The Week of September 10

It was the first full week of school! It was a long one because I was lucky enough to get sick, I was observed, we had our weekly building meeting (that goes to 4:20) and Thursday was our Open House. YIKES! For the week I stuck to teaching Math and on Wednesday I picked up Science. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better than I did during the week; that's always good news.

As days go by, I realize that I find myself more and more discouraged after I teach Math. It seems as if the kids totally understand what they are doing when we go through the questions on the board; they get the examples we do together and when I do exit slips, there are never any questions and everyone gives themselves a perfect 10. However, when it comes time to do homework there are at least 7 hands in the air, "Miss Sanchez, I don't know what to do!" "Miss Sanchez, Miss Sanchez, I need help!" or my favorite, "Teacher, Teacher, 'que hago?'" It is hard not to beat yourself up when it seems like your kids don't get it.

Another problem I constantly find myself in is going over my scheduled time. Math is only 45 minutes, then we have approximately 25 minutes of Science we go to lunch and after lunch we finish up Science in 20 minutes. Since I've been having the comprehension situation, Math goes until Lunch and I feel bad, because I don't think it's fair to my teacher to push back or rush her lesson. I've talked to her about it. She says that it happens and I just need to get in the hang of it. She mentioned that it is especially hard when you're with them all day. We talked about maybe bringing in a kitchen timer. Also, now I've decided to only do a mini-math lesson for 30 minutes and mini-conferences/homework for 15 minutes.

My final problem is classroom management. It's not that my students are very chaotic, they are just very talkative. For example, it is common sense that you are to be quiet when taking a quiz. Well, it’s not common sense to my students. It is as if I told them it was a partner quiz and yell crazy things across the room. I repeatedly had to tell them to stop talking. (I was alone in the classroom.) After scolding them about 5 times, I decided to reward those who were doing what they were supposed to, so I walked around the room with a marker and signed quizzes; giving students and extra point on their work. That did the trick! I had quiet students within 3 minutes. But is there a better way to handle a situation like this? Advice is much appreciated.

Even though it seems like these problems make my life miserable, it makes me appreciate them more and more every day. They challenge me to give them my best. It's like they are yelling out from their little hearts asking me to not give up on them. It is so rewarding to see them in the morning with a smile on their faces and a story about their night or something that had happened to them. All these tiny glitches are worth it knowing that they trust me. 

Open House this week was pretty great! Out of a class of 28 students, we had 14 families show up. Like I've mentioned in previous posts, this is a majority of Latino (specifically Mexican) students. The days leading  up to the Open House many students would ask me if I was going be there Thursday night and if I was going to translate. I said that if parents wanted me to do that I definitely would! I could see relief in many parents' eyes. They would greet Mrs. E and then ask me more specific questions. It was great to relate to parents on a one-to-one level. A number of them told me that they thought it was amazing that I was in the classroom with their kids. (It seems like the kids talk a lot about me at home.) Many of them also exclaimed that I should ask about open positions there because I was "perfect for the job."  I went home that day with a giant grin on my face. :)

Schmidt

Being a Mexican American at a predominantly Mexican American school has its perks. First of all, I know a lot about what it's like at home. I'm not saying that you can cookie cut a Latino, but I'm surrounded by my own culture and I know what it's like in different homes. Also, I have the language advantage. So when the kids need motivating I do one-on-one Spanish meetings. Or when they are trying to express themselves, sometimes it's easier to do so in Spanish. However, I think that something the author is missing is the perspective of generations. I've encountered that a lot in my classroom. For example, my mom was raised in Mexico until she was about 12, then she came here. So I am raised under more American traditions as opposed to Mexican ones. In the class there is a variety of them. Some students don't even speak Spanish and others are fluent. Some know the ins and outs of what they know their parent would see as unacceptable and others really don't care. 

However, I think that Schmidt points out a lot of great ideas! Can I start off by saying that reading about Rafe Esquith really inspired me! :) Schmidt encourages the teachers to challenge what the students are learning to make sure that it really serves justice and that it is equal. Since a lot of curriculum is loop-sided in who it caters to, it makes sense to point that out.

Standard 1 states, "The competent teacher understands the diverse characteristics and abilities of each student and how individuals develop and learn within the context of their social, economic, cultural, linguistic, and academic experiences. The teacher uses these experiences to create instructional opportunities that maximize student learning." That's what Schmidt is tell us to do. She says to infuse ourselves with the culture that surrounds us. By doing this we not only benefit ourselves or our students, it actually benefits the entire society. We learn, they learn and we are on the same page. There is not risk of being humiliated.