My internship is over now, I enjoyed a long and relaxing spring break, and now it is time for me to start working on finding a job! I have already applied to Pinellas and Alachua counties and I am very close to being done with Citrus county and will be applying to others in the next couple of weeks. I have applied to three specific jobs but have not heard back about any of them yet, so I guess as of this moment I am not an immediate candidate for any of those positions.
I went to Education Recruitment Day at UF yesterday. It was both depressing and hopeful at the same time. There were only about 15 booths of recruiters there when the Career Resource Center advertised upwards of 40 or 50. Regardless, I got to talk to some recruiters from Polk, Sumter, Orange, and Citrus counties who were generally encouraging. I even had a sit down screening/interview type thing with Alachua county. The most optimistic discussion I had was with Citrus County. It is a rural county about an hour from Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando; which are my three target cities in terms of location. The people I talked to were great, and I even met a principal who is going to be having openings at his school. I never had thought about Citrus county before, because I honestly don't know much about it, but the people were friendly and enthusiastic and it was nice to meet them. They told me to come for a visit, so I already emailed someone about heading down there to look around. If I am able to visit before the job postings even go online, maybe that will give me an edge. I obviously have no experience in a rural county with only 4 middle schools and 3 high schools, but in terms of location and salary, Citrus county seems like a pretty ideal match for what I want.
Now I just need to keep working on applications and making contacts and praying that I am in tune to God's plan for me and my future!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Day 40 - The end is really just the beginning.
The end! Today was our last official day at the internship! I really can not believe how quickly this time has gone by and I am so fortunate to have had this experience. Whenever our students complain about how they don't get paid to go to school (entitlement issues much?) we remind them that we paid UF $3,000 to let us get to teach them, but this internship was really worth every penny. I can't even begin to express how much I have learned- I have started a list of things to focus on in the first few weeks of school, I have a better idea of how teenagers think and act, and I know I will be more confident entering a job than I would be otherwise.
Today we talked about plagiarism, which is a tough and often confusing issue. We tried our best to let the students know that we were not yelling at them, criticizing them, or accusing them of plagiarism on their projects, but that we wanted to inform them, so that they could not use ignorance as an excuse for plagiarizing. Many of them seemed frustrated and confused at first, but I think everyone started to come around by the end of class. Several students asked us, "Why has no one ever told us this stuff before?" That made me feel good, knowing that we had correctly guessed that many students had little idea what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. We may not have made expert researchers today, but we did teach our students something valuable that applies outside of the social studies bubble. Learning how to write and use citations properly is a skill that takes time and practice to master; I hope we began pushing our students in the right direction today.
During lunch and after school, Carrie and I administered some make-up work to the responsible students (if you can call taking a test 2 months late responsible) who came in to take care of things before we give the reigns back to our supervising teacher. We cleaned the dry erase boards, cleared out our supplies, and basically cleaned up after ourselves. It is going to be sad not going back to that classroom and seeing the students everyday, because as much as they aggravated me sometimes, there is a rewarding feeling of fulfillment and hidden within the challenge of teaching these hard-headed, opinionated, sometimes immature and irrational, but overall genuinely good-hearted students.
The ending of this internship experience is really just the beginning of the rest of my career- can you believe that?!? Now it is time to begin the job search. I have already nearly completed one application and will continue to do more in the next few weeks. I am going to try to utilize the few connections I have and make as many more as I can. Being a "grown up" is right around the corner. I have been thinking about and planning for this for probably the last 7 years or so and I can't believe it is finally here : )
Today we talked about plagiarism, which is a tough and often confusing issue. We tried our best to let the students know that we were not yelling at them, criticizing them, or accusing them of plagiarism on their projects, but that we wanted to inform them, so that they could not use ignorance as an excuse for plagiarizing. Many of them seemed frustrated and confused at first, but I think everyone started to come around by the end of class. Several students asked us, "Why has no one ever told us this stuff before?" That made me feel good, knowing that we had correctly guessed that many students had little idea what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. We may not have made expert researchers today, but we did teach our students something valuable that applies outside of the social studies bubble. Learning how to write and use citations properly is a skill that takes time and practice to master; I hope we began pushing our students in the right direction today.
During lunch and after school, Carrie and I administered some make-up work to the responsible students (if you can call taking a test 2 months late responsible) who came in to take care of things before we give the reigns back to our supervising teacher. We cleaned the dry erase boards, cleared out our supplies, and basically cleaned up after ourselves. It is going to be sad not going back to that classroom and seeing the students everyday, because as much as they aggravated me sometimes, there is a rewarding feeling of fulfillment and hidden within the challenge of teaching these hard-headed, opinionated, sometimes immature and irrational, but overall genuinely good-hearted students.
The ending of this internship experience is really just the beginning of the rest of my career- can you believe that?!? Now it is time to begin the job search. I have already nearly completed one application and will continue to do more in the next few weeks. I am going to try to utilize the few connections I have and make as many more as I can. Being a "grown up" is right around the corner. I have been thinking about and planning for this for probably the last 7 years or so and I can't believe it is finally here : )
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Day 39 - Madness. March Madness.
Today we began 1st period with a very nice announcement about plagiarism. Surprisingly, the students seemed rather attentive. I guess that 8:30AM and plagiarism are a subduing combination. The students, or most of them anyway, spent the rest of the period working on their projects. I had a near heart attack when I heard my computer fall off a desk and onto the floor, but it's alright (or so I pray). With 10 minutes left in class we told the students that they had until Monday morning to get their projects completed and turned in. Hopefully they pull through.
For second period, we went to observe the intern for 11th grade English so we could see our students outside their history portable. They were a little confused to see us and it was interesting to watch them. The make-up of the class was not quite the same as in our classes so we got to see different cliques and behaviors. Maybe it was the shape/design of the different classroom, but the students seemed a little quieter than in our classroom. They had a pretty laid back day, so for about the last 30 minutes of class, several students (all boys, mind you) decided to give us advice on teaching. A little bit of it made sense, but I think they said a lot of things to see our reactions. They said they wanted to prepare us for the "real deal" when we have our own classrooms. Plus, and I really don't want to sound vain here, many of these teenage boys seem to enjoy talking to us lately. They have gotten comfortable having us around- time for us to get out! Haha. It is nice, though, to hear that many of the students (both boys and girls) don't want us to leave yet.
During our planning period and lunch we went with our teacher to a very important off campus meeting at a location where they serve food and have many televisions tuned into NCAA March Madness wonderfulness. Our students probably won't be pleased that we weren't there to answer questions immediately after school, but some of them need to make up quizzes/tests from over a month ago and our supervising teacher instructed us to not feel guilty at all. They will have tomorrow and Monday to talk to us and it will be all good.
TOMORROW IS MY LAST DAY TEACHING!!!!! While this makes me want to jump for joy, it also makes very real the fact that I need to find a job. I am starting to feel the stress of this and I am trying really hard to trust in God's plan for me and put in all the effort I can to meet him halfway here in this job search thing. The online portion of one of my applications will be ready to go tomorrow so that is a relief. Say some extra prayers for me if you can!
For second period, we went to observe the intern for 11th grade English so we could see our students outside their history portable. They were a little confused to see us and it was interesting to watch them. The make-up of the class was not quite the same as in our classes so we got to see different cliques and behaviors. Maybe it was the shape/design of the different classroom, but the students seemed a little quieter than in our classroom. They had a pretty laid back day, so for about the last 30 minutes of class, several students (all boys, mind you) decided to give us advice on teaching. A little bit of it made sense, but I think they said a lot of things to see our reactions. They said they wanted to prepare us for the "real deal" when we have our own classrooms. Plus, and I really don't want to sound vain here, many of these teenage boys seem to enjoy talking to us lately. They have gotten comfortable having us around- time for us to get out! Haha. It is nice, though, to hear that many of the students (both boys and girls) don't want us to leave yet.
During our planning period and lunch we went with our teacher to a very important off campus meeting at a location where they serve food and have many televisions tuned into NCAA March Madness wonderfulness. Our students probably won't be pleased that we weren't there to answer questions immediately after school, but some of them need to make up quizzes/tests from over a month ago and our supervising teacher instructed us to not feel guilty at all. They will have tomorrow and Monday to talk to us and it will be all good.
TOMORROW IS MY LAST DAY TEACHING!!!!! While this makes me want to jump for joy, it also makes very real the fact that I need to find a job. I am starting to feel the stress of this and I am trying really hard to trust in God's plan for me and put in all the effort I can to meet him halfway here in this job search thing. The online portion of one of my applications will be ready to go tomorrow so that is a relief. Say some extra prayers for me if you can!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Day 38 - Final Projects and the "P" Word
Fortunately for Carrie and I, the 11th graders took the science FCAT yesterday, so our supervising teacher told us not to even bother showing up at school since we would be doing nothing productive with our time anyway. That certainly is making this week go by quickly.
Today in and of itself, though, felt like a lifetime. Both 4th and 5th periods had the whole 100 minutes to work on their projects. Our UF supervisor was there for about half of 4th period. I felt bad that she had to sit there while we basically ran around from student to student answering questions. On the up-side, she did get to see us in the midst of major classroom management and individual interaction with students. She left us a nice note and when she emailed us our observation forms, we had passed all the "benchmark" criteria : )
Now, for the "P" word part of the day . . . Let me preface this by saying that in our class at UF last night we discussed plagiarism (the "P" word) and what we would do to handle plagiarism in our classrooms someday. Carrie and I made eye contact during class and I know we were both wondering if we had set ourselves up for a disaster with the project we had assigned. Just you wait and see.
We began class with a few announcements/reminders about the requirements for the project, including a do-not-copy-someone-else's-work-and-cite-the-sources-you-reference caveat. Carrie and I felt pretty good about the students' projects . . . until we started grading them. Out of the four or five we have graded already, one or two would qualify as pretty well done. The others are examples of extreme plagiarism. We are talking like 90% of the work was copied directly from one or more sources and not cited properly. Even if it was cited properly, as was one that I began grading, it is unacceptable for your "work" to be only a shortened version of someone else's words.
Carrie and I reflected on our plagiarism discussions from class last night. We thought about what the students' prior knowledge on plagiarism might be and how we had prepared them to avoid doing it. We don't really know the answer to the first part, but we do know that we only briefly told them not to do it. You can not expect someone to do something when you haven't told them how to do it. Being the nice and inexperienced teachers that we are, we are taking the "we didn't prepare you well enough" approach and on Friday we will be doing a lesson on avoiding plagiarism followed by giving the students the opportunity to redo their work. Sounds like a fun way to spend our last day teaching, right? Not really, but we were wondering how we were going to fill that last day, and now we have a plan. Fortunately we caught this now, before we see 1st period tomorrow. We will give them the plagiarism crash course before they finish their projects. I would dread telling them that they had to rewrite their assignment.
This internship has truly been a learning experience and I am so glad to have had the chance to make these mistakes now, under the guidance of a mentor teacher, rather than later when I am on my own. Moral of the story- never assume that teenagers know anything.
Today in and of itself, though, felt like a lifetime. Both 4th and 5th periods had the whole 100 minutes to work on their projects. Our UF supervisor was there for about half of 4th period. I felt bad that she had to sit there while we basically ran around from student to student answering questions. On the up-side, she did get to see us in the midst of major classroom management and individual interaction with students. She left us a nice note and when she emailed us our observation forms, we had passed all the "benchmark" criteria : )
Now, for the "P" word part of the day . . . Let me preface this by saying that in our class at UF last night we discussed plagiarism (the "P" word) and what we would do to handle plagiarism in our classrooms someday. Carrie and I made eye contact during class and I know we were both wondering if we had set ourselves up for a disaster with the project we had assigned. Just you wait and see.
We began class with a few announcements/reminders about the requirements for the project, including a do-not-copy-someone-else's-work-and-cite-the-sources-you-reference caveat. Carrie and I felt pretty good about the students' projects . . . until we started grading them. Out of the four or five we have graded already, one or two would qualify as pretty well done. The others are examples of extreme plagiarism. We are talking like 90% of the work was copied directly from one or more sources and not cited properly. Even if it was cited properly, as was one that I began grading, it is unacceptable for your "work" to be only a shortened version of someone else's words.
Carrie and I reflected on our plagiarism discussions from class last night. We thought about what the students' prior knowledge on plagiarism might be and how we had prepared them to avoid doing it. We don't really know the answer to the first part, but we do know that we only briefly told them not to do it. You can not expect someone to do something when you haven't told them how to do it. Being the nice and inexperienced teachers that we are, we are taking the "we didn't prepare you well enough" approach and on Friday we will be doing a lesson on avoiding plagiarism followed by giving the students the opportunity to redo their work. Sounds like a fun way to spend our last day teaching, right? Not really, but we were wondering how we were going to fill that last day, and now we have a plan. Fortunately we caught this now, before we see 1st period tomorrow. We will give them the plagiarism crash course before they finish their projects. I would dread telling them that they had to rewrite their assignment.
