Teacher's Diary

The Truth About Being a First-Year Teacher

Being a first-year teacher is all about learning, but a major part of the learning, for me at least, has been learning about what it means to be a teacher. In the past week or so, I have come to realize that being a teacher is all about making choices. Some of those choices, like whether or not to have breakfast, are easy (always, always eat breakfast), while others are considerably more challenging, like should I go to an Oscar party even though I have school tomorrow?

Although to the untrained eye, that second choice may seem just as easy as the first, it is decidedly not. For one thing, I rarely have time to relax and enjoy good food and company, but on the other, it is harder to be an engaging teacher when I am excessively tired. Lately, however, I have been finding it more necessary to relax. Although I'm tired, I feel noticeably better and I hope it is rubbing off on the kids. Spring's arrival, I'm sure, doesn't hinder that either.

Another thing I've been finding is that I have to decide when to be the caring, all-giving teacher and when to say no to kids. From September through December, I had kids with me during nearly every lunch and practically every day after school. While it helped me build strong relationships with them and improved their understanding, it took up most of my free time and I found myself staying up late lesson planning as a result. Just recently, I have been able to politely push kids out of the room and dedicate some "me" time. Sure, they give me dirty looks, but I'm planning better lessons too.

Today, I made another big choice. I was (surprise) spreading myself too thin in the realm of extracurricular activities for the students. Since our school is small, there is less opportunity for kids to do things after school. I started a computer club to help with this problem and have been running it with another teacher for several months. However, I also started an Honor Society because I felt that good students were not getting enough recognition. The two had been competing for my time and, although I feel strongly connected to both, I released computer club into the hands of my partner today. It has outlived its original purpose and was really too small to monopolize two teachers' time.

Overall, I am certainly learning how to make better decisions about how to use my time and when to say no to something, even if I find it worthwhile. In the end, I won't be able to save every student, so it is up to me to learn how to choose the ones who need help the most.

Photo of the Week

It's not too late to bring the Chilean earthquake into your classroom. This article by the San Francisco Sentinel has a great discussion of some of the science behind the earthquake, as well as details and pictures of the disaster itself. I think it is important to discuss events like this in your classes, to give your students a wider view of the world.

For earth science teachers, another cool resource is this Earthquake Simulator website, which allows students to vary earthquake parameters and see what magnitude the earthquake would be. It's a great way to teach how these concepts effect earthquake strength. For you California readers, this site focuses on the San Andreas fault, so it might have even more meaning for your students.

You can also check out my previous tips, relating to the Haiti earthquake and how to use the news in your classroom.

Proposed Changes to Regents Exams

For any teachers here in New York, I thought I'd bring the following posting regarding proposed changed to the Regents to your attention.

Albany is discussing changing certain things, including eliminating exam translations into Chinese and Haitian Creole and discontinuing the January and August Regents administration dates, about the Regents to cut budget costs. While some of the costs they propose to cut seem to make sense, the two I mentioned seem likely to decrease the number of students who are able to pass the exams. After all, students who fail in June are much more likely to pass in August or January than the following June, when they have been out of the class for even longer. Eliminating translation options seems extremely unfair to our ELL kids, which my regular readers know is a particular interest of mine. Are we sending the message that they should only learn content material if they can learn it in English?

Anyway, I thought it was important to bring these issues to everyone's attention. If you'd like to do more, you can contact your superintendent or senator and bring these proposed changes to their attention.

Senators

Superintendents

Effective Classroom Strategies: Watch These Videos!

Need techniques for moving kids around the classroom, information on how to cold call properly or tips on how to set higher expectations? These 5 short videos (all about 1 minute long) will give you some ideas. I was impressed by the teachers pictured - actual teachers filmed performing tasks with their actual classes. These ideas certainly do not exhaust all possibilities, but they are a great way to start thinking about how to improve certain classroom techniques. I especially love the idea of reading aloud and having kids follow along, but I am concerned that at a high school level, kids who struggle with reading would be embarrassed by this kind of calling technique. Maybe I will try it next year.

The videos were linked to an article from the New York Times Magazine, entitled Building a Better Teacher. The article, though long, had some great insight into some of the problems with struggling schools today and sought answers to the growing problem of how to improve the quality of teachers. Check it out when you have a minute!

