Hence in haste!

Banishment! be merciful, say 'death;'
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death.

One of the best management techniques I've had the opportunity to use is what I call "filtering." It's useful when we are going to be conferencing or working in groups or discussing... anything that calls for the students to have work completed in preparation.

Before class I call a couple of other teachers and ask if I can send a few students to their rooms. Sometimes I get some "no" replies, and that's okay. I have enough people who'll help me that I try to "spread the joy" as much as possible.

I collect the work and review it very briefly for completion and evidence of comprehension - with written reflections it's pretty easy to spot BS straight off. Students who did not complete their work are given the "opportunity" to finish it - on their own, silently, elsewhere, cut off from their peers. (As much as possible, I try to send my seniors to freshman classes. I am the Meanest Teacher EVAR.)

During our Frankenstein unit, we had four class periods set aside for small-group discussion. On the first of those days, I sent out probably twenty students (out of 32) and had to re-arrange the groups because they weren't groups anymore... I was lucky if I had a matched set in any of 'em.

On the day of the last meeting, I only sent out four students.

Image thanks to http://goingconcern.com/

Continue...

Pausing Briefly to Catch My Breath

We are back down to two working thumb drives again. Both of the purple ones have wandered off, and the black-and-yellow one and the blue one have stopped working. I might be able to reformat the blue one, but I think I tried that & still had problems... it's early. I can't remember ;p

Anyway, before I go and drop a chunk of change on a handful of those little suckers, I need to have a better way of keeping track of them. Plus I'm sick of stuff being left out at the end of the class period. So I'm thinking about initiating a token system.

I had bad dreams last night, but apparently it was my subconscious doing some housecleaning (goodness knows that the real-house needs it... but I'm trying to avoid thinking about that) as I woke up with an idea.

First of all, some background info: We're on 4x4 semester blocks - four 90-minute class periods a day, but the classes only last one semester. I get a whole crop of new students after winter break! WOO.

Also, we have a rotating 25-minute break period. Break is after first block on Monday, second on Tuesday, after third on Thursday, and after fourth on Friday. On Wednesday we have club meetings instead of break. Anyway, it's nice because (1) barring medical emergency, there is NO reason for students to need to go to the restroom during class, because there's PLENTY of opportunity during the day, (2) students who can't come after school to get make-up assignments or extra help can come during break, (3) forgot copies? yay break! and (4) (the best part) BREAK DETENTION. Regular detention is mostly an inconvenience, because the student has to arrange for transportation. But break detention is a PUNISHMENT, because all of your friends are out in the commons area chowing down on candy and chips or playing ball in the gym or hackysack outside. And you're NOT.

The only sucky thing about it is that on the day break falls after your planning period, you get to supervise. Let me tell you, few things are duller than watching teenagers chat about NOTHING for half an hour. ;p

Anyway, I'm thinking students will put their names on three popsicle sticks. Then, whenever they need to use a Journalism item - whether it's the class schedule book, a phone book, a disk, a disk drive, a flash drive, whatever - for each item they want to take out of the cabinet, they give me a popsicle stick BEFORE going to get it. After they put the item(s) back, they can have their popsicle stick(s) back.

If, at the end of the day, I have anyone's popsicle stick, that student gets break detention. (Students who leave their OWN materials out will ALSO get break detention.)

I'm hoping this will make it easier to keep track of who has what, but also encourage the little ninnies to PICK UP AFTER THEMSELVES. Grr.

Image thanks to http://www.hobbysilicone.com/

Continue...

Making Connections

I had THE best conversation about Macbeth yesterday (Friday) after school with a student who stopped by to retake a quiz. She still wasn't remotely ready - was convinced that one of the lines referenced in the quiz was said by the Thane of Cawdor (you know, the one whose execution is mentioned at the beginning of the play?) so I told her to study over the weekend & come see me before school on Monday.

It is now 11:11. I'm wishing for the same thing I always do (but of course, I can't say what it is, because that would ruin EVERYTHING).

Anyway.

I don't even know what brought it on; we just went through and read the parts together. Macbeth is a play I love for its lines - and we're not even to the really juicy stuff, like the sleepwalking scene, or when Macduff finds out about his kids.

Is Macbeth really reluctant? is he wrestling with guilt or methodically plotting, making contingency plans? Does his wife convince him to commit the murder, or is he letting her "lead" him, so that she's as thoroughly involved as he is? Do you think she really could have killed her own child? or Duncan? ... she didn't, after all, and Macbeth DID...

We were there for nearly an hour and a half, reading the funnest parts and talking about different possible interpretations and what that would mean for the story. (My poor Hunk napped in the car outside!) As we were packing up, she said, "Wow, Ms. Keys, now I'm actually excited to find out what's gonna happen next!"

Just before she left, she made me PROMISE that I would let her re-re-take the quiz Monday morning. hahaha... she is as much of a grade-grubber as any of 'em. Wants to be an honor graduate because it looks good, and it'll help her get into a Good College. (Can't let an older sib outperform her!)

It amused me, yet bummed me out a little, because here we had a BLAST exploring the story... but when it comes down to it, the grade is what matters.

I guess it's hard to overcome years of indoctrination - and, let's face it, human nature in that we LIKE to look good in comparison to others! - in one afternoon. But I hope that as she continues her studies she won't forget what it was like just to be immersed in a brilliant story.

And I hope that somehow I can create that kind of experience for the rest of my students. Few - if any - of them would be willing (if able) to give that kind of time. And as challenging as it was, it's a lot easier one-on-one than with a classful.

