This has been a very challenging week in many ways. My life is super busy outside of work. My kids are just starting to get to the age where they are super involved with many activities, and I act as their personal shuttle service. My life at work has also been extremely stressful. There are some students who are causing challenges for some of the teachers, and the negativity has been a struggle. Now, I'm not saying that you should abandon a colleague when they are having a rough time! No. In fact, I would advocate the opposite. However, some people just carry a storm cloud wherever they go, no matter how often you try to help.
The second half of this week has been dedicated to positivity. I have offered my help to others and done my best, but I also need to make sure I am in a positive frame of mind. I love my job, and I don't want to bring a negative energy to my students. Unfortunately, I had to take a break from some of the people who were pulling me down. We are all working with the same students and all experiencing the same challenges. I want to look at my situation with hope and positivity. I may be let down at times, but overall, I feel like this will make me better. I have also taken time to exercise in the mornings. It has made me feel centered and in control.
I think that it is okay to step away. It is okay to surround yourself with positivity. Always offer to help, but you do not need to go down with their ship.
For more positivity, check out this video. My sister made me watch it. It has nothing to do with education, but sure made me laugh. Just a warning, it is SNL, so there is some language.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Why Challenging Students are Good for Teachers
I recently worked with a group of students who may be the most challenging I have faced in my career. They refuse to do their work, they use foul language, and they act like discipline does not matter. I had a student tell me that his work was finished, so I grabbed him a piece of paper so that he could begin the next assignment. He told me that he couldn't work because his group was not ready to work with him. I let him know that it was fine, and he could brainstorm ideas until the rest of his group was ready to help. He decided that it was a better option to toss the paper at me, refuse to work, and use some choice language. I'm not going to lie, I was mad. I wanted to lash out. I wanted to give him endless detentions. The worse part, he was one of seven kids with a similar attitude. The reality is, some students are a struggle, and we cannot expect to win with them every day.
When we are living waist deep in the mud, it is sometimes hard to see the positives in all students and remember that many of them come from situations we cannot understand. It can be exhausting and trying. With that being said, I thought I would take a moment to share what I have learned from having some of these students.
1. It is hard for a kid to care about school, when their basic needs are not being met.
-This sometime leads kids to lash out at their teachers. We have to remember not to take it personally. It is not about us.
2. Challenging students give us the opportunity to be creative and better teachers.
-I was teaching an economics class with several challenging students. We were learning about the difference between wants and needs and the importance of prioritizing where your money goes. My first few lessons were a complete dud. The kids tuned me out, laying their heads on the table or trying to talk over me. I knew they were not invested.
This led me to spend the next evening brainstorming a way to help them understand the key points of my lesson. I ended up creating the following scenario: A virus has escaped from a secret lab in California that turns its victims into zombies. You and your friends are the only people not affected by the virus. What will you need to survive the apocalypse? They had to plan their shelter out on paper and list the necessary supplies. At the end of class, we discussed how the items on their lists were the kinds of items that we need to prioritize in our budgets. My students were all engaged for the first time. Not only were they participating, but they enjoyed the lesson and learned the major point.
On another occasion, I could see that I was beginning to lose that group of kids. They put away their materials and said that they were done when there were still twenty minutes left in the period. The rest of my class was still busy, so I took the opportunity to sit with them. We sat and talked about their interests and what was going on in their lives. I found that their destructive energy died down, and we were able to continue on.
Now, I am sure that people can think of a million ways I could have dealt with these situations better, and that is exactly the point. When we work with challenging students, it forces us to get out of our comfort zones and to find new ways of delivering instruction. I have been researching ways to improve engagement and make my students want to learn a subject that will be very important in their lives. I am trying to make the content relevant and interesting for them. I think, overall, that makes my instruction better for everyone.
So the next time you face a challenging student in one of your classes, I hope you see it as an opportunity. Every challenge we face makes us better educators. I am still learning, growing and changing after eleven years of teaching. My students may be exhausting at times, but I am working toward meeting their needs. Who knows? Maybe we will be able to make a difference. It is worth a shot.
When we are living waist deep in the mud, it is sometimes hard to see the positives in all students and remember that many of them come from situations we cannot understand. It can be exhausting and trying. With that being said, I thought I would take a moment to share what I have learned from having some of these students.
