3 Things to Change

The first half of my winter break was not productive when it came to schoolwork, but as bad as I feel about it, I think it is probably for the best. Sometimes a good detox is all you need to feel better. And I definitely feel better. I've had some time to reflect on how this school year is going so far, and I've thought about the things I want to improve upon for the next five months. I lost sight of some priorities over the last few months, and I want to make sure I continue to do what is best for my students-- I want to re-ignite my spark for the rest of the year! There are three things that I am going to consciously change as soon as possible.

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1. I want my students to write more. It's so important that they feel comfortable writing paragraphs, essays and more, since their academic and lifelong careers will probably require some form of written expression. Though my students are pros at writing tweets and passionate facebook posts, they aren't as comfortable with academic writing at school. The first thing I'm going to have students do when we get back on Tuesday is WRITE! They're going to write about their winter break-- a topic that they surely will have something to say about.

2. I want to create more. Some of the assignments and worksheets I created over the last few years are great, and only need small changes each year, but there are others that need to be scrapped, with new activities created in their places. I want to commit myself to creating more cool assignments that will increase student engagement in my class. I've started by creating a "Renaissance Man" lesson for the first week back. I think it will be good!

3. I want my students to be appropriate when asking to use the restroom. I know this sounds super trivial, but it really bugs me when my students ask to go to the bathroom during the middle of a lesson. I am going to institute some major changes in two weeks at semester break, but I plan to more clearly communicate my expectations about bathroom breaks to my students on Tuesday. Hopefully setting clear expectations, and reminding students of them, will decrease the inappropriate bathroom requests.

12/22/16 - Last Day!!

I MADE IT TO CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!! YAY!!!!

1. I gave my student aides a card with thoughtful words and a bunch of candy today. It wasn't big, but I think they appreciated the gesture. It feels good to show and tell people that you appreciate them.

2. A few of my students gave me small gifts today, which was incredibly sweet. I know that many students don't have the resources to give presents to their teachers, so I was honored that these students were able to give gifts to me; and also that I've made a large enough impact for them to even want to get me something. Feels good!

3. Although tensions in the school seemed to run high today, several students from each hour found the time to wish me and others a Merry Christmas. I hope that my students have a restful and enjoyable holiday break.

12/21/16

One day of school left!!!! Today was a challenge because we were in the library working on Achieve 3000, and it's always difficult to keep order when moving to a different room. But I survived, and now we have only one day left.

1. I don't expect to get gifts from students as a high school teacher, so I was pleasantly surprised that my student aide got me a card and some cash (so awesome!). She wrote many nice things in my card, and it really brightened my day. I don't even need the cash, just getting the nice card was enough for me! I really appreciate having such kind and thoughtful students.

2. One of my struggling students kicked butt on his Achieve 3000 article and worksheet today. Usually he performs somewhere in the middle-back of the pack, but today he did awesome. I was so proud of him.

3. I participate in a book study with the Dean of Students, and the book we're reading is called, "Phoning Parents." Our book group met today and discussed some of the barriers to making phone calls. I really enjoyed starting my day with a productive conversation about how to better communicate with parents. I like hearing other teachers struggles and successes, which give me ideas for how to be a better teacher.

12/20/16

Today was a test day, and I always feel pretty ambivalent about them. On one hand I love them because I get a break from teaching and some peace and quiet. But on the other hand, I hate them because they're so boring for me, and I always have to be on cheater patrol (which is basically painful).

Not a whole lot happened today that was good or bad, really. Test days are just, meh. But on the bright side, we're only two days out from Christmas Break now and the kids are still maintaining some composure!

1. My first hour was somewhat engaged when going over important news topics today. Some students asked questions about the Berlin attack, and nearly everyone was interested in the discussion about the "Russian Hunger Games." Some students even said they'd be interested in doing them... crazy!

2. I met with the assistant principal and academic dean to discuss the status of my "passion" project-- engaging students using social media. I was pretty nervous going into this discussion because my project didn't really go very well, and I was unable to do much of what I hoped. However, the assistant principal and dean were really supportive and provided great feedback to help me move forward. Just because it didn't work the way I hoped, doesn't mean that it was a failure. I've got to keep reminding myself of that!

12/19/16

ONLY THREE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!!!! YAY!

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1. My freshmen were really good in the IMC today. I always get nervous taking a class down to the library to work, because it's an unfortunate opportunity to make a bad impression on other teachers with my students' behavior. However, my freshmen class is really quiet walking the halls and also relatively quiet in the IMC. Last week, the IMC lady even complimented my class for being so much quieter than other classes.

