How did today go? 9
Three Good Things:
1. Kids actually understand conditional statements/converses/inverses/contrapositives. Why is algebra still so difficult?!
2. I had a kid last year tell me the funniest thing today. I walked into the front office at the start of the day, she looks at me and says "Mr. Hart!! I miss you and your class! This year is so boring." Then I say something along the lines of "aww shucks, no biggie it wasn't that exciting" then she turns to the clerk and other people and starts bragging about how I actually taught math and made it fun...but that she still doesn't understand it and that she feels sorry for the teacher she has now because she won't understand it. So, the last part of that wasn't so great to hear, but hey! She liked me and thought I taught well.
3. The first day I offered tutoring I had two guys come in and actually PARTICIPATE in tutoring, not just ask me to do every problem for them. It was really pretty awesome. They stayed until about 6 o clock, and I didn't hate it. I helped one kid catch up with his work because he had been gone on a basketball tournament in Phoenix (he's a baller!), and the other was one of his good friends who honestly just wanted to learn the material better. We talked about my college experience, some shenanigans that I would never advise them doing (I'll admit, up on the quad during class sometimes Ian and I would bundle up in layers of clothes, run really fast, jump on the ice and smash into each other--highly mature and fun activity with zero injuries ever...). I showed them pictures of Jewell in the winter and spring and fall and they were so amazed to see seasons. It was really funny. Then I showed them some articles with me in it, so they finally believed that I played soccer in college, and now they think I'm legit. They both seem really interested in college and bragged how "we actually care about our grades". Hopefully I can make their attitude catch on and become contagious in my class. I think I would like to make tutoring a pleasant and fun experience this year, unlike last year when it seemed tedious and obnoxious.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sir, I love this class
How did today go? 9
Three Good Things:
1. Group Activity that involves students to open a textbook, read it, and rewrite/draw pictures=huge success!
2. A student whom I had been nervous about being a trouble child on the first day looked up at me today and said "Oh my, this class goes by so fast! I love this class, I think that's why." Can this count as "transformational change"? Haha, the little pessimist in me is saying "let's wait a couple weeks from now and see if he takes those words back".
3. I LOVE WORKING WITH MY GEOMETRY TEAM! I think we all work really well together, and feed off of each other and are truly student-focused. It's awesome to work with and learn from some great teachers!
Three Good Things:
1. Group Activity that involves students to open a textbook, read it, and rewrite/draw pictures=huge success!
2. A student whom I had been nervous about being a trouble child on the first day looked up at me today and said "Oh my, this class goes by so fast! I love this class, I think that's why." Can this count as "transformational change"? Haha, the little pessimist in me is saying "let's wait a couple weeks from now and see if he takes those words back".
3. I LOVE WORKING WITH MY GEOMETRY TEAM! I think we all work really well together, and feed off of each other and are truly student-focused. It's awesome to work with and learn from some great teachers!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Yawn
How did today go? 7
Three Good Things:
1. No kids yelled at me that class was boring, though I only gave notes to them.
2. The kiddos were quiet, apart from 5th period. They got their stuff done, but they were a little over-talkative.
3. I am officially the faculty parent of one of my former students, Christina. She was super excited to pick me as her faculty parent so that I could come support her at football games and etcetera when she does her dance team performances and what not. I'm glad that I'm making an impact on someone's life at this school! :)
Three Good Things:
1. No kids yelled at me that class was boring, though I only gave notes to them.
2. The kiddos were quiet, apart from 5th period. They got their stuff done, but they were a little over-talkative.
3. I am officially the faculty parent of one of my former students, Christina. She was super excited to pick me as her faculty parent so that I could come support her at football games and etcetera when she does her dance team performances and what not. I'm glad that I'm making an impact on someone's life at this school! :)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Dia Dos
How did today go? 9
Three Good Things:
1. I successfully executed a group activity with all of my classes with relative ease and success...unfounded for me! Oh yeah, and I am trying to lay the law down on tardies this year, and it was almost (keyword almost) unanimous that all my students were in their seats when the bell rang. "If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late."
2. Again, I am LOVING my schedule. First period conference is amazing in order to help me wake up and get set for the lesson of the day. Also, once I get done with lunch, knowing I only have to repeat myself 2 more times before I have collaboration and then soccer.
3. Former students. Period. They make it much more enjoyable. They come into my classroom and sit down, acting like they are in my class. They actually like being around me. I think it has actually rubbed off on some of these kiddos I have in class because they see that people like me. I've also been hearing some bad things about some of the kids that I have, but they have been behaving and working hard so far. But, like I said, that is so far. I know how it went last year, too. I have to keep remembering to love them and show them that I care when they start getting difficult. I. Can. Do. This.
Three Good Things:
1. I successfully executed a group activity with all of my classes with relative ease and success...unfounded for me! Oh yeah, and I am trying to lay the law down on tardies this year, and it was almost (keyword almost) unanimous that all my students were in their seats when the bell rang. "If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late."
2. Again, I am LOVING my schedule. First period conference is amazing in order to help me wake up and get set for the lesson of the day. Also, once I get done with lunch, knowing I only have to repeat myself 2 more times before I have collaboration and then soccer.
3. Former students. Period. They make it much more enjoyable. They come into my classroom and sit down, acting like they are in my class. They actually like being around me. I think it has actually rubbed off on some of these kiddos I have in class because they see that people like me. I've also been hearing some bad things about some of the kids that I have, but they have been behaving and working hard so far. But, like I said, that is so far. I know how it went last year, too. I have to keep remembering to love them and show them that I care when they start getting difficult. I. Can. Do. This.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Day 1
How did today go? 8
Three Good Things:
1. A very large number of my old students stopped by today to say hello. It actually made me pretty happy!
2. Some of my new classes seem like they are really going to be invested in class this year (though some I can already tell will be a little bit more difficult to tame!).
3. I LOVE MY CLASS SCHEDULE! Having a first period conference to wake up/get work done (no more early mornings!), teaching geometry 2nd through 4th periods, then lunch, then 5th and 6th periods, collaboration during 7th period, then finally the best of all...8th period Athletics (SOCCER)!
Three Good Things:
1. A very large number of my old students stopped by today to say hello. It actually made me pretty happy!
2. Some of my new classes seem like they are really going to be invested in class this year (though some I can already tell will be a little bit more difficult to tame!).
3. I LOVE MY CLASS SCHEDULE! Having a first period conference to wake up/get work done (no more early mornings!), teaching geometry 2nd through 4th periods, then lunch, then 5th and 6th periods, collaboration during 7th period, then finally the best of all...8th period Athletics (SOCCER)!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
It (was) Friday, Friday!
