The honeymoon is over and the students’ true personalities, as well as the teachers’, have surfaced. There is a lull that accompanies this break-through every year; a void in which equilibrium must be achieved in order to find a routine to establish the course for the rest of the year. After spending last year teaching 8th grade, I find that I must take a step back to remember that 6th graders do not listen or follow directions well. This has caused a division and frustration in the classroom. About 75% of my students are capable of following directions the first time. The other 25% either choose not to listen or have absolutely no idea what I asked them to do. Some may argue that this is the case with any grade level, but I believe the percentages are slightly different the older students get. In moments of utter frustration, I forget that it is my job to teach students how to listen and follow direction. My subject matter is important, but in 6th grade it’s more important for me to teach my students how to be learners and how to make the most of their education.
On class in particular, just like every year, is more challenging than the rest. After reviewing papers and test scores, my suspicions were confirmed: my C class contains some of my lowest scoring students. Either because of language acquisition or cognitive development issues, this group of students has a difficult time learning. Earlier this week I had to remind this class, in a firm voice, that their habit of talking while the teacher talks is totally unacceptable, and I had to have them practice coming into class and getting started on the warm-up twice before they got it. Yet apart from the irksome nature of this class, the students are precious. I just need to remember and hold onto that that! I also need to make more time to stay at school to accomplish all the planning and grading I can’t seem to accomplish during my planning periods…
The remainder of that week wasn’t too terribly exciting apart from playing soccer and tetherball with some of my students. I did get to meet with two of my mentees; I’m looking forward to getting to know them better throughout this year. Since I have 12 students, I hope to meet with each one once a month just to check in and see how life is going.
Last night I hung out at La Encrucijada Rock House with some other teachers from school. Before that, some of us gathered at Sarah’s house (she lives within walking distance of the bar) and visited for about an hour before walking to the bar at 10pm. This bar is kind of two in one. There is a front section and a back section (separated by a little courtyard) and both have live bands. My group of friends was in the front, and I was really impressed with the band which started playing at 11pm. They played rock music both current and past, and it was fun to sing along. Everything they sang was in English, but then when they talked it was in Spanish—it was kind of bizarre. The female vocalist in particular had a great voice. At about 2:30am Danielle said she was going home and offered to take Jo and I home. I can’t remember the last time I stayed out that late without almost falling asleep! I had so much fun and am definitely interested in going back!
No comments:
Post a Comment