I tried attending the CPS career fair today. The CPS career fairs are huge - about 2000-3000 teachers attend, and 100+ schools have small tables set up, where they "interview" candidates on the spot for job openings. Some schools have lines of 30 or 40 people, who wait an hour or so for a 5-minute interview. It's crowded and huge and overwhelming.
I suppose it works for some people, especially those who have more "special" skills, such as Special Ed, Bilingual, etc. But it is not a situation where I can really shine. With so many people, I become so overwhelmed and full of self-doubt. My first thought on walking into that room was "why would anyone hire me?"
Honestly, I'd really rather be a sub next year, than go through a career fair again. I suppose it is partially my own fault, that due to the fact that I'm limited to public transit, there are quite a few schools I can't apply to. The schools that I can get to are, of course, among the ones everyone wants to work at. And most of those schools that I can get to, were not even at the fair at all.
I think I'm going to try to visit a lot of schools in the next few weeks, and see if I can get the opportunity to meet a few principals that way.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
can I just clone myself?
One of the biggest stresses in teaching kindergarten has been how difficult it is to provide individualized attention. To teach writing, my cooperating teacher and I have split up the class. Those who are ready to move are working with her, while I am focusing on the students who need to continue to work on the fundamentals. (Spaces between words, writing in a straight line, hearing and writing all the sounds in a word, writing neatly enough to read).
Even within a group of about 13, these students are at a variety of levels, and need a variety of different strategies. Several students really want to learn to write, but are very behind on their letter-sound understanding, and so cannot write without an adult to help them sound out every word and find the matching letters. Other students can write and spell, but are very lazy and/or messy. Some can write, but require a great deal of coaching and encouragement in order to feel confident enough to put letters down on paper. With some of these students, if I help for a moment and then move on, they stop working and wait for my help again, or without support, they revert back to their old habits.
I feel like there are quite a few in this group who are falling through the cracks, and will not go to first grade with the expected level of skills. However, kindergarteners are almost unable to work independently, and so it is extremely difficult to provide individualized attention and help bring the students who are falling behind up to level. It's extremely frustrating to see students who want to learn, but who need extra help that I just do not have the time to provide.
Even within a group of about 13, these students are at a variety of levels, and need a variety of different strategies. Several students really want to learn to write, but are very behind on their letter-sound understanding, and so cannot write without an adult to help them sound out every word and find the matching letters. Other students can write and spell, but are very lazy and/or messy. Some can write, but require a great deal of coaching and encouragement in order to feel confident enough to put letters down on paper. With some of these students, if I help for a moment and then move on, they stop working and wait for my help again, or without support, they revert back to their old habits.
I feel like there are quite a few in this group who are falling through the cracks, and will not go to first grade with the expected level of skills. However, kindergarteners are almost unable to work independently, and so it is extremely difficult to provide individualized attention and help bring the students who are falling behind up to level. It's extremely frustrating to see students who want to learn, but who need extra help that I just do not have the time to provide.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Field Trip!
Today was a momentous day - my first field trip as a teacher. We walked a group of 26 kindergarteners 7 blocks to a fire station, spent 45 minutes, and then walked back. Sounds simple enough, right? When we got back to school, I was as exhausted as if I had spent all day at Disney World.
Walking with 26 kids is tiring. You always have lollygaggers that you have to prod along. In every intersection and alley, a meth-crazed drunk driver (or a cougar!) could suddenly appear and wipe out three shorties holding hands and walking along. Kids pick up trash off the ground, wander into people's yards, sing nonsense songs at the top of their lungs, and all try to tell
you stories at the same time.
The firehouse is another story. The kids had a blast, but many of them forgot how to "look with your eyes, not your hands" and how to "be respectful of other peoples' things" and how to "be a good listener." So I was constantly on the alert for kids jumping on a fireman's bed, or trying to wear an air tank or hiding behind a fire engine, or just generally disappearing into the ether.
But, we managed to get there, and back, with no major catastrophes.
This week, I am basically taking over the class for the next four weeks. Wish me luck!
Walking with 26 kids is tiring. You always have lollygaggers that you have to prod along. In every intersection and alley, a meth-crazed drunk driver (or a cougar!) could suddenly appear and wipe out three shorties holding hands and walking along. Kids pick up trash off the ground, wander into people's yards, sing nonsense songs at the top of their lungs, and all try to tell
you stories at the same time.
The firehouse is another story. The kids had a blast, but many of them forgot how to "look with your eyes, not your hands" and how to "be respectful of other peoples' things" and how to "be a good listener." So I was constantly on the alert for kids jumping on a fireman's bed, or trying to wear an air tank or hiding behind a fire engine, or just generally disappearing into the ether.
But, we managed to get there, and back, with no major catastrophes.
This week, I am basically taking over the class for the next four weeks. Wish me luck!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Things They Said This Week
"Then the dog made a dance."
"My mom and dad are going to the gallop."
"I! HAVE! PINEAPPLE!"
"And then the cougar jumped over the fence and tried to get me, but then the cougar hit his head on the swingset and then the cougar fell down and I ran in the house, and then the cougar came on my porch and scratched at the door."
"My mom and dad are going to the gallop."
"I! HAVE! PINEAPPLE!"
"And then the cougar jumped over the fence and tried to get me, but then the cougar hit his head on the swingset and then the cougar fell down and I ran in the house, and then the cougar came on my porch and scratched at the door."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
the learning curve
I'm still having some difficulty with classroom management. I suppose it's a tangle of problems. Spring arriving. Overly high expectations of 5 year-olds. Inheriting another teacher's management plan. The cooperating teacher and I bouncing back and forth between who is "in charge."
My cooperating teacher told me today that I'm using a sharp voice too often. I'm not necessarily "yelling" at kids, but I'm not using a soft, reasonable voice often enough when correcting behavior.
