Our beautiful Google Earth

School is back into full swing now and keeping me busy. I love my new class. It is amazing what going from 27 students down to 19 will do for a class. Believe it or not, I can actually go around the classroom and help the students that need help! Yeah, crazy idea huh.

Of course, with a new class come new little minds filled with all kinds of interesting bits of knowledge. The best of these little tidbits came today, and from more than one student. I normally try really hard not to laugh at the responses my students give to my questions, but I couldn't help it.

As we talked about where we live (planet, continent, etc) I asked, "What is the name of the planet we live on?"

"Google Earth!" the students so wisely cheered. It took a while to explain through the laughing that their answer was close, but not quite right. It still amazes me what a different world these kids are growing up in. I am sure one of these days I will be hearing that "a computer virus ate my homework"

Year 3, Here I Come!

About 2 weeks until my 3rd school year starts. Believe it or not, I am excited about going back to school this year. I feel prepared, excited, relaxed, and not stressed (having over 2 months off work can do that). Most of all, I feel like I have set some excellent goals for the school year.

First of all, I have decided to leave my van pool. Sure it saves money, sure it saves resources, and I only had to drive the van once or twice a week, but if you have ever had to drive anywhere with a van full of gossiping women you would understand. I am excited about getting to work refueled by a good night's rest, happy to be teaching the students that I care so much about- not drained and depressed. Yes, leaving the van is going to make a difference this year. (If you are in my old van pool and you are reading this, I am not talking about you, it was everyone but you.)

Secondly, I am more prepared now than I have been ever before. I have some experience to draw from, and I have earned the respect of some of the other staff members. There is no new curriculum this year, which is another bonus.

Finally, after having months away from school, not having to grade papers, prepare homework, clean classrooms, I feel refreshed. This summer I have worked hard on getting healthy and fit. I feel better now than I have ever felt before, and I love it.

This year is going to be amazing. I look forward to getting to know my new students. I look forward to watching them grow and progress. I love my job.

Every Student

It is amazing to see the different types of students that come into my classroom. Some are organized, some are blessed with wonderful talents in math, others write from their hearts. All students, however, are capable to achieving success in school and in life. Unfortunately, not all students reach their potential level of success.

I know that there are those that would tell me I am wrong, I hear it all the time. People tell me that not every student is going to be able to reach "benchmark" or be "on level". They seem to think that some students just can't successful. They are wrong.

I work with students that are learning English. Many of them come from low income homes. I hear things like, "Well, that student was in the ELT (English Language Transition) program" or "Wow, that is great for those students". I could write a whole post about how wrong using labels like that are, but that is not what I wanted to write about.

One of my newer students, who I will call Marie, has been having a hard time at school. She is quiet, which isn't a bad thing most of the time, but she was too quiet. It made me concerned for her. She was very withdrawn from the world around her. Not just shy, but closed off, to everyone. Her initial testing showed that she was going to have a hard time. Very little math skill, and she was reading 0 words per minute, which was about 20 words lower than most of my students, and 45 words per minute lower than the benchmark at the time.

She was put into a reading group that met in one of the portables outside. As I talked with the person supervising her reading group, I expressed my concern for her. The reply I got was something along the lines of, "She is tuned out. She just sits there, with a frown and is grumpy. She will not follow along and is not able to pass the assessments." After hearing this, I worried even more. This teacher had seemed to give up on her already. She passed Marie's problems off as something out of her control.

I asked for the reading groups to be changed. Marie was put into my classroom for reading. I took the first couple days in the small group setting to watch her more closely than I had been able to in a whole class group. She was one of those students that keep me constantly wondering, "What can I do to help? How do I reach this student?"

Unlike the other teacher's conclusion, I decided that this was not a trouble student, just a student with a troubled life. I began by trying to get her to break out of her protective shell. A rule in my class is that it is ok to make mistakes, as long as we fix it. It is not uncommon for me to stop in the middle of a lesson to discuss a mistake (by a student or by my self) and find a good way to fix it. I began to stop the reading group as they read and asked, "Wow, this is not good guys, I see a big mistake, but that's ok, as long as we fix it." They all waited for me to point out the word they had read incorrectly. I looked Marie in the face and said, "Someone here forgot to put on their smile." The kids laughed, but I kept a straight face. "We need to fix it." I told them. I then took a couple minute to show them how to "put on" a smile. Marie smiled.

