This new year, as I venture into teaching once more, I am now learning a new thing which I need to work on: differentiating instruction. This is not something I have been taught, however I have heard the term over and over and now I am beginning to realize why I need it so bad.
The way the classes at my school work is in sections. Each section stays together the whole school year and they each move from one class to the next together. Each section was not put together randomly though. Each student was selected for their section based on grades and testing scores. So brighter students are often seen in higher sections and slower students are all in their own lower sections. Unfortunately, I was prepared for this kind of class set up, and I quickly noticed that one lesson plan for the whole grade was not going to work. Lower sections and higher sections can NOT do the same work. First off, higher sections need more challenging work, and lower sections need easier work. Forgetting this concept, I went into the school year with one lesson plan for the whole grade and my lower sections suffered greatly for this. What I mean by suffer was that a lot of them struggled to understand and cope with the challenges of the lesson. I was a little perplexed at first, because there are some very basic things I expect from a middle schooler, basic things they should already know. But now I am beginning to realize that some students just don't have the ability to grasp even simple concepts. With that in mind, I am going to have to assess where these lower section students lie and figure out how to teach them basic things without going overboard.
I guess it is all about experience really, its a time thing. It's only the beginning of the year, so I am sure with some time I am going to figure these kids out and what they need and what they don't. I just wish I had this all in mind before starting this new year, but hey, at least I am learning and accepting that this is something I need to work on. Until next time...
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Teaching so far....
I last updated this blog shortly before leaving to teach in South Korea. Wow. That was years ago. Since then, I was so ridiculously busy and exhausted, both physically and mentally, that I forgot I even had this blog to begin with (its more like a journal really). And when I did have random spurts of memory about it, I didn't have the energy to log on and update. Honestly, I feel too lazy even right now to be typing these words, but I think I have enough free time to jot a few things down anyway.
Honestly though, I think I just changed a bit. I no longer have the deep desire to write things out anymore. I actually don't think that is a good thing. I think writing is so essential to our development as thinking creatures, so I would like to have that deep desire return. I have probably just gotten so used to being lazy. It's probably that simple. Yeah, I do work harder now than I have before, during my college days, so that could be the reason why. I guess you can say I have acclimated to society. I am just another bland old cog in the machine, with no creative thoughts or desires. I can change that, but on a slow basis. I do have a job to focus on first.
Oh yeah! I am a teacher now! I went from dreaming and blogging about my desire to teach, to finally being a full time, salary paid teacher! It was an incredibly long journey, sadly too long, but hey, we can't all have smoothly paved roads. Some of us have to pave them ourselves.
After Korea, I finished up a few measly classes (Spanish 1 and II. Waste of time and money), which I tried to take in Miami and that ended up failing, finishing up a mural in a person's house, working in an office checking college level essays for grammatical errors, and then working in a child care facility making chump change and working with some of the most disgusting (personality wise) people I have ever met (that's child care for ya). I stayed there for about a year before I finally graduated, got my temp teaching certificate, and finally found a position in a charter school in January of 2015. I had a lot of ups and downs, definitely a lot of downs though, but I feel like despite being on that whirl-a-gig of a roller coaster, I ended up in a very good spot.
My first 6 months of teaching was an interesting experiment. I was being split between two schools in different counties that are owned by the same company. It was an easy interview; the principal spoke of herself more than I spoke of me... regardless, shortly after I quickly began to understand the meaning of workplace culture, especially in schools. I once read online that each school has it's own culture that may work for one person but become a total nightmare for another. One of these schools I taught at was a nightmare, while the other was my dream. By the end of the school year, I spoke with the principal of the school I enjoyed and decided to let him know that if I was not staying at his school the next school year, I won't be staying with the company. He shortly after confirmed that I was indeed going to be teaching at his school only the next year. I am eternally grateful to him for this... I didn't want to have to leave a school I was enjoying being at so much. The staff were friendly, the kids cared about their work, and the administration was caring and understanding. It wasn't the case at the other school. At the other school, the staff had already formed cliques by the time I had gotten there, so when I tried to socialize with them, they gave me these kind of "you cant sit with us" attitudes and looks. I soon found myself being an outcast at this school. Not to mention that I was sharing my classroom with the music teacher who seemed to find it appropriate to inform the principal that I was leaving paint on the tables instead of approaching me first. I ended up having a disagreement with the principal regarding this matter and it has left a bitter taste in my mouth ever since...
