As these final days are winding down, I find myself thinking more about what I want to change next year.
One thing that I need to do more of with the kids is practice basic skills. I take a couple weeks at the beginning of the school year to review/teach the basic skills of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, but it doesn't seem to have been enough with the clientele I have had this year.
The kids that I teach have fallen behind and fallen through the cracks of the normal system. Many of them are extremely bright, but simply didn't go to school or do their work. However, I have many other students that are significantly behind in basic skills. I did have this problem with my students in Mississippi, but oddly enough, not to the same extent. My impoverished students in Mississippi knew their multiplication tables better than my students at this alternative school.
So my idea has been that I will actually take time each day to review, practice, and drill basic math facts. However, I don't have any training in elementary math techniques. I was thinking of doing a timed test every day - the kind I remember doing in elementary school where you did all the problems you could in a certain amount of time. However, I want to make sure I'm doing this effectively.
I am definitely looking for suggestions on how to go about setting this up and how to reward and encourage students to do well. Should I do flash cards like I remember my teachers doing in elementary school or is there some new research that has other ideas about the best way to reinforce basic facts? Are timed tests a good way to go to practice or is there another new idea in the elementary world for that as well? Would a chart with stickers for students who pass off different facts be effective, i.e. a student perfectly does his 3's multiplication flash cards gets a sticker on the chart?
Any ideas are appreciated - again I am completely green when it comes to teaching elementary math concepts.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The End of the Year....Finally!
We have five and a half days of school left. I have made it through another year of school. There are many reasons that this is significant to me.
From a curriculum standpoint, I am in the middle of the experimental end of the year portfolio project with my Algebra classes. So far I think it's going really well. The portfolio works like this:
From a "wrap up the year" standpoint, our school will be graduating 20 students. 20 STUDENTS! We only have 55 students and every single senior that we accepted will be graduating. Some of them are graduating with a 28 credit diploma and some are graduating with the special 22 credit diploma, but they are all graduating!
We as a staff are very proud of them and the work they have done. On a personal note, I am very proud of the students, but I'm also extremely proud of the work that all of the staff has done to help these students. While the students are the ones that earned the grades, these kids were so far behind and had so much to do that it would have been impossible without the tireless efforts of this special staff. Everyone here comes in early and stays late almost every day. It's a very special crew of people at this school. I've been extremely grateful to be a part of it.
From a personal standpoint, I have made it through the year in one piece. I have not quit or been discouraged about my teaching or given up on the system. This is significant because I have been timid and gun shy since I left Mississippi. I thought I never wanted to teach again. I felt like a failure, but I wasn't.
I have just proved that not only am I a good teacher, but I make a difference with kids where it counts. The kids that I teach every day really do need me. They are the forgotten ones...the ones who fell through the cracks...the kids that no one else could handle. I have not reached every single one, but I have reached a significant number of them.
And 20 of my students are graduating from high school.
I simply want to say to all those in Mississippi who were angry with me for leaving or mad at me for "giving the program a bad name," what would you say now? Would you write me off like you did before? Could you finally admit that possibly the problem wasn't me leaving, it was the situation I was put in and the lack of support I received?
I am not a failure. This is my redemption. No matter what happened in the past, my kids are graduating, and I had a part in that success.
From a curriculum standpoint, I am in the middle of the experimental end of the year portfolio project with my Algebra classes. So far I think it's going really well. The portfolio works like this:
- I gave the kids a list of all the topics we have covered this year and a list of alternate assessment activities that they could do - everything from writing a letter to a friend who was absent to writing a rap to performing a puppet show to making a news broadcast.
- The task is for the students to match different topics with different activities. All the activities are worth different numbers of points. Some of them are 10 points and some are 20 points. The students have to pick a combination of activities that add up to 100 points.
- If they want extra credit opportunities, I have a list of extra activities that they can do separately like write a math autobiography, or research a famous mathematician, or make a collage of pictures from magazines or newspapers or the internet that demonstrate math in the real world.
From a "wrap up the year" standpoint, our school will be graduating 20 students. 20 STUDENTS! We only have 55 students and every single senior that we accepted will be graduating. Some of them are graduating with a 28 credit diploma and some are graduating with the special 22 credit diploma, but they are all graduating!
We as a staff are very proud of them and the work they have done. On a personal note, I am very proud of the students, but I'm also extremely proud of the work that all of the staff has done to help these students. While the students are the ones that earned the grades, these kids were so far behind and had so much to do that it would have been impossible without the tireless efforts of this special staff. Everyone here comes in early and stays late almost every day. It's a very special crew of people at this school. I've been extremely grateful to be a part of it.
From a personal standpoint, I have made it through the year in one piece. I have not quit or been discouraged about my teaching or given up on the system. This is significant because I have been timid and gun shy since I left Mississippi. I thought I never wanted to teach again. I felt like a failure, but I wasn't.
