Instructions: Feel free to either (1) post a reflection on your past week (2) respond to one or more of your colleague's posts or (3) post a comment on the continuing demonstrations in Madison. Don't forget to sign your name!
This week really highlighted for me the necessity of setting an example for my students. I'm realizing that the behaviors I see in my classroom and in my school persist because they do not always have the appropriate behavior model for them. We have really worked this year to change the culture of our school. There is still a lot of progress to be made but I know that I need to prioritize a focus on creating a positive classroom culture that can create a more positive middle school culture. I'm visiting Milwaukee College Prep on Monday hoping to observe and gather some great ideas to bring into my classroom. I'm working on changing the way that I communicate and interact with my students. I feel very lost at times and I'm not really sure if I am truly doing the right thing but I have to stop and think what is best for them. Part of addressing the whole student is addressing behaviors and needs. I question my ability to be an effective teacher when I see the same behaviors escalating, rather than changing and decreasing.
- Emma
At the beginning of the week, I had a conversation with my mom, who is a public educator, lives in the Madison area, and has been involved in the demonstrations in Madison over the budget bill. I sympathized with her emotions and opinions regarding the issue, but felt compelled to remind her there was a big part missing from the conversation/protests occurring, and that was the students, specifically the students of Milwaukee schools. The budget bill has hindered the discussion surrounding the achievement gap in Milwaukee, and created a divide in the parties working to close the gap. How can we put our students back at the forefront of the conversation surrounding the budget bill and education reform?
-Chelsea
Yes, it's only the end of Wednesday, but I feel as if enough has occurred for me to reflect upon the week. In regards to behavior and overall school culture, I felt a bit disappointed when we had issues with alcohol, massive gossiping, and high degrees of defiance occur in one day. It makes me question my effectiveness as a disciplinarian and teacher when the same behaviors persist. However, in attempts to remain positive, I am glad I have a strong team around me that immediately condemns the same negative behaviors I do and recognizes the positive actions and academic focus of the students giving it their all everyday. Reflecting upon my tracker, I am anticipating a dramatic drop in pre-algebra when I add higher rigor content to the daily objectives. While it may stain the beautiful green of my TFA tracker, it will definitely challenge my students who have have little issues mastering the content that Saxon has presented them thus far. We'll see how these quizzes go next week.
- Michael Nguyen
-Student data/ outcomes- I still have to grade my students' weekly quizzes, but my students averaged in the mid- to upper-80s on their science unit test on Thursday, and exit slip scores have been fair.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- My students have their next unit test on Tuesday, and I feel incredibly urgent as of late. Not that I haven't felt a sense of urgency lately, but it has really just hit me: about three months left. Not a lot of time! There are a number of actions I have prioritized, but on Monday, I focused on student questions. I want my students to be more inquisitive and think more deeply than just the surface of the material we cover.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I have developed a plan for developing strategies for students to be asking higher level questions in class.
-Plan for development/ solution- I have received advice from my old forensics coach in high school -- there was a topic "group discussion" back in the day. But I am also emphasizing higher expectations and higher level questions on my end, and students will be asking higher level questions beginning Monday with their exit slip in science.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- I want to push my students to be inquisitive, to seek answers, to always be asking questions, to never be satisfied with what they know -- I want them to have the desire to know more. (Do I sound like a journalism major yet?) I want our classroom discussions to go into more depth, and I want that engagement to start now and last through the end of this year.
Tom Schalmo
After a co-investigation with my Program Director I have some new planning methods which I think will help achievement, starting in my 6th grade class and then translating to the rest of my classes. I have noticed a big issue in my math lessons is my pacing. My first issue was students were not getting to work right away during guided practice. I saw this was an issue that related to a lack of investment and a lack of clear procedures with the guided practice. Over the last couple of weeks I have changed a lot of proceedures in the 6th grade class which has definitely helped. Students know the expectations for the practice and now they get to work a lot quicker. However, I am still seeing low-level understanding when the concepts are pretty complicated. After observing myself on video this week and talking with my PD, we noticed although students were well behaved, mostly engaged and particpating, my pacing took so long that connections between introducing new material and guided practice were too difficult to grasp for the students. It's not that I was boring them, they were trying to stay engaged and particpate, but ultimately I talked too long and they forgot what they were supposed to do when guided practice started. This week I am really trying to plan out my INM on a minute by minute basis in order to keep myself on track. I am also going to make a clear agenda and hold myself accountable to following it by sharing it with my students.
