Today’s class did not go well. We’re doing a unit, in English, on advertisements, learning about forms of rhetoric and advertising techniques. There’s an assignment asking students to pick 3 advertisements, then describe them, unpack their meaning, and explain the persuasive techniques the advertiser is using. The class didn’t enjoy it. Half-way through class, almost every student became disengaged. Most were silent. Some were outwardly frustrated. A few argued back at me while I tried to explain the lesson.

The lesson I’d cobbled together, from resources on the internet, and memories of my own time in high school, was failing. I’d prepared a 15-page unit package, and the slideshow. the packages contained lessons about Pathos, Ethos, Logos, Bandwagonning, and other rhetorical and persuasive techniques. It looked like what I thought a worksheet, and study guide, should look like.

For whatever reasons, the lesson flopped. There felt like a tone of frustrating and anger coming from the class. Pushing the lesson didn’t seem like it was going to help. Instead, I asked the class, “what can I do to make this lesson better?” No response. Someone pulled out their phone. Someone else started playing a computer game. Someone suggested we study wartime propaganda. Someone said they wanted to do real work.

The period ended. I hardly remember how we got there. We managed to work on something. Twenty minutes to the end of the period can feel like an eternity.

Next period was Phys-Ed, with the Jr. High students. Just this week, I became the Sr. High Phys-Ed teacher. It got assigned to me, Sunday at 6pm, to cover a staff member who left Tsiigehtchic for medical treatment. The last time I played on an organized sports team was a swim team in Grade 10, before that was a soccer league in Kindergarten. We’re playing soccer today. Most of my students didn’t participate. I’d never seen things this bad before. Regardless, we pulled together, and even though the Sr. students didn’t participate, we got three games with the Jr. boys and girls. One of the girls said “that was probably the most fun game of soccer I’ve ever played.”

The day ended. On the way out, I asked one of the Sr. boys about English. “What could I do better in that class?”

“I don’t know.” He almost walked off, then stopped. He took off his hat, and ran his fingers through his hair. “Teach us how to do better in life. Not advertisements.”