Do any of you celebrate Easter?

[roseamelia]

I like dying eggs that's my favorite part! Do ya'll celebrate Easter in the UK and where all ya'll are?

[Bob]

I didn't even realize it was this weekend until Thursday.

I did nothing for it except buy a couple candy bars. 

I was thinking I don't do much since there isn't an extra day off.  If there was I'd be more aware of it and probably would have done something different since there's an extra day on the weekend.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Nah

I spent my day studying for a math test on Tuesday that my math teacher said almost the whole class was gonna fail. 

Despite my studying, I'm probably gonna fail anyways...

I don't even know what Easter is about!!!

[Bob]

A guy named Jesus got cruxified.  Supposedly came back to life.

And now we eat chocolate bunnies. 


*Bob thinks maybe having people drink apple cider when he goes would be ok.*


A couple thousand years ago... However gullible people were back then...  My memory of bible stuff... I remember Easter stuff and then I think Jesus appears again and leaves or disappears?  Besides sounding like a nice story, it also sounds like something that could be hoaxed. 

Haha... Actually the South Park episode about Peter made more sense for how rabbits came to be associated with Easter. 

[jesc]

math test on Tuesday that my math teacher said almost the whole class was gonna fail.

If that is true, your math teacher considerably annoys the heck out of me. I've taught math and 80% to 95% percent of my students fail my exams but I've never, EVER told them beforehand that they're going to fail my exam.

In fact, from my bachelor's degree to my doctorate I can't even recall a math teacher I've had who announced to the class that everyone's going to fail the coming exam. Most of the time, the chastizing comes AFTER the results.

Now, if your teacher has a psychological reason to do that due to your class' attitude then maybe... but it still sounds wrong.

Ok back on topic: I personally don't celebrate Easter. I don't celebrate any holidy unless mandated by the state which legally binds me to acknowledge it (no work during the holiday, heh, I'm forced to acknowledge something special for that particular day). I don't even celebrate my birthday but some people around me demand that I do.

[roseamelia]

Well I don't know how it became "Easter" But is was actually the Resurrection Day.

[quantum]

Spent the past week performing and listening to some really amazing music.  Easter is a very busy time for church musicians.  

Got to sing this on Friday

[pianowolfi]

 I've taught math and 80% to 95% percent of my students fail my exams but I've never, EVER told them beforehand that they're going to fail my exam.

So you are less annoying than a teacher who tells his students beforehand that they will fail?

In my book both of these approaches are equally power-abusive. Quit your job and do something that doesn't frustrate you from the start, and damages your students, please, and don't wreak your frustration on your students.

[roseamelia]

Is it in a different language? from what I can see it is. You can look up the crucifixion and resurrection in the bible in the book of mark chapter 15 and chapter 16. 

[pianowolfi]

Is it in a different language? from what I can see it is. You can look up the crucifixion and resurrection in the bible in the book of mark chapter 15 and chapter 16.  

If you are referring to quantum's link, that's Latin. Lotti uses the traditional Latin text of the mass, like most composers of sacred music did when they composed a mass or a part thereof.

[jesc]

So you are less annoying than a teacher who tells his students beforehand that they will fail?

If it's annoying to you I can handle.

Quit your job and do something that doesn't frustrate you from the start, and damages your students, please, and don't wreak your frustration on your students.

I value that my students study to pass not to fail. I was asked to teach underpriviledged students which indeed frustrated me at the start.

You said I damaged my students. Then if damaged students means performing better, getting higher grades at the end, then I'm proud to do that.

You said that I wreak my frustration on my students. If that means, reprimanding them AFTER a poor performance (failure) so that they won't do it again then I did that. If that also includes severly reprimanding them and telling them that "I know you can do better." Then I did that also. If your assumption includes praising good performancem, rewarding good performance then I'm guilty of doing that also.

The problem with the internet is that you can believe what you want about a user, how he/she posts. How he/she does his/her job which is what you did. I can count three to four posts about my job here (including these two). God knows you can even assume how a user gets up in the morning. The greater problem is assuming that all your assumptions are absolutely true in a forum where you have text messages and usernames. That's why I had that tiny little statement above "If that is true".

I would love to take your advice. Unfortunately it just doesn't take into account all the things I did for my students. The ironic thing is I'm very negative in forums and your post forced me to look at the non-negative aspect I did for my students.