This internship has truly been a learning experience and I am so glad to have had the chance to make these mistakes now, under the guidance of a mentor teacher, rather than later when I am on my own. Moral of the story- never assume that teenagers know anything.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Day 37 - LAST Monday!!
Today is the Ides of March. Et tu, Brute?
Also, more importantly, IT'S MY LAST MONDAY!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!! Because, if you haven't figured it out already, I really don't like Mondays.
Today Carrie and I arrived at school expecting to have a mobile computer lab for our students to use to continue their research and work on their projects. However, it seems that some other teachers are hoarding the labs and so we couldn't get on a schedule to use one. It would be helpful if we just had one or two classroom computers, but we are not so fortunate out in portable land. So, we got to tell our students that we did not have the mobile lab, as promised, and they would have to make do with the resources we had printed, and their textbooks. Some students had laptops with them that they could use, I let students use my own laptop, and I let a student use his iPhone to look stuff up, too. Many students decided to use their time wisely by planning their article or designing their magazine cover. Well, they get 100 more in-class minutes to work on it and then it is due by the end of the class period, so hopefully they use the rest of their time wisely, or put in some good time at home. The day didn't go quite as planned, but we made it work as best we could. When life gives you lemons, make something tasty, right?
Also, more importantly, IT'S MY LAST MONDAY!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!! Because, if you haven't figured it out already, I really don't like Mondays.
Today Carrie and I arrived at school expecting to have a mobile computer lab for our students to use to continue their research and work on their projects. However, it seems that some other teachers are hoarding the labs and so we couldn't get on a schedule to use one. It would be helpful if we just had one or two classroom computers, but we are not so fortunate out in portable land. So, we got to tell our students that we did not have the mobile lab, as promised, and they would have to make do with the resources we had printed, and their textbooks. Some students had laptops with them that they could use, I let students use my own laptop, and I let a student use his iPhone to look stuff up, too. Many students decided to use their time wisely by planning their article or designing their magazine cover. Well, they get 100 more in-class minutes to work on it and then it is due by the end of the class period, so hopefully they use the rest of their time wisely, or put in some good time at home. The day didn't go quite as planned, but we made it work as best we could. When life gives you lemons, make something tasty, right?
Day 36 - Fridays are the best.
I love Fridays. Every week they seem like this new and special phenomenon, created just for me :)
I began class with my review of the "woman question" followed by the timeline challenge activity that I did with first period. 4th period handled the timeline just fine, but 5th period is just a little too goofy to do something like that. Oh well, we survived.
Today was the day we introduced the final project of our internship to 4th and 5th period. Carrie found a Roaring 1920s WebQuest (which is a internet based inquiry project) and we decided to adapt it for our students. The idea is that students pick one of seven themes from the 1920s (things like, fashion, sports, crime, business and technology, cars, etc.) and create a magazine cover and article related to their chosen theme. Their magazine cover needs to include at least 7 facts connected to their theme and their article is likely to be focused on a more specific aspect of that theme. The students really have a lot of freedom with this project because they get to pick a topic that interests them, and within each topic there are many different topics/issues they can choose to investigate. Knowing that we would not have computers for the students, Carrie and I printed out some information to get the students started. They could also find a lot of information in their textbooks. This counts as a test grade for them, but this is significantly easier than a test, so if they follow all the directions and do well, many grades will be helped by this project.
One cool moment of the day happened during 4th period. I was talking to some kids about cars or crime or something, and I told them that I saw the car that Archduke Franz Ferdinand was in when he was shot, as well as the uniform that he was wearing (his assassination was the event that triggered World War I) that day. As I was looking up the pictures of them on my computer I was telling the students about what it was like to see these things in person and they could tell I was getting really excited. When I found the picture I said, "When I saw his car and uniform I almost peed my pants." Some of the students just chuckled and I said, "I know, I know. I am giant nerd." But they got interested in the pictures because I was so excited about it, and then other students wanted to see what their classmates were looking at. It was really neat to see all of that happen. Plus, any time I get to talk about studying abroad I get really happy :)
I left school after 5th period to go take my Professional Education exam for Florida teacher certification and passed! Woohoo! So now once I officially graduate I can apply for my teaching certificate!! I can't believe it! Ahhh!
I began class with my review of the "woman question" followed by the timeline challenge activity that I did with first period. 4th period handled the timeline just fine, but 5th period is just a little too goofy to do something like that. Oh well, we survived.
Today was the day we introduced the final project of our internship to 4th and 5th period. Carrie found a Roaring 1920s WebQuest (which is a internet based inquiry project) and we decided to adapt it for our students. The idea is that students pick one of seven themes from the 1920s (things like, fashion, sports, crime, business and technology, cars, etc.) and create a magazine cover and article related to their chosen theme. Their magazine cover needs to include at least 7 facts connected to their theme and their article is likely to be focused on a more specific aspect of that theme. The students really have a lot of freedom with this project because they get to pick a topic that interests them, and within each topic there are many different topics/issues they can choose to investigate. Knowing that we would not have computers for the students, Carrie and I printed out some information to get the students started. They could also find a lot of information in their textbooks. This counts as a test grade for them, but this is significantly easier than a test, so if they follow all the directions and do well, many grades will be helped by this project.
One cool moment of the day happened during 4th period. I was talking to some kids about cars or crime or something, and I told them that I saw the car that Archduke Franz Ferdinand was in when he was shot, as well as the uniform that he was wearing (his assassination was the event that triggered World War I) that day. As I was looking up the pictures of them on my computer I was telling the students about what it was like to see these things in person and they could tell I was getting really excited. When I found the picture I said, "When I saw his car and uniform I almost peed my pants." Some of the students just chuckled and I said, "I know, I know. I am giant nerd." But they got interested in the pictures because I was so excited about it, and then other students wanted to see what their classmates were looking at. It was really neat to see all of that happen. Plus, any time I get to talk about studying abroad I get really happy :)
I left school after 5th period to go take my Professional Education exam for Florida teacher certification and passed! Woohoo! So now once I officially graduate I can apply for my teaching certificate!! I can't believe it! Ahhh!
Day 35 - The "Woman Question"
Today we hurried 1st period through women's suffrage with a lecture and a couple of activities. The lecture was an overview of three sections in the textbook that cover the women's rights movement, starting with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and going through the 19th Amendment in 1920. It was a nice review for students who saw "Iron Jawed Angels" earlier this week and a very quick overview for everyone else. To see how well they were paying attention I created a "timeline challenge" activity. Ten volunteers each got a piece of paper with an event on it. The rest of the students in the class had to arrange the ten volunteers in chronological order. I don't know whether they actually learned anything from this, but it got some of the students out of their seats and moving around and gave others the chance to test how well they paid attention during the lecture, so I would consider doing something like it again in the future.
After this we spent the second half of class doing the For/Against chart activity followed by the "imagine" letter. It was a lot to pack into one day, but it kept the students busy, which is the most important thing as far as 1st period is concerned.
After this we spent the second half of class doing the For/Against chart activity followed by the "imagine" letter. It was a lot to pack into one day, but it kept the students busy, which is the most important thing as far as 1st period is concerned.
Day 34 - And the ridiculousness continues.
Today was just like yesterday, except we watched the movie once, instead of one and a half times.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Day 33 - FCAT ridiculousness
Today was an FCAT day for 9th and 10th grade (as is tomorrow) so the 11th and 12th graders needed to be off campus from 8:30 until just after noon. Instead of just telling them to not come to school until noon, administration decided that the students needed to go to school and be "productive" for three and a half hours. The catch though, was that they couldn't be on campus during the test. How does this work, you ask? Well, the 12th graders arranged to spend one day volunteering and another day doing a field trip or something. 11th grade was not so lucky. They are lucky enough, however, to be within walking distance of UF's College of Education, so I spent the morning at my other home away from home watching Iron Jawed Angels and grading papers. It was a pretty easy day and I even got to go home early, but it was so painfully unproductive that it's aggravating. Oh well, tomorrow is more of the same so I guess I just have to deal with it. Thank you, No Child Left Behind and standardized testing.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Day 32 - Monday. Ugh.
I don't like Mondays. I know I say this every Monday, but I really don't like having one day with 50 minute classes. I also get used to not seeing all my students in a single day, so Monday's really throw me off. Oh well, it was an alright day. 1st period got to have their lecture with Carrie, which took the entire class period. I then spent 2 hours planning for 4th and 5th period. They needed to finish their activity from last week, but then I needed to fill up the second part of class. I made up another writing activity for them, which I think they took at least somewhat seriously. They had to write an "Imagine" letter. They were supposed to imagine that they lived in the early 1900s, when the women's suffrage movement was gaining a lot of support. They were supposed to write a letter to a future grandchild explaining the issue, their opinion of it, and make "predictions" for the future. We'll see how it goes when I grade their responses.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Day 31 - Friday! Friday! Friday!
Oh, Friday! I was ready to go home before I even left the apartment Friday morning, haha. But you can't act that way as a teacher, and as it turns out, I enjoyed our classes that day. We started our Women's Suffrage unit with Carrie giving an overview of three sections of the next chapter in a one hour lecture. That seemed to be a little long for some of the students, but others seemed to enjoy it. I thought it was interesting, anyway. I planned the other half of the lesson, getting students to start thinking about what it was like to be a woman before the mid 1800s and what was starting to change in the lives of American women after the Civil War. I then wanted the students to use their textbooks and some supplementary materials to list arguments for and against women's rights. I never took classes on this in college and only just started learning about it last week (I planned one lesson on women's rights in October, but that was a while ago). As I was telling some stories to the students, I found myself smiling more than usual and really wanting to convey the information to the students. After doing the activity I think some of them are hopefully more interested in the topic. For more details on some of the anti-suffrage arguments, check out these two sites:
The Arguments of the Anti-Suffragists
Other Fears the Antis' Had if Women Were Considered Equals
Pretty entertaining stuff, or at least I think so. Next week is going to be a mess because of the FCAT (or as a classmate recently called it, the F-That) so we are probably going to show the movie Iron Jawed Angels on the days that are really messed up. It is a powerful movie that I definitely recommend, especially if you are a woman. There are some rock-star women in the past who fought long and hard for suffrage and this movie honors them.
Okay, here was the most entertaining part of the day:
The two students who came to our classroom during third period came back on Friday during lunch. We had some students in the room making up quizzes and other work and didn't really want the boys in there being obnoxious, but we decided to see if they could handle it. After about 10 minutes it was evident that they could not and we sent them out of the room. They whined as they left, but they did indeed leave. Not 5 minutes later, we heard banging on the outside wall of the portable, and a framed poster fell from its perch on the windowsill. I got up and went outside to track down the little boogers, because I knew exactly who had done it. I found them and called them to come talk to me. When one boy tried to excuse himself, another teacher told him to stay because it looked like he "needed to be part of this conversation." I said to both boys, "Stand here and don't talk for the next few minutes. See if you can do that, okay? You can nod and shake your head, and that's it." I asked them if what they had done was considerate and respectful. They of course shook their heads. I said to them, "First of all, your classmate was sitting right there making up her quizzes. Second, you just hit school property who knows how hard. And, third, you made your teacher's poster fall because you hit the building." They looked moderately ashamed, but I could tell that they just wanted to laugh- I guess that's just how they deal with life. Anyway, they were relieved that their regular teacher had not been in the room when it happened. However, on my way back to the portable (after reminding the boys to make smart decisions and to be respectful) I saw my supervising teacher carrying his poster and asking for his mischievous students. He gave them the poster and told them to return it when the frame was fixed. Well, two girls brought the poster back, having fixed it themselves. The boys came and apologized after school, which was proper of them. I feel bad that I had to go all "Ms. St. George" on them, but it was entertaining for me and hopefully made an impression on them. They are good kids and I am in no way upset at them, but MAN teenagers are a handful.
The Arguments of the Anti-Suffragists
Other Fears the Antis' Had if Women Were Considered Equals
Pretty entertaining stuff, or at least I think so. Next week is going to be a mess because of the FCAT (or as a classmate recently called it, the F-That) so we are probably going to show the movie Iron Jawed Angels on the days that are really messed up. It is a powerful movie that I definitely recommend, especially if you are a woman. There are some rock-star women in the past who fought long and hard for suffrage and this movie honors them.