How did today(yesterday) go? 7
Three Good Things:
1. My room is almost finished! I need to do a couple more things to touch it up and make it ready for Monday. The kiddos will hopefully be happy with it.
2. I got lunch with Mr. Brandon Honore, who is teaching the young history minds at Twain Middle School down the road, and Mr. Joe Castillo at Earl of the Sandwich. It was incredible. I got my classic chicken caesar wrap, scrumptious.
3. It's (was) Friday!!
Three Good Things:
1. My room is almost finished! I need to do a couple more things to touch it up and make it ready for Monday. The kiddos will hopefully be happy with it.
2. I got lunch with Mr. Brandon Honore, who is teaching the young history minds at Twain Middle School down the road, and Mr. Joe Castillo at Earl of the Sandwich. It was incredible. I got my classic chicken caesar wrap, scrumptious.
3. It's (was) Friday!!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Finishing Touches
How did today go? 9
Three Good Things:
1. I'm kind of excited about how I am using my wall space this year, adding new things/making the space more student-friendly.
2. My classroom is coming together and it seems much more welcoming this year, sans the awful bright yellow paint, and conducive to my students actually (hopefully) learning something!
3. I went to Home Depot and Target with Miss Courtney Massey today, found everything I had hoped to find and for a decent price. Then, the best part, we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch. By far, the best fast food ever. I lovvvvvvveee it. Only one more day of being able to enjoy a long lunch, though. :(
Three Good Things:
1. I'm kind of excited about how I am using my wall space this year, adding new things/making the space more student-friendly.
2. My classroom is coming together and it seems much more welcoming this year, sans the awful bright yellow paint, and conducive to my students actually (hopefully) learning something!
3. I went to Home Depot and Target with Miss Courtney Massey today, found everything I had hoped to find and for a decent price. Then, the best part, we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch. By far, the best fast food ever. I lovvvvvvveee it. Only one more day of being able to enjoy a long lunch, though. :(
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Workin' it out
How did today go? 9
Three Good Things:
1. I got all my copies done for the 2nd week of school! Now I have tons of time to set up my class and get the small things done.
2. I got my keys to my room and CLOSET. I went the entire year without the keys to my closet and lived in constant fear that I would have all my valuable things stolen when a sub was in my room. Not anymore!
3. I got rid of the awful mammoth desk that took up half of my classroom last year and replaced it with a super retro awesome small desk (pictures tomorrow if I remember) and now have tons of room in my classroom.
4 and 5. I got to play soccer in the hall with Ms. Massey (turns out she just really wanted to hit Bradfield with the ball), and got to have lunch at Chris Madrid's with Jessie and the rest of the awesome "young teacher crew", that will now be referred to as the YTC.
Three Good Things:
1. I got all my copies done for the 2nd week of school! Now I have tons of time to set up my class and get the small things done.
2. I got my keys to my room and CLOSET. I went the entire year without the keys to my closet and lived in constant fear that I would have all my valuable things stolen when a sub was in my room. Not anymore!
3. I got rid of the awful mammoth desk that took up half of my classroom last year and replaced it with a super retro awesome small desk (pictures tomorrow if I remember) and now have tons of room in my classroom.
4 and 5. I got to play soccer in the hall with Ms. Massey (turns out she just really wanted to hit Bradfield with the ball), and got to have lunch at Chris Madrid's with Jessie and the rest of the awesome "young teacher crew", that will now be referred to as the YTC.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Getting Ready...
How did today go? 8
Three Good Things:
1. Our math department head bought us breakfast this morning (raspberries, strawberries, yogurt, oh...and cinnamon rolls).
2. I found out that my scores weren't so incredibly low in comparison to the other teachers as I thought they had been.
3. I love working with my school's Geometry team...we got all of our lessons, assignments, homework completed and ready to be copied! We work with a real sense of urgency and are being product-driven with our time, I think it will be really effective this year. Shout outs to Mr. Alvarez, Ms. Massey, Ms. Oropez (the Geometry guru) and Ms. Delacruz!
Three Good Things:
1. Our math department head bought us breakfast this morning (raspberries, strawberries, yogurt, oh...and cinnamon rolls).
2. I found out that my scores weren't so incredibly low in comparison to the other teachers as I thought they had been.
3. I love working with my school's Geometry team...we got all of our lessons, assignments, homework completed and ready to be copied! We work with a real sense of urgency and are being product-driven with our time, I think it will be really effective this year. Shout outs to Mr. Alvarez, Ms. Massey, Ms. Oropez (the Geometry guru) and Ms. Delacruz!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Year 2
So year 2 began today...but honestly, I feel like it started a couple weeks ago. For those of you reading this after having listened to me talk about my experiences over the past 8 or so months since I posted on here may be surprised. All I will say is that summer was a blessing, and it really allowed me time to think and figure out my priorities and get the right mindset going into my second year. This time around I am much more confident (though still nervous and realize I am not going to be perfect by a long shot!), much more prepared, and feeling much more optimistic.
So today was the first official day back at school. Though I love writing out my thoughts and general feelings about my teaching experiences, I think that my blog this year will be used as a tool to track myself. Everyday (hopefully), I will post on here how my day went on a 1-10 rating. Obviously 1 will mean it was the worst day of my teaching career and 10 will mean it was the best day of my teaching career. I will also write three things that went well. On certain days I may find myself writing a bit more than what I've prescribed, but in order to keep y'all (yes I said y'all) updated on my year more frequently, I am going to really try to make this happen.
Today 8/15/11
How did today go? 8
Three Good Things:
1. I was really excited to see some fellow teachers I hadn't seen all summer (shout out to Mr. Sanchez across the hall telling me about the 4 goals he scored this summer in a summer soccer league).
2. I got to stand up in an all-teacher meeting when my principal asked that all coaches stand up and be recognized for Edison High School being the All-Sports Champions of the district this year (that means that overall our varsity sports teams advanced further in playoffs/had more championships on a points system than any other school in the district)!
3. I got all my copies made for the first week of school...and I didn't even waste a single click (a 'click' is a copy, and we only get a certain number of 'clicks' every 9 weeks/semester)!
Have a great day!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Special Right Triangles and TTF
**Note: Sorry if this entry is so scattered, it is a combination of attempts to write it over a 3 week span. But please please please, stay with it.
So...it's been almost a month since I last updated this blog. Shame on me. But I won't lie, it has been insanely busy at school and in my life in general. There are a lot of things I could complain about with fights at school, students being annoying, or the insane amount of work I find myself doing constantly, but, as I sit in a room of my fraternity house at the wonderful William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, I reflect back on what I am thankful for (as you can tell, I'm not longer at Jewell...but in San Antonio).
So, while I'd love to describe to you all the top highlights of my past month (way too many to recall), I will use this blog entry to let you know what I'm thankful for (and maybe I'll include some stories).
