Workdays started today. The principal had us all wear college or pro teams jerseys to drive home the point that we are a team and must work as a team to succeed this year. I think I'm really going to like her as a leader. She seems very straightforward and far, but also very much on top of her game. And I got to meet most of the people in the English Department today. turns out Lucy, Kate and I aren't the only new people in English. About half of the department has changed and everyone in English 1 is new, except for one person. He was really helpful today in getting us acquainted with the system and procedures. Everyone was really helpful. I think I'm going to like the people in the English Department. Not that I thought I wouldn't like them, but you get what I mean.
I saw my classroom today. In my mind, I've had this vision of my room since January. Its perfectly clean, with freshly painted white walls and several bulletin boards around the room. There are filing cabinets, bookshelves and one of the really nice desks that my teachers had when I was in grammar school. Sometimes, there is even a smartboard (although I don't really know how to work them). In my mind, I'm directly across the hall from my friend Kate and we're in an entirely English wing of the building.This vision is not my reality.
In reality, my classroom is a mobile trailer set up outside of the main building. Kate got a pretty classroom inside the building and Lucy, the other TFA corps member teaching English 1, got the room directly across the hall from her. There is an English wing, kind of, but I'm not in it. In the real world, my classroom is painted three different colors--blue, pale green and bight, hurt your eyes bright, florescent yellow. The previous teacher hasn't moved his/her things out yet, even though they were supposed to have done that by today. And I couldn't find the person anywhere, so the boxes and piles are still sitting there. The filing cabinets are either locked or filled with this person's things. There is one bulletin board and two small-ish white boards. If I remember correctly, I have a screen that pulls down and I think there is an overhead projector. I haven't seen one of those since I was 12. I have a desk, but one of the legs is all bent out and quasi-broken. The desk is standing though, so I guess its all about the small victories.
Still, I'm certain that one this other persons things are gone and I have a chance to really start setting up, I'll be able to make it into a great place. I've got ideas for posters and signs and a sense of how i want to arrange things. And maybe next semester I'll paint one of those yellow walls a different color. And I'm not out there in the trailerhood all by my lonesome. At least one other English teacher is in the room next to me. She teaches English 2 and has been super nice and helpful. So i'm excited about that. And, being outside of the main building, there are less distractions from inside, with all of the drama and craziness that can happen in the hallways. Still, I kind of wish I was inside. I think i'm the only corps member who is outside in a trailer. I'm afraid I'll be slightly disconnected from everyone. It just means I'm going to have to make an even greater effort to stay in the loop. Cause thats something I'm so great at doing to begin with (if you could hear my voice, you'd find it dripping with sarcasm).
I'm sure in the end, it will all work out. Like I've said before, I'm trying out this whole, go with the flow, roll with the punches, be flexible and open minded kind of attitude. Hopefully it works out for me.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
New Teacher Orientation
Today was the new teacher orientation at my school. It was so exciting to actually get in the school and start to try and learn your way around (the school is huuuuuge, with 6 different wings). We didn't get to see our classrooms yet, but only because the principal forgot the list at home. If we call up on Monday we'll be able to get it. It's all just gotten that much more real.
There are 14 incoming corps members at the school and about 25 new teachers total. Its great to be there with so many other corps members. The principal and several of the administrators were there to introduce themselves and go over things. One of the assistant principals is a former corps member, which is really awesome. You could hear the TFA lingo in the way she spoke. It wasn't as clear as with the people who still work for TFA, but the phrasing and word choice were definitely there at some points. I found that to be mildly amusing.
The principal, Dr. V, seemed really great. Very enthusiastic and eager to get students on track. The only deal breaker.... she's a self-proclaimed, die-hard Duke fan. Anyone who knows me well knows that I loathe Duke. Seriously, I can't stand them. My whole family can't. Next week, my mom and my sister are driving from Charlotte to NJ and stopping to see schools. My mom literally said to me yesterday, "well, we're going to go to Chapel Hill because your sister wants to look at UNC. And then we're going to go drive through Duke and laugh at people". I guess I'll have to bite my tongue and not mention my loyalty to the Tar Heels for the next two years.
We spent the afternoon going through the teacher evaluation process, learning about the culture of the school and getting a tour from the executive board of the student council. Actually getting to meet some of the students was amazing. I know these are the students who are already involved, dedicated and invested but it was still amazing to see how much these kids loved their school and were really looking to be challenged. One girl even told me she wants to go to George Washington University in DC. Squeal!!
