Finding Life (Genre Reflection #2)

Clock hands ticking slowly on the white wall

Pencils dragging across lined paper

Feet shuffling impatiently against white tile

Students struggling to find ideas

Teacher pacing up and down the aisles

Everyone counting down until the end of the hour

New ideas surface

Technology integrated

Pizzazz added

Lessons differentiated

Clock hands ticking silently

Pencils lying forgotten on desks

Feet moving in small herds

Students struggling to find more time

Teacher listening and discussing with students

Everyone making plans for next class

Life breathing in an once empty shell

Please Get Some Practice First!

Note: All names are pseudonyms.  

          Something I took away from our Burke reading this week, that I had not thought of before; reading different genres is not enough! Students need to write in those genres too! I mean sure, I knew that students needed to vary their writing; low stakes, high stakes, research, narrative, essay. However, I never thought of other writing types those writings that we come across in the working and/or college environment.

          When students begin to apply for college, they will find themselves looking at a plethora of brochures and catalogs. Why stop at having students become familiar with reading these particular kinds of texts? Would it not be beneficial for students to write their own brochures and catalogs? I think that it would be. Giving students the opportunity (that’s right, opportunity not assignment) to create their own brochures and catalogs. But why stop there? Let’s make it a class competition as well!

          Think about it. Let’s say you are in a senior in high school, who gets only two college visits. If you are torn between three schools evenly, then what will help you decide which two to visit? Chances are, if you are truly neutral, that your decision will be majorly influenced by the colleges’ brochures, catalogs, and websites. So in a way, many brochures are in a competition with other brochures featuring a similar product. Make the kids feel this, show them the tricks to catching a reader’s eye and keeping their attention! Teach them about audience and different advertising strategies! Make them see what really sells the product well. Don’t just hand them a blank copy of a brochure and say “Please make a creative brochure over your favorite young adult novel.” No! Instead have them use their brochure to prove to the class why their book should be the next class novel! The majority vote will win, and you will have introduced the class to at least a one, if not more, young adult novel they have never seen.

          In other words, take seriously what Burke said. It will never be enough to know how a textual genre works. Students must also know how to write in those genres as well! Think of your best writing style. Why is it your best? I would guess that the answer has something to do with the fact that you practice it more. Am I right? Why make one trick ponies out of students? Do we really want to send students off to college only knowing how to write narratives, research, and essay papers? Or do we want our students to truly enter the world as writers?

          For those of you still against me, please allow one more chance to convince you. Think of the last time you took your car to the mechanic, no matter what the reason. I’m sure you were worried about your car and how long it would be in the shop. After all, we all depend on our cars for many things. What if the mechanic told you not to worry? Not because he or she had lots of experience, no because he or she had a teacher who explained once how to properly complete a break job. How would you feel then? Would your confidence in getting your car back in the proper condition go up or down? If we expect our mechanics and other professionals to practice their skills, then why do we not always expect our kids to dabble in the different writing genres we expose them to?

         

         

Touching My Dreams

         I knew I was going to enjoy the KATE conference. I just did not realize how inspiring it would be, and I am not just talking about the keynote speakers either. There was just something about learning amongst actual English teachers or professors that was truly amazing. It made me realize just how close my dreams really are.

          I thought, honestly, that Jay Asher would be the most inspiring keynote speaker, for me. I love his book, and I was so excited to hear from someone who is currently living another one of my dreams. Having not read Clare Vanderpool’s book yet ( I do intend on reading it when time allows. Ha. Ha.), I was not sure what to expect. I knew she would be an interesting speaker, but I had not come to love her through her words yet. I felt as though I knew something about Jay Asher, just from reading his novel. The same could not be said for Clare Vanderpool. So I assumed (and we all know it’s bad to assume) that Jay Asher would be the most inspiring.

          Then I heard Clare Vanderpool speak, and I felt like she was the one living my dream. She understood what it is like to be from Kansas and be a force in the literary world (a dream of mine). Goosebumps ran up my arms as she continued to speak. Every passing second my dreams of becoming a published author began to slide into better focus. I realized that it was time for me to really concentrate hard on the ending process. I can get over the rejection letters. I have received many of those (10), but it’s so hard to find time and dedicate it to searching for an agent or publisher. It’s nice to know that it’s a process that is possible to get through with enough determination and work. So while I did not come to love Clare Vanderpool through her written words, I did come to love her through her spoken ones.

