Well, the last full holiday before Winter Break is over. This is the time that the burn out begins until Christmas hits. But today I'm trying to spin things for myself in a positive way.
The last few weeks I've been contemplating whether I'm making a difference with my kids at all. I think I am.
Case #1 - FP told me that he started out the year thinking I was mean and tried to "treat me." In kidspeak that means that he tried to give me a hard time. But at some point during the term, he discovered that he was actually learning more from me than he had ever learned in a math class before. He committed to trying harder in class and doing all his work.
The bad side....FP is in my first block and has been tardy to school every day since that conversation. He has been absent more days in my class than he has been present and is now failing.
Case #2 - One of our students now thinks she wants to go to college and be a teacher. That is not all my doing. In fact, I'm not sure that it's any of my doing, but I know that the environment that we as a staff at the alternative school have provided has influenced this young lady.
Case #3 - I teach a pair of sisters who never thought they were good at math. I get the feeling that they never felt that they were good at academics at all. Now, they are getting A's and B's on everything and feel confident in their abilities.
Case #4 - The student that I was having trouble with at the beginning of the year (being rude, yelling at me, almost violent outbursts in class) said that he has learned more in the last three weeks than he has learned in a math class in the last two years that he has been in high school.
Not all stories are this positive, but really a lot of our students are excelling more than they have in years. Today I just wanted to focus on the positive. I'm so proud of them and how hard they have worked. They overcome personal obstacles every day. Sometimes they have to overcome those obstacles just to get to school in the morning.
If nothing else, I feel like I am doing something good - not just for them, but for me too.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Downward Slope until Christmas
Well we've made it through the hard part of the first semester. Really, November and December go by quickly for me. There is only one full week of school from now until Thanksgiving and then only three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's manageable.
So, on to the reflections....
First term is officially over. Grades were turned in and rosters have changed. I failed three students and had one student with an incomplete. I thought that was pretty good. The students who failed didn't show up for finals and I was told to fail them. But I've made some changes.
I was asked by my administrator to "find a way to have my students pass." So I changed my original homework policy and accepted late work from students who hadn't turned in any work. This led to hours and hours of grading for me each night. That will not be done again. I told my administrator that I am going back to my original policy and it makes my life so much easier.
My homework policy is as follows:
-Late work is accepted but at a penalty. I take 10% off of whatever score would have been received for each day that the assignment is lately. Eventually after 10 days, the assignment is worth nothing and I will no longer accept it.
-To make up for this and to give students a chance to catch up if they have fallen behind, I always provide a make up assignment and an extra credit assignment every Friday. This adds up to essentially 1 1/2 homework assignments each week. I take make up and extra credit assignments at any time during the term. These assignments are easier to grade and I don't mind taking them whenever students get them in.
It's only been one week in the new term, and this has been so much better. Less hours spent grading makes for a much happier teacher. So far, the kids are taking me seriously and turning in much more of their work. We'll see how long that lasts.
So, on to the reflections....
First term is officially over. Grades were turned in and rosters have changed. I failed three students and had one student with an incomplete. I thought that was pretty good. The students who failed didn't show up for finals and I was told to fail them. But I've made some changes.
I was asked by my administrator to "find a way to have my students pass." So I changed my original homework policy and accepted late work from students who hadn't turned in any work. This led to hours and hours of grading for me each night. That will not be done again. I told my administrator that I am going back to my original policy and it makes my life so much easier.
My homework policy is as follows:
-Late work is accepted but at a penalty. I take 10% off of whatever score would have been received for each day that the assignment is lately. Eventually after 10 days, the assignment is worth nothing and I will no longer accept it.
-To make up for this and to give students a chance to catch up if they have fallen behind, I always provide a make up assignment and an extra credit assignment every Friday. This adds up to essentially 1 1/2 homework assignments each week. I take make up and extra credit assignments at any time during the term. These assignments are easier to grade and I don't mind taking them whenever students get them in.
It's only been one week in the new term, and this has been so much better. Less hours spent grading makes for a much happier teacher. So far, the kids are taking me seriously and turning in much more of their work. We'll see how long that lasts.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Service Projects
It has been way too long since I've written a post. There is no way that I could recap all the important things that have happened over the last few weeks. My husband and I moved into a new apartment and I've been behind on just about everything, including blogging. But now I need some help with ideas.
I'm going to try to institute some service projects for my 4th block students. I got the idea at a faculty meeting last week. We need something more for our students to help them accomplish not just getting their diplomas, but becoming productive and thoughtful adults. As a staff, we have been brainstorming ideas about how we could do this and we had two that I thought I could do with my 4th block class.
Why 4th block? My 4th block is relatively small (7 students) and more advanced than my other students. I always have to plan for an extra enrichment activity for this class because they work so hard and finish all their work early. I have decided that I could use this extra time at the end of class to plan for some service opportunities. Here are my ideas:
1. The main high school campus paper has offered our students a full page if they write some articles. I proposed this idea to my students and they loved it. There is one student who was already planning on writing an article on how she spends her typical day at our alternative school. I was looking for more ideas I could give my students to help them get started with writing. I'm not knowledgeable in the field of high school journalism, and I need to get some ideas to help them get started.
2. Our school is next door to an elementary school. One of the self-contained special education classes comes over every day at 2 pm and uses our little gym for their P.E. class. The teacher has said that he would love to have our students help out with these kids if they wanted to. If our kids would submit a simple lesson plan idea, he would approve it and let them come and work with the kids.
I have a couple students in my 4th block who are thinking about being teachers. I proposed to them today that I could teach them the basics of how to plan a lesson and we could email some lesson plans to this P.E. teacher at the elementary school. They loved the idea and think that it would be great to do something nice for these children. But neither they nor I know where to start. Elementary special education is not really my specialty. Neither is physical education. I'm good at math...and science...and occasionally english. So I need to come up with some basic ideas for games that elementary special education kids would be able to play and also have fun with as well so that I can help my students put together some fun activities to do with these younger children.
Any ideas?
I'm going to try to institute some service projects for my 4th block students. I got the idea at a faculty meeting last week. We need something more for our students to help them accomplish not just getting their diplomas, but becoming productive and thoughtful adults. As a staff, we have been brainstorming ideas about how we could do this and we had two that I thought I could do with my 4th block class.
Why 4th block? My 4th block is relatively small (7 students) and more advanced than my other students. I always have to plan for an extra enrichment activity for this class because they work so hard and finish all their work early. I have decided that I could use this extra time at the end of class to plan for some service opportunities. Here are my ideas:
1. The main high school campus paper has offered our students a full page if they write some articles. I proposed this idea to my students and they loved it. There is one student who was already planning on writing an article on how she spends her typical day at our alternative school. I was looking for more ideas I could give my students to help them get started with writing. I'm not knowledgeable in the field of high school journalism, and I need to get some ideas to help them get started.
2. Our school is next door to an elementary school. One of the self-contained special education classes comes over every day at 2 pm and uses our little gym for their P.E. class. The teacher has said that he would love to have our students help out with these kids if they wanted to. If our kids would submit a simple lesson plan idea, he would approve it and let them come and work with the kids.
I have a couple students in my 4th block who are thinking about being teachers. I proposed to them today that I could teach them the basics of how to plan a lesson and we could email some lesson plans to this P.E. teacher at the elementary school. They loved the idea and think that it would be great to do something nice for these children. But neither they nor I know where to start. Elementary special education is not really my specialty. Neither is physical education. I'm good at math...and science...and occasionally english. So I need to come up with some basic ideas for games that elementary special education kids would be able to play and also have fun with as well so that I can help my students put together some fun activities to do with these younger children.
Any ideas?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Retention Problem
Today has been a fun day so far. I've done two projects with the kids this week and today was a project day. We've been studying perimeter and area - today we did an application project where they designed their own house and found the perimeter and area of different parts of their floor plan. The kids get creative and have a lot of fun with it, and of course, it's a nice day for me - I just get to facilitate, observe, and enjoy.
But there's still something that's been bothering me. Retention is still such a problem. I teach high school math and I'm still having to teach kids how to find perimeter and area of simple objects like squares and rectangles. Why does this happen? It's not just the fault of previous teachers either. I just taught them this stuff yesterday and they still don't know how to do it today.
Where does this problem really come from? I've been musing on my lunch break about the real origins of the Retention Problem.
Finding perimeter and area of squares and rectangles are ideas that kids are taught in early grade school. It's a very basic concept. How big around is your backyard? How much sand is in the sand box? I know that these things are taught. So why do kids forget things year after year after year? Is it teachers? Is it the long summer break? What is it?
