April '09 Blog #2: My Mississippi Teacher Corps Experience

My MCT experience has been a long one with many ups and many downs. I have cried, laughed, screamed, and smiled over and over again. I have gained confidence as a teacher and have learned many valuable lessons throughout my time in Teacher Corps. Join me as I summarize my experience with the Mississippi Teacher Corps.

May 2006
I need a change and something different. After researching alternate route teaching education programs in MS, I found MS Teacher corps. I applied. Soon after I get my first call from Ben Guest. I am excited to graduate. One week later I’m driving to Oxford, MS. I am excited and nervous, because I don’t know what I’m really getting myself into. I meet my roomie from Alaska. She’s super cool. We meet other MCTers. Everyone seems nice. People begin to leave. Holly Springs summer school starts soon. Issues arise with lead teachers, a bus-driving incident, and Couzapaloosa. We meet great 2nd years. We have lunch and free food at Annie's and Ajax's. At Holly Springs it’s always lesson plans, lesson plans, lesson plans. More teaching. I’m having too much fun by now and not taking the Praxis seriously. I don’t pass the Chemistry Praxis. No more Teacher Corps. No apartment in Greenville. Looking for a job. Retake Praxis. Won the Green Highlighter Award!

Fall 2006
Although I wasn’t officially in MCT during this time, I thought that it was necessary to reflect my time being outside of Teacher Corps. I was hired to work as a full-time substitute inclusion teacher. I had a great time establishing my rules and procedures for my temporary class. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do something different. Since I was there full-time, I usually subbed for whoever was out that day. This way I had the chance to meet a lot of the students. They recognized me from around school and knew about my rules and consequences. I felt so validated. Someone mentioned that a teacher had left a science position in a nearby city. I decided to look into it. I applied, interviewed, and was hired to teach Biology I-a state tested subject.

Woe is me. I begin my 1st real teaching experience in late September, early October. So much for rules and procedures for the first two weeks! They have been running wild since August. The teacher apparently left for lunch and never came back. It seemed like my students fought me every day with my rules, procedure and consequences. Things started to change when I introduced Student of the Week, Star Student, and Most Improved. This was an idea that I received from my fellow MCTer. It was during this time that I really missed my MCT classmates. The support that we had was overwhelming and comforting. I felt like I had lost my lifeline and was put in this situation to sink or swim. I still called many of them to see what type of advice that they could give me. It’s just hard especially when, you become accustom to the constant support and encouragement. I believe as first year teachers, you need that validation or reassurance that you u are doing a good job and that you are a good teacher. I had a great mentor at my school. She taught me a lot about how to treat them right, keeping the reigns tight, and loosening them up towards the end. Although, we clashed a little-she was into older things and I was more about technology and lab experiments, I really valued her opinion.

Spring 2007
Back to Teacher Corps! I am learning to sat afloat now. Working and going to school is a little hard. I really missed my group. I learned that more people left. Rejoining the camaraderie feels good again- I feel connected again. I’m teaching Biology I and getting students ready for the state test. I am trying to balance a more than full-time job and graduate work. More blogging. I hate blogging. No surprise, we have received another email from Ben Guest-Blogging now has a 500 word minimum. Did I mention I hate blogging?! I am really looking forward to the summer, because I need a break! May comes and I am looking for a job closer to home. Gas prices are ridiculous! The 2nd year class leaves, and I will miss them. At this point I am also missing my children, my students. They really bugged me and were a challenge the whole year, but I am really going to miss not seeing them next year. Yeah, summer’s here!

Summer 2007
I’m back in Oxford at an apartment now. I am so excited! I love having my own space. I have a new roommate now. My old roommate met a great MCTer! It feels good to be a 2nd year now. I believe my 1st year is over. I am a new job that is closer to home. I didn’t realize how much I would miss my 1st group of kids. I reflect back to my 1st group of MCT summer school students. I wonder how they are doing. The new class of MCTers come in, and I am excited to see Molly from last year. I enjoy many laughs with my new roommate. Ed Law begins. Many outside parties with Teacher Corps. I don’t do the outside. There is much of me sleep in my apartment. There is a sign-in sheet in Holly Springs. Now I must make it to work on time. Seeing the newbies reminds me of last year. I try to tell them things to help them. One listens and one doesn’t. One ends up staying and one doesn’t. Summer school feels weird as a 2nd year. There are no more lead teachers.

