Below is a blog that an alumni from IUP completed during the first part of his first year of teaching. His name is Michael Snedden and it may be something you would like to share with students in methods. Tuesday, February 5, 2008 It seems like ages ago.... Today I got observed by a student teacher. He was working to complete his observations, etc. This really made me start thinking about my own student teaching. It was hard and I worked my tail off that semester. Part of me wondered if teaching would be like that forever.......there was even part of me that was struggling with the idea of being this busy all the time. But here I am, almost a year out......my first year nearly complete. It's crazy....student teaching was hard, starting this first year was hard......but now, Now its kinda easy. Each day is a new day, with different circumstances that arise. This is what I always wanted to do. I'm comfortable now. I applied to grad school last night. Crazy. I didnt imagine this would come so quick.......but when the school is reimbursing for tuition, you can't pass that up, or delay! :-) I'm planning on completing a masters in Educational Leadership. This is step one to my journey to becoming a school principal, or maybe someday higher. We shall see what this journey holds for me. Out of school for less than a year, and already planing to go back....haha the life of a teacher. Educaiton never stops. This is the true meaning of being a life-long learner. Take care. Posted by firstyearteach at 3:51 PM 0 comments Thursday, January 31, 2008 100 Days, 80 To Go Well, we have 100 days in, and only 80 more to go. I can't believe how fast its going. It seems that now that we're on the downward slope of the school year more and more things are arising. Teachers say this is common for the remainder of the year. This month we are looking at two different assemblies, PSSA's round I, scheduling, and class meetings. In the coming months theres breaks, more meetings, assembies, and more PSSA's. It makes planning very difficult! I started teaching a new class this semester, QuickBooks, that I have NEVER taught before, let alone even used. But, overall, I think I'm doing a pretty good job staying a chapter ahead and spending my evenings learning the materials. Its an easy program to use and teach, so no big deal there. There is talk floating around about maybe starting a class with a programming language......not something I'm looking to do, but maybe?! The first signs of construction within our building have appeared. This is going to be make teaching very difficult for the next two years. There are going to be issues of sharing classrooms, packing our materials, moving classrooms, dealing with the normal construction atmosphere, and I just found out today that the entire building is going to be shut off this summer. So looks like I'm packing up EVERYTHING and ANYTHING and bringing it home with me.....just in case I may need it. Now its time to turn to a more serious subjet........school violence. When my door is closed, I'm unkowing to the violence seen in school. But walking the halls and working lunch duty, this violence is seen in a variety of ways. We have two girl gangs that continue to cause problems in school. Fights that started the night prior come into the school building the next day. A wrong look or comment starts the fight all over again. This is extremely hard on the student body as a whole. First of all, these students that are fighting are those students that REALLY need to be in the classroom and learning the materials, but their minds are constantly thinking about the next fight, or who said what. Or worse, the students are thrown out of school. I also feel this violence affects the other students as well. All day long students are hearing the comments, seeing the fights, or talking about what happened with their peers and students. It now appears on the minds of the hardworking students as well. Bomb threats.....yeah, these started this week too. We have not evacuated the buildings......given the timing of the threats.....the school and police team stated there was no reason to evacuate. All of these things are baggage that comes with teaching. School violence is a HUGE concern in schools today. We are a small school that has the violence program fairly under control.....but at the same time it makes you wonder about "what if" what if someone says something wrong to the student that is on the verge of breaking.......and they snap and innocent people are effected. Or what if someone actually carries a bomb threat through. Its a tough world out there....and some of our kids live in the toughest of situations. Sadly, these situations become the teachers situations too. Your face to face with each students backgrounds, known or unknown, you must adjust your teaching to meet their needs. Your walking into a situaiton where you attempt to be the peace keeper of your students.....maybe for only your period, but still your doing your part. This sounds very negative, and this is not just teaching.......this is the world today. This is what teaching is all about.....adjusting to the world and your surroundings. At the same time, violence is real in schools. Posted by firstyearteach at 5:07 PM 0 comments Monday, December 17, 2007 Christmas Break Well...its been over two months since I updated this. There are countless reasons, excuses, or circumstances that caused that. But all in all, it was just being too busy. With that being said, I must explain that