This morning, I was in Mrs. Johns' class as usual. The students were working on what Mrs. Johns was calling a "lap book" and the students were filling their lap books with their work from the previous week. They had been learning about the Pythagorean theorem in math, and Mrs. Johns was able to translate that into some English assignments. For example, the students had to write out definitions of term and then complete a journal assignment. For the journal, students were presented with a few prompts like "When I encounter a math problem I don't know how to solve, I..." and "One of my best experiences in math class was..." Each student was instructed to write five sentences per prompt for a total of four journal entries.
While the students were working on this, Mrs. Johns and I walked around the room to offer help and to encourage students to get their work done. While all of the students did finish their work, it was slow going and I had to quickly learn some ways to motivate students to get things done.
One student simply did not seem to have any motivation to work. She was spending a lot of time on her phone and very little time working on her assignment. In order attempt to get things moving, I tested a strategy on her. I wrote out all of the things that she had to get done before the end of class, such as "complete last journal" and "create a title page." I placed this list at her desk in an attempt to show her that one by one, she could get these things done. This strategy was very helpful for her because she could see exactly what needed to get done and could mark off things she completed, thus giving her a visual of her progress. By looking at the paper and seeing all she had already done, completing the next task did not seem as daunting.
While this strategy did work for that particular student, it was not effective with everyone. A few students were not willing to work no matter what I did, so I simply completed some of the easiest tasks for them, such as taping pages together and cutting out paragraphs. By the time I had completed the simplest things on their lists, they could see that the end was near and then began to work on the last few tasks they needed.
This was a very good day! Even though there were some very frustrating times and working with unmotivated students can wear a teacher down very quickly, seeing students begin to work and get things done was very rewarding. I learned a few good strategies to implement should this ever come up in my own classroom (which I'm sure it will!).
Friday, March 31, 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
CCHS 03-24
On March 24, I worked in Mrs. Johns classroom. There were two other mentors in the classroom with me, Melanie Beadles and Kaelynne Boyd. This week, the students took their usual Friday quiz over what they had been learning that week.
Since the computer system was down while I was there, I got the opportunity to help two students complete a packet over prefixes and suffixes. One student was less engaged and was not interested in completing the work, which posed a problem for me. Though he did complete a few things, while I was working with the other student, he was looking at his phone and texting instead of completing the assignment like I had asked him to.
The other student was very engaged with the material. Though he was listening to music, it was clear that he wanted to get this task done so that he could move on. We had a lot of fun working on one of the tasks, which was a type of matching game. On one side of the paper, there was a list of prefixes and students were instructed to decipher their meaning using three other columns of synonyms, words containing the prefix, and lastly a definition of the word that contained the prefix. For me, it was a refresher as well! The student clearly enjoyed working on it, and I got a chance to spend more one-on-one time with him through it.
The activities in the packet that I was instructed to teach were quite effective for the one student, but not for the other. There are many outside reasons that the one student may not have been engaged, but I would love to have been able to sit with him in a more one-on-one situation so that he could complete his work on time. I believe that, had I been able to sit on the other side of the table from them rather than between the two of them, we might have gotten more work done as a group.
It was a good day and I feel that my student and I were able to get a lot done while also having a good time and laughing at the fact that we were both trying to figure out what the prefixes mean. Coming down to the student's level made him feel much more comfortable and he was more receptive to my help. He knew that I was learning right alongside him.
Since the computer system was down while I was there, I got the opportunity to help two students complete a packet over prefixes and suffixes. One student was less engaged and was not interested in completing the work, which posed a problem for me. Though he did complete a few things, while I was working with the other student, he was looking at his phone and texting instead of completing the assignment like I had asked him to.
The other student was very engaged with the material. Though he was listening to music, it was clear that he wanted to get this task done so that he could move on. We had a lot of fun working on one of the tasks, which was a type of matching game. On one side of the paper, there was a list of prefixes and students were instructed to decipher their meaning using three other columns of synonyms, words containing the prefix, and lastly a definition of the word that contained the prefix. For me, it was a refresher as well! The student clearly enjoyed working on it, and I got a chance to spend more one-on-one time with him through it.
The activities in the packet that I was instructed to teach were quite effective for the one student, but not for the other. There are many outside reasons that the one student may not have been engaged, but I would love to have been able to sit with him in a more one-on-one situation so that he could complete his work on time. I believe that, had I been able to sit on the other side of the table from them rather than between the two of them, we might have gotten more work done as a group.
