Waiting to be Called On (Genre Reflection #1)

Dear Heather*,

            I am sorry I did not give you a chance to talk in class today.  You have such amazing ideas in your writing but you seem shy when you are sitting in class.  When I walk by and you are working on partner work I have noticed that you are actively engaged in your conversation because you are usually talking to your friend.  I would love to hear you give your insight to the rest of the class.  Is it because you do not like speaking in front of others?  Do you not want students to comment on what you are saying? 

            When I was in middle school I did not like having to speak in front of other students unless I was asked to do so by the teacher.  I did not really come out of my shell and feel confident to answer questions until high school. 

            I hope to make you feel more confident about speaking up during discussions.  Today we talked about the first chapter of Freak the Mighty and you looked actively engaged in what your peers had to say.  I wish I had called on you so you could have been a part of the conversation.  It is still early on in the year so there is a chance you may become more comfortable giving your opinion. 

You came up to me today in the hallway and asked me a question.  That made me really happy!  I like that I am starting to build a relationship with you and I hope that also makes you more comfortable.  I look forward to working with you and helping you become more comfortable in the classroom.

                        Best Regards,

                                    Ms. Jewell

*name was changed

What is in a Good Question? (Blog Post #1)

Hello readers!  After my last week and a half in my classroom I have realized one thing- I need to become better at asking students in-depth questions.  My mentor teacher let me try to ask questions when we were reading "The Good Deed" by Marion Dane Bauer in class.  I would start out asking surface level questions but could not come up with deeper questions that led to a discussion on what a good deed really is.  When I talked to my mentor teacher after class she gave me great advice about how to ask deeper questions.  She told me that when I go to read the story before I teach it I should write down the questions I think of as I am reading in the margins so I know when to pause the story to discuss an important point.  I feel like this advice will help me when I have my own classroom.  In Building Adolescent Literacy  in Today's English Classroom, Bomer (2011) discusses the importance of helping students hold their attention to one idea and to develop that idea (p. 4).  As I am learning to ask more insightful questions I will help students focus in on one idea and to form their own opinions.

People have always questioned why I want to teach middle school.  My answers have evolved over time and my current answer is because I love how eager the majority of them are to have their opinions be heard!  It can be a little tough to reign in the students that are more vocal once they get started on a topic but my mentor teacher does a great job at letting students have their discussions while driving the lesson forward.  My main worry and my question I will be posing for myself throughout the year is "how do I incorporate discussion in my lessons and still have time left to complete the lesson without rushing?"  I want to be the type of teacher who helps students figure out what their opinion is throughout the year but at what cost to the lesson?  When I asked my mentor teacher about my worries she told me that for her it depends on the day if they are able to get through the lesson in enough time that they are not rushing.  If there is not enough time to finish the classwork then they have to finish at home.

Once I take over the classroom I do want to continue incorporating discussions.  I feel like middle school is a great time for students to build their own opinions.  A lot of times I think people believe that middle school students only listen to what their friends think.  I disagree because I think that students do have their own opinions but need to have a space where they can openly talk about them.  They also need the chance to say their opinions.  I also enjoy hearing their opinions because twelve year olds have some great insights on what is going on in the world.

One practice I would like to try out in the classroom this year while I still have the help of my mentor teacher is Fishbowl Discussions.  I would have half of the group set up in an outside circle asking questions and the inside of the circle would be answering the questions.  They would switch halfway through class.  I like this strategy because more students will be engaged in the discussions.  It also makes students who have a difficulty listening to others a chance to learn how to.  The students in the outside circle will also have a chance to ask insightful questions that make the whole group think.  I also like this strategy because it will not be solely on me to direct the discussion.

I am excited to learn how to ask questions this year as well as working with my students on how to form their opinions.

In My Ideal World (Practice Post)

We all have ideal fantasies about what we would like out of teaching.  "I want my students to love reading and writing!"  "All of my students will leave inspired after each class!"  These idealistic goals are good stems for what goals I would love to complete for myself this year.

My first professional goal for myself is to learn how to make grammar lessons interesting for students and how to incorporate grammar into units.  The sixth graders I observed last year dreaded the grammar sheets they would get as homework once a week.   At some point this year I will ask my mentor teacher how she thinks grammar should be taught.  It is important to find a new way to incorporate grammar because some students do not pick up grammar rules through worksheets.

My second professional goal is to learn how to discipline effectively.  My mentor teacher told me that when I take over the classroom I need to nip any bad behaviors in the bud so the rest of the classroom does not walk over me.  I think disciplining will be one of my biggest challenges because I hate when people do not like me.  I plan to talk to my mentor teacher about techniques that work best for her when discipline issues arise.  Achieving this goal will be important because I need to get through my head that students do not need to always like me because I am there to teach them as much as I can.

My academic goal for myself this year is NOT to procrastinate as much.  This bad habit has only gotten worse throughout my collegiate career.  I need to practice working on assignments earlier because I know that when I am a teacher I do not want to procrastinate grading.  In order to work on this goal I need to use my planner and work on assignments the day that I wrote them down for.

I am excited for the school year and for my first time taking over a classroom.  I have been waiting so long to become a teacher that it almost does not feel real.  I cannot wait to start my first steps to complete my goals.