This entry has nothing to do with my students

My students are coming along and doing well overall. 6th period is the most difficult, but I am not worried. 

Moving on. It is difficult being a teacher. And by that I mean teachers have meetings and deadlines and busy work and important work to do for their schools and their classrooms. Today was that day.  

Regular Tuesday complete with Professional Development from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Meeting with the English Department was great. So much work to do, but getting through it and learning so much. I was already tired, but when you feel productive, it's worth it. Then the meeting I didn't know about. Last Tuesday of every month we have a meeting from 3:00 to 4:00. I am one of those people who can make it through an extra long day if I have mentally prepared. I wasn't, but I persevered and went to the SLC meeting. I was actually glad to finally meet everyone. We had far too much to do with not near enough time. We were all there until 4:30 p.m. UGH

You see, I get to school between 6:45 and 7:00 a.m. each day. School starts at 8:00. I spend my conference period and lunch time grading and prepping and to day I helped a student with his speech (he is running for 7th grade President). I'm busy all day long and I was tired. After school I needed to run and get toner (I ran out last night) so I can print the assessment I need to give to my students in order to do my RIAP project for Saturday. And this is a short week. Plus, tomorrow night I have a Y event and am planning to stay at my parents to get a bit more sleep after a night out. So, today was not the day to leave work at 4:45 p.m. and drive through lousy traffic and get home (with the stop at Office Depot) at 6:30 p.m.  I still have work to do, but have no brain cells to accomplish anything. So, here I am blogging in the hopes it relieves my stress and gives me energy to move on to typing the minutes of my Department Meeting. 

I'm pretty sure, those will have to wait until tomorrow morning.  So long Tuesday, bring on Wednesday!

Weighing in on Small Schools/Small Learning Communities

I was reading articles about the "focus schools" being put up for auction. As if education should go to the highest bidder. I don't really get it. The data is intense and so hard to analyze because each school is unique. I worked at PI (program improvement) school last year. In fact it is/was a PI5+++ school. This year I am again at a PI school. The data is not good. BUT, that is not to say nothing good is going on in those schools. Imagine if not all your students showed up to take tests year after year and you battle that obstacle. Chances are your scores might go down once more students actually take the test. Then you have the obstacle of getting students to take the tests seriously. We test them so much can you blame them for just bubbling a pattern on their answer sheets. Okay, so say you have tackled the first two, now you are ready to get some better scores. And hopefully that is what happens. However, nothing really happens overnight. It takes time to put a plan into action and reap the benefits. So now to my topic.

I love Small Learning Communities (SLCs). They take a big school and make it manageable in a way that allows for students to be taken care of. By having students grouped together into these communities and having the same core teachers, behaviors can be managed and the child can be individually known. Unit plans can be made for that specific group of students, a counselor can focus on a set group of students and go to 4 core teachers and create a plan that best suits the students in the community. The students know their teachers and the teacher KNOW THEIR STUDENTS. Consistency lives in this place of SLCs. They work, but they take time. Hard work by teachers, administrators, staff and community is being done every day where I work. We strive to create a college going philosophy. We strive for our students to be purposeful and successful in school and beyond. It may not happen overnight, but we look for ways for the students to learn and hopefully the test scores will follow.

Wow, this week went fast and was such a busy one

I need more sleep. That is the bottom line. To be at my best I need to be asleep by 9:30, which is difficult, but 11:30 is beyond ridiculous. I am working on this issue.

My students have been fascinating, frustrating, freakish and funny. Each period of the day has a different personality and a different work ethic. Some need gentle probing and nudging. Some are completely insane. I spend half my time with those classes working on self management of their behavior. Our school uses a program called "Capture Kids Hearts."  It comes with non verbal cues, social contracts and class buy-in. However, it is difficult to work with in the beginning and some students just don't care if they disrupt the entire class. I am determined I will deal with discipline first and then content and I have stuck to it. I have also created a daily class routine and it works well and keeps me on task as well.

It will be fine. I now know that after the insane first ten weeks last year. It just takes consistency and showing no fear and being tireless. 

I also find myself immersed in the work. Pacing plans, team teaching, cohorts, culminating tasks, and the list goes on and on. We have so many programs going on at the same time it feels like a whirlwind at best and a tornado in the hardest moments. (I love it) Today a group of teachers told me they were referred to me by a couple of administrators to join their group. This group works on cultural significance in the classroom. Of course I said yes. What else could I say. It is me to a tee. They were so nice and what a lovely compliment to be asked. 

