There is a beginning advisory hour that the students have to go to on Mondays, where they get all of their homework straightened out and their grades taken care of.  Mr. Homan would always start with a warm up game, like follow the clap or some type of simon says.  I noticed a stark contrast when the kids play these games; they do not want to seem like they’re enjoying it and participating, but at the same time they actually like them.  When they had to stand for a game, they would get up real slow and draw it out forever, and when it was there turn they would pretend like they had forgotten the rules, but they all were laughing and having a good time.

I think this carries over into a lot of their other work as well, especially for middle schoolers, where their image in front of their peers is more important than what the teacher wants.  Is there a way around this, where we can have students participate in class and still look ‘cool?’  I’d like to think so.