Everyone has off days...but man I must be off my game today!
The middle school in my current district has a swimming pool. Each of the classes in the district are invited to come 45 minutes a day for two weeks and receive swim lessons.
WHOA do 5th graders not want to swim! You have to wear wayyyy less clothes than normal while doing something you haven't necessarily had a lot of exposure doing, at the very moment that your hormones have started a crazy jig inside your body. I mean, it sounds like my personal hell too and I'm supposedly old and mature...or something.
Anyway, they pretty much HAVE TO swim but they also have to get permission slips signed in order to be allowed to swim. My children are way too old and wise for their own good. They know that nobody is making them dip one toe into that water unless they've got the signature to prove that it's allowed. So, of course, the first thing they told me (en masse) is that they wouldn't be bringing them back.
Well, upon threat of death, I managed to persuade my more pliable students...except for one. One of my most quiet, sweet, shy, and admittedly larger boys has adamantly protested (it's mostly been a silent protest). Today, during my normal death threat monologue he must have formulated a plan.
Periodically throughout the day he started to pull me aside and discuss random ailments with me. I was duly sympathetic and kind, but as they were minor concerns spaced well enough apart, I wasn't in the position to do much about it. It took me until his last and final hint (yeah, I'm really slow today) when he specifically mentioned the trouble he has in regards to water and his nose that I realized he was trying to prepare me for the big let-down. There is no way that this kid plans on bringing that permission slip back to school with him.
So I started a little hinting of my own about the horrible fates one must endure should they elect not to take place in this wonderful activity. He legitimately would prefer any one of them to getting in that water.
Now, I had my fair share (if not more than my fair share) of reasons to be humiliated by a situation like this in my own 5th grade year, but I was not allowed by my parents, friends, and the general world to let that stop me from doing or accomplishing anything. I think it's part of what has made me strong and more confident than I have any right being. At the same time, I don't want to scar the kid for life.
In this case I'm a bit perplexed about how firmly to draw my line.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Something to Look Forward To
Sometimes we get to this point in the year (and many other points too) and we look around and realize that Spring Break is over, and while there are only two months left, there is not a break in sight and we're going to be doing a mad crazy dash til the bitter end. It is at these times where we might to start to lose steam or give up hope. It is at these times especially that we need to find ways to rejuvenate ourselves so that we can make the most of the time we have left with our current group of students.
During my first year teaching, I adopted a little mind trick to help me take long chunks of time with no breaks in stride. The premise is simple: always have something to look forward to. I would say, reward yourself, but immediately people feel that it is cheesy and they won't do it. Also, if you've ever been to a weight watchers meeting you would learn that our society is prone to rewarding itself with food (Happy Graduation! Let's go eat. Happy Birthday! Let's go eat. Awww, you broke up with your significant other? Let's go eat to numb the pain. Etc.) and what I'm suggesting will not have you weighing 800 pounds by the time the year is through.
This might only work for the new teachers out there, or serve as a pick-me-up to the older ones, but it hasn't lost it's luster for me yet. I'll give you an example: Over the weekend I was starting to get disheartened by the long months coming up so I called a couple of friends and scheduled a trip to go see a concert on a Friday night two weeks from now. For me, live music is something that always pumps me up and gives me an energy boost. For you, you'll have to find something that does something similar. Now, instead of worrying about 2 months, I only have to make it a week and a half before my goal is attainable. I do this throughout the year at different times and I find that I am able to immediately redirect my attention to something exciting in the much more immediate future that just Summer or Winter break.
Maybe other people don't need to trick themselves. Maybe other people are so happy with their jobs every day that they just can't relate to this "burn out" that I'm referring to. But more likely, teachers out there are counting the days until Summer Break (while simultaneously being sad to see their kids move on, I'm sure), and all I can do is share what works for me and hope that if you're losing energy, you might give it a try. After all, who doesn't love... a pair of new shoes when you get your next paycheck? Martini night with friends on a Thursday? Sky diving over the weekend?
