One thing a high school teacher is always curious to find out? Their schedule. There are so many advantages and disadvantages to having certain class periods. My first year teaching, I didn't have a first period. I liked that because it meant I didn't have to hit the ground running. I could come in, leisurely check my mail box and my email and settle into my day. Last year, I had a first year period and I liked it because those kids are sleepy and QUIET! This year, I don't have a first period and I'm fine with that.
I learned my first year that having a class the last period of the day sucks. Kids are fried, hopped up on the sugar they ate at lunch and basically done when they walk in your class. Another great thing about not having a class last period is that you have the option to sign out early (or sneak out early...of course I have never done that). Both last year and this year, I have kids the last period every day. Oh well....
My other planning period is midday and it is when lunch happens. This always seems like a super extended planning period to me because I usually just eat lunch in my classroom. "Planning Period" sounds like more fun than it is. First off, think about how fast an hour goes by when you are in your office working on something (versus when you are on Facebook trying to kill time). Then, there is something called "duty". Your duty takes up HALF of your planning period. Some duties are conducive to getting work done (hall duty is great for grading papers) and some are hell on earth where you will do nothing but pray that it will be over soon (lunch duty). So, once you have walked to and from duty, that really leaves you about 30-40 minutes of planning time.
Which leads me to "Teacher Work Days." Ever wonder what we do on those days? I bet you think those days are fun, leisurely days where we grade papers and get our grades in, right? Nope. Those days usually require that we have our grades in by 10:00 a.m. and then the rest of the time we are in meetings or trainings. How about "Teacher Work Week," which starts Monday for us? That's not a week of us getting our classrooms ready, doing lesson plans, getting all of our copies made and organized for the first day. Well, we do that but we only have about 6 hours in our classrooms that whole week. The rest of the time? Yep, meetings and trainings.
"But you get the whole summer off!" Yes, I do. However, I offer you this: My contract is for a little over $39,000.00 this year. I taught summer school so that knocked out three weeks (see previous sentence about my yearly income). Summer is also when we take classes required for our recertification. Last but not least, our job is really exhausting and stressful. I know many people have stressful, exhausting jobs, but most of those people make more than I do and can afford nice vacations. Also, imagine that you get bronchitis and have to call in sick. Maybe you have the option to telecommute or be conferenced in for meetings. If not, your office is just going to have to suck it up, postpone meetings, have a coworker fill in, whatever. I have to get a sub (no easy feat at my school), create lesson plans for my sub and pray that my students don't assault the sub (it has happened). Being out for more than one day is really more hassle than it's worth. My first year teaching, I got pneumonia. I missed one day. Did I mention I only make $39,000.00 a year??
Monday, August 20, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
A letter to myself for February 2013
Dear MizNilknarf,
By the time you read this, it will be February 2013. Things are rough for you right now. I know, I know...it's winter, the weather sucks and you are tired of getting up in the dark. Spring Break is months away. You have been furiously prepping your kids for the SOL and you daily shake your head and think, "They are going to fail and I am going to be fired." You are frustrated because you feel like you are putting your heart and soul into teaching them and they don't care. You want it more than they do. The SOL is just a few weeks away and they still don't get that a thesis is only one sentence or how to write a decent introductory paragraph. Their spelling and grammar is deplorable. I mean come on, this is 10th grade--surely they should know by now that writing a paper is different from a text message! Why are they spelling "you" as "u" and using a "&" for "and"! This is your tenure year and you are thinking that for sure, you are going to apply for a transfer to another school. You fantasize about a classroom where students come prepared every day, the students are motivated, they function at a higher level, their parents actually care, they have goals for the future and they realize they have to work for them. You fantasize about working at a school where Admin is consistent, where students are held accountable instead of it all being the teachers' fault, where you can actually expect repercussions for some of the stuff that you have decided to just ignore because you are tired of filling out referrals with no real result. In short, you feel like you are totally wasting your time.
You are so wrong.
The first thing you need to do is call your sister because she is your cheerleader and is very good at getting you back on track.
Still not convinced?