QHQ Technique Take 2: Managing Time

It has been a couple of days since I've written, mostly because I haven't had time. Between lesson planning, doing projects for grad school and trying to maintain a social life, I'm struggling to fit everything in. Time management is still something I need to work on. And, because one of my grad school projects requires me to, I decided to try out the QHQ technique again to try to work out some solutions.

Question: How can I fit everything I need to do into a 24-hour day...and remain sane?

Hypothesis: First of all, there is so much to do. Grading is currently taking up most of my time, followed by lesson planning. I'm working so hard to plan exciting lessons, but I find it really hard to get the students engaged in learning about rocks. And that's another worry - I'm still on rocks! 3 whole units behind! I need to catch up, but how can I when they don't understand what I'm doing now? On top of all that, I have graduate school to work on, but at least my online class ends in two weeks. I'll be done with that, which will give me a lot more time to do other things. Then I'm also trying to stay sane by going out with friends and working out. And last but not least, sleeping. That always takes the back seat it seems. I need to prioritize, but absolutely everything seems necessary and important. If I eliminate fun stuff, I get more stressed out and sleep badly. I'm grouchy and then my lessons don't go as well. And if I eliminate sleep, well, that's just not an option. One thing I can do is cut down on the wasted, listless time between activities. I'm doing better at using commuting time and meal time to my advantage, but I still get stuck watching too much TV and sitting around thinking instead of doing.

Question: So, what can I do to limit my wasted time further and improve my efficiency?

I really like this technique. I find it very relaxing and it helps iron out the crazy thoughts running around my brain all the time. As I continue to settle into teaching, I will certainly try to get my students to use it to tease out their thoughts about science.

Photo of the Week

Ok, so it's not a photo, but when a colleague emailed me this comic, I knew I had to share it with all of you. It was posted today on the GoComics website and seems right on target judging by New York City's weather these days. I have found that putting comics at the top of worksheets gets the kids into it. I have even used comics and images as Do Now activities to get the kids thinking. Hopefully this one will be of use to many of you.

We've Been Featured!

As a writer, one of the greatest things one can ask for is to be featured in a print publication. Blogging has taken off in recent years, but there is something about being in print that feels more permanent. After all, anyone can start a blog, but not everyone will be published in a newsletter that goes out to thousands of educators.

As am pleased to announce that Teacher's Diary has been featured in the Winter Issue of the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana newsletter! Welcome to any new readers who are checking in after reading the article!

A+PEL is an organization that serves around 7000 educators throughout the state of Louisiana, providing professional development, legal support, scholarships and resources for teachers. I hope that new readers will chime in on some of the discussions, to give us the perspective from another area of the country. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Besides featuring part of the New Year's Resolution post, here's what the newsletter had to say about us:

A Second Snow Day

I had almost given up hoping for a snow day, after Bloomberg announced yesterday that he would not be canceling school unless weather conditions worsened. I resigned myself to going into school, shuffling through the sludge and arriving at school tired, soggy and cold.

But this morning I awoke to find it was still snowing and checked the Department of Education website, almost as an afterthought. At first, in my sleepy state, I thought I was mistaken, but sure enough, the words were there: All New York City public schools are closed today!

I am having a great day relaxing and catching up on work, but this second snow day of the year has brought two questions to the forefront of my mind:

1. How will I stay on track to finish the material when we keep missing days?

Certainly, it has been lovely not having school, but I do have a curriculum to get through before my students sit for the Regents in June. I want them to be as prepared as possible and, although 2 days missed does not seem like much, it could make a big difference in how much material I get through. It interrupts the flow of the unit and students forget what they have learned this past week. Additional time will need to be spent reminding them.

2. What do snow days make students think about Climate Change?

While of course I recognize that global temperatures can be rising steadily and we can still experience a cold winter, students think on a much smaller time scale. To many of them, it may seem like winters are getting colder because this winter seems colder than last winter. After all, they did not have two snow days last year. This is something that is important to discuss with them.

On that note, I'm off to enjoy the day some more, as I hope all other New York City teachers are doing.

Upcoming Teacher Conferences - Great PD Opportunities

As a first-year teacher, I have found professional development to be an important part of my routine. Although certain conferences and meetings can be tedious and unhelpful, I have found that many are extremely useful. Now that things have calmed down a bit at school, I've had much more time delve into professional development beyond what my school has to offer. Below are some events that I am planning to check out:

This Weekend

Suffolk County STANYS and CESAME Annual Conference - This Saturday, there is a four-hour conference with workshops on many topics, ranging from ways to bring estuaries into your classroom to climate change to doing research with your students. I'm told it will happen snow or not, so get your boots on and head out to Stony Brook for some great winter teaching fun. A certificate for 4 hours of professional development will be provided to all participants.

