Welcome Guest!
Teachers are welcome to read and post on Teachers.Net.
Login to access to these free features:
• Relaxed spam filters
• Post pics, links & comments
• Get notified of responses |
• Join teacher groups
• Apply to teacher jobs
• Post a resume |
Welcome Guest!
You must login to comment on posts.
Login to access to these free features:
• Relaxed spam filters
• Post links & upload pics
• Get notified of responses |
• Join teacher groups
• Apply to teacher jobs
• Post a resume |
Welcome Guest!
Your account must login to post.
Login to access to these free features:
• Relaxed spam filters
• Post, comment, & upload pics
• Get notified of responses |
• Join teacher groups
• Apply to teacher jobs
• Post a resume |
by are they comfortable
Apr 2, 2014
It seems other teachers on my campus always have knowledge of things kids at our school are doing, both good and bad. I am usually in the dark however and I have realized that a lot of teachers ask kids about their social lives and/or the kids feel comfortable sharing. I tend to keep a formal distance, concerning myself mainly with my teaching, tho...See MoreIt seems other teachers on my campus always have knowledge of things kids at our school are doing, both good and bad. I am usually in the dark however and I have realized that a lot of teachers ask kids about their social lives and/or the kids feel comfortable sharing. I tend to keep a formal distance, concerning myself mainly with my teaching, though I hope kids find me approachable enough to be considered pleasant. I am really more of a college teacher, where many of my female colleagues are closer to elementary and middle school in their teaching styles.
I think it may be more common for women teachers to relate with students where personal matters are shared, but I'm not sure. I have no real interest in these kids' lives outside of school, I just assume their lives are mostly messed up. Why do I need to know the details? That's the parents' problem. I'm interested to hear thoughts on the subject from other teachers.
The teacher I describe is not me. I have an entirely different stance than does he. If every teacher in our school were like him, we'd have very few students. No community - that I know of - has only 'lean and hungry and very bright' children. Most communities have a range of abilities. And my school is a charter though a fairly long standing one d...See MoreThe teacher I describe is not me. I have an entirely different stance than does he. If every teacher in our school were like him, we'd have very few students. No community - that I know of - has only 'lean and hungry and very bright' children. Most communities have a range of abilities. And my school is a charter though a fairly long standing one drawing from a wide range of communities - if we only admitted the 'lean and hungry bright ones' there wouldn't be jobs for 5/6ths of the faculty.
And don't the others deserve to be educated as best we can? What is society's responsibility? I serve them all as best as I can. I came to see that as my responsibility and - I'm going to blush a bit to say it - as my gift. I found in my subject matter(s) there were very specific things I could do, things I could change that tore down walls and built bridges instead.
So much of school is moving information around... from the board to their notes, from the book to their notes, from their notes to an essay or blanks to be filled in on a page. I saw history and literature as being so much more than that.
Our tough teacher's department has required classes - students don't have to choose his class but they have to take three courses in his department. Nevertheless, it seems that students do elect classes in your department though not required and if you have tenure then you've been there long enough to have it. So this isn't new for you. I'd wonder why these questions are newly troubling you or if they've troubled you for a while.
LD kids and lazy - I'd recommend a book called The Myth of the Lazy Child. I raised one very bright son who had very severe learning disabilities. They way we teach is often not the way they learn. And if you're teaching secondary, they've had years of struggle. On the whole, despite all the IEPs and layered laws, we serve LD kids very poorly because it's very difficult in a traditional model of school to serve them well.
There are significant philosophical issues underlying this discussion. 'Tough Teacher' as you see him believes he is best suited to educate the elite - the brightest ones - and he is well suited to that. He sees them as the new leaders of the next generation.
And I don't see anything wrong with that but he needs me to keep him in a job... we can't keep a healthy enrollment aiming at just the very bright ones. And I can take a seemingly lazy and definitely discouraged and depressed LD kid and show that student that he can learn. Some of my turn around kids take 'Tough Teacher's class later on.