- I am extremely thankful for my family. They have loved me unconditionally through everything. I am so incredibly thankful that they have given me the life I have so far and held such high expectations of me and pushed me to do my best and then to be even better. They never pushed me too hard so that I would dislike success and always supported me through all of my decisions. It is parents like my own that have really made a difference in my life for the better. I wish every one of my students had parents like my own. I am thankful for all the little stupid arguments Erica and I would always get into (and still do). I am extremely lucky to have a sister like Erica. She is amazing at losing (sorry Erica) since I am so stubborn and competitive. She is my idol and I look up to her and have striven to follow in her footsteps in everything I do. I love her so much and am thankful for all of the times that she has brought a smile to my face when I was really upset (think of when I was in Mexico, Ertica). I am eternally grateful and wish that I could be with them more than just a week at a time scattered throughout the year. I miss and love you Mom, Dad, and Erica!
- I am thankful for my friends. I have been blessed to meet and have the friends I have in my life. Jillian Melanie Otis, my fake twin, fake sister--scratch that, she IS my sister, too. Jillian has been my best friend since I can remember and has been there for me through everything. I thought when she moved to the other side of Blue Springs that it was the end of the world...now we are hundreds of miles apart. Jillie Butt and Alberto Butt for life.
- I am extremely thankful to have a job right now. I know too many people that are struggling to get a job, get into school, or maintain either of the two.
- Ugh. The next thing I'm grateful for is actually my students. As much as they really really anger me, I am thankful to have the opportunity to mold their minds every day. Yes, they push my every button. Yes, some days I leave school furious. Yes, I may have uttered "I hate them" sometimes. But that is a lie. I love them, they are like my children. They listen to me (most of the time), they look up to me (sometimes), they think I'm smart, and they depend upon me to help give them the opportunity to do more with their lives than they ever imagined. Though it is a great responsibility, I treasure it. A 10th grade student died at my school over Thanksgiving Break. I was not aware this had happened, none of my students were either. The news was broken when I received a letter in my 3rd period on Monday asking me to read it to the class. Of course I read it beforehand, and immediately my heart sank and I started sweating all over. They wanted me to read it to my class in 15 minutes, but my students could already tell that something was wrong, I can't hide my emotions that well. I did not know the student, but still I struggled through reading the letter. I heard rumors of how the student died, and was immediately saddened and at the same time extremely pissed off. It is not fair what these students go through. It is not fair at all. Put that student in my shoes growing up and he would still be alive. Why is this allowed to happen?
- Man, I would be nowhere without my education. Blue Springs High School with some of the greatest teachers, greatest mentors, greatest opportunities, and greatest memories. Then going on to college to chase my dreams. Yeah, I complained about Jewell a lot, but I learned to love it. Yes, William Jewell College may be one of the best things to have ever happened to me. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities for learning, for becoming involved, and expanding my horizons at Jewell. Thank you. And P.S. Go men and women soccer teams! Both have advanced to the Elite 8 in the National Championships!
- My fraternity--Phi Gamma Delta. Teaching me to persist through hard times. Teaching me that friendship IS the sweetest influence, that knowledge will open up many opportunities for my future, that serving others is the most rewarding act, that having morals and sticking to them through tough times shows true character, and that when I strive for excellence in all that I do I can live with no regrets. It has also given me some of the greatest and most reliable friends a man can ask for.
- Finally I am thankful for having my health. I just recently found out some very very heavy news about a family friend, Jake Cavanaugh. Those of you who've known me for a while know that the "Jake Can" bracelet NEVER leaves my wrist. Well, I can just say that I am not big on praying or any of that stuff, but I swear I'm going to be praying/hoping/wishing/thinking of Jake and his family a lot. Again, it's unfair. Why is this happening to Jake? Why does it happen to anyone? Why the hell does cancer even exist? I hate being so far away right now. I can't even think clearly enough to write anything profound except that I love you Jake, Jane, Curt, and Ali and I'm thinking of you guys through these hard times.
Special right triangles and TTF...eh, maybe I'll be thankful for them one day, too. But not tonight.
So...it's been almost a month since I last updated this blog. Shame on me. But I won't lie, it has been insanely busy at school and in my life in general. There are a lot of things I could complain about with fights at school, students being annoying, or the insane amount of work I find myself doing constantly, but, as I sit in a room of my fraternity house at the wonderful William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, I reflect back on what I am thankful for (as you can tell, I'm not longer at Jewell...but in San Antonio).
So, while I'd love to describe to you all the top highlights of my past month (way too many to recall), I will use this blog entry to let you know what I'm thankful for (and maybe I'll include some stories).
- I am extremely thankful for my family. They have loved me unconditionally through everything. I am so incredibly thankful that they have given me the life I have so far and held such high expectations of me and pushed me to do my best and then to be even better. They never pushed me too hard so that I would dislike success and always supported me through all of my decisions. It is parents like my own that have really made a difference in my life for the better. I wish every one of my students had parents like my own. I am thankful for all the little stupid arguments Erica and I would always get into (and still do). I am extremely lucky to have a sister like Erica. She is amazing at losing (sorry Erica) since I am so stubborn and competitive. She is my idol and I look up to her and have striven to follow in her footsteps in everything I do. I love her so much and am thankful for all of the times that she has brought a smile to my face when I was really upset (think of when I was in Mexico, Ertica). I am eternally grateful and wish that I could be with them more than just a week at a time scattered throughout the year. I miss and love you Mom, Dad, and Erica!
- I am thankful for my friends. I have been blessed to meet and have the friends I have in my life. Jillian Melanie Otis, my fake twin, fake sister--scratch that, she IS my sister, too. Jillian has been my best friend since I can remember and has been there for me through everything. I thought when she moved to the other side of Blue Springs that it was the end of the world...now we are hundreds of miles apart. Jillie Butt and Alberto Butt for life.
- I am extremely thankful to have a job right now. I know too many people that are struggling to get a job, get into school, or maintain either of the two.
- Ugh. The next thing I'm grateful for is actually my students. As much as they really really anger me, I am thankful to have the opportunity to mold their minds every day. Yes, they push my every button. Yes, some days I leave school furious. Yes, I may have uttered "I hate them" sometimes. But that is a lie. I love them, they are like my children. They listen to me (most of the time), they look up to me (sometimes), they think I'm smart, and they depend upon me to help give them the opportunity to do more with their lives than they ever imagined. Though it is a great responsibility, I treasure it. A 10th grade student died at my school over Thanksgiving Break. I was not aware this had happened, none of my students were either. The news was broken when I received a letter in my 3rd period on Monday asking me to read it to the class. Of course I read it beforehand, and immediately my heart sank and I started sweating all over. They wanted me to read it to my class in 15 minutes, but my students could already tell that something was wrong, I can't hide my emotions that well. I did not know the student, but still I struggled through reading the letter. I heard rumors of how the student died, and was immediately saddened and at the same time extremely pissed off. It is not fair what these students go through. It is not fair at all. Put that student in my shoes growing up and he would still be alive. Why is this allowed to happen?
