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A couple more lessons from the flipping horrible porch

7/18/2017

 
         I rushed through yesterday's blog post, and while finally finishing the porch project today I got a couple more good ideas of construction <--> education analogies.
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ANALOGY #1:  
Sometimes we must apply our best efforts on imperfect material. 

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This doorway is just impossible.  The only way to make a proper floor would have been to rip all these boards, and probably re-adjust the entire door frame. However I don't have that kind of time or experience, so this just has to work out that best way that I can manage.

It's like some units that are just weaker than others; I have fewer primary sources, less-exciting video lessons, and the objectives are abstract. But I can't ditch this unit because it's a crucial building block for others. (One example is the Articles of Confederation period, which helps the Constitution's development & debate make much more sense.)

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^^^^^^ Look at the slant on that floor!! The cabinet in the background really shows the angle of slope.
It wasn't really a problem for tiling, but it is for the door since I raised the floor level: now it rubs against the floor on the knob side when opened, but there's a 1/2-inch gap on that side when closed! That's why I had to tack this felt strip on the threshold.
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Picture
Now you're looking upward at a rafter ... see how crooked this thing is?!? I don't even think it's actually supporting the structure at all....

And below you see a pair of grim realities: the ugly electrical socket on a floor bulge, and the dryer duct that protrudes a few inches into the porch while curving downward to the basement. That box came with the house; I can't take credit for this fine craftsmanship.

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ANALOGY #2
The rafter, socket, and duct box represent the structural realities we sometimes have to teach around: an early-release in the middle of the week, a surprise snow day, the wi-fi glitching for who knows how long. It's not pretty, but our creative solutions are beautiful in their own way. I kinda like that brown box, and the piece of trim sneaking underneath the dryer duct....



I expect to look back on this blog entry sometime during the winter, when the current muggy weather is replaced by face-freezing chill. I hope the porch is still in good shape, and that I'm taking these lessons to heart while planning lessons for a pockmarked calendar of snowstorms and assemblies.... 

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    Who is this flipping guy?!

       Andrew Swan is in year 20  of teaching middle school (currently grade 8 US Civics/Government in a Boston suburb). Previously he taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English, US History, geography, and ancient history in Massachusetts and Maine. 
      For the past 6 years, Andrew has flipped nearly all his direct instruction so we have more class time for simulations, deep discussions, analyzing primary sources, etc. ... and also to promote mastery for students at all levels.
      His wonderful wife and his 2 high school-age children indulge Andrew's blogging, tweeting, & other behaviors. These include co-moderating the #sschat Twitter sessions and Facebook page. 
      ​
    Andrew does not always refer to himself in the third-person. 

    Twitter @flipping_A_tchr
    Instagram @swanversations

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