RE_5539

I also agree with Ladson-Billings that there is a need to maintain high expectations of students and that teachers need creative solutions to motivate students to value learning. I think Mr. Carter did a good job of figuring out what motivates his students to want to complete their work and participate in class. This is something that all teachers need to be sensitive to and be willing to adapt in order to meet the needs of their students. However, the problem is that not all children respond to the same motivation stimuli. Teachers need more strategies in their instructional and classroom management bag of tricks to reach out and help students whose behavior reflects apathy towards learning and achieving the objectives of a given lesson.

Hi Allison,
Thanks for admitting that you are having a hard time coming up with fun and creative ideas for the students in your classroom. I think first year teachers feel that they are supposed to know everything as soon as they walk in their classroom. Speaking from 6 years of experience, I didn’t know everything and still do not know everything. But please be encouraged that it does get better. Glean all of the ideas from your peer teachers that you can; never be afraid to ask for interesting and fun ideas. Some of the best lessons that I continuously use year after year are those that were passed down to me from a peer teacher. Congratulations on completing your first year!
I also agree that some teachers do not intentionally give their students “permission to fail.” Many times a student’s attitude can really effect how we treat and feel about that student. This happened to my fellow 4th grade teacher this year. The student came to school with an “I hate you” attitude every day. My peer teacher really did well at the beginning of the year letting things go and trying to encourage him. However, the longer into the year we went, the more his behavior and attitude reshaped her attitude toward him. This teacher is wonderful and I have never seen her mistreat or demean a child. This particular child however became a thorn in this teacher’s flesh. She detested him and was ready for him to move on. I cannot say that I feel that my peer teacher gave this child “permission to fail”. I truly feel that she took from him and gave to him all that she could. In a way I think his parents gave him “permission to fail”. The parents never made him take responsibility for his actions or attitude. Therefore, we never saw a change in him. I worry that sometimes too much responsibility is placed upon the teacher and not enough is placed on the parent.

Kelly Mabe

Allison,
All of us (teachers) struggle to identify what "turns" our students "on" so don't think for one moment that it is because you are relatively new to the profession. Each school, each new class, has a different "feel" and responds differently to you and to your approaches.At least you are aware of the need to creatively reinvent your lesson plans constantly!! One of the biggest issues regarding our "delivery"of instruction that we face as teachers is the issue of being directed to deliver in a specific way within a specific time frame because of the perceived needs by those in authority over US. We not only have to juggle the specific needs determined by the very nature of the students in our classes but we have to juggle that need with the demands placed upon us from those who are in authority to dictate practices!!! If you are fortunate enough to work in a creative and accepting environment, be very thankful to have the support to tailor your instruction to your students. Many of us work in schools which are test-driven and manned by stressed out administrators who feel compelled to dictate specific teaching techniques and strategies.I wish we could all read these passages by Delpit, Baker and Ladson-Billings!
Betsy Baldwin

I think that no matter how many years of experience you have there are always lessons that just miss the mark sometimes. I agree with you that teachers do not intentionally give the students the option to fail. We all know that we are working withing our own limitations as well as the attitude the student brings and alot of baggage from their home environment that is equally difficult to overcome. I can certainly relate to how you felt this first year and wanted to share something with you that I do each year. In my plan book when a lesson works well I use a colored pencil to mark it and make comments so that next year when I am planning I can remember if is worth doing again. I also write anything that didn't work or might need to be tweaked a bit. It has helped my lessons be more effective each year. The fact that you are so concerned about your effectiveness shows that you are a good teacher. I think any teacher who keeps striving to do better is going to be better and more effective. You should feel good about that.

Allison,

I totally agree with you that learning needs to be fun and engaging for students. I like you find it a struggle to make lesson plans, even though I have taught for 15 years, that are going to motivate each individual in my classroom to learn. Each year is so different because each group that I get likes totally different things. As you mentioned, planning can be tough because you have to meet the Standard Course of Study objectives while trying to design units that will interest the students.

You make a good point that "permission to fail" may be given in response to performance and the attitude of the student. At the same time I agree that their attitudes should not be a reason to lower expectations of what we expect from our students.

Like you, these readings have opening my eyes to things that I too had not thought about or just not internalized. I have learned so much already.
Linda Younts

Hi Allison,
Your point on teachers giving students permission to fail is well taken. I feel that we do not necesarily expect failure but perhaps we just have different levels of expectations for students given their backgrounds. Perhaps this is some sort of prejudice. You may expect a little less academically from a student with a disruptive homelife, little parental support, limited resources, etc. Not saying that we should do this, but it happens sometimes. I find it increasingly important to remind myself every day that students live up to or down to the expectations you set for them.
Renee Pagoota

Heather Holland

Allison (My maiden name was Allison):

I agree that learning needs to be fun and engaging in order for students to take ownership of it. As a beginning teacher, it is hard to make everything fun or even engaging. I remember my first year… in August I was very optimistic & believed that I could conquer anything. By December, I was in survival mode--trying to keep my head above water, and in May… I was relieved that I survived my first year. From experience, I’ve learned that some objectives are not fun to teach or learn, BUT they can be made more bearable by creating relevance for the students. When teaching grammar, we look for literary examples from some of our favorite authors. I sometimes read things with incorrect grammar so that my students will hear and, hopefully, notice the mistakes. Teaching is tough, at times. However, that’s why I love my job. I like to try to come up with new and more effective methods. Reflection is the key to successful teaching. Time must be taken to reflect on teaching styles, methods, and practices, just as Carter Forshay did in his classroom to make writing relevant and obtainable for his students. He continuously reworked things, reflected on his students’ reactions and products to construct meaning and significance for them. Without reflections, he may not have achieved his objectives with his students who were so reluctant to write.

Allison,

I really like your honesty in your admission of thinking about fun activities to do with your students. First of all, I must say, regardless of the years you have taught, we all have those concerns. I have been teaching for fifteen years and this is my first year teaching second grade. There are times when I approach the grade level chairperson about ideas to teach a certain skill. I do applaud your admission and then seeking the other. You do have creative ideas. I love your door (Reese's Pieces).

However, I disagree with Gloria Ladson-Billings' belief that some teachers give their students "permission to fail". With the high stakes of testing, I feel as though, that any teacher in their right mind does not want their student to fail. From my perspective, when their students fail, the teacher fails too. When my students are not making growth or I do not see progress, I wonder what happened, what did I NOT do, and I question myself as a teacher. On the other hand, some students and their parents attitude make it difficult for a teacher to perform her job professionally and with apathy.

Of all the years I have taught, I have mainly worked with Mexican children. They were not fluent in speaking English but they tried hard and their best when it came to reading and writing the English language. When I conferenced with them on their writings, the students would say, so Mrs. Matis (I did not mispell my name, this is the way these students pronounced my name), I must write it--the sentence like this and they would say it the correct way. I would smile at them and say, "yes, you must write the sentence just like that--the way you read it". To me, that was a confirmation of their understanding of the English language.