"So wait... multiplying by 1/2 is just the same as dividing by two, right?"
"Ms. Breeden, can you do an example of a trapezoid problem where we have to use trigonometry?"
"We were talking about the NMSBA [New Mexico Standard Based Assessment] today and I was thinking about all the things I don't understand. I never really got box and whisker plots, do you think you could explain that to us, Ms. Breeden?"
I kid you not, in a single, very magnificent day, all of these questions were asked by my students. When I asked for questions at the end of my lesson, these beautiful, inteligent kids actually raised their hands and said something other than, "Can I go to the bathroom?" (although there were of course still a few of those). While it's not exactly my style to sing and dance in front of the classroom, I sure felt like I could today.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Asking for help
We work in under resourced schools, no doubt. What I have been reminded of recently, however, is the amount that that can be addressed by simply asking for help.
First, I had a student's father come in for a very positive parent-teacher conference last week. The girl is wonderful to have in class, and meeting her father made it easy to see where she got it. At the end of our conference he looked at me and explained that their family had the resources to make donations to the school and would really be very glad to help wherever they could. Did I have anything that I needed? I took just a moment to think about this and responded honestly. I was having a hell of a time getting a classroom set of simple, four function calculators. He got visibly excited that I had actually said this and promised that I would have a set of 30 within the next week, as soon as he got into Albuquerque. At first I felt conflicted about letting this family make such a substantial donation, but when I was able to hand out calculators to all of my students today to work on trig ratios, I realized what a great thing this donation was. It was amazing that this family had volunteered and I felt good for doing my part and asking for help.
Second example, as I left the east coast last summer and put so many miles between myself and my family, they really wanted to support me and do their part to support this movement that I was joining. My dad asked me for ways that he could help this community. While I wasn't sure about how he could help in the classroom, I suggested that in this area athletic teams have little or no money to operate and the athletes might have a hard time buying equipment on their own. With all of his connections to the running community in New Hampshire and my new "Track Coach" title, my dad started a shoe drive. It has been incredibly successful. Within a week or so the Crownpoint Track teams will have 40 pairs of brand new spikes at their disposal, donated by the track community in Southern New Hampshire. Again, I'm overwhelmed by my dad's generosity and willingness to help out. I'm also excited though because all it took on my end was asking for help.
The schools in this area need a lot of help in a lot of different ways. While we can only do so much as teachers and corps members, there are a lot of other people out there, both in the community and from our home communities, who are eager and able to do their part. We need to do the best we can to ask for help and utilize these resources.
First, I had a student's father come in for a very positive parent-teacher conference last week. The girl is wonderful to have in class, and meeting her father made it easy to see where she got it. At the end of our conference he looked at me and explained that their family had the resources to make donations to the school and would really be very glad to help wherever they could. Did I have anything that I needed? I took just a moment to think about this and responded honestly. I was having a hell of a time getting a classroom set of simple, four function calculators. He got visibly excited that I had actually said this and promised that I would have a set of 30 within the next week, as soon as he got into Albuquerque. At first I felt conflicted about letting this family make such a substantial donation, but when I was able to hand out calculators to all of my students today to work on trig ratios, I realized what a great thing this donation was. It was amazing that this family had volunteered and I felt good for doing my part and asking for help.
Second example, as I left the east coast last summer and put so many miles between myself and my family, they really wanted to support me and do their part to support this movement that I was joining. My dad asked me for ways that he could help this community. While I wasn't sure about how he could help in the classroom, I suggested that in this area athletic teams have little or no money to operate and the athletes might have a hard time buying equipment on their own. With all of his connections to the running community in New Hampshire and my new "Track Coach" title, my dad started a shoe drive. It has been incredibly successful. Within a week or so the Crownpoint Track teams will have 40 pairs of brand new spikes at their disposal, donated by the track community in Southern New Hampshire. Again, I'm overwhelmed by my dad's generosity and willingness to help out. I'm also excited though because all it took on my end was asking for help.
The schools in this area need a lot of help in a lot of different ways. While we can only do so much as teachers and corps members, there are a lot of other people out there, both in the community and from our home communities, who are eager and able to do their part. We need to do the best we can to ask for help and utilize these resources.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Another thing to be thankful for...
I just came across this online and because of my fascination with traveling I was, well, fascinated. I wonder how many of my students could say they've visited even a quarter of these states... (the ones in red represent the states that I have visited)
And... in addition... All the countries I have been fortunate enough to see...
And... in addition... All the countries I have been fortunate enough to see...
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Positive Changes
If I could go back to last August and change one thing... wait, any sentence that starts like that is a total lie. I would change a million things from last August, but recently, there has been one thing that I've really begun to appreciate. Positive reinforcement. I've been told from the beginning that it's important, but I guess I haven't used it regularly enough or in the right way. I've seen some great results in one of my classes where I have really been pouring on the praise and today I watched one girl just light up.
My student "Lisa" is an energetic and friendly sophomore who is involved in extracurriculars and always laughing or smiling. She's great to have around but tends to zone out during the period and performs in the lower half of her class. She can get down on herself very easily because of that. Today, as I was handing out progress reports and telling each student exactly what objectives they would be working on for the next few days. I realized that I had to tell Lisa that she was one of the few students who hadn't mastered any of the objectives from this unit and had a lot of work to do. I called her name and as she came to the back of the room and sat next to me for our conference. I decided to take a different approach and before even addressing her three mediocre/failing quiz grades, I took a minute and really told her how great her attendance and homework averages were, she did have an A in those two categories after all. As I looked her in the eye and told her she should be proud, she lit up. It was great. Following the good news, I did go on to tell her that she had three objectives to work on in the next few days; this would mean a lot of hard work. She didn't miss a beat upon hearing this, I had already given her the little extra confidence she needed. She spent the rest of the period working diligently with a friend to grasp the material she needed.
After 10 or so years of struggling through school, many students have zero confidence in their ability to be successful. This may be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome for both students and teachers alike. The lack of confidence is deeply ingrained, but taking just a minute to recognize success or remind students of their own strengths seems to make more of an impact than I ever thought it would. While I know this temporary boost of confidence will in no way make up for the many unsuccessful experiences so many students have grown accustomed to, at least it's something I can do on a daily basis.
My student "Lisa" is an energetic and friendly sophomore who is involved in extracurriculars and always laughing or smiling. She's great to have around but tends to zone out during the period and performs in the lower half of her class. She can get down on herself very easily because of that. Today, as I was handing out progress reports and telling each student exactly what objectives they would be working on for the next few days. I realized that I had to tell Lisa that she was one of the few students who hadn't mastered any of the objectives from this unit and had a lot of work to do. I called her name and as she came to the back of the room and sat next to me for our conference. I decided to take a different approach and before even addressing her three mediocre/failing quiz grades, I took a minute and really told her how great her attendance and homework averages were, she did have an A in those two categories after all. As I looked her in the eye and told her she should be proud, she lit up. It was great. Following the good news, I did go on to tell her that she had three objectives to work on in the next few days; this would mean a lot of hard work. She didn't miss a beat upon hearing this, I had already given her the little extra confidence she needed. She spent the rest of the period working diligently with a friend to grasp the material she needed.
After 10 or so years of struggling through school, many students have zero confidence in their ability to be successful. This may be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome for both students and teachers alike. The lack of confidence is deeply ingrained, but taking just a minute to recognize success or remind students of their own strengths seems to make more of an impact than I ever thought it would. While I know this temporary boost of confidence will in no way make up for the many unsuccessful experiences so many students have grown accustomed to, at least it's something I can do on a daily basis.
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