October is a rough month in school. The newness of the semester has worn off, and the next break seems so far away. Weekends don't feel nearly long enough, and patience is wearing thin for both students and teachers. We've been together long enough to get a sense for each others' moods, and we have little tolerance on both sides for caring about another's bad day or attitude problem. Everyone is stressed, overworked, and tired. ...Mostly tired.
Last week, I found myself feeling particularly hostile toward my students. I didn't care about their excuses, I didn't care if I hurt their feelings with my comments, and I certainly didn't care about their personal drama. I do not like feeling like this because, in general, I enjoy being around these young people. Their personalities are so diverse, and most of the time, they are just looking for someone to notice them. For some reason, the novel The Secret Life of Bees popped into my mind: the scene when August Boatwright is teaching Lily how to care for bees, and she tells her that she just has to send the bees love while she's working with them, and everything would go just right. "Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved." This quote stuck in my heart all day, and I realized that rather than trying to make things go right through force, threats, or anger, I needed to go back to love. When working with students, love should be at the foundation of every interaction.
So, this week, as I stand in the hall outside of my door and greet my students for each class, I think: "I love you, I love you, I love you...." As I watch hundreds of students pass by me during my morning hall duty, my thoughts of "I have so much grading to do! I'd rather be doing that than watching all of these hooligans and listening to their foolishness" are replaced with "I love you, I love you, I love you...", and I found myself smiling at no one in particular. :) I'm going to try to continue with this thought all week. I already feel like I've pushed past the mid-semester slump and can make it through this last 6 weeks.
Meanwhile, here's what has been going on in my classes:
SOPH WORLD LIT
We've finished reading Oedipus the King. Last week, the students took their test on Part II of the play, and wrote an essay about humility, relating it to Oedipus's ignorance throughout most of the play and the lesson that Creon tries to teach Oedipus with his last words of the play. I've also had the students in the Media Center, working in PhotoStory on the computers. This is such a cool program! The students chose to work alone or in pairs to summarize a section of the play with photos, background music, and their own narration. We're finishing today with narrations, and then I'm going to put all of their parts together to create an Oedipus the King movie of sorts. They have done really well with it, and I'm excited to see the finished products for each class!
LA II
We've just finished Unit 2 of the Visions red book. This unit was all about changes. The students will do a unit review for the next couple of days, then they'll test on Friday. I'll probably reward them with a movie that relates to the theme we've been talking about. They will, of course, have to write a couple of paragraphs to discuss that connection. I don't think I've shown a movie to this class yet! It's so easy to get into a routine with the Visions series that I sometimes forget about being creative or fun with lessons. Hey, when you teach 4 preps, something has to give, right? It's sad, but true.
LDC III
We finished reading Night about a week and a half ago. The students enjoyed the book, and I enjoyed reading it to them and discussing it with them. Last Monday, they did an alphabet review of important names, objects, words, and themes from the book--for each letter of the alphabet, they wrote a word or phrase that related to the book (i.e. A: Auschwitz, B: Buna). Then, I took them to the computer lab on Tuesday and Wednesday so they could create Prezi presentations of their reviews. They did such a great job, and even taught me some new things about the program! Here are some examples of their work:
http://prezi.com/_iomalhezjpq/night-alphabet-review/
http://prezi.com/fywxwtas286g/night/
This week, as a reward for working so hard, and so they can see another excellent example of individuals were affected by the holocaust, we are watching Life is Beautiful. So far, they love the movie, and one of them even said he's going to find the movie to show to his brother and sister. :)
JR AMER LIT
This group of students has been very disappointing to me. Together, they are immature, impatient, and disruptive. This is the first year I have not enjoyed teaching The Crucible, and the first year that I felt my students incabable of appreciating the play and what it teaches us about human behavior. We barely got through Acts 1 and 2 together, so I quizzed them on both of those. Then, instead of reading the rest, we watched the film version of the play. They enjoyed the film, and we did have some good discussion after each Act. I just wish these students had more patience for comprehending and connecting with text!
Since they didn't have much patience for the book, I'm going to take them to the computer lab this week. They, too, are going to do Prezi alphabet reviews, but they will be required to look up photos and additional information of each of the words or names they use, and incorporate those things into their presentation. That way, they will have to connect with the play and characters on a deeper level.