          Survivalism 101 and Creating and Fostering Student and Teacher Creativity were two of my favorite sessions, because I learned many strategies I could use for my future classroom. In Survivalism 101, I learned great ways to stay organized. Most of this included color coding as many things as possible. While this may see a bit much, think about your CT’s desk. Wouldn’t it be so much easier to digest if it was color coded? Point made.  In Creating and Fostering Student and Teacher Creativity, I learned how to make things, such as vocabulary words, more interactive with students. This includes using or creating songs, acting motions, or simply giving students a chance to be creative.  Of course it helped that I have a few memories of using these strategies in my own learning career. For example I learned the quadratic formula by signing it to “Pop Goes the Weasel” in tenth grade. To this day, I still remember the words to the song. “x equals negative b, plus or minus radical, b squared minus four a c, all over two a.” So I know from firsthand experience that strategies such as these, if used appropriately, can really stick with a student for life.

          I met a few current English teachers from various schools, in a breakout session about a Write Source. From here I gathered different ideas about how teachers viewed the software (internet environment). Talking to a few of them, I realized that not all of them were open to technology. This reminded me that as an incoming teacher, I have something not all teachers have; an open mind. Which means it is up to me to communicate effectively with all teachers without stepping on too many toes. While I did not spend a lot of time networking, I received e-mails from many of the presenters who were teachers. This is obviously a resource I can use in my future to help me with any of my struggles or ideas.

          I would have loved to have a YAL book talk session. In this, everyone would have to come with book they would like to share with the group. I think this would be a great way to find new reads that students love as well. Of course that would take extra planning, but I think it would be worth it for everyone involved. Having students share some of their favorite YAL books would be another way to do the same thing (expose teachers to new books that students actually respond well to). It can be hard to remember that just because a book is interesting to us, that might not be the case for our students.

          I loved the conference, and I hope to keep attending! There were so many great things to learn and share with others!

Finding Socks

Okay, I was hoping to get some feedback about this poem...but I have not know where to put it to get some. So I thought maybe someone would see this on my blog and comment.  Hint: (There are two poems in one, idea I got from Ellen Hopkins).

Finding Socks

Standing            apart under the moonlight,
                             eyes closed.
Wondering         why neither of us could be him.
Hoping                that between us we might create him again.
Nothing              came but the emptiness, the nothingness of life without him.
                             Eyes opened,
Feeling                comfort where there had once been distance.
Realizing             neither of us are him, but somehow
Uncovering        his presence between us.
Discovering        a bridge under water, hidden but
Connecting        our distant shores.
Uniting               first through him, then only through his memory.
                            Eyes closed,
Finding               ourselves in one another.

Writing in a Low Cooker

Note: All names are pseudonyms.  

          How many times did you fall off your bike the first time you tried to ride? Two, three, five, or maybe more like twenty? Was someone teaching you to ride? Did he or she tell you how to correct your mistakes? My guess is yes.  But what did you do after that first lesson? Did you come back two weeks later and try again? Or did you go out the very next day? There is a saying “that practice makes perfect.” I argue that it should be worded as “regular practice makes perfect”.  Now you are probably wondering why I am talking about bike riding in a blog about teaching English, well the two subjects are not as different as they first seem.  More specifically I intend to use my “regular practice makes perfect” argument for use in writing.

          Hands up high, how many of you have heard of low stakes writing? Okay, hands down. One more time, hands up high, how many of you have seen low stakes writing used regularly in your CT’s classroom? Okay, hands down. While I don’t know how you answered those questions, I do know how I did. Both hands up high, and then both down low. I do know what low stakes writing is, but I have not seen it implemented regularly in my CT’s classroom.

          First, for those of you who do not know, I will share the definition of low stakes writing with you. Low stakes writing is writing which is either not graded or holds little weight.

          Okay, now some of you are getting a little excited, good or bad. Why would a teacher want to use ungraded writing? To quote Margot Soven, in Teaching Writing: in Middle and Secondary Schools, “students will tolerate criticism when they believe that they are writing for a teacher who cares about them” (114).  In other words, students must build a bond with a teacher in order to accept the criticism and praise a teacher is giving him or her. How do students build a bond with their teacher, other than connections possibly made during teaching time or throughout the school day? Soven has an opinion on this as well. Low stakes writing gives students and teachers a chance to establish a dialogue with one another without either of the parties worrying about what grade the writing will/should receive (114). In sum, low stakes writing can open up the connection, between students and teachers, necessary for students to “tolerate criticism”.

