Journal Blog Final Grade

HI Liz:

As you probably determined too, your average for this assignment is 98%. I looked forward to reading your posts and learning from what you summarized from the discussions.

Week 4 - To Sub or not to Sub?

For the last week of discussion, I chose a post from the teacher.net Student Teacher Chatboard. The conversation ranged from 11/08/09 to 11/16/09.

The first posters concern centers around the effects of substitute teaching on obtaining a permanent position. Niki is going to finish her student teaching placement in December and will be graduating from her program. She was looking to substitute teach before seeking permanent employment as a teacher. She heard from a friend that subbing would make her less desirable to districts looking to hire a new teacher. She is looking to the other members of the Chatboard to confirm or deny this claim.

She points out in the post the positives of substitute teaching. It will give her a chance to improve her classroom management skills in a different, and possibly, less stressful environment than exists in your own personal classroom. She also sees it as an opportunity to learn more about many different schools so she knows where to seek future employment.

All posters were in consensus; substitute teaching is an excellent way to get started in the teaching profession. One posted commented that her student teaching provided strong examples of her teaching style during interviews for a permanent position. Most commented on how hard it is to find a position in this economy and that substitute teaching provided a foot in the door in many schools. They also said it was a great way to get to learn about the staff at particular schools as well as the climate of the school.

The best advice was to ask the Administrator’s board, but after searching through those postings, it does not appear that the original poster took this advice.

Responses to others' questions

My response to Niki was in line with the other posters. While most give advice from their own experience, I gave an anecdote from my sister, Alisa’s life. When she was completing her Master’s degree, as part of the changing major’s program at St. John’s, she wanted to get experience in a classroom. She became a substitute teacher and worked at many different schools around the local and surrounding districts. One school, which just happens to be the elementary school we both went to, loved her interactions with the students. When a classroom position opened after she completed her degree, she interviewed for it. The position was given to someone else, but the hiring board loved Alisa’s style and passion that they created a position to give her where she could gain more experience. She became the school’s second science teaching, teaching grades K-2.

I shared this success story with the board as well as putting in my own two cents. I advised Niki that substitute teaching was a good way to network with teaching and administrators in the area that will potentially hire her.

Useful information for your teaching in the future

This poster reconfirmed something an important lesson that we all must learn; be wary where you get your advice. Niki did not mention who the person was that told her subbing was a bad idea. It could have been anyone from someone in the education field or one with a completely counter culture. It was a great idea to ask an internet community such as teachers.net for validation on what she had heard.

Last Posting:

What you would tell others when joining a teacher listserv, discussion board or Blog?

I would tell others that these types of communication are vital to improving yourself as a teacher. Listservs, discussion boards, and blogs provide sounding boards for teachers. Teachers can ask for and give advice on every topic feasible. They also provide a national, or global, perspective on problems. Teachers can glean a great deal of new ideas to improve their teaching as well as their classroom management.

How the experience compare to your expectations?

Going into the project, I was unsure if I would have valid advice to give others. My only experience comes from my hours spent in observations and my semester spent student teaching. I did not think I could actively participate in discussion boards because I did not think I would have anything good to say. I found that there were many places where even someone with a limited point of view could add their two cents. It was also nice to see that there are many new teachers, and some older teachers, that still feel unsure about their strengths as teachers. It was comforting to read about others who faced the same problems that I did, and that I potentially will. This assignment showed me other places to reach out to should I have problems while teaching.

Week 3 - Noisy Boys

For the third week of this assignment, I found an interesting blog post to discuss. The blog is titled “Math Tales from the Spring”. It is the “rantings” of Mrs. H, a high school math teacher from Texas who has been teaching for twelve years. The original post was made 11/5 and the comments ranged from 11/6 to 11/11.

This blog post centers on annoying teenage boys. She begins by telling stories of past experiences of boys in her 9th grade class who make random noises. One boy made loud bird calls, apparently unconsciously, during class. The behavior drove Mrs. H crazy until she realized he was doing it during casual conversations with his friends too which lead her to believe he was not doing it deliberately. Another boy would grunt during class. Eventually, the entire class was grunting whenever Mrs. H turned around to write on the board. After several attempts to find the “grunters” the problem was slowly resolved with the threat of being held after the bell the next time a grunt was heard during class. The students began stopping boys that wanted to grunt during a lesson to avoid being kept late.