Once we finish with The Crucible, we're going to move quickly into Rationalism: The Declaration of Independence, Poor Richard's Almanack, Ben Franklin's Autobiography, and others. I love this period, and gain a greater appreciation for it as I get older. The literature is dry (I mean...it's Rationalism, you know?!), but to understand the period is to understand why it is that way. I put together a great PowerPoint presentation to introduce the period after I gathered information on it during a trip to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown a couple of years ago. I even have a newspaper from a printing press that includes the Declaration of Independence and a picture of myself with a bronze T.J. in the process of writing the Declaration.
What I'd REALLY love is if I could show clips from the HBO miniseries of John Adams because they show Thomas Jefferson's composition of the Declaration, and when it was first read aloud to the public. They are such a moving scenes! Alas, our Media Center does not have John Adams in the library. :( Perhaps I can change that....
Showing posts with label Night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Night. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
One-on-One
Some of my favorite times as a teacher are those rare days when the students stay on task and get their work done...EARLY! Most days, we work bell-to-bell, but if there are only 5 or so minutes left in class, I take that time to get to know these young people with whom I spend so much time. Many of these students will be with me all 4 years of their high school experience (LA2 -> JR LA), so I prefer to be on the best terms possible with each of them.
In those brief 5-6 minutes, I learn about home life, boyfriends/girlfriends, hobbies, aspirations, interests, past experiences, opinions about reading, favorite classes, opinions about what the students consider good/bad teaching, and what current movies I should go see. Through these interactions, the students learn that there is another adult in this world who cares about them. This kind of connection is often useful with motivating the students in class. When something is difficult for them, they trust me enough to ask questions. When they don't understand something, they feel comfortable enough to say so. If I have to reprimand them, they know it's not personal. If they fail an activity or (yikes!) the class, they know that I cared enough to help them as much as I could, and that their failure is their own fault. And if they need help with non-school problems, they know that I am here to listen or offer assistance.
I always tell them: "If I didn't care, I wouldn't get upset with you for being off task. If I didn't care, I wouldn't send you a progress report every Friday and show my disappointment that you aren't turning in work or completing assignments. So, if I'm unhappy with you, you should know that it's only because I won't give up on you." So, these small moments, when we talk about non-school things, reinforce the fact that I do see them and care about them as individuals.
Here's what's been happening in my classes this week:
SOPH WORLD LIT
Using the Ladybug document camera and photocopied versions of the text for Sundiata, the students and I read through the 2 chapters together, annotating and discussing along the way. Going through a text this way allows for so many more opportunities for questioning and discussion. The students have come up with great questions during classtime, and others have offered responses. This shows me that they are all truly engaged with the text and are processing it on various levels. Actually, a couple of times, we read part of the text, and students have said, "Miss, shouldn't we highlight that because it says..." I praise them for being active readers and include their highlight on the text.
Today, the students are working independently to answer "Review & Assess" questions about the text. They will have a review on Monday and then a test and essay assignment on Sundiata next week.
Then...we finally transition into our study of tragic heroes and Oedipus! :)
LDC3
In this class, we completed Unit 1: Mysteries, and the students worked on a review sheet for a couple of days. Today they took their 50-question test.
I'm excited because our next unit is on "Survival," and I'm going to teach Elie Wiesel's Night for the first time. I was nervous about teaching a new novel, but then I found this unit plan that comes complete with supplementary handouts and a daily guide to the lessons! YAY! I'm going to review this and start planning accordingly.
This teacher's daily plan got me thinking, though: Why don't I have daily plans for my units? Why have I never thought of doing something like that?! That would make planning so much easier. I could add or subtract as needed, but this would ensure that I don't forget something important, something that worked really well, or a necessary supplementary text that should be included in the lessons. These would also help me ensure that I stay on track (as much as possible) with that course's pacing guide. So, I've decided that I'm going to try to put these together this year as I go through each unit.
LA2
...and so on and so on. This is how I feel about LA2. Each chapter is the same: intro activites, read chapter, answer questions, activity workbook, grammar workbook, writing assignment, quiz. Each week is exactly the same. In that strict plan, though, there are small victories for each student. Today, I stood next to a student who was supposed to underline the letters that make the "f" sound in the word biography. Something wasn't clicking in her brain: she tried to underline the whole word, then she tried to write the letter "f" above the word, then she tried to re-write the word on the line next to it. Finally, after I pronounced the word v.e.r.y s.l.o.w.l.y, underlined the "ph" in the word, then pointed to the next word (elephant), and pronounced it "el-e-PHHHHHHHH-ant," she had one of those OHHHH! moments, and underlined the "ph" in that word and the 3 following words. That's what it's all about: taking the time to help them jump those little hurdles.
