I will do an actual update soon (and have been meaning to for awhile). But in the meantime, here is a Facebook status that is going around that I wanted to share - both as a person and as an educator of today's youth.
Let me get this straight...Charlie Sheen can make a "porn family", Kelsey Grammer can end a 15 year marriage over the phone, Larry King can be on divorce #9, Britney Spears had a 55 hour marriage, Jesse James and Tiger Woods, while married, were having sex with EVERYONE. Yet, the idea of same-sex marriage is going to destroy the institution of marriage? Really? Re-post if you are proud to support equal rights.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
A Refreshing Start
The new semester is under way! A long and difficult one behind me, I went into February with a renewed sense of self and a fresh perspective. It helped that I had a lot of support. My fellow teachers were and still are there to encourage me and to share a word of advice or lend an ear and my admin were there to recognize another trying class and take them out of my schedule.
So here I am, with a Grade 9 Applied and 10 Academic Science along with a Grade 11 University Physics. My stress level has already decreased significantly. Having three preps is a lot to handle but at least only 2 of them are new (it was supposed to be three). I have had such a refreshing perspective on my students with only a week under my belt - the Grade 11s have reminded me that there are students out there who want to learn, who like being in your class, who look forward to learning something a little difficult. I am still dealing with the remnants of my stress, realizing that my headaches are a result of tension, but hopefully they too, will pass.
And now we will see what my new approach will bring. A new late policy in my classes (complete with a sign in sheet), a focus on routines and rules in the first couple of weeks of class (largely with the applieds, ensuring they (and I) use their hands when they have a question or want to answer one), remembering to follow through on consequences, and always remembering to smile and enjoy the moments of my students' day.
So here is to the next 5 months.
May they be productive, educating and entertaining!
Cheers!
So here I am, with a Grade 9 Applied and 10 Academic Science along with a Grade 11 University Physics. My stress level has already decreased significantly. Having three preps is a lot to handle but at least only 2 of them are new (it was supposed to be three). I have had such a refreshing perspective on my students with only a week under my belt - the Grade 11s have reminded me that there are students out there who want to learn, who like being in your class, who look forward to learning something a little difficult. I am still dealing with the remnants of my stress, realizing that my headaches are a result of tension, but hopefully they too, will pass.
And now we will see what my new approach will bring. A new late policy in my classes (complete with a sign in sheet), a focus on routines and rules in the first couple of weeks of class (largely with the applieds, ensuring they (and I) use their hands when they have a question or want to answer one), remembering to follow through on consequences, and always remembering to smile and enjoy the moments of my students' day.
So here is to the next 5 months.
May they be productive, educating and entertaining!
Cheers!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Reflecting on Science...and so Much More
So here we are, another semester has come and gone. My first full semester of Science was definitely an eventful one, as the couple of posts I was able to make eluded to. A couple of challenging classes leading to many challenging moments. A few sick days with some terrible symptoms. And some great results from some of those challenging students in the end.
We worked on our approach to the final 30% evaluation for our applied level classes this semester. Changing the weighting of our performance task and the exam and changing our preparations for the performance task to try to improve results. Using a base of identified kids I was able to track an improvement of 9% (from a 58 to a 67). we used a checklist to help them identify the skills they were working on and practiced the same type of task multiple times. While it seems to have worked it is still so concerning to have a group of students pass through a course and not really learn anything - most of them cannot pass a test or lab without a cheat sheet or asking a multitude of questions. It was definitely an interesting experience as well as one that taught me a lot. There are many things that I will do differently when I am given the chance to go through that course again (both to do with classroom management and the curriculum/teaching itself).
The next semester will be a fun one - I will get to see if I can apply some of the things I learned with a Grade 9 Applied class; to reteach Grade 10 Academic for the second time this year (a small breather); and to teach my first Physics course (Grade 11 Academic). I am looking forward to the Physics course, it will provide me with a chance to teach some topics that I am more comfortable with again and to be challenged a bit more academically. I have missed both of those aspects of education in the past few months not getting to teach Mathematics or Physics.
