This week didn't feel like a full week. We had Monday off and then the students had a half day on Wednesday. I feel like it was a week of craziness, the right things weren't being covered and there was a lot of last minute ideas that needed to be done. I'll tell you, it was quite a week!
Tuesday was our Monday, but I really didn't want to dig in too deep in some topics because I knew we would need two consecutive days. Then to top it off, my teacher had taken a half day due to some family things and when the substitute came in, she offered a lot of "fun" ideas. I told her that she was free to do what she wanted. Our sub's name was Mrs. S. She is a retired teacher from the school. She had been working there for quite some time and I knew she had wonderful things under her belt. So we spent our morning doing Math, Science, Social Studies, then I touched Reading and the rest were Halloween activities. I didn't mind. For me, it was good to see someone not stick to the schedule for a change; it was a long awaited breath of fresh air.
Wednesday was a half day and during most half days we need to cover the schools rules and regulations with the kids. My school is very big on PBiS so we did a few activities that had to do with having a "Peaceful Playground." It was fun because we had the opportunity to go outside and what person doesn't like going outside. (I found that I was super happy to go outside.)
Thursday was semi-normal; Thursday is like a typical Friday for me. It's all the concepts and ideas you start gelling together and putting to practice. The reason it's set-up like this is because we have an officer come into our classroom on Friday and he gives a class on gang, and drug resistance. The kids love having him over, not because they get out of History, but because they really value what he has to say. It's a G.R.E.A.T program, literally.
Schmidt
Something Schmidt points out is the good use of multiple intelligences in both chapters. I've noticed that she is a big guru for that type of learning! I couldn't agree more. Since I'm teaching almost the whole day now, I can see the boredom in some of the student's faces.
A great perspective I got from Chapter 8 was that Students hate the way we teach history. I was chatting with my brother who is now a sophomore in high school and I asked him if he liked History, he gave me this disgusted look and said, "No, that's boring." Who's to blame him, taking AP history courses during high school, I know that all it consists of is searching the book for the answers on the worksheet. One great piece of advice I received was to use the textbook as a resource--that means I have to go out there and look for additional things for my students. Luckily, our text is called "History Alive!" and it's a very interactive book, it comes with an "Interactive Student Notebook" and the students fill in and complete different activities. It's so much better than what I remember having.
"Most of us spend too much time on the last twenty-four hours and too little time on the last six thousand years." --Will Durant
One of the big ideas Schmidt gives about art is, "The arts are a way of knowing." It is so true. I think even though most teachers are aware of the multiple intelligences, they limit a student's ability to express themselves through an art just one period a week. I think as a teacher it is so easy to forget about the students who learn through art. Personally speaking, it's easy to find myself looking at what assessments need to be completed. It's not that, that is my preferred method of teaching, but it's what the district requires of me.
Another idea I find myself struggling with is the incorporation of the arts. The book gives me many great ideas but how do I do it? It's something I read on paper, but to put into practice is a whole other mile! For me it's hard to do something that makes the most of all worlds meet. I think it's something that will come with practice; I just need the model.
Standard 1 of the Professional Teaching Standards states, "The competent teacher plans and designs instruction based on content area knowledge, diverse student characteristics, student performance data, curriculum goals, and the community context. The teacher plans for ongoing student growth and achievement." I think that this standard encompasses a big idea of multiple intelligences without mentioning it. It's not only about the instruction, but also how the assessment is used. In the book, Schmidt talks about authentic assessment. She really challenges me when she says, how can you make learning interactive then turn around and give a 100 multiple choice question test? It's so true, and knowing how my students are some times I need to modify the things I do. For example, I know some of my students are intimidated by words, sounds funny, but it's true. So I have him draw or tell me about how he understands, my students create posters and write stories. This past week I gave a History test, and part of my test was to draw out a comic strip showing me how two different tribes would trade. It's interesting to see soooo many different answers.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Week of October 1
I cannot believe that I've been at my placement for over a complete month now. It seems like just yesterday I was at orientation, preparing for the unexpected. However, I guess the saying is right, "time flies when you're having fun!"
For this week I took four-fifths of the class. I must say, it's pretty exhausting! Teachers are the real deal! A glance into my day starts off at 8:15ish, when I usually arrive at school. Once I'm there I plug in my flash drive to the SMARTBoard, the morning assignment goes up, my lessons are ready to be opened at the right time and my desk is in order. The students come in at 8:40, put their backpacks away and start on the assignment. During this time, I take attendance and lunch count. At 8:50 we stand up and say The Pledge of Allegiance with the rest of the school and we're off to start our day!