I don't have the answer, but I did start to think about reasons why I retained information...but that didn't help either. I know that there must be a reason why I remembered how to do these things and so many of my high school students don't. I started to try to think of why.
Was it because of my parents? They are educated people who placed a value on my learning. They could help me with my homework and encouraged me to do well. Is that the reason?
Was it because of my teachers? I had good teachers and I had some not so good teachers. Did the good teachers make that much of a difference? There are some specific lessons that I remember clearly to this day. For example, 8th grade earth science with my most favorite teacher - we learned about how the earth rotates around the sun and the moon rotates around the earth. I remember very clearly that Mr. B. let me stand on a table in the middle of the room and be the sun while other students were the moon and the earth rotating around each other and the sun too. That was an amazing lesson and one that I will always remember. Was it because of teachers like that that I did so well?
I don't think that's the only reason either. There are a lot of things that I know how to do and I don't remember the specific time when I learned them. I know how to add and subtract, how to graph a function, and how to calculate an integral within a certain domain, but I don't remember exactly how I learned those things.
Also, I'm sure that Mr. B. and many of my other teachers had lots of fun and engaging lessons that I don't necessarily remember in detail. That's not to say that those weren't lessons, but not all great lessons stick in our minds as we age either.
Is it repetition? Yes, we learn by repetition. I add and subtract every day, so is that why I remember how to do it? No, because I don't necessarily calculate integrals everyday anymore now that I am no longer an undergraduate math student, but I still remember how to do it. Does repetition help? Yes, but I don't think that's the only way to retention either.
Is it my attitude about education and learning? I have a passion for it. I work really hard at learning. Is that what makes the difference? I don't think that's it either, because until the 8th grade I was not as motivated a student as I am now.
But somehow I retained things better than my students do now. I know I did, because I did not need to constantly be reminded of how to find perimeter and area when I was a junior in high school.
Yesterday we had a lesson with dot paper and finding shapes of certain perimeters and areas. We did tons of examples. We practiced over and over. But today I still had kids come up to me and say, "How do I find the perimeter of this bedroom I drew in my house?" or "Can I just count the boxes inside the room instead of multiplying? I don't remember how to do it," or "I don't remember what perimeter is."
So what makes the difference? Is it a combination of all those things? And what can we really do to fix it? I don't know that all the engaging and meaningful lessons in the world will always make a difference. I try to teach with fun activities every day and kids still forget how to do things from day to day.
And I don't know that reading all the "in" literature on how kids retain knowledge have the solution either.
Here's my theory, for what it's worth: In the end, it's up to the kids. I can make great lessons that engage kids and that might motivate them, but, in the end, no matter what the parents do, no matter what the teachers do, no matter what their peers do, if kids don't decide to internalize knowledge, nothing else will really help them remember what they learn.
And I don't know that reading all the "in" literature on how kids retain knowledge have the solution either.
Here's my theory, for what it's worth: In the end, it's up to the kids. I can make great lessons that engage kids and that might motivate them, but, in the end, no matter what the parents do, no matter what the teachers do, no matter what their peers do, if kids don't decide to internalize knowledge, nothing else will really help them remember what they learn.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Almost Midterm
The end of this week is officially midterm. I think things have gone pretty well. All students who have put forth a decent amount of effort are passing. Those who aren't passing are the students who don't do a single bit of homework or work in class either.
Overall, I think things are going pretty well at our little alternative school. Most of the kids are starting to get used to the routine. We as teachers are starting to feel the rhythm too, but we're also starting to feel the work load - or at least I am.
I've tried to be more organized and on top of things. Most nights I do ok, but some nights, I get carried away with all the things I could/should be preparing for that I end up spending my entire night working until I go to bed. I have to reign myself back in and stop myself. Sometimes I have to just do what needs to be done for the next day and then take a break for the rest of the night. Take it one day at a time.
I did have my first evaluation. The class went well except for the one student who simply refused to do anything. I'm pretty sure my evaluator took that with a grain of salt though. I'll find out on Monday when we have our post-observation conference.
I'm getting better at planning for the block scheduling. That's a plus too. It's rather intimidating planning for 75-80 minutes of instruction, but I'm getting better at managing the time.
All in all, a decent week. And this Friday we are having a shortened schedule to take our kids over to the main campus for the Homecoming Assembly. Always fun to have shortened schedule.
Overall, I think things are going pretty well at our little alternative school. Most of the kids are starting to get used to the routine. We as teachers are starting to feel the rhythm too, but we're also starting to feel the work load - or at least I am.
I've tried to be more organized and on top of things. Most nights I do ok, but some nights, I get carried away with all the things I could/should be preparing for that I end up spending my entire night working until I go to bed. I have to reign myself back in and stop myself. Sometimes I have to just do what needs to be done for the next day and then take a break for the rest of the night. Take it one day at a time.
I did have my first evaluation. The class went well except for the one student who simply refused to do anything. I'm pretty sure my evaluator took that with a grain of salt though. I'll find out on Monday when we have our post-observation conference.
I'm getting better at planning for the block scheduling. That's a plus too. It's rather intimidating planning for 75-80 minutes of instruction, but I'm getting better at managing the time.
All in all, a decent week. And this Friday we are having a shortened schedule to take our kids over to the main campus for the Homecoming Assembly. Always fun to have shortened schedule.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Bright Moment
Today in the middle of the almost unbearable heat of 3rd block, I had a wonderful teaching moment.
We were playing Review Jeopardy today because my classes have a test tomorrow. All of a sudden, RJ (alias used for a student) turns to me and says:
"Why is it that you make this class so fun and interesting when no other teachers have done that before? Not even at the regular high school. They never make math fun."
My heart just breaks. The best part of my day. I tried not to get too emotional. I just said, "Well, maybe it's because I really love high school students. They are my favorite students to teach. I love math and I love my students, and maybe that makes all the difference."
We were playing Review Jeopardy today because my classes have a test tomorrow. All of a sudden, RJ (alias used for a student) turns to me and says:
"Why is it that you make this class so fun and interesting when no other teachers have done that before? Not even at the regular high school. They never make math fun."
My heart just breaks. The best part of my day. I tried not to get too emotional. I just said, "Well, maybe it's because I really love high school students. They are my favorite students to teach. I love math and I love my students, and maybe that makes all the difference."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Phone Calls Home
I made my first real batch of phone calls home today.
But these are not the type of phone calls that most people think of. These are my positive calls. This is one of my most favorite things to do.
I only had to make one negative call today. I have one student who is failing my class because he does no work, but he got an 85% on his quiz last week. If he would only do his work, he would have no problems passing and probably would pass with a B.
But because I had to make that one call, I decided to even it out by making a good phone call home. As I looked at my list of students, I just couldn't pick one. I kept seeing more and more students who have done great work in my classes and couldn't stop with one. So I picked two from every class even though it was still hard to pick just two. Since I teach four blocks, I made eight phone calls. I only have 40 students, so that was almost 10% of my students' parents that I tried to contact tonight.
And I love it.
Almost every time I tell them who I am I can hear them cringe on the other end of the phone - waiting for me to drop the bomb and tell them what terrible thing their child did that day. But instead, I get to tell them something great.
I called almost all of my Students of the Month and several others. I heard from almost every parent the same thing.
"This is the first time I have ever had this kind of phone call from a teacher."
I even had one mother who told me, "I never thought I would see the day when I would get a phone call like this."
What a good feeling and what a way to end the day.
But these are not the type of phone calls that most people think of. These are my positive calls. This is one of my most favorite things to do.
I only had to make one negative call today. I have one student who is failing my class because he does no work, but he got an 85% on his quiz last week. If he would only do his work, he would have no problems passing and probably would pass with a B.
But because I had to make that one call, I decided to even it out by making a good phone call home. As I looked at my list of students, I just couldn't pick one. I kept seeing more and more students who have done great work in my classes and couldn't stop with one. So I picked two from every class even though it was still hard to pick just two. Since I teach four blocks, I made eight phone calls. I only have 40 students, so that was almost 10% of my students' parents that I tried to contact tonight.
And I love it.
Almost every time I tell them who I am I can hear them cringe on the other end of the phone - waiting for me to drop the bomb and tell them what terrible thing their child did that day. But instead, I get to tell them something great.
I called almost all of my Students of the Month and several others. I heard from almost every parent the same thing.
"This is the first time I have ever had this kind of phone call from a teacher."
I even had one mother who told me, "I never thought I would see the day when I would get a phone call like this."
What a good feeling and what a way to end the day.
Monday, September 7, 2009
The Results Are In
The first two weeks are over. I have given two tests - one on rules and procedures and one an actual math test. The scores are entered and it's finally time to evaluate how the first week of math instruction went.
