Week Five: Buzzword- "Vacation"

I can recall my days as an elementary and high school student to a certain extent (they weren't THAT long ago), but I seem to have forgotten one of the key elements in the rhythm of the school year - vacations.  Starting at 1:50pm on Monday afternoon, each and every student flipped the internal switch that started a countdown to vacation.  Lesson learned - you have to be extremely motivated and over-prepared to have a successful lesson once this countdown has commenced.  The week inches on slower than a normal week, with each day seemingly lasting an eternity (for both students and teachers alike!) culminating in the infamous "X-day."  What is "X-day" you ask? Well, it's a made-up day where all 7 periods meet from 7:30am to 10:50am including a lunch block.  Essentially, planning a lesson for 20 minutes is all but impossible, and yet, about 50% of teachers found a way to sneak in that one last quiz, PowerPoint, or activity before the vacation.  

Image - suzysaid.com

Taking a more panicked, under-prepared approach, I used these 20 minutes to try and get all students caught up on their missed assignments so that their progress reports would accurately portray their performance at this point in the semester.  The little time that was left over was a perfect opportunity to build a report with the students I might not otherwise have a chance to reach out to during class.  From what I can see, the small inroads made in a side-bar conversation can sometimes be all it takes to connect with students on a level that they can comprehend and to remove some of the stoic teacher image that tends to turn students off to interaction, socializing and humor.

Speaking of humor - I am well aware that not all people will find jokes about history funny, however, that does not stop me from routinely making bad jokes or puns about the topic of the day.  It was extremely gratifying to have one student chuckle at one such bad joke about an image of a party of skeletons from the black plague.


With my second observation under my belt (went much smoother than the first one) I am starting to feel a sense of comfort when in front of the class.  Hopefully, with a week to recharge the batteries, I can head into the next 8 weeks of the semester with a vigor that will keep my momentum going to the end.


-MB

Week Four: What Makes Them Tick?

It's. Friday.  No, I'm not quite that excited for the week to be over, though the prospect of not having to project my voice over the masses for two days will be rather nice.  I almost forgot that I needed to sit down and write this weekly reflection due to the fact that it was nice to sit down and do nothing!  I would like to take this brief moment to thank all of the teachers I had throughout my years in school for all of their hard-work, dedication and patience in working with the under-appreciative, and sometimes unwilling participants in education, the students.  Not that I was naive in thinking teachers had it easy, but I may have underestimated the physical wear and tear on the body after a week of being on your feet, moving around, and talking above the din.  While I wouldn't go as far as to call it manual labor, it's no office job either.


My first experience with student projects occurred this week.  Many students rose to the occasion and turned in creative, dynamic and otherwise insightful posters.  Then there were the two or three who "left it on the kitchen table" and will be sharing their posters with the class next week at a "discounted rate."  And then there were a couple who didn't turn in anything, nor did they come up with excuses, they simply didn't do it.  These are the students I hope to appeal to over the course of the next couple of months. The highly self-motivated will turn in perfection at the drop of a hat, the chronic procrastinators will turn it around after a few kicks in the pants from bad grades, but the truly unmotivated, disinterested and otherwise unaffected students are the ones I hope to crack.  I want to learn their story: What do they like? What are their hobbies? What makes them tick? Again, do not mistake my desire/motivation for naivety, I know that my chances of succeeding in this mission are slim, but that does not mean I shouldn't try.

I suppose the best way to sum up my experiences this week is to say my passion for teaching increases each day, and while I have a LONG way to go before I can call myself a successful teacher, I will make it.  Each morning I wake up and the first thing I see (after the time on the alarm clock... ew.) is a plaque my parents gave me for Christmas that reads: "To teach is to touch a life forever."  Sure, we've all heard it before, but I make it my goal each day to live that message and take all the outside pressures in stride.


-MB

ps. my favorite line from a crusade recruitment poster was: "Join the Crusade and whet your blade" (this is why I love high school)

Week Three: Notes? Pages of Notes?

Third week done and I think I've almost got a handle on this rotating schedule.  The fact that I can look out at a class and say with confidence, see you Tuesday, because my mind has already worked through the mathematics that says that period is dropped on Monday means I'm in a groove.


Speaking of grooves - nothing throws you off your teaching groove quite like having a 30+ year teaching vet come sit in the back of your classroom and take literally 15 pages of notes!  As she pointed out during our debriefing, I had nothing to be concerned about, she just wanted to write down EVERY word I said.  However, I made more mistakes (rather, had more things that needed correction or improvement) than I thought possible in a 68 minute time-frame.  Though, I suppose if I was so good that I needed no direction, anyone could become a teacher at the drop of a hat.  It is, however, amazing to consider that one person has so much knowledge about teaching locked up in one brain!  She has an answer to every question, a suggestion to every comment, and a compliment (there were a couple) for every job well done.  That being said, I'm not entirely enthusiastic to cross paths with her again on Feb. 13th...


But what about the students, you ask? Well, I have to say I burst a few (and by that I mean all) bubbles this week when I not only assigned homework, but a project AND told the honors class they would be having a quiz next week.  I guess you can say the honey-moon is over, and they're starting to realize that I'm not going to  just be all fun and games (though, I wouldn't MIND playing 7-up if there was a way to make it educational.... yes, a girl asked to play that this week).

Image - www.cartoonstock.com

But some of the best moments of the week did not occur in the classroom, instead they were in the hallways in between classes or at the end of the day.  There is nothing more gratifying than seeing a student in the hallway and hearing "hey Mr. B!" or "Have a good weekend Mr. B!" because whether or not they enjoy your class (and I'm not naive to believe they enjoy it at all...) they at least acknowledge your existence and it feels nice.  One girl, who is totally vying for the favorite student/teacher's pet award, even told me after my supervisor had visited that she thinks I'm going to be "a great teacher someday."  Regardless of the underlying motivation, it was nice to hear.

Now for the Super Bowl and some Patriots action! - wouldn't mind if the weekend dragged just a little...


-MB