Consider the following:
Love,
July 2012 MizNilknarf
By the time you read this, it will be February 2013. Things are rough for you right now. I know, I know...it's winter, the weather sucks and you are tired of getting up in the dark. Spring Break is months away. You have been furiously prepping your kids for the SOL and you daily shake your head and think, "They are going to fail and I am going to be fired." You are frustrated because you feel like you are putting your heart and soul into teaching them and they don't care. You want it more than they do. The SOL is just a few weeks away and they still don't get that a thesis is only one sentence or how to write a decent introductory paragraph. Their spelling and grammar is deplorable. I mean come on, this is 10th grade--surely they should know by now that writing a paper is different from a text message! Why are they spelling "you" as "u" and using a "&" for "and"! This is your tenure year and you are thinking that for sure, you are going to apply for a transfer to another school. You fantasize about a classroom where students come prepared every day, the students are motivated, they function at a higher level, their parents actually care, they have goals for the future and they realize they have to work for them. You fantasize about working at a school where Admin is consistent, where students are held accountable instead of it all being the teachers' fault, where you can actually expect repercussions for some of the stuff that you have decided to just ignore because you are tired of filling out referrals with no real result. In short, you feel like you are totally wasting your time.You are so wrong.
The first thing you need to do is call your sister because she is your cheerleader and is very good at getting you back on track.
Still not convinced?
Consider the following:
- The last two years, you have beaten yourself up about pending SOL scores and they have been really good. So just chill out. No one expects you to be Annie Sullivan, for God's sake.
- Progress isn't about grades or the SOL. Remember the borderline MR kid who got a B in your class last year and worked so hard? Think of all the kids who started the year not being able to write a decent sentence, who now are writing good paragraphs. What about the many kids who have told you they hated English until they took your class?
- For all their challenges, these kids are funny. As "July 2012 MizNilknarf", I am here to remind you that you were kind of bored teaching the mid to upper class kids in SAT prep. They don't find you as funny...
- You have the dorkiest sense of humor and only your kids truly appreciate it. Remember how hilarious they they think it is when you sing Biggie for them? Yeah, you will only get looks of disgust at the white, rich kids' school for that nonsense.
- Your kids need you. They seek you out to make connections that other kids do not need. You are mom/big sister/mentor to so many. Remember the girl who wrote an essay at the start of the year who said she would never trust any adult because of how she had been treated by her mother and foster parents? She wrote you a letter at the end of the year saying how much she loved and trusted you. You think you are going to get that kind of validation at one of the other schools?
- Remember that even though you think they all hate you, they really don't. Remember how of the Teacher Appreciation Week letters you received, many came from students you thought despised you? Remember how when you come back from summer vacation, all your kids hug you like you are their long lost best friend? Stop taking everything so personally!
- Remember how when the school year ended last year, you missed your students?
- Remember how whenever you saw them over the summer, they treated you
like a rock star? What about the one who came running to you, yelling
"Mama!"....Come on! That's good stuff!
- Remember how by August, you were bored with summer and excited to go back to school?
- Remember not everyone gets to be Ron Clark, LouAnneJohnson, or Erin Gruwell. But then, do you really do this job for the accolades? Be content knowing that you are one of the many overworked, underpaid teachers who are trying to make a difference and you are making a difference.
- Finally, remember how your stories and the things she has witnessed, inspired your daughter to want to be a teacher for the very same population you teach (God bless her, poor thing).
Love,
July 2012 MizNilknarf
Saturday, June 2, 2012
End of the Year Thoughts
In no particular order, here are the things that were different or that I did differently this year:
1. I bonded with the kids. Even the difficult ones. Last year, I realized that one obnoxious kid could ruin my whole class. This year I learned to make that obnoxious kid my best friend. It didn't work with every kid, but most of the time it did. At first, I faked it. Now, I love those obnoxious kids and they are devoted to me. They aren't all passing, but they are never disrespectful nor do they cause problems in my room. In fact, often they fuss at other kids who are misbehaving. I have a student who was labeled "the worst kid in his class" by the principal. Never once has he said a disrespectful word to me. The first week of school, I let him know that while I was aware of his reputation, I was giving him a clean slate and I believed in him. I actually went to bat for him to keep him from being permanently suspended and was successful.
2. I got better at dealing with parents. It is so easy to lose it with parents and become defensive. I became much better at discussing challenges with parents and convincing them that we were a team to help their child. Not all parents are willing to play along and that is the reason their children are the way they are. However, I developed some amazing relationships with parents who have up until this point, felt like the school had given up on their children.