Mrs. H’s purpose behind the post is a problem she is having with a boy in her current class. During lessons he makes noises. When he is not making verbal noises, he is constantly tapping, either his fingers, rulers, pencils, or anything he can get his hands on. She says that he does not seem to be doing it consciously or with cruel intentions as the grunters had. She finds herself getting upset with the entire class because of the constant background noises. She asks her readers for advice; is this just boys being boys or is there something else at play?

The first poster left the best responses. She made the recommendation that this student might have Tourette’s syndrome or a form of autism that causes ticks. She recommended asking the student if there is something that helps calm him such as listening to music quietly. She also recommended speaking to the school’s psychologist for additional professional suggestions.

Another suggestion was made that the summer after sophomore year is when major changes happen in boys. As this is when most are turning 16, developmentally this suggestion makes sense. It is at this time that most boys are first becoming comfortable with their bodies and have a stronger sense of identity. These problems tend not to exist in high school girls as they typically develop and mature faster.

Questions you posed with responses

In my comment, I backed up the first poster’s suggestion of Tourette’s syndrome, while also noting that it may be another disorder where hyperactivity is a symptom. His tapping might be his coping mechanism and a way he channels his excess energy. I asked Mrs. H if she has had a private discussion with the student about his behavior. He might not be willing to talk about any problems he has in front of his classmates and might find a private conversation more comfortable. I also suggested looking into if the boy has an IEP or any previously diagnosed disorders. This might give an insight to the boy’s behavior. There is the possibility that any problem that exists has gone undiagnosed up until this point as many mistake ticks for children acting out on purpose.

Mrs. H has not responded to my comment yet, but I will update when/if she does.

Responses to others' questions:

My overall advice to Mrs. H was not to pass judgment on a student’s behavior until she has all available information. While noise in the classroom can frustrate some teachers, it is important to get to the bottom of why disturbances are happening in the classroom instead of coming up with an immediate, and often times wrong, assumption about their starting point.

I chose to comment on this blog post for two reasons. The first reason was the story of the grunting boys. During my student teaching, I had a similar instance occur but instead of grunting it was coughing. I knew who had started it unlike Mrs. H. Eventually, every time my cooperating teacher left the room, 90% of my class was coughing loud enough to drown out what I was saying. I also found that the behavior did not occur when this ringleader of a boy was absent which thankfully, for my sanity but not for his education, was more often than not. At first I removed the boy from class whenever he started to act out but I realized I couldn’t remove him every day. At the urging of my cooperating teacher, I developed a better relationship with the boy, bonding with him and praising him at the times he was acting appropriately. My teacher recommended stroking his ego, calling on him and encouraging him to be a positive member of the class. This worked tremendously and if the grunting boys had been the current problem, a suggestion I would have made to Mrs. H.

My second reason for posting was because of the way many children with undiagnosed Tourette’s are written off by teachers. My cousin went undiagnosed for years and was judged by teachers to just be disruptive and antsy. When she was diagnosed and began to receive proper treatment by therapists she began to have greater control over her ticks and completely transformed as a student. I hate to see teachers pass judgment on a student who has a problem that no one has had the courage to suggest a diagnosis yet.

Useful information for your teaching in the future

In my teaching future, I know how important it is to explore all avenues surrounding student behavior before passing judgment. Reading Mrs. H’s blog and being part of this class has also given me the spark to blog while I am teaching. It is an excellent way to reach out to the teaching community across the world for advice and suggestions from the comfort of your own computer.

Week 2 - Trouble with a Cooperating Teacher

Week 2 – Trouble with a Cooperating Teacher

For the second week of discussion, I chose a post from the teacher.net Student Teacher Chatboard. The conversation ranged from 10/23/09 until 10/31/09.