I am trying to improve myself for my new teaching environment-alternative school. My mentor from last year calls and says all but eight students passed the State Test, including the retesters and those at alternative school and behavior treatment facilities. It felt like I had accomplished something great. Sometimes teaching a state-tested subject you do not receive instant gratification for your efforts. That phone call made me realize that all of my hard work did not go to waste and made me really feel good as a person and better as a teacher. I am extremely happy. The 1st summer session ends. Yea, I am glad that I don’t have to stay for a 2nd session, and I am mad that I received a B on my evaluation. I won the Most Outgoing Award.

Fall 2007
A new start begins. I’m at a new school teaching new subject this year-Math. The principal who hired me is now at another school. Let’s summarize: New principal, new school, new prep, and since I have to make up for Fall 2006, new MCT class. This is a lot of news for a 2nd year teacher. I love my job at first. Everything changes every week here and nothing is constant. These early Saturday morning 3 a.m. drives to Oxford are killing me! New assignment is to plan a 5 day STAI lesson plan and I don’t even have a constant prep yet. So far I have facilitated an inclusion reading lab, taught health, elementary math, and middle school math. More changes arrive. I now only teach Pre-Algebra and Algebra I.
My observer comes and my students are very loud and crazy that day. They are not motivated and no one was on board with my lesson. Total chaos. I stopped my planned lesson and made the necessary changes to “save” the remaining class period. I was devastated. Afterwards he only said two words, “Tough crowd.” He then gave me credit for my efforts and initiative to change it up. I thank MCT for preparing me to deal with situations like that. I went home with my spirits lifted.

Spring/Summer 2008
No MCT this semester. My class is graduating, and I am really going to miss them. I enjoy one good last meal with my class at the Downtown Grill. Great food and great people. I’m interested that some are staying to teach another year. I’m ready to graduate now.

Fall 2008
More news-I’m at a new school this year teaching Science Skills and Reasoning. (Yes, another new prep!) I realize how much strength I’ve developed over my last two years teaching. I know how to anticipate problems before they even begin. Teacher Corps really prepared me to handle being a teacher. I really enjoy the Educational Leadership class with Dr. Mullins. It made me think of things from an administrative point of view and from a teacher. We meet a lot of important people including Governor Winters. I’m not enjoying Ed Research as much. I did gain some insight into reviewing Ed Journals for new ideas. Coursework finally ends and portfolio time begins. No more 3 a.m. drives!

Spring 2009 (Present day)
Yea! It’s almost that time. I have no idea on what to include in my portfolio, but as I think about it, it becomes easier to manage. I am so thankful for all of my experiences, because they made me stronger, wiser and better person. Having the support from teachers like me who are trying to impact their class like me makes me feel like I can accomplish more. I will be teaching at my school another year, and I am excited about it. I didn’t realize how much you impact students initially. I am a teacher and I am proud to say that the MS Teacher Corps helped mold me into who I am today. Now, hurry up graduation!

April '09 Blog #1: A Note To The Incoming First Years From An Exiting 2nd/3rd Year

As you embark upon your journey into MCT land, I first commend you. It is NOT eay being a teacher. Those who believe this career will just give you extra time to do whatever else you want in live will be very disappointed. Teaching is hard! However, the gratification that you will get from it will probably be one of the greatest rewards you’ll receive in your live. You will have an opportunity to affect children in a wy that you will not even realize. You will be tested, tried, bruised and broke,, but please, please-Don’t give up. These students need you and your experiences and a part of your life. Teach them all that you are required to teach, but also teach them how to be better people. Teach them how to hare, be respectful, be responsible, and be productive.

Will you save every child? Unfortunately, no. It’s hard to see a child go down the wrong path. Do what you can, but realize that you can’t do everything. Don’t spend all of your time trying to stay afloat. One teacher told me that you’ll never get caught up; the idea is to do as much as you can in a given amount of time. Spend time with your friends, family, and with those who do not address you as Mr. or Ms. Do not expect everything to be perfect to just work out the way you planned. Yes, the system is flawed-Don’t expect to change it all your 1st year. Accept what you can change, do the best that you can and move on for the next year. Be genuine. Recognize and respect southern (Mississippi) culture. It’s ok if they call you mam or sir, even though you didn’t do that growing up. They are SUPPOSED to and don’t accept nothing less. You are a teacher. Say it to yourself over and over and over again. You will gain teacher confidence over time.