So here it is, my written goal for this upcoming semester
1) Set firm, transparent boundaries and stick to them right from Week 1.
2) Adjust to having an afternoon prep and try to stay a day ahead on planning.
3) Incorporate as many demos, POEs and practical classes as possible into all of my courses.
A tall order, I suppose...but here's to trying! And to maybe staying on top of my health and fitness in the meantime.
We worked on our approach to the final 30% evaluation for our applied level classes this semester. Changing the weighting of our performance task and the exam and changing our preparations for the performance task to try to improve results. Using a base of identified kids I was able to track an improvement of 9% (from a 58 to a 67). we used a checklist to help them identify the skills they were working on and practiced the same type of task multiple times. While it seems to have worked it is still so concerning to have a group of students pass through a course and not really learn anything - most of them cannot pass a test or lab without a cheat sheet or asking a multitude of questions. It was definitely an interesting experience as well as one that taught me a lot. There are many things that I will do differently when I am given the chance to go through that course again (both to do with classroom management and the curriculum/teaching itself).
The next semester will be a fun one - I will get to see if I can apply some of the things I learned with a Grade 9 Applied class; to reteach Grade 10 Academic for the second time this year (a small breather); and to teach my first Physics course (Grade 11 Academic). I am looking forward to the Physics course, it will provide me with a chance to teach some topics that I am more comfortable with again and to be challenged a bit more academically. I have missed both of those aspects of education in the past few months not getting to teach Mathematics or Physics.
So here it is, my written goal for this upcoming semester
1) Set firm, transparent boundaries and stick to them right from Week 1.
2) Adjust to having an afternoon prep and try to stay a day ahead on planning.
3) Incorporate as many demos, POEs and practical classes as possible into all of my courses.
A tall order, I suppose...but here's to trying! And to maybe staying on top of my health and fitness in the meantime.
Monday, December 20, 2010
A Weary Mind, Body and Spirit
Wow am I ever drained - and very glad that it is Christmas Break (though I could also have dealt with staying a few more days so that we had more time after New Years Day, but oh well). It pretty much feels like I have not slept since Thanksgiving. Combine the busy life with the season change, and it all makes sense.
November was busy at school. You get into the second half of the semester realizing that your courses are nowhere near half-way through their curricula, you don't have the energy to lesson plan, and every committee, club or sport your are involved in is about to get busier. Every weekend, something prevented me from sleep - a hockey tournament, the Future Aces Leadership Conference and an OSSTF new teachers retreat being the most notable. I have definitely learned a lot.
The Future Aces: A Conference Empowering Students was a great experience. It was really nice to get to spend some time with students with amazing leadership potential from across Ontario for a weekend. We had fun getting to know each other and hearing from very inspiring speakers like Matt Evans on the adversities he has overcome through comedy, Amanda on her lemonade 4 heart campaign that she has been running since the age of 2, and Paul Rosen on losing his dream to play in the NHL and almost losing his life. Students learned about various causes like MAD: Making a Difference (where Maddie started raising funds to build a community in Africa as her WISH when she was fighting cancer), OSAID: Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, and human trafficking in Ontario.
To say the least the weekend away with a small group of students from my school was both rewarding and tiring. I cannot wait to have the chance to go again and am really hoping that I can keep the 8 kids together to accomplish what we have now set out to do. They have decided to host a week-long coin drive at school with various events involved to raise money for Maddie's Wish Project. It is going to be a challenge considering I have never run anything like this before, and neither have any of these students - but that was the whole idea!
