Dealing with Unexpected Questions #1

The student rarely comes back with an answer unfortunately. I guess they never actually want to know the answer (or don't feel like working to get the answer)

Things I Tell My Students - Failure is an option

A lot of students don't like to know that some teachers will actually fail them. It's almost as if they think they are entitled to pass even if they don't do any of the work necessary. Kids these days.

Pyrex vs. Bunsen Burner

Would have been a good demonstration of increasing temperature and volume but alas, the glassware could not handle it (either that or the rubber stopper melted to the glass). Students were nonetheless eager to see science in action.

The Stair Master

Marking would be so much easier if teachers could mark this way. Thankfully (for the students, lol) we don't.

Like puppies, but not as cute

One of my practicum supervisors told me to treat my students like dogs and although I am uncomfortable treating my students like dogs, sometimes it is easier when they are trained like dogs.

Done at 3

In my observations the longer a teacher's been teaching, the quicker the teacher leaves the school.

Cell Phones in My Class

Sometimes I feel bad for the electronic devices my students use. The students just don't seem to realize the potential of what they have.

Collision Course

You can make up so many problems involving conservation of momentum with these things. It's also quite fun trying to re-enact some of them.

Teachable Moment

Chemistry labs are great for learning. Though sometimes the results are unexpected.

And we all fall down

Way better than listening to someone talk about literacy in the classroom or new strategies to make students read. Though how many teachers would sign up to study free fall hands on?

I'm teaching what?!

The teaching assignments that teachers get early on are really bizzare but sometimes you just take what you can get.

Practical Vectors

Practical & fun, but anything gun related seems to be frowned upon in school.

First Compressed Gas, then the World!

One of my grade 9 science students asked me this and she seemed quite worried someone might try it in the future.  Add another one to my plans of world domination.

Call in the big guns

A lot of students were upset I wouldn't be teaching Physics next year because of the layoffs, seniority issues and so on.  So they came up with some ingenius ways of persuading the superintendant to keep me on staff.

Teacher Smash!

The students get even quieter if you throw a chair at one of them.

Down to the minute

New teachers are taught to prepare lessons like this but after the first week (sometimes sooner) these kinds of lessons tend to get thrown out.  Though some supervisors would prefer all teachers teach this way and stick to it.

Addicted

One of my professors mentioned to us that some teachers just need their fix before they do anything.

Daily Physical Activity for Science Class

My school does this already for our junior science class. Sometimes we wish some students would meet up with some of the wildlife when they wander off by themselves after we tell them not to.

No hostile parents (yet)

I suppose that's why those students do well in school and the other students don't. Parental involvement certainly helps academic achievement.

Equipment malfunction or just dangerous?

13 Amps is enough to stop the heart but not the physics lab!