After weeks of putting off sending in my acceptance letter, I finally inked my name on the dotted line—actually, I think it was solid—and became an employee of the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). I probably would have signed and sent it in sooner if not for the fact that I wanted a couple more days of feeling less like an adult with a job and more like a kid at school. I'm totally up for being a responsible adult, though, if it means I have a good job for the upcoming year.
If it weren't for my friend, LaJoi, I would not have applied to AUSL, but she hyped the program up like it was the best ever, so I did some research. AUSL is a not-for-profit that takes over Chicago public schools that have repeatedly failed to meet Annual Yearly Progress, the threshold of success introduced by the No Child Left Behind Act. If schools fail enough times, they need to undergo certain changes, some of them drastic. AUSL, under contract with CPS, takes over failing schools, overhauls the staff, and attempts to transform the school from the inside out. Schools close in June looking one way and open in September with a (mostly) new staff aimed at re-creating the school's culture to promote excellence. It seemed like a great opportunity, and I'm happy I've been accepted. It should make for a very intense educational and enriching experience for me over the next year or so.
Sure, there are aspects of AUSL that made we wonder if it was the right choice. First, you're committed to teaching at one of their schools for four years after the year of training. Four years is a long time! I have no idea what twists and turns my life will take over the next year, much less five! When it came down to it, though, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be trained extensively for another year by experts in education. I also liked the idea of getting a job at a school where everyone is clear about and agrees with its mission.
Second, I was leery of having a limited number of options for where to work after the year of training. AUSL has only four high schools under its management right now. They plan to get a couple more each year, but that might leave my options for placement at six or seven schools. Not much choice. I figured, though, that there might be an opportunity to be placed close to where I already live in the city. Plus, it's more important to me what the school is like and if I'd be a good fit to teach there. Location is important, but all of the schools are going to be located in areas where good teachers are especially needed, and I'm first and foremost willing to go where I'd be best suited.
Third, it's going to be really difficult! That one was easier to overcome. I prayed about the decision for a long time and told myself to stop thinking about wimping out. Besides, any job is going to have its challenges. (Sure, maybe not as many as at these schools, but who doesn't like a challenge?)
I'm looking forward to starting, but there's still plenty that has to happen before then. I still have a commitment to complete to the best of my ability at Jefferson Middle School. Today was a good day, one where I connected more with the students and felt like I did a pretty nice job of teaching the material. Most of all, I think today went well because I did a better job with classroom management. I've gotten it more into my head that the students know when they're out of line, and my recognizing that with appropriate consequences is only right. It should be more surprising to not be punished than to be let off the hook. I hope a couple more days, weeks, or whatever-unit-of-time-is-necessary's will help me get better at setting expectations and following up with them.
P.S. The two dashes in the first sentence are dedicated to Rachel.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Into Week Three
Jefferson Middle School is a wonderful place with wonderful teachers. I'm having a (guess what) wonderful experience thus far. I think the combined impact of several factors is the reason for the good time thus far. These include:
A bit more sleep and a lot less driving,
Team support,
A more gradual transition,
The SMART Board.
Of these, the SMART board is probably the biggest change. My classroom at Danville HS had an ELMO, which was a blessing. Having to use transparencies would have been a nightmare. There were so many more pictures and diagrams I could show the students because I could just slip them under the camera. I could show students' work, samples of work, even a solid object if I needed to. The SMART board, however, makes the ELMO (which the classroom at JMS has also) look like, well, an overhead projector.
Using a SMART board, I can write an entire lesson as a Notebook file and go through it step by step. I can scan images straight from the book and insert them into the slides. I can place objects in the slides and infinitely clone them, which is great when working with a chip board (a visual for adding and subtracting integers). The best part of the SMART board is how students are able to interact with the technology. I call on students to come up and draw on it or move an object into place. I have never seen so many volunteers raise their hands to show their work to the class as I have during my time teaching Honors 6th grade math. Of course, the honors students are more responsive in a variety of ways, but the standard level math students get just as much pleasure out of using the SMART board.
Things had been going so well last week that I prayed for a bad day, just so that I could get the idea out of my head that Jefferson Middle School was heaven on earth. God responds in a variety of ways to prayer, but his response to my prayer was quite clear and immediate. Last week Thursday, my cooperating teacher needed to leave town, so I was responsible for teaching all six classes instead of just the three I had been teaching. First period went well, and I think 6th and 7th went all right (all three honors classes), but 2nd through 4th periods were quite messy. I really think in some ways I lost control of 2nd period. There were two students in particular who were talkative, disruptive, and disrespectful, and I gave both detentions, but that didn't resolve the issues that were ongoing for that period. It didn't help me that there were two subs in the classroom, one for my coop and one for the special education instructor who is normally there. Third period was a little better because the special education teacher was present, but the students still acted out more than they normally would have had my coop been there. Fourth period was interesting for a different reason: unbeknownst to me, almost all of the students had already learned the mathematical game I was going to teach them. One student shouted out the rule before I could even begin. Having no good back up plan, the class dissolved into manageable disorder. Students worked on other assignments or played some games. It wasn't awful, but it was quite draining. I definitely need to improve on my discipline! That's probably my greatest weakness right now.
Though I'm enjoying my time, I think high school is where I'm cut out to be. Sixth graders are very different from high schoolers. (Probably the most obvious statement I've ever posted.) They goof around more and need more babying. I have a somewhat difficult time relating to them. I think working with high school students comes a bit more naturally. We'll see how things go. Hopefully, they continue to go well... I certainly won't be praying for any more bad days!
A bit more sleep and a lot less driving,
Team support,
A more gradual transition,
The SMART Board.
Of these, the SMART board is probably the biggest change. My classroom at Danville HS had an ELMO, which was a blessing. Having to use transparencies would have been a nightmare. There were so many more pictures and diagrams I could show the students because I could just slip them under the camera. I could show students' work, samples of work, even a solid object if I needed to. The SMART board, however, makes the ELMO (which the classroom at JMS has also) look like, well, an overhead projector.
