Reverb Prompt Day 5--Letting Go

To get writing more often, I decided to sign up for Reverb 10, "reflect on this year and manifest what's next".

Today's prompt is the following:

Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

Let's see... the first thing that comes to mind is letting go of my previous expectations of teaching. I honestly thought that my fifth year in the profession would be so much easier. I've been challenged by apathetic students, low test scores, changing my teaching style, asking for help, and honestly relying on my instincts when dealing with the children and adults in my building.

I've let go of my enthusiasm for the profession. Teaching urban middle school students English/Language Arts is not my passion. An intuitive reading that I had recently suggested that I look into teaching from a spiritual perspective. I am open to that; however I need to take the steps and position myself so that I am meeting the right people at the right time. Perhaps 2011 will be that time to truly let go of this version of teaching and open the door to other aspects of this field.

Ch, ch, change!

My class sizes have been reduced slightly (largest class is now about 29-30 students). Technology is up and running in my room as of today (sweet)! An Instructional Leader will be in my room at least 2 times a week to co-teach a class. And yet, I still feel like I'm not prepared! Lots of changes have been thrown at me this year. New administration, my oldest started high school, my youngest started daycare, I've started an evening class, and I still haven't figured out a system to keep on top of all the paperwork. It'll get there, slowly but surely.

Beginning of School 10-11

Well, the past three days have had more ups than downs. Here's a breakdown:

Pros:
*new administration that says what they mean and mean what they say
*concrete rules, expectations, and procedures in place from day 1
*students shared what they think 'good' teachers and 'good' students do
*reputation as one who can 'quiet a class down' (THAT'S SO AWESOME!!)
*compliment from a department chair on how well-run my classroom is

Cons:
*very large classes (34 kids!! no aide)
*disrespectful students (already made 3 phone calls home)
*technology not working properly in my room
*feeling unprepared

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know that some of the cons will work itself out as our numbers settle. Still, I can't wait for this three day weekend, glory hallelujah!!

Ideas, Thoughts, and all that Jazz

Still in vacation mode but, here's a couple of thoughts floating in my head:

1. I had an okay school year as far as being comfortable with lesson planning & implementation/presentation. I definitely want to increase the amount of project-based learning & real life connections for my next group of students in the fall.

2. Change is coming down the pipeline. We have a new principal, and I know that a couple of my co-workers will no be at the school in the fall. In the past, I've had a tendency to 'jump ship' when things got hectic (and trust, things were mad hectic at the end of the school year), but I'm not feeling that this year. Not to say that things are all good, but I'm more willing to wait it out than before.

3. I'll be taking a couple of classes starting in the fall to move up to the next level of licensure. Eh, it's free so I'm not going to complain too much. I just have to really make sure I'm managing my time well to be on top of my game, teaching and non-teaching wise.

I'll be back in August with some planning strategies, etc. for the new school year.

End of Year

The school year is slowly winding to a close. It has been a very interesting year, to say the least. My school is in limbo right now and I'm just really being very cautious about what moves I should make for the following school year.

A couple of things that I'd like to do before the year is over include:

-Write an End-of-the-year newsletter personalized for each of my classes
-Organize some type of fun activities with my team mates for the last couple of Fridays (board game day, field day, etc.)
-Start planning more engaging activities NOW for all my units next year

I've learned a lot about myself and my ethics this year... more to come...

Boundaries

This is a test to see if I can write this diplomatically and without giving away too personal details. In general, I notice a trend among my colleagues: There are those who genuinely care about our students, and there are those who do not. The ones who do not care have no qualms about telling why. It usually involves blaming the students in some way, shape, or form about details that they can't control. What happens when this same toxic attitude effects your child? What does a caring parent do?

Lightbulb moment

Earlier this week, my first block class represented fiercely on their activator/do now. I had scanned a copy of a painting for the students to view and had them answer the following questions about it: What do you see? What do you think? What do you wonder?

What is usually a 5-10 minute activity turned into a 45-minute powerful discussion of the themes, main ideas, and connections presented in our current text. I love it when everything clicks!!