Letter to Myself: Online Reflection #4

Dear Alexis,

I am writing from the future to let you know that things WILL work out in every way that you imagined. You are on the path in life that is right for YOU. You are MEANT to be a teacher. Although CORE can often be fuddled with superfluous information and teachers that question your sanity, it is designed that way for a purpose. It is in the first year of CORE that you put up or shut up, meaning that you buckle down and do the hard work necessary to be successful OR you quit. Always, always, always stick with it. You may cry a lot, and you may question yourself and your choices regularly, but like you have always done, know that whatever happens is meant to be.

When you are in your student teaching internships, be CONFIDENT. Don’t let your fear of failure you hinder you from performing at your highest level.  CORE is a learning experience and you will gain so much confidence throughout your placements, so don’t sweat the small stuff (literally stop sweating every time you stand in front of the class). Learn from your mistakes and implement strategies to avoid them in the future. Remember that you are a ROCK STAR. Your natural talent, passion, and love for school is what will make you a fantastic educator.

Go for WHAT YOU WANT. Whether this is in your personal or professional relationships it is important to be a little forward. Make people notice you because you are VALUABLE but sometimes it takes some vulnerability on your part for this to happen. Build meaningful relationships in each of these areas. Open yourself up to something that will improve your outlook on life and make you a better person.

Ignore when people say that you are “intimidating.” Use this to your advantage because what they most likely mean is that you are confident, poised, and put together.  While it is important to listen to others and value their constructive feedback and opinions it is more important to trust your intuition and instincts.

HAVE FUN. School and student teaching are STRESSFUL, but you got this. You have always had the ability to overcome adversity and surmount obstacles and this endeavor is no different.  Take the time to work on yourself as well as your teaching craft. Building and maintaining a work/life balance is of the utmost importance and is your responsibility in order to attain satisfaction with your life.

Oh, and don’t forget to SAVE ALL YOUR MATERIALS.  Anything that has to do with education or English instruction will be vital to your success. Remember that short story anthology from Nature of Fiction? You will regret not keeping that during your short story unit…  These materials are not only a representation of all the hard work and commitment that you have dedicated in your four years at Wichita State, but will be beneficial resources when you have a career.

Lastly, when it comes time to start your job search and you feel utter despair because over half of your class is getting employed, knock it off.  Things have always fallen in to place for you and this is no exception. Maintain your confident and positive outlook on life and you are a winner.  

You rock dude,

Alexis 

Diffusing Negativity and Infusing Positivity (Online Reflection #3)

This semester, my MT and I have been attempting to deal with a student that can easily create disruption and drama in the classroom. When I say attempting to deal with, what I really mean is ignoring. I know this is the wrong way to handle the situation but this student’s potential for volatility is very high. It has been an error on both of our parts and began at the beginning of this semester when we let her sit in a seat that was not assigned to her.  She never asked to move, just got up and moved there one day. Instead of immediately correcting this unwanted behavior and asking her to move back to her assigned seat, we ignored this behavior and continued on with class. The next day, she sat in the incorrect seat and again no correction was made. This continued on for several weeks. She chose this seat because of its proximity to her close friend in the class…

When students around these two talkative students started complaining to my MT and I about their seating and if they could move we knew it was time to make a change and stop ignoring this student’s bad behavior. Her negative attitude and outright disrespect for the learning environment we created was spreading like a plague throughout the classroom and it was time for us to reclaim our positive and welcoming atmosphere. We have consistently been trying to implement routines and seating that accommodates and benefits everyone. It has been an ongoing battle and even now I am struggling to maintain a positive attitude when interacting with this student.  When given a gentle reminder or correction I am responded to with a mocking voice and whiny attitude.  Just today when I reminded this student and her friend that if they were going to work together, they needed to stay on task, I was met with disdain and a “Dang we will you don’t need to come at me like that.” As if I was attacking these students in some way.  I know this student craves attention and would benefit from a more strict and regimented classroom experience, but there is unhealthy friction created between us every time that I attempt to correct her behavior or guide her in a certain direction. I want to be able to facilitate a student-teacher relationship with her that is healthy and not centered around a power struggle.

The National Education Association suggests turning this potentially negative interaction into a “teaching moment.” By showing the student, and the class, that you can deal with the disruption in a professional and dignified manner models for them how they should be interacting with both teachers and peers. This article also suggests that it is important to react in a way that doesn’t publically embarrass the student. While I agree with this analysis I think that it can often be difficult for this to occur, especially when a gentle correction blows up into a full-fledged confrontation.

 

Dr. Allen Mendler (2012) offers a slightly different solution.  He suggests that the teacher should stay focused on and satisfied with “the most effective word.” This means that even if this student is being disruptive, keeping the focus on stopping the behavior with the minimal amount of additional disruption necessary so that you can get back to teaching. Making the classroom difficult for students to get kicked out of and instead dropping the issue for the meantime and visiting with the student is the best way to proactively deal with students who often cause power struggles. By remaining calm and privatizing discipline, trust will be established and hopefully the power struggle will be diminished.

