Today was the start of a new week. It was definitely an “experience-filled” day. I started off the day excited about a new course that I’m teaching called “Social Skills.” It has an interesting curriculum that helps students mold their abilities to productively and effectively interact in social situations. Since that was the later period of the day, I will get back to it later.
I also teach a math study skills class in the morning. Last week, only two students were listed in the class, and only one student reported. Since it couldn’t fit with many students’ schedules, I was told that it was probably going to be cancelled. Therefore, I was planning to have an inclusion class during that period, so I did not plan for my study skills class. Mistake. If something is EVER “probably,” then you need to prepare for it. But it wasn’t too big of a deal. I had given the one student who had come the previous class period a diagnostic test on that day; therefore, I worked with him on some math skills based on what he did on his test. Meanwhile, the other students took the diagnostic test and filled out student questionnaires. Crisis averted.
During my planning period, I went around trying to make copies for my last period class. The two copier machines downstairs were not working; consequently, I had to try to use the copy machine in the library. The only problem was that my id number doesn’t work on that copy machine yet. I felt bad using somebody else’s number, so I just asked them to copy the EXACT number of people that I saw on my roll. Again, mistake, but we’ll get to that later.
So, I stood outside of my classroom ready for my social skills class. As the kids trickled in, I realized that some of them weren’t on my roll. No big deal, right? This is when I remembered that you always should print extra copies of worksheets.
Anyway, so the class went well. There were a few (…interesting?...) moments, though. After I went over the syllabus with the students, I told them that we were going to have an exercise in social skills as we would come up with the rules together. The first rule the students came up with was that they would need to raise their hands to speak. Great, I agree. The second rule that a student stated was, “no rules.” For the life of me, I am not sure why I was not expecting that. But anyway, I rolled with it. They told me that they were old and mature enough to know what to do and what not to do. I explained to them that they thought they were old enough to know what rules to follow and which rules not to break, and I would be happy to hear more examples of them. With that, I erased “no rules” from the list and continued with the exercise.
In terms of today’s class, it was a good learning experience. I definitely need to have more differentiation on Wednesday. I had to talk to a few students out in the hall, and I had to tell one student to stop hitting on an adult who was observing the classroom. But, all in all, I thought it was a good first day, and it is going to be a good, although definitely challenging at times, semester.
Until next time, peace.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Switching bags and other reflections on the end of the first week
I made it through my first week! Yesterday, I got a call from Matt (my roommate for going on 4 years now who is also doing TFA) as I was driving to school. He called to tell me that he realized we had each other’s bags. Wait, let’s pause for a second.
One of the perks for working for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is that they give us a laptop as well as these black rolling bags. So each day, I take my black rolling bag and my laptop to school. Matt does the same thing, and our bags – just like all the other bags – look exactly the same.
Okay, back to the story. So, Matt calls me and says that he thinks we switched bags. I have a 20-25 minute drive to work, whereas Matt lives about 2 minutes from his school. He asked if we could meet up somewhere, but I told him that there was no way that I could turn around since I was like 2 minutes from my school, couldn’t go back because of potential traffic, and I didn’t want to be late. He said he’d call me back to see if we had switched computers as well. As I was pulling into the school parking lot, he texted me and said that we had also switched computers. I told him that I didn’t need my laptop for the day, and I actually had my materials for my lessons on a clipboard in this other APS hand bag that I take to work each day (I also pack my lunch in it). He said that he thought he would be fine, too. He ended up sending me a text later in the day saying that he had to wing a lesson but he come up with a great way to teach 3rd graders how to identify a complete sentence. On the other hand, I spent some awkward time in the library looking up stuff on a computer next to some students—as if I didn’t look enough like them already. All in all, I thought it was funny that we switched bags, and nothing terrible happened. I think we are going to label our bags though.
In other news, Friday was a Friday. I went into a classroom during my planning period to briefly cover for a teacher. As soon as I walked in, all these boys started laughing and saying “Marcus!” I laughed a little and then smiled and said that I had met “Marcus,” but that they could address me as Mr. Seegars. They were good kids, and it was still the middle of the day, so all was good.