1. It is hard for a kid to care about school, when their basic needs are not being met.
-This sometime leads kids to lash out at their teachers. We have to remember not to take it personally. It is not about us.
2. Challenging students give us the opportunity to be creative and better teachers.
-I was teaching an economics class with several challenging students. We were learning about the difference between wants and needs and the importance of prioritizing where your money goes. My first few lessons were a complete dud. The kids tuned me out, laying their heads on the table or trying to talk over me. I knew they were not invested.
This led me to spend the next evening brainstorming a way to help them understand the key points of my lesson. I ended up creating the following scenario: A virus has escaped from a secret lab in California that turns its victims into zombies. You and your friends are the only people not affected by the virus. What will you need to survive the apocalypse? They had to plan their shelter out on paper and list the necessary supplies. At the end of class, we discussed how the items on their lists were the kinds of items that we need to prioritize in our budgets. My students were all engaged for the first time. Not only were they participating, but they enjoyed the lesson and learned the major point.
On another occasion, I could see that I was beginning to lose that group of kids. They put away their materials and said that they were done when there were still twenty minutes left in the period. The rest of my class was still busy, so I took the opportunity to sit with them. We sat and talked about their interests and what was going on in their lives. I found that their destructive energy died down, and we were able to continue on.
Now, I am sure that people can think of a million ways I could have dealt with these situations better, and that is exactly the point. When we work with challenging students, it forces us to get out of our comfort zones and to find new ways of delivering instruction. I have been researching ways to improve engagement and make my students want to learn a subject that will be very important in their lives. I am trying to make the content relevant and interesting for them. I think, overall, that makes my instruction better for everyone.
So the next time you face a challenging student in one of your classes, I hope you see it as an opportunity. Every challenge we face makes us better educators. I am still learning, growing and changing after eleven years of teaching. My students may be exhausting at times, but I am working toward meeting their needs. Who knows? Maybe we will be able to make a difference. It is worth a shot.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Homework for the Weekend
One of the focuses of this blog is to remind teachers to be their best selves. That means spending time with family, getting exercise, putting away the papers for a night, doing something special, or any number of activities. It doesn't mean that we should stop working hard at our jobs. Most teachers love students too much to do that, but it does mean that teachers need to work smarter. It is important to have a life outside of work. Students rely on teachers as role models, and they are not their best when they are exhausted.
I remember my first few years teaching. I used to stay up late every night and wake up extra early every morning. I had piles of work every weekend. I was drained. Over the years, I have not lost the passion for my students, and I still love my job. That being said, I am not nearly as exhausted as I used to be. I am so much more efficient than I used to be. I make smarter choices that help me manage my time and focus on what is really important. I still remind myself daily to take time for me.
I read a beautiful article called "7 Things Every Teacher Should Do Before 7 a.m." It was a wonderful reminder of how to plan smartly to make the day go smoother. I highly suggest that it be your weekend homework. It has certainly left me with ideas to consider.
1. I am going to make my decisions the night before school.
2. I am going to take time to be physically active (I do a decent job at this, but I could do better).
3. I am going to tackle my hardest tasks first. That means that tomorrow I will be grading my writing prompts. I have already done more than half, but I have been putting it off. Tomorrow, they will be my first priority. No more fear.
I highly suggest that you give this article a read. I am going to use the advice to my benefit.
I remember my first few years teaching. I used to stay up late every night and wake up extra early every morning. I had piles of work every weekend. I was drained. Over the years, I have not lost the passion for my students, and I still love my job. That being said, I am not nearly as exhausted as I used to be. I am so much more efficient than I used to be. I make smarter choices that help me manage my time and focus on what is really important. I still remind myself daily to take time for me.
I read a beautiful article called "7 Things Every Teacher Should Do Before 7 a.m." It was a wonderful reminder of how to plan smartly to make the day go smoother. I highly suggest that it be your weekend homework. It has certainly left me with ideas to consider.
1. I am going to make my decisions the night before school.
2. I am going to take time to be physically active (I do a decent job at this, but I could do better).
3. I am going to tackle my hardest tasks first. That means that tomorrow I will be grading my writing prompts. I have already done more than half, but I have been putting it off. Tomorrow, they will be my first priority. No more fear.