So far all of my students are passing my classes except three. The three that aren't passing have not done a single homework assignment and consistently don't participate in class activities. Overall, I think that's pretty good.
All of my students but two passed their first math test. The two that didn't pass gave up halfway through the exam and didn't complete it. If they would have finished, they would have passed - they were really doing quite well.
The first test is always nerve wracking for me. I want to see if I've reached the kids and it's the first real indicator of how well my instruction in the subject has actually worked. At this point, I'm feeling ok.
But tomorrow starts a new week. We'll see how this one goes.
So far all of my students are passing my classes except three. The three that aren't passing have not done a single homework assignment and consistently don't participate in class activities. Overall, I think that's pretty good.
All of my students but two passed their first math test. The two that didn't pass gave up halfway through the exam and didn't complete it. If they would have finished, they would have passed - they were really doing quite well.
The first test is always nerve wracking for me. I want to see if I've reached the kids and it's the first real indicator of how well my instruction in the subject has actually worked. At this point, I'm feeling ok.
But tomorrow starts a new week. We'll see how this one goes.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The First Day from ... the Bad Place
I just want to vent.
Today started like any other day, but it all went downhill.
1st Block was fine. 1st Block is supposed to end at 10:20 am, but today one of the teachers forgot and thought it was dismissed at 10:25. Since we have no bells, that meant everyone was a little behind. But that's really no big deal. My kids start coming into 2nd block and I remind them that even though they got out of 1st block a little late that it's time to get to work on the warm up because we had already lost a few minutes.
I had one girl who was showing off for a boy and decided she did not want to do her warm up. She informed me she was going to the bathroom. I told her this was not the time because we needed to get started with class, but that we would have time for a bathroom break later in the block. She proceeded to argue with me and I gave her a verbal warning. That stopped her for the moment, so I thought things would be ok.
Class continues and later on I catch her with her purse on her desk (one of those big huge purses - and just as a side note, I'm not one of those girls that carries a big purse. My small black one suits me just fine). She has both hands in her purse and is obviously texting. The school policy is no cell phones period, but I asked her to please put her purse under her desk and I would ignore what I had just seen that time. She then proceeded to argue with me about putting her purse under her desk and pretended that she had not been doing anything inside of it. I informed her I was not stupid and I knew what was going on and if she would simply put her purse under her desk I would forget all about it. She continued to yell at me at which point I reminded her that it was her choice to be at this alternative school and if she wanted to, she could leave. So she left.
Great. But at the time I had 9 other kids in the room and it was better to remove her from the situation than keep her there. Maybe some day she will realize that acting up in class and getting asked to leave will not really impress any boy of consequence.
So later when I spoke with the school's director about the incident, she had not told him about her cell phone (of course, no surprise there). So then the whole thing made more sense to him, but he proceeded to tell me that I probably should have spoken to her differently about the matter. He didn't want me to tell her that she could leave, because really she can't. These kids don't have the option of going back to the regular high school building right now. The regular high school won't take them back until they prove themselves with us. So he's right. I have to just talk about that fact that these kids chose to be here....not that they can choose to leave.
Talk about feeling like crap. That was me right then. I wanted to cry, to be honest.
So I go back to my room and try and have some lunch and pull myself together for 3rd block. The special ed teacher comes in and is really nice to me. I tell him what happened and he told me I did the exact right thing and that I'm doing a great job. That was really nice to hear, especially since he does inclusion in my 2nd block every day and watches me teach almost the whole period.
Later in the day, I talk to the social worker who says I did the right thing as well, but I still feel guilty. I don't want any of my kids to feel like they're not welcome in my class. The social worker says that I can't allow her to do those types of things in my class, and I know she's right. I completely agree. The tough part is that this alternative school is so different from any other teaching that I've done. I'm a strict teacher, but I also know how precarious some of these students' academic situations are. I want them to come each day. I want them to be comfortable. I want them to have fun and feel safe. But I also want them to respect me and do what I ask them to do. It's a fine line to walk.
Even though most people seem to think I did the right thing, I still feel badly.
I'm just out of practice I guess.
After school I find out that one of my BD students has decided that my math class is too hard and he doesn't want to be there anymore. Even though the special ed teacher tells me it has nothing to do with me, it still breaks my heart - especially since the kid had done so well in my class today.
After that I had to go to a meeting at the district office. It wasn't a bad meeting. It was kind of fun, but it ran over. I really just wanted to get home.
After that I finally found out why I haven't been able to log in to my online grade book - I didn't have the right password! We use Skyward which has an Employee side and an Educator side. Employee side has pay stubs and personal information like that. Educator side has my gradebook. For some reason I have a different password for each. I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be, but it is. I hope they can fix that.
So I finally get into my gradebook after a week and a half of school and I have tons of grades to input. I grade the warm ups we do each day, we usually have an in class/participation grade, I've given a test, and we've had several homework assignments. So I get into my grade book and I expect to be able to get it all in tonight and finally be caught up on everything, right?
No way. No way would it be that easy on a day like today.
My 2nd block is all wrong. Everything is ok with 1st, 3rd, and 4th, but 2nd block isn't my class. 2nd block is a totally different class - it's the list of kids in the computer lab class across the hall during that period, not the ones in my class. So on top of everything else, my OCD half is not satisfied because all my grades are entered except for 2nd block.
Great.
I have a lesson plan for tomorrow, but I haven't worked out the kinks - trying a new one tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
8:15 pm and I need a shower.
Today started like any other day, but it all went downhill.
1st Block was fine. 1st Block is supposed to end at 10:20 am, but today one of the teachers forgot and thought it was dismissed at 10:25. Since we have no bells, that meant everyone was a little behind. But that's really no big deal. My kids start coming into 2nd block and I remind them that even though they got out of 1st block a little late that it's time to get to work on the warm up because we had already lost a few minutes.
I had one girl who was showing off for a boy and decided she did not want to do her warm up. She informed me she was going to the bathroom. I told her this was not the time because we needed to get started with class, but that we would have time for a bathroom break later in the block. She proceeded to argue with me and I gave her a verbal warning. That stopped her for the moment, so I thought things would be ok.
Class continues and later on I catch her with her purse on her desk (one of those big huge purses - and just as a side note, I'm not one of those girls that carries a big purse. My small black one suits me just fine). She has both hands in her purse and is obviously texting. The school policy is no cell phones period, but I asked her to please put her purse under her desk and I would ignore what I had just seen that time. She then proceeded to argue with me about putting her purse under her desk and pretended that she had not been doing anything inside of it. I informed her I was not stupid and I knew what was going on and if she would simply put her purse under her desk I would forget all about it. She continued to yell at me at which point I reminded her that it was her choice to be at this alternative school and if she wanted to, she could leave. So she left.
Great. But at the time I had 9 other kids in the room and it was better to remove her from the situation than keep her there. Maybe some day she will realize that acting up in class and getting asked to leave will not really impress any boy of consequence.
So later when I spoke with the school's director about the incident, she had not told him about her cell phone (of course, no surprise there). So then the whole thing made more sense to him, but he proceeded to tell me that I probably should have spoken to her differently about the matter. He didn't want me to tell her that she could leave, because really she can't. These kids don't have the option of going back to the regular high school building right now. The regular high school won't take them back until they prove themselves with us. So he's right. I have to just talk about that fact that these kids chose to be here....not that they can choose to leave.
Talk about feeling like crap. That was me right then. I wanted to cry, to be honest.
So I go back to my room and try and have some lunch and pull myself together for 3rd block. The special ed teacher comes in and is really nice to me. I tell him what happened and he told me I did the exact right thing and that I'm doing a great job. That was really nice to hear, especially since he does inclusion in my 2nd block every day and watches me teach almost the whole period.
Later in the day, I talk to the social worker who says I did the right thing as well, but I still feel guilty. I don't want any of my kids to feel like they're not welcome in my class. The social worker says that I can't allow her to do those types of things in my class, and I know she's right. I completely agree. The tough part is that this alternative school is so different from any other teaching that I've done. I'm a strict teacher, but I also know how precarious some of these students' academic situations are. I want them to come each day. I want them to be comfortable. I want them to have fun and feel safe. But I also want them to respect me and do what I ask them to do. It's a fine line to walk.
Even though most people seem to think I did the right thing, I still feel badly.
I'm just out of practice I guess.
After school I find out that one of my BD students has decided that my math class is too hard and he doesn't want to be there anymore. Even though the special ed teacher tells me it has nothing to do with me, it still breaks my heart - especially since the kid had done so well in my class today.
