Yesterday all the new teachers in the district had a meeting with the superintendent. We were told now that we are nearing the end of the school year, it is time to buckle down, not let up. We were encouraged not to fall into the dreaded trap of easing up on the kids.
And so it goes, we enter the last lap, needing to go at full throttle and ready the kids to pass the Big State Test.
Everyone in the district touts following the lesson line. It is supposedly research based and incredibly sound. But since it was implemented, my school’s test results and scores have been steadily declining. I find myself torn. Of course, I want to follow the rules and adhere to the lesson line. But I know my kids. I have the students who scored lowest on last year’s state test. There are certain things that they do not know or get. I go back constantly to reteach lessons they were supposed to master in third and fourth grade.
Now as we near the fourth nine weeks of the school year. We will go back and reteach everything from the year. New lesson plans must be created. New group work activities must be planned. New tests must be aligned. I will be drowning in paperwork. By now, that is normal. What I am interested in is in finding a way for my kids to just get it. It will not come overnight. The students need to know sound devices and drawing conclusions. But as these things were taught and covered twice already. Nothing stuck. I hate falling back on the same trope I keep hinting at all year. In the fourth nine weeks, my kids still cannot read.
They go to the reading specialist for ninety minutes a day. Their reading has remained level since day one. They still mispronounce the same words. They still say “because” everyone they see “became.” The reading section on the MCT2 may just crush. Do I want to sound so harsh? No. But is it the truth? Yes. In class, I read t them often ad model how reading paragraphs should occur on our projector. All to no avail. Even my students refuse to admit they struggle with reading. I hear they just do not like reading or reading is boring. Even for those who volunteer to read passages stumble and falter over small or grade-level words. A misunderstood word can cost points on the state test. The reading accounts for half of the test.
Going back to the main point, the superintendent inquired of our struggles with the students. I remained mum. Yet I feel hopeless. How the heck does one get students to answer correctly seven questions based on a five-hundred word reading selection? As I monitor the kids come May during the MCT2, my heart will go out to them. They will ask Mr. Farmer to pronounce a word or what does so and so and such and such word means? I cannot say anything. They will circle any answer out of desperation.
In sum, my suggestion should have been that the district gets some great reading teachers in at the primary school. This situation I face is disheartening.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Considering MTC?
For those college seniors looking for something different after graduation or even those who finished college a few years back, MTC might be of interest for numerous reasons.
--If you want to teach and are passionate about teaching. If you find yourself wanting to lead a classroom and shape young minds, you’ll want to join MTC.
-- Indeed, if you want to be challenged by the occasional hopelessness of public education, MTC is the right fit. You will realize that your own upbringing and public education were not as bad as you thought. I know I did. You will find it that the administrators do not always do or know what is best for the students or the district.
--If you can give up your normal life and existence and dedicate them to students who will resist your instruction but come to realize you are there everyday for them, MTC needs you.
--If you want to live in a different part of the country (assuming you are not from the South), MTC beckons. The Delta has been described as a world unto itself, seemingly part of a state, but more self-contained than the tiniest of island nations. Even northern Mississippi offers much to the imagination. In the span of a few highway exits, you can easily traverse suburbs ad hill country in a stretch of ten minutes.
--If you want to give back or be of service, teaching in the corps is perfect. If throughout your life, you have committed to helping others, then a two-year commitment is just what you need.
On the other hand…
--If you need to something to do for two years, avoid MTC. The lives and education of children are not hobbies or projects. Futures are at stake. Stay home.
--If you are still trying to figure it out. That is, you are or have been aimless for a while hence, MTC seems likes a good idea or good fit. You may really want to teach.
--If you only want a free degree, don’t bother. Service is still expected of you. And you still have to teach every day, even in the summer.
--If you want two years of simply taking it easy, do not apply. You will never work so hard in your life. Be prepared to give up sleep, friendships, and sometimes a personal life. Strange though it may be, your students and your job become your everything.
--If you don’t like children, it is obvious. Do not even approach the website. It has children on it.
--If you like suggesting how to do things the right way at inappropriate times, stay put. Your bosses at the school may implement things that are silly or even frightening. It is your job to smile and nod.
It is my firm belief that joining MTC will change lives for the teacher and the students.
--If you want to teach and are passionate about teaching. If you find yourself wanting to lead a classroom and shape young minds, you’ll want to join MTC.
-- Indeed, if you want to be challenged by the occasional hopelessness of public education, MTC is the right fit. You will realize that your own upbringing and public education were not as bad as you thought. I know I did. You will find it that the administrators do not always do or know what is best for the students or the district.
