A dark cloud on black winds, I swept into the classroom moments before the bell and clanked my bag on the floor beside my desk. The students were already trickling into their seats and the cooperating teacher was tappity-tapping on the computer.
I turned on the whiteboard with a vengeance, drawing black blood with every rise and fall of the pen. I sheathed the pen with a quick SNAP! and pivoted back towards the students, taking careful measure not to look at a single one of them. "The assignment is on the board. You may begin."
A winter gale, I breezed towards the door and called my first victim of the day, "Isiah." If voices could peel paint mine would have.
His head rotated, Exorcist-like, his back had been facing me while he chatted with his friend who sat behind him. "Come with me."
Moments later his once leering figure shrunk to the size of a small boy, as the hallway opened up and swallowed him. I cackled sinisterly inside myself. The war had just begun.
"Let's take a walk."
Three walks later I returned to my post inside the classroom. The students who needed to be spoken with individually had been dealt with. The room was quiet as the tomb except for the random whispers of pages being turned and the faint scratches of pencils on paper.
I heaved a mental sigh and tried not to slump against the desk. Breathing so deep I think my toes lifted a little, I called out, "Okay, so who can tell me what antagonist means?"
Battle two complete. Score 1 to 1. And the war rages on...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
My day at Guantanamo Bay
(Something that didn't work so well...)
Please locate your nearest emergency exits...
Toture, sweet, merciless, torture...
I stood in the midst of the crashing chaos, the waves of sound threatening to drown me out. For a moment I considered tossing myself out of the window. I stood transfixed by the complete lack of control that I had.
Gritting my teeth, I spun a slow circle, eyed the door with a lovers longing, and faced the class again. I smiled the best smile I could muster, "Okay, come on back. Let's get back to vocabulary..."
It was useless. This time it was not just one or two students that I had to stare down, it was a group of 6-7 students sprinkled throughout the class that just would not back down. They spoke incessantly out of turn, refused to do their work, and just all around were being disrespectful.
LONG story short. I ended up threatening to send them to the office, and that only worked to keep them in their seats.
What am I supposed to do with this class? It's the very first period of the day, they come in wild and hating to be there, and from the moment they see me, are trying to get away with things.
NONE of my other classes are like this. The next period was smooth sailing...beautiful.
HELP! What do I do???!
-Later reflection-
This didn't work well. Even though it was simple notetaking activity, I just didn't have their attention. It was my first lesson with them and they were testing me to see what they could get away with. I think that there should have been a little bit more activity involved and not just them in the seats copying down words. I know that at some point this age level is expected to do that, but I think I should have done it in a more gradual way. So there you go...lesson learned.
Please locate your nearest emergency exits...
Toture, sweet, merciless, torture...
I stood in the midst of the crashing chaos, the waves of sound threatening to drown me out. For a moment I considered tossing myself out of the window. I stood transfixed by the complete lack of control that I had.
Gritting my teeth, I spun a slow circle, eyed the door with a lovers longing, and faced the class again. I smiled the best smile I could muster, "Okay, come on back. Let's get back to vocabulary..."
It was useless. This time it was not just one or two students that I had to stare down, it was a group of 6-7 students sprinkled throughout the class that just would not back down. They spoke incessantly out of turn, refused to do their work, and just all around were being disrespectful.
LONG story short. I ended up threatening to send them to the office, and that only worked to keep them in their seats.
What am I supposed to do with this class? It's the very first period of the day, they come in wild and hating to be there, and from the moment they see me, are trying to get away with things.
NONE of my other classes are like this. The next period was smooth sailing...beautiful.
HELP! What do I do???!
-Later reflection-
This didn't work well. Even though it was simple notetaking activity, I just didn't have their attention. It was my first lesson with them and they were testing me to see what they could get away with. I think that there should have been a little bit more activity involved and not just them in the seats copying down words. I know that at some point this age level is expected to do that, but I think I should have done it in a more gradual way. So there you go...lesson learned.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The dictionary is your friend...