The first post in the thread is from a student teacher identified as Trouble. In the post, Trouble describes her relationship with her cooperating teacher as tumultuous. They got started on the wrong foot over a miscommunication over a starting date. Other student teachers from different universities started the week before Trouble did. The cooperating teacher took this to mean that Trouble was being irresponsible, and was subsequently berated on her first day. Trouble states that the cooperating teacher is not available, and that they do not communicate freely. The cooperating teacher has not informed Trouble of school procedures or activities. She does not offer any advice about Trouble’s teaching, in fact Trouble states the only time the teacher speaks to her is when it is expected in front of other teachers. If Trouble approaches her with questions, or disagrees with a method that has been presented by the cooperating teacher, the teacher becomes defensive and yells at Trouble. Trouble goes as far as to question if this is a normal relationship between student and cooperating teachers.

The response posts center around common advice. They go on to tell Trouble that this is not how the relationship should be, but from the tone of most of the posts, it is how many relationships exist. Many, including myself, retold horror stories of working with uncooperative teachers. These shared stories aid in building the bonds that exist between those in common situations. The most common phrase of advice is to discuss the matter with a university advisor. The advisor can act as a mediator between the cooperating teacher and Trouble. The advisor can help guide a more productive relationship out of the two.

Other advice given was to have an honest conversation in a non-confrontational manner. The issue needs to be addressed, and since Trouble had made mention that any conversation between the two usually ends with the teacher becoming defensive, Trouble will need to work harder to keep the tone level. One poster said to remind the cooperating teacher that a student teacher is there to learn from her, so she should be setting a better example.

Questions you posed with responses

My post on the thread started as most of those before me had. I retold my own personal horror story of my experience with my cooperating teacher from my middle school student teaching placement. My teacher was all over the place, completely unorganized and quite ill-prepared to have a student teacher. She had been teaching for 15 years, but her experience did not come through in her advice to me. The stress was compounded with the fact that my placement ended the same day as the State Math Exam so the last few weeks were especially difficult. I felt as if retelling my experience would help show Trouble that she is not alone when it comes to the issue of having trouble with a cooperating teacher.

My question posed to Trouble was if she would have the chance to have a second placement. Some colleges give one 16 week placement in one school, other colleges, like mine, give two 8 week placements where one is at a middle school and the other is at a high school. For those in the elementary program, they spend 8 weeks in the lower grades (1^st – 3^rd) and 8 weeks in the higher grades (4^th – 6^th). In my case, my second cooperating teacher gave me excellent advice and an overall amazing experience student teaching. I chose to pose this question because I wanted to know if Trouble would have the chance to know what it is like to work with a stronger teacher. At this point, Trouble has not posted back on the thread in response to any questions or advice.

Responses to others' questions

My advice to Trouble was to continue to be helpful and kind to the cooperating teacher. Maybe the teacher will get the hint and start to treat Trouble the same way. I also suggested inviting the teacher to have lunch with her so they could find common ground to bond over, specifically something outside of school. Through this, the cooperating teacher begins to see Trouble as more of an equal as opposed to a subordinate.

Considering I have just completed my student teaching this past Spring, I thought I would have some good advice to new student teachers. I came across a post titled, “co-teacher trouble” and knew this would be the discussion I followed for the week. As stated above, I had a very difficult relationship with my first cooperating teacher and thought I had sound advice to give. Also as stated above, Trouble has not yet posted back to the other responders.

Useful information for your teaching in the future

After answering Trouble’s post, I took time to reflect on my own student teaching. I thought about how I would love to have the chance to work with a student teacher once I was in the field for a few years. I would love to have the chance to help confirm and develop another person's passion for teaching. It also went to confirm that many student teachers have troublesome relationships with their cooperating teachers and made a mental note to myself that when I work with a student teacher, I will not act in a demeaning or cruel way. The cooperating teacher’s job is to help the student teacher hone their skills as a teacher, not to make them feel threatened in a harsh environment which might put them off to teaching. I say this because it is exactly how I felt after my first placement during my student teaching. Luckily my skills were confirmed and passion reignited after working in a high school with a much better cooperating teacher.