--If you can give up your normal life and existence and dedicate them to students who will resist your instruction but come to realize you are there everyday for them, MTC needs you.
--If you want to live in a different part of the country (assuming you are not from the South), MTC beckons. The Delta has been described as a world unto itself, seemingly part of a state, but more self-contained than the tiniest of island nations. Even northern Mississippi offers much to the imagination. In the span of a few highway exits, you can easily traverse suburbs ad hill country in a stretch of ten minutes.
--If you want to give back or be of service, teaching in the corps is perfect. If throughout your life, you have committed to helping others, then a two-year commitment is just what you need.
On the other hand…
--If you need to something to do for two years, avoid MTC. The lives and education of children are not hobbies or projects. Futures are at stake. Stay home.
--If you are still trying to figure it out. That is, you are or have been aimless for a while hence, MTC seems likes a good idea or good fit. You may really want to teach.
--If you only want a free degree, don’t bother. Service is still expected of you. And you still have to teach every day, even in the summer.
--If you want two years of simply taking it easy, do not apply. You will never work so hard in your life. Be prepared to give up sleep, friendships, and sometimes a personal life. Strange though it may be, your students and your job become your everything.
--If you don’t like children, it is obvious. Do not even approach the website. It has children on it.
--If you like suggesting how to do things the right way at inappropriate times, stay put. Your bosses at the school may implement things that are silly or even frightening. It is your job to smile and nod.
It is my firm belief that joining MTC will change lives for the teacher and the students.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Lives of Others
As a teacher, I see my students but for a few each hours each day. Now after working with them for this long, I start to wonder. What are their lives like once they get home? Are they fed dinner every night? Do they have a quiet place to study? Are they taking care of other siblings? Are they getting enough sleep? Such things should not be in my thoughts as much. But, alas, they will fade away.
I notice that, during early morning tutoring, many students race in, grab a breakfast, and start devouring it. My mind starts racing. Did the child have dinner? When was the last time the child ate? Was it yesterday’s lunch? My day starts filling up with questions. Said students are also those who come in with clothes that are far from clean, that are torn, that are snug, and that are not uniform regulation. What does one say? The students have what they have, and have been wearing it all year long.
I do not feel a complex is setting in. But perhaps there are some anthropological leanings deep within. Many of my students have siblings who attend the school. The same things I see in my students, I recognize in their sisters and brothers. Then, I start imagining home life for my kids. There are questions I want to ask, but I strange such questions strange. Do you need anything? Is everything all right? My fear is that I will be accused of prying or be labbelled insensitive to the plight of my students. What is worse, it may not be not be my business what happens once they leave the schoolhouse.
Occasionally, I have a student who opens up and lets me know s/he had a bad night or didn’t have dinner. I want not to cross a line and venture into savior territory. But then I muse nowadays teachers are counselors, life coaches, tutors, reading specialists, etc. Because so many of the students live in a housing project right down the street from the school, I realize it would be easy to check up on them. I often say no to that idea. Still, a feeling washes over me or a mood passes through me letting me know that all is not right with too many of the students. They hold back, not wanting to say everything, as do I. It is a strange little game we have all become too comfortable playing.
I think too much maybe. I must be over thinking the situation. My students’ lives are not perfect. Nor do I expect them to be. I guess part of me, since I started working at the school, has become interested in the lives of others.
I notice that, during early morning tutoring, many students race in, grab a breakfast, and start devouring it. My mind starts racing. Did the child have dinner? When was the last time the child ate? Was it yesterday’s lunch? My day starts filling up with questions. Said students are also those who come in with clothes that are far from clean, that are torn, that are snug, and that are not uniform regulation. What does one say? The students have what they have, and have been wearing it all year long.
I do not feel a complex is setting in. But perhaps there are some anthropological leanings deep within. Many of my students have siblings who attend the school. The same things I see in my students, I recognize in their sisters and brothers. Then, I start imagining home life for my kids. There are questions I want to ask, but I strange such questions strange. Do you need anything? Is everything all right? My fear is that I will be accused of prying or be labbelled insensitive to the plight of my students. What is worse, it may not be not be my business what happens once they leave the schoolhouse.
Occasionally, I have a student who opens up and lets me know s/he had a bad night or didn’t have dinner. I want not to cross a line and venture into savior territory. But then I muse nowadays teachers are counselors, life coaches, tutors, reading specialists, etc. Because so many of the students live in a housing project right down the street from the school, I realize it would be easy to check up on them. I often say no to that idea. Still, a feeling washes over me or a mood passes through me letting me know that all is not right with too many of the students. They hold back, not wanting to say everything, as do I. It is a strange little game we have all become too comfortable playing.