But it'd be nice...

Tangent: I cry every single time I watch this video. We're going back over fall break and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Image thanks to http://www.eharborinc.com/blog/

Continue...

SSR Minor frustration

Let me tell you - SSR works VERY DIFFERENTLY with seniors than with sophomores. I originally started this post with a stub back in May when I was grumpy with my students:

It bothers me that during SSR I don't have the option of getting lost in a book. I have to patrol the room. Grh.

It's not NEARLY so much of a problem this year (yay!) although I still can't really get lost in the book since I'M the one who needs to keep an eye on the time. And ... I wasn't expecting that! I was completely in battle-mode, ready to go into full combat against SENIORITIS. But I really haven't had to.

There's generally some shushing I have to do at the beginning of the period, but what with the pledges and the announcements, that's somewhat to be expected. We don't really get fully settled until about 30 seconds after announcements.

And let me tell you - having those 10-15 minutes at the beginning of the day (I have my English class first) is just glorious.

It's like beginning the day with meditation. The room is quiet, except for the occasional whssshhh of pages turning. But it's not just the stillness - it has a sense of fullness to it. As soon as they get themselves situated and I've got the attendance marked on the computer system, I can pull out MY book.

And I'm probably the noisiest person in the room. I know I've had students look over at me somewhat curiously when I've gasped or broken out into a laugh before biting it off. So then after we put things away I have to say, "no, I wasn't laughing at any of you, it was just a funny part in the book."

I love sharing books with students. I love the intellectual puzzle of matching a student to a book. It is such an honor to have someone come up to you after you've recc'd a book to them and say YOU WERE SO RIGHT! I LOVED IT!!! (Honestly, having someone come up to you and say "you were right!" is fun in just about ANY case, but especially so when you've gotten them hooked on reading.)

Hopefully I can give THAT experience to my students, too. After we finish research (and I have a bojillion papers to grade - yikes!) I'd like to have them write book recs on quarter-sheets and then post those on the wall over my classroom library; this way, they can begin - continue? - to recommend books to each other. (And me!)

Reading can be very isolating. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it can provide a sanctuary - a place of peace and exploration. But reading can also create communities among readers, where we share and encourage and support and explore together.

I'd like my classroom to provide both.

Image: "Girl Reading" by Jean-Honore Fragonard

Continue...

Hopes for next year (yes, already)

Added 5/19

22. Phonecall Parties. Invite teachers to the workroom after school once or twice a week. If you're coming, bring snacks or a 2-liter (mark it with tape & leave it in the fridge). Gather for half an hour to an hour calling parents, munching on snacks, and trading management/instruction ideas.

23. Literature Circle Roles. Teach these using short stories; practice as a class before splitting up into small groups and working on them individually.

24. Writer's Notebooks. We're using the America's Choice format; I'd also like to add an SSR log at the back, a Homework ToC ... not sure where, and... vocabulary chart, working backward from the Glossary.

25. Focus Question EVERY DAY. Use it for opening/closing.

26. Portfolio: Manila folder. STAYS IN ROOM. All writing goes in here; new draft stapled on top of old. Homework/classwork checked for completeness & stored here; turned in on Friday.

27. Transitions. Use book talks and poetry readings (one of each, alternating every other day) to move from starter to instruction.

---

You've probably noticed that the list starts at 22. To see ideas 1-21, go here.

Further suggestions? I will periodically review this list (I hope) and add updates. *grin* We can see how much THAT happened during this past term... sheesh! ;)

Continue...

Useless

Sometimes I feel bad that I don't include my co-teacher in our lessons more. I haven't had any training, but I do try to make it (theoretically) possible for him to share.

It's not easy, though. First of all, we share the same planning period. I think this is supposed to be so that we can work together on lessons and teach cooperatively. However, as a coach, he has "volunteered" to give up his planning period to ... I dunno. Do coach stuff, I guess.

So honestly, I mostly feel like I'm on my own.

Today after the late bell rang, I went and closed the doors to the classroom and he was just out there in the hall, chatting with another coach. He came into the room five minutes later.

Then, as the students were working on their daily writing, he sat and chatted with a parapro about something in the newspaper.

Argh!

I feel like it would almost be easier if he WASN'T THERE, because not only is it darn near impossible to teach cooperatively when we don't have any cooperative planning time, he creates a distraction and is modeling off-task behavior.

It is NOT okay to walk into class late - repeatedly! Or to ignore work and do something more entertaining. But I'm not sure how to address it without seeming petty and nitpicky.

*sigh* I have ten students in class today. Ten. On a literature circle day! How are we supposed to get a darn thing done?

Continue...

Small People

I have a dilemma.

I'm finally getting to the point that I like my classroom library. I've read almost all of the books in it, and I can always make good recs to my students based on prior experience and/or general taste.

But it makes me just GRIND MY TEETH when I see students folding the front cover of a paperback around the back. Especially because some of these books are mine from when I was in junior high, so they are NOT in tip-top shape!

And then I notice that some of the books that lots of students like are... not there. It kills me! I mean, I want them to enjoy the books. I want them to LOVE the books. I just don't want them to KEEP the books.

But I want them to have free access to them. I don't want the checkout process to be so messy that they DON'T. And I don't want to lock the books away, either. I want it to have a very comfortable atmosphere.

I'm not sure how I can balance all of that.

It also bothers me that they don't follow the guidelines I've set for our class procedures. They are supposed to come in and get their SSR materials BEFORE the bell rings and be in their seats and reading by the late bell. And most of the class isn't. If it was one or two of them, I could just assign detentions, but it seems silly to write up over half the class (plus that's an awful lot of paper). And I haven't seen administration holding them to it - never mind that we're SUPPOSED to assign detentions for tardies.