This was a turning point for Marie. We would continue to stop if someone wasn't smiling. As Marie began to smile more, she also began to follow along with the group. She started to pay closer attention. Marie started to make progress.

Marie could easily have been passed off as a student that wasn't going to find success. She comes from a difficult home, she misses a lot of school. She gets into fights after school and doesn't do all of her homework; however, she is finding success. Marie is now reading over 20 words per minute. She is still behind, but she is now moving forward.

Every student can be successful, Every student can learn.

What happened to teaching?

I remember going through college knowing that I loved to teach. I still love to teach, even knowing that I could be making double or even triple the money in other fields that interest me, I love to teach. I remember thinking about the students I would be able to reach, to help. I would spend hours of my own time, preparing lesson plans while I prayed for my students I was student-teaching. Adjusting lessons to apply to my student's lives. I loved it.

So what happened?

I still love to teach, when I get to do it. I once had a college professor tell me that anyone out on the street can read a lesson plan and in fact in some states they do, they are called substitutes, but it takes a professional to teach. To teach is to know your students, to care about them, then to teach the curriculum to those students. Teach to their needs and do whatever it takes to help that student see their potential.

So what has happened?

Tonight I sat down to read through the lessons I will teach tomorrow. These are lessons taken directly out the curriculum. I am to read the script, "with fidelity" I am told. Creative lessons are not to be taught, even those proven effective, if they vary from that script.

I "teach" reading, writing, and math. Science, art, social studies, even life skills are pushed to the side. Why? Because they are not tested as much in those areas.

I still love to teach, I hope that someday we will go back to a day when that is what happens in our schools.

Your help please

I am currently working with a web design company on a web application for teachers and parents. They are working on developing an online software to help communication between parents and teachers, as well as offer tools to teachers to improve communication with school districts.

Please help out by taking the survey below (the teacher survey is only 9 questions and the parent survey is only 6).

Please, ask your friends to fill out the survey too. Thanks for your help.

Teacher Survey

Parent Survey

Thanks again!

That was YOU!

Just a quick story today. While sitting around a small reading group today, I had one of those sneak-up-on-you burps. It wasn't loud, and I think only one student heard it.

I said, "Excuse me!"

The girl sitting closest to me said, "That was YOU?!?"

"Yeah"

To which she replied, "I thought it was ME!"

Jose Jose Jose Jose

The school year is well underway now. Things have been getting crazy. Those in the education profession will understand what I mean when I say I look forward to starting 3 quarter in 3 months so I can start to have a little bit of faith in the "official" schedule. Now if this is not the norm, let me know where you teach, I need to know how you do it, but at my school, nothing is ever set in stone. Schedules, reading groups, curriculum, standards, expectations, budgets, etc. One of the big changes at my school is the enrollment. I went from 17 students last year, to starting this year with 21, and I am now up to 27.

Because I have to look at the funnier side of this to keep from going crazy (and aging 20 years by the end of May) I have a story to tell you. I have 4 students with the same name... two of them have the same last name too. Lets say their names are Jose. Let me tell you what I called them and how it changed as they joined my class.

At first I had 2 Jose students, both with the last name Hernandez (names have been changed, but the general idea is the same):

• Jose J. Hernandez, and Jose T Hernandez. That is easy right, one is Jose J. and the other is Jose T.

Another Jose joins the class, with the last name Taylor. Well, so much for Jose T. Hernandez being called Jose T. Now they are called:

• Jose J.
• Jose Thomas (this is Jose T. Hernandez)
  
• Jose T.

Yet another Jose joins the class. You will never guess what his middle name is... yep Jose Thomas Johnson! So now, if I call Jose T. Hernandez, Jose Thomas, then the new Jose will be confused, So do I call the new Jose, Jose J.? Oh wait, I already got one of those... crap.

So what do I call them now? Jose. That's it. If I say Jose and I am looking at you, then you are the one I want. Now what do I do with my identical twins (that dress the same too) named Mary and Mery? I guess that will have to be a story for another post!