The Conundrum of Senioritis

WHEN:
Oct. 23, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History
Oct. 25, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History

WHAT:
Before the bell rang on Wednesday morning for class to start, one of the students walked in and said that he was so ready to graduate so that his life would be much easier.

SO WHAT:
I thought to myself how in the world would this kid’s life be automatically easier once he graduated? He has no current goals for his life after graduation and I wonder how he plans on surviving once he manages to get out in the “real world.”

NOW WHAT:
I hope that I can inspire my future students to find and explore the things that they love doing and could possibly make a career out of. I hope that I will help teach and show my students how to be well balanced citizens and future leaders of our world.

CONNECTIONS:
While some students may never find the passion for history that I have, hopefully I can encourage them to do the things that they love. I hope to learn and grow with my students so that they can develop a positive outlook on life, during high school and beyond.

Injury Does Not Hinder Workmanship

WHEN:
Oct. 18, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – Economics

WHAT:
When I walked into the classroom Wednesday morning Mrs. Jones quickly informed me that I was needed by another teacher. Mrs. Carslies had fallen down the stairs earlier that morning and believed she had broken her arm. Because the teachers have to provide their own substitutes for their classroom, Mrs. Carslies had to go (painfully) to the school to prepare materials and call a substitute to come to her class so she could leave to go have her arm x-rayed. Mrs. Jones asked me to go monitor the students in the lab as their teacher made her appointment and arrangements for later classes. Although it was obvious that Mrs. Carslies was in a lot of pain, she managed to smile and continue to answer students’ questions and was very polite and grateful for my presence.

SO WHAT:
I was pretty amazed at how well Mrs. Carslies managed to hold herself together in front of her students. I do not know that I could have kept myself together, under so much pain, while managing to plan and prepare for her students in the rest of her classes.

NOW WHAT:
Being exposed to Mrs. Carslies misfortune of hurting her arm allowed me to see that no matter what my outside circumstances are I should try to maintain the best attitude in front of my students. While the students were made aware of Mrs. Carslies accident, she did not use her pain as an excuse for not being able to plan for her students. Mrs. Carslies proved to be a real trooper.

CONNECTIONS:
This has made me wonder how I may or may not respond to certain incidences inside or outside of the classroom, be it personal or student related circumstances.

Sleeping in Class

WHEN:
Oct. 9, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History
Oct. 11, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History

WHAT:
During a notes lecture, the teacher asked one of the students to sit up as she appeared to be sleeping in class. The student immediately talked back to the teacher about how she was not bothering anyone and how she was tired and did not feel like doing the work. The teacher asked the student to sit up a couple of more times throughout the lesson. After passing out a worksheet to the class, the teacher went to her desk and wrote the student up. Ms. Jones made the comment to me, under her breath so that others could not hear what she was saying, that there was no use in arguing with this particular student because it would distract the other students from learning and that it would just aggravate the student and drive her to more hostile responses. I had the privilege of taking the write-up slip to the office. When I returned, a few minutes later, Ms. Jones asked the student to step outside. The other students remained on task and did their work. Later, after class was over, the teacher explained that the student is pregnant, had to work the night before until after midnight, and does not have a stable home life.

SO WHAT:
I decided to comment on this incident because I had the opportunity to get to know the student a few days before while the class was in the library doing research. I was amazed at the information about the home life she willingly told me. I was not surprised by her attitude or actions of sleeping in class on Wednesday. Since Ms. Jones is highly aware of her home life and current situation I believe she handled the student’s behavior in class in the most professional way that she could. I could easily see where if the teacher had handled the situation where she stopped class and demanded for the student to sit up and actively participate, she would have lost valuable instruction time for the other students in the class. Also, the student’s actions were not harmful to other classmates so it was valid that Ms. Jones wait to write the student up during a transitional period from lecture to in class work during class time.

NOW WHAT:
After seeing the way Ms. Jones handled the student and was familiar with the student’s behavior, I have been reminded that I need to be aware and constantly thinking about how my students will likely answer me when they are called out in class. I will also have to referee between actions that are worth taking time away from my other students’ instruction time compared to those times when I can wait to address the student’s behavior during a break in class time. Although there are always certain times when immediate action is required, when other students’ health and safety may be at risk, such as an incident where a student may act outwardly in a violent manner. During times such as that, there is no question as to whether or not instruction needs to be stopped or not.

