Ephrata High School- Getting Started

 Before my first day out in the field my tummy was wrought with the same nervous tension I feel before every new semester at school. Would I get lost on my way there? Would my cooperating teacher be cold or disappointed when we met? Would the students take one look at me and see a person they would want nothing to do with or worse would they see a young girl playing teacher whom they would take more seriously as a peer than a person of authority I'm meant to become?

After picking out two different outfits and going over my game plan for the next day in my head several dozen times I finally forced myself to go to sleep. I arrived at the high school five minutes later than I had calculated but had found it without ending up in another state so I counted it as a victory. My clearances copied, I went out to find the teacher I'll be placed with and learning from this semester. When I walked into the room a smile met mine and as I was shaking Mrs. Eshleman's kind voice offered me some coffee. Then we went over her different classes and what they had been working on, and since all of her classes had either reading sessions or were finishing papers in the school's computer lab It created the perfect environment for me to settle in an quietly observe without feeling like a creepy lurk in the back corner during class discussions.

The students seemed curious and courteous about my being there and some of the younger students even assumed I was a Mrs. which gave me confidence that they will see me as someone older and somewhat teacher-esque already. very auspiciously, the two ninth grade classes were already working on "I remember..." poems that are meant to depict an important event in their lives and reveal a little bit about who they are. Just in the short time I had to walk around and glance at their poems I could figure out some things about them just by the way they titled and what they were choosing as subject matter and it was a really interesting range.

Although I saw a lot of chatty small groups, sports team members and  obvious friends upon my short time with them, I was unable to identify too many students who seemed to be struggling or bored so far. There was one boy in one of the tenth grade classes who stuck out to me however. They were aloud to work in pairs for their current assignment and while several students opted to work alone, most of them still had side conversation or posed questions to their peers. This one guy, though chose to sit in the back with two empty computers on either side of him and he was about three steps ahead of everybody else in the class, by the end he was almost finished his homework assignment that would be due on Monday. I really want to find out a little bit more about this particular student and I'm excited to spend more time with the classes in general as well, all in all I'd say it was a victorious first day!

Central York Middle School says "Hey, hey, hey!"

Mrs. Allen, my cooperating teacher, leaves the room to go to the restroom. Sitting from the back of the room, I already hear the loud voices of students lining up outside of the classroom door-- waiting for the bell to ring. Beep! And the students flood the room, scurrying to their seats. One student sees me and his eyes light up. "Are you in high school?!" Another chimes in. "Are you a substitute?!" "Are you a student teacher?!" When I say "No", they seem disappointed. Few minutes later, two girls approach me at my desk and introduce themselves to me. One put her hand on her hips and with the other hand waved at me in three counts. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm Makeda and"... "I'm Cameron. Are you a substitute?!"

My first impression was that the students really hoped for a substitute, rather than Mrs. Allen. Next to that, they were very curious about who I was. All throughout the day, Mrs. Allen introduced me to the class and told them that they should give me the same respect that they give her, if not more. I could see the students eyeing me up, trying to get a sense of what I was like. As I smiled at the class, they too, responded with smiles.

Mrs. Allen was very open and helpful. She often asked if I had any questions for her. She even asked if I wanted any coffee and went to make some for the both of us (even with hazelnut creamer). Perfect.

I learned from Mrs. Allen that the school strives to be on the "cutting-edge". Personally, she is a firm believer of choice in the classroom. To my surprise, her English curriculum is a "no-textbook" curriculum. So I asked how the students are to read novels or... what do they read off of instead. Granted, the students are given material by hand-outs, or resources online. Mrs. Allen also pointed out the shelves of books in the back that are used as well. I saw duplicates of books there, such as The Giver and  Lovely Bones.

As for classroom management, Mrs. Allen often had to redirect her students to the task at hand. She gave me advice on how to do this. It was to ask these questions in order: "What are you doing? "What are you supposed to be doing? What are you going to do?" Later on in the day, when Mrs. Allen was absent from the room, a student decided to throw small pieces of paper at his peers around him. I wanted so badly to practice my "authoritative voice" but kept staring at him instead, hoping he would get the point. I regret not speaking up, even if it meant him or the class thinking I was just another Mrs. Allen.

In all, I observed many many things about Central York Middle School through my first experience there. In the following weeks ahead, I hope to engage with the students more and practice teaching. I want to get the most out of every day in the school, because I realize that these weeks of field placement will fly by. This Friday, I plan to introduce myself to the class, with the same kind of curiosity and energy that I found within in the students. "Hey, hey, hey! i'm Miss Houck!"

