Survival Mode

Yesterday, I also got to sit in on a Sophomore English class. The class had nearly thirty students, and it was during 7th hour. When I came into the classroom, the teacher warned me that this was a very unruly class. I initially underestimated what she meant by this.

The teacher was going over study guide questions for Of Mice and Men with the students for a test they were going to have today. She did a good job of encouraging class involvement by having students answer the questions aloud without having to raise their hands. Although it was a bit chaotic, at least she was able to hold their attention.

The thing that shocked me about the way she managed her class is that she allows the students to play on their cell phones or listen to their iPods at any time during class, as long as they do so discretely and non-disruptively. Her one stipulation is that those students or their parents should not come to her at the end of the semester asking how they can improve their grades.

While I was initially skeptical of her for allowing that kind of behavior, I recognized how brilliant the idea was. She had obviously struggled to promote self-efficacy in the students at the beginning of the semester, but the students refused to take charge of their own learning. Instead of babying them every step of the way, which surely would have cost this teacher her sanity, she put things in the hands of the students. She still taught the material in the same way she would have, but she didn't stop to make sure that the distracted students were keeping up. She put the responsibility on the students to either earn the grades they want or accept the consequences of goofing off every day.

Her libertarian styles reminded me almost of a college professor. A professor's job is to present the material; a college student's job is to learn the material. Typically, a high school teacher's job extends far beyond simply presenting the material; she should work every step of the way to facilitate students' learning. However, this only works up to a point. It is possible, as evidenced by this classroom, that some students really are beyond the help of the teacher. No amount of teaching will get these students to learn if they truly don't want to. While I initially diagnosed her teaching methods as a sign of survival mode, I now realize that this teacher was doing the best she could for herself and her students.

Firsthand Example

Yesterday, I subbed a half-day pm for a Special Ed teacher. Her afternoon consisted of four inclusion classrooms. Besides the fact that this meant that I did not have to do anything to earn my meager pay, I really enjoyed filling in for her because I got to observe three different teachers.

The first class I observed was a great experience. It was a Sophomore Biology class, and they were reviewing for a test that they will be taking next Monday. I immediately recognized the teacher's strategy as the same one that was modeled in the video for the MyEducationLab exercise for the Teaching Diverse Learners course from a couple of weeks ago.

The teacher had divided the whiteboards into ten sections. Within each section, he had two to four terms from the chapter. The day before, he had asked the students to pick one term from each category and write a question about it. For example, in one section of the board, the students could choose from cell wall, cytoplasm, or cilia and flagella. If a student chose the latter, he might have written down "What parts of a cell are used for locomotion? A: cilia and flagella." In the end, each student had ten questions, one from each section.

Yesterday, the teacher asked the students to get into groups of three. Within the groups, the students were to compare the questions they had generated the day before. If all three students asked a question about the same term, they were to choose the best among their three. Additionally, they were to make a note to the teacher about which terms no one had written a question. The group then turned in a sheet with the ten collaborative questions.

This strategy reminded me of the one used in the video from a couple of weeks ago where the teacher assigned specific parts of a presentation to the students and had them work independently on their individual part before compiling the whole presentation with the rest of the group. I think the strategy was effective in this classroom because the students were actively reviewing the material for Monday's exam; at the same time, the teacher was able to see which terms the students knew better and on which terms he needed to spend more time reviewing based on the terms the students did not use in their review.

Deluge of Posts

In all of my brilliance, I just discovered the rubric for the blog. Since the blog reflection is due today, it looks like I'll have to do my best to fulfill as many of the rubric's guidelines as I can. I apologize in advance for the flood of posts that will come over the next few hours.

Playoff Pep Rally

A couple of weeks ago, Springdale High School had a pep rally to support the football team before their first-round playoff game against Bryant High School. Because this was the first playoff game for SHS since 2006, everybody was very excited about the game.

The theme for the pep rally was tradition. Springdale takes pride in the fact that it is the original high school in the city. In fact, SHS supporters often remind me of Ohio State University fans by the way they say, "We are THE Springdale High School!"

As a part of the focus on tradition, various people and groups were asked to explain their gameday tradition. The first teacher to speak explained that he wears his lucky sock and he removed his jacket to also reveal his lucky (and very tight-fitting) 1989 SHS State Champions t-shirt.

