I was reflecting this past week on how I feel lighter emotionally and mentally. I was thinking about the things that have stressed me out for the past few months and realized that basketball really put a load on me. I didn't really realize that I was as stressed out as I was. It's interesting to think about how in the moment you don't realize how this stress can effect really everything else you're working on.
For instance, I am sure my social and professional interactions were different because I always felt like I was busy or should be busy doing something else. My sleeping patterns have been remarkably better since the season is over, no more waking up in the night. Instead I enjoy an 8 hour pass out each night, which has reinvigorated me for the daytime. This has allowed me to be less stressed during the school day and I have relaxed a lot around my students and around my work. This I think directly influences my students reactions too, as they are having fun in my class too (sometimes!).
All of my stress is not gone obviously, but it helps me to understand myself a little better and to understand the people around me a little bit. Teach for America does a great job hiring people for this job, but I can also see that sometimes the quirks and crazy actions TFAers' take sometimes might be because of the enormous amount of stress we are under or put ourselves under. TFA does a great job of hiring people who are self-starters but also people who do not like to fail and take great pride in their student's achievement. As a result, I think some of the people (myself included) probably develop personality traits or expose ones that are perhaps not some of their prouder details.
This is great though, to have that experience and learn these things about yourself. I feel like it's better to have those experiences and work through them -- preparing for the next go around. There are many things that I will be changing next year to get a better classroom, a better basketball team, a better lifestyle, but this is all because I worked through it this year.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Weather and Mood Correlations
Have you ever noticed when it's raining, or it has been a too long winter, that everyone is in a more sour mood? It's a predictable trend and works the opposite directions as well. Today is a beautiful day, reaching about 65 degrees and I am in an inherently happier mood as a result.
We started softball practice this week which is nice for a few reasons. First, because of this weather trend I just mentioned. I get to spend much time outside getting some fresh air. And for me, it's a little like an addiction, because the more time I spend outside the more I want to spend the whole time outside. A nice advantage to moving down from the North! Second, I am enjoying softball greatly because I am not the head coach! Hanging out with the girls, coaching on skills and tactics, and then walking away without the pressure on your shoulders is a nice little change I think. Boom!
We started softball practice this week which is nice for a few reasons. First, because of this weather trend I just mentioned. I get to spend much time outside getting some fresh air. And for me, it's a little like an addiction, because the more time I spend outside the more I want to spend the whole time outside. A nice advantage to moving down from the North! Second, I am enjoying softball greatly because I am not the head coach! Hanging out with the girls, coaching on skills and tactics, and then walking away without the pressure on your shoulders is a nice little change I think. Boom!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Lenten Promises
1. Write positive comments on each class, each day - pointing out small moments where students excel
2. Do not swear
3. More positivity
We'll see! I can do it.
2. Do not swear
3. More positivity
We'll see! I can do it.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Some GREAT NEWS!!!
GREAT DAY TODAY.
Today we got the results back from the Target II test (a test that prepares us for the End of Course Exam). The results were promising, promising, promising.
Now, to put this in context. Each year the state increases the number of students they expect to be proficient or advanced proficient on the exam. A lot of funding and state takeover depends on literacy scores....as a result English classrooms (two total, me-first year, chad-literacy coach/AP) is pretty consistently under the microscope. Now, I am a huge proponent for this...as I love feedback and I love to have a lot of collaboration. With this has come some great gains in the classroom.
To have the school digress from year 5 of takeover 67.75 students are to score proficient on the exam. This basically breaks down to 32 out of 46 students must reach this goal. For instance if only 26 students reach the goal we are "okay" and considered to be in "safe harbor," because we have improved so greatly from the previous year.
Here's the math:
1. Last year 13 students scored proficient (28%)
2. That percentage of a score was an IMPROVEMENT (big enough) that we were able to stay in safe harbor for this year (so not move from year 5 to year 6)
3. THIS YEAR, to go backwards to year 4...we need to reach 67.75%.
4. based on the past Target II test we are at 59% (28 out of 46 students)
5. FOUR students were within 5% of scoring proficient
6. With those four students, and the 28 that already reach goal, we would be at 69.5%!!!!!!!
Successssssssss
Today we got the results back from the Target II test (a test that prepares us for the End of Course Exam). The results were promising, promising, promising.
