I haven’t had a roller coaster of a week like this since my first year… Both kids and adults had some real low points this week, BUT there were a couple of redeeming times that ALMOST made up for them.
Let’s talk about the lows:
1. Rushing kids into the hallway before they were quiet/mentally ready and having them flip out which required and an administrator to step in to yell at them for me…
2. Experiencing EXTREME disrespect from children who fight/yell/run in the hallway and having no idea how to respond…
3. Advising a mother to have her child skip a field trip… causing her to cry and me to feel HORRIBLE
4. Having girls repeatedly skip, come late, or leave class early and not having an effective consequence…
5. Having one of my best boys who I LOVE get in a fist fight with one of my boys who can’t HELP but to get into conflicts because I wasn't monitoring them.
6. Prepping my kids for standardized tests… with more standardized tests
And now a couple of bright spots:
1. Visiting a KIPP charter school, getting to observe the teacher who I replaced AND actually being able to bring a lot of what I saw BACK to my own classroom : )
2. Being observed by my PD from last year and having her see that kids are actually learning (at least a little bit) in my class!
3. Finding to great ways to start math that my kids REALLY enjoy
4. Having kids that ROCK: They were able to take a state test, do a make-up test when they were done and THEN go to math class… incredible!
Coming soon: The solutions to all the above low points… hopefully : )
Love!
Ms. Newton
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Where’s the Love?!
7th grade girls spell drama with a capital D, and I can’t handle it any more. This week girls that I had never seen before literally appeared in my classroom for the sole purpose of yelling at each other…
The other kids in the class either ate it up or were pissed that, once again, personal conflicts got in the way of us getting through an entire lesson which at this point is my number one frustration and concern. Once we get class going, everything is fine, but it’s like herding cats to get the whole class up from lunch, homework out and started on the work for the day… My only goal for the week is to speed up the process. The plan is to time EVERY transition and on Friday to reward the class that is more efficient. We’ll see how that goes : )
The other eye opener this week was that, with grades due for the 1st marking period, it was obvious who I had let fall through the cracks… There are a couple quiet girls and their parents in particular that I really need to reach out to. There are a ton of opportunities to ask for help, especially during the morning “37.5” minutes but students have to come. If I make sure to mandate the extra time as well as possibly splitting up the days based on gender, I wonder if attendance would increase.
Also, I have two students that it seems like no matter what steps I take to help remediate just do not understand the material. It has to be SO frustrating for them to come early, stay late, call me, and still fail every test. I am no expert on learning disabilities, but it definitely seems like they each have an additional hurdle that they are dealing with and that they could use some tools to overcome them. Unfortunately, having students evaluated for those resources is a process and parent support is required. However, not making this a priority last year is on of my greatest regrets, and I am committed to following through this time.
So, as always, there is lot to do and only a limited number of hours, but my prayer is that I am focusing my energy in the right direction to best serve my kids, and my biggest fear is that I am not…
Finally, I conducted Teach For America phone interviews yesterday to look for the upcoming core, and it’s interesting to see a) who is interested, b) why they are applying, and c) what are their qualifications. My group was a mixed bag, but I had a couple that will make excellent teachers for reasons that I don’t think I could have pinpointed a year ago, and I am just sad that I won’t be able to follow up.
I hope the fall continues to go well and that there is a lot for you to be thankful for during the upcoming holiday season. As always, my door is always open… we’ll I actually don’t have a classroom door, so come visit!
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
The other kids in the class either ate it up or were pissed that, once again, personal conflicts got in the way of us getting through an entire lesson which at this point is my number one frustration and concern. Once we get class going, everything is fine, but it’s like herding cats to get the whole class up from lunch, homework out and started on the work for the day… My only goal for the week is to speed up the process. The plan is to time EVERY transition and on Friday to reward the class that is more efficient. We’ll see how that goes : )
The other eye opener this week was that, with grades due for the 1st marking period, it was obvious who I had let fall through the cracks… There are a couple quiet girls and their parents in particular that I really need to reach out to. There are a ton of opportunities to ask for help, especially during the morning “37.5” minutes but students have to come. If I make sure to mandate the extra time as well as possibly splitting up the days based on gender, I wonder if attendance would increase.
