My Education Background Meme

I was tagged by Miss A at Confession from the Couch.

1. Is School 2.0 about technology or pedagogy (teaching methods)?

I have no idea. I did Google the term. It looks like some sort of plan for improving schools. I have never heard of it. So I will say both.

2. What were 1-3 things you had to ”unlearn” to become an effective teacher?

A. Like Miss A, lecture as a teaching strategy. B. To be so idealistic.

3. Did you learn these poor practices in your teacher preparation program, or somewhere else? If so, where.

A. Lecture is how I was taught. Very old school. B. That's the way I am.

4. Describe the philosophy of your teacher preparation program in 25 words or less.

My teacher preparation school was great. They had this little chart.



and they hit on everyone of those points. Especially the reflective part. I got very tired of reflection but it is a very big part of teaching.

5. What age/grade level do you teach? When did you attend school at that level?

I teach 9th and 10th grade. (I am very old.) 1983-1985

6. When were you in your teacher preparation program? 1987 and 2005-2006.

I will not tag anyone. If someone wants to steal it go ahead and link back to me. Thanks Miss A! This is my first meme and I feel very welcome in the blogging community!

It's so wonderful to have a supportive community of educators to communicate with! Maybe that's what School 2.0 is supposed to be.

The First Day of Class

I survived the first two days of my classes. I have 3 preps: English 2, Pre-Advanced Placement 1, and Pre-Advanced Placement 2. I have a very serious classroom management plan this year that I have to stay consistent with. Plus, I have many of the same students from last year. However, I am sad because in teaching the pre-AP, I lost about half of the students I had last year. I see them in the halls and I just want to hug them and drag them into my classroom. I have to stop being so territorial. They are not my students anymore.

This year I have conference 1st period. I guess that's ok. I figure I can make copies and get ready for the day. Maybe stop arriving at the school at 6 am like I did last year. I have to remember to get coffee and pee before 2nd period.

2nd period is pre-AP 1. It is all freshmen. These are really sweet kids. They get things done. They take everything seriously. I gave all my students the behavior syllabus. When I had it translated into Spanish, my friend the translator jokingly called it "The Bible." I like that. Instead of reading the whole thing to the students all periods played a game. The class was separated into two teams. One person from each team would go to the back of the room. We made a wide aisle ending in a chair with my three hole punch on it. I asked a question that was on the syllabus and the person who found it would run up, touch the punch, and answer the question. That person got a m & m. When the game was over, they would count up the m & ms. Whichever team got the most candy got a homework pass.

This game worked very well. 2nd period students would run and push and scream during it. However, as each period progressed, the students got more "mature" and didn't run as much or have as much fun.

Pre-AP 2 came in like a hurricane. They were all over the place, especially the girls. I sternly gave them a lecture on how to come in the classroom. I was very mean and strict. Then we played the game.

Period 3 had student I had had before. The highlight of my day was a girl I had last year who gave me a very hard time. She would make snide comments and talk in class all the time. When I introduced myself to the class today I said, "You might think it is a good thing or a bad thing that you have me as a teacher again this year." And I looked at her with a pointed stare. She let out such a long stream of Spanish that I laughed at. She said "It's going to be a long year." I told her, while laughing, "It sucks to be you, huh?" She wouldn't even look up and look at me! She just laughed. Later, I whispered to her that I know we didn't get along last year,but that was last year. I told her I liked her and knew she was a good person.

Period 4 had mostly kids I had last year, but one new girl. I told her to pay attention and be quiet today. She just laughed at me. First, I sent her to the hall for about 5 minutes. Then, I had her sit up front with me and used her as an example in explaining the consequences of bad behavior in my classroom. She was pretty serious by the end of the period. (And on day two, she was all serious and very good.) (This sounds very mean, I know, but it worked.)

Period 5 had the student that allegedly stole my projector last year. He had gone to DAEP for most of last year. This is such a sad child. I see such pain in his eyes, but he is so clownish and rebellious. I really don't know how to handle him. Plus I am not thrilled he allegedly stole something from me.

Period 8 was again kids I had before. One student I will call Jerry just cannot admit he ever does anything wrong or that I am harassing him. He did not bring a pen to class. He got up 3 times while I was talking just to go through his pockets. He distracts other students by talking to them. I explained the rules and consequences and pointedly outlined the ones he was breaking. I think I will be talking to his mom soon. sigh.

Our classes go to 4 pm, so it ends up being a long day. I just have to stick to the "plan" and keep my sense of humor.

My Classroom

Finally! I got most of my classroom set up. This included climbing up and down a ladder many times. My butt was so sore!! The above picture is my rules poster I made using Microsoft Publisher. You know the printer cartridges I was complaining cost too much money? The school had some and gave me some. The only bad thing is I used up the color cartridge doing this poster and the two quotes above the board.