I have just proved that not only am I a good teacher, but I make a difference with kids where it counts. The kids that I teach every day really do need me. They are the forgotten ones...the ones who fell through the cracks...the kids that no one else could handle. I have not reached every single one, but I have reached a significant number of them.
And 20 of my students are graduating from high school.
I simply want to say to all those in Mississippi who were angry with me for leaving or mad at me for "giving the program a bad name," what would you say now? Would you write me off like you did before? Could you finally admit that possibly the problem wasn't me leaving, it was the situation I was put in and the lack of support I received?
I am not a failure. This is my redemption. No matter what happened in the past, my kids are graduating, and I had a part in that success.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
More Differentiation and Independent Projects! In Math!
Yes, it's true. I am continuing with my recent trend of more differentiation and more independent math projects. It seems to be working very well, especially with the types of kids I work with.
The portfolio assignment went so well in Practical Math. The kids enjoyed the visitors, did their daily math assignments and so many of them went above and beyond what I expected for the portfolio assignments. I have such wonderful, creative students - even if all teachers say that, I still think mine are always the best!
In fact, it went so well, that I'm going to try a portfolio assessment for Algebra as well. I have not ironed out the details yet, but I have one week at the end of the school year that is open to whatever I choose, because we will finish the required curriculum early. Snow days will give you that extra time at the end of 4th term, I guess. I think that it will be a great way for the kids to showcase what they have learned, but also not be too stressful the last full week of school. Kids and teachers do have trouble focusing during that time and I think it will be a good activity for all of us.
The idea that I am playing with is giving the kids a list of all the topics we have studied this year and also giving them a list of possible activities they can do, e.g. write a rap, make a poster, design a news program, etc. They will need to match up a certain number of topics with a certain number of activities that will demonstrate what they know about the topics they pick. Suggestions on this idea? Again, it's still in the works in the back of my cluttered brain.
Practical Math is also going well. I have a good mix of group work and individual work each day. We are currently working in construction teams that have to put together bids each day to win my business. I pose as a customer each day with a special construction need, whether it is siding, carpet, windows, or whatever, and the teams have to figure out the cost of parts and labor as well as profit to charge me. If they do their math correctly, I pay them the full amount and they "deposit" their money into their bank account each day. After this unit, they will use all the money they made to invest in the stock market, buy real estate, and complete their final project which is to plan a vacation.
I've really liked this unit and the kids seem to like it as well. Overall, I think Practical Math has been a huge success. It has done what I hoped it would do. There are a few things I want to do to fine tune the class for next year, but I really enjoy teaching it.
The portfolio assignment went so well in Practical Math. The kids enjoyed the visitors, did their daily math assignments and so many of them went above and beyond what I expected for the portfolio assignments. I have such wonderful, creative students - even if all teachers say that, I still think mine are always the best!
In fact, it went so well, that I'm going to try a portfolio assessment for Algebra as well. I have not ironed out the details yet, but I have one week at the end of the school year that is open to whatever I choose, because we will finish the required curriculum early. Snow days will give you that extra time at the end of 4th term, I guess. I think that it will be a great way for the kids to showcase what they have learned, but also not be too stressful the last full week of school. Kids and teachers do have trouble focusing during that time and I think it will be a good activity for all of us.
The idea that I am playing with is giving the kids a list of all the topics we have studied this year and also giving them a list of possible activities they can do, e.g. write a rap, make a poster, design a news program, etc. They will need to match up a certain number of topics with a certain number of activities that will demonstrate what they know about the topics they pick. Suggestions on this idea? Again, it's still in the works in the back of my cluttered brain.
Practical Math is also going well. I have a good mix of group work and individual work each day. We are currently working in construction teams that have to put together bids each day to win my business. I pose as a customer each day with a special construction need, whether it is siding, carpet, windows, or whatever, and the teams have to figure out the cost of parts and labor as well as profit to charge me. If they do their math correctly, I pay them the full amount and they "deposit" their money into their bank account each day. After this unit, they will use all the money they made to invest in the stock market, buy real estate, and complete their final project which is to plan a vacation.
I've really liked this unit and the kids seem to like it as well. Overall, I think Practical Math has been a huge success. It has done what I hoped it would do. There are a few things I want to do to fine tune the class for next year, but I really enjoy teaching it.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Differentiated to the Max
Practical Math so far has been a success. I have completely developed this class on my own and it's going very well.
In 3rd term we did a personal finance unit for six weeks. We learned how to balance a checkbook, fill out tax forms, computer credit card interest and all of that good real life stuff. I used an old business math text book to give me some direction, but developed activities and in class work on my own. I set up a routine - each day we had a certain number of topics to cover. I bought each student a mini steno notepad. For each topic, they had a personal reflection question they had to write about. Then we would spend a few minutes talking about definitions and formulas - like how to compute state income tax - and then they would work on some practice problems in some way that I devised. Sometimes we mixed things up with Scrambled Eggs practice, or I would divide up problems by the color of shoes that students were wearing that day. That way, a little variety was added to the day.