Week 1 - Inappropriate Behavior

Topic Heading

For the first week of discussion, I chose a post from the teacher.net Classroom Management Chatboard. The conversation ranged from 10/19/09 until 10/21/09.

The original poster's concern is with inappropriate behavior in the classroom. The poster, KL, makes it known that this year's class has new issues due to a sudden rapid growth in the number of students. Due to budget cuts, the class went from 22 students to 29 students, even though the cap is supposed to be set to 28. KL is working with a co-teacher, but they are still having problems adjusting their teaching style to the additional students.

In this group of fifth graders, the co-teachers are struggling with a previously unseen problem of their students exhibiting sexually explicit language and actions in the classroom. The required first course of action is to send the offenders to the principal's office, but KL notes that no change has occurred using this course of action. The co-teachers have also tried group and individual discussions about sexual harassment with the offenders and whole class, a thorough discussion of the disciple matrix, and conversations with parents to no avail. KL reports the behaviors, if anything, have gotten worse. KL wants to send these students to some type of counseling, but the school does not have a professional on staff.

There were a few posts with suggestions on how to deal with these problematic fifth graders. The posters offered many different ways to approach the problem. Many included an escalation in terms of punishment, suggesting ISS, In School Suspension, as an appropriate sentence. The other most common suggestion was an open conversation about what is and what is not appropriate behavior in school. One tech saavy poster suggested that the teachers gain parental permission, then secretly record the students that say these inappropriate things. During a parent meeting, the teachers can replay the exact things the child has said for the student's own reflection as well as giving the parent's an idea as to their child's behavior. A general consensus among the posters was that these prepubescent children are trying to gain the respect of their peers through what they consider adult actions. They are acting this way for the shock value and the reactions they are getting from the teacher. One poster brought up a good point; some of these children might be the victims of sexual abuse, as these actions are often indicators of abuse. Perhaps not all the trouble makers are abused, but one must consider the possibility that any ring leaders might be.

KL posted again with an update. KL appreciated the suggestion of ISS, but made it clear that only the administration can assign ISS as punishment. KL made it clear that it was the not the route their administrator was taking. Their plan included having a police officer come in to class to discuss the ramifications of sexual harassment and to talk to those children who are leading the behavior individually. If that doesn't work, they would consider suspension. KL has not posted since to say if the police officer, or any other suggestions worked.

Responses to Other's Questions

My main problem with this post is why was the suggestion on sexual abuse ignored? As teachers, we are all mandated reporters of abuse. Acting out in sexually inappropriate ways is one possible sign of abuse. It confuses me how a school does not have a counselor available to students. It is my hopes that the district KL works in has someone employed to work with a number of schools and is available upon request. I believe that the leaders of the behavior need to talk to someone they can be open and honest to. It might just be they are posturing to obtain a position of respect among their peers, but it is also possible this child, or children are being abused and are acting out in the only way they know how. This is something that needs to be further addressed.

Useful Information for Your Teaching in the Future

While this problem was seen in an elementary school classroom, I believe it transcends into my area of adolescent education fluidly. When students reach high school, they are beginning to try and develop their identities, part of this being their sexual identity. Many times in my experiences during my undergraduate years, I observed in classrooms students acting out sexually explicit gestures and language. The teachers there reprimanded students without a personal emotional reaction because it was obvious that is what the student was trying to do. One of the posters on this board offered a phrase to use when students act in inappropriate ways, “If you see it on television, leave it on television.” This tells the student that the way they are acting is out of place for the classroom, and is not the right way for a student to be acting. This is a catchphrase I will keep with me throughout my teaching career. I believe it is benign enough not to be threatening to a student, but packs enough of a punch to let the student know they have acted in the wrong and need to modify their behavior. It is a good first step when dealing with actions you do not want to see in your classroom, while allowing room for escalation of disciple if there continue to be problems in the future. It is important to allow children at that age some room to develop their personality but to set up boundaries they are not allowed to cross. Sometimes the student just simply does not know they have crossed the line into inappropriate.