Using a SMART board, I can write an entire lesson as a Notebook file and go through it step by step. I can scan images straight from the book and insert them into the slides. I can place objects in the slides and infinitely clone them, which is great when working with a chip board (a visual for adding and subtracting integers). The best part of the SMART board is how students are able to interact with the technology. I call on students to come up and draw on it or move an object into place. I have never seen so many volunteers raise their hands to show their work to the class as I have during my time teaching Honors 6th grade math. Of course, the honors students are more responsive in a variety of ways, but the standard level math students get just as much pleasure out of using the SMART board.
Things had been going so well last week that I prayed for a bad day, just so that I could get the idea out of my head that Jefferson Middle School was heaven on earth. God responds in a variety of ways to prayer, but his response to my prayer was quite clear and immediate. Last week Thursday, my cooperating teacher needed to leave town, so I was responsible for teaching all six classes instead of just the three I had been teaching. First period went well, and I think 6th and 7th went all right (all three honors classes), but 2nd through 4th periods were quite messy. I really think in some ways I lost control of 2nd period. There were two students in particular who were talkative, disruptive, and disrespectful, and I gave both detentions, but that didn't resolve the issues that were ongoing for that period. It didn't help me that there were two subs in the classroom, one for my coop and one for the special education instructor who is normally there. Third period was a little better because the special education teacher was present, but the students still acted out more than they normally would have had my coop been there. Fourth period was interesting for a different reason: unbeknownst to me, almost all of the students had already learned the mathematical game I was going to teach them. One student shouted out the rule before I could even begin. Having no good back up plan, the class dissolved into manageable disorder. Students worked on other assignments or played some games. It wasn't awful, but it was quite draining. I definitely need to improve on my discipline! That's probably my greatest weakness right now.
Though I'm enjoying my time, I think high school is where I'm cut out to be. Sixth graders are very different from high schoolers. (Probably the most obvious statement I've ever posted.) They goof around more and need more babying. I have a somewhat difficult time relating to them. I think working with high school students comes a bit more naturally. We'll see how things go. Hopefully, they continue to go well... I certainly won't be praying for any more bad days!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Movin' in with the Jeffersons
That title is lacking. I really wanted to make a play on words with the theme song for The Jeffersons, but I didn't want to make it seem like going from Danville HS to Jefferson Middle School was a step up or something. In some ways, however, it is. As far as test scores go, JMS has about 80% of its students meeting or exceeding state standards. DHS has only 40% or so meeting or exceeding standards. Convenience is a plus, too. It takes about 10-15 minutes for me to get to my new placement, which is much better than the 40-50 minutes to get to Danville. On the other hand, it will take quite a bit for me to learn more than I did at Danville. I feel a lot more prepared to teach after having that experience... but now I'm at Jefferson, so let's reflect a bit on the first week there.
First of all, I love the teamwork that goes on at JMS. The math department meets on a weekly basis to work on curricula planning. This allows the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers to know what each other will be teaching in a given year. I think it makes every teacher more effective to know what everyone else is doing. The 6th grade math teachers (my co-op and another woman) collaborate formally on a weekly basis and informally much more often than that. They exchange ideas and plan what they'll be doing in the coming weeks. It helps us have an idea of where we're trying to go when we have that far in advance planned. That was a struggle for me at Danville: trying to stay ahead. (Of course, sometimes things don't go as planned, and you need to make changes, but they're easier to make when you're ahead.)
In addition to departmental teamwork, there are almost daily team meetings among the 6th grade teachers who have the same students. This allows one teacher to say something like "It seems like Johnny has been slipping with his effort," and get feedback from other teachers to see if this is a trend across all classes or just that one. I love it when I get to meet up with my fellow pre-service math teachers at U of I, and it's this kind of exchange and discussion, the kind where you find out that you're not alone in something, that strengthens me. It also lets the teachers figure out the best way to help students. It worked especially well during Parent-Teacher conferences this past week because parents were able to hear from all their son or daughter's teachers at once to learn what they could do to help their child.
Lastly, the teamwork at Jefferson works well even on the school-wide level. Every week (I think), the entire JMS faculty get together for professional development and discussion of school-wide issues. There is a sense of community during these meetings. It feels like everyone is aware that they are working toward the same goals. There is good-natured joking amongst the staff. There is respect for those who take the lead during the meetings. Now with a smaller staff than of a high school, this is probably more feasible. Dunbar's number is 150, which would suggest that a high school faculty should be able to achieve this same sense of community and social stability, but with a faculty of around 55 it's probably easier to establish at a middle school like Jefferson. No matter if it's easier or not, there is definitely a healthy community at JMS that cannot help but aid in how students learn there.
My experiences in the classroom have been positive as well. I haven't run into too much disobedience, and what disobedience there is is nipped in the bud by asking students to "take one." This is code for "Put your hands in your lap and remain silent for a short period of time." It's a way to "reset" students, let them know that they were being disruptive, and correct their behavior with minimal embarrassment. It's simple and seems to work. There are times when students are slightly more disruptive and need to be taken into the hallway for a short conversation, but these incidences are much less common. Detentions and referrals are even more rare.
I haven't really begun teaching yet, and I'm likely to encounter some of the same difficulties I faced at DHS, but I hope to be able to handle them better than I did before. I don't want to have unrealistic expectations for this experience based upon the first week. I know, know, know that there will be crests and troughs. Being more mentally prepared for them is a good start. There's a long way to go, but I'm ready to keep movin' on up. (There it is! The reference I wanted all along.)
First of all, I love the teamwork that goes on at JMS. The math department meets on a weekly basis to work on curricula planning. This allows the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers to know what each other will be teaching in a given year. I think it makes every teacher more effective to know what everyone else is doing. The 6th grade math teachers (my co-op and another woman) collaborate formally on a weekly basis and informally much more often than that. They exchange ideas and plan what they'll be doing in the coming weeks. It helps us have an idea of where we're trying to go when we have that far in advance planned. That was a struggle for me at Danville: trying to stay ahead. (Of course, sometimes things don't go as planned, and you need to make changes, but they're easier to make when you're ahead.)
