As a teacher you learn a lot about your students such as how they learn, what their interests are, what their talents are, what their levels of reading/math/science etc. You also know when a student has put in their best efforts or when they can do better. Its the teachers job to know their potential and push past it. After school today I was grading projects for students based on a rubric. For me it was a bit more difficult because I haven't yet learned all the students potential yet. I have seen some of their work, but not enough to know when they are really trying their hardest and when they are just doing the basics. During this time I also thought a lot about equality, or really how we can't grade all students at an equal level. For example one student in the class normally has really sloppy hand writing and it's hard to read(Mostly because they zip through everything because it's often easy for them). I noticed this student was the only one to have two pages of writing and his picture had a lot of detail, but to a passer by it looked like scribbling in some parts. The scale was 1 - 3+. 3+ being that the student couldn't have done any better. For the content part of the work it was no doubt a 3+ because the student had all that was asked and then some. The hard part for me was to determine how to score the picture. I asked the CT and he told me a little more about the student and then we came to the conclusion it was at least a 3. Now remember I said to a passer-by it didn't look like a master piece and with out knowing the student I would have given it a 2. Now if another one of the students who I know is an out standing artist did this work I would have definitely gave it a 2. That doesn't really seem fair, or does it? I think that as teachers, who know their students well, we should grade work based on the student and his/her potential is. I think this allows for both challenge to the students because we know what they can do, but it doesn't make an assignment seem impossible for others who might not be so great at writing or art. It's the teachers job to scaffold students at just the right level. (I also really like rubrics for grading but that will be in different blog)
Technology can be a teachers best friend or it can be a great enemy. For spelling we are starting to use 'words their way' and my CT found an awesome website - spellingcity.com - for the students to use and practice their words. The site offers teachers the ability to add multiple lists for ability grouping. The students were going to use the laptops, log on, find spellingcity and start playing. That's how it was supposed to go. Well after we started up it seemed that we should have done some more pre-teaching first. I had at least 10 students ask where to find the site (we told them yesterday how to find it), some students were unsure of how to log on or what to do if it didn't work right away etc. Well 3 of the students were not able to log on to the computers at all and it took most of the time trying to figure out why (which we never did). A few of the computers were dead and we had to switch out batteries. And some of the computers wouldn't access the internet. All of this caused our 20 min time on the computer to last about double that and run into our reading time. Like I said before it can be your best friend, and it was for the students that it worked for it was. But it was our enemy because it wasted our time, and caused the rest of the schedule to be off especially since we already had a half day.
One thing that I really like for classroom management is that each student has a number. The number was assigned by using alphabetic order. The numbers are then used to keep order with materials. Their reading, social studies and math text books all have a number. This allows for the students to quickly grab their book when asked and begin working. The numbers are also used for homework. Next to their name they write their number. Then we are able to put the pages in order when they turn it in and can easily tell who has done it and who still needs to turn it in. I think that having order in a classroom is important for management as well as for the students. It helps teach them about how to be organized in order to better succeed later in life.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. Sydney J. Harris
I'll apologize now for the long post, but it was a awesome day for learning!
I taught my first lesson today over irregular plurals. I used the Promethean board, had a power point, and had a game to play! It seemed to really capture the students attention with all the action. I was also really nervous. It seems that since I had already taught for a few weeks before, this should be a peace of cake. There were a lot of factors that go into it; it was a new group with different abilities, it's a different environment and that brings on a different atmosphere, I now have to direct my instruction for 28 students instead of 19 (and my supervisor was there watching me). I think teaching is really taken for granted. When I was making my lesson plan at home my little cousin in fifth grade was watching me type it up. She was really inquisitive about what I was doing. I told her about how teachers have to plan out what they need to teach. They don't just walk into the room and start talking. She seemed to be impressed by this and then watched me for a bit longer. She asked why I was adding different things into the lesson. This is a perfect example of how much teachers do behind the scenes.
During our team meeting we worked on figuring out how to score the report cards. It was really fascinating listening to the 3 teachers talk about each section and decided on a 1-2-3 proficiency. I guess I didn't realize how much collaboration was put into the report cards. It was helpful for me to ask questions to my CT afterwords to; Who makes up the report card, are they district/school wide, how do you inform the parents about how the report cards work. I had more questions about them, but because there are only short bouts of time between when the students are gone, I didn't get to ask them. It's interesting how many more categories are on the card compared to when I was in school. I remember having it just tell about the main subject, now it has subcategories for the subjects.
Both the CT and I learned a lesson after teaching math lesson about decimals. Since Cedar Rapids uses a spiral method for math they should have already touched on decimals in previous years and should have a bit of an understanding for them. Well, since it was assumed that they should have know this material less whole group was taught and more independent work was done. While I was going around I noticed that quite a few students where mixing up where to put some of the numbers after the decimal and how to incorporate the whole number. Lesson learned was to not assume they know something. It seems to be a double edge sword when teaching. You can't assume they don't know anything when most of them do understand the concept. This will completely bore them and you will lose their attention. But if you assume they know to much then you will also lose them because they don't have the necessary background information to understand. It seems that this happy medium is something you learn over time with experience, as with a lot of concepts for teaching.
After school an awesome thing happened... Students asked for homework even though they were told they had none! This shows me, as a teacher, that they really do want to learn and want to gain that confidences that comes with understanding a concept. About 12 of the students took the worksheet home. Even though they may not complete it (even though I believe that with this group most of them will!), it shows intuition for taking the sheet and thinking about doing it.
Today I sat with the students at lunch. I think this is an awesome opportunity because I get to hear what they are talking about and what interests them. I can also build a stronger relationship with them because I am using my own time and energy to actively find out about them. The relationship/trust component is so important when teaching. Unfortunately I wasn't able to begin at the beginning of the school year with the class so I have some making up to do. While looking around I saw a sign.... It read (school Mascot) kid's kafe. First off I thought that's cute. Then as I looked and thought about the sign more it kind of upset me. The "kafe" should be spelled 'cafe.' Think about how many times students look at that word and don't realize that is a misspelling. Then once they have a spelling test or have to write it they may have it spelled. Then as my CT and I were talking about it he pointed out another obvious flaw that I didn't catch right awat. The Kid's has 's which means one kid owns it. So it's the one kid's kafe, where it should be the kids' kafe meaning all the kids have ownership over it. It was probably just a mistake overlooked before hanging it, and of course we all make mistakes :)
I taught my first lesson today over irregular plurals. I used the Promethean board, had a power point, and had a game to play! It seemed to really capture the students attention with all the action. I was also really nervous. It seems that since I had already taught for a few weeks before, this should be a peace of cake. There were a lot of factors that go into it; it was a new group with different abilities, it's a different environment and that brings on a different atmosphere, I now have to direct my instruction for 28 students instead of 19 (and my supervisor was there watching me). I think teaching is really taken for granted. When I was making my lesson plan at home my little cousin in fifth grade was watching me type it up. She was really inquisitive about what I was doing. I told her about how teachers have to plan out what they need to teach. They don't just walk into the room and start talking. She seemed to be impressed by this and then watched me for a bit longer. She asked why I was adding different things into the lesson. This is a perfect example of how much teachers do behind the scenes.