CONNECTIONS:
This case, as well as many other similar occurrences with other students, has reminded me that not all students will be in focus of their school work, even if they are at school that day. There are many things in home life, personal emotions, etc. that will affect them from bringing their full potential and willingness to participate in classroom instruction at school. I am reminded everyday, especially during my observation times, that a career in teaching is much more than knowing content in a subject matter. Oh my!...at the responsibilities and demands that a teacher is asked of…not to mention being held accountable for high stakes testing…

ELL Accommodations

WHEN:
Oct. 2, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History
Oct. 4, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History

WHAT:
On Wednesday, my teacher and I went to the office for errands during the planning period. We were shocked to an incomplete test returned by the ELL resource teacher from one of the Spanish speaking students in the class. Ms. Jones was greatly disturbed because this was the fourth test of the semester and such incidents had occurred with previous tests, with them being returned to her without the student completing the assignment. Upon our return to the classroom, Ms. Jones had received an email from the ELL resource teacher. The teacher had attached a document that described the state laws for special accommodations for Spanish speaking students and the needs that should be met in the classroom. Ms. Jones was highly upset, seeming how the second nine weeks was almost beginning and this email was the first notice of what she needed to be providing for her ESL students.

SO WHAT:
I was also shocked that Ms. Jones was just receiving this information during the middle of the semester. I had been curious to see the accommodations she did make for her Spanish speaking students but since I knew they went to a resource teacher I figured that their needs were being met, when I was not able to notice, such as the times they were in resource lab and possibly days when I was not observing in my teacher’s classroom.

I think this incident shows that communication is highly important when dealing with special needs students, especially between the teacher and the ELL resource teacher as well as the student. Even if a teacher is unable to speak Spanish he or she should still be aware of the struggles and ways that accommodations can be made for his or her student.

I took for granted that Ms. Jones and the ELL resource teacher would have talked about ways to help her Spanish speaking students before school started or at the latest, during the first week of classes. I was very surprised to find out otherwise.

NOW WHAT:
I have learned that I always need to be in contact with other teachers and school administrators that are involved with my students, especially those with special needs. I plan on being very attentive to those who need extra help in and out of the classroom. Although, teachers can see where special accommodations for students can create more work in teacher preparation time, it is worth taking the time and hoping that it will help students understand materials than not take the time and have them second guessing their capabilities.

CONNECTIONS:
I am eager to see how Ms. Jones will accommodate her Spanish speaking students now that she has been made aware of state laws and her need to create more effective work for her English learning students.

This is one of the many examples of the challenges teachers face with diverse students, especially Spanish speaking ones, a topic that we covered in class discussions and in the text for READ 498.

Hablas Espanol?

WHEN:
Sept. 25, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History
Sept. 27, 2006 from 8:00-11:00 – US History

WHAT:
After class 2 ESL students rambled off in Spanish in front of the teacher. I believe they were upset with her as she had given the students a load of assignments. They seemed to be aggravated when speaking. As they walked out of the class, the teacher reminded them in a strong tone to speak in English.

SO WHAT:
I thought this was very interesting. In this situation the students had the upper hand of knowing more Spanish than their teacher, thus they could use the language to communicate without the teacher knowing what was being said. The students were obviously frustrated with something the teacher had done. In return the teacher was frustrated because she did not know what her students were saying.

NOW WHAT:
This has motivated me to study more for my Spanish 202 class. There are several ESL students in the classes I am observing. This has shown me that I need to be open and more motivated to learn about others’ cultures and languages. I want to be able to communicate with my students openly. Even though I may not be able to know the Spanish language fully, I hope I can establish a good communication system with my English learning students.

CONNECTIONS:
This reemphasized the chapter on ESL students from the text book and class discussions. I am also curious as to whether or not the school has a policy for English learning students speaking in their native tongue. For instance, are there any rules as to when a student may be able or prohibited from speaking their native language in the classroom.