I’m starting to become much more
excited about teaching in my English placement after spring break. I decided to
read Never Fall Down by Patricia
McCormick, which is amazing. I have the whole calendar done and ready to go,
but I also have noticed that my kids do not write very well, so I’ll use this
books and the many controversial topics it brings up to have my kids write journal
response entries every day. I have requested that my principal give me
notebooks for the kids because I want them to have a notebook in the classroom
which is their very own and no one will read besides me and them.
We’ll see
if my principal gives me notebooks after spring break, and I hope he doesn’t think
that I’ve lost my mind, because I asked him and did not let my CT do it for me.
I think it shows courage and I think is shows that I will request things form
the school if it means that my students will benefit from it.
I also plan
on writing a letter asking parents to buy some spiral notebooks for their kids during spring
break, which I will share the letter with both my CT and my principal for their approval. I know, however,
that many parents won’t buy notebooks for reasons they only know, which is why I’m
counting on my principal for support. What should I do if he does think I’m out
of line? After all I am only a student teacher…
I told him
that I have a plan B which basically means that I’ll take any and all the
notebooks I get from my kids and cut them horizontally to make mini notebooks
which will work fine for their journal entries, but not much else. I think the
whole point of keeping writing notebooks is so my students have all their
writing in one place, and so they can look back through it sometime in their life
and enjoy remembering their 8th grade thoughts.
Hopefully
all goes as planned, and my kids enjoy their last semester of middle school. I also
hope that they learn a lot about themselves through this novel, and that they
learn plenty about their wiring style. I know that’s how I learned. I just
wrote and wrote, and I fell in love with expressing my feeling on paper. I just
hope my kids do too.
I think it's hard to figure where the line is sometimes when we're student teachers. I mean, we are functioning as teachers in the classroom, but I don't feel like we've been adopted by the institution fully. We don't really have all the information on what they can or will provide for the students. I don't think it hurts to ask, though!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're having them write! I think teaching our students to write is really one of our primary functions as English teachers, but the assessments that have been used in recent years haven't valued writing, so the schools have almost been forced to drop a lot of the instruction. I'm glad we're getting away from those assessments and valuing writing again. For a lot of teachers/departments/schools/districts, it's going to be a challenge to reinstate that writing instruction in a meaningful way. I think that will be a wonderful opportunity for us as new teachers to make a mark!
I love that you are so enthusiastic about having your students write. I think that your passion about it will help the principal and the students be passionate about it as well. When we have done methods classes in the past and have discussed what makes a teacher good, one of the first things we always brought up is passion for the subject and knowledge of the subject. I believe that you are showing that and will demonstrate it to your students in a way that will motivate them.
ReplyDeleteI also am not sure of the protocol when it comes to asking for materials, but as student teachers we are practicing and learning what those will be, so what better time to dive right in?
Denisse, I'm not sure if you're planning to do this or not, but you could use this experience of having students write in writers notebooks as the basis for your Writing Instruction Presenation for your Independent Study course ... you can use the Kirby, Kirby, & Liner text and the Noden text as support, and I know there are lots of articles on writers notebooks (Randy Bomer mentions them throughout our CI 454E/CI 455E textbook). This would be a great presentation on our last day of CI 455E. I think your colleagues and I would really benefit from it!
ReplyDeleteHere's a comment from Natalie:
ReplyDeleteMs. Gastelum,
I really love your idea about having the students keep notebooks and write daily. I've noticed that my students struggle with writing as well, and I think having them write every day, even informally, allows them to improve dramatically. Regardless, you're showing them that they can write and express their thoughts, which I think is very important. I try to implement writing activities within my lessons as well, and I generally choose topics that allow them to express their thoughts and feelings. I think that when students are able to express themselves it shows them that writing can actually be something they care about and want to do!
I also love that you took the initiative to go out and ask for the notebooks on your own. As student teachers, it is easy to sometimes sit back and allow others to take control because it might not "be our place," but showing that you are assertive and passionate about what you want your students to do is important. I'm sure your principal was impressed, and I hope you are able to get the materials you need!
Sincerely,
Natalie Skidmore