Here’s a quick, but accurate summary of how the year has gone in regards to emotions and sentiments.
August- I’m going to save the entire school from a state take over.
September- I’m tired, but I have to stay in the race to save the whole school from state take over. My kids are very different.
October- I’m tired. I don’t think I can save everyone. For lack of a better term, I think my kids are “slow”. Maybe I’ll just stick to trying to save my kids.
November- Did I miss Thanksgiving Break? When is it already? Can I really save all of my kids? “I think I can, I think I can, I think- I can.” I have to hang in there!
December- Have I really been teaching for three months? Why did they let me in the classroom again? I just need about a week to sleep, a whole week and then I’ll be fine. What’s all the fuss about Benchmarks?
January- I’m back. Things are different. I had soooooooooo much fun over break. I haven’t had this much fun since graduation weekend in May. Teaching has caused me to lose the fun part of my life. I don’t want to go back. Let’s call off sick the first day back to school. What am I going to do next year because it is definitely not teaching?! If I could growl I would. Don’t get me wrong, teaching is nice, but this is no way to live your life, at least mine. I’m exhausted all the time, I never have time to exercise, and I don’t hang out with my friends anymore. On top of all of this, I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately to get my students’ Benchmarks scores up. I only have a little less than four weeks to increase their overall score. Did I mention that I can’t save all of my kids?
February- Okay, this is getting a lot easier. I have been utilizing the Pacing Guide which gives me 1000 topics to teach in four weeks. I’ve managed to teach 12 of the 1000 topics. Apparently, this was just right because my kids increased their scores by 12%. I’m speechless. So are my kids, so is the administration, so is everyone else in the building. We haven’t stopped getting compliments. This is getting a lot better. Especially since my friends and I started the “Let’s Not Become Old Hags in our Twenties” Club. In this club, we force each other to do “undergradish” activities for at least eight hours a week. It’s been working out great. We’re coming up on March and another Benchmark test, the MAP, and the SRI. Let’s see what happens.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
My Beliefs About Reading
In regards to reading, I agree with Shauna that after reading the Beers' text, it became obvious that I have a lot of learn. Here is a little sample of what I do know. It is my belief that proper modeling, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency are all equally important in producing strong readers.
People- students and adult peers- will always do what you do. Hence, modeling can be extremely advantageous or disadvantageous. A think-aloud in which teachers model the reading process is always a great learning tool. However, I am a firm believer that it must be done repetitivly and utilize all the strategies you wants students to learn.
I view vocabulary to be important because it is at the root of all language acquisition. How can a student comprehend a statement or a text if they don't understand the words that make up the statement? However, vocabulary building exercises must be strategic. For instance, I use words that are the names of skills. For example, a few of my vocabulary words are Compare, Contrast, Inference, Plot, Main Idea, and Figurative Language. This way, students can readily define the concept and use Context Clues, Inferencing, and Prior Knowledge to identify the element when they see it in a passage. If students can recognize what strategy or element the author is employing, they can usually answer any comprehension or analytical questions that follow.
Obviously, comprehension is important, not just for the sake of comprehending, but because it is the foundation for higher order thinking skills. In my opinion, comprehension of a text is the most basic expectation for a reader. In other words, the least and contrastingly the most, we expect from readers is that they comprehend the plot of a story.
This is where fluency arrives. Fluency helps make comprehension an easier task. It can make reading more interesting for struggling readers and provides students with the opportunity to use their imagination while reading. Fluency seems to be the driving force that can make reading, comprehension, and vocabulary more cohesive and fluid. Ultimately, one can't and shouldn't exist without the other.
People- students and adult peers- will always do what you do. Hence, modeling can be extremely advantageous or disadvantageous. A think-aloud in which teachers model the reading process is always a great learning tool. However, I am a firm believer that it must be done repetitivly and utilize all the strategies you wants students to learn.
I view vocabulary to be important because it is at the root of all language acquisition. How can a student comprehend a statement or a text if they don't understand the words that make up the statement? However, vocabulary building exercises must be strategic. For instance, I use words that are the names of skills. For example, a few of my vocabulary words are Compare, Contrast, Inference, Plot, Main Idea, and Figurative Language. This way, students can readily define the concept and use Context Clues, Inferencing, and Prior Knowledge to identify the element when they see it in a passage. If students can recognize what strategy or element the author is employing, they can usually answer any comprehension or analytical questions that follow.
Obviously, comprehension is important, not just for the sake of comprehending, but because it is the foundation for higher order thinking skills. In my opinion, comprehension of a text is the most basic expectation for a reader. In other words, the least and contrastingly the most, we expect from readers is that they comprehend the plot of a story.
This is where fluency arrives. Fluency helps make comprehension an easier task. It can make reading more interesting for struggling readers and provides students with the opportunity to use their imagination while reading. Fluency seems to be the driving force that can make reading, comprehension, and vocabulary more cohesive and fluid. Ultimately, one can't and shouldn't exist without the other.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Putting It All Together
I'm not sure of where to start. It's been almost a month since my last entry. In that time I've had a student get an abortion, the same student confess to me that her brother got her pregnant, a student have a nervous breakdown because other students ridicule her, and a student who has revealed that his parents don't like Black people and that he's really trying hard not to be the same. Amidst all of this, I decided to return to the St. Louis Public Schools' Family next year. The following is a public exploration of some of the reasons I have decided to stay at Long Middle C.E.C. Academy and an employee of St. Louis Public Schools. I figure if I can list more reasons to stay than to leave, then perhaps my decision making skills are somewhat sound.