3. I ignore most of it, laugh at some of it and then deal with what really is important. The bottom line is, I need these kids to learn. I need them to trust me and respect me. I have learned to pick my battles. This year I didn't even react to comments like, "This is stupid!" or (my personal favorite) "Miz Nilknarf, you makin' us do too much!" Whatever. They can do it or not do it, their choice and then their grade will reflect that. When they are trying to get my attention by being obnoxious and I can't ignore it, I often smile or laugh and then we move on. In really severe cases, I pull them outside and have a quick chat. I have done that probably less than two dozen times this entire year. In rare cases, I have them removed from the room (basically, when all of the above hasn't worked or when their actions are dangerous or intolerably disrespectful).
4. I use the loving guilt trip instead of yelling. These kids are used to yelling and anger. They see it all the time. They are immune to both. What takes them off guard is when I act like I am truly saddened and hurt by their behavior because I care so much. I had a student who was skipping constantly and finally I pulled him aside and said, "When you skip, it really makes me sad because I really want you to pass my class and I just don't understand why you wouldn't want to come!" He never skipped again. I also often preface any kind of redirection with "I love you" and make it super polite. I know this seems completely ridiculous but these kids need to hear it and believe it. So, "Jasmine? You know I love you, but your behavior right now is really disruptive. Can you please stop talking and get back to work?" Inevitably, I get a "Oh, my bad, Miz Nilknarf," and that is the end of that.
5. I gave more thought to what I wanted them to actually know. Five years from now, will they need to know the intricacies of the plot of A Raisin in the Sun? No, but I would like them to be able to make connections between literature and their world, be able to identify certain elements of stories and be able to write and speak eloquently about what they have read. I want them to be able to formulate opinions and be able to support them. Most of all, I want them to get that reading is important and should be a part of their lives way beyond school. It has made a huge difference in how I grade and how successful they are in my class.
6. I do most classwork collaboratively. In the real world, my students will need to know how to work with other people, throw ideas off of each other to find answers and solutions, and use resources to get there. One person may not know all the answers, but an entire group of people should. This offers a great opportunity to use student-led remediation and to create an investment by the class as they work together.
7. I have credibility with Administration. After a pretty traumatic bump first semester where I had to stand up to the principal (with the full backing of the NEA, God bless them!) I have gotten the confidence of Administration. I rarely say no to anything, have a great relationship with my peers and have demonstrated that I have a commitment to these kids and the success of this school. It is sad that I have to earn it rather than just be given it, but it is what it is.
8. I give them the grade that they deserve. Failing someone can sometimes be a good thing. It is important to learn that you don't just get a free ride and endless chances to pull it together. A teacher friend told me she failed a student in 9th grade. This week, that student is going to graduate and has signed on with a college to play football. He invited her to the signing because he said her failing him had been the wake up call he needed. Conversely, a student who works hard and makes progress, even if it is not on the level with the rest of the class, should be rewarded. I have a student in my collaborative class (half special ed/half mainstream students) who could barely put a sentence together at the start of the year. He did not pass the state mandated test, but he is passing my class because he worked so hard and has come so far. So, I am going to say out loud what I think most teachers do, but never speak of--I differentiate grades. If you are brilliant and put in minimum effort, it shows in your ultimate grade. If you struggle but work hard, I give you credit for that.
9. I go to after school events. I had a student who never said a word or did anything in class until I started showing up at his basketball games. He made a total turn around and works hard and would do anything for me. I found out that this student is in a group home. He doesn't have parents sitting in the bleachers, but he has me there.
10. I give them an opportunity to say thank you. During Teacher Appreciation Week, I asked each student to write a letter to a teacher who has made a difference to them. I specifically said, "Don't write one to me because I don't want anyone to feel like they have to suck up." Guess what? Some still wrote to me anyway! I was shocked in some cases by who chose to write to me and why my class had been important to them and they made me cry I was so moved. Beyond that, other teachers so appreciated those letters and it gave me the opportunity to see which teachers are really valued by students. Those are the ones I will go to when I need advice.
My daughter has decided to be a teacher, God bless her. I am proud to have her step up to be a part of a profession that is the basis for everything that is important in society. Yes, we are underpaid but what we get in return is so much more valuable. Few people get the privilege in their jobs of impacting lives and potentially changing the world. That is an incredible responsibility, but an overwhelming honor.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Was it Opposite Day?
I think my most jaw dropping, head-scratching experience came last week with a student I will call Andrea. Andrea is a big girl and comes off mean as a snake. She carries herself in a way that makes it clear that no one should mess with her. Andrea told me to "F... off" at least three times before Christmas break. One time, she threw such a fit after I asked her to spit her gum out that I had to have our SRO (School Resource Officer--a police officer assigned to security detail at our school) come in. She refused to move even for him and ended up suspended for a few days. She was categorically unlikeable, never participated, often slept and frequently gave me dirty looks.
