Are we done yet?

The end of the year is closing in here in New York and many of us are trying to make sure we plan enough time for review and finals before the kiddos get burned out!


Many of the blogs that I follow are teacher that are outside of New York. For example, Math = Love author Sarah Carter has already had her last day, packed up her classroom, and moved into another building!


So, the pressure is on to look to the future - next year! What to do?!?! Normally, I'd be worried about budget cuts (which follows you around no matter what stage of teaching you're in) and if they'd cut my position. I used to be low man in the Special Education department, but good news has come my way! First, a new Special Education teacher has been hired to teach a 6:1:1 classroom at the Intermediate School and they're looking to hire another for the Middle School and High School. This means that there will be at least two other people with less seniority than I do. In addition, last week the Board of Education voted on the recommendation of tenure for me. The motion to accept was passed and they voted unanimously to grant me tenure! Phew! I've taught in several school districts and it's super exciting to have a teaching "home".


While I'm going start thinking about what to do next year - I'll wait until the department head gives us a heads up about our teaching assignments. REALLY hoping that I'll have 7th graders and 15:1 Social Studies 7 & 8 again! Out of working with HS students and MS students, the 7th graders this year have been the best. Just the right blend of excitement and maturity. Although, my secret wish is that the school will assign me all of the 15:1 Social Studies classes for the MS and HS (our MS/HS is at one campus and buildings connected).


So, maybe I'll just have to be patient and wait to plan. In the meantime, I'm going with my amazing 8th graders to Washington, D.C. next week. We're going to nerd out at the museums!

The Curse of Electronics

In this ever evolving world of electronics in the school setting, there are some drawbacks. While I love that my students' parents can access grades and assignments online - it does cause some problems. Like most teachers, I don't grade EVERYTHING as soon as it's turned in. During IEP/CSE Meeting season, it gets more difficult to get grades in quickly. So when parents get flustered about low grades - that might not be the actual grade. Sometimes, it might just be worth it not to publish grades until later. Keep a hard copy and enter them in all at once. However, I do appreciate that parents are on top of their kids grades. Just not fond of the frequent emails!


So, is this a small portion of the "instant gratification" crisis that we have in this nation? What happened to waiting till the end of the week or the end of the 5 weeks to find out about grades? Or asking your kids first about why they think their grades are low or if they turned in things? Are we in such a hurry to get an education, do well, access data at a moment's notice - that we don't appreciate waiting and extra day or so?

Football in the Classroom

This may not look like anything special, but with the help of some of my football playing students - we managed to explain the task of the DBQ they had to write.

The task: How did the US gov't respond to the Great Depression?

The analogy: How did students react to a football game? 

The Play: No idea, but I know we won! (I played tennis in HS and college!)

I've also been introducing my students to Google Docs and Google Classroom during this DBQ Essay assignment. So far, my students say it's come in handy. They can turn in their essays without having to worry if they left it in their locker AND they can look at the task, documents, and outline anytime they want (home or at school). We'll see how much of this new tech will come in handy for future units.

 

Math Review

 

While the tip is a little generous, I think my kiddos had fun! We looked at the websites for Red Lobster and Olive Garden. These restaurant sites will list foods and their prices. From there, my students made meals, made up tax & tip. They created word problems and situations and then solved! Their test scores are way better!

 

 

Visitors!

So, while I wait to get the Great Depression letters from my students - here are some drawings from my students. Buggy Buzzy is a frequent visitor that brightens up the day! 

Not sure I'd like to eat these chips! 

Pondering the Chaos

Lately, I've been thinking about how my room is set up and the amount of papers that are piling up.  Like  one of the blogs I recently read, I'm sure that there are many of us educators that start off the year with good intentions and then the mess ensues. My little world behind the desk has become a flurry of old student papers and department paperwork. So how do I get back on track? Time to get back into that energized mindset. You know, that eagerness that you get in the early months that slowly dissipates.

I am also reminded of a sermon that I heard recently. The pastor, coming out of retirement to preach, gave a sermon that you rarely hear - one of money. Not the money one that's pounded out for stewardship, but one where he basically boiled a lot of fluff down to a couple things. 1) God will provide (I'm sure a little initiative doesn't hurt!) 2) It shouldn't matter what you make - the salary part shouldn't matter as long as it's something you like to do 3) Money is a pain. At least this is my interpretation of what was said. It made me think a lot about my current situation.

I've been so caught up in the petty politics of the school and getting stuck on the little stuff, that I've forgotten to focus on what really matters - the students. I've focused on my salary and how long it'd take me to pay off my student loans that I've let myself forget how much joy there is in seeing the light bulb moments.

So, what to do from here. I've cleaned out my desk - a clean, organized home base sounded like a good place to start - and moved on to the shelves in the room. I'm going to clear the clutter and get back to creating fun lessons & focus on the stuff that matters.

Substitute Teacher Binder

I severely dislike when I am absent from work. Perhaps it's just the American Protestant work ethic kicking in, but it's disconcerting to come back after having been out to find my desk and classroom a mess. So, I made a Sub Binder to try and combat this.

I took one of my binders that I inherited from the previous teacher in my room. It's one that had graphics on the cover for an outdated reading program that won't run on computers today. Throw on a title page and some duct tape (the one you see is the Stick Together roll where a portion of the cost goes to stop bullying in schools) and hello organization.