I'm in a difficult spot. Often times, when I try to get order, the kids simply do not listen. I haven't gained the respect of many of them. They respond to their regular teacher, but not as much to me. I'm overwhelmed by everything I'm trying to learn, trying to figure out how to manage time and personalities and expectations, and trying to figure out how to teach. It seems like, in my bewilderment and/or frustration, I'm resorting to being "sharp" sometimes, in an effort to gain control and/or respect.
That's definitely NOT the method I want to be using. I don't want to yell at kids. But I also don't feel like they yet see me as their teacher. As the person they should be listening to. And I'm not sure how to get there, at this late point in the year.
Usually, when I try to get order and they ignore me, the teacher steps in. As a result, I think they might have developed the response that they only really need to respond when SHE talks. Or, I have the theory that their brains are "trained" to respond to the sound of her voice, but not yet to mine. When it is noisy, and I talk, they don't hear me - they aren't trained to respond to my voice. But they are trained to tune in to her voice, so they hear her, even if we speak at the same volume.
I'm going to focus on this even more, and see what kind of changes I can make.
Oh, and I still need to work on SLOWING DOWN.
My cooperating teacher told me today that I'm using a sharp voice too often. I'm not necessarily "yelling" at kids, but I'm not using a soft, reasonable voice often enough when correcting behavior.
I'm in a difficult spot. Often times, when I try to get order, the kids simply do not listen. I haven't gained the respect of many of them. They respond to their regular teacher, but not as much to me. I'm overwhelmed by everything I'm trying to learn, trying to figure out how to manage time and personalities and expectations, and trying to figure out how to teach. It seems like, in my bewilderment and/or frustration, I'm resorting to being "sharp" sometimes, in an effort to gain control and/or respect.
That's definitely NOT the method I want to be using. I don't want to yell at kids. But I also don't feel like they yet see me as their teacher. As the person they should be listening to. And I'm not sure how to get there, at this late point in the year.
Usually, when I try to get order and they ignore me, the teacher steps in. As a result, I think they might have developed the response that they only really need to respond when SHE talks. Or, I have the theory that their brains are "trained" to respond to the sound of her voice, but not yet to mine. When it is noisy, and I talk, they don't hear me - they aren't trained to respond to my voice. But they are trained to tune in to her voice, so they hear her, even if we speak at the same volume.
I'm going to focus on this even more, and see what kind of changes I can make.
Oh, and I still need to work on SLOWING DOWN.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Things They Said This Week
"My mom is getting her hair dialed tomorrow."
"There's a spider!"
"Hey, you're wearing new shoes. I've never seen those before."
"Look, it's a disaster!"
"There's a spider!"
"Hey, you're wearing new shoes. I've never seen those before."
"Look, it's a disaster!"
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Reflection 1
This is the reflection I wrote for the first lesson my supervising teacher saw me teach.
I think phonics and mathematics are the two most difficult concepts to teach. They are both building-block subjects. Each new skill to be taught is dependent upon the skills
that should have been previously learned, so its important to make sure that ALL the students are on board. And the speed at which and the ways in which students understand and gain these skills varies so widely. And so, when teaching phonics and math skills, especially at the foundational levels, it is so important to have numerous methods and strategies at the ready, before you start teaching the lesson.
Part of this is getting to know your students, and understanding the ways in which they learn. I think the more phonics lessons I participate in with these students, the more I will learn about how they learn, which will help me to adjust the strategies I use. Unfortunately, all the textbooks in the world on "how to teach phonics" can't really prepare you for a 6 year-old starting at you blankly. I think that is about the scariest thing in the world - seeing that a child isn't understanding what you're trying to teach, and having no idea how to get through to him. Especially when you thought the methods you had planned to use were as clear as you thought they could be.
For future phonics lessons, I will scour books, the internet, etc, for strategies to add to my "bag of tricks" that relate to whatever skill I am trying to teach. I will make sure that for the future, I have not only a plan B, but at least a plan C ready as backup.
I will also focus on slowing down my speech and enunciating more. Believe it or not, I'm actually better than I used to be. I'm hoping that feeling more comfortable (and thus less nervous), will help, but I'll try to find a trick to help me remember to "check in" with myself. Maybe as simple as writing "SLOW DOWN" on the back of my hand, where I'll see it often.
I think phonics and mathematics are the two most difficult concepts to teach. They are both building-block subjects. Each new skill to be taught is dependent upon the skills
that should have been previously learned, so its important to make sure that ALL the students are on board. And the speed at which and the ways in which students understand and gain these skills varies so widely. And so, when teaching phonics and math skills, especially at the foundational levels, it is so important to have numerous methods and strategies at the ready, before you start teaching the lesson.
Part of this is getting to know your students, and understanding the ways in which they learn. I think the more phonics lessons I participate in with these students, the more I will learn about how they learn, which will help me to adjust the strategies I use. Unfortunately, all the textbooks in the world on "how to teach phonics" can't really prepare you for a 6 year-old starting at you blankly. I think that is about the scariest thing in the world - seeing that a child isn't understanding what you're trying to teach, and having no idea how to get through to him. Especially when you thought the methods you had planned to use were as clear as you thought they could be.
For future phonics lessons, I will scour books, the internet, etc, for strategies to add to my "bag of tricks" that relate to whatever skill I am trying to teach. I will make sure that for the future, I have not only a plan B, but at least a plan C ready as backup.
I will also focus on slowing down my speech and enunciating more. Believe it or not, I'm actually better than I used to be. I'm hoping that feeling more comfortable (and thus less nervous), will help, but I'll try to find a trick to help me remember to "check in" with myself. Maybe as simple as writing "SLOW DOWN" on the back of my hand, where I'll see it often.
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