But then when I got to close the door, I see other students meandering down the hall. AFTER THE BELL! I mean, WTF?

I am just not a very patient person. Now I do a pretty good job of keeping my cool, but it BUGS me! I am not asking too much. And I get tired of having to repeat the same instructions over and over again. I mean, reminders a couple of times a week, sure, I could see that. But repeatedly each day?

WTF?

Thank goodness it's Carnival Day.

Image thanks to http://www.stealingdan.co.uk/

Continue...

Fools Rush In

So I've started Writer's Workshop. Not real happy about what I'm doing (at least not yet) but oh well, I'm going for it. :P It may get a bit messy, but hopefully nobody will end up dead or anything.

"Write Beside Them" is at this point an unattainable ideal. If I'm not up and policing the room, they're not writing. GRH. And during SSR, I have nooo problem walking around with a book in my hand, but writing while ambulatory is a skill that I have not yet mastered. Maybe if I had some kind of desk-harness, like the drummers get for marching band, I could do it.

Actually... that would be kind of cool. A wearable desk/podium. Even cooler, of course, would be a Segway with a podium up at the front of it... and a power outlet by the controls. Hm. Maybe that should be my next entry in my Writer's Notebook:

Dear Santa, I want a Ferrari and a customized Segway.

Day before yesterday I noticed that two of my students simply weren't writing. I felt my temper flare up... I mean, it just annoys me to NO END when I give clear, specific, SIMPLE instructions and they aren't followed. GOD that pisses me off.

But... I didn't chew them about about it. In fact, I didn't even say anything until the next day. See, they were reading their SSR books, and I could tell by their posture and their expressions that they were really into the story. So I didn't redirect them at the time.

I dunno. Maybe I should've. I did talk to them later and say "look, we have time for reading. And we have time for writing. I'd like you to show respect for our class and for your learning by following the directions I give you." And they seemed to be cool with that - they did spend writing time writing yesterday.

***

I'm tired of feeling like a n00b. It's frustrating. This is something I'm being pushed into, I'm not ready for it, and it annoys me to feel like I'm fumbling around, just kind of HOPING things work out. This is my fourth year! I should be past this stage, dammit!

But without being pushed into it, would I have incorporated a writer's workshop? I like to think so. I think I would've started out with reader workshops first, and then as I got more familiar with the workshop setting and became more comfortable working in it, I would've begun doing writing workshops as well.

And hopefully once I get this yearbook submission sent in, there'll be less all-around scrambling on that front and I can concentrate on setting up the rest of the WWs.

Image thanks to http://www.directortom.com/

Continue...

Drives me nuts

So the students are supposed to be doing their self-selected reading. "Reading, NOT talking" is my mantra. And the substitute for my cooperating teacher is chatting with a parapro.

Fortunately they're being quiet, but... this drives me NUTS. And I'm not sure what to do about it. Oh well. I'm gonna go back to MY book.

Continue...

Overheard

In my class, at the front of the room, right beside where the digital clock is hidden (I cover it with a small poster that has a Twain quote on it), I have a nice big poster with my three classroom expectations on it:

1. WORK HARD
2. BE KIND
3. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

So one of my Double Gremlins (who has me for both English II and Journalism) waved me down during class and said, "Ms Clix, if I got suspended for fighting, would I get kicked out of Journalism?"

I thought, 'Oh, my.' I said, "Well, I don't know that we'd transfer you out of the class, but you might get kicked out of the club."

"Yeah," said Double Gremlin. "That's what I kept tellin' myself. So I just cussed her out, but boy, I wanted to punch her in the face! But I kept sayin' Rule number two! Rule number two! in my head."

The Shiny Gremlin sitting in front of her turned around and said, "Yeah - I hear you say it under your breath back there all the time!"

Dear Reader, I lost it.

But really, I was tickled. I am SO HONORED that she remembered my expectations for my students, and that they mattered enough to her for her to follow them, and that they helped her to make a good decision!

(I did, however, point out that while cussing people out is certainly preferable to punching them in the face, it still doesn't qualify as being kind!)

Image thanks to http://www.womenkickboxing.com/amyduttonvsjustinekeen-pics.htm

Continue...

Reviewing ideas & how things went - hope it isn't too painful!

Added 1/1/09

18. Post SSR responses on a wiki. Hopefully the Beatles (my new-to-me first-generation iMacs) will be new enough that a good response can be crafted and saved in the 15 minutes(ish) students have for SSR. I'll probably want the sidebar to have interesting/useful links - like to goodreads and shelfari, other student blogs or wikis, that sort of thing. Haven't found a good way to organize this. How often are these responses due? How do we schedule & share time? Still an idea.

19. Log and record daily participation grades; these can be saved in the online gradebook in a category that doesn't affect the average but allows parents who log in to keep track of the student's behavior. Also shows up on progress reports! I think this will be tough to do on a daily basis, but I'm going to try. Didn't happen. I found myself trying to remember & I didn't want to go by that. I've created a chart that I can carry around with me on a clipboard so I can make notes as I go.

20. Department-wide reading group: I really enjoyed discussing our reading at the America's Choice training workshops. I'd like to continue doing something along those lines at our department meetings. Maybe we could rotate through - each time we meet, a different teacher brings a short article or story or poem or something with enough copies so each of the other teachers can have one, and then we read them, and then we talk about what we've read. I haven't brought this up. I still feel like the bumbling n00b of the group. I need to be less of a weenie.