I highly suggest that you give this article a read. I am going to use the advice to my benefit.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Reflection of "Because Digital Writing Matters"
This week's reading from Because Digital Writing Matters confirms all that I believe in writing. My students are proof that using a digital platform helps them become better writers and helps me be a better educator. Digital writing one hundred percent aids in the process of writing. As a younger teacher, I have been criticized for using technology in my classroom instead of paper and pencil, but I would not change it for a minute.
My students have grown leaps and bounds, since I first started using tech to aid in the writing process. These are some of the benefits that I have seen:
1. Students are not afraid to revise.
It is hard to truly write your thoughts when you know that you are going to have to fit a bunch of corrections in the margins. As a student, I used to revise my work on another piece of paper or crunch it into the margins. Students today do not face these limitations. If a student wants to add more writing to the middle of a paragraph, there is no stress in it. They simply begin typing and add it into their work. I find that my students are completely willing to revise their work for this reason. They are not limited by space.
2. Teachers can see a history of student revisions.
Many teachers have told me that they like students to hand write so that they can see a copy of their revisions. This makes me laugh, because google docs allows you to see student revision much more clearly than pencil and paper. Google docs saves the history and revisions of every document. I can literally see what a student wrote at a particular time. I can view when a student added or took away from their writing.
3. Students do not waste time copying over their writing.
I have more time to instruct my students, because we are not spending days typing something that they wrote by hand. That process is done from the start.
4. Students do not lose their writing.
Nothing is more frustrating than having a student write in your class then lose the writing by the next meeting. Google docs automatically saves your writing (as long as you are connected to the internet). My students always have access to their writing. Students can also work at home, and the work does not get lost going back and forth. It is digital.
5. Students can collaborate freely.
My students are constantly seeking feedback on their writing from their classmates. It goes on without them ever speaking a word (although I do allow verbal conferencing). They can share their writing with a friend across the room and get advice without ever disturbing the writing environment.
6. I can give students feedback.
I get exhausted writing comments by hand. I often can't find room on the paper to write the comments I want to say. Digital writing allows me to write full comments without breaking my hand off. I can also highlight sections of their writing I want them to look at again. I correct faster and better using technology.
These are several of the reasons I love using technology to aid my students' writing. Technology is not making student worse writers; it can make them better. We just need to teach students how to use it correctly.
My students have grown leaps and bounds, since I first started using tech to aid in the writing process. These are some of the benefits that I have seen:
1. Students are not afraid to revise.
It is hard to truly write your thoughts when you know that you are going to have to fit a bunch of corrections in the margins. As a student, I used to revise my work on another piece of paper or crunch it into the margins. Students today do not face these limitations. If a student wants to add more writing to the middle of a paragraph, there is no stress in it. They simply begin typing and add it into their work. I find that my students are completely willing to revise their work for this reason. They are not limited by space.
2. Teachers can see a history of student revisions.
Many teachers have told me that they like students to hand write so that they can see a copy of their revisions. This makes me laugh, because google docs allows you to see student revision much more clearly than pencil and paper. Google docs saves the history and revisions of every document. I can literally see what a student wrote at a particular time. I can view when a student added or took away from their writing.
3. Students do not waste time copying over their writing.
I have more time to instruct my students, because we are not spending days typing something that they wrote by hand. That process is done from the start.
4. Students do not lose their writing.
Nothing is more frustrating than having a student write in your class then lose the writing by the next meeting. Google docs automatically saves your writing (as long as you are connected to the internet). My students always have access to their writing. Students can also work at home, and the work does not get lost going back and forth. It is digital.
5. Students can collaborate freely.
My students are constantly seeking feedback on their writing from their classmates. It goes on without them ever speaking a word (although I do allow verbal conferencing). They can share their writing with a friend across the room and get advice without ever disturbing the writing environment.
6. I can give students feedback.
I get exhausted writing comments by hand. I often can't find room on the paper to write the comments I want to say. Digital writing allows me to write full comments without breaking my hand off. I can also highlight sections of their writing I want them to look at again. I correct faster and better using technology.
These are several of the reasons I love using technology to aid my students' writing. Technology is not making student worse writers; it can make them better. We just need to teach students how to use it correctly.
