Letter to My Future Self

Dear Future Self,

In these short, but long, three months, I have learned more about teaching and learning than I had thought possible in one semester and I cannot imagine how much I will learn next semester and in the future while teaching. It seems as though everything I have learned this semester will be important to me in the future and I hope I can remember it all. Not only did I learn from my professors (as I always have in the past in school), but, for the first time, I have learned much from my peers and students as well. Although we all had our own unique experience this semester, I was able to have a glimpse into the experiences of my think tank blog group members, Meghan, Alyssa, and Laura. Through this, I was able to hear about different experiences in different classrooms and schools that pushed my thinking and conceptualization of myself as a teacher. For example, Laura posted about her cooperating teacher giving a sleeping student the choice to go to the Dean’s office or stay in class and participate. The student chose to leave the classroom and missed out on the entire lesson. I did not experience such a situation in my student teaching this semester and I was confronted with the question of how I will handle similar situations in my own classroom in the future. I am sure I would have thought about that at some point before having my own classroom, but I do not know if I would have begun to think about the different options this semester had I not read about Laura’s critical incident.

One of my most important realizations this semester came in the form of the first learning log reflection on the think tank. I wrote about how after teaching my first mini lesson, I realized that until then, I had been more focused on myself than on the students. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right and I was thinking about what I would do and say in the classroom. After teaching for the first time (and in that very moment), I stopped worrying about what the students or my cooperating teacher were thinking about me, and I began to focus on whether or not the students were understanding the lesson. The students are the reason why I am here and their needs must come first when I am planning and implementing lessons even if that means going outside of my comfort zone. I will never forget this.

I have always been more of a reader than a doer, but this semester I have begun to put what I have read into practice. There were a lot of assigned readings this semester and for once, I began to test out what I had read. When I taught my lessons, I focused on specific aspects of the readings from class such as Wait Time, No Opt Out, and using exit slips and writing to learn activities. Through doing this, I have realized that I can read as many books as possible on theory and how to be an effective teacher, but until I take the next step and use my knowledge, it is only information. I have learned to not be afraid to try out what I have read about because that is the only way to find out if and how something I read “works.”

Before entering Fordham, I used to think that teachers spent most of their time in front of the classroom lecturing, leading discussions, and answering questions. These assumptions came from my own experiences as a student. Now, I have realized how important it is to let the students do the talking, learning, and working in the classroom.

I had not thought much about actually planning lessons before this semester, either. I guess I used to think that teachers knew where they were heading with the lesson and they had worksheets for us to do and that was it. I now realize the importance of lesson planning and the impact it has on the classroom. In my experience this semester, on the days when I left extra time in my lesson and stuck to the lesson the rest of the period, I found myself with at least five (if not more) minutes at the end of the class that I needed to fill. I remember this extra five minutes from my time in high school. The teacher would begin to prepare for his or her next class and we would pack our bags, huddle at the door, chat, and stare down the clock. Looking back, I realize that it is a waste of five minutes and that it is important to include a beginning, middle, and an end when creating a lesson plan. I do not think I will ever forget Rebekah’s saying, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail.”

I have three goals for the future. I am going to begin seriously thinking about and researching grading policies. I had not put much thought into the idea of creating a grading policy until student teaching at The Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction and now I think it is time to begin thinking about my own grading policy for my future classroom.

My other major goal is focusing on implementing differentiated instruction into my day to day lesson plans. The Structured Learning Choices assignment was actually more fun than I thought it would be because I felt like I was doing a puzzle or scavenger hunt of some sort and the prize was what the students learned in the end. What am I teaching to the entire class? What sort of supports and extensions do certain students need? How can I best support and extend these students while ensuring that everyone is being held to the same standards? I believe I was able to successfully do this for the small SLC assignments, but I am not sure how I will do this in my classroom in my day to day lesson plans. This is a major goal I will focus on while planning my unit for student teaching next semester and a goal that I will continue to focus on for the rest of my teaching career.

The last major goal I am setting for myself is to work on how to modify lessons based on students’ responses. Reflecting on the semester, I realized that when teaching, I have a plan in my mind about how the lesson will unfold and how the students will respond. When their responses stray from what I had imagined, I sometimes have a difficult time deciding what to say on the spot. This is something that I believe will get better with practice and because next semester I will be teaching much more often, I will have more time to practice this.

