K 11 Today

We started the class on kind of a low note. I had two or three kids ask (essentially), so what are we doing? One student asked why we were doing the chapter this way. So I posed the question back to them: Why are we doing the chapter this way?
Silence.
Then the answers trickled in. "To be in charge of our own learning." "Because it's easier for you." (Which I had to clarify that it isn't, in fact, easier... it's just a different kind of work... plus I get more time to work with them individually.) And other things as well. I was a little concerned that these questions were being asked because sometimes they can be the beginning of the downward spiral... but I answered them tentatively and I think having the other students answer them was helpful. If the day had ended there, however, I might have written it up as a failure. Good thing it didn't.
After a few calendar changes and some journaling about the skills (which, I don't know if the questions were productive for them or not), we started the day. We had our first round table followed shortly thereafter by our first study group.
Four people joined in the round table, which is a good number. If I have my preference, I wouldn't want the round tables above 6. We talked about das Wochenende. I went into the round table with the idea that if they each say around 20 words, we could call it a success. This was based somewhat on the speaking center of German 3/4 last year. However I was pleasantly surprised! The round table lasted almost twenty minutes with just four people! They found that, by listening to others, they can add to what they might say... and the person with the fewest words (who was nervous about participating) still had 71! And the really cool part? I got to connect with the kids! The thing I was talking about just yesterday came back. I got to hear from one student that he got to talk with his dad and might be able to see him this summer... he hasn't seen his dad in years. Another student shared movies and mentioned she rented Amelie so she can watch it today! Yet another talked about favorite foods, another about the songs she wrote. It was great. It's fodder for those relationships I feel I had been missing. Awesome. So I am proud of them with how well they spoke and how much they said... but I'm also happy to be able to touch base with them again.
Then we had our study group on verbs. Six people showed up... and the cool part was that one student pulled his table partner along saying, "Come on! You can use help with this, too!" Otherwise he might not have come to the group... I'm proud of both of them for that interaction. We went around the table and talked about what was hard for us. Four of the six said "everything". So we talked about verb endings, stem-changing verbs and modal verbs... as well as where they sit in the sentence. It seemed pretty elementary and everyone got it really quickly and easily, so I was afraid that it was redundant and not worth their time. I told them to come back next week and we can talk about "deeper things"... and then, nervously, I asked, "But was this, today, worthwhile for you?" The "yes!" and "Oh, yes!" answers came so quickly and abundantly that I knew that it was really helpful for each of them. That put my soul at ease. I didn't want to be wasting their time... but I didn't want to skim over something they needed more deeply either. So this was goood as well.
My time spent with students today was beneficial. I feel good about how it went and I feel good about what they did.
So here are the questions that are plaguing the back of my mind:
What about the other kids? What were they doing? Were they on task? Does it matter?
I know that the group sitting right behind me were on task maybe half of the time. But does it matter? The quizzes open tomorrow and perhaps then they will realize how much they need to buckle down. Would my being a vulture over them actually have been beneficial? I know others were quietly on task because I returned to my desk to see some invitations and birthday cards that were finished. We'll see.
I might do an entrance card for tomorrow: what was beneficial from yesterday, what wasn't? It might be some good data.