As opposed to a 'nudder' person I know, I think this month will be easy. We had parent conferences the last two weeks, so those are over with. Last week, I had one workshop, tomorrow I have one and next week I have two for BTSA. So that's 4 less days of work this month. Not only do these workshops give me a break from my classes, but I think they are very helpful. Then we get one week for Thanksgiving.
This is my 7th week of teaching this year and things are getting a lot better in my classes. In my geometry classes, the homework turn-in rate is almost 100%. At parent-conferences, we set up many academic contracts so many of my students will be attending mandatory tutoring. Hopefully, this translates to higher student achievement.
I am also seeing some gains in my pre-algebra class. There is very little whining about taking notes and transition times are getting smaller. My problem in that class are the few students who are there to do the exact opposite of what they are supposed to.
Overall, my classes are doing much better. I am having more happy days than I am stressful days. I feel at this point I am focusing less on teaching my students procedures and more on teaching them math.
Goal for next two days: catch up with grading.
About Me
Monday, November 9, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Work, work, work
This is my first post in a couple of weeks, I think. I haven't had much time to write a blog since I have had a lot of grading and I do not have internet at home. It's also the first time since I started working that I am caught up with grading. Today was the last day of the first quarter, so I have some work to grade this weekend.
After three whole weeks of teaching, I think my students are still adjusting to my procedures and teaching style. My Geometry students pretty much understand. My Algebra Readiness students are still getting there, but I have definitely seen some improvement since I have started. Basically, I want my students to know that when they are in my class, they need to be working.
I have also gotten use to the way things work at our school. Monday, we start a brand new quarter. I think with all the things I have tried first quarter, I know what to do better to make second quarter run more smoothly.
One thing, for example, is my discipline policy. I started to follow through with my warnings and assign after-school detentions. I will be continuing that. The students have been responding to that. I think after another round of detentions, most of my students will understand my procedures quite well.
Another thing is homework submission. I collect my Geometry homework every week; on either Friday or the following Monday. I like it because I am grading the entire thing for one or two days and the rest of my week is more open. However, I have noticed that some of my students don't do well on the homework for Thursdays and Fridays. Therefore, I am going to start checking homework sometime during the end of the week just to keep my students on track.
I wanted to at least make contact with all of the parents, but I fell behind on that. I will try in the next couple of weeks to do that.
On top of all that, I have to work on professional development.
One quarter of the year is done. I am looking forward for the rest of the year.
Goals for this weekend: finish grading, lesson plan for next week.
After three whole weeks of teaching, I think my students are still adjusting to my procedures and teaching style. My Geometry students pretty much understand. My Algebra Readiness students are still getting there, but I have definitely seen some improvement since I have started. Basically, I want my students to know that when they are in my class, they need to be working.
I have also gotten use to the way things work at our school. Monday, we start a brand new quarter. I think with all the things I have tried first quarter, I know what to do better to make second quarter run more smoothly.
One thing, for example, is my discipline policy. I started to follow through with my warnings and assign after-school detentions. I will be continuing that. The students have been responding to that. I think after another round of detentions, most of my students will understand my procedures quite well.
Another thing is homework submission. I collect my Geometry homework every week; on either Friday or the following Monday. I like it because I am grading the entire thing for one or two days and the rest of my week is more open. However, I have noticed that some of my students don't do well on the homework for Thursdays and Fridays. Therefore, I am going to start checking homework sometime during the end of the week just to keep my students on track.
I wanted to at least make contact with all of the parents, but I fell behind on that. I will try in the next couple of weeks to do that.
On top of all that, I have to work on professional development.
One quarter of the year is done. I am looking forward for the rest of the year.
Goals for this weekend: finish grading, lesson plan for next week.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Adjusting
I feel like I am getting adjusted pretty well. The staff has welcomed me as one of their own so quickly. They are a great support. It is a different story for my students.
I did not expect my students to adjust to me right away. In fact, I haven't gotten to the point where I am getting frustrated. However, I did write a referral for one of my students. He was not working and writing on a girl's arm. I expect that most of my students will be adjusted to me and my style by the end of next week.
My 3rd period has been the most difficult for me to handle. Yesterday, I kept the entire class after school for a few minutes. My instructional aide kept track of the students causing the most distractions and called home that night. Today, I made my students line up outside, come in quietly and start the warm-up a few times. Tomorrow, I am setting a new seating chart. I know some of my students think I am picking on them, but I plan on doing all this until my students learn how to behave.
Tomorrow, I plan on planning for next week. This should help things run a little smoother next week.
I did not expect my students to adjust to me right away. In fact, I haven't gotten to the point where I am getting frustrated. However, I did write a referral for one of my students. He was not working and writing on a girl's arm. I expect that most of my students will be adjusted to me and my style by the end of next week.
My 3rd period has been the most difficult for me to handle. Yesterday, I kept the entire class after school for a few minutes. My instructional aide kept track of the students causing the most distractions and called home that night. Today, I made my students line up outside, come in quietly and start the warm-up a few times. Tomorrow, I am setting a new seating chart. I know some of my students think I am picking on them, but I plan on doing all this until my students learn how to behave.
Tomorrow, I plan on planning for next week. This should help things run a little smoother next week.
Monday, September 28, 2009
First Full Day
Today was my first full day at my new school. I pretty much had to hit the ground running. I was forewarned that I had to be stern with my students and let them know that I am not there to be their friend.
I am fortunate in that I only have approximately 90 students. My two Geometry classes are blocks, so I have them for two periods each. Today, I introduced my myself, then we went over a group quiz the students took on Thursday. They are preparing for a test tomorrow. On Wednesday, we start a new unit.
Then I have an Algebra readiness class. This class has 36 students, but I think it was my better class today. I introduced myself and immediately started a lesson on solving one-step equations using the addition and subtracting properties of equality. I would have liked to play a fun name-game, but according to the pacing guide, the students were already one day behind. I think we caught up today though. Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be going over multiplication and division properties of equality. Friday, we will tie them all together and solve two-step equations.
During my prep and after school, I set up my room some more. I unpacked some items I have and rearranged my desk. My room is still bland, but hopefully over time I will collect some posters and student work to post on the walls. I have attached some photos of my room before I rearranged my desk.
Tomorrow, I'm going in early to staple 50 tests since the copier was out of staples. :/
I am fortunate in that I only have approximately 90 students. My two Geometry classes are blocks, so I have them for two periods each. Today, I introduced my myself, then we went over a group quiz the students took on Thursday. They are preparing for a test tomorrow. On Wednesday, we start a new unit.
Then I have an Algebra readiness class. This class has 36 students, but I think it was my better class today. I introduced myself and immediately started a lesson on solving one-step equations using the addition and subtracting properties of equality. I would have liked to play a fun name-game, but according to the pacing guide, the students were already one day behind. I think we caught up today though. Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be going over multiplication and division properties of equality. Friday, we will tie them all together and solve two-step equations.
During my prep and after school, I set up my room some more. I unpacked some items I have and rearranged my desk. My room is still bland, but hopefully over time I will collect some posters and student work to post on the walls. I have attached some photos of my room before I rearranged my desk.
Tomorrow, I'm going in early to staple 50 tests since the copier was out of staples. :/
Friday, September 25, 2009
It's Official!
Monday is my first official day of work. However, I went in today for an orientation. I am teaching two block of Geometry and one block of Algebra support. All 9th graders. After the orientation, I went to observe my last block. [I'm not going to talk about the orientation. It's too boring.]
When I walked in, the students were [supposed to be] working on a group quiz. The seats are already arranged in groups of five. The 27 students were set up in groups of 4 (one of them three). For my standards, these students were way too rowdy. There has been a substitute teacher for the past month and she has been at the school for a year and a half. However, her classroom management has not been established. On Monday, she will still be there to ease the transition, but I asked her to simply introduce me so the students are not too shocked. I plan to take over right away by giving the students a little background about myself and going over the classroom rules and expectations. It doesn't hurt to review those once in awhile.
The whole time I spent helping students with their group quizzes. In fact, I brought them home to grade! Luckily, I only have to grade one quiz from each group.
After school, two students stayed because they had a conflict to resolve. One student came forward to complain about the other student and how he is a distraction to him. He wanted him moved to another group. It was funny to listen to the student tell the sub and me that the other student doesn't know when it appropriate to talk and when it is time to shut up. I don't think I have ever seen such a cordial argument from two 9th graders before. The sub suggested that the student who brought forward the complaint be moved. I suggested that they try it one (or two) more days since they have a test on Tuesday. I figure since I will take over on Monday, things might be a little different. Plus, I think Wednesday would be a good day to make a new seating chart since they have been in the same seats for a month and they start a new unit on that day. Afterward, the sub told me that the complainant cannot be seated with just anyone. There is one group of students that mistreat him and one student copies off of him. This shouldn't be too hard to deal with though.
After that, I brought in some materials I had. On Monday, I'll bring in my books and start setting up my classroom. Maybe I'll take some pictures and post them up too!
Goal for this weekend: Grade quizzes, lesson plan for Monday (maybe the week), and make printouts of rules and expectations to post on wall.
When I walked in, the students were [supposed to be] working on a group quiz. The seats are already arranged in groups of five. The 27 students were set up in groups of 4 (one of them three). For my standards, these students were way too rowdy. There has been a substitute teacher for the past month and she has been at the school for a year and a half. However, her classroom management has not been established. On Monday, she will still be there to ease the transition, but I asked her to simply introduce me so the students are not too shocked. I plan to take over right away by giving the students a little background about myself and going over the classroom rules and expectations. It doesn't hurt to review those once in awhile.
The whole time I spent helping students with their group quizzes. In fact, I brought them home to grade! Luckily, I only have to grade one quiz from each group.
