Another first happened to me last week. A student moved to another city and therefore is out of my class. Now, the fact that a student moved is not anything new to me. In fact, a male student in this same class moved and there was nothing of note that happened with him. Additionally, a female student during my student teaching also moved. But this particular student was very emotional.
For anonymity purposes I'll call the student Janice.
Janice had told me she was leaving the week prior, and I thought nothing of it. Students come and go, I have no control over that. I didn't think twice about it. The week goes on with no big issue.
Then, her last day is her at last. It was a somewhat cloudy day, a little drizzle falling outside. A note from the office comes for her and she goes to talk with the assistant principal. Upon her arrival, the students and I are in the middle of reading our novel, and she is crying. I don't mean tears quietly falling down her cheek, but sobbing. Her nose sniffling.
"You have to sign this, Mr. ________, " she sniffs, handing me a form for her transfer.
I asked her what was wrong. I thought maybe she had gotten into trouble.
She sobs, "I.. don't.. want.. to leave..." and breaks down in class.
Now, I don't care who you are, just thinking back on this pulls on my heart strings. I was at a loss for words. Part of me wanted to stop class and let everyone say their good-byes, the other part wanted to keep a professional demeanor in the class and continue with what we were doing. I noticed several students looking at me while I decided.
In the end, I chose to keep class moving along, eventually sending a female friend of Janice's outside with her to calm her down.
I'm sure you're thinking, "How heartless!" But really, I think I would choose that option 97% of the time in the future.
The two girls come back in and there was no issue for the rest of the class.
And, so, that is my first experience with the emotional student saddened by leaving school.
I was also taken aback by the hug. I am, by nature, not very emotional in the classroom. I am not entirely comfortable making contact with students in this way. These two things added together meant that the hug was an awkward, one-armed, side hug on my part, and a two armed strong hug on her part.
Again, I'm not heartless, just not experienced with how to act in these situations.
And since I have no better way of ending this, I'll borrow those iconic words from Forrest:
"...That's all I have to say about that."
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The PLC Conference
I had wanted to update during the conference, but did not find the time.
A little backstory:
My district is in the process of converting to the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model. I have had some experience with the process throughout the year, but I was able to get the information straight from the horses' mouth (the DuFours).
A PLC can be applied in any industry, but for education it's basically a structured, fancy way of moving from different teacher, different curriculum to different teacher, one curriculum. Or, a consistency among teachers instructing the same grade level or course. And it's not a consistency in that the exact same lesson is being given to every student, but a consistency in that the material is the same, and the skills being taught are the same, which means freedom for teachers to still put their personality into the lesson. However, this isn't to say that some schools won't take it as far as same lesson among the teachers. This isn't the case at my school--Thank goodness.
Some people like it, others hate it. From a first-year teacher's perspective, I LOVE it.
I mean, my first year could have gone 2 ways. The first is spending countless hours coming up with a curriculum for the whole year on my own. I would use the whole year as my experiment on what worked and what didn't, crying when 90% of it didn't.
Or, it could go the way it has been. Meeting with other sophomore teachers--veterans of the craft--and seeing how they present the material, deciding what skills we will be teaching within each unit.
I am not using everything they give me, but I like to think that I can add it to my bag to pick and choose from later. Rather than filling that bag with janky things I have no idea work, I can fill it with tried methods and choose from those. I mean, I am still going to add my own ideas into that bag, but when those don't work, I'll have a fallback.
Anyway, the conference went well. It was basically a reinforcement of the ideas that the English department has already been doing and implemented. It was enlightening, too, about what still needs to be done at my school to fully function with the PLC model.
I am excited to see how it turns out!
A little backstory:
My district is in the process of converting to the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model. I have had some experience with the process throughout the year, but I was able to get the information straight from the horses' mouth (the DuFours).
A PLC can be applied in any industry, but for education it's basically a structured, fancy way of moving from different teacher, different curriculum to different teacher, one curriculum. Or, a consistency among teachers instructing the same grade level or course. And it's not a consistency in that the exact same lesson is being given to every student, but a consistency in that the material is the same, and the skills being taught are the same, which means freedom for teachers to still put their personality into the lesson. However, this isn't to say that some schools won't take it as far as same lesson among the teachers. This isn't the case at my school--Thank goodness.
Some people like it, others hate it. From a first-year teacher's perspective, I LOVE it.
I mean, my first year could have gone 2 ways. The first is spending countless hours coming up with a curriculum for the whole year on my own. I would use the whole year as my experiment on what worked and what didn't, crying when 90% of it didn't.
Or, it could go the way it has been. Meeting with other sophomore teachers--veterans of the craft--and seeing how they present the material, deciding what skills we will be teaching within each unit.