But now we are finished with the personal finance unit and I wanted to find a way to apply that knowledge in a real world context. So for the next three weeks, we have been working on what I'm calling the Job Explorations Unit and it's completely differentiated.
Each day, we look at three different real world jobs that the students could possibly hold. Each day I bring in one guest speaker that actually works in one of those three jobs. The guest speaker tells the kids a little about what they do in their line of work and how they use math each day.
After the speaker leaves, the students have to do activities relating to the three jobs for the day. They get to pick two job stations and complete the activities at those stations. After they finish their in class work, they are to work on their portfolio.
I'm doing a portfolio assessment for the first time ever. I've created a rubric and I've created different activities that I call Tier 1 or Tier 2 activities. Tier 1 activities are lower level thinking and Tier 2 are a little higher level thinking and take a little more time and effort to complete. For each day, the students have to pick three Tier 1 activities and one Tier 2 activity. When these activities are complete, they will be put in a three ring binder that will comprise the students' portfolio.
I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well the students have been working on both their in class assignments and their portfolio submissions. Some of the students are almost done with their portfolio and still have a week of class left to do them! Some of the students need a little more help, but I still strongly believe that when choice is part of an assessment, that students will work harder and do better because they care more about what they are doing.
I hope that I can find more ways to do units like this. The students seem to like it and after the initial work is done, all I have to do is facilitate and keep kids on task. It is lots of fun and leaves me with lots of energy because it's not teacher intensive - all the work is done by the kids! I just lend a hand where needed.
In 3rd term we did a personal finance unit for six weeks. We learned how to balance a checkbook, fill out tax forms, computer credit card interest and all of that good real life stuff. I used an old business math text book to give me some direction, but developed activities and in class work on my own. I set up a routine - each day we had a certain number of topics to cover. I bought each student a mini steno notepad. For each topic, they had a personal reflection question they had to write about. Then we would spend a few minutes talking about definitions and formulas - like how to compute state income tax - and then they would work on some practice problems in some way that I devised. Sometimes we mixed things up with Scrambled Eggs practice, or I would divide up problems by the color of shoes that students were wearing that day. That way, a little variety was added to the day.
But now we are finished with the personal finance unit and I wanted to find a way to apply that knowledge in a real world context. So for the next three weeks, we have been working on what I'm calling the Job Explorations Unit and it's completely differentiated.
Each day, we look at three different real world jobs that the students could possibly hold. Each day I bring in one guest speaker that actually works in one of those three jobs. The guest speaker tells the kids a little about what they do in their line of work and how they use math each day.
After the speaker leaves, the students have to do activities relating to the three jobs for the day. They get to pick two job stations and complete the activities at those stations. After they finish their in class work, they are to work on their portfolio.
I'm doing a portfolio assessment for the first time ever. I've created a rubric and I've created different activities that I call Tier 1 or Tier 2 activities. Tier 1 activities are lower level thinking and Tier 2 are a little higher level thinking and take a little more time and effort to complete. For each day, the students have to pick three Tier 1 activities and one Tier 2 activity. When these activities are complete, they will be put in a three ring binder that will comprise the students' portfolio.
I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well the students have been working on both their in class assignments and their portfolio submissions. Some of the students are almost done with their portfolio and still have a week of class left to do them! Some of the students need a little more help, but I still strongly believe that when choice is part of an assessment, that students will work harder and do better because they care more about what they are doing.
I hope that I can find more ways to do units like this. The students seem to like it and after the initial work is done, all I have to do is facilitate and keep kids on task. It is lots of fun and leaves me with lots of energy because it's not teacher intensive - all the work is done by the kids! I just lend a hand where needed.
Friday, February 26, 2010
A Positive Post
With so many negative posts this week, I thought I should put up a positive one to balance things out a bit.
Even though the week started out rough, it has become much better as the days went on. I did end up teaching the same lessons to both classes this week. I did this because Monday's attendance was so low in practical math that I didn't want to have to reteach all the definitions the absent kids would have missed. But then the kids were having so much fun with the first activity that I thought it was only fair to let them finish the other activities I had planned for Algebra, even though they were in Practical Math.
We did experiments all week this week. We started off on Monday with a bouncing tennis balls experiment. We continued on Tuesday with Barbie Bungee Jumping and finished on Wednesday with a time/distance experiment where we went to the gym and measured our walking speeds.
(Thanks to the Illuminations website of NCTM, I had these great lessons. Here are the links:
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L246
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L646
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L254
I love this site. It seems like all of my best lessons come from here.)
So Monday we bounced tennis balls and counted the bounces and graphed our data. Then we played a game on the SMART Board that was a huge hit. (Found here: http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/MazeGame/ ) I couldn't even believe how much the kids liked that game and it was so simple.
Barbie Bungee Tuesday was a huge success. When I first saw this lesson I was a little wary of it and wondered if it would even be possible to implement it in my classroom. But it worked and it not only worked, the kids had a lot of fun. Again, we graphed our data and analyzed it.