Choose Wisely: Seating Arrangements
The Moving Writers blog has been a wonderful resource with ideas about how to foster a positive writing environment. The article recently posted deals with seating arrangements and how important they can be in creating an environment that feels safe. It also warns teachers not to get too comfortable with one seating arrangement. You can read the article here.
The seating arrangement in a classroom is one way that teachers can work smarter not harder. The way that the classroom is arranged determines a lot of how the class will go. I have tried many different seating arrangements, the horseshoe, pairs and larger groups. I had various amounts of success with each one. Rebekah O'Dell reminds teachers to not get too comfortable in any one arrangement. Just because something is going well does not mean that it could not go better.
I used to keep my students in pairs. I did not want to keep kids in single file desks, because I wanted to promote positive discussions. However, I was scared of having larger groups of students together at once. I was afraid that I would lose them to talking. It wasn't until I observed another teacher who used tables in her classroom that I decided to change my seating arrangement. Her students were motivated and went to each other when they needed help. That was the atmosphere I wanted in my classroom, so I gave it a try. It was a risk that paid off.
My groups foster a sense of community that I did not consider when I was using pairs. I love to utilize turn-and-talks with my students, but now I have them talk with an entire group. I no longer have an empty silence when I ask for volunteers. My students talk with each other and confirm and expand their understandings. It makes them more willing to stick their neck out with an answer.
My classroom is certainly not perfect, but I do agree with Rebekah O'Dell. It is important to consider our seating arrangement and what it does for our students. If I want a classroom centered around full group discussion, I should use a horseshoe. If I want students working alone, then rows would be perfect. The seating arrangement should work for a teacher, not against a teacher. If you find that your seating has gotten stagnant, switch it up. The results may surprise you.
The seating arrangement in a classroom is one way that teachers can work smarter not harder. The way that the classroom is arranged determines a lot of how the class will go. I have tried many different seating arrangements, the horseshoe, pairs and larger groups. I had various amounts of success with each one. Rebekah O'Dell reminds teachers to not get too comfortable in any one arrangement. Just because something is going well does not mean that it could not go better.
I used to keep my students in pairs. I did not want to keep kids in single file desks, because I wanted to promote positive discussions. However, I was scared of having larger groups of students together at once. I was afraid that I would lose them to talking. It wasn't until I observed another teacher who used tables in her classroom that I decided to change my seating arrangement. Her students were motivated and went to each other when they needed help. That was the atmosphere I wanted in my classroom, so I gave it a try. It was a risk that paid off.
My groups foster a sense of community that I did not consider when I was using pairs. I love to utilize turn-and-talks with my students, but now I have them talk with an entire group. I no longer have an empty silence when I ask for volunteers. My students talk with each other and confirm and expand their understandings. It makes them more willing to stick their neck out with an answer.
My classroom is certainly not perfect, but I do agree with Rebekah O'Dell. It is important to consider our seating arrangement and what it does for our students. If I want a classroom centered around full group discussion, I should use a horseshoe. If I want students working alone, then rows would be perfect. The seating arrangement should work for a teacher, not against a teacher. If you find that your seating has gotten stagnant, switch it up. The results may surprise you.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
A New Resource
Teach Thought is a blog that I recently came across. It serves to help educators be their best. It offers a variety of instructional strategies and advice for educators. I read their blog post entitled "How to Work Smarter--Not Harder," and I was inspired to share.
I believe that one of the best things we can do for newer teachers is to help them learn the balance between home and school. It is best practice when we feel our best. My school currently has four new teachers, the most we have had in a long time. I check in with them frequently to see if they have any problems and to offer a helping hand. I watch them struggle and feel overwhelmed. While I feel overwhelmed quite frequently, I have found some strategies to help me operate at my best. My husband still has to remind me to stop from time to time, but it has gotten better since I started eleven years ago.
"How to Work Smarter--Not Harder" offers advice for all teachers, old and new. It gives advice, like do less, use technology effectively and don't correct everything. I have made a couple of these points on other posts.
Onto the first point, do less. This is essential! We cannot do everything, nor should we. As teachers, we have to consider which tasks are making a difference and which are not. For example, if you spend all afternoon putting stickers on folders (yes, I have done this), is this the best use of your time? Could the kids help put on the stickers? Would it take them only a minute to do so? We need to make smart choices about the tasks that we invest in. We need to make great instructional choices. We need to help students who need assistance. However, there are many tasks that we do daily that we can drop.
