Reflection #10: Past and Present

Dear Ms. Issinghoff,

                You made it! I know it seems like it’s been ages, but the end is finally here and you’ve done it. But just because you’ve hit the finish line doesn’t mean that you’re done forever. Teaching involves constantly learning new methods and new material and new ways to interact and get through to your students. I know that you know all of this already, but everyone needs a reminder now and then.  I’d also like to share a few other reminders with you, as well. The most important being this: never forget that your calm personality is your best asset as a special education teacher. Teaching can be overwhelming at times, and there are days that students try to push your buttons just to see how far they can go, but your calm personality is the key to your success. By keeping your cool you help to avoid confrontation, and it really helps you to stay focused and on track with what your plans are for the lesson.

                While being calm and non-confrontational is a great benefit in the classroom, it doesn’t mean that you can’t also be assertive. You’re good at setting limits and knowing when to let your students have leeway in them with their individual needs: but don’t lose confidence in your abilities. You’ve always struggled with self-confidence, I know. But it’s okay to make mistakes and admit them; really, there’s no buzzer that signifies the end for you just because of one little mistake. Being a perfectionist and a time freak can be very beneficial, but it’s okay to let loose once in a while too. It helps you to relate more to your students and show them that you’re human and make mistakes as well. And more importantly, you can then be their role model for how they handle their own mishaps in life.

                Now that you’ve made it through, I’m sure you’re looking back at your years at the university in awe and wonder. It was a bumpy ride: you learned to trust your teachers over advisors, and a lot of issues were had that you couldn’t have stopped or caused. And while there was much grief for the mishaps that I’m sure you remember all too well, don’t let that stop you from remembering the good that happened too. Co-operative education was a definite benefit for you- one that I’m sure you’d still recommend to any incoming freshmen who know they want to teach. Even if it isn’t a job in their study area (like you worked in elementary), it gives a great benefit and boost to your knowledge and understanding of your studies. Advisors recommend it when you enter the core- but to begin earlier definitely seems better since the core programs often block any decent work schedule during the day.

                Ah, those lovely FERs. I’m sure you remember those, as well.  You were told they’d be useful for the KPTP- but in actuality, they weren’t. If there was any recommendation you could make, I’m sure it would be to have the FERs be more in line with the KPTP standards to make the transition easier. Also, just because we’re an English teacher now, doesn’t mean we need to have so much reading! It would have been nice to see more on the teaching of writing; English 680 was helpful with micro-lessons, and literacy strategies gave a decent benefit there, too, but for those of us working with students who have special needs or ESL, it could have been more useful to have more practical experience in teaching actual methods to use in the classroom.

                But don’t worry- your future self has made it through, so it’s safe to say that you, as a pre-inservice teacher, can do it too. Just keep your chin up and know that there is a light, and you will make it just as I am standing here today. Take things one step at a time, day by day, and you’ll be just fine.

Glad to be in the future,

Me

Reflection #9: Make it easier and Have Fun Teaching!

Often times I find myself coming up with amazing ideas (or so they seem in my head!) for an activity that I can do in one of my classes. Review games, worksheets to check for understanding, and more create themselves neatly in my mind. Then, when it comes time to teaching the lesson and I find myself preparing for what I need, I realize that as much as I would like to be able to pluck the graphic organizer or strategy from my mind- it still needs to be created. This usually leads to the grueling task of either creating the document in word (which doesn't seem hard at all- but the time sure flies by fast!) or searching around online and in resource books for something that comes the tiniest bit close to what I had in mind.

Resources are our friends. I have heard dozens of times not to go through the trouble of re-inventing the wheel. There are so many valuable resources out there that can be used for free! So why go through the time consuming and often frustrating task of making something new? Sure: there are times that I just have to make the table or document that I need for a specific lesson. However, more often than not there is a resource just in reach that would drastically cut down and manage my time.

This is why I would like to share a resource that a fellow student gave to us in my theory class. Have Fun Teaching is a website that offers a great number of pre-made worksheets for many different areas. Supposedly you can take these resources and edit them as well to put whatever you want into the text boxes- but I have been too busy looking through the different documents available (and free!) to test it out.

Admittedly, for many of us secondary education majors, the site may seem primary based. I thought this at first, too. Yet after hearing from my peers about many struggling ESL students or students who simply have a hard time writing complete sentences (which I can sympathize with, working in an interrelated classroom), I realized that while the activities and worksheets may not seem age appropriate, they are level appropriate. Our students need that lower skill connection and breakdown of instruction in order to access the content. Not to mention, I have seen Senior students have way too good of a time writing their answers on bat or ghost cut outs around Halloween! When we teach, we don't just teach an age, and the activities and worksheets are what we make of them, especially with those struggling, older students. So if you're finding yourself running out of ideas or needing a relevant, confident and skill boosting bell work: check out the site! I'm sure there are dozens more out there, but it never hurts to add another resource to your collection.