And on Wednesday, the walking experiment was great - not only for the math involved in the graphing but in the exercise we managed to get that day! The kids had a lot of fun comparing their speeds with other kids speeds too.
Even though it was a good week, I find myself quite exhausted at the end of it. These lessons are great fun and I love doing stuff like this, but it really does take a lot out of you.
I'm just grateful my classes are so small.
Even though the week started out rough, it has become much better as the days went on. I did end up teaching the same lessons to both classes this week. I did this because Monday's attendance was so low in practical math that I didn't want to have to reteach all the definitions the absent kids would have missed. But then the kids were having so much fun with the first activity that I thought it was only fair to let them finish the other activities I had planned for Algebra, even though they were in Practical Math.
We did experiments all week this week. We started off on Monday with a bouncing tennis balls experiment. We continued on Tuesday with Barbie Bungee Jumping and finished on Wednesday with a time/distance experiment where we went to the gym and measured our walking speeds.
(Thanks to the Illuminations website of NCTM, I had these great lessons. Here are the links:
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L246
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L646
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L254
I love this site. It seems like all of my best lessons come from here.)
So Monday we bounced tennis balls and counted the bounces and graphed our data. Then we played a game on the SMART Board that was a huge hit. (Found here: http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/MazeGame/ ) I couldn't even believe how much the kids liked that game and it was so simple.
Barbie Bungee Tuesday was a huge success. When I first saw this lesson I was a little wary of it and wondered if it would even be possible to implement it in my classroom. But it worked and it not only worked, the kids had a lot of fun. Again, we graphed our data and analyzed it.
And on Wednesday, the walking experiment was great - not only for the math involved in the graphing but in the exercise we managed to get that day! The kids had a lot of fun comparing their speeds with other kids speeds too.
Even though it was a good week, I find myself quite exhausted at the end of it. These lessons are great fun and I love doing stuff like this, but it really does take a lot out of you.
I'm just grateful my classes are so small.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Update #2
One more update to the problems with having school on Monday.
I have a student who fell on her way to school on Monday morning - hit a patch of ice and then she hit the ground.
She fractured a bone in her hand. I wonder if the superintendent will reimburse her for that since he is the reason she was on her way to school in the first place?
I have a student who fell on her way to school on Monday morning - hit a patch of ice and then she hit the ground.
She fractured a bone in her hand. I wonder if the superintendent will reimburse her for that since he is the reason she was on her way to school in the first place?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Update
Just to update.
The attendance today was not good at all. I teach 37 of our 55 students. 16 of them were tardy or didn't show up at all.
43% of my students were not at school today. That's not even a percentage for the whole school since I only teach 67% of the students anyway, but the rest of the attendance was not much different.
Reteaching will be done tomorrow and I had to push the lessons back for Practical Math to try to avoid reteaching for that class as well.
Also as a side note, the English teacher in the building had no students at all until 9:20. He said he had two students by 9:30, three by 9:40 and four total by the end of the block which is over at 10:20.
He's supposed to have nine students in that class.
The attendance today was not good at all. I teach 37 of our 55 students. 16 of them were tardy or didn't show up at all.
43% of my students were not at school today. That's not even a percentage for the whole school since I only teach 67% of the students anyway, but the rest of the attendance was not much different.
Reteaching will be done tomorrow and I had to push the lessons back for Practical Math to try to avoid reteaching for that class as well.
Also as a side note, the English teacher in the building had no students at all until 9:20. He said he had two students by 9:30, three by 9:40 and four total by the end of the block which is over at 10:20.
He's supposed to have nine students in that class.
The Angry Teacher
Today I am an angry teacher and need to vent some steam.
We got somewhere between 5-8 inches of snow last night. The streets are mostly plowed, but not in good shape. In fact, one of the main roads to the high school has a two foot high burm of snow right down the middle of it that I had to try to drive through to get to work today. And that is after I spent half an hour digging myself out of the driveway.
Could we even get a 2 hour delayed start like some of the schools in the area? Of course not, that would be crazy. It would be crazy to be reasonable and allow people time to safely get themselves to work instead of rushing like crazy people and almost getting pinned beneath their own car as they struggle to push it out of 5-8 inches of snow.
Every other school in the area was either canceled or had a delayed start - except for my lovely district.
My husband's leg is broken and I had to scrape and shovel and push the car out myself today. I don't even get paid enough as a teacher to buy a stupid snow blower. But I am expected to magically show up on time and in a happy mood?
Every time this happens I get very angry. But I'm finally here, I should be ok now right?
Wrong, because in the end this will be a waste of a day. Our attendance will be so poor from kids who just don't come because of snow to kids who are legitimately called in by their parents because of snow. No matter what, I will have such low attendance that I will end up reteaching everything that I taught today.
So tell me how coming to school today was in the best interest of the kids?
And personally, I will always say that coming to school for a few extra days in June when the weather is nice and the sun actually wakes up before I do is always better than breaking my back shoveling and pushing my car out of the snow at 6 a.m. when it's still dark.
