So not only was today an early dismissal day for the students (as is every Thursday), it's also almost time for our Labor Day break!! :) The kids don't have school tomorrow, though *we* have an all-day in-service. Oh, vell. We do get Monday off, though, so that's awesome! :) I'm hitting Vegas this weekend, so that should be a nice little break.
Today was ok, though I'm starting to feel like the students aren't getting a lot of the math concepts I'd hoped they were. I just spent the past 2.5 hours grading prime factorization projects that were due today. There were a whopping THIRTEEN (13) projects that had NO name on them! Eesh... That means I didn't grade 13 projects, since I didn't want to figure out who did 'em. Oh, vell.
I forgot how tiring teaching, planning, grading, and tutoring are, especially when you have to do them constantly, and they never really end. Also, I haven't had time to eat lunch today, so I'm starving! I have a few more things to finish up here (it's just after 6:30 now), then I'm out.
Anyway, the days are going quickly, and this isn't nearly as traumatic as my first year of teaching. I'm still feeling like I can stick this out a while. Sorry, just had to vent. Hopefully I'll come back refreshed after a long weekend! For now, I bid you adieu.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Not too shabby...
... So I'm pleasantly surprised how the day turned out. As usual, I'm exhausted and my feet hurt... but I'm in a good mood.
The first three classes today weren't so great. I blame myself partially, since I feel I had mediocre lessons (honestly). I told myself that some days aren't going to be stellar, and that's ok. It was just kinda bummy.
My 4th hour class started to turn things around... I really like reading to the kids (though I prefer teaching math & getting to read on occasion; this is perfect!). Today, I brought in some metal seals and sealing wax my mom had sent me. In the book we're reading, they mentioned seals, and I wanted to show the kids what seals are. Today, I got to do just that, and the class thought the seals were cool. Yay!
Get this: my dreaded 5th hour class (our "academic special" that is still curricularly undefined) was my best class of the day! Bizarre...
The day wrapped up well, with my good 7th hour class and then tutoring.
Overall highlights today:
-Showing my reading class the seals
-Having my 5th hour class actually do WORK today!
-Working one-on-one with the student who bugs the crap out of me (I've decided I MUST get him on my side if he and the class are to peacefully coexist). He actually grasped the concepts eventually, and said "Hi!" to me today twice after our meeting. He's a good kid from a big family, so I'm sure his house is chaotic. I need to show him what calm looks like. Anyway, it could potentially be a good year for him.
-Tutoring! It was actually fun today. We did a review that was OK, but ended the session with games. The kids (and I!) got really into it, and I heard one guy remark to his buddy, "See, I told you this would be awesome." Ha!
Okee, boyfriend's coming back from a trip to L.A., so I'm off! Peace out.
The first three classes today weren't so great. I blame myself partially, since I feel I had mediocre lessons (honestly). I told myself that some days aren't going to be stellar, and that's ok. It was just kinda bummy.
My 4th hour class started to turn things around... I really like reading to the kids (though I prefer teaching math & getting to read on occasion; this is perfect!). Today, I brought in some metal seals and sealing wax my mom had sent me. In the book we're reading, they mentioned seals, and I wanted to show the kids what seals are. Today, I got to do just that, and the class thought the seals were cool. Yay!
Get this: my dreaded 5th hour class (our "academic special" that is still curricularly undefined) was my best class of the day! Bizarre...
The day wrapped up well, with my good 7th hour class and then tutoring.
Overall highlights today:
-Showing my reading class the seals
-Having my 5th hour class actually do WORK today!
-Working one-on-one with the student who bugs the crap out of me (I've decided I MUST get him on my side if he and the class are to peacefully coexist). He actually grasped the concepts eventually, and said "Hi!" to me today twice after our meeting. He's a good kid from a big family, so I'm sure his house is chaotic. I need to show him what calm looks like. Anyway, it could potentially be a good year for him.
-Tutoring! It was actually fun today. We did a review that was OK, but ended the session with games. The kids (and I!) got really into it, and I heard one guy remark to his buddy, "See, I told you this would be awesome." Ha!
Okee, boyfriend's coming back from a trip to L.A., so I'm off! Peace out.
Friday, August 22, 2008
MUCH better!
There... now I'm three weeks into teaching. I think we're starting to get into the swing of things. The kids (generally) understand and abide by my classroom expectations. I like all my kids (even the ones who drive me crazy) so far... and I've been impressed with some of their work and efforts!
Today was a nice day, overall. In my 4 math classes, we covered least common multiple (LCM) and greatest common factor (GCF), then had a quiz. We'll see how the kids did on it... I gave out little treats to the students who had done their homework all week. My goal is to somehow motivate those who haven't been turning it in thus far...
