WHITE BOARDS. Who knew. Well...I knew, but I guess I didn't want to be overwhelmed. After reading several teaching books, I learned not to try and implement a hundred new tactics in your classroom during the first year of teaching. When I first started at the end of last year, I made the mistake of hearing about "best practices" and decided I wanted to do it all, so I would try something new constantly. This year is all about the routine for me. I guess 6 months of routines was finally enough to try something new.
I don't teach the most motivated kids or the nicest kids, but today, I truly felt like my students really liked math class. And if they didn't, they sure fooled me. Today was the first day I had 100% participation and those who teach similar populations, know how difficult and rare this is to come by. First, I went to Home Depot to buy a huge 8 x 11 white board to get cut into smaller boards. This is the cheapest way to buy white boards that I've heard of. Depending on who you ask, make sure that it's the actual white board because if I didn't make the worker go find an Expo marker and test out the board he was about to give me, I would've had 32 student boards that would not have been the right material for Expos. Also, if you find a cool worker, he'll cut the board up for free for you which of course is what I was aiming for. Otherwise there is some charge for every cut they make. Yes, it adds up.
After testing out white board usage in class, I figured students are responsible enough to bring their own markers and I provided them with old (but clean) socks as erasers. After watching some of them abuse the markers, I sure was glad I didn't spend any of my money providing those for them. I received an email about white board implementation from another teacher, so I bravely decided to use it on my most chaotic class. I split them into groups of 5 and held a competition using white boards. Winning group doesn't have to do homework and runner up only has to do half the problems versus everyone else doing all assigned problems. I had them hooked. Put in a "you must not go above a whisper or you'll have points deducted from your group" rule makes everything perfect. Each student in the group gets a letter: A, B, C, D, or E so when I randomly call out a letter, you best believe the rest of the group will hold the individual accountable if they get the question wrong or don't attempt the problem. I have NEVER seen these kids work so hard and boy did it make my job so much easier not having to deal with classroom management like any other day. The competition ended up being really close so I ended up not assigning any homework to everyone. I'm actually really looking forward to trying this technique with all my other periods now!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Something to be thankful for
Everyone loves a great day of teaching, but there are definitely times when I need a reminder why I chose to be a teacher and also a reminder that I have MANY more years of teaching to come if I stick with this. Today, I had a quiet moment with a student while the rest of the class was entering and causing chaos like they always do the first 5 minutes of class. The student told me he got kicked out of his house early this morning and was left wandering the streets for hours before school started. He now isn't sure who he'll live with (friend, relative, who knows) and he just wanted me to know in case he doesn't show up on Monday. It's amazing what it feels like when you hear a student tell you something like this. I felt so sad, angry, helpless and moved by this. This is one of many stories I have heard about the difficult lives these kids live. As much as I can understand to a certain extent, I will never truly relate. I look out at my "audience" of students each day and see looks in their faces that tell me they've had it rough before they got to school that day. I know I get frustrated with their attitudes and lack of motivation day in and day out, but I also like to take time to remind myself that they probably have a LOT more going on than I'll ever know.
On a happy note, I'm starting to learn more that students love doing things for their teacher, I just have to ask. I know it sounds so basic, but I guess I never thought to verbalize it. I had a broken stapler and was frustrated with it so I vocalized it the other day and the next day, there was a brand new one on my desk as a present. I also wanted a new bathroom pass since the other broke. I asked for a student volunteer and I immediately had several hands shoot up, but one of my students actually brought me a pass the other day and told me he had worked on it in wood shop class for the past week or so now. Students love to help even if you've punished them multiple times, they will most likely help you when asked.
On a happy note, I'm starting to learn more that students love doing things for their teacher, I just have to ask. I know it sounds so basic, but I guess I never thought to verbalize it. I had a broken stapler and was frustrated with it so I vocalized it the other day and the next day, there was a brand new one on my desk as a present. I also wanted a new bathroom pass since the other broke. I asked for a student volunteer and I immediately had several hands shoot up, but one of my students actually brought me a pass the other day and told me he had worked on it in wood shop class for the past week or so now. Students love to help even if you've punished them multiple times, they will most likely help you when asked.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
See Me After Class
This is a quick post to tell all you new teachers about a great book you should read. It's called, "See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers By Teachers" by Roxanna Elden. I started reading it about a week ago, so I am around the halfway point in my first year of teaching. There is excellent advice in that book and I found myself saying, "I wish I read this book sooner. I would've been so much more organized." I am not done with the book yet, so I will try to post some points I liked when I finish. This book was free for the Kindle app, so I'm reading off of my Ipod Touch right now. On a side note, I really do enjoy reading off the Ipod Touch. I think there's something fun about "flipping the page" ever 10 seconds or so as you quickly read only about a paragraph or two per page. It makes you feel like you're reading a lot since you keep turning the page, but realistically the screen is just so small to fit more than one paragraph. Maybe just a personal preference, but you should try it.