I'll go until the end of June if it means that I don't have to do that.
We got somewhere between 5-8 inches of snow last night. The streets are mostly plowed, but not in good shape. In fact, one of the main roads to the high school has a two foot high burm of snow right down the middle of it that I had to try to drive through to get to work today. And that is after I spent half an hour digging myself out of the driveway.
Could we even get a 2 hour delayed start like some of the schools in the area? Of course not, that would be crazy. It would be crazy to be reasonable and allow people time to safely get themselves to work instead of rushing like crazy people and almost getting pinned beneath their own car as they struggle to push it out of 5-8 inches of snow.
Every other school in the area was either canceled or had a delayed start - except for my lovely district.
My husband's leg is broken and I had to scrape and shovel and push the car out myself today. I don't even get paid enough as a teacher to buy a stupid snow blower. But I am expected to magically show up on time and in a happy mood?
Every time this happens I get very angry. But I'm finally here, I should be ok now right?
Wrong, because in the end this will be a waste of a day. Our attendance will be so poor from kids who just don't come because of snow to kids who are legitimately called in by their parents because of snow. No matter what, I will have such low attendance that I will end up reteaching everything that I taught today.
So tell me how coming to school today was in the best interest of the kids?
And personally, I will always say that coming to school for a few extra days in June when the weather is nice and the sun actually wakes up before I do is always better than breaking my back shoveling and pushing my car out of the snow at 6 a.m. when it's still dark.
I'll go until the end of June if it means that I don't have to do that.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Worthwhile Essay #2
Here is another essay that I enjoyed. Again, spelling and grammar have been kept in their original form.
"dont you hate it how the rich people get all the glamorous things in life just because they have money??and then the poor people that are barely even making a living dont have anything..theres no body to help them, and no body wants to answer to their cries!
i think that the rich people should/can be a little more caring/giving and help out the poor because obviously no body else is gona help them!i think the few hundreds each rich person spends on dumb stuff, is another hundred that could be used to feed one of these starving children around our country.
i also think that the government is laking the ability of being able to be trusted by our fellow americans, mainly beacuse we are crying out all around and he isnt trying to help! now how are you gonna be a good government if you dont even focuse on the MOST important things that realy actually matter at this moment of time in life!
i also think instead of wasting all this money to get to a country to find something that isnt even freakin there, he could use that money to like open up a shelter.. free food give aways once a week..heck something to help those that cant even help their self's..
well all we can do is hope because as you see are prayers ARE NOT answerd..and it doesnt look like theyll be answerd anytime soon either!so the best i can think of is maybe its time for US as "we the people" of america, need to start pinching in and helping out the homeless, less fortunate..just every body! so we can fix this country and mean it when we say it is "THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY!!"
"dont you hate it how the rich people get all the glamorous things in life just because they have money??and then the poor people that are barely even making a living dont have anything..theres no body to help them, and no body wants to answer to their cries!
i think that the rich people should/can be a little more caring/giving and help out the poor because obviously no body else is gona help them!i think the few hundreds each rich person spends on dumb stuff, is another hundred that could be used to feed one of these starving children around our country.
i also think that the government is laking the ability of being able to be trusted by our fellow americans, mainly beacuse we are crying out all around and he isnt trying to help! now how are you gonna be a good government if you dont even focuse on the MOST important things that realy actually matter at this moment of time in life!
i also think instead of wasting all this money to get to a country to find something that isnt even freakin there, he could use that money to like open up a shelter.. free food give aways once a week..heck something to help those that cant even help their self's..
well all we can do is hope because as you see are prayers ARE NOT answerd..and it doesnt look like theyll be answerd anytime soon either!so the best i can think of is maybe its time for US as "we the people" of america, need to start pinching in and helping out the homeless, less fortunate..just every body! so we can fix this country and mean it when we say it is "THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY!!"
Student Essay
I received this piece in response to the inequality lesson today. Thought I would share it with you readers. Spelling and grammar left as is.
"I believe that these results are true. I say this because the rich are getting richer by Investing or bank accounts. While some barely get buy with enough. Also with the recession now a days some may turn to relatives, shelters, and even loved ones to stay because they can not afford the standards of life. One way I believe we could solve this is by opening up big shopping malls or places to offer jobs to many who have none.
However there is another way I believe we could sovle this. Is by making Education a law. I say this because Education is no thing you can drop and try again. You cant go back 30 yrs and start all over again. Education is pretty much a ticket. This ticket could lead you to making millions, and living the life you dreamed of. But very few take the ticket and end up in sorrowness and poverty.
So will you take the ticket, and be well on your way to the pursuit of happiness? The choice is yours."
"I believe that these results are true. I say this because the rich are getting richer by Investing or bank accounts. While some barely get buy with enough. Also with the recession now a days some may turn to relatives, shelters, and even loved ones to stay because they can not afford the standards of life. One way I believe we could solve this is by opening up big shopping malls or places to offer jobs to many who have none.