Okay, here was the most entertaining part of the day:
The two students who came to our classroom during third period came back on Friday during lunch. We had some students in the room making up quizzes and other work and didn't really want the boys in there being obnoxious, but we decided to see if they could handle it. After about 10 minutes it was evident that they could not and we sent them out of the room. They whined as they left, but they did indeed leave. Not 5 minutes later, we heard banging on the outside wall of the portable, and a framed poster fell from its perch on the windowsill. I got up and went outside to track down the little boogers, because I knew exactly who had done it. I found them and called them to come talk to me. When one boy tried to excuse himself, another teacher told him to stay because it looked like he "needed to be part of this conversation." I said to both boys, "Stand here and don't talk for the next few minutes. See if you can do that, okay? You can nod and shake your head, and that's it." I asked them if what they had done was considerate and respectful. They of course shook their heads. I said to them, "First of all, your classmate was sitting right there making up her quizzes. Second, you just hit school property who knows how hard. And, third, you made your teacher's poster fall because you hit the building." They looked moderately ashamed, but I could tell that they just wanted to laugh- I guess that's just how they deal with life. Anyway, they were relieved that their regular teacher had not been in the room when it happened. However, on my way back to the portable (after reminding the boys to make smart decisions and to be respectful) I saw my supervising teacher carrying his poster and asking for his mischievous students. He gave them the poster and told them to return it when the frame was fixed. Well, two girls brought the poster back, having fixed it themselves. The boys came and apologized after school, which was proper of them. I feel bad that I had to go all "Ms. St. George" on them, but it was entertaining for me and hopefully made an impression on them. They are good kids and I am in no way upset at them, but MAN teenagers are a handful.
Day 30 - Chapter 15 test, day 2. And a substitute.
I got to school Thursday morning to find our supervising teacher making arrangements to bring in a substitute teacher because his son had gotten sick after arriving at school. This wasn't a big deal- all we had planned for our kids was to review and give their test. We just now had to supervise the AP class for the day.
1st period went pretty well. Some of the students did not seem to appreciate that we wanted to give them time to review, but they didn't fight it that badly. There was some chatter at the start of the test, but as we discovered, our substitute for the day was the mother of one of our students and that might have caused some of the chattiness and giggling. Once they settled down though, they once again proved that even though they can be the most difficult on a normal day, 1st period is the most well-behaved on test day. Assessments subdue them. Let's give a test every day, muwahaha.
During 2nd period I thought the AP students were going to execute a full-out rebellion. We were instructed to give them a "quick-write"- they have 40 minutes to answer an essay question. They get two days to prepare for three questions and then are given one question on which to write. WELL, Carrie and I weren't really in a position to review with them, not really knowing what our supervising teacher expects from them. We are usually grading or planning during their class, not paying attention to what he tells them, and we are certainly not reading the chapters in their textbook. Anyway, some of them did their best on their assignment, others blew it off halfheartedly, and others refused to do it. In response to being told that we were becoming like their teacher I said, "That's okay, it's not my job to make you like me. I am doing what your teacher asked me to do. You can take it up with him when he gets back to school." They weren't mad at me, just frustrated at the situation, and I don't really blame them. But it was nice to be able to stand in front of the students and let them know that they can't make me do what they want by begging and whining. Carrie and I didn't back down and they either did their work or they didn't. It was up to them and their grade will reflect their choice.
Thursday was a weird day, not just because we had a substitute. The 12th grade students were presenting their "Senior Projects". Certain rooms were designated for this event and other teachers were acting as judges. Thus, we had a math class in our portable during 3rd period, which is usually time free from students for us. Many non-senior students were also going to watch their senior friends give their presentations. Therefore, there were students everywhere and it was just a weird day. After lunch (3rd period is split in the middle by lunch) Two of our students, one from 1st period and one from 4th period decided to pay us a visit. Thank goodness they are not in the same class!! As we discovered, all they do when they are together is talk talk talk talk and crack jokes and act like 16 year old boys. Apparently they couldn't find any girls their own age to harass, so they came to pester us. Get excited for Friday's post, because they came back to visit during lunch the next day.
1st period went pretty well. Some of the students did not seem to appreciate that we wanted to give them time to review, but they didn't fight it that badly. There was some chatter at the start of the test, but as we discovered, our substitute for the day was the mother of one of our students and that might have caused some of the chattiness and giggling. Once they settled down though, they once again proved that even though they can be the most difficult on a normal day, 1st period is the most well-behaved on test day. Assessments subdue them. Let's give a test every day, muwahaha.
During 2nd period I thought the AP students were going to execute a full-out rebellion. We were instructed to give them a "quick-write"- they have 40 minutes to answer an essay question. They get two days to prepare for three questions and then are given one question on which to write. WELL, Carrie and I weren't really in a position to review with them, not really knowing what our supervising teacher expects from them. We are usually grading or planning during their class, not paying attention to what he tells them, and we are certainly not reading the chapters in their textbook. Anyway, some of them did their best on their assignment, others blew it off halfheartedly, and others refused to do it. In response to being told that we were becoming like their teacher I said, "That's okay, it's not my job to make you like me. I am doing what your teacher asked me to do. You can take it up with him when he gets back to school." They weren't mad at me, just frustrated at the situation, and I don't really blame them. But it was nice to be able to stand in front of the students and let them know that they can't make me do what they want by begging and whining. Carrie and I didn't back down and they either did their work or they didn't. It was up to them and their grade will reflect their choice.
Thursday was a weird day, not just because we had a substitute. The 12th grade students were presenting their "Senior Projects". Certain rooms were designated for this event and other teachers were acting as judges. Thus, we had a math class in our portable during 3rd period, which is usually time free from students for us. Many non-senior students were also going to watch their senior friends give their presentations. Therefore, there were students everywhere and it was just a weird day. After lunch (3rd period is split in the middle by lunch) Two of our students, one from 1st period and one from 4th period decided to pay us a visit. Thank goodness they are not in the same class!! As we discovered, all they do when they are together is talk talk talk talk and crack jokes and act like 16 year old boys. Apparently they couldn't find any girls their own age to harass, so they came to pester us. Get excited for Friday's post, because they came back to visit during lunch the next day.
Day 29 - Chapter 15 test, Day 1
On Wednesday, 4th and 5th periods took the test for Chapter 15. We spent the beginning of class reviewing vocab and then the essay questions (they have 4 essays to study and have to write two of them on the test). For the most part the grades were pretty good and several students were surprised by their grades being better than they expected. For the most part, Carrie and I were happy with the students' grades. Some students did better than we anticipated and we know others could have done better, but one thing that we are sure of is that nearly every student wrote longer essay responses than they did on the previous tests we have graded. This is one area where I definitely feel like Carrie and I can take credit. The lesson I planned for my second observation was the writing exercise, and we set out very explicit expectations for this test. As we have been taught and now learned first hand, when you expect a certain standard, students tend to live up to it.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day 28 - Getting caught up
Today was a pretty good day with first period. This morning, one of our school's ESE/maybe psych. specialists came in with her intern to introduce some new strategies for studying vocab. She showed the students a website called Quizlet.com which is really pretty neat and I will seriously consider using it in my own future classroom. Basically, the teacher and/or the students can use the site to create vocab flashcards and play games to study and master the words. I hope some of the students actually use it, if not for this test coming up, then in the future. After that, we did an activity called quiz-quiz-trade. We took the normal structure and made it our own to suit the characteristics of our large and sometimes chaotic classroom. Here was the gist of it:
- The students were split into two groups of 12. One group stood in a circle and the other group matched up with a partner and you end up with an inner circle and an outer circle.
- Each student received flashcard with a vocab word from chapter 15, on which they are being tested this week.
- In their pairs, the students take turns quizzing each other on their words. The person in the inner circle goes first, then the person in the outer circle.
- We gave the pairs 30 seconds to do this. When they heard the chimes of the timer going off, they swapped flashcards and the inner circle shifted over one person to their right and the process repeats.
They caught on pretty quickly and we repeated it somewhere between 5 and 8 times, and ended just before the activity would have broken down due to the students' waning interest. Quiz-quiz-trade is normally a much more free form activity, but we have a large group of students. We probably could have worked the logistics better, so I have no idea if they got anything out of the activity, but it went alright and I would consider using this again in the future if I modified it for even smaller groups of students.
We spent the next few minutes going over the review packet and then spent the rest of the period working on the essay posters. We did not finish with presentations, so that gives us plenty to do Thursday morning before the test.
With all the business of preparing for this week's test and such, Carrie and I fell a little bit behind in updating our students' grades. We had almost all of their work graded, but we hadn't put it in the paper gradebook or the online gradebook yet. There was a giant stack of papers to be put in, but we developed a good system: I made sure it got in the paper gradebook and then Carrie updated it online. It was such a relief to get all caught up on that. And lo and behold, almost all of our students got A's on their last quiz! I was shouting with joy in our empty classroom this afternoon. Granted, there is no excuse for any student to get below an 80 on their open-note journal quizzes (because we take 8 out of 10 questions from the work they are supposed to have done in their journals), but to have nearly all A's was a great feeling. When quizzes make up 40% of the total grade, a good quiz score makes a huge difference for some students.
And in semi-related news, I registered this evening for my last required teacher test! I might still take at least one more, but this is the last test I am forced to pay for, haha.
Send happy thoughts my way on March 12th at 2:30pm!!
- The students were split into two groups of 12. One group stood in a circle and the other group matched up with a partner and you end up with an inner circle and an outer circle.
- Each student received flashcard with a vocab word from chapter 15, on which they are being tested this week.
- In their pairs, the students take turns quizzing each other on their words. The person in the inner circle goes first, then the person in the outer circle.
- We gave the pairs 30 seconds to do this. When they heard the chimes of the timer going off, they swapped flashcards and the inner circle shifted over one person to their right and the process repeats.
They caught on pretty quickly and we repeated it somewhere between 5 and 8 times, and ended just before the activity would have broken down due to the students' waning interest. Quiz-quiz-trade is normally a much more free form activity, but we have a large group of students. We probably could have worked the logistics better, so I have no idea if they got anything out of the activity, but it went alright and I would consider using this again in the future if I modified it for even smaller groups of students.
We spent the next few minutes going over the review packet and then spent the rest of the period working on the essay posters. We did not finish with presentations, so that gives us plenty to do Thursday morning before the test.
With all the business of preparing for this week's test and such, Carrie and I fell a little bit behind in updating our students' grades. We had almost all of their work graded, but we hadn't put it in the paper gradebook or the online gradebook yet. There was a giant stack of papers to be put in, but we developed a good system: I made sure it got in the paper gradebook and then Carrie updated it online. It was such a relief to get all caught up on that. And lo and behold, almost all of our students got A's on their last quiz! I was shouting with joy in our empty classroom this afternoon. Granted, there is no excuse for any student to get below an 80 on their open-note journal quizzes (because we take 8 out of 10 questions from the work they are supposed to have done in their journals), but to have nearly all A's was a great feeling. When quizzes make up 40% of the total grade, a good quiz score makes a huge difference for some students.
And in semi-related news, I registered this evening for my last required teacher test! I might still take at least one more, but this is the last test I am forced to pay for, haha.
Send happy thoughts my way on March 12th at 2:30pm!!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Day 27 - Happy Monday (and progess reports!)
Mondays are so weird. Seeing all of my students in one day, get out of here! It was also an interesting day, because each class was doing something different.
1st period reviewed for and took their 15.3/4 quiz.
4th period went over their review packets, essay posters, and then played vocab bingo.
5th period went reviewed for and took their quiz.
Carrie and I also got to take the 2nd period AP students to a presentation about class rings. Fascinating.
But the best part of the day was after school. Carrie and I were grading quizzes and two our students came in to make up a previous quiz. One of them was a student who usually seems to pay no attention in class. He almost never turns in homework and rarely takes notes. BUT, he got a 95 on his quiz without the use of his journal (which was allowed on this quiz). I was impressed not just with this, but also because he said that he is trying to make some changes in his life and it appears that he wants to improve his grades. If he does I will be so very happy.
Carrie and I had a good time grading the quizzes. Here are some of the things that made us laugh (some of the answers may be paraphrased, due to my lack of memory):
Q: What are suburbs?
A: Neighborhoods outside a city, usually full of wealthy people and dead ends.
Q: Why did some people criticize graft?
A: Because when you giving graft you be bribing.
Q: Define vice AND give an example.
A: Vice is all the little things you could see on the street corner, like prostitution, gambling, and drugs.
Haha, we had some good laughs.
Not too many students seemed to be surprised by their progress reports, and I think seeing their grades as they currently stand kicked some people in the seat of their pants a bit, thank goodness.
