I sent 4 kids to detention yesterday, but none of them showed up. I'm still deciding what to do about that. (Probably just double their detention.) I wrote up a little prompt for them to do during detention. They have to write a 2-page apology to me, tell me how they need to change, explain how a mature 14 year old behaves in class, and why they want to develop their English skills.
One girl was given detention because she said, "She's [expletive] scary" referring to me. I told that to 2 colleagues and they both said to consider it a compliment. (That they fear me.) I'm trying to come down hard on them so I don't have to deal with behavior issues for the next 6 months.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
My voice is sore.
As part of my graduate course, I need to write daily reflections about my teaching experience, strategies, and lesson plans. This should help me keep track of what worked, what doesn't work, and changes I need to make. I think debriefing will also be good for my own sanity. So here goes.
Classroom management has been difficult. Last week I sent Miguel to the office and today Jose got lunch detention. I assigned them new seats today, which they grumbled about, but it improved.
Today we started the novel Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. It's a new book for me, too. Since this is a 7th/8th grade ELD class, I read to them and then called on students to read. Students, when they don't know how to pronounce a word, will just wait until I say it for them, and then they continue reading without repeating the word I've just pronounced. Next time I'll let them try to say it, and if they need help, I will still have them repeat the word after me. Maybe I ought to have the whole class say it with me.
I read through some samples of their writing. Man-- I don't know how I'm going to them them get to grade level skills. Here is a sample of one student's work:
But I have sum books that are wead that my sister wead in goors. My sister is cool but if you get on her dab saide you are in trud. I like to play with her like yestday we play resoling she sed that she bet my she did not she lost that is why she sed that. Sum times we well have a dance contest she will bet me in that dance she ben doing dacne all her live. Right now she have her frist boyfend his name is Eren. She is a fresh man in he is a senere. My dad was not happy when he hered it in she got hem in a bad mod in he was all ready in a bad mod.
Some of my students were born in America. The above student is American-born, and so are his parents. I suspect he has a learning disability, which is pretty different from the kind of language arts instruction that my ELD students need.
I was a little more optimistic after today's class; Since last week I basically pulled all my tricks to try to scare them into submission, they were down a notch today. Yet they're resilient and not resentful, a pleasant surprise since I had made enemies with some of them last week, and I wasn't looking forward to maintaining that kind of tone in the classroom. Today they were ok, with less attitude (except Gabby). My voice still hurts from trying to shout over them.... Along with improving their English, the other major goal I have for them is to teach them to behave in school!
Classroom management has been difficult. Last week I sent Miguel to the office and today Jose got lunch detention. I assigned them new seats today, which they grumbled about, but it improved.
Today we started the novel Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. It's a new book for me, too. Since this is a 7th/8th grade ELD class, I read to them and then called on students to read. Students, when they don't know how to pronounce a word, will just wait until I say it for them, and then they continue reading without repeating the word I've just pronounced. Next time I'll let them try to say it, and if they need help, I will still have them repeat the word after me. Maybe I ought to have the whole class say it with me.
I read through some samples of their writing. Man-- I don't know how I'm going to them them get to grade level skills. Here is a sample of one student's work:
But I have sum books that are wead that my sister wead in goors. My sister is cool but if you get on her dab saide you are in trud. I like to play with her like yestday we play resoling she sed that she bet my she did not she lost that is why she sed that. Sum times we well have a dance contest she will bet me in that dance she ben doing dacne all her live. Right now she have her frist boyfend his name is Eren. She is a fresh man in he is a senere. My dad was not happy when he hered it in she got hem in a bad mod in he was all ready in a bad mod.
Some of my students were born in America. The above student is American-born, and so are his parents. I suspect he has a learning disability, which is pretty different from the kind of language arts instruction that my ELD students need.
I was a little more optimistic after today's class; Since last week I basically pulled all my tricks to try to scare them into submission, they were down a notch today. Yet they're resilient and not resentful, a pleasant surprise since I had made enemies with some of them last week, and I wasn't looking forward to maintaining that kind of tone in the classroom. Today they were ok, with less attitude (except Gabby). My voice still hurts from trying to shout over them.... Along with improving their English, the other major goal I have for them is to teach them to behave in school!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)