Respect and Camaraderie

The most valuable aspect of this week was the realization that I have very few days left in this student teaching assignment and how much I have grown to enjoy my students. At some time this past week I looked at a calendar and thought, "Wow, I don't have much time left here" and that was the point when I started to look at my students differently. I now appreciate the ones that are vocal, the ones that whine about every assignment, the ones that need help no matter how many times we've done the same thing, and even the ones that are quiet and will patiently wait their turns with their hands up while the demanding students ask question after question. The realization of how little time I have left with these students made me also think about how much we are all alike regardless of gender, race, religion, etc. We all want to fit in and enjoy the people around us and that is what is happening in my classes. The students have taken a liking to me and as you can tell, I like them too. I believe this comes from a mutual respect that I have tried to foster from day one. I firmly believe that learning will come much easier in an atmosphere of respect and camaraderie than in an authoritarian environment and that is what I've strived for in all of my classes. Fortunately, for me and my students, it seems to have worked. I must admit that I have small classes ranging from 13 to 23 students and the smaller class size lends itself more readily to an open, engaging, and respectful environment. The students know that when we have a class discussion they can readily speak their thoughts and not wait to be called on by me. They do not speak over each other but will wait for one another to finish speaking. I never set up ground rules for the class discussions but instead, I've tried to act as a moderator and may have made comments to the effect of 'one at a time' if two students were talking at the same time. As I reflect on this, I realize how special these students are that they have shown me as much respect as they have and it has made the entire experience a pleasant one. I will miss them. Until now, I never realized how close a teacher becomes with the classes and how much each class has its own personality. There's one class in which I have so much fun and look forward to it every day. I think the thing I need to take from this is that I need to strive to develop that feeling with all of the classes.

If I could change anything about this week it would be to have come up with a better review for an accounting class. I was sick this week and took the easy way out using some of the same slides and overheads to review with that I used to teach. I've done much better reviews in the past and the class was dull and bored with the review. I hope they do well on the upcoming test!

Senioritis

The aspect that I learned the most from this week was how seniors actually shut down at a certain point in the year. One of my co-op's mentioned that they will do this if they think that they have the grades to pass. He actually calls it "senioritis" which now makes sense as the seniors seem to have inflated or swollen egos and think that they are much better than they are scholastically. Also, if the seniors are going on to college then they typically have been accepted at this point and think that their grades don't matter any more. The class I'm referring to is an Accounting I class, yes, an elective, that is 80% seniors. The previous week they were given time to complete a practice set which involved each step of the accounting cycle for a business. The class was given an entire week to complete this. What was handed in was a complete farce. Half of the class did very well getting 90% or better. The other half of the class didn't even complete the initial work i.e. worksheet, general ledger, but had the nerve to hand in a post-closing trial balance. They weren't even aware that we knew they were copying if they had a post-closing trial balance and didn't post! Aaaaaagh! But the truly amazing thing was that they were upset over their grades! They all should have failed but we gave them the benefit of the doubt, they did not get points for the post-closing trial balance unless they posted. So, they were graded on what was completed. There was a score of a 24, a 42, a 55, and the rest were under 65. But again, my amazement came with how incredulous they were to get their grades. What did they expect?! We were kind! I am beginning to believe that teaching is partly showing, partly telling, partly encouraging, partly coaxing, partly disciplining, and partly just plain old putting your foot down and that they will get the grades they deserve. There seemed to be a feeling that they somehow should have earned more than what their work reflected based on their previous work... wrong!

This week was PSSA testing again and if I could have done anything over this week it would have been to work harder with the students that were in class even though at times, half or more of the class was missing. In mixed classes it just becomes lost time for all because when the juniors are out testing, the seniors or sophomores expect a free period. While I don't like to go too far ahead with the class, I should make sure that they really grasp the material covered that day. They can be my assistants to teaching the juniors that missed the class due to PSSA's. I'm thinking about when I have my own classes coming up with a way that I may be able to have teams so that when one student is out, the other(s) is responsible for covering the material with that student before the student comes to me. I think and have observed students learning much quicker from each other than from me and it will also create a sense of responsibility in the student that is in class instead of a feeling that 'hey, it's a free day, she'll have to go over it again anyway!'

A Fascinating Study on Human Nature...

The most valuable aspect of this week was in seeing how quickly the dynamics of a class can change with the addition of just one student. I have a class that is typically a well behaved group that works well together, looks out for each other, and will engage in peer teaching. Now don’t misunderstand, this group is far from being angels but as a class they clicked. They did their share of complaining about assignments or in class activities but usually began working on an assignment shortly after I finished the explanation of it.

