A few thoughts from the end of the semester

So I was thinking last night as I read some of my students MGPs...

One of them was written by one of my students who typically turned in high quality writing with few grammar mistakes; unfortunately, the autobiography that he wrote for his MGP was full of run-on sentences, a lot of commas were missing, and his use of semi-colons didn't make sense.

It got me wondering if I had actually taught them anything...And this got me frustrated and a little down...

Yet today, after thinking about it all, I realized that I had taught my students something. I had taught them about different genres of writing. I had taught them how to focus on their content and not worry about their grammar. I had helped them identify their weaknesses so they could work on those. I had helped them see the value of revision and editing.

And they had told me a few things during all of this teaching...They told me they're lazy and that's why they don't complete assignments, complete the writing process, or implement what they're learning in their work.

Could I have done more? Oh yeah! But did I do a good job? Yeah. I created an atmosphere of support, of friendship, and challenge. I gave them advice and explained why we did things in class. I gave them a chance to give me feedback on the activities we did. I admitted my faults to them when I messed up or tried to do an activity with them that wasn't going well.

And in all of this, I realized that I can go into my internship with confidence because I know I can hold my own in a classroom, but also a lot of fear, because I know I still have a lot to learn about teaching.

12/3/08

Today was the last day of class. Last night I baked my students a cake to honor all of their hard work and, more importantly, because I had forgotten to remind them that we were going to have a potluck. I figured I would bring the potluck to them...

Today, I went in with only two things planned: Eat cake and present projects to class. Before class started, I had a few of the girls that were already there help me put the desks in a circle. I told them all to sit in the circle.

Then we just waited for everyone to arrive. I took attendance as they walked in and collected any late work that still had to be graded. I had a few students who still didn't have what they needed, but I took what they had and figured I'd just give them a grade on that.

Once a majority of the students arrived, I told them all to come up and get a piece of cake and then we'd start with presentations. Only about half of them actually took a piece, but some said they would come back for more.

After we all settled in, I had them each present their work. I told them to tell me the title, explain it if necessary, and then give a brief explanation of each of their genres and repetends. These little explanations could have been better, but overall, they were decent. I didn't want to expect too much out of them on the last class because many are stressed out and need to relax.

One thing I did notice that I am really glad about is that my students are almost all friends with each other. They stay after class to work with each other on stuff for my class or for other classes they have together. They call each other on the phone and communicate to one another all of the time. It really is exciting to see a class work so well together! I hope that I can continue to foster a classroom atmosphere like that in my classrooms...

12/1/08

I'm starting to get used to students walking in late. It seems a habit for my bunch that I have little control over....

I waited a few minutes to begin because of said lateness; I just handed out their journals from last class and other assignments that I had graded over break.

I started class with a quick reminder of the schedule of our class. We only have one more official meeting together in which they will present their MGPs and celebrate the end of the semester. I also informed them of the time that they can pick up their graded projects during exam week. I'm beginning to wonder how many people will actually come pick them up.

After this, I had them write their final journal for this project and told them about one other one that they needed to do to fill in the gaps for the final draft. They took a good amount of time to work on these. I was glad.

After this, I talked with them about some of the comments they left me from the survey I took last week. I answered the few that I could in class and then took a survey on the chalkboard activity from last week. They said they didn't like it, but thought that it was a good way for them to work on grammar points that they struggle with.

The final part of class was spent on peer review. I put them in groups of three and gave them a sheet with questions to help them think about what still needed work. A couple of them obviously blew this time off and rushed through it. I made them work with another person's work to emphasize to them the importance of revising their work.

I stayed for writing studio today because Ashley was gone. I worked with her group and talked to them about their projects. It concerns me that they are so confident about their work and don't really want to talk about it, especially because many of them haven't been on task for a majority of this project.

*One thing that really shocked me today was that none of my students had their homework ready for today...NOT A ONE OF THEM!!

Further Reflections - from the entire semester

So Jon and I were talking and he suggested that I take some time to reflect on some things outside of the typical day to day blogs.