By the time I got to my last class, I was in no mood to play games. I had to pick up a few cellphones even though I warned the students to put them away. I had to take two kids to the back of the room to talk to them. So, yes, it was a Friday. But, hey, it was the end of the first week, and it was a good week.
When I was a student, I had no idea that teachers wanted to jet after school for the weekend just like we did. As I left the school yesterday, my pace continuously quickened to the point that I was basically jogging in the parking lot in order to get to my car as fast as I could. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy my job, and I’m looking forward to Monday; however, at that time, I was ready to get out of there. But, like I said: so far, so good. The hardest thing for me right now is probably relearning a lot of the math. It’s not as hard as I remember it being, though, and I am still enjoying math a lot more than I ever thought I would.
Until next time, peace.
One of the perks for working for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is that they give us a laptop as well as these black rolling bags. So each day, I take my black rolling bag and my laptop to school. Matt does the same thing, and our bags – just like all the other bags – look exactly the same.
Okay, back to the story. So, Matt calls me and says that he thinks we switched bags. I have a 20-25 minute drive to work, whereas Matt lives about 2 minutes from his school. He asked if we could meet up somewhere, but I told him that there was no way that I could turn around since I was like 2 minutes from my school, couldn’t go back because of potential traffic, and I didn’t want to be late. He said he’d call me back to see if we had switched computers as well. As I was pulling into the school parking lot, he texted me and said that we had also switched computers. I told him that I didn’t need my laptop for the day, and I actually had my materials for my lessons on a clipboard in this other APS hand bag that I take to work each day (I also pack my lunch in it). He said that he thought he would be fine, too. He ended up sending me a text later in the day saying that he had to wing a lesson but he come up with a great way to teach 3rd graders how to identify a complete sentence. On the other hand, I spent some awkward time in the library looking up stuff on a computer next to some students—as if I didn’t look enough like them already. All in all, I thought it was funny that we switched bags, and nothing terrible happened. I think we are going to label our bags though.
In other news, Friday was a Friday. I went into a classroom during my planning period to briefly cover for a teacher. As soon as I walked in, all these boys started laughing and saying “Marcus!” I laughed a little and then smiled and said that I had met “Marcus,” but that they could address me as Mr. Seegars. They were good kids, and it was still the middle of the day, so all was good.
By the time I got to my last class, I was in no mood to play games. I had to pick up a few cellphones even though I warned the students to put them away. I had to take two kids to the back of the room to talk to them. So, yes, it was a Friday. But, hey, it was the end of the first week, and it was a good week.
When I was a student, I had no idea that teachers wanted to jet after school for the weekend just like we did. As I left the school yesterday, my pace continuously quickened to the point that I was basically jogging in the parking lot in order to get to my car as fast as I could. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy my job, and I’m looking forward to Monday; however, at that time, I was ready to get out of there. But, like I said: so far, so good. The hardest thing for me right now is probably relearning a lot of the math. It’s not as hard as I remember it being, though, and I am still enjoying math a lot more than I ever thought I would.
Until next time, peace.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
I met "Marcus" today!
Our skin tones are pretty similar, but we also have one more thing in common: we each have a birthmark on our faces! So I guess it was true when the kids were saying that I looked like one of the students in the school. I'm getting more comfortable with teaching, and I like that in my classes I have a smaller teacher to student ratio. I feel like I'm going to get a chance to really get to know them, which I think will be crucial in me helping them to achieve some great academic gains this year. I usually feel exhausted after a day at school, so I'm just going to go to sleep now. Tomorrow is Friday!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I guess I actually do look like at least one of the kids...
Today was my first day of really being in the classroom for most of the day. I co-taught three classes (an hour and a half each). We have four periods each day, but we get one period as time for planning. It was an interesting day of being in the classroom. Although I got some practice during institute (TFA training in which we teach summer school), I had not actually taught high school students before. Still, we mostly did diagnostic testing type stuff, so I mostly just gave directions and walked around and watched students do work during the first period. During the third period (second period was my planning period), I actually did some instruction as I went over the answers with the students. I also went over some work one-on-one with a student. Working with that student one-on-one felt like some of the work that I did during institute when we got to work with the kids in smaller groups during a one hour morning block called “math/literacy hour.”