I am not using everything they give me, but I like to think that I can add it to my bag to pick and choose from later. Rather than filling that bag with janky things I have no idea work, I can fill it with tried methods and choose from those. I mean, I am still going to add my own ideas into that bag, but when those don't work, I'll have a fallback.
Anyway, the conference went well. It was basically a reinforcement of the ideas that the English department has already been doing and implemented. It was enlightening, too, about what still needs to be done at my school to fully function with the PLC model.
I am excited to see how it turns out!
Monday, October 24, 2011
"Professional" Conference...
So, I was sitting here, on my bed, in the hotel room, waiting for the Sandman, thinking how much like college this is beginning to feel, possibly writing a blog entry, when my roommate and I hear a knock on the door and the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps. Looking at one another, it was easy to figure out which of our colleagues it would be. I wasn't at all surprised, ladies. Yes, you two.
And yes, reader, teachers like to have fun too (read: be immature).
But in all seriousness, here comes another first in my short-lived career: The conference.
I have to admit I was reluctant to come. So far, since leaving campus and carpooling up to the hotel, I've thought multiple times about how the next two days away from the students will be. Yes, it will be a nice time away, but giving up control for two days knowing things have to be learned is a bit nerve-wracking.
Well, here's to a new experience. I'll let you know how it goes.
And yes, reader, teachers like to have fun too (read: be immature).
But in all seriousness, here comes another first in my short-lived career: The conference.
I have to admit I was reluctant to come. So far, since leaving campus and carpooling up to the hotel, I've thought multiple times about how the next two days away from the students will be. Yes, it will be a nice time away, but giving up control for two days knowing things have to be learned is a bit nerve-wracking.
Well, here's to a new experience. I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Always ask!
Let's start the fun of this first year with my first really big mistake as a teacher (IMO):
Now, aside from teaching a subject I have never taught before and NEVER thought I would need to teach, Journalism sounded promising. And it's not as though I am unqualified, just inexperienced, so to speak. Plus, one of my favorite things to do is write, so how can teaching kids to write outside of the 5 paragraph essay be bad?
Well, that's what I thought anyway. And before I REALLY begin (and I will, I promise); I like teaching this class. Being in there puts me in the best mood on any given day. However, there were many unanticipated snags (for lack of a better word) that I have come across. To make this readable, though, I'll get to the major one: Funding.
We (switching to the royal) all know that schools aren't seeing much money coming their way these days. That's a fact. We can agree with that. Let's move on. Because of this there was scramble at the start of the year, trying to figure out where to get money to print a paper. Light bulb moment! We will sell custom silicon bracelets to the student body that encourages school pride and team spirit. Perfect, right!?
Well, fast forward a bit. Non-refundable order placed for 300 bracelets at around $260. Sweet, primed to make about $600 in profit! But wait, what's this? The message on the band is.. "questionable"? Thanks must go out to our older, more experienced, and (dare we say it?) dirty minded colleagues, for enlightening us to the fact that having a bracelet saying our team "goes hard" may not have been the best choice.
I think we just got punched in the gut.
Well, let's follow up with administration. We do, and they say they'll get back to us.
Fast forward another few weeks. Bracelets are due to arrive, and, what is this? No answer from administration. We're good to go! But, no. Again, we thank (not as sarcastically this time) our elders for suggesting we confirm that we have permission to sell the bracelets.
Again, our stomachs do flips, and our hearts race. In fact, the bracelets are in the office waiting for us to pick them up. The AP sees nothing wrong with it, another AP is persuaded, and all is right in the world! Or so we think. Somewhere in the chain of command we get the veto and a simple email stating, "I am sorry to say, but the consensus is 'no'" is what we get.
Ouch.
So, rule number 1 to my fellow new teachers: ALWAYS ask permission. Avoid a $260 mistake.
Now, aside from teaching a subject I have never taught before and NEVER thought I would need to teach, Journalism sounded promising. And it's not as though I am unqualified, just inexperienced, so to speak. Plus, one of my favorite things to do is write, so how can teaching kids to write outside of the 5 paragraph essay be bad?
Well, that's what I thought anyway. And before I REALLY begin (and I will, I promise); I like teaching this class. Being in there puts me in the best mood on any given day. However, there were many unanticipated snags (for lack of a better word) that I have come across. To make this readable, though, I'll get to the major one: Funding.
We (switching to the royal) all know that schools aren't seeing much money coming their way these days. That's a fact. We can agree with that. Let's move on. Because of this there was scramble at the start of the year, trying to figure out where to get money to print a paper. Light bulb moment! We will sell custom silicon bracelets to the student body that encourages school pride and team spirit. Perfect, right!?