After school, two students stayed because they had a conflict to resolve. One student came forward to complain about the other student and how he is a distraction to him. He wanted him moved to another group. It was funny to listen to the student tell the sub and me that the other student doesn't know when it appropriate to talk and when it is time to shut up. I don't think I have ever seen such a cordial argument from two 9th graders before. The sub suggested that the student who brought forward the complaint be moved. I suggested that they try it one (or two) more days since they have a test on Tuesday. I figure since I will take over on Monday, things might be a little different. Plus, I think Wednesday would be a good day to make a new seating chart since they have been in the same seats for a month and they start a new unit on that day. Afterward, the sub told me that the complainant cannot be seated with just anyone. There is one group of students that mistreat him and one student copies off of him. This shouldn't be too hard to deal with though.
After that, I brought in some materials I had. On Monday, I'll bring in my books and start setting up my classroom. Maybe I'll take some pictures and post them up too!
Goal for this weekend: Grade quizzes, lesson plan for Monday (maybe the week), and make printouts of rules and expectations to post on wall.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Job offer
First blog of the new school year. It's time to go back and look through my old entries.
Summer break is almost over! Normally, I wouldn't be so excited to say that, but I just got a call today with a job offer. I will be working at a junior high! This is exciting for me because I had been to ten or more interviews; all saying no, including this school.
On my way back from the interview, I ran into my old computer-class teacher who is now principal of our elementary school. He told me the students at the district I interviewed at our rowdy and the staff really get into politics, but the pay scale is good. That is fine. I can deal with rowdy students and I don't really get into politics.
I guess one of the people they chose either backed out or did not check out. Either way, I have a job. That means I can keep writing in this blog.
I don't know how many more days of break I have. I need to go through the hiring process and school already started for them. I know that I will be spending those days moving into my new place and organizing my things.
Summer break is almost over! Normally, I wouldn't be so excited to say that, but I just got a call today with a job offer. I will be working at a junior high! This is exciting for me because I had been to ten or more interviews; all saying no, including this school.
On my way back from the interview, I ran into my old computer-class teacher who is now principal of our elementary school. He told me the students at the district I interviewed at our rowdy and the staff really get into politics, but the pay scale is good. That is fine. I can deal with rowdy students and I don't really get into politics.
I guess one of the people they chose either backed out or did not check out. Either way, I have a job. That means I can keep writing in this blog.
I don't know how many more days of break I have. I need to go through the hiring process and school already started for them. I know that I will be spending those days moving into my new place and organizing my things.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Post #3 Class in the Year 2020
What will my class be like in the year 2020? The year 2020 is 11 years from now. Assuming my class in the year 2020 is a 9th grade class, those students are currently age three or four. They are pre-school students. It's interesting to think that.
Last year, I worked off of the notion that some of my students had a computer at home and others did not. Also, some of those that did have a computer at home may not have had the appropriate skills or resources to access certain applications; for example, high-speed internet. We spent a lot of class-time in the computer lab working on projects. It also took a lot of individual attention to get students on track with their project. I think that if more students have internet at home, they can do more of the work on their own.
Since the current pre-schoolers are digital-natives, or people born with digital technologies, by the time they reach high school, most, if not all, well have adequate training and resources at home to access the internet. That means there will be more class-time for lessons and activities. I can also create a central location for students to retrieve information. Lastly, it means students will be able to complete more of their projects at home.
Last year, I worked off of the notion that some of my students had a computer at home and others did not. Also, some of those that did have a computer at home may not have had the appropriate skills or resources to access certain applications; for example, high-speed internet. We spent a lot of class-time in the computer lab working on projects. It also took a lot of individual attention to get students on track with their project. I think that if more students have internet at home, they can do more of the work on their own.
Since the current pre-schoolers are digital-natives, or people born with digital technologies, by the time they reach high school, most, if not all, well have adequate training and resources at home to access the internet. That means there will be more class-time for lessons and activities. I can also create a central location for students to retrieve information. Lastly, it means students will be able to complete more of their projects at home.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Post #2 Audio about Digital Story
I will also be pulling photos from the internet to space out the pictures of myself. Any ideas of pictures I should put up? What about effects?
Push PLAY
Push PLAY
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Post #1 End of the year
The school year is over. Our last day was a fun day at Boomers. I played some arcades, rode the go-carts, played laser tag and swung at some balls in the batting cage. Oh yeah, I also supervised my students. It was fun. I was pretty tired afterwards.
That is not the event I want to talk about though. The event was mentioned in my last blog post and I still want to talk about it. Towards the end of the year, a couple of my 3rd period students and I were having a casual conversation about the class and how they are doing. Their concern was regarding what they could do to get out of a failing grade. Unfortunately, it was a little too late. The conversation tended to the comment "What happened? You used to be so chill?"
There are many ways teachers create an effective classroom environment. One method I heard while in the EDS program was not to smile until after winter break. It expresses to the students that you are serious about your job and that you shall not be messed with. That was kind of the attitude I wanted to go in with, but that didn't really happen. I got my job early in August and I started on August 12. I really didn't have a lot of time to prepare myself since I had summer classes up to that day. On the first day I tended toward my natural attitude which is warm and friendly. Ask around. I'm sure people will agree.
I would support the idea that it would be appropriate to keep this attitude for a couple of weeks so students become comfortable enough to be in your class and to approach you. After those weeks, it's time for business. However, in my situation, I could not change my demeanor. There were only a few times when my students got me in a bad mood. Usually I was in a happy mood. I was happy to be in my classroom, teaching my students.
In my last blog post, I said I would try something else and be a serious teacher from the very beginning. We shall see what happens. I feel that you do not have to front a serious attitude to make your students believe you are serious about your job.
Enjoy a song:
End of the Road-Boyz II Men
That is not the event I want to talk about though. The event was mentioned in my last blog post and I still want to talk about it. Towards the end of the year, a couple of my 3rd period students and I were having a casual conversation about the class and how they are doing. Their concern was regarding what they could do to get out of a failing grade. Unfortunately, it was a little too late. The conversation tended to the comment "What happened? You used to be so chill?"
There are many ways teachers create an effective classroom environment. One method I heard while in the EDS program was not to smile until after winter break. It expresses to the students that you are serious about your job and that you shall not be messed with. That was kind of the attitude I wanted to go in with, but that didn't really happen. I got my job early in August and I started on August 12. I really didn't have a lot of time to prepare myself since I had summer classes up to that day. On the first day I tended toward my natural attitude which is warm and friendly. Ask around. I'm sure people will agree.
I would support the idea that it would be appropriate to keep this attitude for a couple of weeks so students become comfortable enough to be in your class and to approach you. After those weeks, it's time for business. However, in my situation, I could not change my demeanor. There were only a few times when my students got me in a bad mood. Usually I was in a happy mood. I was happy to be in my classroom, teaching my students.
In my last blog post, I said I would try something else and be a serious teacher from the very beginning. We shall see what happens. I feel that you do not have to front a serious attitude to make your students believe you are serious about your job.
Enjoy a song:
End of the Road-Boyz II Men
Monday, June 8, 2009
Last week of school
It is the last week of school. We have four more days left with the students. Then two more days of clean-up and check-out. The students are definitely ready for the summer; as am I. This has been a long year, however, I still remember the first day. Since we have a block schedule, it was like two first days. I introduced myself, told them a little bit about my background, and started to get to know the students. It was fun to think of ways to get to know the students.
Going into it, I was very excited. In the beginning, I tended to have a positive, friendly attitude towards the students. That is just how I am. At some point, I decided in needed to be less of a friend and more of a teacher. The students here do not put in a lot of effort as not a lot of effort is expected of them. I guess I can say that they are accustommed to doing the minimum to get by. What I mean by being more of a teacher is expecting more from my students.
Towards the beginning, I would give my students time in class to work and let them decide if they are going to work or not. Watching other 9th grade teachers, I noticed they do not let them decide. In their classes, their students are working all the time. I think, at the point, I decided to try that out.
I started being more strict; lowering the amount of free-time, bathroom breaks and wasting time. The students noticed that change in management; which is good. In fact, one student asked me last week "What happened? You used to be so chill." I don't want to be chill. I want my students to learn that they will have to learn how to use their time responsibly and that it will take a lot of effort to graduate with good grades.
Next year, I plan on being less "chill" and more strict with how my students use their time from the very beginning.
Going into it, I was very excited. In the beginning, I tended to have a positive, friendly attitude towards the students. That is just how I am. At some point, I decided in needed to be less of a friend and more of a teacher. The students here do not put in a lot of effort as not a lot of effort is expected of them. I guess I can say that they are accustommed to doing the minimum to get by. What I mean by being more of a teacher is expecting more from my students.
Towards the beginning, I would give my students time in class to work and let them decide if they are going to work or not. Watching other 9th grade teachers, I noticed they do not let them decide. In their classes, their students are working all the time. I think, at the point, I decided to try that out.
I started being more strict; lowering the amount of free-time, bathroom breaks and wasting time. The students noticed that change in management; which is good. In fact, one student asked me last week "What happened? You used to be so chill." I don't want to be chill. I want my students to learn that they will have to learn how to use their time responsibly and that it will take a lot of effort to graduate with good grades.
Next year, I plan on being less "chill" and more strict with how my students use their time from the very beginning.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Winding down
It's been awhile since my last post. I have been wanting to blog for awhile now. Seeing as though my students are taking a quiz right now, I have some time to do so. The main thing happening is that the year is starting to wind down. Some students are starting to tune out for the year. A lot of them, however are seeing this as their last chance to do what they can to make up their grades. It's interesting to see this change in...[thinks about the right word]...effort.
All year, we (teachers) have been trying hard to get our students to do their work. Despite all the warnings, making ourselves available after school, parent conferences, second chances, our students wait until the last minute. Now it is clear that these students have had this compassion. I have seen a couple of students turn their grade around in my class last week. I'm still trying what I can to help the others pass.
I'm also concerned with their level of thinking. Right now, they are in survival-mode. They are doing what the can to get at least a C so they do not have to take summer school or repeat Algebra next year. They are not actively engaged in learning. In the long run, this will not help their academics. I guess that is why it is so hard to teach 9th grade, or be a 9th grader.
