Go to your corner!

FINALLY! I finally feel like what I'm doing makes sense. Friday was the day my dream, future, and life came full circle. The students needed to finish The Color of Water for the four corners activity for Friday...Which was my day! Our discussion for the class was on controversy. I knew that the students would love this discussion because they are faced with controversial issues everyday. Some of the examples they came up with on their own filled me with a rush of excitement. The shouting of Woman's Right, Gay Rights, Racism, and War seemed to be flying at me like tennis balls. Every time I was hit with an idea it took my breathe away. All of this was done before the activity and the discussion of the book. What happened next was amazing! Controversial statements were written on the board for the students to read. They were given time to think it over and then they needed to decide: Agree, Disagree, Strongly Agree, Strongly Disagree. They were then asked to go to their corners and discuss with their groups why they came up with that decision. The discussion between the groups about the book could not have been more rewarding. The students really thought about the statement and the book. One of the statements revolved around the "American Dream." This was a very black and white area for the students. By the end of the lesson, my 3-2-1 showed that students realized there are different "American Dreams" for every person. I couldn't believe my thoughts meant something to them. Friday was the most rewarding day at as a teacher. Friday everything finally made sense.

Acceptance

After a stressful week at work and on campus it was refreshing to see my students. Even though I don't get to see them as often as I would like I still enjoy the short time I have with my British Literature classes. I've noticed a few students opening up a bit more to myself and Miss Harrington. They seem to trust who we are as teachers in THEIR classroom. I guess that is what I appreciate most about them; their accepting two strangers in the middle of the quarter. I guess that's where week two has lead me; Acceptance. Friday's class revolved around chronology and the characters within the novel The Color of Water. The class was asked to split up into groups of two or three to produce character webs or a timeline. Both of the activities were to be presented as a poster to hang in the classroom. Shortly after they were settled into their groups they started work on the activity they were given. Each group was unique in their procedure for their poster. Some students needed to have every line perfectly straight. Other groups decided that the messy approach made sense due to the novels duel memoir feel. I was very impressed to see how each group not only produced fun posters but how well they worked together while doing the poster. No one was singled out and no one was left to do the work all on their own. Each group accepted their members. As I was walking around helping students with specific questions that were foggy to their understanding of the text, I noticed one group putting pictures on their poster. The girl who was drawing in the group was no artist but she didn't care. She wanted to make the poster look better by adding colorful flowers, a stick figure bride and groom, a passport, and a few other visuals for their timeline. When she was asked about the flowers she said they were there for color. When I looked at the way she had placed each flower on the timeline I couldn't help but offer an idea about them. I asked her if I could run a small idea by her group in hopes that the group would like my idea. The group accepted to listen to my small and far-fetched idea. I mentioned that because it was a timeline of a character's life that the flowers could represent the life aspect of the timeline. The character in the book faced many hardships but she never gave up in life. The flowers could easily represent the positive side of her timeline. To my surprise the group liked my idea. Even though they hadn't thought of the idea themselves they accepted my far-fetched idea with a smile and a few laughs. I couldn't help but feel proud that I opened their minds to a new thought. The acceptance of my idea just added to my outlook on acceptance in my classroom. It gives me hope that when I do teach them next week they won't shut me out for 85 minutes.

First day!

5 things I learned my first day at Central High School. 1.) I learned that block periods are kind of beneficial when it comes to teaching. 2.) I learned that they have the same schedule every single day.... (Still wondering if I like that.) 3.) I learned that in the Providence school system, students must apply to which school they want to attend for that school year. (Slightly concerned about this.) 4.) I learned that students are still trying to be sneaky and take all 3 lunches. 5.) I learned that reading is and isn't an issue in the classroom. The one thing I can't seem to get passed after my first day is the no district policy in Providence. I like and understand that students are able to choose which school they would like to attend for the year; however, this can be a sticky situation. First period starts at 8:30 and ends at 10:01. At around 9:50 a young girl walks into class and leaves a pass on the teachers’ desk. When asked why she was late to class she simply said, "I missed the bus." Thought process: -Where does this girl live? -One bus causes her to be an hour and twenty minutes late? -Does she have to walk a far distance to her bus stop? I had more questions racing through my head and I wanted to sit with the student but then class was over. I asked my CT what the policy was for the districts and school system in Providence and was shocked to find that it was really every student for themselves. Growing up where I went to school things were much different. Students knew exactly where they had to go to school because of where they lived. I believe there are still some school systems that use this rule as a means to help both the students and the parents. It's bad enough when a student has to walk to school maybe 15 minutes away, however, 30-60 minutes is really pushing it. It makes me wonder if students who take public transportation get in trouble is the bus schedule isn't on time because of the bus drivers themselves? How can we blame the students for something they have no control over? After talking to my CT about the lateness within her classroom she told me it's not that big of a deal. If it is something she notices happening over and over again she will address the situation but she understands the difficult position some of her students are in when it comes to transportation, home life, and distance. It's something to pay attention to while I'm at Central for the next month or so. All school systems are different and deserve different methods of discipline for their students when it comes to tardiness. However, as a community we need to respect the variety of unfortunate events that can and will happen on a daily basis with our students.