Well, fast forward a bit. Non-refundable order placed for 300 bracelets at around $260. Sweet, primed to make about $600 in profit! But wait, what's this? The message on the band is.. "questionable"? Thanks must go out to our older, more experienced, and (dare we say it?) dirty minded colleagues, for enlightening us to the fact that having a bracelet saying our team "goes hard" may not have been the best choice.
I think we just got punched in the gut.
Well, let's follow up with administration. We do, and they say they'll get back to us.
Fast forward another few weeks. Bracelets are due to arrive, and, what is this? No answer from administration. We're good to go! But, no. Again, we thank (not as sarcastically this time) our elders for suggesting we confirm that we have permission to sell the bracelets.
Again, our stomachs do flips, and our hearts race. In fact, the bracelets are in the office waiting for us to pick them up. The AP sees nothing wrong with it, another AP is persuaded, and all is right in the world! Or so we think. Somewhere in the chain of command we get the veto and a simple email stating, "I am sorry to say, but the consensus is 'no'" is what we get.
Ouch.
So, rule number 1 to my fellow new teachers: ALWAYS ask permission. Avoid a $260 mistake.
A (kind of) real introduction
After realizing that I am not the only blogger in the English department, I have decided to keep up on this blog as often as I can. If only because I'm competitive like that.
I would like to say that I am here to enlighten those in the teaching industry, but being a fresh face in my first "real" year of teaching it would be hard to do. This first year will be a roller coaster ride of emotion, a plethora of cliche. All I can promise is an entertaining year of learning and teaching.
So, I invite my fellow first year teachers to wallow in the mistakes that we will (undoubtedly) make and share the joys that make it all worth it.
And, veteran teachers, you are welcome to come along for the ride also. Cringe while reading about our mistakes, maybe even get zapped back to the time when you were in my shoes, thinking, "Oh, yeah. I did that." Or, "Really? You really did that?"
Also, I extend an invitation to those NOT in education to read along. Maybe I can be a little window into the side of teaching you do not always see: The dirty side. The AWESOME side. The side that makes the select group of us CHOOSE to be around hormone driven youth.
Whoever you are, I welcome you to "My Life in Teaching".
I would like to say that I am here to enlighten those in the teaching industry, but being a fresh face in my first "real" year of teaching it would be hard to do. This first year will be a roller coaster ride of emotion, a plethora of cliche. All I can promise is an entertaining year of learning and teaching.
So, I invite my fellow first year teachers to wallow in the mistakes that we will (undoubtedly) make and share the joys that make it all worth it.
And, veteran teachers, you are welcome to come along for the ride also. Cringe while reading about our mistakes, maybe even get zapped back to the time when you were in my shoes, thinking, "Oh, yeah. I did that." Or, "Really? You really did that?"
Also, I extend an invitation to those NOT in education to read along. Maybe I can be a little window into the side of teaching you do not always see: The dirty side. The AWESOME side. The side that makes the select group of us CHOOSE to be around hormone driven youth.
Whoever you are, I welcome you to "My Life in Teaching".
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
It's only been a year..
So, it's been a year since I've written an entry on this blog. However, now is the first time in a year things have been relevant. Let's catch a bit first, shall we?
The past year has been filled with subbing. It was a good way for me to stay inside classrooms, even if they weren't mine. Students are students, and it was beneficial to stay in touch with that. I also made extra money working at a pizzeria, working my way up to Assistant Manager before leaving.
And that brings me to relevance. I now have a teaching job. It is only part time, but it is in a great school district in Northern California. Enrollment seems to be growing, so hopefully it turns to full time quickly. I'll be teaching 2 periods of 10th grade English and 1 period of Journalism. English seems pretty straight forward and I am not really too worried about that class. It's the Journalism that concerns me. It's turning to be a lot more than I thought. With all the fundraising I'll have to do, figuring out which printer would be the most cost effective for the newspaper, and learning how to teach Journalism, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
I think I'll be fine. I am building a support team around me with the couple of teachers I met, and I get a strong feeling that they all want me to succeed.
The past year has been filled with subbing. It was a good way for me to stay inside classrooms, even if they weren't mine. Students are students, and it was beneficial to stay in touch with that. I also made extra money working at a pizzeria, working my way up to Assistant Manager before leaving.
And that brings me to relevance. I now have a teaching job. It is only part time, but it is in a great school district in Northern California. Enrollment seems to be growing, so hopefully it turns to full time quickly. I'll be teaching 2 periods of 10th grade English and 1 period of Journalism. English seems pretty straight forward and I am not really too worried about that class. It's the Journalism that concerns me. It's turning to be a lot more than I thought. With all the fundraising I'll have to do, figuring out which printer would be the most cost effective for the newspaper, and learning how to teach Journalism, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
I think I'll be fine. I am building a support team around me with the couple of teachers I met, and I get a strong feeling that they all want me to succeed.
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