Now, to put this in context. Each year the state increases the number of students they expect to be proficient or advanced proficient on the exam. A lot of funding and state takeover depends on literacy scores....as a result English classrooms (two total, me-first year, chad-literacy coach/AP) is pretty consistently under the microscope. Now, I am a huge proponent for this...as I love feedback and I love to have a lot of collaboration. With this has come some great gains in the classroom.
To have the school digress from year 5 of takeover 67.75 students are to score proficient on the exam. This basically breaks down to 32 out of 46 students must reach this goal. For instance if only 26 students reach the goal we are "okay" and considered to be in "safe harbor," because we have improved so greatly from the previous year.
Here's the math:
1. Last year 13 students scored proficient (28%)
2. That percentage of a score was an IMPROVEMENT (big enough) that we were able to stay in safe harbor for this year (so not move from year 5 to year 6)
3. THIS YEAR, to go backwards to year 4...we need to reach 67.75%.
4. based on the past Target II test we are at 59% (28 out of 46 students)
5. FOUR students were within 5% of scoring proficient
6. With those four students, and the 28 that already reach goal, we would be at 69.5%!!!!!!!
Successssssssss
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Test Prep Begins
MY END OF COURSE EXAM IS IN 3 WEEKS. OH NO!!!! I AM SO NERVOUS!!!! I hope these kids have learned something. Tomorrow we start straight test prep until the exam the second week of March.
We are going to be consistently doing reading comprehension strategies three times a week, essay practice once a week, and grammar another day. Each week we will go over the released item in class, then give them time to work on it, then review the answers. It is going to be intense and so repetitive for the kids. And....I am not sure if it is going to be effective. But, hopefully yes!
I have been integrating a lot of the strategies throughout the year so hopefully some of it will come naturally for the students at this point. It’s an interesting process, this teaching thing! Sometimes I can see results immediately, sometimes I never see results. It’s a constant learn and relearn methodical process for myself and for students. I always wondered why we learn world history every year for seven years throughout 1st-12th grade. I get it now though.
It’s the same reason why I am teaching Lord of the Flies in 11th grade while the 7th grade teacher is teaching it as well. It’s because there are different levels of learning that come with learn and matriculation.
Wish me luck! This is the first EOC of the year (kind of ridiculous since so much of school’s succes relies on Literacy scores...). It’ll be a wait afterwards to see if we can successfully move backwards in the State takeover process. I think we can do it.
I really love my kids and I think they work hard - so hopefully this will pay off!
We are going to be consistently doing reading comprehension strategies three times a week, essay practice once a week, and grammar another day. Each week we will go over the released item in class, then give them time to work on it, then review the answers. It is going to be intense and so repetitive for the kids. And....I am not sure if it is going to be effective. But, hopefully yes!
I have been integrating a lot of the strategies throughout the year so hopefully some of it will come naturally for the students at this point. It’s an interesting process, this teaching thing! Sometimes I can see results immediately, sometimes I never see results. It’s a constant learn and relearn methodical process for myself and for students. I always wondered why we learn world history every year for seven years throughout 1st-12th grade. I get it now though.
It’s the same reason why I am teaching Lord of the Flies in 11th grade while the 7th grade teacher is teaching it as well. It’s because there are different levels of learning that come with learn and matriculation.
Wish me luck! This is the first EOC of the year (kind of ridiculous since so much of school’s succes relies on Literacy scores...). It’ll be a wait afterwards to see if we can successfully move backwards in the State takeover process. I think we can do it.
I really love my kids and I think they work hard - so hopefully this will pay off!
Lord of the Flies: 2nd Novel in Class - CHECK!
I just finished teaching my second novel, Lord of the Flies! I enjoyed the book (I did not really remember much of it from high school - I think it was one of those that I “read.”). I am not sure how much the kids enjoyed the book, I really thought they were going to like it a lot more. I am not sure if it was my enthusiasm or just that they did not actually pay attention/read?
We had to read almost the entire novel in class because I did not have enough copies to hand out to all of the students. This was a frustrating aspect because of the amount of time it took to teach the novel, but a really good thing on the other hand. For instance, I now that many students comprehended more and actually did well on assignments because they were forced to read the book right in front of me. That lead to positive steps up on Bloom’s. I think we reached Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, and Analysis at least.