During our team meeting we worked on figuring out how to score the report cards. It was really fascinating listening to the 3 teachers talk about each section and decided on a 1-2-3 proficiency. I guess I didn't realize how much collaboration was put into the report cards. It was helpful for me to ask questions to my CT afterwords to; Who makes up the report card, are they district/school wide, how do you inform the parents about how the report cards work. I had more questions about them, but because there are only short bouts of time between when the students are gone, I didn't get to ask them. It's interesting how many more categories are on the card compared to when I was in school. I remember having it just tell about the main subject, now it has subcategories for the subjects.
Both the CT and I learned a lesson after teaching math lesson about decimals. Since Cedar Rapids uses a spiral method for math they should have already touched on decimals in previous years and should have a bit of an understanding for them. Well, since it was assumed that they should have know this material less whole group was taught and more independent work was done. While I was going around I noticed that quite a few students where mixing up where to put some of the numbers after the decimal and how to incorporate the whole number. Lesson learned was to not assume they know something. It seems to be a double edge sword when teaching. You can't assume they don't know anything when most of them do understand the concept. This will completely bore them and you will lose their attention. But if you assume they know to much then you will also lose them because they don't have the necessary background information to understand. It seems that this happy medium is something you learn over time with experience, as with a lot of concepts for teaching.
After school an awesome thing happened... Students asked for homework even though they were told they had none! This shows me, as a teacher, that they really do want to learn and want to gain that confidences that comes with understanding a concept. About 12 of the students took the worksheet home. Even though they may not complete it (even though I believe that with this group most of them will!), it shows intuition for taking the sheet and thinking about doing it.
Today I sat with the students at lunch. I think this is an awesome opportunity because I get to hear what they are talking about and what interests them. I can also build a stronger relationship with them because I am using my own time and energy to actively find out about them. The relationship/trust component is so important when teaching. Unfortunately I wasn't able to begin at the beginning of the school year with the class so I have some making up to do. While looking around I saw a sign.... It read (school Mascot) kid's kafe. First off I thought that's cute. Then as I looked and thought about the sign more it kind of upset me. The "kafe" should be spelled 'cafe.' Think about how many times students look at that word and don't realize that is a misspelling. Then once they have a spelling test or have to write it they may have it spelled. Then as my CT and I were talking about it he pointed out another obvious flaw that I didn't catch right awat. The Kid's has 's which means one kid owns it. So it's the one kid's kafe, where it should be the kids' kafe meaning all the kids have ownership over it. It was probably just a mistake overlooked before hanging it, and of course we all make mistakes :)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
One of the coolest things happened today... ok well for a teacher it's really cool! My cooperating teacher has students read different chapter books for small group reading and for one of the groups we are reading "Witches" by Ralph Dahl. I'm also trying to catch up with the reading groups and join in on their discussions. I can tell they are really interested in readying and are excited when they get to talk in the group about the book (they also get upset if time runs out for their group as well). During some of our down time at the end of the day I was reading a little more in the book. One of the girls in the class came up to me and wanted to know where I was in the book and talk about it. I was a little bit further than her and she asked me "what happens to him!" Well I understood what she meant since I'm reading the book but I told her I wouldn't ruin the story for her by saying it. It was awesome to see how excited she was and really interested in what happens next in the story. I talked to my CT about this incident and he made the comment "I would like the see the baisls do that" implying they don't really create that excitement for reading. The books are great to help students LEARN how to read the words but they don't seem to help student gain the want or need for reading. When reading the short basil books they aren't left with that 'wow, I really want to go home and read more about this' feeling. It seems that we are short changing the students when it comes to reading. They have to read the boring short stories that are required and have hardly any time to just free read. No wonder students are not doing as well as they used to when we are taking to fun out of reading. One thing I like that my CT does is he makes time to read the students a few poems each day and gives them time to free read (Which really is time used to read their group time books and complete their book reports that are do at the end of each month). In order for students to become better readers then need to read!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is." - Oscar Wilde
It's really interesting how money plays a big factor in schools (well in most everything but that's another topic.) When I began telling people about where I was going to be placed they always commented on how different the experience will be. One school is the "low income" one is the 'rich school.' It seems that it's not something that is supposed to be really talked about though. I can't say these are the poor kids who might not do as well because there is a chain reaction linked to money. It's interesting how demographics play out to where you have the 'poor' and 'wealthy' parts of town. It's not hard to figure out what side you are on when you are taking your sunday drive. The kids on the 'good' side of town are presented with a better opportunity because of money. Parents are able to take trips to places further than Cedar Rapids, they are able to support hobbies and interests of the students, they are able to spend more time with their students, and are also able to help them more with school work all because of their financial situation. Today in my class I talked to a few girls who had some form of dance every night of the week, another student has to go to hockey practice (a very expensive sport to be in), on student was missing my first day because they had taken a family vacation the week before and she needed time to rest. Not once did I hear my students talk about these kinds of opportunities while at my first placement. The only after school program that the students went to if they were eligible was Tiger Club and that was a funded after school program for students who needed extra support. Money permits opportunity. The students who are able to go to dance or hockey already have an upper hand then those who aren't so lucky. They have been placed with a group that allows for a certain type of sophistication that money helps them belong to.
I attended parent conferences for my first placement. As the parents were coming in (if they could get out of work) I took not of their dress. Some had on clothes that looked like they just got out of a factory, others had on sweats, others seemed rushed and came in with 2 or three other children because they couldn't find or afford a babysitter, and a few had recognizable uniforms from fast food chains. My heart goes out to them because this was the social class I came from. I know what it feels like to be the child who didn't get to see my parents because work had to come first in order to provide food and pay the bills. It just seems unfair.
The school I'm at now has a lot of parent support and financial support as well. The building seems more modern and the library is outstanding compared to my first placement. You can tell this is the 'wealthier' school by the way the students are dressed and (it seems controversial) are better behaved. There are often volunteers in the rooms and around the building. The students seem to excel compared to the students at my first school and I believe it has a lot to do with money. I know this is a different blog than I normally write and mostly because I feel it's unfair that money is such a big factor. It's no one's fault, it's just not fair that money is a key player in our educational system. I think it's important as a teacher to not be naive and understand the difference and the culture of your school. I find that the culture, atmosphere and personality are important factors to recognize in a school. It shows that you are aware not every school is the same and what challenge you may face. Sorry if I've ruffled any feathers with this blog, its just something on my mind that I wanted to get out.
I attended parent conferences for my first placement. As the parents were coming in (if they could get out of work) I took not of their dress. Some had on clothes that looked like they just got out of a factory, others had on sweats, others seemed rushed and came in with 2 or three other children because they couldn't find or afford a babysitter, and a few had recognizable uniforms from fast food chains. My heart goes out to them because this was the social class I came from. I know what it feels like to be the child who didn't get to see my parents because work had to come first in order to provide food and pay the bills. It just seems unfair.