I know that it will take time, but I believe I can accomplish all of these goals. I have had an amazing learning experience this semester and I can only hope that when I read this letter in the future, I have collected and shared more amazing learning experiences throughout my journey as a teacher.

Sincerely,

First Semester at Fordham Nicole

Final Reflection

Final Reflection

Dear Laura,

The teacher in you has come to light! This first semester has been very enlightening – I have learned so much – not only in how to be a teacher – but also in teaching style.  One of the most important things to me when I began my student teaching was to figure out what kind of teacher I was going to be.  I knew early on that a person’s teaching persona develops organically – it is not something that can be easily constructed or formed.  I am happy that my teaching persona naturally came to be what Lemov described as warm but strict.  My cooperating teachers and evaluators were impressed with my natural authority in the classroom.  The students respected me as their teacher, and followed my lead as I instructed them in ELA content.

The goals that I set for myself were, by the end of the semester, for the most part, met.  I developed a rapport with my students – they trusted me, bonded with me, sought me out in the hallways for academic help, for help in general, or to just chat.  Above all, I wanted to know that I could reach my students – to affect them in some way.  On my last day, when I told my students that I was leaving, there was an uproar, they were sad to see me go, asked for my email, and asked for me to come visit.  It was at that moment that I knew I had done something amazing.  I had touched the lives of these high school students – I had made an impact.  As a teacher I think this is one of the most important parts of our jobs.  I understand now that what we do goes far beyond just teaching – we are role models – we have the power to change lives.   

Above all, I was afraid that I would not be able to control the students in my classroom – that they would walk all over me.  I have since learned something that no amount of schooling can teach you…high school students are people too.  Yes they need discipline, but they also need kindness and respect and guidance.  It is these three things combined that create the classroom climate that I wish to develop in my future classroom. 

The lesson plans I designed were successful, not only in terms of content but also in terms of delivery.  Each time I taught a lesson I sought feedback from my students and my teachers.  I wanted to know if they were bored during the lesson, if the understood what I was trying to teach them, and if they thought it would be a successful lesson to teach again.  More often then not the students (and teachers) were able articulate what I was trying to teach them, and they often had only good things to say about my teaching style, and the lesson itself.  Albeit not every lesson I taught was riveting – but none of them failed entirely either – which in my opinion says more about the lesson then its sheer entertainment value.  I tried many of the techniques we learned over the course of the semester – my favorites (just to name a few) were student choice, no opt out, and invitations to learn.  Beyond teaching techniques, I learned something about my own teaching personality – that above all else, student accountability is at the forfront of things that are important to me.  There is only so much instruction you can force upon a student – sometimes you just have to leave it in their hands and see where they run with it.  I even got over my fear of group work.  By the end of the semester I had tried group work lessons more than five times and in different modes, and they all went swimmingly.  Clearly, I have not learned every way in which to run group work, but I am pleased that I have left this experience with the desire to keep trying – one day I will be able to say that I love doing group work, and that I have figured out the way to make it the most effective group work I can. 

My dedication is ever growing, and I can only get better from here.  I am always, and will always be learning.  Teaching is not a stagnant profession – there is always more to do, more to teach, and more to learn.  I believe that this first experience in the classroom has showed me that I can handle almost anything that comes my way.  I am quick on my feet and fast to react.  I am not shy to criticism – in fact I embrace it – how can I get better if I react badly to what more experiences teachers have to say about my own craft?  I believe that in near future I will become a great teacher.  This semester has shown me I have the drive, the want, and the will to be the best teacher that I can be. 

-Here’s to my fast approaching, long lasting career,

- Laura

Letter to Meghan

Dear Future Me

I have been a student teacher for 46 days. I have spent 46 days observing students, observing lessons, observing classroom management, observing lesson planning and, of course, observing teaching. Those 46 days in the classroom account for 28 pages of typed notes and about 50 pages of learning log notes. There were many discussions, tests, debates, presentations, and group activities observed. I saw Structured Student Choices, No Opt Out, Graphic Organizers, Warm/Strict, Yes And…, Differential Instruction and hundreds of Invitations and Questions to the students. It is in those 46 days that I have begun the journey of becoming a teacher. I have learned a lot about teaching over the past 2½ months, but I know that there is always something to be learned. What I can tell you are the things that I have learned, as well as exactly where I was when I realized I had learned these things and was becoming a teacher.