In addition to departmental teamwork, there are almost daily team meetings among the 6th grade teachers who have the same students. This allows one teacher to say something like "It seems like Johnny has been slipping with his effort," and get feedback from other teachers to see if this is a trend across all classes or just that one. I love it when I get to meet up with my fellow pre-service math teachers at U of I, and it's this kind of exchange and discussion, the kind where you find out that you're not alone in something, that strengthens me. It also lets the teachers figure out the best way to help students. It worked especially well during Parent-Teacher conferences this past week because parents were able to hear from all their son or daughter's teachers at once to learn what they could do to help their child.
Lastly, the teamwork at Jefferson works well even on the school-wide level. Every week (I think), the entire JMS faculty get together for professional development and discussion of school-wide issues. There is a sense of community during these meetings. It feels like everyone is aware that they are working toward the same goals. There is good-natured joking amongst the staff. There is respect for those who take the lead during the meetings. Now with a smaller staff than of a high school, this is probably more feasible. Dunbar's number is 150, which would suggest that a high school faculty should be able to achieve this same sense of community and social stability, but with a faculty of around 55 it's probably easier to establish at a middle school like Jefferson. No matter if it's easier or not, there is definitely a healthy community at JMS that cannot help but aid in how students learn there.
My experiences in the classroom have been positive as well. I haven't run into too much disobedience, and what disobedience there is is nipped in the bud by asking students to "take one." This is code for "Put your hands in your lap and remain silent for a short period of time." It's a way to "reset" students, let them know that they were being disruptive, and correct their behavior with minimal embarrassment. It's simple and seems to work. There are times when students are slightly more disruptive and need to be taken into the hallway for a short conversation, but these incidences are much less common. Detentions and referrals are even more rare.
I haven't really begun teaching yet, and I'm likely to encounter some of the same difficulties I faced at DHS, but I hope to be able to handle them better than I did before. I don't want to have unrealistic expectations for this experience based upon the first week. I know, know, know that there will be crests and troughs. Being more mentally prepared for them is a good start. There's a long way to go, but I'm ready to keep movin' on up. (There it is! The reference I wanted all along.)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
And So It Ends
My last week at Danville High School was by far the best of all of them. I felt like I planned my lessons with a much better understanding of how much the students can learn in 50 minutes. Except for one period where I was much too ambitious with the activity I planned for the students to complete, I think I prepared just the right amount. There weren't as many discipline problems as past weeks, but of course there still were some. In addition, the students performed fairly well on the assessments I gave on Thursday (quizzes for the Algebra 2/Trig students, tests for the Algebra repeaters). All in all, I'd say I developed a better sense of how to teach at DHS last week.
And then I left :(
Whereas I'm looking forward to starting a new experience at Jefferson Middle School, I'm disappointed that I couldn't stay at least one more week at DHS. There's this thought in the back of my mind that maybe last week was a fluke, that the stars aligned for me. I would have liked to have one more week to see if I truly had taken my teaching to a new level. Now, I'll have to introduce myself to a new group of students and go through some of the same adjustments I had to go through seven weeks ago. I suppose if I indeed have learned from my experiences that the first couple of weeks at JMS won't inflict quite so many growing pains. And, yikes, there were so many at DHS.
I really don't know where to start when it comes to what I'll take away from my experience. I've learned I need to be more consistent and assertive with my discipline. A plan of action would help me know what I want to do in certain situations if/when they arise. I've also learned that you can't make every lesson spectacularly brilliant as I am wont to do. There were lessons I spent upwards of 3 hours working on, and that just can't happen consistently. ("Should it happen at all?" is also a good question to ask.) Furthermore, I realize that having a procedure for grading homework is vitally important. Do students get time to work on it in class? Do they get graded on completion, correctness, both? If both, when does each happen? There are so many questions to ask.
One of the most significant lessons I learned came on the last day of class. I had not the greatest end to my very good week. The Algebra 2/Trig classes were not very respectful, and the Geometry class was, well, how it usually was: some very on-task and others very clueless. The Algebra class, however, was thoroughly engaged with my oddball lesson on a game called NIM. I learned the game during my second semester here, and I've found it to be a very, very good way to introduce students to induction. I really enjoyed teaching the Algebra repeaters on Friday. It had to do partly with the lessons I prepared for Friday, but they were consistently the group I liked to teach the most. They really seemed to appreciate it when I did different styles of teaching with them. Though they had some major behavior issues, I feel like as a group they had more curiosity than the other classes. The Algebra 2/Trig classes seemed to want to just memorize the formula and get on with it; the Geometry class... I still don't understand that group; but the Algebra 1 class was fun to teach. They showed me more of their personalities. Even one student, whom I saw a total of three times throughout the seven weeks, seemed to reveal more of who he is to me than a majority of the students in the other classes. I think what I learned was that those are the kinds of students I should teach.
Now, mind you, this is just still a thought, but I've been strongly considering teaching with a foundation that would set me up with a yearlong learning experience in a school of need in Chicago. Then, I would probably find a job at one of the "turnaround" schools that they run in Chicago. I'm feeling more like this is the direction I should go, but I'm still very unsure. I don't know when I'll know for sure what I want to do. Maybe two weeks. Maybe two months. Hopefully not two years!
For now, I face another new beginning tomorrow.
And then I left :(
Whereas I'm looking forward to starting a new experience at Jefferson Middle School, I'm disappointed that I couldn't stay at least one more week at DHS. There's this thought in the back of my mind that maybe last week was a fluke, that the stars aligned for me. I would have liked to have one more week to see if I truly had taken my teaching to a new level. Now, I'll have to introduce myself to a new group of students and go through some of the same adjustments I had to go through seven weeks ago. I suppose if I indeed have learned from my experiences that the first couple of weeks at JMS won't inflict quite so many growing pains. And, yikes, there were so many at DHS.