After that I had to go to a meeting at the district office. It wasn't a bad meeting. It was kind of fun, but it ran over. I really just wanted to get home.
After that I finally found out why I haven't been able to log in to my online grade book - I didn't have the right password! We use Skyward which has an Employee side and an Educator side. Employee side has pay stubs and personal information like that. Educator side has my gradebook. For some reason I have a different password for each. I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be, but it is. I hope they can fix that.
So I finally get into my gradebook after a week and a half of school and I have tons of grades to input. I grade the warm ups we do each day, we usually have an in class/participation grade, I've given a test, and we've had several homework assignments. So I get into my grade book and I expect to be able to get it all in tonight and finally be caught up on everything, right?
No way. No way would it be that easy on a day like today.
My 2nd block is all wrong. Everything is ok with 1st, 3rd, and 4th, but 2nd block isn't my class. 2nd block is a totally different class - it's the list of kids in the computer lab class across the hall during that period, not the ones in my class. So on top of everything else, my OCD half is not satisfied because all my grades are entered except for 2nd block.
Great.
I have a lesson plan for tomorrow, but I haven't worked out the kinks - trying a new one tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
8:15 pm and I need a shower.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The First Mistake
I think I made my first regrettable mistake today.
Nothing ever goes perfectly, but most of the time the mistakes made by teachers are simply things like not knowing exactly how to answer a question right after it is asked, or drawing a blank in front of a group of high schoolers. Things that kids don't even notice most of the time. Today I had a situation that I wish I could have done over.
I have a boy in my 3rd block class. He's very bright and very energetic - the type that can't stop moving. I usually don't have any problems with the kids that can't stop moving. My class is generally a movement oriented class anyway, especially since I am a kinetic learner myself. But today was rough.
I had several activities planned for today. It was fraction day. We started with a demonstration with apples and fractional parts, moved to a few minutes of direct instruction on addition and subtraction with fractions, break that up with a racing game with practice problems, a few more minutes of direct instruction on multiplication and division, and end the day with the guitar and learning the Fraction Song. Pretty fun day. Most kids love fraction day. Lots of moving around. They always love games and bringing in the guitar and singing the fraction song is usually a hit.
This boy is usually great in my class, but for some reason he started off the day poorly. He's really very bright and quick and also very energetic. The first five minutes of class is always devoted to the warm up. The students do their warm up that is on the board already when they come into class. My energetic student usually realizes that this is one of the only times in class that I want him to be calm, and for the first week and a half of school, I haven't had any problems with him.
But today, he just could not do what he was supposed to. He didn't want to do his warm up. When I asked him to turn around for the apple demonstration, he wouldn't do it and simply drummed on his desk. While I was teaching the class a new trick to add and subtract fractions without finding common denominators he was glaring at me and rapping to himself while I'm teaching the class. I asked him to stop and gave him a verbal warning. Then this young man decided that he already knew how to do what we were doing in class (even though he missed questions on fractions on the Diagnostic I gave him last week) and tuned out. But I let it go and figured he would tune back in as soon as we started the game. Pick your battles, right?
We started playing the game which was a get up out of your seat kind of game, but this boy decided he just didn't want to play. I gave rewards to each team when they won a round, but this boy would throw away his rewards and told me not to give them to him. So at one point, I had the class work on a problem while I took the boy out in the hall to talk to him.
"What's going on today? You having a rough day?" I asked him.
"No."
"What can I do to help you participate in class today?"
"Nothing."
"Would you like to come back in and play the game with the class?"
"No. This is stupid stuff."
"I know it may seem easy to you, but there are other students who still have trouble with this kind of stuff."
"I don't care. It's stupid stuff."
"All right. Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you two choices. You can either come back in and change your attitude or you can head down to the office. No one is making you stay here. This school is special and you choose to be here. So it's your choice whether to stay or go."
"Well, I was going to come back and treat you (i.e. he was going to behave badly and give me a hard time), but now I'm going to be the bigger man and go to the office."
And with that, he went to the office.
I don't really know what I should have done differently. I tried to be patient in class and I tried to discuss things with him calmly in the hall, but he just didn't want to be there today.
It's difficult to have very bright kids in a class with kids who are really behind. I'm used to that, and I try to vary the activities so that no one is bored. We play games, we sing songs, and all the time we do math, but today this boy just didn't want anything to do with it.
I tried not to let this one event get the best of me though. I wish I could have handled the situation differently, but the rest of the day was great! Kids loved the game we played and had fun singing the Fraction Song. But it's still a bummer when things like that happen.
Tomorrow however, he and I both start all over. New day; clean slate.
Nothing ever goes perfectly, but most of the time the mistakes made by teachers are simply things like not knowing exactly how to answer a question right after it is asked, or drawing a blank in front of a group of high schoolers. Things that kids don't even notice most of the time. Today I had a situation that I wish I could have done over.
I have a boy in my 3rd block class. He's very bright and very energetic - the type that can't stop moving. I usually don't have any problems with the kids that can't stop moving. My class is generally a movement oriented class anyway, especially since I am a kinetic learner myself. But today was rough.
I had several activities planned for today. It was fraction day. We started with a demonstration with apples and fractional parts, moved to a few minutes of direct instruction on addition and subtraction with fractions, break that up with a racing game with practice problems, a few more minutes of direct instruction on multiplication and division, and end the day with the guitar and learning the Fraction Song. Pretty fun day. Most kids love fraction day. Lots of moving around. They always love games and bringing in the guitar and singing the fraction song is usually a hit.
This boy is usually great in my class, but for some reason he started off the day poorly. He's really very bright and quick and also very energetic. The first five minutes of class is always devoted to the warm up. The students do their warm up that is on the board already when they come into class. My energetic student usually realizes that this is one of the only times in class that I want him to be calm, and for the first week and a half of school, I haven't had any problems with him.
But today, he just could not do what he was supposed to. He didn't want to do his warm up. When I asked him to turn around for the apple demonstration, he wouldn't do it and simply drummed on his desk. While I was teaching the class a new trick to add and subtract fractions without finding common denominators he was glaring at me and rapping to himself while I'm teaching the class. I asked him to stop and gave him a verbal warning. Then this young man decided that he already knew how to do what we were doing in class (even though he missed questions on fractions on the Diagnostic I gave him last week) and tuned out. But I let it go and figured he would tune back in as soon as we started the game. Pick your battles, right?
We started playing the game which was a get up out of your seat kind of game, but this boy decided he just didn't want to play. I gave rewards to each team when they won a round, but this boy would throw away his rewards and told me not to give them to him. So at one point, I had the class work on a problem while I took the boy out in the hall to talk to him.
"What's going on today? You having a rough day?" I asked him.
"No."
"What can I do to help you participate in class today?"
"Nothing."
"Would you like to come back in and play the game with the class?"
"No. This is stupid stuff."
"I know it may seem easy to you, but there are other students who still have trouble with this kind of stuff."
"I don't care. It's stupid stuff."
"All right. Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you two choices. You can either come back in and change your attitude or you can head down to the office. No one is making you stay here. This school is special and you choose to be here. So it's your choice whether to stay or go."
"Well, I was going to come back and treat you (i.e. he was going to behave badly and give me a hard time), but now I'm going to be the bigger man and go to the office."
And with that, he went to the office.
I don't really know what I should have done differently. I tried to be patient in class and I tried to discuss things with him calmly in the hall, but he just didn't want to be there today.
It's difficult to have very bright kids in a class with kids who are really behind. I'm used to that, and I try to vary the activities so that no one is bored. We play games, we sing songs, and all the time we do math, but today this boy just didn't want anything to do with it.
I tried not to let this one event get the best of me though. I wish I could have handled the situation differently, but the rest of the day was great! Kids loved the game we played and had fun singing the Fraction Song. But it's still a bummer when things like that happen.
Tomorrow however, he and I both start all over. New day; clean slate.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
First Week Reflections
I survived the first week! I think it went very well. I'm getting used to the kids already and they are getting used to me.
My goal for every first week of school is to make students feel comfortable in my classroom and help them achieve something so that they want to come back. I give them assignments and tests that I know they can do well on in that first week, so they can gain confidence in their abilities.
Math is always the subject that kids say they hate. It's the subject that most kids think is the hardest and the most boring. I have to work hard to make them feel like they can do the work and do it well.
I did make my first phone call home this week. I will be making many more calls - positive ones. I make lots of positive phone calls home. The first one was for a boy who wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it at our new school. He went home on the third day of class and wasn't sure if he was going to come back. He was nervous and having anxiety attacks about doing well. I called him one night. I didn't get anyone, I left a voicemail. I told his mom that I was sorry he was feeling badly about school and hoped he would come back. I told them to email me or call me at school and I would talk with them anytime.