Before I tell you about my sudden epiphany, with the help of a group of unruly middle schoolers and 1 Center School teacher, I must discuss my experience at Center School. Looking back on my first few days at Center School I was obviously nervous; I can tell from my first 6 pages of notes. I took notes on everything and questioned everything. “Is that how all teachers do that” and “should I do that” cover my notes. I was worried I would do something incorrect, little did I know that that was not possible at Center School, where “It’s Okay to go Outside the Lines” is the school motto. Within the first few weeks we student teachers were thrown into math, science, english, computer and writers workshop. I was there for social studies but I observed just about every class under the roof (literally). At Center School I was able to see theory put into practice. In one class I observed one teacher joking around with her class, but then demanding the best work possible from all her students: Warm/Strict. I saw teachers attempt to settle down their classes with invitations. One teacher, Ms. Hartmann allowed her students to do different types of activities about one overarching topic that was the Dutch in New York City. This was obviously Structured Student Choice. I would read and discuss theory and fun activities in my classes at Fordham and would observe them at Center School. I became less nervous by day 13 through 20 and completely comfortable by day 26. However I don’t think that it was until day 40 that I think I became a “teacher”.

December 13^th started off like any other day at Center School. Alyssa Bernstein and I sat in the office with a few other student teachers and 1 or 2 teachers. We were discussing this days schedule since; as usual it was different and confusing. Two teachers were out that day and there were no real teachers to fill in (Center School does not have substitute teachers). The principle, Ms. Swartz, walks into the office and asks Ms. Bernstein and I if we can cover those two classes. They are both writers’ workshop classes and should be fairly simple to handle. The students are to think of their life as an autobiography and give it a title. They are then to answer the question “Why?”. Our first class went great. We wrote the directions on the board as well as stated them verbally; we also had a student repeat them back to us. We gave them ample time to complete the assignment and then did a big sweep of the class to make sure everyone shared. We then had “conversations on paper” where students could comment on their peers without speaking to each other. Again, this went well and Alyssa and I were very excited to do this with our next class. The second class came into the room and we knew it was going to be different.

It was in this class that I realized I could be Warm/Strict just like the teachers I had observed. This class complained about the activity and struggled to get quiet and remain quiet. In the books we read for Fordham it told us that we should have thanked the class for being so quiet, but I knew in that moment that if I said ANYTHING they would begin talking again. It was finally time for them to present their autobiography title. We again were going to sweep the room so everyone could present. The 1^st person got up to present; the class bullied her. We told them to stop. The second student came up, they too were met with bullying. We told the class if they couldn’t do this without talking, they were going to sit in silence for the rest of class. The 3^rd student came up; bullied. We took their papers from them and told them that they were to sit in complete silence for the rest of class. They sat like this until the end of class. We let them know that we were upset with them, but will give them another chance the next time we met.

About an hour later a Center School teacher walked up to me and told me she had heard what had happened. She then said “Congratulations. You are officially a teacher” and walked away. I thought about this for a moment. I really had become a teacher. During that class I never worried I was doing something incorrectly, I assessed the situation and handled it, and I moved on and away from the problem. I reached my objective for the class and, although there were some big bumps along the way, I had fun. I was no longer on the same level as the students, but I was their teacher and deserved and required the respect they give the Center School teachers.

While there are still more theory left to learn, and more experiences to obtain, I now know that I can handle myself in not ideal situations. This was something I was worried about for those first 13 days. I used several theories and tips we had learned at Fordham, but I used them in ways that fit my teacher persona. I might not have handled the situation the way another teacher handled it, but I got the respect of the students and stood my ground when my students became difficult. I became a teacher in that moment and I look forward to some situations where I can prove myself again.

So Meghan, I am writing this letter so you can look back on it and remember the exact moment when you became a teacher. You can look back and remember that you might be scared and worried you are doing something wrong, but chances are you are fine and will handle any situation that comes at you. You will look back on this letter and remember those great 46 days at the Center School. You will be reminded of some of the theories you learn in your first full semester at Fordham, and you will remember that at one point (and hopefully still) you loved teaching. My one goal for myself: Don’t put so much importance on doing things “the right way” and do it the way you think is right. Continue to enjoy teaching and GET A JOB! Happy holidays and get excited because once you finish writing this letter, you can go to sleep and wake up with only 1½ days till you can go home Christmas!

