Prompt #4: “Reflect on your time in the classroom to this point. How are you feeling emotionally, physically? Do you feel that you are getting through to your most difficult students? What strategies are working? What strategies are not? What are your next steps with student engagement within your classroom?”
Emotionally, I am feeling pretty drained to tell the truth. I didn’t realize how little of being a teacher is actually teaching lol. I don’t really want to be a baby sitter to tell the truth. It really depresses me how little some of these kids care. Not when they don’t understand, but when they just honestly do not care that they are failing. It sucks. I am here to help and hopefully inspire. I really want to be able to engender a love of science and math, but I am finding that very difficult. I guess there are those few kids that you may be able to reach and that might make all the difference. It saddening that there are so many though that have no desire to be reached. I guess I am feeling sad mostly about my block class. These are the kids who need me the most, but their attitude in that class is abysmal. Hopefully, I can get some of them to pass at least. I can’t help but feel that it is my fault. Maybe with a more experienced teacher more of them might get the help they need. Physically I am doing well. I feel much better honestly. It is good for me to be moving around a lot. I spent a lot of time sitting at a desk in front of a computer J
No, I don’t feel that I am getting through to the most difficult students. These would be in my 5-6 block. They are quite frankly more than I am equipped to deal with right now. I have had a teacher’s aide that knows these kids tell me that I have been dealt a really tough hand. That these are the worst of the worst. I don’t feel that it is that bad honestly, but I still can’t get them to do or care about anything. It’s really hard. Nothing has worked long term. The only time I have gotten them to actually work was when I really come down hard on them. Like NO talking whatsoever. This seems to only last a day or two though, and then they are right back to not doing anything. I have tried and will keep trying various methods to keep them accountable for the time they spend in my class. It is hard though when they just don’t care if they are failing. They expect it. Hopefully, I can turn it around and get some of them to pass at least. I have tried to get them engaged, but they seem totally incapable of doing independent work or group work. I am going to be implementing a hopefully much more consistent discipline strategy this week. We will see how it goes.
it is a challenge. If you were to video tape your classes, you would probably see that the students giving you the most trouble are only 5-10% of your class. Focus on the 90% that are doing just what you want them to do. Make positive phone calls home (this is HUGE to changing culture), be consistent, and keep rearranging your seating chart until you get it just right....
ReplyDelete