March

NSTA 2010 National Conference in Philly - Join science teachers from across the nation at a huge 5-day conference to learn about and celebrate great innovations in science teaching. I know many teachers from the New York area are heading to Philly, so jump on the bandwagon and learn to be a better teacher of the sciences.

April

SCONYC Teachable Moments -This 1-day conference has been highly recommended by one of my graduate school professors for all science teachers in the New York City area. The conference will include demonstrations by current teachers of hands-on lessons that have worked well in their classrooms as well as tables stocked with give-aways and classroom materials. I've been warned to bring some extra bags!

Summer

Travel to the Amazon with Travel2Learn Rainforest Workshops! I have always wanted to visit the Amazon, and although this program requires a significant financial contribution, it is still much more affordable than planning my own trip.

I'll be adding more to this list as things come my way. Feel free to submit workshops in your area or other New York area workshops that I may not have heard about!

Fighting Classroom Boredom

It is a frequent occurrence in every classroom. A lesson is underway, the teacher dutifully teaching the lesson, when suddenly, from the back of the room somewhere, comes the exclamation that no teacher wants to hear: "Miss, your class is so boring!"

In January, I wrote about getting into improving as a teacher. I was, and still am, excited about trying out new techniques and receiving criticism on my teaching. I have learned to detach myself much more from the day to day incidents in the classroom. However, no teacher likes to be told his class is boring, especially not one who is consciously trying to be the best teacher possible. As a first-year teacher, I know I could be more engaging at times, but hey, at least I'm giving it my all! Since the beginning of the school year, I have dealt handily with comments about my breath, my hair and even my handwriting, never batting an eyelash. But for some reason, the boredom comments always throw me - either into rage or despair.

However, in my weekly "Fellow Blast," I found the following advice from another Teaching Fellow:

"I’ve learned not to take it personally when I hear my students say, "This is so boring!" Instead, I try to figure out why the student is reporting feeling bored.

Often, "this is boring" means, "I am so confused." It also may mean, "I need some attention right now. “ Instead of feeling offended, I’ve learned to realize that the student declaring boredom is really saying that she needs some help. If the student were uninterested, she wouldn't have called attention to herself and to the lesson.

If boredom isn't truly the problem, then we shouldn’t treat it as such. I direct the student to the task at hand, and explain the teaching point in another way. Sometimes I model part of the task for the student, guide her through the next portion of the task, then say, "Great, you’re ready to do the rest yourself." The student who previously declared boredom will often be more likely to share at the end of the lesson, because she has gained confidence."

Using this as fodder to better my own practices, I let a comment on how boring my class was roll off my back. I did not confront the student, as I often had in the past. However, the following day, I found the student during lunch and asked her to sit with me for a while. We chatted a bit and I brought up her comment from the previous day. Immediately, she admitted that she did not understand the material, on top of frustration that she had learned this material before. She agreed that she should come for extra help and was more engaged in class today, although I still have not totally won her over.

But how to approach students also depends on their unique personality. Another student of mine is constantly complaining about my class, especially the current topic of rocks. He is a funny kid, with a witty sense of humor and I chose to make use of this fact. I started off our conversation, mock crying, "You really hurt my feelings yesterday." Continuing in this sarcastic manner, we discussed how he loves astronomy, and I was quick to point out that studying other planets' composition was just like studying rocks here on Earth and that we understand other planets better by understanding our planet better. My AP joined in and together we cornered him, concluding that, in fact, he loves rocks!

We joked around, bantering back and forth for 10 or 15 minutes. And, miraculously, today in class he participated non-stop, while also making off-hand comments about how he does not like rocks. It was clear that my rapport with him had increased and he was feeling less bored in class. He even came up at the end of the period to apologize to me for making too many jokes in class. I can't wait to see how he is during the astronomy unit!

I am slowly learning that, yes, I must make the classroom engaging, but I also have to accept that not all students are going to understand, regardless of how exciting the presentation. And when students don't understand, they react in different ways. They may shut down, or they may express their frustration by lashing out at those around them. Rather than getting offended, I have to use these clues to reach out to those students and help them connect with the material. They could feel the excitement of science, if only they could understand the basics I'm trying to teach them.