"It's over. It's over now, move over. It's my turn now..."

I am so exhausted.  This is will not be the best entry I’ve ever written.  I’ll be sure to post another reflection in the coming days…but because this one has a deadline…

 

So tomorrow wraps up the Official 2010 Summer Training.  Needless to say, the summer FLEW by!  Like, it really did!

 

Throughout the summer I’ve had several highs, lows, frustrations, and triumphs.  I’m sure this feeling will be very similar to what I’ll experience in the classroom this fall.

 

I do feel I am better prepared to walk into Coleman Middle in Greenville and “dominate” 7^th grade math.  The teaching this summer was probably, hands down, the most beneficial for me.  I became more confident in my teaching ability, but also in my disciplining.  Before, I would be a little hesitant to “call a student out,” especially a student who was not a student of mine, out of some weird “fear” that the kid might retaliate.  Well…no longer! LoL.  That fear is long gone! I’m so excited and nervous for the year to begin.  I just want to meet the admin, meet the students, and get the party started!

 

Participants

We have a very TALENTED group of individuals this year.  I talk with fellow participants often about the impressive “resumes” of the current group and how intimidating that is/can be.  I hope to learn from several of them throughout our 2 years here, if they’re willing to open up and share.  One thing I can say though, the kiddies are definitely in for a treat in these districts!  I can’t wait to see everyone’s transition from reluctant disciplinarian to Mullins Award candidate!

 

I was a little disappointed about the lack of collaboration within our math department.  Maybe I’m just too friendly and giving, and it is a bit difficult for me to understand when that same eagerness isn’t being reciprocated...

 

2^nd Years

I wish the 2^nd years didn’t have so many days off.  I feel I didn’t get a chance to interact, hang out, and learn from them as much.  This was especially weird for me considering I contacted about 20 of them before I applied to the program. I was expecting to hear more about their experiences in person.  It will be interesting to see how our few interactions this summer play a role in our interactions this fall, during Saturday classes, and also in our respective schools/towns.

 

All right…I’m pass my 400-word requirement.   So this is the end and I will post a more thoughtful post in a few days.

 

peaceeeee

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Stalkerazzi

So...lately I've been labeled as a stalker by my fellow MTCers.  Now...before you get all paranoid, let me explain.  Over the last couple of days, I've left several comments on FB profiles, pics, vids, etc.  And because of my acknowledgements on a public site, I've been labeled as a stalker...go figure! LoL.

 

So first Derek. Then Andrea. Now Maria.

 

I chose to read Maria Lunsford blog from "cover to cover" and I'm glad I did!  She's great!  I chose Maria because 1. she taught middle school math and 2. she's a fellow ENFJ and 3. I love her eclectic style! (which actually came up today at lunch…)

 

ANYWAY

 

It was interesting to read about Maria progress during her first year.  An aspiring English teacher, Maria was chosen to teach math in Byhalia Middle (?) and she definitely rose to the occasion!

 

Because I’m a fan of concise communication, let’s whip out some bullet points.

I was honestly amazed by how much I have in common with Maria!

•      Being overly sensitive sometimes

•      Detail-oriented

•      Valuing SLEEP! :)

•      Always looking for newer and better solutions

•      Preferring intimate relationships

•      Ability to avoid comprising entanglements, lol

 

Even though Maria wasn’t given her dream job of being an English teacher, she was flexible and rolled with the punches when chosen to teach math.  Not only that, she was determined to be the BEST math teacher she could be.  She accepted nothing less than her very best, and I admire that about her.  I feel others wouldn’t have tried as hard if given an undesired subject area. She was determined to make the kids believe she was a “freak who loooooovessss math.”

       o   In her words, “MATH! I LOVE MATH! LET'S GET PUMPED ABOUT SOME ALTERNATE INTERIOR ANGLESSSSS!!!!  THEY'RE AWESOME! ..... woops.... I mean.... GREAT!”  lol

       o   “It's been my goal for a very long time to be an English teacher, and I think I still will (maybe even next year), but I am starting to feel like I am an actual Math teacher because of these kids! 

       o   I had sort of been considering myself a ‘fake’ math teacher, especially during summer school when I was just starting out.  Now, I am starting to enjoy the feeling of teaching math and I feel very proud of myself and my students when I hear them say ‘Ohhhhh! I get it! This is so easy!’ after struggling for years.”

Maria was constantly critiquing herself and making the necessary adjustments to fit her kids or administration’s needs.  Also, she ALWAYS looked for new, creative ways to make her math lessons engaging.  She truly desired to teach mathematics to these kids.

       o   “I would LOVE for someone to come to me and say, ‘Here are 4 things you can do to have a more engaging math lesson.’ Or ‘Here is a way to make a test that looks like the MCT2.’  This is what I need to be more effective.”

       o   “A big problem that I am facing is making my lessons different from day to day and making them more engaging.  I've pretty much stopped even trying to do sets with my classes and the construction paper has stayed in the closet for weeks now.  More creative lessons would help them feel less burned out, too.”

