MAP testing

This week at Shaw middle school I had a chance to see the students do MAP reading tests. My coordinating teacher was having a bad morning because he had heard an hour before class that he would be doing MAP testing all day, pushing back his lesson that he had planned. He gave me the assignment to watch the students test and help them with their questions, while he continued to prep for the lesson he will give Wednesday. I was also running between the computer lab and the English classroom picking up assignments and I even wrote excuse slips for those who finished the test late. It was an overall interesting day, but a fun day too. For lunch I usually eat in the faculty room and listen to teachers conversations. Today I felt more comfortable and joined the conversation. I may even borrow a wet suit from a fellow teacher for the sprint triathlon I am doing! Anyways, today was full of mini highlights.

When I was in school, we had STAR testing instead of MAP. Whatever the test was, even though it was boring, I would try my hardest. I caught quite a few students who were not trying their hardest and it really made me feel disappointed. They didn’t care because it had no affect on their grade and they would rather rush through the test and talk with friends. I stopped a boy today who asked how many questions their were and after hearing that he was less than half way, started clicking and pushing the next button. I stopped him as fast as I could, but he had already sped through 5 questions. Another student was on question 28 only 5 minutes into the class period! She said she didn’t care and the test meant nothing to her. I don’t know what to say to make them care. What good are these tests if students don’t take the time to give it their all.

Going along with the students who didn’t try on the test, my coordinating teacher quickly came up with a solution. He called the parents of the students and set up a date for them to come after school and talk with both the teacher and student and give permission to take it again. For the last few periods of the day, my teacher told the students to do quality work, otherwise they would be taking it again after school with their parents. It really helped the students to try. This is a approach I will adopt.

When I was coming back from running an errand I heard a student yelling, “Get out of my way!” repeatedly. I looked up to find a student I did not recognize trying to get passed my teacher in the hallway. I was appalled that a student would talk in such a way to a teacher. She was yelling very loud and I could see that it caught the attention of other classrooms with their doors open. I am not sure what exactly happened to the student but my coordinating teacher walked back into the computer lab and apologized for the ruckus. I really hope nothing like that happens to me!

Shaw middle school

This week I had the opportunity to ride a school bus from Shaw Middle School to Rogers High School for an introduction to high school assembly. It was cool to take a step outside of the English classroom and travel with the kids to another setting. We left Shaw during lunch at 1:05 and came back at 3:15. It had been a while since I sat in a school bus. A student from my 5th period class begged for me to sit next to him. On the short ride there he talked to me about baseball and how excited he was to go to high school with his older brother and sister. When we got to Rogers auditorium I got a little nostalgic. I miss the good o'l leadership days in high school and putting on assemblies. I loved to see the excitement of the middle schoolers. On the way out they were given a Rogers shirt and on the bus ride they were yelling "freshman power," while we were all crammed three to a seat. It was a lot of fun.

Thursday I taught three lessons. When preparing the lesson, I have an idea of what the students will say as a response to the questions I ask. I look at the lesson as an opportunity for me to teach the students. There is a boy in my 3rd period class who is very bright. When I asked questions, he would often bring up an aspect I had not thought about. Students can teach teachers. Together we form a learning community.

As I was teaching, I found that many students were excited to answer questions. Most would raise their hands, but they would also shout out the answer at the same time. I had to constantly tell the students to pause and speak one at a time. At the end of my lessons, I ask my teacher for any words of wisdom. He told me to always ask students to raise hands from the beginning of the lesson and only take answers from students who raise their hands. In the next lesson that my coordinating teacher taught, he demonstrated this to me. The class was quieter and my teacher hardly had to raise his voice. This is a practice I will adopt.

There is a quiet student in my 3rd period class. She is very sweet, often asks for help and really puts effort into her work. I was surprised when she told me she had lunch detention for the rest of the week from Mr. English's science class. She told me she got in trouble for not doing her work and talking. It was crazy to me to see how differently students act in other classrooms. Students often have good behavior in my cooperative teacher’s classroom. I am thankful that I was paired with such a great teacher. The students really do look up to him.

Richland School District

This week has been smooth and uneventful. Last Thursday students were finishing up a lesson from Wednesday and started a new lesson on political and non-political cartoons. We are still in our comedy unit. Yesterday was MSP testing so for the last three periods of school we watched Jim Carrey's first movie Rubber Face and the TV show Modern Family.

