Thursday, May 3, 2012

Choose Your Own Label. Create Your Own Label. A Post-Testing Epiphany.



Here was a label for me as we started Standardized Testing yesterday.
Broody.
But just inside, because the Angel Potatoes do not need to see me brooding over the fact that they will spend much of the next two weeks bubbling in answers on answer documents that will be scored by machines that will then spit out labels like "Below Basic", "Basic", "Proficient", "Advanced" and then the kids will get these labels in the mail in July or something.
So today after testing was over I got out the post-it notes and made labels.
I was going to give each kid a personalized label, but then, because I am broody, I figured that made me not a whole lot better than a machine. So I made labels and the kids got to choose which one they wanted, if they wanted one at all.
I took pictures.

Some labels were just one word, like this one: artistic.
And then I thought, well, why just have one word? Let's go crazy and have some DECLARATIVE SENTENCES.
I have a great smile.
I know how to be a friend.

 TWO sentences.

I read for fun. Yeah, I am that cool.
I am nice to the elderly, especially my teachers.


Some students think I am old. I honor this.








And I thought, "What do I wish was true for me?" And I came up with this one:
Every day is a great hair day for me.
There are no words for how awesome I am.
Be bold. Be brave.









I color outside of the lines.
Strut your stuff.
I am not ashamed to admit that I can sing along with The Sound of Music.
So one Angel Potato made a label. It was a word I never heard of. And he told me. And it is the best thing ever:
Parkour
PARKOUR, according to Wikipedia," is a physical discipline which focuses on efficient movement around obstacles. Developed in France by David Belle, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing, and jumping. Parkour practitioners are known as "traceurs"
According to my student: "It's like being a ninja."
Efficient movement around obstacles.


Tomorrow everybody can make a label if they want to.
I am in awe of what I learn every. single. day.
Broody? Hell no. I figure I am about the luckiest person on the planet right now.

6 comments:

  1. Interesting labels. They are all quite amusing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Kristen, this makes me weepy. In a good way. (I've got a bad cold, which makes me weepy in a bad way.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's pretty awesome!

    I'd probably choose to -not- have a label, because that's just how I am (like choosing not to walk in DPS).

    Btw, watch the opening sequence of Casino Royale (the new one) for a great demonstration of parkour.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an amazing post from an amazing teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Don't label them...let them choose for themselves. That is INSPIRED!

    ReplyDelete