I thought Madison was Halloween-crazy, but in retrospect, that was just the UW-Madison campus… In Chicago, everywhere I go, there is talk and decoration in preparation for the upcoming holiday. It is strange to me, the way that some of the shop windows have cute, cuddly-looking pumpkins and scarecrows, while others look like something from a horror movie.
These things remind me even more of the disparities between the safety here in my neighborhood and the very dangerous pieces of Halloween that haunt my students. The clowns in overalls attacking children and teens, the scariness of walking to school and being shot at with frozen paintballs, or yolked with eggs. Ah, Halloween. A day of tricks and treats, for sure.
I hope my students stay safe, and that they come to school prepared to focus on the tasks at hand, instead of thinking too worriedly about the outside world. That is a prayer of mine everyday, but more and more I am realizing how important of a prayer it is.
My role in helping my students to do that is definitely to keep my lessons engaging and new. Short movie clips, powerpoint presentations, art, hands-on work, and discussion have all proven to be effective for this. I hope that I can continue to help them with staying focused so that their reading and writing skills improve over the course of the year!!!
LNU
