Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Student Teaching - Day 65

Well, now that it's done and over, I have to say, it was worth all the sweat, tears, sleepless nights, anxious mornings and semesters of planning.  I really had a blast (even though that last sentence makes it seem really painful--but it mostly applies to the semesters leading UP to my Student Teaching.)

Today, Mrs. Josie surprised me with a book of notes from my students.

Book Cover
Honestly, I shed a few tears (some of laughter!) but all the notes were very sincere and sweet.  I'm going to miss everyone!  Here's a few of my faves just for kicks and giggles:

From a student who claimed to hate computers.

From his friend who loved computers and was VERY good at them.

From all the TA's

From a sweet girl obsessed with Cody, obviously.

From a student who had a traumatic experience at the begging of the semester.
She is seriously the braves girl in that whole school.
(Also very classy, sweet and smart.... and talkative.)
From an awesome TA who worked with me for two class periods.

From my students, some with disabilities, all of whom worked VERY hard to succeed in class!

From the Cody previously mentioned.
He was a sweet kid (even if he did flirt with all the ladies to the point of distraction -- which
was a problem that we worked together on until we were both happy with the arrangement).

In all reality, I am surprised at how easy it was for me to get into a groove.  It's like I got started, got busy and then looked up only to find that that I was at the end.  I am really grateful I had some serious support to make it fun.  Thanks to my cooperating teacher, Josie Reynaud, I can say that it was an amazing experience and very fun to complete!  She told me in the very beginning that the best way to keep my sanity was to go to lunch with her and the ladies every day.  Boy was she right!  Getting to know the Lunch Bunch (a group of VERY fun ladies who probably wish to remain anonymous!) made the time go faster and helped me to laugh at the stuff that didn't really matter.  I found that their friendship made me want to work in a school more than anything. It was nice to have teachers and staff members see me as a co-worker, even though I was a volunteer.  Thanks to everyone at SHHS who made me fall in love teaching!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Student Teaching - Day 63


During the first two weeks of class, I was required to record myself teaching.  That part wasn't very painful, but watching the video sure was!  In my last week of teaching, I decided to record my accounting class and see if I've made any progress.  I chose to use my accounting class as the test because it has been my most difficult subject to get a handle on.
Below is my reflection on both videos:

Recording # 1

1. What do you feel was successful in your teaching?
I had a good idea to get students involved.  It was clever to put the information at the student’s level so that they could connect with it.  I also did an ok job of explaining the concepts, though it would have been better to have more vocabulary.

2. What do you feel could use improvement in your teaching?
Everything!  I feel like I was not a very “with it” teacher in the video.  I look confused and like I don’t know what I’m doing and I feel really bad for my accounting class and how they’ve put up with my bad teaching.  I feel like I wasn’t teaching, I was just fumbling everywhere. I also talk too much to myself.  And I do too much walking back and forth from the front to the back because my materials were not together.  I also turned my back to the class while writing on the board.  I also had terrible wait time.
I had no idea that the student I wanted to involve (Porter) was just flirting with the girl in the front row the whole time.  I feel like every time I turned my back or was busy organizing my materials, he walked over to flirt with this girl, was talking to her, or getting her to walk over to him.  Not to mention him waving to the camera after finding a Kleenex.  I can’t believe that I was missing that the whole time!  I feel so oblivious!
I also noticed that it took me 15 minutes to get class going! If I was better prepared, then I could have used that time more wisely.  When I did get it going, I didn’t demand that people stop talking – or take over their screens to help them focus.  My introduction also took about 15 minutes instead of about 5 minutes. And it took me five minutes to get the document camera going.

3. What are your goals for improvement based on this experience?
I would like to develop better vocabulary to explain the concepts more clearly.
I would also like to do a better job of managing student behavior.
I would like to manage the technology and my materials better so that class runs more smoothly.
I would also like to use students’ names to reinforce correct information.

Recording # 2

1. What do you feel has improved in your teaching?
I feel that I am doing a better job monitoring the classroom, there was not as much wandering around and the students were doing a great job at focusing and going along with me.  I also did a better job of using their names to reinforce learning and I did a good job of listening to student responses.  I also did not get as confused with the content. I was much better prepared for this class than the lass class.  I also did a much better job of managing my materials and did not walk back and forth as much as the last class.  I was more clear in my directions and my transitions into activities were much smoother.

2. What areas do you feel could use improvement in your teaching?
I could do better at student recognition and letting the students shine when they have accomplished something difficult.  Students had just taken a test and I forgot to congratulate those who had done very well.  (I also did not say thank you to my student volunteer, or give him professional development bucks for helping me out!)
I could improve more by being better prepared with the material and practicing explaining it to myself a few times before I try to explain it to my students. I kind of got off track in my lecture, but I did do a better job of getting back on track to get class finished.
I did a good job giving hints that will help with the homework, so that students will not get confused (Ex: what recommendations to make to lower expenses).

