This week my class wrote "This I Believe" statements. On Wednesday we watched a video and listened to Elie Wiesel's essay for NPR's "This I Believe" segment. Afterwards, I decided to have my students create their own statements in order to reflect on personal beliefs and values. I believe activities like this are important, because students need to explore who they are and what they value. If I can do that AND link it to literature, then I get pretty excited! I love learning more about my students as people, and activities like this really demonstrate their creativity, talents, and interests.
Before we began the assignment, I told students to reflect on what they find important about life. I shared some examples of my own personal beliefs and values, and told students that as long as they took it seriously their statements would be wonderful. I always try to encourage my students to trust their own thoughts and feelings, and to have confidence in the answers they give and the ideas they share. I've noticed that many of my students are overly concered with being wrong. They are constantly asking me things like, "Can I write this? I don't know if this is right. No, I'm not sure. Is it okay that I put down what I thought?" Statements like this make me cringe, because they often ask these questions in association with activities that are supposed to be all about sharing individual thoughts and feelings. No matter how many times I reiterate, "There are no wrong answers, I want to know what YOU think," they still seem to struggle with trusting their own ideas.
I personally believe that this is because our culture has put such a huge emphasis on being right ALL the time. An article by Ben Johnson addressed this idea, stating, "Unfortunately, we have socialized our students into the believing that not being certain is a bad thing, and as a result, few students are willing to take a risk and demonstrate their vulnerability." I definitely see this reflected in my students, and I've been working hard to show them that being 'wrong' is actually okay! No one can be right all the time, and when you are wrong it is simply something to learn from.
Regardless, my students powered through and completed some AMAZING "This I Believe" statements. Probably the most fun I've ever had grading! Each statement was so personal and touching, I was absolutely amazed. We published these statements on Friday, and the students got to demonstrate their creativity by turning their statements into works of art. I have now complied these statements into a huge class book, and it looks amazing. My students did such a fantastic job, and I was absolutely blown away by their insight. Working with students everyday is so rewarding!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Managing a Classroom While Maintaining Sanity
A successful classroom depends on the consistent implementation of classroom management. It's important. WAY important. And unfortunately, classroom management definitely is not something you can learn out of a book. That's not to say there aren't hundreds of books out there that can help you develop a unique management style, but in the end, you have to manage a classroom in a way that fits with your own personality.
As far as my management style goes, I tend to be pretty laid back, and so far that has worked for me. Instead of focusing on what students can and cannot do, I choose to let my students know that as their teacher, I will always treat them with respect, and as fellow human beings they should treat their classmates and myself with respect as well. Obviously, this does not prevent problems from arising, but when disruptions occur I remind them that I have consistently treated them with respect, and if they choose not to do the same then it is simply a sign of immaturity. I have had one on one converstaions with multiple students about the idea of respect and why it is so important for us to demonstrate respect in the classroom, and these conversations tend to make a huge difference in attitude.
One such occurence actually happened yesterday. Students were participating in small group discussions, and I was walking around the room, listening in, observing, and occasionally joining in with the students as they discussed a variety of famous quotations. Obviously, when students get together and are allowed to talk, the conversation will inevitably change topics. Any time I saw this occuring I would simply walk up to the group and ask them about their thoughts on one of the quotes. This usually helped redirect them.
Usually.
Unfortunately, one group of students chose to completely ignore the discussion topics. Apparently chatting, messing around, laughing, and generally being disruptive sounded like a better time! I repeatedly reminded them to get back on task, and each time they disregarded my request. In an attempt to get them engaged, I shared my thoughts on a quote and asked them what they thought. They did begin discussing at that point, so I walked away, happy. As soon as I turned my back the messing around started again. Multiple reminders about proper behavior later, I had had it.
I'm not a yeller, and I didn't yell, but I definitely raised my voice. I let them know that the way they were acting was extremely immature and disrespectful, and that they were hindering the learning of others in the class, which is simply unacceptable. I also let them know that they were basically telling me that my time is not valuable, nor are my lessons, because by refusing to participate they were showing me that what I worked hard on for them was simply not important. Yes, I do like to play the emotions card. I personally think honesty and feelings-based sharing can be extremely effective. I've been reading a lot of articles on the benefits of social and emotional learning, and Traci Vogel has some very informative pieces. In one I recently read she states, "We believe emotions are the backbone to good learning. For example, in order to pay attention, you need to be emotionally involved in the learning process. Plus, there are certain aspects of emotional intelligence -- such as the ability to regulate one's emotions -- that are quite important for test taking and being able to sit in class." Kids have a lot more going on than what we present to them in class, and they're also dealing with hormones and physical changes at the same time. That's a lot to handle!
They really are good kids (ALL kids are good kids) and I think my outburst made them realize how rude they were being, because after that they did begin to actually discuss. I think that my students often forget about the impact their side-conversations and distractions have on other people. Most of the time, I think they just get so caught up in what they want to say and do that they forget about proper classroom behavior. I try to remind myself of this fact often, and that definitely helps maintain my sanity on the days where it seems like I'm running side-conversation city.
