A Letter To My Younger Self

Dear Younger Self,

So, you are about to start the education program.  You are still wondering about whether or not you still want to be a teacher.  Let me put your mind at ease.  You will!  But before you begin your new journey, I want to give you some advice.

You will soon begin observing in classrooms.  Sometimes this will be a positive experience and sometimes you will wonder how a certain teacher has survived so long.  My advice to you:  take copious amounts of notes!  Buy an observation journal and take notes over things that you think work in a classroom and also take notes over things that went horribly.  I did not take great notes during my first round of observations and I still regret it to this day. 

You will begin to feel overwhelmed during your second semester in the program.  It will be FINE!  You have a full time job and you are going to school full time.  On top of that, you will have to be in your placement, one to two times a week.  I just want to put your mind at ease – you will be FINE!  You will not die from the stress and you will still maintain your 4.0. 

Your pre-student teaching semester will be your hardest semester of your college career.  You will still be working full-time and you will have to attend your placement two to three times a week.  This will be extremely overwhelming because, on top of your busy work schedule, you will have to plan and teach a unit.  This will also be the semester where you will be formally observed by Katie Mason.  The night before your observation, you will be so nervous because you think that your lesson is garbage.  Relax!  Katie Mason gives you great feedback and your confidence in yourself will be restored.

 

Your student teaching semester will be the greatest experience of your entire college career.  I know that you are worried about your ability but you will be great.  You will need to step down from your management position at your job and this gives you some anxiety but this will be the greatest decision you will make.  You will want to focus all of your attention and energy on your teaching.  Make sure you save as much money as you can before your student teaching semester so you will not have to worry about how your are going to live. 

Lastly, do not worry about the dreaded KPTP.  You will rock it with a perfect score!  Don’t be so surprised with this score because you know more than you think you do.  My one piece of advice for the KPTP:  don’t wait until spring break to start most of it.  This will save you from wanting to die from the stress.

Finally, I want you to know that you are great and you should stop doubting your own abilities.  You have insanely high expectations for yourself.  Stop being so hard on yourself because you will get an open contract with the district in February and you will get a job at the end of March.  Someone must think you are pretty good. 

Good luck!

"A Positive Approach to Managing Behavior"

As the end of the year looms ahead, I have been thinking seriously about how I will manage my classroom next year.   Being in English 1 classes, my eyes have opened to the importance of managing behavior.  I truly believe that managing behavior is an art form and is how great teachers are measured.  Because of my struggles with managing behavior in freshmen classes, my cooperating teacher gave me a great resource called Discipline in the Secondary Classroom:  A Positive Approach to Behavior Management by Randall S. Sprick, Ph.d. 

According to Sprick, the first way teacher can improve behavior is to first maintain high expectations for all students:  “…it is essential that you maintain and communicate high and positive expectations.  Research has repeatedly demonstrated what we know from common sense:  low expectations predict low achievement.” (Sprick 13)  High expectations equal high achievement.

As teachers, it is important to have high expectations for students’ academic and behavioral performance.   You should have these high expectations at all times.  Every time a teacher makes critical comments about a student to another teacher, that teacher is lowering their expectations for that student.  Here are some comments that communicate low expectations for students:

“What can you expect from a kid like that?”

“You can’t expect any better from a student with that kind of home life.”

“They have ADHD, so what can you do?”

“I wish he weren’t in my class.”

Also, being aware of the kind of language that you are using with your students is important.  Watch out for the following:

"Here, let me give you something easier."

"Grow up!"

"This group will work with me because they've proven they can't work alone."

"What's the matter with you?  Use your head."

How often have we heard, or used, versions of the above statements?  The first step to raising expectations is stopping these comments and encouraging success in your students – even those students who have behavior problems.   “You must believe in their success before expecting it.  Try to identify specific negative phrases you may be using, and make an effort to stop.  Then think of phrases you can use that embrace positive qualities about your students instead of negative ones.” (14)

I am a generally positive person but I have caught myself getting irritated with student behavior.  Sprick offered the following suggestions to help maintain a positive attitude:  take care of yourself, maintain a positive and realistic vision of student success, be reflective about your plan, don’t take it personally, make an overt effort to interact positively with every student, and consult with colleagues.  (15)  The tip that resonated with me was “don’t take it personally.”  I often catch myself taking negative comments and behavior issues personally.  I have committed to reminding myself that most students are not singling me out, but probably treat most adult/teachers in the same way.  

Maintaining high expectations, a positive attitude, and eliminating negative speak would foster better behavior from your students.  After my reading, I have made an attempt to have high expectations for all of my students (even the disrespectful kids) and have also made an attempt to stop taking student behavior personally.  I hope to improve behavior in my freshmen classes and also hope to incorporate these ideas into my own classroom management next year.

