This short week has been amazing! I absolutely love high school – much more than I thought I would. I’m writing today because we only have a half of a week (Wednesday 1/2 day, off school Thursday and Friday). There really isn’t one thing that I want to talk about this week so I’ll just give an update. I’m teaching Modernism to my Juniors. And those of you who know me know that I live for Modernism. The students absolutely think that I am crazy because I always just ramble on and on about Modernism and Faulkner. Haha. I’m doing a Fitzgerald piece right now. And then I’m going to do Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” as a play with the class. The next few weeks are very hectic with the Juniors because they are going to have 5 days of PSSA testing scattered around. I think I’m just going to be watching The Great Gatsby movie with them during the testing week and then we will discuss how the Jazz Age is represented in the movie. With the freshmen I am finishing Antigone and will be moving on with my biography unit after the break.
Overall, I’m finding it much easier to relate to the juniors because I have much more in common with them than the freshmen. But I love them all equally… even the crazy kids. Classroom management isn’t as bad as I thought it would be because I’ve just learned to pick my own battles. The only times I really put my foot down is when students use racist language. I come from a very small town of all white people, so I know what students say. But I’m not willing to accept that in my classroom.
Two really good things happened to me at the end of last week and at the beginning of this week: I gave the Juniors a test on a Modernist piece and they totally got it!! And Mrs. McAllen told me that of all of her student teachers, I am the first that she has totally left the room for for long periods of time. She and I are keeping a journal together (I did with my first co-op too) and she wrote lots of good things about me. And, when I’m first starting out, I like to hear good things. Soon she will start giving me suggestions too.
I hope everyone has a great break!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Blog #2
This has been a very productive week. I've started offically teaching and I feel very comfortable in front of my classes. I'm getting to the students and I'm learning a lot about them. It's weird that I feel so different between my second week at my first placement and my second week at my second placement. I feel like my lesson plans are very solid and I think I'm better at differentiated instruction now too.
One thing that I am still worried about is classroom management because I have two classes where I have more disruptive behavior - yelling out or just not doing work. And this reminds me - what do you do with students who do nothing?
My biggest lesson has been planning and teaching for 50 minutes. I was very accustomed to having block scheduling. In the block, I had tons of time to open with a fun activity, to teach, to explore, to push farther, and to close. However, this is pretty much impossible with 50 minutes. But then I realized that the students are used to having assignments run over into the next day. I've also gotten used to working up to the bell.
The other huge difference is the level of students' knowledge. At Gettysburg I had a more "advanced" class and an IEP class, but their levels of learning weren't completely different - the IEP class just needed scaffolding and more instruction. However, I have three classes of 9th graders and I almost have to make a different lesson plan for the one class because they are at a very low level compared to the other two classes. So, I've learned a lot already about how to change lesson plans on my feet.
Overall, I'm still learning! And I'm enjoying the hunting, fourwheeling, and "twang" conversations. (Side note - "Twang" is a club where they all go to listen to country music and line dance - very cool... or so I'm told.)
One thing that I am still worried about is classroom management because I have two classes where I have more disruptive behavior - yelling out or just not doing work. And this reminds me - what do you do with students who do nothing?
My biggest lesson has been planning and teaching for 50 minutes. I was very accustomed to having block scheduling. In the block, I had tons of time to open with a fun activity, to teach, to explore, to push farther, and to close. However, this is pretty much impossible with 50 minutes. But then I realized that the students are used to having assignments run over into the next day. I've also gotten used to working up to the bell.
The other huge difference is the level of students' knowledge. At Gettysburg I had a more "advanced" class and an IEP class, but their levels of learning weren't completely different - the IEP class just needed scaffolding and more instruction. However, I have three classes of 9th graders and I almost have to make a different lesson plan for the one class because they are at a very low level compared to the other two classes. So, I've learned a lot already about how to change lesson plans on my feet.
Overall, I'm still learning! And I'm enjoying the hunting, fourwheeling, and "twang" conversations. (Side note - "Twang" is a club where they all go to listen to country music and line dance - very cool... or so I'm told.)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Blog #1... again
My second placement is Fannett Metal High School. As discussed before, it is vastly different from Gettysburg Middle School.
The students are a lot “rougher around the edges.” My co-op is very nice but much different than my last. Mrs. McAllen is much freer and a lot less strict.
Classroom management will definitely be interesting because I feel like the class is used to being very free: not handing in homework, talking out, cussing, texting in class, ect. I’m wondering how they are going to handle my management.
The school is VERY rural. Students are used to four wheeling and farming after school. They know that they won’t be using their education in their futures.
