Open Mic -- Make Up

This past weekend was the Skills USA State Competition. I am proud to say that one of my students won the Architectural Drafting competiton!! So we are off to Kansas City this summer for Nationals. Our Skills USA club also won third place in Technical Drafting, and Automotive Service Technology. It was a fantastic and enjoyable weekend. Skills USA state competition is a well organized event!

Experience

When I began teaching, I was told on several occasions that after my third year of teaching, I'll feel equipped and fully prepared as a teacher. I must say that I feel that I am on my way to making that statement a reality. My first year teaching was a year spent finding my way a the lowest level imaginable. I was glad to assign work, manage a class, grade the work, and look like I knew what I was doing. Then, I began the NTI program. Now I have a clear idea of what is professional and required of a classroom teacher. I feel that my lessons after two years of experience, will be right on target with what I am trying to teach the students. Thanks to this program and my local system, I have learned a great deal of information to aid me in my classroom instruction.

Myself as a student

I have learned many things about myself as a student in the NTI program. It is much harder being student while having a significant amount of "adult" responsibilities. Having a job, children, as well as school presents it's own set of challenges. I definitely realize the degree of responsibility required for this program. I hope to enstill in my students the same sense of exellence I have discovered about myself during my time in this program.

Teacher's Behavior = Student's Behavior

The most important thing I've learned about myself as a teacher in the past term/year is . . . I must keep up with my student's progress DAILY.

It seems that I've fallen into a valley these last few weeks. My dream for each student is that they can catch a glimpse of what it is like in a real-world office environment. I try to give freedoms and try to stay out of their hair and let them work individually. They approach me for questions. I don't stand over them and watch them work (who would enjoy that?) I've noticed these last two weeks, the students are not accomplishing their work like they once did. Perhaps it is the desire for spring break? I'm not sure. All I know is, the pace and flow of my class has grinded to a halt. The number of incompletes in the gradebook is ridiculous!

So what can I do? I'm learning that during the middle of a week-long project, I need to get in there and nudge them into working harder; all of them, even the students who are on task. There is always room for improvement. My lack of drive lately is most likely the reason we are all settling for average, mediocre projects.

It is my responsibility to set the standard for the class. When I'm excited and driven, so are the students. And when I am not excited and driven, we end up where we are now. BEHAVIOR BREEDS BEHAVIOR...

Administration

The most important thing I've learned about working with my school administrators in the past term/year is . . . If you take care of them, they will take care of you.

This statement was said to me during my first week of pre-planning during my first year as a teacher. The head of the fine arts department told me that if I commit to this job and give my best effort, it will be noticed by my administrator. He knew how she operated, and was right! It is easy to sit back and see that who does their job and who does not is directly related to how they are treated by administration.

I have re-learned this lesson this semester. Our economy has put us all in a bind financially. Administration will fight for the teachers who work hard daily when the issues arise in the areas of contracts, extended day pay, material funds, etc. I have learned that if you show your superiors that you are actually doing your job, they appreciate you and will be the first to have your back.

Equal Time Please...

I have learned this year that my students need my one-on-one attention more than I realized. All of my class periods are blended with students from level one up to level four. This setup presents a challenge when trying to "teach" every level in the classroom. What has happened is I am simply letting the advanced students work independently, guiding themselves through a project. I realize this each time the advanced students have an intermediate deadline for their projects, and those projects are not even close to professional standards. Actually "teaching" the level one students is essential for my program. There is no way I have found to split time equally between all four levels and come out ahead.

I have made it clear to my administration next year that I can no longer schedule classes this way. Since my numbers are up above my total available slots for next year, they have finally allowed me to split my level one students into their own class periods. I am optimistic that next year, my advanced level work will be better because I can focus my time and energy into helping my upper levels design and produce better, higher-quality projects.

Mastering Your Environment

In mid-January, our CTAE department launched a massive recruiting campaign. Second semester always brings uncertainty when the numbers game begins for the following school year. I have always taught on the extended day schedule -- meaning no planning period and six classes each day. With the economy spiraling downward, it was even more important to recruit enough students to justify having and extended day schedule.

The recruiting campaign was a success. I increased my numbers enough to have six full classes and then some. So I'm assuming that I should not lose my extended day and not have to make less dollars next year. What a blessing!

Well.. this week, my AP comes into my room to tell me that regardless of numbers there is no more extended day across the board for any teacher at the school. So all that hard work preparing marketing throughout the school, a thousand flyers to be handed out at parent/student events, and a recruiting video played on the closed circuit TV, did not produce the desired result. Bummer....