In my reading class/homeroom, we're reading Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. It's a really, really good (albeit depressing!) book, and the kids are getting into it. (I have to decipher a lot, though, because it's pretty eloquently written!) There was a HILARIOUS part today, though... A portion in the book was talking about hoeing and cultivating the land. One of my sweetest students raised a timid hand into the air.
"What does it mean 'hoeing'?" she'd asked, innocently enough.
A lot of other students stifled laughter and looked to see my reaction.
I replied, "It's probably not what you're thinking..." and everyone started laughing. I couldn't help it: I burst out laughing, too.
"A hoe is a tool," I went on, and I tried to draw a picture of one on the board. Unfortunately, the hoe looked more like an exclamation mark, so I had to describe it in great detail. Eventually, I think they got it.
One student remarked, "Man, they had a lot of weird tools back then!"
I contested, "Well, they still have hoes today."
The class cracked up again, several repeating the line. I had to laugh again; they got me! I had to follow, "I don't mean women, I mean the tools." Oh, man! I turned bright read (as several students pointed out), and laughed so hard my eyes watered!
My 7th period (math) class is funny, too... I almost always laugh with them in that class. Lately, I've been sharing some laughs with my other classes as well. So far, all the classes are good at getting back no track after we're goofy for a minute. It's nice!
Finally, my dreaded 5th period class was pretty good today! It's an "academic special" class, meaning it's like art or P.E., but with an academic area. I teach a section called "Math boost" to help improve the students' basic math skills. Usually, it's a nightmare for reasons I don't want to get into... but today was good! We did some multiplication & division work, then I showed them how to work a sudoku puzzle. Most of them got really into it. (I'd done sudokus with 3 other classes, one my first year teaching, and the kids generally like them a lot.) The class seemed to appreciate the break in monotony, and it was nice to have an enjoyable, enriching activity to do with them. We then went to the computer lab, where they work on a wonderful little program that both assesses and assists them in their weak areas. Lovely!
Yesterday was a rough day (partially my fault, due to lack of overplanning), but my counterpart helped talk me through it at the end of the day.
Overall, I like the school here. MUCH better than my last one!
Also, I'm starting tutoring on Monday! It'll be 1.5 hours a day after school, 3 days a week. It's hard to turn down the $35/hour, but I hope I'm not too exhausted after that... We'll see!
For now, I wrap up here and head on to play a double-header softball game! Ciao!
Today was a nice day, overall. In my 4 math classes, we covered least common multiple (LCM) and greatest common factor (GCF), then had a quiz. We'll see how the kids did on it... I gave out little treats to the students who had done their homework all week. My goal is to somehow motivate those who haven't been turning it in thus far...
In my reading class/homeroom, we're reading Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. It's a really, really good (albeit depressing!) book, and the kids are getting into it. (I have to decipher a lot, though, because it's pretty eloquently written!) There was a HILARIOUS part today, though... A portion in the book was talking about hoeing and cultivating the land. One of my sweetest students raised a timid hand into the air.
"What does it mean 'hoeing'?" she'd asked, innocently enough.
A lot of other students stifled laughter and looked to see my reaction.
I replied, "It's probably not what you're thinking..." and everyone started laughing. I couldn't help it: I burst out laughing, too.
"A hoe is a tool," I went on, and I tried to draw a picture of one on the board. Unfortunately, the hoe looked more like an exclamation mark, so I had to describe it in great detail. Eventually, I think they got it.
One student remarked, "Man, they had a lot of weird tools back then!"
I contested, "Well, they still have hoes today."
The class cracked up again, several repeating the line. I had to laugh again; they got me! I had to follow, "I don't mean women, I mean the tools." Oh, man! I turned bright read (as several students pointed out), and laughed so hard my eyes watered!
My 7th period (math) class is funny, too... I almost always laugh with them in that class. Lately, I've been sharing some laughs with my other classes as well. So far, all the classes are good at getting back no track after we're goofy for a minute. It's nice!
Finally, my dreaded 5th period class was pretty good today! It's an "academic special" class, meaning it's like art or P.E., but with an academic area. I teach a section called "Math boost" to help improve the students' basic math skills. Usually, it's a nightmare for reasons I don't want to get into... but today was good! We did some multiplication & division work, then I showed them how to work a sudoku puzzle. Most of them got really into it. (I'd done sudokus with 3 other classes, one my first year teaching, and the kids generally like them a lot.) The class seemed to appreciate the break in monotony, and it was nice to have an enjoyable, enriching activity to do with them. We then went to the computer lab, where they work on a wonderful little program that both assesses and assists them in their weak areas. Lovely!
Yesterday was a rough day (partially my fault, due to lack of overplanning), but my counterpart helped talk me through it at the end of the day.