Social Studies
The unit we've been covering has to do with Native Americans, their tribes, regions, and cultures. It's been a really great topic to teach since many of the students have a typical view of "an indian." It has really been great to see them change their opinion as to what a Native Indian looks like or behaves like. The most successful lesson I had included four groups of students researching a specific Native Indian tribe. They became the experts and on Thursday we had a video producer (played by yours truly) come to the classroom and cast roles for a documentary she was filming. In every "interview" she would bring up certain stereotypes and ask them if it were true. They gave all the information they learned: what men did, what jobs women had, different foods they would eat, what kind of house they lived in ect. Their assignment for that was to write a letter to a director telling her why making assumptions of people was so wrong. It was great!
Math
In Math we've been learning about Geometry. The topics vary from how many sides does this shape have to how many degrees are in this shape. We're a bit all over the place! Geometry is a review to them and they let me know it all the time. I use that to my advantage. When I post their objectives for the day it starts off, "Today is October 2 and you will be experts at:" They recept very well to this. I also use that phrase as noise control. When they start chatting, I just say, "I'd move on, but it sounds like some students don't want to be experts." They have been doing well.
Science
Of all the subjects this one has brought the most controversy (and my most favorite)! We are doing our Chapter about Reproduction and Change. A touchy subject, if you will. On Monday we read through how cells replicate and divide. I had a student stand up and say, "Teacher, the cells make babies?" I my response was a no and I explained how cells are like copies not babies. Well, this one question turned into daily tormenting that cells make babies. I'm personally glad that they want to argue because that gives more room for instruction and guiding. It allows me to give them assignments that involve research and ways to explore the world. I had a few students tell me that when they become scientists they were going to prove me wrong. :) No complaints from me!
Reading
Reading single handedly is the most difficult subject to teach. The curriculum calls for a daily, uninterrupted 90 minutes of Reading. Within these 90 minutes, the students receive a 20 minute mini-lesson on a skill like how to summarize. We go into guided reading groups and everyone is to read silently. My teacher has established that the students can only read silently for 20 minutes and then they need to do one of the group assignments. It was only my first week, but I felt soooo unprepared. Hopefully, I'll feel more comfortable with this subject in the upcoming weeks.
So there ends my day. Quite cookie-cutter perfect, huh? Please don't be deceived! I know I've talked a lot about how classroom management has been an issue. Well, I've found something that works quiet well for me..
For this week I took four-fifths of the class. I must say, it's pretty exhausting! Teachers are the real deal! A glance into my day starts off at 8:15ish, when I usually arrive at school. Once I'm there I plug in my flash drive to the SMARTBoard, the morning assignment goes up, my lessons are ready to be opened at the right time and my desk is in order. The students come in at 8:40, put their backpacks away and start on the assignment. During this time, I take attendance and lunch count. At 8:50 we stand up and say The Pledge of Allegiance with the rest of the school and we're off to start our day!
Social Studies
The unit we've been covering has to do with Native Americans, their tribes, regions, and cultures. It's been a really great topic to teach since many of the students have a typical view of "an indian." It has really been great to see them change their opinion as to what a Native Indian looks like or behaves like. The most successful lesson I had included four groups of students researching a specific Native Indian tribe. They became the experts and on Thursday we had a video producer (played by yours truly) come to the classroom and cast roles for a documentary she was filming. In every "interview" she would bring up certain stereotypes and ask them if it were true. They gave all the information they learned: what men did, what jobs women had, different foods they would eat, what kind of house they lived in ect. Their assignment for that was to write a letter to a director telling her why making assumptions of people was so wrong. It was great!
Math
In Math we've been learning about Geometry. The topics vary from how many sides does this shape have to how many degrees are in this shape. We're a bit all over the place! Geometry is a review to them and they let me know it all the time. I use that to my advantage. When I post their objectives for the day it starts off, "Today is October 2 and you will be experts at:" They recept very well to this. I also use that phrase as noise control. When they start chatting, I just say, "I'd move on, but it sounds like some students don't want to be experts." They have been doing well.
Science
Of all the subjects this one has brought the most controversy (and my most favorite)! We are doing our Chapter about Reproduction and Change. A touchy subject, if you will. On Monday we read through how cells replicate and divide. I had a student stand up and say, "Teacher, the cells make babies?" I my response was a no and I explained how cells are like copies not babies. Well, this one question turned into daily tormenting that cells make babies. I'm personally glad that they want to argue because that gives more room for instruction and guiding. It allows me to give them assignments that involve research and ways to explore the world. I had a few students tell me that when they become scientists they were going to prove me wrong. :) No complaints from me!
