Two other teachers and I took about 15 of our students for a surfing lesson last Saturday. These were self-selected kids who did fundraising to pay for the $45 lesson and $5 for pizza afterwards. They sold sandwiches, Jack-in-The-Box, candy, chores and donated their own money. Everyone who said they were going to go showed up at 6:00 a.m. waaay before light and was happy to do it.
We all had a blast and every single kid got at least a few good rides on the waves. This was remarkable because there was a big swell that created really powerful, high waves that made it a challenge to get up on your feet before your butt hit the beach. It was also remarkable because we were pretty much surfing on top of each other; it's a miracle no one got hurt.
There were also a few adult tourists from Colorado in our lesson and they often remarked on how terrific our kids were. It's true. Not a single one of them showed any attitude, no one said anything remotely snarky or negative and they were all very supportive and considerate of each other and the adults. The people who ran the Surf School gave us a $20 discount off the price of the lesson for each person, in part because our kids are so cooperative and attentive. The kids all hugged the stuffing out of the Surf Instructors at the end of the lesson and actually said "Thank you" to all of us teachers as we got in the cars to drive home.
The high point of the day for me was when one of my former students almost ran over me on his first ride. I had just ridden a wave and was pushing my board back out to get beyond the break (so I could rest!). HA, a very bright, polite and cheerful football player, just stood up on his first wave and had this glowing look of absolute delight on his face....for a split second....then he sees his former Biology teacher about 3 feet in front of his surfboard...about to get run over...and his face turns to sheer panic and terror! Fortunately, I knew enough to just dive under the wave, letting my board follow on its leash...and a collision was averted. He tried to apologize profusely several times, but I let him know that there was no harm, no foul, he did exactly the right thing and so did I. I let him know that I probably felt just as bad for him....having his first ride turn to panic...as he did for me. One of the other teachers caught the moment in a photo, which I'll post here as soon as he sends it to me.
I was especially glad to hear that all of the kids were as sore as I was on Sunday. Who knew surfing could actually be work? Having lived for the past 6 years in a beach town where most surfers mostly sat on their boards, and having learned to surf in Hawaii where it was easy (until the waves got big), I was surprised to find myself actually working out there.
I really enjoy these opportunities to do fun, outdoor activities with our students. I'm very demanding in the classroom (but funny, warm and goofy too) and it's good for them to get to know me when I'm not demanding anything of them, just enjoying their company and learning right along side them. One of the kids, who I taught for 2 years told me "You're just a kid who's old, right Ms. B; you like to play and have fun!" I told him how perceptive he was and that everyone who really knows me would describe me almost the same way, excepting for the old part. He just laughed and said "You're only as old as you fear." Which, come to think of it, sounds exactly right.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Emcee Cain
Okay, after telling you about some of the major frustrations I experience as a result of my choice of teaching assignments, I'll tell you some of the things that keep me hooked. There are many things I love about my students, colleagues and teaching, which is why I am willing to put up with (okay, try to change) the things that aren't so great. Here's something funny that happened recently in my classroom.
LJ began to read an article outlining the major party Presidential candidates' positions on energy and environmental issues. He's typical of many of my students in that his parents don't speak English in the home and had little education themselves, so they do not subscribe to any newspapers or watch news programs in English. When LJ came across the first candidate named in the article he pronounced his name John Emcee Cain; he didn't know it was really pronounced MickCain. Fortunately LJ has a terrific sense of humor about himself and is not easily embarassed or offended....because I and a few of the other students who knew the correct pronunciation couldn't help but laugh. If it had been one of my more uptight students, I would have had to tamp down my laughter and given a short, but serious lesson on the correct pronunciation of the Gaelic prefix. But the big smile on LJ's face and his own laughter at his innocent mistake allowed us all to enjoy the fun teachable moment. Of course, I went on to ask him if he thought Obama was Irish too, but he didn't get that either. Actually, none of them did, so I explained what I meant. (Now can you see why I am always behind on my pacing plans? I'm repeatedly brought up short by the gaping holes in cultural and academic information my students reveal. I typically choose to take advantage of all teachable moments like this.)
I told LJ that I think of him everytime I see Emcee Cain's name printed and it brings a smile to my face. He has since dropped the AP class, due largely to the fact that he couldn't keep up with reading a rigorous college-level science text and engage in analytical thinking. Due to his lack of exposure to news, he has almost no knowledge of what is going on outside of his own community (unless it's on MySpace, of course!). I told him that it would be a good idea for him to read the newspaper regularly for the next year and come back and try the class again next year when he's a Senior. I hope he does!
