Research, Day 3

During the fluster of state testing, I decide to teach my students how to evaluate sources. Three of the computers are down, so they scrunch around the remaining ones, trying to balance a mouse, a screen, and two pieces of paper. They are the antithesis of my internet-savvy yearbookers who can always track down a proxy so that they can post on MySpace during class. These students have never googled their name. Some of them don't know about wikipedia.

By second period I realize they need a little more. I run through the difference between searching for David Ramirez and "David Ramirez". They do not know what credentials are. I give them the run down on B.A., M.A., PhD. I remind myself I couldn't keep the degrees straight until I was in college.

I set them loose. And forget to remind the stinkers that yes, I do see them trying to minimize the email and IM window when I walk by.

As of yet, day 1 has been the most entertaining. All their heads perk up when I mention that we will be reading a chapter titled "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Mom's?" (from Freakonomics). The purpose is to show them how research begins with a question; they are tickled that I even mention the subject and swear in class while I'm reading a section aloud. Of course, few of them get that that's exactly how I'm hooking them into this little stinker of a project they'll be doing.

When I think they've gotten the point of asking questions, I ask them to write down a researchable question of their own. "It's got to be something you don't know the answer to," I tell them, dreading the "what is the capital of Texas?"-type questions I might see up on my very non-me bulletin board (I inherited it with the classroom). So I walk around to make sure they're asking good questions--yes, there is such a thing as a stupid question, I tell them--and come across T-'s question: "Why do girls get their period?" I stop with a smirk on my face, asking "You're sure you don't know the answer to that one?" and she tells me "yes" in all seriousness. She is a junior.

G-, also a junior, presses me on the assignment. "We can ask ANY question?"

"Yes," I answer.

"Well, I've got this question I asked my coach, and he never told us," G- replies. I decide to check it out before posting it up: "Why do we have pubic hair?"

English is so done, guys. Sex ed, here we come.