I know everyone recommends Harry Wong's "First Days of School" book (which I also liked) but there's something more "real" about "See Me After Class"
I know everyone recommends Harry Wong's "First Days of School" book (which I also liked) but there's something more "real" about "See Me After Class"
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Consistency Matters
It's the first week back from our 3 week break and things are a little hectic in the classroom. Kids forgot how to hold their pencils upright, lots of chatter going on since this is the first time they've seen each other in weeks, and all my procedures I've enforced and practiced with the students for months seemed to have disappeared. The good news: the first half of the year has come and gone. I survived up to the holidays, so it should be a breeze from here right?
I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm still working on many factors to hone in on becoming a better teacher (i.e. organization and every aspect of the word: lesson planning, paper management, homework grading), but one thing I feel like I have down is consistency. If there's one thing I learned it's CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY!
Before winter break started, I actually had a substitute cover for a whole week. That means I was actually seeing my students for the first time after a month this week. As much as the students forgot when it comes to any of the math concepts they learned before vacation, it was amazing to see how quickly they remembered the little things about how I like my class periods to go. When the bell rang to dismiss the students, they quickly stood up and jet toward the door. What made me so happy was the fact that I could sit at my desk, give them my "teacher look" and immediately they remembered they had to sit back down and be quiet before I dismissed them. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but it was to me for 2 reasons. 1) I was able to control the class from my seat. I am definitely a fairly little teacher compared to my students, so I always felt like I had to stand up to be more "assertive." This made me realize the respect I've always wondered if I commanded in class. I tell all my substitutes to always dismiss my students and don't let the bell dismiss them, but I have secretly watched how my kids deal with subs and this is one thing they never do with the sub, so I was happy they followed my direction. 2) Perfecting the "teacher look or stare down" comes a long way because you don't have to waste your breath by yelling at your students. Once they see the look, they yell at each other to be quiet or sit back down and your job is done.
My other "consistent" practice (among others but I'll only talk about this one for now) is saying "good morning/good afternoon class" right when the bell rings. At first I thought it was cheesy or I even felt a little embarrassed doing it. Teenagers are a little intimidating sometimes...especially when they just stare at you and don't respond back! I got over the doubt quickly and continued to do this every beginning of the period. One day, I eventually got a response back from students and I jokingly responded "Oh, it's nice to hear that you all have manners after all" (I definitely don't recommend being sarcastic to your students as a new teacher until you really feel like you understand the students on a personal level). Since then, I've been receiving more responses and even enthusiasm and smiles too! At the end of the period, I always tell them "have a wonderful rest of the day class" (after the students are quiet and in their seats of course). Some of my best days now include students actually reciting "have a good rest of the day class" before I can even say it to them when the bell rings. It makes my heart smile when students actually pay attention to the little things and how much they hold you to it. I truly feel that greeting them every morning and wishing them well when they leave makes them better people. I notice a lot of them walking out smiling and telling me they'll see me tomorrow or they'll tell me to have a wonderful day too etc.
Just some things for you to keep in mind when you think of your procedures in class...
I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm still working on many factors to hone in on becoming a better teacher (i.e. organization and every aspect of the word: lesson planning, paper management, homework grading), but one thing I feel like I have down is consistency. If there's one thing I learned it's CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY!
Before winter break started, I actually had a substitute cover for a whole week. That means I was actually seeing my students for the first time after a month this week. As much as the students forgot when it comes to any of the math concepts they learned before vacation, it was amazing to see how quickly they remembered the little things about how I like my class periods to go. When the bell rang to dismiss the students, they quickly stood up and jet toward the door. What made me so happy was the fact that I could sit at my desk, give them my "teacher look" and immediately they remembered they had to sit back down and be quiet before I dismissed them. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but it was to me for 2 reasons. 1) I was able to control the class from my seat. I am definitely a fairly little teacher compared to my students, so I always felt like I had to stand up to be more "assertive." This made me realize the respect I've always wondered if I commanded in class. I tell all my substitutes to always dismiss my students and don't let the bell dismiss them, but I have secretly watched how my kids deal with subs and this is one thing they never do with the sub, so I was happy they followed my direction. 2) Perfecting the "teacher look or stare down" comes a long way because you don't have to waste your breath by yelling at your students. Once they see the look, they yell at each other to be quiet or sit back down and your job is done.
