Online Reflection #3: Your Time to Blossom

Dear Lorylyn,

            First and foremost, learn what your relaxing niche is, and take hold of it with a death defying grasp. This is not to scare you, but you will be tested and you need know how to fight through it. (I would suggest PiYo, it has helped me tremendously.) You will be challenged in your ability to teach and plan, in your ability to take exams, in your ability to accept criticisms, and in your ability to reflect on your own. These challenges will follow you through your chosen career, so, as I suggested before, find that relaxing niche. You’ll need it.

            Relaxation and self- care will be crucial, and your internship is the key time to test the waters as you are lowered into the hectic life of teaching. Eat healthier, don’t give up your morning jogs, and do give up your late night excursions. Those are just some places to start, but don’t stop there because your health reflects in your spirit and your spirit is key in your class… you’ll learn soon enough.  

            As you test waters, don’t limit yourself to what is expected of you. Yes, it will be difficult to figure out the balance as is, but add an inch to every dip you take into the water. It is important to stretch beyond the expected because, as stressful as it may seem, it is only a fraction of what it means to be a genuine teacher.  Keeping that in mind, it is okay to be at your own level and at your own point. Don’t base your success on the progress and success of others because your success is your own.  Do what you can to experience more preparation, more interaction, and more real teaching experiences, this is what will make you more than just an intern. You are your own student and your own teacher.
(Here are six starting points to finding that balance: http://www.noodlenook.net/finding-a-work-life-balance/)

            You will be given many labels in your endeavor: student, student teacher, intern, mentee, and more. Ignore those labels, luv. You are exactly what you aspire to be, you are a teacher. You will feel the stress, the concern, and every piece of hair that falls away. You will feel the excitement, the hope, and the smile that constantly threatens a stern disposition. You will know what it means to be a teacher as you sacrifice your personal time and thoughts to the ideas that swell your mind: “this activity would be fun,” “I bet they would understand better if I used this tool,” “the kids would be so bored with this,” “how can I help them…,” such thoughts swarming constantly. Humor these questions, but make one question the sole inquisition of your role as an intern, as a teacher,

“Are you going to be a good teacher, or a great one?”

As you blossom into your future as a teacher, recognize there are no limitations to your learning as a teacher. Being a great teacher means you will recognize follies and set about to seek remedies, it means you will know the limits of your students and set about to challenge them in and beyond those limits, it means that you will make sacrifices and set about to know the balance of your personal life and your school life, it means so much more than being just a good teacher.

You are going to be fantastic. Know that.

Miss Bailey

Online Reflection #2: Daunting Mountains

As a teacher, the variation in my students not only affects my lesson planning, but my grading as well. As I climb the mountainous pile of my seniors' essays, chiseling it down four slivers at a time, I come to realize the drastic change in my grading process that I make for every different name that falls before my eyes. 

 

We are challenged, as teachers, to be as flexible as possible, yet still as structured and still leave our students just as challenged. So how do I overcome this feeling of letting one kid off easy, while another is lucky to get a C because I didn't have to adapt my grading for them?

 

This question bothers me, and the chiseling progress on my mountain slows with each second the question crosses my mind. Every student deserves a chance. Every student deserves to be challenged. Every student deserves the grade for the effort and content they put into their paper, but how do I vary that?  

 

As I struggle with my consciousness on grading fairly in this situation, I looked online for guidance and had a "No Duh!" moment. Bergenfield Public Schools put out an article titled "Grading in Inclusive Classrooms," and the main thing of this article that stuck out to me was the collaboration aspect. 

 

As teachers, we are trained to be adaptive and, in that ability to adapt, we have to be able to collaborate with others and be receptive. This coincides with co-teaching with members of the IEP team. They are there because they know these students, and they know what their effort and their work looks like. I should know it, being their teacher, but that does not mean I should not use that extra resource. 

 

The article bullets different ideas to look at while collaborating with and IEP team member about grading:

 

• Discuss the purposes of evaluation.

• Use a variety of evaluation techniques for documenting student progress.

• Use multiple measures in evaluating student progress.

• Align evaluation techniques with the desired outcomes.