After I worked with the student, I watched my co-teacher explain the answers and check for understanding for the first 10 problems. Then it was my turn.
Let me step back for a second: so, they have these things in some of the classrooms called “promethean boards.” They’re actually really cool. Basically, you can hook up the board to your computer, and then you can use this thing that looks like a marker to actually write on the board. You can change colors, put stuff in the “trash”, maximize and minimize parts, and many other cool things. My co-teacher was using it, and so I watched and figured that I’d learn pretty easily on the spot. Well, anybody who knows me knows how I fumble with technology sometimes…
So, let’s resume the story. It was my turn to go explain the problems. My co-teacher told me what to do in terms of the board. Everything was working well at first until I kept forgetting that it wasn’t a dry-erase board. I kept trying to “wipe” things away as if it were a dry-erase marker. This, of course, led the students to laugh, but that wasn’t a big deal—especially since I was kind of laughing at myself (inside). The problem came when my handwriting kept getting worse and worse since I wasn’t lifting the “marker” up properly. Needless to say, I’m already handwriting-challenged, so I definitely didn’t need to add to their burden of attempting to read my handwriting. All in all, it went well, and I got some helpful advice about my presentation in general from my co-teacher. Again, I have to say that I’m really happy with how supportive and helpful other teachers are at my school.
Something else crazy happened in the last period of the day. But to understand this, we must rewind a little.
So, yesterday, this girl asked me, “You know somebody named Marcus [fake name for the purpose of the blog]?” She said it in a casual way that suggested she didn’t know I was a teacher. “No,” I answered. She then looked down and saw my employee badge, and then said “well, you could be his brother.” As she walked away, I thought nothing of it.
Fast forward to today. There happened to be a lot of people making noise in the hallway outside of my classroom. Furthermore, since the classrooms don’t actually have doors in that part of the building, it’s even more disruptive. So, at one point, I had to kind of poke my head outside and ask the people to quiet down. One boy looked at me and yelled, “Look, it’s Marcus’ Uncle!” and ran away before I could do anything.
Besides being a little annoyed that the boy got away and at the fact that I’m still new and don’t know a lot of the students, I did think it was a little funny that something is going around the school that I look like somebody who I haven’t even met. I guess I’ll have to meet this “Marcus” and see how much we actually look alike…I wonder if he has a birthmark on his forehead?
Anyway, everything is still going well, and I’m looking forward to another day tomorrow!
After I worked with the student, I watched my co-teacher explain the answers and check for understanding for the first 10 problems. Then it was my turn.
Let me step back for a second: so, they have these things in some of the classrooms called “promethean boards.” They’re actually really cool. Basically, you can hook up the board to your computer, and then you can use this thing that looks like a marker to actually write on the board. You can change colors, put stuff in the “trash”, maximize and minimize parts, and many other cool things. My co-teacher was using it, and so I watched and figured that I’d learn pretty easily on the spot. Well, anybody who knows me knows how I fumble with technology sometimes…
So, let’s resume the story. It was my turn to go explain the problems. My co-teacher told me what to do in terms of the board. Everything was working well at first until I kept forgetting that it wasn’t a dry-erase board. I kept trying to “wipe” things away as if it were a dry-erase marker. This, of course, led the students to laugh, but that wasn’t a big deal—especially since I was kind of laughing at myself (inside). The problem came when my handwriting kept getting worse and worse since I wasn’t lifting the “marker” up properly. Needless to say, I’m already handwriting-challenged, so I definitely didn’t need to add to their burden of attempting to read my handwriting. All in all, it went well, and I got some helpful advice about my presentation in general from my co-teacher. Again, I have to say that I’m really happy with how supportive and helpful other teachers are at my school.