However, I always greeted Andrea at the door with a smile, was encouraging and helpful even when she wasn't receptive to it. I got her extra help on the SOL and when she didn't pass it, I told her that I knew how hard she worked and that I felt confident she could pass it next time. At the end of the year, she was borderline between passing and failing and I worked with her until she got everything made up and passed (barely). Never once did she crack a smile or in any way show that she appreciated any of it.
Last week, I was eating lunch in my room when Andrea came in with a friend, gave me a big hug and told her friend I was her "favorite teacher ever". I was stunned, trying to figure out if she was trying to play some kind of joke on me. Then she came by again the next day, this time alone and told me all about her classes. She came by again today, walking through my door singing cheerfully "Hi Favorite Teacher!" Finally, I couldn't control myself anymore and said "Andrea, I am really surprised to hear you say that because I honestly thought you did not like me last year." She looked completely shocked and said, "Miz Nilknarf! Why did you think that?!" I responded, "Well, there were several incidents where you were very upset with me and told me to 'F off'."
Andrea's face softened and I got a glimpse of the sweet child she must have been before whatever happened to make her so hard. "Ms. Johnston, I didn't hate you! I was just angry! Not at you...at everything. I still get angry sometimes. I've already been suspended this year because I got angry and cussed at Mr. B. But really, you were the only teacher who I really thought actually cared about me."
My God.
For all that these kids are rude, disrespectful, lazy, and sometimes downright unlikeable, each one of them is truly just a kid that needs someone to care about them. I have no idea what this poor child's situation is at home, but obviously it has not been an easy road for her. I ended last year saying that if my students had learned nothing else and remembered me with disdain, at least I never compromised in my goal of teaching them how to be responsible, thoughtful, respectful, productive Citizens of the World.
In the end, isn't this what teaching is truly about? Of course, I want my students to succeed academically, pass the SOL, learn to be great writers, become avid readers and go on to college and have successful careers. However, if I can make them feel like they matter, is that not valuable? I need to hold onto that thought when I have a day like yesterday, where I had a girl-fight in my classroom and ended up having Daniel removed from my class and suspended!
Friday, September 9, 2011
MizNilknarf 2.0
Smooth.
I would describe my first week back as smooth. When I compare this week to the first week of last year, it is like night and day. I have had a great week and am so glad to be back among the familiar faces of my students and teacher friends. The vibe is very different--Admin has put out many new initiatives, plus we have many new, young, enthusiastic teachers (i.e., they still wake up in the morning thinking "I'm going to make a difference today!"). I was that teacher a year ago and my fall from idealist to realist was a difficult, but important one.
Just a few things that are different for me this year:
1. I have confidence. I've done this, and while there is always room for improvement, I did it well last year and I know that I want to continue teaching. It also means that I don't take anything a student does, personally.
2. I made the expectations clear Day One and continue to review them. I made the mistake last year of assuming that the students knew how to behave. Silly me! Another thing I figured out is that students have seven classes. That means seven sets of rules and expectations. That would be hard to keep straight for anyone. So we will review expectations daily until I am sure they've got it.
3. I am no longer shocked by student behavior. It's amazing my chin wasn't skinned up from dropping to the floor so many times my first year. I am much more in control of myself, which means I am more in control of them.
4. I am more proactive. My 7th period this year is very similar to last year's 7th period. Ironically, I came to really enjoy those kids, but only after I figured out how to manage them. I remember last year about 3 weeks in, when I finally lost my cool and yelled "SHUT! UP!" There was stunned silence for a minute and then....laughing. This year, I started with incentives (such as raffle day) right away to encourage good behavior. For example, we had a fire drill today. I know how students loved to dawdle on their way back. I told them the first ten students back in the room would get raffle tickets and the ones who didn't come back in a reasonable amount of time would be written up. I did just that. Ten kids got raffle tickets; two kids got a written warning and a phone call home.
5. My class is more rigorous this year. While my kids ended up doing well on the SOLs, I think I was too easy on them. It felt like pulling teeth to get them to do any work, so I think I dumbed it down a bit. I'm not doing that this year. I made them start five paragraph essays on Day 2.