Reading
Reading single handedly is the most difficult subject to teach. The curriculum calls for a daily, uninterrupted 90 minutes of Reading. Within these 90 minutes, the students receive a 20 minute mini-lesson on a skill like how to summarize. We go into guided reading groups and everyone is to read silently. My teacher has established that the students can only read silently for 20 minutes and then they need to do one of the group assignments. It was only my first week, but I felt soooo unprepared. Hopefully, I'll feel more comfortable with this subject in the upcoming weeks.
So there ends my day. Quite cookie-cutter perfect, huh? Please don't be deceived! I know I've talked a lot about how classroom management has been an issue. Well, I've found something that works quiet well for me..
Yes! it is my very own Noise-O-Meter! I found the idea on a website and decided to make it my own. The students were a bit caught off guard when I explained this to them. I told them that this was my expectation of them and it was something I should have to continually remind them about. It is really nice to just say, "ladies and gentlemen, level 0 please" and they diligently obey.
As for my "troublemaker," he had a fabulous week. We decided that he needs more positive reinforcement than the rest of the students. He responded very well to it and he got to move his desk back to his group. He was pretty pumped about it.
Monday, October 1, 2012
The week of September 24
This week, I conquered three fifths of the day. (Like my math, there?) It has really been a time for me to learn about myself, my teaching techniques and other stuff. There are some really hard days and in all honesty, I just want to go to bed. There are things that I really don't want to do.
My biggest issue is still classroom management. There are so many mixed models out there. For example, when the teacher is teaching and a few students start chattering the teacher has two options. 1. They stop their teaching and ask the students if they would like to share with the whole class what is more important than the subject they are learning. 2. They continue teaching hoping that the students will realize that they really need to pay attention. I get very frustrated, not at their chatter, but at the million questions after, "what do we do,again?" "Wait, I don't get it." "Can you help me?" It's instances like this where I take advantage and say well, this is why it is so important not to talk during the lesson and pay attention. Then I get the infamous, "I wasn't talking. It was my neighbor." Then the whole conversation loses purpose because you get into a different subject. The students need to learn how and when to be quiet and how and when they can be loud.
The curriculum is not too bad for the school district. However, it keeps changing. I'm in the middle of a geometry unit and the new pacing guide tells me that I should be teaching multiplication. The problem is that the students have monthly math assessments that are made up by the entire team the district. Stuff that we should be covering in class. Well half way through the unit, it is tough to just change things around.
The student I talked about last week had lunch suspension for 3 days and he had a couple of meltdowns in class. We decided to form an alliance in efforts to help this guy out. The school Dean, Social Worker, Homeroom Teacher, P.E. Teacher, last year's Homeroom Teacher and myself all joined efforts to find ways to keep him motivated and on task. I think we came up with a couple great ideas. I cannot wait to implement them! :)
Schmidt
In the chapter entitled, "Teachers can Speak Tongues," I really wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. As I started reading, I realized it had to do with parent communication. I really learned a lot of things I didn't know before. Having experiences that vary from summer camps to administration I thought I had an advantage to communicate with parents. Thankfully this chapter shed some light on the situation. Standard 8 states, "The competent teacher builds and maintains collaborative relationships to foster cognitive, linguistic, physical, and social and emotional development. This teacher works as a team member with professional colleagues, students, parents or guardians, and community members." This is exactly what Schmidt talks about in her chapter. She notes that parents and teachers are commonly ships sailing at night; we pass one another awkwardly and don't know how to interact. It's all about being enlightened. Each brief encounter we have with a parent allows us to see a bit more into the life of the child. "Parents quickly discover that by talking to the teacher they get a more accurate picture of their child at school and what they can do to encourage learning." Basically, it's a two way street. We want to learn about the student, but we also want to share. Share the student's growth and knowledge, not just the negative stuff.
After this chapter, I think about the stuff we send home, how to make it look, how to think like a parent. The list of the 10 essential notes on effective communication stood out to me the most. Parent teacher-conferences are in November and we've had quite a interactions with parents already.. It will sure be exciting! I now know that I need to be more blunt and to the point with the parents and not beat around the bush. I cannot be afraid to contact them but I also cannot bash their child for their behavior.