Later in class I pulled the three students aside and explained to them why I had gotten upset. I told them that as their teacher, they needed to listen to and respect me, because I'm there for them. I explained that there is a purpose to everything we do, and that I spend a lot of time trying to come up with fun activities that allow them to share their thoughts and feelings. After I finished explaining, I asked these students if they felt like I came in everyday and treated them with respect. "Yes." So I asked why they thought it was appropriate to talk over me and treat me with disrespect when I was trying to help them. After a pause and three hangdog stares, they all apologized and said they hadn't realized that was what they were doing.
I reminded them that it was nothing personal, I think they are all excellent people and the reason why I got upset was because I knew what great insights they could bring to discussion and it was disappointing that they would choose to waste that opportunity. I also told them that I had no doubt that from this point on they could manage themselves properly, and that I was proud of the bits of discussion I had heard from them. I think repeatedly reinforcing the positives is so much more important than hounding students about what they did wrong. Nobody likes to be lectured, and generally most students already know what they should change about their behavior. Encouraging students and reminding them of what they do well, even during times when you may feel like you're about to lose it, has always seemed to work better for me than telling students what they're doing wrong and need to "fix."
Student teaching has definitely helped me create a solid classroom management plan of my own, and I am so grateful for that. I see every disruption as a learning opportunity, because it gives me the chance to figure out how to deal with a new situation in a positive way. I love it!
I came across this picture and thought I would share. I've definitely found my passion and my purpose through my journey to become a teacher, and I hope you all have too!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Managing a Classroom Without Losing My Sanity
A successful classroom depends on the consistent implementation of classroom management. It's important. WAY important. And unfortunately, classroom management definitely is not something you can learn out of a book. That's not to say there aren't hundreds of books out there that can help you develop a unique management style, but in the end, you have to manage a classroom in a way that fits with your own personality.
As far as my management style goes, I tend to be pretty laid back, and so far that has worked for me. Instead of focusing on what students can and cannot do, I choose to let my students know that as their teacher, I will always treat them with respect, and as fellow human beings they should treat their classmates and myself with respect as well. Obviously, this does not prevent problems from arising, but when disruptions occur I remind them that I have consistently treated them with respect, and if they choose not to do the same then it is simply a sign of immaturity. I have had one on one converstaions with multiple students about the idea of respect and why it is so important for us to demonstrate respect in the classroom, and these conversations tend to make a huge difference in attitude.
One such occurence actually happened yesterday. Students were participating in small group discussions, and I was walking around the room, listening in, observing, and occasionally joining in with the students as they discussed a variety of famous quotations. Obviously, when students get together and are allowed to talk, the conversation will inevitably change topics. Any time I saw this occuring I would simply walk up to the group and ask them about their thoughts on one of the quotes. This usually helped redirect them.
Usually.
Unfortunately, one group of students chose to completely ignore the discussion topics. Apparently chatting, messing around, laughing, and generally being disruptive sounded like a better time! I repeatedly reminded them to get back on task, and each time they disregarded my request. In an attempt to get them engaged, I shared my thoughts on a quote and asked them what they thought. They did begin discussing at that point, so I walked away, happy. As soon as I turned my back the messing around started again. Multiple reminders about proper behavior later, I had had it.
I'm not a yeller, and I didn't yell, but I definitely raised my voice. I let them know that the way they were acting was extremely immature and disrespectful, and that they were hindering the learning of others in the class, which is simply unacceptable. I also let them know that they were basically telling me that my time is not valuable, nor are my lessons, because by refusing to participate they were showing me that what I worked hard on for them was simply not important. Yes, I do like to play the emotions card. I personally think honesty and feelings-based sharing can be extremely effective. I've been reading a lot of articles on the benefits of social and emotional learning, and Traci Vogel has some very informative pieces. In one I recently read she states, "We believe emotions are the backbone to good learning. For example, in order to pay attention, you need to be emotionally involved in the learning process. Plus, there are certain aspects of emotional intelligence -- such as the ability to regulate one's emotions -- that are quite important for test taking and being able to sit in class." Kids have a lot more going on than what we present to them in class, and they're also dealing with hormones and physical changes at the same time. That's a lot to handle!
They really are good kids (ALL kids are good kids) and I think my outburst made them realize how rude they were being, because after that they did begin to actually discuss. I think that my students often forget about the impact their side-conversations and distractions have on other people. Most of the time, I think they just get so caught up in what they want to say and do that they forget about proper classroom behavior. I try to remind myself of this fact often, and that definitely helps maintain my sanity on the days where it seems like I'm running side-conversation city.
Later in class I pulled the three students aside and explained to them why I had gotten upset. I told them that as their teacher, they needed to listen to and respect me, because I'm there for them. I explained that there is a purpose to everything we do, and that I spend a lot of time trying to come up with fun activities that allow them to share their thoughts and feelings. After I finished explaining, I asked these students if they felt like I came in everyday and treated them with respect. "Yes." So I asked why they thought it was appropriate to talk over me and treat me with disrespect when I was trying to help them. After a pause and three hangdog stares, they all apologized and said they hadn't realized that was what they were doing.