P.S. On a completely unrelated note that I just don't think I could write a whole post about (well, I probably could, but nobody really needs that), my students were chosen twice this week by both the gym teacher AND the music teacher as the class that they had their principal observations with. I've decided to take this as a good sign. :)
During my first year teaching, I adopted a little mind trick to help me take long chunks of time with no breaks in stride. The premise is simple: always have something to look forward to. I would say, reward yourself, but immediately people feel that it is cheesy and they won't do it. Also, if you've ever been to a weight watchers meeting you would learn that our society is prone to rewarding itself with food (Happy Graduation! Let's go eat. Happy Birthday! Let's go eat. Awww, you broke up with your significant other? Let's go eat to numb the pain. Etc.) and what I'm suggesting will not have you weighing 800 pounds by the time the year is through.
This might only work for the new teachers out there, or serve as a pick-me-up to the older ones, but it hasn't lost it's luster for me yet. I'll give you an example: Over the weekend I was starting to get disheartened by the long months coming up so I called a couple of friends and scheduled a trip to go see a concert on a Friday night two weeks from now. For me, live music is something that always pumps me up and gives me an energy boost. For you, you'll have to find something that does something similar. Now, instead of worrying about 2 months, I only have to make it a week and a half before my goal is attainable. I do this throughout the year at different times and I find that I am able to immediately redirect my attention to something exciting in the much more immediate future that just Summer or Winter break.
Maybe other people don't need to trick themselves. Maybe other people are so happy with their jobs every day that they just can't relate to this "burn out" that I'm referring to. But more likely, teachers out there are counting the days until Summer Break (while simultaneously being sad to see their kids move on, I'm sure), and all I can do is share what works for me and hope that if you're losing energy, you might give it a try. After all, who doesn't love... a pair of new shoes when you get your next paycheck? Martini night with friends on a Thursday? Sky diving over the weekend?
P.S. On a completely unrelated note that I just don't think I could write a whole post about (well, I probably could, but nobody really needs that), my students were chosen twice this week by both the gym teacher AND the music teacher as the class that they had their principal observations with. I've decided to take this as a good sign. :)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Kind of Like Family
I grew up with 3 siblings, 2 parents, and a wide variety of pets. Home was always a full and busy place. Even still, when any one of my family members was gone for any significant amount of time, nothing really meshed as well as it normally would. It's not like anything bad happened and we all definitely continued to live our lives as per usual, but something was just kind of off. What I started to realize, even then, is that often a cohesive whole is much better than it's separately functioning parts.
It is with this mentality that I have always tried to build up my classroom. From the beginning of the year I assert firmly and passionately the importance of my students looking after each other and working together using the unique talents that they possess. Today, for the first time, I realized how effective that tactic has become.
As I've mentioned, I have a class of 4th and 5th grade bilingual students. I only have 5 fourth graders because they were kind of like the overflow bilingual students given to me so as not to overload the other 4th grade bilingual teacher. When there are 4th grade events (like field trips) they get adopted by that teacher and I stay behind with my 5th graders. Today was one of those days.
I'm not sure if everyone else has noticed, but the last couple of months are definitely upon us. In a transitional grade it is especially obvious because my students are becoming alternately excited and terrified to go to middle school next year. This morning, I used our morning meeting, and the rare opportunity to be one-graded (yeah that's right) to discuss some of these impending issues. The students appreciated the ability to become slightly more prepared and to understand that my contact with them and their future teachers does not end here, so I feel that we used our time wisely.
BUT
I could not believe the difference in personality and overall dynamic while our 5 little fourth graders were gone. It was like having an entirely different class! What I learned today is that those five kids create some form of anchor for our class. They counter the naturally more boisterous older students. They also give the 5th graders someone to model behavior and provide guidance for. Without them, I'm pretty sure my students thought it was free-for-all time!
The most amazing part? When my students returned in the early afternoon, we were in the midst of our reading centers. They silently (and I mean SILENTLY) filtered in, grabbed their materials, joined their groups, and started participating as if they'd never left. And the energy in the classroom? It was a complete turnaround to efficient but still fun and engaging. And my face? The most hilarious thing of all was the look on MY face as everything returned to normal. I was sporting the most ridiculous childish grin from ear to ear as I watched the children return and my class settle in.
Like I said, the whole works so much better than it's parts separated out. I think it will always amaze that, with a bit of hard work and a lot of care, you can build a little community (almost like a family) in less than one school year.
