Artifacts from 5th Grade : #3312
Note to Nurse:
F--- has chapped lips and says he cannot read aloud.
---
Morning Meeting Dialogue and Inner Monologue:
These two girls are clearly ready for middle school. They make me so angry sometimes.
Me, Aloud: Who has anything to share this morning?
(Me, Internal: Why does this always feel like Russian Roulette?)
Me, Aloud: Look at all these hands. W---!
(Me, Internal: Wow, this is the first time W--- has shared.)
W---: I got a new puppy.
Me, Aloud: That sounds exciting! Does it have a name?
(Me, Internal: It’s a start…)
W---: Not yet.
[Insert stories about new DVDs, video games, and being a Raiderette]
Me, Aloud: N---.
(Me, Internal: Here we go.)
N---: On Friday, we hang out in Mr. Roch’s room. (subtext: and not yours...)
(Me, Internal: What a little snot…she remembered that she wanted to throw that at me until Monday morning.)
M---: Yeah, he’s hella tight.
(Me, Internal: M----, you think any man other than me is hella tight, hella hot, or totally cool. They’re tag-teaming… should I call them on this?)
N---: He’s really funny. F---- and E--- were there too.
(Me, Internal: Wow, noticing that I really care about those two boys, using it to strengthen their argument. Why don’t they use their evil little bitch powers in their writing?)
F----: He has a basketball court in his room.
(Me, Internal: Traitor! I get to school at 7:20 for you. I made you feel confident in math!)
E----: He has a really cool math ball.
(Me, Internal: Fair-weather friend. I call you Professor Reyes and you love it!)
M----: We want to be in his class.
N----: Yeah. Why can’t we be in his class?
(Me, Internal: Options:
a. You’re in 5th grade. If you stop being such a bitch, I might one day be able to teach you enough to get promoted. If you don’t, I’ll have you retained until you appreciate me.
b. Why don’t you go there, he only has 23 students and one of the most successful classes in school history. Go and bring down his classroom community and self-esteem.
c. I ask myself the same question, daily. )
Me, Aloud: Who else has something to share?
Monday, November 22, 2004
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Classroom Power Dynamics
I think one of my greatest problems is that I treat my students as if they were as old as they think they are, rather than how young I know them to be. I engage in discussions, and sometimes arguments, with them as though they were fully-capable of abstract and adult thought. This is simply not true.
It’s so hard to stay above the fray, to stay calm and collected when students who I am pouring my life out for are being consistently inattentive or, worse yet, intentionally rude and disrespectful. I try my best to tell them that I am there for them, that we are working together, that I don’t come to school in order to fight with 5th graders but to teach them. They just don’t get it. I wonder more and more if they even can.
Today, as I do on every Friday, I offered them the chance to report to me one thing they like about the class, one thing they want to change. As usual, this resulted in a chorus of discontented cries. They complained that we do this every week and I told them that that was the idea. I wanted them to know that there is always a space for their opinion. I asked them, “Don’t you want a teacher who cares what you think about the class?” Some said “No” just to be “funny” but a lot of them were genuine in their disagreement. I realized for the first time that my power-sharing, perhaps interpreted as weakness, is earnestly making some of them uncomfortable. While I’ve been told this can be easily traced back to frequently extremely hierarchical families, it is astonishing nonetheless.
Misbehavior later in the day led me to demand complete silence and rote note-taking as we finished a lesson on prefixes. I was frightened to find that the vibe in my room was in many ways more comfortable, that I was more collected and many of my students seemed more at ease, when I was rigidly insisting they do not talk and simply copy down my words.
It’s hard to know whether this tolerance and comfort with authoritarian pedagogy is something I should take advantage of, or see as inspiration to continue my efforts to empower them at any opportunity.
---
Highlight of my week: My top reading group memorized, performed, and yea, even understood, Langston Hughes “I Too Sing America.” All I had to do was tell them that Hughes was black.
---
Lowlight of my week: Disciplinary action taken against F--- led to him crying in front of the class and my core of four or five utterly obnoxious girls (whose attention to him egged him on to such misbehavior) having one more reason to disrespect me and poison my classroom community.
It’s so hard to stay above the fray, to stay calm and collected when students who I am pouring my life out for are being consistently inattentive or, worse yet, intentionally rude and disrespectful. I try my best to tell them that I am there for them, that we are working together, that I don’t come to school in order to fight with 5th graders but to teach them. They just don’t get it. I wonder more and more if they even can.
Today, as I do on every Friday, I offered them the chance to report to me one thing they like about the class, one thing they want to change. As usual, this resulted in a chorus of discontented cries. They complained that we do this every week and I told them that that was the idea. I wanted them to know that there is always a space for their opinion. I asked them, “Don’t you want a teacher who cares what you think about the class?” Some said “No” just to be “funny” but a lot of them were genuine in their disagreement. I realized for the first time that my power-sharing, perhaps interpreted as weakness, is earnestly making some of them uncomfortable. While I’ve been told this can be easily traced back to frequently extremely hierarchical families, it is astonishing nonetheless.