21. Teach effective paragraph writing more thoroughly before beginning essay writing. Yes, they should know this, but they don't. Out of my hands now; I'm to follow the America's Choice curriculum.

Added 7/11 (technically!)

17. Bring in my stash the day after I go to the library. Take out each book, one at a time, and explain why I pulled it from the shelf and why I decided to check it out. Revised; see #27.

Added 6/5

16. Idea: categorize books that are in student library? create info sheets that provide basic plot hook, description of main characters, the problem faced, and the setting, grade level reccomendation & reason, who might like the book & why; I liked/disliked (or would/would not read) this book because ___. Didn't do this - but I might be able to work it in as part of their SSR responses. STILL didn't do this; it just sounds like it would be great if it worked, but that if students weren't already trained to use their time wisely and work together EFFECTIVELY in groups, it could just be a disaster.

Added 5/29

13. A new curriculum that doesn't suck. Julius Caesar with making hard choices (friendship/patriotism) and dramatic techniques as big ideas; Night with supplemental material from The Hiding Place and hopefully literature pertaining to other genocides; an Arthurian unit; and shorter drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. I want to do more with short pieces that we can read out loud, especially with this new group. A lot of them are "reluctant readers," and I want to focus on skills rather than struggling through content. Continued improvement here.
14. More books for the class library. Possibly some beat-up armchairs. I've got a new classroom, and it is FRICKIN' ENORMOUS. Yay for used bookstores! Of course, there's always room for more - plus I think some of my books grew legs... Also got quite a few books from donorschoose. Yikes! I need to finish up my thank-yous.
15. MS Word installed on the new-to-me computers - I heard there were copies of Office 2000 that were not thrown out when the computer lab upgraded. Heh - right. I can't seem to get much cooperation lately; I've sent in a tech request to install Linux on the computers. From there I'll see about Open Office. No luck here, but I've gotten some Macs that have it.
16. No repeater-repeater-repeater class... only "true freshmen" will be sequestered in the academy. This means that while in most cases students who repeat English class are sort of scattered throughout the next set of English classes at that level, the English I repeaters will be in a class of their own, quite literally! I really, REALLY don't want to deal with the additional motivational/management issues that come with that class, on top of the new curriculum and the yearbook. Well, I got moved to sophomore English, so this didn't apply to me - and it's not like I can do anything about it anyway.

Added 5/9

10. A grammar quiz EVERY WEEK. This has definitely been in the use-it-or-lose-it category. I like the grammar starters better; we did continue to re-do preposition & HV quizzes. Still liking starters.
11. Start each class with SSR (self-selected reading). 10 minutes? Amazing. This rules. Transitioned to SSR on M/W only for 30-40 min to build stamina. Works even better - students can f* around for 10 minutes without too much difficulty.
12. Technical Document: Literature Guide. Explains & analyzes elements of literature, figurative language, and sound techniques using student selected literature and student created examples. (This is an expasion of the poetry project. I'm thinking I may want to move it to the end of the term and put the essay unit in the middle. We'll see...)I did this and am hoping to make improvements for next term! yey! Like this. Tweaking for next term.

Added 4/17

7. English Binder - stays in class. Includes notes (pages numbered) and a folder for returned work. I think (hope!) it will be easier to keep things in order when there's not the temptation to store papers for other classes in it. Didn't work; some stayed in class, others didn't. They do what they want. Revised; see 24 & 26. There's not enough room under the desk for a literature book and two binders.
8. English Notebook - spiral-bound, goes home. Pages numbered. Includes ToC homework list; start homeworks from the end of the book. We may glue/tape/staple an envelope or something to the inside of the cover for any papers that need to be taken home.Didn't work; got forgotten. I'm scrapping this.
9. I have a course calendar that shows how long each unit is and gives an idea of what we'll be doing each day. I'm not sure if I want to give it to students or not. I think it will definitely help them see the big picture, but I'd want to be certain that I could keep up with updating any changes - I couldn't just make adjustments as I went. I'd want to keep them informed.Didn't do this, and glad I didn't - I think it would've been overwhelming. Putting a list of units and rough dates on the back of the syllabus.

Original post (4/11)

1. I need to keep up with my bulletin boards. I did ... better ... with this. Still need to improve. More improvement! yey! let's continue. :D
2. I've done fairly well with parent contacts. I want to continue that. Ditto. *wince* Ok, this one went downhill. :( Hopes for improvement next term (see #22).
3. I need to make sure grades are updated every week. Done! Yay! Though I don't know that I'll ever master this. Is it possible to grade all research papers over a weekend?! Still dislike grading.
4. I would like to showcase more student work. Definitely done, but still room for improvement. Okay, the struggle here (for me) is assigning student work that is "showy" without becoming arts & crafts.
5. I want to assign immediate detentions for uncompleted work. Not allowed; must contact parents before assigning detention. This sucks. However, I think I can NOTIFY them of the detention right away, contact the parent that day, and then inform them of the detention date the next day?
6. At the start of the term, I will have students identify what they learned in English class in previous years, and what they expect to encounter this term.Done, but not as smoothly as I'd like it. The students definitely saw the connections between the skills they learned at different levels, but there was a definite sense of "where does it go from here?"I've put it as a homework for next term; that way I can look over their responses & decide how to address the issue.

What you said previously:

cupcake said... I like your list. I especially like the last point and will steal your fabulous idea. Given some of the darling students I've had this year, I wouldn't be surprised if their answer was "Nothing and nothing."