It is with this mentality that I have always tried to build up my classroom. From the beginning of the year I assert firmly and passionately the importance of my students looking after each other and working together using the unique talents that they possess. Today, for the first time, I realized how effective that tactic has become.
As I've mentioned, I have a class of 4th and 5th grade bilingual students. I only have 5 fourth graders because they were kind of like the overflow bilingual students given to me so as not to overload the other 4th grade bilingual teacher. When there are 4th grade events (like field trips) they get adopted by that teacher and I stay behind with my 5th graders. Today was one of those days.
I'm not sure if everyone else has noticed, but the last couple of months are definitely upon us. In a transitional grade it is especially obvious because my students are becoming alternately excited and terrified to go to middle school next year. This morning, I used our morning meeting, and the rare opportunity to be one-graded (yeah that's right) to discuss some of these impending issues. The students appreciated the ability to become slightly more prepared and to understand that my contact with them and their future teachers does not end here, so I feel that we used our time wisely.
BUT
I could not believe the difference in personality and overall dynamic while our 5 little fourth graders were gone. It was like having an entirely different class! What I learned today is that those five kids create some form of anchor for our class. They counter the naturally more boisterous older students. They also give the 5th graders someone to model behavior and provide guidance for. Without them, I'm pretty sure my students thought it was free-for-all time!
The most amazing part? When my students returned in the early afternoon, we were in the midst of our reading centers. They silently (and I mean SILENTLY) filtered in, grabbed their materials, joined their groups, and started participating as if they'd never left. And the energy in the classroom? It was a complete turnaround to efficient but still fun and engaging. And my face? The most hilarious thing of all was the look on MY face as everything returned to normal. I was sporting the most ridiculous childish grin from ear to ear as I watched the children return and my class settle in.
Like I said, the whole works so much better than it's parts separated out. I think it will always amaze that, with a bit of hard work and a lot of care, you can build a little community (almost like a family) in less than one school year.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Identity
A couple months back (almost exactly 2 at this point) I flew to a military base in North Carolina to visit my significant other who is in the Navy before he was schedule to be stationed in Italy for the next several years. I chose President's Day weekend because I'm a teacher and we all know how fun it is to try to take legitimate personal days as a teacher. Unfortunately, President's Day weekend was also Valentine's Day weekend. How I didn't realize the ramifications is beyond me, but I ended up on an entire airplane full of giddy military girlfriends (many of whom were EIGHT years younger than me...when did that happen?!) who it would definitely damage my ego to compare myself with. Now don't get me wrong, they were adorable and sweet, but sitting there on that plane made me feel like a huge ridiculous stereotype. Instead of being proud to be among the people who support men whose job is difficult in a way that I will never truly understand, I was actually embarrassed.
I know you're wondering why you care about this little anecdote...but don't worry I'm getting there.
I have a student who has pretty much average (bordering on sub-par) grades across the board. The one exception? Social Studies. I've never seen anything like it. When we start to talk about historical events he is absolutely full of questions and even went so far as to get into a heated debate with another student about slavery/equal rights a little while back. This student is definitely in the category of popular in his social scene (bordering on ladies man...no lie). For him, I'm pretty sure this entails fitting into certain expected categorical norms, hence some of his grades. While his capability is high when he really works hard, his focus does not lie within the realm of the academic. The other day, as we conferenced about his progress, I questioned him about why he had let everything fall through the cracks except for his social studies. He looked at me beaming and explained a little loudly, "social studies is always SO cool and interesting!" Upon realizing what he'd done, he immediately blushed, looked around to see who had noticed, and then looked down in clear shame for his admission.
The connection? He and I have something in common. We hold ourselves to a certain set of standards and can't possibly imagine being proud of a facet of ourselves that does not fit into this preconceived mold. Does that mean it's ok? Absolutely not! It is as dumb as the middle school cliques from which we have all hoped to evolve from (we haven't, but we hope). What I realize, and have realized time and time again, is that one of my goals (especially as a teacher in such a transitional grade) is to model the social skills and self-image that I wish for my students to carry on into adulthood. In order to do that, I'm going to have to start by sharing and being overtly proud of all of the dynamics of myself that make me me and encourage it doubly as I continue to learn the intricate nature of those that I strive to educate.
I know you're wondering why you care about this little anecdote...but don't worry I'm getting there.