Guess what. Next day, he shows up for school. I couldn't get him to do much, but I knew that just being there was a big step for him. On Friday, not only was he there in class, but he was participating! What a difference a phone call makes.
So the week went well. I've got my lessons planned for next week and tests are graded from Friday. Every single student is starting out my class with an A or a B. That's the way I like it. My goal is to keep it that way for as long as I can. These kids need it.
My goal for every first week of school is to make students feel comfortable in my classroom and help them achieve something so that they want to come back. I give them assignments and tests that I know they can do well on in that first week, so they can gain confidence in their abilities.
Math is always the subject that kids say they hate. It's the subject that most kids think is the hardest and the most boring. I have to work hard to make them feel like they can do the work and do it well.
I did make my first phone call home this week. I will be making many more calls - positive ones. I make lots of positive phone calls home. The first one was for a boy who wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it at our new school. He went home on the third day of class and wasn't sure if he was going to come back. He was nervous and having anxiety attacks about doing well. I called him one night. I didn't get anyone, I left a voicemail. I told his mom that I was sorry he was feeling badly about school and hoped he would come back. I told them to email me or call me at school and I would talk with them anytime.
Guess what. Next day, he shows up for school. I couldn't get him to do much, but I knew that just being there was a big step for him. On Friday, not only was he there in class, but he was participating! What a difference a phone call makes.
So the week went well. I've got my lessons planned for next week and tests are graded from Friday. Every single student is starting out my class with an A or a B. That's the way I like it. My goal is to keep it that way for as long as I can. These kids need it.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
1st Block vs. 4th Block
Today I taught the Following Directions and Taking Notes lesson. I think it went pretty well. I had a few mental hang ups that go along with any new lesson that you teach, but overall, I got the point across. However, I have a different problem.
I am such an awesome teacher by the time I hit 4th block. I am a terrible teacher (relatively) in 1st block. By the time I teach a lesson in 4th block, I'm in the rhythm and I know exactly how to say everything I want to say. How am I supposed to improve for my 1st block class? The poor kids will never get as good instruction as 4th block it seems.
I am really not a morning person. I can get up early and do what needs to be done, but I always function better at night. This is the reason that I will always be up decently late even when I'm tired; I do my best thinking between the hours of 7 and 11 pm. So 1st block is rough for not only the students, but for ME!
The other problem I have is that when I try out new lessons like I did today, I've never had a chance to practice it on anybody. 1st block is my guinea pig class. By the time I get to 4th block, I'm pro. Even 2nd block is better than 1st.
As a disclaimer, 1st block still gets good instruction, I just know that by the time I hit 4th block I am so good at using the exact right words and instructions. By the time I hit 4th block, I've already taught the lesson three times, so 4th block flows so much better tan 1st block.
How do I get that to happen for 1st block?
I am such an awesome teacher by the time I hit 4th block. I am a terrible teacher (relatively) in 1st block. By the time I teach a lesson in 4th block, I'm in the rhythm and I know exactly how to say everything I want to say. How am I supposed to improve for my 1st block class? The poor kids will never get as good instruction as 4th block it seems.
I am really not a morning person. I can get up early and do what needs to be done, but I always function better at night. This is the reason that I will always be up decently late even when I'm tired; I do my best thinking between the hours of 7 and 11 pm. So 1st block is rough for not only the students, but for ME!
The other problem I have is that when I try out new lessons like I did today, I've never had a chance to practice it on anybody. 1st block is my guinea pig class. By the time I get to 4th block, I'm pro. Even 2nd block is better than 1st.
As a disclaimer, 1st block still gets good instruction, I just know that by the time I hit 4th block I am so good at using the exact right words and instructions. By the time I hit 4th block, I've already taught the lesson three times, so 4th block flows so much better tan 1st block.
How do I get that to happen for 1st block?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Real First Day of School
I think today was a success. The real first day of school is never the most exciting day in my classroom, but I got everything done that I needed to do. We reviewed the rules and consequences (good and bad) and we role played and practiced all the procedures that are essential parts of how I like my classroom to run.
Yes, I'm slightly OCD. But yes, I think it helps my teaching. My room is extremely organized and structured. But that structure actually makes it easier for us to break out of it later on in the year.
Let me explain. I like to use all sorts of activities to teach. There are never any days when my students simply watch me put notes on the board and do practice problems the rest of the block. BORING! We do group activities, art projects, music activities, learning stations, all sorts of things. I'll try just about any activity once and see if it works for me, but in order to do all of the fun things, I have to set boundaries.
The students have to know that even when we are doing something fun, they still know how I want them to behave. Simply doing a group activity does not mean you sit there and talk as loudly as you want to your friend for 20 minutes. They have to learn how to follow directions. They learn that they are responsible for their actions and they learn how I want them to behave for certain lessons. So today, I laid the ground rules for that.
We role played how to come into class, how to sharpen your pencil, how to answer questions, how to turn in homework, and how to come to attention after an activity. As I said before, it's not the most exciting day of the year, but it's important.
I think that at the least I got my point across. In such a small intimate setting, I think it would be easy for the kids to think that they can walk all over you, because they know from day one that you care about them and that this school is different. But even though I like to have a good time, I think the kids know that I take this school very seriously and I expect the best from them.
Or at least I hope they do.
Tomorrow is the "Following Directions and Taking Notes" day. I'm kind of excited about it. I also have some Icebreaker games to throw in the mix and a funny Power Point about myself to show them. I'm interested to see how they take it. I ask them for so much information about them so I can get to know them better that I felt it was only fair to give them equal amounts of information about me. I didn't do this in Mississippi. The situation was different. I had to maintain a certain distance from my students and didn't let them know so much about me. But in this Alternative setting, I felt like it was appropriate to let them see more of who I am and why I am there.
I don't get mushy. And it's really nothing too personal. I simply am going to tell them the same things I asked them to tell me - my favorite foods, my favorite color, my hobbies - that kind of thing.
On a completely different note, tomorrow I have to wear dress sandals because of the blister on my heel that I developed today. The shoes I wore today are my regular old black teacher shoes, but they haven't been worn since - well, since I last taught almost two years ago. Note to self: break teacher shoes back in after summer vacation and before school starts.
Yes, I'm slightly OCD. But yes, I think it helps my teaching. My room is extremely organized and structured. But that structure actually makes it easier for us to break out of it later on in the year.
Let me explain. I like to use all sorts of activities to teach. There are never any days when my students simply watch me put notes on the board and do practice problems the rest of the block. BORING! We do group activities, art projects, music activities, learning stations, all sorts of things. I'll try just about any activity once and see if it works for me, but in order to do all of the fun things, I have to set boundaries.
The students have to know that even when we are doing something fun, they still know how I want them to behave. Simply doing a group activity does not mean you sit there and talk as loudly as you want to your friend for 20 minutes. They have to learn how to follow directions. They learn that they are responsible for their actions and they learn how I want them to behave for certain lessons. So today, I laid the ground rules for that.
We role played how to come into class, how to sharpen your pencil, how to answer questions, how to turn in homework, and how to come to attention after an activity. As I said before, it's not the most exciting day of the year, but it's important.
I think that at the least I got my point across. In such a small intimate setting, I think it would be easy for the kids to think that they can walk all over you, because they know from day one that you care about them and that this school is different. But even though I like to have a good time, I think the kids know that I take this school very seriously and I expect the best from them.
Or at least I hope they do.
Tomorrow is the "Following Directions and Taking Notes" day. I'm kind of excited about it. I also have some Icebreaker games to throw in the mix and a funny Power Point about myself to show them. I'm interested to see how they take it. I ask them for so much information about them so I can get to know them better that I felt it was only fair to give them equal amounts of information about me. I didn't do this in Mississippi. The situation was different. I had to maintain a certain distance from my students and didn't let them know so much about me. But in this Alternative setting, I felt like it was appropriate to let them see more of who I am and why I am there.
I don't get mushy. And it's really nothing too personal. I simply am going to tell them the same things I asked them to tell me - my favorite foods, my favorite color, my hobbies - that kind of thing.
On a completely different note, tomorrow I have to wear dress sandals because of the blister on my heel that I developed today. The shoes I wore today are my regular old black teacher shoes, but they haven't been worn since - well, since I last taught almost two years ago. Note to self: break teacher shoes back in after summer vacation and before school starts.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The First Day of School
So today was the first day of school. How many teacher blogs start like that?
Really though, in my case, this was the fake first day of school. Today was a simple Round Robin Get to Know the Faculty and Staff day. Our Alternative School is small and has a very intimate setting, so we spent most of the day letting the students get to know us.
