybe the Word Chunking will help. They get in teams and the focus is much more on each other, which is easier for them always but maybe more now. Stories? I don’t know.
I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m asking how & what to teach; I’m just at such a loss here. I’m concerned that personalization at this point might not be the way to go. I do agree with that. Or maybe Circling with Balls will be personal, but removed enough from the devastation that it might work? I don’t think so. I’m wondering if it might be better to focus on some thematic stuff (maybe TPR with beginners, basic greetings, the usual/traditional stuff, etc.) just to get past the next week or two? I would SO welcome ANYONE’S thoughts or ideas about this.
My response: I would say yes to the traditional stuff, for a few weeks or so anyway. Speak English, let the kids space out a bit and go into their own thoughts. Some may need to do that in the safe environment of your classroom. On the positive side, I think that this will be over within a month or so. Just feeling that. You lose a month of CI but you don’t have to put yourself or your kids in what looks like an untenable situation tomorrow morning.
Thanks in advance,
Julie