I really don't know where to start when it comes to what I'll take away from my experience. I've learned I need to be more consistent and assertive with my discipline. A plan of action would help me know what I want to do in certain situations if/when they arise. I've also learned that you can't make every lesson spectacularly brilliant as I am wont to do. There were lessons I spent upwards of 3 hours working on, and that just can't happen consistently. ("Should it happen at all?" is also a good question to ask.) Furthermore, I realize that having a procedure for grading homework is vitally important. Do students get time to work on it in class? Do they get graded on completion, correctness, both? If both, when does each happen? There are so many questions to ask.
One of the most significant lessons I learned came on the last day of class. I had not the greatest end to my very good week. The Algebra 2/Trig classes were not very respectful, and the Geometry class was, well, how it usually was: some very on-task and others very clueless. The Algebra class, however, was thoroughly engaged with my oddball lesson on a game called NIM. I learned the game during my second semester here, and I've found it to be a very, very good way to introduce students to induction. I really enjoyed teaching the Algebra repeaters on Friday. It had to do partly with the lessons I prepared for Friday, but they were consistently the group I liked to teach the most. They really seemed to appreciate it when I did different styles of teaching with them. Though they had some major behavior issues, I feel like as a group they had more curiosity than the other classes. The Algebra 2/Trig classes seemed to want to just memorize the formula and get on with it; the Geometry class... I still don't understand that group; but the Algebra 1 class was fun to teach. They showed me more of their personalities. Even one student, whom I saw a total of three times throughout the seven weeks, seemed to reveal more of who he is to me than a majority of the students in the other classes. I think what I learned was that those are the kinds of students I should teach.
Now, mind you, this is just still a thought, but I've been strongly considering teaching with a foundation that would set me up with a yearlong learning experience in a school of need in Chicago. Then, I would probably find a job at one of the "turnaround" schools that they run in Chicago. I'm feeling more like this is the direction I should go, but I'm still very unsure. I don't know when I'll know for sure what I want to do. Maybe two weeks. Maybe two months. Hopefully not two years!
For now, I face another new beginning tomorrow.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It Was a Good Day
This past Wednesday was the first day that when asked the question "How did it go?" I could honestly say "It was good." Up until that point, I had been relegated to saying "All right," or "Okay," or sometimes "Not so good." What made the difference? I felt like I was more of myself in front of the class that day. I managed to walk the fine line between being a teacher persona and staying true to who I am. At some point, I know I'll get the hang of this, and it won't feel so much like acting in front of everyone. Another contributing factor to its being a good day was how prepared I felt. I had a good presentation ready to go, and it took just the right amount of time to go through. Having the next two days off for interviews helped, too, but that's not something I can control, so I'll stay away from giving credit to the circumstances.
My goal going into this last week at Danville H.S. is to have multiple good days. Part of that means getting more prepared ahead of time. I've got a solid idea of what I'm going to do over the next five days, and now I need to start making those ideas into realities. It's difficult for me to be in a situation where there's always more that I can do to be prepared. I like to be able to check things off of lists, and I can't really do that with teaching because nothing is ever really closed. For today, I can just use my time as wisely as possible to get ready for the next few days. There's no point stressing myself out before the week has even begun. A cool and calm me is going to be a better teacher for the students in my five classes.
In addition, I'll try to incorporate a little more of myself into the lessons. I snuck in a picture of my looking like a Weasley twin, which the students enjoyed. It also broke up the lesson into two distinct parts. It acted as a quick time to loosen everyone up and take a quick break from thinking about trigonometry.
One more thing I learned from this past week is that being absent is sometimes more work than being present. It's a lot of work to write sub plans, even if your "sub" is your cooperating teacher who does this thing every year. Now, having been gone for two days, I need to look at what I had planned to happen, what actually did happen, and what I want to happen and try to align them all. It'll take a while, but I'm not nervous or worried. I'm just looking forward to my next good day.
My goal going into this last week at Danville H.S. is to have multiple good days. Part of that means getting more prepared ahead of time. I've got a solid idea of what I'm going to do over the next five days, and now I need to start making those ideas into realities. It's difficult for me to be in a situation where there's always more that I can do to be prepared. I like to be able to check things off of lists, and I can't really do that with teaching because nothing is ever really closed. For today, I can just use my time as wisely as possible to get ready for the next few days. There's no point stressing myself out before the week has even begun. A cool and calm me is going to be a better teacher for the students in my five classes.
In addition, I'll try to incorporate a little more of myself into the lessons. I snuck in a picture of my looking like a Weasley twin, which the students enjoyed. It also broke up the lesson into two distinct parts. It acted as a quick time to loosen everyone up and take a quick break from thinking about trigonometry.
One more thing I learned from this past week is that being absent is sometimes more work than being present. It's a lot of work to write sub plans, even if your "sub" is your cooperating teacher who does this thing every year. Now, having been gone for two days, I need to look at what I had planned to happen, what actually did happen, and what I want to happen and try to align them all. It'll take a while, but I'm not nervous or worried. I'm just looking forward to my next good day.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Another Late Night
I really meant to write this earlier. I must have meant to write this earlier about a dozen times, but it just never rose above the important of finishing my lesson plans, and so here I am writing about last week at least one day too late.
This is my 6th of 7 weeks at Danville High School, and I feel like I'm almost at the finish line. I prepared for this marathon of an experience for years, and thank goodness I did. The administrative duties alone are enough to overwhelm me at times. Then, of course, there's the actual teaching.
This past week was my first five-day week where I taught all five classes: 3 algebra 2/trig, 1 geometry, and 1 repeater algebra. That's 15 distinct lesson plans, 25 lessons taught, a total of at least twenty hours of being in the spotlight. I don't know how I manage to stay up until 11pm, wake up at 5:20am, get ready, teach until 2:40pm, stay to answer questions until sometimes 4pm, come home, eat, prepare, and do it all over again. I guess all the prayers of my friends and family, in addition to my own, are working. I'm finding some sort of strength to keep going.