I wish the county would go back to regulating the size of ESL classes (esp. these lower levels) so more situations like this could happen. It's difficult to spend that kind of time with a student when all the rest are so needy.
JR AMER LIT
We are wrapping up our study of early explorers this week. The students have been working on open book test reviews, and they will take their test on Monday; then on Tues and Wed, they will work on their Unit 2 essay. Next Thurs and Fri, I'll give a presentation on Puritans. After that, we'll be deep into our study and Puritans, and we'll read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which will lead us into The Crucible.
I thought I would have time this week to start looking at my plans for The Crucible, but LDC3 took up all of my planning time (review and test). So, next week, I'll take a look at my old materials and start planning my sequence of lessons for our study of the play. It's a great time of year when I am teaching Oedipus and The Crucible at the same time! :)
This week's the bad/the good:
The bad: I made the mistake of waiting until the end of the unit to make the test for LDC3. This took days of organization and creating during my planning time. I need to remember to make test questions as we go through each part of the unit. Since there is no plan for that class, I have to make everything myself. This year, I'm trying to establish some kind of curriculum so I don't have to recreat the class every year.
The good: I learned a lesson this week about controlling my temper. A few students in my LDC3 class were not seated at the bell, so I assigned each of them a 15 min detention (they'd been warned about this on several previous occasions). I heard one of the girls complaining, "She can't give us detention for no reason...." I turned to her and said, "It's not for 'no reason.' You've been warned and you know the rules." Now, I would have continued by saying what I was thinking, "I don't appreciate your eye rolls; if you'd put more thought to your studies than socializing...; maybe you don't understand that rules apply to you, too...." but another student called my name and had a valid question about the assignment for that day, so I turned to him. Later that period, one of the detention students asked if he could serve his time on Monday because he can stay on Fridays. I said yes, and the girl asked, "Oh, that's an option?"
Feeling better now that class was going smoothly, I jokingly said, "I don't know about you, because you gave me attitude. I think I deserve an apology."
The girl smiled sincerely and said, "I'm sorry Ms. Greene."
If I would have had the opportunity to let my emotions get the better of me, I would have embarassed the girl, and my whole day would have a black cloud hanging over it. Instead, we both learned lessons about appropriate behavior. (By the way, this story is embarassing to tell. I can't believe I'm still learning these things!)
In those brief 5-6 minutes, I learn about home life, boyfriends/girlfriends, hobbies, aspirations, interests, past experiences, opinions about reading, favorite classes, opinions about what the students consider good/bad teaching, and what current movies I should go see. Through these interactions, the students learn that there is another adult in this world who cares about them. This kind of connection is often useful with motivating the students in class. When something is difficult for them, they trust me enough to ask questions. When they don't understand something, they feel comfortable enough to say so. If I have to reprimand them, they know it's not personal. If they fail an activity or (yikes!) the class, they know that I cared enough to help them as much as I could, and that their failure is their own fault. And if they need help with non-school problems, they know that I am here to listen or offer assistance.
I always tell them: "If I didn't care, I wouldn't get upset with you for being off task. If I didn't care, I wouldn't send you a progress report every Friday and show my disappointment that you aren't turning in work or completing assignments. So, if I'm unhappy with you, you should know that it's only because I won't give up on you." So, these small moments, when we talk about non-school things, reinforce the fact that I do see them and care about them as individuals.
Here's what's been happening in my classes this week:
SOPH WORLD LIT
Using the Ladybug document camera and photocopied versions of the text for Sundiata, the students and I read through the 2 chapters together, annotating and discussing along the way. Going through a text this way allows for so many more opportunities for questioning and discussion. The students have come up with great questions during classtime, and others have offered responses. This shows me that they are all truly engaged with the text and are processing it on various levels. Actually, a couple of times, we read part of the text, and students have said, "Miss, shouldn't we highlight that because it says..." I praise them for being active readers and include their highlight on the text.