Reflection #8: The "Friend"

In the hall yesterday, after school, I was invited into a conversation among a few teachers talking about their classrooms. The topic of discussion is one I find myself considering on a nearly daily basis: how students' behaviors affect other students in the classroom for the good or bad. In particular, this conversation was dealing with students who butt heads and clash which can have a negative impact on learning and creating a positive environment.

What was said next by the teacher who initiated the conversation stuck in my mind. The conversation took a twist and he said, "I think that he likes me. I mean, I want him to like me and I think that he does, and that he respects me." For some reason this steered my mind to the talk of the teacher versus the "friend". I was reminded of this idea yet again in my 8th hour. My senior students in 8th hour recently had it click that I, too, am graduating in May. Many have invited me to their graduation (which I do plan to attend!) but the new running joke for a few of them is that I should also join them at their after party since I am also a senior. It is a positive feeling to know that your students are comfortable enough to joke with you and to have fun; but at the same time, there is always a line that should never be crossed. My students know that I won't be attending, and they are only joking, but it does beg the question of where exactly is that line drawn? How friendly should a teacher allow him/herself to be before it is too far?

For the majority of situations, it is common sense. But after a bit of browsing of some blogs and online articles, I stumbled over one- a relatively short reflection- that made a statement that opened my mind to another side of this issue I just wasn't thinking of. "It's hard to be firm with children" the article begins one of its statements. Is being firm the same aspect of being a friend versus a teacher? As a pre-service teacher I have often heard that you should start off stricter because it's always easier to loosen up in comparison to starting lax and having to try and 'tighten the reins'. However, I don't think I can agree to the aspect that a teacher has to be firm or they are not a teacher-- at least, not in the sense of being firm in everything one does. One of the big reasons I say that is because I find that it simply depends on the class and students- much like the teacher at the beginning of this post. For some classes I have to respond far stricter than I do others; but that doesn't necessarily mean that I am more of a friend to one class than to others. It's a fine line, and it sometimes can be a hard one to navigate. I want students to feel comfortable talking to me and expressing themselves (appropriately, mind you). I don't think that's a bad thing. However, there are still professional as well as moral boundaries. It's simply an aspect and one of many things to keep in mind.

Online Reflection #7: Alternative Assessments

You teach a unit. The students seem to know the material you expect them to have learned. They can even apply their knowledge to you orally, and you just know they are ready for the test. But come grading time, the scores are horrible: what happened?

This is what I often experience within my classroom. Thankfully, my CT has given me a lot of support by letting me know that this is quite a common occurrence within the interrelated classroom. But just because I know to expect it, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. I’m not frustrated at my students: they’ve done nothing wrong, and are often times just as frustrated if not more at themselves. So what can we do to change and adapt?

Alternative assessments have been my best friend this semester: almost too good of a friend. I’ve found that I do almost anything I can to avoid giving typical pen and pencil tests. I don’t want to upset students over poor grades, but at the same time, assessments are needed to ensure students are learning. So what do I do? I often go to more hands on and oral activities. Writing process assignments, such as an eleven sentence paragraph with a graphic organizer, rough draft, editing, and final copy usually gives me enough time to get around to each student to find out just what they are trying to say. As they tell me their thoughts and ideas I can see the gears clicking: all the information that gets lost in translation on a standard test pours out. Even if all those ideas don’t make it down to the paper, I’ve been able to tap into the true understanding and learning the students have made within the unit. These alternative forms of assessment seem almost necessary to just progress through the classroom; but is this for good or bad?

Of course students need practice with the typical test because that is what they will see on standardized tests in the middle high school years. Testing strategies can even be used for job applications and questionnaire forms. But beyond this, are such tests really the make or break? At least within my classroom, even with going over testing strategies (such as crossing out obvious answers that are wrong, etc.), there is something with the look of and title of a “test” that seems to shut the students down. I would much rather students create a one pager or a story that uses their knowledge rather than have them sit down and take a test that increases stress and anxiety within the classroom- and throughout the majority of students. Is this a wrong method to approach, or are other teachers finding the same results within their classrooms too?

I’ve asked around for suggestions, but after some long and brain bending conversations with some fellow special educators that have the same students, alternative forms of assessment seem to be the best route for the students. While trying to gleam some ideas and figure out new ways to continuously check and assess, I found a great website that gives 40alternative assessments for learning. I hope to utilize some of the new ideas listed soon!

Online Reflection #6 : Reinventing the wheel

It's Sunday night, the last night of Spring Break. Where has the time gone? Come 8am I'm sure I'll not be the only one asking that question. It's also the last major break before summer. There is a lot of focus in classes about starting school off on the right foot; that the first two weeks are crucial to the school year. While I have no arguments against those sentiments, the last weeks of the semester should not be disregarded simply because it is the end. Most of my senior students have had senioritis since their return from winter break; but now that senior project is winding down, I wonder how many are going to start checking out?