So how does all that tell me that I am progressing as a master teacher? Well numbers tell a great deal about how your students feel inside the environment you create each day. If the students are having a good time, they tell their friends, and those friends tell their friends... and the cycle begins. When I arrived, this program was only three classes of maybe 40 students at Etowah High, and then only 3 classes of maybe 40 students at Woodstock High. Having turned this program around a full 180 to a six period day at only one school tells me I am doing something right.

I know without a doubt that I am not a teacher who is lazy. My students are required to to produce much more work than with the previous instructor. However, I feel that I produce a positive, fun, relaxing environment where the students produce this work. This philosophy has changed the game...

Funny story here if you need a laugh.

Supervisor Survey

Hello Everyone. I hope this post finds you well.

I have completed the supervisor survey online and appreciate the opportunity to have my voice heard. Thanks so much!

ePortfolios

I am excited to participate in this portfolio project. I see the benefits of having an up to date professional portfolio. For example, if one day I would like to transfer schools, my prospective employer can see my professional qualifications before granting an interview. This is a great tool to possess.

For the past two years I have required my students to create a portfolio of their projects to satisfy their final exam/project. Now, since Jessie (and her awesome technological savvy) has introduced ePortfolios, I am converting to a digital portfolio this semester.

Etowah High School has a partnership with google, giving each student a professional email address (firstname.lastname@etowahhighschool.net) Each student has access to the google platform and can use this technology to create an ePortfolio through Google Sites. I am anxious to see what these project will look like when complete. This semester is my learning curve. I hope to start next year with a clear idea of how to facilitate this activity/project to get a masterful final product.

We'll see how it goes...

Drafting on Elluminate

If I were designing an Architecture and Engineering class to be delivered through Elluminate, I would definitely have to plan many different types of activities. First off, whenever I introduce a new topic, I am usually using some sort of CAD program to explain the skill. My Elluminate session would have to have video capabilities as the whiteboard would not be suffice for the lesson.

I also would have to take into account the need to practice the skills learned in the class session. In a face-to-face classroom setting, I am able to walk around the room and observe a student's progress. If I were using Elluminate, I would do the same by setting up individual break-out rooms and enter each room and have a few minutes of one-on-one instruction with the students. Break out room also could be used as we do in NTI. As a transfer-in, I could have students collaborate in their groups to complete some type of review assignment to reinforce the previous content.

These are a few ideas to get the creativity flowing. I'm sure as I began to use the software and it's capabilities, I would come up with different types of strategies for teaching the content.

Counselor Interview Project

Interviewing a counselor can be beneficial in many ways. I believe that the counseling office at my school has a wealth of resources for both my students and myself. Having a one on one conversation with one of the counselors on staff, I hope will enable me to take advantage of the resources available. I also believe that this interview could serve as a way to promote my program. Anytime a counselor sits down with an existing student, or even a new student, I want my program to be one of the first that they suggest! This interview could be used as a time for me to sell my classes to the ones who set the schedules for students. I look forward to completing this assignment and hope that it is a good experience.

Lavoie Videos

The Lavoie videos have opened my eyes to things I otherwise would not see. The Poker Chips video has had a great impact on my philosophy of teaching. The analogy of comparing self-esteem to poker chips was right on. Some points of the video could even apply to my personal life in regards to the amount of poker chips I sometimes feel I don't have. I have learned that my main and number one objective as a teacher is to make sure that my students leave with more poker chips than when they arrived. I see this as a liberating idea. Suddenly the "important" things move down the list. The lens through which I view my position as an educator changes, and I now see how my actions can directly give or take away self-esteem. Great video!

Thankful

I am truly thankful for the opportunity to teach. I remember a few years ago how it was working in the "real world". I looked forward to my two weeks off a year, with a few holidays thrown in the mix. I sometimes hear chatter from fellow teachers who state their displeasure with their job. I have to watch out and not align myself with their way of thinking, or I too could become ungrateful for what I have. The time off makes up for all the stress that goes with the job. I am having a blast!

"The more we have fun, the more we succeed."
-Tom Ehlers

I must not forget how it was before; going back to work on December 26th, or not having a full week off at Thanksgiving, or not having a summer break at all... How can I not be thankful for teaching?

Online Learning, Two Thumbs Up...

My experience with EDBT 4570 has been awesome. I thoroughly enjoy the freedom to complete assignments when I have the time. The time spent completing online assignments is significantly less than the time driving to class, sitting through class, and driving home. Technology today provides the capability to still listen to the instructor lecture, interact with classmates through live chatting (not just keyboard, but live voice), and essentially have the same class session without physically being in the same room. For this semester's EDBT class, I liked the freedom and convenience of the online class portion. I disliked the ULearn software. This program seems very outdated. It is not conducive to downloading anything and it lags behind when changing pages, but we really do not have any other option regarding that. I would like more online learning. The perfect mix for me would be 95% online and 5% face to face. A class orientation session would be good to start everyone on the same page, and perhaps the last session together would be great to provide closure.