Misbehavior later in the day led me to demand complete silence and rote note-taking as we finished a lesson on prefixes. I was frightened to find that the vibe in my room was in many ways more comfortable, that I was more collected and many of my students seemed more at ease, when I was rigidly insisting they do not talk and simply copy down my words.
It’s hard to know whether this tolerance and comfort with authoritarian pedagogy is something I should take advantage of, or see as inspiration to continue my efforts to empower them at any opportunity.
---
Highlight of my week: My top reading group memorized, performed, and yea, even understood, Langston Hughes “I Too Sing America.” All I had to do was tell them that Hughes was black.
---
Lowlight of my week: Disciplinary action taken against F--- led to him crying in front of the class and my core of four or five utterly obnoxious girls (whose attention to him egged him on to such misbehavior) having one more reason to disrespect me and poison my classroom community.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
I’m ceaselessly amazed by how conscious my students are of themselves.
---
Do now: Make a t-chart, on one side write words that describe you, who you are, on the other side, write words that you want to describe yourself with, who you want to be.
“talck in class…not talck in class.”
“crazy sleepy lazy mean sometimes…I wan’t to be a cientiest like Animals.”
“ugly student…pretty model”
“little of friends…lot of friends”
“soccer player…prufashyna soccer player”
“kin of smart…very smart”
“cumputer…laptap”
“no read good…read good”
“can not talk right…could talk right”
“not homework…do homework”
“fat…skinny”
“skiny..a little fater”
“I dome…I want to be smart.
"down…want to fly.”
---
Do now: Make a t-chart, on one side write words that describe you, who you are, on the other side, write words that you want to describe yourself with, who you want to be.
“talck in class…not talck in class.”
“crazy sleepy lazy mean sometimes…I wan’t to be a cientiest like Animals.”
“ugly student…pretty model”
“little of friends…lot of friends”
“soccer player…prufashyna soccer player”
“kin of smart…very smart”
“cumputer…laptap”
“no read good…read good”
“can not talk right…could talk right”
“not homework…do homework”
“fat…skinny”
“skiny..a little fater”
“I dome…I want to be smart.
"down…want to fly.”
Monday, November 08, 2004
11 going on 6.
Our morning meeting...
Me: A lot of you have wondered why I don’t hand out awards (free-time tokens) any more. It’s mostly because I want you to do those things because we all know that’s what we should be doing, not because Mr. E-C is going to give you an award. You’re in 5th grade now, you’re beyond doing good things for stickers…
Them: STICKERS!
Me: No, stickers are for kindergarteners, or maybe second graders, but in fifth grade, you
can do the right thing because it's the right thing, not for a sticker.
Them: STICKERS!
Me: We’re older than stickers…
chaos ensues as students discuss their favorite stickers
Me: …or maybe not.
Me: A lot of you have wondered why I don’t hand out awards (free-time tokens) any more. It’s mostly because I want you to do those things because we all know that’s what we should be doing, not because Mr. E-C is going to give you an award. You’re in 5th grade now, you’re beyond doing good things for stickers…
Them: STICKERS!
Me: No, stickers are for kindergarteners, or maybe second graders, but in fifth grade, you
can do the right thing because it's the right thing, not for a sticker.
Them: STICKERS!
Me: We’re older than stickers…
Me: …or maybe not.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Good, Bad, Ugly
Parent conferences went surprisingly well. Most parents agreed to my request to remove televisions from their students rooms (or lives, if not in room) and add a weekly trip to the library. We'll see how many actually do it. It was so interesting to see where my students come from... but that said, there were very few surprises. With rare exceptions, achieving, invested students came from considerate, concerned parents. One exception was one of my highest-performing students; her mother spoke of a lack of academic achievement among older siblings and seemed overwhelmed by her youngest daughter's ability and success. An unpleasant surprise came with a very attentive and enthusiastic student. I came into the conference praising her student's behavior and expecting a cooperative family that would help me boost her dismal reading performance. Instead, I met with an angry, almost antagonistic mother whose sole concerns were why I gave her daughter detention (once, three weeks ago) and why I threw a football in the classroom (a practice I learned from the girl's 4th grade teacher.)