One thing that I've noticed is how much I will miss my class of students when the semester is over next week. Despite the challenges of teaching remedial English to college students who are lazy and admit to being so, I have really grown to love my students and the experience of teaching them. There have been some really great moments that have made me feel like a good teacher....like the time I told one of the boys who seemed to care very little about the class that his article was an example to the class...or the time that I helped a few of the girls figure out solutions to issues they were having in their classes...and the student who, after missing 9 classes (not consecutive), turned in the longest project 3 and a huge autobiography of her life for project 5...especially the letter that one of my students wrote to a person who should still be her enemy, but someone she decided to reconcile with for her own good; a letter that was the best piece of writing she had done all semester, one in which her passion came out instead of her b.s. voice for an assignment she didn't really care about.

And as I think of all of these great moments, it makes me wonder what I did to render such moments. The only thing I can think of is that I made an effort from day one to learn my students names and to encourage them in their work...especially when it was good, but even more (which was often), when their work was much less than what they were capable of doing. I made an effort to let them know that I was there for their benefit and would help them whenever needed. I explained to them why I had them do certain activities and what they needed to learn before they could leave my class. I let them know how much their honesty meant to me, even if it was harsh and not what I wanted to hear....
All in all, I think it was this relationship building that made this class at least a little bit successful.

Will my students leave knowing all they should about grammar and punctuation and spelling? NO! But they know where they struggle in their writing and they know what a writing process is. They know that there are different styles of writing. They know that they write the best work when they personally care about their topic and that their work will never be as good when they have to write about something they don't care about. They know that good writing isn't something that someone can accomplish alone, it is something that needs the help and support of others.

And what do I know? I know that if I let me students know who I am and what I stand for, that that is all that matters. I need to do my best, not compare myself to others, and just do what I know will work for my class. I know that I need to learn from my mistakes and keep record of all the things I do, whether they were good or bad. I know that collaboration is a must to being successful as a teacher. I know that I need to really be excited about what I'm teaching so that my students can at least pay attention while I'm trying to teach something. And I need to let them know that I'm paying attention...when their heads are down, when they're sleeping, when they're plagiarizing, when they're confused...

It's been a good semester...and although I wish I could do it over again (the teaching of this class, not the other things), I'm satisfied with the effort I gave and the things that I learned. And I know I am a better teacher because of it!

11/24/08

So this is the only class that we have for the week. After talking with Kate before class, I was beginning to wonder how many students would show up...because it was snowing like crazy, and because this is the only class this week.

My wonderings were confirmed when I got to the classroom and there were only a few people and only a few more showed up before class time. However, to my surprise, almost everyone showed up by about 12:10!

I began class by collecting the remaining Project 4 letters that still needed to be mailed and/or graded. I'm still missing some. I need to make sure I get them all.

I then collected all of the journals the students had done so far so that I could give the students some feedback on them before they turned the final MGP in the upcoming Wednesday.

The last thing I collected was the 2 pt. genre so that I could get a glimpse of what students were working on and also give them credit for getting them done on time. I had a few really good pieces and some that desperately needed more time and effort. I am, however, excited to see all of the pieces put together.

I also explained to the class that I would be sending out a copy of one of their classmate's journals that was done really well so that they could get an idea of what I was looking for. This student actually emailed me a few days later thanking me for valuing his work and sharing it with the class. I think this sharing of their work is good because it really shows them where they are in the process of their studies and is an informal way of publishing work...

This was a great lead in to the last journal they would do about their genres. I really tried to get them to share with me and whoever else would be reading their project, what their projects really reveal about them at one of the stages of their life.

After this, I passed out blank notecards and had them all define for me (on one side) what they thought revision is and what editing is. I asked them to clarify the difference between the two and tell me if there was a difference. On the other side of the card, I had them tell me what they still want to work on in class, what they learned from the class, things they liked about the class...stuff like that. After they were finished, I shared with them some of the definitions they came up with. I was surprised to see how many of them were in agreement and how they had chosen definitions opposite of what I did, however, after reading what they thought, I think I would tend to agree with them rather than myself.

For our grammar and revision practice today, I had seven students write on the board and the rest in their seats on notebook paper about their MGP projects. I asked them to try to use commas, a semi-colon if they remembered the rule, and a homonym or homophone if they could. After a slight moment of confusion and frustration, they all got started and wrote for me a good little chunck of writing. When they were finished, I read the writing on the board and had the students tell me how they would fix the errors that were present. Most of the errors were with commas & semi-colon usage; there were no issues with homonyms or homophones! This activity seemed to work well. The students, although hesitant to participate, did well with the writing and correcting. I think it modeled to them how easy it is to make mistakes (there was only one student who didn't have any errors) and how easy it is to correct them. I hope to use this activity more.

