Becoming Ms. Frizzle

Lately I have really been questioning my decision to go into the classroom. More days than not I feel very ineffective and even more unwanted. I know this is typical when dealing with teenagers, but I seem to notice it more than the teachers around me.

There are several questions I ask myself daily. The first of which is "How can I make students take ownership for their own learning?" More often than not, the answer I arrive at is, I can't. I teach and I reteach. I let the students try to teach one another. I ask the same questions over and over again, and I always come up dry. I play games in class before a test to hopefully solidify the learning. Do you know what happens? I may end up with a handful of As and Bs and the majority of the rest get Cs or fail. Those students who get As and Bs would have most likely done so without the game, because they are either very gifted or have taken ownership (at least partially) of their learning. I am not one to coddle, and feel that that is what is required of me. Yes, I will hold your hand and do everything I can to make you feel better if you're having emotional problems, but if you're not learning the information being taught to you in seven different ways, I cannot and will not hold your hand.

I wonder if I'm struggling so much with this very topic because I was what most teachers would probably consider the "ideal" student. If I didn't understand a concept in class, you bet I was the student asking questions until I did or I'd go home and pour over the information until an epiphany came. I studied for every test. I was shocked and disappointed in myself if I received a grade lower than a 95 (really if it wasn't the highest in the class). Which brings me to my next question:

When are students going to learn that failing once means that they need to study more next time? I have students that fail and fail and fail again, and I don't understand. For me knowing that I did poorly only gave me a boost to study more next time. I don't know if it's that these students are simply defeated after years of poor performance in school, if they haven't made the connection between studying and a good score, or if they simply don't care. Does anybody know how to reach these students?

The next question I must ask myself is whether I am cut out to be a classroom teacher or not. To say I have a strong, fairly dominant personality would be the understatement of the century. Is my personality too much to handle 130 pubescent teenagers' personalities each an every day? Would it be better suited working in an administration role? In a junior college setting? In the library? Or are all of these questions a product of being overworked this first semester? I know that as a first year teacher I should be putting in more work than the other teachers  as they have already put in that work, but I spend most days from 7:00am-5or6:00pm at school only to be followed by potentially more hours at home working on school "stuff." I do not think this is normal for a first year teacher.

Now that I am done ranting, any insights, suggestions, or general advice would be much appreciated.

Today has been the best day of my teaching career thus far. And it's not just because I got home at 3:05 and have no work to do over the weekend.  I genuinely enjoyed teaching today!  Yes, even my afternoon classes!

We have our six weeks exam on Monday.  I know you are asking yourself, "Why would she give a huge exam on a Monday?" The answer is "Because the school said so."  In preparation for the exam I opted for a game of Trashball.  The alternative was having the students quietly (right....) sit at their tables and answer questions on a review that most likely wouldn't make it home, or more likely even to the next class period.  Not only would this be boring, it would be less productive. Thus we played a game.

For any teachers out there unfamiliar with Trashball, let me introduce you to a surefire winner.

1. Divide your class into 2 teams (boys vs. girls always a good option)
2. Prepare questions which correspond with the necessary study material
3. Get an empty trash can (basket) and a wadded-up piece of paper (ball)
4. Place three strips of masking tape at increasing distances from your trash can
5. Label the lines "1 point", "2 points", and "3 points"
6. Individuals on the team will alternate answering questions and subsequently have the opportunity to shoot some baskets for additional points

The point system I use is:

• Answering the question correctly: 1 point
• Additional points earned based on line from which the students throw
• If student misses the shot, no additional points
• No points earned if question answered incorrectly

The team with the most points at the end wins.  You will have to watch for cheaters, but taking points away for cheating is a great stopper to that problem.  Additionally, if you post the rules on the board, your students will not be able to argue with your calls as long as you are fair and abide by the rules.

Onto how the game made my day great!  Lately I have been struggling with a few of my classes being too rowdy.  My attempts at keeping my students quiet had failed and I was about to hang my head in shame.  BUT today I wanted them to get into the game and enjoy class and biology.   And Trashball did just that!  I played on their loudness and exuberance and joined in the shenanigans. The old adage is true-If you can't beat them, join them. And that is just what happened today.  So my advice is to let your kids be kids on occasion and you will all enjoy the day much more than sitting in silence.

This has been a week of laughter. At my students' expense. I know that we are supposed to be supportive 100% of the time, but sometimes you have to let out a belly laugh at the creativity of your students' incorrect responses.  Below you will find my top 2 favorite wrong answers of the week!

Q.  What function does the stoma serve in plants?
A.  "Yes, plants" have stoma.

Q.  List in order the classification heirarchy:
A.  Kingdom
      Phylum
      Class
      Order
      Family
      GENITAL
      Species

I kid you not!

I'm assuming it is true for every profession, but teaching is the only career with which I am personally familiar, so I'm basing this idea off my teaching experience.  There is just not enough time in the week to get everything done you want to get done.  Let me give you a taste of a typical weekday for me.  Wake up at about 5:15, get to work by 7:00, leave work at 6:00, go to gym until 7:30, get dinner ready and eat by 8:30, clean up dinner and prepare lunch for the following day, and it is now 9:15 or so.  As I wake up in 8 hours there is not much time left for anything other than a short phone call with my Marine, and sleep. 

For some sleep isn't as important, but as any of you who have known me for a while realize, I turn into a dragon when I don't sleep. I begin to breathe fire and snap at those around me. It's not pretty. Therefore, I do my very best to get adequate sleep so that I don't become a fire-breathing dragon.

Not only is sleep important for my sanity, but it's also important for my health. They say that first year teachers are notorious for getting sick. Let me explain. Kids aren't always sanitary. We are around approximately 130 kids for 7 hours a day. There is ample opportunity for disease transmission. Generally this isn't a problem for veteran teachers as they have built up incredible immune systems and achieved the all important balancing act of time management. I am reassured by all teachers that it does get easier. I won't always spend 11 hours a day at school only to be followed by more work at home. I pray that is true. Until then, I plan to eat healthily, exercise thoroughly (great for immune system AND stress), sleep amply, and drink my Crystal Light Immunity everyday! Perhaps the fact that I look like I'm still a kid will keep the germs away. Maybe they won't recognize that I'm a first year teacher.

So, the blog is under construction and in the capable hands of Danny.  Please be patient as we make these new changes.

Do you ever have a day during which you wonder if those around you actually do possess a brain, heart, or courage?  Welcome to my daily world known as freshman teacher.

I'm not sure when it happens, nor why, but it seems that all of my students came to high school missing one (or more) of the three, and almost always the brain.  I have now made it my personal goal to help my 129 students find theirs and begin to make good use of it. Perhaps we're part of the way there.  Or maybe it was just a Monday....

Whew!! 

What a month it's been so far!  I have never been so busy in my life, but luckily, I am loving it!  The first week I lost my voice by the end of every day.  The second week I used my mother's trick and stopped yelling over the students.  I have quickly realized that every moment is a teachable moment and every day teaches me at least one profound lesson.

Here are some of the lessons I've learned so far:

1. Beg, borrow, and steal everything  you can from more experienced (a.k.a. older) teachers
2. Be flexible when planning for students
3. Project EVERYTHING on the board so that you can point instead of talking
4. Work smarter not harder
5. Don't grade everything, it's okay to have check grades
6. Students will retain about 1/50 of what you say
7. Every quiz will be a pop quiz for somebody in your class, even if you announced it the day before
8. We must figure out how to make students into independent learners
9. I will never see 20% of my paycheck
10. I still look like a high school student, but that makes me a cool teacher to some students