The school I'm at now has a lot of parent support and financial support as well. The building seems more modern and the library is outstanding compared to my first placement. You can tell this is the 'wealthier' school by the way the students are dressed and (it seems controversial) are better behaved. There are often volunteers in the rooms and around the building. The students seem to excel compared to the students at my first school and I believe it has a lot to do with money. I know this is a different blog than I normally write and mostly because I feel it's unfair that money is such a big factor. It's no one's fault, it's just not fair that money is a key player in our educational system. I think it's important as a teacher to not be naive and understand the difference and the culture of your school. I find that the culture, atmosphere and personality are important factors to recognize in a school. It shows that you are aware not every school is the same and what challenge you may face. Sorry if I've ruffled any feathers with this blog, its just something on my mind that I wanted to get out.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -- Benjamin Franklin
Today was the second day in 4th grade. I have most of the students names down (all but about 3 girls I keep getting mixed up and 3 boys). For having 29 students and not to mention faculty to remember, I think I'm doing an ok job. One student asked me at the end of the day how long I'll be in the classroom and when I said 7 weeks his eyes lit up. This made me feel really awesome since I had only worked with him a little bit that day.
One thing about the room that I find interesting is the lack of a classroom disciplinary procedure. Many teachers use the 3 strikes or name on board procedures and some teachers use the color method (green, yellow, red) to indicate what kind of day it was. Our classroom doesn't really have anything like this. Most of the time if the class as a whole is doing something wrong they either talk about it or if it's something like lining up wrong they have a re-do. If individual students have an issue then the teacher normally confronts them and talks to them about it. Fortunately there doesn't seem to be to many problems. I like not having the warnings and having that kind of management but I feel that having to talk the students each time might also be time consuming. It will be interesting to watch and see how the class contiunes to do. The class seems to do a surprisingly great job and each class often has different needs.
I pointed out yesterday that when the teacher said 'sit audience style' a few students didn't do as he had asked and he just continued to teach. Some teachers are not picky about where students sit but the issue I saw with this was that if he had asked for something specific and he didn't hold them accountable this time would they feel they could get away with other things in the future? He agreed with what I said then today we practiced the two types of sitting...audience style, and circle style. The class had to do each right 3 times before continuing. This seemed to be a lot of work and the students eventually got it down. I think he should have set more expectations in the beginning i.e. "when you sit this way I should see..." but he did that more after they moved and then they re-adjusted themselves.
My c.t. has created his own way for teaching small reading groups. A large portion of the students are reading at a high lexile level and the books that are used in the reading series are to easy. He has created mini units from other popular chapter books and uses the same concepts that would be taught in the reading series. The first group I will take over we will be reading "Bridge to Tarabithia." I chose this book because it's one that I haven't read and I think sounds really interesting. Since I've been in the classroom I've also picked up reading more books for fun. It seems contagious with a group that really does enjoy reading for fun. (I just read "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" last night. My CT also does a bunch with Ralph Daul books, and you can tell his enthusiasm for the author has rubbed off on to the students. A lot of the students have one of his books on their desks or in their book holder (so they don't have to many books at once on their desk) and I saw a few students check books out by the author at library today that wasn't in the classroom. I think this really shows how much teachers persuade students.
One thing about the room that I find interesting is the lack of a classroom disciplinary procedure. Many teachers use the 3 strikes or name on board procedures and some teachers use the color method (green, yellow, red) to indicate what kind of day it was. Our classroom doesn't really have anything like this. Most of the time if the class as a whole is doing something wrong they either talk about it or if it's something like lining up wrong they have a re-do. If individual students have an issue then the teacher normally confronts them and talks to them about it. Fortunately there doesn't seem to be to many problems. I like not having the warnings and having that kind of management but I feel that having to talk the students each time might also be time consuming. It will be interesting to watch and see how the class contiunes to do. The class seems to do a surprisingly great job and each class often has different needs.
I pointed out yesterday that when the teacher said 'sit audience style' a few students didn't do as he had asked and he just continued to teach. Some teachers are not picky about where students sit but the issue I saw with this was that if he had asked for something specific and he didn't hold them accountable this time would they feel they could get away with other things in the future? He agreed with what I said then today we practiced the two types of sitting...audience style, and circle style. The class had to do each right 3 times before continuing. This seemed to be a lot of work and the students eventually got it down. I think he should have set more expectations in the beginning i.e. "when you sit this way I should see..." but he did that more after they moved and then they re-adjusted themselves.
My c.t. has created his own way for teaching small reading groups. A large portion of the students are reading at a high lexile level and the books that are used in the reading series are to easy. He has created mini units from other popular chapter books and uses the same concepts that would be taught in the reading series. The first group I will take over we will be reading "Bridge to Tarabithia." I chose this book because it's one that I haven't read and I think sounds really interesting. Since I've been in the classroom I've also picked up reading more books for fun. It seems contagious with a group that really does enjoy reading for fun. (I just read "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" last night. My CT also does a bunch with Ralph Daul books, and you can tell his enthusiasm for the author has rubbed off on to the students. A lot of the students have one of his books on their desks or in their book holder (so they don't have to many books at once on their desk) and I saw a few students check books out by the author at library today that wasn't in the classroom. I think this really shows how much teachers persuade students.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. ~Arnold H. Glasow
I saw this quote today and loved it! I think it can be applied in a lot of areas. I see it as I know I'm not just going to be the most wonderful teacher the first day I step in front of the class, but I need to work hard at it and learn all that I can in order to 'set myself on fire' or reach my goal.
Today was my first official day in 4th grade. I'm so glad I went it over my break because I was over that first day jitters and I was able to take everything in with out the nerves. I also didn't have to focus as much on how to get around what's the classroom atmosphere, whats the c.t. like and all that other first day stuff. I was also able to jump right into the daily routine.
My day started out with an IEP meeting which I felt was really beneficial. The meeting consisted of the parents, the principal, the teacher and the specialists. I was able to hear what was on the students IEP and that will help me because I will be able to help him with is needs better in the classroom. It was also good to hear the parents input and hear what help they wanted their child to have. Parents often know their child's needs best since they spend the most time with them.
My CT is very enthusiastic about teaching and really wants to make sure every student 'gets it.' He also helps drive them to want to learn for the sake of learning and not for the tests or the grade. I think this is awesome! His enthusiasm is very contagious and I think it really rubs off on the students as well from what I can tell. The class has 29 students which also means 29 different personalities, likes interest, abilities and needs. One of the biggest challenges for me is being able to help every student and to scaffold them. One of the hardest things I found from my 3rd graders was making sure that each student was getting what he/she needed who was in the middle. The students that needed a lot of guidance was always asking for help and I tried to find extension activities for my higher ability levels but I feel that those in the middle where often left out. Part of this was because they were the students not always asking for help and they were always working. (I had to make sure I had enough work for my higher ability students otherwise they would be sitting their bored).
