Best Layed Plans Go Astray

I had an interesting learning experience at the start of this week. I had to call in a sub last week on Thursday due to illness (flu). Thursday was our last day and we had Friday and Monday off for vacation break. The call in for the sub went smoothly and I checked with the school in the early morning and everything was lined up. Emergency lesson plans were in place for them to use and it should have been an uneventful day. I came back Tuesday morning and the kids were raving how good the substitute was and wanted him back again. I came to find out that he never even used my emergency lesson plans(never received them from the administration). He allowed the kids to use the lab all day. He even got the administration to open up the tool room for him by telling them that the lesson plan for the day called for tools to be used. The administration did not have a key to the tool room so they allowed a student to use a ladder to climb up through the suspended ceiling, over the wall of the tool room and climb down into the tool room to open it from the inside. Unbelievable! When I confronted the administration on it about the emergency lesson plans not being followed and liability issues with not a qualified instructor in the lab, did I get a big run around. None of them wanted to talk about it or investigate it to correct a potential problem. Push it under the carpet and forget it. So now my students know how to get into my tool room without using a key. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that yet. It's been an interesting week dealing with students and administration. Hopefully next week will go better.
Mike M.

Week Is Over.............Where is the Time?

Well, I made it through another week. I had to deal with student discipline issues every day this week but they did becoming easier and less disruptive in the classroom as the week went on. I am finding myself dealing with them more quickly now and giving the student less time to continue on with the issue in front of the class. I am also finding myself confronting these issues and taking a less personal approach toward them. I am very concerned about the issues and the students but realize that where they are is there choice based on their attitude and emotions and only they can move themselves out of that poor choice area. I need to deal with those issues in a professional manner and move on with the class. I ended on Friday afternoon feeling pretty good about the week. I reflected on the some of the bad moments and realize that I had some dead time and need to address that in my lesson plans next time around. I also reflected on some of my good moments in teaching this week where I actually connected with some students and they showed appreciation for it………………and I enjoyed those moments. I’ll be back next week and see what that week brings! I'm still behind on lesson plans, budget items, NTI projects, etc....................that hasn't changed but what the heck...........there is always tomorrow and the summer to get caught up!

MikeM

Typical Week

Well, the week is over and I can see now that looking back on the week I had a typical teacher week. Good and bad student situations evolved that I needed to address. I had students be very cooperative, show an interest and actually be excited in some things. I even had a few students tell me "Thank You" after having worked with them together to resolve their issues. Then I had 2 students called me an a** h*** for disciplining them for their poor actions. I also had some students that I had to write up for disciplinary action and have them tell me they "don't care" about detention, ISS or OSS and could care less what they get for a grade in my class, again their choices. I am finding myself reflecting more back on the positive high points of the week and letting go of the poor points. I had an interesting compliment given to me by another seasoned teacher. He stopped me in the hall and told me of a conversation he heard in his class between some of his students about me. He said that they were talking about me holding them to task and having to follow the rules. They said they knew with me that if they didn’t do what they were suppose to, corrective actions would follow for them. He also told me that hearing that conversation made him feel good to know that those kids knew that they were being held to the task, what was expected of them, and that in my class their are consequences to their poor actions. I took that bit of information as a "positive" for the week. The classroom management has been getting better...........but then I have had lots of opportunities for practice.

MikeM

You can't keep them happy!

Well, I found out another disadvantage with mixed classes in the same time period. Now I am having trouble with my Carpentry 1 students complaining about the Introduction Class Students doing things that they were not able to do last semester. I made some changes in the curriculum to make the class more interesting for the Introduction Class and now I have jealousy in the Carpentry 1 Class to resolve. I tried explaining the reasons for the changes but that went in one ear and out another on most of them. I really wanted to tell them to "Shut-up, grow-up, and do their own work"..................but I didn't........I kept my cool and left them stew on it for a while. I moved on with the class and ignored the complaining. Three different classes in one class period is just too many. They are all getting cut short on their education and they have one teacher who is getting frustrated.

mikem.

Another Week

I was going to get this done early and not have to worry about the 12:00 PM deadline on Saturday. However Saturday came and when I went to blog, it came back and said my invitation to the blog had expired. Thanks Jessie for getting it straightened out. Anyways, last week was a nice short week, too bad they all can't be that way. My students on Thursday were wound up and ready to be left out. They had no intentions of being students with cravings for learning. I was glad when the day was over. Classes are going better but I am still very short on time to keep up with everything. I am looking forward to spring break and the summer to have some time to get caught up lesson plans, rubrics, projects, etc.. I'm looking forward to this coming week and what it brings.

mikem

Week 3 Blog - Went Good!