Something else crazy happened in the last period of the day. But to understand this, we must rewind a little.
So, yesterday, this girl asked me, “You know somebody named Marcus [fake name for the purpose of the blog]?” She said it in a casual way that suggested she didn’t know I was a teacher. “No,” I answered. She then looked down and saw my employee badge, and then said “well, you could be his brother.” As she walked away, I thought nothing of it.
Fast forward to today. There happened to be a lot of people making noise in the hallway outside of my classroom. Furthermore, since the classrooms don’t actually have doors in that part of the building, it’s even more disruptive. So, at one point, I had to kind of poke my head outside and ask the people to quiet down. One boy looked at me and yelled, “Look, it’s Marcus’ Uncle!” and ran away before I could do anything.
Besides being a little annoyed that the boy got away and at the fact that I’m still new and don’t know a lot of the students, I did think it was a little funny that something is going around the school that I look like somebody who I haven’t even met. I guess I’ll have to meet this “Marcus” and see how much we actually look alike…I wonder if he has a birthmark on his forehead?
Anyway, everything is still going well, and I’m looking forward to another day tomorrow!
Monday, August 10, 2009
First day of school!
So…
Today was the first day of school! I woke at about 5:15am in order to go to the gym (trying to get healthy!), ate honey nut cheerios, made a sandwich and put Doritos in a Ziploc bag, made some chai black spice tea, took my bags downstairs, and then began to blast NPR in my car—don’t worry, I jammed Outkast on the way back from work.
When I got to school, I signed the sign-in sheet and greeted my fellow teachers. I can’t lie: it was kind of weird. I was walking in as a member of the faculty. In terms of age, I looked more like the students than the teachers. In fact, I made sure to wear my employee badge all day so that students would know that I was teacher. Walking briskly through the hallways, I noticed some students looking at me quizzically when they realized that I was a teacher on a mission rather than an uber-intense new student desperately trying to find his next class (not fully knowing my way around the school, I gave some freshmen “directions” by walking them around in circles…). That employee badge and the serious “head nods” and good mornings I gave to fellow teachers helped me solidify my image as a faculty member. To be sure, I made my voice sound even deeper when I was in the classroom. I’m not sure if I look really young or if some of the students look really old, but it was definitely a little awkward.
Luckily, that was pretty much the only downfall of the day. Even so, I felt very comfortable when talking to students in the classroom, and I made my expectations clear. The faculty and staff at my school are very helpful and encouraging. I feel very fortunate to have such supportive people around me as I make this transition.
When I was not in the classroom, I spent most of my time at my desk working on math problems and preparing for future lessons. In high school, I had a teacher tell me, “you’re not bad at math, Lumumba. You just lack patience.” I think about those words a lot these days. When I was working on math problems today, I was much more patient that I had ever been. I was never motivated to really put my all into learning math until I found out that I would be teaching it. Surprisingly, I have actually begun to enjoy math, and I am looking forward to really getting into the material with the students. It truly will be a learning experience for all of us.
There is one more thing that I discovered to my dismay today: I did not bring enough food. Along with my chips and sandwich, I ate a few brownies; however, I was definitely hungry throughout the day. I will have to get some cliff bars, string cheese, teddy grams, or something else to snack on during my planning periods. I ate a hot dog, chicken nuggets, and a delicious salad (including onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, cheese, turkey ham, and carrots) for dinner once I got home. Mm mmm good!
So, today was a great day to begin the year. I am still alive, and I am ready to go back for more. Hopefully, I will start to be able to grow more facial hair soon. If not, I’ll just continue to try to make my voice deeper. Oh yeah, smiling makes you look younger ☺
Today was the first day of school! I woke at about 5:15am in order to go to the gym (trying to get healthy!), ate honey nut cheerios, made a sandwich and put Doritos in a Ziploc bag, made some chai black spice tea, took my bags downstairs, and then began to blast NPR in my car—don’t worry, I jammed Outkast on the way back from work.
