Hey, do you know about the U.S.A.?

WHEN:
Sept. 18, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History
Sept. 20, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History

WHAT:
During a review session Ms. Jones used a video from the School House Rock series on the Constitution. The video segment plays a catchy tune that helped the students remember the Preamble of the Constitution. Ms. Jones played this on Sept. 18 and again on Sept. 20 before testing the students on the Preamble. Her test was set up like a CLOZE assessment.

SO WHAT:
I really liked the use of the School House Rock video because I remember watching those when I was in school. I could relate to the tapes and I was amazed at how well the students like watching and singing along. Ms. Jones knew the song by heart, of course and by the end of the week I did too.

NOW WHAT:
This experience has allowed me to broaden my open mindedness. Since seeing the presentation of the film and seeing how well the students responded on the test first hand I have been trying to think of other films that I and my students could both relate to. With the Preamble song being so catchy it is hard to forget it once you learn it.

CONNECTIONS:
I not only found the video to be very cool but also the way in which the teacher assessed the students. The CLOZE model was something that we had just discussed in READ 498 and I was very excited to see Ms. Jones actually use that assessment style.

A Phone Call Home

WHEN:
Sept. 11, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History
Sept. 12, 2006 from 8:00-10:00 – US History

WHAT:
During Ms. Jones’ planning period, she made contact with a parent of a student who is doing rather poorly in her class. I was able to see how Ms. Jones handled talking with the parent and the terminology and explanations she used when addressing the student and how she and the parent could help encourage the student to do better.

SO WHAT:
I thought this was important because from the phone call, I gathered that this parent was concerned for her child and wanted him to do well. She was willing to help and cooperate with the teacher. Ms. Jones was willing to mail the student’s assignments home but instead the parent insisted on her faxing the materials to her work place so she could see them immediately. Ms. Jones did not hesitate to agree and went to the office to fax the materials to the parent as soon as the phone conversation was over.


NOW WHAT:
A goal of mine will be to keep in contact with parents on positive and negative accounts in regard to the student. I think if a teacher shows that he or she is concerned about the well being and actions of the student it will show the parents that the teacher is caring and willing to help their child succeed.

CONNECTIONS:
I will be interested to see how the student responds to whatever the parent has to say to him. He is in one of the classes that I have the opportunity to observe. Despite the fact that he is just not doing his work, I wonder if Ms. Jones has done any sort of inventory to get to know him better or to give her ideas as to why he may or may not be responding to her instruction. I also wonder if in some cases, and I feel this is an example of an extreme one since the student is boarder line failing the class already, if there is some sort of incentive for him to start participating more in the classroom or in doing his work. Ms. Jones explained to the parent that she does not accept late work but she does offer extra credit and would not accept it from him, until the finished product looked like “A” quality work. This is a good plan for him to redeem himself from the work he has already missed. It will be interesting to see how well Ms. Jones can respond to his new attitude he may have after she has talked with his parent, depending on if it will be more positive or less motivated to do any further work for the class.

First Week at Seneca High

WHEN:
Sept. 6, 2006 from 9:30-11:00 – First meeting with Ms. Jones
Sept. 7, 2006 from 8:00-10:30 – First observations in the classroom, US History

WHAT:
The first classroom observations were very entertaining. In a sense that I immediately remembered it was not too long ago that I myself was sitting in the student desks as oppose to the teacher desk. This feeling was increased after Ms. Jones explained to the students that they would be learning a lot about pirates during class because their peers had researched the topic, and randomly a student yelled, “AAARRRGGGH!” With tears gathering in the creases of my eyes, I was forced to hold back the laughter because that was a perfect example of something I would have done in high school.

A more serious incident occurred when a girl told a guy who had been bothering her all morning to “shut the f*** up!” Ms. Jones immediately escorted her out of the room and sent her to the office with a write up slip.

During the time that Ms. Jones was out talking to the student who was to be written up, another student commented on his lack of time to do work, due to the fact that he had to work three nights during the week. He did not care about the American Revolution and did not have time to complete all of his assignments.

SO WHAT:
For me these three different incidents tie together in that teaching in a classroom of different personalities is a challenge. These three events happened within a 20 minute time period. It was an automatic reminder that a teacher must keep a positive attitude in unpredictable surroundings. He or she must think and react in a way that will set an example for the students in the classroom, usually addressing things quickly while managing to keep the rest of the class on task. Also, this class will probably present the most challenges because 7 of the 19 students require special needs assistance.

NOW WHAT:
This experience has taught me the importance of maintaining a positive, healthy attitude in the classroom while standing firm in my discipline and classroom management policies and in general, keeping a sense of humor…there is always a need for comic relief during the workday. “ARRGGGH!”

CONNECTIONS:
I now agree with Dr. Gillis’ comment that a teacher is schizophrenic to a certain degree in the classroom. So many things are happening all at once that a teacher is forced to remain on his or her toes at all times. Whether giving instruction or monitoring students’ work in progress there are so many other things that a teacher must be aware of: students’ interactions with each other and with the teacher, their actions, moods, behaviors, speech, etc. Another dynamic that gets played into all of this is keeping the students on track whether they feel like doing the work or not. When reflecting on the statistics for South Carolina schools in regard to drop out rates, poverty rates and the like it is a major challenge to influence and constantly encourage students to do their best when they do not love something such as a subject that the teacher is presenting to the class. Even with challenges, I constantly noticed Ms. Jones praising her students who usually do not do so well for making excellent posters for their presentations and showing them their high scores for a job well done. It was amazing to see how instant praise even for small things made the students smile. That was a treat indeed.