My other "consistent" practice (among others but I'll only talk about this one for now) is saying "good morning/good afternoon class" right when the bell rings. At first I thought it was cheesy or I even felt a little embarrassed doing it. Teenagers are a little intimidating sometimes...especially when they just stare at you and don't respond back! I got over the doubt quickly and continued to do this every beginning of the period. One day, I eventually got a response back from students and I jokingly responded "Oh, it's nice to hear that you all have manners after all" (I definitely don't recommend being sarcastic to your students as a new teacher until you really feel like you understand the students on a personal level). Since then, I've been receiving more responses and even enthusiasm and smiles too! At the end of the period, I always tell them "have a wonderful rest of the day class" (after the students are quiet and in their seats of course). Some of my best days now include students actually reciting "have a good rest of the day class" before I can even say it to them when the bell rings. It makes my heart smile when students actually pay attention to the little things and how much they hold you to it. I truly feel that greeting them every morning and wishing them well when they leave makes them better people. I notice a lot of them walking out smiling and telling me they'll see me tomorrow or they'll tell me to have a wonderful day too etc.
Just some things for you to keep in mind when you think of your procedures in class...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Changes
This post will definitely be edited from time to time. These are my notes to myself (and anyone who cares) about what I want to do differently next year:
1. Do not let students try to shoot things into the trash can. I will admit, when the students stand far away and ask me to shoot, I'm a little curious to see if they can even make it, so I give in.
2. Still debating on a good homework check system. This year I have class period bins where they drop their homework every day when they first come into class. Then I go through them for completion and give them credit if they do the work. Thinking if I should walk around class and eyeball instead. This doesn't seem to give them as much accountability and I feel like they won't want to do their homework. Thoughts?
3. Give students roles in the class: paper passer, erase my white board, emergency kit (for fire drills), paper collector etc.
4. Start a point system in the beginning of school. Reward points for everyone being on time with their warm up out, all turning in homework, good report from the guest teacher etc. Negative points for being rude to guest teacher (deduct points per student with a bad report), talking back/being disruptive to teacher etc.
5. I don't know how it is in every grade level, but I realized I have to teach my 7th and 8th graders how to do EVERYTHING. Assume they don't know a thing and teach it all: how to label the header with first AND last name/date/period, how to take notes, have the holes on the paper facing the left, copy down each problem from the math book before solving it, skip lines in between problems, circle/box the answers, only use pencil, one staple and one staple ONLY when turning in assignments.
6. I'm debating on charging money for certain school supplies: 25 cents for a pencil or a notebook. Don't know the rules about this though...
7. I need a system when it comes to assignments for absent students, posting homework on the board, and how I have it written in my grading system. I do blame the limited space we have in our school's grading program, but I need to be better at this. Every time I give a worksheet for homework, I put it in a binder in the back of the classroom with a tab that says "(insert day of the week) Homework" and trained students to look back there the next day they come back from their absence. But when I write it in my grading system, sometimes I'll abbreviate it differently than what I have written on the board. This may not make sense to some of you, but the reason it's a problem is that it makes my life harder when I give out progress reports. I have to look through the work, and interpret which worksheets kids are missing instead of having them be able to do it on their own. Which brings me to my next point "change"...
8. Should I let students make up work? I already take late work. But when I print out progress reports and students see a list of all their missing work, they want to make it all up. 1. This takes up more of my time to find the work for them and potentially need to make more copies and 2. more time to grade. BUT if I don't let them make up work, there will be even MORE students failing my class (compared to the MANY that are already failing...)
...TO BE CONTINUED...
1. Do not let students try to shoot things into the trash can. I will admit, when the students stand far away and ask me to shoot, I'm a little curious to see if they can even make it, so I give in.
2. Still debating on a good homework check system. This year I have class period bins where they drop their homework every day when they first come into class. Then I go through them for completion and give them credit if they do the work. Thinking if I should walk around class and eyeball instead. This doesn't seem to give them as much accountability and I feel like they won't want to do their homework. Thoughts?
3. Give students roles in the class: paper passer, erase my white board, emergency kit (for fire drills), paper collector etc.