It was all a little overwhelming, but it seems like the administration is going to be really great and helpful. I'm starting to get really pumped for the school year.
There are 14 incoming corps members at the school and about 25 new teachers total. Its great to be there with so many other corps members. The principal and several of the administrators were there to introduce themselves and go over things. One of the assistant principals is a former corps member, which is really awesome. You could hear the TFA lingo in the way she spoke. It wasn't as clear as with the people who still work for TFA, but the phrasing and word choice were definitely there at some points. I found that to be mildly amusing.
The principal, Dr. V, seemed really great. Very enthusiastic and eager to get students on track. The only deal breaker.... she's a self-proclaimed, die-hard Duke fan. Anyone who knows me well knows that I loathe Duke. Seriously, I can't stand them. My whole family can't. Next week, my mom and my sister are driving from Charlotte to NJ and stopping to see schools. My mom literally said to me yesterday, "well, we're going to go to Chapel Hill because your sister wants to look at UNC. And then we're going to go drive through Duke and laugh at people". I guess I'll have to bite my tongue and not mention my loyalty to the Tar Heels for the next two years.
We spent the afternoon going through the teacher evaluation process, learning about the culture of the school and getting a tour from the executive board of the student council. Actually getting to meet some of the students was amazing. I know these are the students who are already involved, dedicated and invested but it was still amazing to see how much these kids loved their school and were really looking to be challenged. One girl even told me she wants to go to George Washington University in DC. Squeal!!
It was all a little overwhelming, but it seems like the administration is going to be really great and helpful. I'm starting to get really pumped for the school year.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Round Zero
I've been meaning to write this post for a couple of days now, but I keep getting distracted by some kind of project I have to do for Round Zero. Even now, I'm supposed to be working on a sample long term plan (because I don't actually know what grade I'll be teaching yet). This week has been kind of crazy with some unforeseen developments and some frustrating expectations.
To start off with, my roommate found out on Tuesday that she didn't pass the English II Praxis exam and, because of that, has to defer for a year. She's not the only one this has happened to either. Several people, including my institute co-lab and some of my friends, did not pass the Praxis and are being forced to defer for a year. One girl in the Charlotte corps quit her job with the top p.r. firm in DC to come do TFA. And now they can't/won't place her. Everyone in that position is pretty frustrated, understandably so. Especially because the state of North Carolina does not require you to pass the Praxis before you begin teaching. In NC you have three years after you start teaching to pass the exam. TFA is a two year commitment, which means we could all teach for two years and not have to ever take the exam. The passing of the Praxis is simply a TFA requirement and not one that is set by CMS. And that means those people can, legally, teach here in Charlotte. But TFA won't place them. But I digress.
My roommate isn't being placed this year.It was pretty surprising and nerve-wrecking, mainly because she was left with the question of how she was going to pay for her rent and afford to stay in Charlotte. Luckily she was able to get a job as an assistant manager at a high end retail store she used to work at and she's going to become a substitute teacher for the year. Honestly, she'll probably end up making more money than I do, which seems kind of ridiculous. That was Tuesday night.
Wednesday was the first day of Round Zero, which is the portion of your training that is focused on forming your big goal, your class vision and your long term plan for the year. We've had pretty long days (stating at 8:30 and getting out between 5:30 and 8) for the last four days. Including Saturday. And now I'm sitting in my room working on a sample long-term plan to submit to my Program Director (PD) to show that, when I do get my grade assignment and curriculum (hopefully tomorrow), I will be able to actually write one. It seems to be a bit of a waste of time, since everyone else is just jumping in feet first. I'd rather just wait until I know what I'm teaching, rather than create something that I may never use. Oh well.
The past few days, while drafting my goals and creating my plans, I've been struggling with this one concept. How do you not lower your expectations for your students, while still being realistic about where you will be able to go with them? Is it wrong for me to expect that they will not come into my class reading on grade level? Is it wrong to be realistic and assume that I will not be able to reach every single child, despite how hard I try? I don't want to lower my expectations. I want my students to be help to the same level that I was held to in high school. But, at the same time, is that naive and unrealistic.
