Bryan+Rinehart

 Genre Reflection Three  Thank you for teaching me that I am more patient than I thought I was. Thank you for reminding me of the value of curiosity. Thank you for NOT being totally silent when I asked you to, because your voice has validity, even if it is ill-timed. Thank you for asking me “Mr. Rinehart, how do I get to be a better writer?” Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even the ones that were not funny. Thank you for complimenting me on my ties (they are kinda cool.) Thank you for correcting me on my mistakes when we were diagramming sentences. Thank you for flicking the paper football across the room, it was hilarious, but I could not tell you that at the time. Thank you for being a chatterbox chaos-maker, who is now a fan of Greek mythology.(Still a chatterbox.) Thank you for writing me a poem about your little brother dying. Thank you for helping me to realize that learning is a process that must never end. That we are all here to teach each other, and that everything that I invest in you, you return to me whether you know it or not. And, no, you may not go to the water fountain. “Hey, Kid”

Hey, kid, sitting there staring at me defiantly from the second row. The one with the chip on your shoulder and the torn tennis shoes. I don’t know your name yet, but I already have your number. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I used to sit in that seat and look the same way at teachers. I used to slouch down in my chair and sling my arm over the back of the seat the same way you do. I used to be too cool for school…just like you. I even had the same Doors T-shirt. You turn in your work late, and skate with a “C”, even when you haven’t read the book. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">But like I said, I’ve got your number. I’ve read your essays; your poetry. You put time and effort into them. I know how smart you are, and how badly you don’t want to show it. That would be so uncool. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You read the Twain and Poe that you are told to read in class, but I saw the Herman Hesse that you have in your book bag. Nobody told you to read that. There was no library sticker on it, either…you bought it. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Your defiant looks and dismissive posture don’t mean anything to me, but your writing and your reading does. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">We are stuck with each other for the next five weeks, and I intend to hound you and push you to do what I can see that you are capable of. I am tireless, are you? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You think that you know everything, but there is one thing that I know that you don’t: I am here to help you. I stay up late at night and get up early in the morning thinking about lesson plans and vocabulary tests to give you. I’m here to help you. I’m going to show you that it is cooler to be smart than it is to be cool. I am not your Face Book buddy, I am not your parent, I am not your friend. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’m your teacher.

Genre reflection #2

Sit down and be quiet.


 * ELA8R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a **
 * warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational **
 * texts. **

Open your textbooks.

** ELA8R2 The student understands and acquires new vocabulary and uses it ** ** correctly in reading and writing. **

** Take a vocabulary quiz. **

** ELA8R3 **. **The student reads aloud, accurately (in the range of 95%), familiar** ** material in a variety of genres, in a way that makes meaning clear to listeners. **

** Read your part in the play "The Diary of Anne Frank" do not go beyond your assigned bounds. **


 * ELA8RC1 The student reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books **
 * or book equivalents (approximately 1,000,000 words) per year from a variety **
 * of subject disciplines. The student reads both informational and fictional texts **
 * in a variety of genres and modes of discourse, including technical texts related **
 * to various subject areas. **


 * Do your silent reading. **


 * ELA8W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. **


 * Write a five paragraph essay and focus on structure, not creativity. (Satisfy the standard, stay inside the lines. Don’t forget to learn.) **