The quotes are "Reading is to the mind as exercise is to the body" and "If you think it is good enough, it is not."


This is the front of the room. The students can use whatever supplies on this desk without asking. I told them if they do not bring Kleenex, they have to use the brown paper towels. They have told me their noses will fall off if they use the brown paper. I'm not kidding.


This is my "nest." I have forbidden students from going back there. I have a little stereo and all the neat things I got from students last year. I love this area. Last year, I never had I space I liked. I was constantly moving things around. This year, I have everything I need around me. And I am at the student's backs. I can see everything they do on their laptops.



Finally, the best part of all. The view from my brand new window. I love it!!!!!

My Goals For My Students This Year

I want my students:

1. To learn to love learning. To learn how to learn on their own. Tense Teacher (link here)says it better than me.

6. One of my teaching goals is… to encourage my students to think for themselves. Most of them believe that school is all about adults telling them what to do all the time, and while they publicly profess to hate that, the truth is that they’re lazy and would prefer that someone always tell them exactly what to do. That’s why I love teaching literature — most of the time, answers are often open to individual interpretation. In other words, everyone has to think for himself or herself

I just want to read that to my students.

2. To learn to communicate as an educated adult. I want no emails with "u" as you or "r" as are. I want to be able to read and listen to them clearly expressing themselves. My students do not realize that the first draft is just that: a draft. In order to be clear and concise, they have to work with the material they wrote.

3. To learn that there is a great big world out there. While that world is scary, it has wonderful and interesting things to experience and offer. Some of those wonderful and interesting things might just be their destiny. For example, I expose them to literature with points of view they may not have considered before or even agree with. But, the exposure can lead them done the road to be more rounded, tolerant, and intelligent than they would be without my instruction.

4. To learn that hard work will get them somewhere. The only way to succeed in my classes is to do the work. Some of us have to work harder than others. I want them to realize that's ok. Life is about the journey not the destination.

More Books I Read This Summer

Thank Oprah! Actually, I picked up the book before she picked it out. The book is about a hermaphrodite who grew up in the 60s and 70s. It is actually about much more. The beginning made me feel very uncomfortable because of the incest. However, once I got past that it was easier going. I think an underlying theme of the book is you create the life you want. You can become the person you want to be. For example, the main characters uncle morphed into several different characters: a Greek gangster and a founder of the Nation of Islam. The main character eventually rebelled against being a medical freak and an even freakier doctor to becoming what he (or she) wanted to be. Also, Cal's grandparents chose to be man and wife rather than brother and sister.

The biggest mystery of the book was why the older brother was named Chapter Eleven. I reread and reread that first chapter of the book over and over to figure it out. On Oprah's website, the author says it is because the brother eventually had to declare Chapter Eleven on his father's business. Also, you get the feeling that Cal was not thrilled with his brother's business action.

This is another one of Oprah's picks that I picked up before she picked it. The book has two parts that effected me greatly. The baby being roasted over an open fire is one.

The other part was when they found the bomb shelter with supplies. I wanted the father and son to never leave. Why did they have to leave? No one could see them. They could defend it. This part of the book had the same effect in me that part in The Grapes of Wrath had when the family left the safe shelter at the end of the book.

I think the major theme of the book is that the young always are the innocent. The son always showed trust: wanting to contact a stray dog or another boy, his new family at the end, and following his father to the end. The author was saying through young innocence the human race will survive in a destroyed world.

Would you like Me to Teach Shakespeare in Interpretive Dance?

My students expect to be entertained. They expect all classes to be thrilling and exciting. I don't know why. Well, maybe I do. When I am home, I have the televison or the radio on. I read a book to escape from reality. Or, I do a hobby, like crocheting or cross-stitch. So, I constantly entertain myself.

The difference between my students and I is that I have learned to entertain myself. I find learning enjoyable. I can honestly say I am hardly ever bored. (I do attend inservice.) I find the material we are studying enjoyable. They do not.

I am not an entertaining person. Students often do not understand my dry sense of humor. I believe that they must "do" in order to learn, therefore hardly any easy or funny lecture. They must practice their writing skills constantly. They don't find pleasure in improving their skills.

I try to design lessons in which they might enjoy. They do enjoy videorecording their performances and playing games. They enjoy working together, however, hardly any work gets done working together. I try to give them choices, but they do not enjoy it.

I did not go into teaching to entertain. I cannot remember one teacher I had in high school that was "entertaining" in his/her approach to teach us. I had an alegebra teacher that was extremely funny. But that did not improve my grade. I still got Cs and Ds in alegebra. (Rest in peace, Mr. G.) We never complained school was boring (to our teachers face, anyway.)