Online learning, for me, is definitely the way... Thoughts?

Open Mic #2

I was assigned an SST/RTI student to mentor this year. This student is in my class for two periods of the day. He is a senior and is ahead academically. He only has two academic classes and the rest electives. Pretty sweet schedule I'd say. I collaborated with his teachers, filled out the paperwork, and prepared for our first meeting with his parents. When I called to introduce myself and schedule the first meeting, his mother didn't know what SST/RTI was and didn't think her child should be in the program. (Awesome!) I proceded to then go to the RTI coordinator and see if he should even be in the program because of his academic success. She looked up his schedule and grades and stated "I don't know why he was even on the master list, he seems to be doing fine." (Sweet!) What good news! I just got out of several hours of meetings and paperwork which lasts the rest of the school year... See guys, sometimes it does work out!

Open Mic

My AP asked me to be the lead advisor for Skills USA.... Needless to say, I didn't need one more thing on my plate. She said that we needed a homecoming float and to shoot for 40 members this year. So the ACCT areas collaborated and we were able to put together a float for last week's homecoming parade. The float was full of students from Engineering, Construction, and Automotive! I was the driver, towing the float for the mile journey through Towne Lake. It ended up being a pleasant experience. My wife and baby came along for the ride. The students spent time together outside the classroom. A mother even came up to all three instructors and thanked us for our hard work. She stated that if it wasn't for our courses, her son may not still be in school because he struggles with all academic classes. How nice!

I didn't want to be a sponsor for a club, but perhaps this will be a fun experience for all this year.

Didn't I Learn This Over The Summer?

I decided to have a few of my advanced groups (each in different class periods) work together to build a scaled-down house model. These model kits come with pre-fabricated lumber correct to size for the job, and large poster size papers with a 1 to 1 scaled layout of each wall to be built. So, to build a wall, all the groups needed to do was lay the pre-fab balsa wood on top of the layouts and cut the wood to the correct size. No measuring with a tape, or converting different scales... Sounds easy right? For the most part it was.

What went wrong was the collaboration between periods. I assigned each period's groups a different wall so to not confuse anyone. When your specific wall was complete, I would assign a new wall until all the walls were complete. But what happened when we ran out of walls to start and there were just a handful of walls left to finish? I thought I could let each period work on the remaining walls to try and finish up the house. However, that did not work.

I never heard to much whining from teenage guys. "2nd period built this wall wrong." "Why did 3rd period take apart our wall?" Big disaster! The remaining handful of walls took as long as all the others combined!

But we did finally complete the house model, and it was built correctly. Next time I will adjust my strategy and not mix the period's work. Too much freedom was given for this assignment.

Classroom Management

Since most of my classwork is project based, I seem to be having a problem with classroom management when students finish their projects early. I try to assign a deadline that will benefit all students. Therefore, most students finish at least one or two days before the due date. I hesitate to let them work ahead to the next assignment, which will only lead to the same problem down the road. I have implemented some "side work" if a student completes their project early. But my question is: Do I grade their "side work"? Can I require them to work on something else if it is not for a grade? The "side work" is a nothing painful, in fact some of them work better knowing they have something extra fun to look forward to. What can I do with the ones who refuse to stay on task when their project is complete?

--Grummer

Reflection

I must say that this school year has brought it's own unique set of challenges. Last year, my classroom was not my own. I shared it with the graphic arts teacher, therefore I could not arrange things as needed for my program. This year, I was able to "take over" the room and now I have it solely for my program. I was able to use the tips given to us at NTI to arrange the classroom for optimum instruction within my program. It has been great to use all of my resources this year with instruction.

However, since enrolling in the NTI, I have learned many different strategies and methods of instruction which I am excited to employ into my class lessons. Using these methods and strategies has been a challenge because I can have up to four, yes that's right, four different courses within a single class period. Therefore, the challenge has been using the "transfer in, set induction...etc." when I have four different curriculums going at once. Last year, each student received a project module which matched their curriculum. The students would have to work on their own to master the content while I floated around the room to tie up the loose ends for each student individually. Last year seemed to be more organized than this year.

I find it very hard to actually "teach" (lecture, demonstration, etc) when I am only speaking to maybe half of the class at a time. This leaves the other half of the room to "work", but they find themselves doing other things while unsupervised. The solution for this problem would be to only have one course per class period, but my administrator believes (and I agree) that my numbers would go way down and the program would not be as popular.