Answers in the form of questions

It’s time for the district writing exam for juniors and the kids are stoked… Well, they’re putting in effort anyway. The exam requires the students to answer whether or not The Great Gatsby accurately depicts the American experience in a minimum of 1000 words. The kids really seemed to like the story. My Ct did a good job of using the movie along with the story. After completing the story, the class was rewarded with a viewing of the newest cinematic version of the book. It was actually really neat to see the class be able to pick out the differences between the book and the two versions of the movie. My ct asked questions to make sure that the kids knew what happened in the book verses the movies. She didn’t want them to confuse the events and write about things that never actually happened in the book.

The district writing exam is probably one of the longest writing assignments the students will have to complete. My ct required that they all turn in an outline before they begin the rough draft because they are still new to the process. Most of the class chose to argue that the story does accurately depict the American experience, but they seemed to have trouble figuring out how to approach the subject. They all seemed to have firm grasps of the characters, the plot, and the socioeconomic levels shown in story, but they were not sure how to do more than just give an overview of the story.  It was an interesting task to lead them to the ideas that would tie events and people that compared to those in the story. I was leaving a trail of bread crumbs in the form of questions. There were still times where I wanted to just give them the answer to connect the dots, but the writing assignment was a test. I couldn’t just say these people from our time have or had money and didn’t care and did things that hurt other people.  It was amazing how few of the students knew about Enron or Berny Madoff, although many of them could name a rich and famous person who was found not guilty of murder. 

I still think that many of the kids will have trouble meeting the length of the assignment. They’re not allowed to take the paper home to work on. My ct said that there is nothing in the outline that says that students cannot take the paper home, but in the past she has had work turned in that is at a level beyond the student’s typical writing.  Her decision means that there will be more class time devoted to it.  She had the rough draft due last Thursday, and many of the students did not have it turned in by the end of class. In an act of kindness, she allowed them to come in and work during advocacy on Friday. Tomorrow we will go to the computer lab and I am interested to see how it will go. I am also worried about the kids that tend to struggle with the smaller writing assignments. 

Bat Country

Conferences are interesting things, filled with the excitement of new ideas and the slow movements of a wandering mind. A child of a generation raised on a steady dose of television and cinema, I pulled into the parking lot of the Marriott with scenes and dramatizations rolling through my mind. 

The event turned out to be much like what I anticipated. It wasn't Dr. Gonzo sitting in a room full of cops or a group tired stiffs presenting awards and counting down the minutes until they were free to mingle at the bar, nor was it a room filled with fanatic nerd dressed in homemade costumes. Ok, it might be a little like the last one. As a nerd and a future teacher, I feel safe saying that in a group of 100 teachers there are 95 nerds and five people that are lying to themselves. Nerds have made a lot of progress since the Tri-Lambs and they are perfectly suited for teaching.

But, I digress. The conference gave me a chance to learn a few things and share my ideas with people that have the same passion for English and education that I do. The number one topic was Common Core. In fact, there was a session that seemed to focus on it too much. I realize that the presenter was trying to show how her lesson ideas would work great with the Common Core, but it seemed she spoke more about her concerns with Common Core than on art related assignments. She was entertaining, introduced some new literature, and showed a few new assignment ideas, but not to the extent I expected. The key note speaker was also disappointing. I liked his views about Common Core, although I feel he may have simplified the idea of developing lesson plans. It also seemed more of a push to buy his books than anything. I realize that a large portion of his sales probably come from schools and teachers, but it still felt like I was on set with Ron Popeil.

The rest of the sessions were interesting. I enjoyed seeing a speaker from my hometown speaking about LGBT issues. My hometown isn’t exactly opened minded and it is nice to see people break the stereotype of the rural Kansan.  I had fun in the session that connected The Great Gatsby to games. I knew it was going to be good when the presenter began playing a Great Gatsby game that was based on Castlevania on the NES. She also had a great idea for a paper that showed how the literature has affected popular culture.