Today I was asked to help a few students with 2 math problems. (They were trying to solve for X in 4th grade!) This was a challenge because I didn't know the students yet and what they knew. I also didn't know what 'works' for them and how they learn. I think it's very important to know the students in order to teacher them in a specialized way and to relate instruction to their needs. I found it also difficult because of the position I was sitting in. I was at a 1/2 circle table with the instructor on the inside myself and the students on the outside. I was working with 3 students and the room was a little loud because the other students were working in partners on the worksheet and on games if they were done. I could tell the student to my right had a difficult time hearing me and seemed really distracted by the group that was working on the other side of the table. Later I learned the student prefers to have a quiet room to work in. The student on my right seemed to really want my individual attention and then there was a student a little ways away from us because of the shape of the table. He was also hard to instruct because of the distance. My other challenge was to teach them something I wasn't for sure what they knew and what strategies they had been taught so I had to wing it using the manipulatives. I tired asking the students what they thought they should do for the problem since we just had a short whole group discussion and they weren't for sure. This was a learning moment for me that I had to use my flexibility. I think if I was presented with this challenge again I would have the group move into the hallway or a more quiet area of the room and use the teachers manuel to look over quickly. I want to look over the book and see where the students are coming from for the next lesson so I am better prepared as well and see what they've done in the past so that I can apply the stratagies they know.
Today was my first official day in 4th grade. I'm so glad I went it over my break because I was over that first day jitters and I was able to take everything in with out the nerves. I also didn't have to focus as much on how to get around what's the classroom atmosphere, whats the c.t. like and all that other first day stuff. I was also able to jump right into the daily routine.
My day started out with an IEP meeting which I felt was really beneficial. The meeting consisted of the parents, the principal, the teacher and the specialists. I was able to hear what was on the students IEP and that will help me because I will be able to help him with is needs better in the classroom. It was also good to hear the parents input and hear what help they wanted their child to have. Parents often know their child's needs best since they spend the most time with them.
My CT is very enthusiastic about teaching and really wants to make sure every student 'gets it.' He also helps drive them to want to learn for the sake of learning and not for the tests or the grade. I think this is awesome! His enthusiasm is very contagious and I think it really rubs off on the students as well from what I can tell. The class has 29 students which also means 29 different personalities, likes interest, abilities and needs. One of the biggest challenges for me is being able to help every student and to scaffold them. One of the hardest things I found from my 3rd graders was making sure that each student was getting what he/she needed who was in the middle. The students that needed a lot of guidance was always asking for help and I tried to find extension activities for my higher ability levels but I feel that those in the middle where often left out. Part of this was because they were the students not always asking for help and they were always working. (I had to make sure I had enough work for my higher ability students otherwise they would be sitting their bored).
Today I was asked to help a few students with 2 math problems. (They were trying to solve for X in 4th grade!) This was a challenge because I didn't know the students yet and what they knew. I also didn't know what 'works' for them and how they learn. I think it's very important to know the students in order to teacher them in a specialized way and to relate instruction to their needs. I found it also difficult because of the position I was sitting in. I was at a 1/2 circle table with the instructor on the inside myself and the students on the outside. I was working with 3 students and the room was a little loud because the other students were working in partners on the worksheet and on games if they were done. I could tell the student to my right had a difficult time hearing me and seemed really distracted by the group that was working on the other side of the table. Later I learned the student prefers to have a quiet room to work in. The student on my right seemed to really want my individual attention and then there was a student a little ways away from us because of the shape of the table. He was also hard to instruct because of the distance. My other challenge was to teach them something I wasn't for sure what they knew and what strategies they had been taught so I had to wing it using the manipulatives. I tired asking the students what they thought they should do for the problem since we just had a short whole group discussion and they weren't for sure. This was a learning moment for me that I had to use my flexibility. I think if I was presented with this challenge again I would have the group move into the hallway or a more quiet area of the room and use the teachers manuel to look over quickly. I want to look over the book and see where the students are coming from for the next lesson so I am better prepared as well and see what they've done in the past so that I can apply the stratagies they know.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
It is possible to interpret without observing, but not to observe without interpreting.
This was my observing week. It was nice to not have lesson plans but I still had my work cut out for me! I saw a guidance lesson over smoking, a 4/5th combination reading class, I watched a few of my students in lessons in the level one room, I observed in the severe and profound room, and I spent a morning with the pre-school students. It was a lot to take in for a short time.
I learned something from each place. It was interesting watching the guidance councilor teach about smoking to the fifth graders because he was very blunt about the subject and so was the text. It basically laid out the fact that smoking kills people and tells about how. He also tells them about the different chemicals that are used in cigarettes. I remember learning about them but it was more telling us just that they were ‘bad for you’ and a few of the side effects. After the teacher told about cigarettes they read about an uncle that died from lung cancer. It seems that they are trying to scare the kids more than anything. I guess if it works then why not? If my generation was taught this way there would also be less smokers. And maybe this is why there are less and less smokers every year.
It was really fun watching the pre-schoolers as well. A lot of people think it’s just babysitting, but its way more than that. They started out by reading a book about scarecrows. The teacher is trying to get the students used to sitting in one place, looking forwards and listening. It seems that even at 3 years old we are trying to mold our students for the typical school setting. Then she had a few riddles the students were supposed to figure out. They seemed to really enjoy this! Then as a way to help them learn their names each has it written on a plate and they are supposed to pick theirs up and hand it to the teacher before going off for breakfast. Some of them have become really clever because they’ve learned the process of elimination. If they wait for the other students to pick theirs then they have fewer names to choose from. Then at breakfast they are trying to teach the students about family style meals and how to pour their own glass of milk. It was really interesting watching and listening to the students conversations.
The 4/5th grade class was kind of uneventful. I watched the reading lesson then they broke off into small reading groups. I was surprised that they were working on some really difficult stuff like possessive plural nouns and idioms. I don’t remember learning about some of this stuff till later. I can tell it’s also really challenging for some of the students as well. One girl I sat by wasn’t able to read words very well because she had a hard time breaking the sounds apart, how is she expected to read the sentence then to identify the idiom? It was also interesting to watch this class because the teacher was a male. I find it fun to see how students react to the different teachers. I think it’s also important to understand so that you know what to expect going into the classroom as either a male or female. In some ways I’m jealous of the guys because it seems that they can often use their masculinity to get more attention,.
Unfortunately there was a sub in the sever and profound room and she didn’t have any notes, but it was still interesting to watch the associates. I sat in the back and acted as if I was just the fly on the wall. It was awesome how they worked with the kids and was able to help them. They were watching a television show, Dora, and then they talked about how each student liked certain shows and which shows some of the students hated. I only spent a short time in the room because I was originally going to watch a whole group lesson but since the teacher wasn’t their they were just having them watch some shows. I think this is a room I would love to go back and see more of. As a teacher I also want to learn about the equipment that the room uses. It seems that since I’m not taking any special education classes I really don’t have any exposure to that stuff.
Well tomorrow is another field trip and we’ve been harder on the students today and talked a lot about how they are supposed to behave. I hope this goes a lot better than our last time!
