Winslow Homer, "The Farmyard Wall" (detail)

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 5, September 10, 2007

I had a peaceful bike ride to school this morning through the late-summer darkness. I didn't have to use my new headlight, but I did have my florescent vest on, and my flashing red light behind my seat was a steady signal for early drivers. I loved the gray look of the dawn; the clouds somehow seemed to intensify the colors and the lights along the roads.

In my classes, we held our first "outdoor committees". The students went out in groups of three and talked for about seven minutes on specific topics. Each "committee" had to make a brief report on their discussion, answering the three questions I assigned. I think it worked fairly well. It got the kids out of their chairs and into the fresh air, and also enabled them to work with kids who perhaps weren't their closest friends.