3. What are your professional goals based on this experience?
I would like to develop more procedures to give students recognition in class.
I would like to study Accounting more so that I can be more comfortable with my content.
I would like to build stronger Teacher-Student relationships and do what I can to help them be successful.
I would like to relax, smile, have fun and be myself more in class.  It took me a long time to finally get comfortable enough with what I’m doing to have fun with the students.
I would like to find a more relaxed pace and not go too fast for the slower students.
I would like to develop more of my own curriculum pieces to help students learn to problem solve and get more creative in class.

Student Teaching - Day 59

Wow!  I made it to Spring Break!!  YAY!!!

I have so many goals I want to accomplish with this week of free time! I've made a huge to-do list of all the things I need to do before I can graduate (coming up in 26 days!):
  • Make a graduation invitation on facebook 
  • Complete the Utah State Ethics review online
  • Write my Graduation speech (I told you guys I was elected Valedictorian, right?)
  • Complete my interview assignment (I basically will give myself a job interview to prepare for future teaching positions -- post in the comments if you want to see it when it's done!)
  • Complete the grading assignment (I interviewed some teachers on their grading philosophies, feel free to read it here)
  • Complete Part III of my Senior Project.
  • Write my management case studies.
  • Make a vlog?
Well, the Vlog probably won't happen because I also have a huge to-do list for the wedding.  It includes:
  • Take my dress to the alterer
  • Drop off my ring to be resized (and pick it up a week later)
  • Go to my bridal shower at UVU
  • Go to my bridal shower in Logan
  • Keep bleaching my teeth!
  • Get some much needed rest!
Not to mention that I need to finish some projects for my students:
  • Grade Excel Projects
  • Prepare for Accounting lessons
  • Prepare review for Excel Test
  • Update Canvas pages for the rest of the term!
Let's hope I can get all this done and be ready to finish my student teaching with a BANG!

UPDATE:  I got really sick two days after writing up this list.  I think I finished about half of the items and managed to drag myself through the other half.  Thank goodness that I had time to just lay in bed and relax!  I guess I accomplished one of the goals for sure!

Student Teaching - Day 45

Sorry to disappoint, but videos will be rare from here on out.  Student teaching is taking up a lot of my energy and free time.  I don't think I will survive.

It's not that the kids are wearing me out or anything.  In fact, they are really great kids.  They rarely misbehave, and when they do it is usually because they are flirting with each other.

No, it's the wedding planning and being away from my fiance that are killing me.  Every day, I go to school and I teach and give and am selfless, and then by the time I get home, I have tons of emails, texts, phone calls and errands to run for the wedding planning.  Then of course, I want to take time to talk to my fiance, so by the time everything is in a stable condition (No! Not crossed off the to-do list!  Just in a manageable place!) I get to go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again. 

I have no idea how teachers have a life outside of their jobs.  I feel like I could always be tweaking and improving my instruction methods and course ideas.  Or grading.  Or building better student-teacher relationships. Or contacting parents.  Or brainstorming with other teachers.  There is just so much to do and so little time to do it!

So many days I send my students out of class and I wonder, did I really teach them anything?  What did they get out of today's lesson?  Do they feel that the work they are doing is important for their success in life, like I do?

Luckily, these questions don't keep me up at night.  Nothing does!  I'm too tired to think, I usually just collapse at the end of the day.  I can't keep this up forever, but I feel like it is worth it to pour my heart into my teaching and do my really best.  The good news is there are only 20 days left!  I hope I use them well!

Student Teaching - Day 33

"I was told that I had to give grades to the students, which I wasn't particularly interested in doing."

Today I interviewed some teachers about their grading philosophy.  Feel free to read the results below:

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Part I – Interview A
1.     Mr. Downey teaches Spanish and PE to sophomores and juniors.
2.     Mr. Downey believes that prompt feedback is very important. When they do a worksheet, he goes over it the same day with them in class.  For tests, he tries his best to have it back by the next class period (which is two days).
3.     Everything is graded, but often students grade their own work.  Sometimes it’s based on completion, but this way, students still have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
4.     His grades are based more on results, though there are opportunities to raise their grades by completing the assignments.  Some worksheets are graded on completion and others on accuracy.  The tests are based on results and are more heavily weighted than the assignments.  He does offer retakes on tests, so students can demonstrate learning with more practice, which is grading on effort and results combined.
5.     He believes that it is more important for students to know the material, so he accepts late work.  If the assignment is important enough he may set a deadline and accept it for full credit for 2-3 days; after that it earns half credit.  He’ll accept late work up until the unit is over.
6.     No, he doesn’t have participation points in Spanish.  In PE he does – but then it’s most of their grade.  In his Spanish class he does take time at the end of the term to go over the breaks in the grade and bump up students who are courteous, on time, as good questions and the like.
7.     Do it immediately – keep everything current.