A highlight of my week does not necessarily have to do with me but it is something I have seen. When I first arrived at Shaw in February, there was a student in my sixth period class who was unmotivated and did not have much self confidence. When it came to doing her work she would say that she didn't know how to do it and would not listen to anyone who would help her. She was quiet and a little standoffish. A few weeks ago, this student came to school with new clothes, new hairdo and a new attitude. This could have been due to her birthday but whatever it was she has been participating in class, developing a closer relationship to peers and teachers. In the faculty room I overheard the science teacher talking about this student and the great effort she has been putting forth in the classroom recently. She had been turning in all of her work. At the end of the day, she also asked my coordinating teacher what she could do to bring up her grade. Seeing this kind of progress makes me happy. This is what makes teaching rewarding.

This situation is not only a highlight but something that made me think differently about kids. Changes can be made. Teachers should not give up on students when they see that they are failing. This is an opportunity to lend a helping hand and help them to do better. Sometimes all a student needs it to know that teachers or parents care about them. If they see that tithers have confidence in them, they will make that confidence their own. It is possible for every student to succeed.

A practice that I will adopt in my teaching is standing my ground. I know this seems like a obvious one, but in certain situations it can be hard for me. Some students will listen to me if I tell them to stop a disruptive behavior but others like to challenge me. Tuesday, a student was playing with a toy while the rest of the class was MSP testing, he was also talking to neighbors and not facing his computer screen. I went over to him, after telling him several times to turn around and asked for the toy, he challenged me, saying he needed it and pulled it away from me but I was persistent and stern and told him that he could have it after testing. I confiscated it. It was hard for me to not back down and just say to put it away.

A conflicting situation this week I would say happened yesterday. Its funny because i just did research on showing films in the classroom and how to make it an effective teaching moment. My coordinating teacher showed a film in class and it went against my research. First off, we watched the movie Rubber Face that was Jim Carrey's first film. My teacher had never watched it and expected it to be funny. I was the worst move ever, after 25 minutes we turned it off and watched Modern Family. My teacher had not previewed these episodes either. The humor did go along with our comedy unit but some parts were inappropriate for school. Although the class was engaged, they did not have to do any assessments. The teacher before the movie asked if they could determine whether it was low or high comedy, but we did not ever discuss it. This situation helped me to know the conflicts that I can run into if I do not properly prepare a lesson where film is involved.

This week was a great week! Last Thursday my coordinating teacher was gone with half of the 8th graders at a ropes course. The other half went the day before. The ropes course was to prepare students for the MSP testing that they will be doing this month. The goal was to overcome fear and instill confidence. I decided to stay at school and work with the substitute teacher. It was a good experience working with smaller class sizes.

A highlight of my week would be the two lessons I taught. At school, my coordinating teacher teaches the same class five times. The substitute teacher, after teaching two classes, asked if I would like to step in and teach a class. I can see that the further I get in my observations, the more comfortable I am with the class. A few weeks ago I probably would have turned down the offer, but I was excited to take the class over for two lessons. The class was behaving well and they enjoyed the simple lesson. It was a great feeling!

It was a learning experience to see someone other than my coordinating teacher teaching. After observing my  teacher for a few months now, I can see what the students are capable of doing. I noticed that the substitute teacher was spoon feeding the students a bit too much. The students had to read a passage, answer five multiple choice questions and as a class answer a short essay. The teacher for the first two classes read the passage and pretty much wrote the short essay for the students. They were still talking about how exciting the ropes course was. I took note of how the substitute taught and thought of ways I could make it better. When she offered for me to lead fourth period, I tweaked things a bit. I had the students take turns reading the passage and gave them specific instruction as to what to look for in the passage. I got a bit more participation when it came time to do the short essay. I was proud of myself when the substitute taught the next lesson and decided to borrow the techniques I had used. I'm glad I got to see her teaching style and ask the question, "what can I do better?"

One practice I have been adopting is floating around the room and answering questions that students have. This week I have been making an effort to ask students if I can see their responses and help those who are to afraid to ask for it. This last week, I saw that a student had answered a question wrong and I was able to ask her questions and hear her explanation as to why she thought that way. I was able to lead her in the right direction. It was cool to see the light bulb go on. I didn't even give her the answer. It was through the process of critical thinking she solved the problem herself.

This week has been a smooth week. I did see something this morning that bothered me. There is a student that is in my sixth period class. He is very intelligent but often gets off task. I have heard through other teachers that he is disruptive in their classes as well. Today he was sitting in the office. I wonder what I can do to help this situation. Maybe he is bored with the material and needs something more challenging. I have been thinking of asking him what he likes to do and if possible incorporate it into a lesson or assignment. This could be a possible solution for avoiding class disruption.