When I got to school, I signed the sign-in sheet and greeted my fellow teachers. I can’t lie: it was kind of weird. I was walking in as a member of the faculty. In terms of age, I looked more like the students than the teachers. In fact, I made sure to wear my employee badge all day so that students would know that I was teacher. Walking briskly through the hallways, I noticed some students looking at me quizzically when they realized that I was a teacher on a mission rather than an uber-intense new student desperately trying to find his next class (not fully knowing my way around the school, I gave some freshmen “directions” by walking them around in circles…). That employee badge and the serious “head nods” and good mornings I gave to fellow teachers helped me solidify my image as a faculty member. To be sure, I made my voice sound even deeper when I was in the classroom. I’m not sure if I look really young or if some of the students look really old, but it was definitely a little awkward.
Luckily, that was pretty much the only downfall of the day. Even so, I felt very comfortable when talking to students in the classroom, and I made my expectations clear. The faculty and staff at my school are very helpful and encouraging. I feel very fortunate to have such supportive people around me as I make this transition.
When I was not in the classroom, I spent most of my time at my desk working on math problems and preparing for future lessons. In high school, I had a teacher tell me, “you’re not bad at math, Lumumba. You just lack patience.” I think about those words a lot these days. When I was working on math problems today, I was much more patient that I had ever been. I was never motivated to really put my all into learning math until I found out that I would be teaching it. Surprisingly, I have actually begun to enjoy math, and I am looking forward to really getting into the material with the students. It truly will be a learning experience for all of us.
There is one more thing that I discovered to my dismay today: I did not bring enough food. Along with my chips and sandwich, I ate a few brownies; however, I was definitely hungry throughout the day. I will have to get some cliff bars, string cheese, teddy grams, or something else to snack on during my planning periods. I ate a hot dog, chicken nuggets, and a delicious salad (including onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, cheese, turkey ham, and carrots) for dinner once I got home. Mm mmm good!
So, today was a great day to begin the year. I am still alive, and I am ready to go back for more. Hopefully, I will start to be able to grow more facial hair soon. If not, I’ll just continue to try to make my voice deeper. Oh yeah, smiling makes you look younger ☺
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Introduction -- the night before the first day of school
Tomorrow is the day.
I titled this blog, “I sing,” because music has been such an important part of my life. As I prepare to teach high school, I fondly remember my time at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as incredibly exciting, challenging, and dynamic years. Music, and specifically singing, was my central activity. Even throughout college, I was always singing in at least one choir. Music has always been my default place of happiness—it is where I have gone to find beauty, hope, and encouragement in life when I have become to fatigued, overwhelmed, or disillusioned. Singing still comforts me in a way that nothing else can; therefore, I am hoping that the process of writing this blog will provide me with a way to express my thoughts and feelings in a way that mirrors—or at least closely resembles—the pleasure I gain from singing.
I have been thinking about writing a blog for a while, but I have waited until now – the day before the first day of school – to actually begin writing it. Indeed, this day has been on my mind for quite some time. Many times, even before I applied to Teach For America, I heard people telling stories about their classrooms and why they decided to go into these classrooms and communities in order to “teach for America.” It is true that I found many of these stories inspiring; yet, the excitement that I felt when hearing other people’s stories does not quite compare to the feelings of unrest that have captured my mind and body alike at this time.
I could go on about how I “feel” at this very moment, but I won’t. Much of the manner in which I have sought to experience the beauty of life has been by attempting to take snapshots of various moments that felt so great or so precious that I desired to simply stay in that position or situation for fear that I would never have that moment again. Dunster formal, senior week, pregaming with my blocking group, one last night singing “ole!”, my last Sunday with the University Choir, my last meal in Dunster dining hall, tug-of-war at the Senior Olympics, Class Day, walking across the stage at graduation—these memories sit in my mind as distinct moments that brought me great joy. They are pictures that I want to hold onto in my mind forever.
