English and journalism teacher. Reader. Writer. Photographer. Wife. Music-lover. Doggy momma.
Familiar feeling: realizing you’re behind at the end of the year and having to drastically change everything. Also known as panic.
Unfamiliar feeling: Having enough good resources to easily modify without losing too much content.
Sometimes being a second-year teacher is grand.
And it’s just … amazing.
The two kids who played Samson and Gregory in the first scene spoke in British accents and hit every single joke. It was hilarious.
During the party scene, the background “extras” started doing the Macarena.
Today, two boys did the balcony scene. It was engaging in the most hilarious way, but it was also easy to show how they’re both talking about each other but not to each other for the first half of the scene. They even made a balcony using chairs and my podium.
The best part though has been a struggling student who has volunteered to be the director and has done an amazing job making decisions about how the scenes should be performed in our classroom.
It’s just been more awesome than I ever thought it would be.
What’s the best way to thank a parent chaperone for guiding 4-6 freshmen through a day of Shakespeare and Steinbeck appreciation activities?
Also, living near Monterey and Salinas has its perks when one teaches Of Mice and Men.
OK, off to eat Ben & Jerry’s, watch Downton Abbey, and then sleep.
And I just got word that every single item on my budget request has been APPROVED. This includes FIVE - count ‘em - FIVE NEW 27” iMacs.
A few weeks ago, the wonderful hithertokt asked #education if anyone would be willing to share Romeo & Juliet resources. I had done the same thing for Macbeth a while before that, and the amazing theimprobablefiction sent me all of her Macbeth stuff. ALL. OF. IT. It was so helpful.
I have taught R&J before, so I was more than happy to pay it forward and send all of my stuff to hithertokt. As she went through the trial process, we emailed back and forth and it’s been SO FUN watching her go through such a fun project that I created in my student teaching. But what’s even better, is she improved on everything. She made things easier for the kids understand and then she sent it all back to me. Now my kids will benefit from her improvements when I do my mock trial at the end of the year.
And can I just brag about the awesome of Tomes for a minute? As I was panicking about teaching To Kill a Mockingbird because I had no idea what I was doing, she was there with kind words and wisdom and answers to my questions.
This is what collaboration is all about. I don’t understand the teachers at my school who feel like they own their work, and don’t want to share it. Or teachers who aren’t open to conversations about the texts we’re teaching. Isn’t it all about the kids? Doesn’t teaching include helping other teachers?
So, thank you, #education. Thank you for collaborating in a meaningful way and helping students who aren’t even yours.
Today, as the other packed up their things, a student came up to me after our daily SSR and explained that he doesn’t usually like to read but he’s really getting into this book and he likes it an awful lot and please if he promised to bring it back could he take it home with him?
Because of him, I offered the same opportunity to other students and one fifth of my seventh period wanted to take it home. Cool.
Starting independent reading projects and SSR was probably one of the best decisions I made all year. This is why. I know that during SSR (we read for 15-20 minutes twice a week) there are some students who aren’t actually reading, but the vast majority of them are. I’ve had so many students say to me that this is the first time they’ve actually liked reading, and that is SO SO worth it to me.
When books disappear from my library, I get annoyed because I pay for them with my own money, but I never say anything because I know at least some of them are kept because the students loved them or loaned them to a friend, or whatever. It means they mattered. Some are just lost or forgotten, but some really matter.
Sharing my love for reading for kids who walked into my door hating to read is probably one of the highlights of my school year.
I’m not sure what did it, but it’s an amazing epiphany.
I think I started being not like myself when I was looking for a teaching job and failing miserably. This was in 2009 when teachers were being laid off everywhere and there were very few (I would say none but that seems extreme) positions and a TON of teachers vying for them.
That’s definitely when it started.
in which Stewie shouts, “I don’t have to fucking impress you!”
Toms, jeans, and school t-shirt it is.
And coffee. Lots of coffee.
About three hours of testing today. Math. One student took the entire time and didn’t finish. The rest finished with at least 30 minutes left.
Thirty freshmen. Thirty minutes. After two-and-a-half hours of testing. Silence. Boredom.
All backpacks lined up at the front of the room. “Unauthorized electronic devices” stowed safely away.
I can’t even be on my computer because I need to be an active proctor.
I can’t enter grades. I can’t create materials. I can’t handle other professional duties.
So I cleaned my desk. Seriously. While my students worked their butts off on a math test.
Then there’s the rest of the day.
Weird schedule. Everything out of whack. Weird classroom vibe. I’m tired. They’re tired.
Just everything is weird.
All in the name of data. All in the name of proficiency. All in the name of school success.
It started when I taught at the middle school and realized advanced classes weren’t actually advanced, and were instead a way for the “good” kids to be unclad together and not have to mix with the “other” kids.
It continued last year when in my on-level classes I still had…
I work in California. Silicon Valley, to be specific. I hadn’t thought about the research aspect, but we’re big on data at our school, so I’ll keep an eye out and keep everyone updated as the year progresses. Thanks for pointing that out!
Also, thanks for the thoughtful comments and reblogs, #education! I love this community so much.