It was a good day and I feel that my student and I were able to get a lot done while also having a good time and laughing at the fact that we were both trying to figure out what the prefixes mean. Coming down to the student's level made him feel much more comfortable and he was more receptive to my help. He knew that I was learning right alongside him.
Friday, March 3, 2017
CCHS 03-03
I spent this morning with Mrs. Johns. Anna Warnell was also in the classroom with me, and the two of us got to see each other in a professional environment. Her teaching strategies were helpful for me in thinking about my own teaching.
During this class period, students took a quiz covering the Harlem Renaissance. Mrs. Johns reviewed some possible questions with the kids, which helped them review what they were about to be quizzed over. Some of the questions included:
During this class period, students took a quiz covering the Harlem Renaissance. Mrs. Johns reviewed some possible questions with the kids, which helped them review what they were about to be quizzed over. Some of the questions included:
- Who was the "voice" of the Harlem Renaissance?
- Where did it take place?
- What kind of people were involved?
Throughout February, students have been learning about African American history. This topic was quite relevant and it seemed to hold their attention very well. The students enjoyed what they were learning because they could see how it was relevant in their lives.
Following the quiz, the students continued working on the legacy papers. Motivation was pretty low because of spring break, but they were each progressing. Many students were working on getting their essays up to the minimum number of words, which was 500.
Since it was the day before spring break, this was a pretty relaxed day in the classroom, which I think was good for the students and Mrs. Johns as well!
Friday, February 24, 2017
CCHS 02-24
Today I spent time in both Mrs. Johns and Mr. Jones' classrooms. This was a shorter day for students, so classes only lasted 45 minutes. Mrs. Johns' second period is set aside for planning, so she took the time to show me to Mr. Jones' room and introduce me to him. Since I had never been in his classroom, I was eager to see how it was different from my previous experiences with Mrs. Johns.
In Mrs. Johns' classroom, students were still working on their legacy papers from last week, and I was glad that I got to see their progress. Students were answering the questions provided, and this week they were focused on putting their answers into paragraph format and moving forward with the writing process. Mrs. Johns and I were there for support, but the students worked on their own for the majority of the class period.
When her class was over, she escorted me to Mr. Jones' room where I got to work with his senior English class. With a 45 minute class period, these students were focused on catching up on any missed work, which gave me a lot of opportunities to assist them.
I worked with two students in particular. One of the students was working on an "Archetype Essay." Mr. Jones had his students take a quiz to find out what qualities they had that matched up with archetypes that we see in many stories. This particular student fell into the warrior, magician, and martyr categories. As a part of the assignment, the student had to write a short essay explaining how she felt about the archetypes she was assigned, and she and I spent this time formatting the essay that she had previously written. While showing her how to indent, change font, and keep her sentences consistent, I had the opportunity to talk with her about her martyr assignment. She confessed to me that she wasn't really sure what a martyr was, so we spent a little time looking into that and Googling answers. She explained to me that, many times, she uses her work checks to help out her family and take care of their needs, but that one day she hopes to open her own salon and provide for her family in that way. Through the simple task of editing a paper, I was able to spend some time getting to know her and what she wants to do in life.
The second student I worked with was focused on a personal narrative. This interaction was much less serious and extremely entertaining. This student chose to write his narrative about an experience he had at Six Flags. He described riding the roller-coaster Goliath with his family and the intense fear he felt during that experience. I shared with him my first experience riding Goliath and the fact that I was just as scared as he was! Getting to laugh with this student over a shared experience was so much fun and brightened my morning. I'm starting to realize that sometimes, just laughing with the students can be beneficial to them, but even more beneficial to me.
In Mrs. Johns' classroom, students were still working on their legacy papers from last week, and I was glad that I got to see their progress. Students were answering the questions provided, and this week they were focused on putting their answers into paragraph format and moving forward with the writing process. Mrs. Johns and I were there for support, but the students worked on their own for the majority of the class period.
When her class was over, she escorted me to Mr. Jones' room where I got to work with his senior English class. With a 45 minute class period, these students were focused on catching up on any missed work, which gave me a lot of opportunities to assist them.
