Small victories...

Small victories are what make me smile....this week, although it was crazier than I like most of them and filled with off task behavior and dis-respect, we had some small victories.

Maybe it was Trell writing a paragraph in English on universal health care and how health care would impact East Oakland.

Or Denzell comparing San Francisco to Oakland because he has lived in both places. He wrote some profound things which showed his critical thinking skills.

Or Lamont writing an essay on being a scholar and stating that I am his favorite teacher because I take time with him, understand where he's coming from and give him a lot of chances to stay in school.

Or my math class taking a GROUP quiz today....they were working together to solve problems. They were asking questions to one another and they were teaching each other. This is the SAME class and same group of students who were fighting a year ago. Instead, they were building one another up in order to score well on the quiz.

Or my english language learners doing GREAT on their biology quizzes---they are studying, learning and being pushed academically.

Yes, there will always be areas of improvement for my students and for me. But, I can feel myself becoming a better and more effective teacher and classroom manager. I can choose to focus on all the negatives happening around me or I can continually push myself and my students because they are amazing me. In just 3 weeks, I have already seen progress.

I have had a smile on my face just thinking about some of the things they accomplished this week. They are writing, they are reading, they are doing math and most importantly, they are working together to conquer their learning. From where I came from last year this is the biggest victory yet....

Totally Inspired...just in time

I got a reminder why I teach where I do today...my students made me proud and deeply inspired me by their commitment to their education in class today.

In English, we have been doing a lot of writing and have been pre-writing in order to build up to the drafting process. Both of my English classes worked for 20 minutes on their pre-writes and came up with some incredible topics and statements. I had students writing on universal healthcare, the differences between San Francisco and Oakland, the motivation behind becoming a barber, family, football, life story, how running track relates to life and more....and beyond the pre-write, they then articulated their thoughts into a paragraph.

*Now, I know this doesn't sound like much but it was incredible to watch in my classroom*.

Writing is such a powerful tool. It is something that each of them can be proud of and instantly see their progress. I was so excited in class and said aloud "I am so pumped at the work each one of you is doing right now..." and one student replied (while laughing) "Ms. Searing, you are the only one." But, deep down I think they were already proud of themselves and each other.

It just reaffirms the fact that they can do it. They can be pushed academically and they can respond. Each of them can make progress in their reading and writing because in 3 short weeks, they have each learned to pre-write (it as a new concept for most) and draft. Now, comes the fun part-revising and publishing :)

*In History, we are doing current events so I focused on 9/11 today. One of my 9th graders wasn't writing when the other students were doing independent work so I asked why. He proceeded to tell me that he didn't know what 9/11 was and so he couldn't respond to the photo that we were all looking at. I was dumbfounded but then realized 2 things:

1. He was 4 when 9/11 happened.

2. No one has ever bothered teaching him about that day in history yet alone the effects of it on the U.S and the world.....

Sheltered lives some of my students live but yet amazing what they can teach me about "the streets"....

10 days in...

10 days since school started and although I feel better as a 2nd year teacher, I still feel totally overwhelmed. There is so much to do in order to serve my students how they each deserve. Mind you, I have a lot of students this year and each of them need/deserve their own eduction plan, individualized lessons and lots of attention.

I just can't do it all. But, the behavior has been much more manageable than last year. Today, my 3 infamous students decided to make math class a time to goof around, but that didn't last long. They were asked to take breaks/be dismissed which only leads them to escalate their behavior and prove how upset they are (aka cuss me out).

But, deep down these students just need love. They had summers full of boredom, violence, drugs, addiction, street life and come back defiant and resistant to school culture. Language needs to be addressed along with obedience of rules. But, besides that, they just need to be showed lots and lots and lots of love. They resist it and refute it but all I ever want to do is give each of them HUGE hugs as they walk in the door. Some of them let me and some of they don't. But, I still try.

Academically, especially in math, I have students at ALL levels. Some who cannot add or subtract and others who find it easy. Couple that with behavior and 67 minutes of math can seem like over 2 hours especially because it is always before lunch :)

On top of all of this, I was having a conversation with my principal right after school got out when he had to run out (literally run) because there had been a shooting down the street so our school was on lockdown. I think everyone was fine in the surrounding area, but imagine living in a community where that is common. Students treat it like it is nothing but deep down it is affecting them and I know it. The more love I can show them, the stronger they will be.