- Man, I would be nowhere without my education. Blue Springs High School with some of the greatest teachers, greatest mentors, greatest opportunities, and greatest memories. Then going on to college to chase my dreams. Yeah, I complained about Jewell a lot, but I learned to love it. Yes, William Jewell College may be one of the best things to have ever happened to me. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities for learning, for becoming involved, and expanding my horizons at Jewell. Thank you. And P.S. Go men and women soccer teams! Both have advanced to the Elite 8 in the National Championships!
- My fraternity--Phi Gamma Delta. Teaching me to persist through hard times. Teaching me that friendship IS the sweetest influence, that knowledge will open up many opportunities for my future, that serving others is the most rewarding act, that having morals and sticking to them through tough times shows true character, and that when I strive for excellence in all that I do I can live with no regrets. It has also given me some of the greatest and most reliable friends a man can ask for.
- Finally I am thankful for having my health. I just recently found out some very very heavy news about a family friend, Jake Cavanaugh. Those of you who've known me for a while know that the "Jake Can" bracelet NEVER leaves my wrist. Well, I can just say that I am not big on praying or any of that stuff, but I swear I'm going to be praying/hoping/wishing/thinking of Jake and his family a lot. Again, it's unfair. Why is this happening to Jake? Why does it happen to anyone? Why the hell does cancer even exist? I hate being so far away right now. I can't even think clearly enough to write anything profound except that I love you Jake, Jane, Curt, and Ali and I'm thinking of you guys through these hard times.
Special right triangles and TTF...eh, maybe I'll be thankful for them one day, too. But not tonight.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Passing the Starting Line...
So I know I missed my post last week, and I apologize. It has been a super busy, yet oddly okay week. Anyway, here goes.
1/8 (one-eighth), .125, 9 weeks, or half of the first semester. Yep, that means I am celebrating finishing my first 9 week grading period of teaching in San Antonio.
9 weeks seems like a really long time. But I still have 3 more of those to cover before I am finished with my first year of teaching and finally on summer break.
So here is the highlights of my past two weeks:
- So...I just want to start my highlights off with saying that I think I have found someone that is worth spending time on and actually like. Weird. Never thought I would say it or have that mentality. But he has actually re-energized my teaching and a lot of what happened throughout the last 2 weeks I want to give some credit to him because he has reassured me that what I'm doing is good and has given me new creative ideas that have excited my students. Thanks JGP.
- So the 9th week, was a "grade rush". I was a little ahead in the curriculum, so I had a great time allowing students to make up for all the work that they had refused to turn in earlier in the semester (district policy). Funny how the reality of failing my class really actually encouraged some students to get to work. I had a 35% failing rate at the start of the week, and ended at an 18% failing rate. I'd say I'm proud, but it's still pretty pathetic. This culture needs to change.
- I had a student who had started off as one of my most promising students who quickly slid into being one of my trouble/commonly truant students. She then turned into my student who had been discovered by the school that she was not in the school boundaries and HAD to transfer. I just happened to be by the main office when she was finalizing the transfer. She pounded on the glass and told me to come into the office and told me the news. Parting words, "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll miss you." Sounded awkward as heck, but I really am going to miss her. She was a riot to have in class, and I could tell she DID care about her work. I was sure that she was going to be my Teach For America success story. Burbank High better take care of her.
- The first week after the grading period ended I started having a lot of students tell me that they actually enjoyed my class. What the heck? The week before I heard how much they despised math and liked me but hated the subject. Talk about discouraging...but telling me that they were actually learning and liking my class after telling me how much they disliked it was really encouraging.
- On top of telling me they liked my class and jumping around showing me their grade cards and how happy they were about them and thanking me for the nice comments I wrote, my students helped me out a lot after school. I pretty much had no life, but I had to make a tracker and it was also Red Ribbon Week so we were supposed to decorate our doors in honor of being Drug Free. I had a good group of students come after school 2 days last week helping me out up until almost 6:30pm! I had a lot of fun, took some great pictures, and really had a great time. The tracker (airplanes taking off from a runway and "reaching new heights" as students reach new levels of knowledge - THANKS JGP!) and the door (a muscular bear with the slogan "Don't do drugs, give hugs" on it) look AMAZING. I was sooooo proud of my students that I took a ton of pictures. I also was really upset when I found out that my door did not even get 3rd place...but we still gave a round of applause during the announcements because everyone felt accomplished and we made the excuse that it was just because I'm a new teacher there and they don't want new teachers taking over. :)
- Bee tee dub, my 5th period class has now somehow transformed into one of my favorite classes, and they are poised to take the top spot in the class averages. Way to go 5th period, shout out to you!
Well, I'm out. Time is precious and I still have to plan! Agh, hasta luego...y pronto!
1/8 (one-eighth), .125, 9 weeks, or half of the first semester. Yep, that means I am celebrating finishing my first 9 week grading period of teaching in San Antonio.
9 weeks seems like a really long time. But I still have 3 more of those to cover before I am finished with my first year of teaching and finally on summer break.
So here is the highlights of my past two weeks:
- So...I just want to start my highlights off with saying that I think I have found someone that is worth spending time on and actually like. Weird. Never thought I would say it or have that mentality. But he has actually re-energized my teaching and a lot of what happened throughout the last 2 weeks I want to give some credit to him because he has reassured me that what I'm doing is good and has given me new creative ideas that have excited my students. Thanks JGP.
- So the 9th week, was a "grade rush". I was a little ahead in the curriculum, so I had a great time allowing students to make up for all the work that they had refused to turn in earlier in the semester (district policy). Funny how the reality of failing my class really actually encouraged some students to get to work. I had a 35% failing rate at the start of the week, and ended at an 18% failing rate. I'd say I'm proud, but it's still pretty pathetic. This culture needs to change.
- I had a student who had started off as one of my most promising students who quickly slid into being one of my trouble/commonly truant students. She then turned into my student who had been discovered by the school that she was not in the school boundaries and HAD to transfer. I just happened to be by the main office when she was finalizing the transfer. She pounded on the glass and told me to come into the office and told me the news. Parting words, "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll miss you." Sounded awkward as heck, but I really am going to miss her. She was a riot to have in class, and I could tell she DID care about her work. I was sure that she was going to be my Teach For America success story. Burbank High better take care of her.
