Melissa is concerned about the balancing act

As a student teacher, I feel that have learned so much this semester. This experience has been invaluable to me.  I have a cooperating teacher who is very dedicated to her job and she tries to help me a lot, even though her plate is full with graduate school courses and deadlines. However, it has been a very challenging task for me to balance teaching, working (part-time) and motherhood.  

            Once I am on my own as a first year teacher, I will no longer have someone to consult with while I am in the classroom. The thought of that makes me feel a little anxious. I realize that I have so much more to work on, to read about, and to experience.   I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and discouraged at this point.  I wonder how I can become the effective teacher that I want to be without sacrificing time with my daughter.  My questions to the class are the following:  How can I find the time to develop my professional skills and knowledge while balancing my family responsibilities? Can it be done successfully?  Additionally, I would like to know………………besides looking for a job this summer, what are some of the things that you will do to enhance your personal development as a future teacher?

Yuri is facing a conundrum about calculators

        I've been noticing that a number of the students in my double period classes and even students from my pre-calculus class seem to be very dependent on their calculators.    I spoke to my cooperating teacher about this and he informed me that it was because a few years ago the  district began a “push” for students to use calculators in class.    They encouraged teachers to allow students to use their calculators. Their reasoning was that they had the calculators and they may as well use them. They figured if students did not spend as much time working on calculations they could focus more on the actual application of what was being taught. However, studies and the data gathered from standardized testing have shown a negative effect on grades across the board in mathematics. There is word that in the near future the district will pass a new policy they demands less dependency on the calculator. My question is would it be ok if I start discouraging such a dependency on calculators in my classes?   For example, would it be fair of me to state that no calculators are to be used for tests or quizzes?  Of course I will adjust my assessments so that a calculator is not necessary in order demonstrate comprehension.  What is your feeling on this subject?   

Kaitlyn is concerned about student lack of motivation. Is she justified?

     When I was in high school I attended an all-girls, Catholic high school where the tuition was about $8,000 per year. Needless to say, most, if not all, of the 200 girls in the school were sufficiently motivated and knew they had to do well in order to stay at Immaculate Conception High School. Furthermore, the teachers and the administration set high standards for all of the students and the girls knew they had to meet those standards. The graduation rate at my high school was close to 100% and maybe one student in each graduating class did not attend college the year after graduation. It was just a “given” that everyone applied to colleges and, by the spring had enrolled in one of those college for fall attendance.    

            When I got my student teaching assignment at my high school I knew it would be a different experience than what I had had  in high school but I had no idea it would be this different! The most striking difference for me is the lack of motivation on the students' part as well as on the teachers' part. I have so many students who couldn't care less about their grades and performance in the classroom. They refuse to do homework, refuse to take notes, and never participate in class, even when I randomly call on them. Then, when they fail chapter tests, they have no reaction and if I ask them what happened they matter-of-factly say that they did not study and they do not mind that they failed. I have also had, on multiple occasions, some of my older students, when asked about their future or their performance in class, they have replied with something like, "I'm just waiting until I turn 18 so that I can drop out of this place." or "I don't care about this stuff. I'm never going to college and I'm never gonna use this stuff. I don't need this stuff on the streets." First, it breaks my heart to hear a child have such miniscule motivation in life and have such low standards for himself. Second, and maybe even worse, I have no idea how to respond to comments like that. How do I get students with no goals and no desire to have a successful future motivated in my U.S. history class?

      I decided to pick the brains of the other teachers and see how they motivate their students and how they respond to comments like these. To my surprise, the teachers' motivation for their students was just as bad as the students' motivations for themselves. The teachers do not expect the students to do well while they do expect them to end up on the streets or worse. I actually had a teacher tell me, "Don't waste your time trying to motivate a kid like that. He's just going to end up in jail. Just forget that he is in the classroom and give him a D so that he passes and can get out of here." I almost cried when I was told this. No wonder the kids have such low motivation and self-pride. The teachers and their low standards are a big part of the problem!