My biggest issue is still classroom management. There are so many mixed models out there. For example, when the teacher is teaching and a few students start chattering the teacher has two options. 1. They stop their teaching and ask the students if they would like to share with the whole class what is more important than the subject they are learning. 2. They continue teaching hoping that the students will realize that they really need to pay attention. I get very frustrated, not at their chatter, but at the million questions after, "what do we do,again?" "Wait, I don't get it." "Can you help me?" It's instances like this where I take advantage and say well, this is why it is so important not to talk during the lesson and pay attention. Then I get the infamous, "I wasn't talking. It was my neighbor." Then the whole conversation loses purpose because you get into a different subject. The students need to learn how and when to be quiet and how and when they can be loud.
The curriculum is not too bad for the school district. However, it keeps changing. I'm in the middle of a geometry unit and the new pacing guide tells me that I should be teaching multiplication. The problem is that the students have monthly math assessments that are made up by the entire team the district. Stuff that we should be covering in class. Well half way through the unit, it is tough to just change things around.
The student I talked about last week had lunch suspension for 3 days and he had a couple of meltdowns in class. We decided to form an alliance in efforts to help this guy out. The school Dean, Social Worker, Homeroom Teacher, P.E. Teacher, last year's Homeroom Teacher and myself all joined efforts to find ways to keep him motivated and on task. I think we came up with a couple great ideas. I cannot wait to implement them! :)
Schmidt
In the chapter entitled, "Teachers can Speak Tongues," I really wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. As I started reading, I realized it had to do with parent communication. I really learned a lot of things I didn't know before. Having experiences that vary from summer camps to administration I thought I had an advantage to communicate with parents. Thankfully this chapter shed some light on the situation. Standard 8 states, "The competent teacher builds and maintains collaborative relationships to foster cognitive, linguistic, physical, and social and emotional development. This teacher works as a team member with professional colleagues, students, parents or guardians, and community members." This is exactly what Schmidt talks about in her chapter. She notes that parents and teachers are commonly ships sailing at night; we pass one another awkwardly and don't know how to interact. It's all about being enlightened. Each brief encounter we have with a parent allows us to see a bit more into the life of the child. "Parents quickly discover that by talking to the teacher they get a more accurate picture of their child at school and what they can do to encourage learning." Basically, it's a two way street. We want to learn about the student, but we also want to share. Share the student's growth and knowledge, not just the negative stuff.
After this chapter, I think about the stuff we send home, how to make it look, how to think like a parent. The list of the 10 essential notes on effective communication stood out to me the most. Parent teacher-conferences are in November and we've had quite a interactions with parents already.. It will sure be exciting! I now know that I need to be more blunt and to the point with the parents and not beat around the bush. I cannot be afraid to contact them but I also cannot bash their child for their behavior.
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Week of September 17
For me it was a long week. It was the first week that I had the opportunity to teach three subjects: Math, History and Science. We had a quiz, a test, and an observation. Not to mention a staff meeting that went from 12-4:20pm. Color me exhausted! I knew and was warned that Student Teaching was no joke, but I didn't think I would be so tired. By Wednesday I was getting home and faithfully taking a nap. It was glorious, but at the same time, I was wasting time and having some trouble going to bed at night. However, there was a bright side to this. Monday morning, the students were surprised that I was teaching History and I saw excited faces! They asked, "Miss Sanchez, are you teaching all day today?" When I would laugh and say no they would go into a rehearsed "Awwwww, but Miss Sanchez!" It's very rewarding to know that I'm not wasting time or energy. They are learning and understanding a lot of things. I even got a note on my desk, thanking me for my hard work. They set their own short goal and said they could achieve it because they knew I was there, willing to help them. What an amazing encouragement.
In the classroom this week I found out a particularly intriguing fact, I have the school's "MVP of bad behavior." When comments like that are thrown around, I realize how much negative impact that can have on me toward the student. I find myself scolding that child, but I usually catch myself and try to turn the negative into positive. He has a lot of good in him, it is just a struggle for him to contain and control himself. This week he received two lunch detentions and rolls into next week for and extra 3 days without recess. Having 6 years of after school/summer camp expertise, I spoke up in a meeting as said we should create a behavior tracking schedule, set up so that after every period, he would check in and say, "In Math, I did..." or "In Science.." Just so that we can teach him that there are immediate consequences and rewards for behavior. The school social worker stands behind me and supports the idea.. I hope it works! More details on that one next week.