I worked with two students in particular. One of the students was working on an "Archetype Essay." Mr. Jones had his students take a quiz to find out what qualities they had that matched up with archetypes that we see in many stories. This particular student fell into the warrior, magician, and martyr categories. As a part of the assignment, the student had to write a short essay explaining how she felt about the archetypes she was assigned, and she and I spent this time formatting the essay that she had previously written. While showing her how to indent, change font, and keep her sentences consistent, I had the opportunity to talk with her about her martyr assignment. She confessed to me that she wasn't really sure what a martyr was, so we spent a little time looking into that and Googling answers. She explained to me that, many times, she uses her work checks to help out her family and take care of their needs, but that one day she hopes to open her own salon and provide for her family in that way. Through the simple task of editing a paper, I was able to spend some time getting to know her and what she wants to do in life.
The second student I worked with was focused on a personal narrative. This interaction was much less serious and extremely entertaining. This student chose to write his narrative about an experience he had at Six Flags. He described riding the roller-coaster Goliath with his family and the intense fear he felt during that experience. I shared with him my first experience riding Goliath and the fact that I was just as scared as he was! Getting to laugh with this student over a shared experience was so much fun and brightened my morning. I'm starting to realize that sometimes, just laughing with the students can be beneficial to them, but even more beneficial to me.
Friday, February 17, 2017
CCHS 02-17
Today, from 9:15 to 10:30, I was in Mrs. Johns' classroom. It was certainly the most interesting day thus far. To begin, there was a physical altercation among a few female students in the school. Two of the students walked into Mrs. Johns' classroom asking to speak with another student. Seeing that this could be the beginning of a problem, Mrs. Johns was very adamant that the students were not to be in her room and very firmly asked them to leave. Though the did leave the room, as soon as they were outside, the students began to hit each other, leading to a scene in the hallway. Despite the fact that this was a very stressful moment, Mrs. Johns remained calm and was able to handle the situation very well. She very quickly returned to her room once administration had the situation under control, which subtly told her students that this was not something that was to be discussed and that everything was being handled appropriately.
The way that Mrs. Johns was able to take care of this was such a wonderful learning experience for me. I have never been on the "adult side" of this type of situation. I witnessed many fights in my middle and high schools, but the experience was very different from the other side. Instead of acting panicked or magnifying the situation, Mrs. Johns and the other teachers at CCHS displayed an calm demeanor, which in turn calmed the students.
When this situation was handled and all the students were ready to work, they completed a quiz. This week, they learned about Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois and had compared two speeches the two men gave. The quiz featured vocabulary words and facts from the speeches.
Students then turned to work on a writing prompt. The principle of CCHS sent out an email to all of the teachers that detailed the ways that they could teach their students about the meaning of a legacy. Mrs. Johns took this idea and turned it into her writing assignment for the next week of class. She asked students to consider three questions:
1. Who is an influential African American? What did they accomplish?
2. What are some ways that you could positively impact society?
3. What do you want your legacy to be?
Many students chose Martin Luther King and were writing about his life, but one student, going against the crowd, chose Nat Turner. This student explained that he had always heard from his grandparents and older members of his community that what Nat Turner accomplished in his life was inspiring to them. The student finished his summary of Turner's life, and moved on to the next questions. When I pressed him on what he could do in his community to be a positive impact, he felt that there was nothing that he could do. He explained to me that he thought that his community would remain the same no matter what, particularly in reference to racism.
Hearing this student describe his feelings toward change opened my eyes to exactly what some students in this community are feeling and experiencing. They feel that there is no way to get out or change their surroundings, which makes me wonder what they have seen in the past that has caused them to believe this about life.
These two instances, the altercation and this student's comments, are two things that I don't think I will forget.
The way that Mrs. Johns was able to take care of this was such a wonderful learning experience for me. I have never been on the "adult side" of this type of situation. I witnessed many fights in my middle and high schools, but the experience was very different from the other side. Instead of acting panicked or magnifying the situation, Mrs. Johns and the other teachers at CCHS displayed an calm demeanor, which in turn calmed the students.
When this situation was handled and all the students were ready to work, they completed a quiz. This week, they learned about Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois and had compared two speeches the two men gave. The quiz featured vocabulary words and facts from the speeches.
Students then turned to work on a writing prompt. The principle of CCHS sent out an email to all of the teachers that detailed the ways that they could teach their students about the meaning of a legacy. Mrs. Johns took this idea and turned it into her writing assignment for the next week of class. She asked students to consider three questions:
1. Who is an influential African American? What did they accomplish?
2. What are some ways that you could positively impact society?
3. What do you want your legacy to be?
Many students chose Martin Luther King and were writing about his life, but one student, going against the crowd, chose Nat Turner. This student explained that he had always heard from his grandparents and older members of his community that what Nat Turner accomplished in his life was inspiring to them. The student finished his summary of Turner's life, and moved on to the next questions. When I pressed him on what he could do in his community to be a positive impact, he felt that there was nothing that he could do. He explained to me that he thought that his community would remain the same no matter what, particularly in reference to racism.