I hope these students that I speak of can use this as a learning experience. If they had been putting in that much effort all year long, they would not be in this situation. They would be passing and actually learning something. Next year, I hope they can say "I don't want pull a 'freshman-year'" or "I don't want to repeat Algebra again".
All year, we (teachers) have been trying hard to get our students to do their work. Despite all the warnings, making ourselves available after school, parent conferences, second chances, our students wait until the last minute. Now it is clear that these students have had this compassion. I have seen a couple of students turn their grade around in my class last week. I'm still trying what I can to help the others pass.
I'm also concerned with their level of thinking. Right now, they are in survival-mode. They are doing what the can to get at least a C so they do not have to take summer school or repeat Algebra next year. They are not actively engaged in learning. In the long run, this will not help their academics. I guess that is why it is so hard to teach 9th grade, or be a 9th grader.
I hope these students that I speak of can use this as a learning experience. If they had been putting in that much effort all year long, they would not be in this situation. They would be passing and actually learning something. Next year, I hope they can say "I don't want pull a 'freshman-year'" or "I don't want to repeat Algebra again".
Friday, April 17, 2009
To B or to A?
Yesterday I was thinking, there is one girl in my class who does all the work. She comes to class and immediately gets started on the warm-up. She turns in her all her homework and completes all of the assignments. Yet, despite all of her hard work, she doesn't do very well on the assessments. I believe she could be doing more to improve her grade, but she currently has a solid B in my class. What I am saying is that she should be getting an A.
I am wondering: Is that the way it usually works? I am trying to think back to my math classes in high school and in college. Actually, I probably shouldn't compare my high school classes. I was an awesome math student. In college, I tried al the homework and did about average on the exams. I think my grades in my math courses were influenced more by the exams than anything else. So, if that was the case in my math class, she would not be passing right now.
But that was college. This is high school. I do not plan on changing the structure of my class. I think her grade is a fair representation of her abilities and effort. I am showing concern because I am also her advisor. I do think that she is going to have to raise her grade though. Oh and she has a C- in guitar (her lowest grade). What's up with that?
I am wondering: Is that the way it usually works? I am trying to think back to my math classes in high school and in college. Actually, I probably shouldn't compare my high school classes. I was an awesome math student. In college, I tried al the homework and did about average on the exams. I think my grades in my math courses were influenced more by the exams than anything else. So, if that was the case in my math class, she would not be passing right now.
But that was college. This is high school. I do not plan on changing the structure of my class. I think her grade is a fair representation of her abilities and effort. I am showing concern because I am also her advisor. I do think that she is going to have to raise her grade though. Oh and she has a C- in guitar (her lowest grade). What's up with that?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Long, hard week
I know, I know. It's been awhile since I've blogged. Frankly, you would probably hear the same old thing over and over. That's probably not a good intro sentence. Let me try again.
Today my students were being little kids. I'm not talking about the adorable/charming kinds. I'm talking about the annoying, fart-sound-making, giggling at fart sounds kinds. You would think that they get the idea by now. "You're in high school. Start acting like it." I've gone over how to act like a mature high school student before.
Thinking about it now, I think I'm being too nice. I think tomorrow, I'm going to pick up a fresh stack of detention slips. Or maybe have them come during lunch for a lunch detention for making fart noises.
Well, thinking about it again, I don't think it's because I'm being too nice. I've been very preoccupied these past couple of weeks. Last week, I got a good taste of what it will be like working full-time. Last weekend, my subject area leader had his baby. He was out for the week so he asked me to cover his classes. I gladly obliged. The extra money is substantial. So during every prep period I had last week, I was covering one of his classes. I covered one AP calculus class. That was easy. I told them what sections they needed to study for the test and they got right to it and studied the entire period.
I also covered three of his Algebra I classes. For those, he had me start chapter six. So I didn't get to do the cumbersome substitute thing and babysit them. I actually carried on with his curriculum. This took time I could have used for prepping or working on UCSD work. So instead, I was there before and after school doing that.
By the end of the week, I was exhausted. No preps the entire week. Teaching my own classes, on top of that, teaching his classes, staying for tutoring and watching personal project presentations on Friday after school was a bit overwhelming. Needless to say, the weekend was well-deserved.
I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. I definitely need to be more strict and more consistent with my discipline. Sometimes I feel I don't want to deal with discipline, but I can't relegate to that sort of behavior yet. I'm not old enough.
Merit-pay for teachers?
Today my students were being little kids. I'm not talking about the adorable/charming kinds. I'm talking about the annoying, fart-sound-making, giggling at fart sounds kinds. You would think that they get the idea by now. "You're in high school. Start acting like it." I've gone over how to act like a mature high school student before.
Thinking about it now, I think I'm being too nice. I think tomorrow, I'm going to pick up a fresh stack of detention slips. Or maybe have them come during lunch for a lunch detention for making fart noises.
Well, thinking about it again, I don't think it's because I'm being too nice. I've been very preoccupied these past couple of weeks. Last week, I got a good taste of what it will be like working full-time. Last weekend, my subject area leader had his baby. He was out for the week so he asked me to cover his classes. I gladly obliged. The extra money is substantial. So during every prep period I had last week, I was covering one of his classes. I covered one AP calculus class. That was easy. I told them what sections they needed to study for the test and they got right to it and studied the entire period.
I also covered three of his Algebra I classes. For those, he had me start chapter six. So I didn't get to do the cumbersome substitute thing and babysit them. I actually carried on with his curriculum. This took time I could have used for prepping or working on UCSD work. So instead, I was there before and after school doing that.
By the end of the week, I was exhausted. No preps the entire week. Teaching my own classes, on top of that, teaching his classes, staying for tutoring and watching personal project presentations on Friday after school was a bit overwhelming. Needless to say, the weekend was well-deserved.
I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. I definitely need to be more strict and more consistent with my discipline. Sometimes I feel I don't want to deal with discipline, but I can't relegate to that sort of behavior yet. I'm not old enough.
Merit-pay for teachers?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Slope equals rise over run
I'm beginning to realize what it might be like next year. Maybe not.
In case you haven't heard, I got an offer to teach Algebra I and Algebra II next year at Guajome. Woohoo! ***I say offer because I haven't accepted the position yet. I am definitely keeping my options open.*** That's a step up! Or maybe 2 steps up for every one step to the right, depending on the slope...
...Anyways stop laughing, I'm not complaining, but a colleague of mine was out today and I subbed for her Algebra II class for 3 periods straight. Then I still had to go to my advisory and then teach my last period. I didn't get a break (except for lunch). It won't that hectic next year of course. I will have a prep first period and collaboration 2nd. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that that's 1st block everyday. I won't have the need to rush to work everyday. The only drawback is that I won't have my own classroom. :( I don't have one as of right now anyways. I'm am going to try to push for one. It's such a pain to be one of the "traveling teachers". I could probably manage. I've been doing that this year, so it shouldn't be a determining factor. It would be nice to say that I've worked at a particular school for 2 years and it would be much much easier than going around, filling out applications and going to interviews. I will definitely keep Blogger updated.
What happened today? The Algebra II classes are great. It was the third time subbing for them this year. I think they've started to like my style.
My Algebra I class, what a bunch of 4th graders. The first half of class, we worked in the computer lab on our linearity project. For the 2nd half, we went back to the classroom and I taught a lesson on graphing linear equations. As I was getting started, many of the students were wasting time trying to acquire a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. I must have thought it was a bit entertaining because I stopped and watched for a while. Seriously, for about 5 minutes, students were arguing about who is borrowing a pencil from who, demanding paper from other people, playing tug-o-war with pens, etc. After about a good five minutes I stopped them and told them something to the effect that they need to come to class prepared with pencils and paper handy. Also, I usually provide those materials. They know that. Finally I said, if they didn't have those materials, too bad, they're not taking notes. Magically, every student had a sheet of paper on their desk and a writing utensil in the hand. I was really amazed. Really. The rest of the day actually turned out well; better than usual. I finished my lesson, even though we had less time then I had planned, with time left over to start the homework. I was content with them at the end.
Also, one of my freshman girls thinks I was a bully in high school and my middle school students think I was once part of a gang. More on that to come.
I need to learn some organizational skills.
In case you haven't heard, I got an offer to teach Algebra I and Algebra II next year at Guajome. Woohoo! ***I say offer because I haven't accepted the position yet. I am definitely keeping my options open.*** That's a step up! Or maybe 2 steps up for every one step to the right, depending on the slope...
...Anyways stop laughing, I'm not complaining, but a colleague of mine was out today and I subbed for her Algebra II class for 3 periods straight. Then I still had to go to my advisory and then teach my last period. I didn't get a break (except for lunch). It won't that hectic next year of course. I will have a prep first period and collaboration 2nd. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that that's 1st block everyday. I won't have the need to rush to work everyday. The only drawback is that I won't have my own classroom. :( I don't have one as of right now anyways. I'm am going to try to push for one. It's such a pain to be one of the "traveling teachers". I could probably manage. I've been doing that this year, so it shouldn't be a determining factor. It would be nice to say that I've worked at a particular school for 2 years and it would be much much easier than going around, filling out applications and going to interviews. I will definitely keep Blogger updated.
What happened today? The Algebra II classes are great. It was the third time subbing for them this year. I think they've started to like my style.
My Algebra I class, what a bunch of 4th graders. The first half of class, we worked in the computer lab on our linearity project. For the 2nd half, we went back to the classroom and I taught a lesson on graphing linear equations. As I was getting started, many of the students were wasting time trying to acquire a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. I must have thought it was a bit entertaining because I stopped and watched for a while. Seriously, for about 5 minutes, students were arguing about who is borrowing a pencil from who, demanding paper from other people, playing tug-o-war with pens, etc. After about a good five minutes I stopped them and told them something to the effect that they need to come to class prepared with pencils and paper handy. Also, I usually provide those materials. They know that. Finally I said, if they didn't have those materials, too bad, they're not taking notes. Magically, every student had a sheet of paper on their desk and a writing utensil in the hand. I was really amazed. Really. The rest of the day actually turned out well; better than usual. I finished my lesson, even though we had less time then I had planned, with time left over to start the homework. I was content with them at the end.