I'll end this post with a story about Daniel, whom I can already tell is going to be a challenge this year. The first day, Daniel was loud and disruptive from the time the bell rang. I finally pulled him into the hall and told him his behavior was unacceptable and that he could settle down and rejoin us or I would call an administrator. He opted to come back in. He kept demanding to go to the bathroom and finally when he had finished his work, I wrote him a pass. Twenty minutes later an administrator returned Daniel after he was found wandering the halls. I asked Daniel to stay back after class and instead, he ran off. I wrote him up, called his mother and left a message and then talked to an administrator and a few other teachers who said he'd frequently been in trouble last year.
Before the bell rang, I saw him in the hall lingering before coming in my room. I called him over--I could feel him bracing himself for being chewed out. Instead I said, "Daniel, what do you want to do after graduation?"
He responded, "Go to college." I then told him that if he wanted to go to college then he needed to pass my class as well as the SOL. I told him that his behavior the day before was going to get in the way of his goals. I informed him that I had given him a written warning the day before and that if I had any trouble that day, he was going into another classroom. I said all of this in a very calm voice. He wasn't perfect in class, but his behavior was markedly better than the day before.
As Sister Pollard said, "My feets is tired, but my soul is rested." I left the building today with a week behind me, feeling confident and excited about the year to come. This is a hard job, but it really is worth it.
I would describe my first week back as smooth. When I compare this week to the first week of last year, it is like night and day. I have had a great week and am so glad to be back among the familiar faces of my students and teacher friends. The vibe is very different--Admin has put out many new initiatives, plus we have many new, young, enthusiastic teachers (i.e., they still wake up in the morning thinking "I'm going to make a difference today!"). I was that teacher a year ago and my fall from idealist to realist was a difficult, but important one.
Just a few things that are different for me this year:
1. I have confidence. I've done this, and while there is always room for improvement, I did it well last year and I know that I want to continue teaching. It also means that I don't take anything a student does, personally.
2. I made the expectations clear Day One and continue to review them. I made the mistake last year of assuming that the students knew how to behave. Silly me! Another thing I figured out is that students have seven classes. That means seven sets of rules and expectations. That would be hard to keep straight for anyone. So we will review expectations daily until I am sure they've got it.
3. I am no longer shocked by student behavior. It's amazing my chin wasn't skinned up from dropping to the floor so many times my first year. I am much more in control of myself, which means I am more in control of them.
4. I am more proactive. My 7th period this year is very similar to last year's 7th period. Ironically, I came to really enjoy those kids, but only after I figured out how to manage them. I remember last year about 3 weeks in, when I finally lost my cool and yelled "SHUT! UP!" There was stunned silence for a minute and then....laughing. This year, I started with incentives (such as raffle day) right away to encourage good behavior. For example, we had a fire drill today. I know how students loved to dawdle on their way back. I told them the first ten students back in the room would get raffle tickets and the ones who didn't come back in a reasonable amount of time would be written up. I did just that. Ten kids got raffle tickets; two kids got a written warning and a phone call home.
5. My class is more rigorous this year. While my kids ended up doing well on the SOLs, I think I was too easy on them. It felt like pulling teeth to get them to do any work, so I think I dumbed it down a bit. I'm not doing that this year. I made them start five paragraph essays on Day 2.
I'll end this post with a story about Daniel, whom I can already tell is going to be a challenge this year. The first day, Daniel was loud and disruptive from the time the bell rang. I finally pulled him into the hall and told him his behavior was unacceptable and that he could settle down and rejoin us or I would call an administrator. He opted to come back in. He kept demanding to go to the bathroom and finally when he had finished his work, I wrote him a pass. Twenty minutes later an administrator returned Daniel after he was found wandering the halls. I asked Daniel to stay back after class and instead, he ran off. I wrote him up, called his mother and left a message and then talked to an administrator and a few other teachers who said he'd frequently been in trouble last year.
Before the bell rang, I saw him in the hall lingering before coming in my room. I called him over--I could feel him bracing himself for being chewed out. Instead I said, "Daniel, what do you want to do after graduation?"
He responded, "Go to college." I then told him that if he wanted to go to college then he needed to pass my class as well as the SOL. I told him that his behavior the day before was going to get in the way of his goals. I informed him that I had given him a written warning the day before and that if I had any trouble that day, he was going into another classroom. I said all of this in a very calm voice. He wasn't perfect in class, but his behavior was markedly better than the day before. As Sister Pollard said, "My feets is tired, but my soul is rested." I left the building today with a week behind me, feeling confident and excited about the year to come. This is a hard job, but it really is worth it.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Dear Parents...
