Almost Home

We have fourteen more days with our passengers before they can disembark and regain their land legs.

It has not been smooth sailing especially after the passengers completed the obligatory assessment a.k.a. TAKS. The entire ship hears the following each day:

“…Quality instruction is continue to until the last day. Passengers, it is important that you show up daily because everyday is a learning day.”

What’s on our agenda? We are wrapping up our studies on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act~1965, LBJ and the Great Society, G.I. Forum, C.O.R.E., Barbara Jordan, Sweatt v. Painter and other individuals or events in Texas history that contributed to the civil rights movement. Students were unaware that Hispanics were discriminated against as well as African-Americans. They were outraged by the poll tax and that’s where I teach about the 24th Amendment. Writing in poetic form was the assessment.

Haiku~these two verses go together.

Civil rights are great
If your skin tone is correct,
Only white is right.

Later on they thought
Of the civil rights movement,
And made a fair change.



Acrostic:

Sit-ins
Involved
Taking action
In places and doing
Nonviolent resistance to
Stop segregation and discrimination.

I find that this is a better way to see if they ‘got it’ since they have to put it in their own words.

(note: the above are actual student samples!)
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We have had major disruptions of the instructional day since 23 April and will continue to do so until the end. What are these interruptions you may ask? Let’s see, hmmm.

Faculty/Student Basketball game
Field trip to the local community college ~ part 1
(dubious) Talent show
Field trip to the University of Texas @ Austin
Field trip to the local community college ~ part 2
Field trip to Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Faculty/Student Volleyball game

In other words, I am only going to reach 60% of the travelers in my care. They are supposed to be learning about Texas government starting this week. I teach this in tandem with the national government so that they are ready for next year’s TAKS examination.

Pray tell, how am I to implement these lessons? Flexibility and patience are being stretched to their limits. How do other teachers cope with the end of the year?

Passengers should be receiving their TAKS results any day now ~ will post as soon as I hear the news!