Dana's Blog

So....we are well into the second quarter.  My kids trust me, they talk to me, they help in the classroom, and most of them want to make me proud; HOWEVER, there are the handful who continue to disrupt and I just don't know how to get through to them.  My days are filled with engaging activities, but, I have found a flaw in it:  Our children expect to be stimulated every second of every day and they are not being taught the skill of being quiet and still.  Is this not a skill that they will need to advance to junior high and high school?  College and adulthood?  Are we not doing the children a disservice?  So....my solution is this.  YES, engage them in activities that will assist them in making an emotional connection, but also, have time set aside each day for notetaking and reflection.  Although I realize that I am not supposed to "teach to the test", if I don't teach the test, how do my students know how to successfully take the test?...

Monday was the start of a new quarter!  I feel a relief.  I have brainstormed and planned with co teachers and specialists and I feel that I finally have some direction; however, the anxiety about teaching the content in a manner that the students can understand and relate remains.  Also on Monday, I introduced the SLE's that involve multiplying, dividing, and factoring.  I instructed, I modeled, I allowed for guided practice and then independent practice.  My students were excited about the activity and asked questions about what was not clear and after a few minutes.....THEY GOT IT!  They began to work on their own and were all engaged.  Seeing 28 fourth graders engaged in an activity gives one a sense of pride and a feeling of success.  My students were excited to show me the activity books that they had created that were filled with word problems that they created and equations that they had written.  And this was just in my morning c...

This week will be one of little sleep.  I have homework to complete, parent teacher conferences, the Open Response Questions to grade on all four parts of the TLI test, but, I think I finally know what I'm teaching this week.  At least I have the whole week mapped out....that's an accomplishment.  My classroom is reorganized and I have a new Behavior Management Plan:  "God, please let this one work, and a little help getting me through this week wouldn't hurt!"

I have not had time to stop and breathe!  My classroom is a mess, I have no idea what I'm doing from day to day....but somehow, I have gained the trust of 54 fourth graders, and although it is still an adjustment, I am watching them grow individually, emotionally, and academically. There is nothing more amazing than watching that light come on.  When I see my kids carrying their heads high because they are PROUD of the content and strategies that they have learned, the late nights and lack of weekends is worth it.  I am grateful for my students, I am grateful for the support that I have from my co teachers, and I am grateful for surviving the first two weeks in my first year of being a fourth grade teacher! 

Monday afternoon, while I was wrestling with a 200 pound fourth grader in the self contained classroom at the school that I was subbing at, I got a call from the office telling me that the Deputy Superintendent of the Fort Smith Public Schools requested that I be at the Service Center at 3:45 on that same day for an interview.  All I could think was, "I am not dressed for an interview, my hair is going to be a mess and I don't have my makeup with me!!"  But, I went to the interview and stumbled through the process.  The interview was for a position at the school that I really wanted to teach at.  Yesterday morning, the next day, I was scheduled to substitute at this school. I saw the principal first thing, and she didn't make eye contact, so I assumed that I did not get the job and went on about my day, deciding to save my tears for later.  About an hour later, the principal and vice principal asked me to accompany them to the office.  Of course, it doe...

Today, I substituted in an eighth grade English class and I LOVED IT!!  The class is reading one of my favorite books, That Was Then, This is Now .  This book, as well as the others written by the same author, have been favorites of mine since I was in junior high school.  Today, I got to use some of the strategies that we have talked about in the MAT program.  Included in these strategies was building on prior knowledge, predicting, and foreshadowing.  Not only did we use these strategies, but we also incorporated history that affected the time setting in the book!  Today was a great experience. 

For the past two days, I have been substitute teaching in a self contained classroom.  These children not only have learning disabilities, but they also have physical and psychological handicaps.  Many of these children do not speak clearly and several do not have the ability to form a sentence.  When one goes into a situation such as this one, one may think, "this is a shell of a child, how can I possibly teach them, what can they learn?"  After observing these children, one will find that they are highly creative and have capabilities that seem to be inate.  These children are affectionate and if they can sit down long enough to listen, they are eagar to please.  These children have embedded themselves into my heart.  I have a new perspective on the saying, "ALL children deserve an education".