Hearing this student describe his feelings toward change opened my eyes to exactly what some students in this community are feeling and experiencing. They feel that there is no way to get out or change their surroundings, which makes me wonder what they have seen in the past that has caused them to believe this about life.
These two instances, the altercation and this student's comments, are two things that I don't think I will forget.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Visits to Classic City High School January 20th, 25th, February 3rd, and 10th
For the first 4 times that I visited CCHS, I worked with Mrs. Johns in her English classroom form 9:15-10:30 on Friday mornings. Kids are not always present for various reasons, so I have worked with many different students during the last few weeks. Mrs. Johns' classroom is very efficient and is set up well. Her students know their daily routine, and are always sitting in their seats when class begins. Student sit at tables in the center of the room to hear lectures and work on physical worksheets, but many times they are working on quizzes and assignments on the computers that are in the room.
CCHS is like no environment that I have never experienced before. Students are allowed to have their phones out and are listening to music more often than not. For me, this can be a frustration because students are reluctant to put their phones away and turn their music off. I am currently working in a classroom that is in rural Georgia with students that qualify as gifted, so walking into CCHS has been a challenge for me. I am learning so much about how I can interact with these students in a way that engages them and makes them feel respected. There are a few students that I have been consistently working with. For two weeks, the students had been working on narratives about bullying. Mrs. Johns encouraged the students to include stories from their own lives, and I was able to read some of their stories, which was an eye opening experience. It has been very important that I respect their pasts and their present experiences as well.
The most formative experience I have had so far was with a female student at CCHS. Mrs. Johns was absent one of the days that I went to CCHS, and the students were working on their bullying papers. While I did help them, there was one student who was in the classroom with the sole purpose of spending time with Mrs. Johns. Instead, she and I spent time talking about her life and what her plans are for the future. She explained to me that she is living with her boyfriend and looking for a job that pays more than the one she currently holds. We also discussed her plans following graduation, and she expressed that she would like to go to college. I enjoyed getting to sit with her and talk about things that she likes and ways that she can pursue these interests in college. Since I am a native of the Athens area, I told her about some of the programs that I know in the area and about my friends who have completed the programs. I believe that building this relationship, though our conversation lasted only about half an hour, was extremely beneficial to my learning. Sitting with this student allowed me to relate to her, to "get on her level," to build a sense of understanding, and to convey that I really do care about her future. I have not seen this student since, but I'm really hoping she will be around soon. I made sure to tell her when I am in Mrs. Johns class and when she can come to see me.
CCHS is like no environment that I have never experienced before. Students are allowed to have their phones out and are listening to music more often than not. For me, this can be a frustration because students are reluctant to put their phones away and turn their music off. I am currently working in a classroom that is in rural Georgia with students that qualify as gifted, so walking into CCHS has been a challenge for me. I am learning so much about how I can interact with these students in a way that engages them and makes them feel respected. There are a few students that I have been consistently working with. For two weeks, the students had been working on narratives about bullying. Mrs. Johns encouraged the students to include stories from their own lives, and I was able to read some of their stories, which was an eye opening experience. It has been very important that I respect their pasts and their present experiences as well.
The most formative experience I have had so far was with a female student at CCHS. Mrs. Johns was absent one of the days that I went to CCHS, and the students were working on their bullying papers. While I did help them, there was one student who was in the classroom with the sole purpose of spending time with Mrs. Johns. Instead, she and I spent time talking about her life and what her plans are for the future. She explained to me that she is living with her boyfriend and looking for a job that pays more than the one she currently holds. We also discussed her plans following graduation, and she expressed that she would like to go to college. I enjoyed getting to sit with her and talk about things that she likes and ways that she can pursue these interests in college. Since I am a native of the Athens area, I told her about some of the programs that I know in the area and about my friends who have completed the programs. I believe that building this relationship, though our conversation lasted only about half an hour, was extremely beneficial to my learning. Sitting with this student allowed me to relate to her, to "get on her level," to build a sense of understanding, and to convey that I really do care about her future. I have not seen this student since, but I'm really hoping she will be around soon. I made sure to tell her when I am in Mrs. Johns class and when she can come to see me.
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