In my perfect, idyllic vision of my classroom, my students sit quietly in their desks when I'm teaching, they do their homework every night and participate in class discussions. In this world, the students are actively engaged with the materials and I'm able to challenge them with work that is beyond our grade level. This vision has students that are dedicated and determined to succeed, not because I have promised them a pizza party or some other prize, but because they know that doing well in school is important for your future endeavors. Not surprisingly, my vision of a perfect classroom stems very much from my own high school experiences. Maybe not every single student in my school acted like this at all times, but this was the general norm throughout the student body. But, I went to a very small, private, all girls Catholic high school. We acted in that way because it was expected of us by our teachers, by our families and, at times, by the greater community. Its the kind of experience I want for my students, because being in that type of environment fostered a love of learning in me and helped prepare me for my future experiences. To what extent though, is it realistic for me to hope to see this in my students? And, if I'm being "realistic" in not holding them to this perfect standard, am I lowering my expectations? There is a fine line between being realistic and lowering expectations and I find myself stuck on the high wire trying not to fall off of either side. To mix metaphors, I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place with no way of escaping unharmed. Good thing I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
To start off with, my roommate found out on Tuesday that she didn't pass the English II Praxis exam and, because of that, has to defer for a year. She's not the only one this has happened to either. Several people, including my institute co-lab and some of my friends, did not pass the Praxis and are being forced to defer for a year. One girl in the Charlotte corps quit her job with the top p.r. firm in DC to come do TFA. And now they can't/won't place her. Everyone in that position is pretty frustrated, understandably so. Especially because the state of North Carolina does not require you to pass the Praxis before you begin teaching. In NC you have three years after you start teaching to pass the exam. TFA is a two year commitment, which means we could all teach for two years and not have to ever take the exam. The passing of the Praxis is simply a TFA requirement and not one that is set by CMS. And that means those people can, legally, teach here in Charlotte. But TFA won't place them. But I digress.
My roommate isn't being placed this year.It was pretty surprising and nerve-wrecking, mainly because she was left with the question of how she was going to pay for her rent and afford to stay in Charlotte. Luckily she was able to get a job as an assistant manager at a high end retail store she used to work at and she's going to become a substitute teacher for the year. Honestly, she'll probably end up making more money than I do, which seems kind of ridiculous. That was Tuesday night.
Wednesday was the first day of Round Zero, which is the portion of your training that is focused on forming your big goal, your class vision and your long term plan for the year. We've had pretty long days (stating at 8:30 and getting out between 5:30 and 8) for the last four days. Including Saturday. And now I'm sitting in my room working on a sample long-term plan to submit to my Program Director (PD) to show that, when I do get my grade assignment and curriculum (hopefully tomorrow), I will be able to actually write one. It seems to be a bit of a waste of time, since everyone else is just jumping in feet first. I'd rather just wait until I know what I'm teaching, rather than create something that I may never use. Oh well.
The past few days, while drafting my goals and creating my plans, I've been struggling with this one concept. How do you not lower your expectations for your students, while still being realistic about where you will be able to go with them? Is it wrong for me to expect that they will not come into my class reading on grade level? Is it wrong to be realistic and assume that I will not be able to reach every single child, despite how hard I try? I don't want to lower my expectations. I want my students to be help to the same level that I was held to in high school. But, at the same time, is that naive and unrealistic.
In my perfect, idyllic vision of my classroom, my students sit quietly in their desks when I'm teaching, they do their homework every night and participate in class discussions. In this world, the students are actively engaged with the materials and I'm able to challenge them with work that is beyond our grade level. This vision has students that are dedicated and determined to succeed, not because I have promised them a pizza party or some other prize, but because they know that doing well in school is important for your future endeavors. Not surprisingly, my vision of a perfect classroom stems very much from my own high school experiences. Maybe not every single student in my school acted like this at all times, but this was the general norm throughout the student body. But, I went to a very small, private, all girls Catholic high school. We acted in that way because it was expected of us by our teachers, by our families and, at times, by the greater community. Its the kind of experience I want for my students, because being in that type of environment fostered a love of learning in me and helped prepare me for my future experiences. To what extent though, is it realistic for me to hope to see this in my students? And, if I'm being "realistic" in not holding them to this perfect standard, am I lowering my expectations? There is a fine line between being realistic and lowering expectations and I find myself stuck on the high wire trying not to fall off of either side. To mix metaphors, I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place with no way of escaping unharmed. Good thing I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
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