Why did I lose it?

I really just got so impatient and irritated today and I wonder why.  I showed a student how to copy pages for an assignment for herself and one other student.  I asked her to make two copies of five pages.  When she hadn't returned after a long time, I sent our volunteer down after her.  The volunteer was told she needed five copies of the whole chapter.  No wonder it was taking a long time.  Then the pages were all out of order.  I guess I got frustrated with wasting time and my failure to make sure my directions were understood. 

And this was after, once again, several didn't seem to understand there was a difference between 8% and 80% and that 5/10 was different than 10/5.  Sometimes I have to remember that many of these students dropped out of school for a reason.  They got pregnant, they were suspended, they got into fights--but for some, school was not a place of success and learning or they might have endured.

So here is a positive about today.  L, who is the lowest scoring student in the class, related a one on one lesson on discounts and percents to a time recently when she bought a microwave.  It was truly as if she suddenly had an insight and the whole idea made sense!  The microwave's price was $60 and the salesperson offered her a 10% discount.  She was asked if she knew what that was--and at the time she didn't.  Now she does and she was quite pleased about it.  So was I!  I told her we would make up a problem about it for everyone.  

Technology and students

Years ago I needed to teach students how to use a mouse, how to double-click, and how to do many other basics skills in using computers.  We are still a long way from universal access to computers and the internet, but for the most part, these lessons are non-issues.

I bought a new iphone on Saturday.  I played with it some over the next two days, learning to text and to use and send photos.  I neglected to learn how to use it as a phone.  During class, I received a phone call from our volunteer.  I was unable to answer it and my inability was very public.  D asked very sweetly, but with a point, "Mary, how long have you had that phone?"  I have been chuckling about her question ever since! Times have changed.

A good excuse

T asked to be excused from class yesterday.  She was taking all her siblings and her daughter to the dentist--all ten of them.  They range in age from three to 18.  She said all but the youngest had no cavities.  She was "pumped" about that and so were all of them.

Miss J did Talk With Your Baby today and asked for examples of conversations with their children.  T was first and broke the ice by telling of her own daughter's asking about her brother's death and how she really doesn't like to talk about it.  Everyone did tell some incident or at least shared a bit, but T got it started.

J said later, "T is a gift."  I told T that later and she got a wicked gleam in her eye and said, "Just wrap me up like a birthday present."  I got a vision of the old Saran Wrap fantasy in what was that old book about being a perfect wife--Marabel Morgan?  Can't remember.  It made me laugh.  But I did not share my thoughts!  (later correction:  Marabel Morgan--The Total Woman!)

T has so many abilities and gifts.  How can I get her to pass the GED when she suddenly couldn't answer a question this morning about which fraction was larger than 1?  3/4?  3/2?  12/15?  We have attacked that idea with pictures, rulers, computation, but it doesn't stick.   Her sister, who is also in the class, has had to learn how to write 1/2 and could not split a rectangle into three equal parts.  Two parts? OK, but not three.

I think T has a shot at a GED.  Her younger sister does not.  But do I tell her that?  Not yet.  She can learn and maybe more importantly, her four year old needs to be with us so he can learn.  He has made good strides in language and socialization just in a month.