Mid-Year Challenges: Introducing New Students Into the Classroom

By Dana Berens – After having a three-week (spring) break, getting back into the swing of the classroom was tough!

While it made me appreciate the calendar set up of a year round school, it also surprised me how long three weeks was. While it was fantastic prep time, the one thing I could not prep for was the new students waiting for me.

I know, and have heard constantly in my four years at Marquette, that as educators we need to constantly expect the unexpected. Always be on our toes. Stay spontaneous.

I had considered the possibility of one new student joining the classroom after break…but when I found out that there would be three, it blew my mind.

Three more copies of the already planned week needed to be run off. Three more folders needed to be prepped for homework. Three more students need to be tested and assessed to decide which differentiated group they should be in. three new personalities and behaviors to blend into an environment. It is a lot, and one more reality check of being in the classroom.

What seemed to be a stressful situation, at first, shortly became a great experience. Not only was I tested in my preparation and organization, but I was also given the experience to introduce and integrate new students into the classroom. In addition, I was able to observe my students as they took on peer leadership roles. They offered to show students which stations to work at, where to get materials, where to sit at lunch, and played with them at recess.

It was a breath of fresh air to see my students, who can be quick to be feisty, remain calm and take on mentoring roles for the newcomers. Seeing my student’s kindness and maturity is another silver lining to hold on to for those days where 4:00 cannot come soon enough.

Student Teaching: Defining the Lines Between Teacher and Friend

By Dana Berens – In many classes at Marquette, we learn that one of the most important traits for being a good teacher is to have unconditional positive regard for all students.

We also learn to be a custodian of knowledge, a content expert, and a guide through the information we are bringing to or providing for our students. As a student teacher, I have significantly less experience in these three areas than my cooperating teacher. I also have significantly less experience at navigating the difficult boundary between friend and teacher.

One obstacle is creating a trusting emotional relationship with students. From my experiences at day camps, day cares, and babysitting, I can establish relationships with children well. But these settings provide for a more playful authoritative relationship. At school, I still need to maintain a professional relationship while showing that I still care.

My first graders often tell me things like: “you are my friend,” “ I love that we are best friends,” and “you are so nice to me!”

I always tell them that it is nice being their friend too and getting to know them, but wonder if this will make discipline more difficult.

A second obstacle I face, being a young teacher, is that so many students in the MPS system have siblings around my age. They know how to make me laugh, know how to look up to me as an adult, but also how to flip the attitude switch on. When this happens, I can’t help but feel they do not see me as an adult, and the friendship piece has a part to do with this. While I am able to discipline students, how much does “friendship” with student’s blur the authoritative role, especially for a younger teacher such as myself. I want them to know I care for them, but sometimes cooperating teachers feel I come about this in too casual of a manner.

As a teacher, especially in inner city schools, I think it is fundamental that students know you care, and that you will be a constant in their lives day in and day out. I want them to feel comfortable with me and trust in me. I want them to know I care for their academics, but equally for their well-being.

I feel that establishing this relationship is hard, without coming down to their age once in a while, but is this just a naïve notion? Will it hurt me in the long run in terms of discipline?

Thank Goodness for the Internet: Resources for New Teachers

By Nicki Thompson – Another school year is just around the corner.

Kohl’s is full of parents with cranky kids, the back corner of Target has been taken over by Mead, Bic, and FiveStar, OfficeMax is busier than any other time of the year, and teachers are beginning In-Service.

Hundreds of new teachers are entering the classroom for the first time on their own after student teaching. There’s no Co-Op there to back you up, and you have to find where the school library and copy room are on your own. You have to set the tone for the rest of the year! It is now your syllabus and your own classroom expectations and procedures.

It’s actually really terrifying. Luckily, new teachers are entering the world of education in 2012, not 1952. We have an amazing, enormous resource: the internet. Below I have listed my favorite websites and blogs to find ideas and resources to use in the classroom. Enjoy!

**Note: These websites are just things I have found on the internet. I am in no way associated with any of these companies or people.

Resources for All Teachers (K-12)

SmartExchange for SMART Board
If you are lucky enough to have a SMART Board in your room, I hope that you are using the Smart Notebook software! They just updated it to Smart Notebook 11 and I love the changes they made with the new version. A less-well-known treasure trove of resources is called SmartExchange, where other teachers post files you can download for free. Jeopardy games, fun activities, and lessons for any content area are available and I’ve found some great things there. It’s worth a look so you don’t have to re-invent the wheel.

Pinterest
I am so thankful that Pinterest took off while I was starting to teach. Wow. If you haven’t used it to find lesson ideas, organization tips, games, activities, bulletin board inspiration, and classroom management strategies, you aren’t using Pinterest to it’s full potential. Look around!