Today, as I plodded down the hallway with a string of students who had not finished their writing assessment, I was struck by the thought, "This is what a magnet must feel like." The students, who have been attending this school for three years, would not leave my side, staying a close distance behind, eyes sucking in every step and every word I was saying.
I shook my head and tried to curb the flat chatter I was rambling on about to these middle schoolers and ushered them into the library. They quickly took their places and started in on their writing. I settled in with the magazine I had begun reading last period (the librarian was so enthusastic about her library, she would not rest until I had gazed at a sampling of their newest addition to the stacks) and cast one wary eye on the students.
About two minutes later the librarian scampered up beside me with a student who I had never seen before, and pointed for him to sit down. "This young man has a little trouble concentrating, so I am going to sit him here at this table. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere? Thanks!" Off she twittered into her leaves and brush of books and bindings and I was left blinking into the face of this new and alien student. I smiled, made sure he was taking the writing assessment as well, and turned another page.
Time was d r a g g i n g by, the students were bent over their work, taking care in each letter and swoop of their pencils...SIGH...why did it take so long to write a four paragraph response to a question?! I gulped down my sudden burst of energy, forced myself not to throw my head back in extreme boredom and yell, "Fire!" and glanced in frustration at this new student.
He had been playing with the chair beside him and had taken an obscure obsession with a blank piece of paper on his desk. He had not even begun writing, his paper was not even turned right side up. Tap, tap, tap went the chair against the desk. I occupied my time studying the contours of the table in front of me...it was not my job to keep this student on task.
Yet...
I glanced back at him...tap, tap, tap. I couldn't help it. It was an undeniable force.
I stood, took the whole step across the distance between us, and pulled the chair out of his hands. "How's it going?" I asked, plopping into the once accoustic chair. He shrugged and looked away. "How far have we gotten so far?" I flipped the papers over and looked at the achingly blank page. "Hmmm....sometimes the hardest part is starting."
"I'm thinking about what to write," he murmured reaching for his test packet.
"Looks like you've already written your rough draft here," I pushed. "Why not we try the first sentence?" He looked at me like I had grown three heads.
"No, really. Let's write down the first sentence and see what happens."
Magic. Beautiful, sparkling magic.
He moved. He reached for his pencil and picked it up.
Words were breathed and birthed onto the virgin test packet and I sat in silent reverence to the small creation I was witness to...
He stopped. He looked at me expectantly. "Hmm..." I gulped, filing my silent musings away. "Great start. Then what?"
"What do you mean, 'then what?'" he asked...again with the three heads.
"Okay...so you wrote you found a strange path on the way home...so what? Then what?"
"I need a dictionary."
I grinned...he was stalling.
"Okay, here's one." Great thing libraries...dictionaries are readily available.
"How do you spell 'noticed'?" his eyes sparkled with mischief and a more troublesome emotion. Fear. He didn't know. He honestly didn't know.
"You tell me...what does it start with?"
"N,"
"Then what?"
He laughed. Pure, blissful, magic.
It went like that for the rest of the class. I pulled and prodded every single word and sentence from this young man. He looked up every word he didn't know. He tried so hard. So very, very hard to pay attention to his work. In 25 minutes, he had gotten one paragraph completed.
He earned that paragraph. I am so proud of him. The bell rang, and I escorted my students back to class.
I don't know his name. He has no idea who I am.
But today...today was why I am here...I was part of an awakening. The slow and sometimes ugly battle to open the minds eye to a new dimension of life. The tedious, cruel attempt to acquire the most precious thing we have in life. Knowledge. Knowledge is power and power is dangerous.
Today...I helped write a paragraph. All because of a single, tiny step. I am blessed. And I am dangerous.
How dangerous are you?