- The first week after the grading period ended I started having a lot of students tell me that they actually enjoyed my class. What the heck? The week before I heard how much they despised math and liked me but hated the subject. Talk about discouraging...but telling me that they were actually learning and liking my class after telling me how much they disliked it was really encouraging.
- On top of telling me they liked my class and jumping around showing me their grade cards and how happy they were about them and thanking me for the nice comments I wrote, my students helped me out a lot after school. I pretty much had no life, but I had to make a tracker and it was also Red Ribbon Week so we were supposed to decorate our doors in honor of being Drug Free. I had a good group of students come after school 2 days last week helping me out up until almost 6:30pm! I had a lot of fun, took some great pictures, and really had a great time. The tracker (airplanes taking off from a runway and "reaching new heights" as students reach new levels of knowledge - THANKS JGP!) and the door (a muscular bear with the slogan "Don't do drugs, give hugs" on it) look AMAZING. I was sooooo proud of my students that I took a ton of pictures. I also was really upset when I found out that my door did not even get 3rd place...but we still gave a round of applause during the announcements because everyone felt accomplished and we made the excuse that it was just because I'm a new teacher there and they don't want new teachers taking over. :)
- Bee tee dub, my 5th period class has now somehow transformed into one of my favorite classes, and they are poised to take the top spot in the class averages. Way to go 5th period, shout out to you!
Well, I'm out. Time is precious and I still have to plan! Agh, hasta luego...y pronto!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Remembering
So...it's hard to sleep tonight. Sucktober is at its worst. But, I think I just need to remember this observation I made of myself 3 years ago:
"I don't really follow the status quo, I question everything, never take the easy way out, and I'm pretty stubborn. Other then that, I am who I am and I do what I do, and I'm proud of it."
When did I lose sight of this? I'm now lame, I do as I'm told, I take the easy way out far too often, and I roll over like a puppy who peed on the carpet.
I think it's time to get back to what makes me who I am. Not this puppet who cares what people think of me or is afraid of the repercussions. Be bold, be daring, be myself, and be proud of it. It's worked for me before, why not now?
Beware students, Mr. Hart is coming at you. And you better be prepared, or you're in for a rude awakening...
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Survival
Good news: I survived the "threat" on Tuesday!
In other news: It was possibly the strangest week ever. Only a 4 day week, but it seemed like the longest one yet.
- Last week on Wednesday we had PSAT Testing...aka pretty much no school at all. So Tuesday, no student showed up to school. Wednesday, we had PSAT testing, which means the first 4 hours of school all my students are testing and then I taught my last 2 classes. Thursday I had new teacher training, so I just had Friday with my students. Lo and behold, Fridays are hard days to keep kids focused...enough said.
- Also on Tuesday one of the highly regarded and very loved softball coaches died. She had been battling cancer for a while, and all of the school was very upset after her passing. RIP Coach V. :(
- So on my one day that I had with my students, it was also Erica's birthday. I got through my lessons pretty fast, so I decided to let my students make my very much loved sister some "birthday cards" (which consisted of large pieces of white paper, with messages written in marker all over it). Some of the messages included "Happy Birthday Week", "Your brother is cool" "Happy 25th" "Call me" and etc. Fun stuff to be doing on a Friday. Too bad one period sat in silence for the final 10 minutes of class instead of drawing. It's okay, I got to stare them down and make them very terrified of me anytime they got above a whisper.
- My weekend was made complete when Jillian came into town Friday. I needed some home down here. Jillie and I got to hang out like always and be ourselves. I love it. We went to a couple places over the weekend (Pat O's, Ale Fest, and Cowboys). I can talk more about the shenanigans and fun we had separately, but this is going to be school-appropriate.
- On the subject of school-appropriateness...there was a HUGE party at Hemisview Saturday night. Let's just say you could REALLLLLY tell which part of town I'm living in and what kind of people are living here with me... Yep. That. We woke up a couple times to yelling right outside my window.
- Sunday afternoon I finally got to see the Social Network in Uvalde, Texas. Yes. Uvalde, Texas. Quite an interesting town, and quite an interesting movie theater. But I got to spend some time with someone, and though an hour out of the way, was very much worth it.
- This week pretty much describes why October is the worst month of teaching. October aka Sucktober is the worst. End of the first grading period and 35% of your students are failing = a lot of freakin' work to do to save your own job. Lots of babying 15 year olds so that they might scare a tiny little bit to raise their grade that little bit into the passing range. More than likely, though, is that they don't. Ugh. Frustrating.
- Also this week is PLAN Testing on Wednesday. So Wednesday for the first 4 hours we are testing, then I have my first 4 periods to wrap up the day. That is tomorrow. Yikes. No. Fun. And that also means I get no break. Ugh.
- But...tomorrow is a new day. In my attempt at optimism I'll post this quote that rings sooooo true right now and I need to try my best to uphold it. "I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I just have one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." --Thanks Jason!
Peace out, have a good week. I'm going to have a nice Shrimp Boil dinner at Charles Butt's house (owner of HEB) Friday, and then the beach for the rest of the weekend! YES!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Looking Ahead
Soo...this last week was really weird. And this next week will be even weirder.
I'm just going to go ahead and jump into my highlights of the week:
- So, remember when I said I went off on one of my classes and wrote up two students because of bad behavior and making fun of one of my special ed students? Well, turns out the student that was causing all the trouble is transferring to a new school this coming week. Am I happy about that? Actually, no. After being written up and finally getting her to open up a little bit and giving her some freedom and noticing how smart she actually is, she became much more tolerable and kind of a fun student. This whole week she would come by my classroom when she was having difficulty with other teachers and she would just sit there quietly minding her own business (unlike normal) and talk briefly before leaving for her next class.
When she told me she was transferring and it was the last time I'd see her, I was actually kind of upset. This blows my mind, because 2 weeks ago I was constantly irritated and may have wished for her to transfer. But I guess things happen, and who knows, with the transfer rate these schools have down here, she may be back.
- So speaking of that student transferring, out of that same class, 3 more students have transferred schools. I now only have 11 or 12 students in that class. Another student was transferred out because I don't have a co-teacher in there. It's almost like all of the personality in that class is now gone, and I'm left with a skeleton of what once was. Maybe I'll get the rest of these students to rally and shine (their grades have certainly gone up...now ranking 2nd overall of all my classes).
- This Friday was another Friday Test Day! FTD's are my favorite, because it's almost like having a 3-day weekend, oh wait, that would mean this one was a 4-day weekend (THANK YOU CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS FOR "DISCOVERING" AMERICA!). Overall, my classes did better on this test than the first one. Out of 15, my best class had a class average of 11.5. The next averages were 11.3, 10.6, 9.9, 9.9, and 9.2. That 9.2 realllly kills me. This class has recently become my problem-filled class, so we'll see what kind of direction they go over the next couple weeks. Hopefully up.