 

A few things I took from her blog and will be implementing in the August

o   Encouraging students to make an “educated guess” when asked to answer a question, rather than responding, “I don’t know.”

o   Not excepting “I don’t understand this stuff” or other vague responses when asking in what areas is help needed.  Requiring the students to have higher expectations for themselves and actually verbalize the specific concept that seems to be causing confusion.

o   Door decoration ideas!

o   “Classroom rules are in effect.”

 

Favorite Part of the Blog (in order)

3.    To remember negatives on the number line, she sang Beyonce’s “To the left, to the left” (Irreplaceable); then, she related that to the negative sentiment of the song.

       o   From the post: “Anyway, Charlie, who is ALWAYS singing, stands up and belts out THE. WHOLE. SONG.  Yes, I let him do it, because you know what? No one else even tried.  And this teensy kid knew all the words. Added bonus: so much emotion in the delivery.”

2.      “There is a joke that we teachers have repeated often at school:

Teacher: This is a desk.  What is this?

Student: Desk.

Teacher: This is a desk. What is this?

Student: Desk

Teacher: Let’s practice more. Is this an A: Desk B: Pencil C: Book D: Door  ?

Student: Peeenncccciiii...

Teacher: Nooo...

Student: Desk

Teacher: Yes!

State test: Is this an A: Desk B: Pencil C: Book D: Door  ?

Student:  C. Book 

Student: Ms. Teacher, that test was SO EASY!

Yes, it’s silly, and yes, it’s kind of mean-spirited, but it describes a phenomenon that I can’t understand.”

1.   Maria’s slope-Intercept song to “Bedrock” by Young Money

"Ooh, baby, this formula will stick like glue, baby, y equals m x plus b, baby, the slope's in the m spot, call me y-intercept, I can make your b rock!"  

•        Icing on the Cake…her students wrote songs too!

·      To the tune of "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson:

o   "Y is not alone/ It equals m x plus b/  M is the slope/ And b is the y-intercept/ yes b is the y-intercept/ and slope is rise over run/ so remember this equation/ and you will get this right on the test/ yes you will get this right on the *teeeeesssssst* (with flourish)"

·      To the tune of "Pretty Boy Swag" by Soulja Boy

o   "This right here is my slope. Y equals m x plus b.  M is the slope, pay attention.  B is the inter-cept swag, inter-cept swag, slope is the rise of my intercept swag.”

·      To the tune of "Flex" by Party Boyz

o   “Hands on your head while you try to graph the slope, wrote down the point when you first hit the door, m is the slope, and b is the intercept, put it all together and get y=mx+b, the slope is the rise over the run, then hit 'em with the slope again and then we'll be done, hit em with the slope hit em with the slope hit em with the slope and they'll be beggin for some more”

·      To the tune of "Baby" by Justin Bieber

o   “You know that y equals, m x plus b, it's the slope of a line now, it's so easy! M is my slope, rise over run, b is my y-intercept, ain't it so fun?  And now we slopin', slopin', slopin' ooooh, we slopin', slopin', slopin', oooh,  slopin', slopin', slopin', oooh, y equals m x plus b.... eeeee, slopin', slopin', slopin' ooooh, we slopin', slopin', slopin', oooh,  slopin', slopin', slopin', oooh, slope is the rise over runn... uh huuuuh.”

 

Reading Maria’s blogs was eye-opening, insightful, entertaining, and encouraging!

 

P.S. I’m so tired. I’m sure there are grammatical errors in this post.  Hopefully Maria won’t be too disappointed. :)

P. P. S. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE FREAKIN' FORMATTING IS SO WEIRD! UGH!

 

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Take 2. ACTION!

2nd Video Blog (lesson #25ish) ...definitely an improvement from the first.  But still room for more improvement. :)

Instruction

• Overall, a good review lesson.  I did not talk as often as in the last video, and the informal assessment was great. The period was shortened though, so I didn't have the allotted time to do as many activities as I'd planned

Informal Assessment

• Unlike before, the students had PLENTY of work to do during the informal assessment.  I was very good about getting around to each pair of students and answering questions, although I strongly encouraged the students to ask one another first.  The students also wrote answers on the board, and explained their answers to the class.

Closure

• Like usual, the closure was rushed.  When in doubt, I'm going to start "closing" early to ensure I squeeze the closure in.  Or, I guess I could alter my lesson plans and try not to cover so much material.  Hopefully, this won't be as big of a problem during the school year, considering I won't be 1. introducing a completely new topic each period, and 2. rotating with fellow teachers each period.