Also, I have two students that it seems like no matter what steps I take to help remediate just do not understand the material. It has to be SO frustrating for them to come early, stay late, call me, and still fail every test. I am no expert on learning disabilities, but it definitely seems like they each have an additional hurdle that they are dealing with and that they could use some tools to overcome them. Unfortunately, having students evaluated for those resources is a process and parent support is required. However, not making this a priority last year is on of my greatest regrets, and I am committed to following through this time.
So, as always, there is lot to do and only a limited number of hours, but my prayer is that I am focusing my energy in the right direction to best serve my kids, and my biggest fear is that I am not…
Finally, I conducted Teach For America phone interviews yesterday to look for the upcoming core, and it’s interesting to see a) who is interested, b) why they are applying, and c) what are their qualifications. My group was a mixed bag, but I had a couple that will make excellent teachers for reasons that I don’t think I could have pinpointed a year ago, and I am just sad that I won’t be able to follow up.
I hope the fall continues to go well and that there is a lot for you to be thankful for during the upcoming holiday season. As always, my door is always open… we’ll I actually don’t have a classroom door, so come visit!
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
Sunday, November 1, 2009
End Of MP1.
Last Friday ended the 1st marking period of Year 2; it is CRAZY how fast time is passing. As a whole, it is impossible to express how or why this year is SO much better than my first. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have cried (which I couldn’t say about some weeks last year), and while there is still a ton to work on in my classroom, students are learning and no one (to my knowledge) has written a persuasive letter to the principal asking to be removed from my class (yea… that happened last year.)
This week was good but a crazy one. Finishing up the marking period always means a lot of completing late/missing work for the kids and a lot of reflecting on my part. So, while S was envisioning and writing about “her life as a Native American”, I was wondering how I could make sure kids were quiet in the hallway so other classes could continue even during transition periods, why the period after lunch always ends up being 25 minutes, how I can keep kids from going to the bathroom multiple times every day, and what to do about the extra 37.5 minutes I was given to help out my kids in the morning…
The Election Day PD is on Tuesday and there will be some changes come Wednesday. I’ll let you know : )
The other big part of the week was Halloween which included a fundraiser for the little girl in the DR that my homeroom sponsors, a “party” on Friday, AND gang initiation.
The fundraiser went really well, we sold “Halloween Candy Grams” (little notes that students could send around to a friend) for $1, and we surpassed our monthly goal of $35, and I was really proud of the kids.
BUT I was NOT proud of a lot of their behavior during the party on Friday… I had made treats for the kids and played music… however, this did not compare to the dance party in the other homeroom, and my kids felt terribly shafted by life and had the need to express their disappointment OVER and OVER again…. In the future, I will be more purposeful about making things “fair” and establishing realistic expectations.
Regardless, very few kids actually even experienced either party because of the “gang initiations” starting on the 21st and ending on the 31st. There were rumors that 140 girls were going to get “slashed” (when a gang initiate puts a long cut down someone’s cheeks) as part of the ritual. I’m not 100% sure if it is true, but everyone was extra careful at the end of the month, and about 50% of my kids stayed home on Friday out of fear of getting jumped after school…
SO, as always life in the Big Apple to be an adventure, but everyone is hanging in there and there is very little reason to complain.
I hope everyone had a successful and enjoyable Halloween; talk to you soon.
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
This week was good but a crazy one. Finishing up the marking period always means a lot of completing late/missing work for the kids and a lot of reflecting on my part. So, while S was envisioning and writing about “her life as a Native American”, I was wondering how I could make sure kids were quiet in the hallway so other classes could continue even during transition periods, why the period after lunch always ends up being 25 minutes, how I can keep kids from going to the bathroom multiple times every day, and what to do about the extra 37.5 minutes I was given to help out my kids in the morning…
The Election Day PD is on Tuesday and there will be some changes come Wednesday. I’ll let you know : )
The other big part of the week was Halloween which included a fundraiser for the little girl in the DR that my homeroom sponsors, a “party” on Friday, AND gang initiation.