since my last post, I have settled more in the grove of things and have been better able to guess at the pace my students will progress. This has opened the wonderful world of "working ahead." Typically I was staying one or two weeks ahead of my students. Now its about a month ahead, if not more. This is a HUGE help and a HUGE stress relief. Up until this point, I was uncertain how my students viewed me. did they like me, was I just "ok", or was I that teacher that the students all talked about in the hallways. Regardless, I would not have changed too much....unless of course I was hated. Do I know the answer to this question? no....not yet. But I have seen my students confide in me, and talk to me, and respect me. For instance, I had one student that was ESL and I didnt know if she was even understanding me when I spoke. Two weeks ago, she told me her family was leaving to go back to Pakistan. This saddened me because I had seen her progress so greatly over the past weeks. Her last day she gave me a card, and in her best English said "I have learned alot from you, thank you for being so patient." Needless to say....this was a teacher moment for me. It was a weird feeling to see right before me, that I had made a difference. I will cherish her card forever, for it only states "I will miss you." If nothing else happens this year, I will know that I made a difference to at least one student. Also, I have been given the chance to act as a listener to my student. Today, one student entered my class and was not her cheery self. I called her up to my desk and asked her what was wrong. With a single tear on her cheek she said to me "my dad has cancer. Its bad Mr. S." I talked to her about what was going on, and my heart really went out to her. The bell rang, I got the other students started on their assignments, but she and I just talked. We talked about courage, strength, fear, and how she fears for this being the only memory from her senior year. I didnt say much, I mainly listened......But I could tell she needed to talk. I could not demand her to do her accounting work and ignore this problem, so I listened. I cannot change what is going on, but I can support my students. Time is flying. Two weeks after the christmas break the first half of my first year teaching will be over. Its just crazy how fast it goes. You get to know your students, your coworkers, and the materials your required to teach each 9 weeks. But it goes by so quick. This semester I started keeping a Wall of Stuff. Students post pictures, school work, articles, and other important items. It allows them to create a wall that defines their year and the things that are important to them. It is small now...but growing. I can't wait till June 6 to look at this wall and remember the year. It will seem like its just tomorrow.....I'm sure about that. Posted by firstyearteach at 8:00 PM 3 comments Thursday, October 11, 2007 Spirit Week This week is spirit week at CASHS. This has been a great way to connect with the students. Many of the "older" teachers are not participating and wearing normal clothes to school, but many of the younger, newer teachers are particpating in the spirit week activities. I really found this to be a great way to connect with the students. It opened communication doors, but also showed the students that I am as proud to be a part of their school community as they are......I know that sounds cliche, but its true. Tomorrow is Blue and White day and I'm allowing two students to paint my head like the teams football helmet....we will see how this turns out! On Monday, we had a full staff inservice, which was the first time all the teachers from the entire district were together for an inservice. Now picture this.....recieving an email that says you are sittng through a speaker from 8am-11:30am. Mind you, I have an attention span that runs out after 30min, so I was a little worried....but this was a great speaker and program that really had some great points concerning the field of education in this country. The speaker, Dr. Willard Daggett, is the president of the International Center for Leadership in Education. His presentation entitled, "The Education Challenge-Preparing Students for a Changing World" was an incredible presentation that really made you think about the status of education in this country. Daggett speaks to not only schools and the teachers/admin staff, but to the business community also. He had many great points I'll speak about now: Diversity: This is a huge issue in the area I'm working now. Students are all different and come from different surroundings and cultures. Daggett spoke about how its important to encourage students to keep the individuality with diversity, but to unite as one school community. The World Today: As most know, India and China continue to grow and thrive and are becoming new World powers as the US continues to lose its "World Power" status. And though I hate to talk politics, this was a very valid point. With this, he spoke about how we are not using this changing world in our classroom. He said there are around 25,000 students taking courses in Chinese in the country, but over 2.5 million are taking courses in French. The French teacher really didnt like this comment, but its the truth....and he even said that he would speak the truth. Also, he said that schools need to be teaching International Business classes and having individuals in the field speak to the students so they can see outside the walls of the school. Real