Demand respect. No, the students do not have to like you, but they MUST respect your. Don’t try to be friends with them. You are here to teacher them. Some days you will cry, be frustrated, and want to scream. Find ways to deal with your anger/frustration and stress. Join a gym or go out with friends or other MCTers living near you. Vent, vent, vent. They understand your struggle. Try not to let the students discourage you, they want to know that you’ll stay and that you care about them. Once they realize that, things usually get easier.

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, and then PLAN some more. Use the time when you leave summer school to plan for the first month of teaching. Once school starts everything will move quickly. The more you have planned, the easier your duration will be. If you lack time management skills, start learning and practicing them during the summer. You will absolutely need this. Through it all-crazy administration, ever-changing schedules, crazy students, crazy parents, crazy you-stay POSITIVE, KEEP SMILING, and HAVE FUN. Remember even when it seems like you aren’t, you are making a difference.

March '09 Blog #2 Freewrite: The Best Teaching Experience EVER!

I had the most enjoyable teaching experience ever the last three days before spring break. I decided to hold a lab to test out the new microscopes that we received through the Donor’s Choose program. My students were excited, because many had not seen anything underneath the microscope before. Here is a look at this wonderful day in teaching history.

The students were generally excited about class and came in ready to work in groups to complete the task for the day. I was pleasantly surprised to see them working together without the name calling and loud taking. The first day I showed them fixed slides of different items such as liver tissue, bone, kidney, and stomach cells. They could not believe how that tiny dot on the slide was what they were looking at underneath the microscope. I then let the students decide what else they would like to see underneath the microscope. They picked a bed bug. They asked intelligent questions about their work and even my “bad” or “behaviorally challenged” students were engaged in the lesson. I was so excited that my students had the opportunity to engage in such a learning process.

Even the set-up of the lab went smoothly. I have to share my room with another teacher during my planning period so the room has to be arranged in a certain way in order for the teacher to do teach is class. That means that I had to remove all of the desks in the room to create a make-shift microscope lab for my students. They came in and helped me move the tables set up the equipment for the lab. My two lower achieving students were very proud to show me that they remembered how to hold and transport a microscope (things we learned at the beginning of school.) One girl even corrected her friend when she saw that the microscope was not pushed back from the edge of the table. (Yeah!)

My classes went very smoothly that whole day. The Friday before Spring Break helped to round off the best teaching experience, ever! We did a new microscope lab that day. The students had to prepare their own wet mount and answer questions regarding their lab. At lunch I went to talk to the school nurse to see if she noticed any high changes in my blood pressure. After she checked by blood pressure, she showed me pieces of a deer’s heart, trachea, and kidneys. She said that her brother-in-law went deer hunting earlier that week. I really wanted to show my students the different types of muscle and tissue within the gallon bag of deer parts. We set up microscopes in her lab to see sections of the deer lab. Unfortunately, this was a last minute idea, so I couldn’t make a miracle happen in just one short lunch period. When I returned to class, I told my students what we were going to see and most were very happy and surprised. We went to the lab and my students got to put on gloves and hold and feel the different textures of the heart and liver. Her Allied Health student presented my students with an overview of the heart and its functions. I just had the best time finding them gloves, observing information underneath a microscope.

At the end of the day I felt good and not worn down like I usually feel. I was so excited to see my students so excited about what we were learning for that day. That day I felt great; I felt like a TEACHER!