I have a student who has pretty much average (bordering on sub-par) grades across the board. The one exception? Social Studies. I've never seen anything like it. When we start to talk about historical events he is absolutely full of questions and even went so far as to get into a heated debate with another student about slavery/equal rights a little while back. This student is definitely in the category of popular in his social scene (bordering on ladies man...no lie). For him, I'm pretty sure this entails fitting into certain expected categorical norms, hence some of his grades. While his capability is high when he really works hard, his focus does not lie within the realm of the academic. The other day, as we conferenced about his progress, I questioned him about why he had let everything fall through the cracks except for his social studies. He looked at me beaming and explained a little loudly, "social studies is always SO cool and interesting!" Upon realizing what he'd done, he immediately blushed, looked around to see who had noticed, and then looked down in clear shame for his admission.
The connection? He and I have something in common. We hold ourselves to a certain set of standards and can't possibly imagine being proud of a facet of ourselves that does not fit into this preconceived mold. Does that mean it's ok? Absolutely not! It is as dumb as the middle school cliques from which we have all hoped to evolve from (we haven't, but we hope). What I realize, and have realized time and time again, is that one of my goals (especially as a teacher in such a transitional grade) is to model the social skills and self-image that I wish for my students to carry on into adulthood. In order to do that, I'm going to have to start by sharing and being overtly proud of all of the dynamics of myself that make me me and encourage it doubly as I continue to learn the intricate nature of those that I strive to educate.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
A Major Comeback
Truth time: I'm disappointed in myself. I let a group of people who ultimately didn't care about me define the kind of person I was going to be. I did the one thing I tell my students not to, which was essentially give up.
In order to understand this post I think it would be most important to have some background knowledge on the situation. I used to write a blog called, "Adventures in Super Teaching" under the moniker "TeachEnEspanol." I think that I will always miss that blog because it was my first experience in sharing my ideas and getting great positive feedback. Unfortunately, one of my ex-coworkers decided that the things that I was writing as I learned about teaching in some way negatively affected them and used their poisonous stance in order to infect the mind of those around them. Instead of seeing my writing as a productive and proactive teaching and learning method, they were threatened by it and brought their complaints to the administrative level. It was at the point the I became so disheartened with the negativity that I not only left my teaching position, but I stopped writing.
Oh sure, there have been times in the past year where I've picked it back up, changing not only the blog title but my identity so that the same painful experience did not befall me again. I have decided, however, to stop running, to own up to who I am and what I'm proud of and to rejoin the fantastic community of people who have helped to make me a better teacher.
I hope that you will choose to rejoin me on my new and FINAL blog because I plan to hold up my end of the bargain and continue on in writing what I know, experience, and love so that I might be edified and that maybe, just maybe, something that I say might benefit others.
Thanks for sticking with me!
In order to understand this post I think it would be most important to have some background knowledge on the situation. I used to write a blog called, "Adventures in Super Teaching" under the moniker "TeachEnEspanol." I think that I will always miss that blog because it was my first experience in sharing my ideas and getting great positive feedback. Unfortunately, one of my ex-coworkers decided that the things that I was writing as I learned about teaching in some way negatively affected them and used their poisonous stance in order to infect the mind of those around them. Instead of seeing my writing as a productive and proactive teaching and learning method, they were threatened by it and brought their complaints to the administrative level. It was at the point the I became so disheartened with the negativity that I not only left my teaching position, but I stopped writing.
Oh sure, there have been times in the past year where I've picked it back up, changing not only the blog title but my identity so that the same painful experience did not befall me again. I have decided, however, to stop running, to own up to who I am and what I'm proud of and to rejoin the fantastic community of people who have helped to make me a better teacher.
I hope that you will choose to rejoin me on my new and FINAL blog because I plan to hold up my end of the bargain and continue on in writing what I know, experience, and love so that I might be edified and that maybe, just maybe, something that I say might benefit others.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
State Testing: Life or Death?
I hope this is taken in the tongue and cheek way in which it is written, but state testing is coming up and I'm fairly certain that some teachers really believe that they will die if their students don't do well, that their students performance somehow determines their worth.