2. Several students came to me today to pick up missing work. It's always refreshing to see students taking control oft their own educations. It also feels good not to have to chase a student down for missing work!

3. One of my 4th hour students has made some major improvements over the last week. After talking to his mom early last week, he was upset with me, but by the end of the week his behavior had markedly improved. I didn't expect it at all! He got several pieces of work done today, and even asked for more missing work to complete! It felt so good to not be angry about this student after 4th hour today!

12/15/16 - the COLD day

Today was a bit of a bummer. I don't like "cold" days because not a lot of students come. Then, I'm stuck with the dilemma of teaching the half of the class that shows the lesson, or just scrapping the day to prevent the other half from falling behind.

I elected to alter my lesson to give students more time to work on their mini inquiry "projects," and also check their grades and get them missing work.

Personally, it was a tough day, as my family was at the funeral of my great-aunt up north. I wish I could've been there to celebrate the life of my aunt, but hopefully I was with them in spirit today.

1. My door for the school door decorating contest is coming together! I'm not sure if it's a winner, but a lot of students (even students who aren't in my homeroom) are helping. It's heartwarming to get the help, and see the faces of former students pop in my room and compliment the door/ask to help.

2. One of my basketball player students asked to help make snowflakes for my door today. It was totally unexpected, since he's a "cool jock," but it was so nice! I showed him how to make a 6-pointed snowflake, and he made several more for the rest of the hour. It was adorable.

3. Finally, I worked with one of my more difficult students to look at his grades today. He was upset with his failing classes, and wanted to "spaz on" his teachers, but I worked with him to coach him to NOT flip out on his teachers. I sent him on his way to talk to his science teacher, and he did NOT "spaz" on her. Though he still has lots of work to do to pass his classes, I'm glad he displayed some restraint today. Moving in the right direction!

12/13/16

Today was exhausting, but in a good way, kind of. I met with my financial planner today, which was pretty fun #adulting. Planning for your future really helps put life into perspective!

School was really good today, too. I was concerned that being absent from school for two days would lead to me returning to a train wreck, but it wasn't that bad! A lot of teachers seem to be getting sick, though, so I hope that these illnesses stay away from me.

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1. Several students were excited to see me back today. It was really heart-warming to hear them say that they missed me and are happy to have me back. Though this is small, it feels good to know that some students miss me when I'm gone.

2. Similar to #1, my fifth hour class was really interested in learning about my trip. They asked tons of great questions about my trip, which turned into a bunch of great questions about the lesson today. Though I didn't achieve 100% interest, I love that a few students were really interested in my trip and lesson. Thank you 5th hour!

3. A former student stopped by my room after school today, but my door was closed because I was hanging out with another teacher (even though my door is usually always open, for better or worse). She kind of knocked but then walked away. I ran up to the door to see who knocked and saw her walking away, and asked her what's up. She sweetly said, "Nothing, just wanted to say I love you!" It was so nice! I'm really floored at how much of a good impact I've had on some of my former students.

Looking Backward - Weekend

My weekend in upstate New York was AWESOME!!! I spent a full two days discussing, learning about, and experiencing 19th Century United States history. The Rochester Institute of Technology was beyond welcoming, and I am so grateful that I was chosen to participate.

Our group!

Unfortunately the winter storm, and a painful head cold, caused my weekend to come to a less than amazing end, there were far more than three good things about this trip.

1. Visiting historical sites.
Going to see William H. Seward's home in Auburn was incredible. More than 90% of the objects in the home are original, belonging to Seward, Secretary of State under Presidents Lincoln and Johnson. One of my favorite parts of this home was going down into the basement to see where runaway slaves stayed on their journey north on the Underground Railroad. We also made a relatively quick stop at Harriet Tubman's property down the street, sold to her by William Seward. It was amazing to learn that a woman who came from literally nothing actually died owning 32 acres of property with multiple homes. Truly a humbling, but amazing experience! We also stopped at the gravesite of Frederick Douglass, where I reflected upon his great struggles and accomplishments. Going to these places really brought history to life for me and made me appreciate these three people much more.