Also, one of my freshman girls thinks I was a bully in high school and my middle school students think I was once part of a gang. More on that to come.
I need to learn some organizational skills.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Necessary evil?
I have been reflecting on my pacing for my curriculum and frankly, I wish I had done things a little differently. Often times, I hear a lot of complaints among my follow interns about district-mandated pacing-guides and benchmarks. Sometimes, not all the time, I wish I wasn't thrown in the deep-end of the curriculum-pool.
The only thing I have to help me decide what to teach is a textbook. I mean, of course, there is my subject-leader and the other math teachers that I have for support, but they don't help unless I ask. I do ask and we meet every month, but I wish there was more collaboration between me and the other Algebra teacher; who is also my subject-leader.
Since we are a charter school, we don't follow a pacing guide, nor do we get benchmarked to see if we are following the pace. I'm glad I am trusted to teach the way I want to teach. I was told to try to teach the four big topics in Algebra. They are broad topics. However, the pacing is all up to me. I hear about how some interns have pre-made lesson plans, homework and tests. I spend a lot of my prep, making homework packets and tests.
We just finished a lesson on factoring polynomials, something I picked up in high school pretty easily. However, my students were not so quick to grasp the concept. I think I did almost all I could to teach factoring polynomials, yet most of them did not do very well on the test. Since I need to move on and get to the other topics, I've decided to continue and not re-teach this unit.
I think next year, I will postpone factoring polynomials until after we graph linear equations. Also, I will probably spend the summer creating my own pacing-guide. To answer the question, I don't think pacing-guides are necessary, but they are evil.
The only thing I have to help me decide what to teach is a textbook. I mean, of course, there is my subject-leader and the other math teachers that I have for support, but they don't help unless I ask. I do ask and we meet every month, but I wish there was more collaboration between me and the other Algebra teacher; who is also my subject-leader.
Since we are a charter school, we don't follow a pacing guide, nor do we get benchmarked to see if we are following the pace. I'm glad I am trusted to teach the way I want to teach. I was told to try to teach the four big topics in Algebra. They are broad topics. However, the pacing is all up to me. I hear about how some interns have pre-made lesson plans, homework and tests. I spend a lot of my prep, making homework packets and tests.
We just finished a lesson on factoring polynomials, something I picked up in high school pretty easily. However, my students were not so quick to grasp the concept. I think I did almost all I could to teach factoring polynomials, yet most of them did not do very well on the test. Since I need to move on and get to the other topics, I've decided to continue and not re-teach this unit.
I think next year, I will postpone factoring polynomials until after we graph linear equations. Also, I will probably spend the summer creating my own pacing-guide. To answer the question, I don't think pacing-guides are necessary, but they are evil.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Reflecting on Monday 020909
What worked
Originally I had planned a quiz on factoring trinomials. Instead, I wanted my students to reflect on the Algebra tiles activity and try to synthesize their thoughts on paper. First, I reviewed the procedure of factoring trinomials with the class. I also pointed out the connections between that and the Algebra tiles. It appears that my students can see the connections when I point them out.
What didn't work
When I had them think about the connections they saw and write them on paper, they were not able to write their thoughts in their own words. When I tried to probe deeper thinking, they were not able to get past the most simple connections.
Plans for next time
I hope they were able to at least visualize what it means to factor a trinomial. Next time I have to review multiplying and/or factoring polynomials, I will utilize the Algebra tiles and revisit those connections.
Originally I had planned a quiz on factoring trinomials. Instead, I wanted my students to reflect on the Algebra tiles activity and try to synthesize their thoughts on paper. First, I reviewed the procedure of factoring trinomials with the class. I also pointed out the connections between that and the Algebra tiles. It appears that my students can see the connections when I point them out.
What didn't work
When I had them think about the connections they saw and write them on paper, they were not able to write their thoughts in their own words. When I tried to probe deeper thinking, they were not able to get past the most simple connections.
Plans for next time
I hope they were able to at least visualize what it means to factor a trinomial. Next time I have to review multiplying and/or factoring polynomials, I will utilize the Algebra tiles and revisit those connections.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Reflecting on Tuesday and Thrusday
This week went by so quickly for me. It's hard for me to remember what happened because it has been such a blur. However, there are some things I need to hash out.
Tuesday
I taught a lesson on factoring trinomial squares. I think what is working is showing them multiple examples to try to cover as many possible cases as possible. This works for my students that are still concrete thinkers. It works for them because they will not get distracted or discouraged by the abstract ideas of trinomial squares. What is not working is getting my students to understand the importance of the relationship between factoring trinomial squares and FOIL. The way they are related is that FOIL checks the solution of the factoring. In other words, factoring is the reverse of FOIL. The reason this is important to realize is because my students have a tool they can use to check all their solutions. However, they do not check and they end up missing points on tests because of that.
For my next lesson, I do plan on explaining the concept of trinomials. The concept is that a trinomial represents the area of a rectangle and the factors represent the dimensions of the rectangle. By using Algebra tiles, I can connect the procedure of factoring trinomials to a visual representation.
Thursday
I taught a lesson on factoring trinomials directly and using Algebra tiles. The Algebra tiles worked really well. By the end of the period, almost all my students were understanding the lesson. The tiles helped my concrete-thinkers see the factoring in an abstract way. It is abstract there are many ways to configure the tiles, but there is only one way that will form a rectangle and lead you to the solution. Unfortunately, this method did not work for my students who prefer the direct way to factor trinomials. However, I taught them the direct procedure as well. Although they cannot picture how to arrange the tiles, they can work with the numbers and still get the right answer.
I think I could have done more to connect the procedure to the concept of factoring trinomials. In order for them to see the connection, I should have explained the correlations between the arrangements of the squares and how to factor the trinomials. For the next lesson, I plan on having my students reflect on the correlations by asking them guiding questions to see if they can discover it on their own. Either way, I think they will gain a deeper understanding of the concept of factoring trinomials.
Tuesday
I taught a lesson on factoring trinomial squares. I think what is working is showing them multiple examples to try to cover as many possible cases as possible. This works for my students that are still concrete thinkers. It works for them because they will not get distracted or discouraged by the abstract ideas of trinomial squares. What is not working is getting my students to understand the importance of the relationship between factoring trinomial squares and FOIL. The way they are related is that FOIL checks the solution of the factoring. In other words, factoring is the reverse of FOIL. The reason this is important to realize is because my students have a tool they can use to check all their solutions. However, they do not check and they end up missing points on tests because of that.
For my next lesson, I do plan on explaining the concept of trinomials. The concept is that a trinomial represents the area of a rectangle and the factors represent the dimensions of the rectangle. By using Algebra tiles, I can connect the procedure of factoring trinomials to a visual representation.
Thursday
I taught a lesson on factoring trinomials directly and using Algebra tiles. The Algebra tiles worked really well. By the end of the period, almost all my students were understanding the lesson. The tiles helped my concrete-thinkers see the factoring in an abstract way. It is abstract there are many ways to configure the tiles, but there is only one way that will form a rectangle and lead you to the solution. Unfortunately, this method did not work for my students who prefer the direct way to factor trinomials. However, I taught them the direct procedure as well. Although they cannot picture how to arrange the tiles, they can work with the numbers and still get the right answer.
I think I could have done more to connect the procedure to the concept of factoring trinomials. In order for them to see the connection, I should have explained the correlations between the arrangements of the squares and how to factor the trinomials. For the next lesson, I plan on having my students reflect on the correlations by asking them guiding questions to see if they can discover it on their own. Either way, I think they will gain a deeper understanding of the concept of factoring trinomials.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Name change
I changed the name of the blog. The reasons why: 1) It's apparent from the daily blog posts and the nature of the job that I am in the classroom everyday. 2) I try to include a lesson on life for myself and for others. Many things happen at work and I need to be able to reflect upon and learn from those things. Often times, those lessons apply to real life.
Two significant things happened today. The first one was I bought pizza for my advisory students. They were so thankful. One student even gave me a half-hug. Very awkward. Apparently, that is his favorite pizza. It was a little usual seeing some of my students be so kind. I bought them pizza because they won the kickball game last semester and because they have been improving on their participation in advisory.
The other significant event was me rushing through my lesson in 8th period. The lesson was taking longer than I had anticipated. If I want to finish the unit in the next two weeks, I need to keep the current pace I have planned. As much as I do not want to be grading tests Valentine's Day weekend, I need to get to the next unit; linear equations.
What I realized was that if I mess up, I don't really have the opportunity to fix it until the next class. I could revisit the lesson and patch up any holes next time, but the day ends at the same time everyday, whether I mess up or not.
Two significant things happened today. The first one was I bought pizza for my advisory students. They were so thankful. One student even gave me a half-hug. Very awkward. Apparently, that is his favorite pizza. It was a little usual seeing some of my students be so kind. I bought them pizza because they won the kickball game last semester and because they have been improving on their participation in advisory.
The other significant event was me rushing through my lesson in 8th period. The lesson was taking longer than I had anticipated. If I want to finish the unit in the next two weeks, I need to keep the current pace I have planned. As much as I do not want to be grading tests Valentine's Day weekend, I need to get to the next unit; linear equations.
What I realized was that if I mess up, I don't really have the opportunity to fix it until the next class. I could revisit the lesson and patch up any holes next time, but the day ends at the same time everyday, whether I mess up or not.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Good ol' times
My little 6th graders take me back; way back. Today, I had nothing planned for them. I usually get lazy on Thursdays. I made them do the daily quick write. Then, we went out to the computer lab. After about 10 minutes, another class came in. The teacher said he had it reserved for the whole period, so I brought my students into the classroom. Then I let them go outside if they wanted to. About half the class went outside. Since there were a couple of teachers in the computer lab outside the classroom, I spent the majority of the period watching the students who went outside.
