This past week I spent some time reflecting on the concept of school. In theory, it's a great idea. Children learn powerful information, become great citizens, meet new people, and are inspired. Hmmm. Then I started thinking about the number of kids who are disengaged, who struggle with a variety of school "rules", question why they have to take certain subjects, and why they have to sit in chairs all day long.
I started to think that while we try to differentiate instruction, we don't differentiate schools. I'm not talking about magnet schools, private schools, charter schools, or any other kind of special school. I'm talking radical change. I'm talking immersion into the real world. I'm talking about a school without so many boundaries. I'm talking about a school where students can talk, and it's OK.
What could school look like? Traditional schooling works for many students as long as it is engaging, as long as the teachers care, and as long as it meets their basic needs. Yet, traditional schools can't meet the needs of many of today's students. They're also failing to recognize students' talents. Excellence is only achieved if you can perform well on a standardized test in English and Math...maybe science and social studies too. What does this say about art, music, technology, building trades, theater, and everything else that isn't and shouldn't be tested?
Maybe that's the real question we need to be asking.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Routine
If there's anything I should know by now, it's the importance of routine for 9th graders. Sure, they like to act "grown", they enjoy doing different activities, but they are also creatures of habit. This past week has been a good reminder that while it's great to try new things, I have to be cognizant of how it's impacting their routine, especially in March :)
I integrated bell ringers this trimester, which has been worth the extra time. However, I tried using my colleague's model, which includes the word of the day on the actual bell ringer. I always did my word of the day at the beginning, my students had their word of the day sheets, and it was something they regarded as an instrumental part of class. Combining the two has been an epic disaster. Thankfully, I picked up on it before too much damage was done. We have returned to beginning class with the word of the day and THEN beginning the bell ringer. They are much less confused, overwhelmed, and on task.
My student teacher also brought up the ingenious idea of noting whether students were doing the bell ringer by using a clipboard. Why I didn't think of that, I'll never know. Needless to say, I'm much more comfortable with keeping track of them that way. The piles that were forming were freaking me out! Now, if I could only find a way to do this digitally, life would be amazing. And after the past week's fiasco with the copy machine (obvious abuse has been duly noted), the repairman, nasty notes, and people who should never ever touch a copy machine, I'd like to use it even less than I do already. If anyone has any ideas let me know! (No, I do not have a smartboard).
Lately, I've also felt like the weakest link on the English 9 team, because my students are simply eons behind where many of my colleague's are in terms of writing. It bothers me. A lot. I'm also frustrated, because I feel like I should be able to have my students craft a paragraph free from run on sentences, fragments, and that actually made sense. Granted, probably a 1/3 of that group has not been with me since day one and arrived from different schools, I still feel responsible. I'm still trying to figure out how to address these issues, and I'm hoping that this week's assignment for school will help, since it's all about creating writing lessons :)
I integrated bell ringers this trimester, which has been worth the extra time. However, I tried using my colleague's model, which includes the word of the day on the actual bell ringer. I always did my word of the day at the beginning, my students had their word of the day sheets, and it was something they regarded as an instrumental part of class. Combining the two has been an epic disaster. Thankfully, I picked up on it before too much damage was done. We have returned to beginning class with the word of the day and THEN beginning the bell ringer. They are much less confused, overwhelmed, and on task.
My student teacher also brought up the ingenious idea of noting whether students were doing the bell ringer by using a clipboard. Why I didn't think of that, I'll never know. Needless to say, I'm much more comfortable with keeping track of them that way. The piles that were forming were freaking me out! Now, if I could only find a way to do this digitally, life would be amazing. And after the past week's fiasco with the copy machine (obvious abuse has been duly noted), the repairman, nasty notes, and people who should never ever touch a copy machine, I'd like to use it even less than I do already. If anyone has any ideas let me know! (No, I do not have a smartboard).
Lately, I've also felt like the weakest link on the English 9 team, because my students are simply eons behind where many of my colleague's are in terms of writing. It bothers me. A lot. I'm also frustrated, because I feel like I should be able to have my students craft a paragraph free from run on sentences, fragments, and that actually made sense. Granted, probably a 1/3 of that group has not been with me since day one and arrived from different schools, I still feel responsible. I'm still trying to figure out how to address these issues, and I'm hoping that this week's assignment for school will help, since it's all about creating writing lessons :)
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Clicking
Today we began discussing the eight stages of genocide, something I didn't even know existed until I stumbled upon it when I was browsing information on the web. The document itself is written at a ridiculously high level, so I copied and pasted it and deleted information that I knew would frustrate my kids. We went over text structure and then individually they sorted through each stage and created their own definition and examples of how the stage operates. It was pretty powerful stuff. We were having meaningful conversations and making some great T-W connections. The three they seemed to own the most were classification, symbolization, and dehumanization (I thought they would get this one given the amount of time we spent on it during Sold. Listening and unpacking these stages was so insightful for me, and it reminded me why I love teaching. The lights were going off, and I was able to witness it.