Happy Monday!
1st period reviewed for and took their 15.3/4 quiz.
4th period went over their review packets, essay posters, and then played vocab bingo.
5th period went reviewed for and took their quiz.
Carrie and I also got to take the 2nd period AP students to a presentation about class rings. Fascinating.
But the best part of the day was after school. Carrie and I were grading quizzes and two our students came in to make up a previous quiz. One of them was a student who usually seems to pay no attention in class. He almost never turns in homework and rarely takes notes. BUT, he got a 95 on his quiz without the use of his journal (which was allowed on this quiz). I was impressed not just with this, but also because he said that he is trying to make some changes in his life and it appears that he wants to improve his grades. If he does I will be so very happy.
Carrie and I had a good time grading the quizzes. Here are some of the things that made us laugh (some of the answers may be paraphrased, due to my lack of memory):
Q: What are suburbs?
A: Neighborhoods outside a city, usually full of wealthy people and dead ends.
Q: Why did some people criticize graft?
A: Because when you giving graft you be bribing.
Q: Define vice AND give an example.
A: Vice is all the little things you could see on the street corner, like prostitution, gambling, and drugs.
Haha, we had some good laughs.
Not too many students seemed to be surprised by their progress reports, and I think seeing their grades as they currently stand kicked some people in the seat of their pants a bit, thank goodness.
Happy Monday!
Day 26 - 2 good days in a row!
Friday was anther good day. It seemed like the week took forever, but by the time Friday arrived it seemed like time had flown. I remember this feeling as a student; I guess it doesn't go away when you become a teacher.
4th period opted to take their section 15.3/4 quiz on Friday, so they did that, followed by making essay posters to get ready for their chapter test. Some of the students were very giggly, but in the end everyone did well and we finished everything just before the bell rang. Way to go Carrie and I on timing!
5th period spent time taking review quizzes and doing their essay posters as well. As usual, they were more talkative than 4th period, but they also got their work done on time.
Hooray for Fridays and good weeks!
4th period opted to take their section 15.3/4 quiz on Friday, so they did that, followed by making essay posters to get ready for their chapter test. Some of the students were very giggly, but in the end everyone did well and we finished everything just before the bell rang. Way to go Carrie and I on timing!
5th period spent time taking review quizzes and doing their essay posters as well. As usual, they were more talkative than 4th period, but they also got their work done on time.
Hooray for Fridays and good weeks!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Day 25 - I think my leopard print flats have magical powers.
Thursday morning I woke up, feeling ready to attack my individual observation day head-on, even with the potential for behavior problems during 1st period. As an extra precaution, I decided to wear my leopard print flats, because I have noticed that when I wear them, Carrie and I have a good day at school. After Thursday, I believe these shoes have magical powers.
I got all set up at school in the morning, my UF supervisor arrived, and I waited for my students to get to class. I expected 25 students . . . and I got 19. I got the 19 most well-behaved students in the class. Behold the magical leopard print shoes. My lesson plan was the same as Wednesday's and consisted of a somewhat interactive lecture with guided notes that took about half the class period. For the rest of the period the students worked on their writing exercise. It wasn't really until they began working on writing that I fully realized who all was absent that day. I looked over to Carrie and mouthed the words, "I wonder where they all are?" When I talked to her later she asked if I had prayed for them to all catch a cold! I did not, of course.
As the students were working, my UF supervisor took me outside to debrief me on my performance. She had nothing but praise to tell me. She said Carrie and I don't even really need a third evaluation and that we have already passed our internship, meeting all the highest standards. For official purposes we do need a third visit from her, so we will plan a lesson to co-teach sometime in the next month.
It was such a good day, I felt like I was on a "teacher-high". Everything went right, it was like a dream. I am pretty sure I smiled all day. Gotta love the leopard print shoes. And I hope my preparation and talent had a little to do with it, too.
: )
I got all set up at school in the morning, my UF supervisor arrived, and I waited for my students to get to class. I expected 25 students . . . and I got 19. I got the 19 most well-behaved students in the class. Behold the magical leopard print shoes. My lesson plan was the same as Wednesday's and consisted of a somewhat interactive lecture with guided notes that took about half the class period. For the rest of the period the students worked on their writing exercise. It wasn't really until they began working on writing that I fully realized who all was absent that day. I looked over to Carrie and mouthed the words, "I wonder where they all are?" When I talked to her later she asked if I had prayed for them to all catch a cold! I did not, of course.
As the students were working, my UF supervisor took me outside to debrief me on my performance. She had nothing but praise to tell me. She said Carrie and I don't even really need a third evaluation and that we have already passed our internship, meeting all the highest standards. For official purposes we do need a third visit from her, so we will plan a lesson to co-teach sometime in the next month.
It was such a good day, I felt like I was on a "teacher-high". Everything went right, it was like a dream. I am pretty sure I smiled all day. Gotta love the leopard print shoes. And I hope my preparation and talent had a little to do with it, too.
: )
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Day 24 - Flying mostly solo
I am actually writing this post on day 24- this hasn't happened in a while!
Today I got the opportunity to run class pretty much by myself, which is really good because I am being observed tomorrow; today was good practice. I planned a pretty straightforward lesson- a lecture with guided notes, followed by a writing activity. The students were not totally enthralled in the lecture, but at times we did get some good discussion going about Gilded Age reform movements. The writing portion of the lesson went surprisingly well, too. The students kind of groaned when they saw they would be writing, but I explained to them that it was going to be good practice before their upcoming chapter test. Most students are pretty good about getting the content into their essays, but the structure of most students' writing is pretty abysmal. I gave very specific instructions for how the students needed to construct their written responses and even provided a "this is how Ms. St. George would do it" example so that the students could just fill in the blanks if they wanted to. I used to think that doing something like that was simply giving the students the answer, but I've learned that in the educational world, scaffolding/modeling, as we call this concept, are perfectly acceptable. For the students who have more trouble with writing, filling in the blanks is a good way for them to learn the structure of a good response to an essay question. I am actually looking forward to reading and grading their work.
Fifth period gave me a little bit of trouble today, just because so many of them just would not stop talking. Many of my friends would tell you that I can be an intimidating/demanding person- they call me "Mama Angie" for a reason- but I have quickly learned that 16 and 17 year olds are not as scared of me as my friends are. What a shame. It's starting to get really annoying, but after school my supervising teacher gave me some advice on how I might handle that class in the future. We don't know if we've found a perfect solution, but we picked out a few strategies to try.
Tomorrow I am being observed all by myself . . . with 1st period. This could be really good or really bad. They were awesome on the day of our first observation and I am hoping for the same tomorrow. Even if it goes horribly, I am okay with that, too, but after giving the lesson twice today I feel prepared for tomorrow. However, all happy thoughts and prayers are most welcome :)
Today I got the opportunity to run class pretty much by myself, which is really good because I am being observed tomorrow; today was good practice. I planned a pretty straightforward lesson- a lecture with guided notes, followed by a writing activity. The students were not totally enthralled in the lecture, but at times we did get some good discussion going about Gilded Age reform movements. The writing portion of the lesson went surprisingly well, too. The students kind of groaned when they saw they would be writing, but I explained to them that it was going to be good practice before their upcoming chapter test. Most students are pretty good about getting the content into their essays, but the structure of most students' writing is pretty abysmal. I gave very specific instructions for how the students needed to construct their written responses and even provided a "this is how Ms. St. George would do it" example so that the students could just fill in the blanks if they wanted to. I used to think that doing something like that was simply giving the students the answer, but I've learned that in the educational world, scaffolding/modeling, as we call this concept, are perfectly acceptable. For the students who have more trouble with writing, filling in the blanks is a good way for them to learn the structure of a good response to an essay question. I am actually looking forward to reading and grading their work.
Fifth period gave me a little bit of trouble today, just because so many of them just would not stop talking. Many of my friends would tell you that I can be an intimidating/demanding person- they call me "Mama Angie" for a reason- but I have quickly learned that 16 and 17 year olds are not as scared of me as my friends are. What a shame. It's starting to get really annoying, but after school my supervising teacher gave me some advice on how I might handle that class in the future. We don't know if we've found a perfect solution, but we picked out a few strategies to try.
Tomorrow I am being observed all by myself . . . with 1st period. This could be really good or really bad. They were awesome on the day of our first observation and I am hoping for the same tomorrow. Even if it goes horribly, I am okay with that, too, but after giving the lesson twice today I feel prepared for tomorrow. However, all happy thoughts and prayers are most welcome :)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Day 23 - Terrific Tuesday
Today we reviewed sections 15.1/2 with 1st period and they took their quiz. They were generally very well behaved during the review (an impending quiz tends to subdue them) and exceptionally well-behaved during the quiz. For some reason, the class that normally gives us the most trouble is the most respectful during quizzes and tests. It is all we can do to get 4th and 5th period to stop talking while their classmates finish working, but 1st period is so quiet it's almost disconcerting. Don't get me wrong, though, I am SO not complaining :)
Happy story of the day:
One of our first period students made up her chapter 14 test after school today. During homeroom, though, I asked her if she wanted to study the vocabulary or ask any questions about the essay prompts that might be on her test. She told me that she usually doesn't answer the essay questions, to which I immediately responded, "Well, you are going to answer them today." She ended up taking our vocab flashcards to study during the school day and I gave her a review packet that included the possible essay questions. She came in after school and I reviewed the essays with her. She took her test and did much better than she usually does, largely because she got full credit on her essay responses. It was a proud moment for me and a minor accomplishment that makes the tough moments more bearable.
Happy story of the day:
One of our first period students made up her chapter 14 test after school today. During homeroom, though, I asked her if she wanted to study the vocabulary or ask any questions about the essay prompts that might be on her test. She told me that she usually doesn't answer the essay questions, to which I immediately responded, "Well, you are going to answer them today." She ended up taking our vocab flashcards to study during the school day and I gave her a review packet that included the possible essay questions. She came in after school and I reviewed the essays with her. She took her test and did much better than she usually does, largely because she got full credit on her essay responses. It was a proud moment for me and a minor accomplishment that makes the tough moments more bearable.
Day 22 - Mondays are weird.
Here is the short and sweet version of Monday (I will come back and add more when I find time):
-We saw all of our students because on normal Mondays the students have all 6 periods. It was the second time we experienced this and it made me feel like we hit a whole week in one day. It was weird and I am totally not used to 50 minute class periods anymore.
- One student in 1st period refused to move to her assigned seat when I asked her to. I deferred to our supervising teacher and he took her outside to talk to her about it. She has been assigned an in-school-suspension, but I hope that the time we spent talking with her maybe opened up some avenues of communication. We'll see.
-We saw all of our students because on normal Mondays the students have all 6 periods. It was the second time we experienced this and it made me feel like we hit a whole week in one day. It was weird and I am totally not used to 50 minute class periods anymore.
- One student in 1st period refused to move to her assigned seat when I asked her to. I deferred to our supervising teacher and he took her outside to talk to her about it. She has been assigned an in-school-suspension, but I hope that the time we spent talking with her maybe opened up some avenues of communication. We'll see.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 21 - Thank Goodness It's Friday
For a four day week, this past one seemed to last forever, but at the same time I couldn't believe it was already Friday. After Thursday, the relief of the impending weekend was all I needed to motivate me through Friday. We wanted to give the students a break from group work and make sure they had time to finish their work before their quiz on Monday, so Carrie planned a brief lecture, followed by individual work, with plenty of time given for students to finish their journal work. This was a good idea for some students, but some students had a little too much time on their hands.
Friday was generally good, 5th period was a little more rowdy than 4th period, but it is a bigger class later in the day. After school we gave some make-up quizzes and may have had a minor breakthrough with one of students whose personal life has severely gotten in the way of her academic life.
Now it's Sunday and I get to look forward to a 5 day week during which I will be observed during 1st period. PRAY FOR ME.
Friday was generally good, 5th period was a little more rowdy than 4th period, but it is a bigger class later in the day. After school we gave some make-up quizzes and may have had a minor breakthrough with one of students whose personal life has severely gotten in the way of her academic life.
Now it's Sunday and I get to look forward to a 5 day week during which I will be observed during 1st period. PRAY FOR ME.
Day 20 - Oh. My. Goodness.
Okay, I am going to do my best to not make this post sound like a ranting, venting, complaining, whining fest. We'll see just how successful I can be.Get your popcorn, this could be a long post.
On Thursday all Carrie and I had to do was get through 1st period. I started class by giving them 15 to 20 minutes to finish their presidents charts from Tuesday. As I was circulating and helping students, two girls spoke with me about the way things had been going so far and the things about class that were frustrating them. I felt that all three of us talked honestly and openly and I thought several important issues were addressed. I was ready for a good day.