3M Post-It Activity Center
Any of my former or current students or co-workers will tell you that I love post-its. Turns out other teachers love post-its just as much as I do, and have posted templates and ideas to use post-its for classroom organization and lesson ideas.

Teachers Pay Teachers
Teachers Pay Teachers “is an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell original downloadable educational materials, hard goods and used educational resources.” There are often good sales going on, and many teachers will list their materials for free. You can see a preview of different things before you decide to purchase them, and most are available for under $5.

Vistaprint
You can get absolutely anything printed through Vistaprint and they have great sales all the time. I imagine that there are hundreds of other uses for this website, but I have personally used the post-its (surpise, read above) and the business cards. I got a mini version of my writing rubric printed on a post-it so that I can just stick it on the student’s assignment (they get a full copy of the rubric at the beginning of the year). I use the “business cards” as my bathroom passes (5 per quarter), quiz re-takes (2 per quarter), and late homework passes (5 per quarter). I just punch the hole when a student uses one. So easy!

Twitter
Thousands of educators use Twitter as a learning community. For example, every Thursday night at 7 PM central time, #langchat happens. This is a group of foreign language teachers that discuss a different topic every week, like differentiation, listening activities, flipping the classroom, etc. I do not know about other hashtags like #langchat, but I am sure they exist.

Resources for Elementary Teachers

Mr. Printables
This website is incredible. Everything is FREE and you can find activities, decorations, worksheets, coloring pages, and lots of resources. This website is also great for parents because there’s a section for kid’s birthday party ideas. I found some great printable world flags that I’m going to put up in my classroom!

A Love for Teaching
Written by a second grade teacher, this blog is one of my favorites (even though I teach high school!). She has lots of creative ideas, especially for classroom layout, decorations, and classroom management.

Clutter Free Classroom
The name is a pretty clear description of this website. This teacher, who has taught kindergarten, first, and second grade has great organization tips, and classroom theme ideas.

Teaching in Room 6
Wow! As a high school Spanish teacher, I have gotten so many ideas from an upper grades elementary teacher. She loves VistaPrint, too! She has awesome ideas specific to units and themes that are taught in 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade.

Resource for World Language Teachers

The Creative Language Class
WOW! I would not have survived as a new teacher if it were not for this blog. But really. The blog is written by two teachers from Kentucky who work in Louisville and have refreshing ideas for keeping foreign language class engaging and communicative. This website is my saving grace whenever I feel low on energy or inspiration.

Endings Lead to New Beginnings

By Stephanie Rappe – As I look at my third graders now, I can see how much they’ve grown since the beginning of the year.

Not only have they grown taller, but many of them have a new found sense of maturity. Unfortunately some of this maturity has caused some drama to emerge among the girls in my class, but for the most part they still get along.  If you observe, you’ll see that the girls are starting to refer to each other as “new best friends” and “old best friends” and are giving each other labels.  They also seem to be separating into groups based on whether they are American Hmong and Traditional Hmong –which means that they’ve lived in Thailand and still follow the culture traditionally at home. The labels for the boys, on the other hand, seem to focus on how athletic and/or smart they are. I see cliques forming and some personalities becoming more apparent and obvious.

In the midst of all that personality development, it’s been strange see that most of the students don’t look forward to summer vacation.  Many claim that that their summers are “boring.”

The fact is, a good percentage of these students live in poverty and don’t have the opportunities to take part in many of the summer activities that we take for granted — things like visiting new place, taking a trip, going to the park, store, or pool are luxuries for many. I worry about a lot of the kids that tell me they are left alone and bored in the summer because I know their minds aren’t being stimulated and they aren’t being watched closely. I also worry about those kids who don’t practice their English at all during the summer because they are the ones who will have the most difficult time getting back in the routine once they get back to school in the fall.

I’ve been with this same class from the end of their 2^nd grade year until now.  It’s difficult to believe that they are ready to move into the 4^th grade.  So much has happened over the course of the last 17 months and I will never forget this first group of kids.  I think about them so often, and in many ways, they’re so much a part of my life that just about everything I do is for them.

We’ve done so much growing together.

It’s difficult to fathom that next fall I get a new group of kids and start all over again from square one.

Beginnings and Endings

With less than a month to go, it is hard to believe that this year is coming to an end.  It feels as if just yesterday I was setting up my classroom trying to prepare myself for my first year.

Now, as I begin to put things away for the summer, I can’t help but think about how wonderful this year has been. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely times when I wanted to pull my hair out because I was so stressed or tired, but overall, this year has been great.

Although teaching may be one of the hardest jobs in the world, I cannot think of a job that could be more fulfilling.  After looking back at my students quarter one assessments, I am so pleased to see the progress my students have made.   It is going to be very hard to let my students go but I am eager to start a new year now that I know how the flow of the year goes.

