JTarFiel’s Neighborhood

[Assigned] Pictures!

This is Emily. We teach together. Welcome to Ole Miss, Emily.

This is Bear.

This is a Smith County watermelon. They are the best watermelons in the whole world.

This is an intern.

This is Tomas hard at work.

This is Basile. We teach together. These are his braids.

This is a movie that both Emily and I love. Willow, what an endearing little fellow.

This is a Canadian.

I'm assuming this is Ken's door.

This is the best college of them all. Roll, Lynx, Roll!

This is my pal, Sealand. We went to the best college ever together.

This is the friendship painting I made Sealand.

This is clever.

This is scary.

This is sad. Solamente Sealand.

This is early in the morning.

This is a magnificent invention.

This is my new class. They don't respect me yet.

This is a pile of men.

This is a bottom half.

This is my copier arch nemesis.

This is a picture of the students I left behind.

So is this.

This, too.

This is a pile of English teachers.

This is Art II. They think my music is whack.

[Assigned] No one likes to hear their own voice.

No one likes listening to their voice when it's recorded. No one. Especially me. I feel like someone should have told me I sound like a goofball. Oh well.

Watching myself teach was an interesting experience, especially since it was my first lesson in my new classroom. I thought I would regret filming this lesson, since it wasn't a true depiction of my abilities, but I'm glad I got a chance to see this. I think it will be helpful as I settle in with my new students.

Things I liked:

1. I was proud of my movement around the room. I had a nice glide going, and I made it down every aisle multiple times.

2. I was risky and did group work for my first lesson, and lo and behold, I had pretty good control of the classroom.

3. I doled out consequences and a writing assignment. I should have given out more since they were really testing the waters, but I'm proud of what I did.

4. I didn't look nervous. Which is a miracle considering what was going on inside my head as I was teaching.

5. Positive reinforcement. I gave a lot of it today. Maybe too much.

Things I didn't like so much:

1. I should have challenged them more. I didn't really consider how different 11/12 graders would be from 9/10 graders. Even though they go over mostly the same ideas, I need to remember that these students will need more depth. I think I came across as patronizing because I wasn't pushing them.

2. I didn't dole out enough consequences. They're jokesters, and on top of that, they're testing my limits. They did a darn good job of it today, and I feel like I could have nipped more things in the bud.

3. I am GOO FAY. I waved my hands around and talked like a nerd when we touched on ideas that really excited me. I didn't look like a clown or anything, but I look like the typical eccentric English teacher. And maybe that's not a bad thing for them. But it's an embarrassing thing for me.

4. I'll be honest. I need a haircut. In the worst way. Someone should have told me I looked like a ragamuffin.

My goal is that when I film myself with this new class later in July, I will see improvement with my classroom management. Hopefully by then I won't have to dole out so many consequences; they will know my expectations and stay inside the lines. Of course that means I have to dole them out now. It'll also take time as they get to know and trust me. I can't really expect them to do that now; I can only expect them to test me. It seems only fair. Besides, it took time with my last class, and it was worth the wait. I honestly care for and miss those kids. Maybe by the end of July I'll have something close to that with this new class.

I also want to do a better job of teaching to their level. If the kids are engaged, then they will have less opportunity to give me problems. That's my job. I have to remember that I'm not working with my old classroom. These kids are seniors. They're capable of more.

Success Story - I Survived

On August 6, 2007, the principal of S.V. Marshall High School stood in the middle of the gymnasium and introduced the new teachers -- as usual, about 1/3 of the faculty -- to the assembled students. Four new math teachers were introduced, and the school year started with the following line-up:
    7th grade - Ms. Gordon
    8th grade - Mr. Arandt
    9th grade - Mr. Ray
    10th grade - Mr. Nastrom
    11th grade - Mr. Naklicke