I will implement these strategies in my classroom in order to regain control of this student and reinforce my behavior expectations in order to create a healthier and happier classroom environment in these last few weeks of school

McNeely, R. (n.d.). Avoiding Power Struggles with Students. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://www.nea.org/tools/49922.htm

Mendler Ph.D., A. (2012). Defusing Power Struggles: It's Not About Getting the Last Word. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/defusing-power-struggles-last-word-allen-mendler

Always Ask Why: Practicing and Teaching Conversation Skills (Online Reflection #2)

This week’s assigned reading really got me thinking about best practices for group discussion in the classroom.  Discussion is an integral part of the English Language Arts culture, and a practice that helps both student and teacher disseminate important information and dig into to sometimes complex texts. This being said, what is meant to be meaningful and authentic discussion often turns into recitation sessions where the teacher is the “sage on the stage” and the students are receptacles of their knowledge. Bomer (2011) offers a solution to this all too common problem in man ELA classrooms. Engaging in participant talk rather than procedural instructions or recitation of facts to students is one of the most beneficial practices in teaching students how to have great academic conversations (p. 138).  Modeling thought and conversation processes for our students can lead to more productive class time and an easier transition into teaching this type of conversation. This demonstration will subliminally teach what a good contribution to a conversation is.  I also think this is a fantastic technique because you will still be able to guide the conversation, keeping it on track or moving it along if it stagnates, without taking direct control of the discussion.  Letting students respond to our ideas can also boost their confidence; if students feel at ease and confident enough to comment, contradict, or correct a teacher’s assertion (respectfully) they will have no problem jumping into any classroom discussion, formal or informal. 

Another strategy that can help students learn how to participate in classroom conversations is also teacher led. “Keep asking why” (Bomer, 2011, p. 139).  Sometimes the best way to help cement students’ understanding and increase participation is to simply ask why they think what they do.  While this may seem like an elementary approach, it really works! I used this strategy last week after reading Bomer’s suggestion and it developed a much more thoughtful and in-depth conversation about new topics.  It does take some getting used to however. I often felt like a three-year old trying to understand how the world works, but I think it was worth it.  It was especially beneficial for students who offer simple one word responses, it forces them to qualify their answers and really think about their response rather than guessing or doing the bare minimum.  I highly recommend trying this strategy out in order to foster deeper and more meaningful conversations with little work.  Often during classroom discussions, it is easy for teachers to get wrapped up in their learning objectives and what they want their students to know or particular knowledge that they want their students to obtain that they become too involved.  In a nod to Jackson’s (2009) article “Never Work Harder Than Your Students,” don’t! Asking why is an effortless way for students to develop their own authentic discussion and arrive at their own conclusions.

While each of these strategies is important for teaching great conversation, perhaps the most important thing a teacher can do is simply listen to their students.  Whether this is in academic conversation, in their actions and behavior, or listening to a personal problem, it is an educator’s duty to be mindful of our students’ needs and showing that we care. Listening and maintaining awareness is the first step in this endeavor!

Bomer, R. (2011).  Building adolescent literacy in today’s English classroom (1^st ed.).  Portsmouth, NJ: Heinemann.

Jackson, R. (2009). “Never work harder than your students and other principles of great teaching.” Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 

Practical Magic: Online Reflection #1

As I begin my student teaching journey, I realize that I have much to reflect upon.  And since it is a new year, I felt this post would be the perfect way to review and analyze my goals as a teaching professional along with my teaching philosophy.  I have always believed in a providing an education that will stimulate my students mentally, create learning experiences full of rigor, and most importantly that will equip them with the skills necessary to be successful outside of middle or high school.  These ideas best align with a pragmatic or practical theory of education. Pragmatism is a word derived from the Greek word “pragma” which means practice.  Pragmatists believe that the meaning of concepts lie in practical consequences. According to Ruth Anna Putnam (1999), “The Pragmatic outlook is forward looking, looking toward effects or future events rather than to the past.”  I think that this is an accurate statement.  In order to be a reflective practitioner in the field of education, it is imperative that you assess the past outcomes of your teaching, but that you look to the future and analyze the real world implications of your instruction.

I see this approach every day in my classroom (wow that’s weird I’ve never been able to call a classroom mine before).  Since my classes consist of high school seniors, determining a philosophy of education that is best suited to them is imperative.  Both my MT and I have come to the determination that this pragmatic approach will be the most beneficial for our students. Like the original pragmatists, we believe that our students’ reality is constantly changing and by applying knowledge and experience to new information, they will be able to negotiate solving problems as they arise (Cohen, 1999).  I believe in this approach, but often question whether it will be the most effective, especially in the English/Language Arts classroom.  Is it better to dig into an intricate piece of literature to find complex themes and literary devices (something that I love about this subject) or is it more beneficial to expose students to as many novels and literature as possible, helping students understand themes that are relevant to their everyday lives, and using that knowledge to help them navigate situations in their own lives?

I think this kind of questioning is important for every teacher to ask themselves when evaluating and developing their methodology and purpose for instruction.  For my students, the first approach is probably best.  As seniors graduating in a few months, most are not interested in drawn out critical analyses of works that have seemingly no connection to their lives today.  Instead, offering a multitude of experiences that can have a clear and concrete application (like problem solving, conflict resolution, resume building, professional writing) will be most beneficial for this group of students.

A practical approach to instruction can often have a negative connotation, but with the right learning activities and curriculum model in a disciplined and structured setting, success is the only option. While this method will guide my lesson planning and instruction in my student teaching semester, I think it is imperative that every educator takes the time each year to reevaluate their own philosophy and its relevance to their students.

Cohen, L.M. (1999). Philosopical perspectives in education. Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html

Putnam, R.A. (1999). Pragmatism, ethics and education. Retrieved from http://eepat.net/doku.php?id=pragmatism_ethics_and_education