I reminded them that it was nothing personal, I think they are all excellent people and the reason why I got upset was because I knew what great insights they could bring to discussion and it was disappointing that they would choose to waste that opportunity. I also told them that I had no doubt that from this point on they could manage themselves properly, and that I was proud of the bits of discussion I had heard from them. I think repeatedly reinforcing the positives is so much more important than hounding students about what they did wrong. Nobody likes to be lectured, and generally most students already know what they should change about their behavior. Encouraging students and reminding them of what they do well, even during times when you may feel like you're about to lose it, has always seemed to work better for me than telling students what they're doing wrong and need to "fix."
Student teaching has definitely helped me create a solid classroom management plan of my own, and I am so grateful for that. I see every disruption as a learning opportunity, because it gives me the chance to figure out how to deal with a new situation in a positive way. I love it!
I came across this picture and thought I would share. I've definitely found my passion and my purpose through my journey to become a teacher, and I hope you all have too!
As far as my management style goes, I tend to be pretty laid back, and so far that has worked for me. Instead of focusing on what students can and cannot do, I choose to let my students know that as their teacher, I will always treat them with respect, and as fellow human beings they should treat their classmates and myself with respect as well. Obviously, this does not prevent problems from arising, but when disruptions occur I remind them that I have consistently treated them with respect, and if they choose not to do the same then it is simply a sign of immaturity. I have had one on one converstaions with multiple students about the idea of respect and why it is so important for us to demonstrate respect in the classroom, and these conversations tend to make a huge difference in attitude.
One such occurence actually happened yesterday. Students were participating in small group discussions, and I was walking around the room, listening in, observing, and occasionally joining in with the students as they discussed a variety of famous quotations. Obviously, when students get together and are allowed to talk, the conversation will inevitably change topics. Any time I saw this occuring I would simply walk up to the group and ask them about their thoughts on one of the quotes. This usually helped redirect them.
Usually.
Unfortunately, one group of students chose to completely ignore the discussion topics. Apparently chatting, messing around, laughing, and generally being disruptive sounded like a better time! I repeatedly reminded them to get back on task, and each time they disregarded my request. In an attempt to get them engaged, I shared my thoughts on a quote and asked them what they thought. They did begin discussing at that point, so I walked away, happy. As soon as I turned my back the messing around started again. Multiple reminders about proper behavior later, I had had it.
I'm not a yeller, and I didn't yell, but I definitely raised my voice. I let them know that the way they were acting was extremely immature and disrespectful, and that they were hindering the learning of others in the class, which is simply unacceptable. I also let them know that they were basically telling me that my time is not valuable, nor are my lessons, because by refusing to participate they were showing me that what I worked hard on for them was simply not important. Yes, I do like to play the emotions card. I personally think honesty and feelings-based sharing can be extremely effective. I've been reading a lot of articles on the benefits of social and emotional learning, and Traci Vogel has some very informative pieces. In one I recently read she states, "We believe emotions are the backbone to good learning. For example, in order to pay attention, you need to be emotionally involved in the learning process. Plus, there are certain aspects of emotional intelligence -- such as the ability to regulate one's emotions -- that are quite important for test taking and being able to sit in class." Kids have a lot more going on than what we present to them in class, and they're also dealing with hormones and physical changes at the same time. That's a lot to handle!
They really are good kids (ALL kids are good kids) and I think my outburst made them realize how rude they were being, because after that they did begin to actually discuss. I think that my students often forget about the impact their side-conversations and distractions have on other people. Most of the time, I think they just get so caught up in what they want to say and do that they forget about proper classroom behavior. I try to remind myself of this fact often, and that definitely helps maintain my sanity on the days where it seems like I'm running side-conversation city.
Later in class I pulled the three students aside and explained to them why I had gotten upset. I told them that as their teacher, they needed to listen to and respect me, because I'm there for them. I explained that there is a purpose to everything we do, and that I spend a lot of time trying to come up with fun activities that allow them to share their thoughts and feelings. After I finished explaining, I asked these students if they felt like I came in everyday and treated them with respect. "Yes." So I asked why they thought it was appropriate to talk over me and treat me with disrespect when I was trying to help them. After a pause and three hangdog stares, they all apologized and said they hadn't realized that was what they were doing.
I reminded them that it was nothing personal, I think they are all excellent people and the reason why I got upset was because I knew what great insights they could bring to discussion and it was disappointing that they would choose to waste that opportunity. I also told them that I had no doubt that from this point on they could manage themselves properly, and that I was proud of the bits of discussion I had heard from them. I think repeatedly reinforcing the positives is so much more important than hounding students about what they did wrong. Nobody likes to be lectured, and generally most students already know what they should change about their behavior. Encouraging students and reminding them of what they do well, even during times when you may feel like you're about to lose it, has always seemed to work better for me than telling students what they're doing wrong and need to "fix."
Student teaching has definitely helped me create a solid classroom management plan of my own, and I am so grateful for that. I see every disruption as a learning opportunity, because it gives me the chance to figure out how to deal with a new situation in a positive way. I love it!
I came across this picture and thought I would share. I've definitely found my passion and my purpose through my journey to become a teacher, and I hope you all have too!
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