Teachers here are very dependent. They don’t have groups or teams and they really don’t “hang out” together or discuss students in a productive way that is similar to Gettysburg. I’ve never met the principal and I only met other teachers in the hallway because I went out of my way to introduce myself. Teachers seem to only teach what they have to and they admit that students will not remember the content and that the students don’t care about the content. Recently, the teachers went on a “field trip” to West York (wealthy, FLS, all-around great school). Instead of coming back pumped up to change FM, they are just depressed because they know that resources and administrative offices will never let them make huge changes to curriculum and student behavior that they would like to. I’m not an experienced teacher and I admit that I don’t know a lot… but I believe FM’s problem comes from the top down. The administration needs to change before anything else will change.
The school is not interested in PSSA scores or anything that people think. They just are who they are. Despite my obsessive organization and LFS love, I think I may enjoy this craziness! I’m glad that I got to see Gettysburg, in all of its perfection, and now to see Fannett Metal… in all of its Fannett Metal-y-ness.
The students are a lot “rougher around the edges.” My co-op is very nice but much different than my last. Mrs. McAllen is much freer and a lot less strict.
Classroom management will definitely be interesting because I feel like the class is used to being very free: not handing in homework, talking out, cussing, texting in class, ect. I’m wondering how they are going to handle my management.
The school is VERY rural. Students are used to four wheeling and farming after school. They know that they won’t be using their education in their futures.
Teachers here are very dependent. They don’t have groups or teams and they really don’t “hang out” together or discuss students in a productive way that is similar to Gettysburg. I’ve never met the principal and I only met other teachers in the hallway because I went out of my way to introduce myself. Teachers seem to only teach what they have to and they admit that students will not remember the content and that the students don’t care about the content. Recently, the teachers went on a “field trip” to West York (wealthy, FLS, all-around great school). Instead of coming back pumped up to change FM, they are just depressed because they know that resources and administrative offices will never let them make huge changes to curriculum and student behavior that they would like to. I’m not an experienced teacher and I admit that I don’t know a lot… but I believe FM’s problem comes from the top down. The administration needs to change before anything else will change.
The school is not interested in PSSA scores or anything that people think. They just are who they are. Despite my obsessive organization and LFS love, I think I may enjoy this craziness! I’m glad that I got to see Gettysburg, in all of its perfection, and now to see Fannett Metal… in all of its Fannett Metal-y-ness.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Week 8
This week’s blog is bittersweet. I have had an amazing experience at Gettysburg M.S. Seriously, there really aren’t words for how much I have grown and how much I have experienced in these eight weeks. I am so lucky to have been placed at such a fantastic school with great resources and technology… and teachers! I have learned so much from my co-op – who is everything that I could have wanted from a mentor – but also from my whole “team” of teachers. I have no doubt that I have met some of the best middle school teachers that I will ever work with.
However, despite all of these good things, I am super excited to move to a high school placement. I think Fannett Metal will be a great second placement because it is vastly different from G.M.S. – from teachers to PSSA scores to different times for periods (block to 50 minutes).
This week I haven’t taught a lot because my co-op was taking back her classes slowly. So, I haven’t taught since Monday but today she had to step out to handle some business. And it was so weird! I just got up and put on my teaching persona – which I didn’t even know I had! I became “Miss Sheaffer” again and just taught – without really thinking. For someone who came in to student teaching thinking that I probably didn’t want to be a teacher once I graduated – I’ve really come to love the students and respect this profession.
And, just as a side note, I saw my first fight this week. There was even blood. A lot of blood. Now I get to see what happens as the administrators deal with this and the teachers attend meetings with parents.
Hope all of you have had an incredible last week! See you at exhibition day!
However, despite all of these good things, I am super excited to move to a high school placement. I think Fannett Metal will be a great second placement because it is vastly different from G.M.S. – from teachers to PSSA scores to different times for periods (block to 50 minutes).
This week I haven’t taught a lot because my co-op was taking back her classes slowly. So, I haven’t taught since Monday but today she had to step out to handle some business. And it was so weird! I just got up and put on my teaching persona – which I didn’t even know I had! I became “Miss Sheaffer” again and just taught – without really thinking. For someone who came in to student teaching thinking that I probably didn’t want to be a teacher once I graduated – I’ve really come to love the students and respect this profession.
And, just as a side note, I saw my first fight this week. There was even blood. A lot of blood. Now I get to see what happens as the administrators deal with this and the teachers attend meetings with parents.
Hope all of you have had an incredible last week! See you at exhibition day!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Blog for Observation #2
Unfortunately (and fortunately) Dr. Mortimore observed one of my IEP classes for her second observation. It is unfortunate because I do still struggle with this class because they are chatty and lower-level learners. But it is fortunate because she saw my “perfect” class the last time.
Overall, the class went fairly well. My lesson was about hyperbole and alliteration. I always try to use “fun” poems when I introduce a term (see some examples below). We also used a word map (like a Frayer) for the term alliteration.
