Thanksgiving...finally...I guess.

So we've finally made it to Thanksgiving break. Five days off to catch up on both work for teaching and work for the MAT. Getting here hasn't been easy, though. Progress reports were due a few schools days before we were to get out. During that same time period, I had a couple of assignments due. All of that isn't too bad, unless you throw in things like a sick child, backed up grading, make-up work, and a worn out torque converter on our families second vehicle that leaves your spouce stranded in traffic in Fort Smith, just for example. Making it through with my sanity was something that I am very happy for. As is my wife. And most of my students.... HAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! Sometimes, being a little "off" can help.

For the first time in 22 years...Conference Champs!

The Westside Rebels Senior High football team did something this year that has not been done in a long time. They won an outright, conference championship. It is great timing because Westside is celebrating it's 25th year in existance. That's right, in 1984, the small schools in the communities of Hartman and Coal Hill joined together to for the Westside School District. In the past 25 years Westside has changed greatly in some areas and very little in others. Atheletics has always been a source of pride for the students of Westside (my self included). Though we are only a AA school ( we were a A school before the changes to classifications) and onw of the smallest ones at that, the atheletes take pride in performing to their greatest potential and giving their very best. Some years, this leads to great success. Others, well, can be a grind to be honest. This year, because of the efforts of the entire football team (all 19 of them), history was made for Westside. I have several students that are on the football team and their focus both on school and sports has been terrific. Congratualtions, guys.

My Classroom

This is my classroom. Mine is one of the larger classrooms in the high school because it is a combination of classroom and laboratory. I am very fortunate to have such a large working area, but their are some drawbacks. I want my classroom to 1) reflect me as a person and as a teacher, 2) be intelectually stimulating for the students, 3) not be plain, or drab, or boring, and 4) be usable by me during classes for demonstrations, examples, and/or additional information. To accomplish this in such a large space requires an abundance of materials. I dont' have it all yet, but I am working on it. Time...just need a little time.

Homecoming. From YAAAAAAAY!!! to ...yay?

Homecoming for football was a couple of weeks ago and when the week started, I was GEEKED UP!! I couldn't help but remember back to when I was in high school. Homecoming week was awesome. Snacks and decorations for your locker. Dressing up for the different days (Sports Day, Blue/Gray Day, Crazy Day...etc.). Talking trash about the other team and how badly we were going to beat them. Man, what a great time. I never thought about the work by the faculty to make the week go smoothly. I am such a moron.

Teachers, those directly and indirectly involved, and administrators have to work twice as hard, if not more, to keep the kids at least slightly focused on actual school work. Homecoming or not, lessons must be taught and learning must occur. We are, after all, at school. The kids are really, REALLY into the different days far more than when I was in school. Case in point...

Opposite Gender day. Very interesting. Actually, the kids were great. Keeping them on task was the real problem. They were just so distracted by all the excitement, and hoopla, and... oddness. When we finally got through it, there was a sigh of relief and a smile on my face. the kids had a great time. Next year, I'll be sure to bring some barricades, a blow horn, and some fireworks to get the kids attention back on me. Perhaps, a clown nose as well.

Hate to be so obvious, but...

As part of the Masters of Art in Teaching Program that I am presently enrolled in, our wonderful Professor (Hey, Dr. Z!) has given us the assignment of exemplifying the diversity of our students. This does not mean just the cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity of the students, but also the various other forms of diversity present, such as personality, gender, learning styles, etc. Being a graduate of the high school in which I am teaching, I have a somewhat recent historical perspective on the student population. Just stating things factually, while I was a student, the population of my high school was approximately 95% white and 5% minority. The diversity, or lack thereof, within the community mirrored that found within the school system. Why? I don't think I could give a well informed or educated answer other than where I grew up, there was not much in the way of an appeal or a draw for minority families (or any families, for that matter). It was just a small, lower income town in NWA.

While the town has stayed pretty much the same, there have been quite a few population changes (for the better) since I was a student and now a teacher in the area. There has been an influx of overall diversity within the very community that I grew up in. There is still the overall white majority, but the ethnic diversity of community as a whole has increased quite a bit over the past 15 years. So, while my students do exhibit several different forms diversity among them, (personality, socioeconomic background, interests, learning styles, learning levels, learning difficulties) the growing ethnic diversity in the school is one of the most prevalent.




From deer hunters, socializers, athletes, academically gifted, even the slightly "off" (class full of posers), classrooms are a diverse world unto themselves.

HAHAHAHA! Feel the wrath of my TEST!

Finished this week by giving tests to 4 of my classes. This means that I have given a test in each of my four subjects that I am teaching. The bell work for each class was the same the day following the test: "Write a 30+ word review of the test". I gave them direction, in that this was the first test that I had ever made and administered, that I wanted to be fair in my questions and only ask about material that we had gone over in class, and that their honest, thoughtful opinion would help me in making out future tests so that their finished test would be an accurate picture of their level of knowledge and learning of the content. Perhaps I am asking a bit to much from a group of teenagers who, with their first reaction to the test, one would have thought I was preparing them for a root canal without anesthesia. Most verbal responses were at least semi-honest. More multiple-choice. A word bank for fill-in-the-blanks. NO ESSAYS OR SHORT ANSWERS ( right...like that will happen). I tried to explain to my students that the essay and short answer sections are the ones that most reflect what they have gained from the class. It also allows them to practice the skill of taking the information in their head and writing it onto a piece of paper. No, it is not easy at first. But the more you practice it and do it, the better you will become at it. Also, if any of them have the aspiration to continue their education beyond high school, it would be most beneficial to have this skill. The student's response: ... (crickets)...(crickets)...whaaa? Guess I'll just have to see how they did.

Getting a rhythm.

So all the procedures have been explained, rules lined out, and needs given. It is now time to teach science! Monday was a little hectic. How am I going to do this? Should I have a group activity for every subject, everyday? What about a fun and informative game? Time for review? I only have 46 minutes a class period. Will I run out of time? Can I get as far into the material as I want to? What do I do if I don't? Oops, forgot about the meeting that will take half of my students from one of my classes for the entire period. Oh yeah, then there is the field trip tomorrow that will take about a quarter of my students for the whole day ( including 2/3rds of one of my classes). How will I get them their notes? How will I remember all the things that I emphasized apart from my presentation? Will the ones that miss be able to understand every thing that I want them too without me emphasizing it to them? No pressure. No stress. No problems. Just part of the job of preparing today's youth for the future. Seasoned teachers handle these kind of things all the time with a smile and ease. Now if you will pardon me while I go weep and shiver while sitting in the fetal position in the dark corner of the custodians closet.


Yesterday and today (Tuesday and Wednesday) were much better. Seemed like I was in a rhythm most of the day. Moved at a pretty good pace, while always looking for signs of confusion, dismay, anger, apathy, malaise, revolt, revolution, and/or frustration ( only seen a few). Checked for questions often. Tried to relate the content to the interests of my students, and tried very hard not to be boring. Or dull. Or overly peppy. Or annoying. Or nit-picky. Or a rug to be walked over. Wow. A week and a few days with students, and I'm wondering why I didn't start doing this right out of college. I love this job.