ALT!

I'm so committed to this school, even though I've been here less than two weeks. The students are absolutely amazing: so many of them are incredibly talented, intelligent, and mature. There are some who are not quite as mature, maybe, but they have likely lived more life than I can even wrap my brain around at age 26. The staff is wonderful to work with: I really feel like I am heard when I have an idea and I feel that my work is both validated and valued. Planning classes is a ton of work, but it's so rewarding: I've had students compliment my choices of topics and I've seen most of them smile and laugh and be engaged while learning new concepts. That is such a treat!

I'm a little concerned that this is simply a "honeymoon" period with the program, but I'm hoping it's not. At this point, if someone offered me a job there over the mainstream high school, I would likely take it. That's not to say that I don't love my job at the mainstream school!-- I do. I'm just really enjoying the freedom that at alternative school presents for both teachers and students. I love teaching freshmen, and I miss that, so it will be good to go back later this year. I honestly don't know where I'd be happiest long-term. (Which is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, but that's for an entirely different blog!)

My to-do list is ever-growing, so I'm going to end here. I simply wanted to make sure my happiness and satisfaction were documented for future reference. :)

Oops...

So, I need to plan one more class for the alternative high school for first trimester. First trimester starts in just a couple of weeks... Oh dear.

Looks like I'll be doing the Speech class that I thought up, though I'm not as in love with it as the writing and drama classes. I'll have to work extra hard to make sure it doesn't end up on the back burner at all times...

Working like a madwoman... commence!

Classroom Expectations?

In planning my first week of the school year, the question always arises: How soon must one set expectations for the classroom? And how does one go about doing that?

I think I'm going to try a couple of different tactics this year. With my first class, I'm going to leave expectation-setting until the beginning of the second week (fourth actual day of class) and pack the first week full of getting-to-know-one-another activities. I'm hoping that if we all become fairly comfortable and trusting of one another, expectations will fall into place. On the first Monday, I'll ask for ideas of expectations from the class, but will be clear on my main two:

1. Respect all people and things in the classroom at all times.
2. If you do anything that bothers me, I'll tell you to stop and you will. :)

With my other class, I'm going to brainstorm expectations with the class as a whole on the very first day. We'll narrow it down to about five total.

This should be an interesting experiment in classroom management and behavior... Any ideas out there on what works and what doesn't?

Planning...

...should have started earlier! But that's always how it goes. I'm actually ahead of the game compared to the last two years, but move one space back because I'm creating two new courses for the alternative high school. They are as follows:

WRITING WITH PURPOSE

Teachers are always having us write, write, write! But WHY?! If you're the sort of person who asks, "Why are we doing this?" or "When will I ever use this?" then this is the class for you! We'll explore writing for every reason from dream journaling to slam poetry to letters of complaint to academic essays. If you're ready to make your writing purposeful and find purpose in writing, join us!

SO MUCH DRAMA...

If your life is full of drama... you're not alone! Meet a cast of characters from the past to the present who share trials and tribulations. Explore shared experiences through reading, writing, thinking, and performing. Create sets and costumes, play with line delivery and movement, and get caught up in the drama of theatre.

I'm really excited about both of them because they're entirely mine. I was given the freedom to teach whatever I want, so long as it is meeting standards. So. Cool. And I'm proud of myself for getting as much of a head start as I have. I've chosen standards that I will meet for each course, brainstormed assessments of each of those standards, and have chosen texts for the drama course. At this point, I'm ready to design the final assessments for that course, then work backwards (who thought I'd ever have time to plan curriculum correctly again?!) to design the activities for the unit!

On the to-do list for today: brainstorm ways of writing for the first class (using--and valuing-- all registers)... Any ideas?

A Fourth (?!) Year Teacher

It's time to start self-reflecting on a regular basis. Seriously.

So here I am... quite some time later. Oops. I'm going into my fourth year teaching and I still couldn't be happier. This year has so much excitement in store: teaching at the alternative high school in the district for the first trimester, teaching the 9th grade classes that I love-- while seeing my former 7th graders as freshmen!-- and watching the class of freshmen I started with walk across the stage at graduation. Not to mention working with a new staff, working under two women I admire, and learning more about sheltered content English. Oh, and coaching Speech, directing a One Act for competition, and serving on multiple committees in pursuit of Equity in our district.

I've just started planning for the next school year... stay tuned for updates on that!

A Second Year Teacher

Although I haven't updated this blog in quite some time, I have not been eaten alive by high school students. In fact, I survived my first year of teaching and it went very well. I was lucky enough to be hired back in the same district and am now almost a third of the way through my second year teaching English at Roseville Area Schools!

Some things have changed, however. I am now traveling between two schools-- the high school in the morning and the junior high in the afternoon. That's a new beast, for sure. I never really expected to be traveling, let alone teaching SEVENTH GRADE. But I'm surviving it. And, like I keep telling everyone who asks what I think of it: It will make me a better teacher in the long run. I'm learning to be more patient, caring, and kind. But it doesn't really fit my usual sarcastic style and "suck-it-up" technique. I'm used to being able to reason with my students like adults, not hold their hand like children. But really, seventh graders are still children. It's amazing the changes they go through in just two years. I'm hoping that I'm still teaching at the high school in two years and that I have a chance to have some of them again when they've matured just a little. I'm wondering, though, how I can transfer some of what I'm learning to my old style. Right now, I just feel like two different teachers; I need to learn how to reconcile them.

But overall, I still really love my job. If I could go back and go through college all over again, I would do it just the same. I love working for this school district, I love working with my co-workers, and I especially love working with my students. There is no greater reward than hearing "Hi Ms. O!" in the hallway. So sappy, but so true!

Day Nine

Discussing controversial topics with freshman is a challenge. Who would have guessed, right? They aren't quite to the stage where they can talk about HOW to have a discussion without actually talking about the topic that was used as an example. My goal by the end of this trimester is to get my students to have a large-group discussion that flows smoothly and that doesn't need to be moderated by me (calling on people who have their hands raised).

BEST MOMENT: Today, my fifth hour class actually sat in their seats for more than 30 seconds and listened to me (and each other) for periods lasting longer than 5 seconds. This is progress. It's good. Hopefully this stems from respect for one another and me rather than some other external factor.

ANOTHER BEST MOMENT: I made an attempt to match the students' energy at the beginning of each hour today and they asked me if I was on drugs or crazy... then I pointed out the fact that I was simply as energetic as them. They were shocked that I could do that and shocked that they look like that to me. Very funny.

WORST MOMENT: My worst moment today was when I realized that one of my (usually very upbeat) students was not having a good day and I didn't have time to stop and ask him if he was alright. I feel bad that I didn't have time for that today. I need to learn how to make time to talk to individual students, even when I'm really busy.

Tomorrow: a visit from my supervisor!