I'm not quite comfortable relating positive things (that's not supposed to be part of my character when I'm online) so I'll just leave it here.  

p.s. If being power abusive means giving students many opportunities to raise their grades to the point that absolutely no one needed to beg to pass then I'm quilty of that also.

p.p.s. I have no intention to hijack this thread so I'll have to rest my side on the issue (a.k.a. last post on this thread)

[pianowolfi]

Well apparently you are part of a system that is not mine. Maybe I have to calm down and wait a bit, and listen more. But what you posted about those 80- 95% basically pre-planned exam fails sounded more than cynical to me and somehow made me boil inside. It just made me boil. Why all teachers only care about those freaking grades? What please does that for life? You learn to memorize thousands of words and numbers, and formulas which you forget 2 weeks after the exam. Only to have a "grade". What is it for? Do you know more about the world, after that? Do you have a person-to person- or heart to heart relationship with the subjects you have "learned" about, or with yourself, even, or with your neighbour? Do you have a deeply founded method for understanding how the world works, how the world is? You have learned to fill in some multiple choice tests and learned to fill in some gaps that mean nothing to you. But yes, I know it's in all probability not you, it's the system.

[jesc]

But what you posted about those 80- 95% basically pre-planned exam fails sounded more than cynical to me and somehow made me boil inside. It just made me boil.

ok. I think this needs to be replied to so I'm... replying to a thread I said I won't be replying to anymore

The internet is full of ironies. I spent a lot of effort making exams so that many if not all would pass them. The mortality rate in the exam is the result of these being underpriviledged so I spent the rest of the semester adjusting and adjusting my exams so that many if not all will pass.

I can't blame you for boiling inside. I am against pre-exam fails but it was not me. A pre-planned exam fail is what rachmaninov_forever posted above because his teacher told the class something like "the whole class is gonna fail." That is a pre-planned exam fail.

p.s. sorry for hijacking the thread. I need to stop somewhere hopefully it will be this post.

[roseamelia]

p.p.s. I have no intention to hijack this thread so I'll have to rest my side on the issue (a.k.a. last post on this thread)

your not hijacking the thread I posted.

[pianowolfi]

Yeah but if 80 % of your students fail, if you announce it before, and 80% fail if you don't announce it before, I mean, where's the difference? Of course I know that not all students are wonderfully engaged learners. And what, anyway, means "underprivileged"? I don't get that whole system, I think, it's just weird what sort of boxes people are put in.
I know, I am not easy, and I am perhaps not even easy as a piano teacher, sometimes. I request activity from my students, inner activity. They don't need to pass any exams, they can do it if they want, but most of them are fully busy with their pointless school exams. If I ask them to explain me what they learned for their exams, (3 or 4 or five exams per week, so no more time for piano practice, of course!!) and explain me the context and explain to me what it means to them and to their life, the answer is often just a big dunno and noclue. They don't have any relationship with their subjects. Yes they can perhaps, under very particular circumstances, rattle off all the European and Euro-Asian rivers but they have no idea what that is, such a river. They could never imagine something like the Volga boatmen or the blue danube or what it means to be there. And they can't transfer even the simplest fraction into music when it comes to rhythm, I have to start completely from scratch, despite of 20 passed math tests.

Argh I'm getting angry at myself
 

/end of rant

[jesc]

your not hijacking the thread I posted.

At least I feel less guilty it seems a good discussion and I can't help but reply.

Yeah but if 80 % of your students fail, if you announce it before, and 80% fail if you don't announce it before, I mean, where's the difference?

The difference is that I'm talking hindsight. Before each exam I didn't know that 80%-90% will fail. I talk about it now as a certainty because it already happened. As I said before, I kept adjusting so I wasn't expecting that mortality. That is also the reason why I never announce to the class that they're going to fail because I never intended for them to fail in the first place.

Important point: The large percentage of failing students did not persist to the end of my course. It was considerably less when the course ended.  

I'll admit that my post above is laced with so much negativity that the interpretation is partly my fault. I want to be clear on one thing, everytime I gave them the exam one thing is on my head, "I've adjusted the exam's standard again. I hope that they all pass."

I recall the first time I posted about my job here in pianostreet. You can look it up. I remember typing. "I don't want to fail students" or something to that effect.

Another important difference is the motivation. Look at rachmaninoff_forever's post what he said

Despite my studying, I'm probably gonna fail anyways...

What set me off in the first place is that this attitude was implanted because of what the teacher said.

btw the 80%-90% mortality isn't a constant. My goal was to reduce it. I've had students who suddenly performed well if not excellent after some time. (uh.. that's a happy memory I'll admit)

okay "underprivileged" (in the context of standard of living). In my country these are the students who don't have the money to get quality education. The school I was invited to teach in were teaching students who most of the time didn't have money to buy textbooks and notebooks. We classify them so that we can identify them and help them. I googled the term "underprivileged student" and it is global you can look it up and roughly has the same meaning.

