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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.