Sprick, Randall S. Discipline in the Secondary Classroom:  A Positive Approach to 
          Behavior Management.  2nd. ed. San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass, 2006. Print

Flexible Scaffolds for Emerging Learners

After reading "Providing Scaffolds for Student Learning" in our Smagorinsky text, I have really changed my thinking about scaffolding.  At the beginning of the chapter he begins the reading with a quote from "Integrating Visual and Language Arts" that resonated with me:  "It took me so much longer last year to plan [during student teaching].  And I think it was because I was thinking in terms of, many times, 'What do I need to teach today?'  And I've shifted that now to, 'What do my kids need to learn?'" (Smagorinsky 19)

During my student teaching experience, I have struggled with the planning aspect.  What should I teach?  What lessons will engage my students as well as cover the standards?  How much scaffolding should I incorporate?  I ask myself these questions on a daily basis.  However, after reading the above quotation from a student teacher who changed her thinking, I have begun to think seriously about what my students need to learn. 

We have all learned about the "I do", "We do", "You do" approach to scaffolding.  This approach is great of course.  Modeling is extremely important, especially for my CWC Freshmen.  But how do I move them beyond simply mimicking me to actually generating their own ideas about how to do the task?

Smagorinsky encourages the flexible scaffold:  "...the teacher does not simply expect students to do things as modeled, but encourages them to generate new ideas about how to do the task.  The purpose, then, is not to get students to mimic the teacher faithfully but to use the teacher's modeling as an opportunity to learn a new way of thinking about something."  (25)  I think this is great.  Of course we all want our students to generate new ideas and not regurgitate the teacher's ideas and style.  

The one idea from this chapter that I would love to try in my freshmen classes is the double-column response log.  We have done something similar to this and I have modeled for them but they have basically mimicked my model.  For emerging learners, some find it difficult to ask questions about literature.  Many of them have been given comprehension based assignments (I am definitely guilty of this) instead of assignments that will get them thinking about the text and asking higher level questions.  If I can get these students to find important passages from the text on their own and also get them to share their opinions and questions about the text, I feel that they would benefit greatly; they will see literature not as something to endure but something to be enjoyed.

My question is this:  How do you create flexible scaffolds with emerging learners?  Emerging learners need direct scaffolding but I would love to become more flexible and get my students to generate their own ideas.  Any ideas?

Student Teaching Will be Scary

Student teaching will be scary.

You will wake up late, unprepared,

with only a vague idea of what you are doing for the day.

You will forget your lunch

that you painstakingly made the night before.

You will neglect your boyfriend, friends, family –

You won’t remember the last time

you had a night to yourself.

You will be observed by two different veteran teachers

who might tell you that you are a horrible teacher,

you should really just quit now.

Your CT will leave you all alone.

With freshmen. 

When you haven’t learned all their names.

A student will be disrespectful, assuming incorrectly that

you have no authority.

You will correct her assumption by speaking firmly and

you will agonize over whether or not she hates your guts.

The KPTP deadline is looming in the distance.

You will have barely finished Task 1.

This is the least of your problems

because you will be asked things that you don’t know, and

you struggle to say, “I don’t have a clue”

even though this is the complete truth.

You will have units to plan, assessments to create,

and class to attend every Wednesday night.

No matter how amazingly engaging your lesson is,

you will have two freshmen who fall asleep and refuse participate.

Every time.

You will take every sleepy, unengaged, disrespectful student personally

even when your CT tells you “Don’t!”

You will be terrified of failure.

Lessons will fail, activities will fall flat, some students will fail your class.

You will fail

but you will improve the lesson, or activity so it will not fail the next time.

You will remember that this is a learning experience

and that it is all right to fail and make mistakes.

Student teaching will be scary

but you’ll live.

Genre Reflection #2 "How to Not Quit Within Your First Five Years of Teaching"

You’ve heard the horror stories.  Half of all teachers quit within their first five years.  You’ve heard this dreaded statistic from everyone:  your family, your friends, your professors.  You think to yourself – oh god!  What if I become one of these teachers? You think to yourself, how will I survive?  You think about all of the lessons you will have to plan, all of the students you will encounter, and all of the papers you will have to grade, and your head starts spinning. 

You think about failure constantly.  You think to yourself; How will I plan units and asses my students effectively?  What if I don’t teach them well enough?  Classroom management?  What is that?  How am I going to manage a room full of teenagers? You think about the relationships you will have with your students.  Their parents.  Other teachers.  Will they all hate you?  Will they like you too much?  How will you ever live up to the expectations that you have for yourself?

You think about the students you will have in your classrooms.  The students who come to school hungry, tired, abused, unloved.  You think about how you will reach these students.  How will you make them care about learning?  How will you convince them that school is important when they have bigger things going on at home? 

Yes, being a teacher is scary.  Yes, it is an awesome responsibility.  And yes, we are all scared of failure.  But don’t quit! Stick with it and it will be the best decision you will ever make.

First thing you need to do:  Stay positive.  This means staying out of the teacher’s lounge.  Stay away from all of the bitter, cynical, jaded veteran teachers who will bring you down.  Always remember that you didn’t become a teacher for the money. (Because let’s face it, the money stinks) You did it for the students. 

