Snow Daze

We ended the first semester last week, and the second semester has not officially started because of the snow days. I knew that CPS has not taken days off of school, even though other school districts have fairly when needed, since 1999. I'm not going to lie, it was awesome having those days off. It was a break that I needed. Unfortunately, not everyone that worked CPS had off, the principals and other higher up personnel had to make it to the schools, and I have no idea why they decided that! It looked to brutal out to go anywhere.

Something I heard about all of this is that this was the 4th snow day or snow session in 18 years for CPS. Yes, CPS has some kinks to work out. It starts later than the other schools, so it ends later than the other schools, I am afraid with these snow days I took, the school year will have to end a couple days later. I wonder how many people in the system are against moving up the school year a week or two? It sounds better than trying to keep the kids settled in the middle of June. The first week of June is fine to end it, but there is probably some strict reason why they don't change it, oh well, I digress.

The new semester is underway, I have a good outline setup, and then there is ACT hanging over my head. I feels like im in the front line of an army when it comes to this. They do have a plan to improve on their scores by working on specific strands. I get lost with how to improve their strands basically because of the selections of strands, and the majority of the attitudes of the students continually destroying their abilities to try to do better.

The strategy to get them to do better is something I would back up all the way. It's like fantasy football, only the teachers pick students to play for their team and then coach them to do better on the ACT, it's awesome! My team was tied for first but hopefully we can win out to get back up there. Now we are at .500. I want us to end with a winning record, but the factors of attendance and student self control always get in the way, bummer.

This week has been nice, I have a black history project plan where the students submit a podcast poetry slam on an inventor they picked. If I knew how to deliver an assignment like this to them, I know they would do awesome with it. We'll see how it goes.

I'm OK

OK, I apologize for not keeping up with this. Let's go through an update shall we...

School: VOISE Academy High School, very new, very CPS!

Grade: Juniors (maybe not by credit count, but they have been here 3 years, and for those who graduate next year will become the first graduating class of this institution. Those who do graduate I severely admire.

Subject: Physics, just Physics, so it makes it really nice to prepare for one subject rather than 3 of them at once.

Colleagues: I'd eat fire for them.

I've come to a point in all this and realized that Physics is hard, especially now when I am trying to teach it to west side Chicago kids that may not have had a strong academic upbringing. When I took it in high school, everything clicked. It made sense, and I can do the work in a snap. This morning I can only think of two students in that class with me when I was younger who had maybe a minor struggle with it. One tried to audio record the lesson, and I might have helped him once or twice, and the other I never talked to. We all might have done a Lab experiment together at some time, but I do not remember how it went for them. If I were to see my teacher, I would like to ask him how he did this with struggling students.

Things would work out easier if I could understand the students better on a more social level. Not know them but understand them, like why they act the way they do and for the ones with issues, how come they do not know better, and when we tell them it's wrong they still don't get it? A sour attitude is not necessary to someone trying to build a better future for them.

I do give thanks for the respectful ones that have to put up with my anguish to the others. The good news is IF I survive this class, everything would turn out for the better for the years to come, but that's why they say IF.

I am just trying to go with the flow around here, It's easier for a lot of teachers here, that's why I wrote this. Again, these teachers are great and they may not have a minor struggle like I do.

Hopefully it's just lack of motivation that's going on is all.

New Intro

This blog was intended to be written at the end of june / late july, just as a way to put posts up...

A splice of my principal's email days prior to our first meeting as new faculty of an auspicious school...

"Some of you asked what exactly are we looking for during the community gathering on Wednesday, so my best answer is for you to go to my profile on the website."

see enclosure link>>>

Here are some parts that caught my attention that will help me figure out why I am at this new school.

"I felt cheated that our academic potential was never really fulfilled. We were given what was believed we could handle, and we all did it well - teachers and students - but were we ever challenged?"

I like to challenge people just as much as I like to be given a challenge. Does that not sound perfect for a teacher?
"I feel that if a student wants to put in the work, then NOTHING should be off limits. "

If ANYONE basically wants to put in the work, then nothing should be off limits. (i.e. Response blog)

We want you to be transparent, "what are you doing this?" "what is important to you about education?" "why is this work, especially in an urban area important?"

It doesn't have to be as long that, but it should be reflective.

This post was to be made near end of june/early July. Perhaps we will see changes in view over time. Hopefully for the better. The release on this was beginning of march the proceeding year.

JC

Its been better

I am sure the last time I wrote it sounded pretty bad. Things have been better. I keep going to workshops and conferences to get my self-esteem back up. The students will get under my skin, and then turn around and offer something nice. I feel good keeping up with what I am trying to do. The plans I make for each class are getting closer to what you might call accurate. I find more and more activities, worksheets, etc to go over, but all of sudden run out of time.

When it rains it pours!

Sorta feel like I am in a slump I can't get myself out of. It really sucks for me right now, everything I setup has now started to crumble. The end of the third quarter is here, and I have a few kinks that I really want to go away. The support is there in spirit, but that only goes so far. All that's going on really is that a bunch of naive misconceptions I have about teaching are severely haunting me. This rut will end, but I have no idea when. I just need some time, and hope.

I better not jinx this...

Overall, I'd say I had a good week. I came out alive on many obstacles, I was able to control the class with less and less effort, and I realized an epiphany for my classroom management: It is what I WANT. I Want this class to be silent right now, I Want you to work on the assignment. I Want you to pass. Its working for now.

I got observed by one of my department chairs. "You did better." I am going to take that as a compliment. That does actually mean a lot to me. I need an observer from the other department I am with, as well as my principal to observe me. I think it will go well.

My team teacher is fantastic. A physicist and a mathematician are getting along... for now. It's great when we are showing our styles to the students. I am seeing it as how Teachers from different fields take on a task, but unfortunately I think our students are seeing it as how a guy and a girl teach math.

Friday-leullia!!

This might have been one of the longest weeks ever! Thank god I documented half of it, and the last two days were half days! That only means I still had energy for other activities afterward. I spent time tearing apart my lab looking through all the junk that I inherited with the classroom, a lot of resource sheets that help guide me through the semester, books all over the place, papers, equipment, toys, and BOXES FULL OF EMPTY SHOE BOXES!! What is the point of that! I kept finding new things to do differently for my class, and it just puts me further back on trying to get an organized classroom, but I will overcome. Anyways, I'm staying in tonight. Working on some online geometry, grading, and sleep.

I need to get it together somehow