I think too much maybe. I must be over thinking the situation. My students’ lives are not perfect. Nor do I expect them to be. I guess part of me, since I started working at the school, has become interested in the lives of others.
TFA vs. MTC
To answer this multi-part question, one must carefully consider the similarities and differences for both Teach for America (TFA) and Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC). Luckily, the comparisons are so minute that it is easier for this writer to focus only on the differences. When looking at the advantages and disadvantages for the two teaching programs, MTC stands tall, not so much because it is less work or even less demanding, but that MTC applies the “work smart, not work hard” standard.
To begin, MTC is not as callous to reject anyone with a form letter. Because the applicant pool is smaller than TFA’s, the Corps can personalize its rejections. Also, once a candidate is accepted into MTC, s/he is only discharged according to bylaws set in place well before training begins, rules upon which both parties agree to. While summer training includes a bus ride, it is nowhere near as long as TFA. Summer school is meant to be practical and introduce new teachers to a real-world classroom, and, mostly, it is.
Concerning payment, MTC gives its cohort a summer stipend of $1,000. Compared to what TFA gives, it is akin to having an extra thousand dollars. MTC provides supplies for the summer and works with teachers in obtaining whatever is needed. Another plus for the Corps. On that note, MTC has already placed many of its candidates before summer training begins. TFA cannot suggest that; nor should it pretend to have jobs at the ready.
In noting the differences in the programs, one comparison does rear. Candidates still leave both programs, for reasons that are not always explained, but seemingly can be ascribed to not being what someone thought it was. Certainly, there is a kernel of truth to that. To prevent members form leaving, MTC could provide counseling and have available former members of the Corps who too struggled but ultimately stayed on board.
In sum, one cannot expect that from TFA, as it left the education business long ago. It is now just a business meant to further its name recognition. Perhaps that is why MTC is the better choice. It remains set on alternate route teaching and putting twenty-five qualified teachers into critical-needs districts. More candidates will stay once they see the big picture: the program supports you but cannot read minds. If one struggles, speak. If one needs help, seek. If one really sets out to adhere to either TFA’s or MTC’s mission, teach.
To begin, MTC is not as callous to reject anyone with a form letter. Because the applicant pool is smaller than TFA’s, the Corps can personalize its rejections. Also, once a candidate is accepted into MTC, s/he is only discharged according to bylaws set in place well before training begins, rules upon which both parties agree to. While summer training includes a bus ride, it is nowhere near as long as TFA. Summer school is meant to be practical and introduce new teachers to a real-world classroom, and, mostly, it is.
Concerning payment, MTC gives its cohort a summer stipend of $1,000. Compared to what TFA gives, it is akin to having an extra thousand dollars. MTC provides supplies for the summer and works with teachers in obtaining whatever is needed. Another plus for the Corps. On that note, MTC has already placed many of its candidates before summer training begins. TFA cannot suggest that; nor should it pretend to have jobs at the ready.
In noting the differences in the programs, one comparison does rear. Candidates still leave both programs, for reasons that are not always explained, but seemingly can be ascribed to not being what someone thought it was. Certainly, there is a kernel of truth to that. To prevent members form leaving, MTC could provide counseling and have available former members of the Corps who too struggled but ultimately stayed on board.
In sum, one cannot expect that from TFA, as it left the education business long ago. It is now just a business meant to further its name recognition. Perhaps that is why MTC is the better choice. It remains set on alternate route teaching and putting twenty-five qualified teachers into critical-needs districts. More candidates will stay once they see the big picture: the program supports you but cannot read minds. If one struggles, speak. If one needs help, seek. If one really sets out to adhere to either TFA’s or MTC’s mission, teach.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Second-Year Perspective
My initial impressions were, I contend, accurate. At first meeting, they came across as a hard-pressed team of survivors. Few looked a little world weary. Alas, first-year teaching does that for you.
The many with whom I have had the chance to speak with were open and very honest, putting their experiences, both good and bad, into a positive light. They continuous admit their faults and know there is room for growth. As is now clear, I hold them as masters of perseverance, much as I did this summer. No one in the bunch came across as a defeated person bereft of fight.
The second years who had troubles with their administrators and districts, I feel an especial kinship with. They explained to me early on principals and district staff do things that make sense to absolutely no one, save said principals and district staff. There are those days when a memo goes around. One never knows if it is a joke or not. Then there are those days where one does not know if he should laugh or shout. So I combine the two. I go to my empty class and have a shaugh.