            I bring this topic up because I am extremely bothered by this whole situation and it is something I have never experienced nor ever had to deal with. I know that I cannot save the world and I know that I will not keep everyone of my students off of the streets. But I feel as though I have to do something to try and make these kids think more positively about themselves and their futures. I refuse to give up on my students. But my question is, how do I motivate these kids who have no desire nor drive to be in school, never mind pass and succeed in their classes? How do I deal with students who are just waiting to drop out of school?

Jana suggests that we become comfortable with technology and infuse it into our lessons. Do you think it matters?

  

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/johnson/johnson033.shtml

I had the opportunity to take some instructional technology professional development workshops during the semester and I am amazed by all the different types of technology that can be utilized by teachers.  I think that technology integration is an important part of being an effective teacher.  I've learned how to blog with students, how to use digital storytelling in the classroom, and how to utilize Google docs for group projects (and countless other uses).  I'll be the first to admit that when I walked into my student teaching classroom and saw an overhead projector and an ancient TV, I thought I would have very little use for technology in my classroom, but to my surprise, the lack of a  Smartboard has challenged me to be more creative and try new instructional technology.

     The article I read listed a number of brilliant things that teachers can do with technology. 

·         empower kids with technology

·         use technology as a propellant, not as a crutch

·         create assessments that rigorously determine the quality of projects enhanced with technology

·         find and use resources, if what you need doesn’t exist………….create it.   

·         use your blog, website, and email to communicate with parents

·         weekly plans and upcoming important events (tests, projects, etc.) get posted toblog

·         update available resources on the blog to connect with my lessons

·         put kids in touch with the world

·         accept the role of co-learner

·         use kids’ own devices to better teach them    

       The article suggests that our students can be our best teachers when it comes to technology.  I've witnessed some amazing presentations that would not have been possible without students using their personal iPads.  Finally, delight in the discovery, the newness, and the fun that technology has to offer.  The article reminds us that  technology can't make a poor teacher a good one, but it can help make great teachers the ones that students remember.

         I feel very comfortable with using different kinds of technology in the classroom because my cooperating teacher expected me to jump in with both feet.  Learning about Google Docs and how to integrate it into a class has been great for me.  (Think digital peer-editing!  Even online reading quizzes through Google forms!)  How do you feel about the use of technology in the classroom?  As the author of this article says in his conclusion…………….Do  you think the use of technology has the ability to transform you from a great teacher to a memorable one?  What are you biggest concerns or challenges when it comes to using technology in the classroom?  Do you think technology has helped you during your student teaching experience?

Cynthea shares the greatest "A-ha" moment of the year!!!!!

Student teaching is the hardest work I have ever done. It takes me through the whole emotional gamut on a weekly basis. Some days I am so tired and overwhelmed I just want to cry. Other days I am absolutely sure that I have chosen the right profession and I am ridiculously happy because I had a breakthrough of some kind with a student. That’s what I want to focus on here, because focusing on the other stuff is too depressing.

Have you had an “ah ha” moment with one of your students yet? My best one happened this week on the day that I was teaching the Pythagorean Theorem to my 7^th grade math classes. I wore my “Find X” math t-shirt (a true sign of a math geek J). This t-shirt is a joke. When a math teacher tells you to “find x”, you are not supposed to locate x, you are supposed to solve for x and tell what the value of x is. Only a few of my students got the joke. 7^th graders are really funny that way. Many of them are still very literal. One of the boys who tests my patience daily because he cannot focus or stop talking and does not get the best grades in math noticed my shirt when he came into class. He said, “That’s impossible. You can’t figure out what x is. You only know that’s a right angle and we know they add up to 180° in there.” Just hearing him say the angles in a triangle add up to 180° made me really happy because we had learned that the week before and that meant he retained it! I told him that he would be able to “find x” for the triangle on my shirt by the end of class and he was skeptical. I didn’t bring it up again and taught the lesson. As he was packing up to leave my class, he said, “Hey. Let me see your shirt again.” and he verbally proceeded to figure it out and solve for x. I was so happy I almost cried and he was really proud of himself.

That’s why I’m here, trying so hard to learn how to be a good teacher – for moments like that one. I would love to hear your version of a story like this that has happened in one of your classes.

