One Week Left!

(I forgot to post this last Spring...)

We're definitely "smelling the barn"! With only 5 days of teaching and 3 days of finals remaining until the end of this school year, students and teachers are equally excited. I also sense that most of us have taken our foot off the gas with the end of the road in sight so that we can gradually drift to a comfortable stop. Teachers are frequently found in huddles in hallways, engaged in idle conversation when we would normally be rushing to make copies or get to class. On Friday, I saw one who dressed professionally with a tie every day actually in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals!

With that smell in the air, this feels like a good time to reflect on the past year.

Overall, I think "trial by fire" is the most appropriate description of my first teaching experience. Everyone seems to acknowledge what a difficult situation it must be to start at a school part way into the year. It took several months just to understand how the school operates and what leverage I have with the students. I made rules from day one, but for a long time, I wasn't clear on the order of warnings or consequences to follow them. Until I got that part worked out, it seemed to depend on my mood any given day - how much misbehavior I was willing to tolerate and whether I was likely to write a referral. That was probably the biggest challenge for me, but I also believe it had to be learned and developed through experience.

It was definitely a roller coaster, and I can't say I ever gained full control of student behavior, but we did have some significant breakthroughs. I took time for some serious discussions about respect, responsibility, how to succeed and how their character in this class relates to life outside of school - including their future performance. I made a verbal declaration on my stand for everyone to succeed and listened to their ideas on what we can do to help each other.

It made a clearly visible impact for several days, but I then realized I need to work on consistency. It feels like making a New Year's resolution to go to the gym, as many people do, yet so many of us lose our motivation and fall back into the previously casual routine. I would say it takes daily reminders along with a taste of what success feels like to stay on track.

Here are a couple areas I found useful and effective which I hope to continue next year:

• Communication. Contacting parents for support with struggling and chronically disruptive students. Some parents expressed no hope while others were fairly shocked by what they heard. I continued to call the same parents when their children continued to misbehave, and that consistency made more of a difference. Finally, I decided to make at least one positive phone call each time I ran through my list, which (selfishly) helped boost my own morale. I never heard students respond to those calls, but I hope it made them feel better about the class.

• Group Accountability. Arranging desks into groups rather than rows. This was risky since I knew how much students like to socialize, but I emphasized the power of group accountability and how I expect for them to help each other succeed. We practiced working in groups: dividing up assignments, teaching each other, and helping others complete their work. In addition, they would be rewarded or disciplined based on their performance as a group. This was done with a team spirit - demonstrating how we are accountable to others in our lives, and we only win if everyone is successful.
  

District Downers

May 17,2008
As much as I've wanted to get back to writing in this blog, it always takes a while with the demands of teaching on my time. I find myself working easily over 12 hours a day, sometimes staying at school until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. Yet, it seems my work is never done. I categorize what I have to do into groups:
A) What absolutely MUST get done (for survival)
B) What I "should" be doing (to be more effective)
C) What I would like to do (to be highly successful)
Most days, it seems I barely get through group A, and I rarely get to C. At some point, I just have to draw the line so that I can see my family and have some sort of work-life balance.

Following my last entry about the cuts in funding, I received the lay-off notice via certified mail and followed the instructions to request a "hearing". I didn't know what that was all about, but it seemed like the thing to do. The big event occurred a couple weeks ago and resembled a formal court trial, complete with a judge and lawyers. Except it was held in a community center, and it was really hard to hear what anyone was saying.

The lawyer defending our teachers' union had a huge, long list of names for every teacher in our district, sorted by seniority - based on when we were hired. My name wasn't even on the list! Turns out, since I was hired part way into the year, I was categorized as "temporary" this entire time which means I basically have no job security. Anyone with more seniority could come in and apply for my position. This was disconcerting, but then they told us we should be ok as long as we have taught 75% of the school year. I knew I would be close, so I called personnel for our district. Turns out I was ONE DAY SHORT! Basically, that means this whole year of struggles and persistence will not apply towards my tenure at this school, nor an increase in pay next year. Needless to say, that did not make me happy.

Our teachers' union has been in "negotiations" with the district this entire year, fighting for better pay and benefits. They tried many strategies to get the district to pay more attention and give the respect due to their teachers. However, those who attend the board meetings say the district administrators are so detached, they could care less about the livelihood or survival of the teachers and our families! That is apparent in any interaction I have had with their office, so I will be relieved to find a more supportive district. Others in my department and the office at our school are well aware of my disappointments and that I've been applying elsewhere for next year.

As if it wasn't bad enough...

California is currently rated the 2nd lowest state in the country for the academic performance of our students. Yet, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed to cut $5.5 BILLION from education in order to close the $8 billion state deficit. That's nearly 70% - and certainly not an area that should be undercut in it's current condition.