First day at Central York Middle School

    My first day in the field was amazing!! I was placed at the Central York Middle School, which is about half an hour away. My teacher, Ms. Ilko, teaches seventh grade and actually made sure that she was there really early so that she could give me a brief orientation; practically the second I walked into the office door she was calling to have them send me to her room. She was waiting for me in the hallway when I got to her class and generally made sure that I felt welcome. While each class did quiet, individual work, she would come over to my seat and give me an idea of what each class was like, and how and why she was modifying her lesson for the class. It was really helpful, even if I couldn't understand every word (she spoke in a whisper). She also made sure to introduce me to the other members of her team and invited me along when they got lunch at a nearby mall and to their team meeting.
    Ms. Ilko's teaching style is something that I very much admire and want to emulate someday. The big activity of the day was having students being in 10 items that represent themselves and share it with small groups. The kids were so excited about the project that she actually changed her lesson so that the project took the central focus. The other big activity was a read aloud of the first few paragraphs of the short story she was assigning them for homework (Whose Face Do You See? I highly recommend it). When discussing the story initially, she got very excited when she hit upon the idea of me helping her read. The short story is told in 2 different first hand perspectives (mother and daughter) and she felt that having two separate readers would better help the kids understand. Throughout her lessons, she made sure to repeat her instructions at least twice (for the ADD kids she later told me) and generally kept a calm head. One of the things that I really liked about her lesson was that she took the time before the story to "build the background knowledge" necessary for the students to read the story. The story is about a young girl in a coma, and there were surprisingly different answers to what a coma was, so I feel that this really helped the kids.
     All in all, I think my first day went really well. I didn't interact with the kids too much (my co-op didn't introduce me until late in the period), but they all seemed friendly and respectful. The teachers were nice and made me feel welcome and included. My co-op and I discussed the possibility of me going into the other rooms in order to observe other teaching styles, so I'm not quite sure what the plan is for tomorrow. But, either way, I am excited!!!!!

Subversive Teacher

From Friday, students know that getting an education is important, even though they might not like the process.  Making things relevant for them and engaging, I think is a major factor in their education.  They do want to know why do I have to do this and why with these limits.  DO not have students do things just to check off a box, when they know you do not care about it, neither will they and why should they if you do not.  Ask questions and have them ask questions and never stop them, allow them to discuss, the world does not wait to be called on, we speak. 

Confirming what I knew I wanted

My coop teaches ALL 9th graders, was this bad, NO!!! I want to teach 9th graders so I was and still am very thrilled!!! She teaches 6 periods out of 7, so I am always busy, another PLUS!!!  She teaches 2 honors, 2 college prep and 2 lower level English classes!!!!!  I drew a seating chart of the students so I appeared to know their names when I went to speak with them, and I took notes on it about students trying to select the ones I will do my lesson plan for, those were the ones that need full attention.  I was able to read to the students and I absolutely fail in love with them on day one and their behaviors were not the best but they were them, loved it!!!   I gave them one rule so far, that I believe respect is mutual, I will respect them and in turn they will respect me.  I told them when I am reading they should be listening and if they are confused or have anything to add just stop me and we will figure it out together.  I read very engagingly to them full of emotion and it was beautiful to see them awed, captivated, i loved it!!  

My coop does not give them assigned seats and I do not agree with that because she is unable to control the class due to all the talking.  Friends sit together and talk the entire class and that is a big disruption.  I have not seen any rules that she has helped them generate.  On a very positive note she allowed me to jump in my first date and I loved the students.  I actually took the time to get to know some of the students, what they like to read, sports, family.....  I think that meant a lot to them honestly.  

I am a little disappointed in myself because I witnessed a mean girl incident and did not realize it to be and allowed it to happen.  One girl told another she was acting like a first grader and the girl ran off crying.  I went after her but not knowing my way around the school she made it in the bathroom before me and that was my stopping point.  I wish I knew at that moment how to recognize that action.  I felt very disappointed in myself, but it was and still is a learning experience.  

I also dealt with a boy who is the biggest class disturber and encouraged him to finish his work when he told the teachers he would not.  I ensured that for every comment I said this needs to be fixed, I gave two positive ones and I think that really helped to take away the sting.  

I cannot wait to go back on Friday, my coop even said that I can keep coming even after my time is up!!! I learned that I want the lower learning class, the students that are tough because in theory at least to me that just need a little more love and attention.  They are the challenge, they have so much personality and they light up my heart and I confirmed what  I already knew they are where I want to be.

The teacher I have been assigned to for field service teaches 10th grade Honors English. In addition, he also teaches Intro to Mass Media and Yearbook, and oversees the school newspaper.

This combination of classes provides for a mix of students from diverse backgrounds and personalities. There are only a few minority students. One ESL student in particular, who stood out to me, seemed to be following along with the lesson at the same pace as his classmates, but when he spoke he struggled with his English language. There was very little indication of boredom—no one in particular stood out.

The teacher is very natural at keeping a pace that flows well, transitioning flawlessly from one activity to another. He did a wonderful job of engaging his students. I feel very lucky to have him as a mentor. There is no doubt in my mind that I will learn much from him. My first impression of him, based upon his personality and his teaching style, is that he is one of those extraordinary teachers who students always remember.

At this point, I am not quite sure how I will engage the students; he is going to be a great example for me, yet a “tough act to follow.” I did implement a “getting to know you” exercise with the students in order to help me to learn their names. Due to varying content of the different classes and time factors I wasn’t able to do it with all the classes, but I will have the opportunity to continue this Friday … students were responsive and friendly.

Some random fun

Hi guys,
These are just some things that I found that I think work really well with what we've been discussing. You obviously don't have to look at them, but they made me smile so I thought I'd share them with you all :)

This video is really cool.It speaks very powerfully to why we need to bring technology into our classroom. (Plus the music is just plain awesome)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zKdPOHhNfY&feature=related

The other things are pins I found on Pinterest (which I confess to being obsessed with). They're just related to teaching in general.
http://pinterest.com/pin/237776055297530029/
http://pinterest.com/pin/237776055297529962/ (I thought this could be a fun way to introduce a grammar unit or mini-lesson)
http://pinterest.com/pin/237776055296325523/