Robby
I am drowning in work. I am exhausted and overhwelmed by the amount being asked of me. While this year is less depressing than last year, because my students are amazing, and our class culture allows us to make incredible daily progress, I am drained and sleep-deprived because of the enormous amount of non-teaching work required of me. I know that I have taken much of this on by choice, but much of it I have not, and both the thought and the reality of this send my me into a very, very dark mood. I haven't had a weekend in months. All I do from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening is sit in my living room and read articles, write detailed lesson plans, write reflections, prepare job-hunting materials, prepare professional development materials, and I can't be as good for my students as I would like to be as a result. Unless of course, it is one of the weekends on which I have 4 hours of professional development sessions to attend. I don't know how much longer I can go before I break.
Aran
Hey Aran, I would like to take some time to respond to you this week-- I just want to say that I think it is amazing that you are showing such focus and that you are committed enough to take that extra time to do what is being asked of you. That shows a lot of integrity and purpose, and that in itself is something to be proud of-- it is very, very uncommon to stay that committed through so much difficulty. I struggle, because at times I feel that I am probably taking too much time for myself, and that I could and should spend much more of my weekend working. On the other hand, I know that if I don't take that time for myself, I enter that dark place you're talking about and I end up putting up a mental block, which doesn't allow me to get much done or be very effective when I do have to go back to the classroom. I admire everything that you are doing for your kids so much, but as you said, it's hard to maintain that level of work if you're running yourself into the ground. I think in order to maintain that urgency, passion, and focus, you should remember that it's ok (and necessary) to take time for yourself, especially when you have so much of that extra nitty gritty stuff consuming your time. If it's not directly related to kids, be honest with the people who are asking a lot of you, and tell them when you're reaching that breaking point. They don't want you to break down and lose effectiveness for your kids any more than you do. Try to prioritize things, and if taking a bubble bath or cooking dinner with Andrew is higher on the list of priorities than planning a content team meeting or submitting some paperwork, then do that first-- you will be able to more efficiently get the nitty gritty stuff done. And if it doesn't get done? Tough. People will live-- I honestly think that TFA (and sometimes even schools) purposely give you more than they realistically know you can do, just so you have all the options out there, in the hopes that you will do as much as you can. It's not realistic to expect you to do everything, no matter what they try to make you believe. So try to prioritize the things that mean the most to you and help your kids the most, and let the other stuff fall to the wayside. I hope that's helpful, and please feel free to call me or e-mail me if you need support!
Stephanie
So this week went by without too many glitches or at least not many that I can recall at this point on Sunday. One of my most challenging students had his best week of the entire year behaviorally. It wasn't perfect but definitely a step in the right direction. After reflecting on my math instruction last week with my program director and really digging into reading instruction this weekend at our TFA all corps meeting, I'm feeling like I have a lot of direction on the improvements that I need to make in my classroom. A fellow corps member pushed me to consider where the balance is between getting on students to grow a year and a half in reading and getting my lowest readers as close as possible to being on level. This definitely made me rethink the time commitment I give to each guided reading group during the week to ensure that my lowest students are receiving more instruction. I needed to remember that fair is not always equal. This is one of many improvements I know my classroom needs. Unfortunately, I'm also feeling worn out and exhausted with so many teaching and/or graduate school commitments outside the normal school day, which for me ends at 5 p.m. Keeping myself accountable to implementing all the changes I know need to happen in my classroom is something I'm really going to need to push in the next couple of weeks in the long stretch to spring break.
Sarah Vester
On Tuesday of this past week, 2 events occurred worthy of some reflection. At recess (in the gym - we don't have a playground) a fight broke out involving a couple of boys from each of the 3 fourth grade classes. As a result of this, our assistant principal decided only one class should be in the gym each day for recess. I typed up an alternate rotation in which 2 classes can be in there at a time (still 1/3 less students, and the gym could easily be divided in half so the classes are separated) but he said we're sticking with one at a time for now. I think this is ridiculous. First of all, these kids already have an extended school day - from 7:30 to 4:00 - and only get 25 minutes of recess. By the time we get there, it's usually 15 - 20. To now have recess at least 3 days per week in our very small classroom, I feel, is just developmentally inappropriate. You can't keep kids engaged all day sitting down in classes without giving them some time to run around. When I was in 4th grade I had 3 recesses every day: morning, lunch, and a short one in the afternoon. I don't think the principal has thought through the impact this has on their already poor attentiveness in the afternoons or my ability to teach either. Tuesday evening, I sat down with my program director and talked very broadly about how I'm feeling about teaching. We boiled some of my dissatisfaction with my math block down to a plan, now, to introduce centers and allow for small-group time. This will give me more time to work with a small group of students that remains behind the rest of the class and I hope will allow for more relationship building that I have felt missing somewhat in the structure of my school this year.
