On my last day of going to Classic City High, I ended working with Mr. Jones. The class assignment was to read a short story, write a paragraph answering a prompt, and then re-write the story from the other character's perspective. I worked with a girl who I had never seen in class before. Apparently she had been absent for awhile, because Mr. Jones asked where she had been, and she replied the hospital, though she did not say why.
We only were able to finish writing the prompt essay which focused on analyzing the characters' relationship. Even though I had the instructions for the assignment, I don't know exactly what the teacher wants, so it's hard to know exactly how to help the student, and I always worry I'm leading them in the wrong direction. First, I let her go through the story and highlight any evidence she thought was important. Then, I asked her to explain why and then she wrote the most important textual evidence. After, Mr. Jones said she did really well, which made me feel better. By now, class was almost over. Mr. Jones thanked me for my time and said I could always come back.
Classic City High challenged and changed how I view alternative schools. Before, I thought they were full of "bad" kids who got kicked out of "normal" school. However, there are many reasons why these kids are here. The main one I found was attendance. Many of these kids have to help support their family, so they work. This school gives them an education and a way to work. This school is also full of extremely smart students. When they focused on the assignment, most students finished quickly and with little help. The biggest challenge I think these teachers face are getting them to care and focus on school. Hopefully, moving on, I'll learn how to best reach these students.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
My Eleventh Day
April 24th was the last day for most of my mentor classmates, but I wanted to come one more day after this. Since it is nearing the end of the school year, the EOC's are approaching. Ms. Johns wanted to establish what areas of the test each student needed help with. So, they spent the class doing a practice test. During this time, the other mentor and I walked around, making sure there were no phones, but they could listen to music, and seeing if anyone needed help understanding a question. It was pretty uneventful and most students did not need help.
While they took the test, Ms. Johns told us about how the previous school she worked at handled the EOC. Since she was near Atlanta, she said schools took it to the extreme to prevent any cheating. However, what she had to do sounded ridiculous. She could literally only say what the test booklet told her to say. She had to be walking around the entire test time, but could not look at the test. Each teacher had a bucket with the testing materials, and it had to go everywhere with her, even the bathroom. There was a teacher assigned to her hall in case she needed assistance or to go the bathroom, but as soon as the test started, Ms. Johns said they left. Surprisingly, the test is now on computers. And of course, the technology did not work. Ms. Johns had to help students without looking, and without any talking or behavior that could be seen as suspicious. Her stories made me hate standardized tests even more. I really am not looking forward to that. You have to learn how to take the test to do well, not know the material, and the writing format does not resemble the kind of writing students actually do. I'm worried about finding a way to teach material and teaching the test material. Students need to do well on the standardized tests, but they actually need to learn.
While they took the test, Ms. Johns told us about how the previous school she worked at handled the EOC. Since she was near Atlanta, she said schools took it to the extreme to prevent any cheating. However, what she had to do sounded ridiculous. She could literally only say what the test booklet told her to say. She had to be walking around the entire test time, but could not look at the test. Each teacher had a bucket with the testing materials, and it had to go everywhere with her, even the bathroom. There was a teacher assigned to her hall in case she needed assistance or to go the bathroom, but as soon as the test started, Ms. Johns said they left. Surprisingly, the test is now on computers. And of course, the technology did not work. Ms. Johns had to help students without looking, and without any talking or behavior that could be seen as suspicious. Her stories made me hate standardized tests even more. I really am not looking forward to that. You have to learn how to take the test to do well, not know the material, and the writing format does not resemble the kind of writing students actually do. I'm worried about finding a way to teach material and teaching the test material. Students need to do well on the standardized tests, but they actually need to learn.
My Tenth Day
On April 19th, I was expecting to work with Mr. Jones. Most of the days I arrived, he would not have anything for me, and I would go to Ms. Johns. However, he assured me he had specific students and assignments for me this day. But, many students were missing, and they all were the ones he had in mind. So, I went back to Ms. Johns. Anna was there as well.
The class had been working with Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." Today, they had a worksheet with different vocabulary words. There was a poetry term section and a literature term section. they had to find an example from the poem. I worked with one student, and it was a struggle. He was on his phone the whole time. Whenever I asked questions prompting him to work, he would just look for a second and say, "I don't know" until I basically gave him the answer. I tried to lead him to the answer, but I still haven't figured out a way to elegantly do that. Since he didn't know most of the terms, you would think he would pay attention when Ms. Johns went other the answers. He did not. This really frustrated me because it showed he just didn't care. I was mainly bothered because he was also always on his phone instead of listening, and I consider that really rude. Coming to terms with how much phone use there is has been difficult. I understand that students will use phones when they're supposed to be working, but he was texting while I was talking or Ms. Johns was. However, I could be misjudging the situation. There might be something going on with work or family, and he was dealing with it. I try not to assume, but it's difficult.
