Reflection on Today

Today's class presentations were awful! It was really stressful and a lot of them didn't realize that when something is due it is DUE.
Ask them- why did you think you could hand it in late or finish it the day that it was due?
Just ask them- where did things go wrong?

They WERE excited about what they did their projects on, so what exactly do I grade on?

The point was...
Research
Connecting- Doing something they love and connecting it to things they may not love as much like MLA format and citing sources. It was an adventure, not just a research project. I got to see them get excited about certain topics and

Things I can do better with SILYM...
Have them do some more at home.
Give a max and a minimum
More opportunities to practice a Works Cited
Keep unity among all the hours: Write down what we talked about and what I need to mention with all of them...

How do I make multi-genre projects exciting!? 

What I learned before 12:00 today

As I walked into the classroom today a parent and his son were standing in the classrooom wondering why his son got a 0 on an assignment that made him inelligable for the track team.

I needed some prep time, some time to think. But didn't have any.

I told him I needed some time to think about this and what I can do for his son.

Here's what I've learned..

1. Don't just give completion grades as a 0 or 100%.
2. Make a set due date, then I can justify something not being turned in.
3. Help this kid more with researching and give more grace to him.
4. Have more proof of what I told the class. Maybe write directions on the bellwork pages?

What I do now is diffuclt, because if I give him more work to do that's unfair and unbeneficial. If I let him go back and finish the assignment and hand it in to me, it's been so long and it won't help him because it was to help him take notes for the outline.


The parent SHOULD have...
1. Known about this beforehand
2. Not come down on me like I have to do something for his kid
3. Not point out my wrongs "so it wasn't clear to you..."

faith·ful adj \ˈfāth-fəl\

1. steadfast in affection or allegiance: loyal

2. firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty

4. given with strong assurance

 

Today the kids chose if they wanted to present their testimonies in class, and it was a sweet time! The first class was a breeze- only 3 people wanted to share. But the 2nd class something different happened. This one girl that I wasn't too fond of (she seems like she hates everyone at this school but herself, has a bad attitude and doesn't do her work very well) shared her testimony. As she was sharing about the bullies in her life, she just got all emotional and started crying. It was crazy. It was like I really realized for the first time- "she's only 13." She went to the bathroom and then we as a class prayed for her and then I went to the bathroom and just sat and rubbed her back as she spilled everything out. She said that she saw how this other girl who shared her testimony said she was insecure- and that was exactly how she felt. She was hurt because some of the same people who bullied her are still in the class with her and that nothing has changed. She said that she seems like she's tough and tries to be defensive, but really she knows that is what God doesn't want her to do. I prayed over her and just asked God to strengthen her through these trials, to love her enemies through the Jesus who laid down His life for her and for her enemies. When she finished her testimony she admited that after LCW she wanted to get closer to the Lord and then as she is reading her Bible more she doesn't feel spiritually ready to be baptized yet but she wants to. The Lord is working on her heart in drammatic ways right now, I just hope this spring break gets her more closer to the Lord. I wonder what she means by "spiritually ready" ??

 

Either way, I learned a lot. I learned that you just never know when someone is going to burst into tears, and you just never know who in my class could die tonight and not go to Heaven.

 

How can I incorporate the Gospel more and more into our classroom?

3/14

wait \ˈwāt\

1:

 

Today I finally got to talk to the future jr. high principal. It was really relaxed so that was so nice! He asked me my thoughts on the curriculum and the content of what I'm teaching right now.

Part of me felt like I already have the job, it was weird.

 

He said he knew my passion for the kids and the passion for Christian education, and it was weird that he knew that. I felt like I haven't been able to talk to him at all but he knows all of this about me--> so weird. But completely by the Lord's grace that the principal can see that in me.

 

He then asked me why PCS. The journey God has taken me on this past year- going to the HS and hating every bit of it, then realizing this would be my dream job- a place where I can explore the fun side of English while teaching life lessons with God's word! It's great. I hope my answer doesn't sound cheesy or lame. It's the truth!

 

Mid- April he is going to hire. He has an interview today for the position with another candidate.

 

I need a job. But I don't NEED this job. I want to trust in the Lord's character as my Father who knows exactly what I need while taking care of me intimately and delighting in me

 

Eph 3:16-20:  Let me receive your love, let me believe you can do things beyond my asking or imagining.

to stay in place in expectation of : await <waited the result of the advertisement — W. M. Thackeray> <wait your turn> erb

So much has happened the past week. 


I had a meeting with a parent and a student about some issues with his grade. I told him that I wanted to help him and that he can come to me any time- now he has asked me so many questions in just the past couple days, it's soo encouraging to see him really want to know how to do an assignment.


My supervisor said "you're going to be a good teacher- just don't keep yourself from becoming a great teacher- you know, the one who will dress like Louisa May Alcott to talk about Little Women or puts a raven on their shoulder when talking about Poe." 


I want to be that teacher. 


I can see already that it is easy to get stuck in a rut. Today I was assessed for my midterm, and I see that becoming a great teacher needs time and experience. I won't just arrive, but I can persevere. God has given me this passion and this calling, and I want to do everything I can to make sure my students master everything I teach them.


What does it take for all of them to master it? I'm not just giving out assignments and things to see how they can fail- I see that these assessments are to help them master a skill. What can I do to help them MASTER these things? 


We are doing a nonfiction project- "Say it like you mean it" I guess I was a little vague in what the assignment was- as I was explaining I realized I wasn't anticipating their questions. I need to know how to better anticipate what they will ask and how much direction they should have.


Amy had a great idea of reading something- each group pick out a theme in the passage and then they have to teach it to the class. That's awesome! I'm writing it here so that I can come back to it later.

Stuck-

How are my students learning? I feel like I need to change up what we are doing. I feel like we have been beating the dead horse of Nonfiction, and I want to know how much they have learned. Maybe tomorrow we will actually finally define nonfiction and they must use evidence from our class discussions.

What do I want from them? is the question I need to ask. What is the end result?

I feel like they are really getting into their testimonies, so I think tomorrow we will work on our testimonies. First, define nonfiction by using our Venn diagram and then we will get into working on our testimonies. I can also introduce our "Say it like you mean it" project!