I feel like a new phase of my life began today. One of the Spanish teachers at work, with whom I eat lunch almost every day, is going to have a baby in February or March, and today she gave me an invitation to her baby shower. I've never been invited to a baby shower before, so it felt kind of weird to be in a peer group now that's having baby showers. Anyway, I was pretty happy I was invited - yay for making friends at a new job! - and I'm looking forward to attending my first baby shower.
I'm giving many of my students a quiz tomorrow. Yesterday, as we were reviewing for the quiz, a student told me that his quiz score better be good, or else he's going to come to my house and steal all the backs of my earrings. That was kind of weird and unexpected, but at least they're creative with their "threats".
Today was one of those days where my lesson plans went exactly as they should, the students were engaged and seemed to like the lesson, everyone was pretty well-behaved, and I don't have a lot of planning or grading to do tonight. It was awesome. Days like today are rare, but they are so wonderful.
Peace.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Don't Forget to Learn
Hello again! It's been a while. I always think of good things to write about for my blog during my drive home, but when I get home, I usually end up eating, lesson planning or sleeping. Anyway, I've made it to my first break! I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving and having five days off from work - it will be so nice to just breathe for a few days. Several older teachers have told me that as long as I can make it to my first break, I'll be fine for the rest of the year. That makes sense, since the beginning of school to Thanksgiving is the longest stretch of the year without any break. I feel that just by surviving to my first break and not falling apart, I've reached a huge milestone. =)
The last few weeks have been crazy busy. I've taught my first novel in English (To Kill a Mockingbird). In doing so, I discovered 1) lesson planning is a lot easier when teaching a novel, but 2) it is incredibly frustrating when students simply refuse to read. I kept trying to think of ways to motivate students to read - read together out loud (which is not really encouraged in the English department), give frequent very simple reading quizzes on basic plot points, give kids time to read independently in class and submit an exit ticket for points...but still, a significant number of my students just won't read. Because they just won't read, they're failing the class. I even gave points one day for students just having their books with them in class because so many students weren't bringing them. I keep asking some of my fellow English teachers if it's typical for half the class to be failing just for not reading, and they all say yes, but I'm really struggling with being ok with it. I don't want to accept my students' laziness and their apathy about their grades. I'm not sure why it's so hard to get some of my students to read (except the fact that a few of them have never read a book in school, ever...some of my students say they watched the movie version of a book instead of reading it, whaaaa???), but I need to figure out some strategy to motivate these kids. **Note: I do have several students who do read and try really hard and care about their, and they all have close to 100% - I just wish all my students would care about their success as much as I do. If any of my English (or any subject) teacher friends have any advice, I would love to hear from you.
Particularly with my English students, I've been reminding myself that their Ninth Grade English class is most likely not the center of their universes, nor should it be. They all have six other classes and a thousand other things to think about. It's certainly not an excuse at all for them not doing what they have to do for my class, but it helps me to remember not to take it personally when they don't read or don't care about their grade in my class.
One of the things that several of my professors from the MAC Program mentioned was to make sure we, as teachers, don't forget what it's like to be a learner. Teachers should always challenge themselves to learn something new, so they can remember what it's like to make sense of new material, to practice a new skill, and to be occasionally frustrated by learning and getting better at something. In an effort to remind myself what it's like to be a learner, I've started playing piano more frequently. (For those of you who don't know, I was pretty serious about piano for a significant portion of my life and used to practice a lot. Then, during college, I kinda took a break from learning new pieces and really practicing while I focused on school.) Recently, when I play piano, I don't just run through all the old familiar pieces that I could play with my eyes closed...instead, I've picked a few new pieces to learn and practice. It's been fun and frustrating at times, but I really do feel like it's helping me to be more understanding and patient with my students when they aren't getting things as quickly as I think they should.
In case you were wondering, all my German classes are great. I'm going on a field trip to Frankenmuth with my German students soon, so expect a more German-themed post in the next couple weeks!
Also, Kevin and I are now officially residents of Northville. We moved two weekends ago. We have amazing friends and family....I can't believe they've helped us move so many times. My drive is much better now, and I'm loving the extra half hour of sleep - it makes a huge difference!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
The last few weeks have been crazy busy. I've taught my first novel in English (To Kill a Mockingbird). In doing so, I discovered 1) lesson planning is a lot easier when teaching a novel, but 2) it is incredibly frustrating when students simply refuse to read. I kept trying to think of ways to motivate students to read - read together out loud (which is not really encouraged in the English department), give frequent very simple reading quizzes on basic plot points, give kids time to read independently in class and submit an exit ticket for points...but still, a significant number of my students just won't read. Because they just won't read, they're failing the class. I even gave points one day for students just having their books with them in class because so many students weren't bringing them. I keep asking some of my fellow English teachers if it's typical for half the class to be failing just for not reading, and they all say yes, but I'm really struggling with being ok with it. I don't want to accept my students' laziness and their apathy about their grades. I'm not sure why it's so hard to get some of my students to read (except the fact that a few of them have never read a book in school, ever...some of my students say they watched the movie version of a book instead of reading it, whaaaa???), but I need to figure out some strategy to motivate these kids. **Note: I do have several students who do read and try really hard and care about their, and they all have close to 100% - I just wish all my students would care about their success as much as I do. If any of my English (or any subject) teacher friends have any advice, I would love to hear from you.
Particularly with my English students, I've been reminding myself that their Ninth Grade English class is most likely not the center of their universes, nor should it be. They all have six other classes and a thousand other things to think about. It's certainly not an excuse at all for them not doing what they have to do for my class, but it helps me to remember not to take it personally when they don't read or don't care about their grade in my class.
One of the things that several of my professors from the MAC Program mentioned was to make sure we, as teachers, don't forget what it's like to be a learner. Teachers should always challenge themselves to learn something new, so they can remember what it's like to make sense of new material, to practice a new skill, and to be occasionally frustrated by learning and getting better at something. In an effort to remind myself what it's like to be a learner, I've started playing piano more frequently. (For those of you who don't know, I was pretty serious about piano for a significant portion of my life and used to practice a lot. Then, during college, I kinda took a break from learning new pieces and really practicing while I focused on school.) Recently, when I play piano, I don't just run through all the old familiar pieces that I could play with my eyes closed...instead, I've picked a few new pieces to learn and practice. It's been fun and frustrating at times, but I really do feel like it's helping me to be more understanding and patient with my students when they aren't getting things as quickly as I think they should.
In case you were wondering, all my German classes are great. I'm going on a field trip to Frankenmuth with my German students soon, so expect a more German-themed post in the next couple weeks!
Also, Kevin and I are now officially residents of Northville. We moved two weekends ago. We have amazing friends and family....I can't believe they've helped us move so many times. My drive is much better now, and I'm loving the extra half hour of sleep - it makes a huge difference!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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