- Eamonn Collins
This week really highlighted for me the necessity of setting an example for my students. I'm realizing that the behaviors I see in my classroom and in my school persist because they do not always have the appropriate behavior model for them. We have really worked this year to change the culture of our school. There is still a lot of progress to be made but I know that I need to prioritize a focus on creating a positive classroom culture that can create a more positive middle school culture. I'm visiting Milwaukee College Prep on Monday hoping to observe and gather some great ideas to bring into my classroom. I'm working on changing the way that I communicate and interact with my students. I feel very lost at times and I'm not really sure if I am truly doing the right thing but I have to stop and think what is best for them. Part of addressing the whole student is addressing behaviors and needs. I question my ability to be an effective teacher when I see the same behaviors escalating, rather than changing and decreasing.
- Emma
At the beginning of the week, I had a conversation with my mom, who is a public educator, lives in the Madison area, and has been involved in the demonstrations in Madison over the budget bill. I sympathized with her emotions and opinions regarding the issue, but felt compelled to remind her there was a big part missing from the conversation/protests occurring, and that was the students, specifically the students of Milwaukee schools. The budget bill has hindered the discussion surrounding the achievement gap in Milwaukee, and created a divide in the parties working to close the gap. How can we put our students back at the forefront of the conversation surrounding the budget bill and education reform?
-Chelsea
Yes, it's only the end of Wednesday, but I feel as if enough has occurred for me to reflect upon the week. In regards to behavior and overall school culture, I felt a bit disappointed when we had issues with alcohol, massive gossiping, and high degrees of defiance occur in one day. It makes me question my effectiveness as a disciplinarian and teacher when the same behaviors persist. However, in attempts to remain positive, I am glad I have a strong team around me that immediately condemns the same negative behaviors I do and recognizes the positive actions and academic focus of the students giving it their all everyday. Reflecting upon my tracker, I am anticipating a dramatic drop in pre-algebra when I add higher rigor content to the daily objectives. While it may stain the beautiful green of my TFA tracker, it will definitely challenge my students who have have little issues mastering the content that Saxon has presented them thus far. We'll see how these quizzes go next week.
- Michael Nguyen
-Student data/ outcomes- I still have to grade my students' weekly quizzes, but my students averaged in the mid- to upper-80s on their science unit test on Thursday, and exit slip scores have been fair.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- My students have their next unit test on Tuesday, and I feel incredibly urgent as of late. Not that I haven't felt a sense of urgency lately, but it has really just hit me: about three months left. Not a lot of time! There are a number of actions I have prioritized, but on Monday, I focused on student questions. I want my students to be more inquisitive and think more deeply than just the surface of the material we cover.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I have developed a plan for developing strategies for students to be asking higher level questions in class.
-Plan for development/ solution- I have received advice from my old forensics coach in high school -- there was a topic "group discussion" back in the day. But I am also emphasizing higher expectations and higher level questions on my end, and students will be asking higher level questions beginning Monday with their exit slip in science.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- I want to push my students to be inquisitive, to seek answers, to always be asking questions, to never be satisfied with what they know -- I want them to have the desire to know more. (Do I sound like a journalism major yet?) I want our classroom discussions to go into more depth, and I want that engagement to start now and last through the end of this year.
Tom Schalmo
After a co-investigation with my Program Director I have some new planning methods which I think will help achievement, starting in my 6th grade class and then translating to the rest of my classes. I have noticed a big issue in my math lessons is my pacing. My first issue was students were not getting to work right away during guided practice. I saw this was an issue that related to a lack of investment and a lack of clear procedures with the guided practice. Over the last couple of weeks I have changed a lot of proceedures in the 6th grade class which has definitely helped. Students know the expectations for the practice and now they get to work a lot quicker. However, I am still seeing low-level understanding when the concepts are pretty complicated. After observing myself on video this week and talking with my PD, we noticed although students were well behaved, mostly engaged and particpating, my pacing took so long that connections between introducing new material and guided practice were too difficult to grasp for the students. It's not that I was boring them, they were trying to stay engaged and particpate, but ultimately I talked too long and they forgot what they were supposed to do when guided practice started. This week I am really trying to plan out my INM on a minute by minute basis in order to keep myself on track. I am also going to make a clear agenda and hold myself accountable to following it by sharing it with my students.
