"The World Without Us"

I gave a student a book to read independently. It's called "The World Without Us." It's a thought experiment on what the world would be like if humans were wiped off the face of the Earth.

I'm debating whether this was the right book to give this student since she's just a freshman and after reading a chapter or so there's some intense vocabulary that she may need help defining pretty much every page. But then again, it could help her develop a stronger sense for reading thought experiments and science books. I suppose this was a better choice than "The Hot Zone" or "The Demon in the Freeze" by Richard Preston. Or a Michael Crichton book of some kind.

It's amazing what happens when you grab a student and pull them away from their social dynamic. Once you've got them alone and they're talking, they're not the same student. I wish schools would devote time during the day for mentorship. Students should be able to freely discuss their issues with their teachers.

This student apparently was giving one of the other science teachers a hard time in another class. So the teacher was surprised to see the student hanging out during my free 9th period talking about random science stuff. Naturally, we've since discussed her conduct in that class (which I was blissfully unaware of). It shocks me that some kids just act like jerks because they're socially conditioned to do so. Otherwise, they're really harmless.

On another note, it's interesting that we've created a system of education that forces students to be well-rounded and in the end, they're not going to care anyway. I have students who already know that academia is not their life's pursuit, so why force it? If they truly want to learn something that takes academic discipline then they'll do what they have to.

..::\\ Addendum //::..

My original suspicions were confirmed today when this student returned the book today. So I exchanged the book for "The Demon in the Freezer" by Richard Preston. Her main issue was the vocabulary in the book. It was too tough for her, which is understandable since they're pretty intense in these sorts of thought experiments.

Preston does a better job of explaining terminology so hopefully she'll have an easier time reading it. I'll find out tomorrow though. It's nice to see that students are using their free time to get some reading in despite the rigorous vocabulary.