About a week and a half ago, a new student came into the class who seems like a very nice young man that is intelligent and was able to complete the assignments and activities much quicker than most of the other students. The class was still working together well and there were few classroom management issues that couldn’t be handled simply with proximity. But now this student is getting more comfortable and trying to assert himself as a leader in the class. He is extremely intelligent and much more advanced than the other students in the class which means that he can complete the work in about 20% of the time that it takes the rest of the class. And now he thinks it is play time. He flirts with the girls, talks with the other boys and is somewhat challenging toward them at times. This is why I said he is asserting himself as a class leader. This whole thing would be a fascinating study on human nature except for the fact that he is disrupting my class!

This week was the first time that I had to really come down on someone but I refused to raise my voice. He finished the activity and was teasing the girls and making comments to the guys when I went over and asked him why he wasn’t working on the assignment. When he told me that he completed it I said that was great and now he can move on to the next class activity. He didn’t want to do that and told me that the other student’s weren’t working on that, why should he. I explained to him that he was disrupting my class and that he needed to work and stop distracting the other students; if he couldn’t work where he was, then I would move him to the corner where no one sits. I also explained that I don’t make threats; the next time I have to talk with him he will be moved. And this worked, at least for now. Today he was quiet and did not disrupt the class at all even when provoked by other students. For now, all is well again and the class is working together well. I am fascinated by the psychological aspects of a teenage male asserting himself in a classroom setting. Maybe I’ve watched People of the Forest or Jane Goodall documentaries one too many times! LOL… it is incredible how one good student, who is polite and intelligent can change the entire dynamics of a class.

If I could change anything about this week I think it would be to have nipped some of this student’s antics before they progressed to where I had to talk with him. Part of me wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him to feel like he was part of the class and cajole with the students and get to know them. Maybe I should have calmed all of them down sooner and then I wouldn’t have had to set him straight after only a week and a half at a new school. But my guess is he’s tenacious and since he is intelligent will figure out how to settle into the class routine while still making friends and without annoying me!

Go Syracuse!!

Slow Down, You're Moving Too Fast, You've Got to Make the Good Times Last!

This week had numerous valuable aspects but for the purpose of this blog, I will focus on what was the most valuable for me. And that was the lesson that I video taped and the results of the Student Survey. I found out that the students really like me and would go out of their way to help me. Before I videotaped the lesson, I explained to the students what I was doing and why, asked for a volunteer to videotape, and asked for their support. The response was remarkable. There were many comments but the one particular comment that stuck out was, "Of course I'll help you, I like you." It warmed my heart. I smiled and said, "Thank you, I like you too!" It made the lesson feel really good because I know the students were pulling for me to do well. But one of the best things was when I told them I was going to videotape the lesson, they got very concerned and asked if it was my last day or if I was leaving soon. I reassured them that I was going to be around until the end of April and asked them why they would asked that. They said that other student teachers only videotaped before they were leaving and they didn't want me to leave yet! In the past, I've heard different professors say that you'll always remember your student teaching experience. Up until this point, I was thinking that I was going to remember the school and/or the diversity; now I know that I'll always remember my 7th period class. They're great kids that have challenged me and are teaching me more than I hoped in this short amount of time. I look forward to that class everyday. I never thought that teachers may find it difficult at the end of a school year when they've had a group of students that they really enjoy. But then there's always another group coming up that will bring new challenges, new joys, and a new learning experience for the teacher!

If I could change anything about this week it would be to slow down a bit when teaching. I have a class in which more than 50% of the students have IEP's and the reasons are very varied. Some are for learning disabilities, some visual impairments, some are emotional support. I've been teaching Excel and try to demonstrate everything on the overhead while explaining it. I think I've been going slowly but I find myself running around the classroom giving individual instructions because many of these students can't follow. I've come to realize that I have to slow down the lessons even more and make sure that the students that need assistance get it and not worry about the more advanced students. I will have additional work that they can do for extra credit on hand. My co-op has been trying to tell me for weeks to slow down and show the students everything. Well it finally sunk in this week after a class when all I heard was my name over and over. The realization then set in, if I go slower maybe more of the students will get it the first time or at least with a little less assistance. I've been concerned that the more advanced students will get bored but they'll just have to be patient too. I've also recognized that some of the students just want or need my attention and I'm still not quite sure what to do with that. I've told them to ask their friends before me and it's worked a bit, but not really much. I'm open for ideas.