On another note, some small milestones have been met in some challenging areas of my teaching life. I am slowly learning to put my foot down sooner, rather than later (it's a tough one for us nice folk). Some of the students I was having trouble reaching are buying into the routines in the classroom and are completing work and causing less trouble. Of course there are those who are not buying into it and I am still having trouble with. Some day I will find ways to deal with students who are vain or overly talkative class clowns, but I doubt that this semester will be the day. I am going to come out of this semester with some new tricks up my sleeves and with the knowledge that I have a lot of support around me. I am going to walk into next semester with a new way of starting things and the conviction to follow through with them and create a better learning environment. And I will do all of this knowing that it will not be perfect, that sometimes I will fail, that it is going to take a lot of time and effort. Time and effort that will be taken away from the already huge challenge of having three new courses to teach. Time and effort that will be taken away from coaching teams and helping Future Aces.
Somehow, it will all work out.
November was busy at school. You get into the second half of the semester realizing that your courses are nowhere near half-way through their curricula, you don't have the energy to lesson plan, and every committee, club or sport your are involved in is about to get busier. Every weekend, something prevented me from sleep - a hockey tournament, the Future Aces Leadership Conference and an OSSTF new teachers retreat being the most notable. I have definitely learned a lot.
The Future Aces: A Conference Empowering Students was a great experience. It was really nice to get to spend some time with students with amazing leadership potential from across Ontario for a weekend. We had fun getting to know each other and hearing from very inspiring speakers like Matt Evans on the adversities he has overcome through comedy, Amanda on her lemonade 4 heart campaign that she has been running since the age of 2, and Paul Rosen on losing his dream to play in the NHL and almost losing his life. Students learned about various causes like MAD: Making a Difference (where Maddie started raising funds to build a community in Africa as her WISH when she was fighting cancer), OSAID: Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, and human trafficking in Ontario.
To say the least the weekend away with a small group of students from my school was both rewarding and tiring. I cannot wait to have the chance to go again and am really hoping that I can keep the 8 kids together to accomplish what we have now set out to do. They have decided to host a week-long coin drive at school with various events involved to raise money for Maddie's Wish Project. It is going to be a challenge considering I have never run anything like this before, and neither have any of these students - but that was the whole idea!
On another note, some small milestones have been met in some challenging areas of my teaching life. I am slowly learning to put my foot down sooner, rather than later (it's a tough one for us nice folk). Some of the students I was having trouble reaching are buying into the routines in the classroom and are completing work and causing less trouble. Of course there are those who are not buying into it and I am still having trouble with. Some day I will find ways to deal with students who are vain or overly talkative class clowns, but I doubt that this semester will be the day. I am going to come out of this semester with some new tricks up my sleeves and with the knowledge that I have a lot of support around me. I am going to walk into next semester with a new way of starting things and the conviction to follow through with them and create a better learning environment. And I will do all of this knowing that it will not be perfect, that sometimes I will fail, that it is going to take a lot of time and effort. Time and effort that will be taken away from the already huge challenge of having three new courses to teach. Time and effort that will be taken away from coaching teams and helping Future Aces.
Somehow, it will all work out.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Scientific Adventures
Wow, it is seriously hard to believe that as of the end of tomorrow Term 1 of Semester 1 of the 2010/2011 school year will be over. Midterm marks are due and there is only one term left to lead into exams. And at the same time, this has left like the longest term...I have had many challenges, grown a lot, felt broken down emotionally a few times...Definitely some of the many reasons I have fallen behind on this blog. So much for writing at least once per month!
I have encountered some of the most difficult circumstances of my young life. Working with full-size classes for the first time in my teaching career has brought along with it some interesting challenges - largely classroom management related. I walked into this career with many pieces of advice on the matter, and was told many times that I would learn and create my own style as I went along. I think that hardest part to realize, is that the style that will become my own, will not always be the one I had hoped for. I am not the "hard ass" teacher that I sometimes need to be and sometimes will need to be, especially as I continue to teach applied level course and continue to teach Grade 10 classes (such a fascinating Grade, no longer timid Grade 9s that think they are more mature than they really are).