LJ began to read an article outlining the major party Presidential candidates' positions on energy and environmental issues. He's typical of many of my students in that his parents don't speak English in the home and had little education themselves, so they do not subscribe to any newspapers or watch news programs in English. When LJ came across the first candidate named in the article he pronounced his name John Emcee Cain; he didn't know it was really pronounced MickCain. Fortunately LJ has a terrific sense of humor about himself and is not easily embarassed or offended....because I and a few of the other students who knew the correct pronunciation couldn't help but laugh. If it had been one of my more uptight students, I would have had to tamp down my laughter and given a short, but serious lesson on the correct pronunciation of the Gaelic prefix. But the big smile on LJ's face and his own laughter at his innocent mistake allowed us all to enjoy the fun teachable moment. Of course, I went on to ask him if he thought Obama was Irish too, but he didn't get that either. Actually, none of them did, so I explained what I meant. (Now can you see why I am always behind on my pacing plans? I'm repeatedly brought up short by the gaping holes in cultural and academic information my students reveal. I typically choose to take advantage of all teachable moments like this.)
I told LJ that I think of him everytime I see Emcee Cain's name printed and it brings a smile to my face. He has since dropped the AP class, due largely to the fact that he couldn't keep up with reading a rigorous college-level science text and engage in analytical thinking. Due to his lack of exposure to news, he has almost no knowledge of what is going on outside of his own community (unless it's on MySpace, of course!). I told him that it would be a good idea for him to read the newspaper regularly for the next year and come back and try the class again next year when he's a Senior. I hope he does!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Time!
I should write this one in all caps because I want to scream! I was halfway through my newest entry when I pressed some random key on my brand new laptop and caused my entire entry to disappear without hope of recovery. How ironic that the theme of this entry is about my use of time and how I don't have enough considering how much I need to accomplish by a particular time...and the obstacles I encounter! Well, I guess I just found a much shorter way to say what I just typed in 15 minutes!
Long story short: 2 1/2 weeks left in a 9 week semester. I am 4 weeks behind in my pacing plan. The district says I should have been able to teach what I have taught so far much faster. I say I am moving as quickly as is possible considering all of the non-curricular issues that impact the speed at which my students can learn. Here's an example:
For the first time ever in teaching at my school, I received my teaching schedule and rosters the Friday before school began the following Wednesday. (They were given to us on the first day of school previously, which makes pre-planning a challenge.) I was so excited at the possibility that I would know some important information about my students from the beginning, instead of having to uncover it all myself. So, I went to the main campus and requested all of the data about all of my students from the Student Information office - the keepers of the database. Since I am off-campus, I wrote on my request that they call or email me when the reports were ready. The one time I was on main campus I stopped back by several times to check, but the office was closed every time, so I left a note asking them to call or email me. Two weeks ago I received an email from an English teacher on the main campus informing me that my reports were ready and that I should pick them up. My first reaction was "Why is she letting me know? She's an English teacher, not a Student Information office staffer!" But then people and their job assignments are the only things at my school that changes quickly, so I thought maybe she had changed her assignment. Turns out she has simply been in that office looking for some work for her and she dug into a pile of reports in the "out" basket and saw my request (with an inch of reports clipped to it) and my note at the top asking to be contacted. She saw the date and, since she's a supportive colleague, she asked the staff why no one had contacted me. When it became clear that she wasn't getting through to them in trying to get them to actually contact me, or at least make some effort to put the report in my mailbox in the main office, she sent me the email. I picked up my reports at her home that evening. Since my previous dealings with the head of that office had been constructive and pleasant, I sent him an email outlining the situation and asking him to contact me....and I still have had no response. When I followed up with the English teacher, she told me that he'd been promoted to the central district office the day after I picked up the report and no one has filled his position.
At this point you might be thinking, I don't see how this has to do with you being so far behind in your pacing! Well it does, since I didn't receive any information on my students academic skill levels, English-learner status, Special Education needs, behavioral record, health issues or home lives, I had to uncover as much of that as I could on my own, which takes a lot of time, creativity and effort. In addition, I have to teach basic math because so many of my students do not know how to calculate an average or a percentage. I also have to teach basic science concepts because so many of my students simply don't know them. I also have to teach them all of the class rituals and routines, stuff that makes the class move more predictably, smoothly and quickly as we go along. And I can't teach these things just once and expect them to get it. We have a high absence rate, so I have to re-teach to catch all of those who missed it the first time and to remind all of those who need to hear it again for it to sink in.
