{photo by Alex Proimos on flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0}
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”
~ Sophocles, Antigone
We have such a generous, warmhearted, open, humble, sharing community here at SLOCA, and I’m so grateful to all of our staff who have courageously sent in their not-so-wondrous moments for this series. We have been encouraged by them, and hope all of our readers have been as well! Here’s another one, written by our UMS and HS Latin teacher, Sarah McCurdy Weinschenk:
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Cohabitantes discamus.
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I think that most teachers would agree that it is unwise ever to show an image in class that has not been previewed. As a teacher at a classical school, I limit the number of images I use from the internet and try only to use those that are particularly effective in helping students to master a concept or vocabulary word. Last year, my husband shared with me some Latin vocabulary cat memes created by a Latin teacher at a classical school in Alabama. These seemed to be irresistible. The students love them, and associating the Latin word with the memorable image of the cat helps many students to remember the meaning of the word. Still, I was always sure to view them before using them in class. Well, that is, I always had before yesterday. I had a little time and decided on the spur of the moment to go ahead and show some cat memes which I hadn’t previewed. Surely a teacher at a classical school wouldn’t use any inappropriate images? Imagine my mortification when I heard my seventh graders tittering as the slide for abi (go away!) came up—it showed a cartoon cat with both middle digits on its front paws raised! I apologized and quickly moved on to the next slide. That was on Track A, so on Track B I was prepared and skipped that slide.
Thank you for sharing this, Sarah – many of us parents can relate to this! The cat memes sound fun though, and what a great way to reinforce Latin vocabulary.
Parents, it’s your turn! We know you’ve appreciated these Friday Flops stories, and we’d love to include a few home day versions from SLOCA parents. Who’s in? Please Email Down Home to share your small mistakes and difficulties that have helped you grow (or at least have given you a good laugh…).
Here's an upcoming student performance you may be interested in:
Come enjoy Ballet Theatre! San Luis Obispo's world premiere of The Snow Queen, based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, December 15-17. This is a great holiday family activity. Cast includes SLOCA students Kate Fisher (HS junior), Catherine Walz (Intermediate, Track A), and Ellie Godsey (Primary, Track B). Amelia Walz (HS junior) is on the costume crew. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bt-slo.org.
And finally, if you’re looking for holiday activities and events in SLO County, see the end of last Friday’s blog post for a long list!