Know the phrase, "Don't count your chickens . . . "? Yeah, that one kind of smacked me in the face on Thursday. I collected the students' finished charts and began grading them as Carrie started her lesson, which she had already done the day before with periods 4 and 5. The lecture portion seemed to go alright and I graded papers while moving around the room. Because the girls I spoke to earlier had expressed being a little tired of all the group work we've done, so Carrie generously decided to give them the option of doing the activity individually or in groups. After a class vote, it was a group activity. The students got to choose their groups of 2 or 3 and because of the sheer size of that class there were many groups completing the same parts of the activity. They were working well, but we knew that we wouldn't have time for all the groups to present their work to the class. In an effort to be more productive, we turned on the document camera so that the rest of the class could see the group's notes. BAD move. Here is some of what happened as a result:
The student audience complained about the document camera: I can't see - - I can't read that handwriting - - the paper isn't straight - - can you turn off the lights - - what does that say . . . on and on and on.
We tried to explain that we had not yet figured out how to work the lamp on the document camera and so turning off the lights was not going to be an option. In response, one of the girls I had been speaking to before class loudly explained to us that Ms. So-and-so does it and blah blah blah. (and this isn't even all of the problems we had). Carrie and I never should have turned on the document camera and so we are partly to blame for the chaos during the group presentations, but the students' comments and reactions were so extreme and uncalled for that Carrie and I both found ourselves biting our tongues. I kept saying to myself, "Don't lose it. Calm down." I was sooo close to yelling at the class, but I kept it together.
Recognizing the hostile environment in the classroom, Carrie and I asked four girls to stay after class. One girl flat out told me she would not stay and only did because our supervising teacher asked her to. Well, talking to all four girls at once was a bad idea. I won't bore you with all the details, but there I think there are two main conclusions Carrie and I can draw from class on Thursday:
1. Three out of the four girls don't like us. They made it clear that they have no problems with their English intern, but for some reason they don't get along with us. We aren't taking it personally, because they don't like their normal teacher, either.
2. We will no longer be tolerating such disrespectful behavior in class. On Thursday our classroom was neither a healthy learning or teaching environment. The hardworking students are tired of it and we won't be bullied by our students.
The silver lining on Thursday was that we got to go to an African American History assembly right after and we saw many of the 11th graders make great contributions in art, singing, and theatrical performance. It is also so encouraging that our supervising teacher fully supports us and wants to help us do well. While Thursday was extremely trying and frustrating, Carrie and I are both still grateful to be having this experience now rather than later when we are on our own.
On Thursday all Carrie and I had to do was get through 1st period. I started class by giving them 15 to 20 minutes to finish their presidents charts from Tuesday. As I was circulating and helping students, two girls spoke with me about the way things had been going so far and the things about class that were frustrating them. I felt that all three of us talked honestly and openly and I thought several important issues were addressed. I was ready for a good day.
Know the phrase, "Don't count your chickens . . . "? Yeah, that one kind of smacked me in the face on Thursday. I collected the students' finished charts and began grading them as Carrie started her lesson, which she had already done the day before with periods 4 and 5. The lecture portion seemed to go alright and I graded papers while moving around the room. Because the girls I spoke to earlier had expressed being a little tired of all the group work we've done, so Carrie generously decided to give them the option of doing the activity individually or in groups. After a class vote, it was a group activity. The students got to choose their groups of 2 or 3 and because of the sheer size of that class there were many groups completing the same parts of the activity. They were working well, but we knew that we wouldn't have time for all the groups to present their work to the class. In an effort to be more productive, we turned on the document camera so that the rest of the class could see the group's notes. BAD move. Here is some of what happened as a result:
The student audience complained about the document camera: I can't see - - I can't read that handwriting - - the paper isn't straight - - can you turn off the lights - - what does that say . . . on and on and on.
We tried to explain that we had not yet figured out how to work the lamp on the document camera and so turning off the lights was not going to be an option. In response, one of the girls I had been speaking to before class loudly explained to us that Ms. So-and-so does it and blah blah blah. (and this isn't even all of the problems we had). Carrie and I never should have turned on the document camera and so we are partly to blame for the chaos during the group presentations, but the students' comments and reactions were so extreme and uncalled for that Carrie and I both found ourselves biting our tongues. I kept saying to myself, "Don't lose it. Calm down." I was sooo close to yelling at the class, but I kept it together.
Recognizing the hostile environment in the classroom, Carrie and I asked four girls to stay after class. One girl flat out told me she would not stay and only did because our supervising teacher asked her to. Well, talking to all four girls at once was a bad idea. I won't bore you with all the details, but there I think there are two main conclusions Carrie and I can draw from class on Thursday:
1. Three out of the four girls don't like us. They made it clear that they have no problems with their English intern, but for some reason they don't get along with us. We aren't taking it personally, because they don't like their normal teacher, either.
2. We will no longer be tolerating such disrespectful behavior in class. On Thursday our classroom was neither a healthy learning or teaching environment. The hardworking students are tired of it and we won't be bullied by our students.
The silver lining on Thursday was that we got to go to an African American History assembly right after and we saw many of the 11th graders make great contributions in art, singing, and theatrical performance. It is also so encouraging that our supervising teacher fully supports us and wants to help us do well. While Thursday was extremely trying and frustrating, Carrie and I are both still grateful to be having this experience now rather than later when we are on our own.
Day 19 - Carrie's Observation
Wednesday morning was Carrie's individual observation, so I spent most of 4th period grading papers and talking to our UF supervisor. I enjoyed having some time to talk to her and get her perspective on students in general and, more specifically, on our students. I tried to give Carrie as much space, control, and independence as I could during her observation, but I helped out students a couple of times. It was hard staying on the sidelines and Carrie said it was weird being the only one "in charge" at the front of the classroom.
5th period went pretty well, too, but they are so talkative that it can be exhausting trying to deal with it for 100 minutes. Our student who wants to use his 504 as a crutch was at it again, trying to find an excuse to turn in an assignment late. I had a thorough argument/discussion with him and I think maybe I started to get through to him about the importance of being responsible and making smart decisions about doing his work- only time will tell.
5th period went pretty well, too, but they are so talkative that it can be exhausting trying to deal with it for 100 minutes. Our student who wants to use his 504 as a crutch was at it again, trying to find an excuse to turn in an assignment late. I had a thorough argument/discussion with him and I think maybe I started to get through to him about the importance of being responsible and making smart decisions about doing his work- only time will tell.
Day 18 - Goodbye, four day weekend.
My apologies for not updating all week . . .
Four day weekends are a gift from heaven. I spent most of mine on a retreat with the Catholic Campus Ministry at UCF and it was a much needed spiritual vacation. And lucky me, I got to jump back into real life on Tuesday by getting back into the classroom. The four days of school last week were awesome and I had high hopes for the upcoming four days.
Since we had done the Haiti lesson last Thursday with first period, we started them on section 15.1 on Tuesday. This was the Presidents of the Gilded Age lesson with the Gallery Walk activity. The students weren't thrilled about this activity, but they did it. We didn't quite have enough time to finish up, so I planned to give them a little more time on Thursday. I learned later that day in our seminar class at UF that I probably could have improved my lesson and made life easier for myself and my students by being more specific about the instructions for the gallery walk posters. But, as the first day of a four day week, Tuesday went pretty well.
Four day weekends are a gift from heaven. I spent most of mine on a retreat with the Catholic Campus Ministry at UCF and it was a much needed spiritual vacation. And lucky me, I got to jump back into real life on Tuesday by getting back into the classroom. The four days of school last week were awesome and I had high hopes for the upcoming four days.
Since we had done the Haiti lesson last Thursday with first period, we started them on section 15.1 on Tuesday. This was the Presidents of the Gilded Age lesson with the Gallery Walk activity. The students weren't thrilled about this activity, but they did it. We didn't quite have enough time to finish up, so I planned to give them a little more time on Thursday. I learned later that day in our seminar class at UF that I probably could have improved my lesson and made life easier for myself and my students by being more specific about the instructions for the gallery walk posters. But, as the first day of a four day week, Tuesday went pretty well.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 17 - Observation numero uno
Today was the day of our first observation! Our UF supervisor came to watch us teach and give us feedback on our performance. Our grade for this 9 credit internship is riding on these observations, so it's important that we do well. Since it is Thursday, we were teaching 1st period, so by this point you probably realize that this is the class that presents us with the most challenges. We took a risk in planning a special lesson for this class; we delivered it for the first time today. Crazy, I know, but here is why we did it:
- Our goal is to keep 1st period a day behind periods 4 and 5. Since we have no school on Friday or Monday, we had to find something to fill in this space. We haven't started a new chapter yet, so today was the perfect day to try something different.
- We need to teach a global studies lesson at some point during this internship and write a reflection paper. The assignment isn't due until April, but since we just taught it, we can get that assignment out of the way now. AND we have to do a 30 minute micro-teach of a global studies lesson for our classmates and ta-da! We already have one!
- Finally, we knew we were taking a risk with this lesson. But if it bombed, so what? We would have room for improvement.
For our entertainment and enjoyment of rhyme, we can call today's lesson a Haitian Investigation. Our teacher subscribes to New York Times: Upfront, which is a magazine for students about current issues. There was an article about Haiti and the recent earthquake, so we decided to use it as the inspiration for today's lesson. I am going to try to give you the briefest possible outline of the lesson:
- Anticipation guide (students respond "agree", "disagree", or "don't know" to statements about Haiti)
- Video: Special Report- Obama on Quake Relief (students took notes as they watched/listened)
- Article: "What's Next For Haiti?" (page 6 in Upfront)
- Discussion: What should be the role of the United States government in Haiti? We split the class in half. One half was going to argue that the U.S. government should have a very strong, leading role in the post-earthquake relief efforts. The other half was going to argue that private organizations, individuals, and other nations should be the major contributors. The procedure for the discussion was as follows:
Our UF supervisor had so many good things to say about our lesson and our teaching- it really made me so happy. The students (most of them, anyway) seemed to enjoy the topic, too. The best compliment we got was that one student told us, "You're making us think too much today." Get used to it, my dear!
- Our goal is to keep 1st period a day behind periods 4 and 5. Since we have no school on Friday or Monday, we had to find something to fill in this space. We haven't started a new chapter yet, so today was the perfect day to try something different.
- We need to teach a global studies lesson at some point during this internship and write a reflection paper. The assignment isn't due until April, but since we just taught it, we can get that assignment out of the way now. AND we have to do a 30 minute micro-teach of a global studies lesson for our classmates and ta-da! We already have one!
- Finally, we knew we were taking a risk with this lesson. But if it bombed, so what? We would have room for improvement.
For our entertainment and enjoyment of rhyme, we can call today's lesson a Haitian Investigation. Our teacher subscribes to New York Times: Upfront, which is a magazine for students about current issues. There was an article about Haiti and the recent earthquake, so we decided to use it as the inspiration for today's lesson. I am going to try to give you the briefest possible outline of the lesson:
- Anticipation guide (students respond "agree", "disagree", or "don't know" to statements about Haiti)
- Video: Special Report- Obama on Quake Relief (students took notes as they watched/listened)
- Article: "What's Next For Haiti?" (page 6 in Upfront)
- Discussion: What should be the role of the United States government in Haiti? We split the class in half. One half was going to argue that the U.S. government should have a very strong, leading role in the post-earthquake relief efforts. The other half was going to argue that private organizations, individuals, and other nations should be the major contributors. The procedure for the discussion was as follows:
- Pairs- With a partner, students examined resources we provided to find the best points supporting their side of the argument.
- Small groups- Three pairs met up to compare their arguments, consolidate them into the best possible arguments, and select a speaker.
- Presentation of arguments- There were two speakers for each side of this issue and we alternated back and forth. First one student argued for private organizations, individuals, and other countries to step up, and then the side in favor of strong U.S. government involvement got a turn. Then we repeated this with the other two speakers. After each speaker gave his or her argument, the class got to ask questions.
- Small groups- Back in their groups of six, the students looked at the notes they took about the opposing side of the issue. They then formulated what they thought was the best argument in favor of that position. This makes sure that they have thought about both sides of the issue.
Our UF supervisor had so many good things to say about our lesson and our teaching- it really made me so happy. The students (most of them, anyway) seemed to enjoy the topic, too. The best compliment we got was that one student told us, "You're making us think too much today." Get used to it, my dear!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Day 16- Venturing into the "gallery walk"
I planned the lesson we gave to 4th and 5th period today, which started chapter 15. The section we focused on was about "Politics in the Gilded Age". We started by going over a few key vocabulary terms to place the activity we were going to do within its basic historical context. In this section of the textbook, the authors focused on the major issues of patronage (which led to corruption of the government) and economics (regulation of the railroads, tariffs, and depression) and what the presidents of this time period did to resolve them. So, to simplify the content, I decided to plan a lesson based on the "gallery walk" strategy.