- This class got so bad that I now have an agreement with one of the other math teachers who has no 8th period that she will stop in once every week to be my hardcore disciplinarian. So now, if any students are acting up, "I'll send you to Ms. Massey!". Hopefully it works and they start acting right. It worked so far with one kid!
- Like I said before, Christopher Columbus may be the greatest guy ever, because he gave me an extra day to relax this weekend and get stuff done. It also meant that I got a lot of time to hang out with someone new, as well as meeting Peter's family and having a great time!
- And finally, on Thursday during 8th period my students came in freaking out and non-stop talking about something very inappropriate for school. A school shooting. Apparently there has been a threat from one of the San Antonio "Wolfpacks" (a group of high school students whose social lives surround pinning tails on their backs and wearing weird contacts and calling themselves werewolves). These wolfpacks have been the center of a lot of controversy in San Antonio right now: two of them who went to a San Antonio High School committed suicide a couple weeks ago, and they have increasingly been involved in criminal activity. So essentially they are gangs. Anyway, so there is a threat that a so-called wolfpack is planning a shooting at my high school as well as a couple others on Tuesday.
As a human being, this kind of talk terrifies me. As a teacher, its my responsibility to make my students feel safe and continue to teach them. This made it very difficult. The best thing I could do was say that if they were all talking about it so much, that for sure we would have enough security in place to keep us safe (whether I really believe that or not is a different story). On Friday afternoon the principal came over the intercom to address the student body of an investigation, as well as sent a letter home with every student to give to their parents. What this tells me is that its not just some empty threat but has some substance to it. Which worries me. All I know is I'm keeping my door locked on Tuesday and putting something up over the window so if we go into lockdown, my students and myself are the most safe in the school.
- On the other hand, I will only be teaching 2 days this week. Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday I have to administer PSAT testing for the first half of the day, giving me time with only two of my classes, so I'll have to come up with something to fill time. On Thursday I have a new teacher training, so I will be out the whole day. Kinda nice. But not so nice for the start of the 3rd unit.
Jillian will be in town in 5 days!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Mr. Hart's Got Moves!
The 6th week is done and grades are in. All students involved in UIL activities (sports, competition-type clubs) had to have a 75% or higher at 6 weeks in order to have eligibility. So, to say the least, it was a lonnnnnggg week. Luckily, I had some extra days because I got ahead in the curriculum. But, the hard part was getting students to turn their stuff in! For some reason these students have a mentality that homework is optional, and they believe that by not turning in homework they can still pass and that it won't have any effect on their grades. WRONG.
Currently, I have a 37.5% failing rate out of 136 total students. In two of my classes, over 50% of the students are failing. This is unacceptable and really irritates me. My job is to turn this around, but I can't figure it out! I will have to investigate into this. In the mean time, here is my list of things that have happened this week:
- Tuesday I had a sub because I filled in for my department chair at the LIT training over ELPS and how to integrate them into the classroom effectively. Yeah, acronyms that make no sense to you, now you know how I felt the entire day. On the flip side, I did get an hour and a half for lunch and got out an hour earlier than the typical school day.
- I worked on getting my students to turn stuff in all week, talk about exhausting!
- I had a very interesting argument with a student about how he was not passing, and was not in his previous class before. Things got intense, and the end result was that he stopped talking and began working on his work. That same class another student got upset with me being strict and announced that he was transferring classes and going to the counselor right that moment. He left, but I knew the counselor's would send him back. It was so awesome to see him come back in all dejected that he got turned away from the counselor's office. I later had a mature conversation with him about his issues with the class and how I can improve. I think the outcome will be productive.
- I led my students through a lesson on how to create goals and make definite action steps to accomplish those goals. In the meantime, I made some of my own, hopefully it helps me out and I can get things going smoothly!
- So Fridays are the only day of the week that we can dress casually (which I take full advantage of), but every Friday also has a pep rally with a theme. So, if there is a theme, students and teachers can dress accordingly. This Friday's pep rally: nerds. Keep in mind that I haven't dressed up for a "spirit day" since I was in high school. I took full advantage of it and pulled out all my nerdy styles and showed up to school with jeans to my belly button, pants rolled up with long socks, tucked in white shirt, poorly tied tie, glasses with tape in the middle. Kids were staring at me and laughing and calling me nerd all day--and I loved it!
- In addition to the dressing like a nerd, at the pep rally they asked all teachers dressed as nerds to come to the front in front of everyone. Of course I got pushed out there. Then they tell us we are having a "dance off". I'm sorry, but everyone knows this white boy can't dance! Lo and behold, I ended up winning the first round with some nifty hip movements that made the students go wild, then ended up getting 2nd overall. My kids loved it and proclaimed when they got to class "I saw you dancing today Mr. Hart! I cheered for you loud!" That definitely made my week a million times better. If only I could dress like a nerd and win 2nd place in a dance off every week.
That's really all that I have: grades, training, and pep rally! Let's see what next week brings.
13 days until Jillian is here!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Silencio! No sabes espanol?
Lonnnnng week. So much going on outside of the normal school day to make the normal school day hard to get through.
Here is what happened the last week, as well as some highlights:
- I had administration support to help me solve the problems in my 5th period, it is now workable and improving.
- I had a meeting Monday night from 6-9pm, which is pretty much right after work (this means I didn't get to go to the gym).
- I had a meeting Tuesday from 6-7:30pm, so again I didn't get to go to the gym.
- Wednesday I was being observed for a full 45 minutes by our certification partner...let's talk about an overload of preparation and too little time because of meetings the previous 2 nights.
- Thursday I was observed by TFA for a full 45 minutes because I had asked them to in order to help with my 5th period issues. Things went well and I have some GREAT action steps to take going forward.
- Dan came into town Tuesday night, and I got to hang out with him each night after my gym and planning times (aka I spent way more money than I usually have, goodbye September paycheck!). But it was definitely worth it, I was calmed down a little bit because having someone from home around made me feel more comfortable and relaxed. Thanks for coming Dan!
- My students are beginning to be more comfortable with me and sharing some really personal information. I appreciate that they feel comfortable coming to me to speak, but I don't know what to say back! I have never had these rough experiences they are having or have had, and its difficult for me to sympathize with them. I'm sure I'll get better with this.
- I am still really struggling with the day-to-day planning and executing, hopefully some new strategies given to me will help me out, because this stress and lack of sleep is killing me!
- Friday was a test day (which means before school Brenna and I go to Starbucks to get a big iced coffee and sip on it and grade and students take their tests in silence (best days ever).