I learned something from each place. It was interesting watching the guidance councilor teach about smoking to the fifth graders because he was very blunt about the subject and so was the text. It basically laid out the fact that smoking kills people and tells about how. He also tells them about the different chemicals that are used in cigarettes. I remember learning about them but it was more telling us just that they were ‘bad for you’ and a few of the side effects. After the teacher told about cigarettes they read about an uncle that died from lung cancer. It seems that they are trying to scare the kids more than anything. I guess if it works then why not? If my generation was taught this way there would also be less smokers. And maybe this is why there are less and less smokers every year.
It was really fun watching the pre-schoolers as well. A lot of people think it’s just babysitting, but its way more than that. They started out by reading a book about scarecrows. The teacher is trying to get the students used to sitting in one place, looking forwards and listening. It seems that even at 3 years old we are trying to mold our students for the typical school setting. Then she had a few riddles the students were supposed to figure out. They seemed to really enjoy this! Then as a way to help them learn their names each has it written on a plate and they are supposed to pick theirs up and hand it to the teacher before going off for breakfast. Some of them have become really clever because they’ve learned the process of elimination. If they wait for the other students to pick theirs then they have fewer names to choose from. Then at breakfast they are trying to teach the students about family style meals and how to pour their own glass of milk. It was really interesting watching and listening to the students conversations.
The 4/5th grade class was kind of uneventful. I watched the reading lesson then they broke off into small reading groups. I was surprised that they were working on some really difficult stuff like possessive plural nouns and idioms. I don’t remember learning about some of this stuff till later. I can tell it’s also really challenging for some of the students as well. One girl I sat by wasn’t able to read words very well because she had a hard time breaking the sounds apart, how is she expected to read the sentence then to identify the idiom? It was also interesting to watch this class because the teacher was a male. I find it fun to see how students react to the different teachers. I think it’s also important to understand so that you know what to expect going into the classroom as either a male or female. In some ways I’m jealous of the guys because it seems that they can often use their masculinity to get more attention,.
Unfortunately there was a sub in the sever and profound room and she didn’t have any notes, but it was still interesting to watch the associates. I sat in the back and acted as if I was just the fly on the wall. It was awesome how they worked with the kids and was able to help them. They were watching a television show, Dora, and then they talked about how each student liked certain shows and which shows some of the students hated. I only spent a short time in the room because I was originally going to watch a whole group lesson but since the teacher wasn’t their they were just having them watch some shows. I think this is a room I would love to go back and see more of. As a teacher I also want to learn about the equipment that the room uses. It seems that since I’m not taking any special education classes I really don’t have any exposure to that stuff.
Well tomorrow is another field trip and we’ve been harder on the students today and talked a lot about how they are supposed to behave. I hope this goes a lot better than our last time!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
contiune from last blog...
I said before I would talk about our field trip...and I forgot to so here it is. This was a big learning experience for me. I should have better prepared the students for what to expect and how to behave while on the trip. Unfortunately I wasn't quite sure what to expect myself because I hadn't been there before. I was also on toss up that day on how to go about discussing it. I knew that if we did the students would be very chaotic afterwords being that they were excited to go and I haven't ever seen what a teacher does in order to prepare students. For our first trip to Brucemore my CT incorporated into her teaching about the mansion but since it was a last minute trip we didn't have a unit planned to teach them about plays. The production sent us a DVD and my CT and myself learned a valuable lesson... which was to preview before watching. We both assumed it would work, but there was no sound. It had a slide show and the slideshow was supposed to have had a narration.
Well we lined the students up and my CT took over for this. I told her previously I would like for her to since I didn't really know what the place wanted from us and she was the one that coordinated it. She had them partner up which took about 15 minutes for them to choose who they wanted and line up. Plus we had a minute of silence in order to calm them down before leaving the room.
Once we got there the students were all very loud and very excited (there were two classes from our school and two more groups from somewhere else). They started out by introducing the h.s. students and telling a bit about the play. I think only about half of them where listening because I saw heads turned around, looking up and talking to the person next to them. They had us grouped by class (about 20 students per group) and there were 4 stations - each station had 15 minutes. The rule they gave us was not to touch anything unless they said we could (keep in mind these are 3rd graders) The first room we went to was for lights. They had the whole group at once cram inside. If you've ever been in one of these areas in a h.s. you could only imagine our group w/ 4 other adults. The h.s. students had things layed out on the tables to show us and of course students were going to pick them up and all that...I guess I feel that this was a bad way to present the information. Our group got done early so they sent us to the hallway. School was in session so we were supposed to be very quiet. Well the kids were loud and pointing out all the cool stuff in the hallways and also dancing around. Again I don't really blame them, it was just hard to stop them and keep them under control. Our next stations was really fun but the students were disrespectful to the speaker. We had to stop her from talking and have the whole group give five. She had fun activity, but should have had a few more expectations for the students. They were to 'warm up' by 1 person jumping into the middle and making a funny sound and an action. Well the students though it would be fun to dive into the circle... then the next step was to have the whole group do the same thing, not very safe. Luckily we came out with no injuries.
Our 3rd stop was props. Here is where things got a little crazy. Remember our rule of no touching. Well the h.s. student pointed out all the fun things all the walls and talked about what they were for. One prop had to have been from "the one that can't be named that was a Shakespearean play because it would be bad luck.' Well for the rest of the time the students would give it up and continued to ask "whats the name of the play." Then we were crammed inside another small room. I think this was bad planning but the room was their tool room and everything was laid out on the bench. It was only a matter of seconds before we had to pull a student out for picking up (luckily just) a pair of pliers. I'm sure other students where also touching things but since I couldn't move or see anything below their heads they didn't get caught. Again students had to be reminded 3 times to listen to the presenter because they were very loud and talkative. Then we went around the corner where the actors would keep their stuff on a table... each person had their own spot. Again we had to remind them to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. Then one kid just had to notice a forbidden word written on the wall...poop. Oh yes they can read and they read it with enthusiasm. (If only they would be that excited for their reading books at school). Hopefully this also taught the actors that what you write on the walls is read. Luckily it wasn't anything worse.
Our next and last stop - costumes. They had a few places for students to sit.. not quite 20 though and we had to stop a few kids from arguing and tell others where to sit. The presenter was very animated and they were able to sit kind of still and listen. Once it was time for questions the first one asked was... What is the play that can't be named? Oh why oh why did they have to bring that up. Questions where over then they were able to go into the costume racks. Imagine 20 students, small area, and enough space under and between the costumes to crawl. Again, bad planning on their part I think. After everyone was out we had to do a head count to make sure no one was hiding.
Back to the auditorium and students were loud and chaotic. I felt embarrassed because as the presenter was talking the students where also talking. The teacher from the other third grade class stood up and got their attention by asking for five. During the trip I had a checklist of names. After I had to remind a student to do what they were supposed to two times I would put a check by their name. Only 5 students didn't have checks and my CT had 5 students who are now on "probation" and if they still have problems by the time our next trip comes up we are asking their parents to attend the trip. (Which is this upcoming week).