Allow me to explain . . . The students received a chart with a column for all 6 presidents were going to learn about. There were 6 pieces of information for the students to fill in for each president. In pairs (and sometimes groups of 3), the students were assigned to research only one of the presidents. They could use their textbooks and a folder containing extra information that I provided. After doing their independent research each group made a poster that would educate their classmates about their president. These were then hung about the classroom and the students rotated amongst the posters in our homemade "gallery." During the rotations the students took notes based on their classmates' posters.
That is the essence of the gallery walk. The purpose of this activity was to look at the challenges facing the presidents, their achievements, and the ways in which they were effective and/or ineffective. Most of the time most of the students were doing their work, but sometimes it felt like I was herding a bunch of crazy sheep around the room. Hopefully the point of the lesson made it into the students' heads through all the talking and goofing off and being distracted and unfocused. Carrie and our teacher liked the lesson, and we think it is feasible to do it with 1st period next week, so I am going to be saying some mega prayers that it works out.
Today Carrie and I stayed at school until nearly 5pm planning our lesson for tomorrow. We are treating 1st period to a current events/global studies lesson about Haiti and we are also being observed for the first time by our UF supervisor. Send happy thoughts our way between 8:30 and 10:15 tomorrow morning!
Two anecdotes of the day:
1. One group drew an arrow on their poster, connecting two related points the wanted to make. One of the students thought it would be funny to dress up the arrow with the words "Live Nudes," which I didn't notice until another student pointed it out. Lovely, right? Needless to say, Carrie and I both spoke to him and he will not be pulling anymore shenanigans like that without getting a referral.
2. Another student tried to use his 504 plan to get extra time on an assignment. Generally, the purpose of the 504 plan is to adjust the curriculum as the students needs require. In this student's case, he can receive extra time to complete assignments. HOWEVER, he had at least thirty minutes to work on it in class after he took his test on Monday, but he didn't. When he got swamped with math homework, he didn't do his history homework, and thus tried to use his 504 as an excuse for not doing his assignment. We told him that if he had been using his time wisely during class, trying to get his work done, that we would have no problem giving him an extension. Given his deliberate choice to not do his work during class, Carrie and I, with the support of our teacher, will not be accepting this late assignment. Students think they are so clever.
Allow me to explain . . . The students received a chart with a column for all 6 presidents were going to learn about. There were 6 pieces of information for the students to fill in for each president. In pairs (and sometimes groups of 3), the students were assigned to research only one of the presidents. They could use their textbooks and a folder containing extra information that I provided. After doing their independent research each group made a poster that would educate their classmates about their president. These were then hung about the classroom and the students rotated amongst the posters in our homemade "gallery." During the rotations the students took notes based on their classmates' posters.
That is the essence of the gallery walk. The purpose of this activity was to look at the challenges facing the presidents, their achievements, and the ways in which they were effective and/or ineffective. Most of the time most of the students were doing their work, but sometimes it felt like I was herding a bunch of crazy sheep around the room. Hopefully the point of the lesson made it into the students' heads through all the talking and goofing off and being distracted and unfocused. Carrie and our teacher liked the lesson, and we think it is feasible to do it with 1st period next week, so I am going to be saying some mega prayers that it works out.
Today Carrie and I stayed at school until nearly 5pm planning our lesson for tomorrow. We are treating 1st period to a current events/global studies lesson about Haiti and we are also being observed for the first time by our UF supervisor. Send happy thoughts our way between 8:30 and 10:15 tomorrow morning!
Two anecdotes of the day:
1. One group drew an arrow on their poster, connecting two related points the wanted to make. One of the students thought it would be funny to dress up the arrow with the words "Live Nudes," which I didn't notice until another student pointed it out. Lovely, right? Needless to say, Carrie and I both spoke to him and he will not be pulling anymore shenanigans like that without getting a referral.
2. Another student tried to use his 504 plan to get extra time on an assignment. Generally, the purpose of the 504 plan is to adjust the curriculum as the students needs require. In this student's case, he can receive extra time to complete assignments. HOWEVER, he had at least thirty minutes to work on it in class after he took his test on Monday, but he didn't. When he got swamped with math homework, he didn't do his history homework, and thus tried to use his 504 as an excuse for not doing his assignment. We told him that if he had been using his time wisely during class, trying to get his work done, that we would have no problem giving him an extension. Given his deliberate choice to not do his work during class, Carrie and I, with the support of our teacher, will not be accepting this late assignment. Students think they are so clever.
Day 15- Who are you and what have you done with my students?!?
We gave the chapter 14 test to 1st period yesterday, fully expecting to have to remind the students to be quiet while everyone took the test, much like we had to do on Monday- it was like those students were incapable of being quiet for 30 minutes. Maybe it was the weather, but 1st period was so well-behaved that Carrie and I almost didn't know what to do with ourselves! Our supervising teacher even said it was funny to watch us watching them, because we were just stunned that they were behaving so well. Only a couple of times did we have to remind students not to talk and they were respectful enough to ask us if they could work in pairs on their post-test assignment. We told them that they could, but only once all students had turned in their tests. They understood and waited patiently and quietly while working on their work individually!!! I am so glad for this pleasant surprise and I hope they continue to demonstrate improved behavior.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Day 14 - Chapter 14 Test, Take 1
Today we gave the chapter 14 test to periods 4 & 5, so it was a pretty easy day. We spent some time reviewing the essay questions and clarifying vocabulary terms before the test, so these students got the luxury of more in-class review time than I ever experienced as a student. Most of them did pretty well on the test, which makes me feel good about our lessons. However, it is evident that the students in 5th period who do more talking and less paying attention generally get lower grades. This seems like it should be common sense, but to see it actually happen in the classroom where Carrie and I are teaching is eye opening. We will probably be making a seating chart for period 5 to further reduce some of the talking problems and see if we can get everyone to focus more on learning than on socializing.
Tomorrow - Part 2 of the chapter 14 test!
Tomorrow - Part 2 of the chapter 14 test!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Day 13 - Lucky Number 13.
Today was the 13th day of Carrie and I teaching, and it was an excellent day!
We finished the political cartoons in 5th period and during both 4th and 5th periods we reviewed the essay questions and had time to review vocabulary again. I was really proud of the way the student groups planned their essays. I could tell that in addition to looking in their textbooks, all the students had, on at least a small level, absorbed some of the information we taught them. I saw students making connections, asking solid questions, and making inferences and drawing conclusions based on historical content. While not all of them were on task 100% of the time, they got their work done and they did it in a timely fashion. Our supervising teacher had very positive feedback to give us after 4th period and Carrie and I felt great. Now, if the students study for the test and do well next week, then I will be even happier.
Today I felt like a teacher and it felt really, really good.
We finished the political cartoons in 5th period and during both 4th and 5th periods we reviewed the essay questions and had time to review vocabulary again. I was really proud of the way the student groups planned their essays. I could tell that in addition to looking in their textbooks, all the students had, on at least a small level, absorbed some of the information we taught them. I saw students making connections, asking solid questions, and making inferences and drawing conclusions based on historical content. While not all of them were on task 100% of the time, they got their work done and they did it in a timely fashion. Our supervising teacher had very positive feedback to give us after 4th period and Carrie and I felt great. Now, if the students study for the test and do well next week, then I will be even happier.
Today I felt like a teacher and it felt really, really good.
Day 12 - Goodness Gracious. Geez Louise.
Goodness Gracious. Geez Louise.
These are the two phrases that come to mind when I think about 1st period on Thursday.
Our supervising teacher's description of the 100 minutes was:
"The stress in this room was palpable; you could have cut the tension with a knife."
We started off the day by giving the students time to finish and present their political cartoon packets. For some groups, it was like we asked them to pull out their own teeth without anesthesia. Some students nearly refused to do their work. Hello? I never would have done that as a student. I really need to find a way to relate to some of these students, or else I think the next seven weeks are going to be a battle of wills. And I will not be the loser.
After telling the students to stop talking every 30 seconds during the presentations of their political cartoons, we moved on to reviewing for the essays. Our first mistake was that we let the students' groups get too large. We will not be making that error again. Due to all the talking during class and the amount of time they spent off task, we only got to see essay presentations from two groups. This means we will be reviewing the essays again before the test. Many of the students will not study this weekend, and since we won't see them until Tuesday, I worry that their only time spent studying for the essays will be Tuesday morning. Hopefully everyone will be able to focus then.
Needless to say, Carrie and I were fully exhausted by 10:15 Thursday morning. However, we continue to learn more about our students, ourselves, and this profession we call "teaching" every time we face these challenges.
These are the two phrases that come to mind when I think about 1st period on Thursday.
Our supervising teacher's description of the 100 minutes was:
"The stress in this room was palpable; you could have cut the tension with a knife."
We started off the day by giving the students time to finish and present their political cartoon packets. For some groups, it was like we asked them to pull out their own teeth without anesthesia. Some students nearly refused to do their work. Hello? I never would have done that as a student. I really need to find a way to relate to some of these students, or else I think the next seven weeks are going to be a battle of wills. And I will not be the loser.
After telling the students to stop talking every 30 seconds during the presentations of their political cartoons, we moved on to reviewing for the essays. Our first mistake was that we let the students' groups get too large. We will not be making that error again. Due to all the talking during class and the amount of time they spent off task, we only got to see essay presentations from two groups. This means we will be reviewing the essays again before the test. Many of the students will not study this weekend, and since we won't see them until Tuesday, I worry that their only time spent studying for the essays will be Tuesday morning. Hopefully everyone will be able to focus then.
Needless to say, Carrie and I were fully exhausted by 10:15 Thursday morning. However, we continue to learn more about our students, ourselves, and this profession we call "teaching" every time we face these challenges.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Day 11 - Pointy toed, leopard print flats
As the title of this post suggests, I wore a new pair of shoes to school, which automatically made today a good day. Plus I got a few compliments on the shoes, making me very happy that I purchased them. However, the shoes don't really have anything to do with teaching today, so I will move on now.
4th and 5th period were set to do the same review activities as 1st period did yesterday. We gave the practice quizzes, went over them, and played vocab bingo. 4th period was pretty productive. We even had time at the end of class to present the political cartoons the students started on Monday. I hope they retained what we did today- strike that- I PRAY that they retained what we did today, because we are spending way more time reviewing in class than we planned and they had all better do well on this test next week.
And then there was 5th period, the most interesting part of the day. A group of 4 students was sitting on the left side of the classroom- 2 girls who are best friends, and two boys sitting behind them who are also friends. Well, many of our students find it close to impossible to not talk. Like, I think they might explode if they were quiet for too long; they just can't keep their mouths shut. One student in particular in that group of 4 just would not stop talking and it was getting on my nerves. I wasn't mad, I didn't overreact or yell, I just finally got tired of saying, "Stop talking." So, to the surprise of that student (and probably the rest of the class) I just finally said, "Can you do me a favor?" When he said yes I pointed at an empty desk on the other side of the room and said, "Come sit over here." He didn't think I was serious at first and tried to convince me that he would stop talking to his friend, but I wasn't born yesterday- close to it, but not quite. The student moved to the new desk, to the dissatisfaction of some of the students on that side of the room. BUT, I dealt with an issue fairly smoothly today and I was very proud of myself, and my supervising teacher approved of how I handled it, which made me feel even better.
The school I am at is a k-12 school and some of these students have been together for many, many years. This makes dealing with behavior problems challenging because students are very loyal to their friends and adamantly and willingly let you know who they do not like. I don't think an ideal seating chart exists, but we need to figure one out.
Two more days left this week! And we are going to be working on the essay questions for the test and I am actually looking forward to i.
I know that you are dying to see my new shoes, so we had a little photo shoot today :) Enjoy!
4th and 5th period were set to do the same review activities as 1st period did yesterday. We gave the practice quizzes, went over them, and played vocab bingo. 4th period was pretty productive. We even had time at the end of class to present the political cartoons the students started on Monday. I hope they retained what we did today- strike that- I PRAY that they retained what we did today, because we are spending way more time reviewing in class than we planned and they had all better do well on this test next week.
