Why English is the Best Subject

What is it about Fridays? By the time I sit down to write this blog, my mind seems to decide it’s about done for the week.  Hundreds of details from the week are scurrying around in my brain: things that could’ve gone better, connections I hope I made, facts my students just might remember, and ideas for next week.  Trying to consider just one aspect of my practice to reflect on is a worthwhile activity then, as it forces me to slow down, step back, and dig deeper into an area of my teaching that could seriously benefit from introspection and pro-action (I don’t think proactiveness is a word…bear with me. It is Friday after all.)

That being said, the one aspect of my week that really sticks out, aside from the observations of a student with a recent onslaught of behavior issues/meeting with her mother, an hour power outage, a second 10 minute power outage, my first serious writing assignment and rubric designed entirely by me, and a successful use of a new color-coded paper technique, occurred today. In fact, it all started with the girl who is having behavior issues because she called out to ask me why we are learning about the Middle Ages in English class.  I clarified that she meant in English as opposed to in history class and not in general, and she affirmed that fact.  It was a slower day, so I felt that there was time for me to indulge her question and get on my English soapbox.

I said to my students, I said, “Let me tell you why English is the best subject.” We’ve been practicing persuasive writing, so I told them, “I’m going to persuade you that English is better than any other subject.” I told them, “Not only does it allow you to hone your communication skills, but it allows you to LEARN about ALL the other subjects!” I said to them, I said, “You can learn to inform, to entertain, to ARGUE. You can read biographies; you can read historical fiction; you can read science fiction; you can read whatever you want.” I went on, excitedly rambling about the POSSIBILITIES inherent in our very own Language Arts classroom.  “We could read a boring history book, or we could read a novel! And the best thing about literature, boys and girls, is that the themes are universal! Just like we learn about King Arthur’s destiny and Beowulf’s bravery, we can still find the same themes and characters in modern literature! People across time have been noticing and writing about the same kinds of human behavior!” And as my speech got longer, my excitement grew, thinking of all the wonderous POSSIBILITIES that English provided. And I said, I said to my students, “English can help you sound SMART!”

And then I looked at their faces. I had lost them all.

And I remembered: there are no possibilities at all unless you’re bringing your students along with you.

Next time, I’ll remember to ask my students, “What’s so great about English anyway?” There’s a possibility they just might have their own opinions…and want to hone their communication skills by sharing them.

Class Management Reflection

http://www.viddler.com/explore/jen_kop/videos/3/

Tests

Happy Friday everyone! This week, I would like to reflect on tests and what I’m really testing when I give an assessment. Today we gave students the end of the nine week “common” assessment that our school requires.  We have been telling students all week that this test is Friday.  We also told them not to worry about studying for the test because they should be prepared since it was everything we have been learning all year.  We told them it would be on finding main ideas, figurative language, and identifying different sentence structures.

Today, when I announced that we were going to start the test, about half of each class exclaimed, “What test??” My mentor and I then discussed paying attention to the side board which is where we always write the agenda for the day as well as upcoming assignments.  Students took the test, which was designed sort of like a PSSA with reading passages and multiple choice comprehension questions to go along with them.  As we have been practicing finding main ideas this week, we gave the students highlighters and told them to highlight the parts of the passages where they found the answers to their questions.  We talked again, as we have been throughout the week, about proving your answers and why that is important.  Students earned 3 points on the test just by highlighting, and still the average score on the test was somewhere between the mid-20s and low-30s in each class out of 40.  

While that might inform my mentor and I that we have some reteaching to do, it also makes me wonder when you can consider the students partly responsible as well.  We have retaught sentence structures multiple times and in different ways.  We have practiced it extensively on homework assignments, and we have offered our help at lunch or during the period for those who are struggling with the concept.  Figurative language was taught at the beginning of the year, is reinforced throughout the marking period during their independent reading, and has been part of almost all of their writing assignments (minus the specifically expository pieces).  The students knew about this test and even what it would be on for a week, so I feel kind of at a loss for what to do.  

First, I tallied up all the questions students missed to check the answers and see what we should be reteaching.  I also wanted to check to make sure there wasn’t a flawed question/answer choices (there was one question we ended up accepting 2 answers for).  Many students missed questions on reading comprehension.  My mentor and I were discussing how we determine whether they just weren’t reading carefully or whether the questions are flawed.  We did not expect them to do so poorly on the test.  There were only a few students who totally failed, but we thought this test would help them bring their grades up for the end of the marking period.  Now I’m worried about their grades (parent complaints and student discouragement) and all the preparation we have to do before the PSSA.  

How can I determine what else I need to do to help my students be successful?  I know grades aren’t the end result, but they matter to the school and to the students, and right now the grades are letting me know that I have lots of room to improve as a teacher. I just feel a little lost about what step to take next.

On a brighter note, one of my students who was tested at the beginning of the year to determine whether or not he should have an IEP took the test with me over the past two days. He read it out loud to me and we talked about the questions.  As we started, I prompted him to look at the questions, see what they were asking him, and then go back to the passage.  My focus was on test-taking strategies as opposed to revealing content to him.  He got a 32/40 on the test, and all of that was because of what he knew! I was so pleased with his focus, and he was so happy to succeed at something when he is so used to struggling.  He did not qualify for an IEP for some reason, though no one has told me why, and my mentor and I lament that fact almost daily because we have seen the evidence that he can succeed with the right adaptations. Now if only I had the time, resources, and 29 personalities to be able to assist all my students’ diverse learning styles.

First Vlog

http://www.viddler.com/explore/jen_kop/videos/2/

Welcome.

Welcome to my teaching reflection blog. I hope to post some astounding, life-altering blogs and vlogs here that will benefit my teaching. Read on!