My resident teacher told me today that I have a natural talent of working with ELD kids. I was encouraged by her feedback, which reassured me that the trouble I'm having with the students is only part of every teacher's experience, at least in the beginning.
After a horrible day with them yesterday, today was better. I am trying to chill out, because playing drill sergeant Nazi teacher really isn't me, and I don't have to try to be.
I still really hate this job.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
It's only February.
One of my students' parents was deported last year, so he'd been living with his older sister. Today I found out he has moved back to Mexico.
I feel bad for his situation, but also glad that I don't have to deal with his bad attitude anymore.
I'm starting really hate this job. It's like babysitting, but worse because I'm trying to teach. I spend so much time arguing with just a couple of bad apples, and the other students sit there, bored. I can't do many creative things because it would be too hard to manage them.
I need to GET OUT OF HERE. They're driving me crazy.
Monday, February 1, 2010
What would you change about your culture?
If I could change one thing about my culture, I would change...
Interesting responses, and a glimpse into the kind of real life stuff they're facing.
...The way we look because that way people can see our new look and we can get rid of this look and get a new look.
...that all the people can born more than one baby. In China, the moms only can born one only. If it changed, then all the people can have brother and sister and the parents will have one or more kids. I know that the grandmas want their daughter would have a baby boy. But some they have a baby girl, so the grandmas don't like it, so I want to change that.
...It would be all Mexicans could have paper to go any wear or come back. And Mexicans sometimes need them to go visit there family or when someone is sick. Then all of us would be thankful to each other. And this is why I would love to have every single person some paper and kids get a better education.
...I would change for my grandpa to get better and for my perent to go to Mexico and other people too. I want to change those things because my grandpa is relly sick and my dad can't go to see him. I want to change that because my dad hasn't seen his dad sens a long time and I want my dad to be happy.
...I would change that Mexicans should not cut other peoples lawn because we should get other jobs and Mexicans cross the border for free.
...It would be me being taller, smarter, and have good grades so I can go to college and graduate.
...Is to have more homework on the weekend because it would make brain working. It would be different is get good grade.
...that there will be cheaper gas.
Interesting responses, and a glimpse into the kind of real life stuff they're facing.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I sent 4 kids to detention.
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.
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.
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!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
neuromancer
Now he slept in the cheapest coffins, the ones nearest the port, beneath the quartz-halogen floods that lit the docks all night like vast stages; where you couldn’t see the lights of Tokyo for the glare of the television sky, not even the towering hologram logo of the Fuji Electric Company, and Tokyo Bay was a blank expanse where gulls wheeled above drifting shoals of white styrofoam. Behind the port lay the city, factory domes dominated by the fast cubes of corporate arcologies. Port and city were divided by a narrow borderland of older streets, an area with no official name. Night City, with Ninsei its heart. By day, the bars down Ninsei were shuttered and featureless, the neon dead, the holograms inert, waiting, under the poisoned silver sky. P.6-7
The setting description found early in Neuromancer invokes thoughts of death, as it describes that he "slept in... coffins." Later in the passage the word "heart" is used, which makes me think of the opposite of death, life. The setting set here also focuses on light with words like "halogen, lit, glare, hologram" but it contrasts it with the images of darkness and deadness. Interestingly, it is the night time that seems to be lively with light, while it is during the day that the whole city dies out "dead, inert, waiting." I think that this setting description probably has another meaning underlying the interesting light/dark day/night pairings. There is a lot of technical terminology in this passage as well, which makes it difficult for me to track with the description. I don’t know precisely what "quartz-halogen" is, nor "Shoals of white styrofoam" and "arcologies." Another mysterious choice of words is "poised silver sky." I wonder what makes the silver sky look poisoned? But it still has the affect of reminding me that this is another world unlike the world I know, so the confusion and lack of clarity is okay.
Another place where I found the paring of life/death and light/darkness was on page 47 where the setting is set with the interesting pairing of words: "Lifeless Neon."
The setting description found early in Neuromancer invokes thoughts of death, as it describes that he "slept in... coffins." Later in the passage the word "heart" is used, which makes me think of the opposite of death, life. The setting set here also focuses on light with words like "halogen, lit, glare, hologram" but it contrasts it with the images of darkness and deadness. Interestingly, it is the night time that seems to be lively with light, while it is during the day that the whole city dies out "dead, inert, waiting." I think that this setting description probably has another meaning underlying the interesting light/dark day/night pairings. There is a lot of technical terminology in this passage as well, which makes it difficult for me to track with the description. I don’t know precisely what "quartz-halogen" is, nor "Shoals of white styrofoam" and "arcologies." Another mysterious choice of words is "poised silver sky." I wonder what makes the silver sky look poisoned? But it still has the affect of reminding me that this is another world unlike the world I know, so the confusion and lack of clarity is okay.
Another place where I found the paring of life/death and light/darkness was on page 47 where the setting is set with the interesting pairing of words: "Lifeless Neon."
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