When the year ended the staffing pattern of those positions looked like this:
    7th grade - Ms. Gordon / Long-term Sub / Ms. Clark
    8th grade - Mr. Arandt / Long-term Sub / Mr. Collins / Long-term Sub / Ms. Walker
    9th grade - Mr. Ray
    10th grade - Mr. Nastrom
    11th grade - Mr. Naklicke / Long-term Sub / Mr. Chisholm / Long-term Sub

Those are facts. It's also a fact that in August 2007, 26 MTC members started as 1st-year teachers and 24 were still there on the last day of school. To us in MTC, those numbers (92%) suck; anyone who quits in the middle of the school year is a tremendous disappointment. But in comparison to my department last year, which had only 40% of its original teachers at the end of the year and had lost 2 mid-year hires on top of that, 24 out of 26 isn't so bad.

In light of these numbers, I marvel at the internal worry in MTC over whether we're qualified to be there or whether we have good motives or whether we do any good at all. Now, after a year of teaching, the answers are so obvious the questions are barely worth asking. And a year ago, when I agreed to join MTC, I really checked at the door all reason to gaze at my own navel about these things. I signed up to do a job and that was that.

But that's just me, and I've been wrong before. Maybe I still should be looking deeper. Or maybe -- probably -- almost certainly, I really believe that I can do some good in a critical needs school, and self-doubt has no place in this theater of operations.

If the history books are right, Mississippi has always been a place for people willing to make big decisions in a big hurry and back them up with whatever it takes. I suppose that's still true.

[Assigned] Reluctant Disciplinarian

Hayley3586
6 days ago
1 comment

It's funny that when I first thought about teaching, I had a feeling I would be a reluctant disciplinarian. And I was, a little. I think the second-years scared me enough with their stories about the classroom that I did an okay job of going in to summer school with the consistency necessary to at least run the classroom...in a roundabout manner. And because I've continued to listen to the second-years, I know that my classroom in the fall probably won't even compare to the one I have now. It'll be ten times worse. So, needless to say, I'm glad we read this book. Note to future Ms. Hill: Don't forget what you've read. Reread it.

While Wong's advice is usually true and helpful, I found Rubinstein's book much easier to stomach. The humor made it an easy read, and I didn't have to put up with the repetition of Wong. I think it helped that Rubinstein admits his initial failure before talking about his success, too. It's always a good feeling to know you're not alone in the loser boat.

The most useful part of the book for me was the chapter about developing a teacher persona, mainly because I've been worried that the way I am now won't work in my classroom in the fall. Because my summer school students are angels, it's been easy to be myself and be a teacher. I haven't had to keep myself from smiling (which would be impossible anyway), and I haven't had to keep the klutz inside me from the students. They all saw me draw on the overhead screen, and they all still respect me. Magic. I'm glad Rubinstein is an advocate of being yourself in front of the classroom. Of course that still means there are boundaries, and you always have to be consistent. I generally repeat the word consistent in my mind while I'm teaching. So far, I'm consistently smiling and consistently doing silly things. However, I'm also consistently saying "this is your warning". We all win. I've just got to keep it up as I switch summer school classes, and especially when I make the switch to teaching 7th graders in the fall (whole new ballpark for me).

I can safely say that the chapter on what DOES work for discipline will probably be my new friend from now on. I'm switching to a summer school class with older students (eek!), and I know that as the new kid on the block, they're going to start pushing my buttons (be strong, Ms. Hill). What if the inner klutz doesn't charm them, though? What if my warnings aren't enough? Should I smile at them? I'll have to summon my inner Rubinstein. I'll shoot em a teacher look and call their mamas. Maybe that'll do it. At least it's good (or at least better) preparation for the trials I will face during the school year. I'm goin' in swinging.