Tomorrow is the first real day. Tomorrow we have real schedules and students will actually go to their assigned classes. Tomorrow I will start to lay down the law.
Well, most of the law. See...I think I get to be a different kind of teacher in this situation. In Mississippi I had to be hard nosed almost all the time. Yeah, I smiled. Yeah, my kids knew I cared, but I always had to be serious.
This situation is very different. As I met my students today for the first time, I knew why they were there. Each of them had filled out an application to be there. Each of them had gone through an interview process to be accepted. Each of them has reasons why they truly want to be in this school and involved in the project. They know that this is a second chance for them, and for most of them, they want to be there.
There will always be a couple of kids who won't take this type of school seriously, but as I looked into the eyes of my new students, I could tell that minus those few, these kids really want to be in this school.
How exciting is that?
I never had that in Mississippi. I had the occasional student who wanted to be there, but for the most part, they all hated school. They didn't see the value of learning...I had to try and teach them that along with everything else.
But these kids at this new school have already messed up once. They realize that without help, they won't graduate. They want to graduate and they are excited that someone cares enough to help them.
So tomorrow, I will really get to teach my class. I will start getting to know my kids, and we'll see how things go from there.
Really though, in my case, this was the fake first day of school. Today was a simple Round Robin Get to Know the Faculty and Staff day. Our Alternative School is small and has a very intimate setting, so we spent most of the day letting the students get to know us.
Tomorrow is the first real day. Tomorrow we have real schedules and students will actually go to their assigned classes. Tomorrow I will start to lay down the law.
Well, most of the law. See...I think I get to be a different kind of teacher in this situation. In Mississippi I had to be hard nosed almost all the time. Yeah, I smiled. Yeah, my kids knew I cared, but I always had to be serious.
This situation is very different. As I met my students today for the first time, I knew why they were there. Each of them had filled out an application to be there. Each of them had gone through an interview process to be accepted. Each of them has reasons why they truly want to be in this school and involved in the project. They know that this is a second chance for them, and for most of them, they want to be there.
There will always be a couple of kids who won't take this type of school seriously, but as I looked into the eyes of my new students, I could tell that minus those few, these kids really want to be in this school.
How exciting is that?
I never had that in Mississippi. I had the occasional student who wanted to be there, but for the most part, they all hated school. They didn't see the value of learning...I had to try and teach them that along with everything else.
But these kids at this new school have already messed up once. They realize that without help, they won't graduate. They want to graduate and they are excited that someone cares enough to help them.
So tomorrow, I will really get to teach my class. I will start getting to know my kids, and we'll see how things go from there.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Plan
I have a plan.
It is possible that I will have four preps this year. Count them. Four. One, two, three, four. That's a pretty heavy load. But I don't have too much of a choice. Being the only math teacher in the alternative school means that any students who need in class instruction are going to have to be taught by me. Yes, some of the kids will be doing independent study online classes, but most of the kids are behind in math and will see me at some point during the day. The last time I spoke with the Director of the school, he said that the classes they were probably going to offer are Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1A, Algebra 1B, and Integrated Algebra/Geometry. Pre-Algebra is self-explanatory, Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B are just one full year of Algebra I split up into two semesters for block scheduling purposes, but Integrated Algebra/Geometry? Huh?
I took most of my free time today and sat down to figure out my curriculum for the first semester of Integrated Algebra/Geometry. I've taught Algebra, and I've taught Geometry, but never have I taught a class that is supposed to cover the basics of both. From the course description:
"This course is designed to aide students who require additional work at the skills acquired in PreAlgebra. Students will continue to study basic algebraic skills while integrating geometric concepts."
What the heck does that mean?
So I took the day and planned it out. I had been a little overwhelmed with the idea of planning for four separate classes, but when I just looked at one it wasn't so bad. It was time consuming, but also good for me to think about. In planning I learned more about the direction I want to take the class and almost had fun doing it. In fact, I'm done. No, I haven't written all the lesson plans, but I have mapped out what I am going to teach and in what order.
Yes, it will probably change, but I like to have a plan. I would rather have something to scrap than nothing to start with at all.
I have three more days to work before the school year starts (I try not to do work on Sunday). What a coincidence I have three more preps to work on! So each day, I'm just going to take one prep and plan it out for the year. That's manageable.
And at least I have a plan.
It is possible that I will have four preps this year. Count them. Four. One, two, three, four. That's a pretty heavy load. But I don't have too much of a choice. Being the only math teacher in the alternative school means that any students who need in class instruction are going to have to be taught by me. Yes, some of the kids will be doing independent study online classes, but most of the kids are behind in math and will see me at some point during the day. The last time I spoke with the Director of the school, he said that the classes they were probably going to offer are Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1A, Algebra 1B, and Integrated Algebra/Geometry. Pre-Algebra is self-explanatory, Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B are just one full year of Algebra I split up into two semesters for block scheduling purposes, but Integrated Algebra/Geometry? Huh?
I took most of my free time today and sat down to figure out my curriculum for the first semester of Integrated Algebra/Geometry. I've taught Algebra, and I've taught Geometry, but never have I taught a class that is supposed to cover the basics of both. From the course description:
"This course is designed to aide students who require additional work at the skills acquired in PreAlgebra. Students will continue to study basic algebraic skills while integrating geometric concepts."
What the heck does that mean?
So I took the day and planned it out. I had been a little overwhelmed with the idea of planning for four separate classes, but when I just looked at one it wasn't so bad. It was time consuming, but also good for me to think about. In planning I learned more about the direction I want to take the class and almost had fun doing it. In fact, I'm done. No, I haven't written all the lesson plans, but I have mapped out what I am going to teach and in what order.
Yes, it will probably change, but I like to have a plan. I would rather have something to scrap than nothing to start with at all.
I have three more days to work before the school year starts (I try not to do work on Sunday). What a coincidence I have three more preps to work on! So each day, I'm just going to take one prep and plan it out for the year. That's manageable.
And at least I have a plan.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Taking Notes
My first week's plan is as set in stone as it is going to get. I have hashed out how I will handle each day as best I can. The first week of school is always subject to change, but for now I have a plan. And as Harry Wong says, "If you don't have a plan, you are planning to fail." At least I'm one step ahead for now.
I've never taught in a block schedule situation before, so this will be new for me. I teach four 75 minute blocks each day and I have 75 min of personal prep time each morning. So today I sat down and wrote one of my first block schedule lesson plans, and I have to say that I'm quite excited about it.
The first week of school I always spend teaching rules and procedures. I practice procedures with the kids over and over and over...and over...and over again. A new procedure that I'm going to practice with the students this year is how to take notes and follow directions. I'm going to introduce several note taking techniques and we're going to practice them by studying the life of Albert Einstein, my personal hero.
You might say, why teach high school kids how to take notes? Shouldn't they know how to do that already?
"Shouldn't they know how to do that already?"
I hear that all the time from people when I tell them some of the simple tasks and arithmetic that I teach high schoolers. Sadly, no. The kids I teach don't know how to do these types of things a lot of the time. They don't know how to behave properly in a classroom. They don't know how to take notes. They don't know how to study on their own. They don't know how to research for a project. They don't even know how to line up at the door.
So I teach them.
Now, my classroom is not a room where the kids sit and I lecture and they scribble notes all day long. But there are times when taking notes is an appropriate thing for them to do. I'm going to take most of a day to teach them how to know when it is appropriate and how to go about doing said activity.
Such a simple skill, but so useful. If I can teach them these simple things, they will be that much more prepared to go back to the main high school.
I've never taught in a block schedule situation before, so this will be new for me. I teach four 75 minute blocks each day and I have 75 min of personal prep time each morning. So today I sat down and wrote one of my first block schedule lesson plans, and I have to say that I'm quite excited about it.
The first week of school I always spend teaching rules and procedures. I practice procedures with the kids over and over and over...and over...and over again. A new procedure that I'm going to practice with the students this year is how to take notes and follow directions. I'm going to introduce several note taking techniques and we're going to practice them by studying the life of Albert Einstein, my personal hero.
You might say, why teach high school kids how to take notes? Shouldn't they know how to do that already?
"Shouldn't they know how to do that already?"
I hear that all the time from people when I tell them some of the simple tasks and arithmetic that I teach high schoolers. Sadly, no. The kids I teach don't know how to do these types of things a lot of the time. They don't know how to behave properly in a classroom. They don't know how to take notes. They don't know how to study on their own. They don't know how to research for a project. They don't even know how to line up at the door.
So I teach them.
Now, my classroom is not a room where the kids sit and I lecture and they scribble notes all day long. But there are times when taking notes is an appropriate thing for them to do. I'm going to take most of a day to teach them how to know when it is appropriate and how to go about doing said activity.
