August 1 and Summer's Done

I made the decision to let this be a summer of training for me. So in the end I only had about three non-consecutive weeks of vacation. But I learned a lot and am looking forward to putting it in action.

I learned some differentiation strategies, AVID strategies, and technology implementation (we're going 1:1 ipad this year). It was my goal to have all of my lessons planned and handouts prepped when teachers have to report for duty in a couple of weeks. But that didn't happen. I teach Algebra II and Pre-Calculus, but I only ended up focusing on Pre-Cal when I tried to plan. I sketched a rough outline of the first trimester (12 weeks). I have solid lesson plans and handouts for week 1 only.

I showed up to my classroom yesterday. I decided that an hour or two a day will have me set up early enough to focus on planning. Between yesterday and today, I have arranged student and teacher desks. I had hoped to set up backgrounds and boarders for my bulletin boards, but I made the mistake of getting plastic table cloths that tore when I stapled them. (The tip I read said to try vinyl, but I somehow forgot that.) I will either purchase the vinyl or find fabric. I'm hoping to have a more decorated room this year. I got inspired by visiting elementary teacher blogs and Pinterest.

I hope to get the boards finished and a few things on the wall tomorrow. I also want to start cleaning out my class webpage. Since we don't get keys for a couple of weeks, I'm limited on what I'm willing to leave out on shelves.

Another Year Finished!

I've just closed out the school year, and it's time to look forward to next year! I still miss the college classroom, but I have enjoyed my high school experience.
Things I want to focus on for next year: more challenging curriculum, more integration of technology, better studnet engagement, a more organized classroom. I also absolutely plan to get back into school myself. It will look different since I won't be full time, but I need the closure. And I've worked to hard to give up.
I hope to blog more this summer about my classroom changes. Talk to you soon!

Reboot!

It has been quite an adjustment shifting back to teaching in the public school environment. There is a different student mindset when a student has to be there as opposed to a student who is paying to be there. And I've determined that I'm better suited to teaching high school than I was to teaching junior high.

One disturbing thing I've learned about myself is that I prefer PreAP classes. This may seem like a no brainer but I consider myself a "save the disenfranchised" sort of teacher. I want the students that the other teachers can't stand. But it turns out that I'm a pushover and I'm having a hard time standing them myself.

 I'm developing a newfound interest in lesson design for student engagement. I'm toying around with the idea of trying education gamification. I'll keep you posted....

Trucking along!

After a long and semi-productive weekend, I was ready to hit the ground running. I received a great grade on a group report from the week before. By Wednesday, I was starting to get ahead in a class or two, and I wasn't behind anywhere. Thursday morning I got surprise visits to the labs from both of the professors that I TA for.Thankfully, they both told me I was doing a fine job. By the start of Thursday evening, I was starting to believe that this semester might make up for the grief I've been getting the past two semesters. Until...

I bombed my Statistics homework. I know that what I turned in was incomplete because there were a couple of concepts that I was unclear on. My mistake was not finding the time to visit with the professor. When he described his grading process, it sounded like he gave completion grades. He grouped work according to those who understood it all, those who get the gist or it, and those who appear to need help. Guess what group I was in? My feelings were hurt. Perhaps I should have stayed behind and petitioned to have my grade increased. But I felt like he knows what he's talking about and I didn't have the energy to fight. Instead I went to the pity party where I questioned my decision to take this path, wondered what the end benefit is going to be, and doubted my abilities again.

Today is a new day. I've already started on next week's assignment, and I have a good idea of what to do. I'll work on it this weekend and plan to visit him Monday morning to ensure that I'm on the right track. I'm ahead in one class and caught up in the other. I'll have to do work this weekend, but I'll get there.