Robby
I am drowning in work. I am exhausted and overhwelmed by the amount being asked of me. While this year is less depressing than last year, because my students are amazing, and our class culture allows us to make incredible daily progress, I am drained and sleep-deprived because of the enormous amount of non-teaching work required of me. I know that I have taken much of this on by choice, but much of it I have not, and both the thought and the reality of this send my me into a very, very dark mood. I haven't had a weekend in months. All I do from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening is sit in my living room and read articles, write detailed lesson plans, write reflections, prepare job-hunting materials, prepare professional development materials, and I can't be as good for my students as I would like to be as a result. Unless of course, it is one of the weekends on which I have 4 hours of professional development sessions to attend. I don't know how much longer I can go before I break.
Aran
Hey Aran, I would like to take some time to respond to you this week-- I just want to say that I think it is amazing that you are showing such focus and that you are committed enough to take that extra time to do what is being asked of you. That shows a lot of integrity and purpose, and that in itself is something to be proud of-- it is very, very uncommon to stay that committed through so much difficulty. I struggle, because at times I feel that I am probably taking too much time for myself, and that I could and should spend much more of my weekend working. On the other hand, I know that if I don't take that time for myself, I enter that dark place you're talking about and I end up putting up a mental block, which doesn't allow me to get much done or be very effective when I do have to go back to the classroom. I admire everything that you are doing for your kids so much, but as you said, it's hard to maintain that level of work if you're running yourself into the ground. I think in order to maintain that urgency, passion, and focus, you should remember that it's ok (and necessary) to take time for yourself, especially when you have so much of that extra nitty gritty stuff consuming your time. If it's not directly related to kids, be honest with the people who are asking a lot of you, and tell them when you're reaching that breaking point. They don't want you to break down and lose effectiveness for your kids any more than you do. Try to prioritize things, and if taking a bubble bath or cooking dinner with Andrew is higher on the list of priorities than planning a content team meeting or submitting some paperwork, then do that first-- you will be able to more efficiently get the nitty gritty stuff done. And if it doesn't get done? Tough. People will live-- I honestly think that TFA (and sometimes even schools) purposely give you more than they realistically know you can do, just so you have all the options out there, in the hopes that you will do as much as you can. It's not realistic to expect you to do everything, no matter what they try to make you believe. So try to prioritize the things that mean the most to you and help your kids the most, and let the other stuff fall to the wayside. I hope that's helpful, and please feel free to call me or e-mail me if you need support!
Stephanie
So this week went by without too many glitches or at least not many that I can recall at this point on Sunday. One of my most challenging students had his best week of the entire year behaviorally. It wasn't perfect but definitely a step in the right direction. After reflecting on my math instruction last week with my program director and really digging into reading instruction this weekend at our TFA all corps meeting, I'm feeling like I have a lot of direction on the improvements that I need to make in my classroom. A fellow corps member pushed me to consider where the balance is between getting on students to grow a year and a half in reading and getting my lowest readers as close as possible to being on level. This definitely made me rethink the time commitment I give to each guided reading group during the week to ensure that my lowest students are receiving more instruction. I needed to remember that fair is not always equal. This is one of many improvements I know my classroom needs. Unfortunately, I'm also feeling worn out and exhausted with so many teaching and/or graduate school commitments outside the normal school day, which for me ends at 5 p.m. Keeping myself accountable to implementing all the changes I know need to happen in my classroom is something I'm really going to need to push in the next couple of weeks in the long stretch to spring break.
Sarah Vester
On Tuesday of this past week, 2 events occurred worthy of some reflection. At recess (in the gym - we don't have a playground) a fight broke out involving a couple of boys from each of the 3 fourth grade classes. As a result of this, our assistant principal decided only one class should be in the gym each day for recess. I typed up an alternate rotation in which 2 classes can be in there at a time (still 1/3 less students, and the gym could easily be divided in half so the classes are separated) but he said we're sticking with one at a time for now. I think this is ridiculous. First of all, these kids already have an extended school day - from 7:30 to 4:00 - and only get 25 minutes of recess. By the time we get there, it's usually 15 - 20. To now have recess at least 3 days per week in our very small classroom, I feel, is just developmentally inappropriate. You can't keep kids engaged all day sitting down in classes without giving them some time to run around. When I was in 4th grade I had 3 recesses every day: morning, lunch, and a short one in the afternoon. I don't think the principal has thought through the impact this has on their already poor attentiveness in the afternoons or my ability to teach either. Tuesday evening, I sat down with my program director and talked very broadly about how I'm feeling about teaching. We boiled some of my dissatisfaction with my math block down to a plan, now, to introduce centers and allow for small-group time. This will give me more time to work with a small group of students that remains behind the rest of the class and I hope will allow for more relationship building that I have felt missing somewhat in the structure of my school this year.
- Eamonn Collins