Best,

Meghan Schuster

Virtual Conferenceing

The world around us is quickly becoming dependent on technology. Even in the last 7 years, think about all of the technological advances we have seen. From cell phones, to complex medical surgeries, technology is everywhere. With this advancement in technology, it is usually the younger generations that pick it up first. I did not know how to turn of my iPhone until a 13 year old showed me. I had to teach my mom to text, and she showed her mother how to open attachments on an e-mail. The younger generation is always much more "technologically savvy" as my mother would say. It is because of this, that we as teachers need to be up to date with new forms of technology.

I think that virtual conferencing is a great thing to establish with my students. I want them to be able to reach me outside of class with questions they might have, and sometimes picking up a phone is intimidating. I was able to see the importance of virtual conferencing through my e-mail conversation with Kristen. We were able to "chat" back and forth regarding my Plan of Action and I could get her suggestions without having to have a face to face meeting. We were able to communicate our ideas and respond to each other after having time to think. We did not have to give suggestions on the spot, but were able to spend time on reviews and edits. I think that it was very helpful to me as a student, and a great way to help a student who the teacher was unable to meet with.

I think that establishing a line of virtual communication between students and the teacher is very important and very useful, especially as technology continues to advance at this rapid pace.

Virtual Communication

Email is an invaluable tool in the everyday life of pretty much every student (or person in general).  I myself rely heavily upon day to day – especially since I hate being on the phone.  I plan on using email with my students to help them with their work, to communicate with their parents, and to occasionally allow work to be submitted. 

However, I do not want my students to be constantly emailing me work that is due.  It is their responsibility to type and print their own work and hand it in in hard copy.  Emailed work will only be allowed when students are absent or ill and would like to hand in the work they have completed.  I believe students need to learn accountability, as it is an invaluable life tool – to do this they need to be able to follow explicit instructions and follow the rules laid out for them. 

Having said that – emailed work is better than no work.  I hope my students will feel comfortable enough to email me with questions, comments, and concerns about work, life, and their grades.  Giving the students the option to communicate virtually can be very important in helping them learn skills that relate directly to life and their future jobs. 

As for other forms of virtual communication.  I have myself experiences lessons taught by absent teachers over Skype.  It was an interesting experience for me as a student.  The teacher did not seem phased by the general lack of discipline in the classroom.  Although the main teacher was there (on Skype) the lack of any authority figure in the classroom was tantamount to having a very ineffective substitute teacher in the room.  I would like to try this technique with my students however I fell as though there must be a better way to run a classroom using this method then was demonstrated the day I saw it happen.

E-communication

The most important concept I got out of my conversation with my cooperating teacher about e-communication is that opening the lines of communication through technology sends the message to our students that class doesn’t end when they walk out of the school building. When the teacher is accessible through email, the students can get the support they need. Email is convenient for both the teacher and the student as they do not need to find a common time to communicate. My cooperating teacher also has Google Chat that she uses from time to time with the students. The night before a big project is due, she informs her students that she will be available for a set amount of time for them to ask her any last minute questions. I think aggravation of students and teachers may be alleviated by this set up. From my experience as a student, the night before a big project is due can become more stressful when you realize you may be missing a critical piece of information or you are unsure of how to cite a source. As a teacher, I am assuming it is irksome when many students send questions in an email the night before a project is due expecting a response before the morning.

I think e-communication is an important tool to utilize. Inviting students to email me about their homework, questions, and concerns will enforce the idea that they are supposed to be thinking and working on schoolwork outside of school. Students may feel more comfortable having a conversation with a teacher via email. The students can also go back to check the email for reference if they forget what the teacher’s response was. If a student is absent, they are still able to submit papers if email or Googledocs is an acceptable format for this. Also, if students are absent for an extended period of time, they can communicate with the teacher via email in order to get the assignments they are missing. Perhaps the most important aspect of e-communication is the fact that it allows the teacher to be accessible to all students. Students and teachers have busy lives and it is not always possible for them to find a common time to meet to discuss important issues. I think I will utilize email and google chat with my students in the future. I also think, depending on the class, it may be interesting to create a Wiki or Blog for communication. I could post the schedule and homework for the week and there could be an area for students to continue discussions from within the classroom outside of the classroom if they so choose.