Over the break I've kept busy with odds and end jobs, but one thing I tried to focus on was what I was going to be teaching after the break. As the freshmen finish Blima they'll be starting into Romeo and Juliet. The seniors had Catching Fire pushed back around their projects, and have been focusing in on the theme of dystopian societies. To try and help gather ideas of how to go about these two works in a way that provides a motivating and engaging activity, I re-discovered a website that I had all but forgotten: Teachers Pay Teachers. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, this website is a great host of resources. Some, I know, cost money- but there are a handful that you can find free to download. Resource groups such as this are also great for those unexpected class periods (from choir absences, chronic flu absences, snow days or what have you) that keep students learning relevant detail of information but add a little fluff so that main activities can stay on track between all of the classes and students. I'm sure there are many others I could find from a quick Google search, but this specific group I have come to time and time again. Since it comes from other actual teachers, the information is almost always accurate. Besides that, just searching around can spark an overflow of ideas!

Hopefully everyone has a great first day back!

Reflection #5: Pushing through!

It’s the week before Spring Break and everything seems to be piling up together! This is the time that I really get a taste for both sides of the spectrum. As a student I’m working on my KPTP, I have a presentation to give tomorrow night, preparations to make for my observation on Wednesday, and a general craving for break so that I can simply sleep in past 6am on morning (not to mention the fact that we lost an hour last night). As a teacher, however, I see the last minute planning and preparations behind the scenes to try and get the students where they need to be and everything caught up to date. Not to mention and inservice day followed by a seminar meeting that night which leads into a workday on Friday at which point all grades must be caught up to date. Add onto this two Praxis tests, an early morning PD meeting at 7:10am and an open house for senior projects and this week seems pretty hectic and nearly impossible to navigate! While classroom management has been one of my big goals this semester to work on, I’ve realized that time management has easily become another.

Thankfully my CT is thoroughly organized which has helped to keep me on a straight track as well. Without those skills this week would look downright terrifying! Even the simple things, such as paper and file organization techniques as mentioned in this blog has become a key tool to manage time efficiently. I can see what copies have been made or need to be made, and using plan time or before/after school to get those accomplished saves a last minute rush at the copy machine. By being organized I have time for breathers- and with this upcoming week I feel that they will be needed a lot! But I was also searching around for some other forms of advice to help keep me calm and collected when I discovered this article. It has a lot of good resources and tidbits that should be taken into consideration! Taking the time to get organized, keep organized and help myself stay on top of everything is the overarching goal for this week. Spring break is a teasing thought away, but as both a student and a teacher I know that I need to focus on the tasks at hand so that when spring break does make its way here I can savor it.

Have a great week, everyone!

Reflection #4: Dealing with ED

Every classroom has their challenges, especially for up and coming teachers. Classroom management has been one of my main goals this semester to better myself on and learn more about. But how does one learn to manage an emotion disorder when they’re still learning the basics of classroom management as well?

It can be easy at times to tell when students play off a disability versus when they are seriously in need of help.  But other times it’s a lot more difficult to separate the two. This is the case in one of my classrooms right now. My CT and I, along with one of the school counselors, are attempting to figure out just what is going on with a certain student. This student is acting quite similar to how they treated my CT at the beginning of the school year, but at the same time this student is suddenly utilizing the “calm down” classroom where they hadn’t before. The student is coming into the classroom and immediately shutting down and asking to leave in accordance to their IEP. Is it that having two figures of authority is too much, when we both try to get the student to stay on task? Is it the fact that the student just started opening up to the CT in January, when I came and interrupted the student’s frame of mind and security with the change? The student and I have had several good chats together but is overly guarded (with many other teachers, as well, I have learned). As I mentioned last post: change is difficult for many of my students. Almost all have begun to adjust and see me as their teacher by now. However, this particular student with ED is posing an interesting challenge to my learning and ability to apply my knowledge in the classroom settings. And I must admit: it’s much harder than it seems. Thankfully I have an amazing CT and staff at the school to try and work together to get a transition plan into gear. I’m also going to try and have a personal chat next class with the student, as that’s often hard to do when I’m in charge of managing the entire classroom. It’s a hard learning experience, and it’s been frustrating at times, but I’m thankful that I get this opportunity now while I’m still having support. Our goal is to try and get on the same page as the student, and to come to an understanding that both of us can agree upon (in terms of going to the calm down room, signals perhaps, and trying to identify true anger issues versus the choice to not listen).

On another note, I have the link to the website I mentioned last post! It’s a great resource, and the freshmen really seemed to enjoy using it with their Holocaust project! Be sure to check it out here at big huge labs!