Those that went outside started a game of soccer. It was really fun just watching my students play soccer. It reminded me of the time I was their age, playing soccer with all my friends. I remember running around, yelling all the slang and blocking the ball by throwing myself for dramatic effect (Priscilla's contribution). I would have played goalie, because I'm "giant", but I am still getting over this cold.
The other half of the students stayed inside. They were either playing with my board games, drawing or playing video games. Nothing too exciting there.
The rest of the day went okay.
I wanted to add something to yesterday's post about common sense. It's a good idea to try to think about what you do before you do it and how it will affect others. I bet if you really think ahead of time about doing something, you may reconsider going through with it.
Those that went outside started a game of soccer. It was really fun just watching my students play soccer. It reminded me of the time I was their age, playing soccer with all my friends. I remember running around, yelling all the slang and blocking the ball by throwing myself for dramatic effect (Priscilla's contribution). I would have played goalie, because I'm "giant", but I am still getting over this cold.
The other half of the students stayed inside. They were either playing with my board games, drawing or playing video games. Nothing too exciting there.
The rest of the day went okay.
I wanted to add something to yesterday's post about common sense. It's a good idea to try to think about what you do before you do it and how it will affect others. I bet if you really think ahead of time about doing something, you may reconsider going through with it.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
No common sense
Not too much happened today. It was another ordinary Wednesday.
I am starting to get annoyed at how stupid some of my students are. I am not talking about math-stupid. I mean common-sense stupid. Today, I let a girl go to the bathroom about 20 minutes after the start of class. A couple minutes later, I let a boy go to the bathroom. About 20 minutes later, with initial suspicion, I started wondering where they are. I look out my window and see them sitting in the computer lab chatting with the students there. They knew they were not supposed to be out there because when the boy saw me looking out the window, he tried to hide behind the student next to him. I went out there to retrieve them and I told them I would refer them to our house leader. The girl started at it saying she was only there "for like a second". The boy said the girl told him that I said it was okay for them to be out there.
I just don't get it. These students are not the best math students. If I were them, I would return from the bathroom as soon as possible so I can learn. They're all going to have to pass Algebra. There's no getting around that. I got really annoyed at the girl in particular because the students just came from lunch, she arrived to class tardy and she still asked to use the restroom.
Later in class, the students were very apologetic. Unfortunately for them, I'm not a sucker for the puppy-dog sad-face. I still referred them to the house leader. Hopefully now they'll start taking my class more seriously.
Something funny. One student brought Oreo cookies to practice for the contest, but he ate them before advisory. We didn't get the chance to practice. I may pick him to represent our advisory in the contest. This should be fun.
I am starting to get annoyed at how stupid some of my students are. I am not talking about math-stupid. I mean common-sense stupid. Today, I let a girl go to the bathroom about 20 minutes after the start of class. A couple minutes later, I let a boy go to the bathroom. About 20 minutes later, with initial suspicion, I started wondering where they are. I look out my window and see them sitting in the computer lab chatting with the students there. They knew they were not supposed to be out there because when the boy saw me looking out the window, he tried to hide behind the student next to him. I went out there to retrieve them and I told them I would refer them to our house leader. The girl started at it saying she was only there "for like a second". The boy said the girl told him that I said it was okay for them to be out there.
I just don't get it. These students are not the best math students. If I were them, I would return from the bathroom as soon as possible so I can learn. They're all going to have to pass Algebra. There's no getting around that. I got really annoyed at the girl in particular because the students just came from lunch, she arrived to class tardy and she still asked to use the restroom.
Later in class, the students were very apologetic. Unfortunately for them, I'm not a sucker for the puppy-dog sad-face. I still referred them to the house leader. Hopefully now they'll start taking my class more seriously.
Something funny. One student brought Oreo cookies to practice for the contest, but he ate them before advisory. We didn't get the chance to practice. I may pick him to represent our advisory in the contest. This should be fun.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
"Are you guys in trouble?"
Today went pretty well, for getting 5 hours of sleep last night.
I got to work pretty early. I prepared my stuff for my first period. We started a linear equations project. I took some advise from a good friend and let them pick a topic that is interesting to them; something that has to do with a trend or rate. We spent half the class period in the computer lab researching topics and news articles. Then we went back in for a lesson on factoring polynomials. The same went for 3rd period.
During 5th period prep, somehow, I was able to take a nap. I guess I was so tired, I just put my head down and fell asleep. Therefore, time got by me and I did not really get anything done. I did manage to organize my bag and files.
Advisory was great today. For the first time ever, I went to lunch in a good mood. They surprised slash impressed me. We did SSR for 15 minutes and it was actually quiet. The freshman ASB president came in with an announcement about spirit week. She was like, "Wow. Are you guys in trouble?". That gave me some good insight of the freshman mindset. I wanted to be like, "No, they're not in trouble. Shoot. They're doing great.". I think part of the reason was "Hanna" was not in the room. She was working outside in the computer lab. I let them go to lunch 7 minutes early. Tomorrow, we're going to practice for the Oreo-eating contest during the assembly on Thursday. I'm excited. This is what I'm envisioning. Although, my students are not this big.
7th period went okay too. Those 6th graders today were so darn hyper. Other than our introductory quick write, I didn't have anything planned so I had to think of something to channel their energy. I made them do a foldable on solving linear equations. Trust me, they can do it. I believe the students are going to start solving linear equations at a younger age more and more. Then I let them have free time.
I stayed about 45 minutes after school to help a few students with tutoring. I was not planning on staying since I had class, but something compelled me to stay. I helped them out, then left them in the hands of the other Algebra teacher.
Today, I found myself starting to talk more with the staff. There is one teacher in particular that I can see myself getting along with more. He is a new teacher and has been at Guajome for a couple of years. He is also relatively young. Anyways, the better I get along with people at work, the more I will want to stay. That may be the determining factor in choosing where to work next year. That and $$$.
I got to work pretty early. I prepared my stuff for my first period. We started a linear equations project. I took some advise from a good friend and let them pick a topic that is interesting to them; something that has to do with a trend or rate. We spent half the class period in the computer lab researching topics and news articles. Then we went back in for a lesson on factoring polynomials. The same went for 3rd period.
During 5th period prep, somehow, I was able to take a nap. I guess I was so tired, I just put my head down and fell asleep. Therefore, time got by me and I did not really get anything done. I did manage to organize my bag and files.
Advisory was great today. For the first time ever, I went to lunch in a good mood. They surprised slash impressed me. We did SSR for 15 minutes and it was actually quiet. The freshman ASB president came in with an announcement about spirit week. She was like, "Wow. Are you guys in trouble?". That gave me some good insight of the freshman mindset. I wanted to be like, "No, they're not in trouble. Shoot. They're doing great.". I think part of the reason was "Hanna" was not in the room. She was working outside in the computer lab. I let them go to lunch 7 minutes early. Tomorrow, we're going to practice for the Oreo-eating contest during the assembly on Thursday. I'm excited. This is what I'm envisioning. Although, my students are not this big.
7th period went okay too. Those 6th graders today were so darn hyper. Other than our introductory quick write, I didn't have anything planned so I had to think of something to channel their energy. I made them do a foldable on solving linear equations. Trust me, they can do it. I believe the students are going to start solving linear equations at a younger age more and more. Then I let them have free time.
I stayed about 45 minutes after school to help a few students with tutoring. I was not planning on staying since I had class, but something compelled me to stay. I helped them out, then left them in the hands of the other Algebra teacher.
Today, I found myself starting to talk more with the staff. There is one teacher in particular that I can see myself getting along with more. He is a new teacher and has been at Guajome for a couple of years. He is also relatively young. Anyways, the better I get along with people at work, the more I will want to stay. That may be the determining factor in choosing where to work next year. That and $$$.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hang in there buddy
Today, during my lunch, I got to witness a student blow up in class. What happened was this girl went out to get a drink of water. Apparently, she was not just getting a drink of water because her teacher came outside of the classroom about one minute later to call her back in the class. She gave him a little attitude upon returning to the class. Then she blew up. She slammed something on her desk, yelled a couple of cuss words, then stormed out of the class and out of the building. I do not know where she went, but the teacher did the right thing to enlist the help of another teacher. The other teacher called security to find the girl.
Now, I have been fortunate enough to avoid such altercations. I do have to say, however, the teacher was in a tough situation. He has been on the job since the beginning of this semester. Therefore, he has only known his students for three weeks. My guess is, if he had known this student better, he would have known not to push so hard and get her back in his classroom more quietly and discreetly.
He was able to keep the rest of his students safe; which is the first priority. One good thing that came out of this experience is that both I and the teacher have seen one way to handle a situation like this. From this observation, I have learned how to firmly and directly retrieve a student. With everything else in the teaching practice, I have to know when and where to apply this technique, since they do not work for every student.
Anyways, the title is from an e-mail my house leader sent me regarding a student issue. Not a big deal. He is just being supportive.
Now, I have been fortunate enough to avoid such altercations. I do have to say, however, the teacher was in a tough situation. He has been on the job since the beginning of this semester. Therefore, he has only known his students for three weeks. My guess is, if he had known this student better, he would have known not to push so hard and get her back in his classroom more quietly and discreetly.
He was able to keep the rest of his students safe; which is the first priority. One good thing that came out of this experience is that both I and the teacher have seen one way to handle a situation like this. From this observation, I have learned how to firmly and directly retrieve a student. With everything else in the teaching practice, I have to know when and where to apply this technique, since they do not work for every student.
Anyways, the title is from an e-mail my house leader sent me regarding a student issue. Not a big deal. He is just being supportive.
Friday, January 23, 2009
"Los angeles no tienen espaldas"
Today was not the greatest day of all. I woke up with a really sore throat. I think I caught a cold last night. Needless to say, the rest of the day did not turn out real well.
