It's been a long time...

I've been really bad at blogging...as in I haven't written in three weeks bad blogging! It's not that I don't have time to blog (most days) or that I don't want to (most days). It's more that I worry about what I can share and what I can't. Obviously I wouldn't share any real names of students, but I still hesitate to share specific stories and assignments. A lot of it has to do with the teacher that got in trouble for blog bashing her students. Obviously I would never do anything like that, but I still worry about how much is actually okay to share over the internet. Especially when what you put on the internet is available for anyone and everyone to see. Anyway, now that I have explained myself, let's get to what has been going on.

My freshmen just finished up a Greek Mythology unit. I created the entire unit by myself, and I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out! Of course there are things I will change next time to improve it, but overall, I think it went very well. I heard from numerous students how much they enjoyed it, too. That's the big plus right there. Knowing that the unit actually made a difference for them! I had lots of students do well on the final test, but I also had a handful do pretty poorly. They all wanted a test redo. As a teacher, I don't really believe in test redos (unless, of course, it is due to my teaching that they did poorly on the test). However, I do believe in improving your score and showing me you know the information in another way. Therefore, I created an alternative assignment for them to do which I will average with the test grade, for a new final grade. Some of the students were a little peeved at how much "work" the new assignment was, but I believe they should have to earn their grade, especially being the second time around.

My juniors are just finishing up a unit over The Crucible. Unfortunately, they did not enjoy the play very much. However, I didn't enjoy it the first time I read it either. It took me three or four times to actually enjoy it. So much happens so fast that it's just hard to wrap your head around it. Although you can imagine the looks of horror I would get if I told the students we were reading it three or four times! I have yet to find a way to teach the power of rereading effectively. That's something for me to work on...Anyway, we are watching the film version next week, so I hope they enjoy that, and in turn, better understand the play.

For The Crucible unit, I created a series of assignments to complete during the reading of the play. Meaning the students had almost a month to complete these assignments...three easy, completion graded assignments. However, I had a handful of students turn them in blank. I was very disappointed. And it definitely showed in the test scores who completed the assignments and who didn't.

Anyway, that's just a small overview of what we've been doing in my classroom lately. If you are a teacher and would like to borrow any materials for Greek Mythology or The Crucible, please let me know. I'm always willing to share :) Enjoy your weekend!

Feeling the Pressure

I'm finally starting to feel the pressure of this whole student teaching thing. Up until now, I've had a good hold on things. However, Monday my students turned in their research papers. That leaves me with 75 papers to grade over the weekend. At a pace of 5-6 an hour, it is taking me quite some time. I am getting quicker at it, though.

Not only do my papers leave me with a busy, fun-filled weekend of grading, they also leave me with a messy house and a hamper overflowing with dirty laundry. The papers aren't completely to blame, however. We also had two long, grueling days of parent teacher conferences. We had our regular school day, followed by 4 hours of conferences. That resulted in getting home just in time to go to bed, and do it again the next day.

Conferences were a good experience. It is interesting, though, that the parents that attend are really the ones you don't need to talk to. I think we saw all the parents of our A students, but hardly any of the parents of our struggling students. The parents had no complaints, only good things to say, so that is a plus.

This weekend will be a busy weekend. On top of the research papers, I also have a wedding shower to attend, a concert to attend, and a baby shower to attend. It should be busy, but fun-filled. I'm looking forward to shopping for the baby shower. I love picking out baby clothes, especially for baby girls!