Second thing:  Remember that you are not only a teacher.  You have a life outside of school.  Don’t let teaching consume you.  Remember your family and friends.  Reach out to other teachers.  Don’t isolate yourself.  You are not in this alone.  Surround yourself with others who are positive and care about the students. 

Finally:  Always remember why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place.  You want to make a difference.  You want a life that has purpose because so often you will be the only caring adult in a student’s life. You want to teach, inspire, and change the lives of your students.  You know that you will fail but you will be prepared for failure.  You know that you won’t be able to reach every student, but that’s okay, because you will reach at least one, and that’s enough. 

How to Become an LGBT Ally (Reflection #3)

As the semester is coming to a close, I have realized how little support I've seen for LGBT students in my placement.  I have also never seen the integration of any texts that explore LGBT issues.  Why is this?  Are teachers afraid to integrate these texts into their classrooms for fear of reprisal?

As educators, we should be fostering an environment where students feel safe and welcome.  How can we do this if we refuse to acknowledge LGBT issues when we have LGBT students?  Simply including books in our classrooms that explore gay-straight themes can help foster an environment where all students feel welcome.  In the article "Open Eyes and Change Lives:  Narrative Resources Addressing Gay-Straight Themes," Alex Sanchez explains the importance of including these texts: "Gay boys and girls, like any others, need positive images and affirming stories to help guide them through the often painful and confusing terrain of childhood and adolescence, to glimpse a world in which they're not bad or shameful but in which they're part of the good world.  Books can provide a moral compass, a system of values, a way to understand feelings." (Sanchez 47)  In order for me to become an ally I need to include these types of books in my classroom.  It could be as simple as including these books in my classroom library or giving students the option to read these novels during literature circles or independently.  It is important for our students to know that they are welcome in our classroom, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. 

In order to foster a safe and trusting environment, we also need to stop ignoring or looking the other way when we see students being disrespected or bullied.  Unfortunately, I have seen teachers choose to ignore and address the use of homophobic remarks.  The saying That's so gay is so prevalent in our classes that many teachers have become immune to this saying which results in their lack of acknowledgement.  "What are we teaching students when we downplay or ignore acts of hate and prejudice?" (Mason) At the beginning of each school year, it is important for teachers to establish the "Respect" rule.  This also means, however, that teachers should refer to this rule throughout the year when someone breaks it.  Being consistent and explicitly telling students what is inappropriate will help curb any negative remarks made by students.  It is also important to remember that we should NEVER ignore any remarks and, more importantly, we should never make those remarks ourselves.

To become an ally, I need to critically review my own language.  Is it inclusive or exclusive to LGBT students? An unintentional misuse of a pronoun could cause a student to mistrust me.  In Michael Weinberg's article entitled "LGBT -- Inclusive Language," he explains the need for teachers to use careful thought when using language:  "[it] can not only help promote self-acceptance in LGBT students; it can also model respect and fairness for others." (Weinberg)  Here are some things we should be careful about: don't assume all students are heterosexual, don't assume a student's gender identity and biological sex are the same, and be careful about unintentional heterosexism.

It is simple to become an LGBT ally.  Simply fostering a classroom environment that includes all students and is a safe, trusting place is an easy way to begin.  Also, as English teachers, we should include a wide variety of texts in our curriculum and that includes texts that explore gay-straight issues.  When I have my own classroom, I will have either an equality sign or a safe zone sign so students know that I am an ally and know that my classroom is a safe place free from bullying and abuse.  I will also include texts that explore LGBT issues, address negative, homophobic comments, and commit to reviewing my own language to make it more inclusive.  I hope that this simple commitment will positively affect my classroom environment and, therefore, my students.

To My Freshman Class (Genre Reflection #1)

Dear Freshman Class,

            I know that I am still new and that we are just getting to know each other but I am truly enjoying every minute I get to spend in our class.  You guys are a lot of fun and Mr. Smith and I talk about what a good class you are (most of the time).  Although I am still considered a “student” myself, remember that I am still a teacher in your classroom.  This means that even when Mr. Smith leaves the room, this is not a ticket to start acting like five year-olds.  Yes, I called you five year-olds.  When you begin teasing each other and throwing paper airplanes around the room, this makes me question your maturity and sometimes my own sanity because I cannot believe that you are the same class as five minutes before.  All I ask is that you show me the same respect as you show Mr. Smith and we’ll get along just fine. 

Here are some of my expectations:  keep your head off your desk (Hey, I’m tired too!), keep your cell phones out of sight (Yes, I see it sitting in your lap), please don’t make me talk over you (it really hurts my throat), when I tell you something once please don’t make me repeat myself (this is one of my pet peeves), and most importantly – participate! (this will make class go by so much quicker for the both of us). 

So now that I have gone over some of my expectations, I know that the rest of the year will be smooth sailing – right?  You will all be perfect students who love coming to room F104 and cannot wait to discuss all things English.  Mr. Smith and I really do think you are one cool class but I hope that you all start thinking of me as a teacher too and not just Mr. Smith’s helper. 

Sincerely,

Ms. Tanner