Rules For Posting To This Blog and Weekly Blog Question

1. Only use your first name (no last names, addresses, IM screen names, etc.)
2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.

FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Monday, October 5, 2009

Got me, got me workin day and night!

I have officially been a high school CTAE teacher for eight weeks now. I must confess that I am still trying to fit into the never-ending pile of papers, emails, phone calls and "other" items that accompany this new profession. During my eighth week of employment, I had the opportunity to participate in my very first Parent-Teacher Conference. I thought that I should feel anxious about this first opportunity to share with the parents how their students were performing--or in some cases, not performing. I wondered if I would be the target of scrutiny or blame. The day continued to progress and I realized that I had not had the opportunity to allow the anxiety, that was looming in the back of my mind, to completely overtake me. Not because I am cool, calm and collect (although it's true) but rather because my day and the bell to bell activities had simply not allowed for it. I placed the signup sheet by the door as instructed and waited patiently for my first parental interaction.
The first parent arrived and I quickly recognized her as the mother of one of my students that stays afterschool nearly every day. This particular student had experienced significant difficulty in my class at the beginning of the year. She did not succumb to the difficulty that she experienced but rather challenged the difficulty by staying afterschool to complete assignments and taking the opportunity for further clarification, if necessary. I have expressed to this student on numerous occasions how pleased I was at her perseverance and dedication to improving her overall performance. In turn, she expressed that she was shock herself with the substantial improvement she experienced in the classroom and her overall grade. While seated with her mother, I shared much of this interaction with her and took the opportunity to tell her how proud I was of her performance. It was then that her mother told me, "I want to thank you for caring and taking the time to answer the questions afterschool and for allowing her into your classroom even on the days that you don't offer tutorial. She loves your class. I just want to thank you for all that you do". I nearly cried. She set the tone and every parent that entered my classroom that night seamed to share the same sentiment. I left that night feeling as though I may have been a catalyst for change in some of those students but the real change comes from the individual that has the strength to endure the hardships that accompany those changes. I am a teacher and I left that night feeling like a queen.

3 comments:

Randi said...

What a great story Suzette! Im sure you are doing an outstanding job in your classes! Keep up teh great work!!

Anitra said...

Congrats Your Highness!!!..I mean Mrs. Wheeler!!! :) Job Well Done! Keep up the great work!

NATE said...

I too work the afterschool program at my school. I had a student there and in one of my classes that I suspected was getting involved with gang activity. I met his mother and father in Kroger that previous summer and they seemed very nice. My student was a good kid but was begining to hang around with the wrong crowd. I could tell he wanted to fit in with two boys I had in my class. He begin skipping and throwing up gang signs and talking the lingo that "gansta" use. I used to be in law enforcement so I know what it is. I pulled the student to the side an told him that I was watching him and that if the behavior did not stop I was going to call his parents and inform them of his behavior. He asked me not to say anything and that it would stop. It didn't. I called the parents and went into full detail of what I was observing. The next day the student came back to school and stated that I got him in trouble and appeared to be mad. I told him that I was sorry that he felt that way and the only reason I informed his parents was because I knew where he was headed and that I cared about him. He didn't understand, I didn't expect him to. He is a child. His parents grounded him and he wasnt allowed to leave him home on the weekend. That following weekend the other o boys that are in my class were arrested for felony burglary. The "good" kid came to me Monday and said that I saved him from making a terrible mistake and he wanted to thank me because he didn't think about his future but I did. I asked him if his parents asked him to thank me, he said "no". He stated that he did it by his self because I wasn't trying to be his friend but an adult who cared about him.