To Stay...
1. would mean that I'm not giving up. This means that I have seen a guiding light in my kids and in my colleagues that is worth a fight. It means that I don't believe my school or my kids are statistics waiting in line to fail. Our kids have the ability to succeed and I would put my life on it. The problem, one of them anyway, seems to be a misunderstanding of the cognitive process. All students don't take in information the same way or in the same amount of time. It's amazing how the seemingly obvious can be vastly misunderstood and distorted beyond belief. As educators, some of us have turned this phrase into statements or sentiments like, "I've taught this concept for four weeks and utilized 6 cutting edge strategies and 75% of my students understand it, so the other 25% are incapable." We have equated time to quality instruction. We have learned to lean on our brightest children to boost our numbers instead of noting that authentic instructors find ways to reach ALL students. I am not exempt from error, but I am an authentic instructor in the making, therefore, I can't give up.
2. would mean that I'm supporting the Long Middle C.E.C. Academy Administration. The administration consist of Black females. Pardon reason #2 if you are unable to identify with my claims. I work in a building in which I am one of two Black female teachers. The other Black female teacher is twice my age, teaches in a self-contained classroom, and has a less than stellar reputation. In other words, we are- in some ways-world apart. The administration on the other hand, consist of all 30 something Black women, with the exception of the principal who has the spirit and energy of a 19 year-old. Not only have I bonded with these women, but they have welcomed me in with more than enough support. If there was ever a mix for instant family, they would be the main ingredients. We are like mothers, daughters, and sisters. As the youngest I tend to get hazed and spoiled simultaneously. Even though it gets difficult when your only real support system is the administration, they have modeled perfectly the time, place, and degree to which professionalism is required. In this case, to think of leaving would be to think of losing my "mothers" and "sisters". It is simply unacceptable at this juncture in my life.
3. would mean that I have another chance to prove to myself that my kids can meet AYP on state and district wide exams. As much as I "hate" to admit it, my kids' scores really dampered my mood around 3rd quarter. Maybe I wouldn't feel this way if I felt like my students could not achieve, but I KNOW they can. I'm not saying they will all score in the "Advanced" category, but I am confident that because I now have a better understanding of what I'm doing and my purpose in an SLPS classroom, my students will have an edge that they didn't have before. On the other hand, in the event that my scores don't improve over the next year and a half, that's a probably a good way to tell that I belong in Higher Education as previously planned! LOL What's more, is that I will not have given up!
To leave...
1. would mean I would have to give up everything I just mentioned: the good, the bad, the ugly, the super-ugly, the experiences that can't be described by the best author or the most dramatic storyteller, the emotions you can only feel when connected with moody, "she doesn't want to be my friend anymore" and "he's looking at the girl I like", sixth graders. Who would turn all this down?
To Stay...
1. would mean that I'm not giving up. This means that I have seen a guiding light in my kids and in my colleagues that is worth a fight. It means that I don't believe my school or my kids are statistics waiting in line to fail. Our kids have the ability to succeed and I would put my life on it. The problem, one of them anyway, seems to be a misunderstanding of the cognitive process. All students don't take in information the same way or in the same amount of time. It's amazing how the seemingly obvious can be vastly misunderstood and distorted beyond belief. As educators, some of us have turned this phrase into statements or sentiments like, "I've taught this concept for four weeks and utilized 6 cutting edge strategies and 75% of my students understand it, so the other 25% are incapable." We have equated time to quality instruction. We have learned to lean on our brightest children to boost our numbers instead of noting that authentic instructors find ways to reach ALL students. I am not exempt from error, but I am an authentic instructor in the making, therefore, I can't give up.
2. would mean that I'm supporting the Long Middle C.E.C. Academy Administration. The administration consist of Black females. Pardon reason #2 if you are unable to identify with my claims. I work in a building in which I am one of two Black female teachers. The other Black female teacher is twice my age, teaches in a self-contained classroom, and has a less than stellar reputation. In other words, we are- in some ways-world apart. The administration on the other hand, consist of all 30 something Black women, with the exception of the principal who has the spirit and energy of a 19 year-old. Not only have I bonded with these women, but they have welcomed me in with more than enough support. If there was ever a mix for instant family, they would be the main ingredients. We are like mothers, daughters, and sisters. As the youngest I tend to get hazed and spoiled simultaneously. Even though it gets difficult when your only real support system is the administration, they have modeled perfectly the time, place, and degree to which professionalism is required. In this case, to think of leaving would be to think of losing my "mothers" and "sisters". It is simply unacceptable at this juncture in my life.
3. would mean that I have another chance to prove to myself that my kids can meet AYP on state and district wide exams. As much as I "hate" to admit it, my kids' scores really dampered my mood around 3rd quarter. Maybe I wouldn't feel this way if I felt like my students could not achieve, but I KNOW they can. I'm not saying they will all score in the "Advanced" category, but I am confident that because I now have a better understanding of what I'm doing and my purpose in an SLPS classroom, my students will have an edge that they didn't have before. On the other hand, in the event that my scores don't improve over the next year and a half, that's a probably a good way to tell that I belong in Higher Education as previously planned! LOL What's more, is that I will not have given up!
To leave...
1. would mean I would have to give up everything I just mentioned: the good, the bad, the ugly, the super-ugly, the experiences that can't be described by the best author or the most dramatic storyteller, the emotions you can only feel when connected with moody, "she doesn't want to be my friend anymore" and "he's looking at the girl I like", sixth graders. Who would turn all this down?
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