The Highs and Lows of My Second Week in the Classroom

Well, I can definitely say that the second week did not run as "smoothly" as the first. There weren't any major issues, but as the students got more comfortable with us as teachers, they began to test our limits and see if we really would hold up our end of the bargain on classroom management.

On Tuesday, I was teaching a pretty easy lesson on comparing fractions with the same denominator by using greater than, less than or equal to signs. I had predicted that the students would have at least seen this before, so I had planned a couple games to keep them engaged and not lose focus. The first game involved them lining up in two lines that faced the front of the classroom, where I had a piece of chart paper with two fractions on it. They would compete against each other to see who could say which fraction was bigger or smaller first. Sounds like a pretty easy game, right? Well what I didn't mention was that even in 7th grade, students need expectations of them clearly defined, or else things can go terribly wrong...

So, after bringing the students to the front of the class, we started the game just around the same time as a staff worker from TFA came in to take pictures. That's one thing about TFA summer institute - there are always people walking in and out of your classroom to observe, and it's really hard to keep the students focused. So, just about the time when this guy is ready to start snapping away for the next perfect photo for TFA's website, the kids decide to go loco. Ciera slaps Michael for some comment made as my back is turned to the class. Anthony proceeds to push Quan and laughter and screams fill the classroom. At this point, the game was lost, and I needed to regain control of the class.

In my most "teacherly" voice, I demanded that the students stop what they were doing and return to their seats (which amazingly they did with very little protest). Side comments were made as they were taking their seats, and I was furious. I asked them what behavior expectations we had for students that were going to be 8th graders; if they thought it was acceptable to hit and push each other, after we explicitly have a classroom rule that says keep your hands to yourself. The students could tell I was disappointed, which was the point. They ended up spending the last 20 minutes of class writing about the lesson I had prepared, everything they knew about it using key terms I had put on the board. I felt terrible and it really ended the day on a bad note, but hey, I guess some days are like that.

I was worried that the next day was going to be a struggle, expecting my students to be upset with me for disciplining them. However, my lesson went off without a hitch for the most part, and this was with 6 people observing in the back of the classroom at one point! I have an corps member advisor (CMA) that regularly pops in, along with my curriculum specialist (CS). They were both there. On top of that, my school director (acting principal) walked in with 3 unfamiliar guests. He informed me later in the day that one of them was a senior vice president from the TFA national office, second in command after Wendy Kopp, CEO and Founder. I didn't know what to think! But Mike (my school director) said I did great and they were really impressed with the rapport I had with my students and good management I had for the classroom overall (if only they had seen that very same class a day earlier... yikes).

It could be worse. Earlier in the week, one of the other classrooms had to call in security because the teachers suspected a group of their students were high. As a result, the security guard came in and searched each student to no avail, but the teachers are positive that this group of 6th graders had done a little pre-school extra curricular drug use before coming into class. Unbelievable. I guess on the same day, a student in an 8th grade class was kicked out of summer school for having drug paraphernalia on him. Oh, and you know the security guard I mentioned? He has a station or desk that is right at the front door of the school when you walk in. At his desk, he has a huge monitor that is split up into different video feeds from cameras in every hallway. You can't go anywhere in the school without being watched.

To end on a positive note, we gave our students their mid-summer assessment for math today. We were so proud of the results this assessment produced. On the diagnostic we gave on the first day of school, the highest score was a 30% (and yes, this is for basic fractions operations) and the other scores ranged from 11% to 26%. Today, we tested every objective that we have taught up to this point, which numbered 11 in 8 days of school. I am so proud to report that not only did the student who scored a 30% earn a 100% on today's assessment, but other students that scored in the teens and twenties had earned scores ranging from the 70s to 90s. We were ecstatic. Our teaching for the last two weeks had had an effect on our students achievement, and we can't wait to share the good news with them tomorrow. Some students were still scoring in the high 30s, but to keep that in perspective, they doubled their score in two weeks from their initial diagnostic. Today definitely ended on a high note and we are hopefully going to be able to ride this high for the last two weeks of summer school.

On that note, I got 3 hours of sleep last night and will be calling it an early night tonight. All the hard work and long hours are definitely worth it though. This weekend we are going to a TFA sponsored Phillies game against St. Louis on Saturday, so that should be fun. I hope everyone that reads this is doing well and if I haven't kept in touch recently please accept my apologies, I really want to know what's going on with everyone. So, whenever you have a free moment, or whenever I do, I will try to get in touch. Goodnight -