There have certainly been rewards. I've seen some students improve their grades... of course, I've also seen some do the opposite. Overall, I think I've made a positive impact on the students, but I don't think I'll ever know for sure. I never really went up to my teachers to thank them. I never really gave a lot of positive feedback. I'm sure some of them knew they did a good job, but I rarely told them to their faces. I heard one student at one point say "This is the most fun I've had in math this year," and those comments stick with me. Even still, I feel like the next day approaches too quickly to dwell very long on a single positive comment. Certainly, the next day approaches too quickly to dwell on a negative comment, and there are plenty of those.
As far as having an impact on individual students, there's one girl with whom I've worked after school a few times. She has a 'D' in Algebra 2/Trig right now, but she recently received an 'A' on both her quadratic formula quiz and quiz on distance/midpoint/circles. Her father passed away within the past two weeks, and I realize the effect that that has on her. Math isn't as important as family, and it can be difficult for her to focus in class. I think the extra time I've spent with her has helped, but most of the credit should, of course go to her. There's another student who I continue to try to teach lessons not related to math. He is defiant and challenges my authority daily. It's hard for me not to hold previous experiences against him, but I try my best. I wish he would realize that the sort of stubbornness he demonstrates in class by refusing to take notes, do practice problems, work in general won't fly when he has a job. Maybe he'll soften in the coming week, but I can only teach him the relationship between his choices and their consequences. He needs to receive the lesson for it to stick.
All in all, I'm ready for bed. It's late, and I need to run to the store to buy candy that I promised to the winners of our Angle Bingo game today. Ah, the joys of student teaching.
This is my 6th of 7 weeks at Danville High School, and I feel like I'm almost at the finish line. I prepared for this marathon of an experience for years, and thank goodness I did. The administrative duties alone are enough to overwhelm me at times. Then, of course, there's the actual teaching.
This past week was my first five-day week where I taught all five classes: 3 algebra 2/trig, 1 geometry, and 1 repeater algebra. That's 15 distinct lesson plans, 25 lessons taught, a total of at least twenty hours of being in the spotlight. I don't know how I manage to stay up until 11pm, wake up at 5:20am, get ready, teach until 2:40pm, stay to answer questions until sometimes 4pm, come home, eat, prepare, and do it all over again. I guess all the prayers of my friends and family, in addition to my own, are working. I'm finding some sort of strength to keep going.
There have certainly been rewards. I've seen some students improve their grades... of course, I've also seen some do the opposite. Overall, I think I've made a positive impact on the students, but I don't think I'll ever know for sure. I never really went up to my teachers to thank them. I never really gave a lot of positive feedback. I'm sure some of them knew they did a good job, but I rarely told them to their faces. I heard one student at one point say "This is the most fun I've had in math this year," and those comments stick with me. Even still, I feel like the next day approaches too quickly to dwell very long on a single positive comment. Certainly, the next day approaches too quickly to dwell on a negative comment, and there are plenty of those.
As far as having an impact on individual students, there's one girl with whom I've worked after school a few times. She has a 'D' in Algebra 2/Trig right now, but she recently received an 'A' on both her quadratic formula quiz and quiz on distance/midpoint/circles. Her father passed away within the past two weeks, and I realize the effect that that has on her. Math isn't as important as family, and it can be difficult for her to focus in class. I think the extra time I've spent with her has helped, but most of the credit should, of course go to her. There's another student who I continue to try to teach lessons not related to math. He is defiant and challenges my authority daily. It's hard for me not to hold previous experiences against him, but I try my best. I wish he would realize that the sort of stubbornness he demonstrates in class by refusing to take notes, do practice problems, work in general won't fly when he has a job. Maybe he'll soften in the coming week, but I can only teach him the relationship between his choices and their consequences. He needs to receive the lesson for it to stick.
All in all, I'm ready for bed. It's late, and I need to run to the store to buy candy that I promised to the winners of our Angle Bingo game today. Ah, the joys of student teaching.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
How to Make Yourself Crazy
This past Monday was President's Day. It was supposed to be a much-needed extension to what had been a busy weekend. Content and Professional Teaching tests took up 75% of my Saturday, and Sunday was Valentine's Day. Needless to say, I accomplished little on either of those two days. Nevertheless, with Monday off, I was feeling confident that I would get ahead in my lesson plans and go into the shortened week with a nice cushion. I could not have been more incorrect.
Monday was quite possibly the worst day I've had as a student teacher. I was unable to focus on my lesson plans. Every single one of them, I felt, needed to be a home run. I needed to catch the attention of the students each day, every period. I needed to show them how interesting and applicable and fun math is. I needed to leave them without anything about which to criticize me. I wanted to do all of those things, and I panicked.
I felt the urge to break down at so many different points that day. I was scheduled to pick up my fifth and final class during the week to come, and the added burden of a geometry class broke my spirit. How was I ever supposed to write three different lesson plans per day for the next four weeks? How was I supposed to do any of this when I could neither think of awesome hooks and fun activities nor find any suitable ones on the Internet? I finished the day having accomplished little and headed to bed that night feeling broken. I prayed for help because I knew I needed it.
That day was so dark, but I found hope in the encouragement of friends and family. My fellow student teachers knew what I was going through, and my family encouraged me to keep going. One of my cousins, a former high school math teacher, offered me good advice. Among other things, she told me 1) to try to make one lesson a week memorable, 2) you don't have to grade everything, and 3) take a break for yourself every once in a while. I had been (and to some extent still am) making myself crazy trying to be a hero. Every teacher should strive to be the best they can be and to reach their students in new and exciting ways, but I don't think anyone can survive teaching for long if they spend all their time trying to make each lesson fun. Some math is probably better taught traditionally. Some homework should just be done for practice. Some time should be set aside to rest.
I still feel somewhat unprepared for this week. I had a weekend retreat with my campus ministry for most of the weekend, and now I'm needing to focus all of my attention on writing some lesson plans for the upcoming week. I'm a little stressed out, but I know everything will turn out okay. The world won't end if the students aren't thrilled with learning how to multiply polynomials. I'll try my best to make class enjoyable, but it's most important for everyone to learn the material. I don't want to burn out from teaching before I even get a job. I'd rather stay sane, for at least the time being.