Good luck with the bulletin boards. I loathe - loathe, I tell you - creating bulleting boards. 4:02 PM

Clix said... Hi cupcake! Mostly I want to show off student work. I really don't care about them looking good, but I wanna brag on my peepz. ;) 6:50 PM

cupcake said... I am laughing so hard. It's always nice to show off the kiddies, because if THEY look good (bless their hearts), WE look good.

And it's all about US. 7:07 PM

Clix said... *furious blush* Oh dear. I really need to be more careful about pronoun/antecedent clarity... by "them" I meant the bulletin boards! *^.^*

Although I'm not doing it to give them warm fuzzies, but to have one more way of encouraging slackers to DO THEIR DARN WORK! 5:25 AM

mybellringers said... Can't tell you how thrilled I am that at my level we don't have to have bulletin boards… :-) You go girl! 11:44 AM

HappyChyck said... I'm not a bulletin board person, either. Sure, I'll use it for student work, but I forget to change it for MONTHS! My student teacher did 3 different bulletin boards this spring. Overachiever.

Course calendar...At my last school we had to post our curriculum. Mine looked like a time line (used 2 poster boards) with the months across the top and the subjects on the sides--literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, etc. (You know, because teaching English is like teaching 5 subjects.) You could use quarters instead of months. Across from the subject and under the month, I drew a line and wrote the name of the unit. I also wrote the numbers of the standards addressed under the lines. Continuous things like vocabulary simply had a line across the whole poster. Students knew the upcoming units ("What books are we reading this year?") and we could all see if we were on track. 7:11 AM

John said... I actually started a post last night about reflections of the school year but then deleted it thinking it was a bit too early. I think after reading your ideas it has pushed me to try, try again.

Oh, by the way...I teach 5th grade where we are literally surrounded by bulletin boards while walking down the hallway of our elementary school. Too funny. 6:34 AM

Melissa B. said... Bravo on the "to do" list! My journalistas keep what I call a "stringbook" in filing cabinets in my classroom. This is basically a running portfolio of all their work in the journalism program. They start as 9th-graders with a little ol' 3-ring binder, and are up to 3-4 inchers by senior year. They complain a lot, but by June of the senior years, they're very impressed with themselves. It's also a good way for them to look at the progression in their writing. Not my original idea. My high school journalism teacher did this many, many moons ago! 5:55 PM

Earlier ideas & comments behind the 'continue' link.

Continue...

Reviewing ideas & how things went - hope it isn't too painful!

Added 1/1/09

18. Post SSR responses on a wiki. Hopefully the Beatles (my new-to-me first-generation iMacs) will be new enough that a good response can be crafted and saved in the 15 minutes(ish) students have for SSR. I'll probably want the sidebar to have interesting/useful links - like to goodreads and shelfari, other student blogs or wikis, that sort of thing. Haven't found a good way to organize this. How often are these responses due? How do we schedule & share time? Still an idea.

19. Log and record daily participation grades; these can be saved in the online gradebook in a category that doesn't affect the average but allows parents who log in to keep track of the student's behavior. Also shows up on progress reports! I think this will be tough to do on a daily basis, but I'm going to try. Didn't happen. I found myself trying to remember & I didn't want to go by that. I've created a chart that I can carry around with me on a clipboard so I can make notes as I go.

20. Department-wide reading group: I really enjoyed discussing our reading at the America's Choice training workshops. I'd like to continue doing something along those lines at our department meetings. Maybe we could rotate through - each time we meet, a different teacher brings a short article or story or poem or something with enough copies so each of the other teachers can have one, and then we read them, and then we talk about what we've read. I haven't brought this up. I still feel like the bumbling n00b of the group. I need to be less of a weenie.

21. Teach effective paragraph writing more thoroughly before beginning essay writing. Yes, they should know this, but they don't. Out of my hands now; I'm to follow the America's Choice curriculum.

Added 7/11 (technically!)

17. Bring in my stash the day after I go to the library. Take out each book, one at a time, and explain why I pulled it from the shelf and why I decided to check it out. Revised; see #27.

Added 6/5

16. Idea: categorize books that are in student library? create info sheets that provide basic plot hook, description of main characters, the problem faced, and the setting, grade level reccomendation & reason, who might like the book & why; I liked/disliked (or would/would not read) this book because ___. Didn't do this - but I might be able to work it in as part of their SSR responses. STILL didn't do this; it just sounds like it would be great if it worked, but that if students weren't already trained to use their time wisely and work together EFFECTIVELY in groups, it could just be a disaster.

Added 5/29

13. A new curriculum that doesn't suck. Julius Caesar with making hard choices (friendship/patriotism) and dramatic techniques as big ideas; Night with supplemental material from The Hiding Place and hopefully literature pertaining to other genocides; an Arthurian unit; and shorter drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. I want to do more with short pieces that we can read out loud, especially with this new group. A lot of them are "reluctant readers," and I want to focus on skills rather than struggling through content. Continued improvement here.
14. More books for the class library. Possibly some beat-up armchairs. I've got a new classroom, and it is FRICKIN' ENORMOUS. Yay for used bookstores! Of course, there's always room for more - plus I think some of my books grew legs... Also got quite a few books from donorschoose. Yikes! I need to finish up my thank-yous.
15. MS Word installed on the new-to-me computers - I heard there were copies of Office 2000 that were not thrown out when the computer lab upgraded. Heh - right. I can't seem to get much cooperation lately; I've sent in a tech request to install Linux on the computers. From there I'll see about Open Office. No luck here, but I've gotten some Macs that have it.
16. No repeater-repeater-repeater class... only "true freshmen" will be sequestered in the academy. This means that while in most cases students who repeat English class are sort of scattered throughout the next set of English classes at that level, the English I repeaters will be in a class of their own, quite literally! I really, REALLY don't want to deal with the additional motivational/management issues that come with that class, on top of the new curriculum and the yearbook. Well, I got moved to sophomore English, so this didn't apply to me - and it's not like I can do anything about it anyway.