For a final finale to the chalkboard activity, I shared with the students a few examples from their work of sentence combining, word choice, and tone. Although this seemed to be a little much for the day, because I only used 2 examples and let them rest a little, I think they got the point. It was a good learning moment and, I think, showed them a little more how to revise a work without necessarily worrying about mechanics and grammar...

Before our final activity, I made sure they were all on the right track to having their work done for Monday. We revisited the schedule and made the necessary additions.

We ended class with a peer review of all the pieces they have done so far...this was a great lead in to writing studio as well.

11/19/08

The students were really chatty today at the beginning of class. I think they were a little worried about the water contamination from the water line break from the day before and a little confused on the regulations. We took a minute to talk about that.

I then had them pull out their revised letters and envelopes so I could glance through them and send them out. A lot of them had forgotten and I reminded them that they needed them for the next class. I'll send out a reminder, too, so they don't forget.

I then collected their second journal about the 3 pt. genre and their draft of their 1 pt. genre. It was good to glance through them and get an idea of where they were going with all of their work. While I was skimming through all of this stuff, I had them write their journal 3. They had to tell me the process they completed to make their one point genre. I asked them to start with the picking of the genre and to end with what they still needed to do before it would be ready for their final cohesive piece.

I then had them share, if they wanted, what they did for their 1 pt. genres. A few shared about the announcements they made or the thank-you letters they wrote. I was really glad they were proud of what they did. I also used this time to answer any questions or concerns they had so far with the project. I had a few students ask about how much revision would be required for certain artistic pieces. I reminded them that each genre needed to have enough length to truly tell their audience about a certain part of their life (past, present, future). This seemed to be a good reminder and challenge for some.

In order to transition into our grammar lesson for the day, I handed back Project 3 to the students who had it finished completely and gave the students who didn't, the materials they needed to finish (a lot of them didn't turn in a reflection because they were absent). I then talked with them about commas and semi-colons because they struggle with them. I handed out the comma explanation first and read through that with them quickly. I had a lot of people who weren't paying attention, and some falling asleep. It was hard to really gauge if they were learning anything at all. I then handed out the semi-colon sheet and explained to them briefly how the semi-colon is used. Again, it was a struggle to keep them focused, but I think most of them understood the gist. I did have one student who didn't get the difference between the use of the two and that gave me a good chance to reiterate for them the differences.

We finished class with a workshop on their 2 pt. genre. I explained to them what their homework would be and who needed to stay for consults. This gave the students who hadn't done their reflection for Project 3 a chance to get it done and hand it in, and also gave everyone else a few minutes to prepare for the work they needed to do over the weekend. I let everyone go a little early and got started with the indy consults.

Today I talked with the students who had consistent and troublesome grammar issues. I made sure that each one was aware of the problem and how to fix it. I tried to encourage them that they had done everything else right, but they just needed to work on their expression. I think most of them appreciated the help and saw the need for improvement. I was really pleased with their reactions and positive attitudes about using these pieces where they had the most struggles for their revision piece for Project 5.

11/17/08

I have been trying to start class about 1 minute late so the straglers don't miss anything...which I have been frustrated with.

I usually begin class collecting what the students had to complete for this day of class so that I can give them credit and get an idea of where they're headed with their work. Today I gave them credit for having the first journal typed and collected the 3 pt. genre so I could get an idea of the length of their work and how they did picking their own genres. Some of the drafts were really impressive (5+ pages for an autobiography of the past) while others were pretty minimal (1 page autobiography with a great intro and barely any extra insight into the boy's life).

I then had them write their second journal for P5 in which I asked them to tell me what they were trying to portray to their audience about themselves, what they did well with that goal, and what still needed work. Skimming through them today, I got the idea that they weren't really thinking much about their work and just gave a very general answer to my questions.

When they were finished writing, I showed them the variety of their work for the 3 pt. and asked them to share with me their repetend ideas. Only one student had actually worked on hers and had them almost ready. She came up and showed the class the pictures she had chosen and explained her theme of using pictures of rooms from her lifetime (baby room, dorm room, future home). I had others just tell me their basic idea. I stressed to them that it was important for them to come up with the ideas now and work on gathering the stuff they needed over the next 2 weeks.

