As a first year teacher, everything feels overwhelming the first couple weeks. You are putting on work clothes instead of uniform, packing a work bag instead of a bookbag, and carrying teaching material instead of homework and textbooks. You are turning the tables and playing the other role in the classroom. You are not coming into class and sitting at your desk waiting for the teacher to give instruction, you ARE the teacher! It's your classroom, your students, and your rules and responsibilities. You're in charge! Sounds awesome right? Well, it has it's pros and cons. Of course YOU don't have to do homework and YOU don't have to take tests, but you do have to create them. You have tons of paperwork, lesson plans, and meetings to juggle aside from teaching. Oh, by the way, you're not just teaching thirty students. You're teaching whole group, small group, ESE, ELL, and gifted students the same material all at once while tending to each individual student's needs. Are you overwhelmed yet? Well don't worry, that's what the teachers' lounge is for. If you are as passionate about teaching as I am, but scared of the immense responsibilities that come with it, do not panic! I am going to show you that in the end, this is all extremely rewarding and worth the hard work.
Personally, I am very artistic, crafty, and spontaneous when it comes to creativity and imagination. As a reading and language arts 5th grade teacher, I am trying to combine the fun of elementary school while preparing students for their step up to middle school. Is it safe to say it's hard to make reading fun? I made an oath my 5th grade year as a student to never use a "drill and kill" method of teaching no matter how critical co-workers are about your modern methods of teaching. Are you as enthusiastic about teaching as I am? Hint: watch out for the enthusiasm sharks (also known as teachers who have been brought down by the school system, so they aren't as thrilled about teaching as you are.) My classroom is set up into stations, and everyone has a job. The desks are set up in groups of five, and each has a mixture of students so they may help one another. Int the back of the room i have a circular table for small group teaching. This is where I pull my ESE, ESOL, and "bubble" kids to do intensive learning on the subject. My library is split into three sections. Section one is where I keep all the novels we are to read in class throughout the school year. Each time a new novel is read, three students are in charge of passing them out, and later collecting them and putting them back neatly. Section two is where I keep my AR books. Students are to read books on their own time that are on the "Accelerated Reading" list. Once checked out and read, they are to go onto the AR website and take a test on the book they read. This part of their overall grade. The third section is called the freebie. Students are welcome to take a book and read at their leisure, as well as make a donation to the library.
Since this is a blended class, we are provided with laptops. Every month, two students are chosen to help keep the laptops in check. They make sure they are powered off and plugged into the charger at the end of the day, as well as keep them tidy. In my school, we use a program used I-Ready. At different intervals of the day, my students log onto I-Ready and complete the lessons I post on their weekly. As the FCAT approaches, if my students have completed 80% or higher of their goal on I-Ready, I throw a small party Friday before FCAT week to decompress a bit. They are welcome to work in groups during the assignments; however, they must complete quizzes and exams on their own. When it comes to giving homework, I like mixing it up a bit. I can't assign all homework online or all on paper. In efforts to teach my students how to properly type essays, summaries, etc. on Microsoft Word, I instruct them to complete all summaries and essays on Microsoft Word. For those who do not own a computer at home. I give them the option to complete their work after all in-class assignments are done and during free-time. To turn it in, they submit it into a Dropbox folder designed for each assignment. Not only do they learn how to use these applications, they help minimize the use of paper. Recycling is a huge practice in my classroom.
These are a few little rituals I perform in my classroom to integrate learning outside of the curriculum. While my students are learning everyday school material, they are also learning responsibility, teamwork, and technology use. This detailed explanation is only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to teaching than all of this. It's not just passing the FCAT or passing the grade level, it's making learning exciting and being able to motivate them to go the extra mile in learning and creating.
