So you never really know what some kids will find easy vs. hard. Although I do a quick questionnaire at the beginning of the course, it still doesn't give you a real grasp of what seems like appropriate recipes for the students, especially because it doesn't access their reading skills (often the main reason things go wrong!).
So...yesterday I stupidly start my teacher speech, the talk I have before every lab (usually explaining what will be happening over the duration of the lesson) by saying that this is a super easy lab and therefore I think they are ready to do it completely unassisted, a good "test" situation - I mean we did already conquer 53 pies! I didn't think chili dogs, something you can buy from a restaurant on wheels, would be too much to ask for.
Well I realized early on when I found myself answering questions (something I said I would not do) like, what and where is the beef OXO (it was with all the other ingredients - see the value of reading), how to cut a frozen hot dog (to which I suggested trying to make it less frozen), which immediately lead to the question how do you defrost a hot dog (yes, this one was asked a few times), and finally how do you know when the hot dog is cooked (love that we are all experienced hot dog roasters via the fire, but you throw in a stove and all previous knowledge stays at the campfire!).
Another great lesson - when there is smoke and no campfire involved this should be a great indication that the heat is just too hot! Aside from the smoke and some silly questions the chili dogs turned out amazingly - I should know considering I couldn't pass up not having a bite!
Lessons learned by me; never say anything is easy, it not only sets them up for disaster, it sets me up for annoyance. Every kid is bringing different knowledge and different experiences to the kitchen and that will certainly affect just how easy something is. Plus, until I help boost that confidence and the power of common sense (a skill that I am coming to see is more valuable than good knife skills) - at the end of the day successful defrosting is still a mark of achievement for some students. Finally, thank god for the genius who installed fire detectors rather than smoke detectors in the cooking room!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
from fluting to cutting-in...
So what is the best way to have students learn how to make a home-made pie from beginning to end?? How about making 53 pies in 3 days for fellow staff members! Well that is what we did!
From pails of apples (many of which were rotten - sadly one student even found one of the hungry worms!), to pounds of rhubarb, and trays of blueberries (which I stocked all summer long) we learned many skills like dicing, coring, and most importance patience and co-operation.
It is certainly not the easiest thing to manage 25 students at a time, the main goal to ensure that they are all working! And on top playing a general in an apron I also had to try to ensure that the pies were edible!
In the end success is what we baked. Of the 53 pies I received two complaints, too salty (what can I say within three weeks of school I wasn't able to ensure that every student really understood the difference between a big T and a little t) and finally a slightly burnt sugar in the chocolate pie (but for crying out loud they also had to temper eggs!).
So what did I get out of it? Headache? Yes. Physical exhaustion and the sweating that comes with it? Yes. Stress? Yes. One of my greatest teaching moments of all time? YES!! To watch all 25 students so actively involved in the learning process; only looking for more work to do, and helping each other whenever I couldn't get to them first...as easy as apple pie!
From pails of apples (many of which were rotten - sadly one student even found one of the hungry worms!), to pounds of rhubarb, and trays of blueberries (which I stocked all summer long) we learned many skills like dicing, coring, and most importance patience and co-operation.
It is certainly not the easiest thing to manage 25 students at a time, the main goal to ensure that they are all working! And on top playing a general in an apron I also had to try to ensure that the pies were edible!
In the end success is what we baked. Of the 53 pies I received two complaints, too salty (what can I say within three weeks of school I wasn't able to ensure that every student really understood the difference between a big T and a little t) and finally a slightly burnt sugar in the chocolate pie (but for crying out loud they also had to temper eggs!).
So what did I get out of it? Headache? Yes. Physical exhaustion and the sweating that comes with it? Yes. Stress? Yes. One of my greatest teaching moments of all time? YES!! To watch all 25 students so actively involved in the learning process; only looking for more work to do, and helping each other whenever I couldn't get to them first...as easy as apple pie!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
have you ever truly minced?
So often as a teacher, and in this case a Home Ec. teacher, we spend our time teaching definitions, terms, and rules, hoping that on tests our students will regurgitate (no pun intended) things word for word what we have been spewing.
At some point over this third year of teaching I have just come to terms with the fact that this is not learning and this is not helping anyone really learn to cook. Although I have tried to teach cooking techniques that I learned in a restaurant job - the small window of an hour a day just didn't seem to be really sending the message home. So, this where a 2.2 lb bag of garlic comes into play.
You know, those industrial sized bags of garlic where there is a least 30 heads, tightly packed waiting for their trip to a restaurant. Well, this one lucky bag found its way into the hands of 40 inexperienced 16 and 17 year olds.
Over the course of 2 hours, my students took turns learning the true definition of mincing. The room and hallway all smelt of garlic despite the fact that no garlic was ever cooked. A surprise assembly also dragged the smell of garlic into the theater as each and everyone of us wreaked.
But in the end, if you could see through the smell in the classroom, there were 40 students mincing as well as any cook on the cooking network!
At last I saw the definition of MINCING!
At some point over this third year of teaching I have just come to terms with the fact that this is not learning and this is not helping anyone really learn to cook. Although I have tried to teach cooking techniques that I learned in a restaurant job - the small window of an hour a day just didn't seem to be really sending the message home. So, this where a 2.2 lb bag of garlic comes into play.
You know, those industrial sized bags of garlic where there is a least 30 heads, tightly packed waiting for their trip to a restaurant. Well, this one lucky bag found its way into the hands of 40 inexperienced 16 and 17 year olds.
Over the course of 2 hours, my students took turns learning the true definition of mincing. The room and hallway all smelt of garlic despite the fact that no garlic was ever cooked. A surprise assembly also dragged the smell of garlic into the theater as each and everyone of us wreaked.
But in the end, if you could see through the smell in the classroom, there were 40 students mincing as well as any cook on the cooking network!
At last I saw the definition of MINCING!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
