Ahh…the time is upon us teachers. The most blessed of all times of year: summertime. Eight to ten weeks of summer sun and fun. The Carringtons kicked off this summer with three days of pool time and friends. Here is a little snapshot from the weekend.
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| Just a couple of girls with their favorite boys (and yes…they match) |
As I read the future of the summer, it looks very similar to this past weekend. Nothing but good times with my husband soaking up the delicious days that will become even more fun as our little boy gets older. Still, I am loving the fact that Bennett still wants to take naps with me at the pool. These times will not last for long!
I cannot believe I am about to begin my fourth year of teaching. The freshman I taught my first year are entering their senior year, and I could not be more proud of each of them. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I seriously taught some of the best and brightest students that I will ever have an opportunity to teach. Each of them brought something truly unique to my classroom: this was necessary because my first year, I didn’t believe in giving many guidelines…which drove them all crazy. I (mistakenly) believed that if I just gave them broad project guidelines, their creativity would do the rest. I believed that I was giving them valuable life lessons because most clients will not give you detailed instructions of expectations for projects; you must create something new in order to be truly effective. While there is some value in that, I have since significantly altered my teaching style and delivery for my fourteen and fifteen year olds. I’m pretty sure they appreciate it…
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| If you look closely, you can see the puzzled looks on the students faces. |
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| That’s me in the center! You can still see that first year twinkle in my eyes! |
When I entered my first year of teaching, I was placed into teaching the ninth grade aside who would eventually become my mentor, Mrs. Leisa Scoggins. Mrs. Scoggins is the Michael Jackson of teaching ninth grade. As her teaching chops were legendary, students expected that excellence in my ninth grade classroom. As I have said before, time is the greatest teacher. There was no way I would measure up to her my first year. I had my first public breakdown when one of my students suggested I try to become more like her to motivate my students to complete their work.
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| A photo from my first Chamblee yearbook; my mentor and dear friend |
After the tears subsided and my pride healed, I began to lean more and more on Mrs. Scoggins for direction. Although I did my own thing (as many first year teachers may do), I began to learn a lot from the master. To this day, I still seek her approval and guidance despite her being very far away.
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| Pictured with my students’ work; an originally scored album (cross-curricular project with band!) |
At the end of the year, we came up with a streamlined summer reading list: Great Expectations; a choice of The Joy Luck Club, Farhenheit 451, or In the Time of the Butterflies; and a student choice of nonfiction. I was determined to do more of what Mrs. Scoggins did in order to become more effective. I thought I would have years to learn from her, but as luck would have it, I spent my second year away from her, which was unfortunately her last year of teaching. It certainly didn’t stop me from littering her text message inbox with desperate pleas for help.
So now, I get the opportunity to teach the novels that I was planning to teach two years ago. I am thrilled for the opportunity and have decided to do a simple test for Great Expectations (because…it’s Dickens); a paper for the choice fiction novel, and a project for the student’s nonfiction novel.
In an effort to add structure to my assignments, I’ve come up with the following guidelines for planning.
1. Develop objectives first. What do I want my students to learn? What, exactly, is the point of the project or paper? Students must have clear objectives so they know WHY they are doing said project or paper. This doesn’t just happen with slapping a standard atop the rubric. As I’ve said before, standards are ever-changing. Instead, I am developing thorough objectives to outline exactly what the point of each topic and project so that students understand how it builds to the next skill.
2. Find and use relevant technology. I’ve used Glogster, Prezi, Facebook, Pinterest…but I am interested in finding a few new outlets.
3. Go deeper; make students think rather than recall. This has always been my goal.
Stay tuned for detailed project and paper topics. After all, it is the first week of summer. Bennett and I have a lot more napping and sun soaking to do before I get all of my work done. 🙂