I can say that this week ended pretty good. Cynthia G. came for my review on Tuesday, during 2 period, and it went good.......................surprise! I prepared for the worst, expected the worst and I guess I covered all of the bases not really knowing it and it worked out. My students were not all angels but I was able to counter act most situations, even removed one from the classroom for behavioral issues, and went on with the class. I had a good surprise at the end of the week. We had to finish up a storage shed for a student from last year by Friday for his parents to pick up. It's a long story and not a good one. The principal made a promise to the parents that it would be finished by Friday. It wasn't finished and 2 advanced students offered to stay with me and help finish it after school. They stayed with me working outside in 40 degree weather till 5:30 to finish it. They were cold when they left, but had smilies on their faces and we had some good conversations while we were doing the work. There are some good kids out there and as teachers we need to not miss those moments when they stand out and recognize them.

I've read some of the other blogs in regards to our professions being a dumping ground for poor or behavioral problem students. It's true...............I have it happen in all of my classes. The majority of them are there because they have been assigned and not by choice. And yes, I have more than my fair share of behavioral issues. I have some of them that they think all they have to do is to cut and hammer in my class and that is all they want to do. My solution now is to keep them busy, keep raising the learning bar in what is being required of them in the class. I let them know that my constructions classes are educational classes, that they are going to have homework, tests, and projects required of them to pass the class. And if they don't do the work, they are going to fail! Their grade is the grade they earn, not what I decide to give them. It's their responsibility to pass, not mine. These are my thoughts right now, and I know it's going to take time, even years for the administration and student body to realize that the Construction Program is not a slough-off program but an education program with high standards that the students are going to have to work and study at to pass. I also realize that the caliber of students who want to take my classes are not going to be at the level of the college bound students. I need to watch and be aware of those students that I raise the educational bar only to the level that is obtainable for them so that they can have success and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Mike M.

Blog Week # 2

This week went out in a bang! We had Thursday off for a snow day, and I believe we paid the price when the students had to come back for one more day of school. Unfortunately it was topped off with being a Friday( a low student motivational day anyways) . By the end of the week I had collected 6 cell phones, 3 I-Pod's, broke up a fist fight between 2 students(without touching them), written up 7 detentions and and 6 (1 day) In-School suspensions slips. I was questioning where the joy was in teaching by the end of my last class today. I also had one parent-student-teacher conference this week and talked to 2 different parents to setup for parent - student-teacher conferences next week to discuss behavioral problems. I feel that I have good rapport with the parents and support, but I sure question all of the time being spent on discipline issues with students that don't really care. Don't get me wrong, I do have some good students. I certainly do, but I sure have a few unmotivated and behavioral problem students in my last 2 period classes. With Cindy G. coming next week on Tuesday, I am not looking forward to the results from that day based on what I have seen happen this week. But what the heck, life goes on. Do the best you can, and don't sweet the small things. I know what needs to be taught. As time permits, I will be trying different methods we learned at NTI with the students to see if I can help improve their motivation and behavior. On to the next week!
Mike M

Mike M - Another Fast Week

This blog follows the pace and pattern for my past week. It was only fitting that I reread the email from Cynthia G. and find out that the blog dead line was 12:00 noon Saturday, not 12:00 Midnight Saturday. Oh well, there just isn't enough time in the day and the week to do everything that everyone else wants you to do...............not that I am not trying. First year teaching is very frustrating at times. This past week I found 2 of my prep time periods used up by the administration for other uses. My next 10 Tuesday prep periods are used for a class on Behavioral Management that is being required by the principal for all new teachers. I also had the opportunity to substitute teach on Thursday for the Home Economics teacher during my prep. period.

Now, Home Eco. and Building Construction are not to too close in subject matters and trying to adjust over was not easy. Also considering that no lesson plans were available, nothing was setup for a substitute teacher, and the class has been a discipline problem class (found that out later), I can now appreciate why having emergency lesson plans are so important for a substitute teacher. I am now going to go back and update mine .................as soon as I find a few spare minutes. Anyways, the class went terrible, wrote 3 students up for ISS (in school suspension) and left there frustrated at the end of the period. I have concluded that I do not want to find employment as a substitute teacher. My classes this week went pretty good, but I am still struggling with my one period that has 3 different classes. The struggle is with having lesson plans that keep the students busy and especially "motivated" to do their work. I find them at times not doing what is assigned and just sitting and doing nothing. It seems that if I am not present in participating with them as the instructor, to be left by themselves they see as an invitation to lay back and do nothing. Anyone else experiencing this issue?

When I reflect back on this week, it has been a good learning experience, it has given me more tricks and experiences to add to my bag of teaching tools (no, I'm not adding Home Eco.), I need to get ready for next week and I'm looking forward to it!