The most helpful thing I was given this year was the chance to teach with a veteran teacher.  It is amazing to see the experience and wisdom that comes with many years of teaching.  I would advise any first year teacher to find a veteran teacher to team up with or to find someone with many years of experience to often talk to and seek help from.  I was lucky enough to have one in the room next to me and I was in her room almost every day seeking advice, asking questions, and sometimes just needing encouragement.

I learned so much from her this year and I am still learning more and more every day.  I hope that all first year teachers will be given the same opportunity.

Planning vs. Flexibility: Which one wins out in the classroom?

By Stephanie Rappe – In the teaching profession I have caught myself wondering if it is more important to be well planned or flexible.

I spend hours writing out detailed lesson plans that include goals, objectives, vocabulary, topic questions, essential questions, and building background knowledge. My plans are written down to the minute so that I am able to make the most of my time with my students. Lately, I have found that I don’t have time to finish or don’t get to some of my planned activities at all due to interruptions in the day.

Don’t get me wrong, majority of the interruptions are worthwhile and educational, but it is frustrating to have a lesson plan go to waste.

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been so many things added to the third grade agenda that tend to take over and consume my plans. We have a nutritionist that is starting to come once a week, MAP testing, Student of the Month assemblies, field trips, a guest speaker for Science, a uniform assembly, QRI testing, Specials, and a mandatory reading program done in the computer lab 3 days a week. (And this is just an example of the April and May interruptions)

Although many of these activities are exciting learning experiences for the kids, it has been difficult for me, as a teacher, to keep up. With all of these extra things added into our schedules, I am forced to cut down and sometimes skip lessons. I’ve found out the hard way to always have a lesson plan for the time slot of these activities in case it is cancelled.

Last week, Hmong Culture was cancelled, which is an everyday special. It was cancelled after recess so I had to be flexible and stretch out a lesson and then create another one on the spot.

This week, a recycling presentation that had been planned for weeks was cancelled on the morning it was supposed to take place. So, again, I had an hour time slot to fill for this presentation that quickly became another test of my flexibility. It’s an awful feeling to have nothing planned, and an awful feeling when you’re unable to use your plans or need cut them short.  It seems as if there is no way to win this one!

Instances like these have led me to believe that flexibility, organization, and patience are absolutely keys to being a successful teacher. You have to take the surprises as they come to you, and do your best to make the most of every situation.

If I Could Start Over: Advice for a First-Year Teacher

By Colleen Ryan – If someone tells you that they were 100% prepared for their first year teaching, odds are they are not being truthful.  In fact, I don’t think there is such a thing as being 100% prepared as a teacher.   I spent part of my spring break reflecting on how this year could have gone better, and what areas of my teaching need to be improved.

I thought a lot about the advice I would give if I could start the year over and decided to share it for any new teachers out there.

1. Organization:  Staying organized can save you a substantial amount of stress.  I feel as though no matter how much I organize there is always a “papers to go through” file in my desk. However, I am not only talking about organizing papers but also organizing your schedule, to do lists, deadlines, and your personal life.  I attended a professional development that introduced me to different strategies to help me organize all of the things I mentioned above, and it has been a lifesaver.  The most useful part was learning how to plan my prep period; it is very easy to let different things take over that special time I get, student misbehaviors, checking my email, doing random tasks, etc.  I wish I would have known from the beginning to have specific plans for any free time I have during the day, this makes getting my most important things done a lot easier.
2. Relationships:  I always knew it was vital to build a relationship with each student, but never thought much of building relationships with my co-workers until I began the year.  I find myself very lucky because the faculty and staff at my school are so wonderful, it was easy to build relationships from the start and I am so thankful I did.  Being able to ask other teachers for help, advice, or suggestions has been so helpful to me in this first year.  I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through the year without the support of some of my co-workers.
3. Importance of songs, poems, and little tricks:  This may be because I teach kindergarten but I have found these are key to my students remembering important concepts.  I could tell my students the same thing ten times and find that some just cant remember, but the second I make it into a little song or even add some rhythm to a sentence it is as if it is in their head forever.  Not only does it make it easier to remember but it also makes it more fun! (for me and them!)
4. Reflecting and remembering:  Going along with number 3, it is SO important to write these kind of things down.  I wish I would have written down all the tricks I used from the first half of the year because I know next year I will forget some that worked well.  I also have found it very useful to take ten to fifteen minutes after each day to write notes on my lesson plans of things that went well, and things that needed to be done differently.  This helps me reflect on my own teaching and remember things for next year.

Rolling with Changes: Parent Teacher Conferences & School Uniforms

By Stephanie Rappe – Every quarter I get a nervous knot in my stomach before Parent Teacher Conferences.

I don’t know why I continue to have this feeling when they always go smoothly.It is very rewarding to talk to the parents about their kid’s progress and see how proud some of them are of their child. It is also nice to talk with a parent about a student who is having problems because then they want to become part of the solution to redirect the student.

