| 5:00A.M. | Woke up suddenly and felt wide awake but not rested enough (or motivated enough) to want to get out of bed. Sometimes waking up before the alarm can be a start to a great day, one in which you are rested and ready to take on the world. The two previous mornings, I have been waking up way too early (3:00A.M. ish) and am unable to fall back asleep for an hour or so. So when I see I still have 20 minutes until the alarm sounds, I try and snuggle under the covers and fall back asleep. Plus, the heater's not on so it is frickin' cold. |
| 5:40A.M. | Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze on both MY phone alarm AND the husband's phone alarm, and suddenly it is 5:40 and we are late to rise, again. This is pushing the boundary of the absolutely latest we can get out of bed, but we are both just so exhausted to start the day any earlier. |
Friday, June 28, 2013
November: Life and times of a sleep-deprived, overworked, underpaid, and crotchety-as-of-late public high school teacher
Old post from November 2012, Day in the Life of a first year MTC teacher. Good for you if you make it to the end.
June post: Cock-A-Doodle-Do You Know What You're Doing?
Watching the first years as they have entered the program, been introduced to all things teaching, and ruffled their tiny downy feathers* as they attempt the planning and execution of a lesson for the very first time, I am once again struck with the similarity and predictability of events in the life of an MTC teacher.
We all struggle. We are all terrible to begin with. We all need to work on classroom management. We all get through summer training** and start the school year unprepared, but as prepared as we can expect. We will continue to struggle with classroom management. We will show up to Saturday school tired and full of stories. We will get down in the dumps come October and November. We will relish in winter vacation - all two weeks of it. We will start January nervous once again. We will be at an all-time low in February, but will struggle through towards the bright, shining light of spring break. We will help cram for state tests, even if we are not a state tested teacher. We will be as loopy as the students in May. We will be checked out. We will encounter many role-plays-turned-real-life. We will help a new cohort of first years come out of their shell. We will rock that second year***. We will love, hate, admire, be annoyed by, get along with, burn and build bridges to students. We will be taken advantaged of - by our students, parents, and administration - because we care. We will work those extra hours. We will attend the games. We will laugh and cry with each other. We will grow with each other.
Every thing you are feeling has been, is being, and will be felt by all at one point or another. Take comfort in it.
*"Like many precocial hatchlings, domestic chickens are already covered with a downy coat of feathers when they hatch." - Relatively mature and mobile hatchlings that have crushed the shell separating their previous life from their teaching life, first years have yet to find their true colors, sharp beaks, or morning crowing attention-getter.
**Never acknowledging the quitters, of course. They are no longer part of the "we" - remember? It's us (the ones that will make it to the back of the second year T shirt) versus them (soon to be forgotten because you will have so many other things to do and remember).
***No one is ever Super Teacher their second year, but by comparison to the first, you will be able to think of yourself as the "Relatively Awesome and Sufficiently Competent Teacher"
We all struggle. We are all terrible to begin with. We all need to work on classroom management. We all get through summer training** and start the school year unprepared, but as prepared as we can expect. We will continue to struggle with classroom management. We will show up to Saturday school tired and full of stories. We will get down in the dumps come October and November. We will relish in winter vacation - all two weeks of it. We will start January nervous once again. We will be at an all-time low in February, but will struggle through towards the bright, shining light of spring break. We will help cram for state tests, even if we are not a state tested teacher. We will be as loopy as the students in May. We will be checked out. We will encounter many role-plays-turned-real-life. We will help a new cohort of first years come out of their shell. We will rock that second year***. We will love, hate, admire, be annoyed by, get along with, burn and build bridges to students. We will be taken advantaged of - by our students, parents, and administration - because we care. We will work those extra hours. We will attend the games. We will laugh and cry with each other. We will grow with each other.
Every thing you are feeling has been, is being, and will be felt by all at one point or another. Take comfort in it.
[Cue Circle Of Life music]
*"Like many precocial hatchlings, domestic chickens are already covered with a downy coat of feathers when they hatch." - Relatively mature and mobile hatchlings that have crushed the shell separating their previous life from their teaching life, first years have yet to find their true colors, sharp beaks, or morning crowing attention-getter.
**Never acknowledging the quitters, of course. They are no longer part of the "we" - remember? It's us (the ones that will make it to the back of the second year T shirt) versus them (soon to be forgotten because you will have so many other things to do and remember).
***No one is ever Super Teacher their second year, but by comparison to the first, you will be able to think of yourself as the "Relatively Awesome and Sufficiently Competent Teacher"
June post: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
A Happy Disposition
In as much as I can, I am going to try this upcoming school year to approach the classroom, the school day, the students, the parents, the administration, lesson planning, and my coursework with a happier disposition. I am a happy person overall, but my teaching personality over the last 1.5 years has been too robotic and tired for my liking. By the end of the last academic year I was up to my normal life tricks: smiling constantly, spinning harmless sarcastic comments, joking with students, and even dancing in place on a few occasions. Those who have been with me since I started subbing were weirded out by that behavior because it is not what they have come to expect from me. I hope to start the year with this attitude and hopefully increase it as the year progresses.
Hanna Olivier told the first years that during your first MTC year, you are strict and robotic. You develop a split personality, or as I like to think of it, an alternate reality when you walk into the classroom. During your second MTC year, you learn to blend that disciplinarian with your normal personality so that your two worlds are closer together. And by the third+ year, you are the teacher and the teacher is you. I am hoping to close this gap as quickly and effectively as I can.