I had already planned to sleep-in today since our collaboration did not start until 8:30. I slept-in until 6:00am. I got up hoping the shower will make me feel better. It actually did, so I continued getting ready. Once I made it downstairs I made myself breakfast; a couple of breakfast burritos. I ate them there then left. First, I stopped at 7-11 for some coffee.
I got to work right at 8:30. When I got there, I heard them talking about me, since I usually arrive around 7:15. We went to collaboration and that went by almost painlessly. Then I spent my 4th period prep grading tests. For the beginning of 6th period, I helped Erin with her skit acting like Gregor Mendel. She needed somone to play her intro music. It was really cool. She walked in dressed in a grey, curly haired wig, thick glasses and a monk's robe, carrying a candle stick. She imitated him to the best of her abilities while her students asked her questions regarding genetics. Then I went back to grading.
Advisory was a free day. We stayed inside since we thought it was going to rain. Then I ate part of my lunch. Then I went to 8th period. By that point, I was not feeling real well. If I did not have a test that day, I probably would not have made it through the entire period. School ended and I went to the gym. I probably should not have, but Richard would have given me a hard time. Then we ate at Souplantation. I don't usually like Souplantation, but today I did. I had a custom salad, turkey noodle soup and chili along with some cornbread, blueberry muffin-top and cranberry cobbler.
Anyways, during collaboration I sat down positioning my chair so as to not turn my back to Ms. Rendon. She told me "los angeles no tienen espaldas". I was thinking "What about the Dodgers?" Literally, it means "angels do not have backs". Basically, it is a polite way to say that it's okay if you turn your back. That is remarkable to me because I try not to turn my back when I talk to people. I think it's disrespectful. At the same time, I do not take it lightly when people do that to me. It happens sometimes when I assign students detention.
I had already planned to sleep-in today since our collaboration did not start until 8:30. I slept-in until 6:00am. I got up hoping the shower will make me feel better. It actually did, so I continued getting ready. Once I made it downstairs I made myself breakfast; a couple of breakfast burritos. I ate them there then left. First, I stopped at 7-11 for some coffee.
I got to work right at 8:30. When I got there, I heard them talking about me, since I usually arrive around 7:15. We went to collaboration and that went by almost painlessly. Then I spent my 4th period prep grading tests. For the beginning of 6th period, I helped Erin with her skit acting like Gregor Mendel. She needed somone to play her intro music. It was really cool. She walked in dressed in a grey, curly haired wig, thick glasses and a monk's robe, carrying a candle stick. She imitated him to the best of her abilities while her students asked her questions regarding genetics. Then I went back to grading.
Advisory was a free day. We stayed inside since we thought it was going to rain. Then I ate part of my lunch. Then I went to 8th period. By that point, I was not feeling real well. If I did not have a test that day, I probably would not have made it through the entire period. School ended and I went to the gym. I probably should not have, but Richard would have given me a hard time. Then we ate at Souplantation. I don't usually like Souplantation, but today I did. I had a custom salad, turkey noodle soup and chili along with some cornbread, blueberry muffin-top and cranberry cobbler.
Anyways, during collaboration I sat down positioning my chair so as to not turn my back to Ms. Rendon. She told me "los angeles no tienen espaldas". I was thinking "What about the Dodgers?" Literally, it means "angels do not have backs". Basically, it is a polite way to say that it's okay if you turn your back. That is remarkable to me because I try not to turn my back when I talk to people. I think it's disrespectful. At the same time, I do not take it lightly when people do that to me. It happens sometimes when I assign students detention.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Okay, and I'll teach you
Today was a pretty good day teaching-wise. In Algebra, they took a test. No problems there. For MET, I split the class into tutorial and free time. That gave me the opportunity to work with one of my 1st period students who has fallen behind. I stayed a little after class to do some grading. Then I went to class.
Student-wise, things went okay as well. Our class for the night was dedicated to a work day. Our professor gave us the two hours to work on our own. She and our classmates were available if we needed any help. I did not get a lot done. Almost everyone was chatting and not getting much done. That is not my type of work environment. If I had known ahead of time, I probably would not have gone to class. I did, however, get a better idea of the assignments I need to complete in the next couple of weeks.
Back to the student who has fallen behind.
This student needs a lot of one-on-one. She has missed a couple of days of school which, at our school, is an entire week of instruction time. Plus, she has a hard time keeping up and understanding in class. I felt as though she was not ready to take the test. So I asked her to come to my 7th for extra help. She made me feel a whole lot better because she was actually starting to understand it and I was able to keep her attention the entire time. She even "taught" me a couple of problems on the board while I sat in her chair. She told me she needs more individual help, but she is too shy to ask for it in class.
I am glad I was able to end the day on that note. I helped one of my students get a better understanding of the material. Also, it was nice to see another one of my students take the extra effort and try to understand the work. I just wish more of them would realize that responsibility and start coming to my tutoring.
Student-wise, things went okay as well. Our class for the night was dedicated to a work day. Our professor gave us the two hours to work on our own. She and our classmates were available if we needed any help. I did not get a lot done. Almost everyone was chatting and not getting much done. That is not my type of work environment. If I had known ahead of time, I probably would not have gone to class. I did, however, get a better idea of the assignments I need to complete in the next couple of weeks.
Back to the student who has fallen behind.
This student needs a lot of one-on-one. She has missed a couple of days of school which, at our school, is an entire week of instruction time. Plus, she has a hard time keeping up and understanding in class. I felt as though she was not ready to take the test. So I asked her to come to my 7th for extra help. She made me feel a whole lot better because she was actually starting to understand it and I was able to keep her attention the entire time. She even "taught" me a couple of problems on the board while I sat in her chair. She told me she needs more individual help, but she is too shy to ask for it in class.
I am glad I was able to end the day on that note. I helped one of my students get a better understanding of the material. Also, it was nice to see another one of my students take the extra effort and try to understand the work. I just wish more of them would realize that responsibility and start coming to my tutoring.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
'Give me one second'
It seems to me that when you ask someone asks for help and they say 'give me one second', it is never just one second to get their help. Furthermore, when someone asking for help hears that, I do not believe that they are actually expecting the help in one second. That causes them to continue with what they were doing before and often times forget what they originally asked for.
I have caught myself saying 'give me one second' many times. I try to correct myself and ask for at least one minute. I think that prompts a more realistic wait time which causes my students to actually wait. I have been getting a little better. I started being more direct. I will say something like "I will help you as soon as I finish helping 'Jared'". Sometimes that backfires though. Sometimes (not too often) I will forget and the student misses the opportunity to get help.
All I can say about that is to be persistent. Take some of the responsibility on your own. Ask again and again if you have to until you get what you want. Sometimes people are too busy or too preoccupied to respond to you the first time.
I have caught myself saying 'give me one second' many times. I try to correct myself and ask for at least one minute. I think that prompts a more realistic wait time which causes my students to actually wait. I have been getting a little better. I started being more direct. I will say something like "I will help you as soon as I finish helping 'Jared'". Sometimes that backfires though. Sometimes (not too often) I will forget and the student misses the opportunity to get help.
All I can say about that is to be persistent. Take some of the responsibility on your own. Ask again and again if you have to until you get what you want. Sometimes people are too busy or too preoccupied to respond to you the first time.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Assessment being helpful
I am happy to report that today I had a really great day. My Algebra classes went pretty well. I did a concise summary on multiplying polynomials then let them review for the test. I am trying something new on Tuesdays for Advisory. I had usually made them do a journal for ten minutes, then gave them the rest of the period to themselves. Now, instead of giving them the rest of the time, I make them read silently for 15 minutes. That, plus the 5 minute intro, takes us to the end of the period. Lastly, MET went well too. I reviewed writing expressions with the 6th graders, then had them do a worksheet. Fun stuff.
For school, class was canceled tonight. I went to the gym instead; 2nd day in a row.
The one thing that is looming on my mind right now is assessment. 9th graders are not in the mindset to learn from their mistakes. Ask someone who majored in Psychology. They will tell you. I am wondering if I give them any sort of constructive assessment, will they take it into consideration? Will they use it for what it is intended for, to improve their learning in the future?
I plan on trying this constructive assessment on the upcoming test. In addition to giving them a grade, I plan on explaining what they did wrong and why. That way, they can fix their errors. I believe teachers often neglect doing this simply because it takes too long. I figure if I start this now, I will be used to it by next year. We shall see.
For school, class was canceled tonight. I went to the gym instead; 2nd day in a row.
The one thing that is looming on my mind right now is assessment. 9th graders are not in the mindset to learn from their mistakes. Ask someone who majored in Psychology. They will tell you. I am wondering if I give them any sort of constructive assessment, will they take it into consideration? Will they use it for what it is intended for, to improve their learning in the future?
I plan on trying this constructive assessment on the upcoming test. In addition to giving them a grade, I plan on explaining what they did wrong and why. That way, they can fix their errors. I believe teachers often neglect doing this simply because it takes too long. I figure if I start this now, I will be used to it by next year. We shall see.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
When are we ever going to need this?
Overall, this week went be a whole lot better than last week. Although I am really tired now, I didn't seem to be longing for the weekend as much as I was last week. Even though I had no prep today since I was subbing for a colleague, I think today went really well.
For Algebra, we are going over multiplying polynomials. My students often ask, "When are we ever going to need this?" For this topic in particular, I have been trying to ascertain the concept myself. Instead of trying to make my students understand the underlying concept of multiplying polynomials, I have been trying to make them understand the procedures and think about their own reasoning. For example, when a student goes up to the bed to solve a problem, I ask them to explain their work. They have to understand how and why every step works.
I hope to continue this trend of board work and understanding the reasoning. They don't like it, but I know it helps them understand what they are doing. In the long-run, they will become better learners and retain more knowledge.
For Algebra, we are going over multiplying polynomials. My students often ask, "When are we ever going to need this?" For this topic in particular, I have been trying to ascertain the concept myself. Instead of trying to make my students understand the underlying concept of multiplying polynomials, I have been trying to make them understand the procedures and think about their own reasoning. For example, when a student goes up to the bed to solve a problem, I ask them to explain their work. They have to understand how and why every step works.