Schmidt
In Chapter 3, Schmidt talks a bit about how students learn. Personally, I wish I would have read this chapter by day 1. As previously mentioned in other posts and reflections, I have a hard time with students keeping quiet during a test or during assignments. They seem to love to chatter. Even if I call their attention they are quiet for 5 minutes (if I'm lucky) and continue their chatter. As a teacher, this can be a bit flustering at times. I have as student who yells, "Maestra, que dijiste?" (Teacher, what did you say?) As I am standing in front of him while I give directions. Schmidt tells me not to worry. These are all self-accommodations. Self accommodations are "behaviors that can be odd or annoying, in hope that they, too, can experience satisfaction, recognition and maybe even garner a little praise, making self-accommodations to gain their share of school's simple pleasures." Under Standard 3 in Professional Teaching Standards, it states, "The competent teacher plans and designs instruction based on content area knowledge, diverse student characteristics, student performance data, curriculum goals, and the community context. The teacher plans for ongoing student growth and achievement." Basically, I have to accommodate to these accommodations. How can I help the student grow and not make them feel like they are at a loss? What I started doing was making every child feel as if they can succeed. I have mini-math conferences with them. If they turned in a paper that was a +0, that means they received an F. I tell them that in my home F means "for not trying." I ask them if that's the grade they deserved and they shake their head no. Or I ask if they are satisfied with such a grade and many of them respond that, that is the grade they are accustomed to seeing. It breaks my heart but it also challenges me to stay dedicated and try to achieve a higher range of learning.
In the classroom this week I found out a particularly intriguing fact, I have the school's "MVP of bad behavior." When comments like that are thrown around, I realize how much negative impact that can have on me toward the student. I find myself scolding that child, but I usually catch myself and try to turn the negative into positive. He has a lot of good in him, it is just a struggle for him to contain and control himself. This week he received two lunch detentions and rolls into next week for and extra 3 days without recess. Having 6 years of after school/summer camp expertise, I spoke up in a meeting as said we should create a behavior tracking schedule, set up so that after every period, he would check in and say, "In Math, I did..." or "In Science.." Just so that we can teach him that there are immediate consequences and rewards for behavior. The school social worker stands behind me and supports the idea.. I hope it works! More details on that one next week.
Schmidt
In Chapter 3, Schmidt talks a bit about how students learn. Personally, I wish I would have read this chapter by day 1. As previously mentioned in other posts and reflections, I have a hard time with students keeping quiet during a test or during assignments. They seem to love to chatter. Even if I call their attention they are quiet for 5 minutes (if I'm lucky) and continue their chatter. As a teacher, this can be a bit flustering at times. I have as student who yells, "Maestra, que dijiste?" (Teacher, what did you say?) As I am standing in front of him while I give directions. Schmidt tells me not to worry. These are all self-accommodations. Self accommodations are "behaviors that can be odd or annoying, in hope that they, too, can experience satisfaction, recognition and maybe even garner a little praise, making self-accommodations to gain their share of school's simple pleasures." Under Standard 3 in Professional Teaching Standards, it states, "The competent teacher plans and designs instruction based on content area knowledge, diverse student characteristics, student performance data, curriculum goals, and the community context. The teacher plans for ongoing student growth and achievement." Basically, I have to accommodate to these accommodations. How can I help the student grow and not make them feel like they are at a loss? What I started doing was making every child feel as if they can succeed. I have mini-math conferences with them. If they turned in a paper that was a +0, that means they received an F. I tell them that in my home F means "for not trying." I ask them if that's the grade they deserved and they shake their head no. Or I ask if they are satisfied with such a grade and many of them respond that, that is the grade they are accustomed to seeing. It breaks my heart but it also challenges me to stay dedicated and try to achieve a higher range of learning.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The week of September 3
The second week of school is still in the getting "used to it" stage. We had Monday off in honor of Labor day. So "real classes" started Tuesday and immediately I had the opportunity to teach Math and some Reading curriculum.
At the school, there is a huge emphasis on reading. Our school hasn't really reached their AYP in more than a couple of years. For reading it feels like there is a manual we need to follow. In fact, there is a manual. It's different to me in many ways, but nonetheless I asked my teacher if I could cover a few things such as how our library was organized, what genres were and how to chose a book.
The most difficult, yet rewarding lesson I taught, I didn't really teach. It was a jigsaw activity on genres. I divided up the class into groups of 4, which worked perfectly--I had 7 groups of 4. Each group received a book on a genre. Their job was to read the book (or a chapter of the book) record some noticeable characteristics and check with me to see if they had gotten the genre correctly. If they did, I gave them the technical definition of the genre and some more characteristics. Once they were all experts at their genre I divided them again. Now there were 4 groups of 7 and each student had a different genre to share with their group. They loved discussing and sharing! BUT it took two days to complete the activity. In my methods classes it would take us anywhere from 40-60 minutes. It certainly took much longer than expected. It was worth it!
