Posts (page 2)

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. 

Let's see...  I've always been a procrastinator, and that's only gotten worse (mainly because I dislike my job so much that I hate having anything to do with it when I'm not at work).  I've realized what a problem my messiness and my absentmindedness can be.  I deal with a lot more frustration.  I have to try to keep my emotions bottled up, which is hard because I'm used to being quite open.  I'm lazier than ever before.  The time that I have for myself, I use to just veg out, rather than exercising my creative/crafty muscles.  I have headaches.  My life has become much more unhealthy.  I've discovered (I think) that I am not built to be a teacher.  I've learned that I don't have a strong presence or any air of authority.  To tell you the truth, at this moment, I can't see any positive changes in my life that have resulted from this experience.  I don't THINK I have changed much, rather than new knowledge of myself. 

I'm sorry that I'm being so negative, but it's how I feel, and I'm not going to sugar-coat it. 

On a positive note, this week has been immeasurably better than last week.  Maybe in a couple of weeks, I'll be more positive.

What is one change you can make to improve as a teacher?

I've been thinking about this fairly constantly for a while and every waking moment this week.  I think I foster a culture of negativity in my classroom.  I encourage and reward students, but I feel like I dole out negative consequences far more often than positive ones.  The simple fact is that these students have been in school for at least ten years.  They know which behaviors are acceptable and which are not.  There are reasons why they act the way they do, and those reasons are the things that I want to find.  Finding the root of a problem seems like a more effective way of dealing with it than constantly pruning the branches and hoping that it will somehow stop growing. 
Basically, the one change I want to make is to be able to understand my students better, mainly to help them understand themselves.  I want to find and address the motivations for the different behaviors my students display, not just the behaviors.  I want to be able to encourage them more.  I want them to believe that I believe in them.  Sorry.  Got off on a tangent there.  I basically want supermagicalxrayglasses that will allow me to see my students' souls. 

On another note, I think I dreamed of glue sticks last night. 

um, sometimes.  why?

cause that's what you smell like.  you smell like cinnamon.

oh...

(courtesy of L, halfway through first block this morning)

it was just so random that i had to share.