Debbie and Lauren share a concern

I am doing my student teaching in a school where there is obvious socio-economic diversity.   I am teaching three US History II CP classes and two US History II classes. There is a special education teacher in the room for the two US History II classes. The two US History II classes  (Period 1 and 5) have over ten students who have IEPs. Many times, especially in my fifth period class,  the students have no desire to participate in any of the lessons.  They seem to not want to be there.   For some of the students this is the second time taking this class and they are there because they need it to graduate. Some the students are turning 18 and have no intention ies that I have prepared.  If I ask them to do any work they usually just say no. The special education teacher can sometimes get them to do work,  but not always.

Does anyone have any suggestions to help motivate these students and get them to stop talking and participate?  My co-operating teacher sometimes sends them to A-212 which is the discipline room. There they are given a slap on the wrist and then sent back to history class.   HELP!!!!

Lauren wants to know how we motivate at-risk students

          As I mentioned last week, I only have 5 classes that I teach. Four of these classes are  honors classes and the other is a very, very low level pre-algebra class. The kids in this pre-algebra class literally do not care to be in there one bit. It is a class full of some of the worst students in the 8th grade.  I do believe that each one of these students has potential, but each one tries very hard to impress their classmates with his/her bad behavior.    We have an in-class support teacher in this  room and the students are extremely rude and disrespectful to her. If she tries to help them with something they say they do not need help and then they come over to ask me for help. There are three teachers in this class and the students are uncontrollable. They do not care to do any work, they will not take any notes and they certainly do not do homework.   I try to make the material interesting for them and try not to make the class boring for them, but it seems the more I try to make it better for them the worse they get.   I find that they continually try to take advantage of me. They do not show disrespect to me with their words,  the disrespect is manifested in their behavior. They actually really enjoy having me teach them.  

These students give everyone in the school a problem and it would appear that  every single problem student in eighth grade is in this class.  I do not know what else I can do to gain their attention and make them interested in algebra.    Are there any suggestions that you would like to make as to how I can change the attitude of these students?  

Christina suggests that the lunch room is a minefield. Do you agree?

The Lunch Room...

I have noticed that the lunch room can be a dangerous place. Teachers of all ages frequent the lunch room. I have heard many teachers voice their opinions about the administration and about the  student body. The comments are not always positive and, I feel that,  some of the comments are just shocking to hear from teachers. Some teachers are very negative and can really change the tone of the lunch room environment.

In my school there are not many places a teacher can go to relax and enjoy his/her lunch;.   The lunch room is one of the only sanctuary there is in this building . I don't want to be rude and not participate in conversation with my coworkers, but what does one say when teachers bad mouth each other and students? Trust me,  I have tried to ignore the comments and go about my business, but sometimes the person right next to me is looking to me for a response. I usually try to  humor the person by nodding and then going about my business. How does one navigate the minefield that is the lunch room?

Sarah asks: Are today’s teachers flexible enough for the ever-changing needs of students?

           As I reflect upon teachers I have had throughout my primary and secondary years in school I remember a few teachers who taught according to the needs of my peers. There are always those teachers who  did manage to  lessons when the content or lesson planned was not reaching the students, for  whatever reason.   

The article “The Flexible Teacher,” I believe, highlights the reality of creating a course (with lessons, activities and expectations associated with a certain content and ability) only to realize that those expectations needed to be adjusted in order for the lesson(s) to be effective.  This instructor found out that things change and that instruction needed to change with particular groups, even at the college level. This instructor also came to realize that the students he was now teaching required a different type of instruction, a more hands-on approach, specific short-term goals and more individualized instruction rather than the typical college level approach that expects students to set their  own pace and monitor themselves in order to meet deadlines.

The way in which  the instructor addressed the problem is typical of a flexible teacher who understands the importance of monitoring and adjusting to suit the needs of the student body.   Every student at the k-12 level is different and require some type of adjustment academically. I have been impressed to see this type of sensitivity on the part of teachers in my experience as both student teacher and my prior experience substitute teaching in various schools around the New York City area.

My question to you is this:   when you think of your classroom now, as a student teacher, what situations have arisen that have made you realize that you need to be flexible in your approach to academic and social issues?

