not a machine

Um..

So, if I had done all of the statistics that my district wanted me to do, I could just look in my files and spit out some numbers for you.  I didn't.  I'm really kind of pulling at straws for this one. 

most successful learning goal:

Grammar and mechanics, maybe?  My Do Now nearly every day was a DOL exercise, and I feel like this was pretty much the most effective method I used teaching grammar.  I could really see progress from the beginning of the year to the end.  Perhaps it was because these were fairly simple concepts to understand, unlike many of the skills I attempted to teach.  Perhaps it was because I used tickets most consistently with my DOL to encourage participation.  Maybe it was just because we did it so very often.  I'm not sure. 

least successful learning goal:

I think this was parallel structure.  Of course, it's possible that this was just the most recent failure of mine.  Who knows..  Why did it fail?  That's a very good question.  I taught it in a way that seemed to make sense, but apparently did not.  I have yet to find a successful method of teaching it..  Of course, one of my wonderful first-years is teaching it soon, so maybe she will have the key.  I'm crossing my fingers.  Ok.  Why... My students don't know enough grammar.  I didn't realize soon enough that I really needed to emphasize the basics, so I didn't get a chance to cover as much basic grammar as I would've liked.  Because they didn't have a horribly firm grasp of sentence structure at the beginning, the concept of parallel sentence structure was a real stretch. Also,  I had run low on motivation to come up with creative, exciting lessons by this time, so they weren't really that into it to begin with. 

My performance this year was lacking.  As we've said over and over, the first year is about surviving.  I survived.  Barely.  I let my students bad behaviors get under my skin and got frustrated.  I associated school with misery and frustration, so I avoided anything that had to do with it.  I dreaded lesson planning, so all of my lessons were boring, so the students hated my class, so they acted up, so I got angry, so I hated school, and so on and so forth.  It was fun! 

I've said this before, and I'll say it again.  This year, I will do better.  That's my resolution.  I will try my hardest to keep a positive attitude no matter what happens.  I will look at my long-term goals for my students.  I will work slowly, incrementally, and patiently with my students.  I will plan ahead.  I will bring creativity into my lessons.  I will not feel sorry for myself, attempting instead to focus on my students.  Lofty goals, eh?

I definitely believe that coaching is a beneficial practice for us and for the first-years.  I have to admit that i feel silly calling it coaching, though.  I'm just not going to use that particular term.  I'm replacing the noun with "guru" and the verb with "enlighten"...   Silly, but it feels less silly, or maybe more obviously/deliberately silly. 

What sort of a guru am I?  Maybe I should ask my first years.  I think sometimes I tend to focus too much on the suggestions for improvement and too little on the positive aspects of the lesson.  I listen, offer tips, sometimes commiserate.  I think the most difficult part of enlightening is motivating, at least for me.  I'm a pretty low-key person, not great at motivational speeches.  I'll tell you that you're awesome if you are, but if you don't believe it, I don't really know how to change your mind.  Since I haven't been a guru long, I don't think I've developed a style.  If I do have one, it must be inherent.  I don't think it's had much of an impact on my teaching, other than to remind me how far I've come in a year. 

The biggest thing I've noticed about enlightening is that I do it very differently than my second years did last year..  I'm guessing that they had the same sort of spiel that we got about it, because they did it basically the same way.  I realize I'm contradicting myself, so let me clarify.  My second years also gave plenty of praise along with their suggestions for improvement, but they did it from a different position.  I admit my weaknesses (perhaps too much), which I don't remember my gurus doing.  I'm not sure if this is a bad thing or not..  I guess maybe someone will tell me. 

This school year, I must admit that I was not as on top of assessments as I should've been.  (I'm noticing a trend here...)  I was fairly clueless about making tests and a bit too lazy to really analyze the data.  I felt like I should've made my tests something like the state test that all of my students will take in 10th grade, but I didn't. 