The class had been working with Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." Today, they had a worksheet with different vocabulary words. There was a poetry term section and a literature term section. they had to find an example from the poem. I worked with one student, and it was a struggle. He was on his phone the whole time. Whenever I asked questions prompting him to work, he would just look for a second and say, "I don't know" until I basically gave him the answer. I tried to lead him to the answer, but I still haven't figured out a way to elegantly do that. Since he didn't know most of the terms, you would think he would pay attention when Ms. Johns went other the answers. He did not. This really frustrated me because it showed he just didn't care. I was mainly bothered because he was also always on his phone instead of listening, and I consider that really rude. Coming to terms with how much phone use there is has been difficult. I understand that students will use phones when they're supposed to be working, but he was texting while I was talking or Ms. Johns was. However, I could be misjudging the situation. There might be something going on with work or family, and he was dealing with it. I try not to assume, but it's difficult.
My Ninth Day
On March 29th, I was in Ms. Johns's class, and the day took a different turn. I felt proud of myself for helping a student, but it wasn't help with writing. It was math, the Pythagorean Theory to be exact. Ms. John's is a fairly new teacher at Classic City. She told us she wanted to incorporate other subjects into her class, so she went to other teachers and asked what areas students needed help on. Apparently for math, it's explanatory writing. In one of the standardized tests, students had to explain in writing how they solved a math problem.
At the beginning of class, students had a journal writing. They had to write a paragraph about what they do when they come across a math problem they do not understand. For this assignment, I was paired with a girl whose first language was not English. Ms. Johns was struggling to get anything words or writing from her, so I worked with her while Ms. Johns helped others. Even though Ms. Johns started each sentence for them, I still couldn't get her to finish with her answer. She would just say "I don't know." So, I had her pretend she was in a math class, or any class. I would say, "Okay, you're in class and you don't understand the problem. What would you do next?" And she finally started responding. "I guess I would raise my hand." I continued to ask her what she would do next until she "solved" the math problem and finished the journal. Every time she answered, I made sure to be encouraging. A lot of these kids, and probably most students, really struggle with writing because they think they're terrible at it. So, whenever I work with a student and their writing, I give lots of compliments and encouragement.
The next part of class was the explanatory writing. They first did a worksheet individually to refresh how to solve the problems. Most of the students already knew. After, Ms. Johns took one of the problems and the class started to solve it step-by-step. I was looking around, and I noticed the girl I worked with on the journal was not writing and was looking around with that confused "What do I do?" look. So, I sat by her, and we quietly worked through the problem together. The majority of the class already knew how to do the math, so I think that's why Ms. Johns went a little too quickly. After she finished the problem, she just copied down what Ms. Johns wrote for the class's explanation.
Even though my main focus of the day was not writing, I still felt like I accomplished something. Mainly because this was math I could actually remember how to do, so I felt a little smarter than usual.
At the beginning of class, students had a journal writing. They had to write a paragraph about what they do when they come across a math problem they do not understand. For this assignment, I was paired with a girl whose first language was not English. Ms. Johns was struggling to get anything words or writing from her, so I worked with her while Ms. Johns helped others. Even though Ms. Johns started each sentence for them, I still couldn't get her to finish with her answer. She would just say "I don't know." So, I had her pretend she was in a math class, or any class. I would say, "Okay, you're in class and you don't understand the problem. What would you do next?" And she finally started responding. "I guess I would raise my hand." I continued to ask her what she would do next until she "solved" the math problem and finished the journal. Every time she answered, I made sure to be encouraging. A lot of these kids, and probably most students, really struggle with writing because they think they're terrible at it. So, whenever I work with a student and their writing, I give lots of compliments and encouragement.
The next part of class was the explanatory writing. They first did a worksheet individually to refresh how to solve the problems. Most of the students already knew. After, Ms. Johns took one of the problems and the class started to solve it step-by-step. I was looking around, and I noticed the girl I worked with on the journal was not writing and was looking around with that confused "What do I do?" look. So, I sat by her, and we quietly worked through the problem together. The majority of the class already knew how to do the math, so I think that's why Ms. Johns went a little too quickly. After she finished the problem, she just copied down what Ms. Johns wrote for the class's explanation.
Even though my main focus of the day was not writing, I still felt like I accomplished something. Mainly because this was math I could actually remember how to do, so I felt a little smarter than usual.
My Eighth Day
On March 24th, I was in Ms. Johns's class once again. At first, I thought I liked going to Mr. Jones's class more, but it seems like I'm mostly just looking over their shoulders to make sure they're doing their work. That happens in Ms. Johns's class, but I feel like I help more.
The class started with an online quiz. They were allowed to review as much as they wanted before they took the quiz. I went on Friday instead of Wednesday this week, so there were two other UGA mentors, all from my service learning class. We made sure no one had their phones out while they were taking the quiz. After they finished, they started a worksheet. She didn't put us with particular students, so we went around the class checking progress and asking if anyone needed help. It was kind of frustrating, because no one needed help. But, I used it to get a kid on task. If I saw them on their phone or just not doing the work, I would come over and ask if they were okay or needed help. They would say no and immediately get back to work.
