Week 10

This week, on Sunday, I attended the HSE District Art Show and BOY was it the craziest thing I've ever been to! Any other school art show I've been to usually occupies one room and has a small, but decent number of attendees. HSE District goes all out. The entire first floor of HSE High School is covered with student artwork including display cases, stand alone boards, installations, and more. They had live music and refreshments and was entirely filled with parents, students, teachers, administration, and members of the community. It was absolutely amazing. The quality and caliber of the artwork displayed rivaled some of the work I've seen produced by the B.A.'s at IU. I also got to meet the staff of HSE's art department and learn more about their school's curriculum and the similarities and differences between them and Fishers. I'm so glad I was able to experience it!

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Today was a fairly normal day. We had a fire drill where we practiced new procedures. We were asked to look and check our surroundings before exiting our rooms or building if we hear the fire alarm. They said we should not leave our room unless we are right next to a fire we can see or have heard an announcement that declares what the emergency is and what procedures to follow. This is definitely in response to the Parkland shooting. I think it's smart, I can't see too much wrong with these new procedures except for the fact that if we delay exit too long some students or classrooms may be at risk if there were an actual fire.

After the fire drill I asked Ms. O and some students about the student walk out earlier last week. Apparently Fishers took a harsher response to it than I would have expected. Any students who participated in the walk out were written up, not just for detention, but an actual write up as part of their three strikes policy (three strikes you're expelled), so some students who had two previous strikes might have potentially been expelled. I was extremely surprised by this response, I was not very pleased to hear it at all.

During last period (our roughest class) one student was mocking Ms. O and being a huge disruption. He apparently has been doing this for the past several days along with a group of troublemakers in the class that have gravitated to him. I asked Ms. O why she didn't reprimand him harsher for talking back and mocking her openly in front of the class. She said unless it's her last nerve, she just deals with it because she knows he is abused by his father. She says she doesn't write him up or send him to the dean's because she doesn't want to put him in danger at him as they usually call home in such circumstances. This response really opened up my perspective because I personally would have demolished him if I were in her position not knowing his personal history. I still think he needs to be pulled aside and have his behavior addressed by Ms. O, but she is a little bit more tolerant/push over when it comes to the trouble makers.

That's about all! Next week I have a meeting with the color guard director to talk about working with the band during my student teaching. I'm excited!