My district alone - with 6 public high schools - will sacrifice $14 million from next year's budget, which the administrators determined will require cutting almost 100 positions. They said EVERY new teacher will get a preliminary pink slip, but many of us will be rehired. I have been reassured that Science teachers are especially in demand, so my position should be safe.

It has been 3 months since last blog entry, and things have certainly not become any easier. With an hour commute each way and working well over 12 hours a day, it's hard to resist thinking of other ways to make a living. I just have to keep reminding myself that the first year of teaching is always the hardest and that it can only get better... if we could only elect leaders that care about the education of our country!

1st Group Activity

December 7, 2007
The highlight of this week was doing our first group projects in the Earth Science classes. We are studying minerals, and I let each group chose an object we use everyday in order to research the minerals used to make that item and create a poster they would present to the class. For the most part, they seemed excited to do something hands-on and showed dedication to fulfilling the tasks. It also gave us our first opportunity to use a computer lab (which wasn't without it's challenges).

I was very specific with the amount of time they would be given for each step (research/assembly/presentation/final product) and how they would be graded accordingly. However, I underestimated how much time they would need for creating the posters, so the whole project ended up taking an entire week. I was really proud with the outcomes of some of the more dedicated groups and posted the best ones for display in the classroom. They all responded with enthusiasm when I asked if they liked the project and whether they understand minerals a little better. Getting the kids involved in activities always seems to be an effective and memorable learning experience. It just seems to take a considerable amount of time, and we only have 14 weeks left until the state tests!

I'll see about posting pictures of the posters sometime soon. Stay tuned!

25 weeks... no, make that 15

December 1, 2007
Before the break, I was striving to meet with a couple fellow science teachers so I could get a better sense of what I need to accomplish and how to pace my classes for the rest of the year. We weren't able to coordinate it until the day after break, though, so I've still been teaching and planning day-to-day. Looking at our calendar, not including breaks and holidays, it appeared I had 25 weeks left and 24 chapters in our text. It seemed practical - spending 1 week per chapter, but they just informed me in our meeting that there is a state exam in April for which my students basically need to know EVERYTHING to answer questions in every content area. That only leaves me 16 weeks!!!

Fortunately, as a first year teacher who started a quarter through the year, they said nobody expects me to finish in time. That takes some pressure off, but I still feel it's unfortunate for the students who are not learning as much and will be penalized on their grades for something beyond their control. On the other hand, I'm still struggling to pull back the reins on the three classes that were on the loose before I started. Some of my strategies have worked for most of each class, but there are still the few who refuse to do what I ask and have no fear of consequences. I took the time to call a few parents this past week, but the mother of the one I was most concerned about said she gets the same response from all her teachers.

So what do you do when the parents have completely given up and offer no support? The natural reaction for teachers is to get stricter and meaner the more students misbehave and disrespect their authority. Even the Principal and Vice Principals I have spoken with say I shouldn't lighten up - I just need to follow protocol and continue to file reports and referrals when necessary. But somewhere deep inside, I feel like there is a possibility of winning them over by showing I care and that I am there for them. I know it requires more "tough love", and I have to work harder to not let them get away with things. I'm just willing to put a ton more energy toward that style than to pretend to be someone I'm not. Does this make sense? I hope somebody will stop me if I'm about to make a terrible mistake...

Thanksgiving

November 18, 2007
Wow, a whole week off! Now that's a reason to give thanks for the holiday. I still have restless dreams filled with teaching anxiety and wake up at 6:00 a.m. - my mind racing with all the things I need to get done which makes it impossible to sleep in on these days I have off. It's different, too, while my wife and daughter are away. She's been on the road for the past week with her Celtic band. So, without the incentive of someone to come home to, I find myself staying later at school and going to bed later at night. I do get more work done, but I know I need to look after my well-being.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am so grateful for all the support from my friends and family. Your encouragement and reassurance that I am doing the right thing is immensely uplifting and empowering. There is so much uncertainty in teaching and yet so much that is expected of my performance, it's easy to feel like I "carry the weight of the world on my shoulders". Every morning, Kathy wakes up just enough to give me a hug and say, "One day at a time", and sometimes she'll send me text messages while I'm teaching with words of endearment or humor that can have a profound affect on my attitude and presence.

When we parted ways last Monday for this week-and-a-half apart, I felt more emotional than I have for a long time. Partly because I'll be missing my wife and daughter, but it also occurred to me just how much I've depended on their love and support to get me through this challenging time in life. I don't know if or how I could survive this experience without them. I feel like an egg sometimes. I know I have a "soft" heart and feel sensitive inside, but it requires a very hard shell to protect myself in front of all the students who will take advantage of any weakness they find in a teacher. They definitely try to push one's buttons and test my limits, but once I "crack", it's all over.

Well, I better make use of my time now. So, here's to wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving along with ladles full of my gratitude for all the ways each of you has reached out and offered support to people like me in times of need and uncertainty - with many happy returns.


Gobble Gobble!