However there is another way I believe we could sovle this. Is by making Education a law. I say this because Education is no thing you can drop and try again. You cant go back 30 yrs and start all over again. Education is pretty much a ticket. This ticket could lead you to making millions, and living the life you dreamed of. But very few take the ticket and end up in sorrowness and poverty.
So will you take the ticket, and be well on your way to the pursuit of happiness? The choice is yours."
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Inequality
I have two thoughts on my mind today.
The first thought is on the lesson I taught in Algebra today. We're doing an inequalities unit. Instead of starting out the unit in the normal way (introducing the different inequality symbols, basic graphing, etc.), I started by taking a day to talk about a real life problem - social inequality.
We had a class discussion about what types of inequalities there are in society and why these inequalities appear between individuals, states, and even countries. I was quite pleased with the kids' ideas and thoughts in our class discussions. In fact, the discussion went longer than I had planned because the kids had so many great ideas.
Their assignment is not due until Friday when they have to turn in an essay that describes two things they would suggest that our lawmakers do to help with these problems. I'm looking forward to reading their answers.
The other thought on my mind stems from a book I've been reading recently. Our district has a book club that I've been participating in and one of the books we are reading is called Inside Mrs. B's Classroom: Courage, Hope, and Learning on Chicago's South Side. It's the story of the beginning teaching journey of Leslie Baldacci, who switched careers after twenty-five years of writing for the Chicago Sun-Times to teaching in an inner city school in Chicago.
As I've been reading it, I've found many things to laugh at, but mostly it's forced me to reminisce more than I have in several years. The similarities between what Mrs. B. describes on the south side of Chicago and what I experienced in a rural district in Mississippi are shockingly similar. Not knowing what you're teaching until the day you begin. Not having rosters or a clean room. The crazy behavior that those of us who come from a standard middle class background are not used to - no matter how well we think we are prepared for it or how well we have been warned.
But mostly, this reading has made me think of my former students and what a special place they will always have in my heart.
As I read some of the descriptions that Mrs. Baldacci made of her students, the faces of my students were matching up with some of her descriptions.
The student who tries so hard to be good, but gets frustrated and as soon as one thing goes wrong for the day he is lost. But his work is always turned in and some of the best work in the class.
The girl who is so illiterate, but makes up for her illiteracy with personality.
The rare student who is so gifted it breaks your heart, because you know they will never have access to the same type of education that kids in the suburbs will get, but she's just as smart, if not smarter than all of those kids.
I pulled up my old grade books just to pour over their names. Don't worry, I'm not sitting here crying over their names. I guess now, so much of the pain of the situation in Mississippi is gone and I mostly think of the good things.
The boys who tried so hard to be "gangsta" and only you would see when they would break the facade in the middle of an "aha" moment.
My teen parents who really did try hard to balance parenting with their school work. Sometimes it went well and sometimes....I didn't even know how to help them when they have no help at home.
The clique girls who would not be separated - in life or death, they were so sure.
The chronic absentees that you are so excited to see, but have no idea how to catch them up on the days/weeks they have missed.
The girls who want to be models because Tyra looks so cool on T.V. but they have no idea that they need to grow another 5 inches and somehow get discovered in a big city.....very far away.
The typical class clowns who steal your heart even when they are cracking jokes at everything in class.
The quiet, shy kids who just don't fit in.
The kids whose home lives you could not have imagined if you hadn't heard it yourself.
I see their smiles. I don't remember many of the times that they called me names or threw temper tantrums or got in fights. Maybe that's a curse, maybe it's a blessing. I can hear them laugh or see them working together on a project. Many of them are my friends on facebook now and I can see them going to college and I nearly burst with pride.
The hardest and best part of being a teacher is the emotional connection you make with students. The students who are easy to love and the ones that take some work, the advanced learners and the ones you can't read - in the end they all just make you smile.
Teaching is probably one of the most emotionally draining professions, but also one of the most emotionally rewarding as well.
The first thought is on the lesson I taught in Algebra today. We're doing an inequalities unit. Instead of starting out the unit in the normal way (introducing the different inequality symbols, basic graphing, etc.), I started by taking a day to talk about a real life problem - social inequality.
We had a class discussion about what types of inequalities there are in society and why these inequalities appear between individuals, states, and even countries. I was quite pleased with the kids' ideas and thoughts in our class discussions. In fact, the discussion went longer than I had planned because the kids had so many great ideas.
Their assignment is not due until Friday when they have to turn in an essay that describes two things they would suggest that our lawmakers do to help with these problems. I'm looking forward to reading their answers.
The other thought on my mind stems from a book I've been reading recently. Our district has a book club that I've been participating in and one of the books we are reading is called Inside Mrs. B's Classroom: Courage, Hope, and Learning on Chicago's South Side. It's the story of the beginning teaching journey of Leslie Baldacci, who switched careers after twenty-five years of writing for the Chicago Sun-Times to teaching in an inner city school in Chicago.