March '09 Blog #1 Response to Executive Summary

I feel that the MS Executive Summary was interesting. Some parts of the article seemed to make sense. For example, Jackson is the largest city; therefore, I would expect it to have more people and in that pool of people many people would fare well. Also, Desoto County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. This fact leads me to believe that there is something positive going on in that area. Knowing the plight of the MS delta region, I am not surprised by the negative news for that area. What I did find shocking was how the report showed that the quality of life today for a typical African American in MS compares of that to an average person from the 1970s. I found that fact that salaries of African Americans were significantly lower than that of their white counterparts. This news was disheartening. I knew that there were discrepancies, but until reading this article, I did not realize their full extent.
Another “no brainer” was that fact that the education system has to be beefed up in order to combat the disparities found in the report. The report basically said to reinvest in the community. I think that reinvesting is one of the best options to help repair MS problems. I agree teenage boys do need some type of outlet instead of gangs and sex. This is a cycle that needs to be stopped as soon as possible. Having a community helps feel the void that these teenagers are missing.
In the education department, family schools would help foster a sense of community and also help parents to be more responsible for their children. The only thing about my suggestions is that they are a little fantasized. Because of the lack of African American males in the homes, mothers have to work long hours to help support their children. These children are raising themselves (and sometimes younger siblings) and do not have the guidance that they need from home to succeed well in school. They try to feel the void of a missing parent by turning to any source of conceived love they can find. During this time, someone will end up pregnant and the cycle will continue. Poverty breeds more poverty. Enough is enough. It is time to do something about it!

February '09 Blog #2: Photo Essay of My Community

I live in the country (county), but work in the city. The two are very different, but I consider them both my community, so I took pictures of both. Hope you enjoy them!

February '09 Blog #1: A Typical Day in Science Skills from a Student's POV

It’s hard for me to describe a typical day in my classroom from a student’s perspective, so I made it an assignment. The responses are really great. It brought a lot of insight into how the students view the class and me. Editor’s note: I did edit a lot of their grammar and sentences, while trying to keep the integrity of their statements. Here are a few excerpts…

A normal day in Science Skills is pretty funny. The teacher is always smiling like its’ the best day of her life! Then, we take notes of something. We always do some type of classwork like Spongebob genetics papers or take a quiz or a test. By the middle of class people get tired, I guess and put their heads down. I usually try not to, because Ms. Siwell takes a picture [of us sleeping]. We never go to the library or do anything like that. [TEACHER NOTE: We DO “go to the library and stuff like that”; however, this child misses a lot of class, so he misses a lot of the other activities.] She is really strict about dress code. Usually you will get sent outside. If you get told a second time, you get a writing assignment. My cousin, James, always get writing assignments. ~M.A. (6th period)

When I come to Ms. Siwell’s class, she smiles at the door. The students come in and do their bellwork. [She] checks and sees if everybody got their stuff for class. She checks and sees if our shirts are tucked in and pants are pulled up. We learn about Science Skills. We [are] always having fun. We learn about body parts in everything about [the] body. When we leave out of class, we leave with knowledge of Science Skills. We have a test almost everyday, but it’s fun in here. Some of us pass and some don’t. ~C.D (6th period)

Everyday I come in Science Skills [it] is not perfect, but it’s okay. I like this class and my teacher. When I come in this class, I turn my work in. Ms. Siwell sends all of the ones that do bad out the class. When I do bad, she sends me out too. Science Skills is a good class. I learn more and more everyday. Learning in Science Skills is a good thing. ~L.C. (2nd period)

When I come in to class I sit down and do my bellwork. After that, we go over it, and Ms. Siwell is still smiling. She tells us our objectives for the day and gives us notes. Then, she will give is work that some of those bad kids don’t understand. So we stop working so Ms. Siwell can explain it to them, but they still don’t understand it. Then somebody would want to be big and bad and try her and get wrote up knowing they gone go to that young “I”. [Teacher Note" “The I” is the students’ new phrase for In School Suspension (ISS). I kinda like it. I have found myself referring to ISS as “the I” lately.] Then after all the commotion settles down, she will give us homework and probably throw a test on us the next day or so and that’s a typical day in Science Skills. ~C. S. (2nd period)

[TEACHER NOTE” I still think that it is SO funny that I “throw tests” on them, because every Monday, I post a schedule for the week on the board for them to copy that clearly states when their test will be, and I usually tell them the previous week when they will have a test. On the contrary, I do realize that this is from a student’s perspective, so I am trying to be more understanding of their opinion.]