L and M's

Lunch with some of the interns at L and M's, which is closing its doors Sunday (*tear* as last summer's intern, Lauryn, would say). The discussion was about Philip's blog post (which has sparked some good comments online):

Lunch

[Assigned] Ode to my Second-Years

Hayley3586
Jun 26, 2008
Post a comment

I would like to begin by saying that my second-years are the best. Period. I remember when we first met as a group, I was amused by how completely different they were. I will admit that I had doubts about how it would affect the dynamic of the group. I have to say, though, that I wouldn't have it any other way. Their uniqueness (that's what we'll call it) coupled with the spectacular first-years with which they were assigned led to the most entertaining and, in my opinion, effective team teaching experiences possible. I'm so thankful that I ended up in a situation where I could see a range of teaching styles (The differences in personality led to differences in teaching styles. Go figure.). I definitely learned a lot by seeing two teachers tackle the same stuff in different ways.

I'm also grateful for how well our group worked (and played) together. The Thursday night "test planning" sessions gave me something to look forward to, and I have to admit that I'm sad we're not having one tonight, even though the whole MTC gang will be hanging out together. It's just that my second-years have been so supportive and generally awesome that I wish I had one last opportunity to spend time with them. I realized the other day that I laugh the most when I'm with my teaching group. That has to mean something, right?

I suppose that's enough sappy talk for one blog post. On to the lessons learned:

1) Just from seeing opposite personalities teach, I've learned that often kids will give back the energy you give to them. It's amazing to see how differently the kids respond to each of my second-years, and I've noticed that both styles have their pros and cons. Austin's high energy keeps the kids alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic, but they tend to get a little over-heated and jumpy at times. However, Cary's calm, safe energy seems to make the kids feel secure in the classroom. The only downside is that they can sometimes lose focus. I don't think I would have realized how important a teacher's energy, vibe, whatever you want to call it, is in a classroom unless I'd seen the phenomenon first-hand.

2) My second-years also taught me the importance of establishing my authority in the classroom. Even though I'd heard this said before, there's nothing like hearing, "Ms. Hill, you asked the students if they would like to answer the question. That gives them power. Tell them they're going to answer the question." I tend to be overly polite, and I don't think I would have realized how little personality things like that could translate as weakness unless it had been called to my attention. Plus, my second-years never let me get away with being inconsistent with class management. I only had to have a couple of warnings. Luckily, they never doled out any consequences.

3) Learning to read the students is vital. This kid doesn't read well. This kid can't see the board. This kid works best when he isn't with his friend. Knowing these sorts of things affects how you will run the classroom. Look for kids who don't read well so you can find less embarrassing ways to integrate them into the classroom. Notice the boy who can't read the board so you can give him supplemental materials for his note-taking. Take note of who the kids don't work well with so you can separate them in group work. My second years taught me to look for this sort of stuff. It has made all the difference in reaching those students who had problems in the beginning.

For teaching me all of this and more, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Sustenance

The children of Humphreys County Junior and Senior High Schools always get an extra smile the day after Mr. Amutah takes time to partake of fried catfish at The Varsity.

080520 - Varsity

Oxford

Photos of Oxford are up, courtesy of Servati:

208

Video

Here is the article with video:

"The children in the Mississippi Delta have been neglected for well over 200 years when it comes to public education," Mullins says. "Their suffering is due to the devastating effects that poverty has on children, and studies show that children from high-poverty environments tend to start the learning process well behind their peers from middle-class backgrounds. This has been the case in several areas of Mississippi, but it's especially pronounced in the Delta."

to test prep or not to test prep

ms. m
Jun 24, 2008
Post a comment

There was an interesting editorial in the New York Times a few days ago about ACT test preparation in Chicago. A study came to the conclusion that test prep was taking away from class time, and NYTimes editors concluded that this was disasterous. This is a topic of great interest to me as I was given a course last year described by the counselors as "just an ACT class".

An even more interesting read is the reader response to the issue. Personally, I am in favor of test prep to a certain extent, particularly in underprivileged communities. You cannot "test prep" someone to a perfect score. I think that intelligence is still the major factor when it comes to testing well. Some might worry that too much time is spent on test prep, but if it means the difference between college or no college, graduation or no graduation, I think there should be no question. I understand the fear, but it's worth it to give everyone a (more) even playing field....