Monday was quite possibly the worst day I've had as a student teacher. I was unable to focus on my lesson plans. Every single one of them, I felt, needed to be a home run. I needed to catch the attention of the students each day, every period. I needed to show them how interesting and applicable and fun math is. I needed to leave them without anything about which to criticize me. I wanted to do all of those things, and I panicked.
I felt the urge to break down at so many different points that day. I was scheduled to pick up my fifth and final class during the week to come, and the added burden of a geometry class broke my spirit. How was I ever supposed to write three different lesson plans per day for the next four weeks? How was I supposed to do any of this when I could neither think of awesome hooks and fun activities nor find any suitable ones on the Internet? I finished the day having accomplished little and headed to bed that night feeling broken. I prayed for help because I knew I needed it.
That day was so dark, but I found hope in the encouragement of friends and family. My fellow student teachers knew what I was going through, and my family encouraged me to keep going. One of my cousins, a former high school math teacher, offered me good advice. Among other things, she told me 1) to try to make one lesson a week memorable, 2) you don't have to grade everything, and 3) take a break for yourself every once in a while. I had been (and to some extent still am) making myself crazy trying to be a hero. Every teacher should strive to be the best they can be and to reach their students in new and exciting ways, but I don't think anyone can survive teaching for long if they spend all their time trying to make each lesson fun. Some math is probably better taught traditionally. Some homework should just be done for practice. Some time should be set aside to rest.
I still feel somewhat unprepared for this week. I had a weekend retreat with my campus ministry for most of the weekend, and now I'm needing to focus all of my attention on writing some lesson plans for the upcoming week. I'm a little stressed out, but I know everything will turn out okay. The world won't end if the students aren't thrilled with learning how to multiply polynomials. I'll try my best to make class enjoyable, but it's most important for everyone to learn the material. I don't want to burn out from teaching before I even get a job. I'd rather stay sane, for at least the time being.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Staying Afloat
"Has three weeks gone by this quickly?"
"Has it only been three weeks?"
It might seem paradoxical for me to be thinking both of those thoughts at the same time, but I find myself in a place where time is going by very fast and very slow. I like what I'm doing, so it goes by quickly, but it takes SO much energy. Teaching is tough. I was not expecting to have to juggle so many things at the same time. It seems like the book is never closed on anything. I'm the type of person who likes to make checklists in my head and check items off of the list as they come and go. Having a checklist with a thousand little items (grade that one late assignment, print out the lessons for tomorrow, take attendance, meet So-and-So at the door to talk over what happened yesterday, etc.) is maddening on occasion. I have chosen a profession that might make you go crazy, but I haven't let it. Not yet, at least!
This past week could have been a lot more overwhelming if it hadn't been for the two snow days in the middle. I found that I got quite a bit of work done during those hours where I would have been teaching or en route to Danville. I managed to get ahead in lesson planning, but I will fall behind yet again if I don't make the most of tomorrow's day off. (Yea, Presidents!) My cousin, who taught high school math for a while, has told me that you don't have to make every lesson a home run. If you try to make every one fantastic and memorable for its presentation, you'll find yourself getting burned out. Content can be taught well without being flashy. I definitely want to teach lessons that impress my students and let them have a good time, but some of the time, a traditional lesson is needed.
I'm also having difficulty getting into a routine. Since the classroom isn't entirely mine and won't be until I'm a full-fledged (ie. paid) teacher, I can't completely transform things. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I would change, and that's part of the reason we all student teach. I think I might try next week to grade homework for completion and then give a homework quiz on Friday based on the assignments. Students will then have the whole week to complete assignments, and if they gave them their best shot then they should do well on the quiz. Trying out things like that is what this experience is about. If it works, awesome; if not, then I won't do that next year.
There are times when it feels like I'm sinking because of all there is to do and all that goes on, but there are many positives, and it's not the end of the world if I mess up. Even little things like having a student say she really understood something after I explained it one-on-one to her can push me back up to the surface. Sometimes the victories are bigger, like when I had the entire eighth hour class' attention for probably 30 minutes during a lesson. Managing their behavior is the toughest part, and to do that for a while feels pretty good, but each day is a chance to improve on the last. Maybe I'll have their attention for 31 minutes on Tuesday. I'll keep working and learning and staying afloat. Maybe after a while, it won't feel like the waters are so rough.
"Has it only been three weeks?"
It might seem paradoxical for me to be thinking both of those thoughts at the same time, but I find myself in a place where time is going by very fast and very slow. I like what I'm doing, so it goes by quickly, but it takes SO much energy. Teaching is tough. I was not expecting to have to juggle so many things at the same time. It seems like the book is never closed on anything. I'm the type of person who likes to make checklists in my head and check items off of the list as they come and go. Having a checklist with a thousand little items (grade that one late assignment, print out the lessons for tomorrow, take attendance, meet So-and-So at the door to talk over what happened yesterday, etc.) is maddening on occasion. I have chosen a profession that might make you go crazy, but I haven't let it. Not yet, at least!
This past week could have been a lot more overwhelming if it hadn't been for the two snow days in the middle. I found that I got quite a bit of work done during those hours where I would have been teaching or en route to Danville. I managed to get ahead in lesson planning, but I will fall behind yet again if I don't make the most of tomorrow's day off. (Yea, Presidents!) My cousin, who taught high school math for a while, has told me that you don't have to make every lesson a home run. If you try to make every one fantastic and memorable for its presentation, you'll find yourself getting burned out. Content can be taught well without being flashy. I definitely want to teach lessons that impress my students and let them have a good time, but some of the time, a traditional lesson is needed.
I'm also having difficulty getting into a routine. Since the classroom isn't entirely mine and won't be until I'm a full-fledged (ie. paid) teacher, I can't completely transform things. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I would change, and that's part of the reason we all student teach. I think I might try next week to grade homework for completion and then give a homework quiz on Friday based on the assignments. Students will then have the whole week to complete assignments, and if they gave them their best shot then they should do well on the quiz. Trying out things like that is what this experience is about. If it works, awesome; if not, then I won't do that next year.