Added 5/9

10. A grammar quiz EVERY WEEK. This has definitely been in the use-it-or-lose-it category. I like the grammar starters better; we did continue to re-do preposition & HV quizzes. Still liking starters.
11. Start each class with SSR (self-selected reading). 10 minutes? Amazing. This rules. Transitioned to SSR on M/W only for 30-40 min to build stamina. Works even better - students can f* around for 10 minutes without too much difficulty.
12. Technical Document: Literature Guide. Explains & analyzes elements of literature, figurative language, and sound techniques using student selected literature and student created examples. (This is an expasion of the poetry project. I'm thinking I may want to move it to the end of the term and put the essay unit in the middle. We'll see...)I did this and am hoping to make improvements for next term! yey! Like this. Tweaking for next term.

Added 4/17

7. English Binder - stays in class. Includes notes (pages numbered) and a folder for returned work. I think (hope!) it will be easier to keep things in order when there's not the temptation to store papers for other classes in it. Didn't work; some stayed in class, others didn't. They do what they want. Revised; see 24 & 26. There's not enough room under the desk for a literature book and two binders.
8. English Notebook - spiral-bound, goes home. Pages numbered. Includes ToC homework list; start homeworks from the end of the book. We may glue/tape/staple an envelope or something to the inside of the cover for any papers that need to be taken home.Didn't work; got forgotten. I'm scrapping this.
9. I have a course calendar that shows how long each unit is and gives an idea of what we'll be doing each day. I'm not sure if I want to give it to students or not. I think it will definitely help them see the big picture, but I'd want to be certain that I could keep up with updating any changes - I couldn't just make adjustments as I went. I'd want to keep them informed.Didn't do this, and glad I didn't - I think it would've been overwhelming. Putting a list of units and rough dates on the back of the syllabus.

Original post (4/11)

1. I need to keep up with my bulletin boards. I did ... better ... with this. Still need to improve. More improvement! yey! let's continue. :D
2. I've done fairly well with parent contacts. I want to continue that. Ditto. *wince* Ok, this one went downhill. :( Hopes for improvement next term (see #22).
3. I need to make sure grades are updated every week. Done! Yay! Though I don't know that I'll ever master this. Is it possible to grade all research papers over a weekend?! Still dislike grading.
4. I would like to showcase more student work. Definitely done, but still room for improvement. Okay, the struggle here (for me) is assigning student work that is "showy" without becoming arts & crafts.
5. I want to assign immediate detentions for uncompleted work. Not allowed; must contact parents before assigning detention. This sucks. However, I think I can NOTIFY them of the detention right away, contact the parent that day, and then inform them of the detention date the next day?
6. At the start of the term, I will have students identify what they learned in English class in previous years, and what they expect to encounter this term.Done, but not as smoothly as I'd like it. The students definitely saw the connections between the skills they learned at different levels, but there was a definite sense of "where does it go from here?"I've put it as a homework for next term; that way I can look over their responses & decide how to address the issue.

What you said previously:

cupcake said... I like your list. I especially like the last point and will steal your fabulous idea. Given some of the darling students I've had this year, I wouldn't be surprised if their answer was "Nothing and nothing."

Good luck with the bulletin boards. I loathe - loathe, I tell you - creating bulleting boards. 4:02 PM

Clix said... Hi cupcake! Mostly I want to show off student work. I really don't care about them looking good, but I wanna brag on my peepz. ;) 6:50 PM

cupcake said... I am laughing so hard. It's always nice to show off the kiddies, because if THEY look good (bless their hearts), WE look good.

And it's all about US. 7:07 PM

Clix said... *furious blush* Oh dear. I really need to be more careful about pronoun/antecedent clarity... by "them" I meant the bulletin boards! *^.^*

Although I'm not doing it to give them warm fuzzies, but to have one more way of encouraging slackers to DO THEIR DARN WORK! 5:25 AM

mybellringers said... Can't tell you how thrilled I am that at my level we don't have to have bulletin boards… :-) You go girl! 11:44 AM

HappyChyck said... I'm not a bulletin board person, either. Sure, I'll use it for student work, but I forget to change it for MONTHS! My student teacher did 3 different bulletin boards this spring. Overachiever.

Course calendar...At my last school we had to post our curriculum. Mine looked like a time line (used 2 poster boards) with the months across the top and the subjects on the sides--literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, etc. (You know, because teaching English is like teaching 5 subjects.) You could use quarters instead of months. Across from the subject and under the month, I drew a line and wrote the name of the unit. I also wrote the numbers of the standards addressed under the lines. Continuous things like vocabulary simply had a line across the whole poster. Students knew the upcoming units ("What books are we reading this year?") and we could all see if we were on track. 7:11 AM

John said... I actually started a post last night about reflections of the school year but then deleted it thinking it was a bit too early. I think after reading your ideas it has pushed me to try, try again.

