Where has the Semester Gone?

I cannot believe this semester is almost over. It feels as though I am just getting settled in and it is already time to move on to the next chapter. Well, this I do know, there is still so much more I want to learn.  The first several weeks I spent most of my time observing my CT and becoming familiar with her teaching methods.  I did my lesson a few weeks ago and ever since then I feel so much more comfortable in the classroom.  I feel like I have made connections with the students and I learn something new every day.    

My CT has been very supportive during these last few months.  She is always willing to help answer any question that I may have, and she is quick to reassure that everyone questions themselves, especially when first getting started.

My CT also incorporates a lot of technology into her classroom. I love the fact that she does this and is not afraid to try new things.  She uses her smart board everyday for some type of activity.  She mainly uses it for power points and review games.  The students, even though they are seniors, really do enjoy the review games. She is really good at mixing things up as well.  The last few weeks we have been reading Hamlet and she always finds different ways to learn the text.  We will read out loud as a class, we will listen to the play off of a CD, and she will also show video clips of the play being performed.  I find this method to work really well.  It is easy for students to lose focus when the only thing they do is read out of a book, but with the different methods it helps keep the students more intrigued.

The one concern I do have is that my kids are too good! Of course they can be talkative and you have to remind them every once in awhile to stay on task, but otherwise I have not seen one discipline problem.  This is a senior English class so I know that they just want to get their work done and graduate, but I also know that this is not the norm.  Does anyone else have a similar situation?  I am glad that my kids are well behaved and for the most part participate rather well, but I do know that I am not getting the advantage of seeing how teachers handle discipline problems. 

KATE Conference

I must be honest, when I was told that we would be attending the KATE Conference I was not jumping out of my seat with excitement.  I was not for sure what to expect or if I would even come away with any beneficial information. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned.

Before Thursday, I knew nothing about the keynotes speakers for the day. I knew the titles of their books and that was about it.  However, through the short time we spent together I learned a lot about them.  I found it very easy to connect with Clare Vanderpool.  She seemed very personable and down to earth.  I love that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and I liked how she shared stories with the audience about how her family and friends keep her grounded.  The one thing that I found inspiring about Clare is her ambition.  She never gave up on her dream even though it took her over a decade to achieve it.  She was told no repeatedly; yet, she didn’t let rejection stop her from doing what she loves.  Instead, she kept pushing through the hard times and never gave up.  It felt as though everyone had a connection with Clare. Whether it was because she is from Wichita or just her approachable personality, it is fair to say that it felt as though she was speaking directly to you. 

Jay Asher was also inspiring.  He experienced rejection just like Clare Vanderpool and he was also willing to share his struggles with the audience.  I loved how he shared a few rejection letters to show his journey. He never gave up on his dream even though he was rejected 12 TIMES.  Another thing I enjoyed about Jay Asher was how he explained his thought process for creating 13 Reasons.  The audience was able to learn where he came up with the idea for the book as well as he reasons for writing it.   

The first break out session I attended was how to survive the first five years of teaching.  I thought this was a beneficial session to attend.  The first few years of teaching have got to be extremely overwhelming so any type of advice is always a plus.  Several different things were discussed from what supplies to have, to seating arrangements, and how to appropriately plan for a substitute.  The session also provided several handouts and templates for lesson plans, letters to parents, how to conduct teacher-parent conferences and so forth.

The second session I found to be the most helpful was utilizing iPods and i-phones in the classroom.  This session discussed how to use technology that kids are already using, within a class setting.  She gave the positives as well as the negatives of using i-phones and iPods. Some of the positives included how it helps students stay focused, limits talking, and most importantly it allows for a different method of learning.  The negatives that were discussed included cheating, students listening to inappropriate music, surfing the web, and texting.  Yet, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives (and most of the negatives can be avoided with teacher supervision). During the session several different apps were shown that could be used in the classroom. Some of the apps that were discussed were Voice Memos, Dictionary.com, Google, iBooks, Flashcards, No Fear Shakespeare, B-Rhymes, Dragon Dictation, and Speller just to name a few. 

Overall, I enjoyed the KATE Conference. I found it to be informative and I came away with several things I would like to incorporate into my classroom someday.

The Sleepy Student

I am sure every teacher has come across the following issue: what are you to do with a student who always sleeps during class? I currently have a student who spends most of his time catching up on his sleep.  This is a Senior English College Prep Class, so obviously the work is challenging and requires everyone to be awake.  It is one thing to zone out or have the mind wander, but actually sleeping seems to be an extreme.