One of the biggest challenges I think I faced so far is not getting frustrated at students who just do not care. Every student in the class, and Mr. Jones's class, is capable of doing well on the assignments, it's just getting them to do the assignment is the struggle. When either the other mentors, Ms. Johns, or I would get a student back on task, they would breeze through the assignment with little to no help. As a future teacher of teenagers who think doing well in school is uncool, I want to make my students excited to learn. I don't want to be that teacher with a million projects or lots of creative projects, but it seems like that's the main way to make learning less boring for students who dislike reading and writing.
The class started with an online quiz. They were allowed to review as much as they wanted before they took the quiz. I went on Friday instead of Wednesday this week, so there were two other UGA mentors, all from my service learning class. We made sure no one had their phones out while they were taking the quiz. After they finished, they started a worksheet. She didn't put us with particular students, so we went around the class checking progress and asking if anyone needed help. It was kind of frustrating, because no one needed help. But, I used it to get a kid on task. If I saw them on their phone or just not doing the work, I would come over and ask if they were okay or needed help. They would say no and immediately get back to work.
One of the biggest challenges I think I faced so far is not getting frustrated at students who just do not care. Every student in the class, and Mr. Jones's class, is capable of doing well on the assignments, it's just getting them to do the assignment is the struggle. When either the other mentors, Ms. Johns, or I would get a student back on task, they would breeze through the assignment with little to no help. As a future teacher of teenagers who think doing well in school is uncool, I want to make my students excited to learn. I don't want to be that teacher with a million projects or lots of creative projects, but it seems like that's the main way to make learning less boring for students who dislike reading and writing.
Monday, April 17, 2017
My Seventh Day
On March 15th, I was back in Ms. Johns's classroom. When I first arrived to Mr. Jones's class, he informed me they were trying out a new online system, so there wasn't much I could do. In Ms. Johns's class, they were working on an Ancient Greek handout. The handout was based on a website they had to navigate. Instead of helping one student, I walked around the classroom and checked on students' progress. Eventually, Ms. Johns put me with a student who was spending most of the time on his phone. To help him stay focused, I did the worksheet with him and helped him find the answers. It was actually pretty hard because the website was confusing and there were lots of different pages.
I think doing "scavenger hunts" on websites is a cool idea, but if the website is too confusing, and the questions aren't in order of how they appear, it can take longer. However, the students do have to read more carefully. For some questions, the student I worked with had to reread a page up to three times before he found the answer. In this time period, I think technology should play a big part in the classroom. While students aren't in school to be entertained, lessons should still be engaging, especially because many don't want to be there in the first place.
My Sixth Day
On March 1st, I was in Mr. Jones's class. Most students were working on a podcast assignment. They had to summarize the first six episodes, and then look up and define vocabulary words. He kept repeating he wanted students to do the assignment in that order: summarize and then vocabulary.
I worked with two students that day. For the first student, Mr. Jones told me he had a hard time staying on task, so I needed to monitor him while he worked on the assignment. As soon as I sat down, he got to work, but started the vocabulary section. I reminded him what the instructions were, but he wanted to go ahead and do the vocabulary since it was faster. In previous posts, I mentioned it felt weird being an authority, but I knew I had to this time. I explained that Mr. Jones said he wanted it done in a particular order multiple times and explain why that might be. By first listening to the podcast, then filling out the vocabulary, you could hear the words being used and understand the context. He did it in the correct order after I explained this, and finished pretty quickly.
The second student I worked with also had a hard time completing the assignment. He seemed mad about having to do it, so I asked what the podcast was about and got him chatting to lighten the mood. While he reread each episode's summary, he commented about what he thought about different characters and plots. He didn't need any help with the assignment itself. Like the first student, he just needed a little extra motivation.
After he finished, Mr. Jones tried to find someone else I could help, but no one did. Instead of waiting around, he let me leave.
This visit was pretty laid back. I mainly just made sure students were on task. I've noticed many assignments are easy to do, it's just hard to motivate the students to do them.
I worked with two students that day. For the first student, Mr. Jones told me he had a hard time staying on task, so I needed to monitor him while he worked on the assignment. As soon as I sat down, he got to work, but started the vocabulary section. I reminded him what the instructions were, but he wanted to go ahead and do the vocabulary since it was faster. In previous posts, I mentioned it felt weird being an authority, but I knew I had to this time. I explained that Mr. Jones said he wanted it done in a particular order multiple times and explain why that might be. By first listening to the podcast, then filling out the vocabulary, you could hear the words being used and understand the context. He did it in the correct order after I explained this, and finished pretty quickly.
The second student I worked with also had a hard time completing the assignment. He seemed mad about having to do it, so I asked what the podcast was about and got him chatting to lighten the mood. While he reread each episode's summary, he commented about what he thought about different characters and plots. He didn't need any help with the assignment itself. Like the first student, he just needed a little extra motivation.
After he finished, Mr. Jones tried to find someone else I could help, but no one did. Instead of waiting around, he let me leave.
This visit was pretty laid back. I mainly just made sure students were on task. I've noticed many assignments are easy to do, it's just hard to motivate the students to do them.
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