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

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...

"He's a Mathemagician"

On Thursday we played "Around the World" in class. It's a great game where kids challenge each other one-on-one solving mental math problems with the goal of beating everyone in the class and making it "around the world."

One of my students who struggles in certain subjects stood up, and you could tell the students were a little nervous and expected him to quickly get out. However, much to everyone's surprise (including my own) he began DOMINATING. Someone had obviously drilled him on his multiplication facts, and he quickly beat 10 other students.

This went on: students cheered, clapped, and one exclaimed, "He's a mathemagician!"

It's my new favorite word, and I hope you add it to your own vocabulary repertoire.

Only in the Bronx...

Yesterday I walked by a man selling live lobsters on the street corner. He was walking around with two in his hands: little rubber bands over their claws and all.

I was on my way to lunch and didn't have any cash, but I wish I did...

Year TWO.

Hello, and welcome to Year 2 of my Teach For America experience. I have just completed the first FULL week of teaching at my new school after a LONG, MUCH NEEDED summer, and I can NOT tell you how different the second year feels already.

After the first day which was followed by 5 hours of grad school (joy), my teaching friends and I cautiously shared stories of first day AWESOMEness- worried that someone's day was less-than-stellar and not wanting to gloat. Thankfully, our fears were unfounded, and we quickly realized that nearly everyone was able to have their children walk in two straight (well... straightish) lines without talking – a feat NEVER accomplished by the average 1^st year.

So, a quick recap on my new teaching situation. I now teach math and social studies to two sections of 7^th grade- 701 and 702- with about 32 kids in each class. Similar to my last school, the students are mostly Latin- Puerto Rican and Dominican. In general, my kids this year are AMAZING. They are well trained (thank you, 6^th grade teachers) to work and to be respectful. They are also SUPER enthusiastic to learn.

I have hit up most of you for IU and Purdue apparel because the classes were dubbed the “702 Hoosiers” and “701 Boilermakers” which they LOVE. At the most recent “Big 10 Kickball Game”, I count tell you how many “Boiler ups” and “HOOsiers” I heard.

Teaching itself is going well, and the kids really appear to be comprehending the material… However, I will give you the full update AFTER their 1^st tests this week.

In general, so far so good. I am still cautious that things could turn sour any day, but 7 good days- I will take them : )

Love!

Ms. Newton

PS: Shout Out to Alicia for being the first to visit my classroom this year. You are obviously ALL invited, and I would love to see you in the BRONX soon!

Quick Summer Update.

Well, I have not truly interacted with a middle schooler in at least a week, but that does not mean that I haven’t been working hard for the (wo)man (Wendy Kopp, that is) over the summer.

Last Tuesday, I finished my two grad classes: Calculus 2 and another random course that covered pretty much the exact same material that I taught this year. Six hours a day at Lehman College may not have been my ideal way to spend my summer; however, it did add structure to my day, allow me to see my TFA friends, and bolster my teaching confidence. What ended up happening in the non-calc class was the teacher was so frustrated by the dichotomy of levels (tfa and non-tfa) in the course, that he had us teach the other students. It ended up surprisingly well, and I am happy to say that “my pupil” called today to tell me that she received an 80% on the final!!! Maybe I should look into adult education…

Immediately after grad school finished up, my apartment turned into a veritable Hotel Manhattan, and I enjoyed the company of my brother and his IU friends as well as one of my best friends, Emi, who is a TFA teacher in Indy. The two trips were very different, but I thoroughly enjoyed the company of both Len and Emi and encourage anyone interested in visiting the Big Apple to come any time : )

As a whole, the summer has been AMAZING. A great chance to reflect, enjoy the company of friends, explore New York and to look at the bigger picture of the education reform that is so necessary to improve our country and the lives of its citizens ( a great article, btw: http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/achievement_gap_report.pdf). People warned me that I would get bored, but I certainly have not experienced that yet...

Regardless, I am getting progressively more excited for the start of the school year. I met with the 7th grade team last week for an extremely productive meeting, and I promised myself to put in a couple solid 9-5ers this week to prepare next year's materials. The thing that I am most excited about, however, is to meet my kids, and I am hoping for a Back-to-School Bash soon ; )

However, there is still a month left, and Friday brings a trip to Colorado to celebrate Jess and Graham’s wedding! Make sure you send a shout out if you have the chance.

Ok, well, if I am going to actually be productive tomorrow, that’s going to require some sleep tonight. I hope that everyone is thoroughly enjoying their respective summers, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Lots of love,
Ms. Newton (Katie for the rest of the month)

PS: My goal is to get a cross country team started at 211. Please check up on that and send any coaching advice…

School's Out For Summer : )

Ok, I am officially the worst blogger every, and for those of you that have continued to check despite my lack of new entries thank you: ) I promise to keep it up next year.

Where to begin… well, since I last posted, I am happy to report that my classroom has continued to get MUCH better towards the end of the year. It may have been the constant fieldtrips to hold over their head, their new-found maturity as 8th grade approached, or the swine flue epidemic that kept a number of students home that initiated the improvement. However, whatever the reason, my kids and I finally found the groove and math was a much better place.

All things considered, the year ended of on a high note. The last day of school was a tear-filled mess when 753 parted ways knowing that things would never be quite the same after the summer. 753 had become a family- dysfunctional at times- but a place where quirks and struggles (from the students and adults alike) were embraced and everyone supported each other. Even Lionel, the class clown who bragged about being at the school longer than all of his teachers (it took him a couple of times to pass 6th grade) had to excuse himself to the bathroom because “he had something in his eye.”

After school, I met with my principal for my review. I was really excited that she recognized my growth, and we agreed that I was in a good place for the 2nd year. Unfortunately, after the review, I received the news that I feared the most. Because of the recent budget cuts, there was no way that the school could pay two math teachers per grade. Thus, the other first year math teacher and I were being “excessed”- cut from our school and asked to find another teaching job somewhere else. I was devastated. I had finally felt confident at 303 and was really looking forward to teaching 6th grade the following year. I hadn’t even had a chance to tell my kids goodbye…

Yuk… well, there was nothing I could do about it. So, I informed Teach For America and arranged an interview the following Friday. I took a trip to PS 211 about 3 miles away from my old school and was given a job on the spot- 7th grade math and social studies. I am definitely a little concerned about the social studies curriculum, but the man that I am replacing (a 2nd year TFA member moving to a KIPP school in NJ) has been extremely helpful and provided me with all of his materials. I have since met with him and most of the other 211 middle school teachers, and am still not thrilled with the transition but feel a little better about the change. It seems that 211 has a lot of solid teachers but there just are not the systems in place yet that there were at 303. I am hoping that I can bring a lot of the lessons that I learned at 303 to my new school and plan to learn a lot from them as well.

So, the year was marked by ups and downs, and while my first year is not something that I want to repeat, it is definitely an experience through which I learned a ton and my students hopefully picked up a couple things along the way as well. I will miss my kids and will never forget that first group of students with whom despite our struggles I grew such strong bonds. I know that we will stay in touch, but I know that we must move on, and I am looking forward to a whole new batch of kids to love and to learn from. More on that later, but for now, I am off to enjoy the beautiful NYC summer and a bit of rest and relaxation : )