This was the first experience I had getting to start from scratch with these level courses, and man would I like to take it back and start again. I can now see just how important it is to establish routines that are largely focused in character education and social learning and needs. Boundaries is a word I hear often...and now really understand the value of. It is very difficult to come back and set a tone to reestablish rules that should have been there from the start. And it is amazing to see just how much a 16-year-old will push the gray areas of behaviour. I think that when it comes down to it, the hardest part will be creating these boundaries around students who will always need my empathy and support. There has to be a balance between listening to problems/giving second chances and forcing someone to learn that they have to grow up eventually - no matter what they have had to deal with in their lives.
Enough on the struggles that have made me want to crawl under a rock though...
Being full time in a department that is my second teachable and is not my forte has brought along enough stress to last me a long time. Thankfully I have taught one of these courses already and have an amazingly supportive department. I can ask any of them questions and they are happy to do their best to help. My department head is amazing and provides me with the time and support I need. She has gone out of her way to help me create a major lab for a course that I am new to (and the teacher I work with is not as helpful) and finds ways to create time for me to do things on release days that I need the time for.
Our school is one that is recognized by the Ministry and receives funding for student support. To do this the school has identified 34 students to follow in Grade 10 and has created teams to work on PLCs (professional learning cycles) in certain departments. Science is one of those teams and we are working to develop changes and preparation for the 30% summative. This involves creating transparent assessments around the performance task and identifying true ways to evaluate application of knowledge and develop tasks to help students practice these skills. We have set out to have these 34 students improve their 30% evaluation mark by an average of 10% from their Grade 9 marks.
In any event, it feels like there is a lot of pressure on me to make this happen in Grade 10. Even when my department head will do everything she can (before going on maternity leave) to get the other teacher on board...
I'm sure I could go on for awhile, but I will spare you further digression.
Keep learning!
I have encountered some of the most difficult circumstances of my young life. Working with full-size classes for the first time in my teaching career has brought along with it some interesting challenges - largely classroom management related. I walked into this career with many pieces of advice on the matter, and was told many times that I would learn and create my own style as I went along. I think that hardest part to realize, is that the style that will become my own, will not always be the one I had hoped for. I am not the "hard ass" teacher that I sometimes need to be and sometimes will need to be, especially as I continue to teach applied level course and continue to teach Grade 10 classes (such a fascinating Grade, no longer timid Grade 9s that think they are more mature than they really are).
This was the first experience I had getting to start from scratch with these level courses, and man would I like to take it back and start again. I can now see just how important it is to establish routines that are largely focused in character education and social learning and needs. Boundaries is a word I hear often...and now really understand the value of. It is very difficult to come back and set a tone to reestablish rules that should have been there from the start. And it is amazing to see just how much a 16-year-old will push the gray areas of behaviour. I think that when it comes down to it, the hardest part will be creating these boundaries around students who will always need my empathy and support. There has to be a balance between listening to problems/giving second chances and forcing someone to learn that they have to grow up eventually - no matter what they have had to deal with in their lives.
Enough on the struggles that have made me want to crawl under a rock though...
Being full time in a department that is my second teachable and is not my forte has brought along enough stress to last me a long time. Thankfully I have taught one of these courses already and have an amazingly supportive department. I can ask any of them questions and they are happy to do their best to help. My department head is amazing and provides me with the time and support I need. She has gone out of her way to help me create a major lab for a course that I am new to (and the teacher I work with is not as helpful) and finds ways to create time for me to do things on release days that I need the time for.
Our school is one that is recognized by the Ministry and receives funding for student support. To do this the school has identified 34 students to follow in Grade 10 and has created teams to work on PLCs (professional learning cycles) in certain departments. Science is one of those teams and we are working to develop changes and preparation for the 30% summative. This involves creating transparent assessments around the performance task and identifying true ways to evaluate application of knowledge and develop tasks to help students practice these skills. We have set out to have these 34 students improve their 30% evaluation mark by an average of 10% from their Grade 9 marks.
In any event, it feels like there is a lot of pressure on me to make this happen in Grade 10. Even when my department head will do everything she can (before going on maternity leave) to get the other teacher on board...
I'm sure I could go on for awhile, but I will spare you further digression.
Keep learning!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)