When I first started to witness this behavior I of course wanted to see how my CT would react.  What would she do? What would she say? Surely she had some magical touch that would transpire this student to wake from the dead----no such luck.  She too, is unsuccessful in getting the student to stay awake.  As the weeks go by, it appears that her enthusiasm to keep this student on the right track is starting to disappear.  When the semester first started she would always go over to the student and tap him on the shoulder telling him that he needs to wake up and keep his head off of his desk.  This back and forth between the teacher and the student would occur several times during class.  The student would never refuse her request or give her a hard time, but nonetheless, fifteen minutes would go by and he is once again sleeping.  Therefore, I cannot blame my CT for becoming frustrated.  My CT appears to be ignoring the behavior more and more.  Rarely does she say anything to him.  Yet, I can see that it bothers her that she cannot find a solution to this problem.  Expectations for seniors are high, and sleeping during class is definitely not meeting these standards.

So I am asking you my fellow teachers, what are your suggestions in regards to eliminating sleeping in class? What would you recommend saying to a student who constantly sleeps and does not pay attention?  Are there any specific actions you would take?

The following are a few suggestions I thought of:

·         Find out if there is a reason why the student is so tired. Ex. Is he working late? Does he have to get up extremely early to get himself to school? Is there a medical issue?

·         Are there ways to get the student more involved?

·         Is the student being challenged enough?

Genre Reflection #1

September 26, 2011

Heidi Dreiling

1945 N. Rock Rd. Apt 506

Wichita, KS 67206

Re: A Letter of Reflection One Year Down the Road

To My Future Self:

Well you made it! You obtained your Secondary English Education Degree and you finally have your first year of teaching under your belt.  I am sure that this first year has been scary and challenging at times.  That is why I am writing you this letter. I am here to remind you why you chose to become a teacher and to jog your memory of a few things along the way.

I am sure that during your first year you were excited, worried, frustrated, proud, and several other things. These emotions are common and I hope you never find yourself not feeling anything, because emotions help make you feel alive.  Every day, you are given the gift of helping children become better students and better human beings; therefore, it is important to never forget that it is a significant thing to be a teacher. 

Remember the things that you learned from the CTs’ that you have worked under in the past.  One of the most important things is to always show respect. Show respect to your students, your colleagues, and yourself.  Be willing to go out of your way to help others when you are given the opportunity.  Do not allow yourself, as a teacher, to become too comfortable.  Switch things up and be willing to use other resources, such as your colleagues, to help you formulate new ideas. Create new lessons that you have never done; do not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.   

One of the most important things that you were told in your education classes is to be consistent and to always implement rules and procedures. If you are facing challenges within the classroom, especially in regard to discipline problems, stop and ask yourself some vital questions.  Am I being consistent? Am I being proactive or do I wait and react? Do I remind my students regularly of my expectations?  Do not become frustrated and just give up, but evaluate what is working and what is not, and then make the necessary changes. Keep in mind there are several ways to evaluate your teaching methods.  You can video tape yourself, audio record yourself, or even have a colleague come in and assess.  It is necessary to do these things to help you improve as a teacher.

Finally, have fun; you love to learn and you love to help others. You have been given this amazing opportunity, so every time you step into the classroom appreciate and respect the job. 

Sincerely,

Heidi Dreiling

Reflection Blog #2: Group Work: A Teacher's Journey to Make Group Work More Effective

After a couple of weeks in my new classroom, I am beginning to feel more comfortable. I am beginning to tackle the daunting task of learning 25 new names and I feel as though I am learning more about the students every day.  The most encouraging thing about my first couple of weeks is how my CT is getting me involved.  This is my first observation where I am active within the classroom and not just sitting in the corner not contributing. I take roll every day and I assist with group work.  I feel that through group work I am learning a lot about my students. It becomes obvious rather quickly who likes to talk and take charge and who is more shy and reserved; personalities have emerged.  I was amazed with how intelligent and on the ball some of the students were.  As I listened, I heard interesting thoughts and opinions being shared that I am not sure I could have contributed to when I was their age.  However, there were students who did not contribute to the group.  Mostly, these students were the ones who did not read the assignment or do their home work. 

Although group work allowed for some insight into how these particular students tick, I am not sure how productive the group work was in contributing to the students learning.  My CT gave each group a handout with questions on it.  She assigned each group certain questions and they were to discuss their assigned questions and then share what they discussed with the class.  What I found to happen was that two or three people would contribute to the group.  The other members would just sit there or talk amongst themselves.   As I saw this occurring I wondered if group work is truly effective.  If you do not read the story or contribute to the group discussion, it is extremely difficult to learn anything, let alone be able to pass an assessment. So my question is how do we as teachers make group work more effective?