Now as the year moves on, I know I have not had as much interaction with the second years as I would have liked. But seeing on them on those Saturday mornings is refreshing. They are there to offer a kind word and, at the very least, willing to ask how one is and how the students fare. To be sure, I do not expect much more than that. Though there is comfort in being a second year, there is little time to shoot the breeze when they have just as much as work as we first years. So the niceties suffice. Pulses are checked; hearts are beating. The school wears one down; the second years know this. But they are pleased to know that the first years are alive, maybe not well, but alive nonetheless.
I hope to answer this post again in May. The second years will have come full circle with a host of information and tips and strategies to impart. I look forward to that. Their faces will show looks of resolve and loss. Not loss in the sense of tragedy. But loss in terms of two years flew by with nary a moment for the second years to stop and catch their collective breath.
In sum, my impressions are the same. A great group of people were presented back in June 2010. Thus far, they are shared great things with the first years. I am sure it was not half as much as the second years would have liked, but I am grateful for the information already given. “Keep in touch” sounds so trite. With the second years, it is said with such professorial urgency, the first years had better heed their requests.
The many with whom I have had the chance to speak with were open and very honest, putting their experiences, both good and bad, into a positive light. They continuous admit their faults and know there is room for growth. As is now clear, I hold them as masters of perseverance, much as I did this summer. No one in the bunch came across as a defeated person bereft of fight.
The second years who had troubles with their administrators and districts, I feel an especial kinship with. They explained to me early on principals and district staff do things that make sense to absolutely no one, save said principals and district staff. There are those days when a memo goes around. One never knows if it is a joke or not. Then there are those days where one does not know if he should laugh or shout. So I combine the two. I go to my empty class and have a shaugh.
Now as the year moves on, I know I have not had as much interaction with the second years as I would have liked. But seeing on them on those Saturday mornings is refreshing. They are there to offer a kind word and, at the very least, willing to ask how one is and how the students fare. To be sure, I do not expect much more than that. Though there is comfort in being a second year, there is little time to shoot the breeze when they have just as much as work as we first years. So the niceties suffice. Pulses are checked; hearts are beating. The school wears one down; the second years know this. But they are pleased to know that the first years are alive, maybe not well, but alive nonetheless.
I hope to answer this post again in May. The second years will have come full circle with a host of information and tips and strategies to impart. I look forward to that. Their faces will show looks of resolve and loss. Not loss in the sense of tragedy. But loss in terms of two years flew by with nary a moment for the second years to stop and catch their collective breath.
In sum, my impressions are the same. A great group of people were presented back in June 2010. Thus far, they are shared great things with the first years. I am sure it was not half as much as the second years would have liked, but I am grateful for the information already given. “Keep in touch” sounds so trite. With the second years, it is said with such professorial urgency, the first years had better heed their requests.
Day in the Life
My life and daily routine has become so repetitive, I feel as though I am on auto-pilot. I make the same moves daily. I say the same things daily. I stop and ask did I say what I wanted to say, or was it yesterday that I said and am now repeating it. Did I say it to one class but not the other?
I wake at various times in the morning, depending on what needs to be accomplished that day. There are days when I wake up as early as 1 am. I leave between 5.50 am and 6.20 am. I need to be at work by 7 am, owing to early morning tutoring with my students. I tutor them from 7 am until 8 am. Planning should be from 8 – 8.55 am. Alas, I seldom have planning. Per the norm, there is always a meeting or some administrivia needing to be accomplished—usually during my planning period.
Moving on, I get my kids (6B) back at 9 am. From 9 until 11, I teach them Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies. However, as my students’ reading skills are so low, many of them go to Read 180 twice a day. From 10.30 – 11.10, they take tutoring with the reading interventionist. After that, I do something called Tier Time, where I teach other grade-level kids 4th grade reading and language arts, as they need remediation. At 11.30, we switch classes. I then teach my next set of kids (6A). From 11.30 to noon, I teach them Social Studies. When we get back from lunch and restroom break, I teach that reading and language arts until 2.10. At 2.10, we switch to Math Tier Time, where I teach 6A enrichment Math. At 2.40, we switch back to homeroom kids and start dismissal. At 3.05, we prepare for afternoon tutoring. I take my kids to the cafeteria for a snack and bring them back at 3.15 for after school tutoring until 5 pm. At 5 pm, I clock out, return to my room, try to straighten up, and prepare for a new day. I leave the building at 5.30 and reach home at 6.10 pm.
Once home, I eat dinner, put in some grades, grade papers, and go over my five different lesson plans for the next day, hoping to muddle through this year and not fall out and/or walk out due to sheer exhaustion.