The fundraiser went really well, we sold “Halloween Candy Grams” (little notes that students could send around to a friend) for $1, and we surpassed our monthly goal of $35, and I was really proud of the kids.
BUT I was NOT proud of a lot of their behavior during the party on Friday… I had made treats for the kids and played music… however, this did not compare to the dance party in the other homeroom, and my kids felt terribly shafted by life and had the need to express their disappointment OVER and OVER again…. In the future, I will be more purposeful about making things “fair” and establishing realistic expectations.
Regardless, very few kids actually even experienced either party because of the “gang initiations” starting on the 21st and ending on the 31st. There were rumors that 140 girls were going to get “slashed” (when a gang initiate puts a long cut down someone’s cheeks) as part of the ritual. I’m not 100% sure if it is true, but everyone was extra careful at the end of the month, and about 50% of my kids stayed home on Friday out of fear of getting jumped after school…
SO, as always life in the Big Apple to be an adventure, but everyone is hanging in there and there is very little reason to complain.
I hope everyone had a successful and enjoyable Halloween; talk to you soon.
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Things Are Picking Up.
"HE touched me, well SHE was looking at me funny, HE talked about my MOM… MS. NEwtoN!”
This week marks the last five days of the 1st marking period and school is now in FULL swing… Kids have remembered how much they like talking, remembered how much detention sucks, and then forgotten gain…. Love-sick middle schoolers have gotten together, broken up, broken heats, and “never even been noticed” by that special someone. They have loved me, hated me, and decided they loved me again… 7th grade is a roller coaster, and it’s best to just make sure you are buckled in.
School drama is ramping up but still manageable... “SmartBoard” distribution is tricky.
As far as learning goes (that’s the goal right?!) Teaching the same content in math a second year rocks, and kids are slowly but surely mastering the material. However, social studies reached a low point on the 16th when I realized how little content we had covered based on several factors including my inexperience and the glacial pace that 7th graders take notes… Fortunately, my predecessor had left me all of his materials (daily packets) that I had foregone using in order “to do it myself” (damn independent streak). But, this week I brushed them off, and I am happy to report a 90% average on the last exam : )
Yesterday included a great fieldtrip to the Bronx High School Fair. For those of you unaware, in New York City, middle school students must apply to high schools, similar to the college process for seniors. It is a matching process based on your grades, test scores, attendance record, etc… in which the kids rank their top 12 choices and are then selected by the high schools.
The high schools vary by selection requirements, size, focus, and everything else imaginable. And, if you aren’t careful, you can end up in a bad situation, so good information is key. The fair was overwhelmingly crowded but the kids learned a lot about the process, their choices, and enjoyed a mean game of Spoons over pizza after wards. Even one of my shyest student who attended e-mailed me to let me know she loved it.
So, there is one week to Halloween, followed by Election Day on the 3rd, and Thanksgiving shortly after… It doesn't appear that things are slowing down any time soon, but that’s part of it.
I hope all is well and that this fall is off to a great start for everyone. Talk to you soon.
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Some Weeks Are Sprints
How a week can be so short and still so exhausting is beyond me. This week NYC public schools had off because of Yom Kippur (a BIG "thank you" to all of my Jewish students… none actually come to mind). Tuesday was a “normal” day- well, as normal as kids can be after a 3-day weekend.
Wednesday was the trip to the American Natural History Museum (yep, the one from Night at the Museum AND The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). The trip was nearly a complete success except for the unfortunate fact that the general education teachers (that’s me) planned it just for the classes they teach- not the 7th grade special education or bilingual. This was a huge oversight on our part and caused some definite hurt feelings... We are now holding weekly teacher meetings, so this should NOT happen again.
Thursday and Friday were attempts to fit in a week’s worth of curriculum which went well enough. However, I have really been disappointed by the quiz grades so far… Because my management is SO much better this year, I just assumed that kids were “getting it.” Unfortunately, that is ABSOLUTELY NOT the case (especially in Social Studies), so it’s back to the drawing board to brainstorm some ways to make the lessons/key points more memorable to my students... We're talking about study skills on Monday! PS: Please send any ideas my way.
Next week is a long one- 5 days plus a graduate school midterm and project BUT it’s followed up by Columbus Day. God bless that man and his accidental “discovery.”
