This week went by really fast. I worked on a lot of lesson planning for my poetry unit that I will be starting in two weeks. I have been struggling with how to structure the lessons. On one hand I want to keep some consistency with what Mrs. DeVault has been doing with the short stories and on the other hand I want to be able to create new things. I am trying to keep a balance between both things. She has a lot of good resources already made for some of the poems we will be studying. I plan on using some of the handouts she has created but altering some others to meet the goals I want to achieve. I have chosen most of the same poems that she taught last year because they are important "classics" I think the students would benefit from studying. I have added some that she did not do because I liked a particular author (ex: Pablo Neruda) or have more knowledge of a poem. I am really excited to start the unit because I think that the students will have fun reading the short poems and brainstorming poems they want to write. They will be required to compose a "book" of their own poetry at the end of the unit and we will be working on pieces to include throughout the lessons.
I am concerned about teaching full-time because one of our classes is particularly difficult. Most of the students in the class are upperclassmen that have to retake 9th grade English. Some of them are even taking another English class at the same time. I can understand why they might be frustrated but their behavior is appalling at times. The class is quite large as well so that does not help the behavior problems. They seem to give Mrs. DeVault some respect because they get worse when she leaves the room but they are still very rude to her. She is a fairly quiet and very respectful teacher, something I am not really used to because I have worked with more outspoken teachers in the past. I feel bad for the way that they take advantage of her because she cares about them. She has been putting her foot down lately and giving out detentions. It is helping some. Yesterday they were talking a lot during the SSR time and so I told them that we did not have to read every day if they did not want to. At first they were acting excited about not reading but then they realized they would have to start doing class work earlier and they decided they would rather be quiet. It worked well so I hope that might motivate them to behave some. I think that when I am given my "teacher status" (in their eyes) by teaching full time they will respect me more. I am also not going to be quite as quiet if they are not respectful. I will be respectful to them but I will keep order so that they might actually learn something.
Busy Bees
3 comments:
The poetry unit that you are working on sounds wonderful. I'm so glad that you are able to use Mrs. DeVault's resources to enhance your teaching. I'm sure that she will have some great suggestions for you.
Some times you have to stand your ground and put yor foot down. Choose your battles carefully. Remember that it is your classroom and you have to set the boundaries with which you feel comfortable. Good luck. You will do a great job!
Did you get the poetry resources I e-mailed you yesterday? I hope so. I think the broader and more eclectic the variety you have students read, the more excited they'll be to experiment with their own poetry writing.
I think you'll be fine with that "tougher" class. You're by no means a pushover, and I think your ability to give snappy comeback comments will really help you with some of those "mouthier" students. Keep your sense of humor and be firm without turning classroom management into power struggles.
I'm sure the student behavior does have you a bit uneasy as you prepare to work with them. Don't feel uncomfortable about having Mrs. DeVault stay in the room and work with you with the difficult class. You may find a collaboration or team teaching situation to work well - four eyes are better than two.
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