Ad Campaigns in Class-Week 7

   This week, my students had to submit their semester projects.  They had been assigned this task several weeks before and had to complete it on Friday and to present to the class.  My original plan was for the students to write a term paper on a topic of their choice.  I would take them to the library, help them find research for their paper topic, have dates for them to turn in their outline, rough draft, and final copy.  I was thinking along the lines of a term paper that would be eight or so pages long.  I was thinking in terms of a college class...and that was my mistake.
   Once again, my cooperating teacher had some advice to offer me.  In past years, he and other teachers had done a project with the student which involved the inventions of the Industrial Revolution.  Each student would pick an invention--and then make a t-shirt which illustrated the importance of that invention.
   This was too much for me.  Student working on a t-shirt project? This wasn't art class, this was high school history!  Students should be learning how to do research, write papers, take notes.  Basically, all the things they would do in college.  My cooperating teacher didn't dissuade me from my original idea (at least not explicitly), though he did encourage me to examine some projects that students had completed from previous years, as well as pictures.  After I got past my initial gut reaction (shock!), I started to really consider this t-shirt project as a possibility.  I spoke to other teachers who had used in in the past and heard nothing but good things...so I decided to try it.
   I was amazed at the projects that were finally turned in on Friday.  I had absolutely no idea how creative some of my students could be.  There were t-shirts that lit up, others that displayed great artwork, others that had 3D effects.  I had never expected the level of creativity that some of my students displayed.  And even more amazing, the student actually had done real research on the inventions.  They knew what the inventions did, who invented them, and when they were invented.
   This project really took me outside my comfort zone.  My students, far from being uninvolved, actually learned more than I think they would even if I had assigned them a research paper.  Once again, I had a learning moment myself this week.  I guess there never really is a dull moment when you're a teacher!