No Talking Means Speak in Spanish

1/21/09
Today was the first day that I had most of the control of the class. It was very hard to switch from being a supervisor to someone they need to listen to. There is a group of boys that always always talk and goof off. Today I told them at least 20 times to stop talking. It was especially important in the hall. The funny thing is, to them no talking meant ok go ahead and talk, just in Spanish. One of these days I’m going to say something in Spanish and catch them off guard. I’ll just have to practice beforehand so I don’t mess it up. How embarrassing would that be? I’, hoping tomorrow will go better. Before I start teaching I am going to talk to the class and explain to them that I am a teacher just like Ms. P and I deserve the same respect they give her. When I say no talking that means silence. We were yelled at three times walking into the library today. To the classes defense, it was the time they were most quiet. They walked in whispering to each other and this overbearing Librarian corralled my class and yelled at them for being rude and disrespectful for talking. When we came back later for computers and typing she did the same thing. It’s one thing for a teacher to discipline a class but when the teacher thinks it’s appropriate behavior, don’t over step her. You’re a librarian! Scare kids to come to the library and they will not want to come and read books. All the teachers feel this way and I think it’s hilarious. I took control of the class most of the day because my teacher was busy with grades. The school started a new program this year to record grades on-line. I think it’s gradespeed. All the teachers today were trained on how to use it and grades for the whole quarter are due tomorrow morning. How are they to enter all the grades by tomorrow? The program seemed like a waste of time since most teachers already keep a written record of grades. Next year the school is adopting a new program again so the teachers will once again have to learn it. Anyway to allow my teacher to enter all her grades, I took over the class. Tomorrow is my first supervised lesson I will teacher. I have taught in front of Ms. P but not for my TU supervisor. I’m a little more intimidated by it because we are given a letter grade based on how well we teach. It could be a good day or a bad day depending on how many kids take their medicine for the day, who ate sugar for breakfast, or who didn’t sleep much the night before. Wish me luck!

Day of Change

Today was a very important day in history. Barak Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States and the first African American president. At KW today we were able to watch live on the television. I was surprised by the students. Just like during the Martin Luther King Jr. video, they seemed uninterested and talked through the whole thing. I had to tell one group of girls more than three times to stop with the arts and crafts and pay attention. Actually, I shouldn’t generalize that all the students weren’t paying attention. A group of students did pay close attention and sang along to the songs. I wish in schools we were taught more about the presidents. We always learn about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and a few others but that’s it. During the inauguration when George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton were announced, the students didn’t know who they were. It’s so shocking because to me these presidents are important to the way we live our lives not. Social Studies is not a very big concentration in the curriculum because it is not on the test. Math and Reading are the main subjects covered. Hopefully with Obama as president, he will help change education and the way our schools are run.

TGIF!

1/16
Finally Friday! Today was similar to any other day. The students that usually disrupt class did so again, forgetting their homework and constantly getting up to sharpen their pencils. The only difference today was at the end of class we watched a movie on Martin Luther King Jr. We have Monday off to celebrate the holiday which I am highly looking forward too. Shockingly the students did not seem to interested in the movie at all. I thought because of their background and obstacles they have had to overcome they would relate better to the story of racism and discrimination than myself but I found this was not the case. Many of the students in the class are Hispanic and didn’t find MLK’s fight very important. One child said “Why does it matter to us”. Some students were giggling during the movie or completely ignoring it. The lack of respect was shocking. Today I took away three tubes of play dough that students were playing with. I don’t like to always lecture the students but they need to know what appropriate behavior is. On Tuesday I will begin teaching the daily math and reading problems and I am so excited. Tuesday is also another extremely important day in the United States history. Barack Obama will be sworn into office as the first black president. It’s ironic that this is occurring the day after MLK day. One special adjustment KW is making is altering the lunch and recess time for the day so that all the children and teachers are able to watch live on television this moment in history. One odd fact I discovered today is that popcorn is sold on Fridays as a fundraiser for the school and it smelled delicious. I’ve been craving it all day. How it works is that students can bring money in on Friday in order to buy popcorn. The money raised is used to pay for field trips that classes take during the year. I’ll have to remember this for next week.

Apple Juice

1/15
How many apple juices do you think a 9 year old can drink? My guess would have been one or two, but today I was proven wrong. The one boy I work with, Mark, does not like to eat breakfast that is provided but he sure likes his juice. Usually there isn’t enough for him to have seconds. Today there was plenty of extra juice and he proceeded to drink all the extra. The difference with all the sugar in his body was shocking. He could not sit still during any of the activities or lessons. I guess what they saw is true; too much sugar is a bad thing. The students in Ms. P’s class have started to warm up to me slowly. I’ve been working on learning all of their names and have the trouble maker’s names clear in my head. The stories students feel I need to know are hilarious. I don’t know if they tell their regular teacher these stories but today I heard all about who likes who, what their favorite colors are, all about their home life and who is in jail or foster care. It was an earful for sure. Today I found out why there weren’t many student in class yesterday. One girl told me that she didn’t come to school because it was cold. According to my teacher, many students when they don’t want to come to school aren’t forced to by their parents. Their parents simply accept the fact and let them skip school.

