The Doc Is In

Happy As A Clam

drpezz — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:28:20 GMT

My students know I am a fan of word and phrase etymologies, so they routinely ask me from where words and phrases stem. One of my favorites is “happy as a clam” because it’s one that mystifies the students. From what I have been told...(read more)

I’ve Got A New Job (Kinda)

drpezz — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:30:04 GMT

Today I officially heard from the administration I’m the new English Department Head. Woo-hoo for me. I got the official word around 2:30 this afternoon, and then I received 7 e-mails and 5 phone calls regarding business items people in my department...(read more)

Writing Matching Test Sections

drpezz — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:29:34 GMT

I don’t really believe a test should be entirely one style (multiple choice, true-false, matching, etc.), except for essay tests, but I do like using matching on occasion. However, I do think three tips help teachers compose a test which forces...(read more)

No Such Thing As Late Work?

The Doc Is In — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:20:03 GMT

I have decided to change my late work policy, partially based on the comments I received when posting my previous article about my late work policy. I had mentioned that my stated policy is that all late work needed to be turned in within a week of the...(read more)

New Grading Policy

The Doc Is In — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:40:57 GMT

While I’m not completely restructuring my grading policy, I am providing an opportunity for students to take risks without fear of harming their grades (the old GPA concern). Since this is a common concern from students and parents, I’ve thought...(read more)

What is an Acceptable Graduation Rate?

The Doc Is In — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:53:04 GMT

Since the 1970s some aspects of students and their lives are relatively unchanged according to a study by the Foundation for Child Development. Reading abilities, graduation rates, and suicide rates have basically remained the same for teenagers since...(read more)

Family Lives and Skills Narrow the Gap

The Doc Is In — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:43:59 GMT

Today’s op-ed piece by David Brooks in the NY Times uses two studies to explain the widening gap between the haves and have nots. The first study is titled “The Race Between Education and Technology” and was written by Claudia Goldin...(read more)

Heavy Kids Have Sagging Grades

The Doc Is In — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:16:36 GMT

According to a cited study in an LA Times article, overweight students average a half point lower grade point average and score almost 10 percentile points below their peers on other tests. Other findings are that overweight students: are five times more...(read more)

Reading in the Contemporary World

The Doc Is In — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:24:42 GMT

Two of my favorite teachers, both journalism instructors, are admittedly not the typical readers. One reads only non-fiction books, newspaper and magazine articles, and online list serves while the other contends he’s “not the typical English...(read more)

I’m A Guest

The Doc Is In — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:42:25 GMT

I composed a post over at Joel’s So You Want To Teach. I updated an old post, so please check it out and let me know what you think. Read More......(read more)

Raising Diploma Standards

The Doc Is In — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:51:26 GMT

Recently, numerous articles (here and here and here) have explained or editorialized about the Washington State Board of Education’s likely approval of a proposal to require students to complete 24 credits to graduate instead of the current 19....(read more)

American Literature

The Doc Is In — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:14:35 GMT

I think I have a tentative plan for my College in the High School course. We are required to go through the writing periods and to follow (roughly) the AP History classes’ progress. This is quite an ambitious list of readings; this past year I would...(read more)

Creating Relevance in the Classroom

The Doc Is In — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:06:51 GMT

One aspect of teaching, which can be quite difficult, is how to make what we teach relevant to students today. Kids seem to think they cannot possibly connect the writings of yesteryear with the hectic, technological, global lives led today; however,...(read more)

Loss of Innocence

The Doc Is In — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:12:29 GMT

My wife and I attended a hockey game in Tacoma featuring the now non-existent Sabre Cats, and a little boy of about 3 or 4 years old cheered the entire game for the Sabre Cats. He had a little jersey on and waved his pennant the whole game. He also had...(read more)

The Rule of 24 and Anchor Papers

The Doc Is In — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:25:24 GMT

When handing back papers, especially among my honors students, I often run into some emotion. I tend to be a tough grader. fair but tough. My students realize this after their first writings are returned to them. For many students it’s the first...(read more)