This week I did not complete any guest teaching assignments because I spent three days at the Solution Tree PLC institute. It was fantastic. We are just beginning our PLC work in our building. This was a chance to learn from the experts and collaborate with a group of 5 teachers from my building. The learning and experience overall was outstanding.
Mike Mattos gave evidence as to why the PLC and intervention process is so vital to students' success. And how it is even more powerful than poverty. The data and statistics reeled me in right away. His real-life examples as to how it worked in the schools he was in made it seem possible. I can imagine it working in our school too!
Anthony Muhammad reminded us that for PLC work to be successful, a culture must be cultivated in the building. These were great points as we begin our work. Yes, we have the collaborative time built in the schedule and the intervention time built in the schedule. But do we have the culture created among our staff for it to be successful? I think we need to step back and look at that piece. How can we make it meaningful for all staff? We need to combine the data Mattos gave us with the cultural aspects Muhammad explained to really make it work for our staff.
Spending time with my staff and seeing their reaction to the information was energizing. Each of us had special "a-ha" moments and different things that we want to share with the whole staff. We took time to collaborate and begin to plan future professional development sessions for our staff. We talked big picture and long term, as well as must-do's and things that need to be done right now. We even discussed how the rest of the staff may respond. It is a long journey ahead of us, but I am confident in the team that I spent time with last week and know that they are strong. They even took the opportunity to look in the mirror and share some personal conflicts that the conference brought to light.
Although I didn't make it into a classroom last week, I was still able to collaborate with teachers, learn about what their struggles are, and how they want to fix them. I wouldn't change this experience at all. I'm excited to take this work back to our whole staff and light the fire among them as well.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Personal Development - October 13, 2016
7th grade Personal Development was my challenge this week. And it was a challenge! This class had a lot of energy and a lot of personality. My task was to lead a discussion on self-image and image gap. This will then lead into their discussion of drugs and alcohol and why people turn to those to solve an image gap problem. Ms. Chelf spent time with me going over the lesson and warning me that this is one of her most talkative and challenging classes of the day. I wasn't worried...until the class began!
As the tardy bell rang, student came running in loudly and hitting each other on the back of the neck. I used the opportunity to explain why that behavior was unacceptable and how it could be considered bullying. The students didn't really seem to take my warning very seriously. Some continued talking, some were making faces at other students, and some were trying to get the attention of their peers. It was a pretty frustrating way to start class.
I began the lesson by writing a couple of questions on the board and I asked students to share their answers with an elbow partner. The questions were what is "self-image" and what is your "ideal" self-image. There were several good answers. We settled on self-image as the way you see yourself and the ideal self-image is what you want yourself to be. There were some differences on this, but eventually came to a conclusion. Throughout this discussion, I had to redirect student behavior several times and ask students to be on task and not talking with others. It was hard! I had them start on their assignment and it quieted down for a few minutes. Then we had to discuss, the behaviors started up again. We did have some really good conversations with the students who were participating appropriately. They shared that they wanted to be taller and not have braces. And we talked about how to improve the things they didn't like about themselves. It was a great discussion.
However, the behaviors in this class were what I walk away remembering. This class was eye opening. This is what our teachers have to deal with every day in many of their classes. Ms. Chelf told me that some parents at conferences mentioned how their students come home and say that this particular class is terrible. That is not the image we want our students and parents to have of NW!
So what can I do? How can I help to support our teachers? I'm not sure. But I need to spend more time in classes to target the behaviors and figure out which students need an intervention. I feel stressed because I know I need to do this, but finding the time is difficult. I also need to continue this work and my conversations with teachers. They need to know I recognize what they do and how hard their job is. My teaching experience is at the high school level. This class made me remember that teaching junior high students is one of the most difficult jobs in education! I don't think I could do it every day!
Monday, October 10, 2016
PE - October 6, 2016
As I began to think about this week's guest teaching assignment, I remembered my own PE experiences. And they weren't good! In high school, most of us tried to have a full schedule so we could get a PE waiver. In junior high, it was awkward and everyone tried to do as little as possible. And in elementary, it was just fun and games. PE has changed over time with a focus on fitness and health This is for the better. Life skills is the best way to make it relevant and easy for all to see the importance.
I sat down with Mr. Kuepker and we discussed the plan for this week. Students were in a tennis unit. He modifies the game a bit in order to accommodate the large class size and give everyone a chance to participate. Before beginning the tennis match, students are to warm up and the class has 8th grade leaders who are in charge of warm ups. I enjoy tennis and was excited to get in the gym!
The first thing I noticed was the students' attitudes. You can tell who really did not like to exercise and whose favorite class was PE, I began with my guest teaching story and then the leaders began the warm ups. They did an awesome job! It was a perfect opportunity for me to see some of these students in a new light. One student typically has a large number of behavior referrals. He was an outstanding leader! Students listened to him, he redirected students kindly, it was just great. Somehow we need to get that behavior in every classroom. How do we harness his preferences to make the rest of his day successful? We need to recreate this environment and give this student the confidence to be a leader in each of his classrooms. This was the most thought-provoking moment of this guest teaching experience.
When we went out to play tennis, the students complained that it was sprinkling. They didn't argue about their teams or playing, but some dragged their feet or tried to hide out in the back. Overall, most students were good sports and participated. It is difficult with such large class sizes for all students to get involved and really play. Not everyone worked up a sweat, but at least they all had the chance to practice hitting the ball. For some students, this is the time of day they can relax, be themselves, and let off some steam. For others, it can be stressful and embarrassing. PE is unlike other classrooms and, again, I learned a lot from this experience!
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Band - September 29, 2016
This week I got to strike up the band! I have had some music experience in my background. In high school I played several different instruments and sang in the choir. I went to a small school, so I was able to be a part of the show choir, jazz band, and many other activities as well. So I felt pretty confident...until I stood in front of this large group!
I was able to work with Ms. Triplett before the lesson. She explained about the pieces they were working on. She wanted to increase the tempo and start working on dynamics. I took the music home, practiced myself on the piano, and listened to the songs via the links Jane had sent me. The day of my guest teaching I listened and practice my directing moves before I went in.
The students were so welcoming! They were great listeners and willing participants. Jane warmed them up and then we went to work. We were able to speed up the march and it still sounded pretty good! We examined where and why some sections of the music slowed down. We talked about important techniques to remember when playing a fast-paced tune. The other piece was equally good. We didn't work on dynamics much, but it was fun. The students wanted to play it at the fastest tempo, but they weren't quite ready when we tried it. After class, the students thanked me for coming and seemed to have enjoyed the class,
This week's challenge was unique. Directing the band and teaching a large, diverse class is so different from being in the classroom. It takes different strategies and different preparation. I learned a lot and I'm grateful to Ms. Triplett and her students for allowing me this opportunity. It was fun!
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