Well I learned a lot. 1. PREPARE students for the experience. 2. REVIEW any material before showing it in class. 3. ASK the people in charge what to expect and if possible preview the trip before going. 4. PRACTICE manners on how to behave in public. And of course I learned a lot more but those where my major things.
Well we lined the students up and my CT took over for this. I told her previously I would like for her to since I didn't really know what the place wanted from us and she was the one that coordinated it. She had them partner up which took about 15 minutes for them to choose who they wanted and line up. Plus we had a minute of silence in order to calm them down before leaving the room.
Once we got there the students were all very loud and very excited (there were two classes from our school and two more groups from somewhere else). They started out by introducing the h.s. students and telling a bit about the play. I think only about half of them where listening because I saw heads turned around, looking up and talking to the person next to them. They had us grouped by class (about 20 students per group) and there were 4 stations - each station had 15 minutes. The rule they gave us was not to touch anything unless they said we could (keep in mind these are 3rd graders) The first room we went to was for lights. They had the whole group at once cram inside. If you've ever been in one of these areas in a h.s. you could only imagine our group w/ 4 other adults. The h.s. students had things layed out on the tables to show us and of course students were going to pick them up and all that...I guess I feel that this was a bad way to present the information. Our group got done early so they sent us to the hallway. School was in session so we were supposed to be very quiet. Well the kids were loud and pointing out all the cool stuff in the hallways and also dancing around. Again I don't really blame them, it was just hard to stop them and keep them under control. Our next stations was really fun but the students were disrespectful to the speaker. We had to stop her from talking and have the whole group give five. She had fun activity, but should have had a few more expectations for the students. They were to 'warm up' by 1 person jumping into the middle and making a funny sound and an action. Well the students though it would be fun to dive into the circle... then the next step was to have the whole group do the same thing, not very safe. Luckily we came out with no injuries.
Our 3rd stop was props. Here is where things got a little crazy. Remember our rule of no touching. Well the h.s. student pointed out all the fun things all the walls and talked about what they were for. One prop had to have been from "the one that can't be named that was a Shakespearean play because it would be bad luck.' Well for the rest of the time the students would give it up and continued to ask "whats the name of the play." Then we were crammed inside another small room. I think this was bad planning but the room was their tool room and everything was laid out on the bench. It was only a matter of seconds before we had to pull a student out for picking up (luckily just) a pair of pliers. I'm sure other students where also touching things but since I couldn't move or see anything below their heads they didn't get caught. Again students had to be reminded 3 times to listen to the presenter because they were very loud and talkative. Then we went around the corner where the actors would keep their stuff on a table... each person had their own spot. Again we had to remind them to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. Then one kid just had to notice a forbidden word written on the wall...poop. Oh yes they can read and they read it with enthusiasm. (If only they would be that excited for their reading books at school). Hopefully this also taught the actors that what you write on the walls is read. Luckily it wasn't anything worse.
Our next and last stop - costumes. They had a few places for students to sit.. not quite 20 though and we had to stop a few kids from arguing and tell others where to sit. The presenter was very animated and they were able to sit kind of still and listen. Once it was time for questions the first one asked was... What is the play that can't be named? Oh why oh why did they have to bring that up. Questions where over then they were able to go into the costume racks. Imagine 20 students, small area, and enough space under and between the costumes to crawl. Again, bad planning on their part I think. After everyone was out we had to do a head count to make sure no one was hiding.
Back to the auditorium and students were loud and chaotic. I felt embarrassed because as the presenter was talking the students where also talking. The teacher from the other third grade class stood up and got their attention by asking for five. During the trip I had a checklist of names. After I had to remind a student to do what they were supposed to two times I would put a check by their name. Only 5 students didn't have checks and my CT had 5 students who are now on "probation" and if they still have problems by the time our next trip comes up we are asking their parents to attend the trip. (Which is this upcoming week).
Well I learned a lot. 1. PREPARE students for the experience. 2. REVIEW any material before showing it in class. 3. ASK the people in charge what to expect and if possible preview the trip before going. 4. PRACTICE manners on how to behave in public. And of course I learned a lot more but those where my major things.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm. ~Willa Cather
My last full day of teaching was yesterday. It was a very bittersweet day. I'm sad because I just don't want to stop teaching but I'm excited to try out a new class. The students were all very wild because Thursday was our field trip (which I will talk about a little later) and yesterday was Scarecrow day. We also had 2 tests to get through, one being our spelling and the other our reading. It's hard to teach students when they don't really care to learn... obviously. I tried to point out multiple times why it was important to learn about plurals and also brought out the 'this will be on your test.' Now that I think about it, it worked and got their attention more than the 'you should know this because you will encounter plurals the rest of your life' speech. I don't like teaching 'to the test' or giving students any inkling that the only reason this is important is because of a test. That was my mindset though high school and I don't remember a thing I crammed on those late nights before the test.
I became really frustrated during my math lesson. The students didn't want to look forward at the board or even listen because they were too busy talking to their neighbor. I think I tried every trick in the book for this one...I first tried to tell them those that were doing their 'parrt' would be able to come up and use my teacher pen on the new Promethean board. (I told them before that I have to be able to trust them to use it.) This didn't phase anyone. I was already using my 'this is really exciting' tone to see it that would get their attention. I felt bad for the 3 individuals who were raising their hand every time and were listening. After that I tried the 'I use this math everyday in my life and so does Mrs. S.' then I tired telling them (and something I didn't want to do) this was on their test they would be taking in a week. That got their attention long enough to get through the first problem. Here is where my quote comes in. I became very frustrated with the group and decided it was time to just stop and take a moment to talk to them. I reminded them this was my last day full time teaching. I told them that I had stayed at school until 7pm the night before (and I had!) planning my lessons so that I could do a good job being their teacher for the last day. So I had them go back to their chairs and I turned the light off for a minute while they were to think about something they would do differently when the learning began again. I think this time helped me more than them. It gave me a time out to re-coop my thoughts and to think about what had happened and what I would do differently next time. Our class is still very immature and even after this time out I still had students that just didn't get it. At least it helped me and a few of the other students. During our share time (what they would do differently) I have a few students stuck on the fact that I would be leaving soon and once one person said 'I will miss you' the rest thought they should share that too. It was bittersweet to hear since I like what they said, but still wanted an answer.
One student who I've really been working hard with had a great day. He has a notebook in which we write what is going on and send home every day. Since he can't read cursive yet I walk down to his after school program and take a few minutes read what was written and talk about how we can make it better. Thursday was a not so great day (I'm refraining from saying bad) and we talked about how he lets things distract him from learning. As I was telling him this the blue dot on the table seemed to be more important and I decided to use this as a teachable moment. I asked him what he learned on our trip that day. As he was telling me I found my own purple dot and began picking at it. He was unable to tell me what he learned because he was frustrated that I wasn't looking and listening to him. I them told him this is how I feel when I'm teaching and you are playing with things around you. I told him that learning is not happening when we are distracted. Then yesterday he did a great job looking at me and listening. He even got a compliment from the practicum teacher that was now in the room. After I reviewed some things about fact and opinion and plurals we had to take the test. The student found that he was able to do a great job on the test and then I brought up how I noticed he was always doing a great job at listening and paying attention. We both agreed that this helped. After school when I went to meet him we had a really good talk. It was bittersweet because I told him how great of a job he did that day and then we talked about how he needs to keep it up even after I'm gone. I told him that the teacher has my number and can call me and tell me whether you are doing a good or bad job. My ct and I also talked and she asked if she could mention that she will be calling me after I leave if he isn't on his best behavior. I think it's important to hold students accountable for their actions. Even as adults we are restricted by social norms and laws for our behavior.
