I'm not dead!

[exsequar]

Not dead! I promise! Living quite a lot, really.

April 30, 2013 - Defended my doctoral dissertation successfully. I now have my PhD in Chemical Biology! :)

June 17, 2013 - Started a Masters of Arts in Educational Studies program at the University of Michigan, focusing on secondary education with certification in chemistry and math.

I spent most of the time between those two dates on vacation in California and roaming all over the west. It's been a wild and wacky year, no doubt about it. Now a week into my masters, I know the rest is certainly not going to be boring. I'm excited for the new challenges that await!

Anyone still out there? :)

Comments

[elucidate-this.livejournal.com]

I'm an aide not a teacher, but I have taught my own classes in the past and I've worked in a lot of different classrooms so I've seen a lot of different things that are awesome or terrible. So I do have some advice. First though, so I don't ramble at you about irrelevant things what age group/demographic (urban/suburban/rural) are you thinking of teaching? You'll be doing science yes?

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Oh, I apologize for making an incorrect assumption! I'm training to teach high schoolers in an urban setting, for at least the near future (my student teaching will be in Detroit and my next few years might be as well) and I will be certified in chemistry and math, most likely to teach the former. I would love to hear the advice you have to offer!

[elucidate-this.livejournal.com]

OMG I had this thread open in a tab and somehow still forgot to reply. Anyway. Advice:

*caveat, i've never taught in high school just middle school so some of this may not be relevant.

1) get to know your kids beyond their performance in school. being able to say like, "hey good job in the basketball game" or "how are your dance classes going" really mean a lot to kids. you won't have a ton of time with them so it can be hard to find out things about them, but really try. i am a big fan of icebreaker games where they write like, their name, what they did this summer, and one thing they are interested in and then you collect the cards.

2) establish routines. routines, when followed, help with classroom management times 1000. get them used to coming in and sitting down and taking out their homework and opening their independent reading book. Then you can go around and check the homework in peace. or find a routine that works for you, just set up a structure of some kind, especially for the beginning of class.

3) be strict, especially in the beginning. you are a white lady walking into a detroit classroom and they are not going to take you seriously right off the bat (trust me, i worked in a predominately latino school for years and those kids thought i was gonna be a pushover every damn time). be a hardass. you can (and should) loosen up as the year goes on and as you feel out the class dynamic but start off as that bitch ms. lastname.

4) be positive from minute one of day one. i realize this may seem at odds with my previous advice, but it's really not. IF they are two things you can't do together, do this one instead of #3. look for the good things the kids do and praise the shit out of them. reward for being good more than you punish for being bad. Really notice small good things with kids who aren't doing big good things. "Evan thank you for getting out your pencil" "Alijah that is a gorgeous top you are wearing today." positivity is the most powerful force in the classroom and when it's done well it can have amazing results. if you want i can find you some articles on positive behavior support. let me know.

5) steal from successful teachers. as an aide the thing i took most often were management strategies, but you can ask for help with lesson plans etc.

6) project based learning. kids are 10,000 more engaged when it's hands on. and in the sciences you have lots of opportunities for cool projects. projects are something you can steal from other teachers. obvs all the stealing has to be done with permission otherwise you will be that bitch ms. lastname to your colleagues as well.

Okay, I think that's all I've got. I hope it's helpful. If you ever want to chat about working in an urban school once you start you can totally hit me up via email.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

That is all awesome advice, thank you! It also echoes very closely what I've heard in the first three weeks of my masters, so I think I'm in good hands. There's an optional urban ed seminar that I've been attending and she's been talking a lot about 2, 3, and 4. I'm not surprised but pleased to hear that they're pointing me in the right direction. :) Thanks again!