Rats! I have a lot more to tell you, but....I'm out of time! My alarm clock just went off and I need to get ready for work. Not surprisingly I don't want to risk being late. More later...when I have time!
Long story short: 2 1/2 weeks left in a 9 week semester. I am 4 weeks behind in my pacing plan. The district says I should have been able to teach what I have taught so far much faster. I say I am moving as quickly as is possible considering all of the non-curricular issues that impact the speed at which my students can learn. Here's an example:
For the first time ever in teaching at my school, I received my teaching schedule and rosters the Friday before school began the following Wednesday. (They were given to us on the first day of school previously, which makes pre-planning a challenge.) I was so excited at the possibility that I would know some important information about my students from the beginning, instead of having to uncover it all myself. So, I went to the main campus and requested all of the data about all of my students from the Student Information office - the keepers of the database. Since I am off-campus, I wrote on my request that they call or email me when the reports were ready. The one time I was on main campus I stopped back by several times to check, but the office was closed every time, so I left a note asking them to call or email me. Two weeks ago I received an email from an English teacher on the main campus informing me that my reports were ready and that I should pick them up. My first reaction was "Why is she letting me know? She's an English teacher, not a Student Information office staffer!" But then people and their job assignments are the only things at my school that changes quickly, so I thought maybe she had changed her assignment. Turns out she has simply been in that office looking for some work for her and she dug into a pile of reports in the "out" basket and saw my request (with an inch of reports clipped to it) and my note at the top asking to be contacted. She saw the date and, since she's a supportive colleague, she asked the staff why no one had contacted me. When it became clear that she wasn't getting through to them in trying to get them to actually contact me, or at least make some effort to put the report in my mailbox in the main office, she sent me the email. I picked up my reports at her home that evening. Since my previous dealings with the head of that office had been constructive and pleasant, I sent him an email outlining the situation and asking him to contact me....and I still have had no response. When I followed up with the English teacher, she told me that he'd been promoted to the central district office the day after I picked up the report and no one has filled his position.
At this point you might be thinking, I don't see how this has to do with you being so far behind in your pacing! Well it does, since I didn't receive any information on my students academic skill levels, English-learner status, Special Education needs, behavioral record, health issues or home lives, I had to uncover as much of that as I could on my own, which takes a lot of time, creativity and effort. In addition, I have to teach basic math because so many of my students do not know how to calculate an average or a percentage. I also have to teach basic science concepts because so many of my students simply don't know them. I also have to teach them all of the class rituals and routines, stuff that makes the class move more predictably, smoothly and quickly as we go along. And I can't teach these things just once and expect them to get it. We have a high absence rate, so I have to re-teach to catch all of those who missed it the first time and to remind all of those who need to hear it again for it to sink in.
Rats! I have a lot more to tell you, but....I'm out of time! My alarm clock just went off and I need to get ready for work. Not surprisingly I don't want to risk being late. More later...when I have time!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
What time is it?
This afternoon the teacher across the hall asked if she could send a couple of "students" to my classroom during 4th period because they weren't doing any
work and would not "shut the front door!" I said sure, because I knew she
had her hands full. That class is full of 10th-12th graders that are repeating
Algebra 1 for the second (or more) time. The only thing I can think of that
is worse than Algebra is repeating Algebra!
Anyway, it turned out that one of the girls she sent over had just been in my
3rd period Biology class. I knew that she had very low basic math skills because
I give all of my students a basic skills test in math and English during the first
week. Whatever they get right goes in the gradebook as extra credit, so they
do try their best. The average score on the math portion out of 18 is 5. We're
talking addition, subtraction, multiplying decimals, long division and percentages.
The vast majority of my students cannot do any of the last 3 skills, and that
includes the Seniors in my AP Environmental Science class. Every week when I hand back graded work the students must write down their scores on a log sheet, add up a subtotal to date, calculate their current percentage and write down the letter grades. I have hand-made posters all around my classroom demonstrating the steps involved in all of those skills, but most students still require me to remind them how to set up the long division and where to put the decimal point.