When I first come in Ms. Siwell’s class I always be feeling a little bored. As I do my bellwork and go over it, I feel myself coming around. Ms. Siwell’s class is a very important class to me. Sometimes I get on my work and other times when I’m feeling down, I don’t get it. We discuss a lot in Ms. Siwell’s class that will only help us for the future, if we do it. I thought Science Skills was going to be boring, but it’s haning in alright. It’s not how it sounds. I was thinking that we were going to work in a real lab and do real science activities. I am trying to do my best and pass Ms. Siwell’s class, but I can’t control my mouth. Just by sitting in [her] class, I already know that it’s time to learn more about science. It’s not like how I planned it to be, but if I pay attention and get my work, this class will take me a long way. ~W.L. (4th period)

As I stated previously, the responses to this assignment were very interesting to read. Some were not as honest as other, but overall I think that I enjoy them expressing their emotions on paper. I foresee other writing opportunities for bellwork soon.

January '09 Blog #2: Lower My Standards? Freewrite

I am so disgusted with the lack of motivation of my 1st period class. My students do not realize how their actions will affect them over the course of the next four years. My failure rate in that class is extremely high; however, I feel wrong giving students’ grades that they did not earn. These students, generally speaking, are used to everything in life being handed to them. If I challenge them to think or try to teach them how to attempt to answer a discussion question, they assume that I don’t know what I’m talking about and “can’t teach”. I have called parent after parent who promises me that they child will do better in the upcoming days, but this is not the case. I don’t know if I am mad at the students or madder at their previous teachers. What type of disservice are they performing for these students? Giving the students the information all of the time will cause their brains to just shrink up and become useless. Why should you think for yourself is someone else is always going to do it for you?

I wish many times that other teacher were on the same page as me. Their cooperation would make it so much easier to do my job. If all of the teacher s made the students look for the answers to similar test questions on a study guide instead of giving them the question and the answer to MEMORIZE then maybe, they wouldn’t assume that the Bad Teacher was being too hard on them when they saw her study guide. At the rate these students are going they are going to be so unprepared for the real world.

I talked to our guidance counselor about my failure rate. She assured me that tit wasn’t just me and at other teachers had had problems with students just not doing anything and not caring about it. She told me one thing that really stood out to me, “Don’t lower your standards.” It felt so good to have someone support me in my decision. The problem with students now is that teachers have fudged grades in order to keep their failure rate to a minimum. I know some of these students could not have mastered 70% of the material last year, because this year they know absolutely nothing and are content with being that way.

So no I did not inflate my grades. Yes, I just created much, much, much more work for myself with TST and RTI. I felt that I did it for a good cause though. It just feels right. We had a faculty meeting the other day and our principal mentioned how much work we are going to have to do in response to the failures. As I talked with my coworker, who shared the same failure belief as me, she seemed almost disgusted at the speech made from our principal earlier. She exclaimed, “There is already an issue with grade inflation! And I am not exactly sure, but from what I gather from this meeting is that either you change your grades to reduce your failures or you will be piled with so much work, more that you can imagine!” I laughed, because I had that some feeling from leaving that meeting. After the meeting another coworker joked, “Well in that case, let me go back through and just give out some seventies. I don’t have time for this headache!”

In every profession there are dilemmas. I believe that students should master the material, before I pass them. What you EARN is what you receive not what I GIVE you. No, I will not lower my standards. Yes, I do have to stop writing, because I have a lot of post-failure paperwork to do!

January ’09: Blog Response to Most Likely to Succeed article

I think that this article has a lot of merit. Good teachers are hard to find. I also agree with the author, Malcolm Gladwell, when he suggests that once a good teacher is found, you need to pay to keep that teacher there. I was surprised at the statistics suggesting that it is better for a student to go to a bad school with excellent teachers than to a good school with bad teachers. It was also interesting to see the difference in the amount of progress that a good teacher achieves verses a bad teacher.

No one is going to spend the necessary amount of money to hire good teachers. Most people say that they value education; however, they do not spend money to support their so called belief. Lawmakers must realize the importance of education and put it in the fore front in order to make a difference in the quality of education. I agree with the author as well when he points out that capping a teacher’s salary is another way to discourage good teachers from entering the field. The field of education needs to become more competitive. This competitiveness prevents the good teachers from becoming complacent and it also encourages the mediocre teachers to step up. This whole scenario reminds me of my Build Your Own School District Project. When I had to create my own school district and money was not an option. I built a model that allowed an extensive teacher pay growth over time.