Teachers also cannot take on all responsibilities in a school. This is advice we all need to hear. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Teachers need to say no. We cannot plan every activity, go to every event, teach every class and still be our best. We need a break, too. Teachers should not ever feel guilty for taking one. The other day I had a student who told me that he wanted to stay after school three days a week to get his work done. I told him I didn't mind if he stayed when he had homework he needed help to finish. Soon he was trying to stay after even when he didn't have work (he wanted to play on the computer). I spoke with his mom and set up some boundaries. I felt much better after having done so.
The post also reminds teachers to use technology effectively. I have made a point of doing better at this the past few years. I used to have parents email me frequently for homework assignments. My students would not write down their reading assignment and the parent would try to help them. It would take a large amount of time to write back and get them the assignments. Recently, I began using google classroom to aid my classes. This year I began playing around with the functions for guardians. Google classroom has a feature where an email will automatically be sent to parents with any assignments or announcements posted on the site. It is amazing, and it has saved me a ton of time.
I have also played around with document cameras. I bought one last year to help me in the classroom. I use it all the time. It allows me to share student work with my class, even if it is not digital. I use it to show students how to use graphic organizers or to fill out a paper. I even use it for read alouds. It lets me show the pictures up on the screen. I find that utilizing my document camera has made me better at sharing mentor texts and examples with my students.
My final piece of tech has been creating online classes. I used Canvas this summer to create an online economics class. My plate was full this school year, but creating an online environment allowed me to plan out my course and prepare all of the materials ahead of time. This has made planning for this school year so much simpler. On top of that, I am saving time, saving paper, and I can reuse the course at any time. Of course, I will update the materials as needed.
Technology is not the only way that teachers can work smarter. The blog also suggested that teachers should not grade everything. Give feedback on assignments, but not all homework needs to be taken home to be graded. This is something that I am constantly trying to improve. You can read my other post on this topic here.
I really loved these fifteen ways to work smarter and not harder. I hope that you will take a look and find some advice that will help you.
I believe that one of the best things we can do for newer teachers is to help them learn the balance between home and school. It is best practice when we feel our best. My school currently has four new teachers, the most we have had in a long time. I check in with them frequently to see if they have any problems and to offer a helping hand. I watch them struggle and feel overwhelmed. While I feel overwhelmed quite frequently, I have found some strategies to help me operate at my best. My husband still has to remind me to stop from time to time, but it has gotten better since I started eleven years ago.
"How to Work Smarter--Not Harder" offers advice for all teachers, old and new. It gives advice, like do less, use technology effectively and don't correct everything. I have made a couple of these points on other posts.
Onto the first point, do less. This is essential! We cannot do everything, nor should we. As teachers, we have to consider which tasks are making a difference and which are not. For example, if you spend all afternoon putting stickers on folders (yes, I have done this), is this the best use of your time? Could the kids help put on the stickers? Would it take them only a minute to do so? We need to make smart choices about the tasks that we invest in. We need to make great instructional choices. We need to help students who need assistance. However, there are many tasks that we do daily that we can drop.
Teachers also cannot take on all responsibilities in a school. This is advice we all need to hear. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Teachers need to say no. We cannot plan every activity, go to every event, teach every class and still be our best. We need a break, too. Teachers should not ever feel guilty for taking one. The other day I had a student who told me that he wanted to stay after school three days a week to get his work done. I told him I didn't mind if he stayed when he had homework he needed help to finish. Soon he was trying to stay after even when he didn't have work (he wanted to play on the computer). I spoke with his mom and set up some boundaries. I felt much better after having done so.
The post also reminds teachers to use technology effectively. I have made a point of doing better at this the past few years. I used to have parents email me frequently for homework assignments. My students would not write down their reading assignment and the parent would try to help them. It would take a large amount of time to write back and get them the assignments. Recently, I began using google classroom to aid my classes. This year I began playing around with the functions for guardians. Google classroom has a feature where an email will automatically be sent to parents with any assignments or announcements posted on the site. It is amazing, and it has saved me a ton of time.
