Vendetta Part 2--This will be long...I'm warning you. Pace Yourself...

3rd Period spent a full 50 minutes the first day of congress (when they only really had 140 minutes total…) debating an amendment to the constitution to abolish capital punishment. The debate raged on until the kids were parliamentary procedure pros (seriously, they looked so professional!) and finally someone called to table the bill until the next day so that the sponsor of the bill and the minority leader (who was determined to defeat the bill on ideological grounds) could have more time to dig up research to clarify their positions! Never before have I had kids so concerned about the legislation that they are willing to go home and do MORE RESEARCH to pass a bill. The other bill that became their baby was the “Alternative Energy Act” that was worked on so much in committee that the committee amended the bill to include provisions from another student’s bill in the hopes that they both filled in each other’s gaps and would make it more likely to pass – not to mention that both students would be working for a single bill’s passage and their classmates would feel guilty for killing a bill that would give extra credit to 2 constituencies.

5th period didn’t spend as long on 1 bill. They were incredibly efficient. Their Majority Leader picked up parliamentary procedure quickly and the class was so engaged by the simulation that students who I would normally have to pull teeth to have them participate in class, were taking leadership roles and holding their classmates accountable to the parly-pro. I was so proud. I tried to take a video but it has since disappeared somewhere. If I can find it, I will post it. I was practically beaming in the back. One of the bills that I had to keep from laughing out loud was a bill entitled: “Wartime Marine Animals Act of 2008.”

Background: The last time I wanted to post was to mention one of my more memorable students this year. His name is Taemin, and whether he’s faking it or not, he adores me and my class. In First Amendment Friday a few weeks back Taemin brought up research for discussion that he had found when writing an English paper. Apparently the US Military spends $8 million a year training dolphins to seek out mines and carry bombs. They’re called kamikaze dolphins. My students were horrified and it dominated discussion in 3 out of 4 of my classes. It wasn’t so bad until the kids realized that the dolphins don’t just drop the bomb off and swim away…when Paulina realized this her eyes popped open in shock and she cried out, “Oh! Those poor dolphins!”

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