World Application: Speaking about Rigor and Relevance, he explained that some of the best schools in the country are the BEST because they use Rigor and Relevance. So often schools solely focus on teaching students what htey need to know, but never have them solve real world problems. Students need to know how to apply this knowledge and think critically to solve the problems. Cross the Board: Alongside real world problems, Daggett explaiend the teachers need to be teaching similar things in a variety of subjects. Each teacher will have a different way of teaching things, so teaching the same items and skills in a different subjects will help improve student performance......such as reading. Generation Gaps: Even though I am a new teacher, and fresh from College, there are still many gaps between me and my students. Students today are growing up in a world full of technology and technology that is always changing. As educators, we need to embrace the technology in the classroom and try to stay with the changing world....this includes spending the money to give our students state of the art technology tools. As you can see, Daggett spoke about may great things. I would really recommend hearing him speak if hte opportunity ever does arise. I'm anxious to participate in the homecoming activities this week!! Posted by firstyearteach at 1:08 PM 4 comments Friday, October 5, 2007 Its been a while... Sorry for being away so long. Its been a crazy couple weeks on my end of things. Let me update, talk, vent, and discuss a few things that are on my mind. Hard to believe...but we are already over half way through the first nine weeks. If I step back and think about it....I'm 1/8 of the way done with my first year teaching. That's just crazy to think. "Firsts" are a funny thing....cause it really is just that.....a first.....never to happen again. For example, my first day of school in my own classroom, it has come and gone. My first parents night, has come and gone. And soon.....in what appears to be the blink of an eye my first year will be gone also. School has been going well! My planning has become easier and I'm settling into a grove of how I run my classroom and the way my lessons go each day. This is funny......because I try to mix it up each week....but with the kids, there are certain things they hold constant. Everyday on my PowerPoint slide that outlines the class period and the agenda/objectives, I include a motivational quote. Well, with the hectic schedule of the day, I forgot to put up the slide. To this, I was greeted with "Mr. S, where is my motivation for the day?" Of course, I was not sure what he meant.....but he read this quote everyday, and I forgot to put it up. Someone responded to one of my posts asking about lesson plans and how long they take. The most I can say is.....you get out of them what you put into them. There have been busy weeks where my creativity has not been as great as other weeks.......but then there were those weeks that you work to create these awesome lessons that just keep the whole class moving. What do I mean.....well, has there been times that lesson plans have taken me three hours to complete? yeah.....during student teaching and even at the beginning of this year I worked longer on some of my lessons.....probably not three hours, but long enough I suppose. But as you get into the grove of things, lesson plans become easier, quicker, and does not have to compromise your creativity with them. That has been the nice thing for me....I complete my lesson plans, and explain what will be done in that class period, but now into teaching for a while.....I don't really read my lesson plans, or stick to them while I'm teaching. I get on a roll and go with it. I still know in my head what I wanted to accomplish that period, but I work at my own pace and keep the energy going and keep them on their toes. Parents night.....there I stood in the doorway of my classroom as the bell for all the parents to go to 2 nd period. Nervous as hell I greeted each parent as they walked into my classroom. It was like the first day of school all over again...but with adults. End result....I was being dumb. Parents night was fun.....and at the end of 2 nd period, I was relaxed and enjoyed the rest of parents night. Parents night was a real eye opener for me.........that what I do in my classroom does not stay in my classroom. The kids actually go home and talk to their parents about my class. Many of the parents approached me and told me some of the great things that their kids came home and told them about the class, about me, and what they are looking forward to! You don't go into teaching to be recognized for your work.....but hearing those parents talk about what their children had told them was the best pat on the back I could have wanted. Coming into this position, I ran into a few road blocks with my students. First, teaching the accounting II, I was relying on what the teaching from accounting I had taught them. But that was the easy part, the hardest part was the student adjusting to my teaching style over the other teachers. Our first chapter together, this was a little rough at times. But now the kids took the second chapter test, and they DOMINATED it.....I attribute this to them being adjusted to my teaching style. Meetings Meeting Meetings.......get ready for them. You will have meetings out the rear! Being in a school under corrective action for PSSA scores, this is even more likely. But it goes with the job and territory.....so you get used to it! :-) That is all I really have to talk about now. Feel free to post a question or something of the sort. Posted by firstyearteach at 3:37 PM 2 comments Monday, September 10, 2007 Week 3 Begins Week 3 began today. I have settled into my routine, my students understand what is expected of them each day, and for the most part.....life has been good @ CASHS. I learned some lessons today..... 