Oh, by the way...I teach 5th grade where we are literally surrounded by bulletin boards while walking down the hallway of our elementary school. Too funny. 6:34 AM

Melissa B. said... Bravo on the "to do" list! My journalistas keep what I call a "stringbook" in filing cabinets in my classroom. This is basically a running portfolio of all their work in the journalism program. They start as 9th-graders with a little ol' 3-ring binder, and are up to 3-4 inchers by senior year. They complain a lot, but by June of the senior years, they're very impressed with themselves. It's also a good way for them to look at the progression in their writing. Not my original idea. My high school journalism teacher did this many, many moons ago! 5:55 PM

Earlier ideas & comments behind the 'continue' link.

Continue...

This drives me NUTS!

TWICE during my journalism class today I gave a student DIRECT INSTRUCTION - something that NEEDED to be done - and the student sat around and talked. Two separate students. Two students that HAD BEEN among the more responsible ones.

I was so mad I kept my mouth shut because I knew that if I said something, it would very likely be among the Things That Will Get You Fired.

What's going on?! WTF? I mean, are they burnt out or something? Is it something in the air? The water?

WTF??

Continue...

On Classroom Discipline

So the Hunk is a one-on-one teacher at another school in our district. Today, the student he works with was out, and the Hunk was waiting to be told where he'd be needed. While he was waiting, he overheard another teacher fussing at her students to work silently and individually, as they had been misbehaving when she'd allowed them some freedom to talk.

She had been asked to go speak to one of the assistant principals, and since there wasn't anybody to cover the class at the moment, the Hunk stepped in, gallant hero that he is!

So of course, when the students look up and see someone they don't know, and the "real" teacher leaves, there's a few moments of considering, and then they went back to goofing around.

But my clever Hunk put a stop to THAT! "I just told them that I'd overheard their teacher say that they weren't to be talking," he said. "But I think it was the way I said it that really got their attention. You see, I kind of did a bit of an impersonation..."

"It was fun, too!" he said.

Image thanks to http://range.wordpress.com/2007/06/

Continue...

Why I Haven't Posted

So we are a little more than halfway through the first half of the course (since we're on semester blocks). This week, the English department went to training for America's Choice. So there were lots of teachers gone, and we had no control over who our subs would be. Woot.

We are in theory supposed to incorporate the America's Choice practices into the courses we're currently teaching (for those of us with 9th/10th classes). Never mind that the course is 30% over. I am all with the WTFery, but if I can, I'm gonna try to weasel out of Julius Caesar, which I really don't wanna suffer through. (Sorry, Doc.)

And of course we don't get planning time at the seminar. This is AFTER I stayed at school until 9:20 on Tuesday re-checking the newspaper and uploading it before Open House, then staying to make sure that my sub plans for Wednesday were clear.

Anyway, so I was gone Wednesday and Thursday - at least during the school day (ends at 2:55). I got to the school for Journalism Club at 4:15ish. Get the students started on their work. (Make posters to advertise that we'll be selling the paper at lunch on Friday.) Go check my mailbox.

There is a note from the sub.

Boy o boy. My 2nd block class isn't as unruly as my 4th block was last year - but I have a lot of the same yahoos! And will a full class (31), when they get even a little talkative, the noise level skyrockets. Then of course they have to talk louder to hear themselves over each other, and... UGH.

They did not get their work done. They did not sit quietly. They goofed around & did whatever.

SO. I spent Wednesday evening on the phone. Calling, calling, calling parents. Ms. Clix was NOT a happy cookie. Thursday morning I called the school & reminded the secretary to please call me if she heard about any issues with that class - I would call back & she could patch me through to the classroom & I'd speak with them as close to "in person" as I could get.

Thursday afternoon when I went by for Journalism Club the secretary mentioned that she'd also asked the principal to stop in and speak with the class. Go Ms. Secretary! YAY! Needless to say, with the parent calls AND the visit from the principal, things went MUCH better that day!

Plus, the papers were in - and I hesitate a little, cuz I've seen y'all's - but they looked good! I was really, REALLY pleased with the photo quality and the writing. The topics were a little dry, which is something they always struggle with, but overall, I was really happy.

It made me even happier when we SOLD OUT of the issue! *gleedance* At the end of the last lunch period, one of my Gremlins came tearing into the room with the news that WE SOLD OUT! I was a little skeptical, but then my editor came in and showed the empty box... plus the money was there! WOOT! I think it's more money than we've EVER made on newspaper sales.

However, I do make a habit of pulling copies - each advertiser gets ten, plus I keep some extras in case we forget to give copies to the library or administrators. And - don't laugh - I always give a copy to my parents. ;p

So, if you'd like some copies, email me at uncomfortableadventures at yahoo, and include the name & address to which I should send them. I'd LOVE to trade - I'm always looking for new ideas & examples!

All in all, the week went well, but it was VERY full. I don't know that I'll get much R&R this weekend - I think it's going to be spent attempting to catch up with my grading...

BTW, anyone know what happened to the Carnival!? I finally had a chance to read it this afternoon after school and it was gone!!

Images thanks to http://www.vipdisco.co.uk/yourevent.htm and http://mixedink.com/blog/category/newspapers/

Continue...

Whine, whine, whine

My students have been complaining about the amount of homework I give. Each day they get a 20-line writing assignment - usually just a reflection - that ties in to what we're studying.

It's only 20 lines, though... and then I look at my poor neglected blog. Not that I don't have reason: grading, lesson planning, Dragon*Con, the Damn Book...

Aw heck.

So, I figure, to help keep me writing, even if it's not important, I'll answer the prompts as well.

Today's prompt: Which format do you prefer - movies or TV? Why? Explain, with examples.