They continue to amaze me. Despite the language, the gestures, the lack of respect, the resistance....they continue to inspire me and change me. I think I could see some real break throughs this year----that is the goal.

Show no fear.

Shower them in love.

With that, I think I will see HUGE behavior changes and more importantly, huge strides in their academic levels. After 10 days, I still have a smile on my face :)

Because sometimes you need someone besides me

What a great 1st week! I feel confident both in my teaching, but in my ability to reach these students. Year 2 just feels so much different and I KNOW I can going to build on these feelings to make it a year. A year in which not only do I reach my students, but we make some SERIOUS academic gains. 175 days left...and I am PUMPED

Something I have known but quickly realized this week is sometimes my students need someone besides me. I can't always get in their heads, or make something make sense or say the right thing. So, I have started taping "weekly talking points" to their desk. This week it was Coach Pete Carroll's WIN FOREVER Philosophy which is something that can directly relate to anyone's life. I think I just found next week's:

There are some KEY phrases in there that I can identify with that I think my students can too.

"Life is Short"

"Some opportunities only come once, seize them"

"If you don't like something, change it"

"This is your life, do what YOU love"

I have some incredible young people in my classroom. Some young (14) and some old (19)...some who can read, and some who cannot. But, the common thread is they showed up the 1st week of school and I hope that I can say that same phrase June 16th...

Here's to year 2 and the growth that I make as a person and as an educator and more importantly, the growth that I help my students to make.

Memory # 1 from 2010-2011

In order to capture the true essence of my experience, I plan to post "moments" that captured my heart....

I have already had my 1st one----

This year I moved classrooms from a portable to the school hallways. I am thrilled to be inside the building and to build on school culture around special education. But, I was not looking forward to the moving process as I do have quite a lot of stuff (thanks to my Mom).

The day I was moving everything, Lamont was on campus to register with his Aunt. Lamont and I spent about 10 minutes catching up about summer and he was asking me questions about the upcoming school year. I asked him if he wanted to help me move and he spent the next 3 hours helping me lift boxes and furniture into and out of my car. During that time, we were able to further develop our relationship and I will forever cherish Lamont's generosity and effort.

1st day of school....

I am pumped! Tomorrow is the 1st day of school and I am feeling anxious but excited. I cannot wait to see my returning students and meet all of the new ones! Our staff had a solid 2 days of professional development where we set goals for ourselves and the school and I am excited to build on those goals throughout the year.

Although the work load seems the same, I am feeling much better about managing the classroom and thus my students. I am supposed to have 25 students coming through tomorrow which makes me angry but something that I will have to adapt to if they all show up.

Serving 25 students in my population is unfair to the students, to me and to my school. The district is doing a major dis-service by thinking that they can be properly educated in a classroom with 24 others. So, already we have fought our way in order to provide the best quality education to these young people.

So, here is to a year full of greatness. My heart is full of love and I plan to show no fear and shower as much love on these young people as humanly possible....

Year # 2 approaching...

Well, it's August 12th and I officially have 18 days until the start of the school year. It will be my 2nd year teaching many of the same students at the same school and I am both excited yet nervous.

I have tried to do some deep thinking over summer about changes I want to make to both make me a more effective teacher, but also make my classroom a better place to be for the students. I am excited to implement some of these changes and see the effects that they will have.

I am proud to say I have long term plans for the 3 subjects I am teaching-English, History and Math and hope that it will make a big difference in my teaching as well as my students learning.

I am also STOKED because the district is providing a reading program and a math program for my classroom....yes, it is scripted and may be a bit dry but it is proven to work and I cannot wait to see the results of it. I plan to supplement the program with my teaching to make a HUGE impact.

I should have at least 8, if not 10 students returning from last year and plan on having another 6-8 new students. I think that this will have a big impact on behavior since the returning students know what to expect from me and what is acceptable behavior in the classroom.

Needless to say, I have had a very relaxing and rejuvenating summer and am gearing up physically and emotionally to be the best 2nd year teacher I can....

Here's to August 30th and seeing the old and new students...