Such a simple skill, but so useful. If I can teach them these simple things, they will be that much more prepared to go back to the main high school.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Room Is Almost Ready!
So my mom and my husband and I spent most of the afternoon at the school getting my room ready today. I was a little stressed about it, because I'm starting from scratch with this alternative project. I was afraid it would take forever, but we were so quick and efficient. The bulletin boards have paper and borders. Expectations, procedures and rewards are posted. Consequences are yet to come when I find out if I can hold detentions or not. The desks are in order. My closet and my desk are stocked and ready to go. I spent the rest of the afternoon cutting out block numbers for a number line at the front of the room.
And why spend so much time making the room look...well...pretty? Because it helps the kids. Even high school students like to see a nicely decorated room. When there are posters and pictures on the walls, it always seems like a more inviting classroom - almost homey. My number one priority is to make my students feel safe and comfortable. Many of the students at the alternative school come from very terrible home situations, just like many of my students in Mississippi. I want them to feel like my classroom is a place where they are respected and safe.
I didn't do anything extravagant in decorating, but at least I don't have bare walls and bulletin boards. As the year goes on, I plan on adding a few more displays for the students, but for now, I think it looks pretty good.
And why spend so much time making the room look...well...pretty? Because it helps the kids. Even high school students like to see a nicely decorated room. When there are posters and pictures on the walls, it always seems like a more inviting classroom - almost homey. My number one priority is to make my students feel safe and comfortable. Many of the students at the alternative school come from very terrible home situations, just like many of my students in Mississippi. I want them to feel like my classroom is a place where they are respected and safe.
I didn't do anything extravagant in decorating, but at least I don't have bare walls and bulletin boards. As the year goes on, I plan on adding a few more displays for the students, but for now, I think it looks pretty good.
Setting Up the Room
On Friday, I finally got to see what my classroom will look like. Now I just have to make the decorating decisions. Which way do I want desks to face? What do I want on my bulletin boards? Where do I want my desk, etc., etc.? Today, I really have to decide, because I am now allowed in the building to fix up my room the way I want it.
Up until now, the building that will become our alternative high school has been under renovation. It's still not finished. I don't even know if it will be all the way finished by the first day of school, but we were promised that at least our classrooms would be ready with the furniture moved back in by today at noon. So I am going in today at 12:30 in the hopes that I can finally get some work done.
I like the set up of my room for the most part. The only thing I am not happy about is where my desk will be. I like my desk to be at the back of the room in a corner. I never sit at my desk while teaching, so there's no reason for it to be in the way. But because of where the SMART Board is going to be located, my desk complete with computer, will have to be at the front. Not too happy about that, but what are you going to do?
I'm going to have my Student of the Month Board and my WA+ll of Fame as usual. I also have a banner bulletin board at the front that seems perfect for a number line and another banner bulletin board on the side that I will use for posting procedures. I'm big on procedures. I will probably post more about procedures at a later date.
But this morning, I am just killing time, waiting to get into my room!
The weekend's work was a success. I have two full rings of index cards filled with energizers, motivators, and review/closure activities and games. These small index cards are going to make planning so much easier this time around.
After decorating, I'm going to have to sit down and really fine tune my Syllabus for the kids - and for myself. Different school, different administrators, different rules and consequences. I have to make sure everything matches up.
Still looking for good brain teasers and riddles, though! Let me hear your favorite.
Up until now, the building that will become our alternative high school has been under renovation. It's still not finished. I don't even know if it will be all the way finished by the first day of school, but we were promised that at least our classrooms would be ready with the furniture moved back in by today at noon. So I am going in today at 12:30 in the hopes that I can finally get some work done.
I like the set up of my room for the most part. The only thing I am not happy about is where my desk will be. I like my desk to be at the back of the room in a corner. I never sit at my desk while teaching, so there's no reason for it to be in the way. But because of where the SMART Board is going to be located, my desk complete with computer, will have to be at the front. Not too happy about that, but what are you going to do?
I'm going to have my Student of the Month Board and my WA+ll of Fame as usual. I also have a banner bulletin board at the front that seems perfect for a number line and another banner bulletin board on the side that I will use for posting procedures. I'm big on procedures. I will probably post more about procedures at a later date.
But this morning, I am just killing time, waiting to get into my room!
The weekend's work was a success. I have two full rings of index cards filled with energizers, motivators, and review/closure activities and games. These small index cards are going to make planning so much easier this time around.
After decorating, I'm going to have to sit down and really fine tune my Syllabus for the kids - and for myself. Different school, different administrators, different rules and consequences. I have to make sure everything matches up.
Still looking for good brain teasers and riddles, though! Let me hear your favorite.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Index Cards
On the agenda for today are index cards.
There are so many uses for these inexpensive teacher materials. You can get 500 index cards for two dollars and have so many activities planned with those two well spent dollars.
I use index cards for a variety of things. This year I am going to try a few new ideas with index cards as well, and prepping for these ideas is on my to do list for today.
I do not like the traditional style of teaching math. Having students copy notes and do practice problems is not my idea of a good time. Even though I learned that way in school, I do not force any of my students to ever have a day where they sit in their seats silently the whole time and stare at me doing problems on the board. We use games, cooperative learning, art, music, literature and lots of activities that require students to MOVE!
But the transition between these activities can sometimes be tricky. For instance, if I start off with a game that requires students to be on the floor and rolling dice and fifteen minutes later want them to instantaneously switch gears and be able to write a reflective piece on generalizations they learned about probability, this will not work. Yes, I can get their attention easily after each activity (I use an attention getter called the "Gimme 5" to call the class to order), but how do I get them to switch from using one side of their brain to the other in such a short amount of time.
The answer: Energizers and motivators. I have a few of my own and some that I have learned from other teachers. For example, you can have students trace a figure 8 with the index finger of their left hand forwards and backward and then do the same thing with their right hand. Back and forth and back and forth for about 30 seconds, and then hopefully their brain is in a transition mode.
Physical movements stimulate the brain so much better than a teacher saying, "Ok, let's switch gears." That just doesn't work.
So this year, I am using index cards to catalog my different energizers and motivators. I will write one on each index card and keep them on a single metal ring. Each time I need a transition activity, I simply grab the ring, randomly flip to an activity, do it with the class, and write down the date I used it on the card so I won't use it again in the near future.
So simple, so easy, it adds such variety to every fifteen minutes of class, and it's so cheap too!
I'm also going to keep another ring full of index cards with short brain teasers and riddles that we can use to "Take 1", i.e. Take a 1 min break - just to breathe before we jump back into the curriculum.
One other ring that I want to keep this year is a ring full of closure ideas. I am not good at closures - the final summary activity of the day that takes 3-5 minutes. I always have one, but I tend to repeat the same ones over and over, because I stink at coming up with new ones. So, I'm going to research, find some more, and put those on another ring to rotate and add variety to my classroom.
While transitions, breaks, and closures may be the little details of a classroom, sometimes they can make or break how well your lesson goes that day. My goal today: get the little stuff out of the way and on index cards, so the rest of my time can be spent planning new teaching activities. Then I won't waste 15 minutes of each evening trying to come up with a good closure for the next day. It's all right there - on my index cards.
If you know of any good transitions, closures, riddles, or brain teasers that I could use, I would love to hear about them!
There are so many uses for these inexpensive teacher materials. You can get 500 index cards for two dollars and have so many activities planned with those two well spent dollars.
I use index cards for a variety of things. This year I am going to try a few new ideas with index cards as well, and prepping for these ideas is on my to do list for today.
I do not like the traditional style of teaching math. Having students copy notes and do practice problems is not my idea of a good time. Even though I learned that way in school, I do not force any of my students to ever have a day where they sit in their seats silently the whole time and stare at me doing problems on the board. We use games, cooperative learning, art, music, literature and lots of activities that require students to MOVE!
But the transition between these activities can sometimes be tricky. For instance, if I start off with a game that requires students to be on the floor and rolling dice and fifteen minutes later want them to instantaneously switch gears and be able to write a reflective piece on generalizations they learned about probability, this will not work. Yes, I can get their attention easily after each activity (I use an attention getter called the "Gimme 5" to call the class to order), but how do I get them to switch from using one side of their brain to the other in such a short amount of time.
The answer: Energizers and motivators. I have a few of my own and some that I have learned from other teachers. For example, you can have students trace a figure 8 with the index finger of their left hand forwards and backward and then do the same thing with their right hand. Back and forth and back and forth for about 30 seconds, and then hopefully their brain is in a transition mode.
