This has been the smoothest 1st week back to school that I can remember. All of my preparations during preplanning really paid off, and classes have run nicely. Thanks to my seating charts, I know almost all of my new students' names, and I already have 2-3 grades for the students in each class. About the only thing that is bothering me so far is the fact that my feet ache horribly by mid-day. I know that some teachers take house shoes to wear in the classroom, but I feel like only teachers who are 50+ can pull that off in an endearing way. If I did it, I feel like a slob. :) So, I'll suffer for the sake of professionalism.
A few thoughts about my classes:
Language Arts Level II--my seating chart has proven ineffective in this class. Of course, class goes smoother when students who feel comfortable with each other can sit near each other and/or work together. What is interesting is that 5 of 17 students there are mostly using Spanish to communicate, and the other Hispanic students have requested to be moved away from them so they can practice their English with the Asian and French-speaking students. So, the left side of my classroom is made up of a very wide variety, while the right side has 5 Hispanic students. As they all feel more comfortable with each other, I'll mix them up again. For now, I'm going to learn more about each of them and their levels of English ability.
Junior American Lit--my evil 6th period class and my heavenly 1st period class from last year have both combined into 7th period JR LA. This class is a non-stop chatter box. I've decided to work with it, though, and give the students plenty of work that is group-work friendly. That way, they can interact with each other, but if they don't get their work done, it's on them. I fought 6th period to the very end of last year, so I know that it's futile to try to mold them into quiet, studious, attentive pupils. They are an unfortunate mix of loud, hyper, attention-seeking individuals, and this year I'm putting all of the responsibility on them. One-on-one, each of them is awesome. Put them together, though, and it's a 55-minute "Let me top that!" routine.
Sophomore World Lit--I have some repeaters in these classes, so it's been fun to find out how much they remember from last year. :) They actually remember quite a bit from the story of Gilgamesh so far, which only reinforces the fact that they failed more from laziness and incomplete work than a lack of learning. Hopefully, they'll apply themselves more this year. The new students seem interested in what we're learning so far. Sometimes I wonder if I break down the information too much, but so far we've had good discussions about archetype, epics, and the plot of Gilgamesh. I'm going to walk them through annotating a text tomorrow using the Ladybug projector I mentioned in a previous post. I'm not sure yet how to make them understand what it means to engage a text...I'm hoping I'll have a stroke of genius in the shower or something before I get to school in the morning. :)
Language Development Content 3--I've been using the Visions: Level C text for these students, but I can tell that it's a little too easy for some of them. The good news is I'll be teaching Night soon since freshmen LA classes study the novel, and I'm charged with teaching all FR LA supplementals to my LDC 3 class. A couple of teachers at school have offered to help me out with the materials for Night and a couple of other texts since I've never taught them before. I always hear good things from ESOL students about Night, though, so I'm excited to teach it. Hopefully, it will go well....
Well, I'm already behind in my grading, and we're only one week in! :) It's alright, though. I'd rather be a little behind than fall into bringing work home in the evening.
This week's The Good & The Bad
The Good: A student who other students have nicknamed "The Sleeper" was transferred from my class. I have only harbored chronic dislike for a student once before, but this one has made my list. The reasons go back almost a year (long story), but it's just such a relief that I don't have to look at him anymore.
The Bad: Did I mention my feet? :(
So I guess I qualify for looking endearing in house shoes - LOL! Sounds like a great week!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had some excitement today. Hopefully your sixth period class is a good one this year, especially since you had them for three hours today.
Take care!
BTW - Knit 911 is actually your friend, Jacquie. I just realized you probably did not know this.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I knew it was you, Jacquie. :)
ReplyDelete