There are times when it feels like I'm sinking because of all there is to do and all that goes on, but there are many positives, and it's not the end of the world if I mess up. Even little things like having a student say she really understood something after I explained it one-on-one to her can push me back up to the surface. Sometimes the victories are bigger, like when I had the entire eighth hour class' attention for probably 30 minutes during a lesson. Managing their behavior is the toughest part, and to do that for a while feels pretty good, but each day is a chance to improve on the last. Maybe I'll have their attention for 31 minutes on Tuesday. I'll keep working and learning and staying afloat. Maybe after a while, it won't feel like the waters are so rough.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Honeymoon is Over
The title for this post might not be very appropriate since I'm not sure I ever really had a honeymoon at DHS. Maybe that first day when all the students treated me like some exotic creature about which they had to learn was it. Nevertheless, the honeymoon is most definitely over now. The students don't feel the pressure to be extra good anymore. They're not trying to impress me, if they ever were. I'm still respected, by most I think, but I have to show them that I'm a teacher, too, and that they should give me their respect. I'm finding that for the first time in my life, I'm needing to be okay with people not liking me. I've always wanted to keep everyone at least neutral toward me, but that just doesn't make sense, especially in the classroom. I'm not there to be friends with my students, even though I'm less than 4 years older than some of them. I'm there to help them educate themselves.
My first real confrontation with a student occurred this past Tuesday. As everyone else worked on a review sheet that would help them study for their Thursday test, this student decided that he would rather talk away from his desk. I jumped into "Love and Logic" mode, which is the only form of classroom management I know. To give you an idea of what L&L is about, just think about all the choices that students have taken away from them. They can't write in pen, they can't go to the bathroom without permission, they can't choose where to sit, they can't can't can't. L&L is about having students take ownership of their problems and education. The teacher acts, as I believe the teacher should act most of the time, as a guide. Students make the decisions, and when that happens, I think they learn more.
Anyway, I gave the student in question the option of going back to his desk to work or bringing his paper to where he was now and working. The key to L&L is giving choices that you are comfortable giving. In other words, I wasn't going to offer him the choice of going back to his desk to talk. He made the choice that he didn't want to do either of those things. "Oh no!" I thought. "Now I have to offer him something else." I wasn't really prepared for him to resist my authority. (I have no idea why not!) I then thought off the cuff and gave him the option of going back to his seat to work or moving to a corner of the room and sitting there quietly. To this he responded "I'm not going in no corner. I'm not some first grader." Now, he was clearly being, in Danville's terms, "insubordinate," and I couldn't let that happen, especially with other students now looking at what was happening. I gave him this final choice, saying that I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this: he could either, once again, go back to his seat and work, or I would have to get a higher authority involved. At this point, he chose to go to the office. The whole interchange probably took place in the time of 2 or 3 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to me. I had never had to correct a student in that way. I wasn't happy that he had chosen to go to the office, but I was happy that it had been his choice. I hadn't gone over and immediately said "Go to the office!" He chose.
My cooperating teacher went to the office and caught up with him just before he entered. She told him that she was going to have to give him a "referral" if he walked through the office door, or he could go back and work. I hadn't made any unreasonable request, she told him. He knew he had messed up, and he came back to the classroom and began working, the result I had really wanted.
It all could have ended like that, but I thought follow up was necessary. I met the same student at the door the next day and said "Yesterday didn't go so well for me. How did it go for you?" He told me that he had already been having a bad day and that's why he acted the way he did. Today would be different. I then replied that "Every day is a new day. Let's do better today." I think the whole situation worked out pretty well. I'm going to be put in more situations like that in the coming weeks, but I've handled this one, so I have more confidence facing others that arise.
It actually wasn't long before I had another student do something similar. It didn't work out quite the same way because this second student has a history of skipping class and getting into trouble. It came to the point where I needed to write him a referral, but I then told him I was going to teach him about mercy. He didn't show up the next day anyway. I don't know how the rest of our time together will play out. I hope he learns something. That's really what I want for everyone in this situation: to learn something. I've already learned quite a bit, and it's only been two weeks. If my students can learn at least that much, I know I'll have taught them well.
My first real confrontation with a student occurred this past Tuesday. As everyone else worked on a review sheet that would help them study for their Thursday test, this student decided that he would rather talk away from his desk. I jumped into "Love and Logic" mode, which is the only form of classroom management I know. To give you an idea of what L&L is about, just think about all the choices that students have taken away from them. They can't write in pen, they can't go to the bathroom without permission, they can't choose where to sit, they can't can't can't. L&L is about having students take ownership of their problems and education. The teacher acts, as I believe the teacher should act most of the time, as a guide. Students make the decisions, and when that happens, I think they learn more.
Anyway, I gave the student in question the option of going back to his desk to work or bringing his paper to where he was now and working. The key to L&L is giving choices that you are comfortable giving. In other words, I wasn't going to offer him the choice of going back to his desk to talk. He made the choice that he didn't want to do either of those things. "Oh no!" I thought. "Now I have to offer him something else." I wasn't really prepared for him to resist my authority. (I have no idea why not!) I then thought off the cuff and gave him the option of going back to his seat to work or moving to a corner of the room and sitting there quietly. To this he responded "I'm not going in no corner. I'm not some first grader." Now, he was clearly being, in Danville's terms, "insubordinate," and I couldn't let that happen, especially with other students now looking at what was happening. I gave him this final choice, saying that I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this: he could either, once again, go back to his seat and work, or I would have to get a higher authority involved. At this point, he chose to go to the office. The whole interchange probably took place in the time of 2 or 3 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to me. I had never had to correct a student in that way. I wasn't happy that he had chosen to go to the office, but I was happy that it had been his choice. I hadn't gone over and immediately said "Go to the office!" He chose.
My cooperating teacher went to the office and caught up with him just before he entered. She told him that she was going to have to give him a "referral" if he walked through the office door, or he could go back and work. I hadn't made any unreasonable request, she told him. He knew he had messed up, and he came back to the classroom and began working, the result I had really wanted.
