Getting Up At 5AM

I've never been much of a morning person.

On days when I have to report to my field training site for summer school, I get up quite early.  I never used to get up this early at any point in my life.  It's not really the getting up early part that bothers me though, in fact I kind of like getting up early.

Trouble arises when I have to stay up the night before and complete assignments for my coursework.  It is then when I find myself getting in bed at midnight and resisting when my alarm goes off at 5.  Even though I'm pretty tired when I wake up, it still feels natural to regain at least some consciousness around 5AM.  I think I am rewiring my internal clock a bit.

If you haven't put 2 and 2 together yet, that is the situation precisely this morning.  I have two sizable assignments due today and I will be conducting one of the New York State mandated labs today at my field site.  I have yet to read the lab thoroughly so that I may properly administer it.  I guess that's what the train ride is for (if I can manage to read a lab on a crowded, rush hour L train).  I have a feeling this is a good sense of what the first year of teaching is going to look like.

Summer School

If students think summer school is challenging, they have no idea what it's like for the teacher.

It seems that summer school to students means slacking off with such a sense of complacency, so much that being there doesn't really matter.  At least that is how it seems for most.  However, I am SO happy that I've been able to pull a few students out of that summer slump.  Some students were quite checked out on even the first day or two.  After putting forth my best effort to connect what they're learning to what they know, I think I've (at least partially) succeeded in bringing them up to par in the class.

For example, one student had no interest in answering some questions in his biology book.  Even when prodded with questions, his response was that he didn't care and didn't want to be there.  Opportunity presented itself when he also shared that he had a headache.  As we were reviewing body systems, he continued to tell me that his "nerves" were telling him he had a headache.  My immediate response (which out of context doesn't sound right) was, "GOOD! - You just told me that you know you have a headache because of your nerves!  You just used what you know very well - your headache - and what we're learning - body systems to make a connection!"  I think he was a bit appalled that I jumped at his comment about his headache, but I was thrilled to see he did that independently  He then became responsive to further prodding with questions, which segued quite well into the remainder of the class work.  Success.

I hope that during summer school and the fall, I begin to hone these skills.  Although I am sure my abilities are rather rough around the edges right now, it is so satisfying to see a student pulled from complete indifference to at least slight engagement.  I think that's why I am enjoying this.

The Week Ahead

Here comes the busiest week yet.

Thus far, I've only had two long days - last Wednesday & Thursday.  On my long days, I wake up at 5, have breakfast, read the news and head out to my school to be there at 8.  From 8 until 12:15, I observe and team teach several Living Environment sections.

Afterwards, I head up to CCNY for coursework, which begins at 1:30.  Theoretically, this gap should be enough time for lunch and train ride.  Often lunch is a bit short.  From 1:30 until 4ish, I have my graduate coursework.  At 4, we all have our Student Achievement Framework (SAF) session.  This lasts until 5:50, at which point I am free to commute home.

Excluding an hour commute each way, this rounds out to be about a 10 hour day.  So far, two days of this is overwhelming and so I can imagine four will  be two-fold.  While I do love student teaching, the coursework can be a bit repetitive.  It seems I just hear the same hot-button words over and over (differentiated instruction, formative assessment, diagnostics, etc...).  However, we are currently mapping out our curricula for our respective courses, which is incredibly practical and helpful, so I am glad to be doing that.

All in all, I'm looking forward to the week, but not the long long days.  Most of all, I am looking forward to more time in the classroom with students.

Mista, mista!

At this point, I feel obligated to post, only because it is the end of my first week of field training.  I am completely exhausted and would rather be sleeping than typing, but I think this is worth my time.  

First, I will say that field training has been a wonderfully positive experience.  I am also thrilled to say that I thoroughly enjoy it.  I haven't really ever worked with kids in a truly authoritative capacity, so this is an entirely new experience.

The Asst. Principal who met me at my school was very friendly and supportive.  During summer school, there are three periods between roughly 8-1.  For the first, he put me in a Living Environment Lab and the second two are the class portion of Living Environment.  This is wonderful placement because I am seeing both aspects of the class I will be teaching at this school in September.

For the lab, mostly students work in small groups or individually.  After the cooperating teacher gives instructions, I go around to students to help them along through the lab and to address any questions or confusion.  The teacher seems very comfortable in the classroom and also seems like she knows what she's doing.  She just completed her first year and participated in Teach for America (kinda like NYCTF, except national).

For the second two periods, it is a slightly different story.  The teacher does pretty much the opposite of what we're being taught to do.  This is not to say that she doesn't care or lacks concern for the students.  It just doesn't seem she goes about addressing that in the right ways.  Ironically, she has been teaching for 12 years.  However, this is a wonderful opportunity for me to contribute.  Obviously, I don't blatantly point out what I think is wrong with her teaching.  Rather I assist students individually or jump in with instruction whenever it seems appropriate.  She explicitly expresses to me that she is so tired of teaching about half way through the class and my input is more than welcome.  I am quite happy to take over for her when she gets fatigued.  

Students are great.  Sure, some of them are talkative and inattentive, but when I address them one on one, they actually have a pretty good head on their shoulders that they know how to use when they try.  In fact, there is even one special education student who was very articulate and demonstrated a clear understanding of what was being taught.  His performance exceeded other students who were not special education.  I was impressed.

I hope these feelings continue, because they are incredibly encouraging and I certainly did not expect to enjoy doing this so much.

One funny anecdote I'll share is about how students often refer to male teachers as "Mista."  Not only am I not a fan of being called "Mista," but I think it would be more appropriate for students to practice more proper and socially acceptable language in the real world, such as "Mr. Maloney." 