I have mixed feelings about paying teachers according to their students’ progress. On one hand the teacher is able to show what she has done over the last year. Consequently, children are risky variable. One teacher may be blessed with children who care about education and want to learn. Another teacher may not be so lucky. Is it fair to pay the teacher with the educationally inclined attitude more, because her student progressed more? The other issue with paying teachers according to student progression is the method in which student progress will be measured. I won’t dwell on that issue for the sake of time.

The last intriguing point of this article occurs in the last paragraph when the author and the football scout were discussing a bad play that the quarterback made. The author suggested that after this bad move, it was the end of his never-beginning NFL career. The scout simply stated, “In a great piece of the pie that was just a little slice.” Some teachers who enter the profession are not great their first year, but learn from their mistakes to become a good teacher. When scouting for “withitness” observers must realize that even good teachers make mistakes, but the point is that they learn from those mistakes in order to do their jobs more effectively.

Freewrite: A Teacher’s Frustrations December 08 Blog #2

I am concerned with the apathy in schools today. I feel that students believe that grades should just be given to them and that they do not have to earn anything. Please understand the root of my negativity today. Today, I had a MAKE-UP day after school for two hours. Of my entire 150 students only two students showed up for Make-Up Day. Everyday students want to ask me, “What can I do to pull up my grade?” However, they really don’t want to know, because when I tell them, they get an attitude and talk about how they are not going to do “all of that work” and I am left feeling frustrated. The problem that I am seeing with my students is that they don’t even care. I talked to two parents yesterday to remind them about Make-Up day and neither of their children reported to Make-Up day.

When I offer test corrections, it’s like they take them for a joke. These children have the audacity to choose not to complete test corrections for half credit on a test just because they do not want to do any real work. For my test corrections you have to write a fact statement that supports your answer choice. This choice of test corrections sounds like an excellent decision to me, but I have had students to elect not to complete test corrections and keep the grade that they made. Please don’t think that they made an high enough grade to not do test corrections. The students that choose not to complete them have 40s and 50s as test grades.
I just do not understand this system. I know that it has a lot to do with home environment and maybe different value systems, but I really do not understand how an entire GROUP of kids can be lazy and not just one or two. It’s like they do not understand the connection between their test scores and their final average. Your test scores must be a decent grade. I am just so frustrated at this point. I think that this break will help me regain my strength to go back in there and continue the battle for the spring semester.

The other side of the spectrum is failure rates. What option do I have if they are failing, and they don’t care? This is the question that I want someone to answer for me. In my ear I hear, “Keep the failure rates low. Give the students a chance to pass.” How can I give them a chance to pass when they are not making the effort to pass. Everyone that I can recall says that it goes back to motivation. Well, looking over my gradebook, I guess the motivation that I try to instill in my students is nonexistent. Please, don’t misunderstand me at this point; I do have some students that are doing very well. However, this is my blog and I want to vent about those that are doing NOTHING!!!

I have to keep the faith and that’s what I intend to do. I know that I am making a difference-the only factor that keeps me going some days. I have a plan for the break. I am going to reflect about this situation, talk to some other teachers who are not having this problem, rest and enjoy family and most importantly, I am going to PRAY.

Why Should Someone Join the Mississippi Teacher Corps? December 08 Blog #1

The MS Teacher Corps is a great program in which you get the opportunity to teach students in Mississippi for two years while earning a free Master’s Degree. I think that someone should join Teacher Corps because you will have the opportunity to touch lives in Mississippi. Many people have a negative connotation of MS, and I think it is a good experience for people to come and see what MS is all about. You will make new friends in your community and will be able to give students a better education. The MS Teacher Corps trains its teachers extensively to teach effectively and handle issues that arise in the classroom and with the administration.

Another reason that you should join Teacher Corps deals with the relationships formed by other Teacher Corps members. The bond reminds me of a sorority or fraternity, because you will share a common bond with the members in your group. Upon talking with other Teacher Corps members, you will realize that they are having or have had the same issues that you face. On the flip side you will be able to share ideas that worked in your classroom with other members and encourage them.
Please notice that I did not donate a large section of my entry about obtaining a free Master’s degree. I chose not to say that on purpose. I honestly believe that you have to WANT to make a difference in the lives of children in order to stay in this program. People always think that teaching is easy, especially when you have the book with the answers. I was even guilty of believing that silly notion at one time. When teaching effectively, it can be one of the hardest professions imaginable. On the flip side, teaching is probably one of the most rewarding professions in the world. I said all of that to say that if you want to join Teacher Corps, you have to be committed to making a difference. If you only just want to “get a Master’s degree” then maybe you should look into other programs.

