When I first started teaching, my former AP US History teacher told me to always remember the small successes.
With all the crap and foolishness that is my classroom, on Friday we had a moment. A student threw his trash to the basket and missed.
Of course, this violated 2 classroom rules:
1) No throwing things.
2) Wait until the end of class to throw things away.
He missed and someone asked if he was going to put it in the bin. "That's the janitor's job," he responded.
So even though this conversation had nothing to do with the lesson on City States in Mesopotamia, I asked, "Hmmm. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
And two girls schooled him, about respecting people, no matter what their job. They didn't get so much into the personal responsibility aspects. I had just explained the homework which was to compare the social hierarchy in ancient Sumer to our society today. Ironic.
In the end, he caved. "Okay, okay." He muttered as he picked up the trash he threw, and put it in the waste basket.