- One of my classes was a little rowdy as the test was being handed out, so I said "Silencio!" Some of my students were confused so I replied "No sabes espanol? Porque no?" Then another students replied "Clase, silencio por favor!" and I said "gracias". It was a little taste of using my Spanish-speaking skills and shocking my students because they still don't understand that this white boy knows Spanish.
- I assigned a project this week (draw a tesselation of congruent triangles into a bigger picture). Some of my students made some amazing tesselations, and then half of the class still forgot to turn it in although I gave them ALL week to do it AND any time after they completed the test. I need to figure this out...
Really, it was a super busy week, but I also didn't have any terrible experiences like previous weeks. Hopefully it's a sign that better things are to come? We'll see...
Here is what happened the last week, as well as some highlights:
- I had administration support to help me solve the problems in my 5th period, it is now workable and improving.
- I had a meeting Monday night from 6-9pm, which is pretty much right after work (this means I didn't get to go to the gym).
- I had a meeting Tuesday from 6-7:30pm, so again I didn't get to go to the gym.
- Wednesday I was being observed for a full 45 minutes by our certification partner...let's talk about an overload of preparation and too little time because of meetings the previous 2 nights.
- Thursday I was observed by TFA for a full 45 minutes because I had asked them to in order to help with my 5th period issues. Things went well and I have some GREAT action steps to take going forward.
- Dan came into town Tuesday night, and I got to hang out with him each night after my gym and planning times (aka I spent way more money than I usually have, goodbye September paycheck!). But it was definitely worth it, I was calmed down a little bit because having someone from home around made me feel more comfortable and relaxed. Thanks for coming Dan!
- My students are beginning to be more comfortable with me and sharing some really personal information. I appreciate that they feel comfortable coming to me to speak, but I don't know what to say back! I have never had these rough experiences they are having or have had, and its difficult for me to sympathize with them. I'm sure I'll get better with this.
- I am still really struggling with the day-to-day planning and executing, hopefully some new strategies given to me will help me out, because this stress and lack of sleep is killing me!
- Friday was a test day (which means before school Brenna and I go to Starbucks to get a big iced coffee and sip on it and grade and students take their tests in silence (best days ever).
- One of my classes was a little rowdy as the test was being handed out, so I said "Silencio!" Some of my students were confused so I replied "No sabes espanol? Porque no?" Then another students replied "Clase, silencio por favor!" and I said "gracias". It was a little taste of using my Spanish-speaking skills and shocking my students because they still don't understand that this white boy knows Spanish.
- I assigned a project this week (draw a tesselation of congruent triangles into a bigger picture). Some of my students made some amazing tesselations, and then half of the class still forgot to turn it in although I gave them ALL week to do it AND any time after they completed the test. I need to figure this out...
Really, it was a super busy week, but I also didn't have any terrible experiences like previous weeks. Hopefully it's a sign that better things are to come? We'll see...
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Rough Week 4
So, to start this week off I was pretty sure I had finally figured at least part of this teaching thing out. I was determined to have a good week for once-to be optimistic through it all.
So, to sum up how it went, I am going to give you my weekly list of stuff that happened:
- I was optimistic this week because I was getting one day off to do some professional training.
- This day of professional training was actually very fun and made me feel better about my teaching (much needed)
- I had to make subsititute plans for the first time, apparently they were too detailed because veteran teachers laughed at me when I showed them the one sheet of paper with instructions on it for the sub.
- My substitute plans apparently worked. I received work from every class like I asked, nothing was stolen, and nothing was in complete shambles when I got back that afternoon for tutoring.
- My students complained as I was walking in after school got out that class was boring without me there and they were thankful that I was back (ego boost!)
- I had one student come in for after school tutoring. It went great and I could see the light bulb turn on for him, he bragged to the class how helpful it was, too.
- Wednesday came to an end, and I had to start planning for the final 2 days of the week. This time well-rested.
- Thursday I was super optimistic, having fun conversations with my first 4 classes and everyone was having a great time.
- My 5th period came around. THE 5th period. Smallest class. Biggest problems.
- Someone called one of my special education students retarded. Then it turned into a tidal wave of students saying this student was dumb, retarded, and stupid. I was furious.
- I proceeded to do a very nontraditional approach to explaining to my students why we should not use offensive words/terms in my classroom. I wrote every single offensive word they could think of on the board, sternly told them that they would NEVER use any of these words again because I would not tolerate them.
- 5th period decided they would meet me with resistance, some students citing that the word "the" was offensive to them. Unacceptable.
- I allowed 5th period to sit in silence for the final 10 minutes of class while I did breathing exercises to regain my composure.
- I learned a lesson, this type of talk with my students needs to happen on day 1 next year.
- After school we had an emergency operations meeting, some things were said/done that deeply offended me and some friends. As this is a public blog, I will not go into detail. Ask me personally if you want to know more. Long story short, I was so offended by the end of it that I was nearly in tears.
- Friday comes back around, most of my classes go superbly.
- 5th period: talking + laughing + not following instructions + talking back + not reacting to my warnings or punishments at all + telling me they would love to go to the principal's office + telling me they will write the referral for me + me losing my composure = 2 written referrals for removal from classroom (one to a student whose name does NOT match the attitude in any way) and a very very angry Mr. Hart.
- I had to leave school during my conference period just to cool down. I hope that I can recapture my students in that class that really want to learn and are obviously frustrated with the few that keep them from enjoying it. Hopefully, I'll also capture those that don't care right now and hopefully I can help them change and make a difference in their lives.
- Immediately after school I left for Dallas (where I am now at the Starbucks in the Downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel), I had to get away from San Antonio for a little bit.
BUT, congratulations to my Golden Bear Football team for beating the Sam Houston Hurricanes last night!
So, to sum up how it went, I am going to give you my weekly list of stuff that happened:
- I was optimistic this week because I was getting one day off to do some professional training.
- This day of professional training was actually very fun and made me feel better about my teaching (much needed)
- I had to make subsititute plans for the first time, apparently they were too detailed because veteran teachers laughed at me when I showed them the one sheet of paper with instructions on it for the sub.
- My substitute plans apparently worked. I received work from every class like I asked, nothing was stolen, and nothing was in complete shambles when I got back that afternoon for tutoring.
- My students complained as I was walking in after school got out that class was boring without me there and they were thankful that I was back (ego boost!)
- I had one student come in for after school tutoring. It went great and I could see the light bulb turn on for him, he bragged to the class how helpful it was, too.
- Wednesday came to an end, and I had to start planning for the final 2 days of the week. This time well-rested.
- Thursday I was super optimistic, having fun conversations with my first 4 classes and everyone was having a great time.
- My 5th period came around. THE 5th period. Smallest class. Biggest problems.