The MS Teacher Corps is a great program that gives its participants the chance to reach and teach children in Mississippi. Along the way, the participants make new friends and obtain the honor to call themselves teachers.

Fall '08 October Blog #2: Tips for Dealing With An Inclusion Teacher in the Classroom

Having an extra person in my classroom was awkward at 1st but I have come to appreciate her in my classroom. We actually work together to help the students. Also, on test days we have set up a system to help out my students with special needs. Those student who need items read to them are sent to the library where Ms. Jones is waiting for them. This way the other students aren't disrupted by her reading to students who need it. It also works out because they aren't receiving unwanted attention.

I believe the reason why I am so patient with inclusion teachers is because I worked as one two years ago. I understand the awarkwardness (if it is a word) on being in someone else’s room and having to follow their rules. With this in mind, I draw upon the experiences that helped me be a better inclusion teacher and the experiences that helped me feel more at ease in the classroom. For reasons that I just mentioned, I give my inclusion teachers a “space” in my classroom for their things. I know how important it is to know the assignments the students will be working on so you can help them better.

I have two different inclusion teachers in my room. I give my inclusion teachers a copy of my lesson plans, and I try my best to incorporate her as my co-teacher. I give her answer keys and extra copies of quizzes and exams. I also set up my room where she has easy access to her students. I also give her tickets to pass out if the students give correct or thoughtful answers. Every time I give instruction I always include her name in the directions. For example: Ms. Jones and I will be coming around to check your papers. Or if you need help just ask me or Ms. Jones. When the classroom is set up in this manner, the students feel at ease with both teachers and don’t look at the primary teacher being the REAL teacher and the co-teacher as the OTHER teacher. Once you and the inclusion set up some type of plan in your classroom then your interactions won't be so awkward and uncomfortable. My suggestion is to talk to your inclusion teacher. Tell her what you will be doing in your classroom. Ask her if she wants to help. Actually treat her as if she is a co-teacher and not just an extra person in your classroom. Listen to her advice on her students. She may know ways to get them to work that you hadn’t even considered. All of the things I have listed above have worked for me and I wish you much success in the future as you try to figure out what “works” in your classroom.

Fall '08 October Blog #1: Controlling Hallway Chaos

Ah, the sound of changing classes-yelling, pushing, screaming, cursing, play fighting with “my cousin”, and shoving. Yes, the hall can get pretty loud and chaotic at times, but you can handle it! My door is next to bridge way between the Vocational building and the High School. With that in mind, I see a lot of traffic. My hall is supposed to be a ninth grade hall; however upperclassmen (mostly 10th graders) love to come and see their friends whom they left at the junior high the previous year.

Anytime you have teenagers all bunched up together in a space, you WILL have noise. The point is to control that noise/chaos whenever you can. I have found that the best way to handle this situation is to be outside your door during class change. I didn’t believe that this would actually make a difference when I first began teaching, but now I see the beauty in it. Most of the time your presence alone will cause a student not to behave too unruly; yet, sometimes, your presence is not enough. I never thought that I would be that teacher. You know the lame one who stands outside and squawks, “Go to class,” repeatedly. However, I have evolved into her. (I would like to put in a side note and say thank you Mrs. Hosey, my 1st great mentor teacher, who I took this technique from. Mrs. Hosey and I disagreed on a lot of things, but I learned a lot from her. The hallway monitoring what just something I observed on the side. The kids grumbled when she did it, but they did move along to class.

The way I get students to clear out the hallway is to stand outside my door and squawk "Go to class! Go to class!" If the students are in conversation, I usually point out mine and tell them to get to class. The ones I don't know-I stand in the middle of their conversation until they realize that they don't want to talk around me, and then they move. Believe it not the things that I do work! When I come out of my room some kids sigh and begin moving along. I believe once you set yourself up to be that person who tells them to move- they will either move as soon as they see you coming towards them or they will find somewhere else to carry on their conversations! Also, having other teachers get on board with standing outside their door will decrease the chaos in the hallway.

