Chalk notes (Assignment 11/19)

Opening segment -History Teacher Mr. Lowrey shotguns question to student.  First rule is to show up, second rule is to be prepared.  He is boring, no energy, hesitant.  Came from a computer engineering background, first year teaching.  History teacher needs training/mentoring in dealing with students and looking competent.  Drinks is given wine at students house and drinks it with the students mother.  Gets drunk.  Enters slang (wasp?) spelling bee, gets tutoring from students. wins. (I personally think that is ridiculous to give slang any affirmation by the administration)

Principal is talking to Assistant Principal.  Focused on himself, asks question to AP gets answer the goes back to talking about self. My recollection is pretty much the same thing in all 2 or 3 of his scenes.

Coach Webb the PE teacher is pushy, offends an overweight teacher by suggesting that she go for morning walks with the group that PE teacher is trying to form. Has lesson on trust for the students.  Having students fall back into the arms of other students without first checking to see if any students might not be able to do this, one student get hurt but teacher is oblivious.  For abdominal training she has students on their backs and raising their pelvis to which one kids remarked that it was making him feel uneasy.  To try and get kids moving she has them do some dancing moves.  Later in the year, she offends her friend the Assistant Principal by trying to tell her that she has become part of the problem not the solution, and giving her grief in general.

Assistant Principal Mrs. Reddell a former music teacher is eager at the beginning of the year but as the year progresses she is becoming overwhelmed by the amount of time she is spending at work.  Sacrificing her family Finally towards the end of the year she figures out that family and pretty much everything else is more important than her position as AP.  My impression is that the principal has dumped his workload onto her, or she was just taking it over do to her inexperience as an AP.  AP talks as if she just wants to be a teacher not an AP.

Mr. Stroop a history teacher gets evaluation, supposed to be working on sarcasm, cleanliness, lesson plans.  Asks for advise then tells person that the advise given is crap. Gets teachers together in library then acting all nice baits them with questions about different improprieties, then comes down on them and tells them to stop doing the bad things.  Mr. Stroop get student to give him phone number of parent then fakes calling parent in front of kids then tells him he needs to work on his grades or next time he will call. Mr. Stroop is up for teacher of the year award.  Stroop uses a student to try to get information from and set up other candidate that is up for teacher of the year award. Stroop does not win, lets it affect his teaching, bringing it into his classroom.  Student mentions at least it was not last place and Stroop freaks out and flips desk over yelling there were only 2 teachers so it is last place.  Admits loving it in front of class. (it?)











What is it that I would change in the "curriculum"? Refer to one scene.......

More facilitating, students taking charge of their own learning and participating, making their participation part of the learning process.