Dear Parents,
Tomorrow your children will become my children for the next ten months. Please believe that I want them to be successful as much as (or in some cases maybe more than) you do. Here are some simple things you can do to help your child:
1. Ask questions. Ask them about school, not just about academics, but about their friends, their interests, their teachers. School is by far the largest and most influential part of their lives--what happens there matters.
2. Ask their teacher questions. It takes only a minute to drop an email to your child's teacher that says "How are things going?". Trust me, the teacher will appreciate your interest! This goes double for if your child has something going on that may interfere with school. If there has been a death in the family, a change in the household, your child has been very sick--let me know and I will work with him while he gets through it.
3. Be your child's advocate. If something isn't going well for your child, it is important that you address it immediately. This runs the spectrum from difficulty with a particular class, to bullying, to getting tested for learning disabilities.
4. If I contact you, understand that it's because I care about your child and his education, not because I am "picking on him". Try to listen and be objective. No one wants to get "that phone call". It's embarrassing, infuriating and difficult not to take personally. However, understand that when it comes to success in school, your child is often his own worst enemy. If you aren't insisting that he do his work and behave in a respectful manner at home, then why should he do it in school?
5. Don't make excuses for your child. Ultimately one of our jobs is to prepare your children for the real world. In the real world, everyone is accountable for their choices and this lesson should begin in school and at home.
6. Don't make excuses for yourself. It is extremely easy to find out exactly how your child is doing in school. If you have computer access, you can find it out in seconds. Make it your business to know so there won't be any surprises come report card day.
7. Model respect at home. If you want your child to treat people with respect, you must treat your child with respect. I have seen so many angry, damaged children with low self-esteem. Your relationship with your child is the model for every relationship he will have for the rest of his life.
8. School supplies. Buy them. Right away. Don't tell me you can't afford $3 in school supplies when your kid has a cell phone, acrylic nails and $100 tennis shoes. If you truly can't afford them, there are options, but it's not my job to figure them out.
9. Say thank you to your child's teacher. I can live on a kind word for weeks. Every email I have ever gotten with a thank you, I save. Every kind word, I hold close to my heart. We don't do this job for the money--this job is a calling. A acknowledgement of how hard we work is so appreciated.
10. If you can, send something in. This happens all the time in elementary school, but not in upper grades. The school provides the desks and the rooms. Everything else, from the decorations on the bulletin boards to the kleenex on our desks, come from our pockets. Send in a box of kleenex and some hand sanitizer every once in awhile and we will love you forever!
11. Help your child to understand that it doesn't matter if he "likes" me or not. It is another great lesson to learn that in life that we will always have to deal with people in positions of authority that we don't like or who do things that we don't agree with. How many bosses have you liked? Bottom line, it is not a reason to be disrespectful or blow off the work. If you do, you are only hurting yourself.
12. Make sure they have breakfast and lunch. I know, I know, my kids tell me "I'm not hungry" too! See this is where you have to actually be the parent and do the hard work of making them do something they don't want to do/care about because its whats best for them. Throw them a granola bar before they walk out the door at minimum. Make sure they have lunch or money for lunch time. I can't even begin to teach these kids when they are hungry.
13. There are some clothes that are not appropriate for school. Yes, yes, I know its a crummy way to start the day telling your daughter she can't go to school with her boobs hanging out of her shirt or your son that its not appropriate to have his pants down below his butt along with a t-shirt that says "Free Breast Exams--Ask Me How!", but it's got to be done.
Thanks a million,
Your kid's teacher
Tomorrow your children will become my children for the next ten months. Please believe that I want them to be successful as much as (or in some cases maybe more than) you do. Here are some simple things you can do to help your child:
1. Ask questions. Ask them about school, not just about academics, but about their friends, their interests, their teachers. School is by far the largest and most influential part of their lives--what happens there matters.
2. Ask their teacher questions. It takes only a minute to drop an email to your child's teacher that says "How are things going?". Trust me, the teacher will appreciate your interest! This goes double for if your child has something going on that may interfere with school. If there has been a death in the family, a change in the household, your child has been very sick--let me know and I will work with him while he gets through it.
3. Be your child's advocate. If something isn't going well for your child, it is important that you address it immediately. This runs the spectrum from difficulty with a particular class, to bullying, to getting tested for learning disabilities.