I prefer movies, because I have more control over what I'm getting. We're signed up with Blockbuster online, so I can list the movies I want them to send me, and they only send from that list. Since we only have one or two DVDs at a time, it doesn't become a default activity for us.

Movies are also less likely to get repetitive. With a few exceptions (*cough* Police Academy *cough*), you don't have to worry about a good movie degenerating into predictability and cliche. Because a TV series can continue for season after season after season, there's a lot of financial pressure for a popular series to keep cranking out episodes long after the initial story arc has been resolved. It's very difficult to keep things fresh.

Here's hoping I can find time at least to touch on all the things I love - including my wonderful Epic Adventures!

Continue...

Calling Parents

So last night I called parents for EVERY STUDENT who has anything below a B (with the one exception of the student for whom I have a parent conference today - I figured it'd be redundant). I also called some in the 87-89 range who could pull up ton an A.

A number of them are flunking because we've had one end-of-unit project so far (a wee one, but it was still a test grade), and they didn't turn it in. Well, test grades in our department count for 50% of the final average. Thus, if you have a 0 for your average, you take the rest of your grades, average them out (half quizzes, half "daily work" aka classwork and homework) and then subtract 50 points. So, yeah. Not turning in test work? Not good.

It took about an hour, maybe an hour and fifteen minutes total to do ALL my calling. And you know what? It wasn't so bad.

1) First, and most importantly, I state that the purpose of the call is to let the parents know that I am handing out student reports tomorrow, so the students will know exactly what grade they have and how they've done on each assignment. The parents can ask the students about this, and the students should be able to give them the report if asked. While I don't quite agree with the "sandwich" method of parent contact (start with a compliment, put the negative in the middle, and finish with a compliment), the idea behind it is solid: always begin with something nonconfrontational.

2) I don't lie or brush aside the truth, but I skirt the line pretty closely! I don't think you have to be harsh. Parents know that when they hear "Well," followed by a pregnant pause and then, "he's reeeally not doing so great right now," the news is BAD. I go very quickly through the source of the trouble (usually uncompleted work and/or failure to use time effectively in class) and then move on.

3) Here's where I really disagree with the sandwich method: I don't finish with a compliment. Rather, I close the call by explaining what the student can do to fix things, and describing what I'd like to see as a result. And, of course, as student success is always good, I'm still ending with something positive - plus I'm letting the parents envision their child being successful if the action plan I've explained is followed! I really think this is the lynchpin, because it creates a "team" effect: this is what we all want, and we're going to work together to achieve it.

When I finish my calling, I always feel relieved because it is OVER, but also because I know that I've strengthened the relationship I have with the parents, and I've given them a way to help their child be successful.

Your parent calls can be painless too!

Continue...

Journalism nonsense

Okay, I feel like all I ever do around here (at least lately) is ask for help. But I'm gonna do it again! Those of you who teach journalism courses, especially newspaper production, I want to know:


HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Specifically, how do you get your first issue out in any sort of timely fashion? We're WELL into the second week of school, and my stinkin' class has a revolving door, I swear. Plus it makes getting student input on our articles difficult - since the schedules are changing from day to day, it's difficult to track anyone down, particularly because the office staff doesn't want to print a copy of the student schedule book for us until things are SOMEWHAT in order.

And now - half of my class is completely new and missed all the introductory stuff that I started in on last week. And half of my staff has been through it. I mean, I can send the older-noobs out on assignment and teach the SUPER-new noobs. It's just annoying.

I've also got like a WEEK'S turnaround time on printing. I feel like our stories will not EVER POSSIBLY be timely.

Images thanks to http://printisdeadblog.com/ and http://rattler-radio.blogspot.com/

Continue...

End of year STRESS

My students do NOT want to work. And so many of them have assignments that aren't finished. They're in danger of flunking because they haven't provided proof that they can meet the standards.
When I tell them "you need to do a good job on this work in order to pass," they say they know, they know...

It doesn't seem to make a difference. And administration does NOT back me up on anything. My fear is that my students will lie to their parents as they have lied to me, "she didn't hand the rough of XYZ back to me, so I couldn't DO the final!" I'm tired of hearing it; invariably, they do find the rough they claimed I lost.

They expect that I will drop everything else and work with them RIGHT AWAY or immediately grade the project/work that they have turned in two weeks late.

Grrh!

Continue...

The Battle for the Book

1. Students choose their assignments.
2. Some assignments may be chosen by more than one student; other assignments may get ignored. This is fine.
3. All spreads will be considered to be "in competition." Each student who requests an assignment will work on a separate version of that assignment. Ms. Clix will also create a version of each assignment.
4. Each student will be fully responsible for his/her own assignment. Students may help each other out, but ultimately, Student A's work is Student A's responsibility, and Student A will get the credit for that work.
5. One week before the shipment is due at the plant, all pages will be printed out to be reviewed by The Word Nazi.
6. The Word Nazi will decide which version of each assignment will be submitted to the plant. Ms. Clix will be present at the reviewing process to answer questions, but the decision will be left to The Word Nazi.
7. If The Word Nazi cannot meet with Ms. Clix within four school days, Ms. Clix will bring the page printouts to The Minister of Grace (aka the publisher's representative), who will make the decision on behalf of The Word Nazi.
8. All pages in the shipment will be zipped and submitted the day the decision is made.
9. A copy of the submission will be sent to The Word Nazi and The Prinvisible.

My hope is that this motivates the students to do their best work, so that they have something to show off, but at the same time removes some of the pressure.

Continue...