Today the girls were working on algebraic equations that required them to add or subtract negative or positive numbers to solve an equation like: x - 5 = 10. At first they weren't doing anything and then one, who I'll call "I" said the phrase I've banned from my classroom "I don't get it." I went over to see where she was stuck and it became clear that she did not know what to do to isolate x on one side of the equation and, then she did not know how to add five to 10. I helped her solve that one and then she called me back a few more times, but she also did several on her own. I also helped the other girl, my student, TP, who showed the exact same limitations. Once I helped them overcome some obstacles (without doing any of their work for them) they both happily worked diligently and happily. "I" even was smiling because she finally "got it". She was so proud of herself for finally learning how to do it. I told them both that I struggled a lot with math in high school and that I understood how frustrating it was when you did not know what to do, and I offered to tutor them any time.
When I learned that I'd need to leave 15 minutes early to go round up kids for detention (we have 10% of our students late to school or class every day and we make them stay 30 minutes to 1 hour late depending on how late they were). When I said I'd need to leave at 2:45, "I" admitted that she didn't know when that was. I "didn't get it" at first until she said that she didn't know how to read round clocks. She is 16 years old and cannot read an analog clock. She said she gets in trouble a lot because she takes out her cellphone in class to check the time because she can't read a clock. TP also told me that she didn't know how either, so I taught them. Now, that was a first for me. I had no idea that our kids could not tell time on a clock, only on a digital readout. I checked with a few other seasoned teachers and only one of them knew that this was a problem.
My Advisory kids are gonna be mad at me because now I'm going to test them on their ability to tell time on a "round clock". Then, based on that, I'll test all of my students. I'm also thinking about proposing watches as part of our dress code!
....When I got to my classroom this morning...butt cleavage! No, not me! There were two laborers in their finishing painting the walls (they didn't know it was a school day!!!) and they both had on "full moon pants"! Aside from that, I saw that they had taken down all of my posters and student work to install new whiteboards and some fancy wall treatments, called tackboards. Oh man, I had just written a bunch of stuff before I left class the previous day so that I'd have plenty of time to set up for labs. Rats! Now I and the teacher next door, have brand new whiteboards...on the back walls of our classrooms! I also could not locate any of the lab materials I had set out so carefully; turns out they were all piled on the bottom of the overhead projector cart under a sheaf of posters. Okay, so by now, I'm madly planning my Plan Cs for the day. (Plan A was developed last July when I thought I'd have the much-promised science lab. Plan B was the lab-lite I devised because the lab's still not finished.)
Plan B involved students bringing their favorite drinks and liquidy foods (pizza sauce, for example) to test the pH levels and figure out which ones would erode dental enamel and irritate linings of the digestive system. Ingrained student habits were on my side today; no one brought anything to test! So, we wound up using the time to set up an organizer for them to track and review the science concepts they've learned in class...and calculate more percentages. Yippee!
So, tomorrow we'll probably get to do the lab, and we'll only be 1 month behind my district-mandated pacing plan...after 1 month of school!
By the way, remember how excited I was about Parent Night? Our Administrator didn't do anything regarding Parent Night. So, 15 minutes before it was due to start, we teachers reported to the office to sign in and get our name badges and we discovered that she didn't have the phone bank notify the parents, reserve the auditorium, have any chairs or tables set up, make any signs, print any programs...or anything! Many of our parents are on tight schedules with multiple jobs and kids, so many parents were already there watching the teachers quickly set up the auditorium. Luckily one of us had the slide show from last year, so we just showed that, and since most of our parents do not understand English, our Foreign Language teacher talked them through the program. Their unease at our lack of professionalism was assuaged when they learned their kid could have a high school diploma, requirements to get into any UC, Associate of Arts degree and a trade certificate when the graduate from our program. We're the only public school program in our metropolis that can say that! We had several parents come in saying that they wanted their kid to transfer to a local private school and left saying how glad they were that their kid was in our program. Once they talk to us personally, what's not to like?
Next time, maybe I'll tell you about tinyboys!
work and would not "shut the front door!" I said sure, because I knew she
had her hands full. That class is full of 10th-12th graders that are repeating
Algebra 1 for the second (or more) time. The only thing I can think of that
is worse than Algebra is repeating Algebra!
Anyway, it turned out that one of the girls she sent over had just been in my
3rd period Biology class. I knew that she had very low basic math skills because
I give all of my students a basic skills test in math and English during the first
week. Whatever they get right goes in the gradebook as extra credit, so they
do try their best. The average score on the math portion out of 18 is 5. We're
talking addition, subtraction, multiplying decimals, long division and percentages.
