FieldBlogPost: Hathaway Brown Pt. 3- The Wicked Walk to the West

My walk to Hathaway Brown this morning was met with a rainstorm that would have made even Dorothy and Toto nervous. The sidewalk was spotted with puddles certain to soak my socks, and the wind continuously blew rain into my face. Unfortunately Dorothy and Toto most likely would have been more nervous upon arriving at the school, as I learned today that one HB alumna is known for being particularly wicked. Thats right, Margaret Hamilton, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West, was a previous student of Hathaway Brown. She is one among many of the HB alumni who has gone forward in life to achieve incredible things. I was able to observe the education of the future successful HB alumni today in a US Government, and ninth grade English class.

I once again fond a seat around the table in Mr. Hoffman's room; this time for US Government. For the first part of class he explained to his students the topics for a future essay on the information presented in the chapter. This included connections to modern day government, and topics through which students were able to freely respond, such as the call for a twenty-eighth Amendment. The class then moved into a review of important vocabulary and people for the upcoming test. This particular practice was not something new to me, but was executed in a different manner. Rather than Mr. Hoffman telling the students which words or people would be on the test, the students asked Mr. Hoffman whether or not specific terms would be included. The students directed the majority of the review session. Another observation I made during this time was that Mr. Hoffman has created a place where students feel more than comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions on what they are learning. These interjections are never misplaced, and always allow for class discussion. The remainder of the class consisted of the viewing of two pertinent School House Rock videos, and the discussion of more current events.

At the sound of the bell I was escorted downstairs to Mr. Ciuni's freshmen English class. I joined the class in the midst of the reading and analysis of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. After beginning with a few general "housekeeping" notes, Mr. Ciuni asked the class to break into groups and create tableaus (similar to a freeze frame) of scenes from the play. After every group was finished, they would present in front of the class. The rest of the students would have to guess who was playing who in the scene, and what was happening. With some minor glitches, the class guessed each scene correct. Mr. Ciuni had them do it a second time with a different scene, and made sure they emphasized that being "over the top" is the best way to ensure the audience would know what is happening. The girls did so, and each scene was able to be guessed almost immediately. This activity, and its two rounds, related to the focus the class had while reading Twelfth Night; staging and directing. The class discussed how to evoke a response from the audience with the way things are portrayed on stage. What was amazing to me was how enthusiastic each student was about doing something hands on in class. Mr. Ciuni also was very enthusiastic about the activity. I certainly want to emulate his level of enthusiasm in my teaching.

While I may not have observed any future Wicked Witches in my classes today, I am positive I have met the girls that will help to shape our future world. Backing each of these girls is a committed, passionate group of teachers that are determined to bring out the best in each student.