Last period before Thanksgiving break, you can imagine the atmosphere in the classroom. Ms. Martineau classifies this class as the rambunctious group. It is the class that she has the most behavioral problems and IEPs in and she has a hard time keeping the class on task for more than five minutes at a time, I give her tons of credit for her patience! There was so much going on in the classroom that she ignored. because she didn't give the students who were misbehaving any attention or reaction, they eventually stopped on their own. It was genius! Not sure I could do that myself.
After an hour of commotion it was time for Abby to leave the class five minutes early. (Side note - Abby is a student with special needs who is included in the class. She has an aid that travels with her to her general education classrooms and they leave five minutes before the bell to avoid hallway traffic.) When she got up to leave the classroom, about eight students (including some of the "bad boys" of the group) said "Bye Abby!" or "Happy Thanksgiving Abby!" HEART MELTED. The stereotype of special needs students being picked on in school went out the window for me in that moment. These students were so warm towards Abby, I couldn't help but smile.
With this I go into this week with an open mind. As rambunctious and out of control middle school students might be, they are still just young adolescents with a sweet side. I can't wait to experience more things like this one!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Week Two: Cue Anxiety
I'm not really sure what it is, or how to describe it, but I sit here writing my blog after a weekend of pondering my experience last week with the middle schoolers and I can only really think of one thing...they don't like me.
I took a back seat for the first week. Literally. Sat in the back and watched. The students. The teachers. The rooms. Just watched and soaked it all in. I'm not exactly the type who sits in the back silent, EVER. So this past week I was excited to get up and move around the classroom. That excitement was short lived.
Tuesday, movie day. Again. The students in Maureen's classes were still catching up with the Great Debaters. Going back to the speeches and filling out their graphic organizers. Not much I could do there.
Friday was a different story. Students in Tonya's class were working on creating their arguments about school uniforms. I was thrilled to be able to walk around the room and check out student work while offering help and answers to questions. But to my surprise the students weren't as excited as I was.
"Can I read what you wrote?"
"NO."
"I guess."
"Do you need some help? Are you stuck?"
"NO."
"I'm fine."
I'm not sure how to tackle this problem I'm having. I feel like I am an intruder in their classroom and they are never going to open up to me. How do I teach students who aren't open to the idea of me being in their classroom? Teacher week is approaching fast and I'm not sure I have the answer to this question yet.
I took a back seat for the first week. Literally. Sat in the back and watched. The students. The teachers. The rooms. Just watched and soaked it all in. I'm not exactly the type who sits in the back silent, EVER. So this past week I was excited to get up and move around the classroom. That excitement was short lived.
Tuesday, movie day. Again. The students in Maureen's classes were still catching up with the Great Debaters. Going back to the speeches and filling out their graphic organizers. Not much I could do there.
Friday was a different story. Students in Tonya's class were working on creating their arguments about school uniforms. I was thrilled to be able to walk around the room and check out student work while offering help and answers to questions. But to my surprise the students weren't as excited as I was.
"Can I read what you wrote?"
"NO."
"I guess."
"Do you need some help? Are you stuck?"
"NO."
"I'm fine."
I'm not sure how to tackle this problem I'm having. I feel like I am an intruder in their classroom and they are never going to open up to me. How do I teach students who aren't open to the idea of me being in their classroom? Teacher week is approaching fast and I'm not sure I have the answer to this question yet.
Monday, November 12, 2012
A Whole New World
Walking into Feinstein Middle School for the first time last week was a new experience in itself. Walking through the hallways I noticed the colorful displays, walls lined with lockers, and young looking students carrying binders (or trapper-kepers) bigger than their bodies.
When I got to the room where my first Cooperating Teacher was teaching, I was surprised to find that she (and the teacher she job shares with) work off of a cart and travel from classroom to classroom. Mind boggling. How are they suppose to have their objectives written on the board, bell ringer prepared, or technology set up before a lesson? It's impossible.
The students meet every other day (their schedule is broken up into odd and even days). here lies the problem, there has only been one FULL week of school all year! Mrs. Bilotti hadn't seen her students in almost a week, and she said that this was not uncommon. Similarly, Mrs. Martineau would not see her students for another five days. This has posed a problem with sticking to the curriculum and getting things done in a timely manner.
It will be interesting to see how this feels from the teacher perspective as I begin to take over the class with my teaching partner, Lucy, within the next week or so. I am sure that it will be both frustrating and challenging, but a obstacle that will add another notch to my belt!
When I got to the room where my first Cooperating Teacher was teaching, I was surprised to find that she (and the teacher she job shares with) work off of a cart and travel from classroom to classroom. Mind boggling. How are they suppose to have their objectives written on the board, bell ringer prepared, or technology set up before a lesson? It's impossible.
The students meet every other day (their schedule is broken up into odd and even days). here lies the problem, there has only been one FULL week of school all year! Mrs. Bilotti hadn't seen her students in almost a week, and she said that this was not uncommon. Similarly, Mrs. Martineau would not see her students for another five days. This has posed a problem with sticking to the curriculum and getting things done in a timely manner.
It will be interesting to see how this feels from the teacher perspective as I begin to take over the class with my teaching partner, Lucy, within the next week or so. I am sure that it will be both frustrating and challenging, but a obstacle that will add another notch to my belt!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Uncertain About the Unknown
As I anticipate my new beginning at Feinstein Middle School in Coventry, my nerves are taking over. I have never worked with middle schoolers before. All of the crazy stereotypes about the age groups have my stomach in knots. What if they are true? What if I can't handle them?
The one thing I keep telling myself is that I just finished working with high school freshmen in their first quarter of high school. So it can't be too different, right? I am going to go in there with what I know and be open to learn more along with way. I will still need to use my teacher voice that I have established over the past year or so as well as my classroom management skills.
I may have to switch my teaching persona a little bit in the middle school classroom. I enjoy smiling and joking around with students, but I am not sure how perceptive middle schoolers will be to this. I am eager to get to know my students and learn about the differences between high school and middle school. I am not sure what to expect of a middle school classroom. I am either going to be pleasantly surprised because I am prepared by working with freshmen or surprised at hope different it actually is. Hopefully my nerves will be calmed after observing this week.
The one thing I keep telling myself is that I just finished working with high school freshmen in their first quarter of high school. So it can't be too different, right? I am going to go in there with what I know and be open to learn more along with way. I will still need to use my teacher voice that I have established over the past year or so as well as my classroom management skills.
I may have to switch my teaching persona a little bit in the middle school classroom. I enjoy smiling and joking around with students, but I am not sure how perceptive middle schoolers will be to this. I am eager to get to know my students and learn about the differences between high school and middle school. I am not sure what to expect of a middle school classroom. I am either going to be pleasantly surprised because I am prepared by working with freshmen or surprised at hope different it actually is. Hopefully my nerves will be calmed after observing this week.
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