• Consider alternative grading systems.

• Consider modifying existing grading practices.

• Maintain student confidentiality regarding accommodations and modifications in grading.

• Adhere to school and division policies and practices regarding grading.

 

Look familiar? Right! These bullets are what we practice every day with ALL of our students. So why was I having such difficulty? 

 

We differentiate our lessons and our activities based on our students, their personalities, their skills, all of it goes into account when we design our lessons…I needed to apply it to my grading too. One student’s effort differentiates from another student’s , but the important matter is that the student is showing progress and putting in that extra effort towards understanding the content.

Effort.

This is what I keep in mind as I grade, and, as I discussed this with my IEP co-teacher, that is a good start. I have been warned to still challenge, and not let the idea of effort overcome the need for the students to be showing progress, meeting content standards, and more.

There is a constant challenge when it comes to variation, whether it be in planning or grading, but that is part of what makes a great teacher. We go above and beyond for our students and for their success, so, yes, there will be times that we question what we’re doing. The important thing is that we have that ability to question ourselves, we have access to the resources to help us through those questions, and that there is almost always a resolution.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6skoblL-6DYRnBNTXZVN1RyRXc/view?usp=drivesdk

Online Reflection #1: Demolish the Barriers

When reading the four myths mentioned in Myths and Realities: Best Practices for English Language Learners, a consistent response occurred with each box that contained them, growing stronger at each…

Myth #1: “We’ve tried to get our parents involved, but they don’t seem to care about how well their children are doing in school; if they did, they’d answer our phone calls and come to parent-teacher conferences.”

Myth #2: “It’s impossible for us to involve parents of ELL students more as most of our teachers are monolingual English speakers.”

Myth #3: “It’s too much of a hassle and not worth the effort to visit students’ homes. Also parents don’t appreciate these visits as they think that they are being checked on.”

Myth #4: “It’s not worth sending home notices to families because the parents can’t read.”

We are always encouraged to get to know our students, their cultures, their home lives; we are told that this will make it easier to engage them in the lessons and activities that we introduce them to as they weave in and out of our classrooms, but does simply understanding these factors and implementing them take away that extra effort that these students and their parents are having to put forth to remain a part of our classrooms? To keep up to par with our communication attempts? If we’re at making any in the first place?

Reading Myths and Realities, by Samway, Davies, and Mkeon, made me want to delve further into these ideas of parent involvement that we develop as teachers. I wanted to know how to battle those perceptions in the same manner I’m sure ELL, low income, and other diverse students and families battle their way through the public school system.

In my search, I found a project that emphasizes numerous barriers between parents and teachers and how to approach each one with the best intentions in mind: Project Appleseed.

“Barriers to involvement exist for both schools and families. Some barriers are created by limited resources, while others originate from the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of families and school staff,” (Liontos, 1992).

My top four favorite barriers of the eleven listed on Project Appleseed being:

1) Lack of understanding of parents’ communication styles.

2) Teachers’ misperceptions of parents’ abilities.

3) Teachers believed parents didn’t respect them, challenged their authority, and questioned their decisions.

4) Lack of vested interest: Families don’t believe that they will have any impact.

Such similar barriers, such a vast array of opportunity for demolishment.

This idea of barriers parallels with the myths and ideas presented within Myths and Realities, and emphasizes even more on the issues of parent- teacher communication as a whole. Though the project does not focus specifically on ELL students and families, it allows tips and toolboxes for teachers and parents who want to demolish those barriers. Tips and toolboxes that can be adapted, just as we, as teachers, are always taught to do.

“Involving Parents and the Community” and Project Appleseed has my mind reeling with the false perceptions that have developed over the years. We are in a time of educational reform, so why limit it to the changes the government places on us? Why allow the falsities and barriers to remain and hinder the potential success of our students? It is not easy, and it will never be easy, but it is necessary that we reach beyond just our classrooms and into the world that our students come from through more than just adapting our activities and lessons. Approach their roots, starting with the people who planted them into the world.

If you are interested in taking a gander at Project Appleseed, here is the link: 

http://www.projectappleseed.org/barriers