A concerned student teacher observes a lack of discipline within the building

            One of my greatest concerns about the school at which I am student teaching  is the lack of discipline that permeates the entire building.  Although my cooperating teacher and a number of other teachers working in the building provide a firm set of disciplinary rules while also displaying a strong sense of professionalism, there are many members of the faculty who lack essential communication skills and make very little effort to set up disciplinary rules or follow through with any consequences for poor behavior on the part of the students.  

            I believe the most notable problem at this school is the administration. The principal does not require any submission of lesson plans from any teachers and is rarely inside any of the classrooms in order to observe his teachers.  This has given many teachers the idea that they need to do “zero lesson planning.” Thus, I find that these teachers use class time for whatever they deem necessary.   What is even more of a problem is that there are very few disciplinary actions coming from the administration.   Students are not fazed by being sent to the office. This has fostered a sense of disrespect on the part of the students for rules, teachers and classmates.   .

            As a result of this extraordinary lack of guidance and concern on the part of  the  administration, the students and teachers at this school seem to follow their own rules. For teachers, coming in late from lunch or dismissing a class early is an everyday, acceptable  occurrence.   The consistent lack of concern and respect for teacher by other teachers is overwhelming. This lackluster approach to professionalism by some teachers has quickly transmitted to students and has created a community of people who are stubborn, unenthusiastic, and disrespectful. How can I, as a student teacher,  or even as a first year teacher, help to  improve the quality of professionalism and bring about a sense of respect in a school such as this?  

Cory is concerned about the school's role in reporting problem students

               There is no doubt that teen suicide rates are at its highest.  However, one might ask, how could this be?  Nowadays, schools place an enormous emphasis on anti-bullying programs, suicide prevention, HIB laws, etc.  Yet, the number of teen suicides is continuing to increase.  In fact, according to http://www.teensuicidestatistics.com/ suicide has become the third leading cause of death amongst teenagers in the United States.  Also, the article stated that 60 percent of high school students claim they have thought about committing suicide and nine percent have actually attempted suicide.  With all the extra precautions schools claim to be taking, something definitely is not adding up here!!!

            Recently, my cooperating teacher informed me that several students in our middle school have been sent to receive help after failed suicide attempts.  In fact, one student attempted suicide three times before he was finally sent to receive help outside of the school.  How could this assistance have taken so long?  I strongly believe that teachers, guidance counselors, and even school therapists/specialists wait too long to report the names of specific students who have serious problems. It would appear to me that there  has to be a clear and definite distinction between receiving help in school or receiving help outside of school so that the student can fully concentrate on getting healthy without any distractions.  In this regard, there should be no in-between.  If the student needs help outside of school, then he/she should be separated from the school environment completely.  Who has the right to make this “disaster” call?  The school?  The teacher?  The guidance counselor?  The school therapist?  The parents?  Clearly no one is stepping up in today’s society because the same exact problem is happening over and over again.  What do you think can be done?

            Finally,  do you believe that schools are making enough of an effort to prevent suicides, bullying, and HIB?  Many schools will take the first opportunity to brag about their workshops and training sessions.  However, the truth is…how many workshops have they had?  Most likely the answer is only one.  Furthermore, how severe are the consequences for students who violate the HIB laws and rules?  Most likely the answer is not very.  In the end, someone, somewhere has to realize that suicide rates are still continually increasing for a reason.  What do you think that reason is?

Aricel is concerned about helicopter parents

I have come to believe that parental involvement with regard to a child’s progress in school  is extremely important.  I’ve noticed, however,  that parents fall at both extremes in terms of being involved with their child’s progress. There are some parents who are constantly aware of what their child is learning and then there are others who do not seem to have any involvement in their child’s school work.   I have been dealing with both these types of parents and I will tell you that it can be frustrating at times.

The school in which I am doing my student teaching has an online grading system called PowerSchool .   Parents have access to this program at all times. Every time I input a grade in for particular students  I receive a stream of e-mails from parents questioning me as to why their child received that specific grade.  Recently, I had a parent who sent a lengthy e-mail which included the statement, “My child is not a ‘C’ student” and strongly suggested that I change the daughter’s grade.

