Teenagers Still Lookup to Us Despite what They Say

In previous posts, I have mentioned that I am extra busy this year with Robotics. Well, our first Robotics competitions have already started this week. For our team's first competition we have to make a robot that can collect certain items off a field. The purpose is to collect these items to make 'fuel'. The more fuel we can make, the higher our score. The game is surprisingly complex, as there are several things we have to interact with on the field to get the items to appear. It should be a lot of fun, and I think I am a little jealous that I am not the student participating in the competition.

However, the purpose of this post was not to comment about Robotics. When we had our first meetings with the students the past two weeks I have had an interesting observation about some of the students. When put in situations of leadership, they behave almost exactly like their adult counterparts.

Some of the students have been given roles of authority in the group, because it is supposed to be a student ran competition. As we, the adults, have stepped back and given the students control of the robot build process I have noticed that the students are acting less like teenagers, and more like responsible parties that really care about the success of their work. And the way they are going about doing it is almost exactly the same as the adult leaders were acting earlier on. It is a little creepy really. Almost all of the mannerisms, word choices, and attitudes of their adult counterparts are copied- even the negative ones.

So, I guess the moral of the story for the teacher today is that the students are learning from us, even if they look like and say that they aren't. Because when the time comes that they need to step up, they will do it the only way they know how- the way we have been demonstrating before them. And with all the imperfections that I still have as a young teacher, I hope I haven't passed on any negative attributes to my students.

Update About Prep Time

So far, I am loosing the battle. I only have one of my subjects planned out beyond a day, I haven't submitted any of my lesson plans to my department head, and I haven't graded a single assignment yet. And to top it all off... I spent the first weekend home sick and in bed. This is going to be an adventure of a year indeed.

At first I thought that maybe it was just me. I do have a tendency to do a little too much at the beginning of each year. So, I asked some other teachers in my department how they were fairing out with the new schedule. Everyone one of them said they were behind in their work. Even the teacher in my department who only teaches two periods the whole day said that she was behind in her planning. Well, I am glad that it is not just me!

Please don't think that I am throwing in the towel already. I am merely saying that this school year is going to be the refiner's fire for me. These first few weeks may be stressful (and the whole year I might add), but I hope that I can become the more efficient teacher from it all.

Unfortunately, I may have to make a few cutbacks already. I am also in charge of some extracurricular activities this year which will eat up quite a bit of my evening hours. I may have to cut back drastically on my online tutoring hours. I wish I didn't have to, because I think it is a great way for me to practice my one-on-one relationship skills. However, I would like to spend some time home with my family this year.

Concerns of Prep Time for the Upcomming School Year

When I was first employed by my current school district, I was very pleased by the block schedule and the amount of preparation time I had every day. I was given one 90 minute period every day. I thought it was a paradise to have and hour-and-a-half every day to prepare materials, grade papers, meet with parents, and complete administrative tasks.

For the upcoming school year, the district has decided to go back to a traditional 45 minute period day. I still get one period for prep time, but now it is only forty-five minutes long. I am still very much appriciative of the time I will have to prepare. I have worked in a district where the teachers only had once a week. However, with my prep time being cut in half I am starting to wonder about priorities.

When I was a student myself, I remember having a lot of multiple choice tests. (They are much easier to grade, and save a teacher a lot of time.) However, I always wondered at their efficacy to accurately show what a student knew or did not know. Because they are easier to grade, they are easier to pass.

I also remember that most of my teachers shut their doors after school was over. There were few teachers that let students into their classrooms shortly after the bell rang.

So, those are my two concerns. By losing precious prep time, I am worried that I may have to either cheapen my assessment, or reduce after class hours. Although I do already use multiple choice tests, I also use a lot of written and project based assessments. In the past I have also been able to let students into my classroom almost every day after school, and I have even been known to stay after 6 PM on occasion helping students. However, next year I will not have time for all I want to do without having to find ways to save time.

So, do I rely primarily on multiple choice assignments and test, which can be easily graded, to save time? Or, do I tell my students that I can only help them two days out of the week for an hour so I can use the rest of my after school time for grading? In my mind, these are tough questions.

I know that I expect more from my students than an average teacher. This is why I often have students in my room every day after school, but if I will no longer be able to provide them the time they need for extra help, am I obligated to make the class easier for them to pass? Or is there a way to use multiple choice tests without making it too easy for students to pass without mastering the content?

I think I will rely on multiple choice test more often next year in order to cut down on grading time. I would rather risk making the tests a little too easy than risk not giving them enough time for help. Then again, I guess the real test of my teaching abilities would be to find a way to keep the standards high even though there is less time available. I hope I can find a way, but only time will tell.

Dabbling with Distance Education

Going to college, I had the opportunity to take some of my classes online. I enjoyed those class as it allowed me to work according to my own schedule. Even now that I am an educator myself, I still fulfill some of my required staff development via online classes. I think now it is time for me to move on the the next step with my distance education. Now I am teaching online!

It all started when my mother mentioned that my youngest brother was needing some help with math. She wanted to send him to a summer class, but had a hard time doing so without having to cancel their summer vacation. So, I offered to tutor my brother online. She liked this idea because it would give my brother the much needed review with missing out on summer vacation (not to mention cheaper too).

Soon after that, one of my former student's parent contacted me with questions about where to find a tutor. I mentioned to her that I was tutoring someone else online, and that I would be happy to tutor her son as well. Then the idea came to me that tutoring online is a great way to meet individual student needs, and because there are so many free or low cost tools on the web I could offer my services for low rates. (Ideologically, low cost education is important to me. In my opinion, the more people know the better off everyone is. I have seen tutors asking as much as $100/hr! I am all for being compensated for my time, but that is outrageous. Currently, I am charging only $15/hr.)

So, I very recently decided to go public. I put up a website, registered with some online whiteboard and appointment booking sites, and set up a PayPal account. Not only has this experience been a lot of fun, but I think it will also allow me to sharpen some of my fading teaching skills. Teaching at a large high school is interesting, but it really lacks the one-on-one attention that I would like to give my students. Tutoring online will give me the opportunity to practice the art of one-on-one teaching.

Oh, and if you are interested in a tutor, feel free to check out my website.