I'm glad I still have a week left with my class. It will be sad on my last day because I have created a good bond with the class and I will miss them a great deal. I'm hoping I can visit a few more times this year and my CT said she would even call me to sub! Saying good by will not be easy come next Friday :(
I became really frustrated during my math lesson. The students didn't want to look forward at the board or even listen because they were too busy talking to their neighbor. I think I tried every trick in the book for this one...I first tried to tell them those that were doing their 'parrt' would be able to come up and use my teacher pen on the new Promethean board. (I told them before that I have to be able to trust them to use it.) This didn't phase anyone. I was already using my 'this is really exciting' tone to see it that would get their attention. I felt bad for the 3 individuals who were raising their hand every time and were listening. After that I tried the 'I use this math everyday in my life and so does Mrs. S.' then I tired telling them (and something I didn't want to do) this was on their test they would be taking in a week. That got their attention long enough to get through the first problem. Here is where my quote comes in. I became very frustrated with the group and decided it was time to just stop and take a moment to talk to them. I reminded them this was my last day full time teaching. I told them that I had stayed at school until 7pm the night before (and I had!) planning my lessons so that I could do a good job being their teacher for the last day. So I had them go back to their chairs and I turned the light off for a minute while they were to think about something they would do differently when the learning began again. I think this time helped me more than them. It gave me a time out to re-coop my thoughts and to think about what had happened and what I would do differently next time. Our class is still very immature and even after this time out I still had students that just didn't get it. At least it helped me and a few of the other students. During our share time (what they would do differently) I have a few students stuck on the fact that I would be leaving soon and once one person said 'I will miss you' the rest thought they should share that too. It was bittersweet to hear since I like what they said, but still wanted an answer.
One student who I've really been working hard with had a great day. He has a notebook in which we write what is going on and send home every day. Since he can't read cursive yet I walk down to his after school program and take a few minutes read what was written and talk about how we can make it better. Thursday was a not so great day (I'm refraining from saying bad) and we talked about how he lets things distract him from learning. As I was telling him this the blue dot on the table seemed to be more important and I decided to use this as a teachable moment. I asked him what he learned on our trip that day. As he was telling me I found my own purple dot and began picking at it. He was unable to tell me what he learned because he was frustrated that I wasn't looking and listening to him. I them told him this is how I feel when I'm teaching and you are playing with things around you. I told him that learning is not happening when we are distracted. Then yesterday he did a great job looking at me and listening. He even got a compliment from the practicum teacher that was now in the room. After I reviewed some things about fact and opinion and plurals we had to take the test. The student found that he was able to do a great job on the test and then I brought up how I noticed he was always doing a great job at listening and paying attention. We both agreed that this helped. After school when I went to meet him we had a really good talk. It was bittersweet because I told him how great of a job he did that day and then we talked about how he needs to keep it up even after I'm gone. I told him that the teacher has my number and can call me and tell me whether you are doing a good or bad job. My ct and I also talked and she asked if she could mention that she will be calling me after I leave if he isn't on his best behavior. I think it's important to hold students accountable for their actions. Even as adults we are restricted by social norms and laws for our behavior.
I'm glad I still have a week left with my class. It will be sad on my last day because I have created a good bond with the class and I will miss them a great deal. I'm hoping I can visit a few more times this year and my CT said she would even call me to sub! Saying good by will not be easy come next Friday :(
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
“One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us.” Michael Cibenko
Today we talked in seminar how a class can be great one day, then all of a sudden they are well not so great. I'm still pondering on what exactly happened that caused the change, but we also talked about how some days are just like that. A lot of my students have a difficult time paying attention when things start to get "new." It takes a lot of tricks of the sleeve and manipulating the lesson plan to help redirect the students. Because I am not trying to use the new Promethean board for instructions I told the students I was looking for individuals who were being responsible and doing their part to come up and use (the almighty) teacher pen. I told students they had to be responsible because I had to be able to trust them when they were in front of the classroom. This worked for a while. I also jumped on my soap box and told the students "why" it was important to learn about the addition and subtraction that we were doing. I also told them that I still use this math and then gave them scenarios for when I used the strategies.
Not only was math a little difficult for our group, but so was grammar and small group. I wasn't able to get to my first reading group because our time was spent trying to get through the grammar page. The students are learning irregular plurals and since it was a new concept it took a little more time. Then once I asked the students to come back to the table while I was finishing up a few directions on the board the students started having difficulties. As they approached the table they were pushing other students out of the way, talking loudly, playing with the teacher materials and laughing loudly. Instead of reading I decided this would be a good time to go over the procedure of small group, focusing on the how to get there.
I think that being in school isn't always just about learning the facts... the 1+1=2. Because eventually one of those numbers are taken away and replaced with an x. This is where we have to know more than just how to add, but also subtract. In life the answers aren't always concrete for us. Sometimes something is missing and we have to figure out how to fill that missing spot. This was like the idea that they knew they belonged at the table but the missing addend was how to get there. In school we also need to learn about those life lessons and what to do. To us what seems to be obvious was ingrained in our minds by school. We weren't born knowing that we shouldn't budge people in line and we need to be quiet when someone else is talking. We learned all of that 'obvious stuff' for the most part, in school.
I think my quote is relevant for this blog because as a teacher I need to keep going. Even if I have a not so great day, I shouldn't dwell on it because that takes up the time I should be using to look at what needs to be done so that history doesn't repeat itself. I also need to keep moving forward because if my head is always stuck on the 'I should have' or 'why did I do that" I lose that time needed to think about 'tomorrow will be better because I am going to..."
Not only was math a little difficult for our group, but so was grammar and small group. I wasn't able to get to my first reading group because our time was spent trying to get through the grammar page. The students are learning irregular plurals and since it was a new concept it took a little more time. Then once I asked the students to come back to the table while I was finishing up a few directions on the board the students started having difficulties. As they approached the table they were pushing other students out of the way, talking loudly, playing with the teacher materials and laughing loudly. Instead of reading I decided this would be a good time to go over the procedure of small group, focusing on the how to get there.
I think that being in school isn't always just about learning the facts... the 1+1=2. Because eventually one of those numbers are taken away and replaced with an x. This is where we have to know more than just how to add, but also subtract. In life the answers aren't always concrete for us. Sometimes something is missing and we have to figure out how to fill that missing spot. This was like the idea that they knew they belonged at the table but the missing addend was how to get there. In school we also need to learn about those life lessons and what to do. To us what seems to be obvious was ingrained in our minds by school. We weren't born knowing that we shouldn't budge people in line and we need to be quiet when someone else is talking. We learned all of that 'obvious stuff' for the most part, in school.
