Fall 2007 Semester Reflection

My first semester as a teacher at my new school has been a rollercoaster ride. It started off great, unlike last year. I felt more prepared as a teacher. Although, I wasn’t as prepared for interoffice conflict this year, I am learning more about being a professional everyday.

My classroom experience has been very interesting. Sometimes it is hard to teach students on many different levels. Also, I am having a little trouble being a counselor when I am not trained for that profession. Curbing and modifying behavior is one of the main foci of my school. I feel that talking about classroom management issues and brainstorming ideas with my fellow classmates has allowed me to gain more insight into the matter and in turn has helped me become a better teacher.

More experiences…I learning how to deal with sudden change of schedules and courses. I am trying to find ways to instill some kind of responsibility in these students. If they make a bad grade, it’s the teacher’s fault, not theirs for NEVER turning in any homework or studying for a test. The hardest part to me is having to teach teenagers right from wrong; or in many cases simple social behavior. This is your inside voice; this is how we talk to adults; this is how we do our own work; this is how we ask for something we want. I just feel like these basic things should have been covered sometime around 3 years old.

Teaching is hard enough, but it is even more challenging when students are completely apathetic about school and themselves. I have heard more heart-wrenching stories this year. I have seen some very, very troubled students. One thing I have learned is that the material HAS to be somewhat interesting. Kids get excited from the simplest things. Changing teaching styles and methods keep students on their toes and excited about new activities.

This course has allowed me to reevaluate myself as an educator. I have learned many new ways to assess my students instead of just pencil and paper. I have also learned more about how to write better lesson plans that encourage learning on many different levels. Although the STAI lesson plans were a pain at first, once I completed them, I did gain some insight into how a great lesson can be with the right amount of planning. Now, if teachers just had enough time to do these things, education would be great! I feel that it is very important to just try.

I see that I still have some growing to do. I am in no way perfect. Everyday I feel that I just have to be stronger and just to better. I feel that once I get my lessons and my plans together, I can plan out the schedule for the entire year. I know that I have to stay focused on the important people-the students. The students who don’t care, who get on your last nerve, who complain about everything, who still think life is fair; it’s for those students who you get up for everyday and hope and pray that today’s the day that you positively impact in their lives.

Delta Autumn

The Delta Autumn book was good. I had read it previously, but only skipped around to the only points that I thought would benefit me last year. Rereading the book altogether, I learned many facts that relayed to Math. The tips provided by previous MCTers were very helpful. I used some of those tips in my classroom this year.

As a first year math teacher, I appreciated all of the helpful hints and insight the book provided. Some of the background was a little boring, however. I don’t know if I feel this way because I heard it before or because I grew up here in the South. I’m not sure. What I can say about the background info, is that there were some pieces of information that I did not know about the school system in Mississippi. I believe that it also makes a difference of the part of MS in which a person is raised.

I also enjoyed the tidbits the book provided for distressing as a teacher. This job can be very overwhelming at times and it is helpful to read about people who have previously shared the same experiences as you. It feels that the authors really understand the trials and tribulations that an educator feels everyday. They also understand the joys and the stress of being a new teacher.
Overall, I think the book was helpful. I keep it on hand as a reference guide for ideas and methods that have worked in the classroom. I have green tabs on the parts of the book that had great ideas about math games and classroom management ideas

Understanding Poverty

I thought the book A Framework for Understanding Poverty was average. Some facts that Ruby Payne discussed in the book were true about my students. My students do take forever to get to the point of something and they really love to entertain. They do feel the need to communicate with each other, even when they are not supposed to be. I was a little frustrated with all of the statistics in the book. I felt her point without all of the overbearing numbers. Sometimes the numbers distracted me from the actual point she was making about the book. I learned different things like the parent voice. I’ve noticed that I have used that tone of voice with my students at some points in time. I feel that you have to use it when the time is necessary. My younger students respond very well to that voice, while my older, high school students, do not respond well to that voice.

There are some ideas that I liked from the book. I like Ruby’s behavior analysis idea so much that I modified my writing assignments to a behavior analysis. I feel that this method would best benefit my students better than my assignments. So far they have been a little receptive to my analysis. I hope that it really curbs behavior problems or at least gets them to think about their actions.