Since most of my future posts will be focused on my experiences in the junior high setting, I would like to dedicate this first post to how that first job shaped me in to who I am today:
Alternative
My first year teaching, like most, was very challenging. I was working with high needs students that had very negative associations with math class. All of my Algebra students had failed the course at least once, some of them had failed it three times. I was trying to teach my students content which they had already decided they were never going to be able to understand; therefore, there was no point to even trying to understand it. Students fought me every step of the way, constantly telling me they already knew the information (because yes, they had seen it before), and reminding me that all of the information was completely irrelevant to their lives. That first year, I spent countless hours trying to accomplish two goals:- Present content in a different way than students had previously experienced.
- Figure out new ways to relate every topic to their future lives.
As for relating every topic to their future lives, I do still try to embed the math in real world scenarios, but I stopped trying to win the battle to prove how each specific skill might be useful for each individual student. Instead, I decided to be straight with them and tell them, "You're right, there is a very large chance that this specific skill will not be useful for you as an adult, but the ability to think and problem solve will always be useful. I want you to be a critical thinker, and not blindly accept what other people tell you is true." The majority of the students quickly accepted that logic and appreciated the honesty. For the few students that still didn't buy in, I followed it up with a reminder that the state of California says that Algebra is a requirement to obtain a high school diploma, and it would be assessed on the exit exam which they also have to pass to obtain a diploma. The fighting stopped.
Empathetic
I dealt with problems as a teenager that may have seemed like life or death issues, but in actuality my problems were incredibly minor. Many of my past and present students deal with real issues that at times are truly life or death. Some students have experienced more trauma in their short lives than I can imagine, and they need me to be much more than their math teacher in order to get through the day. I learned from alternative ed. that I will always be a student's teacher, but at times I need to wear other hats: counselor, advocate, parent. At the end of the day my work to create math learning experiences is meaningless if a student does not trust me, and know that I truly care about his/her well-being. There are students that distrust adults for good reasons, and they need me to prove to them that I care and am there to support them in their educational pursuits and beyond. The students that struggle with classroom behavior typically need this connection the most, so my first line of defense with behavior issues is to pull a student aside and ask "What's wrong? I see that you are struggling, how can I help?" I want my students to know from day one that I am on their team, and there to support them. I believe that approaching them first with respect, love and support makes it much more difficult for them to start the internal narrative of "me against the teacher." How could we be adversaries if I am constantly asking, "How can I help?"Structured
While empathy is at the heart of my teaching practice, it must be balanced with boundaries and consequences to help students learn how to be successful. There are positive consequences such as earning grades that they are proud of and developing positive relationships with peers, and there are negative consequences that result from inappropriate choices. I make sure to give my students lots of choices, and follow through with the positive or negative consequences for the choices that are made.The concept of giving students choices is not an original idea of mine. I have had the privilege of seeing Rick Smith & Grade Dearborn present their views on classroom management, and would highly recommend new teachers see either presenter if afforded the opportunity. If you can't see a presentation, then definitely check out Rick's book:
Genuine
All of this is for nothing if the students think you are being fake. They can smell insincerity from a mile away, and if you are faking it, they will know to instantly disregard whatever you are trying to sell them. Whether it be trying to convince them that graphing systems of equations is directly applicable to their future lives, or worse yet, feigning interest in their home lives; students will learn that you are not trustworthy if you try to be someone you aren't. Our classroom personas are often different from how we act in other situations, but they still need to be authentic. When implementing classroom management systems, school rules, or just showing students that we care; we have to figure out how to do so genuinely. If you are not being true to yourself, then it will be ten times more difficult enforce and stay vigilant.
I look forward to participating in the blogging community, and hope that my lessons learned can help benefit other educators out there!