We also did a pretest on different types of sentence, as well as fragments and run on sentences. OH MY. I have a lot of work to do in this area, but at least I have some direction on what we need to work on in small groups. Thankfully, some of them won't need a mini lesson at all, which is great because it means I can spend my time efficiently.
I'm excited about this unit and can't wait to watch it unfold!
P.S I picked a book..If I Should Die before Wake
We also did a pretest on different types of sentence, as well as fragments and run on sentences. OH MY. I have a lot of work to do in this area, but at least I have some direction on what we need to work on in small groups. Thankfully, some of them won't need a mini lesson at all, which is great because it means I can spend my time efficiently.
I'm excited about this unit and can't wait to watch it unfold!
P.S I picked a book..If I Should Die before Wake
Monday, March 4, 2013
Breathing Room
The end of the second trimester came to an end last Thursday, and to say I was eager for third trimester to start is an understatement. You see, somehow, powerschool recognized that my sanity relied heavily on a little change of scenery and a little less kids. Powerschool makes a lot of mistakes, but it did something right when it divided my sections into manageable class sizes and separated some personalities that should never, ever, get back together. (Sorry, T-Swift). Anyway, I have 23 kids in my 3rd hour compared to 32, and I can walk, and we can move, and it isn't ridiculously loud, and everyone has a seat, and they're normal 9th graders, rather than off the chain 9th graders. I will most definitely say some extra prayers tonight.
So, let's reflect on the first day. My department head and neighbor at school has devised a pretty awesome bell ringer system. He was kind enough to forward these to me so that I could begin to create my own. Today was our first go, and it was purposeful, and eye opening, and made it easier to talk about fragments, run on sentences, and the treasured sentence. They change from day to day, and I've tweaked them to be my own, but these are the first bell ringers I've ever found effective and worth my time.
I decided to start the trimester with a general overview of the 8 genocides that have occurred in the 20th Century before focusing on the Holocaust. I was taken aback today by the lack of background knowledge my students actually had about the Holocaust. A few had read Anne Frank or touched briefly on it in history class, but very few were able to make any T-T or T-W connections. Usually when I begin a unit I try to front load a lot, but I didn't think that was necessary for this unit. Lesson number one...don't assume. Thankfully, I have the first couple of weeks devoted to researching the different genocides, including the Holocaust, so they will definitely be equipped with ample background knowledge before we begin reading the selected text (I have yet to decide which text). I would love to do The Book Thief but we only have enough copies for my honors class to read it.
Stupid budget cuts.
So, let's reflect on the first day. My department head and neighbor at school has devised a pretty awesome bell ringer system. He was kind enough to forward these to me so that I could begin to create my own. Today was our first go, and it was purposeful, and eye opening, and made it easier to talk about fragments, run on sentences, and the treasured sentence. They change from day to day, and I've tweaked them to be my own, but these are the first bell ringers I've ever found effective and worth my time.
I decided to start the trimester with a general overview of the 8 genocides that have occurred in the 20th Century before focusing on the Holocaust. I was taken aback today by the lack of background knowledge my students actually had about the Holocaust. A few had read Anne Frank or touched briefly on it in history class, but very few were able to make any T-T or T-W connections. Usually when I begin a unit I try to front load a lot, but I didn't think that was necessary for this unit. Lesson number one...don't assume. Thankfully, I have the first couple of weeks devoted to researching the different genocides, including the Holocaust, so they will definitely be equipped with ample background knowledge before we begin reading the selected text (I have yet to decide which text). I would love to do The Book Thief but we only have enough copies for my honors class to read it.
Stupid budget cuts.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Confessions
One of the most important pieces of reflective practice is, well, reflecting. Unfortunately, sometimes reflection can point out some glaring deficiencies. In January, my student teacher took over my first hour, I assist 4th and 5th, and I am solely responsible for 3rd hour.
I emphasize solely, because at the end of the day, no matter how much we know that students have to be held accountable, we don't have a system in place to do that for kids who are not afraid of failure. My third hour has been a struggle since the beginning of the school year, and while there have been moments of growth, I fear we've remained stagnant. Many of them are still stuck on how to turn a question into a statement without writing a run on sentence, and I'm fully aware that they should have owned the art of writing paragraphs long ago.