Physical movements stimulate the brain so much better than a teacher saying, "Ok, let's switch gears." That just doesn't work.
So this year, I am using index cards to catalog my different energizers and motivators. I will write one on each index card and keep them on a single metal ring. Each time I need a transition activity, I simply grab the ring, randomly flip to an activity, do it with the class, and write down the date I used it on the card so I won't use it again in the near future.
So simple, so easy, it adds such variety to every fifteen minutes of class, and it's so cheap too!
I'm also going to keep another ring full of index cards with short brain teasers and riddles that we can use to "Take 1", i.e. Take a 1 min break - just to breathe before we jump back into the curriculum.
One other ring that I want to keep this year is a ring full of closure ideas. I am not good at closures - the final summary activity of the day that takes 3-5 minutes. I always have one, but I tend to repeat the same ones over and over, because I stink at coming up with new ones. So, I'm going to research, find some more, and put those on another ring to rotate and add variety to my classroom.
While transitions, breaks, and closures may be the little details of a classroom, sometimes they can make or break how well your lesson goes that day. My goal today: get the little stuff out of the way and on index cards, so the rest of my time can be spent planning new teaching activities. Then I won't waste 15 minutes of each evening trying to come up with a good closure for the next day. It's all right there - on my index cards.
If you know of any good transitions, closures, riddles, or brain teasers that I could use, I would love to hear about them!
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Alternative Beginning
I am a teacher.
This is a teacher's blog.
But this is not a typical teacher's blog. This blog is being written by a teacher who gave up on teaching for a few years, and missed it so much that she came back. However, I have not come back in a usual capacity, and my first teaching experience was not a normal one either, so now I will elaborate on the true purposes of this blog.
The short history of the Alternative Solution is as follows:
I graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 2006. I joined an alternate route teaching program in the deep South that same year. I was placed by this program in a high needs school district of the Mississippi Delta where I taught high school Algebra I and Geometry after a crash course in education the summer between my graduation and my teaching placement.
I loved teaching. I loved my students, and if I may say so myself, I was pretty good at it. The alternate route program that I joined gave its new teachers excellent classroom management skills and practices that I took to heart and implemented in my classroom. Because of that, I believe that my first year of teaching was a success, despite all the special needs of my students.
A little background on my former students is necessary here. The high needs district where I taught in Mississippi was extremely poor. Every single student was on free lunch - not reduced lunch, but free lunch. The high level of poverty and racism that these students in Mississippi live with was almost unbelievable at times. It was inconceivable to me that people in America lived under such conditions until I saw it myself. So, to say the least, even though I only taught for a little over a year, I have a great deal of experience with the successful teaching of what we might call "At Risk" students.
During my first year of teaching, I raised my students' state test passing rate by 12%. I must have done something right. Perhaps the best thing I did for my students and myself was love them. I love them all dearly and will always be grateful for the things that they taught me each and every day.
So why did I leave this situation? Granted, teaching in a high poverty district might not be most teachers' idea of a good time, but I did love my students. Unfortunately, the administration did not like some of my ideas, and looking back at the events leading up to my hasty retreat, I probably was not as flexible as I should have been about some things. But without hashing out the details, I left because of disagreements with the administration and some personal health issues as well.
I have tried several other avenues of employment since leaving Mississippi two years ago. I tried the banking and finance industry. I tried computer programming. I even thought about simply going back to school and getting a Master's degree in engineering, but nothing really satisfied me. I do have some more advanced educational goals for my future, but in my present financial situation, those goals will have to wait. So I started fighting to get my Mississippi teaching license transferred to Illinois and teach again.
So here I am, present day, getting ready to start a brand new school year with a brand new group of students. But my new beginning is really an alternative beginning.
The district where I am going to be teaching is starting a new project. This district has a steadily rising drop out rate and has been looking for a way to curb this problem. This year they are opening a small alternative high school for just that purpose. I was intrigued by this project because of my previous teaching experience and decided to apply for the math instructor position. I got the job and will be one of the two certified teachers in the building. I will be teaching potential high school drop outs in the hopes that I can turn things around for them and get them back on track.
A daunting task, to say the least, but I am looking forward to it. This school is not what most people think of when you say "Alternative School." It is not a school for bad kids. It is not a school for behavior disorder students. It is not a school for learning disability students or special education students, although I know we will have several that fit in all of those categories. This is a school for students who have lost their way, and we are going to try to bring them back - to get them back on track and get them to graduate!
But this isn't just a second chance for these students - it is a second chance for me. I am starting over in teaching. I like to write about my experiences. Writing helps me focus and I am also hoping that any other teachers, parents, or administrators who happen upon this blog will have useful suggestions and insights that I can use in my special new classroom.
Please feel free to comment and help in any way. One thing I learned with my previous experience in teaching is to never turn down advice. I can always learn from someone else's opinion, even if I disagree with it.
I am looking for help. I am looking for advice. I am looking for ideas. I am looking for anything to inspire my students and help them get back on the path.
My students and I are in this journey together. This new school is giving both my students and me a new beginning - an alternative solution.
This is a teacher's blog.
But this is not a typical teacher's blog. This blog is being written by a teacher who gave up on teaching for a few years, and missed it so much that she came back. However, I have not come back in a usual capacity, and my first teaching experience was not a normal one either, so now I will elaborate on the true purposes of this blog.
The short history of the Alternative Solution is as follows:
I graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 2006. I joined an alternate route teaching program in the deep South that same year. I was placed by this program in a high needs school district of the Mississippi Delta where I taught high school Algebra I and Geometry after a crash course in education the summer between my graduation and my teaching placement.
I loved teaching. I loved my students, and if I may say so myself, I was pretty good at it. The alternate route program that I joined gave its new teachers excellent classroom management skills and practices that I took to heart and implemented in my classroom. Because of that, I believe that my first year of teaching was a success, despite all the special needs of my students.
A little background on my former students is necessary here. The high needs district where I taught in Mississippi was extremely poor. Every single student was on free lunch - not reduced lunch, but free lunch. The high level of poverty and racism that these students in Mississippi live with was almost unbelievable at times. It was inconceivable to me that people in America lived under such conditions until I saw it myself. So, to say the least, even though I only taught for a little over a year, I have a great deal of experience with the successful teaching of what we might call "At Risk" students.
During my first year of teaching, I raised my students' state test passing rate by 12%. I must have done something right. Perhaps the best thing I did for my students and myself was love them. I love them all dearly and will always be grateful for the things that they taught me each and every day.
So why did I leave this situation? Granted, teaching in a high poverty district might not be most teachers' idea of a good time, but I did love my students. Unfortunately, the administration did not like some of my ideas, and looking back at the events leading up to my hasty retreat, I probably was not as flexible as I should have been about some things. But without hashing out the details, I left because of disagreements with the administration and some personal health issues as well.
I have tried several other avenues of employment since leaving Mississippi two years ago. I tried the banking and finance industry. I tried computer programming. I even thought about simply going back to school and getting a Master's degree in engineering, but nothing really satisfied me. I do have some more advanced educational goals for my future, but in my present financial situation, those goals will have to wait. So I started fighting to get my Mississippi teaching license transferred to Illinois and teach again.
So here I am, present day, getting ready to start a brand new school year with a brand new group of students. But my new beginning is really an alternative beginning.
The district where I am going to be teaching is starting a new project. This district has a steadily rising drop out rate and has been looking for a way to curb this problem. This year they are opening a small alternative high school for just that purpose. I was intrigued by this project because of my previous teaching experience and decided to apply for the math instructor position. I got the job and will be one of the two certified teachers in the building. I will be teaching potential high school drop outs in the hopes that I can turn things around for them and get them back on track.
A daunting task, to say the least, but I am looking forward to it. This school is not what most people think of when you say "Alternative School." It is not a school for bad kids. It is not a school for behavior disorder students. It is not a school for learning disability students or special education students, although I know we will have several that fit in all of those categories. This is a school for students who have lost their way, and we are going to try to bring them back - to get them back on track and get them to graduate!
But this isn't just a second chance for these students - it is a second chance for me. I am starting over in teaching. I like to write about my experiences. Writing helps me focus and I am also hoping that any other teachers, parents, or administrators who happen upon this blog will have useful suggestions and insights that I can use in my special new classroom.
Please feel free to comment and help in any way. One thing I learned with my previous experience in teaching is to never turn down advice. I can always learn from someone else's opinion, even if I disagree with it.
I am looking for help. I am looking for advice. I am looking for ideas. I am looking for anything to inspire my students and help them get back on the path.
My students and I are in this journey together. This new school is giving both my students and me a new beginning - an alternative solution.
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