The rest of class after this was spent working on the 1 pt. genre with a little Spanish music in the background. During this time I corrected students' work and answered questions. Many of the students stayed on task and some even finished what they were doing and only had to go home and polish it up.

At the very end of class, I reminded students to look at their schedules and to add in that they needed to revise Project 4 (letters) for class on Wednesday so that we could send them out with some confidence.

I left after this so that they could work with their studio consultants on their 3 pts. and journals.

11/12/08

First thing today I collected the students works cited for Project 3. I only had 2 students complete them correctly for their final copy. I had a few others that did them wrong and made sure I explained to them how to complete them correctly.

I then collected their proposals for Project 5 in which they told me about their plans for each of their genres and their repetends. They were also given the chance to ask any questions about the project. I had one good question about grading. The student wanted to know if I would be grading them on creativity or following the format of the genre. I explained that it would be a mix of both.

Instead of having the students do a viewpoint about something random, I explained to them that for the next few weeks they would be journaling about their progress in Project 5 and that their journals would become their notes pages for their final project. They seemed to think this was a great idea (less work for them). Their prompt for the journal was to tell me how they're feeling about Project 5 after having completed their proposals. I asked them what they are confident about and what they know they'll need help on.

I then had the class pull out the schedule I gave them during the last class and we filled in the squares with how the project would progress so they would have no excuses about getting their work done. They seemed to think this was a good idea, too. I was hoping it would help them stay more organized.

We finished the day be looking at the genres that they wanted to do for their 3 pt. genre. Many had already changed their minds, but were still a little confused, so I took this time to answer questions and help each one get an idea of where he or she was going with the project.

I ended class by having them do the instructor evaluations. I prefaced it with a reminder about the projects we had done and told them to write comments for me on the back because I really value their feedback. I knew that some still wouldn't write anything, but I also knew that some would. By the amount of time they stayed in the room, I know at least a few did (which was encouraging).

I then came back to the room after they were finished (one of the students came down the hall to get me) and worked on a few things with some of the students.

11/10/08

Today was really a mix of good, bad, and otherwise.

I started class today by showing the students the magazine that I had published of their second project. They thought it was pretty cool and 2 of my students requested a copy!

I then asked them why they didn't do works cited pages on Project 3 and why no one emailed me one in response to my email. I gave them until Wednesday to fix them if they did them completely wrong and to do one if they didn't have it. I made sure I wrote this on the board, too.

I then had them write their reflection for Project 4. Instead of handing out a sheet with the prompt on it, I made an overhead with four separate questions. The first one asked them to reflect on what they've learned about genres. The second asked them to specifically give examples of how they used pathos, ethos, and logos in their letter. The third one asked them whether or not they would actually be convinced to make a change about something on campus and if they were comfortable sending their letters. The final question asked them to tell their goals for the final project, their struggles, the things they're faking, and the things that they're good at that they want others to see. This was probably the longest reflection I've done with them and I can't wait to see their responses.

I then collected their projects and most of them had not prepared them at all. They all were digging in their folders for all of the pieces and most didn't have a way to keep their work together when I had specifically put that on the checklist from the last class. I emphasized to them how important it is to read the things that I hand out!!!

To change the pace again and to stress one more time the importance of the writing process, I had the students work with playdough. I had each student come to the front and grab their own can of playdough. For the first round, I had them form an animal. They had 4 10 second intervals. I questioned them after each interval how they felt about their work. Each time they felt better about it. I then asked them, after the 4 intervals, why we did the exercise. One girl immediately said that we were practicing revision. I agreed with her.

I then had them break the playdough into two pieces and had them work on each piece for 2 10 minute intervals. I then used this to transition them into Project 5 which I called the Campus Chameleon. I explained to them that we would be working on 3 different genres and also revision of a previous project. I had them figure out what genres they were interested in and give me a list so I could prepare examples for them for the next class when we actually get started on them.

We ended the class by looking at the examples from Dr. Baer's class and answering questions.

Overall, I felt like things went well. I think the students have a good grip on Project 5 and I'm hoping that from now until Wednesday they will come up with some fun ideas and get at least a little excited.

Plus, today Maggie announced her idea to make the notes page be a typed version of the students' journals from each day of the project. I plan on stealing this idea.

11/5/08

So I thought that since I didn't have class today, I should take some time to reflect on how English 1000 is going beyond just the actual class time.