I've also had the opportunity to begin teaching Math. I love math. There is something about solving a problem that makes me excited. I wanted to share my excitement with my students. I began this warm-up activity I learned in my novice placement. I call it "Number of the Day." With this technique, I have a number of the day and the students have two minutes to think of different ways to get to the number. For example, if the number is 25, how many different ways can YOU think of that add up to 25? Some answers can be 20+5, 30-5, 5x5, etc. This has been so helpful to me because we're learning about expanded and word form of numbers so the students get to review important details during our warm-up. As an educator, it makes me gleam when the students write out 635 in expanded form without me reminding them to do so. They have grown to love Number of the Day and when they hear it's only 2 minutes long there is a groan across the room. When we reach the point of 2 minutes I always get at least one student, "C'mon maestra, 1 more minute!" I can't deny them their love for Math, so I give in to a 20-second extension. After time is finally up, I pick Popsicle sticks with their names on it for them to share. I write their strategy on the board. You wouldn't believe how much pride they have in their work!
Even though they love Number of the Day, their love for regular stuff, isn't as great. I faced a challenging lesson on Thursday. The students just didn't understand how decimals worked. I don't blame them. When I was their age, it was a difficult topic for me also. It just seems so abstract and not really life relevant. I picked up some pointers from my teacher. She said, "Not everything is as easy as it seems. You'll learn that. Don't think that something is wrong with you or your method of teaching. One day, it'll just click." After a rough day, it was definitely the encouragement I needed to hear. We decided to do some reteaching on Friday and THEY UNDERSTOOD!! It felt so good to walk around the room and seeing students with correct answers on their page, ready to do more. I couldn't believe my ears when students were asking for more homework on a Friday night!
This upcoming week is Open House, I'm excited to meet all of my kids' parents! I'm excited for them to teach me more than I think I know. I'm certain that the next 14 weeks or so will be a tug on my humility. Not to think that I have an answer or strategy for everything. :)
Schmidt
In Schmidt's second chapter, we see that "great teachers are power brokers." This title captures the idea of building an environment for eptness. The technical definition for eptness is "a combination of capacities and meaningful activity." In other words, it's the search of each students' contributing quality to the classroom culture. To me, that's common sense. If I were to chose a word to describe myself, it would be encourager; I believe that God has created each child in His own image and not one is the exact copy of another. I believe that each one serves a unique purpose. Eptness is basically taking that idea and putting it to practice...searching for each child's special gift. I think Einstein said it best, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Our job is to find the 'genius' in every child.
Like many things in life, this is easier said than done. However, Schmidt gives us ten pointers that promote eptness. There are three strategies that I would like to practice in my placement now and in my future teaching career; these are encouragement, feedback, and to model being a learner. In the second chapter, Schmidt describes that encouragement "means to call forth the courage within." It's not the simple, "nice job, kid." It's not verbal praise. It is pin-pointing a specific task the student has done well and making a big deal out of it, showing him/her that what they have done has benefited their classmates. "Kids get smarter when you describe what they did and explain why it's important." I like to write comments on the students homework, especially when they show their work for math. I like writing positive comments thanking them for showing me their thought process. I think I need to work on doing it more verbally. I must really let the students know that they are doing an excellent job in order to stimulate an environment of higher order thinking. The most important part of feedback is providing "affective and cognitive information." Like stated earlier, I love looking at the good in people, that includes their work. Something that has always motivated me as a learner has been knowing that there can be more than one way to get the desired answer. My work doesn't have to look exactly like the student next to me in order to get an A. The idea of feedback gives students the opportunity to identify each student's best efforts. Finally, modeling being a learner is one of the best ways to show you're a human being. As a teacher, you make mistakes, you learn something new; I believe that, that makes you more approachable.