My school has so many hurdles to tackle and this is why I wanted to be a teacher. I cried today thinking about it. (In a good way) Creating a culturally relevant curriculum in a college going environment with SLCs and interdisciplinary units and a grade level English cohort! What could possibly be better than this?!

I also want to send a shout out to "Gossip Girl."  When I asked my HR/College Prep class for colleges they are interested in, the list included NYU, Brown, Yale and Harvard!  One of my students just wants to go to a college as far away from Watts as possible. They break my heart and bring me joy in all their little moments. They even looked like they believed me when I told them to dream high and reach high. To not settle. I also got to teach them a vocabulary word -- ENDOWMENT. Anything is possible.

And just like that.

So nearly six months have passed since I realized I would be losing my job at the end of the school year and that has meant nearly six months of looking for a job. So many resumes sent, so much time spent on edjoin.org and so many bouts of depression. Less than a week before school started I was invited to a job fair through Partnership for L.A. Schools and in less than 30 minutes I was hired to teach at Markham Middle School as a Long Term Sub. I was pretty happy. Then a phone call about two weeks ago telling me my name was coming up soon to be rehired as a permanent teacher. Then nothing.

Yesterday I asked my principal if he knew who I should call about the situation to see when it might actually happen. He gave me a number to a specific person who is a "friend" of Markham. I called, she answered, she remembered my name, looked it up and told me my assignment letter had been mailed on Friday and that as of September 14, 2009 I was rehired as a permanent teacher. Just Like That. Craziness. They hired me back before they ever sent my cobra package!

I shared this with my students today as my "good thing." They clapped and then they asked me if I wanted to be a teacher when I was little. Which, by the way, I did. And now I am and I am so appreciative of all my friends, family and colleagues who have given me so much support and hung in there even when I was less than fun to be around.

Peace.

It is Friday

I feel so lucky to be a teacher. Each day is a gift to learn and teach. My students are 12 years old and they have their lives ahead of them. They see the world differently and they allow me glimpses. We were having a discussion about casual talk, professional talk and academic talk. They were not getting it. So, I copied their words and phrases and gave them directions in "cool kid speak." They all laughed . . . hard. I think they got the point. One of them wants me to say "are you finished" instead of "are you done" because done sounds too much like the word dumb. I told her I would never say "are you dumb."  But she was pretty emphatic about it. It made me think and I did use the word finish a couple of times for her benefit. But seriously, is this something they deal with?  Do people really say to them "are you dumb" often enough that the word done needs to be removed from my phrasing in class. That kind of makes me sad. 

Well I survived the first full week of school and all is well in my world. I look forward to tackling vocabulary, idioms and character next week.

Forgive me. It has been a few days

The life of a 7th grader is not unlike the life of a 2nd year teacher. Last year they were both the babies of the school and were tolerated and at times praised and often misunderstood. In the new year they are older, understand how things work and sometimes feel a bit too comfortable. Trouble may ensue.

Have I grabbed your attention? My students have certainly grabbed mine. It has been 6 days with students and it has been awesome, illuminating, aggravating and overall not a bad job to have. The students are doing well except for some blatant shoe uniform defiance. They are working hard and starting to understand the process of planners, classwork and homework. One student called my name and I replied "yes?" He replied, "you are nice Ms. Ancrile." I thanked him. It was a very lovely moment.

7th grade is also kind of odd. In most of my classes, the boys sit on one side and the girls on the other. Of course, that is about to change because they all talk far too much in that configuration. I had to keep the boy side of my 6th period after school today. They just couldn't keep it together all period. It really was a clear reminder of how boys and girls develop socially. Tomorrow they will have a new seating chart and it may or may not solve the problem for a while. 

This week has been full of Professional Development. 2 hours on Monday for a program called "Capturing Kids Hearts" where we were reminded/told to shake hands with each student and say hello as they enter the door. I have a hand thing, but I tried it. I think I might be converted as long as my hand sanitizer supply holds out. We also were given instructions on doing "Good Things" with them each day. Students and teachers share good things (small and large) and the class claps (one claps, we all clap is the motto). Sort of fun, and it is going okay. Next week I tackle social contracts and non verbal cues (timeout, fouls and shaking thumbs up). I am always willing to try anything for my students betterment and this is something they are trying to do school wide, which makes it less weird to do with students. Okay so that was the good PD

On Tuesday we met in PLC (professional learning communities) formerly know as Departments. The English dept. as usual is wacky. They always are, which is why I fit in pretty well. But seriously, why haven't the 7th grade English teachers looked at the standards yet? I mean come on people, get with the program. We have some work to do on pacing plans and curriculum and it is due in two weeks!! I know what my light reading will be this weekend!