[pianowolfi]

Sorry, jesc, if I offended you.

I live in an overprivileged country, so to say. Many people here have a lot of money. Children have the latest x-boxes and wii and stuff, and they fly on vacation 3 or 4 times a year, or they have houses overseas. But most of these kids have never ever attended a symphony concert, let alone a piano concert, let alone an opera or anything like that....I could go on ranting...argh...

[pianowolfi]

To the topic subject: I actually love Easter, I love this time of the year, but I'm not celebrating it, at least not outwardly. Inwardly sort of yes, in my way, but I won't elaborate on that. I'd always choose Easter over Christmas.

[jesc]

Sorry, jesc, if I offended you.

There are many ways the discussion could have turned for the worse but it didn't. And I am not offended by that   Just a reassurrance, I've been through much worse in other parts of the internet 

[fleetfingers]

Easter brings the best selection of candy. Now is the time to stock up.

[roseamelia]

Easter brings the best selection of candy. Now is the time to stock up.

Yep

[Bob]

For the testing discussion, something's messed up if that many students are failing.  The teacher, the curriculum, something.  I would consider myself failing if the majority of the students were failing.

[jesc]

For the testing discussion, something's messed up if that many students are failing.  The teacher, the curriculum, something.  I would consider myself failing if the majority of the students were failing.

when I was looking for some solid definition on the term "underprivileged students" to give pianowolfi as a reference. I encountered this article. This article is a good representation of what I went through and a good criticism of what I did  Yes! jesc is giving a link to a solid criticism of what he posted lol

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brandy-williams/education-gap_b_935893.html

look at the post below by glennwatson. Hopefully this paints a clearer picture. Anymore issues and questions I'm starting a new thread cause I don't feel quite right discussing these potentially volatile issues under a happy "easter" thread.

[iratior]

This topic was more interesting than I expected.  I too have taught math, as a graduate student teaching assistant for professors.  Most people got passing grades for the courses;  I used to grade their homework, and give help to those who needed it.  I used to do tutoring, too, and can point with pride to examples where someone who was in grave danger of failing their statistics course got my tutoring, and wound up with a B average.  For mathematics teaching to be most effective, one has to take into account that different people have different ways in which they learn best.  Some people learn the truth best by speaking it:  hence, when I would teach them about taking the expectation of a random variable, I used to coax them into saying aloud, many times, "To find the expectation of a random variable, we need to know the values the random variable can assume, and the probabilities with which it assumes those values."  Somehow, the way to the brain was through the vocal chords.  On the other hand, some people learn the truth best through writing it.  When I had a job as a pension actuary, I found that the best way to learn complicated IRS regulations was to sit down and copy them by hand.  Still other people learn the truth best through reading it.  Others learn the truth best by listening to it.  The queen of all ways to knowledge is, of course, to learn the truth by INFERRING it;  this gets you to the grandeur of mathematics.
        Now to the subject of celebrating Easter.  I don't celebrate it, but have to admit that I play some of the Easter hymns on the piano;  I like them;  and a good rendition of "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" is actually quite difficult.  I celebrate the vernal equinox;  did you know that within a few hours of its exact time, it is possible to stand an egg on end?  I did it this year, but knocked it over the next day, when I was making breakfast for myself!

[db05]

In our country, Good Friday is more important than Easter. And Christmas more important than anything.

Do you ever see those men who get nailed to the cross every year?  Isn't that scary?

[roseamelia]

Do you ever see those men who get nailed to the cross every year?  Isn't that scary?

I've heard about that, But that sooo freaky I would not put myself up on those cross's.

[jesc]

Do you ever see those men who get nailed to the cross every year?  Isn't that scary?

Now there's a potential for a discussion I won't mind listening to.

@iratior: Very insightful post which no doubt many math teachers would appreciate.  

[db05]

I've heard about that, But that sooo freaky I would not put myself up on those cross's.

Usually it's grown men who participate in those. Women who carry or get nailed on crosses are few.

https://www.ivanhenares.com/2007/04/good-friday-in-san-fernando-pampanga.html
Here's a page with some cool Good Friday pictures. We spend the day in another province so I never see crucifixions or anything bloody. But otherwise it's the same, people carry crosses in the morning, then the church service, then procession in the afternoon/ evening.

Oh and Roman soldiers (called "centurions")! How can I forget?!

[49410enrique]

what about easter carols? anybody sing easter carols?

d=1

[roseamelia]

never have.

[49410enrique]

never have.

.