TIme Management

• Overall, time management was ok.  Definitely better than manyyy other lessons. (The closure was at least given, even though it was a bit rushed.)

Classroom Management

• = not an issue in our class.  The students were completely silent the entire time I gave directions.  They also worked quietly in pairs. :)  I love my kids!

Body Language

• I did notice a weird hand-resting position in this video... I did it throughout the video.  It's hard to describe...kinda like a broken wrist look?.....  LOL!  IDK.  Anyway!  Yea...I did that a lot.  I'll be more aware of my hand positions in the future. :) 

Movement Around the Room

• Great.  Definitely an improvement from the last video.  I should, however, be more aware of when students raise their hands and answer in that order (if possible).  There were several hands that went unnoticed because my head was down helping other students. (At least it appeared I didn't notice their hands...maybe I did...idk.)

General Improvement Areas

• More individual, personalized verbal praise.  I wore out the "awesome"s and "fantastic"s.
• More verbal praise for exhibiting good behavior and following directions.
• Be more aware of when students are raising their hands, and answer accordingly.
• A litttttle more wait time

Things I Did Well

• I gave VERY specific instructions
• Procedures
• Encouraging students to work together and ask fellow classmates questions before questioning me.
• Didn't talk as much as in the first video...also my wait time was a lot better- not perfect, but better.

Best Part of Lesson

• Informal Assessment
• Pair/Partner Work
• Having students come to the board to explain answers

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The largest room in the world? Room for improvement.

I came in the program very confident in my ability to present/teach to a group of students. That's not to say I didn't think I needed work, but I was never too too worried about being horrible.  With that said, my first recorded lesson (which was actually my 4th or 5th lesson) was pretty good.  :) 

Beginning of Class:

• I was teaching first period and having some technical issues with the projector/computer.  Because of this, there was a bit of dead time once the students had completed their Bell Ringer.

Instruction:

• Overall, I taught a decent lesson.  I didn't have as muchhh energy as I usually do (or think I do), but I'm sure there are several factors that could've (and still) affect my energy level.  My tone wasn't as engaging, upbeat, and energetic as I had imagined.  The frustration and tiredness could definitely be heard at some points. Also, I talked WAY TOO MUCH!  I didn't get the students to read anything from the PwrPt.  Even when I asked a question, I rephrased the question 2-3 times before I opened the floor for answers--wait time definitely wasn't utilized enough.  I also led the students to the correct answers too soon.

Informal Assessment:

• During the IA, I only gave the students 1-2 problems to complete while I walked around the room.  Well, a majority of the students on the right side of the room had completed those problems while I was still working with the students on the left side of the room (dead time).  In the future, I will be sure to supply the students with several problems to keep them occupied until I can go by their desks to assess their work.  Also, having white boards, or allowing students to verbally give their answers might aid in this as well.

Closure:

• It is RARE that I actually complete my whole closure like it is stated in my lesson plans....BUT I DID ON THE VIDEO!! :)  It's crazy that the only lesson I tape, is one of fewww lessons where I've actually given a proper closure. The closure was awesome.  Kudos Carmellle.

Time Management:

• To piggy back on the Closure section---it was great!  Time management is probably hands down my biggest challenge; however, it was exceptional in this video.  I would like to see another video where my time management is poor, to compare.

Poise and Body Language:

• I looked very motherly/nurturing when talking to the students individually.
• Even through my fatigue, I should smile more.  And use more gestures.

Movement Around the Room:

• I need to cover more ground during the IA and while teaching.  I wasn't glued to the board, but I could improve in reaching other areas of the classroom. 

General Improvement Areas:

• Class was a little boring.  I will try to engage the students more by allowing them to read from the PwrPt slides, going to the board to answer questions, and playing games.  More of a student-lead class than teacher-lead.
• Ask more challenging questions. (vary DOK levels)

Overall Impression:

• Pretty good.  Although, I think I've gotten better at a lot of the problem areas from this video.  It will be interesting to see my 2nd recorded lesson and compare the two.  Definitely still room for improvement nevertheless.

P.S. My team teacher is awesome.  Several of the things I noticed on the video were the same improvements Hunter recommended after teaching the lesson.

P.P.S.  It would be really helpful to record 2-3 times a week (next summer) to really see growth.  Also, posting blogs the same week of the recording would be ideal.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Organized Chaos

The Reluctant Disciplinarian was a pretty funny read.  I could vividly imagine several of the scenes described throughout the book....poor guy, lol.

Personally, I didn't find the book as helpful as Delta Autumn.  Of course, there were several paragraphs and phrases worth highlighting, but I haven't had many problems with discipline...just yet.  I don't consider myself a softy and I have a pretty low tolerance for disrespect...especially from children.