One thing that I found odd was that I thought the students were badly behaved (which is normal for them). But then Dr. Moritmore mentioned that she thought they were “normal” middle school students. So then I had a realization that 1) I’m a very strict teacher and 2) I’m insanely lucky that my two accelerated classes are amazing with class room management and behavior.
Once again Dr. Mortimore didn’t get to see me analyze poems in depth with my class. I used two different (very difficult) poems; “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron. But, I promise, Dr. Mortimore, that my accelerated classes loved analyzing those poems – and they “got it.” So once again I fail at higher level thinking! However, you learn from your mistakes and Dr. Mortimore saw me first period and I taught the next three classes with higher level thinking!
Bleezer’s Icecream by Jack Prelutsky
I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
there are flavors in my freezer
you have never seen before,
twenty-eight divine creations
too delicious to resist,
why not do yourself a favor,
try the flavors on my list:
COCOA MOCHA MACARONI
TAPIOCA SMOKED BALONEY
CHECKERBERRY CHEDDAR CHEW
CHICKEN CHERRY HONEYDEW
TUTTI-FRUTTI STEWED TOMATO
TUNA TACO BAKED POTATO
LOBSTER LITCHI LIMA BEAN
MOZZARELLA MANGOSTEEN
ALMOND HAM MERINGUE SALAMI
YAM ANCHOVY PRUNE PASTRAMI
SASSAFRAS SOUVLAKI HASH
SUKIYAKI SUCCOTASH
BUTTER BRICKLE PEPPER PICKLE
POMEGRANATE PUMPERNICKEL
PEACH PIMENTO PIZZA PLUM
PEANUT PUMPKIN BUBBLEGUM
BROCCOLI BANANA BLUSTER
CHOCOLATE CHOP SUEY CLUSTER
AVOCADO BRUSSELS SPROUT
PERIWINKLE SAUERKRAUT
COTTON CANDY CARROT CUSTARD
CAULIFLOWER COLA MUSTARD
ONION DUMPLING DOUBLE DIP
TURNIP TRUFFLE TRIPLE FLIP
GARLIC GUMBO GRAVY GUAVA
LENTIL LEMON LIVER LAVA
ORANGE OLIVE BAGEL BEET
WATERMELON WAFFLE WHEAT
I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
taste a flavor from my freezer,
you will surely ask for more.
Overall, the class went fairly well. My lesson was about hyperbole and alliteration. I always try to use “fun” poems when I introduce a term (see some examples below). We also used a word map (like a Frayer) for the term alliteration.
One thing that I found odd was that I thought the students were badly behaved (which is normal for them). But then Dr. Moritmore mentioned that she thought they were “normal” middle school students. So then I had a realization that 1) I’m a very strict teacher and 2) I’m insanely lucky that my two accelerated classes are amazing with class room management and behavior.
Once again Dr. Mortimore didn’t get to see me analyze poems in depth with my class. I used two different (very difficult) poems; “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron. But, I promise, Dr. Mortimore, that my accelerated classes loved analyzing those poems – and they “got it.” So once again I fail at higher level thinking! However, you learn from your mistakes and Dr. Mortimore saw me first period and I taught the next three classes with higher level thinking!
Bleezer’s Icecream by Jack Prelutsky
I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
there are flavors in my freezer
you have never seen before,
twenty-eight divine creations
too delicious to resist,
why not do yourself a favor,
try the flavors on my list:
COCOA MOCHA MACARONI
TAPIOCA SMOKED BALONEY
CHECKERBERRY CHEDDAR CHEW
CHICKEN CHERRY HONEYDEW
TUTTI-FRUTTI STEWED TOMATO
TUNA TACO BAKED POTATO
LOBSTER LITCHI LIMA BEAN
MOZZARELLA MANGOSTEEN
ALMOND HAM MERINGUE SALAMI
YAM ANCHOVY PRUNE PASTRAMI
SASSAFRAS SOUVLAKI HASH
SUKIYAKI SUCCOTASH
BUTTER BRICKLE PEPPER PICKLE
POMEGRANATE PUMPERNICKEL
PEACH PIMENTO PIZZA PLUM
PEANUT PUMPKIN BUBBLEGUM
BROCCOLI BANANA BLUSTER
CHOCOLATE CHOP SUEY CLUSTER
AVOCADO BRUSSELS SPROUT
PERIWINKLE SAUERKRAUT
COTTON CANDY CARROT CUSTARD
CAULIFLOWER COLA MUSTARD
ONION DUMPLING DOUBLE DIP
TURNIP TRUFFLE TRIPLE FLIP
GARLIC GUMBO GRAVY GUAVA
LENTIL LEMON LIVER LAVA
ORANGE OLIVE BAGEL BEET
WATERMELON WAFFLE WHEAT
I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
taste a flavor from my freezer,
you will surely ask for more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)