Deck the Halls with Munky Balz

(This story was originally posted last Christmas, but it is slowly becoming a classic, so I thought I should submit Munky Balz one more time for all to enjoy.)

 Upon first glance at the title of this entry, one might think that this story focused around Curious George learning how to spell because of some amazing cross-curricular spelling lesson taught by his P.E. teacher right before the holiday break. And based upon the number of children's books I've read and PBS cartoons I've watched in the last year, that assumption is well grounded.

But sadly, this post has nothing to do with a curious little monkey or gym class. Instead, we will set our scene at Roosevelt High School, Room A209, AP Biology. In an effort to incorporate more formative assessment into our daily lessons, I was quizzing my kids on the parts of enzymes and the beauty of water's polar nature. The kids would hear my question, write their answers on small, rectangular white boards, and then when I would give them the signal, everyone would flip the white boards around and reveal their answers. (Let it be known on the record, as well, that I am all for teachers adjusting their plans based on what students are or are not truly comprehending, but please, any person with half a brain can usually tell by looking at the degree of glossiness in the eyes, how much or little a student is retaining.) After asking the question, I, too, would write the answer on my own white board and then sit and wait, with the white board's backside facing the students until we were all ready to reveal.

Now, in all fairness, I know that throughout the many years of white board use, students have written some very raunchy text and drawn some very raunchy pictures on the backside of these formative assessment tools. I guess, on this day, I just forgot about all of that.

This was the format for the majority of the lesson in all three of my AP Biology classes that day. Me...sitting up front in my director's chair...asking questions...holding the backside of the white board on my lap...for all my students to see.

It wasn't until the very last period of the day, about 2:30pm, when one student said softly to me, "Hey, you should look at the back of that thing." I turned the white board around and read aloud the message that I had been broadcasting to my students all day: Suck my munky balz. And in case anyone was wondering what munky balz looked like, there was a picture, too.

Yes. Suck my munky balz. Shown proudly for all to see. This infamous formative assessment tool now resides in the third drawer of my lab desk, a constant reminder never to take myself or my job too seriously.

So this holiday season, if you ever find yourself with lists too long and time too short, just remember, "Deck the halls with munky balz! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night."