I didn't really have an "assessment plan" in place for the vast majority of the school year.  I knew which objectives I was going to include on the test, but I didn't quite know how.  I used mainly multiple choice tests. Usually there was some writing included as well, likely essay.  I eliminated some questions and requirements for my exceptional education students, but that was about the extent of my adjustments. 

Assessments are definitely important to determine prior knowledge, progress, and comprehension at the end of a unit.  They should be ongoing and their results should be analyzed as an indication of student progress.  That said, mine haven't been what they should.  I'd venture to say that first year teachers in general aren't as prepared/thorough as they ought to be...  Of course, that could just be me trying not to feel guilty. 

Next year...

A little late, but at least I'm doing it, right?

What went well?

I struggled a bit with reading material.  After a while, I got a feel for what sort of stories my students liked and what they didn't.  I'll definitely do Coming of Age in Mississippi again.  In the later part of the year, I got totally settled in my lesson plan formula, instead of doing it any which way.  This was a good thing for me, and I think it was good for my students as well.

What didn't?

Class rewards were a bust, mainly because my standards were too high and classes rarely earned gems.  I didn't stick to my Star Student plan, either.  Group work.  I didn't put as much time, effort, or thought into grouping as I should have.  I didn't do it as much as I would've liked, either.  This is primarily because of my lackluster classroom management skillz.  Tutoring.  Students only came around grade time- progress reports, report cards, etc, and they expected to be able to pull their grades up enormously in one afternoon. 

What will I change for next year?

I need to be better prepared for class and think about my long-term goals for the students instead of just surviving the week.  I'd like to have my lessons planned some time in advance.  Basically, my self-discipline has to improve so that my teaching (and, consequently, my students' performance) improves.  I will be more consistent in my consequences and rewards.  I will be more organized in my classroom.  No more hidden stacks of paper for me!  I will find more interesting readings for my class, including more nonfiction than I did this year.  I will keep up the grading pace that I had at the beginning of school this year.  I will stay at school longer and get more of my work done there. 

This feels like a list of New Year's resolutions. 

or, what not to do your first year of teaching

i feel like someone has already used that title.  if so, i apologize.  i'm not at all original. 

let's start at the very beginning. (i hear it's a very good place to start.)  my initial classroom mgmt plan was quite idealistic.  i had basic, vague rules (i still wish i could use them)....  be respectful, be responsible, and.. um.. i've forgotten the other one.  be prepared?  no..  maybe it was be honest.  at any rate, you get the idea.  so those rules changed a few weeks(?) into the year, replaced by 1 raise your hand to speak or stand, 2 come to class prepared and ready to work, 3 stay on task, and 4 keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.  i was fairly consistent in the beginning, but i didn't stay that way.  i'm horribly absent-minded and not organized enough, so i'd forget or misplace pretty much everything.  naturally, my disciplinary stuff was part of that.  i gave too many chances to reform behavior, too many warnings.  i was much too nice.  hopefully, i'll have the backbone to be somewhat hardcore next year.  i've been visualizing. 

the rules in our classroom this summer are similar to my second set of rules above.  the kids are pretty much angels so far, but there have been warnings, so we're getting at least some small opportunities to hone our skillz.  maybe there will even be a detention someday!  one day, i'd love to have a class with which i could use my vague, idealistic rules, but i have a feeling it won't be happening any time soon. 

i almost forgot.. rewards/consequences

in my classroom, i had a ticket system from the start.  one thing i did not offer in exchange for tickets was candy.  i had homework passes, bathroom passes, school supplies, etc., but i was quite reluctant to bring candy into the mix.  part of the reason for this was my veganism.  i'm reluctant to spend my money on products that i don't support.  i guess it's a question of principles vs. results.  i'm still conflicted.  anyone know of good, AFFORDABLE, vegan candy?   oh, i started out with star students, too.  that disappeared fairly quickly.  class rewards were spoken of, but rarely actually earned. 

my classroom consequences were  1 warning, 2 writing, 3 parent contact, 4 detention,  5 referral.  i think.  or else parent contact and detention went hand in hand.  if a student didn't come to my detention, i referred them to the office.  sometimes, they received school-wide friday detention.  i didn't contact parents nearly enough.  most cared, but a few definitely just wanted me to stop talking. 

