Back to the First Days of School
First Trimester
Well, I am back to square one. This first trimester of the 2016-2017 school year is over, and I am only now writing about it.
This year definitely came with a lot of surprises. The major difference is that I am now teaching English almost exclusively to students ranging from six to 16 years old. I teach spelling to first and second grade students, literature to middle school students, and Language Arts as well as social studies to fifth grade students. Oh, and this year I am the fifth grade homeroom teacher for the first time!
I am sitting here now reflecting on my first trimester as I reread Harry K. and Rosemary T. Wong’s First Days of School, a book which my former colleague and friend, Mr. Sanchez, gave me back in April as a gift. I highly recommend it to both newbie and veteran teachers alike. Whether you would like to work on your classroom management skills or want to improve how you assess student learning, this is the book for you. Moreover, it is as practical as it is inspirational, replete with successful examples of effective classroom management, lesson planning, and student assessment strategies.
First and Second Grade Spelling
This first trimester I did not use iPads and technology as much as I would have liked to. I decided to wait in order to integrate more technology into my lessons. As I learned from Wong’s First Days of School, “Procedures, procedures, procedures first!” The main resources I used are the spelling lists which follow the common core standards from www.superteacherworksheets.com.; songs from the muffin channel; and, of course, www.starfall.com digital books. Next trimester I would like to use the Hooked on Phonics application as well. My students will enjoy learning with this app!
Middle School Literature
Another first for me this trimester was teaching middle school literacy, or junior high school English. Since the course was designed for older students, who are from 12 to 16 years old, I shared the “Middle School Literacy (MSL): Focus on Literature” syllabus and required materials via Google Classroom.
The truth is that other than using GAFE (Google Apps for Education) in my class, I did not use a lot of technology throughout the course. My students used Google Docs to share the final drafts of their assignments, while I used Google Plus to post homework as well as document student learning.
However, teaching and learning is more than using technology. I am learning how to take a more student centered teaching approach. What that means for me is both knowing what my students’ needs are as well as getting to know them better. For example, one of my biggest challenges was inspiring middle school students to read and write poetry. I myself did not like poetry much as a teenager.
So I tried looking for something that would appeal to my students as AmerAsians. When I listened and watched spoken word poetess Sarah Kay reciting “B” and “Hiroshima”, I knew that I had hit the jackpot. I myself did not get into poetry until I read Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ Women Who Run With the Wolves, which spoke to me as a thirty-year-old Mexican-American woman. By the same token, I figured that the words of a young Japanese-American woman would speak to my mostly female Japanese-American students. They did.
They ended up following Kay’s advice for warm ups, which is mostly writing lists such as, “10 Ten Things I know to be True.” Furthermore, I was quite satisfied with the poems they wrote, because they wrote about what mattered to them, or at least what they liked to do. Some of the topics they covered include music, love, dreams, war, fighting, nature, Christmas, and my absolute favorite, the joy of chewing bubble gum. I am really glad that my students got to learn about fiction and poetry, although I know that their favorite section was drama, as hinted at in this post. Some of them really enjoyed writing and performing their own skits, which was the third major assignment of the trimester.
One point that I regret is not asking or requiring my students to reflect and blog more often throughout the trimester. However, I also know that they are required to blog for digital literacy class, and if they wanted to share what they learned in my class, they would have done so.
Fifth Grade
I really enjoyed being the homeroom teacher for D class this last trimester. Although it is my first time teaching only one grade, I felt that I learned a lot along with my students. Similarly to the middle school literacy classes, I implemented GAFE into my classes, and started using www.newsela.com more frequently in social studies class. After all, I am now aware of what my students need to know in the future both because I teach middle school classes and from collaborating with my colleagues currently teaching the middle school students full time. I am especially thankful to my friend and colleague, Mr. Tang, who is always there to answer a question or offer his help regarding any subject (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) because he believes that every student deserves the best education.
But I am still teaching elementary school students, and one of the best things about teaching this age group is that they are still eager to demonstrate their learning. For instance, they are still into using Educreations, which my first and second grade students really love, along with blogging. The class bloggers even got creative while sharing their homework daily using Google Plus. Each month one of the D class students is designated the “iPad Person”, and is responsible for sharing the homework every day on Google Plus as well as making sure that everyone’s iPads are at least 80% charged.
I have to admit that I have learned a lot about technology and teaching from my fifth grade students. I had to change my ways, as I had a set way of managing and maintaining the iPads, when I was challenged by my student. As the iPad person for the month of June, she wanted to try something new. Even though I did not initially agree with how she was conducting her job, I let her run with it, and backed off. Well, in the end we adopted her strategy, and it is indeed better to only shut down your iPad once a week.
I have to say yes to humility, as I am barely considered a “millennial”, at least as it is defined by the American government in a recent poll, and I have SO MUCH to learn from my students. I hope that we can continue growing together.
I want to be the best “Ariana” and “Ms. J” that I can be. I am thankful to my students, colleagues, family, and partner for helping me to become a better version of myself each and everyday.