I also have had parents who do not want any involvement in helping their child improve their grades.   My cooperating teacher and I have called a few parents of students who are getting D’s or F’s as a way of trying to help that student.   Some of these parents did not care and made it clear to us that it was our job to teach their child, not theirs.

Most parents do not make an issue.  It is just the parents who  fall at either  end of the spectrum that can make life difficult.   It seems that with online programs such as PowerSchool, parents are expected to be constantly vigilant as to what  their child is doing in school. This is beneficial because it allows for parental/teacher/student cooperation.   However,  I feel as if it should be used in moderation.  How does everyone feel about parental involvement at their schools?  Is it important at the school you are in? Do the parents in your school have daily access to their child’s grades?    Do you find that to be helpful?    Do you have any similar issues with parents?  Would you prefer that schools did not use programs that gave parents daily access to grades?   

How did you get here? Accidentally?

So often I feel that I have fallen into the path of becoming a teacher by accident.  After reading the article for class, I sat down and thought about what I had just read.  Most of what was mentioned in the article really reminded me of the path I have taken.  I have had a few differences, but have you ever thought of yourself as wanting to become a teacher by accident?

            For many years, just like the man in the article, I was fully against becoming a teacher.  I  sat through school for 13 years, and I surely was not going to choose to be getting up at that hour to go back to school as a teacher.  I went to a 4 year college and majored  in animal biology with zoology with the intention of pursuing veterinarian school.  After my four years of undergraduate school, I applied to veterinarian school and was accepted to St. George’s University School of Veterinarian Medicine.  Little did I know that life had a different path for me.  It was going to be $250,000 for the first three years, and I did not have that kind of money.  So I applied to all sorts of jobs, many of which consisted of resident life at colleges, vet hospitals, and zoos and aquariums.  After working at a nursing home, a veterinarian hospital, a wholesale stuffed animal and gift company, and lots of other odd jobs, I decided I wanted to go back to school.  I had been told by many jobs that getting my teacher certificate could really increase my chances of landing a job in the education department in the zoos and aquariums.  Little did I know that after starting my student teaching, I would really like being in a classroom.  I would still like to do the education programs in a zoo or aquarium, but I feel like my whole journey has been a way to make me an accidental teacher. 

            I am sure that just like the man in the article,  I will have teaching jobs that are great learning experiences, but are just not a right fit for me, or jobs that are great.  Either way, I feel like it is a way of fitting into a job.  I am a firm believer that a lot of times it’s the people you work with that make or break a job.  I have really enjoyed my student teaching experience, and the school district that I am in.  Have you?  Have you felt like you are also an accidental teacher and that the path(s) you have taken to get to where you are right now just kind of fell  into place?

Marina wonders if we are scaffolding too much. Guided notes: to be or not to be!!!!

      Among the many effective teaching strategies we have learned, I believe that having the students use guided notes was one of the best.  My experience is that guided notes are commonly used when teachers lecture. However, I believe that one of  our responsibilities as a classroom teacher is to make sure that our students learn how to take notes effectively on their own. Many of the teachers in different school districts check students’ notebooks at the end of each marking  period in order to  make sure their notebooks are neat and well organized.

            My cooperating teacher takes this idea one step further and prepares guided notes for all of her students for each of the math sections she teaches.  Every student gets a copy of the outline and is able to follow the lecture as the teacher fills in the blanks on the Smartboard.   Using this method my cooperating teacher can highlight everything that is important.   She can point out main ideas, and she makes sure that the students have the important parts of that day’s lesson marked.   However, even thought her notes are very detailed and nicely organized,  I see a big problem as a result of relying on this  method of teaching.

First of all the students get very dependent on the teachers note taking skills.   I wonder what happens in the following year when the teacher doesn’t produce  guided notes and expects the students to know how to take notes independently. How about when they go in college?... There, they are totally on their own.

My first opinion is that the teacher should have started the year out using guided notes as a scaffolding strategy.   She then could slowly take away her guided notes and then slowly allow the students to assume the note taking responsibility.    Secondly,  maybe the teachers in middle school spend more time making sure students understand effective note taking. I think students are capable of learning much more in their earlier years than we demand of them.   Because I believe that student should be taught to take good, effect notes and because I am being asked to continue this practice, I am continuing to give students guided notes, but I am  not putting as much details into those notes as did  my cooperative teacher.