And then there was 5th period, the most interesting part of the day. A group of 4 students was sitting on the left side of the classroom- 2 girls who are best friends, and two boys sitting behind them who are also friends. Well, many of our students find it close to impossible to not talk. Like, I think they might explode if they were quiet for too long; they just can't keep their mouths shut. One student in particular in that group of 4 just would not stop talking and it was getting on my nerves. I wasn't mad, I didn't overreact or yell, I just finally got tired of saying, "Stop talking." So, to the surprise of that student (and probably the rest of the class) I just finally said, "Can you do me a favor?" When he said yes I pointed at an empty desk on the other side of the room and said, "Come sit over here." He didn't think I was serious at first and tried to convince me that he would stop talking to his friend, but I wasn't born yesterday- close to it, but not quite. The student moved to the new desk, to the dissatisfaction of some of the students on that side of the room. BUT, I dealt with an issue fairly smoothly today and I was very proud of myself, and my supervising teacher approved of how I handled it, which made me feel even better.
The school I am at is a k-12 school and some of these students have been together for many, many years. This makes dealing with behavior problems challenging because students are very loyal to their friends and adamantly and willingly let you know who they do not like. I don't think an ideal seating chart exists, but we need to figure one out.
Two more days left this week! And we are going to be working on the essay questions for the test and I am actually looking forward to i.
I know that you are dying to see my new shoes, so we had a little photo shoot today :) Enjoy!
Day 10 - "I actually learned something today."
Carrie and I were really nervous Tuesday morning as we thought about the impending talk we wanted to have with some of our students. There was a test on Tuesday, though, and some of the students did not check in before heading to the library for their test session. So, we only got to talk with a group of three students. They seemed to hear what we said, but only time will tell if they actually listened to it.
With several students missing because of testing, 1st period was smaller and a bit more manageable. We gave the students some practice quizzes to start reviewing for the chapter test they are taking next week. We reviewed the quizzes and spent the rest of the class period going over key terms and playing vocabulary bingo. Some of the students we wanted to speak with arrived to class late, so hopefully we will be able to talk to them on Thursday morning. We moved pretty slowly and took our time going over the review quizzes and vocabulary, making sure the students understood the material. It was really nice to hear one girl say at the end of class, "I actually learned something today." The real kicker is that she was one of the students we spoke to before class. Hopefully this keeps up. We'll see what happens when all of 1st period is back on Thursday.
With several students missing because of testing, 1st period was smaller and a bit more manageable. We gave the students some practice quizzes to start reviewing for the chapter test they are taking next week. We reviewed the quizzes and spent the rest of the class period going over key terms and playing vocabulary bingo. Some of the students we wanted to speak with arrived to class late, so hopefully we will be able to talk to them on Thursday morning. We moved pretty slowly and took our time going over the review quizzes and vocabulary, making sure the students understood the material. It was really nice to hear one girl say at the end of class, "I actually learned something today." The real kicker is that she was one of the students we spoke to before class. Hopefully this keeps up. We'll see what happens when all of 1st period is back on Thursday.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 9- Monday
Today was the first time we have spent a Monday at the school. Tuesday through Friday, the school runs on a block schedule with 100 minute classes, but on Monday the school follows a "normal" day with 50 minute classes. After adjusting to the longer classes, it was really difficult to plan for a short period! The lesson I created worked when the students focused and concentrated on their assignment. It did not work when the students spent more time socializing than working. Granted, between 1st and 4th periods I was able to shorten my PowerPoint presentation and I was much more comfortable with my short lecture by 5th period. However, 1st period's behavior today was not good. Part of the problem was that I decided not to let it bother me- I should have let it bother me because then I would have taken more action to correct the problems. We talked to our teacher about it later, and tomorrow Carrie and I will be having some discussions with the sources of the misbehavior to set some ground rules about what will be happening in the future if they don't make some changes. Tomorrow could go well and yield positive results... or it go badly... either way, it is the first really big challenge for me and Carrie and all your prayers and happy thoughts are both welcome and NEEDED.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Day 8 and a half - ?
Here I am, grading on a Sunday night, and I find myself slightly shocked (but really not that surprised either) that many of my students do not put question marks at the end of an interrogative sentence.
New goal to add to my goals list:
All students will be using "?" appropriately by spring break.
New goal to add to my goals list:
All students will be using "?" appropriately by spring break.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Day 8 - TGIF
On Thursday it had felt like the week had lasted forever (and it was only a four day week), but on Friday it felt like the week flew by. I was very tired from getting only five hours of sleep- that's what happens when you procrastinate and wait until 8 pm to start your homework assignment due the next day. I managed to stay awake while we were teaching, but otherwise kind of felt like a zombie all day. Being tired as a student is one thing, but being tired as a teacher is just a bad idea. I need to make sure I get enough sleep EVERY day.
Fortunately for Carrie, her lesson went much better during 4th and 5th period on Friday. We made some improvements to our agenda for the day and the students were more well behaved during the quiz because we made sure they had something to do while they waited for their classmates to finish. Some of 4th period was upset that we didn't let them choose their own groups, but there is no other way to run a "jigsaw activity" like the one we did without assigning groups. * For those of you who don't know, a jigsaw is an activity in which students are members of both a "home group" and a separate "expert group". In the expert group students focus on learning specific material. When they return to the home group, the students take turns teaching their area of expertise to each other.* So, the students had to suck it up and deal with their temporary "loss of freedom", as one student called it. But they quickly got over it and did a good job with the activity. They even had time to watch the video at the end of class.
5th period went very similarly to 4th, but we changed some of the agenda around again. Instead of showing the video at the end of class, we showed it after the quiz because it connected the last lesson with this one. 5th period generally did well with the activity, but may need a little more time with their home groups on Monday.
We are hoping that at some point soon we will be able to rig it so that we start off teaching a lesson to 4th and 5th period so that by the time we get to 1st period we are comfortable with the lesson and have time to make improvements. Hopefully that will make our lives easier.
Now it is Saturday and I have to write up Monday's lesson, which shouldn't take long, do some homework assignments, and get to work grading worksheets and quizzes.
Fortunately for Carrie, her lesson went much better during 4th and 5th period on Friday. We made some improvements to our agenda for the day and the students were more well behaved during the quiz because we made sure they had something to do while they waited for their classmates to finish. Some of 4th period was upset that we didn't let them choose their own groups, but there is no other way to run a "jigsaw activity" like the one we did without assigning groups. * For those of you who don't know, a jigsaw is an activity in which students are members of both a "home group" and a separate "expert group". In the expert group students focus on learning specific material. When they return to the home group, the students take turns teaching their area of expertise to each other.* So, the students had to suck it up and deal with their temporary "loss of freedom", as one student called it. But they quickly got over it and did a good job with the activity. They even had time to watch the video at the end of class.
5th period went very similarly to 4th, but we changed some of the agenda around again. Instead of showing the video at the end of class, we showed it after the quiz because it connected the last lesson with this one. 5th period generally did well with the activity, but may need a little more time with their home groups on Monday.
We are hoping that at some point soon we will be able to rig it so that we start off teaching a lesson to 4th and 5th period so that by the time we get to 1st period we are comfortable with the lesson and have time to make improvements. Hopefully that will make our lives easier.
Now it is Saturday and I have to write up Monday's lesson, which shouldn't take long, do some homework assignments, and get to work grading worksheets and quizzes.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Day 7- Rocking the boat, Part 2
Oh, what a Thursday . . . As I predicted, first period was not all that excited about the new seating arrangements, but like the other classes, they got over it (for the most part) after a few minutes. Attitudes about new seats was not the worst we had to deal with, though. I don't want this blog to turn into a rant, so I will give a brief summary of the 100 minutes that was 1st period:
1. Some students complained about not reviewing enough before the quiz.
2. The same students complained that the quiz was not like the quizzes they are used to to.
3. Many students were disrespectful during the quiz, talking and being a distraction to those still working.
4. Some students complained about working in assigned groups.
This is a calm way of explaining how Carrie and I felt after 1st period. She didn't even get to show them the video she brought in because we spent a lot of time dealing with other issues. During our planning period, our supervising teacher assured us that there was nothing wrong with us or Carrie's lesson, but that this particular group of students have this "culture" of testing teachers and pushing the limits. I got used to experiencing this during my practicum with these students back in September, but Carrie is still getting used to it.
The whole thing was really frustrating because:
1. Although their teacher usually takes longer to review before a quiz, we had a lesson we wanted to teach, and the students had an hour on Friday to get ready for the quiz and ask us questions. Most of them spent the time talking and not doing their work. So I don't really feel sorry for them.
2. I based my quiz off of the quizzes they are used to taking. And the students who complained about it all did well. They can try to ruffle my feathers on this issue, but it's not going to work.
3. The disrespect and rudeness towards fellow classmates really bothered me. I guess I was lucky that I didn't have problems like this in my own high school classes, but I was also lucky to be in advanced classes where people generally cared about school and doing well. Carrie and I are both not used to watching people be so disrespectful and then having to deal with it as the people in charge.
4. Most of the students told us they prefer doing activities to listening to lectures, so Carrie planned an activity where the students get to work with two different groups. To keep things organized, the groups were assigned, but apparently group work is only acceptable when the students choose their own groups. The students want groups so we give it to them, but they only want it on their terms. Well, that's not going to happen (as long as I can keep my sanity together).
So, Thursday was a frustrating day (I went home and ate mint chocolate chip ice cream, the great panacea). Part of the problem is that right now, we are scheduled to do all of our lessons for the first time with 1st period. We need to switch it up at some point so that we start with 4th period so that by the time 1st period rolls around we have the lesson under our belts. This is going to be a challenge over the next 8 weeks, but I am so glad to be going through this now, under the guidance of an experienced teacher and with a partner, so that when I have my own classroom I won't be freaked out when I have a class like 1st period.
1. Some students complained about not reviewing enough before the quiz.
2. The same students complained that the quiz was not like the quizzes they are used to to.
3. Many students were disrespectful during the quiz, talking and being a distraction to those still working.
4. Some students complained about working in assigned groups.
This is a calm way of explaining how Carrie and I felt after 1st period. She didn't even get to show them the video she brought in because we spent a lot of time dealing with other issues. During our planning period, our supervising teacher assured us that there was nothing wrong with us or Carrie's lesson, but that this particular group of students have this "culture" of testing teachers and pushing the limits. I got used to experiencing this during my practicum with these students back in September, but Carrie is still getting used to it.
The whole thing was really frustrating because:
1. Although their teacher usually takes longer to review before a quiz, we had a lesson we wanted to teach, and the students had an hour on Friday to get ready for the quiz and ask us questions. Most of them spent the time talking and not doing their work. So I don't really feel sorry for them.
2. I based my quiz off of the quizzes they are used to taking. And the students who complained about it all did well. They can try to ruffle my feathers on this issue, but it's not going to work.
3. The disrespect and rudeness towards fellow classmates really bothered me. I guess I was lucky that I didn't have problems like this in my own high school classes, but I was also lucky to be in advanced classes where people generally cared about school and doing well. Carrie and I are both not used to watching people be so disrespectful and then having to deal with it as the people in charge.
4. Most of the students told us they prefer doing activities to listening to lectures, so Carrie planned an activity where the students get to work with two different groups. To keep things organized, the groups were assigned, but apparently group work is only acceptable when the students choose their own groups. The students want groups so we give it to them, but they only want it on their terms. Well, that's not going to happen (as long as I can keep my sanity together).
So, Thursday was a frustrating day (I went home and ate mint chocolate chip ice cream, the great panacea). Part of the problem is that right now, we are scheduled to do all of our lessons for the first time with 1st period. We need to switch it up at some point so that we start with 4th period so that by the time 1st period rolls around we have the lesson under our belts. This is going to be a challenge over the next 8 weeks, but I am so glad to be going through this now, under the guidance of an experienced teacher and with a partner, so that when I have my own classroom I won't be freaked out when I have a class like 1st period.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Day 6 - Rocking the boat, Part 1
If you ever want to be entertained and/or really freak people out, then mess with the status-quo. Here's a potpourri of what happened in class today when 4th and 5th period saw the new seating arrangement upon entering the room:
- "What?!?!"
- (confused faces)
- "Do we have assigned seats?"
- "Where do I sit?"
- "Huh?"
And then, when we told the students we wanted to seat them alphabetically by first name:
- "You've gotta be kidding me."
- "Ugh."
- "This is the dumbest seating arrangement I ever saw."
It's really fascinating to see the emotions that overcome some people when even a minor change is introduced to their lives. Hopefully the students will get over it pretty quickly. We plan to have them working in groups as much as possible anyway, so they won't be sitting in their awful assigned seats much, and eventually they'll realize that.
