Week 3-Tuesday

I reported to the middle school at 9 am this morning. The first thing I had to do when I got there was go and pick up the computers for the students to use for their research in class today. Then, I made sure I had printed out enough rubrics for the project (I made this rubric last week) and I also made sure that each student had a topic. When they arrived for class, I explained in much more detail the project that they were being assigned. After waiting what seemed like years for the computers to log in, they began googling and researching. I went around to each student individually to ask them their topic, and to see if they had found out anything surprising yet. Some of them had, and some of them seemed uninterested. If they were struggling to find out what it was, I gave them an example of my encounter with it (each topic is a person, place, or food that I came in contact with or read about at some point during my time in France). I tried to pick topics that I had some knowledge about already so that it would be easier to help them research and understand their presentations. When they found out that they would be presenting on Friday (because it is my last day), they looked a little nervous. But I don't think I made the project too complicated, and I think that they will get it finished without any problems. Some of them seemed really excited about their topics, and really wanted to know more. Others even offered to make their food dish and bring it in for the class to try! I really loved seeing that kind of enthusiasm. Tomorrow we will continue with the research, and then the students will get into their groups and come up with their ideas for their group presentation. This will be the equivalent of a quiz grade for them, so I hope they take the time to do a really good job.
Humorous (yet embarrassing) side note: I think that when I walk through the hallways I am sometimes regarded as a student-and it takes teachers a couple minutes to realize that I am not. I don't think it's because I look young (although I am short), but that some of these kids look so much older than middle school. Many of them don't even look like kids. Even so, I try to carry myself as an adult so that hopefully the other adults will be able to tell. There's an interesting fact about evolving generations.