"Mista, mista! I gotta question," one girl called to me.  My response to her was "Student, student, what do you need?"  She looked at me as if I had responded in Cantonese.  I explained that she called me by some portion of my title, so I called her what she was.  I continued saying that I preferred that she call me "Mr. Maloney" or "Mr. M."  She found my response funny, but understood what I was getting at, then called me "Mr. Maloney."  I then responded with her first name.  Fair is fair, right?

Field Training (or Lack Thereof) [UPDATED]

It is just past midnight and I am not exactly sure what I am supposed to do tomorrow.

As a part of the Teaching Fellows program, I am supposed to go to a school during the summer session and observe / student teach. While I am thrilled to do both, I lack the proper instruction to do so and I think part of it has to do with me already being hired.

There are two options. People who do not have positions for the fall have been assigned a school for field training and instructions on when and where to be at the beginning of summer school (tomorrow morning). Option 2 is that people who do have a position for the fall. We are supposed to be in contact with our school and our school should give us all the reporting instructions for our field work. I am in the latter group and have received no instructions on what to do / where to go for summer session. So after leaving a voicemail last Thursday, calling today (with no answer), and an email this evening, I am hoping that someone from somewhere will contact me. If not by tomorrow morning, I will be making more phone calls and more emails to those who I find appropriate.

Needless to say, it is a bit frustrating. While I have a hard time objecting to the free time of not being in class until 1, I would highly value some classroom experiences to better prepare me for the fall. However, I think receipt of my stipend check and metrocard tomorrow will mitigate some anxiety.

[UPDATED]
In response to my email last night, the administrator who I contacted emailed me back early this morning. I was very glad to see that he indicated he would take appropriate action to ensure that I and the other person assigned to my school knew exactly where to go and what to do for summer session. I am currently awaiting further instructions before reporting to the school.

When I sent the email, I CCed the other person assigned to the school, a Fellow from my cohort who will also be working there come September. He responded saying something about how the administrator's response seemed to indicate administrators would be providing strong support to rookie teachers. I hope he's right.

One Month Down, One to Go

COURSEWORK
Going through the past two weeks of coursework felt like time was standing still. Now, though, it feels like the blink of an eye. I can hardly believe I've been through 2 weeks of science immersion and 2 weeks about adolescent learning. That month was here and gone. To give you a sense of exactly how much coursework that is, it's 8 credits worth of courses in the span of four weeks. That is what made it so intensive.

As a bit of a sidebar, I came across this amazing mind-mapping program for Macs that is incredibly useful and intuitive for making brainstorming webs (or whatever you want to call them).  It is free and the results look quite professional.  The program is called Mind Node.  If you do give it a spin, let me know what you think of it.  I'd be curious to know.

WHAT'S NEXT
Next week, we begin our final course in addition to our fieldwork. I am a bit nervous of the field experience. Thus far, scheduling information has been distributed uncomfortably late. For example, I didn't know where I was to go or what I was to do on this coming Monday until yesterday afternoon. I still don't really know what the reporting instructions are for field work (classroom observation / practice teaching). Apparently the responsibility of field work rests more with our respective field training sites (schools) than it does with the Teaching Fellows office or City College. Understandable, but frustrating and anxiety-inducing. I have contacted my school to find out exactly what they think is supposed to happen, but really, I'm not sure that anyone actually knows for sure.

ALTERED PERSPECTIVE
I have had my perspective of what to expect drastically altered within the past two weeks. I've been told stories about students rolling joints IN class, student's genuinely believing the sun is a living organism, homework assignments being futile, students being drunk in class, openly gay students dancing together at prom (that's a positive one, obviously) and a variety of other anecdotal influences that have altered how I think of my approaching teaching experience.

This experience is giving me the tools to transmit information to students effectively, manage my classroom effectively and problem solve effectively so that the daunting task of my first year's chaos is mitigated. While I might feel more prepared, I will still expect crazier things so that maybe I won't be as surprised with a curve ball (rare is it that I used baseball analogies).

Breaks & Brakes

I am grateful for both.

Following a fast-paced first week of training, I have been very happy enjoying my break from coursework this weekend. It has been a nice 48 hours or so to recuperate. Friday, instead of coursework, we were assigned to visit the neighborhood of where we will be working in the fall or classroom teaching during the summer. While in the area, we were supposed to make some anthropological and ethnographic observations.

Instead of just taking the train, I decided to ride my bike to the area of my high school - midtown Manhattan. What a rush. While 8th avenue may have "bike lanes," they are rarely left unobstructed thanks to stopping cabs and double-parked cars. Most of the time, one must dart in and out of traffic to continue down the avenue. While exciting, it was nice to leave midtown and head to the west side for a leisurely ride down the park along the river.

Yesterday, I went for another biking excursion in the city. Up 6th and 8th aves from 14th st to Central Park I rode. I took the main road all the way through and around Central Park and it was absolutely beautiful. Afterwards, while heading back downtown via 5th avenue, the ride was not as smooth as it had been. While staying to the left on the avenue (there was no bike lane in that area) a car decided to stop short as it turned onto a side street just before the crosswalk. This would normally make perfect sense.

Funny though, that a car would stop for a crosswalk when no pedestrian are in it. So as the car stopped and I continued, I quickly gripped my brakes as hard as I could and skidded right into the rear bumper of a silver Altima. Luckily, I wasn't going fast enough to cause any damage to either party, although I think my few choice words may have caused some emotional damage to the driver. Learn how to drive.

Otherwise, I'm finding that biking is a great leisurely activity. With Sunday here and storm clouds lingering, I'm not sure if I will bike again today or stay in and write my ethnographic paper for tomorrow. Either way, I am fully bracing myself for the busy week ahead.