Yesterday, I tried splitting them into groups of three so I could work with a small group (of TEN) on their writing and it was a disaster. We always hear that we need to reteach it in a new way, but what happens when we run out of new ways to teach it? Or don't have the energy to redirect the same misbehavior for the 20th time so we CAN teach it? Because I'm there. I don't know what else to do. It's painful at times because I look at their faces and I can tell that some of them simply do not understand what I mean when I say to support their writing with examples. Some of them just don't care about reading, writing, or school in general. Others are getting it, but they're tired of dealing with the ridiculousness and have resigned to just being present. This isn't quality teaching, and it isn't quality learning. Yet, we're teaching in a broken system and too many people just don't give a damn. The powers that be are too busy passing laws so more students can attend private schools, resulting in higher class sizes, burned out teachers, and less resources for those of us who commit ourselves to public education.
I don't want the students in my third hour to drop out. I don't want the students in my third hour to get the short end of quality instruction. I don't want them to become a statistic, or to live up to every single stereotype that already exists for them. I don't want to be mad and frustrated every day, yet that's where I'm at. It isn't where I have to stay, though, so I'll do some more reflecting and pray that the new trimester will bring a little relief.
I emphasize solely, because at the end of the day, no matter how much we know that students have to be held accountable, we don't have a system in place to do that for kids who are not afraid of failure. My third hour has been a struggle since the beginning of the school year, and while there have been moments of growth, I fear we've remained stagnant. Many of them are still stuck on how to turn a question into a statement without writing a run on sentence, and I'm fully aware that they should have owned the art of writing paragraphs long ago.
Yesterday, I tried splitting them into groups of three so I could work with a small group (of TEN) on their writing and it was a disaster. We always hear that we need to reteach it in a new way, but what happens when we run out of new ways to teach it? Or don't have the energy to redirect the same misbehavior for the 20th time so we CAN teach it? Because I'm there. I don't know what else to do. It's painful at times because I look at their faces and I can tell that some of them simply do not understand what I mean when I say to support their writing with examples. Some of them just don't care about reading, writing, or school in general. Others are getting it, but they're tired of dealing with the ridiculousness and have resigned to just being present. This isn't quality teaching, and it isn't quality learning. Yet, we're teaching in a broken system and too many people just don't give a damn. The powers that be are too busy passing laws so more students can attend private schools, resulting in higher class sizes, burned out teachers, and less resources for those of us who commit ourselves to public education.
I don't want the students in my third hour to drop out. I don't want the students in my third hour to get the short end of quality instruction. I don't want them to become a statistic, or to live up to every single stereotype that already exists for them. I don't want to be mad and frustrated every day, yet that's where I'm at. It isn't where I have to stay, though, so I'll do some more reflecting and pray that the new trimester will bring a little relief.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Those Who CAN
Last Friday I turned in my teacher of the year portfolio. While I wasn't looking forward to putting together the portfolio, it was pretty powerful. I was able to take the time to reflect on my growth as a teacher. I had almost forgotten about my first year teaching on a cart (maybe I just tried to repress the awful memory) and the million and one first-year teacher mistakes I made. Bless Pat Lorenc for being my mentor teacher, because I'm pretty sure she helped me maintain my sanity. Thankfully, I had a classroom the next year, but it came with a partial contract (hello, debt) that was less than ideal. I could continue to chronicle the years leading up to today, but that's not what this post is about.
This post is about everything that is impossible to teach in education courses.
1. A student who is angry and crying because it is the anniversary of her mother's death
2. How to handle the student who thinks it's grand to speak in a British/Australian/ accent at any point in the day...and then do cartwheels down the hall.
3. Providing consequences to students that actually matter (in case you wondered, ISS and OSS don't)
4. How to deal with a classroom of raging hormones
5. What to say when a new student arrives at your door who tells you he's been in jail for a year (nice to meet you??)
6. Remembering to take attendance
7. How to address 10 different questions at one time
8. What to say to a scared 14 year old who just found out she's pregnant
9. A student's death
10. How not to strangle a parent who is abusing his child
11. How to write recommendation letters :) I have this one down now!
12. How to work a copy machine (thankfully, I do not jam ours)
13. Finding a balance between your life as a teacher and your life outside of the classroom
14. How to say NO
15. Um, he brought a picture of WHAT? He showed it to WHO? OK. Um...let's go to the office
In case you're curious, all fifteen of those occurred over the past two weeks. 10 of those in one day. I could write a list longer than this, but I think you get the gist. Teaching is about more than teaching...it's about making meaning of the experience we call life. And that is no easy task.