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
PS: There are very few things that I love more than NYC adn Central Park in the fall. The humid summer leaves behind air that is thin and crisp and the outdoors smell like apples and Halloween. Please come visit!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Week2… And Done.
The 2nd full week has come and gone, and I continue to learn more about my students each day.
For example, we had our first test this week, and while kids conceptually understood all the questions, many made so many multiplication/division errors that the grades were less-than-stellar. The difficulty with teaching math really is that students 1) are at SO many different levels and 2) are certain that they are “not good at math” NOT because they are not capable but because some past teacher did not do their job of imparting them with the basic skills that are critical as they advance in school…
So, academically-speaking, it was definitely a learning week for me. However, I also continue to discover more about their personalities each day. This week, a conflict between my girl, C, and my man, M2, blew my mind. It started with an “I thought she was talking to me, so I told her to shut up,” and ended with an “I’m going to have my cousin come in and kick your ass.” Nearly all fights start with something stupid, but I am constantly surprised by how quickly things can escalate, esp. in the middle school.
Additionally, it seems that in the Bronx, there exists a particular need for respect that when broken (or perceived as broken) can turn a simple conflict into a full-on fight. It is often a class conversation, and I have still not been able to figure out exactly how to personally deal with it other than watching what I say trying to make sure that I’m always perceived as fair and respectful.
Hmm… more on that later.
Other highlights included a 7th/8th grade parent’s night that was slightly changed by the administration and didn’t have quite the expected turnout but ended up being a successful evening complete with a mom bringing in Mangú (Dominican mashed plantains) as a thank you the following day AND a chance to talk to the parents of both kids involved in the conflict. Also, I have found some EXCELLENT classroom helpers that have simplified my life.
Yom Kippur on Monday (yay!) and a fieldtrip to the Natural History Museum on Wednesday :) hopefully mean that this week will be a much-needed time for student and teachers to recharge.
I assume the fall and its accompanying nostalgic feelings have found you as they have found us here in NYC. Enjoy the cooler weather, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
For example, we had our first test this week, and while kids conceptually understood all the questions, many made so many multiplication/division errors that the grades were less-than-stellar. The difficulty with teaching math really is that students 1) are at SO many different levels and 2) are certain that they are “not good at math” NOT because they are not capable but because some past teacher did not do their job of imparting them with the basic skills that are critical as they advance in school…
So, academically-speaking, it was definitely a learning week for me. However, I also continue to discover more about their personalities each day. This week, a conflict between my girl, C, and my man, M2, blew my mind. It started with an “I thought she was talking to me, so I told her to shut up,” and ended with an “I’m going to have my cousin come in and kick your ass.” Nearly all fights start with something stupid, but I am constantly surprised by how quickly things can escalate, esp. in the middle school.
Additionally, it seems that in the Bronx, there exists a particular need for respect that when broken (or perceived as broken) can turn a simple conflict into a full-on fight. It is often a class conversation, and I have still not been able to figure out exactly how to personally deal with it other than watching what I say trying to make sure that I’m always perceived as fair and respectful.
Hmm… more on that later.
Other highlights included a 7th/8th grade parent’s night that was slightly changed by the administration and didn’t have quite the expected turnout but ended up being a successful evening complete with a mom bringing in Mangú (Dominican mashed plantains) as a thank you the following day AND a chance to talk to the parents of both kids involved in the conflict. Also, I have found some EXCELLENT classroom helpers that have simplified my life.
Yom Kippur on Monday (yay!) and a fieldtrip to the Natural History Museum on Wednesday :) hopefully mean that this week will be a much-needed time for student and teachers to recharge.
I assume the fall and its accompanying nostalgic feelings have found you as they have found us here in NYC. Enjoy the cooler weather, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Lots of love,
Ms. Newton
Monday, September 21, 2009
Eek. Where do we live?
Ok, teaching Social Studies is mind blowing. I have tried to start out easy to make students feel confident. The question of the day, "What country do you live in?" wasn't quite the low ball I excpected. After receiving "North America" and "New York" as responses, I realized that my work was going to cut out for me this year...
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