          Now there are many ways a teacher can bring low stakes writing into the classroom. My personal preference is the use of daily journals. In these journals students can respond to different things; answer questions teachers pose, free write, write poetry, or do whatever else comes to mind. Teachers can then respond to these journals daily, weekly, monthly, or any other time frame that works both with the students and with the teacher. Besides the typical journal most of us think about, where teachers pose questions students answer, there is another journal type to consider; the dialogue journal. The dialogue journal is a journal where students write letters to their teachers discussing questions, problems, assignments, books, or writing. The teacher then responds to these questions by writing a letter within the students’ journals addressed to the students. This is a great way to consider opening up communication between teachers and students, in my opinion.

          In addition to opening up lines of communication and creating connections, low stakes writing is practice! This is my point to begin with, daily writing, is daily practice of writing. But in the form of low stakes writing, this daily practice of writing is not overwhelming. Students and teachers are focused on the writing, not the grade! So while low stakes writing may not have much of an impact on a student grades, it can do nothing but improve student writing. Is that not the goal? Do we not as English teachers want our students to be wonderful writers? Of course, but are wonderful writers created in limited practice provided by use of essays, or other major writing practice?  My opinion is that they are not. The best way to learn and perfect skills is through regular practice.  

         

         

Is it a Sweatshirt? Is it a Purse? No it's a Connection!

Note: All names are pseudonyms.

            I looked down at my Steeler purse, disappointed in it. Past experience had taught me it was a conversation piece. Either people thought I had made it, or they commented on my status as a Steeler fan. In other words, my Steeler purse has always been a wonderful icebreaker among kids and adults.

            Ever since the comments about it began, I have made it a point to bring it to school with me every day, hoping to make a connection with some student who loves football like myself.

            But two weeks into school and still there were no reactions. It seemed everyone was immune to its powers this semester.

            “Huh, you a Steeler fan?” Alex asked from his seat, as he waited rather impatiently for the bell to ring.

            I smiled, looking up from my purse. “Yes, my dad’s from Pittsburgh so we are all diehard fans.”

            Alex smiled, the first time he had ever smiled at me. “I like the Eagles.”

            I laughed. “The same Eagles the Steelers stomped on last night?” I asked.

            Alex brushed the comment away quickly. “Pre-season games don’t count for anything.”

            “That’s what losers say.” I reply.

            Alex laughs at that. “They’re still better than the Steelers.”

            “We’ll see who wins the Super Bowl.”

            “Michael Vick will take them there.”

            I nod my head, acknowledging his good point. “Maybe, he has something to prove.”

           The bell rings, dismissing the students from class. Alex gives me a parting smile before slipping past me into the jungle of a hallway. I pat my purse gently, happy to know it still works. It may have waited a while to shine, but in the end my conversation piece came through. But this is only a start. I still have to put in the effort to make my connection stick with Alex. I vow to at least catch the highlights of the Eagles game, if I cannot watch at least some of it come Sunday.

            Sunday comes and goes with the heart wrenching loss of the Steelers against our arch rivals, the Ravens. Still, I let my purse hang proudly at my side. A true fan never stops supporting their team, no matter how badly they might play. Walking into class my cheeks redden as Alex comes up to me. Surely some smart remark is on the very tip of his tongue. But his eyes lack the usual mischievous look of someone about to taunt my team.

            “The Eagles looked good Sunday.” I comment, before he can get a dig in. “Michael Vick made some great plays.” It’s true, I know because I watched the majority of the game.

            “Yeah, Michael Vick’s my boy.” Alex says with a grin. “Maybe the Steelers will do better next week.”

            I smile at that. “Hopefully, or else it will be a painful season.”

            I go to my usual spot in the classroom as the bell rings and everything continues as it usually does; first bellwork, followed by some reading, and then an activity. Today’s activity involves writing and drawing based on the reading. As usual I walk around the room helping students as they need it, reading their work over their shoulders, and keeping some students on task.

            After a few passes around the room, Alex comes up to me, assignment in hand. “Can you tell me what you think?” He asks.

            I smile on the inside and out. Alex has never asked the CT or me for comments on his paper. He simply does the work, turns it in, and waits for final judgment in the form of a grade.