I wake at various times in the morning, depending on what needs to be accomplished that day. There are days when I wake up as early as 1 am. I leave between 5.50 am and 6.20 am. I need to be at work by 7 am, owing to early morning tutoring with my students. I tutor them from 7 am until 8 am. Planning should be from 8 – 8.55 am. Alas, I seldom have planning. Per the norm, there is always a meeting or some administrivia needing to be accomplished—usually during my planning period.
Moving on, I get my kids (6B) back at 9 am. From 9 until 11, I teach them Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies. However, as my students’ reading skills are so low, many of them go to Read 180 twice a day. From 10.30 – 11.10, they take tutoring with the reading interventionist. After that, I do something called Tier Time, where I teach other grade-level kids 4th grade reading and language arts, as they need remediation. At 11.30, we switch classes. I then teach my next set of kids (6A). From 11.30 to noon, I teach them Social Studies. When we get back from lunch and restroom break, I teach that reading and language arts until 2.10. At 2.10, we switch to Math Tier Time, where I teach 6A enrichment Math. At 2.40, we switch back to homeroom kids and start dismissal. At 3.05, we prepare for afternoon tutoring. I take my kids to the cafeteria for a snack and bring them back at 3.15 for after school tutoring until 5 pm. At 5 pm, I clock out, return to my room, try to straighten up, and prepare for a new day. I leave the building at 5.30 and reach home at 6.10 pm.
Once home, I eat dinner, put in some grades, grade papers, and go over my five different lesson plans for the next day, hoping to muddle through this year and not fall out and/or walk out due to sheer exhaustion.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Chapter 3 Reflections
More than anything, this chapter on comprehension strategies applies to the English Language Arts classroom and curriculum. More than that, I find that many of these practices have been already been instituted in various guises throughout my short teaching career. Gone are the days when students jumped at the chance to read something new or learn material because it is what the teacher wanted. Material has to mean something, anything to the students in some shape or form.
Activating prior knowledge is something that must be done in practically every lesson, no matter what the content area is. To be sure, the youth can gauge their level of interest and how much they know about the material based on whether they have seen it or read about it previously. It goes without saying, textual meaning demands bring aware of the material. As students go further into the material, they begin to shape feelings and thoughts of what the message means to them. The teacher aids in this process by selecting or providing material that appeals to the students’ interests and needs.
Moving on, I found that the strategies offered were most appealing, as they have been repeatedly throughout Reading and Language Arts/Writing classrooms. Content and process statements occur rapidly and seemingly all the time. Students unconsciously respond in this way. Other examples include visuals of what is expected to be taught and what is expected to be learned. The students have a visual of what they should do and what they should learn. This occurs everyday in content-area classrooms. Through objectives and informal assessments, the teacher can effectively gauge how the students master content.
Finally, text mapping and charts play a huge role in most classrooms. As most students, including my own, are visual learners, visual graphics are the biggest aid in expanding comprehension. These visuals apply to the senses. They are presented in an organized style that let students see the big picture, be it text, formula, or math problems.
In sum, comprehension has to unfold through a multi-layered process. In following the steps suggested in the text, teachers in varying areas can have success. Visual aids are a given in any class; few students retain information just through “teacher talk.” The only concern I struggled were the social dimension strategies. My students are upper elementary. I wonder if they can handle the activities meant to foster student learning. While I can try it, I am wholly unsure of its success in my classroom.
Activating prior knowledge is something that must be done in practically every lesson, no matter what the content area is. To be sure, the youth can gauge their level of interest and how much they know about the material based on whether they have seen it or read about it previously. It goes without saying, textual meaning demands bring aware of the material. As students go further into the material, they begin to shape feelings and thoughts of what the message means to them. The teacher aids in this process by selecting or providing material that appeals to the students’ interests and needs.
Moving on, I found that the strategies offered were most appealing, as they have been repeatedly throughout Reading and Language Arts/Writing classrooms. Content and process statements occur rapidly and seemingly all the time. Students unconsciously respond in this way. Other examples include visuals of what is expected to be taught and what is expected to be learned. The students have a visual of what they should do and what they should learn. This occurs everyday in content-area classrooms. Through objectives and informal assessments, the teacher can effectively gauge how the students master content.
Finally, text mapping and charts play a huge role in most classrooms. As most students, including my own, are visual learners, visual graphics are the biggest aid in expanding comprehension. These visuals apply to the senses. They are presented in an organized style that let students see the big picture, be it text, formula, or math problems.
In sum, comprehension has to unfold through a multi-layered process. In following the steps suggested in the text, teachers in varying areas can have success. Visual aids are a given in any class; few students retain information just through “teacher talk.” The only concern I struggled were the social dimension strategies. My students are upper elementary. I wonder if they can handle the activities meant to foster student learning. While I can try it, I am wholly unsure of its success in my classroom.
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