I have also played around with document cameras. I bought one last year to help me in the classroom. I use it all the time. It allows me to share student work with my class, even if it is not digital. I use it to show students how to use graphic organizers or to fill out a paper. I even use it for read alouds. It lets me show the pictures up on the screen. I find that utilizing my document camera has made me better at sharing mentor texts and examples with my students.
My final piece of tech has been creating online classes. I used Canvas this summer to create an online economics class. My plate was full this school year, but creating an online environment allowed me to plan out my course and prepare all of the materials ahead of time. This has made planning for this school year so much simpler. On top of that, I am saving time, saving paper, and I can reuse the course at any time. Of course, I will update the materials as needed.
Technology is not the only way that teachers can work smarter. The blog also suggested that teachers should not grade everything. Give feedback on assignments, but not all homework needs to be taken home to be graded. This is something that I am constantly trying to improve. You can read my other post on this topic here.
I really loved these fifteen ways to work smarter and not harder. I hope that you will take a look and find some advice that will help you.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Complicated is Not Always Better
I teach in a sixth grade ELA classroom, and I love it. I have fantastic students, and I enjoy teaching them everything that I can in the year that we have together. Unfortunately, one struggle I have as an ELA teacher is the correcting. Two to five page essays multiplied by at least seventy kids, and I have hours of correcting. By the time I get one set of essays graded, the next set have already been turned in. On top of that, reading class requires its own form of grading with reading journals and responses. I find it completely overwhelming. I have attended many workshops in the hopes of finding the magic technique that will allow me to actually meet with all of my students and provide them with meaningful feedback without staying up late night after night. There have been many encouraging anecdotes, but nothing that actually proved to help in my classroom.
I will share a couple of the more successful strategies I have tried. Just know, I have nothing that is perfect, but I certainly have methods that are more efficient than I was doing before. My first strategy helped with correcting reading journals in a timely fashion. I tried MANY different methods. I would take the journals home with me and read them at night (that did not last long). I tried alternating days of the week that I would do my correcting for each class group (I quickly got overwhelmed). Last year, I would read the journals in class, while my students were meeting with their reading groups. This worked fairly well, but resulted in me scrambling around the room trying to get this done. It also prevented me from having meaningful discussions with my readers.
Toward the end of the year, I made progress. I decided to simplify. I did not require less thinking from my students, but I allowed them to show their thinking differently. I moved away from the typical journal, which most of the time resembled a long summary anyway and took students a long time to complete. I also completely stopped with sticky notes. Sticky notes made me hate reading as a child, so I am not too fond of "sticking" that on a child. I thought to myself, "What do I want my students to do while they are reading?" This question made me re-evaluate what I was making my students do. I wanted my students to think about their reading and come to class ready to discuss their thoughts with their reading group. That led to the creation of a different assignment. I required my students to write a list of major events that happened in the story (a shortened summary). Next, I asked my students to complete two of the following: write down a question, write a prediction with evidence, write a connection, write a quote and why you liked it, or write down vocabulary that is unfamiliar, where it is found, and the predicted definition.
What I discovered, surprisingly, is that my students found this more challenging than writing a journal. It was a shorter assignment, but it required them to think as they were reading. Most students liked that they could work on the assignment as they were reading, rather than having to wait until they were done reading. Students also liked that it was easy to know what to do. This assignment is not perfect, but it required students to do what I wanted them to do. I think sometimes, as teachers, we need to do the simpler option as long as it still gets to our learning targets.
Grading these papers is also more efficient. I now grade my students based on their participation and conversation during their reading group, instead of on their responses directly. Part of the grade comes from completing the paper correctly, the second part comes from following discussion protocols, and the third comes from their ability to use evidence to support their responses and questions. The process allows me to be a part of group discussions, while still giving students feedback on their reading.
I feel like I have found a way to manage grading my reading work, but writing is still a challenge. I usually give my students feedback as they are working on a piece. I also allow them to confer with classmates during writing workshop. However, at the end, I am still bringing home over sixty essays to score after my school day ends on numerous performance indicators. It takes me weeks of late nights.