This past school year, I worked in JPS and was required to follow the pacing guide supplied by my district, so designing a curriculum map was a relatively new exercise for me.  I made one for the second session with my fellow first-years last summer.  I think it's definitely a useful exercise.  There are significant pros and cons to having a pacing guide supplied by the district.  Sometimes, the time frames for the objectives are unrealistic, but it is comforting to have a guide to follow all the same.  Since my subject was not state tested, I was not watched very closely by my administration, so I could add a few days here and subtract a few there. 

One challenge of creating a curriculum map is the lack of knowledge on the part of the students.  Do you start where you're supposed to start, according to the frameworks, or do you go back to where the blank space starts?  I worry that we're wasting time on basic basics, but at the same time, we need a solid foundation to build on.  I'm thankful that this summer school is twice as long as it has been before, so hopefully our students will have the time to get a more thorough grasp of the most important concepts.  Allotting time is also challenging.  We've changed up our scheduling a little since we made it, which was bound to happen when it became evident where our students needed more work and how fast they could move. 

enjoy your life now.  savor every moment before August.  start meditating.  practice calming exercises.  find a stress relieving activity if you haven't already.  develop your organizational skills- you have no idea how much paper you'll have to deal with.  don't freak yourself out- this is big, but it's not going to kill you.  get teacher clothes before you come down here- there's nowhere to shop in oxford. 

i can't think of anything else right now.

I can't remember if I've posted about this student before.  I don't think I have.

At the beginning of the year, he was horribly disruptive in class, wouldn't do his work, and every time I tried to (gently) remind him to do so, he'd respond belligerently, "I don't know why you talking to me.  Get out of my face."  (or something like that)
I pulled him aside innumerable times and explained calmly how his behavior was hostile and not constructive, how he could do this work if he just tried, etc. etc. etc.  I called home and talked to his mother, and she explained that he'd been having these same sorts of problems with teachers for a good while now.  I don't know if she had anything to do with the change in his behavior, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did. 
Finally (FINALLY), he came around.  He started doing his work, asking for help, being (mostly) good in class, and his grades have skyrocketed.  I am so proud of him.  SO PROUD.
I used to dread his class because he was in it, and now I look forward to seeing him.

So...  School.  As an oh-so-wise fellow teacher told me, "it's almost over."  We are, indeed, more than halfway through the year.  Three more months.  I can make it (I think).  Time has flown by, and I'm thinking about next year's plans.  Do I want to stick it out where I am?  Should I try to get a job elsewhere, perhaps (at the risk of selling out) at a less challenging school?  Since I definitely don't have the funds to open a vegan bakery (my current obsession), I think it will have to be one of the previous two options.  As much as I dread school most of the time, there are moments of goodness.  I don't think I'll quit the program.  To tell the truth, the master's is not really a huge motivating factor.  After these two years, I really doubt I'll stick with teaching (feeling like a sellout again).  You never can tell, though.  Maybe I'll be inspired.

If it would mean increased enrollment in one long session, I'd support the change from two short to one long session.  I guess the question would be whether or not this change would increase enrollment, and how that would affect fees and such. 

I do agree that everyone would benefit from more clearly-defined expectations/roles for the second-years.

I heard a suggestion last weekend that it'd be helpful for first-years to teach a class to second-years and mentors as if it were a real class.  I agree totally with this.  The role-plays were helpful, but the more we can imitate a (prolonged) real-life situation, the more helpful it would be (I think). 

As far as lesson planning goes, it seems like it should be more of a collaborative effort, at least at first.  If I remember correctly, we went from using the second-years' lesson plans to making our own fairly abruptly.  It might be more work for second-years, but I think it'd be quite beneficial for first-years to gradually take over lesson-planning duties, working from observation to input to full responsibility in smaller stages.  Just an idea- a small one, and one that may not be welcomed.