All in all, I love it. I love teaching. I love the work. Sometimes I feel too tired, but then, I sleep and start all over again. I am even enjoying leaving the house at 6am. On Friday I will be taking the Red Line to the Blue Line to work. This is exciting because Friday afternoon traffic is hideous and I would rather sit on the train for an hour than sit in my car on the parking lots known as the 110, 101 and 170 freeways. 

Peace to you all. What are your Good Things this week?

Thursday So Soon

Today was a good day. I seem to be over-planning each day. This means there is little down time and thus few behavior problems. I should also say I have some incredibly bright students. They are well spoken, witty and have no problem stating their opinions. I gave them homework last night to ready anything for ten minutes. Almost all of them read BOOKS, actual BOOKS. I was amazed. Some of them had such insight. It was truly awesome. 

I should tell you I have some funny kids. One told me the book he chose is Bad and by bad he meant inappropriate. He even brought it with him to show me, but in a very innocent way. I told him maybe he should keep the book at home. So funny. 

I have not forgotten about the honeymoon period that exists with students, but they are polite, don't call me Miss, ask to get out of their seats, line up out side the classroom until I open the door, throw their trash in the receptacle and bring something to write with and on to class. I think I could get used to this. 

Tomorrow is Friday and I am glad. I am tired from the early mornings, but I am also excited for the weekend to bring me time to set lesson plans for the next few weeks. 

In closing: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Day 2 - The students came

Awesome Parts of the Day: The students all cute and shiny in their uniforms who had pencils and paper and smiles. Being overly prepared with too much to do every period. Reading to my students and having them sit quietly and irritated when I stopped. 

Not so good parts of the Day: Crazy Bell Schedule but no bells actually ringing on time all day. having to go to an unplanned meeting after school. Being very tired and getting blisters because I lived all summer in flip flops. 

Overall this was an excellent first day. My advisory class listened to the Obama Speech and had much to say about it with little prodding from me. They all still believe in a better future at their young age. 

closing:  All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.

Magic Johnson

Day 1 - Pupil Free Day

I feel I need to keep track of my teaching experience this year. Some entries will be long and some short. Some days the words will be of joy and love and success and some days the words will be of exhaustion, failure and frustration. 

Today:  Sept. 8, 2009

I arrived at school before 7:00a.m. It took me just 35 minutes to travel from Van Nuys to Watts. Woo Hoo! My classroom was in tact and I was overwhelmed again by Ariella's artistry. The room is full of bright colors. (pictures to come) I have a colorful rug under my desk, a fluffy green dorm chair, bright orange and blue bulletin boards, posters of verbs, adjective, descriptive words and more adorn the peeling beige walls. I have this awesome bookshelf looking border above my white board as well. I also have one board that has quotes written on word strips as the border. All is well.

7:50 a.m. I am off to the library for 4 hours of meetings. It turns out the school is just transitioning to Small Learning Communities (SLCs) and so much is in flux. I do receive a list of the SLCs and teams. I am the English teacher for the 7th Grade Team in the Magnet SLC. Apparently the Magnet does have fewer discipline problems. (wait and see) My team consists of a Math Teacher (my next door neighbor), a science teacher (located in the brand new actually equipped science labs) and a Social Studies teacher who has not been hired yet. We are told our students are bright and can achieve if we just work hard and believe. 

My school is a Partnership for L.A. Schools school. You know, one of the mayor's schools. We are the 2nd lowest performing school in the district. Last year was a stabilizing year where they dealt mainly with behavior, attendance and general mass roaming on the campus. It is always a good first step to get the students into the classroom. Now we will be working on consistency and interdisciplinary teaching. Can we say, "preaching to the choir."  

And yet, I have no class rosters until tomorrow. I have no idea which period is my conference period. We don't have nutrition. Our students do wear uniforms. I have planned for the first week. Today I went to the bookstore to buy books I will be reading to my students. I did fall asleep last night before 10 and slept nearly 8 hours last night. I am ready, or I will be once I download President Obama's speech, find one more quote, type up my lesson plan, complete the self inventory (so I can make copies tomorrow) for Thursday's lesson, pack my lunch and check off the rest of my to do list. 

Please know, I am so happy to have this job. When I went into teaching I wanted to be where I could do the most good. It seems I was right all along. When I went on interviews all this summer and didn't get job after job, I told myself that was because somewhere there were students who needed me more. 

I close with a quote: "I used to walk to school with my nose buried in a book." --Coolio