Practicum Report #5 (Tyler)

1. Time Spent This Week: 4 (Sunday School, Worship)
   
2. My Class This Week:
   

   
    

   1. Not heard or seen: Once again, I left my practicum feeling disappointed in the system of Sunday school. For two hours, we waited for the practicum supervisor. He never showed up. This is the second time he has done this in the semester I had been there. I am overly disappointed. He is a paid pastor of high school ministry, and he doesn't show up to his own Sunday school? Disappointing. Now, I don't know the reason behind his absence, but all I know is the fact that this isn't the first time this has happened. I know that he has little children, but that should stop him from being able to get to Sunday school and teach people. I know that he is not supposed to be the teacher necessarily, but he is the "interm" teacher, and he needs to be prepared. If he would have called me and let me know that he couldn't be there, I would have been happy to teach. But instead, he seemed to have called no one. The adult "helper" that was there was clueless and seemed not to care anyway that the highschoolers were just hanging out. It gave me a good opportunity to hang out with students, but it also gave me time to think.
      

      
       

   2. Observations: I made some observations that are actually pretty obvious when I think about them. But, the divisions between teenager groups are so apparent. It's so weird to be outside of that and "observing" it because I never really noticed how prominent it was in highschool. But you have the "nerds" and the "good looking Abercrombie models" and the "sk8er dudes". I don't know if there is anything wrong with these groups, because everyone seems to be happy while in them, but I don't know if that legitimizes them. It seems to be one of those things that just happens. Maybe its Darwinism, or maybe it's just social structures. Whatever it is, it is very interesting to observe. Now that I think about it, we still have those same divisions among college students today. In fact, just the other day I was talking to a friend about a group of people that I would classify as "shy". But, when they are together, they are alive (and sometimes annoying). It's just very interesting to observe social structures and society by just "stepping back"
      

   
    

3. Questions?
   
   1. How do we deal with someone who just doesn't show up to class? Should I have taken charge on this one and made up a lesson? It wouldn't have been very good, but it probably would be better than nothing.
      
   2. Is there any possible way for the different "social divisions" to actually get together and hang out? How? Group activities? Ski trips? I'm not sure if there is anything that involves everyone. Let me know!