Through several education classes and my own observations I have learned a few things that seem to help group work run more smoothly.  I think the most important thing is to inform students of the expectations you have for them.  Let them know what they should take away from the particular group session.  If the students feel that nothing is really expected from them, then they will give a less than desirable effort.  Make sure that you as the teacher are walking around, listening to the different conversations.  Do not just sit at your desk and do something else.  If the students see that you are interested and taking the assignment seriously, the majority of your students will too. I think it is important for all the students to be responsible for writing their own answers or notes.  When there is a “designated writer” I feel as though that takes off a lot of the pressure from the other students and will typically result in them doing less of the work.  However, when everyone is responsible for turning in their own paper it requires the students to be more involved. Do not let the students pick their own groups and always give all the instructions before breaking them up.  Once you let them go, it is almost impossible to catch their attention to give any additional instructions.  I also found that when group work is constantly used it becomes less and less effective.  It should not be used every day for every assignment but should be used to serve an effective purpose. Group work should NEVER be used because of lack of planning on the teacher’s part or to give the teacher a break.  I am sure we all have had at least one teacher who used group work to help him/her out more than to help the students learn. 

I am still trying to figure out the best way to incorporate group work into the classroom.  I would love to hear other soon-to-be teachers’ thoughts and opinions on how to get the most out of your students when doing group work.

The Longest Walk Ever!

My first day in my new school, I am not going to lie, was a little intimidating. The school is older and extremely spread out. There is A.C. in the classrooms but not in the halls or the gym. So to say the least by the time I reached my classroom, which was the furthest classroom from the entrance; I was building up quite a sweat. But the great thing about my high school was how extremely helpful the administration and faculty were in helping me feel comfortable. As soon as I signed in, a secretary got on her radio and informed the staff, who were scattered throughout the halls, that a student from WSU was going to need some assistance in getting to her assigned classroom. As I walked through the halls making several turns in what seemed like a maze, the staff were talking with me and joking about how lucky I was to get the classroom that is considered to be the longest walk ever! I enjoyed their company and their humor which helped make me feel more comfortable.

When I got to my new classroom I was relieved that the room was nice and cool; and the same thing can be said about my CT. Ms. M. was extremely kind and welcoming. She introduced herself, and right away told me that this was my classroom as well and that she wants me to jump right in whenever I feel comfortable. This was a relief to hear. At times, it is difficult to find a balance of how much help and interaction should take place on my part. So, for my CT to tell me to jump in whenever I feel comfortable is exciting because I feel like I will actually get more interaction with the students this semester.

One of the things that I am most excited about is that Ms. M. enjoys technology and attempts to incorporate technology into her curriculum as much as possible. Several activities and projects will integrate technology which helps keep assignments exciting while educational all at the same time.  She uses her smart board and her overhead almost every day.  Ms. M. uses technology for bell work and she is also an avid user of the internet. She has her own web page on the school website that she uses to post announcements, comments, as well as assignments. So if a student is absent, they know that it is his or her responsibility to get on Ms. M.’s page and get any notes or assignments that may have been missed.  I find this to be a very practical way of dealing with absent students. Instead of worrying about meeting with an absent student to talk about what went on the day the absence took place or making extra copies of assignment or notes, the student is instructed to go to Ms. M.’s web page.

I have several goals for the beginning of the semester. The first, and maybe the most important, is to learn names and really get to know the students.  My class has 25 students which is a pretty large group. However, I am confident that with a couple more days I will be able to tackle this feat. I am also lucky that my C.T. is allowing me to take roll which will definitely make it easier to learn names.  My next goal is to get to know my CT better. I am eager to learn her teaching philosophies as well as her teaching style.  Classroom management is one of the most important parts of having a successful classroom so I am also interested to see how my CT handles any discipline issues. Another goal is to start interacting with the students as soon as possible. I know that if a good relationship is established early on that will only make my time in the classroom that much better. Finally, after I get settled in, I want to start working on my lesson that I will teach in October. My CT seems extremely willing to help assist me along the way which helps takes away some of the nerves of teaching a whole unit on my own.

Well, that is all for now. However, there is more to come!!!

First Day

Today is the first day of a new semester. I am learning how to set up a blog and I am excited to incorporate blogging into future assignments.