I think my quote is relevant for this blog because as a teacher I need to keep going. Even if I have a not so great day, I shouldn't dwell on it because that takes up the time I should be using to look at what needs to be done so that history doesn't repeat itself. I also need to keep moving forward because if my head is always stuck on the 'I should have' or 'why did I do that" I lose that time needed to think about 'tomorrow will be better because I am going to..."
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do. John Wooden
Great days are amazing! When things go (for the most part) the way you want great things get accomplished. I started off our day with the lights dimmed, a inspiring quote on the board and morning work for the students. I think the quote was more for me, but it was good for all as well. Then I greeted each student at the door with a smile and a good morning. I read the directions a few times to remind them what they should be doing. Then we had Tiger time and a class meeting. Our class meeting was to congratulate them for getting a compliment in the hallway on our way to specials and one during art. I also went over the fact that yesterday was our first day back and it was a rough day because a lot of students might not have remembered all of the expectations and the routine. I then told them that we now knew what not to do and and gave them more positive feed back. I went through what was going to happen that day and told them that if we get through the 'not so fun stuff' I have fun activity planned for each subject. This seemed to get them a bit more excited, and I did have a fun activity for each things so I was pumped as well.
We had a few rough spots throughout the day, and the issue of budging in line was addressed enough times it should be ingratiated in them that "when you walk up to the line you go behind the LAST person." We also talked about why budging is not respectful.
For my math lesson I had a fun game planned and a new procedure for passing out materials. The students were in three lines on the floor and each student was to take an item for using the boards and pass it to the next person opposed to having one person pass out all the materials. For the first run-through it didn't go so bad. Our next obstacle to over come is to not write with the markers until they are told to.
For the second day back, and after a day of almost total chaos, it went great!
We had a few rough spots throughout the day, and the issue of budging in line was addressed enough times it should be ingratiated in them that "when you walk up to the line you go behind the LAST person." We also talked about why budging is not respectful.
For my math lesson I had a fun game planned and a new procedure for passing out materials. The students were in three lines on the floor and each student was to take an item for using the boards and pass it to the next person opposed to having one person pass out all the materials. For the first run-through it didn't go so bad. Our next obstacle to over come is to not write with the markers until they are told to.
For the second day back, and after a day of almost total chaos, it went great!
Monday, October 4, 2010
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end". Seneca
Today was the first day back after a two week break. This was an interesting time to teach my second full week as well. I was told to assume that they forgot everything, and of course this was a good thing to assume. We had to go back over how to start morning work, how to sit at our desks, how to sit in the learning area, how to walk in the hallway... and just about everything else. It was one of my most frustrating days and I'm about out of a voice. I can't blame the students because they had two weeks at home to do what they wanted and didn't have to listen to teachers or abide by the school rules. They were out of the routine. So of course they were going to talk more and wanted to share every detail of their break with everyone else around them and of course they didn't want to be quiet in the hallway because they had a whole two weeks where they didn't have to 'use their red voices and form a one line.' But it is still frustrating as a teacher because we are stuck to a schedule that leads into a test that they have to know the material for. Time doesn't allow for expectation and procedure reviews when you are already behind in Math because of behavior issues before break.
The most frustrating part of my day was telling the student multiple times they needed to pay attention because of reasons that fall under either it's going to be on a test or you just need to know it... but better stated and them still not listening to a word you have to say. Then it's also frustrating to have a class that won't listen to you even after you are following through with the classroom discipline procedures, using the 'heads down lights off' method and having a class meeting/ community circle and as soon as the 'teacher' of the classroom begins to speak everyone gives her the full attention. They even listen better to me as long as she is just in the room. My teacher told me again today that they are treating me like a sub, but what do I do about it?!? Hopefully our talk at the end of the day helped because the 'teacher' told them that I will be in charge which means that I also have the authority to write names down for people who don't deserve to go on our field trip. She also told me that if I needed to (and a few kids tempted me) send students to the office. (I did have 2 students call home which is part of our classroom procedure if they are at warning #3). I don't want to have to send students to the office because that then shows them that shows the students I don't have the power to handle what they are throwing at me. Well enough ranting, like I started to say I hope that our discussion about respecting me as their teacher, and to be respecting each other as well helped. Tomorrow is a new day.
On a positive note I was able to use the Promethean board for instruction today!! It was so fun and seemed to go a lot smoother than writing on the white board. My handwriting actually looks better on the Promethean board :). After using it I have already created my flip charts for tomorrow which I already know will save me a great deal of time in the classroom. I think it also helps because it helps eliminate some of the down time that it would normally take me to write on the board. Plus it is a great incentive for students to pay attention because those that are showing me they are responsible are able to write the answers down on it as well.
During my break I was able to visit my second placement. Just within two days I can already see how big of a difference they are going to be. The new class will also have 29 students.. yikes! I'm also interested in how the class responds to me when I begin teaching full time. Their current teacher is a guy (the only male teacher in the school) as well as very tall which may seem more dominant. I on the other hand am quite short which a few of the students where not so shy to point out the first day there. Kids are so honest.
The most frustrating part of my day was telling the student multiple times they needed to pay attention because of reasons that fall under either it's going to be on a test or you just need to know it... but better stated and them still not listening to a word you have to say. Then it's also frustrating to have a class that won't listen to you even after you are following through with the classroom discipline procedures, using the 'heads down lights off' method and having a class meeting/ community circle and as soon as the 'teacher' of the classroom begins to speak everyone gives her the full attention. They even listen better to me as long as she is just in the room. My teacher told me again today that they are treating me like a sub, but what do I do about it?!? Hopefully our talk at the end of the day helped because the 'teacher' told them that I will be in charge which means that I also have the authority to write names down for people who don't deserve to go on our field trip. She also told me that if I needed to (and a few kids tempted me) send students to the office. (I did have 2 students call home which is part of our classroom procedure if they are at warning #3). I don't want to have to send students to the office because that then shows them that shows the students I don't have the power to handle what they are throwing at me. Well enough ranting, like I started to say I hope that our discussion about respecting me as their teacher, and to be respecting each other as well helped. Tomorrow is a new day.
On a positive note I was able to use the Promethean board for instruction today!! It was so fun and seemed to go a lot smoother than writing on the white board. My handwriting actually looks better on the Promethean board :). After using it I have already created my flip charts for tomorrow which I already know will save me a great deal of time in the classroom. I think it also helps because it helps eliminate some of the down time that it would normally take me to write on the board. Plus it is a great incentive for students to pay attention because those that are showing me they are responsible are able to write the answers down on it as well.
During my break I was able to visit my second placement. Just within two days I can already see how big of a difference they are going to be. The new class will also have 29 students.. yikes! I'm also interested in how the class responds to me when I begin teaching full time. Their current teacher is a guy (the only male teacher in the school) as well as very tall which may seem more dominant. I on the other hand am quite short which a few of the students where not so shy to point out the first day there. Kids are so honest.
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