A Colorful and Creative Classroom
This change in disposition will result in some structural changes in my classroom (working with the limited space as I can). Here's my classroom from last year:
The boards that held student work were updated maybe twice the whole year. This time, I am going to have a BUG board (bring up grades) to show names of students who are improving so that anyone, regardless of ability level, can receive some recognition. The desk space will unfortunately stay the same, as I don't have space for anything else. I am going to paint the file cabinets in fun bright colors and then actually USE them to help with storage space in my room. Anytime a mess can be decluttered, my mood is guaranteed to improve.
My science stars will be replaced with one science star of the week (amongst all periods) and they will get to decorate a science star spotlight, which will consist of questions and decorations on a scrapbook piece of paper. This will allow for more personalized recognition.
I am also going to be more creative with raffle. My raffle had already been tied to my "Classroom Temperature" number line, which will continue.
I am going to steal a trick from Jeff Probst of Survivor and offer students a choice for raffle prizes. Students will not be able to see their prizes:
This will allow me to have a bit more fun with what I give out. Bathroom pass? Lump of fresh fruit? Big bag of hot chips? Who wants to find out?
Other big changes include:
In as much as I can, I am going to try this upcoming school year to approach the classroom, the school day, the students, the parents, the administration, lesson planning, and my coursework with a happier disposition. I am a happy person overall, but my teaching personality over the last 1.5 years has been too robotic and tired for my liking. By the end of the last academic year I was up to my normal life tricks: smiling constantly, spinning harmless sarcastic comments, joking with students, and even dancing in place on a few occasions. Those who have been with me since I started subbing were weirded out by that behavior because it is not what they have come to expect from me. I hope to start the year with this attitude and hopefully increase it as the year progresses.
Hanna Olivier told the first years that during your first MTC year, you are strict and robotic. You develop a split personality, or as I like to think of it, an alternate reality when you walk into the classroom. During your second MTC year, you learn to blend that disciplinarian with your normal personality so that your two worlds are closer together. And by the third+ year, you are the teacher and the teacher is you. I am hoping to close this gap as quickly and effectively as I can.
A Colorful and Creative Classroom
This change in disposition will result in some structural changes in my classroom (working with the limited space as I can). Here's my classroom from last year:
The boards that held student work were updated maybe twice the whole year. This time, I am going to have a BUG board (bring up grades) to show names of students who are improving so that anyone, regardless of ability level, can receive some recognition. The desk space will unfortunately stay the same, as I don't have space for anything else. I am going to paint the file cabinets in fun bright colors and then actually USE them to help with storage space in my room. Anytime a mess can be decluttered, my mood is guaranteed to improve.
My science stars will be replaced with one science star of the week (amongst all periods) and they will get to decorate a science star spotlight, which will consist of questions and decorations on a scrapbook piece of paper. This will allow for more personalized recognition.
I am also going to be more creative with raffle. My raffle had already been tied to my "Classroom Temperature" number line, which will continue.
I am going to steal a trick from Jeff Probst of Survivor and offer students a choice for raffle prizes. Students will not be able to see their prizes:
This will allow me to have a bit more fun with what I give out. Bathroom pass? Lump of fresh fruit? Big bag of hot chips? Who wants to find out?
Other big changes include:
Year 1 Rules
|
Year 2 Rules
|
| 1) Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak or leave your seat. 2) Use appropriate language. 3) Follow all directions the first time given. 4) Keep your hands, feet, objects, comments, and outbursts to yourself. 5) Come prepared to class and be willing to actively participate. | 1) Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak or leave your seat. 2) Use appropriate language. 3) Follow all directions. 4) Keep your hands, feet, objects, comments, and outbursts to yourself. 5) No outside food or drink. |
Year 1 Consequences
|
Year 2 Consequences
|
| -Warning -Copy Assignment (as many as deemed appropriate). [Nothing was ever done with incomplete writing assignments.] -Behavioral Intervention / Call Home -Office Referral *severity clause* | -Warning -Copy Assignment (as many as deemed appropriate). Incomplete writing assignments will result in phone calls home. -Behavioral Intervention / Call Home / Parent conferences -Office Referral *severity clause* |
Year 1 Individual Rewards
|
Year 2 Individual Rewards
|
| -Verbal praise -Tickets -Science Stars [stopped after first nine weeks] -Display stellar work [did twice a year] -Positive phone call home [not so much] -Good grades and a good education | -Verbal praise -Tickets with prizes in raffle - Food for grades (quizzes, tests, screeners) -Science Stars - 1/week with “profile” -Display stellar work (more often) -Positive phone call home (will push myself to be better) -Good grades and a good education |
Year 1 Group Rewards
|
Year 2 Group Rewards
|
| -Thermometer number line
-Music during IP
-Partner work during IP
| -Thermometer number line -Raffle on Fridays: Each point equals a prize -Food party for nine weeks class temperature winner -Displayed class averages (to compete) -Music during IP -Partner work during IP |
Year 1 Expectations (didn't use)
|
Year 2 Expectations (will refer to often + poster)
|
| -Be respectful of everyone in the classroom. -Do your best at all times. -Ask questions if you do not understand. -Be on time with all of your supplies, ready to learn. -Have academic integrity. | -I will do my best at all times. -I will trust in my ability to excel. -I will ask questions if I do not understand. -I will come to class daily, on time and with all of my supplies, ready to learn. -I will respect the speaker. |
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