This post is about everything that is impossible to teach in education courses.
1. A student who is angry and crying because it is the anniversary of her mother's death
2. How to handle the student who thinks it's grand to speak in a British/Australian/ accent at any point in the day...and then do cartwheels down the hall.
3. Providing consequences to students that actually matter (in case you wondered, ISS and OSS don't)
4. How to deal with a classroom of raging hormones
5. What to say when a new student arrives at your door who tells you he's been in jail for a year (nice to meet you??)
6. Remembering to take attendance
7. How to address 10 different questions at one time
8. What to say to a scared 14 year old who just found out she's pregnant
9. A student's death
10. How not to strangle a parent who is abusing his child
11. How to write recommendation letters :) I have this one down now!
12. How to work a copy machine (thankfully, I do not jam ours)
13. Finding a balance between your life as a teacher and your life outside of the classroom
14. How to say NO
15. Um, he brought a picture of WHAT? He showed it to WHO? OK. Um...let's go to the office
In case you're curious, all fifteen of those occurred over the past two weeks. 10 of those in one day. I could write a list longer than this, but I think you get the gist. Teaching is about more than teaching...it's about making meaning of the experience we call life. And that is no easy task.
Monday, January 21, 2013
An Escape
I'm a book geek and proud of it. I'm also a huge fan of YA literature, which is not always embraced by educators as being quality literature. I'm convinced that these people simply have not picked up recent YA literature and base their opinions solely on Twilight (I like Twilight, it just doesn't need to be taught!). I like to classify reading in my classroom into three categories: entertainment, life, and cultural literacy.
I do believe there are some books that students should be exposed to, yet, I do not agree that the books "we" have chosen as being culturally relevant are always on target. Last time I checked, white males are not the only people in our society. I do not mind teaching Shakespeare, Homer the blind poet, and all that good jazz. However, we owe it to students to expose them to non-white male authors who provide a cultural literacy about the current world, too.
Too many students have a profound hatred for books, and I can understand why. We over teach novels, we tell them what to think about the novels, and when they ask why they have to read it, we answer because we have to. That's not good enough.
We need to carefully examine the literature we teach and take some risks. I recently read The Fault in Our Stars which made me ache with a desire to live, to love, to take risks, and to embrace the sorrow that is an inevitable piece of the human experience. It is a book that deserves to be taught. It should be taught.
So, as a literacy specialist (yes, I have a master's in reading!), here are my suggestions for current YA reading that is about the human experience:
Sold
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Divergent
Bound
Never Fall Down
Split
Twisted
Boy 21
Between Shades of Gray
Jellicoe Road
Speak
The Piper's Son
Shatter Me
Copper Sun
Ophelia
A list for entertainment!
The Immortal Instruments (series)
Beautiful Creatures (series)
Under the Never Sky
Froi of the Exiles (could go above too!)
The Infernal Devices (series)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Legend
Jane
Matched (series)
Delirium (series)
Now, I need to get back to reading Cinder :)
I do believe there are some books that students should be exposed to, yet, I do not agree that the books "we" have chosen as being culturally relevant are always on target. Last time I checked, white males are not the only people in our society. I do not mind teaching Shakespeare, Homer the blind poet, and all that good jazz. However, we owe it to students to expose them to non-white male authors who provide a cultural literacy about the current world, too.
Too many students have a profound hatred for books, and I can understand why. We over teach novels, we tell them what to think about the novels, and when they ask why they have to read it, we answer because we have to. That's not good enough.
We need to carefully examine the literature we teach and take some risks. I recently read The Fault in Our Stars which made me ache with a desire to live, to love, to take risks, and to embrace the sorrow that is an inevitable piece of the human experience. It is a book that deserves to be taught. It should be taught.
So, as a literacy specialist (yes, I have a master's in reading!), here are my suggestions for current YA reading that is about the human experience:
Sold
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Divergent
Bound
Never Fall Down
Split
Twisted
Boy 21
Between Shades of Gray
Jellicoe Road
Speak
The Piper's Son
Shatter Me
Copper Sun
Ophelia
A list for entertainment!
The Immortal Instruments (series)
Beautiful Creatures (series)
Under the Never Sky
Froi of the Exiles (could go above too!)
The Infernal Devices (series)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Legend
Jane
Matched (series)
Delirium (series)
Now, I need to get back to reading Cinder :)
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