To
be honest, in my middle school class it is a norm for me to be surprised when
students finish short, relatively easy assignments before the class period is
up. I find myself giving away answers, yet my students still ask, “Wait, what?
So what is the answer?” Last Friday, one of my students gave me a wonderful
surprised when he asked if he could use an outside source in a mini-paragraph
essay response. He held up a Lewis and Clark book that he had checked out from
the library and told me he had already read the material and had picked out a
section he wanted to quote in his essay response. I was so excited, I could
barely contain it. Finally, I had met a student who was excited about learning!
During my first day in the classroom I quickly identified
a few key issues that affect student learning: classroom management in terms of
overall organization as well as student behavior. Further, I cite poverty and
low parent expectations as factors for student effort. As I get to know my
first and second period students in terms of their personal lives, I begin to understand
their motivations behind their actions more and more. For example, one
outspoken, disruptive individual lives in a family in which their parents are
quite a bit older than what is average, as well as her siblings are all grown
up. Therefore, the student speaks out in class, seeking attention that is not
given at home. For another student, a death in the family/family emergencies
causes the student to be pulled out of class for weeks at a time resulting in
the suffering of that student academically. I am trying to think of ideas that
help students who are constantly absent from the classroom, whether that be
physically or attention-specific, to be caught up regardless of how much they’ve
missed. I am looking for strategies that will help students stay on track
despite situations that may arise. So far I've found that graphic organizers
with notes that are used over several weeks, as well as providing days in which
students can catch up are important to ensuring all students remain caught up
and at the same point in the unit.
Over
the past week I've come to this pint where the more I learn about my students and
their home lives, the more I fret when I’m away from them. I’m having trouble separating myself from my
life at the middle school and my life outside of it. I worry so much about how
they are doing, and who is bullying them. I want so badly for them to succeed and
to be happy that it has a tendency to cross my mind outside of the classroom.
So as of last Friday, I’m actively attempting to block out any thoughts about
the middle school on a personal level. I’ll address academic issues, but I've made it a goal for myself to only think, discuss or worry about the students’
lives when I’m in the middle school. This is my attempt to retain sanity.
Overall,
since last Wednesday I've had a pretty good week. I loved the sub that came in,
but I did understand my students’ distraught reactions as I witnessed the
difference between the teacher talking to me and the teaching talking to the students. I've started to actively pay attention to the difference in how I act towards
my coordinating teacher and my students.
This
is Captain Danielle Raschko, signing off.
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