            “I love how I can hear your voice in your writing. It feels like I’m having a conversation with you Alex.” I tell him, handing back his paper, along with a genuine smile.

            Alex takes the paper from my hand, granting me a tiny smile in return. “Thanks.”

            Who would have thought something as small as football would make a student open up so much?

Positive Remarks for Five Hundred, Please.

Note: All names are pseudonyms.

Ms. Iron decided that I should teach a lesson the day after Labor Day. I have to admit I was very excited to teach "Young Arthur", a short story about King Arthur as a boy. Ms. Iron told me to create a worksheet or activity of some kind that would ask the students to compare and contrast the two main characters. It just so happens that worksheets/activities are my forte. I love trying to come up with something I know my students will enjoy! Especially when I get to watch them enjoy it!

Of course nothing ever goes completely as planned. Ms. Iron had originally scheduled Tuesday’s class so we would have time to read “Young Arthur” at the end of class. After she was done with her lessons, I had eight minutes left. Not the most ideal of situations. Luckily for me, I had planned a pre-reading activity which asked for the students to predict the events that would occur in the story they were about to read. Now, being the clever person I am, I knew that some students would be familiar with the general idea of the story already (it was the story of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone). So I asked them to order the four events I had given them, all of them about Merlin, in the order they thought they would occur in the story; this way no one would have too much of an advantage (unless Merlin was their favorite character).

Wednesday we read the story, the students reordered the events, and they completed the worksheet I gave them. The worksheet included a double bubble map, short response (5-7 sentences), and creative decorating of the two main character’s shields, so that they represented what each character represented.

Thursday the worksheets were due. I took them home and graded all of them that night. I made sure to put a positive comment on every short response and shield set. Of course I made corrections and gave ideas on how to make their next short response even better, but I made an effort to focus on what was great! To my surprise many of the students really let their voice shine through, made great metaphors, or used beautiful language. If that was the case, then I was sure to comment on it. By the end of the night I was sick of grading papers and had a slight cramp in my hand, but I told myself that it would be so worth the effort!

Friday after Ms. Iron had plugged in the grades, I passed the papers out in class. I was so excited to watch their eyes scan over my comments! I was passing back a third or fourth paper, when Shay came up to me. I could tell from the smile on her face that she had been pleased by my comment.

“Ms. H, you think I’m smart.” Shay said, the disbelief in her voice clear.

“Yes Shay, I think you are smart.” I answer with a smile.

Shay knows I think she is smart, because I wrote something positive on her worksheet! I think to myself.

Shay is the only one who comments on my commentary, but the room is filled with looks of disbelief and smiles as the students read my remarks, the positives and the critiques! Who knew all of that grading would pay off?

This experience leaves me with a few questions. Have these students never had positive messages before? Is it not always important to find something positive among the critiques you may find? Think about it. Who wants a paper with nothing positive to say? I know I don’t, so I make sure my students don’t get one. Another question floating through my brain is this. Is it possible to seem insincere, in the students’ eyes, by giving too many positive remarks throughout the semester? If so, how do you write a positive comment without seeming insincere? Are exclamation marks (guilty) and smiley faces (not guilty) too much icing on the cake for some students, especially middle or high school students?

I suppose I will have to do my research and find out. So far with this first assignment, I think pairing suggestions or critiques with positive remarks is the way to keep positive remarks from seeming insincere (I choose to use a 1 to 1 ratio).

Classroom Management

Note: All names are pseudonyms.

In this reflection I would like to start by talking about how I am doing in regards to the goals I set in my first reflective post.

I feel that I have a great start on my goals! I have all 33 names down in my English classroom (and all 11 in my math classroom).  While I do not know what all of my students are reading, I do have a good start. Seven students are reading a book in the Hunger Games series, two of whom are reading the book based on my recommendation.  Two students are reading Lost Boy which they are actively discussing with one another. One boy is reading Twilight, because he is interested to see what all of the buzz is about.  Three other books being read are Uglies, Fallen, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. For all of you wondering, this means I know what 40% of my class is reading.

Now that I have updated everyone on my goals, I wish to move onto the main topic of my blog; classroom management. This topic is of particular interest to me, because I have two cooperating teachers (CTs). My English CT is a wonderful woman named Ms. Iron. My Math CT is another wonderful woman by the name of Ms. Stone. Now while I love talking and e-mailing with both of my CTs, their classrooms are completely different environments, and I don’t mean because they teach different subjects.

