GR#3 - How to Get Your Students to Wear Their Pants at a Respectable Level

How to Get Your Students to Wear Their Pants at a Respectable Level

            First, try to avoid the awkwardness of noticing the young gentleman in front of you has his rear end hanging out. Try to look past the fact that his pants are nearly around his ankles and see the bright future he has ahead of him. Compliment him. Tell him his hair looks nice. He spent countless hours trying to get his “J”s to match the rest of his carefully picked out ensemble. Build up his confidence. But whatever you do, don’t look down.

            As he waddles down C hall, he must maintain his swagger. You can tell his pants are slipping, but he can’t lose face and pull them up. Your efforts have failed you. You’ve glanced and now you can’t look away. They’re half way down now. He stops and nods his head in the direction of one of the freshmen girls. She looks impressed. Now, they’re nearly to his knees. He bends down to get a drink from the water fountain. Whoops! No mas. Take him aside. Ask him patiently to keep his pants pulled up. These efforts, too, will fail.

            But you carry on. You tell him the history of sagging pants. The weakness and inferiority they represent in jail, how that reflects and affects his image. He scoffs, Tell that to Weezey. You’re not sure if he’s referring to the wheezing you suffer from due to your asthma or George Jefferson’s wife “Weezie.” That question will forever remain unanswered. He nods his head, looking slightly confused. But you’re convinced you got through to him. As he walks away, you feel satisfied, until you see him the next day.

He’s got red shoes on today instead of blue. His hair is nicely done. And look he’s even wearing his pants at a respectable… oh wait. There they go again. Nope. Your eyes deceived you. His pants are at the same ridiculously low level, and gravity is not on his side.

             

Being an Ally as a Student Teacher - Post 3

We all know how difficult it is being in high school. The less you conform, the more difficult those four years become. Our personal experiences prove that adolescents feed off of "difference." They take the small tid-bits and turn them into an opportunity to highlight their normality and cover up any insecurities they have about themselves. But where does that leave the victim? Feeling isolated, feeling alone. The NCTE position statement says that 64 percent of LGBT students feel unsafe at school. Even if teachers do provide a "safe" environment for learning, how can we, as student teachers, become allies for not only LGBT students, but for every student who needs support?  
Being a student teacher, not so far removed from the aforementioned environment, has given me a unique perspective and a unique opportunity. Because of my closeness in age, some students have felt comfortable coming to me with dilemmas, or issues they have experienced. But I can't pretend that this has always been a positive experience. Some students have felt as though we were buddies, that calling a student a "fag" in front of me was no big deal. My reaction to this, I learned was very important. I had two choices: I could either ignore it and continue on or have a discussion about what was wrong with saying that. Unfortunately, I chose the first. And I immediately regretted it. This student just learned from me that it was okay to use a derogatory words in the classroom. Who cares if someone in the classroom takes offense to it, right? Wrong. While no student appeared to be offended at that particular instance, the student was now empowered to use those words whenever and however he pleased. And any students who may have looked to my as an ally before, now thought that I was okay with that bullying.
I really saw how awful my response was when the same student, although joking, proceeded to make fun of me. While students were taking a test, I was reading one of my Shakespeare plays. He looked at me and said, "What a loser?" I'm embarrassed to say it, but this is when I decided to have a talk with the student. I can't say I'm proud that it took this long, but I'm glad I had the conversation. Although probably not the most successful, I got my message across: bullying would not be tolerated, at all.
I think what was taken from this experience was what I learned. I get it, this is a learning experience, and we are going to make mistakes. But I hate that I made such a horrible one. Turning a blind eye hurts everyone involved. I have taken it upon myself to ensure that I always take these moments to teach tolerance and understanding to my students. I vowed to myself to wear the school's GSA shirt as much as possible, to intervene, to listen, to respond, to become the ally that I, as a student teacher, need to be.

Genre Reflection #1 - Poem - Wishing for Change

I wish these words could fly off of this page,

Out of my rage,

And resonate

Into your mind

So you couldn’t sow

The seeds that show

Your ignorance.

I wish I held the antidote to the vile poison you carelessly inject,

Because you don’t expect

Consequences.

For these words that you spew

You can never undo

The pain.

I wish you could catch every tear that soaks his pillow at night

Stored in the reservoir, in fear you might

Shout “cry baby.”

Just as his father who told him to be a man,

Who used up his punches, then ran

Leaving nothing.

But I know that these wishes I make as I gaze at the endless possibilities

You have in this life

Will melt like his hopes and his dreams.

Unless

Unless you take the time to think before you speak

To realize that every action comes with a consequence

To see that maybe his pants are too short

Because his mother spent her last five dollars last week.

To see that at the end of the day,

You and him,

You and me,

We’re all the same birds of a different prey.

Learning How To Teach - Blog Post #2

Getting time to spend with my CT during plan has been an eye-opening experience. Before this semester, I never got the chance to speak with a teacher about why certain texts or activities were chosen. Everything I knew came from what I have seen teachers putting together last minute or what I have read in education books, merely the finished and polished product. But the experienced teacher I work with has shown me the thought and consideration that should go into planning a lesson.

            All of her classes are supposed to prepare seniors for college. She invites me to ask questions and make suggestions as well. This has encouraged me to think about motives and objectives not only within her own lessons, but as I plan my lessons as well.

            She has shown careful thought in her use of teaching literacies. All of the skills she wants her students to be able to utilize are similar to that of Bomer’s. With the most difficult texts she has had students read, such as “The Republic” by Plate and “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes, she reads first aloud. This enables them to pick up on certain things they wouldn’t have otherwise. Groups also read together, while other times she has students read individually.