Students at both schools were also drastically different. I was wondering if it has anything to do with the neighborhoods that each school was in. The other school was in a slightly worse neighborhood than the one I am at now. I believe this made a huge difference in the behavior and attitude of the students. At the other school, the students were happy to get away with a C (I even had one student with a D say "well, that's passing, right?") while at the other, they were begging me to give them extra work so they can bring up their Bs. Even parents cared more at the school I am at now than the other. It was so drastic of a difference, it was like night and day. Just another reason why I didn't want to stay at the other school. I would have jumped off a cliff if I did. Schools like those are the reason why many teachers think that teaching isn't for them and quit their first year. It's not you! It's the school!
Well, let by gones be by gones. I am in a better place now and hopefully it stays wonderful for a very long time. Right now, my goal is to focus on lesson planning and curriculum until it becomes second nature to me. And after that happens, I want to try and see if I can get an art show set up. Either way, I'm optimistic about my future as an educator and I am planning for many more years to come.
Honestly though, I think I just changed a bit. I no longer have the deep desire to write things out anymore. I actually don't think that is a good thing. I think writing is so essential to our development as thinking creatures, so I would like to have that deep desire return. I have probably just gotten so used to being lazy. It's probably that simple. Yeah, I do work harder now than I have before, during my college days, so that could be the reason why. I guess you can say I have acclimated to society. I am just another bland old cog in the machine, with no creative thoughts or desires. I can change that, but on a slow basis. I do have a job to focus on first.
Oh yeah! I am a teacher now! I went from dreaming and blogging about my desire to teach, to finally being a full time, salary paid teacher! It was an incredibly long journey, sadly too long, but hey, we can't all have smoothly paved roads. Some of us have to pave them ourselves.
After Korea, I finished up a few measly classes (Spanish 1 and II. Waste of time and money), which I tried to take in Miami and that ended up failing, finishing up a mural in a person's house, working in an office checking college level essays for grammatical errors, and then working in a child care facility making chump change and working with some of the most disgusting (personality wise) people I have ever met (that's child care for ya). I stayed there for about a year before I finally graduated, got my temp teaching certificate, and finally found a position in a charter school in January of 2015. I had a lot of ups and downs, definitely a lot of downs though, but I feel like despite being on that whirl-a-gig of a roller coaster, I ended up in a very good spot.
My first 6 months of teaching was an interesting experiment. I was being split between two schools in different counties that are owned by the same company. It was an easy interview; the principal spoke of herself more than I spoke of me... regardless, shortly after I quickly began to understand the meaning of workplace culture, especially in schools. I once read online that each school has it's own culture that may work for one person but become a total nightmare for another. One of these schools I taught at was a nightmare, while the other was my dream. By the end of the school year, I spoke with the principal of the school I enjoyed and decided to let him know that if I was not staying at his school the next school year, I won't be staying with the company. He shortly after confirmed that I was indeed going to be teaching at his school only the next year. I am eternally grateful to him for this... I didn't want to have to leave a school I was enjoying being at so much. The staff were friendly, the kids cared about their work, and the administration was caring and understanding. It wasn't the case at the other school. At the other school, the staff had already formed cliques by the time I had gotten there, so when I tried to socialize with them, they gave me these kind of "you cant sit with us" attitudes and looks. I soon found myself being an outcast at this school. Not to mention that I was sharing my classroom with the music teacher who seemed to find it appropriate to inform the principal that I was leaving paint on the tables instead of approaching me first. I ended up having a disagreement with the principal regarding this matter and it has left a bitter taste in my mouth ever since...
Students at both schools were also drastically different. I was wondering if it has anything to do with the neighborhoods that each school was in. The other school was in a slightly worse neighborhood than the one I am at now. I believe this made a huge difference in the behavior and attitude of the students. At the other school, the students were happy to get away with a C (I even had one student with a D say "well, that's passing, right?") while at the other, they were begging me to give them extra work so they can bring up their Bs. Even parents cared more at the school I am at now than the other. It was so drastic of a difference, it was like night and day. Just another reason why I didn't want to stay at the other school. I would have jumped off a cliff if I did. Schools like those are the reason why many teachers think that teaching isn't for them and quit their first year. It's not you! It's the school!
Well, let by gones be by gones. I am in a better place now and hopefully it stays wonderful for a very long time. Right now, my goal is to focus on lesson planning and curriculum until it becomes second nature to me. And after that happens, I want to try and see if I can get an art show set up. Either way, I'm optimistic about my future as an educator and I am planning for many more years to come.
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