One large barrier at our school is that most of the parents don’t speak English, so they are unable to help their children at home. Therefore, those parents who have a child who is struggling often feel somewhat helpless. As a teacher, I also feel sort of stuck because I do all that I can during the day, but I know when they go home they are on their own.

I have become more comfortable with using a translator during my conferences. I used to feel a little awkward, but now I am able to really embrace it. It is so cool to hear them talking in their native language and then have someone tell me exactly what they said. I wish I had a translator during the day for when my students are speaking Hmong. I feel like language is sometimes a barrier between some of my students and me. There has been talk about having a Hmong paraprofessional for each classroom or grade level, and I think that would be so beneficial for our kids. It would allow them to get the clarification they need in their native language. In addition, I would feel better knowing that my ESL students heard new concepts in both English and Hmong.

The school is also preparing to institute a school uniform policy. There are so many pros and cons being discussed as we move forward. Some students are excited because they think the clothes look nice. Others are sad because they won’t be able to wear the styles and patterns that they choose. Some older students have said that the uniforms don’t allow them to express themselves, while others think that it makes the school more united and more like a family. Older students have gone on field trips to other schools to observe schools that have uniforms. The purpose of this is to allow the students to notice how it looks and gain the students’ buy in.

As a teacher, I see older students judge one another on things that they wear and I think that wearing uniforms will be a great equalizer for them. Since they will all be in a uniform there will not be an opportunity to judge one another based on what they are dressed in. Teachers have also made the point that you act how you are dressed, and if the students are dressed in blazers, collared shirts, and ties then they will act more professional and serious towards their education. It should be interesting and exciting to see whether or not the students embrace the uniforms next year.

Building Immunity & Encouraging Literacy

By Stephanie Rappe – It’s difficult to remember the last time I was in good health since I started my first year of teaching. No amount of hand sanitizer can prevent me from all of the germs and bacteria that travel in a classroom. It seems that if I don’t have a soar throat, I have a fever, and if I don’t have a fever I have a stuffy nose. I’ve come down with some of the most bizarre sicknesses, and every time I see a doctor they tell me it’s the curse of being a first year teacher. However, the doctor also said that after my first year my immune system will be much stronger and more able to fight against all these germs that I encounter on a daily basis. Can’t wait for next year!

On a different note, I’ve been working closely with the literacy coach the past couple of weeks to make the Reading block more engaging and beneficial for the students. We have created stations that the kids rotate through that involve writing, fluency, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and whichever reading skills we are focusing on that week. The literacy coach has been in the room to help implement the stations, and it has been so nice having more than one adult in the room. The students are given more individual attention, and working with small groups is much more feasible.

Another exciting reading improvement my class has made is with our school’s Reading Challenge. Each child has a goal of reading 10 books by the end of May. For each book that they read they receive a certificate and a sticker for the chart that is hanging in the main hallway. This chart allows everyone to track each other’s progress and see how each class is doing compared to the other classes and grades. Each child has to complete an independent reading packet afterwards so that I can make sure they’ve read the entire book and comprehended the sequence of events. Once the students read 5 books they get a bracelet and a free 20 minute gym period. Once the students read 10 books they will be able to participate in a Field Day in June. During this Field Day there are planned outdoor activities for the students to take part in.  This competitive reading challenge has vastly motivated my students. It is incredible to see students working exceptionally hard to earn these rewards.

Field Trips: Opening New Worlds

By Colleen Ryan – Driving down I-94, I watched each one of my students eyes light up as we approached the downtown area.

The buildings, the letters, the people, the lake, everything had them saying “ooo” and pointing out the windows.  It was this moment that made me realize how valuable out of classroom experiences are for my students.  We were on our way to the art museum to connect different pieces of art to our use of senses.  Before we got off the exit ramp my students had thousands of questions about downtown Milwaukee.

“Why are the buildings so tall?”
“Do people live in them?”
“How come there are so many different ones?”
“Is that an ocean?”

These were just some of the questions that spilled from the lips of my students.  Then we got to the art museum. We had practiced our “gallery hands” and our museum etiquette to help us prepare.  From the moment we walked in my students were in awe.  They had never seen anything like it before.  From armor, to paintings to sculptures, their eyes got bigger and bigger.  I got to see joy, excitement, and curiosity on each of my students faces again and again.

It made me pause to think about how valuable these simple experiences are for most of my students.  I thought about how some might never otherwise have the opportunity to go to a museum, or even see the downtown area.

This trip allowed my students to not only learn more about their senses, but opened their eyes to a whole different part of the world (even though it was just 20 minutes away).  I believe that well planned field trips are so important for young kinds to be a part of. It allows them to not only practice school content, but work on life skills as well.