Welcome
Look below for details about your student’s class this week.
Entrepreneurship
Monday, the groups present their “Entrepreneurship Game” ideas to the class.
The rest of the week, we learn about Return on Investment (I’m trying to line up a guest!), and dive into the power of compound interest. I really love to expose a group of 15-year-olds to the idea of compounding growth. Some of them get it, and I suspect for some, it’s a life-changing moment.
Economics
Last week was about choosing a career, so this week is all about job hunting. We start with “What are the three things that are awesome about you for this job”, move on to resumes, cover letters and how to answer common interview questions. Fun fact: Other teachers in our school are SO good at teaching job hunting skills, that I have had to shorten this to ONE week instead of two. Most students come in with pretty much ready to go.
Also, shameless plug for AHS: from what I heard from several employers, other area high schools don’t do as good a job preparing their graduates for the job hunt as Asotin High School.
Finally, my experience has taught me that this is the week that some of my Econ students will start to fall behind. It’s the first week I assign any real homework, and some just don’t take that seriously. Particularly, they fail to produce a resume, cover letter, or written answers to some interview questions. And there is also an assignment to record a “video interview” over next weekend, which a couple students will blow off. I don’t want those choices to impact their chances at graduation from high school. Yeah, this is serious. Please double-check with them that they are doing the work this week.
AP Computer Science Principles
My computer scientists are reading a book this week. Blown to Bits is available for free download at that link. It is a book dealing with all the (often unexpected) ways that technology impacts our lives. There is a strong emphasis on privacy rights, copyright, and many of the issues surrounding artificial intelligence. About one-third of this class is discussion and exploration of this subject, and this book is the most comprehensive treatment of the subject I’ve found. (Five stars, would recommend!)
I’ll assign groups to read different chapters and report. But there will be significant extra credit opportunities for students who read the whole thing any time this year. They will have to read the book, and be able to hold a discussion with me about each of the chapters, at least well enough that I can tell they’ve read them.
Business Communications
Last week was our big English grammar, punctuation, capitalization and word choice emphasis. I gave a long list of homework, so extended the turn-in date to this Tuesday. Please monitor your student’s progress on these: reinforce good homework habits.
Then we move on to “business writing style” and the 3 C’s of business writing: Courtesy, Clarity and Conciseness. This week has quite a bit of homework as well, this is a full-credit Jr/Sr English, class after all.
Middle School Tech
My philosophy for learning Google Docs is a little different! Instead of giving students a list of step-by-step instructions, having them follow them, and everyone ending up with the same document; I do the opposite. I give them a finished document (actually a screenshot of one) and then tell them to figure out how I made it. Students generally have fun with this, but some do experience some frustration at times. But for most students, this is more challenging, more engaging, and they learn more difficult skills more quickly. The difference in understanding and retention between “I followed step 4” and “I figured it out myself” is striking and long-lasting. My job is to help them make progress when they get really stuck, and to make sure the they are learning the actual skills, not some shortcut workaround.
FBLA
Getting started with Gotcha game promotions this week. Explain Gotcha game.
Makerspace
Someone donated a life-sized Bob Ross cutout in the makerspace. Unfortunately, it was within the peripheral vision line-of-sight to Mr. Johnson’s desk – he kept thinking someone was watching him! We moved it; no need to jump-scare the principal!
