Meetings and Acrylic cutting.

Wednesdays are horrible days with short periods and when it lands on the same day as 4 grade 8 classes I just have to accept my room will look like a bomb site... MORE so when they are manufacturing clocks. It was chaotic. and the mess unbelievable but what was even scarier is that the clock mechanism we bought 200 and the acrylic come to a total of £750 !!!!! thats a ridiculous amount to pay for materials and had I been aware at the start I sure as hell wouldn't have gone for this project with the amount of wastage its a serious drain on any budget.

Apart from that the day went fairly well with the kids spending break and lunch time in class... One girl came up to me and said "this is a first Sir", no one ever wants to go to any OTHER classes during break or lunch.

Its good to feel we are doing somethings right but there is also so much I would change this year from the experience. For one thing because its technology as opposed to craft and design I would look for resources that are reusable like the robotic kits, 3d CAD design etc... Its amazing how much of a financial drain setting up a department can be and I am pretty sure the school haven't considered the costs in as much depth as they or I perhaps could have. but its a good learning experience.

Now as for the on going Graffiti problem. Grade 6 having been warned and warned not to add graffiti to the desks obviously they don't listen. I have tried being loud, and for those who know me, they will know I can be very loud when I want to be. I have tried being Mr Nice and fun.. neither seems to work and whats really annoying is that this is a level of vandalism I would not expect in my classes in UK, and yet here I am teaching little rich kids, and it happens time and time again, there is no respect for the property of others.

Grade 6 are halfway through their Tangram Project we should in truth be starting to go into the workshop to manufacture. But after the recent new graffiti that has appeared from one of 2 grade 6 classes (I teach 5 grade 6 classes and I know the graffiti on this occasion is down to 2 of them, but unfortunately don't know which two). Therefore I have decided to cancel all work being done presently for all grade 6 classes and we will treat the class like any other class where they sit down and write out pages of information about in this case the properties of wood, next week will be about bridges, the following about plastics, They will learn about technology but it wont be fun. I feel slightly defeated to be honest I want the kids to enjoy technology but at the same time unless someone has the honesty to come forward and of course they wont as they know the punishment they will get from the school is severe then I am going to have to make a complete year group write.

If they wont bend to my wishes perhaps peer pressure will be an alternative.