I hope to continue this trend of board work and understanding the reasoning. They don't like it, but I know it helps them understand what they are doing. In the long-run, they will become better learners and retain more knowledge.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Not a typical Thursday
Today was one of the longest days ever. It was a nice day, but very long. Here is a timeline of what happened. Note: This is not the schedule of a typical Thursday.
5:30 Wake up
6:30-7:15 Drive to work
7:15-7:35 Traffic duty
7:40-9:15 Period 1: Multiplying polynomials
9:15-9:25 Break
9:30-10:55 Period 3: Multiplying polynomials
11:00-12:25 Period 5: Prep
12:30-1:00 Advisory: tutorial
1:00-1:35 Lunch: salad and chili
1:40-3:05 Period 7: tutorial
3:30-4:15 Drive to UCSD
5:00-7:00 EDS 379B
7:10-7:30 Drive to Wilhouse
7:30-8:00 Drive to Mimi's
8:00-8:45 Dinner with Priscilla
9:25-11:30 Movie with Priscilla
11:30 Drive home
12:10 Sleep
5:30 Wake up
6:30-7:15 Drive to work
7:15-7:35 Traffic duty
7:40-9:15 Period 1: Multiplying polynomials
9:15-9:25 Break
9:30-10:55 Period 3: Multiplying polynomials
11:00-12:25 Period 5: Prep
12:30-1:00 Advisory: tutorial
1:00-1:35 Lunch: salad and chili
1:40-3:05 Period 7: tutorial
3:30-4:15 Drive to UCSD
5:00-7:00 EDS 379B
7:10-7:30 Drive to Wilhouse
7:30-8:00 Drive to Mimi's
8:00-8:45 Dinner with Priscilla
9:25-11:30 Movie with Priscilla
11:30 Drive home
12:10 Sleep
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Time is passing. Are you?
Last night, when I was talking to Priscilla, I told her my old high school experience. I remember, early in high school, seeing every adult in the school as an authority figure. Now, as a teacher, I think that it is weird that most of the teachers at my school dress very casually. I can think of a couple of teachers that consistently dress in a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. I think it is cool that we work in such a casual work environment, but I think we should be setting an example. Also, it would help create more of a school environment.
It’s funny to see how different techniques work for different scenarios. For example, today for 8th period, I performed a pre-emptive attack and warned them that if they are uncooperative in any way, I would instantly assign them detention. I was still harboring ill feelings from Monday’s class.
Monday went pretty well except for the very end. It really annoys me when my students ask me if they can leave early, they put up their chairs prematurely and when they try to leave when the bell rings. Sometimes I feel just like them and I want to get out of there, but I know I could be doing a lot better.
Sometimes even I start packing up early. That tells the students that it’s okay to start packing up. Also, when I tell them to stay in their seats, they always whine about how there are only 5 minutes left. I think another problem is that the release time is at 3:05 and they automatically think 3:00, but that is out of my control.
I think what I have to do is train them the bell is not their signal to leave. One thing I have noticed is that when they are engaged in an activity towards the end of the period, they do not realize it is almost time to leave until the bell rings. I should probably try more of that. I have tried having them complete some of the homework problems before they leave. That only works if I am walking all around the room keeping them on task. Sometimes I cannot because I have to stop and help some students.
In high school, my math teacher had a hand-crafted frame around his clock that read “Time is passing. Are you?” It was just a reminder to pay attention to the teacher. I think I would try that in my classroom. I would also try talking the clock down since I usually wear a watch anyway. These are some things I need to keep my mind on for next year.
It’s funny to see how different techniques work for different scenarios. For example, today for 8th period, I performed a pre-emptive attack and warned them that if they are uncooperative in any way, I would instantly assign them detention. I was still harboring ill feelings from Monday’s class.
Monday went pretty well except for the very end. It really annoys me when my students ask me if they can leave early, they put up their chairs prematurely and when they try to leave when the bell rings. Sometimes I feel just like them and I want to get out of there, but I know I could be doing a lot better.
Sometimes even I start packing up early. That tells the students that it’s okay to start packing up. Also, when I tell them to stay in their seats, they always whine about how there are only 5 minutes left. I think another problem is that the release time is at 3:05 and they automatically think 3:00, but that is out of my control.
I think what I have to do is train them the bell is not their signal to leave. One thing I have noticed is that when they are engaged in an activity towards the end of the period, they do not realize it is almost time to leave until the bell rings. I should probably try more of that. I have tried having them complete some of the homework problems before they leave. That only works if I am walking all around the room keeping them on task. Sometimes I cannot because I have to stop and help some students.
In high school, my math teacher had a hand-crafted frame around his clock that read “Time is passing. Are you?” It was just a reminder to pay attention to the teacher. I think I would try that in my classroom. I would also try talking the clock down since I usually wear a watch anyway. These are some things I need to keep my mind on for next year.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Rome was not built in one day
Today, my first period was wonderful. They came in quietly, sat down and started the warm-up. No prompting was needed. I had a few of them show their work on the board. I finished what I had planned with plenty of time left in the period.
Third period was a different story. By the time the tardy bell rang, they were all in their seats, but most of them were talking/not working on the warm-up. This tells me I should have moved some people around. Right away I got a little upset and made them line up outside and try coming inside again. This time they started the warm-up. During the lessons, some of them started chatting when they got the chance.
One student in particular kept chatting every time I turned around. Plus, I have him sitting in the front row to try to decrease the talking. That just makes it more annoying. He was really testing my patience. Luckily for him, I was able to get through my lesson with some cool left in me. However, on Thursday, I don't think he will be so lucky.
Anyways, today, I thought how cool it would be to have these students again. After making them practice coming into class, taking notes and being respectful, I think they have become better students. By next year, they are going to be great. Their next teacher is going to reap the benefits I have sown for him or her.
I can relate this to one classmate's experience he shared today in class. Today, his students were just driving him crazy. He is a student-teacher who started at the beginning of this semester, so his situation is a little different than mine. He also said the students are not afraid of any punishment because they are pretty much serving detention and Saturday school for the remainder of the year; an exaggeration for sure. So, he started his own detention club. He was saying that the hard work he is putting in now will be more beneficial to the students' future teachers than to himself. Our doctor guest-presenter agreed and said that is just something we have to do.
So I thought about it again and realized the work he is putting in now may not benefit him because he just started. Since I have been working with my students from the beginning of the year, I have already seen great improvement. My students are maturing and learning more. I am sure they will be even better students next year.
Third period was a different story. By the time the tardy bell rang, they were all in their seats, but most of them were talking/not working on the warm-up. This tells me I should have moved some people around. Right away I got a little upset and made them line up outside and try coming inside again. This time they started the warm-up. During the lessons, some of them started chatting when they got the chance.
One student in particular kept chatting every time I turned around. Plus, I have him sitting in the front row to try to decrease the talking. That just makes it more annoying. He was really testing my patience. Luckily for him, I was able to get through my lesson with some cool left in me. However, on Thursday, I don't think he will be so lucky.
Anyways, today, I thought how cool it would be to have these students again. After making them practice coming into class, taking notes and being respectful, I think they have become better students. By next year, they are going to be great. Their next teacher is going to reap the benefits I have sown for him or her.
I can relate this to one classmate's experience he shared today in class. Today, his students were just driving him crazy. He is a student-teacher who started at the beginning of this semester, so his situation is a little different than mine. He also said the students are not afraid of any punishment because they are pretty much serving detention and Saturday school for the remainder of the year; an exaggeration for sure. So, he started his own detention club. He was saying that the hard work he is putting in now will be more beneficial to the students' future teachers than to himself. Our doctor guest-presenter agreed and said that is just something we have to do.
So I thought about it again and realized the work he is putting in now may not benefit him because he just started. Since I have been working with my students from the beginning of the year, I have already seen great improvement. My students are maturing and learning more. I am sure they will be even better students next year.
Monday, January 12, 2009
How was your day?
I have a student that I mention in my stories quite a bit. I may have mentioned her in a previous blog entry. Since I forgot the pseudo name I used last time, I will call her Harriet. As she walked into my class today, she asked me how my weekend was. I don't like getting to personal so I told her it was good. She waited a second and responded by saying "My was good too. Thanks for asking." Obviously she was being sarcastic. It made me think that I should not try to be so distant.
Later, after the quiz, I asked her what she actually did. The reality is she did not do too much; including not doing her homework. I think she just wanted to talk. This whole incident also made me consider how I treat my other relationships.
I often go through the day giving one-word responses. When people ask how my day was, I usually just say that it went well; similar to what I told Harriet. I do not get into too much detail. I know when Priscilla asks me, she has to probe out the details.
Anyways, the point is life is too short for one-worded responses. I know that does not make logical sense, but from a social point-of-view, start talking! In a manner of speaking, 'Stop and smell the roses'. They smell good.
Goals for tomorrow: finish reading for 381.
Later, after the quiz, I asked her what she actually did. The reality is she did not do too much; including not doing her homework. I think she just wanted to talk. This whole incident also made me consider how I treat my other relationships.
I often go through the day giving one-word responses. When people ask how my day was, I usually just say that it went well; similar to what I told Harriet. I do not get into too much detail. I know when Priscilla asks me, she has to probe out the details.
Anyways, the point is life is too short for one-worded responses. I know that does not make logical sense, but from a social point-of-view, start talking! In a manner of speaking, 'Stop and smell the roses'. They smell good.
Goals for tomorrow: finish reading for 381.
