Hello everyone, well my first few weeks felt like a roller coaster ride. I had some highs and lows. The very first day of class I had the class try the "Who am I?" name tag ice-breaker we did during the summer retreat, and whoa did it go bad. I can laugh about it now, but I freaked out then because almost all the students looked at me as if I was crazy. About four out of twenty students gave it a try which was awkward (hahaha never doing that again). Soon after that I introduced myself, told them my life story of how I struggled in math and that's why I became a math teacher. I think this is what put them at ease and since then we have been growing closer as a family, sharing our views on math, etc...
One of the things I think is going well is that I can get the class to settle down if it gets too loud. If I'm speaking and students talk over me, I can give them a certain look and they'll know to stop. On occasion I have to verbalize it, and that works just fine too. Also, if students are using their cell phones during class, I ask them to hand over their phones and I haven't yet had a problem receiving them. At the end of class, I have them sign a contract which states that next time I'll keep their cell phone for the entire school day, and so far students have not refused to sign.
I have many concerns for areas of growth in classroom management, but the one thing that sticks out in my mind right now is how to get my students to WAKEUP. If my students fall asleep during class, I think right away that I'm doing something wrong...I'm boring! I hate being boring and I don't know how to get my students excited and enthused. Sometimes my personality alone can get them going, but that can only take me so far. I've taken the class to the park a few times for a change of scenery, and I've already had people suggest hands-on activities(which is a great idea), but besides that what else can I do?
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Hey Chrisel! sounds like your first couple weeks are going well. I need to work on my "teacher look," and I don't know what I'd do if my third graders had cell phones so props for taking care of that! I know that when I was in high school, I fell asleep in class a lot... but it was less because I was bored and more because I was just extremely sleep deprived. This sounds cheesy, but maybe you could use some music or chants to mix things up without having to change scenery. Good luck with everything!
What you say resonates with me, Chrisel. I feel like my students fluctuate between being totally off the wall -to a point where I can barely get their attention - and being total zombies - uninterested and apathetic. The second one is definitely harder to deal with I think. It's one thing to have excess energy that needs to be channeled differently, but to have no energy at all...that's a tough starting point. To try and hold my students accountable for their own alertness, I have started using a deck of cards with their names (a la Page at the retreat). This seems to keep them on their toes more, and they get excited about getting to choose a card. We've also started trying out some non-verbal cues (like thumbs up/thumbs down) in response to different problems or ideas. This allows everyone to participate without anyone being put on the spot, and if someone is really sleeping you can say something like, "Hey Johnny, show me a thumbs up/thumbs down about this problem...great - can you talk about why you feel that way?" That has jolted awake a few of my snoozers . Another thing (but this might just be a 7th grade phenomenon) is that my students LOVE any opportunity to write on the board or the overhead projector. It gets them participating, but it also gets them up and out of their seats for a moment to get the blood flowing, which seems important.
I wonder if you could get creative with a math game, like starting with one problem on the board, inviting someone up to solve it and then having he/she alter that problem in some way so that it would have a new answer and calling on someone new to come solve it, and continuing in a chain - almost like math telephone? That is a long shot, but that, or something like it, could maybe switch things up and give students an opportunity to challenge one another and show what they know.
I'm so glad to hear about the things that are going well for you-- it sounds like you are holding some clear boundaries for your students and they are responding well.
I do have a question about the day one activity though-- if something is awkward for students (and new for you), does that mean we throw out the activity, or does it mean that perhaps next time, a little more community-building is needed (like your students getting to know you, for example) before we can try the activity again? In other words, when something "doesn't work" (and I would even examine what we mean when we say that), how do we reflect on the multitude of factors that could have influenced the activity's perceived success instead of just keeping it or throwing it out? (That sentence was way too long...)
Chrisel,
I am so proud of you and love seeing you in the morning. I think you have a very organized and structured way of planning for your class. I can't wait to learn more from you. I really do enjoy coming in the morning and getting ready for class together. You are motivating and encouraging. I know one thing I've witnessed is how clear you are with the students. And because of this, I know the students understand you. I also know that they respect you so I'm not surprised about the relationships and responsiveness you've had with them thus far. As for the falling asleep stuff...have you tried talking to them one on one? Ask them why they're sleeping and really push them. Some may be doing it because they think they can, but others may really be experiencing something at home. I once had a student who did that (during testing) and it frustrated me to the point of no tolerance. One day, I decided to ask him and he said, "I don't have a bed and so it's hard for me to sleep at night." Although that's not an excuse to let him continue to sleep, I felt there was a dialogue for understanding and I wasn't just nagging at him. Work on some agreements that work for you and them. Good luck and don't take it personal if a student does say, "Class is booring." I realized ALL students say that just to say it. Oh, also, I also put it back on them by telling them if they are going to say that, then they need to tell me how to make it more fun for them. I ask them to be more articulate and constructive so that I can take it into consideration. Most of them will say, "I don't know." So then, I move on. At least it may make you feel better to know they're just telling you a problem without offering a solution. So what can you do?
Hi Chrisel! Sounds like your class is going really well, for the most part. I wish that the biggest problem I had was people falling asleep in class -- at least that wouldn't disrupt everyone else's learning experience. ^_^
Math is a hard thing for ME to get excited about, too, but I think that giving the students a practical project to work on might help. I know Leah is having her students build scale models of buildings in the neighborhood, so they have to actually get the plans and figure out how to scale everything down accurately. It's a cool idea that shows how they can make use of the math they've been learning to produce a tangible result. Anything that you can have them do that would show the practicality of what they're learning would probably be a good thing. :)
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