Survived Year One

I really need to do a better job of updating this thing, huh?

Well, my first year of teaching officially ended this past Thursday, May 24th. Overall, I have to say this was a very trying year but I dove into it head first. I had plenty of moments for laughter, quite a few moments for tears (though I only shed one in front of the class once but... that's another story), and I really feel like I got a nice taste of what my future holds.

I received my schedule for next year and I have 2 loads of Eng 9 a semester and 1 of College Composition. I'm really excited about this because they are both classes that I've taught before. This will be my third round with Eng 9 as well. One point I know I need to work on, aside from the ever present "discipline" and class rules, is honing my transitions and elaboration with materials. On top of that, I'm in a new classroom next year! So, just when I get a hold on a few things, something else is ripped out from under me. Crazy, really.

After making it through my first year in one piece, one element that I realized truly needs to be a part of my daily ritual/routine is Reflection. Reflection played such a big part in my teaching year. Looking back on how different lessons played out as well as what didn't go as well as planned has helped me to be a better teacher. Staying attuned to what the students feel about different lessons and trying to understand WHY they felt that way helps a lot too. There's not much to be said for the students who sincerely don't care about anything you have to say. I've learned to take those moments in stride. But, when there are individuals who are normally at the top of the class and even THEY are giving you the look of "Uhm.... What?" it's evident that some change needs to come about... And when reflecting on this past year, I can truly say that I tried my hardest at all costs and it can only go up from here. Yes, I'm the youngest teacher in the school (interesting yet frightening), as well as the newest teacher in my department (blessing and a curse, trust me), but no one can say that I have not been earning my place in Galesburg High School.

So, with that said, here's to a new year, a good year, and an even better Me.

Ms. Jones is out for the summer.

The Update

This has been a long time coming but I'll try to keep it brief...

Since I last truly updated about my life in the teaching world, quite a few things have changed.

• I've failed about 7-10 kids over the last semester and it tore me up inside. Some of them truly deserved the grade because they gave no hint of effort or even attempted to care about the class. Some got their acts together but did so too late in the game, so to speak, so it just wasn't enough. 
• I had a kid who was failing my class by .3%, so I made some modifications to round up to the next grade so he'd pass because I'd had a conference (or three) with his dad and the man gave off the impression that if the kid failed my class, his consequences would be physical. I felt good about saving him that fate just to realize he forgot to turn in a major assignment for my class and it brought him back down 3%. That was a rough one. 
• I had another kid who was taking my class for the second time and had the general idea that, as long as he passed, he didn't care how well he performed. He did very well on vocabulary and different assignments. Didn't participate much but he didn't cause many problems in class. Then, toward the end of the term, he kind of stopped trying, sated with the idea that he'd get a passing grade, and, even on the final, opted out of doing the essay portion by writing on his paper "I'll just take the D." Once everything was calculated and averaged, he failed by 1%. I did not feel inclined to round him up because he truly earned that grade. His mother e-mailed me about it and we had some correspondence but it was evident that he deserved the grade he received.
• I've had the day/week/class from hell.
• One week in October, my coworker (who's also a good friend) had to return to Chicago because her grandmother passed away. During the time she was gone, because she and I essentially had the same curriculum, I volunteered to help her sub with her classes. So everyday, for a week, when I got to school, I would go to her room and double check that all of her copies were present and that her materials were laid out as needed. Then, right before the first bell rang for school to start, I would go Back to her room and explain everything to the sub. But, because her sub was an older woman who was set in the ways that she used to teach, she still didn't understand. So, over lunch, I would re-explain everything. This happened every day. So I was trying to manage her classes while still having classes of my own and trying to manage those. I felt like it was just the worst week ever. But since, I can count on at least three occasions where I've had the worst "day" ever. Yet, every time I say that, the next one is much much worse. Maybe I'll stop "claiming" that, yeah?
• With regard to the worst "class," every 4th block, I have a class of students who took the particular class because A) it was a requirement for graduation and/or B) It was the only class that would fir their schedule. Having students who are literally only in your class because they have to be is a special kind of rewarding (sarcasm). The kids are typically very chatty and rambunctious. The class itself is never too bad to teach but apparently they always give the new teacher(s), the classes no one else in the department wanted. So that's always fun. I've made it through and am currently still doing so but to say it hasn't been trying would be false.

Those are the main things that have transpired that are worth mentioning. I've also had a lot of good days though. Days that are rewarding and remind me of why I got into this profession. I've had more of those days this term, thus far, which is very promising.

I'm currently teaching one class of Freshman English, a College Composition class, and Contemporary Communications, which is a speech class. It's pretty interesting, though teaching a College Composition class when I'm just out of college myself is a pretty wild experience.

Overall I'm feeling pretty good. I need to go get some grading done though so I'll go and get to that. 

Have a great day!

MAJORLY slipping...

Wow. I haven't forgotten about this blog but I definitely don't have nearly as much time on my hands as I thought I would to keep it posted.

So, when time frees up a bit, I'm definitely gonna try to bullet point some of the things I've experienced and learned over the last... 4 months or so.

Stay tuned. :-)