Thinking back to teachers from my past, many of them had very good classroom management.  They made it look so easy!  Dangerously easy...  I plan to contact several of my teachers for advice on classroom management, effective rules, procedures, and consequences.  I'm sure many of them would be happy to hear I would like advice from them, considering I wasn't the most quiet person in the class... lol.

Even though I'm still trying to hone in on my "teacher persona," there is one thing I know for sure...I DO NOT like a quiet classroom.  It drives me insane!!  I am experimenting on an effective method of controlling an organized, chaotic classroom. Haha.

Another thing mentioned in the book: keeping track of consequences.  I am horrible at this right now.  Our second consequence is a writing assignment and I NEVER remember to collect them or to whom I gave them.  Not a good look for me... I'm still working on my list of consequences, but one things for sure, the consequences will have an immediate effect. I'm saying this now....but come August, I could very well be that teacher handing out writing assignments... :)

Other key points taken from the book:

• Clarity is what's important when phrasing rules.
• Students appreciate decisive, direct teachers. Keep things simple.
  
• It's ok to teach from the textbook!
• Start off strict, then "morph" into the kind of teacher you've always envisioned yourself to be.
• Suppress your reflex to react immediately to every little thing. Pick your battles.
  
• Find the truth in any advice.
  
• Actions are more powerful than threats.
• Be careful when trying to "relate" to the students.--> This will be a challenge for me. I truly understand some of the students' struggles because I have been in similar situations and/or have witnessed others very to close me in similar situations.  I have to be careful when trying to relate that my sympathy doesn't come off as patronizing.

Overall, once again, I enjoyed the book.  Loved the humor. :)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Victim or Volunteer?

Last week we were required to try 1 of 3 questioning techniques.  I decided to try the cold-calling technique.  (Side note: Our class is VERY quiet, so we usually cold-call anyway.) Despite that, I figured it would be interesting to try a more structured method for cold-calling. I made index cards labeled with each student's name and randomly pulled from the stack for answers to questions.  Initially, the students were confused, but overall it worked well.  For the most part, each student got a chance to answer questions, and we (teachers) were surprised at how many students knew the information but never raised their hand.

I liked the more structured cold-calling technique and I look forward to implementing a similar method in my classroom this fall.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Delta Autumn- Another great resource!

Each day I enter my classroom at Holly Springs High to see my awesome team teacher prepared and providing helpful feedback, or enter Guyton Annex for Dr. Monroe’s class, I realize how blessed I am to be in a program like MTC.  It is soooo evident that the directors and staff of this program care about our success as teachers.  They are working very hard, and pushing us to give nothing less than our best to ensure we have a great first day, and subsequent year!

 

One of the many tools being used to ensure our success is Delta Autumn.  Delta Autumn, a guide written by MTC alumni, aims to steer first-year teachers through the unpredictable roller coaster of teaching in the Delta.

 

The first chapter of the book addresses the history of education in Mississippi.  I am so thankful the authors saw the importance of covering the history, specifically in the Delta.  The overview was essential in understanding the mindset of many individuals in Mississippi as it relates to education and segregation.  Covering the history will allow me to view my students and teaching assignment through a more focused lens.  Also, it is such a privilege to have access to Dr. Mullins, someone who was instrumental in leveling the playing field for students of color in the Delta.

 

The following 3 chapters were similar to The First Days of School in that several suggestions and pointers were given to help with the transition from summer training to your personal classroom in the fall- several first-year’s “do’s and don’ts,” administrative expectations, student expectations, surviving the first week, classroom management, crisis management, and community and parental involvement.  The examples, lists, and transparency of the authors were very helpful and appreciated.  It was also comforting to know that we will make mistakes, all the great teachers have, and THAT’S OK.  Each day starts a new chance to get it right.

 

Chapter 4 discussed special needs students and offered strategies for ensuring special needs students are comfortable in your classroom.  Often times, special needs students are labeled as “slow” or expected to have severe, noticeable disabilities.  Contrary to popular belief, gifted, hearing impaired, and visually impaired students fall into this category.

 

Because of the lack of resources for special needs students in the state of Mississippi, teachers are expected to provide the necessary accommodations for these students, while maintaining a balance in their class so that all students will feel involved, challenged, and enlightened.  This chapter provided several great tips that can be used for all students, not just students with unique needs.  The book Skills for School Success was also recommended for teachers wanting to teach note-taking and studying skills to their students.  I plan to purchase this book before the first day of school in the Fall.

 

The last few chapters of the book provided different sources for teaching materials, and subject-specific teaching strategies and recommendations.  The importance of each subject was emphasized and, as I expected, many of the teaching methods and subjects overlapped.

 

After reading this book, I am more comfortable with my teaching assignment in the Delta.  Also, I am more knowledgeable about the guaranteed challenges, potential pitfalls, and continuous support I will have as a first-year teacher in the Delta.

Overall: Definitely worth reading.  Possible revision soon?  Copyright 2001.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend