Ms. Bamboo-Hoo

Sub-batical!

>> Wednesday, November 16, 2011 – Subbing

OK! GOT IT! EUREKA!

I’m no longer in sub-urgatory*... I’m actually on.... SUB-BATICAL!

Let me back up. I’m crushing on lots of teacher books, and trying to convince myself not to buy them, even though I know I will in the end. This is, shall we say, a “lean” time financially, and I’m a little stressed about Christmas coming up and bills and etc.

However, I’m really trying to use this time - like I said recently - to learn and think and try to plan out my game for how to be an awesome teacher. SO, if I view this time as something like a sabbatical, then that means it’s totally OK if I buy books to read and research and think and plan - just like I said I would do.

My list - bought and desired

Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher (just bought it)

Reciprocal Teaching at Work: Powerful Strategies and Lessons for Improving Reading Comprehension, 2nd Edition
by Lori D. Oczkus

Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts, Grades 9-12 (Common Core Series)

Should keep me busy and fill in those long periods in the teachers’ lounge ...

*Sub-urgatory - a place or state of suffering inhabited by teachers who are expiating their sins before securing a full-time teaching placement. Ok, I’m being slightly bitter and facetious. But, have you ever subbed? If you have the secret recipe - please, by all means - let me know!

Sub-Sub-Subbing

>> Wednesday, November 9, 2011 – Subbing

So, there are ups and downs to my current schedule.

On the one hand, I come home and have nothing that needs to be graded, planned, or really even thought about. The job more or less ends at 2:30.

On the other hand, I am not so good with lots of time on my hands. I am a sadistic sicko who needs to work a lot in order to be happy (ok a little hyperbole there - but not all that much of it).

On the one hand, subbing gives me time to think and read and maybe even write about how to be a better teacher (and other stuff too - like cruising my way through the Game of Thrones series).

On the other, my dad always said the more you have to get done, the more you do. I am not necessarily productive despite all my free time.

But, I absolutely knew ahead of time that I would feel like this the second my long-term leave placement ended. So I guess I felt a little more prepared. I am determined to make the most of all the time I have right now. What better time for a few goals?

Goals for SubTime

Can’t think well if I don’t feel well: first goal is to exercise 4 times a week.

I want to be the best teacher I can possibly be. That requires research and thinking. So, this goal is a little amorphous but it is to think about and read about best teaching practices.

Write down something interesting or notable (to me) at least 3 times a week. It can even be 1 sentence. I just want to get into the habit of recording.

Planning planning planning and Hurricanes!

>> Wednesday, August 31, 2011 – Planning

I’m going to be teaching 9th and 11th graders for 6 weeks. The 9’s I think I have figured out, more or less. I’ve taught 9 a few times, particularly the beginning part of 9th grade, so since we’ll be focusing on literary elements and short stories, I feel like I’m fairly set.

It’s the 11’s I’m stressing about. How much review will they need? What writing skills do I teach? Ok, get them ready for the Regents, but this is the beginning of the year - we’re not doing Regents prep full-force just yet. How about a novel or a play? Which one? (I’m thinking Death of a Salesman?) Ok, but before we get there let’s start with a short story - again, which one? What essential questions are important for this year? What will speak to them about the “American experience”?

(Can you see I’m spinning a little? It doesn’t help that I’m going on Day 4 without power and have sort of been living like a nomad. I think I’d be a little less stressed if not for that. I’m really looking forward to going to work tomorrow, not only to catch up with everyone, but to try to forget about not having power for a little while! I’m also a little worried about getting to work - but I think the roads have been mostly cleared. I hope so anyways.)

Paranoid

>> Sunday, July 17, 2011 – Books, Reading

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm finding that choosing useful, engaging, appropriate short stories for 9th graders has been incredibly difficult. I'm trying to find something for my summer school class besides Poe, Hawthorne, or O'Henry. I'm loving ZZ Packer's collection, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, and Junot Diaz's Drown. However, I'm having difficulty choosing one or two stories that I feel confident doing with the kids. Either the language is too rough, the topics too dark, the implications too sexual - or any of it, too close to home. Yes, maybe I'm just paranoid - but I'm afraid of doing something a little new and different, and having it come back to bite me, even though it was entirely well-thought-out and purposeful. Even though ZZ Packer's collection is recommended on the Common Core Curriculum.

Paranoid. Yes.

I think I may bite the bullet though and go with Packer's "Brownies." It's an excellent story about race, misperceptions, and compassion and understanding. I think its message is crucial, yet its delivery is engaging and entertaining. I just hope my students can handle it.

Summer School!!!!

Yes that's right -- I'm teachin' summer school!

It's actually not nearly as bad as you might think. My kids get a little chatty sometimes, but they're overall pretty good. They don't want to be stuck taking English forever!

I'm "teaching" 2 classes - I say "teaching" because the first class is an online course, where my role is that of a mentor. The students have an online teacher, but I am there to make sure they stay on task, answer questions they may have, help them with the technology (which is Blackboard), etc. From my end, this is nice - I don't have to plan, the students can take whatever English course they failed, regardless of the school schedule, and it's something new and experimental. On the other hand, I wonder how many of them will be successful. There's a whole lot of YouTube going on when I look around at the computers, despite my parrot-like commands for them to focus on their work and stay on track. That, and some other tech-related issues having to do with what we have in our computer lab, and the organization of the students' courses. I'm still out on whether I think this is a good option for struggling students.

My other class is a "live" class: 9th grade English. I really enjoy this one. I spend 2 hours with the kids each day, Monday to Thursday, and I'm really surprised at how quickly the time moves. It makes me wonder how we get through everything in 40-minute spurts during the year! It moves quickly for me, but I know it's a long time for some of the students --- some of them get really restless during the 2nd half. Overall, though, I think it affords the time to allow them to practice writing, and allows me time to check in with everyone at least once during class. We also have our own laptop cart, and I've set the kids up on Google docs. It's nice to have the time to experiment.

Anyway, that's all for now. More to come...!

End of the year?

>> Monday, June 20, 2011 – Insights

I'm not really sure how people teach (or work, in general) full time, and still have the time and energy to blog. I really like this space, but I wish I could carve out more time to write about the things I've been learning, thinking about, experiencing. So once again, as always, I'm mindful of my absence but hopeful that I can one day write regularly.

With that said, I feel like I sort of stumbled upon the end of the school year. Looking back, it feels like I blinked and found myself proctoring Regents exams and trying to piece together final grades. I graduated from my master's program about a month ago, and just received word that my certification should be passed any day now. It's been almost 2 years since I began my grad work. Where did that time go? Doesn't matter; I know I'm doing what I should be doing, and I love it.

It's hard to pin down what I like most about my job, but one of the top 3 items is getting to meet and talk with new people every day. I'm wrapping up a leave replacement right now, and will be teaching summer school (at the same school) next month. So even though the school year is ending, I am still meeting new people in the building each day, or getting to know people a little better and work with them a little more than I would on a regular school day (as opposed to exam week). Not to mention working with 80-100 kids every day. I love that I get to laugh at least once (and usually much more than that) every single day!

What's on my summer to-do list? Right now I'm mostly throwing myself into planning for summer school. Next on the agenda is to spend more time here, developing ideas for using technology in teaching. I also want to create a site geared for my (future) students: my vision is for it be a sort of portal for ELA and study skills (but with a really sweet UI too!). We'll see what happens ... unfortunately, my little projects don't always come to fruition. :) Most importantly, I will be spending some time on the beach with my stack of summer reading!

I'm not sure what next September will bring, but there will be something. I have to believe that. This year was amazing in so many different ways, and I only hope that next year will be as rewarding. I will keep chipping away. Keep your fingers crossed for me.