Part II – Interview B
1.     Mr. Moody teaches English to juniors and seniors.
2.     He always updates SIS at least once per week.  Mr. Moody also assigns between 1-2 graded papers or tests per every class period, making sure that it is consistent with the unit and something they need to know.
3.     Everything is graded because students are smart and they know if it is not graded and then they believe that they don’t have to do well.  One of the major assignments is a 46 page research paper, which he goes through thoroughly to help students understand how to format large works.
4.     Ninety-nine percent of students’ grades are outcome based.  Mr. Moody recommended being very careful with credit for doing it because it deteriorates students’ ambition and desire for accuracy.
5.     Mr. Moody’s late work policy is very interesting.  At the beginning of every semester, he is very clear about his expectations and lays out the three scenarios for late work.  He explains it to students this way:
a.     If you are here the day the assignment is given, but you are absent the next time, you will turn it in when you come next.
b.     If you were absent the day that the assignment was due, then when we grade it in class, you will stay in the hall and then be prepared to turn it in next time.
c.     If you were here the day the assignment was given and the day that it was graded, but you did not complete it fully, then you may complete it for half credit.
I really like the way that he explains it from the student’s perspective.  He also takes great care to score everything at the beginning of class so that students who need more time could do it at home and that everyone can be prepared for learning today.  He said, “If you are clearer on your expectations, it makes less work for you.” 
6.     No, there are no participation points, but there are attendance points.  In the past at Payson High, he had a hard time getting students to come to class because so many parents would just excuse their students.  An unexcused absence is worth 6 points and a tardy is worth 4 points.  So students who are not on time will see it appear in their grade.  Yes, his policy is clearly explained every semester and it is in his disclosure.
7.     Best advice: Don’t let it pile up!  Do it every day! (Or at least every other day!)  There is no short cut.  Be efficient. Make-up work is the worst, but it’s unfair for us not to accept it from a student.  Just be clear and be consistent.

Part III – My Grading Beliefs
            Balancing between efforts and results seems impossible sometimes, but I believe that they can complement each other.  For example, on assignments, it is important that students really try their best and complete the work in front of them.  But to track improvement, it is also very important that they can demonstrate results on tests.  I will use a mixture of both because I believe it gives a fairer picture of what the students are capable of accomplishing.  In the business world it is all about results, but it is often the employees that give their best efforts that achieve those results.  So it is important to value both in the classroom.
            I will equally weigh assignments and tests because in the real world, it’s all about whether you can do the work and whether the work gets results (improves over time).  My break down will be similar to my cooperating teachers because it really fits the goals of a business department:
·               On Time Quizzes (20%) – like an attendance or participation category
·               Keyboarding (10%)
·               Assignments (30%)
·               Tests/Quizzes (30%)
·               Professional Development (10%) – requires students to take on outside projects that encourage students to gain professional experiences.
My late work policy will be to accept late work until the last day of the term.  I don’t like fighting students or disappointing them when they have turned something in after the fact.  I would rather count it and give them an opportunity to demonstrate their learning.  My cooperating teacher had the policy that you could complete it for up to one week late, but the second week it would be half credit and on the third week it is no longer accepted.  I find it so hard to keep track of and I just didn’t see how it helped the kids who really struggle.  On the other hand, if I did decide to adopt a more strict late policy, I would be sure to explain it to the students in terms of the working world.  For example, if you complete a report a few days late, your boss may not mind, as long as you discussed it with them ahead of time.  But if you come to your boss a month after the report was needed, they are going to look at you like your crazy because by now they need this month’s report – not last month’s report!  So I may decide to be strict later, but for now, I would rather help students succeed, no matter when they are ready.
I will allow test to be redone and any major assignments.  I have found that most students do not want to redo an assignment, so it is not that much more to allow them to redo them.
I do not like offering extra credit; however, I do like the idea of offering extra credit in the Professional Development category – because one can never have too many opportunities to grow professionally!
My plan to provide feedback to students is simple. Grade everything right away.  I plan to employ several TAs to help with grading the simple assignments and giving feedback on formatting.  I plan to grade the tests immediately and have them back to the students by the next class. I really like being able to share in student successes and give rewards to students who succeed so I value giving timely feedback.

Student Teaching - Day 30


I found out today that one of my students did indeed record our lesson on Making a Post!
I am flattered that he found it funny how I dance around the classroom looking like a fool.
But more importantly, I hope that he remembers the lyrics to our song on the test!
The song was originally titled, "I Take A Walk" and was written by Passion Pit.
I rewrote the lyrics to help my students remember the steps for accounting.