As I've been reading it, I've found many things to laugh at, but mostly it's forced me to reminisce more than I have in several years. The similarities between what Mrs. B. describes on the south side of Chicago and what I experienced in a rural district in Mississippi are shockingly similar. Not knowing what you're teaching until the day you begin. Not having rosters or a clean room. The crazy behavior that those of us who come from a standard middle class background are not used to - no matter how well we think we are prepared for it or how well we have been warned.
But mostly, this reading has made me think of my former students and what a special place they will always have in my heart.
As I read some of the descriptions that Mrs. Baldacci made of her students, the faces of my students were matching up with some of her descriptions.
The student who tries so hard to be good, but gets frustrated and as soon as one thing goes wrong for the day he is lost. But his work is always turned in and some of the best work in the class.
The girl who is so illiterate, but makes up for her illiteracy with personality.
The rare student who is so gifted it breaks your heart, because you know they will never have access to the same type of education that kids in the suburbs will get, but she's just as smart, if not smarter than all of those kids.
I pulled up my old grade books just to pour over their names. Don't worry, I'm not sitting here crying over their names. I guess now, so much of the pain of the situation in Mississippi is gone and I mostly think of the good things.
The boys who tried so hard to be "gangsta" and only you would see when they would break the facade in the middle of an "aha" moment.
My teen parents who really did try hard to balance parenting with their school work. Sometimes it went well and sometimes....I didn't even know how to help them when they have no help at home.
The clique girls who would not be separated - in life or death, they were so sure.
The chronic absentees that you are so excited to see, but have no idea how to catch them up on the days/weeks they have missed.
The girls who want to be models because Tyra looks so cool on T.V. but they have no idea that they need to grow another 5 inches and somehow get discovered in a big city.....very far away.
The typical class clowns who steal your heart even when they are cracking jokes at everything in class.
The quiet, shy kids who just don't fit in.
The kids whose home lives you could not have imagined if you hadn't heard it yourself.
I see their smiles. I don't remember many of the times that they called me names or threw temper tantrums or got in fights. Maybe that's a curse, maybe it's a blessing. I can hear them laugh or see them working together on a project. Many of them are my friends on facebook now and I can see them going to college and I nearly burst with pride.
The hardest and best part of being a teacher is the emotional connection you make with students. The students who are easy to love and the ones that take some work, the advanced learners and the ones you can't read - in the end they all just make you smile.
Teaching is probably one of the most emotionally draining professions, but also one of the most emotionally rewarding as well.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Ode to Dixie Cups
Previously I have posted on the usefulness of index cards. Today I am going to talk about the usefulness of Dixie Cups. I take delight in using common materials that are cheap and can be abused in so many different ways to make education fun and interesting.
Today I used Dixie Cups for two totally different lessons, but how handy they were!
In Algebra, we discussed variables. What is a variable? How do we substitute for variables, etc. I gave each group of students some Dixie cups, tin foil, rubber bands and beads. They had to come up with a secret number and put that number of beads in each Dixie cup. Then they "sealed" the cup by placing tin foil over the top and rubber banding it in place. We then discussed how we could find other groups secret numbers, how to combine like terms and what the cups actually represented by choosing a letter to label each groups set of Dixie cups.
Cheap. Easy. Educational. Fun.
I also used Dixie Cups to do a Scrambled Eggs activity in Practical Math. I've taken an approach to this class that I usually don't do - I'm going through the book. I have acquired a business math textbook, and while I'm not big on textbooks, it has come in quite handy for helping me develop a curriculum that I have never developed or taught before.
The problem has been that it is quite dull. So I have the task of mixing up the practice problems in such a way that it is not so monotonous and boring. Today I used Scrambled Eggs - an activity I stole from a teacher at the main campus that I substituted for last year. I put all the problems in a different container. The ideal would be plastic Easter eggs, but those are not really out for sale yet. So I used Dixie cups. The students in groups send one person to the table with all the cups and pick up one cup. They take it back to their group, solve the problem inside and then take that cup back to the table where they pick up another one.
Not so boring. Has an element of choice. Cheap. Easy. Educational.
Dixie Cups saved my lessons today. Thank you!
Today I used Dixie Cups for two totally different lessons, but how handy they were!
In Algebra, we discussed variables. What is a variable? How do we substitute for variables, etc. I gave each group of students some Dixie cups, tin foil, rubber bands and beads. They had to come up with a secret number and put that number of beads in each Dixie cup. Then they "sealed" the cup by placing tin foil over the top and rubber banding it in place. We then discussed how we could find other groups secret numbers, how to combine like terms and what the cups actually represented by choosing a letter to label each groups set of Dixie cups.
Cheap. Easy. Educational. Fun.
I also used Dixie Cups to do a Scrambled Eggs activity in Practical Math. I've taken an approach to this class that I usually don't do - I'm going through the book. I have acquired a business math textbook, and while I'm not big on textbooks, it has come in quite handy for helping me develop a curriculum that I have never developed or taught before.