My final session dealt with the grading of AP papers. It was an eye opening experience that threw my idea about the importance the five paragraph paper out the window. It turns out that little attention is paid to that aspect. The ideas expressed and the understanding shown by the writer are more important than the order it is delivered, and the amount of time that a grade spends looking over a AP placement paper is much shorter than most of us would imagine. I was also introduced to the idea of having the students rate sample AP papers in order to give them an understanding of what the different levels of papers look like.

I wasn’t able to attend both days, but really do think that the conference was useful and I will attend it every year if possible.

And now, a poem about bell work.

Deja Vu All Over Again*

Before the bell rings,

I remind them

There is bell work

There is

Always bell work

To be done

Before

Or directly after

Class has begun

And I find myself,

Again,

Pointing at the power word,

Pointing at the board,

And reading the definition 

To the handful

Who actually listen.

The bell rings,

I remind them

There is bell work.

And Ms. D, my CT,

After locking the door,

Tells them

To begin

Their bell work,

And one of them

Acts surprised

By the bell work.

There is always bell work.

And today is Monday,

Which means

A new power word,

A new definition,

And a complete sentence

Conveying comprehension.

And Ms. D will explain

And I will explain

What must be done again

Because,

Somebody always

Goes to the bathroom or

Gets a drink of water

Just before the bell

Because,

Somebody always

Doesn't hear

Or 

Doesn't listen

We will 

Repeat 

The word

Repeat

The definition 

Until they all have it down

Or

Move to where they can read it

And no longer require our recitation.

We will 

Walk around the room,

Compliment a complex sentence,

Confirm correct usage,

And question syntax errors,

Spelling mistakes,

And the lack of commas.

We will 

Wake the sleeping,

Rein in the attention

Of the wistful,

The jabbering romantic,

And the gamer

Who incessantly speaks 
of GTA 5.

It's Monday

5th hour

And 

There is bell work. 

*Deja Vu All Over Again- a refers to quote made by Yogi Berra after he witnessed back to back home runs by Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. "It's deja vu all over again."

What time is lunch?

It is pretty common knowledge that classes around lunchtime are some of the most difficult. Hungry students are focused on their stomachs and full students tend to get tired. I am lucky enough to face the first scenario. My students come into class and the first things I hear are exclamations about the severity of their hunger and queries as to when lunch will begin. It can be hard to grab the attention of hungry teenagers who are focused on food and a few minutes of freedom that accompany an open lunch.

I do not mind trying to corral the attention of rambunctious teenagers. I completely understand that there are very important things going on, but I do not understand how they still require my CT and I to continually remind them of daily and weekly routines. There is bell work every day and on Mondays they are given a new power word. They know where the word is posted and that the definition is under it, but we still have to point it out. They know they have to write the word, the definition, and a sentence that shows they know how to use it. A few come in and go right to work, but the majority have to be told to do their bell work, and it never fails that a number of them will have to be reminded to write the sentence. There is a similar scene on the last day of the week when they get the news that all three bell work assignments are due.

My CT is very patient with the kids and there are times where she repeats herself several times in a row. I have seen the agitation build in her at times and I have heard her raise her voice, but today was something different. The kids were exceptionally energetic, inattentive, and loud, and they finally pushed things too far. After Ms. D let lose, it was so quite that I could hear the cold air blowing from the vents. 

After class, she apologized to me for losing her cool, but I saw nothing wrong with it. I told her that I have had to keep myself from doing similar on a few occasions and I didn’t understand how she hadn't before today. She has a softer hand that usually handles things quite adequately. I just think that the teacher should never have to fight for attention. I raise my hand and expect it because I am in charge. When the students ignore my CT, it irritates me and I feel the need to assist her, but I don’t want to undercut her authority. I also realize that it is just a difference in personality and that everybody has their own approach.  

And now, a poem about bell work

Before the bell rings,

I remind them

There is bell work

There is

Always bell work

To be done

Before

Or directly after

Class has begun

And I find myself,

Again,

Pointing at the power word,

Pointing at the board,

And reading the definition 

To the handful

Who actually listen

The bell rings;

I remind them

There is bell work

And Ms. D, my CT,

After locking the door,

Tells them

To begin

Their bell work,

And one of them

Acts surprised

By the bell work.

There is always bell work.