4. Start a point system in the beginning of school. Reward points for everyone being on time with their warm up out, all turning in homework, good report from the guest teacher etc. Negative points for being rude to guest teacher (deduct points per student with a bad report), talking back/being disruptive to teacher etc.
5. I don't know how it is in every grade level, but I realized I have to teach my 7th and 8th graders how to do EVERYTHING. Assume they don't know a thing and teach it all: how to label the header with first AND last name/date/period, how to take notes, have the holes on the paper facing the left, copy down each problem from the math book before solving it, skip lines in between problems, circle/box the answers, only use pencil, one staple and one staple ONLY when turning in assignments.
6. I'm debating on charging money for certain school supplies: 25 cents for a pencil or a notebook. Don't know the rules about this though...
7. I need a system when it comes to assignments for absent students, posting homework on the board, and how I have it written in my grading system. I do blame the limited space we have in our school's grading program, but I need to be better at this. Every time I give a worksheet for homework, I put it in a binder in the back of the classroom with a tab that says "(insert day of the week) Homework" and trained students to look back there the next day they come back from their absence. But when I write it in my grading system, sometimes I'll abbreviate it differently than what I have written on the board. This may not make sense to some of you, but the reason it's a problem is that it makes my life harder when I give out progress reports. I have to look through the work, and interpret which worksheets kids are missing instead of having them be able to do it on their own. Which brings me to my next point "change"...
8. Should I let students make up work? I already take late work. But when I print out progress reports and students see a list of all their missing work, they want to make it all up. 1. This takes up more of my time to find the work for them and potentially need to make more copies and 2. more time to grade. BUT if I don't let them make up work, there will be even MORE students failing my class (compared to the MANY that are already failing...)
...TO BE CONTINUED...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A Happy Moment
I've had some rough days recently in my classroom, but if there's one thing I love most, it's having those little reminders about why I love teaching so much. I don't like to play favorites, but I do have one class period that I absolutely love. They are a great bunch of kids compared to my other periods with such discipline issues. I had a new girl come into this class period and she automatically stands out: rude, disobedient, and doesn't do any of the work. Today her true colors came out and she decided to shout and mouth off to me because she did a problem wrong. Of course I am not phased by this adolescent outburst and stuck her in the corner. My wonderful students in this class are immediately shocked by this and whisper to me that they don't want her in this class anymore. It's like a lightbulb went off in their heads that they would never treat me the way this girl just did, and continued to reassure me. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with such a negative person. I know this might not sound like a big deal, but this was my first real insight into my students' minds. They are still very young and immature and adjusting with 8th grade, but today was THEE day where I truly felt they understood how difficult it is to be to be a teacher. Love it.
Monday, September 6, 2010
My first "first day of school"
Quick recap, I started in the middle of the school year last year after receiving my teaching credential, so I've never had a "first day of school" day. After receiving my pink slip, I was rehired 1 month into summer by the same school, this time moving into an International Baccalaureate (IB) school model. I was pretty nervous about these new types of lesson plans I'll have to do, but my principal reassured me there's training and since it's the first year, we'll only need to create one IB lesson plan. Score. I accepted.
I was a nervous wreck several days before school started. I went into the school every day for a week to decorate and take a look at my new textbooks and curriculum I'll teach. I learned that I was teaching an Algebra Readiness course for 8th grade and one 7th grade Pre Algebra class. 7th graders?? I was nervous since I've never taught any grade lower than 8th and I remember 7th grade me an extremely awkward year for everyone. One thing I learned was 1 week was not enough time for me to prepare, especially since 2 of those days were spent at all-day meetings. I must've edited my syllabus 100 times and still couldn't decide how to grade homework, what students should do with late work, and even how I should arrange the tables in my classroom! See, student teaching doesn't prepare you for these things! I even felt like more pressure would be on me this year since last year everyone said my students were "terrible" because they had 3 bad teachers before me. This year, I was solely accountable. Yikes. Did I also mention my students test scores were over 60% below basic. Great.