Friday, January 9, 2009
More activities
Today I e-mailed my supervisor to let him know how well MET went yesterday. He e-mailed me back with some ideas for activities. He told me that not only will I have to teach them math, I will have to teach them to be students. They're only 6th graders, so they have a lot to learn. I bet they would love practicing how to enter a classroom quietly. ::evil laugh::
Seriously though, I do want to try more activities with them. 6th graders have no problem being social. Group activities should work well. I tried this one called secretary and boss where the students get into partners and designate the boss and the secretary. The boss tells the secretary what to do while he or she works on the problem. Then they alternate. This worked well I think because it leveled the completion rate among the students. Assigning roles also keep the students accountable to each other.
Today was the last day of the first week back from winter break. I believe I have never been this happy it is Friday. I was so tired. I could see the fatigue among the other staff members as well. Also, I get to hang out with Priscilla all day tomorrow.
Seriously though, I do want to try more activities with them. 6th graders have no problem being social. Group activities should work well. I tried this one called secretary and boss where the students get into partners and designate the boss and the secretary. The boss tells the secretary what to do while he or she works on the problem. Then they alternate. This worked well I think because it leveled the completion rate among the students. Assigning roles also keep the students accountable to each other.
Today was the last day of the first week back from winter break. I believe I have never been this happy it is Friday. I was so tired. I could see the fatigue among the other staff members as well. Also, I get to hang out with Priscilla all day tomorrow.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Lesson of stubborness
Today I was not looking forward to going to advisory. The reason why was an advisory student of mine came into my 3rd period. I tried to make her leave and ended up making a bigger scene than it should have been. She said she would sit down and not make any noise, which she did. So I let it go. She has done this before because her teacher lets her out of class. It doesn't usually bother me, but I think this time I was a little irritated by a headache I woke up with.
She ended up leaving about a minute after she sat down. I went along my day and felt a little bad about the incident. My mistake was telling her to get out of my room. I should have told her she can stay as long as she didn't distract anyone. It was too late for that though. The damage was done.
For advisory, she came in with a pass to another teacher. So we didn't get the chance to talk. I was still a little upset during advisory. I think I would have told her that what she did wasn't cool. However, at this point, I think I would apologize and tell her to be more discrete next time.
Other than that, my day went pretty well. My MET class went pretty well. I tried the structured schedule like my supervisor suggested. I thought it worked well. I put the agenda on the board and chunked it in different activities. They got the assignment done and may have even learned a little bit. Our lesson was on order of operations.
That was my day in a nutshell.
Tasks for tomorrow: write a quiz, plan a review activity, lesson plan for next week.
She ended up leaving about a minute after she sat down. I went along my day and felt a little bad about the incident. My mistake was telling her to get out of my room. I should have told her she can stay as long as she didn't distract anyone. It was too late for that though. The damage was done.
For advisory, she came in with a pass to another teacher. So we didn't get the chance to talk. I was still a little upset during advisory. I think I would have told her that what she did wasn't cool. However, at this point, I think I would apologize and tell her to be more discrete next time.
Other than that, my day went pretty well. My MET class went pretty well. I tried the structured schedule like my supervisor suggested. I thought it worked well. I put the agenda on the board and chunked it in different activities. They got the assignment done and may have even learned a little bit. Our lesson was on order of operations.
That was my day in a nutshell.
Tasks for tomorrow: write a quiz, plan a review activity, lesson plan for next week.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Planning and prep make things go smoothly
I had to cover for a 12th grade biology class today. They are seniors, so it was pretty easy. In fact, in the lesson plan it said to let two of the students lead the activity.
However, the activity wasn't planned out thoroughly. The activity was a gel electrophoresis. First of all, there was no electric scale in the room. One student went to another science room to pick one up. Secondly, there was no DNA sample. The students ended up not performing the activity. This was okay with me since they were super good students. Plus, what could I do? If I thought of something for them to do, they would probably regect it. They simply chatted the entire period.
This could have been easily avoided. The teacher asked me the day before to cover for him. So he knew he wasn't going to be there. In fact, he was there this morning. He could have set stuff up before he left in haste.
Anyways, I don't mean to bash my coworker. Set-up and prepartion is very important. Even seniors need some structure in order to complete assignmenets.
One thing my supervisor told me yesterday during his visit was to really structure the MET class. Yesterady, I had no plan for that class. I asked the students what they are working on in their regular math class. They mentioned integers and I remembered I had that integers 24 game. I had them play that for a little bit. Actually, it kept them occupied longer than I thought. A few of the students were really into it. My supervisor even got in on the fun. Then I let them play on the computers.
He told me I should structure the period in chunks of time no longer than 15 minutes. They're 6th graders, so they need many stimulations to keep them focused.
Goal for tomorrow: plan for MET tomorrow
However, the activity wasn't planned out thoroughly. The activity was a gel electrophoresis. First of all, there was no electric scale in the room. One student went to another science room to pick one up. Secondly, there was no DNA sample. The students ended up not performing the activity. This was okay with me since they were super good students. Plus, what could I do? If I thought of something for them to do, they would probably regect it. They simply chatted the entire period.
This could have been easily avoided. The teacher asked me the day before to cover for him. So he knew he wasn't going to be there. In fact, he was there this morning. He could have set stuff up before he left in haste.
Anyways, I don't mean to bash my coworker. Set-up and prepartion is very important. Even seniors need some structure in order to complete assignmenets.
One thing my supervisor told me yesterday during his visit was to really structure the MET class. Yesterady, I had no plan for that class. I asked the students what they are working on in their regular math class. They mentioned integers and I remembered I had that integers 24 game. I had them play that for a little bit. Actually, it kept them occupied longer than I thought. A few of the students were really into it. My supervisor even got in on the fun. Then I let them play on the computers.
He told me I should structure the period in chunks of time no longer than 15 minutes. They're 6th graders, so they need many stimulations to keep them focused.
Goal for tomorrow: plan for MET tomorrow
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Healthy being
Today at work, one student told me that she was feeling really sick. She asked me not to call on her and ask her to participate. She just sat there quietly and took notes. I felt a little bad since she is usually one to participate and in a cheery mood.
Tonight, we started a health class at UCSD. The class is meant to teach us how to take care of our own health and help teach our students to be healthy. It's going to teach us the risks our students currently face and how to help them deal with those risks.
Walking into the class, a classmate asked me if I got sick over the break. I thought that was weird because that issue has come up a few times recently. When I was back at my mom's for Christmas, she was a little worried my brother was going to get me sick. Fortunately, I did not get sick over the break.
Another classmate came in and sat in one of the back tables. That was weird because we usually sit at the same table. He said he was sick and didn't want to infect anyone. He called a sub and stayed home from work today. Personally, I thought he should have stayed home from class too.
Our professors tell us it is extremely important to stay healthy, because in order for us to do our jobs, we need to be in a state of physical, mental and social well-being. I think this is true in general. To do what your job, relationships and other aspects of your life require, you need to take care of yourself and stay healthy.
Tonight, we started a health class at UCSD. The class is meant to teach us how to take care of our own health and help teach our students to be healthy. It's going to teach us the risks our students currently face and how to help them deal with those risks.
Walking into the class, a classmate asked me if I got sick over the break. I thought that was weird because that issue has come up a few times recently. When I was back at my mom's for Christmas, she was a little worried my brother was going to get me sick. Fortunately, I did not get sick over the break.
Another classmate came in and sat in one of the back tables. That was weird because we usually sit at the same table. He said he was sick and didn't want to infect anyone. He called a sub and stayed home from work today. Personally, I thought he should have stayed home from class too.
Our professors tell us it is extremely important to stay healthy, because in order for us to do our jobs, we need to be in a state of physical, mental and social well-being. I think this is true in general. To do what your job, relationships and other aspects of your life require, you need to take care of yourself and stay healthy.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Welcome back
Happy 2009! This is the year I turn 24. I need to have a 24-themed party. Also, I start full-time work. I still haven't decided where I want to work next school year. I still have a lot to consider. However, it is looking like I will be moving back to my hometown.
Today was the first day back from winter break. One student already asked me when spring break is. Trust me, I feel the same way. I wish I had two more weeks off. With all the driving/traveling I did, I feel as though I didn't get much rest.
Anyways, the first day went pretty well. It is a Monday so the classes are only 30 minutes long. The bell system was not working properly, so naturally, the students did not show up to 1st period on time. That's okay. It wasn't a big deal.
I simply assigned a new seating chart for all my Algebra I classes and handed out warm-up records and homework charts; paper to work on warm-ups and keep track of homework assignments.
My 1st and 3rd periods seemed interested in my break. Some of them even looked happy to see me. However, my 8th period seemed more concered about their seating arrangement. Several students walked in asking if there was a new seating chart. I guess by then, they had gone through a few new seating charts. I also practiced clear expectations. I had my students practiced how I wanted them to come into class; a refresher.
MET was a little hectic. The coordinator/ELD teacher is on maternity leave and the sub was left with little information. I had to go over and sort things out.
Lastly, I did some boring stuff like signing grade verifications, attendance verification and making copies. Not too exciting.
Goal for tomorrow: create a quiz for next Monday.
Today was the first day back from winter break. One student already asked me when spring break is. Trust me, I feel the same way. I wish I had two more weeks off. With all the driving/traveling I did, I feel as though I didn't get much rest.
Anyways, the first day went pretty well. It is a Monday so the classes are only 30 minutes long. The bell system was not working properly, so naturally, the students did not show up to 1st period on time. That's okay. It wasn't a big deal.
I simply assigned a new seating chart for all my Algebra I classes and handed out warm-up records and homework charts; paper to work on warm-ups and keep track of homework assignments.
My 1st and 3rd periods seemed interested in my break. Some of them even looked happy to see me. However, my 8th period seemed more concered about their seating arrangement. Several students walked in asking if there was a new seating chart. I guess by then, they had gone through a few new seating charts. I also practiced clear expectations. I had my students practiced how I wanted them to come into class; a refresher.
MET was a little hectic. The coordinator/ELD teacher is on maternity leave and the sub was left with little information. I had to go over and sort things out.
Lastly, I did some boring stuff like signing grade verifications, attendance verification and making copies. Not too exciting.
Goal for tomorrow: create a quiz for next Monday.
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