---
I almost lost it with a student on Friday. She's a very difficult character with wild mood swings, the only student in my class who is actually disruptive. I've met with her, her mother, and the principal several times. I was already irked with her on Friday because she had lied to me about her mother wanting an extended conference on Thursday afternoon, leading to me to gather the principal and the special ed teacher and to wait in vain for 20 minutes before we called her mother to discover she hadn't been told of the conference. Friday morning, we were in the midst of group work (always difficult for her, she wants to talk not work) when I was called over by some of her group mates who were frustrated with her disruptiveness. When I required that she do her work or leave her group, she threatened to go get the principal. Appalled, I told her that what she had said didn't make sense and threatening the teacher was very disrespectful. She put her head down and cried. I came back 2 minutes later and she was doing her work, 3 minutes after that she was laughing with her friends in her group. Later that afternoon, she was talking during direct instruction. I wrote her name on the board, a signal that she had to come to detention. She tried to argue that she had to go to program (after-school homework center), I told her that they allowed me to hold students for detention. She again threatened to go get the principal, this time the whole class heard her and fell silent. As bizarre as her threat sounded, there was a sincerity in her voice that seemed to convince the other students that this statement held some power with me. I probably should have just kept teaching, but I responded and said, "N----, what do you think that would do? The principal, your mother, and I are all on the same side. We just want to help you learn." To that she replied and laughed, "Whatever, you just believe whatever I tell you." That's when I almost lost it. I don't know what I was going to say, but I felt it rising up in my throat without going through my head. By the grace of God, I didn't say anything and after a blank moment, I found myself turning away from her, walking to the corner of the room and dialing the principal's number. He came and removed the girl from the class while I continued teaching. After I was done with the lesson, we talked about N--- and what she had said, centering around how to help students who want to interfere with our learning.
---
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry... ;-)
H---, a student I have referred for GATE: Mr. E-C!
Me: Yes, H---.
H---: You said that myths are old stories.
Me: Yes, very old.
H---: So is the Simpsons a myth? It's been around for 16 years!
---
I almost lost it with a student on Friday. She's a very difficult character with wild mood swings, the only student in my class who is actually disruptive. I've met with her, her mother, and the principal several times. I was already irked with her on Friday because she had lied to me about her mother wanting an extended conference on Thursday afternoon, leading to me to gather the principal and the special ed teacher and to wait in vain for 20 minutes before we called her mother to discover she hadn't been told of the conference. Friday morning, we were in the midst of group work (always difficult for her, she wants to talk not work) when I was called over by some of her group mates who were frustrated with her disruptiveness. When I required that she do her work or leave her group, she threatened to go get the principal. Appalled, I told her that what she had said didn't make sense and threatening the teacher was very disrespectful. She put her head down and cried. I came back 2 minutes later and she was doing her work, 3 minutes after that she was laughing with her friends in her group. Later that afternoon, she was talking during direct instruction. I wrote her name on the board, a signal that she had to come to detention. She tried to argue that she had to go to program (after-school homework center), I told her that they allowed me to hold students for detention. She again threatened to go get the principal, this time the whole class heard her and fell silent. As bizarre as her threat sounded, there was a sincerity in her voice that seemed to convince the other students that this statement held some power with me. I probably should have just kept teaching, but I responded and said, "N----, what do you think that would do? The principal, your mother, and I are all on the same side. We just want to help you learn." To that she replied and laughed, "Whatever, you just believe whatever I tell you." That's when I almost lost it. I don't know what I was going to say, but I felt it rising up in my throat without going through my head. By the grace of God, I didn't say anything and after a blank moment, I found myself turning away from her, walking to the corner of the room and dialing the principal's number. He came and removed the girl from the class while I continued teaching. After I was done with the lesson, we talked about N--- and what she had said, centering around how to help students who want to interfere with our learning.
---
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry... ;-)
H---, a student I have referred for GATE: Mr. E-C!
Me: Yes, H---.
H---: You said that myths are old stories.
Me: Yes, very old.
H---: So is the Simpsons a myth? It's been around for 16 years!
Monday, November 01, 2004
One of my favorite parts of this job is reading my students' writing. Girls who will not even look at me during small group will write heart felt pages about losing loved ones; boys reveal the traumatic causes for their sudden swings of behavior after being unwilling to say a word about it for weeks. Here's two points on the great field of variety.
Prompt: Describe the sounds of your house (do not use the words "I hear...")
B----
In my house their is a lot of noise my little nefiu Eric crys alot. I am the only that has to take care of him when I have to buy stoff for him now. I am so tiryerd everyday when I have to take care of him. I am always triying not to fall asleep. I like math and reading. And the washing mushing is always on. I have to wash my close everyday. All in all, there is not that much noise at my house.
J---
There are many different sounds in my house. In the moning, there's the low sweet barks of my dog. In the kitchen, food sizzling in the pan, people talking, phone ringing, but the things I hear most are, the doors. When I go to school, bells ringing, whistles blowing, people playing; and most importantly, teachers. When I get home there's the sweet sound of silence, just me and the t.v.
Prompt: Describe the sounds of your house (do not use the words "I hear...")
B----
In my house their is a lot of noise my little nefiu Eric crys alot. I am the only that has to take care of him when I have to buy stoff for him now. I am so tiryerd everyday when I have to take care of him. I am always triying not to fall asleep. I like math and reading. And the washing mushing is always on. I have to wash my close everyday. All in all, there is not that much noise at my house.
J---
There are many different sounds in my house. In the moning, there's the low sweet barks of my dog. In the kitchen, food sizzling in the pan, people talking, phone ringing, but the things I hear most are, the doors. When I go to school, bells ringing, whistles blowing, people playing; and most importantly, teachers. When I get home there's the sweet sound of silence, just me and the t.v.
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