Of course I didn't sleep my first week as a teacher due to excitement, nervousness, anxiety, and anticipation. My first day consisted of 2 in class assignments. One, was writing a letter to their future self. I told them I could give it to them on their last day of school (8th grade promotion) or to mail it to them 4 year from now when they're in senior year of high school. They wanted the high school thing, so they wrote a letter, brought it back in a self-addressed stamped envelope and I will mail it 4 years from now. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to deal with the students who will move by then but I'll figure it out by the end of the year. Note to self: Students in 8th grade don't know how to label an envelope to themselves, so next time I do this activity, I should teach them as a class before I have them do it on their own! My 2nd activity was something I had to come up with on the spot (since I thought they'd put more thought into their letters and that would take up all period) I have a bell I use in class so this was a perfect activity to start training them. Every time I rang the bell, I made them stop, look, listen for directions. I told them stuff like "look for someone with the same color shirt as you" or "find someone with the same first letter of your first name" and then I'd ask them to find out something about their partner i.e. favorite color, movie, music, tv show etc. This way they start learning about my classroom procedures with the bell, and also learned more about each other. Worked out well to share some answers at the end so I knew what was going on in the 8th grade world these days. This way, I can talk about some of their favorites when I'm teaching to get them interested.
Analysis: First day of school tells you a lot. Even if the students are known for misbehaving, the first day of school is usually quiet and students typically listen and follow directions. I had a class of only 23 students (it's typically 33 on average) and they were really tough that first day. Needless to say, 2 weeks in, they are still my most difficult class. I also noticed that students appreciate "nice" teachers. I know everyone says "don't smile till December" and make sure the students respect you and fear you, and maybe that works from some, but for those that know me, that'll never work with my style. The students look at me and think I'm straight out of high school. I tell them I expect lots. Tell a couple jokes here and there, drop in "Jersey Shores" comments, smile a lot and by the end of the first week, but students are already telling me how much they love math class and how they actually want to learn this year (even though they hate math). Music to a teachers ears. Success! Let's see how the rest of our days go...
I was a nervous wreck several days before school started. I went into the school every day for a week to decorate and take a look at my new textbooks and curriculum I'll teach. I learned that I was teaching an Algebra Readiness course for 8th grade and one 7th grade Pre Algebra class. 7th graders?? I was nervous since I've never taught any grade lower than 8th and I remember 7th grade me an extremely awkward year for everyone. One thing I learned was 1 week was not enough time for me to prepare, especially since 2 of those days were spent at all-day meetings. I must've edited my syllabus 100 times and still couldn't decide how to grade homework, what students should do with late work, and even how I should arrange the tables in my classroom! See, student teaching doesn't prepare you for these things! I even felt like more pressure would be on me this year since last year everyone said my students were "terrible" because they had 3 bad teachers before me. This year, I was solely accountable. Yikes. Did I also mention my students test scores were over 60% below basic. Great.
Of course I didn't sleep my first week as a teacher due to excitement, nervousness, anxiety, and anticipation. My first day consisted of 2 in class assignments. One, was writing a letter to their future self. I told them I could give it to them on their last day of school (8th grade promotion) or to mail it to them 4 year from now when they're in senior year of high school. They wanted the high school thing, so they wrote a letter, brought it back in a self-addressed stamped envelope and I will mail it 4 years from now. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to deal with the students who will move by then but I'll figure it out by the end of the year. Note to self: Students in 8th grade don't know how to label an envelope to themselves, so next time I do this activity, I should teach them as a class before I have them do it on their own! My 2nd activity was something I had to come up with on the spot (since I thought they'd put more thought into their letters and that would take up all period) I have a bell I use in class so this was a perfect activity to start training them. Every time I rang the bell, I made them stop, look, listen for directions. I told them stuff like "look for someone with the same color shirt as you" or "find someone with the same first letter of your first name" and then I'd ask them to find out something about their partner i.e. favorite color, movie, music, tv show etc. This way they start learning about my classroom procedures with the bell, and also learned more about each other. Worked out well to share some answers at the end so I knew what was going on in the 8th grade world these days. This way, I can talk about some of their favorites when I'm teaching to get them interested.
Analysis: First day of school tells you a lot. Even if the students are known for misbehaving, the first day of school is usually quiet and students typically listen and follow directions. I had a class of only 23 students (it's typically 33 on average) and they were really tough that first day. Needless to say, 2 weeks in, they are still my most difficult class. I also noticed that students appreciate "nice" teachers. I know everyone says "don't smile till December" and make sure the students respect you and fear you, and maybe that works from some, but for those that know me, that'll never work with my style. The students look at me and think I'm straight out of high school. I tell them I expect lots. Tell a couple jokes here and there, drop in "Jersey Shores" comments, smile a lot and by the end of the first week, but students are already telling me how much they love math class and how they actually want to learn this year (even though they hate math). Music to a teachers ears. Success! Let's see how the rest of our days go...
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