This week I taught 3 lessons and enjoyed it! The school day goes by so much faster when you are teaching rather than observing and helping. Teaching is always a great learning experience as well. I can sit and observe teachers all day, but it is always a different field when you are doing it yourself.

A highlight from this past week I would have to say is teaching 5^th period! When I first came to Shaw last quarter, my coordinating teacher was embarrassed to have me sit through his 5^th period class. He would say that they were by far the worst behaving students out of all his other classes. (which proved to be true.) He would not let me teach 5^th period my first quarter there because he was afraid of the effect it would have on my passion for teaching. In one of my meetings with my coordinating teacher I agreed to teach 2^nd, 3^rd and the dreadful 5^th period. My coordinating teacher was shocked that I had volunteered to do such a thing, but he gave me permission to do it. I was not sure if I was nervous to teach this class because my coordinating teacher had talked it up so much or I just had a lack of confidence. Well, whatever the problem was, 5^th period ended up being the best class of the day! It could all be due to the fact that it was my third time teaching the same lesson, or I got a few pointers from my teacher who taught the period before me. After teaching 5^th period, I got a boost of confidence. This is proof to me, that I can overcome tough obstacles in teaching. This was one of the first.

After teaching my lessons, I thought differently about my coordinating teacher in the fact that it is hard to punish students! When I sit back and observe the class, students who are talking are immediately punished for it. After seeing this done many times, when it came time for me to teach, I found myself giving students a billion warnings. I called out names of students, but feared to do it a second time because I did not want them to get a lunch detention. I moved a student from his group and feared that I would be hated for it. I learned that being a teacher can be rough in this respect and I need to not worry about how the students will think of me. In the end, I will be respected for it.

A practice I will adopt in my future teaching is to display class responses to assignments on the overhead/doc cam. I found that when I give the class a set of questions and we answer them verbally, students will still be confused or have less of an incentive to write responses. When we work as a class and I record the responses of students on the worksheet, every student is involved and has a better understanding of the concepts.

An ongoing problem I face is a lack of respect. It is hard for me to respond to students who talk to me at a lower level. I was trying to help a student the other day and she happened to see my badge with a picture of me that is far out of date. She was distracted by it, so I hid it from her view. The student started to demand that I show her the picture and that she would not do her work until I did. This lack of respect is common in most students and can be draining and hard to address.

It is crazy how tired I get after spending a full day observing middle schoolers. But I have also heard that if you completed the day and you are exhausted then you are doing your job right! So let us hope I am on the right track!

It is hard to pick out highlights from this past week, not that my experience was terrible, but I felt that everything went smoothly. Last Thursday I got to help my 8^th grade students with their persuasive papers. They were to write an introductory paragraph with a thesis and address the 6 questions, who, what, when, where, why and how in their body paragraphs. I always enjoy students raising their hands or calling “Ms. Leavitt, can you help me?” I always admire those who admit they are having trouble and are eager to understand. I know when I was in school; I was one of those students who never asked for help, even when I needed it and would freeze when a teacher would walk by and view my work.

In my morning meeting with my coordinating teacher, we were discussing the overall behavior of 5^th period. It is the hard class of the day, the class that seems to have all the trouble makers. We came to the realization that this class excels in some activities where most of the other periods do not. 5^th period loves competitions and activities that involve getting up and doing something, whereas most other classes are content with seat work. This is just another reminder that not all students are the same. Every student prefers a different learning style.

This week I don’t have a practice I want to adopt, but one I want to make sure not to adopt. It is always the same students who get into trouble for talking, or banging on the desk or just being disruptive in general. Often times when this happens, the student will be sent to the office. I overheard one student say that he was not able to get any work done in the class because he had been sent to the office three days in a row! This can be a problem, unless the student is sent to the office with his/her work, they are not learning a thing. I think what I will do if a student is misbehaving is talk with them in the hallway or put them on some kind of step program. I hate to see a child kicked out of an environment that can be the most beneficial to them.

Today, when a student got sent to the office for talking, he stood up, yelled some foul language, and on the way out the door, knocked some books over purposefully. The sad thing was the teacher did not even bat an eye. It was almost like the action was normal. When I become a teacher, what can I do to prohibit this behavior? How will I deal with it? This is just a wakeup call to me that I will need some kind of plan for this behavior.