1. Since I started, I have heard the copy lady refered to as "the copy nazi." well....I being Mike, decided that this was wrong and that she couldnt be that bad. She lived up to the name. I will do my own copies from now on. So.....lesson one. Dont expect everyone to be nice to you because your new. Sink or swim says it best. 2. Tonight I got into a conversation with my one friend. It turned into a debate of who works harder etc. etc. I really had to think about it.....and when it comes down to it.......teaching does not stop in the classroom. If anyone thinks teaching is an 8-3 job....they are very VERY mistaken. Everyday I enter the building at 7am, awaiting my students which come at 8:05. What do I do for this hour? Prepare everything for the day ahead. Getting handouts out and ready, orienting the SMartboard, reviewing any PowerPoint slides, and talking with the other teachers. Then I'm off and teaching for the rest of the day. At 3:10pm those students leave the hallways and load onto their buses. This is right about the time I settle into my chair in front of my computer and begin working on the miscellaneous items that need to be taken care of. About 4:15, I leave and head home. Make dinner then head upstairs to work on lesson plans, lessons, PowerPoints, and whatever else might need to be done. I realize now that teaching is my life, not just my job. I would not change it for the world. So.....who works harder? I think its a debate of who works longer. 3. My next lesson occured during one of my computer classes. Students will push....just to see how far they can go. They will see how close to the edge they can get you before you jump off the deep end. As a new teacher, this could be difficult.......how to handle this sticky situation and come out in control of your class. The student I reference has little rude and snide comments to say about everything and everything. How did I handle this situation? I asked her to pull out a piece of paper. Once done, she asked why.....to which I responded with "so you can write down all your comments and I'll be sure to read them tonight." Instantly there was silence from her, she starred at her computer and we were ready to move on. Its time to get back to working on some lessons. Posted by firstyearteach at 4:27 PM 5 comments Tuesday, September 4, 2007 Start of Week 2 Last week I got an email from one of my former professors. He said, "teaching is more then making lesson plans." This is the dead honest truth. I would say my lesson plans are just 2% of what I do each day. I have learned last week and this, that teaching is reading your students, changing to fit their needs, staying flexible, figuring out what makes your students grow....just to name a few. Being in a large and growing school....I have been faced with the changes of the U.S. Culture....meaning the growing population of ESL students. Those students that are in the U.S. but who's native tongue is not English. This has been an interesting change for me from my student teaching. During student teaching, I worked with all English speaking individuals....Here, I find myself working with both students that speak English, and those that struggle in the classroom because of the language. I have started to mend my lessons to fit their needs. When you talk about NCLB, it includes all students....this is a big push at CASD.....the success of all students. One class in particular I have three ESL students. I love to see them work through the assignments and to see them not only succeed on my assignments, but also in reading the language. Last Friday was picture day. All the students dressed in their finest....smiling their hearts out. One of my students wore an old suit, perhaps his fathers, and many of the other students starred at his choice of outfit. Though a strange sight, you could tell he felt like a million dollars wearing that suit. The best part for me as a teacher.....seeing him feel like a million bucks.......made him worth a million bucks. Now...why do I tell this story? Well......its funny how quick you start to care about your students and want to see them enjoy school and your class. Teaching a subject such as Accounting, its easy to watch students get bogged down, frustrated, or annoyed with the subject material. But seeing them happy in your classroom is important. But this goes beyond the classroom too. I attended one of the athletic events of one of my students. Sure, I was bored....I've never really been interested in soccer....but this was his past time and enjoyment in life. From the field, I saw him give a wave and say something to his teammate......this made it worth taking the time to attend the event.....you could tell it made his day. I will do my best to attend events of all my students for this reason. So....is teaching just lesson plans.......not at all. It goes beyond that. My mom sent me this link today..... ignore the annoying guy at the beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ-kuIPkVas Posted by firstyearteach at 1:33 PM 0 comments
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