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 1^st 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… 7^th 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 16^th when I realized how little content we had covered based on several factors including my inexperience and the glacial pace that 7^th 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 3^rd, 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

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 7^th 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!

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!