Harriet Tubman's Home for the Aged, in Auburn, NY

Frederick Douglass's grave at Mount Hope Cemetery, in Rochester, NY

2. The food.
I know this is somewhat trivial, but the food this weekend was fantastic! The director of the weekend's festivities, Dr. Fornieri from RIT, promised we would not go hungry and he was right. We had lunch at an Italian deli, subs from Wegman's (WOW!), wings and ribs from the Dinosaur, and a wonderful Italian meal at Mr. Dominic's on the Erie Canal. I want to go back to Rochester just for the good food!

3. Reenergizing my passion for history.
I can't recommend enough that content area teachers take every chance to go to some sort of professional learning experience. This seminar, and the one I went to in Springfield, were so informative. Additionally, I got to spend a whole weekend with the great history teachers I met a few months ago. I am so grateful to be able to simply be in the presence of these dedicated and top-tier individuals.

Couldn't pass up taking a photo of the actual flowers from Lincoln's funeral procession. Gifted to Seward, who could not attend due to an assassination attempt the same night as Lincoln's assassination.

Looking Forward - Weekend

I am very excited that today I am going to Rochester, New York for a seminar on 19th century U.S. history, and more specifically the experience of former slaves in the northern United States. My flight left at 7 AM, so unfortunately I had to get up even earlier than a normal school day. But it will be well worth it when I get to Rochester later today (Sorry students, I'll miss you!).

Here are Three Good Things I'm looking forward to this weekend:

1. Touring the homes of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman
I am so excited to visit the homes of two important and influential Americans. Since reading My Bondage and My Freedom in high school, I've had a deep respect for Frederick Douglass and his contributions to the political discourse of the ante- and post-bellum United States. His speech at the unveiling of the Freedmen's Monument for Lincoln in Washington D.C. is one of my favorites, because it brilliantly captures the evolving images and memories of Abraham Lincoln's views on slavery.

2. Talking about history. All. Weekend. Long
Gosh, I'm such a nerd! But I really enjoy reading historical documents and primary sources. And even more than reading documents, I love talking about them. Our course packet for the weekend is several hundred pages of reading (most of my students audibly groaned when I informed them of this), and I am excited to better "digest" what I've read and work through my questions via conversation.

3. Being around other history teachers.
When I went to my first weekend seminar in Springfield this September, I was so nervous-- nervous about being the youngest teacher there, nervous about whether it would be fun, whether I was prepared enough, I could go on and on. But it turned out to be one of the most fun and energizing weekends of my life because of the people with whom I spent it. I left the weekend excited to teach, excited to learn, and excited to go to more seminars in the future. I'm sure that this weekend will be no different, and I'm really looking forward to it. Spending so much time with passionate and dedicated historians and teachers who taught me so much is something I now cherish.

12/08/16

My three good things for today are pretty simple, so I will jump right in.

1. My students left the IMC room we were in clean!! This is a big success.

2. A few students took the time to look up the artist in their achieve 3000 article, as I recommended. They were shocked to learn that Caravaggio was a pretty eccentric guy (to say the least). I'm glad that they took the time to learn a little more, and they were not disappointed.

3. Finally, my homeroom is still highly committed to participating in the door decorating contest. I'm so glad that a few students share my enthusiasm for decorating, and it helps to build a positive school climate.

12/07/16

Though this time of the year isn't the easiest (I think all teachers must know the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until holiday break!), I am going to do my best to keep my mind on school.

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I never really thought about this before teaching in an urban school district, but the holidays can surely be difficult for my students. It's important for me to remember how fortunate I am to have lived a comfortable life growing up, but to also be mindful that not all of my students are in my situation. 

Because the holidays are a rough time of year (getting students to focus feels impossible!), I think it's even more important to keep my eye on the positive and away from the negative.

Here are my Three Good Things for today:

1. One of my quiet, but amazing, students in first hour joined the class discussion today. Though she always completes her homework, and is the model of a perfect student on paper, she doesn't participate much in class discussions. However, today while we were talking about the debate over the death penalty, she raised her hand and joined in. I was so happy to see her start to break out of her shell. I hope in the future, she continues to wow the class with how awesome she is.

2. I have a few awesome students in my homeroom. Central is putting on a door decorating contest for the holidays, and I am so excited to decorate my door! Unfortunately most of my students in homeroom are pretty apathetic to school-related stuff, which puts a damper on my excitement. However, a few of my students are helping with the contest and we're all excited to create a festive door. I always have to remember that even though some students can bring down my mood, there are still students who want to have school spirit like me!

3. One of my students who has literally NEVER EVER shown up to class on time, was a minute early for class today. Hey, it's the little things, right?

And that closes out my Three Good Things for today. Looking forward to a few more good things this week!