Sub Vision: World Cup Lessons

The World Cup (Copa Mundial) Soccer (Football) event happens every four years. We follow it closely not because we are such great soccer fans, maybe just a bit more than other Americans, but we do when the big competition takes place…

There is a lot going on around the games besides its sports aspect. There is the national pride, with the terrible disappointment of the losers and joyous triumph of the winners. There are laws known to everyone, but with endless interpretations; what is fair and what is not, who deserves a yellow ticket and who abuses the rules, and the ever going debate on which group to support, and which one not.

And then, there are the simple facts, like names of nations of which we may not have heard, the shape and color of their flags, and their geography and culture…

I wish it has occurred during school year to be used as valuable teaching moments...

There is so much to learn… basic details of the teams and whom do they represent, the hosting country, the star players. There are immense related emotions, there are rules, the consequences of respecting the rules, and the fall out of not respecting them, and above all the overview conclusion that “It Is a Small World After All…”

This is the time when I am musing on how great would it be if we could just direct our frustration, aggression, pride and nationalism into just a game, where the regulations are clear to everyone, when the best team wins, when in doubts we can check the facts on a slow motion TV screen, and even when we still don’t agree we do respect the judgment of the experts…

There are small wins to celebrate even when the final scores are not favorable, and there are small, embarrassing, loses even for the winners…

And maybe the most important aspect of it all is that there is always the next World Cup, where a loser can become a winner, even just in a small way; winning a single game, or scoring one goal in a difficult match. And yes, there is the ever existing possibility of winning the top trophy next time…

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(Lesson to learn from Group 'F' of the World Cup 2018:
     The team that won, won [Sweden],
     The team that lost, won [Mexico],
     The losers won [South Korea],
     The winners lost [Germany]...)

Sub Vision: Movie Anyone?

Students always press for a movie day. Whenever a teacher, and especially a sub, seem not to be sure of the lesson plan, it is always – movie, let’s watch a movie…

It used to be the remedy for every space in instructions, but in the past several years the district have put some limitations on it, and schools became more critical of teachers who insert movies too often. Even substitute teachers have to be very careful; it has to be under specific instructions of the regular teacher. I, therefore, carry with me optional activities, in case a teacher had not left a lesson plan.

It looks like the rules are loosening again, though, and I recently encountered more and more instances where a movie was the educational plan. Over the past school year I have seen many pictures in class, too often, unfortunately, not the type I would consider a good choice for high school, let alone middle school, students…

Regardless of choices, one thing never ceases to amaze me; no matter what kind of a movie is being shown, students are not interested. As soon as the movie starts students are turning to their preferred occupancy – talking to a friend, styling their hair, putting on makeup, doing other work, and most often getting on their phones.

Help me, someone, understand… if a movie is such a sought after class activity, how come more than half the class doesn’t even watch it? Why are they tuned out as soon as the screen in the front of them becomes alive with pictures and words?

The teachers who do care prescribe some preventive measures. There are teachers who ask students to write a summary of what they have seen, others give a short quiz about the movie, or part of it, afterwards. One teacher had left me desperate instructions about forbidding any cell phones and turning off all the lights so students won’t be able to do anything else besides watching the movie…

    

But students are smart, skilled and experienced, and would do anything to defy the rules… so then, maybe, just maybe, teachers should be the ones to follow the rules… and not show any movies…