What are your opinions on guided notes? Do you think students are capable of learning effective note taking in the earlier grades? Do you think the students will be fine with the transition I’m making for them at this point in their career?  Thank you for your responses.

Samantha and bullying by females in middle school

As we read in the handout from class, bullying has become a major issue in classrooms today. Bullying is not only physical, but has become more verbal over the past several years. There is a big issue at the middle school in which I am a student teacher.   Girls are being overly mean and nasty to each other. I see it more amongst the girls in my school rather than the boys. This bullying is leading to multiple day suspensions or in-school suspension. Over the past two weeks, I have had at least one student out of every class be suspended.  I need some help or advice on how to help these students on the work they missed. Some have been suspended for 10 days as a result of the fighting.

Samantha and the Co-Teacher: A Saga

I have been with the same cooperating teacher for the last three semesters. This year, my teacher has a co-teacher who is a certified science teacher; however the principal has her co-teaching in an English II class. It’s obvious to me that the co-teacher doesn’t like this arrangement, nor does she have a  passion for teaching English.  She takes this unhappiness  out on the students and is completely rude to them. My cooperating teacher is having a difficult time planning lessons with this co-teacher because the co-teacher simply says “yes” to everything my teacher suggests and then proceeds to teach the lessons incorrectly. My fear, as the student teacher, is that the co-teacher is going to act in the same manner with me. Rather than working with me to teach the class, I fear that she’ll ignore what I say and proceed to teach the way she wants to.   This would not be beneficial to the students because they’re learning the wrong information. Right now I am meeting with the co-teacher every Monday to go over the lesson plans for that week; hopefully she will be more receptive to my ideas as well as my lessons. What steps would one take in this situation? What if the co-teacher begins working against me as well?

David has some new approaches to the granting of tenure

           A hot topic of discussion in the news, political coliseum, and faculty rooms across the country is the concept of tenure. The term is often misunderstood by politicians, parents, and interest groups. Many think it is a way to protect incompetent educators.  However, it is fair a system of hiring and firing.

            In an article entitled “Now Is The Time To Redefine Teacher Tenure” by Gary M. Chesley, tenure is stripped down and reformatted. Chesley first discusses the history of tenure up to present and how it has protected teachers from the malicious intent of school boards, administrators, and politicians. He mentions several changes that might help to clarify and improve the idea of tenure. These changes include having the teacher do the following:    execute three units of instruction over three years of employment;  write three unit assessments; develop and execute an annual student management plan;  receive a minimum of three classroom evaluations; achieve student academic growth in specific skills;,and keep documented contributions that not only help themselves, but the school.  After these requirements have been met, a tenure panel would review the information and decide whether or not to grant the teacher tenure. This would not only help teachers, but principals and could help often demonized unions (Chelsey, Gary 44-35). 

            I agree with the author. Tenure should be reformatted. However, I feel that additional  improvements could be considered.  Previously in class, we discussed how teachers should be paid. Tenure should include a possible appraisal or denial of monetary gain. If the teacher meets a percentage of the requirements set forth, then his/her  annual pay can increase.  That pay would, of course, be based on a configured pay scale. 

            However, I also believe that probation and protection should be reconfigured. Currently, there is a probationary period of three years and a day before a teacher is granted  tenure. This can also be adjusted.  Midway through the third year of the probationary period, the teacher should be evaluated by the appropriate administrator.  Then, a meeting should take place.  At this meeting, the evaluator should present the teacher with a specific improvement plan.  If the teacher meets the requirements of that plan, he or she will receive tenure. 

            However, if the teacher does not meet the requirements, they will remain at the same pay level for the following year and not be automatically granted tenure in the fourth year.  Midway through the fourth year, the evaluation process can be repeated.  If the teacher still has not met the requirements set forth by the district, he/she will then be terminated and encouraged to seek a teaching position elsewhere.  

            Do you agree?   Do you disagree?   I look forward to hearing and reading your thoughts, suggestions and ideas.