You might need a cheering section... we have one teacher who's half-hated and half-worshiped. It's how his classes fall out and for all his detractors, he has an equal number of supporters. Sometimes you have to be your own PR person.
When I started to institute interesting changes in my curriculum, I told parents - and truthfully - that I was going back to an older model of instruction - nothing so powerful as the past. Had I not said that, there would have been fallout - 'what crazy nonsense is this'!
Quote Socrates ' Wisdom begins in wonder' and "So does this class. What are you wondering about? If nothing, find something to wonder about!"
You have your stance, you're committed to it, borrow some quotes of the ancients to explain it. People need a way to thing about things, they need a way to understand things.
Truthfully though I get why any student these days, LD or not, would be mired in hopelessness. I was raised in a very different time - it was post WWII - the country was on a high, everyone was happy and hopeful. Anything seemed possible. Gas was 15 cents a gallon...
Now cars cost what houses used to cost. One American President was shot down in plain view and another was impeached and yet another should have been. How many wars have we fought these past several decades?
We've gone from Eisenhower - the hero of the western world - to 9/11. We were the saviors of civilization in 1945 and became of the most disliked countries on the planet. And even our lean and hungry kids tend to weigh far too much...
My sons are old enough to have children and I seriously wonder whether they should. There's some quote I can't quite remember - 'they live in a world they never made' and how even the lean, hungry and bright ones would ever remake it is beyond me. My parents' generation was fairly called 'The Greatest Generation' and mine has handed this generation nothing but a deck stacked against them it seems to me.
But those are entirely different philosophical issues though they play a significant role in my teaching. Much good luck with yours.
He sounds like he goes out of his way to be tough. That's not me, but I do challenge all my students and I do have more success overall with the serious students. To be clear, their level of academics isn't the determining factor in my class, but their willingness to learn. It just so happens though, that many of those kids with LD at our school are also lazy and hopeless. They literally will do nothing in my classes. Fortunately this is only a few kids overall, so they are not a factor.
As to why weaker students enroll: Sometimes they're interested in the subject matter and sometimes it's what fits into their schedule. The nice thing is that when you have a reputation for being a little tougher than many other teachers at your school, the lazy kids will tend to stay away. I'd say I've gone from being a teacher that many students would really dislike to being one that there aren't any strong feelings about amongst the majority. So I've definitely improved in the social area as I've applied myself to it. I'll never be Mr. popular, but hopefully I have a positive impact on the kids who have a solid future.
Want to spice up your class? Enter to win 13 customizable and interactive whiteboard-compatible TV game show-style templates from GoEd Online!
i am due to teach at a STEM school and in researching books I came across a site offering books for $1.45 a piece or around that price with a minimum order of $100. Now I can't find the website....anyone know of a similar site... I want to order a class set
by Deborah McClean
Jul 2, 2012
HELPING YOUR STUDENTS GET READY FOR COLLEGE LIVING IN AN INNOVATIVE / INTERACTIVE WAY Lesson 1 of 5: “Transitioning to the Dorm Life”
ABSTRACT
Living in a dorm can be fun-filled, but issues will arise. Resident Advisors (RAs) play an important role in improving the resident life experience. They educate the students on co- e...See MoreHELPING YOUR STUDENTS GET READY FOR COLLEGE LIVING IN AN INNOVATIVE / INTERACTIVE WAY Lesson 1 of 5: “Transitioning to the Dorm Life”
ABSTRACT
Living in a dorm can be fun-filled, but issues will arise. Resident Advisors (RAs) play an important role in improving the resident life experience. They educate the students on co- existing in a dorm to ensure a peaceful atmosphere. Whether you are an RA managing a floor-full of bright-eyed freshmen or a high school counselor preparing his/her students for the transition to college living, here are few tips you can suggest.
Set ground rules for living together. Roommates come from different backgrounds. Setting rules from the inception can help avert and avoid conflicts. Once rules are discussed and laid out, there should be little excuse for disrespectful behavior between roommates.