I am trying a new method this year with a hope that I can make my correcting easier for me and better for my students. I want them to get quick and meaningful feedback on their writing. I plan to break my writing rubric into parts. For example, instead of having a rubric for the entire writing piece, I will just have a rubric for writing an introduction. I will teach students how to write an introduction, then I will give them feedback as I walk the room (as I always do). Once students have had a chance to revise, I will read their work in class again. This time I will score their work on the rubric. I can do this before the writing piece is even complete. I can also revise the score, if I see improvement later on. I hope, in this way, that I can take away some of the work that has to be brought home. It will also allow me to give students instant feedback, so that they know where to improve. When students turn in their finished piece, I will know to only recheck the areas where they were not proficient before.
As you can see, balancing work and home life is a constant struggle. I am constantly looking for ways that I can be an effective educator without killing myself for it. I think if we all strive to find solutions to these problems, teachers will be less likely to burn out. Also, teachers need to share with each other. If you have found the solution, share it with others. We will all be better in the long run. Feel free to post any of your successes below.
I will share a couple of the more successful strategies I have tried. Just know, I have nothing that is perfect, but I certainly have methods that are more efficient than I was doing before. My first strategy helped with correcting reading journals in a timely fashion. I tried MANY different methods. I would take the journals home with me and read them at night (that did not last long). I tried alternating days of the week that I would do my correcting for each class group (I quickly got overwhelmed). Last year, I would read the journals in class, while my students were meeting with their reading groups. This worked fairly well, but resulted in me scrambling around the room trying to get this done. It also prevented me from having meaningful discussions with my readers.
Toward the end of the year, I made progress. I decided to simplify. I did not require less thinking from my students, but I allowed them to show their thinking differently. I moved away from the typical journal, which most of the time resembled a long summary anyway and took students a long time to complete. I also completely stopped with sticky notes. Sticky notes made me hate reading as a child, so I am not too fond of "sticking" that on a child. I thought to myself, "What do I want my students to do while they are reading?" This question made me re-evaluate what I was making my students do. I wanted my students to think about their reading and come to class ready to discuss their thoughts with their reading group. That led to the creation of a different assignment. I required my students to write a list of major events that happened in the story (a shortened summary). Next, I asked my students to complete two of the following: write down a question, write a prediction with evidence, write a connection, write a quote and why you liked it, or write down vocabulary that is unfamiliar, where it is found, and the predicted definition.
What I discovered, surprisingly, is that my students found this more challenging than writing a journal. It was a shorter assignment, but it required them to think as they were reading. Most students liked that they could work on the assignment as they were reading, rather than having to wait until they were done reading. Students also liked that it was easy to know what to do. This assignment is not perfect, but it required students to do what I wanted them to do. I think sometimes, as teachers, we need to do the simpler option as long as it still gets to our learning targets.
Grading these papers is also more efficient. I now grade my students based on their participation and conversation during their reading group, instead of on their responses directly. Part of the grade comes from completing the paper correctly, the second part comes from following discussion protocols, and the third comes from their ability to use evidence to support their responses and questions. The process allows me to be a part of group discussions, while still giving students feedback on their reading.
I feel like I have found a way to manage grading my reading work, but writing is still a challenge. I usually give my students feedback as they are working on a piece. I also allow them to confer with classmates during writing workshop. However, at the end, I am still bringing home over sixty essays to score after my school day ends on numerous performance indicators. It takes me weeks of late nights.
I am trying a new method this year with a hope that I can make my correcting easier for me and better for my students. I want them to get quick and meaningful feedback on their writing. I plan to break my writing rubric into parts. For example, instead of having a rubric for the entire writing piece, I will just have a rubric for writing an introduction. I will teach students how to write an introduction, then I will give them feedback as I walk the room (as I always do). Once students have had a chance to revise, I will read their work in class again. This time I will score their work on the rubric. I can do this before the writing piece is even complete. I can also revise the score, if I see improvement later on. I hope, in this way, that I can take away some of the work that has to be brought home. It will also allow me to give students instant feedback, so that they know where to improve. When students turn in their finished piece, I will know to only recheck the areas where they were not proficient before.
As you can see, balancing work and home life is a constant struggle. I am constantly looking for ways that I can be an effective educator without killing myself for it. I think if we all strive to find solutions to these problems, teachers will be less likely to burn out. Also, teachers need to share with each other. If you have found the solution, share it with others. We will all be better in the long run. Feel free to post any of your successes below.
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