            I have learned that she chooses each reading skill meticulously. She makes conscious decisions on which skill is paired with which reading. This goes along with Smagorinski’s discussion of backward design and overarching concepts. Her use of these really came in handy when I was discussing my lesson planning with her. Nm,

            Her questions and criticisms helped me question the “why” of my lessons. Instead of focusing what I was going to teach, she drove me to think about what I wanted my students to get out of my lesson. I am teaching a culture unit to a college prep senior class. I knew I wanted them to explore rites of passage, as they were getting ready to embark on their own rite of passage entering college and many of them leaving home for the first time. I thought about having them read different articles and take notes, but my CT suggested I explore more interactive activities to get them engaged, since this was the opening lesson to the unit. After I picked my activities, my CT asked me blatantly what I wanted the students to take from the lesson, what was my essential question. This was not something I could just make up. I did want them to learn something that would stick with them, especially throughout their college years. After answering this question, I was able to think of the best ways to reach my desired final product, the knowledge they would take with them. Although this backward design was only in the context of one of my lessons, it helped me get a better understanding of not only why I teach what I teach, but also why I teach how I teach as well.

This showed me a new take on creating lessons, which I believe will make my lesson more meaningful to the students. Instead of merely preparing content, I had specifics in hand that I wanted my students to understand. This also helped me create essential questions that would be useful. My CT has these posted for every class and discusses them to get students thinking throughout the activities. I have found the experience of working with my CT thus far, an extremely enlightening one.

            

The Setup of Class - Blog Post #1

When I was in high school, the majority of my teachers used lectures to take up the majority of the class. I spent these 90 minute periods fighting my drooping eyelids to stay awake.

It has been more than refreshing to work with a teacher who can use interactive learning to get students excited. She begins class with a short introductory activity. Usually as a class, they analyze the title of the work they will be studying. I have seen that this helps them begin thinking about main ideas and themes that they will be looking at.

I have always been afraid of giving students too much time in class to work on assignments. Based upon my high school education, I was under the perception that this was lazy teaching. But Bomer's book and observing my CT have shown me the light! My CT uses all different types of classroom organization. Like I said before, she begins all classes incorporating all the students in the class. She then usually has the students work in small groups or partners to analyze the text or discuss a specific topic. Near the end of class, the students are usually given time to work independently on a project or assignment. I have learned to appreciate and value this independent work time. At this time, we're able to see if the students have actually grasped the concepts taught in the class. It also gives them the opportunity to ask any questions they might possibly have.

My teacher does a great job at managing her class, but they are also college prep seniors. How well would independent work time do with a CWC class of freshmen? My biggest concern would be behavior management and ensuring everyone is on task. In an ideal world, all students would use their time wisely and be on task. In a class where there is only one instructor to 35 students, what could I do to implement independent and group work successfully?

This first week of school has also stressed the importance of communication. My CT and I were talking and she told me about her first year experience. She told me that she didn’t necessarily have every novel read before she taught it. More oft than not she would read the book as her students were reading them as well. She told me that the most important thing was being able to communicate, to ask the right questions. It might not necessarily be having all the right answers at all times, but being able to ask the right questions to get students thinking critically. The students know we have a degree. But vomiting the knowledge we have all over them is not teaching them the skills they will need down the line. I have realized how important it is for me to do my best not to answer every question right away, but instead to ask addition questions that may help them find the answer on their own. My hope is to cultivate a classroom similar to my CT’s, where learning is a group experience and novel ideas are cherished.

Intro Activity Ideas

I'm doing a cultural unit in my pre-student teaching class. I really want to do an interactive intro activity to the unit. Does anyone have any ideas?

Welcome To The Class

My first day at Franklin High School* was one I had been looking forward to for the past four years of my college career. Although I was introduced to the high school three semesters ago when I began my co-op position, I knew this semester would be different. This was the beginning of the real responsibility, the real opportunity to make a difference.
Throughout my practicum placement, I got to work with eighth graders, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. As a capstone to my education of education, it only seemed to appropriate to gain some experience with those that I feared the most: the big, bad seniors.
Prior to my first day, I assumed them to be arrogant, obnoxious, and suffering from early forms of senioritis. But in a matter of 90 minutes, they were able to effortlessly change my mind. The 29 students in first hour have already solidified my decision to be a teacher and also made me more excited for the upcoming year.
To start the period off my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Jordan*, introduced herself to the class. It was apparent she had already established a level of rapport with multiple students. She immediately introduced me and gave me the opportunity to tell the class a little bit about me. Although I think it's important to let students know about me as a person as well as a teacher, I also think there is a limit of what is appropriate to share, especially right off the bat. The two fun facts I chose to share were that I am engaged and that I have the two coolest dogs that have ever existed. They seemed content with that, so we moved on. The next task was getting the students to get to know each other better. She students work in their tables. It was their job to interview and introduce someone at their table. They answered questions such as "Who was your last English teacher?" and "What are some goals you have?" These questions were simple to answer, but allowed the entire class, Mrs. Jordan, and myself to get to know everyone on a deeper level.
She finished the class by briefly going over the syllabus and expectations for the year. In my opinion, she did an awesome job. In many cases, the teachers end up belittling the students by covering minute details. But it was apparent that she understood her students and their needs. As seniors, she expected them to understand basic rules such has respect and honesty in the classroom. While this approach may be extremely inappropriate for a class full of antsy freshmen, her ability to cater everything to her specific grade level was something I had not seen before and something I want to do in my own classroom.
After class was dismissed, my CT spent extra time going over the plans for the upcoming class so that I would be in the loop. Her mentoring thus far  has already been extremely helpful. I know that in the upcoming months her 13 years of expertise will definitely come in hand in crafting my lessons and learning about what it means to be a teacher in general.
Although it is only the first week of school, the excitement for the upcoming class periods has yet to subside. I hope that this fervor continues on as I encounter all of the trials and tribulations of being a student teacher.