And today is Monday,

Which means

A new power word,

A new definition,

And a complete sentence

Conveying comprehension.

And Ms. D will explain

And I will explain

What must be done again

Because,

Somebody always

Goes to the bathroom or

Gets a drink of water

Just before the bell

Because,

Somebody always

Doesn't hear

Or 

Doesn't listen

We will 

Repeat 

The word

Repeat

The definition 

Until they all have it down

Or

Move to where they can read it

And no longer require our recitation 

We will 

Walk around the room,

Compliment a complex sentence,

Confirm correct usage,

And question syntax errors,

Spelling mistakes,

And the lack of commas

We will 

Wake the sleeping,

Rein in the attention

Of the wistful,

The jabbering romantic,

And the gamer

Who incessantly speaks of 

GTA 5

It's Monday

5th hour

And 

There is bell work. 

I never thought Gatsby was that great

I have always dreaded having to teach stories and authors that I personally didn’t enjoy as a student.  I have gone back and read some of them in my free time to see if age and time had perhaps somehow changed how I felt about the pieces. In most cases, the rereads did not change my opinion. A prime example would be The Great Gatsby. I have read the story twice in my life. Neither read was enjoyable to me. Many of my classmates have heard me speak about the story and my distaste for it. It is not the plot of the story or the characters that I do not enjoy. I personally just do not care for the style. It is very wordy and drawn out. Fitzgerald has written stories that I enjoy, but Gatsby is not one of them.

            

I have given some thought on whether to share my opinion of the story with my student and decided that if a student asks me, then I will be honest. It is a story that many people love and is common reading for many high schools, but I do not actually personally enjoy it. I think it will be good for students to know that I love to read, but I do not enjoy every story the same. There are many styles and genres of literature and we all have ones that we like better. I think that it will be a good life lesson. Ultimately, students should know that there are things that we all must do in school and life that are not enjoyable for everybody, but there is still knowledge to be gained from them.

          

On the other hand, there are stories and authors that I can’t wait to teach. For example, I was fortunate enough to be able to assist with a lesson based on A Rose for Emily. I love Faulkner and story has a shock value that I felt that the students would enjoy. The class discussion was great and the students seemed very interested. My cooperating teacher split the reading over a few days. There were students who finished the reading in their free time because they were so curious about how the story concluded that they could not wait until the next class to discover what happened. It was great to see them so engaged. I can only hope that this will continue throughout the semester. I know that I will probably have to push for more information from the students and use good questions to engage them because in a few weeks we will begin The Great Gatsby. I hope they enjoy it more than I did at their age, but despite how they feel about the story they will need to be able to discuss and write about it. I do have one thing on my side though; Leonardo Dicaprio was in the movie. Hopefully the movie will peak some of the students’ interest in the story, and hopefully none of them will think that watching the movie is a substitute for reading the book. I am curious to see how they will respond, and I hope that my cooperating teacher and I will be able to make the assignments and reading entertaining and enlightening. 

There's a first for everything, including my blogging experience.

Well, it’s the first week of school and everybody is getting back into the swing of things. The students are learning the routines that allow their teachers to maintain order and manage class time with ease. The first lessons plans will break the ice and help teachers remember individual names, a task that is aided by seating charts and computer programs that display the students’ school photos.

In many classrooms you will find a college student beginning the first semester of his or her final year in the college of education. These students are future teachers learning their craft through observation and hands on experience.  I am one such college student, my name is Jake, but my students call me Mr. Thimesch. Through this blog I will share observations and personal thoughts on my pre-student teaching semester.

I have the good fortune to work with the cooperating teacher whose class I observed in last semester. It is helpful that I already know her routines and we have a good rapport. While I know my cooperating teacher, all of the students are completely new to me and I have a feeling that it will take me a few class periods before I remember all of their names. There are only twenty-one students, so the task is not too daunting. The first day I was in the room the students presented personal timelines which helped me associate information about the students with their faces and names. I still think that the most helpful thing for me to learn names as a student-teacher is handing back home work. I also look at the names on the top of the students’ folders. While I am not a fan of assigned seating, I will most definitely use a seating chart the first few weeks in my own classroom.