Now, maybe it is because I haven't been threatened with my expulsion due to test scores, merit based pay has yet to be implemented, or simply because I live in a world where all of my students are still learning the English language, but I just do not get all stressed out and scared about state testing. Even if I was scared to death about the ramifications, I wouldn't share that with my students because school is where I want them to learn, not the place where I want them to develop an early anxiety disorder.
When the climate of the school turns to "testing mode" the students are directly affected. How can they not be? If you are a talented educator and the students have any regards for you at all, they have become adept at reading your moods and respond in kind. A scared/stressed out/frazzled teacher leads to less-than-read-to-learn children. Less-than-ready-to-learn children can hardly be expected to perform well on anything, much less a foreign-looking high stakes assessment.
So my advice during these times is to trust yourself. Know that you did your best. Prepare your students in small chunks (so as not to overwhelm them) and then just let them go and show off all that knowledge that you've imparted. I know I might be oversimplifying, but what are you going to do if they fail? Life will not end, I assure you. We might as well give them a fighting chance to prove our worries wrong by calming down and making them feel secure enough to get to work.
Now, maybe it is because I haven't been threatened with my expulsion due to test scores, merit based pay has yet to be implemented, or simply because I live in a world where all of my students are still learning the English language, but I just do not get all stressed out and scared about state testing. Even if I was scared to death about the ramifications, I wouldn't share that with my students because school is where I want them to learn, not the place where I want them to develop an early anxiety disorder.
When the climate of the school turns to "testing mode" the students are directly affected. How can they not be? If you are a talented educator and the students have any regards for you at all, they have become adept at reading your moods and respond in kind. A scared/stressed out/frazzled teacher leads to less-than-read-to-learn children. Less-than-ready-to-learn children can hardly be expected to perform well on anything, much less a foreign-looking high stakes assessment.
So my advice during these times is to trust yourself. Know that you did your best. Prepare your students in small chunks (so as not to overwhelm them) and then just let them go and show off all that knowledge that you've imparted. I know I might be oversimplifying, but what are you going to do if they fail? Life will not end, I assure you. We might as well give them a fighting chance to prove our worries wrong by calming down and making them feel secure enough to get to work.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Overwhelming Truth
At the beginning of the year, I started a new job in a new district. While this has definitely been a positive move overall, it (like most things in teaching) has not been without it's challenges and adjustments. During my first meeting with my principal to discuss my progress and how the year was going, I admitted that I was happy but there were definitely times of feeling overwhelmed. As realistic as anything, she simply replied that if I wasn't feeling stressed in this job, I was probably doing something wrong.
A few days ago (and many months after the original incident) a fellow teacher at another school in another district entirely told me almost the exact same story about her own interactions with her administrator. In fact, I don't think I've ever met anyone in the education world who has ever made a secret of the fact that our job asks us to go above and beyond social norms when it comes to the amount of work involved, as well as when and where that work takes place (i.e. ALL THE TIME, EVERYWHERE).
In a world where my commitment to my students is unyielding and in a career where the importance of smarts is rivaled by the importance of heart, it is easy to lose yourself in the "job" (if you can even call it that, sometimes I just call it "my life".) I've had numerous conversations with other young teachers who fear that they'll sacrifice their own chance at a social life/family life because of the amount of effort that it takes to truly be a quality teacher. Indeed it is a concern that I share.
This post doesn't come with a solution or a neatly wrapped ending. It actually just leaves me wondering, "How then can we be super-human and achieve everything without losing...something?
A few days ago (and many months after the original incident) a fellow teacher at another school in another district entirely told me almost the exact same story about her own interactions with her administrator. In fact, I don't think I've ever met anyone in the education world who has ever made a secret of the fact that our job asks us to go above and beyond social norms when it comes to the amount of work involved, as well as when and where that work takes place (i.e. ALL THE TIME, EVERYWHERE).
In a world where my commitment to my students is unyielding and in a career where the importance of smarts is rivaled by the importance of heart, it is easy to lose yourself in the "job" (if you can even call it that, sometimes I just call it "my life".) I've had numerous conversations with other young teachers who fear that they'll sacrifice their own chance at a social life/family life because of the amount of effort that it takes to truly be a quality teacher. Indeed it is a concern that I share.
This post doesn't come with a solution or a neatly wrapped ending. It actually just leaves me wondering, "How then can we be super-human and achieve everything without losing...something?
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