Toward the end of the chapter, Schmidt brings a very valid point to the table, she says, "No matter how earnestly you promote a culture of eptness, your message will fall on deaf ears if your students don't feel safe in the classroom." I feel like Schmidt is my tenet twin; every time I pick up the book, I'm nodding my head at her as if she were sitting right in front of me. The safeness of a classroom, is an essential key to promoting an educational environment. Earlier in my week of teaching, one of my students was humiliated in front of a group of kids by another student. "You don't have a dad." Five very simple words had the world of significance to one of my students. It was so powerful that he started crying. My cooperating teacher pulled out the student and the student who had made the comment. I heard a wave of giggles and whispers. Standard 4 of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards states, "The competent teacher structures a safe and healthy learning environment that facilitates cultural and linguistic responsiveness, emotional well-being, self-efficacy, positive social interaction, mutual respect, active engagement, academic risk-taking, self-motivation, and personal goal-setting." I knew that something had to be done. If I waited for the teacher to enter the room, it might be too late to address the issue. I had all the kids stop what they were doing and look at me. We had a quick discussion about how the student felt. Some people piped in, "I don't have a dad either, but I don't care that much." So I brought up other issues. We talked about what the definition of bullying is. We talked about name calling and how it can really hurt a person. After our discussion, they were more aware of others' emotions. Since that time, I really haven't had an issue with any of the students.
At the school, there is a huge emphasis on reading. Our school hasn't really reached their AYP in more than a couple of years. For reading it feels like there is a manual we need to follow. In fact, there is a manual. It's different to me in many ways, but nonetheless I asked my teacher if I could cover a few things such as how our library was organized, what genres were and how to chose a book.
The most difficult, yet rewarding lesson I taught, I didn't really teach. It was a jigsaw activity on genres. I divided up the class into groups of 4, which worked perfectly--I had 7 groups of 4. Each group received a book on a genre. Their job was to read the book (or a chapter of the book) record some noticeable characteristics and check with me to see if they had gotten the genre correctly. If they did, I gave them the technical definition of the genre and some more characteristics. Once they were all experts at their genre I divided them again. Now there were 4 groups of 7 and each student had a different genre to share with their group. They loved discussing and sharing! BUT it took two days to complete the activity. In my methods classes it would take us anywhere from 40-60 minutes. It certainly took much longer than expected. It was worth it!
I've also had the opportunity to begin teaching Math. I love math. There is something about solving a problem that makes me excited. I wanted to share my excitement with my students. I began this warm-up activity I learned in my novice placement. I call it "Number of the Day." With this technique, I have a number of the day and the students have two minutes to think of different ways to get to the number. For example, if the number is 25, how many different ways can YOU think of that add up to 25? Some answers can be 20+5, 30-5, 5x5, etc. This has been so helpful to me because we're learning about expanded and word form of numbers so the students get to review important details during our warm-up. As an educator, it makes me gleam when the students write out 635 in expanded form without me reminding them to do so. They have grown to love Number of the Day and when they hear it's only 2 minutes long there is a groan across the room. When we reach the point of 2 minutes I always get at least one student, "C'mon maestra, 1 more minute!" I can't deny them their love for Math, so I give in to a 20-second extension. After time is finally up, I pick Popsicle sticks with their names on it for them to share. I write their strategy on the board. You wouldn't believe how much pride they have in their work!
Even though they love Number of the Day, their love for regular stuff, isn't as great. I faced a challenging lesson on Thursday. The students just didn't understand how decimals worked. I don't blame them. When I was their age, it was a difficult topic for me also. It just seems so abstract and not really life relevant. I picked up some pointers from my teacher. She said, "Not everything is as easy as it seems. You'll learn that. Don't think that something is wrong with you or your method of teaching. One day, it'll just click." After a rough day, it was definitely the encouragement I needed to hear. We decided to do some reteaching on Friday and THEY UNDERSTOOD!! It felt so good to walk around the room and seeing students with correct answers on their page, ready to do more. I couldn't believe my ears when students were asking for more homework on a Friday night!
This upcoming week is Open House, I'm excited to meet all of my kids' parents! I'm excited for them to teach me more than I think I know. I'm certain that the next 14 weeks or so will be a tug on my humility. Not to think that I have an answer or strategy for everything. :)
Schmidt
In Schmidt's second chapter, we see that "great teachers are power brokers." This title captures the idea of building an environment for eptness. The technical definition for eptness is "a combination of capacities and meaningful activity." In other words, it's the search of each students' contributing quality to the classroom culture. To me, that's common sense. If I were to chose a word to describe myself, it would be encourager; I believe that God has created each child in His own image and not one is the exact copy of another. I believe that each one serves a unique purpose. Eptness is basically taking that idea and putting it to practice...searching for each child's special gift. I think Einstein said it best, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Our job is to find the 'genius' in every child.
