Boys...

What is up with boys? I'm so sick of them! Of course, I'm not talking about the male gender, I'm talking about boys. The immature, unthinking, cruel (although sometimes unknowingly). I just don't understand them! Nor do I understand how I act around them.

As women, we know some boys aren't good for us, yet we still insist on chasing them. "I'll call you" he says, and when he doesn't, we rationalize with Maybe I did something wrong, or Oh, he said he'd be busy. Fact is, if the boy were a man, he'd be calling you exactly when he said he would. I know, I know, I sound exactly like the book He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillio. Well, they've got a point. many women have read it, and most people (male and female) agree that it makes a lot of sense, yet neither party has changed their behavior. Boys still act like jerks and girls still act like idiots. Even if the sex is bad, even if he made you pay for your own dinner, even if he was 45 mins late: you still slept with him, you still paid and you still waited. And by you, I mean me. Really, how dumb can we be?

This possibly stems from the insecurities we all have. Maybe we think that these boys are the only ones who will ever be interested in us, so we put up with all the crap they throw at us. That's not to say girls don't throw their own crap around too, but I'm a heterosexual female, and girl crap doesn't bother me too much.

When I day dream (about romantic stuff, not dirty stuff) it always involves a man chasing me, and not just for sex. I'm tired of just being either being treated like a piece of meat (yes, that happens to me, even I'm fat :P) or being ignored.

Men, on the other hand, would be a welcomed distraction from school, from family, from, well, boys. Men who are emotionally available, but not weepy. Men who call when they say they will, and even when they don't say so. Men who bring you flowers just because... Are my standards just too high?

Alright, alright, I'll stop whining.

Stupid Stage

For those of you who don't know what "stage" is, it's French for Field Experience. And by Field Experience I mean slave labour. Yes, we need experience in classrooms. Yes, we're only students and therefore not completely competent yet. However, if I'm planning, teaching, correcting and the teacher isn't even in the school, why shouldn't I be paid for what I do? It's not like McGill is *not* charging us the same tuition as last semester, you know, when we were able to work... It's just so frustrating!

I do love the experience, even if it's completely unrealistic (or at least highly improbably). Three IB classes and one enriched, all in secondary 5. I'd need a hell of a lot of seniority, luck and, well, luck!

I think I belong in high school though. I deal with "grown up" kids a lot better than the little hugging ones. At least these older students understand the concept of personal space! Yet, I still get sick from one of them. Better than the Pinkeye I got on my first stage.

Whatever. Just three weeks left. Then, I get to work again, woo! And then I get to complain about working. Yep, I am a needy bitch ;)

Video Games – Killing Spree or Food for Thought?

Lately, video games are everywhere. When I was 10 or 11, I was not allowed to have a hand held video game (the original Gameboy at the time) because my parents thought I might lose it. Now, at the elementary school where I work, there is an explicit rule in the agenda that hand held video game consoles are forbidden from school grounds. The school’s explanation, given by the principle, is that it these devices promote taxing, bullying and theft. The feeling amongst older teachers is that video games are also the demise of the younger generations and they do not want to have such a destructive force in their classes.

I feel that this is a generalized and outdated sentiment in terms of modern video games. Although many of them promote senseless violence, there are some that work on fitness, mental stimulation and hand-eye/foot-eye coordination. Some games, like Brain Age, have its players practice mental math, memory games, etc. Others like Dance Dance Revolution have the players step on a certain square in time with the beat shown on screen. Believe me; this is harder than it looks!!

Nintendo’s WiiFit is an excellent example of a video game made to promote fitness. Although some flaws still exist (a judgemental virtual trainer that calls you obese), WiiFit is a revolutionary game that lets the typical gamer exercise while still playing.

It is true that not all video games are beneficial; however they are not all detrimental as well. If money allows it, it may be a fun concept to reward the class with a “game day” where students can play games like Mario Party or Rayman Ravid Rabbids (both which ask its players to do specific tasks or movements in order to win).

TV - If the kids are watching it anyways...

I love television. I love the TV shows, I love the time I spend relaxed in front of it, I love that pleasure is a click or a remote away. Although video games are slowly replacing regular TV, I think that trying to incorporate it into the classroom might be a good thing. When I was younger, I used to watch a lot of TV. It wasn’t only cartoons and The Simpsons but educational shows. I know what you’re thinking, what is an educational show and are they really any good for kids?

Yes. Yes they are. I learned quite a bit from certain TV shows that I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to in the classroom. Shows like Bill Nye the Science Guy, or The Magic School Bus piqued my interest in science, Sesame Street and Mr Dressup taught me how to use my imagination, Fred Penner was my first foray into Canadian music. Now, these are all shows geared towards children and, with the exception of Bill Nye, the age range in quite young. This doesn’t mean, however, that there are no shows for older children who are interested in something other than sex and violence. Take Mythbusters for example: this is an excellent jumping off point for a high school science teacher.
I hope that more shows come out that both interest kids and teach them something, but that it not always the case. Maybe I should try to find something to teach in popular TV shows?

Facebook - Friend or Foe to the Teaching Community?

Most teachers in university warn students who bring their laptop to class to stay off Facebook during the lecture. In every school within the EMSB (English Montreal School Board), Facebook is one of many blocked sites. As a future teacher, I would love to be able to incorporate Facebook (or whatever they will have when I graduate) in my classroom. It is true that Facebook has a bad reputation within the teaching community, with cyber bullying and the harassment of teachers, I think that with proper instruction, students will be able to use Facebook to their advantage. I would like to teach my class to make Facebook groups with the intention of sharing their ideas for a particular topic. The students could also communicate through the chat feature with me, their teacher, if they have any questions. Through the Facebook Event application, the students can easily organize study groups. They can even share their class notes or interpretations of the topic in the Notes application.

By showing them that Facebook can be used for class purposes, I would also be showing them what could go wrong, which would include how to deal with cyber bullying. Sadly, this last subject is growing more and more and is quickly becoming the bullying method of choice in elementary and high schools. By raising awareness and showing different uses for Facebook and other social networking sites, I would hope to diminish cyber bullying events within my classroom.