On a side note.
The standing in the hallway does NOT work during the lunch period. The majority of the hall has 1st lunch and only 2 classes on the hall, mine included, have last lunch. When the 1st lunch students come back from lunch, it is complete chaos. The biggest problem that I am observing is that their teachers are either not there with them or are not watching them. My students get upset, because the noise disrupts our learning environment. I can’t stand outside and direct traffic then, because I have a class that I cannot leave. This is an increasing problem for me. I spoke to the principal earlier about the lunch arrangement. My plan is to re-discuss this with him later this week. Wish me luck.

2008 Sept Biggest Improvement from Last Year to This Year- Building Relationships

My biggest area of improvement as a teacher from last year to this year was learning how to build relationships with my students and their parents. My first year of teaching I was horrible at building relationships. I didn’t have any I idea what I was doing and was just trying to stay above water. Those who I would speak with at the New Teacher Meeting told me that I would have to build relationships with my students. I had no clue on how to start. I was so busy that first year proving that I was a teacher that I completely missed the mark with most of my students. I did. however, build some relationships that year, but as I’ve seen in the following two years, I could have done better.

Last year I had a “different” group of students. I fostered some relationships more so with my junior high students than with my high school students. I would ask them about their lives outside of school and dodge questions about my life outside of school. I would conference with students about negative behavior and call parents about positive behavior. I reached a lot of my younger students. My high school students were a little more hesitant about letting me into their lives. It was harder for them, because I did not start off with the high school class-I only had junior high and elementary. As time progressed I was issued a high school class around November or December 2007, almost 3-4 months after school started. I did fairly well that year, but I realize how that I could’ve done better.

So far this year has been one of the best years for student relationships. Because my alternative students know me from last year, they have a better respect for me, because I am still around. I have students who could not stand to be in my class last year coming up to visit me between classes. We talked about staying the 2nd year a lot in class and it does seem that it ups your street credibility. The students see you there for the 2nd year and they trust you more. They tell their friends about you-good or bad, but they still respect you more. I find myself telling other teachers all the time things like: “Have you talked to him? Call his mama, she’ll straighten him out! Or let me speak to him.” Looking back I remember the teachers at my first school saying those same statements when I would have trouble. I never thought that I would be in their shoes today. Talking with my students and just stepping back at how I handle certain situations helps me see my growth as an individual and a teacher. I am just glad that I am fitting into my teaching style, and I am glad to see that I have come this far with building relationships. I hope to keep getting better.

September 2008 Freewrite: Devon Who?

This story concerns one of my favorite students whom I blogged about before under Success Story.

One of my favorite students, Devon, has been promoted from the 7th grade to the 9th grade. I was so excited to see him when I began at my new school. I asked him what he was doing at the High School and he replied, “I go to school here.” He proceeded to tell me that he had taken his tests over the summer to put him in his right grade. I was so excited when Devon returned to a regular classroom setting. I had been checking on him all last year. I told him that I was proud of him for not getting into trouble in regular school and to stay out of trouble at the High School. He said he would and we went our separate ways.

Three days later during the madness of the beginning of school, I saw Devon wobbling down the hall headed to my class. He had that same smile and humor about him that I have grown fond of over the last year. He couldn’t wait to tell me that he was trying out for the football team and how excited he was to be at the High School. I just felt so proud of him for coming such a long way.

It is almost amazing to see how Devon transformed over the course of a year. He is more confident now in a class with peers his own age. He is one of my best helpers in the class. He answers questions and participates actively in class. I can’t express how perplexing this new behavior is for me. Devon used to sit in my class bored, trying to disrupt class. He used to just say, “If I don’t want to do nothing, then just leave me alone.” He was my child to stated, “The ONLY reason I come to school is so my mama won’t go to jail.” Just thinking about how he used to be as compared to how he is now almost makes me get a little emotional, which is totally out of my character.

I just feel that Devon is one of those students who can make it, with the right encouragement. I am still concerned about Devon’s home life though. He not with his mother anymore; however he stays with his older brother and his family while his stepmother has custody of him. I don’t know if his life became better or worse; however, I do know that he is improving in school.

For the first time in a long time, Devon is playing football and seems to be very good at it. He is a healthy boy and probably one of the largest on the team. He is so fast though-I’ve seen him run from a security guard at the school. I just think High School is the change that Devon needed, and I am so proud of him and cannot wait to see the great things he will do this year!