The lightbulb comes on

[victoriana]

Okay, so now that my initial OMGWTF at teaching Pre-English is over, I'm working on figuring out how to do it effectively

Comments

[firerosearien]

. Tell me about a time when you totally didn't understand something at all and then somehow you "got it." How'd that work for you

[starcat_jewel]

About the English, I don't have much to offer except this: prepare several different explanations for topics that may be conceptually hard to grasp. And I don't mean just re-ordering the same phrases; see if you can come up with at least 3 totally different ways of presenting a topic. Sometimes one sequence of words is just "quack, quack" while another one makes the lightbulb go on. Oh, and remember that some children learn aurally, others visually, and others kinesically. That last is the hardest to address in a classroom, but in a pinch, getting the kids to "act out" something, a la charades, may help a lot.

About the yearbook, one thing that neither Facebook nor MySpace has is a way to collect autographs and memory messages. So that's definitely one thing to emphasize. I'd also try pushing for business advertising -- especially local, non-chain businesses, who may be employing some of your graduates next year!

[falls2climb]

I don't know how color-vs-black-and-white cost works, or if there's a minimum page requirement for color pages, but one thing our yearbook staff does to raise money is to offer color "baby ads" for a higher price than the black-and-white ones. They did the same thing at the first school where I taught, which was a way lower income level than this one, and still sold a pretty large amount of the higher-priced color ads.

[glascoff]

One thing regarding yearbooks, which facebook and myspace cannot guarantee, is longevity. In three-four years, a new social site will be the baddest ass. And six years after that, another. A book, though, does not go away (and staying months and years in a box in your parents garage doesn't count as going away). Hell, I was showing off my high school yearbook to law students, who didn't believe me about the segregated homecoming queens.

I don't think bribing with sour apple candy, skittles, and peanut butter chocolate fudge for grammar will work. Hooray trig!

[leiacat]

Don't know how helpful I'll be, but