No?

My part time school week is over. The kids definitely knew it was Friday. They were very active. We played a lot of cards in between activities, the hardest part of which is running a game different aged kids. We played group war, lunchroom skippo, blackjack, garbage and the cards I carried in my pocket all week are well worn, soaked and torn. During one of the last games of lunchroom skippo the smallest second grade girl in the group said in her high voice, 'This is like a bunch of senior citizens in the old-age home.' Funny at the moment.

When they say no. No greater learning experience than dealing with a kid who either doesn't listen or says no when you ask him to do something. I mean, after he says no, what can you really do? I have some opinions on this but from what I've observed so far, the best method is yelling. We'll see. I'm not much of a yeller. Old Yeller?

Setting a Pace, Finding a Niche

A few more days of working at the school under my belt. I have to say, like all things worth putting time into, it's getting harder before it gets easier.

I find myself trying to do so much; first balancing the needs and wants of more than a dozen kids, listening every time they call my name, making every effort to include everyone in games or reading, and really trying to listen to what kids have to say. I really want to get a lot out of this. Perhaps I'm trying to do too much. I am going to need to pace myself. I am just learning and to be honest, not that much is expected of me.

Tutor. I tutored a fifth grader for an hour today. First in language arts (parts of speech) and then in math (though I quickly had to remind myself how to divide two fractions and we didn't finish that worksheet). It was really the biggest learning experience so far. I began by setting some simple goals for the hour, mostly zeroing in on the tough stuff first. The student was very well-mannered and eager to please me. I feel as though I may have micro-managed him a bit by going through every single exercise on a 3-page worksheet. I will be careful to let him work a little more independently next time.

I met his teacher by cooincidence later in the day. The teacher thought it would be beneficial to work more on reading comprehension, an area in which the student struggles. Maybe I will have him read a newspaper or magazine article and then write a four sentence summary for me. (I also asked the teacher, who was a very nice guy, about student teachers at the school and he said they usually stick with students from Holy Union, I think that's what he said, kind of disappointing but I'll still bug the principal in a few more weeks, if it's meant to be...)

Once a week or more I will be tutoring this student, and hopefuly others as well. I'm glad I got to meet his teacher and I hope to meet more. It would be a great learning experience for me to discuss a tutee with his teacher. This would allow me to concentrate on certain concepts or content areas in which the student needs extra help. What better way to really maximize the hours during this program?

Littlest guys. Earlier in the week I worked with Kindergarteners and first graders. I think I figured out I don't want to teach these grades. Cutest, sweetest kids but I am unable to focus them or even begin to corral them. They climb on me, stick little hands in my pockets, seem immune to reason, yet are excited about every little thing. That, I like. Wide-eyes wonder. When do we lose that?

Staff. This will be an ongoing line of internal dialogue. I'm trying to bond with co-workers; first, in an attempt to pick their brains about the job, the kids, their own goals; second, because activities run better when staff members are on the same page, a unified front, of sorts; and third, I haven't worked very much in this kind of atmosphere and I'm really curious how everyone gets along. I will expound upon this issue further in later posts. Surprisingly, this topic is one of the biggest challenges I carry in my pocket each afternoon when I arrive to work.

Praise the Practicum

And now for something completely different...




I just started a new job at a charter school in Philadelphia. I'll be working 3-6 p.m. Monday thru Friday. In order to student teach in the Fall, I need to put in at least 10 hours in a classroom setting. This is called the practicum. The purpose is to make me know for sure- do I really want to teach for a living? Can I stand being around kids for a living? Would I want to work in a school?

So far I'm working with 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders. My day begins when the real school day ends. We start with homework help in the library. Next is activities; like computers or softball. Here are some issues that I've been confronted with so far during my first ten hours:

-3rd grader crying and leaving in the middle of a playground football game. I asked him to walk with me a little and he said, "Sometimes, I just can't control my emotions."

-I was assigned a 3rd grade girl to whom I'm supposed to pay special attention. She seems a little shy but was disruptive the last time I saw her; she got in a shouting match with a classmate.

-I was assigned to a 3rd grade boy, same deal, but he walks on permanent crutches. No one told me the extent of his disability/exceptionality and I probably won't ask. I told him we will play chess soon and he seemed excited about that. Both students were assigned to me because they need extra attention and each Support Staff has a few students.

-One of my goals during my preparations to become a teacher was to be engaging to all my students; not just the ones who like my lessons and ask questions, not just the ones who talk out of turn and get into trouble, not just the ones whose parents I know- but also the wallflowers, the quiet kids, the new kids, basically, me. And there are lots of them.

-And finally, I'm really trying to observe how my colleagues resolve conflict. Surprisingly I think many of my colleagues over-react to minor behavioral problems. Students who are talking too loud or not working on their homework when asked are taken outside the classroom and scolded. I also heard several colleagues ask questions following misbehavior such as 'What were you thinking?' or "What was going through your mind when you did/said that?' Naturally, I haven't heard students respond to these rhetorical questions.

-So far, I haven't had any problems with any kids and I've engaged about 20 kids in a fairly personalble way so far. Let's see how this changes. The first conflict I have will be a major talking point. I'll try to keep discussing my experience right here. So stay tuned and thanks for tuning it. It'll get better, I'm sure.

Something like this, but more abstract