4. If I contact you, understand that it's because I care about your child and his education, not because I am "picking on him". Try to listen and be objective. No one wants to get "that phone call". It's embarrassing, infuriating and difficult not to take personally. However, understand that when it comes to success in school, your child is often his own worst enemy. If you aren't insisting that he do his work and behave in a respectful manner at home, then why should he do it in school?
5. Don't make excuses for your child. Ultimately one of our jobs is to prepare your children for the real world. In the real world, everyone is accountable for their choices and this lesson should begin in school and at home.
6. Don't make excuses for yourself. It is extremely easy to find out exactly how your child is doing in school. If you have computer access, you can find it out in seconds. Make it your business to know so there won't be any surprises come report card day.
7. Model respect at home. If you want your child to treat people with respect, you must treat your child with respect. I have seen so many angry, damaged children with low self-esteem. Your relationship with your child is the model for every relationship he will have for the rest of his life.
8. School supplies. Buy them. Right away. Don't tell me you can't afford $3 in school supplies when your kid has a cell phone, acrylic nails and $100 tennis shoes. If you truly can't afford them, there are options, but it's not my job to figure them out.
9. Say thank you to your child's teacher. I can live on a kind word for weeks. Every email I have ever gotten with a thank you, I save. Every kind word, I hold close to my heart. We don't do this job for the money--this job is a calling. A acknowledgement of how hard we work is so appreciated.
10. If you can, send something in. This happens all the time in elementary school, but not in upper grades. The school provides the desks and the rooms. Everything else, from the decorations on the bulletin boards to the kleenex on our desks, come from our pockets. Send in a box of kleenex and some hand sanitizer every once in awhile and we will love you forever!
11. Help your child to understand that it doesn't matter if he "likes" me or not. It is another great lesson to learn that in life that we will always have to deal with people in positions of authority that we don't like or who do things that we don't agree with. How many bosses have you liked? Bottom line, it is not a reason to be disrespectful or blow off the work. If you do, you are only hurting yourself.
12. Make sure they have breakfast and lunch. I know, I know, my kids tell me "I'm not hungry" too! See this is where you have to actually be the parent and do the hard work of making them do something they don't want to do/care about because its whats best for them. Throw them a granola bar before they walk out the door at minimum. Make sure they have lunch or money for lunch time. I can't even begin to teach these kids when they are hungry.
13. There are some clothes that are not appropriate for school. Yes, yes, I know its a crummy way to start the day telling your daughter she can't go to school with her boobs hanging out of her shirt or your son that its not appropriate to have his pants down below his butt along with a t-shirt that says "Free Breast Exams--Ask Me How!", but it's got to be done.
Thanks a million,
Your kid's teacher
Thursday, September 1, 2011
And it Starts....
That said, Admin is making a concerted effort to address many of the issues that caused the mass exodus last year. There is a new discipline program in place, that was created with the input of our teachers, including yours truly. If (and this is a big "if") our teachers and Admin work together and are consistent, this should make a huge difference. We also have a mentoring program that is promising. Each teacher will be assigned a group of approximately 20 students. We will meet every day for the first two weeks and twice monthly thereafter with a predetermined curriculum of discussion topics and activities. One thing these kids want is attention and one thing they need is to feel that people actually care. I will work with this same group of kids for the next three years, until they graduate. I am hoping that the formation of positive relationships with an adult will make a big difference in our students.
Another new, and somewhat intimidating, thing that I am doing this year is teaching two "collab" classes. These are classes that are roughly 50% average students and 50% special education students. I will have a special education teacher in my class to assist and he happens to be one of the best. He is also a giant football player type. It gives me great comfort to know that for two classes, not only will I have academic suppport, but also, no one is going to threaten me with this guy in the room!
My room is ready to go and I think it looks great. I arranged the seats in a "modified horseshoe" arrangement to avoid a back row. I have three rows of three desks left, center and right. It is bright and cheery and as my friend Mr. I said, now when a student tells me to f*@# off, it will be in a festive setting!
Wouldn't you know that while I was getting my room ready, three students from my Infamous 7th Period came by, all smiles, greeting me with hugs, like I was their long lost best buddy. Most astounding was that after they turned the corner another girl said (and I could hear them because speaking quietly is apparently not a skill they have ever mastered)"Is that your English teacher this year?" and one said "No, she was our teacher last year...and she was the best!" I take it with a grain of salt and I am just glad that they didn't give me the finger in front of my mother and son...
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