- Someone called one of my special education students retarded. Then it turned into a tidal wave of students saying this student was dumb, retarded, and stupid. I was furious.
- I proceeded to do a very nontraditional approach to explaining to my students why we should not use offensive words/terms in my classroom. I wrote every single offensive word they could think of on the board, sternly told them that they would NEVER use any of these words again because I would not tolerate them.
- 5th period decided they would meet me with resistance, some students citing that the word "the" was offensive to them. Unacceptable.
- I allowed 5th period to sit in silence for the final 10 minutes of class while I did breathing exercises to regain my composure.
- I learned a lesson, this type of talk with my students needs to happen on day 1 next year.
- After school we had an emergency operations meeting, some things were said/done that deeply offended me and some friends. As this is a public blog, I will not go into detail. Ask me personally if you want to know more. Long story short, I was so offended by the end of it that I was nearly in tears.
- Friday comes back around, most of my classes go superbly.
- 5th period: talking + laughing + not following instructions + talking back + not reacting to my warnings or punishments at all + telling me they would love to go to the principal's office + telling me they will write the referral for me + me losing my composure = 2 written referrals for removal from classroom (one to a student whose name does NOT match the attitude in any way) and a very very angry Mr. Hart.
- I had to leave school during my conference period just to cool down. I hope that I can recapture my students in that class that really want to learn and are obviously frustrated with the few that keep them from enjoying it. Hopefully, I'll also capture those that don't care right now and hopefully I can help them change and make a difference in their lives.
- Immediately after school I left for Dallas (where I am now at the Starbucks in the Downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel), I had to get away from San Antonio for a little bit.
BUT, congratulations to my Golden Bear Football team for beating the Sam Houston Hurricanes last night!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Week 3
First off, I just want to say how excited I am that it is now football season. My TV will only take a break from football for the True Blood season finale tomorrow.
This week was rough. After an amazing, much-needed 3-day Labor Day weekend, I went into the week energized, optimistic, and excited that it was a test week (meaning one day for review and one day for a test). After the first 2 days I was sure I was going to break. Review day went terribly, and then finally I had my day of silence during the test.
So things that happened this week:
- Last week I mentioned to some of my classes that I was kind of addicted to a Katy Perry song (Teenage Dream). After the test this week, I turned on the radio and Teenage Dream was on, so I faked dancing a little bit and my students asked me if I went clubbing. I said "absolutely not, I don't have enough money, I dance at home". They believed me.
- The average test score of all my classes was 69% (one class had a 78% average)...and somehow I am actually kinda proud of this.
- 5th period, one of my students brought a 50-piece Chicken McNugget meal to class. The first 5 minutes of class then turned into a Chicken McNugget all-out feast instead of taking their test.
- One student who has only been to my class 3 times this semester whispered to a friend "I hate this class." I proceeded to stop what I was doing, look at this student and say "(Name here), you have been to this class only 3 times, how would you possibly know that you hate this class?" She stayed quiet and the rest of the class did an "Oh dannnnnggg" laughing.
- I was really happy when one of my students was having a bad day, because it meant they were quiet during class and did the work when asked.
- I asked students to write down what they learned so far in this class and what they struggle with and my student responses were all over the place:
- I learn a lot.
- The most important thing I've learned in my 15 years of life is how to learn.
- I struggle with...
- I learned lines and angles.
- I struggle with remembering things after class, I think I have dyslex in my head.
- I've learned more in this class than I did all last year.
Reading those responses, though it took forever, was easily the highlight of my week. But now, I need to do some grading, hasta luego!
This week was rough. After an amazing, much-needed 3-day Labor Day weekend, I went into the week energized, optimistic, and excited that it was a test week (meaning one day for review and one day for a test). After the first 2 days I was sure I was going to break. Review day went terribly, and then finally I had my day of silence during the test.
So things that happened this week:
- Last week I mentioned to some of my classes that I was kind of addicted to a Katy Perry song (Teenage Dream). After the test this week, I turned on the radio and Teenage Dream was on, so I faked dancing a little bit and my students asked me if I went clubbing. I said "absolutely not, I don't have enough money, I dance at home". They believed me.
- The average test score of all my classes was 69% (one class had a 78% average)...and somehow I am actually kinda proud of this.
- 5th period, one of my students brought a 50-piece Chicken McNugget meal to class. The first 5 minutes of class then turned into a Chicken McNugget all-out feast instead of taking their test.
- One student who has only been to my class 3 times this semester whispered to a friend "I hate this class." I proceeded to stop what I was doing, look at this student and say "(Name here), you have been to this class only 3 times, how would you possibly know that you hate this class?" She stayed quiet and the rest of the class did an "Oh dannnnnggg" laughing.
- I was really happy when one of my students was having a bad day, because it meant they were quiet during class and did the work when asked.
- I asked students to write down what they learned so far in this class and what they struggle with and my student responses were all over the place:
- I learn a lot.
- The most important thing I've learned in my 15 years of life is how to learn.
- I struggle with...
- I learned lines and angles.
- I struggle with remembering things after class, I think I have dyslex in my head.
- I've learned more in this class than I did all last year.
Reading those responses, though it took forever, was easily the highlight of my week. But now, I need to do some grading, hasta luego!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Love Note!
__________
It's really hard to write this letter: I want it to be perfect like you . That last one felt really shallow, like I was trying to hard to copy yours and make it romantic, though every single word is true without a doubt!
. That last one felt really shallow, like I was trying to hard to copy yours and make it romantic, though every single word is true without a doubt! You see, there are so many reasons why I love you, so many things that make you perfect and so many things I have to tell you! A thousand letters wouldn't be enough to describe there feelings. Of course there's generic reasons; your cute and smart and funny, but there's so much moer to you than meets the eye (on the side of the page: I love you more than anything in the world ). Conversations with you are never boring, you always have something interesting to say, whether we're talking about pokemon or the inside of a VCR. You're so cute too, not just appearance-wise, but the way you act. You're affectionate and so child-like! I love it!
). Conversations with you are never boring, you always have something interesting to say, whether we're talking about pokemon or the inside of a VCR. You're so cute too, not just appearance-wise, but the way you act. You're affectionate and so child-like! I love it! Your really sensitive too. The smallest thing affects your mood. It's not a bad thing so don't worry! Your sensitivity is one of my favorite things about you. But there are times when you don't say things because you think you'll annoy me. < : / Don't think that anymore kay? You can tell me anything, even if it's really small like you stepped on a ladybug. I wanna know all about your day and what happened and why.
If only someone had written me this letter in high school, I would have been tied down so fast! And oh yeah, I also wish that whoever wrote this letter would have put as much effort into my class as they did writing it during class...oops.
Gotta love high school!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)