I shook my head and tried to curb the flat chatter I was rambling on about to these middle schoolers and ushered them into the library. They quickly took their places and started in on their writing. I settled in with the magazine I had begun reading last period (the librarian was so enthusastic about her library, she would not rest until I had gazed at a sampling of their newest addition to the stacks) and cast one wary eye on the students.
About two minutes later the librarian scampered up beside me with a student who I had never seen before, and pointed for him to sit down. "This young man has a little trouble concentrating, so I am going to sit him here at this table. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere? Thanks!" Off she twittered into her leaves and brush of books and bindings and I was left blinking into the face of this new and alien student. I smiled, made sure he was taking the writing assessment as well, and turned another page.
Time was d r a g g i n g by, the students were bent over their work, taking care in each letter and swoop of their pencils...SIGH...why did it take so long to write a four paragraph response to a question?! I gulped down my sudden burst of energy, forced myself not to throw my head back in extreme boredom and yell, "Fire!" and glanced in frustration at this new student.
He had been playing with the chair beside him and had taken an obscure obsession with a blank piece of paper on his desk. He had not even begun writing, his paper was not even turned right side up. Tap, tap, tap went the chair against the desk. I occupied my time studying the contours of the table in front of me...it was not my job to keep this student on task.
Yet...
I glanced back at him...tap, tap, tap. I couldn't help it. It was an undeniable force.
I stood, took the whole step across the distance between us, and pulled the chair out of his hands. "How's it going?" I asked, plopping into the once accoustic chair. He shrugged and looked away. "How far have we gotten so far?" I flipped the papers over and looked at the achingly blank page. "Hmmm....sometimes the hardest part is starting."
"I'm thinking about what to write," he murmured reaching for his test packet.
"Looks like you've already written your rough draft here," I pushed. "Why not we try the first sentence?" He looked at me like I had grown three heads.
"No, really. Let's write down the first sentence and see what happens."
Magic. Beautiful, sparkling magic.
He moved. He reached for his pencil and picked it up.
Words were breathed and birthed onto the virgin test packet and I sat in silent reverence to the small creation I was witness to...
He stopped. He looked at me expectantly. "Hmm..." I gulped, filing my silent musings away. "Great start. Then what?"
"What do you mean, 'then what?'" he asked...again with the three heads.
"Okay...so you wrote you found a strange path on the way home...so what? Then what?"
"I need a dictionary."
I grinned...he was stalling.
"Okay, here's one." Great thing libraries...dictionaries are readily available.
"How do you spell 'noticed'?" his eyes sparkled with mischief and a more troublesome emotion. Fear. He didn't know. He honestly didn't know.
"You tell me...what does it start with?"
"N,"
"Then what?"
He laughed. Pure, blissful, magic.
It went like that for the rest of the class. I pulled and prodded every single word and sentence from this young man. He looked up every word he didn't know. He tried so hard. So very, very hard to pay attention to his work. In 25 minutes, he had gotten one paragraph completed.
He earned that paragraph. I am so proud of him. The bell rang, and I escorted my students back to class.
I don't know his name. He has no idea who I am.
But today...today was why I am here...I was part of an awakening. The slow and sometimes ugly battle to open the minds eye to a new dimension of life. The tedious, cruel attempt to acquire the most precious thing we have in life. Knowledge. Knowledge is power and power is dangerous.
Today...I helped write a paragraph. All because of a single, tiny step. I am blessed. And I am dangerous.
How dangerous are you?
Knowledge is Power
Welcome!
Here we will disucss the ins and outs of the pen being mightier than the sword (though I have found they work much more effectively as a joint undertaking) and some of the daily trials in the life of a student teacher.
I encourage sharing and discussion on the topic of Language Arts and other insights into the strange world of educators. I hope you find a new love of the craft of teaching!
Here we will disucss the ins and outs of the pen being mightier than the sword (though I have found they work much more effectively as a joint undertaking) and some of the daily trials in the life of a student teacher.
I encourage sharing and discussion on the topic of Language Arts and other insights into the strange world of educators. I hope you find a new love of the craft of teaching!
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