Inside, I put my sub plans and any materials that the sub might need. Some lined paper, sticky notes to label what period worksheets are for, a loaner pen, etc. 

When I came back after laying out this binder for my sub - it was great. Also, it helped that the sub had been amazing himself. He's certainly gone on the list of preferred subs! 

I've also done my fair share of subbing before gaining a full time teaching position. It sucks trying to find the materials when they aren't in the same spot and you don't know if there are certain classroom rules. Hopefully, this binder will help whomever comes in my room to cover for me! 

Tips for Newbies (What I've Learned in the Last Five Years)

As I move into my sixth year of teaching, I've learned a few things. Some have been hard learned lessons and others just ways to make life easier.

Make Time for You
     This I've always believed from the start. My first student teaching placement supervisor was a high school Social Studies/ELA teacher. He had family and was completely dedicated to being able to spend time with them. He got all of his work done before leaving for the day. His reasoning - You spend so much of life working that you don't get to enjoy time with your loved ones. So #1, make time for you (and your family). Don't let school become your entire life. Have fun and do things outside of work!

Know Your Students
     I've mainly taught at rural school districts. From this, I've learned to speak "tractor" and "redneck". In addition, you learn how to predict absences based on when hunting season really starts. A lot of kiddos around here will start to wear camo (which can also been seen year round if truth be told).
     The point of it all is - get to know your students. If you can take military tactics and relate them to a football play, your football players will most likely pay more attention. If your kids love duct tape - have at it. If you all like the same kinds of foods - great! When you know your students, you can tailor lessons to best capture their attention and get them excited for what's next.

Do Your Research
     Sometimes you just get stuck. One large brain fart and it feels like you don't quite know what to do for the next year, lesson, class. The best thing about this modern era is the internet - so use it! There are plenty of blogs out there with helpful hints, tips, plans, powerpoints, etc. Find someone who inspires you and follow them! Also, Pinterest gives you a great way to scope out what's available before you get too lost in the land of information...

You Don't Have to Make Everything From Scratch
   Almost the same as Do Your Research. But realize that not everything has to be made from scratch. There are perfectly good resources out there that you can use without stressing yourself out. In fact, remember to ask other teachers what the use and if you can use theirs. I think too many new teachers try too hard to make their own that they get overwhelmed. Perhaps leading to burnout?

Get Organized
   It's way too easy to forget where papers went and things occasionally got lost. There's nothing worse than losing that one child's HW. So get organized. Keep folders in a binder so everything is close at hand. There are many teachers out there who use a "Teacher Binder". I have just started to use on and it's working out great! I wish I had seen one sooner! My binder has everything from schedules, student data, lesson plans, meeting minutes, to  parent contact logs. Come time for APPR summative evaluation, everything's ready to go! Plus, it makes life so much easier and lessens some stress.

Get Connected/Be Seen
     It's important to get out into the community. Both the school community and the town's community where you teach. I feel it's important that the kids know that you exist outside of school. Perhaps it'll help them stay off the streets, but it lets them know that you're out there and you care. In addition, it will really help you to get to know parents, students you might not have, and other teachers. The worst thing you can do is stay in your room, squirreled away.
     So get out there! Get involved with school sports, with musicals, with marching band, go to games. If you can, try to find something where you can volunteer in the community. I volunteer with an Emergency Squad and you wouldn't believe how many kids visit our EMS tent at events just to say hello. Shop local if you can, too. This lets parents see you and you see them in a setting that isn't all about their kids or school. In all reality, it's about making connections and building relationships with the community you're in.

A Case of the Mondays

Two words -  Hall Duty

I haven't quite made up my mind yet if I like Hall Duty or Lunch Rec duty better. Both have perks and disadvantages. But today, today Hall Duty sucks. It's the first actual Monday of the school year and it's dragging like none other. Mainly, it's beautiful out and I'm not adjusted to the school time table. So here's hoping that this day ends quickly so a nap in the sun can commence!

Planning Binder

After reading a fantastic blog (thank you Pinterest!), I decided to get together a better plan for next year. It's been  dubbed "the pretty binder"

I'm hoping that it will force me to be more organized and make it easier for when I'm out. All my important information for classes will be in one central location. It just gets to be a headache when there's a dozen folders and binders to keep track of. 

My binder has sections for calendars, schedules, lesson plans, student data, parent contact log, and meeting notes. I'd like to add seating charts and class rosters at the beginning of the school year. I won't know who's in my classes till much closer to September.

*Inspiration and pages for the binder came from Eat. Write. Teach. Stephanie Richardson is nice enough to have all of the black and white copies of documents available. She's also got a teacherspayteachers account where you can buy/download more of her awesome templates.

Let the Summer Begin

Today is officially the end of teaching for the 2014-2015 school year.

I've learned a lot this year from my kiddos! Mostly, how the middle school brain works! After teaching in the high school for a couple years, it's certainly been interesting getting to know my 7th and 8th grade students. There's a lot more parenting involved in the tasks of a middle school educator. By high school students have become individuals, perhaps still forming, but Middle School - Middle School you can mold them a whole lot more. I like to think of it as spreading my own brand of corruption. Creating little minions of mine who will do awesome and great things.

In any case, my room is all cleaned out! Hopefully, I will have desks next year instead of tables. With my room being small, it's important to be able to utilize the space effectively. While I'm not overly enthused to start a whole new layout this month, by the start of August I'll be itching to get back in here to get it ready!