But now, I am chasing a different type of beauty in life. I am living less for that snapshot and more for the story, or process, behind that snapshot. I am entering the classroom with strong convictions regarding the importance of public education. Education, I firmly believe, is the foundation upon which the ideal of equality of opportunity and the practice of true democracy must be built in order for them to be sustainable. As a teacher, I hope to find beauty in the process of working with students. I hope to enjoy witnessing the growth of both my students and myself throughout the year. I cannot rely on a snapshot or some quick fix to find such beauty, or hope, in life. It will take a lot of hard work, and hopefully I will be able to look at where we start tomorrow and see positive growth throughout the year.
I don’t really have a theme for this blog. Sometimes, I may provide an opinion or two about something going on in the world that is important to me. At other times, I might use it in order try to cope with self-doubt, fears, or anxiety about something going on in my life. Still, some days I will be cheerful and describe some victory won, some obstacle overcome, or even some simple occurrence that I happened to find charming. More than anything, I want to write about my new life: what pleases me, what confuses me, what scares me, and what challenges me.
I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I work in the Program for Exceptional Children (Special Education) department at a high school, and I co-teach Math 1 and Math 2. I am extremely excited about this year and am looking forward to this opportunity to work with my students, fellow faculty and staff, and communities. Tomorrow is the day.
I titled this blog, “I sing,” because music has been such an important part of my life. As I prepare to teach high school, I fondly remember my time at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as incredibly exciting, challenging, and dynamic years. Music, and specifically singing, was my central activity. Even throughout college, I was always singing in at least one choir. Music has always been my default place of happiness—it is where I have gone to find beauty, hope, and encouragement in life when I have become to fatigued, overwhelmed, or disillusioned. Singing still comforts me in a way that nothing else can; therefore, I am hoping that the process of writing this blog will provide me with a way to express my thoughts and feelings in a way that mirrors—or at least closely resembles—the pleasure I gain from singing.
I have been thinking about writing a blog for a while, but I have waited until now – the day before the first day of school – to actually begin writing it. Indeed, this day has been on my mind for quite some time. Many times, even before I applied to Teach For America, I heard people telling stories about their classrooms and why they decided to go into these classrooms and communities in order to “teach for America.” It is true that I found many of these stories inspiring; yet, the excitement that I felt when hearing other people’s stories does not quite compare to the feelings of unrest that have captured my mind and body alike at this time.
I could go on about how I “feel” at this very moment, but I won’t. Much of the manner in which I have sought to experience the beauty of life has been by attempting to take snapshots of various moments that felt so great or so precious that I desired to simply stay in that position or situation for fear that I would never have that moment again. Dunster formal, senior week, pregaming with my blocking group, one last night singing “ole!”, my last Sunday with the University Choir, my last meal in Dunster dining hall, tug-of-war at the Senior Olympics, Class Day, walking across the stage at graduation—these memories sit in my mind as distinct moments that brought me great joy. They are pictures that I want to hold onto in my mind forever.
But now, I am chasing a different type of beauty in life. I am living less for that snapshot and more for the story, or process, behind that snapshot. I am entering the classroom with strong convictions regarding the importance of public education. Education, I firmly believe, is the foundation upon which the ideal of equality of opportunity and the practice of true democracy must be built in order for them to be sustainable. As a teacher, I hope to find beauty in the process of working with students. I hope to enjoy witnessing the growth of both my students and myself throughout the year. I cannot rely on a snapshot or some quick fix to find such beauty, or hope, in life. It will take a lot of hard work, and hopefully I will be able to look at where we start tomorrow and see positive growth throughout the year.
I don’t really have a theme for this blog. Sometimes, I may provide an opinion or two about something going on in the world that is important to me. At other times, I might use it in order try to cope with self-doubt, fears, or anxiety about something going on in my life. Still, some days I will be cheerful and describe some victory won, some obstacle overcome, or even some simple occurrence that I happened to find charming. More than anything, I want to write about my new life: what pleases me, what confuses me, what scares me, and what challenges me.
I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I work in the Program for Exceptional Children (Special Education) department at a high school, and I co-teach Math 1 and Math 2. I am extremely excited about this year and am looking forward to this opportunity to work with my students, fellow faculty and staff, and communities. Tomorrow is the day.
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