One thing that I have really been thinking a lot about is grading. I have realized that grading is much more complex than I previously thought. Knowing your students well can affect the way that you look at their work....I'm definitely guilty of thinking about what a student wrote and what they're capable of, instead of just looking at the work. Plus I don't really want to fail anyone if I don't have to, so I think I'm too nice quite a bit.

I've also realized taht grading is about way more than giving a grade. It's about finding the best ways to let students know how they're doing and where they need to be headed in order for their work to be acceptable in their college career. I know my first rubric was too broad and my second wasn't tailored enough for my students.

Another thing I realized is that I have been too easy on my students with late work and I think that has affected their process work. I don't think that I am harsh enough and have a good enough policy to keep them on track. I should be more brutal about taking away points and not counting work that wasn't turned in on time. This, however, should have been something that I started at the beginning of the semester. I think the worst part about grading for English 1000 is that the students only pass or fail. In my attempt to start taking away the focus on grades, I think I lost many students because they don't understand the grades they're getting right now nor do they see the importance of making their work better.

One thing that I have realized I am not as prepared to teach is grammar. I wasn't able to take the teaching grammar class and I struggle to find ways to teach grammar mini-lessons that are effective and implement Best Practices. I know that I've seen the importance of teaching grammar, because I am a grammar guru of sorts, but I don't think I passed on to my students just how important grammar is in their work, especially when they are turning in a final draft that needs to be polished and professional. One idea that I've had, thinking about taking English 479, is how important it is for students work to be published. It has made me wonder how I can or the program could foster this more. I love the current project we're working on in which the students write a letter to someone on campus about an issue that they have. I hope that it encourages them to work really hard.

One final thing that I really wish I would have worked on is genre. I've given my students tons of style guides and sample pieces of the genres that we've done and because of their laziness, they haven't read them, nor have they followed them. They just do what they think will pass and leave it at that. I think that I could have worked more on reading to them what they genre sounds like and also reading with them so they can actually hear themselves reading something in the genre that we're working on.

If only laziness weren't such an issue.....

11/03/08 - The Shock and Awe Day

Today class went really well...at least I thought so.

I started class by talking with my students about the organization activity we did the previous Wednesday and asked them what they learned from that activity, if anything. Many said they thought that they got the point and that it was effective for helping them understand the importance of organization. One student was honest and said he didn't learn anything while another told me that he thought it would have been better if I had typed out the information myself so that there weren't holes where the pictures were. I had to make sure I took note of all of this. It's good to encourage students to reflect and let them tell you what they thought.

The next thing I did was give them back their Project 2s. I had them read over the comments and ask me any questions I had. This also was good. Some students finally asked me what certain comments that I made meant.

I followed that activity by handing out the rubric for Project 3 so that they could all see what they would be graded on. I asked them if they thought it was fair and they all agreed that it was.

Finally, I had them write their reflection for Project 3 so that we could wrap that up. The students were very focused for this and many took a little longer this time than they normally do for the reflection. I can't wait to read them!

With project 3 finished and handed in, I moved on a new topic. I told the students that there were some crazy errors on Project 2 and that we needed to look at a few of them. Before looking at their errors or even learning and clarifying a few things, I handed out the Spell Checking Poem. I had one of the students read it and then I told them that the poem had made it through the computer spell check. They couldn't believe it. They thought that was crazy. I then took this opportunity to tell them about some of the things that probably made it past spell check in their papers, particulary homonyms and homophones. I asked them to write down for me several words after I gave them a description of the word and the context in which it could be used. These words included: wont and won't, they're their and there, etc. The student were shocked taht they made these errors. When we were finished talking about those words, I gave them a handout with the list of words that can easily be confused so they could remind themselves and have a reference if they ever got confused. I ended this grammar time with 2 overheads of errors they made on Project 2. I had at least 2 sentences from each student and we looked at most of the examples. Again they were shocked at what they did. I think it was an effective way to get them to pay more attention in their writing.

The final thing we did in class was a peer review of their rough draft letter for Project 4. The students had a sheet to fill out with a partner and I gave them instructions. Again, they were very focused and did well. I had four students that didn't do a rough draft and I had them all come up to the front to chat with me. I talked with them about their topics and had each one begin a rough draft in their own handwriting.