Today, the students are working independently to answer "Review & Assess" questions about the text. They will have a review on Monday and then a test and essay assignment on Sundiata next week.
Then...we finally transition into our study of tragic heroes and Oedipus! :)
LDC3
In this class, we completed Unit 1: Mysteries, and the students worked on a review sheet for a couple of days. Today they took their 50-question test.
I'm excited because our next unit is on "Survival," and I'm going to teach Elie Wiesel's Night for the first time. I was nervous about teaching a new novel, but then I found this unit plan that comes complete with supplementary handouts and a daily guide to the lessons! YAY! I'm going to review this and start planning accordingly.
This teacher's daily plan got me thinking, though: Why don't I have daily plans for my units? Why have I never thought of doing something like that?! That would make planning so much easier. I could add or subtract as needed, but this would ensure that I don't forget something important, something that worked really well, or a necessary supplementary text that should be included in the lessons. These would also help me ensure that I stay on track (as much as possible) with that course's pacing guide. So, I've decided that I'm going to try to put these together this year as I go through each unit.
LA2
...and so on and so on. This is how I feel about LA2. Each chapter is the same: intro activites, read chapter, answer questions, activity workbook, grammar workbook, writing assignment, quiz. Each week is exactly the same. In that strict plan, though, there are small victories for each student. Today, I stood next to a student who was supposed to underline the letters that make the "f" sound in the word biography. Something wasn't clicking in her brain: she tried to underline the whole word, then she tried to write the letter "f" above the word, then she tried to re-write the word on the line next to it. Finally, after I pronounced the word v.e.r.y s.l.o.w.l.y, underlined the "ph" in the word, then pointed to the next word (elephant), and pronounced it "el-e-PHHHHHHHH-ant," she had one of those OHHHH! moments, and underlined the "ph" in that word and the 3 following words. That's what it's all about: taking the time to help them jump those little hurdles.
I wish the county would go back to regulating the size of ESL classes (esp. these lower levels) so more situations like this could happen. It's difficult to spend that kind of time with a student when all the rest are so needy.
JR AMER LIT
We are wrapping up our study of early explorers this week. The students have been working on open book test reviews, and they will take their test on Monday; then on Tues and Wed, they will work on their Unit 2 essay. Next Thurs and Fri, I'll give a presentation on Puritans. After that, we'll be deep into our study and Puritans, and we'll read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which will lead us into The Crucible.
I thought I would have time this week to start looking at my plans for The Crucible, but LDC3 took up all of my planning time (review and test). So, next week, I'll take a look at my old materials and start planning my sequence of lessons for our study of the play. It's a great time of year when I am teaching Oedipus and The Crucible at the same time! :)
This week's the bad/the good:
The bad: I made the mistake of waiting until the end of the unit to make the test for LDC3. This took days of organization and creating during my planning time. I need to remember to make test questions as we go through each part of the unit. Since there is no plan for that class, I have to make everything myself. This year, I'm trying to establish some kind of curriculum so I don't have to recreat the class every year.
The good: I learned a lesson this week about controlling my temper. A few students in my LDC3 class were not seated at the bell, so I assigned each of them a 15 min detention (they'd been warned about this on several previous occasions). I heard one of the girls complaining, "She can't give us detention for no reason...." I turned to her and said, "It's not for 'no reason.' You've been warned and you know the rules." Now, I would have continued by saying what I was thinking, "I don't appreciate your eye rolls; if you'd put more thought to your studies than socializing...; maybe you don't understand that rules apply to you, too...." but another student called my name and had a valid question about the assignment for that day, so I turned to him. Later that period, one of the detention students asked if he could serve his time on Monday because he can stay on Fridays. I said yes, and the girl asked, "Oh, that's an option?"
Feeling better now that class was going smoothly, I jokingly said, "I don't know about you, because you gave me attitude. I think I deserve an apology."
The girl smiled sincerely and said, "I'm sorry Ms. Greene."
If I would have had the opportunity to let my emotions get the better of me, I would have embarassed the girl, and my whole day would have a black cloud hanging over it. Instead, we both learned lessons about appropriate behavior. (By the way, this story is embarassing to tell. I can't believe I'm still learning these things!)
Monday, August 15, 2011
1st Week Back: My Feet Are Killing Me!
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? :(
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? :(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)