Indianapolis schools start their school year in mid-august. These excerpts are from the school week dated August 24-29th, 2009.
“I will stick by my second week’s statement: the students are indeed smart. However, let me add that I had no idea how short an attention span these sixth graders could have.”
“I got to see a student’s light bulb turn on for the first time. She went from, 'I don’t get it,' to, 'Oh, ok!' It was great. I think she understood the whole time. She just needed that experience to convince herself that she understood.”
“I am a little surprised at the diverse array of graphing abilities. Some did excellent graphs and some had no idea what they were doing.”
“I am a little surprised at the diverse array of graphing abilities. Some did excellent graphs and some had no idea what they were doing.”
“We are starting to see the ones who don’t want to work.”
“They (certain students) are definitely an example of those that seem bored but are really not absorbing the material you are teaching them.”
“Some of the students that did not do so well (on a pop quiz) seem lacking in their motivation for learning. I hope this will improve over time and those students find some source of intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation.”
“There are some kids who face really monumental struggles, and it gives me a perspective on their attitude and behavior. On the other hand, there are some things I'd just rather not know about a kid.”
“One student has a diagnosed ulcer due to a stressful home situation. Both of his parents have a high probability of going to jail this semester due to drug dealing. He is an only child so his grandmother with most likely take guardianship. His resource teacher says that he has lots of potential. He is definitely street smart. It was good to know this information. She says he will be at school most days because that is where he gets his meals and school is a better place to be than home.”
“I thought that I might initially have a problem giving zeros out for missing homework, but there are so many students that you really just do the job and don’t worry about it too much. I guess this is another balance issue.”
“Now I am extremely curious to see how the out-of-school suspension will affect his behavior when he returns to school.”
“One student was very mad at the other and was pacing around the room with lots of energy trying to control himself. I complimented him on his self control and sat him at a different table looking away from the other kid who had made him angry. Usually they sit across from each other at the same table. This method worked well. Both kids were fine for the rest of the class. Later I complimented the angry student in the hall way again for his self control. It was neat.”
“One student was very mad at the other and was pacing around the room with lots of energy trying to control himself. I complimented him on his self control and sat him at a different table looking away from the other kid who had made him angry. Usually they sit across from each other at the same table. This method worked well. Both kids were fine for the rest of the class. Later I complimented the angry student in the hall way again for his self control. It was neat.”
“Question: What is the best way to approach a girl about dress code? She is one of the bigger girls in her grade and today is wearing a jean/underwear combo that allows her butt to hang out while she is seated. I don’t really think that’s something we want to or should see!”
“Luckily classroom management was not a major issue. I’m finding that giving clear guidelines and expectations at the beginning of each activity helps classroom management a lot. I’ll need to learn to consistently do that.”
“I hope I’m not falling into 'mean teacher' mode."
“(Another teacher I observed) ‘played dumb’ a lot with the honors class and let them come up with much of the answers to their questions.”
“We were busy doing a lab activity, so there was a lot happening in the room. A student decided to leave the classroom without permission. I was glad that I saw him leave because he did it quietly. He was not disruptive. It’s crazy to think how long we would have continued class without knowing he was gone!”
“I think that I’m starting to grow and come out of my shell more and more. I enjoy the challenge it poses to get out of my comfort zone.”
“It seemed like this week things finally started to be somewhat routine. The students are showing their true colors, and most people (students, teachers, administrators) have stopped talking about the fact that it's the beginning of the year. In fact, I seem to be the only one who is still trying to find my groove!”
the plot thickens.....
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