RA Is a Friend Indeed A Resident Advisor plays different roles. She/he can be a conflict mediator and sort out issues between roommates. She/he can be an event coordinator planning fun activities for residents. As authoritative figures they must ensure order is maintained at all times by enforcing codes of conduct levied by the university. As a caretaker, they ensure students feel warm; helping with the transition from home to dormitory living. Resident assistants are student leaders who can change students’ lives. Although there may be perks to being an RA, more often than not, RAs decide on this position to help. Those intending to be a role model for others with a heart of compassion acquire this role. For this reason, students must respect RAs.
Character Qualities Needed Even if a student manages to find the perfect roommate challenges are inevitable. Maintaining a warm, friendly relationship is important to ensure a cordial living situation. Here are key quality characteristics that will help foster this type of atmosphere:
Communication: In order to maintain a good relationship, students must communicate openly with their roommates and sort out issues without delay. When students have a “room-sharing” concern and keep it to themselves, misunderstanding will increase due to mounting frustration. Guidelines such as shared common space, visitor time and space, hours of silence, housekeeping duties and shared items should be discussed and agreed upon. Lack of communication is an incubator for resentment and fights.
Consideration: Consideration is another quality lacking in the current generation. When students treat peers the way they want to be treated, there will be no room for misunderstanding. For example, if a student is sick and could not perform their room chores, what treatment would they expect to receive from their roommate? That should be the treatment to give the roommate as well.
Flexibility: Sometimes, there may be a need to change the guidelines or adjust the rules. It is important to do what make sense and works for all involved. This way, students can help each other and the relationship will grow stronger.
Respect: Giving respect goes hand in hand with consideration. When a person can’t respect their peers, refuses to understand them or treat them properly it will be problematic. Degrading roommates for being different is a definite no no. Every student will have different personal issues as well. This should be respected. Students can use differences as way to grow in loving others different from themselves.
Summary Yes, there will be disagreements in the roommate relationship, but they do not have to turn into full blown clashes. With effort, and the help of the RA, the relationship can be cherished. When striking the right cord, roommates can become good friends even lifelong friends who lend a hand or shoulder when needed.
TOOLS FOR THE INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY 1. Road To College Success Game About 40 minutes of play needed
visit [link removed]
PREP 1. From the Life Choices card deck pull only the Dorm related questions (all questions labeled 1.x).
2. From the Chances card deck remove all cards labeled 2.x, 3.x, 4.x and
5.x. Cards remaining will be the Dorm cards and the cards that deal with
money transactions.
3. Follow the simulation as outlined in the rules.
POST ACTIVITY
1. Have students INDEPENDENTLY jot down their thoughts on following question.
You are in a small dorm room that has 2 beds, 2 desks, 1 big closet and a small walk area. The bathroom is shared by an adjoining room that also has two students. What ground rules would you personally want to set for the following?
Sharing room space -
Sharing food -
Cleaning duties –
Having unexpected guests –
Study time / Quiet time –
2. Afterwards, team students up in groups of 3 or 4 to compare their lists. Their job is to come with 1 set of ground rules that would help the team in this living situation.
3. Have a few teams share their outcome with the
Anyone have any experience with pre-IB (International Baccalaureate) program? I'm going to be teaching Inquiry Skills for the first time this year. From what I gather, it's basically note-taking/study skills and writing an Action Research Paper. Curious about other people's experiences.
As summer break comes to an end, I found myself looking for good lesson plans. I have searched free lesson plan sites, however I always felt that they ended up lacking in content and were super hard to search. I stumbled across [link removed]!
next page »
« prev page
Teacher Chatboards
"When you are done with your assignment, you can make me a birthday card. Here are all the supplies you need."
One teacher I know follows kids around and says "where's my senior picture?" or "where's my invite to your grade party."
He gets a lot more picture and invites than I ...See More