After the drama and freaking out about seat changes, 4th and 5th period went pretty well. My lecture was better than yesterday and even my supervising teacher noticed that I made changes based on his advice :)
The varying dynamics of our three classes is really interesting, too. If you can get a lesson to work in 1st period, then you know it will work in the other two classes. 4th period is so quiet and calm that today you could have heard a feather drop on the carpeting, which is kind of intimidating in a strange way. And then there is 5th period- a lively bunch falling somewhere on the spectrum in between 1st and 4th period. Everything takes longer in 5th period because some of them talk incessantly and they ask a lot of questions (which is good, just time consuming). So at least all of our kids keep me on my toes, and I will certainly learn a lot from these upcoming weeks.
Coming up tomorrow- Rocking the boat, Part 2, during which we will observe 1st period's reaction to the seating arrangements. This promises to be verrrrrry interesting.
- "What?!?!"
- (confused faces)
- "Do we have assigned seats?"
- "Where do I sit?"
- "Huh?"
And then, when we told the students we wanted to seat them alphabetically by first name:
- "You've gotta be kidding me."
- "Ugh."
- "This is the dumbest seating arrangement I ever saw."
It's really fascinating to see the emotions that overcome some people when even a minor change is introduced to their lives. Hopefully the students will get over it pretty quickly. We plan to have them working in groups as much as possible anyway, so they won't be sitting in their awful assigned seats much, and eventually they'll realize that.
After the drama and freaking out about seat changes, 4th and 5th period went pretty well. My lecture was better than yesterday and even my supervising teacher noticed that I made changes based on his advice :)
The varying dynamics of our three classes is really interesting, too. If you can get a lesson to work in 1st period, then you know it will work in the other two classes. 4th period is so quiet and calm that today you could have heard a feather drop on the carpeting, which is kind of intimidating in a strange way. And then there is 5th period- a lively bunch falling somewhere on the spectrum in between 1st and 4th period. Everything takes longer in 5th period because some of them talk incessantly and they ask a lot of questions (which is good, just time consuming). So at least all of our kids keep me on my toes, and I will certainly learn a lot from these upcoming weeks.
Coming up tomorrow- Rocking the boat, Part 2, during which we will observe 1st period's reaction to the seating arrangements. This promises to be verrrrrry interesting.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Day 5- The Real "Day 1"
Woohoo! We made it! We survived our first 100 minutes as teachers! We introduced the students to Westward Expansion in the latter half of the 1800s, covering the very basics. The lesson probably could have been infinitely more exciting, but it was definitely informative. It wasn't perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement, but it was largely successful. First period is going to be the more difficult of the three classes we are working with in terms of behavior problems and classroom management challenges, so I am going to have to work on my sternness and become more firm about my expectations. I also need to not be afraid to tell students to stop talking and get back to work.
However, at the same time, I also need to make my lessons engaging and active. Today's lesson was based off of the typical lesson structure to which these students are accustomed: introductory lecture, book work, worksheet. I do not think I will be relying on this structure ever again, but Carrie and I didn't want to rock the boat too quickly, so to speak. Our students like to talk and they like to work in groups. The key is going to be harnessing their energy so that they are actually productive while they are in groups, instead of talking about the latest high school drama.
In the area of changing and improving, we rearranged the desks in the classroom so that they in more of an arc shape, which will hopefully help focus the students' attention towards the front of the room and be more conducive to discussions. We also plan to re-seat the students alphabetically by their first names, anticipating that this will break up some of the chatty sections of the class. I will also be enhancing the presentation I gave today, hoping that tomorrow will be better than today (always striving for improvement!)
Here's how I looked after my first real day:
I look pretty sane and put together, eh? Let's hope it lasts!
However, at the same time, I also need to make my lessons engaging and active. Today's lesson was based off of the typical lesson structure to which these students are accustomed: introductory lecture, book work, worksheet. I do not think I will be relying on this structure ever again, but Carrie and I didn't want to rock the boat too quickly, so to speak. Our students like to talk and they like to work in groups. The key is going to be harnessing their energy so that they are actually productive while they are in groups, instead of talking about the latest high school drama.
In the area of changing and improving, we rearranged the desks in the classroom so that they in more of an arc shape, which will hopefully help focus the students' attention towards the front of the room and be more conducive to discussions. We also plan to re-seat the students alphabetically by their first names, anticipating that this will break up some of the chatty sections of the class. I will also be enhancing the presentation I gave today, hoping that tomorrow will be better than today (always striving for improvement!)
Here's how I looked after my first real day:
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Day 4- Learning from Grading
Day 4 was on Friday the 22nd, but I had a busy weekend, so here I am on Sunday night finally getting around to posting an update.
Carrie and I spent most of Friday grading chapter 13 exams for the two of the classes we will be teaching... and it was more difficult than we expected. Most of the test had a clear-cut answer key to it, but the four questions with written answers presented us with some challenges. Our supervising teacher told us what he was looking for in the answers, but sometimes you have to really read into what a student writes in order to judge whether or not they have understood and answered the question. Carrie and I had lots of little conferences to ask, "What grade would you give this?" and "What do you think of what this student wrote?" Grading these exams allowed us to see where our students are in terms of writing "essay" answers. Some are excellent and some are not quite excellent. It is our hope that all students will know how to compose a good short essay by the end of the next nine weeks. Grading also helped us realize that our lives will be much easier if we make detailed rubrics for both the students and ourselves; when it comes to grading, the expectations will be much clearer if everyone has a rubric to which they can refer. Looking at tests and assignments are a good way to interpret not only what the students know, but how effective your teaching was, so I am sure we will be using tests and assignments frequently to reflect on these issues throughout the internship.
Carrie and I spent most of Friday grading chapter 13 exams for the two of the classes we will be teaching... and it was more difficult than we expected. Most of the test had a clear-cut answer key to it, but the four questions with written answers presented us with some challenges. Our supervising teacher told us what he was looking for in the answers, but sometimes you have to really read into what a student writes in order to judge whether or not they have understood and answered the question. Carrie and I had lots of little conferences to ask, "What grade would you give this?" and "What do you think of what this student wrote?" Grading these exams allowed us to see where our students are in terms of writing "essay" answers. Some are excellent and some are not quite excellent. It is our hope that all students will know how to compose a good short essay by the end of the next nine weeks. Grading also helped us realize that our lives will be much easier if we make detailed rubrics for both the students and ourselves; when it comes to grading, the expectations will be much clearer if everyone has a rubric to which they can refer. Looking at tests and assignments are a good way to interpret not only what the students know, but how effective your teaching was, so I am sure we will be using tests and assignments frequently to reflect on these issues throughout the internship.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Day 3- Orientation
Today Carrie and I got to school and found out that at 8:30 we would be going to an internship orientation with two of the school's Assistant Principals. We were the first two interns to arrive and we helped ourselves to donuts and orange juice graciously supplied by the school. The AP who was already in the room told us that we would be starting with a "gallery walk," and thanks to my classes last semester, I actually knew what that was. Basically, there were three sets of posters and markers around the room, each with a different question written on them. We then went to each poster and responded to the question. Each intern did this, so that when we walked through the gallery later we could see how each person answered the question.
We also got a tour of the school's campus and even got to watch some fourth graders in action during their music class (it was rather adorable, I must say). Hopefully I am able to make it to some of the school's sporting and performing arts events this year, because I hear they are pretty good. Our last stop was at the media center where Carrie and I got our official school badges and lanyards. I think they are just the coolest things ever; mine makes me feel very teacher-y :)
So now I am back to planning. As we talked today, it kind of all hit me at once that this internship is for real and that in 5 days we are taking over the education of our 11th graders for 9 weeks. Yikes! There is so much to plan for so that we are prepared, but this is why we have a supervising teacher. Thank goodness for ProTeach. I would probably be going crazy right now if I had not gone through this graduate program.
We also got a tour of the school's campus and even got to watch some fourth graders in action during their music class (it was rather adorable, I must say). Hopefully I am able to make it to some of the school's sporting and performing arts events this year, because I hear they are pretty good. Our last stop was at the media center where Carrie and I got our official school badges and lanyards. I think they are just the coolest things ever; mine makes me feel very teacher-y :)
So now I am back to planning. As we talked today, it kind of all hit me at once that this internship is for real and that in 5 days we are taking over the education of our 11th graders for 9 weeks. Yikes! There is so much to plan for so that we are prepared, but this is why we have a supervising teacher. Thank goodness for ProTeach. I would probably be going crazy right now if I had not gone through this graduate program.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Day 2 - "Ms. St. George"
Day two went very well. Periods 4 and 5 have fewer students in them, so they actually noticed (unlike 1st period, which didn't seem to care) that Carrie and I were there, were happy to see us, and actively solicited our help during class. It's really weird (and intimidating in a "grown-up" way) being called "Ms. St. George," but I will admit that I was pretty excited the first time a student said it today :)
It was an easy day very much like yesterday. Since we are on a block schedule it takes us two days to see all of the students, so the lesson plan for yesterday and today was the same. The students have been reviewing for a test they are taking tomorrow and Friday, so Carrie and I will probably spend the rest of the week planning, planning, and planning, for next week!
It was an easy day very much like yesterday. Since we are on a block schedule it takes us two days to see all of the students, so the lesson plan for yesterday and today was the same. The students have been reviewing for a test they are taking tomorrow and Friday, so Carrie and I will probably spend the rest of the week planning, planning, and planning, for next week!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 1- Lots of Questions!
The first day of the internship went smoothly and was pretty uneventful. Carrie and I (Carrie is my internship partner) got to school this morning and went to our supervising teacher's classroom. I spent 3 weeks in his classroom back in September and October and one week in December, and he was very happy to see that he had not scared us out of coming back for the full time internship.
The school we are at works on a block schedule so today we saw period 1 (Regular American History) and period 2 (AP American History). 3rd period is planning time, so we ate a little lunch and asked our supervising teacher a ton of questions: When do you want us to take over the regular classes? How much should we hope to teach in the next 9 weeks? How do you want us to keep grades? Can we use the copy machine? It was a long list...
But to answer some of those questions, next Tuesday is the REALLY big day. The new semester is going to be starting and we are taking advantage of that time of transition to take over the instruction of the regular American History classes. So what does that mean for Carrie and I? We will be spending this week figuring out how we want to structure our classroom and planning lessons for the next chapter, which will probably take 2 weeks to cover. American History is taking us westward as the United States expand into the territory beyond the Mississippi River. (This is the part of US History that I haven't studied for about 8 years, so this is going to be a learning experience for both myself and the students!).
I have class tonight and then it is back to the classroom tomorrow to see periods 4 and 5!
The school we are at works on a block schedule so today we saw period 1 (Regular American History) and period 2 (AP American History). 3rd period is planning time, so we ate a little lunch and asked our supervising teacher a ton of questions: When do you want us to take over the regular classes? How much should we hope to teach in the next 9 weeks? How do you want us to keep grades? Can we use the copy machine? It was a long list...
But to answer some of those questions, next Tuesday is the REALLY big day. The new semester is going to be starting and we are taking advantage of that time of transition to take over the instruction of the regular American History classes. So what does that mean for Carrie and I? We will be spending this week figuring out how we want to structure our classroom and planning lessons for the next chapter, which will probably take 2 weeks to cover. American History is taking us westward as the United States expand into the territory beyond the Mississippi River. (This is the part of US History that I haven't studied for about 8 years, so this is going to be a learning experience for both myself and the students!).
I have class tonight and then it is back to the classroom tomorrow to see periods 4 and 5!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tomorrow is the Big Day!
On January 19, 2010 I will begin what is sure to be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I am going to start an internship as a student teacher that will last until March 29- that's 10 weeks! My partner and I will be teaching in an 11th grade American History class and we plan on rocking at it. In this first week we plan to ease into things, getting to know the students a little better, and figuring out exactly when we will be taking over the class. We should get a good 9 weeks or so of being in charge of things- I really can't believe they are letting us be responsible for the education of these students when we are still students ourselves!
The coolest thing about this experience is the safety of the internship environment. Under the guidance of our supervising teacher we have the freedom to try out whatever we want with the students. We can be brave when it comes to planning lessons and activities for the students and I am really excited to get going. The only thing I am not thrilled about is the early wake up time, but I knew what I was signing up for, so I will get used to it.
Hopefully my sanity will remain mostly intact and I will be able to update this blog regularly- follow my adventure as a student-teacher!
The coolest thing about this experience is the safety of the internship environment. Under the guidance of our supervising teacher we have the freedom to try out whatever we want with the students. We can be brave when it comes to planning lessons and activities for the students and I am really excited to get going. The only thing I am not thrilled about is the early wake up time, but I knew what I was signing up for, so I will get used to it.
Hopefully my sanity will remain mostly intact and I will be able to update this blog regularly- follow my adventure as a student-teacher!
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