It is not an exaggeration to say that at least ten minutes of class time is wasted every day. I use the word wasted, because this time is spent by students refusing to follow directions, and Ms. Iron scolding her students for their disrespect. Now I know many of you are asking the same question. Why do the students not follow directions, if Ms. Iron is constantly telling her students how they are misbehaving and how to correct their behavior? The answer is that she is not doing this constantly. There are many times where students are obviously off task and misbehaving and Ms. Iron intentionally ignores those behaviors.  This has led to two consequences for me as a pre-student teacher in Ms. Iron’s classroom. First, the students have a total lack of respect for me as an adult in the room. Second, I now need to get procedures in place to improve instructional effectiveness while I am teaching. While I am up for the challenge, it has become a battle with some students who are completely convinced that they run the classroom.  Before I move on, I have one more example of a complete lack of classroom management in Ms. Iron’s room. No matter what is happening in class (i.e. lecture, group work…) Ms. Iron always allows students to leave her classroom to go to the water fountain or bathroom, rather than making them wait for a more appropriate time.

Ms. Stone’s room does not waste more than two minutes every day. Kids will be kids and are bound to get off topic if given a chance. Luckily, Ms. Stone is always there to make sure students are right back on task. There is an air of respect in the room the moment you walk in. Ms. Stone always comments on how she appreciates the class’s appropriate behavior, which seems to fuel their fire for always being on task. In addition to this, when students are off topic a simple correction from Ms. Stone or myself changes the behavior almost immediately. Of course some students have bad days and are a little harder to work with, but the majority of the time they are excited to be in the math classroom. Ms. Stone’s classroom management is consistent and effective. This has led to two consequences for me as a pre-student teacher as well.  First, every student in the classroom in the room respects me as an adult. Second, I do not have to worry about setting any groundwork before teaching my students.

In essence, these first few weeks have proven to me the importance of effective classroom management and what that looks like from the outside looking in.

Keeping Excellence in Mind

There is no excuse to be anything but excellent; this is a philosophy my school believes in. It is also a philosophy I intend to use in my future teaching career and in setting my goals.

My first goal, is to get to know all of my students’ names.  This is an important goal for me, because it will allow me to recognize and acknowledge my students outside of the classroom. In my opinion acknowledging students outside of the classroom helps make a connection with them, because they realize that you care about them inside and outside the classroom.

In addition to learning all of my students’ names, I also want to get to know them through their reading selections. I know this will be difficult with the number of students in my classroom (33), but I feel it is necessary to put this kind of effort forward. Knowing what my students enjoy reading will allow me to suggest some new titles and authors to them, and it will also allow for me to see what kinds of texts keep them engaged. Not to mention it will give me a booklist of suggested reading. It is another policy in my placement school for students to carry a book to read with them at all times. When there is extra time within classrooms, teachers often have students take out their books and read.  So I know in advance that every student has a book that they can share with me.

Knowing a broad span of books students are actually checking out and reading will lead me to my next goal. This semester I not only want to discover new books through my students but to expand my own personal library as well. In my future classroom I want to have a plethora of books, authors, and all genres available to my future students. By knowing what my students are reading, I can ensure that the books on my shelf can hold some future student’s imagination as well.

Next I want to find a way to make English an enjoyable experience for all of my students, especially when I get to teach my unit. I will do this in several different ways. First, I will be sure to find a way to relate the material to my students by connecting it to some aspect of their life, whether that might be music, community, or special interests. It is important to remember that even things like grammar worksheets can be made to relate to students. This requires more work on my part, but as I said there are no excuses for giving my students anything but my absolute best. Second, I will always bring high energy and enthusiasm into the classroom and into my unit. Excitement is contagious, and it is up to me to bring the excitement into the classroom. Once it is there I am sure my students will spread it around the room.  Third, I will ensure to incorporate activities for different learning styles. Not only will this make my unit more enjoyable, but it will help all students learn through their strengths, not through the majorities strengths.

My goal this semester, and for the rest of my teaching career, is to always bring everything I can to the table. Anything less than excellence on my part, excuses or not, is disservice to my students.

1st Day of Class

I don't know about anyone else, but I am looking forward to this year! I hope we all have a wonderful time in the classroom and learn things that will help us become the best teachers we can be! Also, I hope everyone has a wonderful CT (or CTs if you are middle level), that makes everything much more enjoyable.