Lesson One – Remembering 9/11
This weekend marks the 9 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Like many other classrooms across America we will be spending a portion of class today to discuss the events of that day in September. This will be my 3rd year to teach a anniversary lesson of the 9/11 attacks and every time I do so it productive and interesting conversations come out of this day. I often forget that despite the fact that I was a teenager during the attacks and remember it vividly, many of my students were fair too young to fully understand what was going on.
Lesson Two – Get Your Running Face On
My 9th grade cross country runners.
It’s finally here…what started back in July is finally coming to a climax. After almost two months of practice and preparing our cross country team will be having our first meet on Saturday in Elkins, Arkansas. I’m sure all of my runners are looking forward to this event, as am I, and there will be a update to follow our meet on Saturday.
Lesson Three – The Caucasian Stud
Let me explain…going back about three weeks ago, at the start of school, some of my students discovered that I play XBox Live and decided to add me to their friends list. While sitting at my house one night playing Call of Duty, I received a friend request from a person with the gamertag of “Persian Stud”…and with the request there was babbling voicemail from one of my students (Aria) explaining that he is the “Persian Stud” and that I needed to add him. I added him and of course I came to school the next day and made fun of him for having such a gamertag…just like any other well respected teacher. He of course took offense and suggested that my gamertag of “Mister McClung” is lame and I need to change it to something cool…his suggestion, Caucasian Stud. Since this time him and majority of the boys in my 4th period class have been on a campaign for me to change my gamertag. As of right now my gamertag has not changed, but it is still early in the year the Persian Stud just might convince me before the end of the year.
Mr. McClung
Its one of those earth shattering events that I think people will always remember where they were at the time, anywhere they were in the world. I clearly remember exactly where I was when I heard the news, and what I was doing when I first saw the footage and its something that I will never, ever forget, I also agree that as the passage of time lengthens some people aren’t as aware of what an event it was, but then I suppose its the same for previous generations with Man Landing on the Moon or events like that.