Bang Head Here

1/14
Today I finally found the teachers bathroom. How exciting! I no longer have to squat down to my ankles to use the restroom. In the teachers restroom there is the most hilarious sign on the back of the door. It says “Bang Head Here”. Teaching is a rewarding job but it is tough at times. I’m not sure if it is because today is Wednesday or that I stayed up too late last night but I am exhausted. I don’t know how teachers do it every day. I’m planning on putting a coffee maker in the suite bathroom to get my extra caffeine in the morning. Many students were missing today and I’m not sure if it was because of the weather or they are all getting sick. It was snowing this morning and frigid. I’ve noticed they all have been blowing their noses a lot and coughing and I’m just waiting for when I start catching all their colds. Today I sat in on my first Child Study meeting. It consisted of a meeting with the principal, counselor, Ms. P, a special education teacher, a secretary, and one other administrator. They all come together to talk about a child when questions arise. They reviewed past IEP’s and medical records of the particular child. The mother wants her child tested for Autism even though nobody at the school believes he shows any signs. They explained to me that parents sometimes push for their children to be tested for all the possible disabilities, hoping their child may have one. For if it is severe enough, they parents can receive social security checks for life to provide for the child. The real question is would this money actually be used to help the child succeed in life or not.

Second Day- more of the same

Today was filled with more episodes from the autistic child in the class, chatter from the endless gossip the girls have to talk about, and sound of pencils being sharpened. I never knew how many times a day a pencil is sharpened, if the point isn’t extremely sharp the students don’t want to use it. It’s also a race to see who can write with the shortest pencil. I’m fascinated by how much useless stuff kids pack into their pencil cases used to distract themselves. One girl, we’ll call her Sally, spent a whole 40 minutes applying chap stick, then lip gloss, brushing her hair, and putting on lotion while the teaching taught math. I don’t think she even had her math book out. Another boy, we’ll call him Ryan spent the afternoon with a desk covered in paper cuttings, tissues, glue, and other odd assortments building a jet. If his focus and creativity was directed towards school work, he could be successful. Lunch is probably the most awkward part of the day. A group of teachers in the wing eat together in another classroom. They are very exclusive and not very friendly to newcomers. Today my teacher told me she’d meet me in there after she ran an errand. I was sent into the lion’s den by myself. It’s hard being the new girl. For the most part they are all young teachers so you would think they would bond well with a college student. In the afternoon we had an assembly with all the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes. KW is starting a selection of clubs for Thursdays after school. They received funding to run clubs partnering with TU and other organizations. The clubs spanned from bike club, soccer, archery, Tulsa history club, environment club, ballroom dancing, and even the 4H club. This was an amazing addition to the school day and the kids were all very excited. It’s going to be so hilarious when I see a stream of my students riding bikes through the Tulsa campus during bike club. Oh yes I almost forget. Today I was trained on the copy machine that the staff uses. Everyone must be trained so they don’t break it. It consisted of opening the paper draw to put in your own paper, closing the tray carefully, and then typing in the number of copies I want. The most important lesson was not to stick sharp objects in the copier when paper jams because I might break something. I can graduate with a bachelor’s degree but need training easy for a 1st grader. Gotta love it!

First Day of Student Teaching

When a child has a severe disability, is it better if they remain in the classroom or is it more beneficial if they are removed and placed in a different learning environment? At KW there is a girl that I will call Beth to keep her privacy. She has severe autism and is not able to participate in any of the regular activities during the day. The teacher has tried to work with her but it is very difficult when you have a class of 22 other students who have the same right to be learning. Instead Beth sits at a computer in the front of the class. She is supposed to be on educational games and programs but in smart enough to work her way on to the internet to YouTube and other websites. She stays quite throughout most of the class time yet when there is any change or transition; she loses it and has an episode. An episode consists of her fake crying, screaming, and throwing herself on the floor disturbing not only the class but classes throughout the wing. It took me by surprise and I’m wondering how it is going to go throughout the semester. The first school I student teach at is a school in a lower income area. I expected to see a lot of new situations but one thing I did not expect to see were kids getting hair cuts at school. It was right by the gym entrance; students plopped in chairs getting their hair cut if it was too ratty or long. This is a good service but not one I expected to see. On aspect of being a lower income school, many of the students in the class have a big sis or big brother. This is a mentor program where students in High School and college are paired with elementary school students. During the school week, they visit and hang out, work on puzzles, eat lunch, or work on computers. One girl was taken out during reading, a kind of important subject, and her big sis stayed with her for over 3 hours. She missed all of the afternoon lessons. Don’t get me wrong it’s wonderful to have mentors for these children but I feel it’s counterproductive to have them taken out during class. Mentors help these students stay on the right path instead of getting mixed up in gangs. Speaking of gangs, I saw gang symbols today at school. I few students in class have partly shaved eyebrows which represent one of the gangs in the area. I don’t know much about gangs but it is so sad to see 9 year olds already influenced. On the positive side, lunch was probably the most hilarious thing I have ever seen. First all the teachers have to shovel their food in their mouth because they are given about 20 minutes to eat before recess duty. My soup didn’t even have time to cool down from the microwave. Once at recess it was like seeing a swarm of bees on the slide. Legs where flying, bodies stacked on body, with at least 10 kids climbing on the outside of the slide. The teachers didn’t seem fazed by this. On the other side was the largest game of soccer I have ever seen, made me miss my days of soccer. All in all it was a good day; it was just an eye opener to many things.