Chapter 10: Going Beyond the Classroom

For this blog I used a wordle to create a word web of things from the classroom

Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong

This chapter talks about the two major ways that things can go wrong in the classroom. The first form of ways things can go wrong is with the students. The second form of way things can go wrong is with the teachers. "When things go seriously wrong for students, many choose to stop going to school, sometimes for good. Teachers, too, make that choice when they feel discouraged - one reason that three out of five leave the profession in their first five years" (162). Staying in touch with the students over almost everything, discussing things with them, and keeping their chins up during hard times is good for them to keep them in school. For a teachers perspective, there are many things to keep in mind to keep your own chin up, to continue to be interested in teaching, and to be resilient in hard times will help us to get past the hard stuff.

Reading this chapter was very comforting to read. Where I grew up, there weren't many drop outs from school, however, there were kids who felt the way that the book talked about, and didn't give school their all. One of my fears about teaching is that it will be hell, and I won't be able to tough it out. Reading those examples of ways to handle the rough times in teaching was very comforting to read. This chapter will probably be one that I refer to on those days that it feels like I'm hitting my head against a wall.

Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

This book was written in the Bay Area of California. In California there are many students who do not have proper English. They are limited in their English. Part of being a teacher is being prepared to encounter students in the classroom who might not be as advanced as others in their English. Students in this book gave advice on how to handle students who aren't strong in English. Finding out what students know and where they come from, along with giving them other ways to learn with their minimum English language. Being sensitive to the students inability is something that teachers need to be aware of, and help them with ways to get by.

Growing up in Maine, I have never really been confronted with many issues of having people in my life who didn't have English as their first language. Especially in the classroom. All of my teachers were English speaking, and all of my classmates were English speaking as well. However, my goal is to move to Boston and teach in the city, so I may be encountered with students who do not have English as their first language. So, this chapter is useful in giving ways to handle how to reach and teach the students who have a foreign language as their first language.

Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

This chapter focuses on teaching tough academic content to your students. When you are able to apply a respectable, safe environment in the classroom and teach tough content then your classroom is like a well oiled machine. Some major things that stood out to me in this chapter on teaching tough content were to find out what students already know, ask questions to make the students really think about what it is that they're learning. To challenge students assumptions, and to not use the textbook all of the time. One thing that stood out to me the most in this chapter was the line "It's always easier to learn complicated concepts by doing things, not just by having someone talk about the ideas" (p. 129). Letting the students do activities in order to learn the tough content is one of the best ways for them to be able to get it.

Teaching the tough content area is one thing that I worry about when it comes to teaching. However, after spending some time in the classroom in the past 3 weeks I have come to realize that the tough content is the least of my worries. There are so many things that happen throughout the day in the classroom that you could never predict. The content is just the stuff that goes along with it. However, I definitely think that this chapter does a good job with talking about how to handle the teaching kids the stuff that's going to be hard to them. It also makes you realize that what might be tough to one student might be very easy to another. Creating groups and learning activities for each of the students is a good way for them each to learn at their own pace.

Chapter 6: Motivation and Boredom

This chapter has to do with the things teachers need to keep in mind to keep their students motivated. The things that are present in schools that make students motivated are: passionate teachers, issues they care about, connections to the real world, and the ability to have choices in things that matter. As educators in order to help the students stay motivated we must do things like: make learning a social thing, make sure we understand, respond with interest when the kids show interest, care about student progress, help students stay on top of their workload, have the students take pride in their work, and provide them with role models from the real world to keep them motivated. Another big thing in this chapter is time. "Timing is everything" (110). Timing applies to everything from during the daily agenda, to homework, projects, and tests. The biggest part of motivation however, is getting students to be interested in reading and writing. When they are interested in these two things, then their grades will improve amongst all of their classes.

This chapter was really helpful with giving ways to keep the students motivated. Students half of the time hate being in school, and are only there because they were forced to be there. However, if you are able to get them to care and be motivated by what's going on, then you're going to have more successful students in your classroom. I really liked the chart on page 112 which focuses on when students should do what. That is a tool that I am certain I am going to refer to when I am teaching. A lot of the stuff on the chart is obvious as a student, but when you're a teacher, you're just thinking of fullfilling the standard, not what works best for the student.

Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

In this chapter it focused on teaching the group in the classroom, as well as the individual. It touched upon the different "types" of kids that are in a typical classroom. These consist of: the eye roller, the wallflower, the hand-waver, the dreamer, the con artist, the goof-off, the workhorse. With acknowledging these different types of kids in the classroom, then the teacher is able to understand why certain kids participate, while others don't. In the classroom there are different levels of not only learning, but social skills as well. In the classroom, in order to get all kids to be involved teachers should "ask open-ended questions" (p. 91). Another way to reach the students individually is to have them work in small groups. This not only helps the teacher to reach the students as a small group, but also individually. The book states: "...set up purposeful group activities that depend on every student's doing things that foster learning" (p. 91).

After reading this chapter, I feel like I was provided with the tools to reach students in both the traditional classroom setting, and also in the group work setting. I feel that it is very important to reach every student in every situation that you are put into. I learned that when you are lecturing the classroom, you need to be aware of which students are doing what, and how they are reacting to your teaching. I also learned how to give each student responsibilities when they are working in group activities. They need to be held accountable for the work that they are doing individually and throughout the group.

Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success

Some things that stood out to me in this chapter was the idea of teaching kids how to take risks. Then reading things about the stuff that kids are going through, the pressures they feel from peers and parents, and how these things are big contributors to whether or not a student thrives in school. The quote "...teachers will have to believe in what their students can do, even when real-life stresses make their "best efforts" fall short" (p. 62) really stood out to me in this chapter.

As a student, I can relate to this chapter very well. My best success in the classroom have been with teachers, or professors who have pushed me to do my very best, and never accepted anything but my best. When I become a teacher, I want to be able to read a student and know how much I can push them, so that I can have them reach their full ability of a student. I understand the pressures students feel from parents, and peers. My parents always pushed me to do my best, but then I always felt I had to assume the role of slacker with my friends. So I would push myself, but just enough to please my parents, but not to my full ability. As a teacher, the quote above really called out to me. Because I hope that I will always be able to see what my students are able to do, but also be able to take into consideration what it is that they have going on outside of school. Having a teacher who realizes this will be very important to the students, and they will appreciate the understanding. (I know I did when I was a student).

Chapter 3: Classroom Behavior

While reading this chapter about classroom behavior, a lot of things jumped out to me. While I have been in the classroom I have noticed a lot of things about the behavior in the classroom, and a lot of it has related to what is in this chapter. One big thing that I blocked with my pen is "If students are really learning, they will be asking questions all the time." (p. 40). One major part that also stood out to me was to "Treat students consistently, but also as individuals" (p. 48). This chapter also talked about the different ways in which you should deal with misbehavior. If you should resort to calling the parents right away, or talking to the student first. Also, when there are substitutes to know what to expect from the class while you are gone.

This chapter was very interesting to me. Since I have been in the classroom I have seen various types of behavior, ranging from good to bad, respectful to disrespectful. The first quote in the previous paragraph is important to me, because I strongly believe in that. When you are asking questions, it means you are interested in what is being told to you, and you learn by asking questions. So when my students in my classroom are asking questions, I will not get discouraged by this, I will embrace it, and answer any and all questions my students have. The second thing that I quote in the previous chapter really stood out to me because I find that this tip, while I completely agree with it, will be very challenging to do. It's hard to treat a class as a whole consistently, and then to address individual needs. It needs to be done however, and to be an effective teacher I will find ways to do this, and treat my classes and the individuals equally.