I understand that human beings play to learn. I do incorporate play in my classroom. We just cannot do it all the time. Certain activities, the student just have to do and practice.

In the work world, work is not play. The teaching profession is not all fun. However, we do it. If you look at your employer and say work is boring, well, you will get fired. Or, at least, he or she will look at you and say "so what."

I talked to one bored student who was in baseball about this. I said that he just could not tell his coach practice was boring. He informed me that baseball was fun and therefore he did not mind the practice. I do not know what to do with this. Not know how to read and write is fun? Getting thrown out of baseball because of low grades is fun?

So, is it society that tells students that they need to be entertained all the time? I think this is partly to blame. Students need to learn that things do not need to be fun in order to be worthwhile. I find teaching fun in most aspects of the job. I love planning instruction, the actual teaching, the organization, and working with students. However, I do not like the disicipline, dealing with unpleasent personalities, and the paperwork. Yet, I love my work.

I will continue incorporate certain elements of play in my classroom. However, I have to realize I just am not an entertainer. I am a teacher. My job is to provide opportunities for students to learn. My second job is to prepare them for the realities of the work world. What do you think?

School Assignments

Yesterday, after my brush with the law, I went into the school. I thought it would be a good idea to find out what I will be exactly teaching. Last spring all the teachers discussed what classes they would like to teach. Since I was losing my position, I had told the principal I would like to move up with my class (link to previous post describing what happened here.) That request was granted. I have two preps, English II and Pre-AP English II. Which is good.

And a window!!! I have a window!!! With a view of a mountain. Well, I think it is a mountain. I'm from a flat state.

The school is implementing a new 9th period. Last year, we had tutorials after school. If you felt a student needed extra help, you could require him or her to attend tutorials. Unfortunately, buses left before tutorials and sports practice began before tutorials. If an athlete had to attend this afterschool class, they would have a longer practice.

Another thing the students would do is show up and say they had to get something and never come back. Or they would not show up at all. It sucked. I would sometimes write them up if they would not attend. Still, I had a hard time making them stay.

Now all students will have a TAKS prep or enrichment class after school until 4 pm. This is a good idea, but the day is going to be long.

Also, I have conference first period!!! Last year, I had conference and lunch periods together, so I had a long break in the middle of the day. With conference first, I can get ready for the day. This is great!

We start inservice on Monday. Inservice goes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are preparing days. I still have alot to do in the classroom and hopefully I will have the energy to get over the school this weekend. (Today, I stayed in-went nowhere-stayed on couch. Didn't take any chances with the local law enforcement.)

My Criminal Life--A Whine Alert

Warning: I try to stay positive, but this is really negative. So you might want to skip it to save your opinion of me being positive and not whiny.

Do you ever feel like you should just not leave the house?

I got up at 7 am, just because I thought I should get ready for next week when our inservice begins. I was in a fog all morning. I just found a friend back home that I went to the school of education with. We had been exchanging emails. This morning she sent me an email that it's great we are talking, but could I email her at her private email, not her school. Of course! I gave her my private email too. No problem! Only problem: I emailed my agreement to her school address! How dumb! I emailed an apology immediately. Ever feel like an idiot!!!!

Then, around noon I debated whether I should actually get the mail. We have to go to the post office for all our mail. I thought I could wait a day. Then I decided to go. Then I decided not to go. (I don't like putting on a bra unless I have to.) Finally, I went (with bra on.)

On the way back, I was driving the speed limit. All is fine. Then, I see a cop flashing his lights behind me. I stopped on the side of road thinking he just needed to get somewhere fast. No, he stopped, got out of the car, and walked towards my car. What on earth?!!!

He told me the reason he stopped me was because I was not wearing my seatbelt! He asked me where I what I was doing in this town and where I was going. I said home and pointed to my apartment. I told him I was a teacher. He asked (like he didn't believe me) how long I lived here. I said a year. He told me he can't give a warning and he'd have to give me a citation. Arggggggggggg! $140 down the drain. I wasn't speeding. My car paperwork was up to date. I think the only reason he stopped me was because he didn't recognize my car. Because I never get in trouble!

I have one speeding ticket for going 5 miles over the speed limit downhill from 4 years ago. Nothing else in my whole life!

It wouldn't be so bad, but it's the start of the schoolyear. I have been buying stuff I really needed badly for school like clothes and school supplies. I discovered color printer in my room at school and had it hooked up to a computer. Only to find out it needs a $60 ink cartridge. And my school stopped stocking them two years ago. agggghhhh. Can't afford it untill everything gets caught up.

I really need a budget. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

Note: I do usually wear my seatbelt. On long trips. In town, I don't. Yeah, I will now. I was breaking the law and I will pay the fine.