The problem has been that it is quite dull. So I have the task of mixing up the practice problems in such a way that it is not so monotonous and boring. Today I used Scrambled Eggs - an activity I stole from a teacher at the main campus that I substituted for last year. I put all the problems in a different container. The ideal would be plastic Easter eggs, but those are not really out for sale yet. So I used Dixie cups. The students in groups send one person to the table with all the cups and pick up one cup. They take it back to their group, solve the problem inside and then take that cup back to the table where they pick up another one.
Not so boring. Has an element of choice. Cheap. Easy. Educational.
Dixie Cups saved my lessons today. Thank you!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
3rd Term with a Vengeance!
It is 3rd term.
I have been terrible about updating, but let me make a bunch of lame excuses why.
Christmas.
Finals two weeks after Christmas.
Planning an entire new curriculum for a class I've never taught in a three week period.
Are those excuses sufficient?
I hope so. Now it's time for elaboration.
Christmas was a wonderful respite, but not entirely a respite. While Christmas is a great time to not have to go to work, it's always a busy time of year with this family function here and this family function there. And then there's the fact that teachers never really take time off. I allotted several hours every day to do lesson planning and prepping for the rest of the year.
Our school district is also a little weird with their schedule. Finals happen to be two weeks after we return from Christmas break. It's kind of nice, because once the finals are written, the job for me is easy, but it's stressful on the kids.
And I am teaching a new class this term. We have several juniors/seniors who need 1/2 or a full credit of math, but they are not really college track so we don't want to set them up to fail in Algebra II. I have been developing a Business Math class. While the math side is easy, I had no resources to speak of when I started and have had to scrounge/beg/plead with other teachers for resources and materials. They have been a wonderful help and sent me TONS of materials to go through. Because of the immense amount of help I got from teachers at the main campus, I have been able to piece together something that I'm actually pretty proud of.
And here we are, two weeks into 3rd term. We accepted some new students, so we have acclimated them to the environment of our school. The other teachers in the building have decided to implement some more standard procedures across the board. I think it's great because now we have consistent procedures throughout the whole school. It gives the kids more security and that's just what they need. I think it's added a lot to the positive environment of the school too, because the kids know exactly what is expected of them at all times - no matter whose classroom they are in.
The only hard aspect of coming back is that our attendance is starting to drop. Some kids (especially the seniors) are starting to slip in attendance. For a lot of them, that was their main problem at the main campus and now it's starting to be a problem for them again. We keep encouraging them not to go down that path. Some of them are listening, some of them aren't. What else can we do but encourage?
I've been sick this last week. That coupled with the exhaustion of the work load have made the last few weeks very difficult, but my overall outlook about the program is still good. We have made some real progress with kids that the mainstream system had given up on. I'm so proud of them.
I have been terrible about updating, but let me make a bunch of lame excuses why.
Christmas.
Finals two weeks after Christmas.
Planning an entire new curriculum for a class I've never taught in a three week period.
Are those excuses sufficient?
I hope so. Now it's time for elaboration.
Christmas was a wonderful respite, but not entirely a respite. While Christmas is a great time to not have to go to work, it's always a busy time of year with this family function here and this family function there. And then there's the fact that teachers never really take time off. I allotted several hours every day to do lesson planning and prepping for the rest of the year.
Our school district is also a little weird with their schedule. Finals happen to be two weeks after we return from Christmas break. It's kind of nice, because once the finals are written, the job for me is easy, but it's stressful on the kids.
And I am teaching a new class this term. We have several juniors/seniors who need 1/2 or a full credit of math, but they are not really college track so we don't want to set them up to fail in Algebra II. I have been developing a Business Math class. While the math side is easy, I had no resources to speak of when I started and have had to scrounge/beg/plead with other teachers for resources and materials. They have been a wonderful help and sent me TONS of materials to go through. Because of the immense amount of help I got from teachers at the main campus, I have been able to piece together something that I'm actually pretty proud of.
And here we are, two weeks into 3rd term. We accepted some new students, so we have acclimated them to the environment of our school. The other teachers in the building have decided to implement some more standard procedures across the board. I think it's great because now we have consistent procedures throughout the whole school. It gives the kids more security and that's just what they need. I think it's added a lot to the positive environment of the school too, because the kids know exactly what is expected of them at all times - no matter whose classroom they are in.
The only hard aspect of coming back is that our attendance is starting to drop. Some kids (especially the seniors) are starting to slip in attendance. For a lot of them, that was their main problem at the main campus and now it's starting to be a problem for them again. We keep encouraging them not to go down that path. Some of them are listening, some of them aren't. What else can we do but encourage?
I've been sick this last week. That coupled with the exhaustion of the work load have made the last few weeks very difficult, but my overall outlook about the program is still good. We have made some real progress with kids that the mainstream system had given up on. I'm so proud of them.
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