The vast majority of my students cannot do any of the last 3 skills, and that
includes the Seniors in my AP Environmental Science class. Every week when I hand back graded work the students must write down their scores on a log sheet, add up a subtotal to date, calculate their current percentage and write down the letter grades. I have hand-made posters all around my classroom demonstrating the steps involved in all of those skills, but most students still require me to remind them how to set up the long division and where to put the decimal point.
Today the girls were working on algebraic equations that required them to add or subtract negative or positive numbers to solve an equation like: x - 5 = 10. At first they weren't doing anything and then one, who I'll call "I" said the phrase I've banned from my classroom "I don't get it." I went over to see where she was stuck and it became clear that she did not know what to do to isolate x on one side of the equation and, then she did not know how to add five to 10. I helped her solve that one and then she called me back a few more times, but she also did several on her own. I also helped the other girl, my student, TP, who showed the exact same limitations. Once I helped them overcome some obstacles (without doing any of their work for them) they both happily worked diligently and happily. "I" even was smiling because she finally "got it". She was so proud of herself for finally learning how to do it. I told them both that I struggled a lot with math in high school and that I understood how frustrating it was when you did not know what to do, and I offered to tutor them any time.
When I learned that I'd need to leave 15 minutes early to go round up kids for detention (we have 10% of our students late to school or class every day and we make them stay 30 minutes to 1 hour late depending on how late they were). When I said I'd need to leave at 2:45, "I" admitted that she didn't know when that was. I "didn't get it" at first until she said that she didn't know how to read round clocks. She is 16 years old and cannot read an analog clock. She said she gets in trouble a lot because she takes out her cellphone in class to check the time because she can't read a clock. TP also told me that she didn't know how either, so I taught them. Now, that was a first for me. I had no idea that our kids could not tell time on a clock, only on a digital readout. I checked with a few other seasoned teachers and only one of them knew that this was a problem.
My Advisory kids are gonna be mad at me because now I'm going to test them on their ability to tell time on a "round clock". Then, based on that, I'll test all of my students. I'm also thinking about proposing watches as part of our dress code!
....When I got to my classroom this morning...butt cleavage! No, not me! There were two laborers in their finishing painting the walls (they didn't know it was a school day!!!) and they both had on "full moon pants"! Aside from that, I saw that they had taken down all of my posters and student work to install new whiteboards and some fancy wall treatments, called tackboards. Oh man, I had just written a bunch of stuff before I left class the previous day so that I'd have plenty of time to set up for labs. Rats! Now I and the teacher next door, have brand new whiteboards...on the back walls of our classrooms! I also could not locate any of the lab materials I had set out so carefully; turns out they were all piled on the bottom of the overhead projector cart under a sheaf of posters. Okay, so by now, I'm madly planning my Plan Cs for the day. (Plan A was developed last July when I thought I'd have the much-promised science lab. Plan B was the lab-lite I devised because the lab's still not finished.)
Plan B involved students bringing their favorite drinks and liquidy foods (pizza sauce, for example) to test the pH levels and figure out which ones would erode dental enamel and irritate linings of the digestive system. Ingrained student habits were on my side today; no one brought anything to test! So, we wound up using the time to set up an organizer for them to track and review the science concepts they've learned in class...and calculate more percentages. Yippee!
So, tomorrow we'll probably get to do the lab, and we'll only be 1 month behind my district-mandated pacing plan...after 1 month of school!
By the way, remember how excited I was about Parent Night? Our Administrator didn't do anything regarding Parent Night. So, 15 minutes before it was due to start, we teachers reported to the office to sign in and get our name badges and we discovered that she didn't have the phone bank notify the parents, reserve the auditorium, have any chairs or tables set up, make any signs, print any programs...or anything! Many of our parents are on tight schedules with multiple jobs and kids, so many parents were already there watching the teachers quickly set up the auditorium. Luckily one of us had the slide show from last year, so we just showed that, and since most of our parents do not understand English, our Foreign Language teacher talked them through the program. Their unease at our lack of professionalism was assuaged when they learned their kid could have a high school diploma, requirements to get into any UC, Associate of Arts degree and a trade certificate when the graduate from our program. We're the only public school program in our metropolis that can say that! We had several parents come in saying that they wanted their kid to transfer to a local private school and left saying how glad they were that their kid was in our program. Once they talk to us personally, what's not to like?
Next time, maybe I'll tell you about tinyboys!
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