I have indeed survived my first week of teaching. All in all, it wasn't a flawless first week, yet all things considered, I'm pretty satisfied with how things went. Where to begin...this post may have little organization.The principal at my Elementary school has some pretty ambitious ideas of how the 5th grade should run, including gender-based classes, classes determined by relative ability, and a middle-schoolesque departmentalized setup where the 3 fifth grade teachers teach different content areas. However, she can't seem to make up her mind about all the logistics, which has essentially made my job much more difficult. For example, in the week before classes, my subjects were changed twice, one of the teachers was moved to a different grade, and I still don't know who I will have for homeroom. It seems like these decisions should have been made a long time ago. Indeed, my ability to plan for the year, establish a lasting classroom culture from day one, and to have a general feeling of stability have all been significantly compromised by these logistical changes. At the moment I'm slated to teach reading to my homeroom students, and math to the entire 5th grade. The chair of the 5th grade says there's a 90% chance that'll change.
At first I was really excited about the faculty at my school. But I've been increasingly disappointed with some of the attitudes and approaches that they bring to the table. For example, I was in my room with two other male teachers in the building who I had come to respect, trying to figure out what book to read aloud to my students. I made a comment about how one book wasn't really on their level (I thought it wasn't challenging enough). The teachers told me that as long as it wasn't over their head, it would be fine -- that it didn't matter if it was below their level. The grade chair for my grade also gave me a lot of recommendations for activities for the first week, many of which he admitted were just time-wasters. Of course, many teachers in my building are very strong, and I don't want to give the impression that none of them push the kids.
Another difference I've noticed amongst the other teachers in my school is their style of discipline. I'm generalizing here...but I've observed that teachers in poorer communities, and particularly those that grew up in minority-dominated communities, subscribe to a much harsher form of discipline that relies heavily on shame. The culture of the south might also be a factor. I talked with my Dad about this, and I liked what he said about the possible effects of such a style: it lessens the chance that students will develop an intrinsic sense of good behavior, and they will only behave well while the teacher is watching. I've definitely noticed this in my classroom. When I talk to other people about this rather mean style of management, they almost always justify it by saying that it's what these kids are used to, so that's all they will respond to. So, I've been developing my own personal style that is stern but not hostile.
I'm the only TFA corps member at my school, which is unusual -- they usually try to have at least 2 at the same school. I sort of replaced another TFA teacher at my school, and I'm often compared to him since he also taught in the 5th grade. My 5th grade team says the main difference they see is that I'm a man of few words, with a touch of the "cowboy syndrome." I guess this other guy was a bit long-winded.
I knew that my students would be low, but I didn't expect them to be as low as they are. I've heard that same sentiment from many TFA alumni, and yet I still was surprised. I gave a writing prompt on the first day: "Imagine that you woke up one day with an extra pair of arms! First, think about what you would do during that day. Now, in your very best writing, write about your day with 4 arms and four hands." I gave the students about 35 minutes to write. Keep in mind these are 5th graders. Here are some of the painful examples:
This is the work of Bucumi, one of my Burundian refugee students who came to the US in the last couple years. "One day eat evr day look book Reading Book...Do not eat Millions on day I like Dog (1) Cat (2)"
This is Corshun, one of several students in my class with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). He is at a 1st grade reading level at best.
This is Jesus, who has a severe learning disability. He has seizures at night, during which they think his brain erases much of what he learned during the day. Who knows if that has any validity. At a glance, this response might look better than the others, but there's not a single word actually written on this page. He simply combined different letters together at random. He doesn't have his alphabet yet.So, obviously one of my greatest challenges this year will be to differentiate every lesson so that my IEP and ESL/ELL learners will be able to get something out of the lesson. This first week I didn't do such a great job, but I had my moments. I've found that teaching a class with as many below-proficient students as I have is sort of like a Philosophy class -- every 2 minutes I have to stop to define the terms we're using. Terms like expectations, which I would have thought they would be quite familiar with by 5th grade. In fact, many of my assumptions are being brought to question.
My high point of the week...
The first day I talked about how fun reading can be if you find a genre or an author that you really enjoy, and I admitted that I don't enjoy reading everything. Afterwards I asked the students to raise their hands if they didn't think they could find a book/author that they would enjoy this year. One student raised his hand: Qwentavious. Qwentavious has been difficult to motivate this week. He's always complaining about having to use the bathroom, and is one of my lower students. One Friday, he specifically asked if he could read Frindle (the book I read aloud this week) for silent reading time. There was one chapter left that we hadn't read together and he wanted to find out what happened in the end. Then, he asked if he could check it out to borrow for the weekend.
Yesterday I had my first practice with the co-ed soccer team I'll be playing for this fall. It was great to get my mind off teaching for a while, and I think it will be a key component this year for maintaining my sanity.
I have much more to say...but I'll save it for another day. I'm definitely excited for the year, though I know it will be extremely tough and just as draining. Now I gotta go plan what I'm teaching for week 2...