Overall, I like the school here. MUCH better than my last one!
Also, I'm starting tutoring on Monday! It'll be 1.5 hours a day after school, 3 days a week. It's hard to turn down the $35/hour, but I hope I'm not too exhausted after that... We'll see!
For now, I wrap up here and head on to play a double-header softball game! Ciao!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
how fast the days fly!
man, these school days are just flying by! i had a pretty rough morning (for a variety of reasons), but sure enough, in my first period class, my students made me laugh. the class clown in first period is actually funny, so that helps!
anyway, just thought i'd touch base here... i'm trying to get to bed before 10, so i must be off soon. tomorrow's a short day for the kids (as is every thursday), so classes are only 38 minutes long each. (and i thought 50 minutes went fast!)
okee... i'll be back sometime soon to give the highlights of the presentations my kids did this week. some were *really* impressive.
for now, i'm off!
anyway, just thought i'd touch base here... i'm trying to get to bed before 10, so i must be off soon. tomorrow's a short day for the kids (as is every thursday), so classes are only 38 minutes long each. (and i thought 50 minutes went fast!)
okee... i'll be back sometime soon to give the highlights of the presentations my kids did this week. some were *really* impressive.
for now, i'm off!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Interesting!
I'm sooo ready for bed, but first, quickly...
Have you ever been to a Wal-Mart in Phoenix at 10:30 on a Sunday night? First, it's PACKED. Second, I felt like I was in another country; I was the only person within sight whose first language was English. It was wicked. Normally, I'd think that was the coolest thing ever, but I'm so tired right now that I was just kind of in awe.
Tomorrow's coming up fast, so I MUST hit the hay. More later! Ciao, and here's to week 2!!
Have you ever been to a Wal-Mart in Phoenix at 10:30 on a Sunday night? First, it's PACKED. Second, I felt like I was in another country; I was the only person within sight whose first language was English. It was wicked. Normally, I'd think that was the coolest thing ever, but I'm so tired right now that I was just kind of in awe.
Tomorrow's coming up fast, so I MUST hit the hay. More later! Ciao, and here's to week 2!!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Day 3: Complete
So the first three days have been pretty easy... makes me nervous about the rest of the year! I already see a few students who I think may give me some grief on down the line, but we'll see.
The first day was downright chaotic. Most of the 6th graders, new to the school, had no idea where they were going. We skipped first period as a grade. Kids got lost constantly. I didn't know where some of the students' specials were. However, it was a good day. We got through a bunch of rules, procedures, and things like that. The kids were scared and nearly silent; I'll miss that as the year rolls on!
The second day was good also; both the students and I started getting more comfortable (though that means they're gonna start testing the waters soon). We took math pre-tests yesterday and today, so there wasn't too much hassle. I need to get a bit more organized, though, so I bought 300 file folders and 16 stackable plastic trays for the students' various work.
Tomorrow (and every Thursday) is an early release day, so classes are a mere 38 minutes long! Craziness. 50 minutes go by so fast; I can only imagine how ridiculous 38 will be!
Anyway, when I remember, I'll take more photos of the classroom, as it actually looks like a *class* now instead of a big, empty room. Oh, and two of my classes are past capacity. I have 33 desks in the room, and two of my classes have too many students for the desks. (If they all showed up in one of my classes, I'd have 36 students right now!)
Okee... I'm soooo tired, but I still have a bit to prepare for tomorrow. I'm trying to get to bed by 9, so I'm out. Peace! :)
The first day was downright chaotic. Most of the 6th graders, new to the school, had no idea where they were going. We skipped first period as a grade. Kids got lost constantly. I didn't know where some of the students' specials were. However, it was a good day. We got through a bunch of rules, procedures, and things like that. The kids were scared and nearly silent; I'll miss that as the year rolls on!
The second day was good also; both the students and I started getting more comfortable (though that means they're gonna start testing the waters soon). We took math pre-tests yesterday and today, so there wasn't too much hassle. I need to get a bit more organized, though, so I bought 300 file folders and 16 stackable plastic trays for the students' various work.
Tomorrow (and every Thursday) is an early release day, so classes are a mere 38 minutes long! Craziness. 50 minutes go by so fast; I can only imagine how ridiculous 38 will be!
Anyway, when I remember, I'll take more photos of the classroom, as it actually looks like a *class* now instead of a big, empty room. Oh, and two of my classes are past capacity. I have 33 desks in the room, and two of my classes have too many students for the desks. (If they all showed up in one of my classes, I'd have 36 students right now!)
Okee... I'm soooo tired, but I still have a bit to prepare for tomorrow. I'm trying to get to bed by 9, so I'm out. Peace! :)
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