Books I Read This Summer Part 1

I wasn't going to read this book. However, I heard about it on the radio program "The Satellite Sisters." I sometimes feel very guilty about reading such gossipy material. Is this really any of my business? But.... it was soooooo good. I loved and saw the movie "The Queen" this summer. This is a great companion to that movie. To sum up Diana's effect on the royal family: she succeeded in connecting with the British people (and the whole world) more than the royal family. Diana had two sides: a very silly woman with little education and a great humanitarian. As an educator, I have to remember everyone has different talents. Even without a real education, you can still be a great person. Granted, she had great resources at her disposal.


If you love British Literature like I do, you will love this book. You do have to understand British humor (and FForde's) and be able to follow a very convoluted story. I love FForde's Nursery Tales series too. I think it is like Prachett's Discworld. I really can't discribe these books. They are so silly. But, don't all bookworms dream of being able to enter and live in their favorite books?

Read in one day. I like Harry Potter. When I read the first one, I thought if I was eight years old I would have loved it. Then the books got better as I read it. When I got Deathly Hallows, I read the epilouge first. The book was satisfying, the ending bittersweet. I still like Narina better.

10 Things I Learned Teaching My First Year of School

1. Do not bring live things to live in the classroom. I bought a beta fish at Walmart last year and thought it would be a great thing to have on my desk at school. The kids went crazy over it. They named it "Bob."

One day I had a sub. Someone put alka-seltzer in the Bob's water. Somehow he survived. I took Bob home to live on my kitchen window sill. He survived into the summer. He's dead now. But I think he was living on borrowed time. I'm sure it's very traumatic to find your world filling up with bubbles.

I'd really like to bring some plants to live in my classroom. But the students seem to think everything is community property.

2. Do not keep candy as rewards. Eventually, students stop working until they are bribed. I think the whole "What's in it for me?" attitude is not appropriate for schools. Plus candy's expensive and I don't get paid that much.

3. Do not gossip. Do not talk about fellow teachers, students, or co - workers.

4. Do not piss off the maintenance staff, school secretary, tech people, or attendance lady. They have the power to make your life hell.

5. If someone puts stuff in your room (boxes, dictionaries, etc) it is your responsibility to get rid of it. After a school assessment test, somehow all the dictionaries distributed to the students for the test ended up in my room. Now, it was my problem to get rid of... Note to self: Lock room if I am not there.

6. Bulletin boards are more work than they look.

7. Back up all files on your laptop computer. Mine fried this summer. Everything I did last year is lost.

8. Trust my intuition. I am pretty good at this job and I make very good choices about classroom management, instruction, and life. I had one student I "thought" might have been drunk. I even asked the counselor to look at him. Two months later, he's suspended for distributing alcohol. I am not happy I was right.

9. Teaching is a great job. Yeah, you work non-stop during the year, but this having summers off is great!

10. It's ok to make mistakes. People understand. Not everything is going to perfect.

One more: Not all students are horrible monsters. In fact, only a small percentage (maybe one every class) are. I have the right to do my job without them ruining learning for the rest of us.

One One more: A sense of humor is a must. If only everyone understood all my jokes. ;)

Life Is Not Fair

All day yesterday I kept thinking about what Ms. B (link here) said about life and finding a job. She laments, "I'm such a hard-working, dedicated, determined person...why is the Brass Ring always so damn far out of my reach, and yet, so close to others who put forth only half as much effort?"

Amen.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table, crying because I work so hard and other people get ahead so easily. I don't. I was crying to my mother, "It's not fair." Then she laughed at me, and said,

"Life is not fair."

Words to live by. My parents never paid for my college, I did that all on my own, working 3-4 part time jobs and struggling to make ends meet. All the time watching other kids living it up and having fun and new cars bought for them by parents.

Then, no job. No nepotism. (Not that I would have accepted the help.) I had to claw my way into a job. Claw up the ladder without kissing butt. Try that. It's so not fair.

In order to teach, I moved 4 states away from my home. My dream. Last June (of 2006), my current principal called my home and was incredulous that I would move. Four honest interviews later (he asked some hard questions!) I had a contract in my hands. I arranged to move within 2 months. By car. To a place I had to drive 2 days to get to. Just to teach and get paid decently.

When my mom told me life's not fair, she taught me the flip side philosophy. Count your blessings. I have a job I enjoy. I have a roof over my head. I have food. I'm smart--I'll figure roadblocks and problems out.

Yeah, I get upset when people get farther than me with little work. But do they really appreciate successes as much as myself when I worked for them? I always remember that I earned that success and it is all mine. I achieved my prizes by my own hard work and effort.

My students always tell me things are "not fair." I tell them what my mom taught me, life's not fair. But life is still wonderful.

So, Miss B., I think my advice is "what matters in life is the journey, not the destination."