Next, the seniors on the football team came out onto the court to perform their "traditional" choreographed dance. While I doubt that the dance truly fit the theme, it was quite humorous, and it really riled up the crowd.

Next, Mr. Joenks, the Head Principal of Springdale High, came out to explain his gameday ritual. From his pocket, he pulled out a pink brush as he explained to the students that he takes the time to make sure his hair looks perfect for the game. This picture of him should explain just how important that tradition is:

The pep rally itself was a huge success; unfortunately, the school spirit was not quite enough to carry the Bulldogs to a victory over their opponent. Springdale lost to Bryant that night and were, therefore, eliminated from the playoffs.

Below are more pictures from the pep rally:

The drumline excites the students with a cadence.

The football team pumps up the crowd.

"Hail to the Springdale Bulldogs!"

Singing the Alma Mater.

The pep band.

Big Dog.

The mascots.

P.S.: Please forgive the picture quality. It is difficult to get good action shots with a cell phone camera.

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving break was a bittersweet vacation. I certainly enjoyed getting to spend time with my family, eating tons of good food, and taking a break from the daily grind. But, as a substitute teacher, I don't get paid when there is no school. One more reason to look forward to a full-time teaching position: I will be able to enjoy my PAID breaks!

Berryville Opening

Last weekend, I heard about an English job opening at Berryville High School. I'm quite interested to find out the circumstances surrounding a vacancy at this point in the school year. I actually interviewed at Berryville back in May, but I obviously did not get the job. I've heard from multiple sources that Berryville is the type of school where new teachers go to get some much-needed experience before they move on to bigger and better schools. Berryville's turnover at the end of the year is usually pretty high, but it's surprising to see a vacancy in November.

One theory that someone close to me posited is that perhaps one of the new teachers simply couldn't cut it, that perhaps the vacancy was created when a first-year teacher was so overwhelmed that he or she quit. As much as I hate to admit it, this scenario is a little bit vindicating to me. After all, if it was one of their new teachers that quit, then Berryville seemingly made a mistake by hiring that teacher instead of me. Don't think of me as a horrible person for any satisfaction I might feel; it is a small consolation reserved for someone like me who is often passed over for the jobs.

To be honest, I can't blame Berryville for not hiring me. On the morning I interviewed, I woke up with a nasty head cold. I was congested and could barely drag myself out of bed. I basically caffeinated myself just enough so that I could suffer through the interview and the drive there and back from Fayetteville. I had a great deal of trouble thinking clearly, and I'm sure my answers to the interview questions reflected that.

On top of that, I really wasn't prepared for the interview. Berryville was the first interview I had for any teaching job, so I wasn't fully aware of what I was walking into. I remember specifically being asked about lesson planning. At that time, I had a very vague idea of what lesson plans were, but I did not have a real grasp of what all was involved. Although I don't remember exactly how I answered that morning, I would not be surprised if my answer (or lack thereof) is what cost me the job. If only I'd had Dr. Snow's class before then I would have been so much more prepared!

Regardless of the reasons surrounding the sudden vacancy and for me not getting the job the first time, I am applying again. I contacted the district office on Monday morning and asked to be considered. I also e-mailed the principal of the high school to inform him that I would like another shot at the job.

Back in the spring, I sent off my Berryville application at the same time that I sent off several others. As I dropped the stack of applications into the mailbox, I began to prepare myself for the waiting game. The very next afternoon, I received a call from the school to set up an interview. I was quite shocked at how quickly they had responded. I kind of expected as swift of a response this time, especially since that class is now without a teacher; however, I have not heard back from them. Typically I wouldn't be so impatient after just three days, but given their need and their history of replying quickly, I expected a call by now. Perhaps I am just worried that the principal is not willing to give me another shot because of how poorly I interviewed back in May.

I suppose all I can do is wait...

Springdale Job

Unfortunately, I did not get the job at Springdale High School. I have once again been relegated to substitute teaching. The true stinger is that 90% of my subbing is at Springdale High, which means that I am forced to walk by the classroom that might have been mine several times a week. This was especially difficult in the week after I found out that the job had been given to someone else.

In the weeks since, I have realized that this experience didn't diminish my passion for teaching. I am still subbing regularly, and most of the time is at Springdale High School.