Another great thing about Lord of the Flies is the assignments that go along with it. For instance, because the boys are stranded on a deserted island I had the kids make a Missing Poster for them with a bunch of requirements. It really lead to some great creativity and retention from them. I got to hang them up all over the classroom, which was fun as well! For another assignment I created a list of 11 characters with different backgrounds, professions, families, etc. Then I told the kids that they could only take seven off of the sinking ship to save. This lead to some great discussions and debates ...and argument in one class! (Some of the choices were a mentally disabled student, a single mother, an old doctor and his wife, a small baby, an athlete that had anti-black views). It was fun to create and fun to see what ticked some kids off and what others really valued.
We had to read almost the entire novel in class because I did not have enough copies to hand out to all of the students. This was a frustrating aspect because of the amount of time it took to teach the novel, but a really good thing on the other hand. For instance, I now that many students comprehended more and actually did well on assignments because they were forced to read the book right in front of me. That lead to positive steps up on Bloom’s. I think we reached Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, and Analysis at least.
Another great thing about Lord of the Flies is the assignments that go along with it. For instance, because the boys are stranded on a deserted island I had the kids make a Missing Poster for them with a bunch of requirements. It really lead to some great creativity and retention from them. I got to hang them up all over the classroom, which was fun as well! For another assignment I created a list of 11 characters with different backgrounds, professions, families, etc. Then I told the kids that they could only take seven off of the sinking ship to save. This lead to some great discussions and debates ...and argument in one class! (Some of the choices were a mentally disabled student, a single mother, an old doctor and his wife, a small baby, an athlete that had anti-black views). It was fun to create and fun to see what ticked some kids off and what others really valued.
The End of My First Season
I just finished my first season of basketball this past weekend. It has been a busy busy time. Some successes, some failures, some definite improvements for next year. My junior high team had it’s ups and downs, mostly downs. We worked on some skills at the beginning of the year, but unfortunately there are some major gaps in talent on the team.
Something I did not anticipate when beginning coaching, I did not realize how much your bottom fourth can really effect the rest of the team. This is something I have seen on the basketball team and in my classroom. If you have some learners that are just too far behind it really can slow down and cause disruptions in the rest of your flow. For instance, most students who are in that bottom fourth are the students who end up being behavioral problems. This, for me at least, directly relates to them not getting it. For instance, they do not do their homework or reading so then they are behind in class and behind on quizzes. Then, as a result they are bored in class or do not care enough to pay attention because they feel they are too backed up to make it up.
This same thing happens in basketball. Some are eager to learn but they struggle so much that they get easily frustrated or just make a joke of themselves. Because no one else cares to help them, then they get made fun of, laughed at, and just pushed to the side. This is really what happened on my junior high team. For me, I think some people just aren’t meant to play a sport. But, that’s not what happens here at CHS. So, that’ll be something I need to be prepared for in the future.
My senior high is a different story. I had some great athletes on there and a team that liked each other. This fluid attitude and support system built the team up and we ended up tripling our wins from the previous year. Last year the team won three games, and this year we won nine total. Next year will be an interesting year. We are losing our three biggest point leaders, and unfortunately some of our biggest leaders as well. But, the team has a great attitude and is committed to each other - so I think we’ll be allright. I am excited for next season, but also ready for a break. I felt so tired after Saturday with practicing every day and games two or three times a week.
Something I did not anticipate when beginning coaching, I did not realize how much your bottom fourth can really effect the rest of the team. This is something I have seen on the basketball team and in my classroom. If you have some learners that are just too far behind it really can slow down and cause disruptions in the rest of your flow. For instance, most students who are in that bottom fourth are the students who end up being behavioral problems. This, for me at least, directly relates to them not getting it. For instance, they do not do their homework or reading so then they are behind in class and behind on quizzes. Then, as a result they are bored in class or do not care enough to pay attention because they feel they are too backed up to make it up.
This same thing happens in basketball. Some are eager to learn but they struggle so much that they get easily frustrated or just make a joke of themselves. Because no one else cares to help them, then they get made fun of, laughed at, and just pushed to the side. This is really what happened on my junior high team. For me, I think some people just aren’t meant to play a sport. But, that’s not what happens here at CHS. So, that’ll be something I need to be prepared for in the future.
My senior high is a different story. I had some great athletes on there and a team that liked each other. This fluid attitude and support system built the team up and we ended up tripling our wins from the previous year. Last year the team won three games, and this year we won nine total. Next year will be an interesting year. We are losing our three biggest point leaders, and unfortunately some of our biggest leaders as well. But, the team has a great attitude and is committed to each other - so I think we’ll be allright. I am excited for next season, but also ready for a break. I felt so tired after Saturday with practicing every day and games two or three times a week.
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