Who am I kidding, career move! Ha. Anyway, the honeymoon is definitely over as far as Big Sky is concerned. Having a great time with physics and physics 2, but every other day I've got the cream of the glop for freshman IESPS. What's odd is that it is getting worse. Can't talk to them, can't let them go to work on something. So new plan: put notes or video up on the screen (one thing they seem to be able to pay attentions to, no surprise), then quiz them on the content. The saddest thing is there are some good and engaged kids in those classes, but they are out-shined—no, there's not much shine—by some of these broken kids. Are we seeing the beginnings of the zombie apocalypse? I can see it now: a zombie class emerges from the wreckage of the American Middle Class, outcast, chemically dependent, ADHD times infinity, and not particularly bright. Where will the rest of the population be? In the Matrix, jacked in, connected times infinity, tuned out, without a care. Something's got to give eventually.
Does PBL have a chance with these kids. I don't think so. You need some basal level of sociability or reason-for-living. But I'd love to try it with the physics groups. An astronomy project 3rd or 4th quarter would be very cool, and I think they would engage. Lot's of opportunity for good content as well with the EM spectrum, Kepler's laws, relativity, exo-planets, nuclear physics, etc. Have to ruminate on some kind of authentic product. OK, enough. Happy Halloween, from Evil Spock.
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