AuburnChick's Adventures

Week 13 of teaching was B-U-S-Y!!

First, I would like to share pictures of the posters my 6th graders made last week.  I described the project in my last teaching post.

Pretty good, eh?  I was so proud of my students!

So…as I was saying…this week was crazy!  I had a lot that I wanted/needed to accomplish.

On Monday, I found this Pit and the Pendulum video on YouTube.  My students really enjoyed it…especially since we had just finished reading the story.

They used class time to work on their projects (mentioned in the last post).

My ninth graders were shocked when they walked in and saw this…

It was the week of the nouns, and they were in for a crash course.

Meanwhile, my 10th graders began a unit on sentences, and their homework assignments closely resembled the one above.  The only difference was that they did not complain.

Tuesday dawned, and I had decided to create a new blogging procedure.  My 11th and 12th graders are required to write two blog posts a week, and I’ve figured out that some of them put off the assignment until the last day (the week runs Monday through Sunday).  Because the purpose is to inspire creative writing, I feel like they were circumventing the parameters of the assignment.  Hence, they saw the following message (and yes, I realize I left out the word “day” at the end of one of my sentences.  Hindsight…

My sixth graders began reading the story, “The Sand Castle.”  It is kind of like a science fiction story, and it sparked a lot of discussion about global warming and other environmental issues.  This is also the story that I pulled this week’s vocabulary words from.

Tuesday was a short day for me.  The other English teacher, who had lost her voice, kindly covered my last two classes so I could march with the high school band in its homecoming parade.

Yeah.  I know.  I owe her.  Big time.

Wednesday finally arrived.  I was tired because this 40 year-old body is not used to walking a mile in 90-degree humidity.

I wasn’t in the best mood, but my first two classes changed that immediately.  It was the day they would be presenting their projects…

My little Tigger, who I’ve told you about before, was incredibly excited.  She had made up her own rap song to accompany the project, and she had agreed to perform it in exchange for bonus points.

One of the biggest rewards as a teacher is seeing a student blossom.  That is what is happening to this girl, and I am incredibly honored to be a part of the process.

She had the four of us (this is a very small class) laughing the entire way through the song, and her smile afterward was PRICELESS.  She is a cute, spunky kid who has hated school to this point.  I have made it my mission to change that (at least in my class).   I am so proud of her.

Here are pictures of the movie posters that my seniors created (click on the images to visit their blogs)…

Next, it was time for my juniors to present their projects.  “Y,” who doesn’t have a blog, did an incredible job on his.  He went the extra mile and researched the Spanish Inquisition, even pointing out something I had told the class in error (he apologized before correcting me…too cute!).  I was impressed that he had taken the time to select actors who were the same nationalities as those in the short story.  He selected Antonio Banderas to play the narrator and Gerard Depardieu to play General LaSalle, general of the French army and the person who rescues the narrator from his demise.

Here are the rest of my 11th graders posters, except for MartytheSmarty and GiggleButton, whose posters I forgot to photograph!  Oy, but those girls are gonna have my behind!  I think I forgot because I had already graded their projects and set their posters aside.

Although Wednesday got off to a good start, it had a rough ending.  My 9th grade class is my most rambunctious group.  As the weeks have passed, their behavior has loosened up quite a bit, and I am finding myself struggling a bit to reign them in.  I’ve never had classroom management issues, and I was determined not to let this be the first time.

Of course, as a first-year teacher, it is to be expected that I am going to have my ups and downs.

Such was the afternoon.

From my subbing experience, I have learned that students who want to learn become very angry when teachers allow other students to distract them from the learning process.

On Wednesday, I had two students who simply could not control themselves.  I tried a new tactic.  I asked one to leave the room when his behavior became more than my threshold would allow.  After a few minutes, I popped my head out of the door, had a brief talk with him, and then allowed him to return.  He was contrite and cooperated afterward.

The second student, though, was another matter altogether.

This child simply would…not…stop.  No matter what I said, he continued making poor behavioral choices.

So, I sent him out as well and nailed him when I caught him wandering down the hallway.  He quietly came back to my door, where he remained for the last five minutes while I finished teaching my class.  I then pulled him into the office where I could speak to him privately.

To my credit, I never yelled at my students.  I was firm and let them know, in no uncertain terms, that I would not tolerate interruptions.

Fortunately, my day ends with my tenth graders…of which there are only two of.  Both are incredibly bright and high-achieving students, so I was able to teach them without any issues.

Thursday arrived…vocabulary testing day…

My first two classes did not have vocabulary tests this week (I administer theirs every two weeks) reviewed for their Pit and the Pendulum tests.

It was a fairly quiet day because of the tests and reviews.

I was glad for the peace because it was the day of the high school’s homecoming game.  My heart was heavy when I went, though, because I had graded papers, and my ninth graders had not done very well.

Teaching five grades is such a challenge in so many different ways.  Not only do I have students in each class who struggle academically, but I have classes of differing levels altogether.  Rooster’s high school has an advanced educational program.  Students who struggle are in another program where reading and math issues can be addressed.  Because I work in a small school, students are grouped together.  I find myself struggling with adjusting my teaching to each level from class to class.  But, as this is only my second nine weeks, I am confident that I will get there.  I am open to learning about new teaching methodologies, which is a definite plus for me and my students.

Finally, it was Friday, and I woke up to a sick Rooster.  Leaving him at home was very tough.  He was sicker than he’s been in a while.  But, I had a job to do…four tests to administer…so I left him with a bucket and his cell phone.

You can probably tell by my board that I was all business.  Fridays are short days for us.  Classes are only forty minutes long.  The bell barely rang before I handed tests out.

It was also a quiet day.  I needed this.  So did my students.

My 9th graders finished their exam with time to spare, so we had a good discussion about new classroom procedures.

I spoke from my heart, and I feel like they really listened.  They offered feedback about the things that are helping them, even admitting that the vocabulary tests, as much as they despise them, are proving relevant.  Several of my students are attending PSAT practice at the school, and they recognized a couple of their vocabulary words!  They are starting to see the words outside of the school environment as well.

We discussed the heavy homework load from the week, and they surprised me by saying they understood why they needed to do it.

I could not believe my ears.

As I said, the dialogue was wonderful…mostly because it went both ways.  They were relieved to have the old me back…the one that was not so stern and grumpy.  I think they know that I care for them deeply and want them to succeed.

That is the only reason I became a teacher.  I recognize the potential that lies inside of every student…especially the ones who do not believe in themselves.

Week 13 is in the record books.  On to Week 14!

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