Like many things in life, this is easier said than done. However, Schmidt gives us ten pointers that promote eptness. There are three strategies that I would like to practice in my placement now and in my future teaching career; these are encouragement, feedback, and to model being a learner. In the second chapter, Schmidt describes that encouragement "means to call forth the courage within." It's not the simple, "nice job, kid." It's not verbal praise. It is pin-pointing a specific task the student has done well and making a big deal out of it, showing him/her that what they have done has benefited their classmates. "Kids get smarter when you describe what they did and explain why it's important." I like to write comments on the students homework, especially when they show their work for math. I like writing positive comments thanking them for showing me their thought process. I think I need to work on doing it more verbally. I must really let the students know that they are doing an excellent job in order to stimulate an environment of higher order thinking. The most important part of feedback is providing "affective and cognitive information." Like stated earlier, I love looking at the good in people, that includes their work. Something that has always motivated me as a learner has been knowing that there can be more than one way to get the desired answer. My work doesn't have to look exactly like the student next to me in order to get an A. The idea of feedback gives students the opportunity to identify each student's best efforts. Finally, modeling being a learner is one of the best ways to show you're a human being. As a teacher, you make mistakes, you learn something new; I believe that, that makes you more approachable.
Toward the end of the chapter, Schmidt brings a very valid point to the table, she says, "No matter how earnestly you promote a culture of eptness, your message will fall on deaf ears if your students don't feel safe in the classroom." I feel like Schmidt is my tenet twin; every time I pick up the book, I'm nodding my head at her as if she were sitting right in front of me. The safeness of a classroom, is an essential key to promoting an educational environment. Earlier in my week of teaching, one of my students was humiliated in front of a group of kids by another student. "You don't have a dad." Five very simple words had the world of significance to one of my students. It was so powerful that he started crying. My cooperating teacher pulled out the student and the student who had made the comment. I heard a wave of giggles and whispers. Standard 4 of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards states, "The competent teacher structures a safe and healthy learning environment that facilitates cultural and linguistic responsiveness, emotional well-being, self-efficacy, positive social interaction, mutual respect, active engagement, academic risk-taking, self-motivation, and personal goal-setting." I knew that something had to be done. If I waited for the teacher to enter the room, it might be too late to address the issue. I had all the kids stop what they were doing and look at me. We had a quick discussion about how the student felt. Some people piped in, "I don't have a dad either, but I don't care that much." So I brought up other issues. We talked about what the definition of bullying is. We talked about name calling and how it can really hurt a person. After our discussion, they were more aware of others' emotions. Since that time, I really haven't had an issue with any of the students.
Monday, September 3, 2012
La Semana del 27 de Agosto (The week of August 27)
"Hablas Espanol?" were the words that greeted me in the morning after two and a half days of training. The kids stood outside the school at 8:30 in the morning in their uniform with big back packs. Students looked at me in a bit of confusion as I held the "Classroom 313" sign. Many of them whispered, "Where is Mrs. E.?" Then one of them finally had the courage to ask the stranger, "Eres nuestra maestra nueva?" (Are you our new teacher?) With a smile and a giggle I answered, "No, I'm going to be your second teacher." At that moment all my Education classes came rushing to mind; inside I was ready to finally put everything in practice 24/7.
My classroom is made up of 27 Latino students and 1 African American student; 7 of those kids are in the gifted program and, according to the records we received, all of them should be above their reading level. They all speak English, but a lot of them are comfortable with Spanish and don't mind asking questions in it. Mrs. E. says that it's good that I can relate to them at such a level.
Since we only had 2 full days we decided to do a lot of "getting to know you" activities, tours of the building, rules, etc. It went quite well. Fifth graders certainly have a lot to say, especially if you give them the chance to.
A new experience for me was that I learned more about my students from their past teachers in the first couple of days. They told me some things to look out for, or interests they had. I know that it's not recommended to get the scoop, but for a new teacher, every little bit helps. I know that they are a whole year older, and being here until December gives me the chance to learn about them myself.
My classroom is made up of 27 Latino students and 1 African American student; 7 of those kids are in the gifted program and, according to the records we received, all of them should be above their reading level. They all speak English, but a lot of them are comfortable with Spanish and don't mind asking questions in it. Mrs. E. says that it's good that I can relate to them at such a level.
Since we only had 2 full days we decided to do a lot of "getting to know you" activities, tours of the building, rules, etc. It went quite well. Fifth graders certainly have a lot to say, especially if you give them the chance to.
A new experience for me was that I learned more about my students from their past teachers in the first couple of days. They told me some things to look out for, or interests they had. I know that it's not recommended to get the scoop, but for a new teacher, every little bit helps. I know that they are a whole year older, and being here until December gives me the chance to learn about them myself.
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