It all could have ended like that, but I thought follow up was necessary. I met the same student at the door the next day and said "Yesterday didn't go so well for me. How did it go for you?" He told me that he had already been having a bad day and that's why he acted the way he did. Today would be different. I then replied that "Every day is a new day. Let's do better today." I think the whole situation worked out pretty well. I'm going to be put in more situations like that in the coming weeks, but I've handled this one, so I have more confidence facing others that arise.
It actually wasn't long before I had another student do something similar. It didn't work out quite the same way because this second student has a history of skipping class and getting into trouble. It came to the point where I needed to write him a referral, but I then told him I was going to teach him about mercy. He didn't show up the next day anyway. I don't know how the rest of our time together will play out. I hope he learns something. That's really what I want for everyone in this situation: to learn something. I've already learned quite a bit, and it's only been two weeks. If my students can learn at least that much, I know I'll have taught them well.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
First Week Jitters and Victories
I started my student teaching experience this past week, and hence I have a new motivation to write and reflect on the world around me. It went really well, especially as far as "firsts" usually go. Being "the new kid" is always a little intimidating, and it's especially so when you are "the new teacher" and there are 120 young minds in front of you at one point or another. Each student within whom one of those minds functions is likely to be a little bit different because of me.
The best thing I did all week was one that I was desperately hoping I could do: get to know my students as individuals. To accomplish this, I first practiced what I preached. I gave each of them a letter of introduction that opened myself up to them. I told them from where I come, why I am in their classroom, what I like, and more. I let them ask me questions and gave them the best, most honest answers I could give them. Then, I let it be their turn. They each filled out a slip that asked such things as "What are your extracurricular activities?" and "Complete the following: "If I could rule the world..." You'd be surprised (as I was) how much you can learn about someone by asking him or her how they would rule the world if he or she could. Letting the students I care about them first was difficult, but so worth it. I hope we'll reap the benefits of that for the remainder of my placement.
Teaching my first lesson on Thursday was nerve-wracking, but I think it went well. I learned the importance of being prepared. Even having all of my notes and plans organized, I still fumbled at certain points. The students were merciful during the few "dead" moments when I was searching for the right words or the right sheet of paper, but that might not always be the case. Preparedness is invaluable, and I'll try to be even more prepared as I take on more responsibility in the coming weeks. That includes having extension activities in case a class breezes through 50 minutes of material in 35 minutes, as was the case on Friday. What took two Algebra II/Trigonometry classes 50 minutes to complete took the third only 35 minutes. At that point, I gave students time to work on homework and ask questions. I think this was a good use of time, but perhaps if I had a review game ready to play, that would have been an even better idea.
Each week, I hope to have a particularly positive impact on a student in one of the classes. This past week, I had what I thought were a few particularly positive interactions. There was one student who I worked with one-on-one for a while after school, teaching her about imaginary numbers and radicals. I found it very rewarding when she smiled and said "It's like my brain's on fire!" She was really understanding the material, and a 10/10 on her most recent homework assignment is only reinforcing that she really is a good math student. There are other students who weren't doing homework assignments but who I've encouraged to try. These are students to whom math is probably not a priority, especially when they have children for whom to care. One student had a friend die this past week and another die not too long ago. She was doodling in her notebook "Rest in Peace," little memorials for her friends. I told her that that was more important than math today. She gave a sad smile, and I think she appreciated that I could see that there are things in this world that matter more than solving a math problem. Math will get its due time this week, but sometimes we need to have a greater perspective and a desire to teach more than the subject material. We teachers need to show our students that we're human. I hope to demonstrate that for weeks to come.
The best thing I did all week was one that I was desperately hoping I could do: get to know my students as individuals. To accomplish this, I first practiced what I preached. I gave each of them a letter of introduction that opened myself up to them. I told them from where I come, why I am in their classroom, what I like, and more. I let them ask me questions and gave them the best, most honest answers I could give them. Then, I let it be their turn. They each filled out a slip that asked such things as "What are your extracurricular activities?" and "Complete the following: "If I could rule the world..." You'd be surprised (as I was) how much you can learn about someone by asking him or her how they would rule the world if he or she could. Letting the students I care about them first was difficult, but so worth it. I hope we'll reap the benefits of that for the remainder of my placement.
Teaching my first lesson on Thursday was nerve-wracking, but I think it went well. I learned the importance of being prepared. Even having all of my notes and plans organized, I still fumbled at certain points. The students were merciful during the few "dead" moments when I was searching for the right words or the right sheet of paper, but that might not always be the case. Preparedness is invaluable, and I'll try to be even more prepared as I take on more responsibility in the coming weeks. That includes having extension activities in case a class breezes through 50 minutes of material in 35 minutes, as was the case on Friday. What took two Algebra II/Trigonometry classes 50 minutes to complete took the third only 35 minutes. At that point, I gave students time to work on homework and ask questions. I think this was a good use of time, but perhaps if I had a review game ready to play, that would have been an even better idea.
Each week, I hope to have a particularly positive impact on a student in one of the classes. This past week, I had what I thought were a few particularly positive interactions. There was one student who I worked with one-on-one for a while after school, teaching her about imaginary numbers and radicals. I found it very rewarding when she smiled and said "It's like my brain's on fire!" She was really understanding the material, and a 10/10 on her most recent homework assignment is only reinforcing that she really is a good math student. There are other students who weren't doing homework assignments but who I've encouraged to try. These are students to whom math is probably not a priority, especially when they have children for whom to care. One student had a friend die this past week and another die not too long ago. She was doodling in her notebook "Rest in Peace," little memorials for her friends. I told her that that was more important than math today. She gave a sad smile, and I think she appreciated that I could see that there are things in this world that matter more than solving a math problem. Math will get its due time this week, but sometimes we need to have a greater perspective and a desire to teach more than the subject material. We teachers need to show our students that we're human. I hope to demonstrate that for weeks to come.
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