I ended class by handing out the checklist for Project 4 and reminded them that it was due.

They then all hung around for Writing Studio where they did a read around of their letters and talked about things they needed to do.

10/29/08

After I took attendance, I reminded the students that the Writing Process is about text, not pictures and formatting. They all thought this was a good clarification. I also told them that I would have Project 2 back to them on Monday and that Project 3 had to be ready so that they could pull P2 out and put P3 in.

I then collected their 3rd drafts, their proposals, and the last 2 Viewpoints that I had them write about the Archives and the Writing Process so I could really see what they wrote. While I gave them credit and skimmed through their 3rd drafts, they had to write me a persuasive letter about why I should let them have a day off on Wednesday of the upcoming week. I told them they had to use at least 3 of the persuasive styles.

I then introduced my students to an activity about organizing a paper. I had three different historical feature articles that were cut up by paragraph and mixed up. Students had to put the paper back together in whatever manner they thought made the most sense. They then had to reflect on what they learned from the activity and then look at the organization of their own papers. The students seemed to like the activity and did fairly well, however I think all of them had at least one or two paragraphs in the wrong place.

At this point, we were almost out of time. I reminded students about their homework. They had to finish project 2 and have it ready to turn in on Monday. They also had to write a draft of their complaint letter to someone on campus.

At the end of class, instead of doing my normal individual consults, I did consults with all of the students for a kind of midterm checkup. Basically, I just quickly gave them an update on their attendance, their participation, and their "grade." The students complained a little, but I thought it was a good way to make sure that they all knew where they stood in my class and where they need to be to finish.

Overall, it was a good day. I felt like we should have moved a little faster, but I think the students also enjoyed having a little slower day. Plus, I felt good when I left, which always signals to me that I had a pretty good day.

10/27/08

I was missing a good amount of students today; I only had 11 out 17. Pretty disappointing. Everyone keeps telling me it was the nasty weather....which if it was, is a really sad excuse. We live in Michigan! It's always crazy weather and it's not like it's snowing yet.

Anyways, I started class by confessing to the class that the transitions exercise that I did on Wednesday of last week wasn't very good, but that the words and the idea are really important.

I then collected the students second drafts of Project 3 and their ranked list of ideas for Project 4. I had 9 drafts from the 11 students and only 3 ranked lists!! I told them I was pretty disappointed.

While I put marked their work for credit, I had them write a Viewpoint about why they don't complete the writing process. They had to tell me if they see the importance of the process, what they struggle with and why. I reminded them that I want honest answers.

After they were done writing, I handed back their draft and lists, and we started talking about the Viewpoint. I was pretty shocked at their honesty. Many of them told me that they didn't complete the process because they're lazy, don't want to go to the lab to print out their work, and other things like that. It was really disappointing and frustrating. I forgot to collect the Viewpoint today, but made note to collect it during the next class.

One other thing that I did with my students was introduce a new policy. I told them that they needed to highlight or underline any and all changes from one draft to another. I told them that I didn't have time to constantly be looking to see if they changed things from one draft to another and that they need to be aware or their changes, too. I gave them a few minutes to mark changes to this draft so that they could practice doing that.

I then moved the discussion to the problem of plagiarism. I had several students in their drafts obviously copy and paste information from the internet. In order to combat that, I used a handout that Maggie had made about tips to avoid it and also an example from the writing handbook that shows students how different their work needs to be from their source if they decide not to actually quote their source. We then talked about this...mostly I was talking about what I've seen and told them that I am not stupid and catch it when they do. The whole conversation/lecture was pretty somber, but I think they got the point.

In order to change the mood of the class and continue our work on Project 4, I introduced the class to the three styles of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos. I had the students take notes on their meanings and ask any questions. Then, I split them into 3 groups and they had to read an opinion paper from the Kalamazoo Gazette out loud with their group and decide which styles were used and find specific examples. When they were all finished they had to share with the class how their writer proposed to solve the problem that the 3 articles discussed and then tell which styles were used and what the specific example was. Each student had to say at least one thing. This went well but we just about ran out of time because the studio consultants arrived.

I quickly wrapped up the activity by handing out the proposals for Project 4 and gave the homework for Project 3. The students then got to munch on Halloween cookies I had bought for them and take a few minutes to chill before the other class came to join us for the editorial board review.

Once the other class arrived, Kate and I had the students line up and were given a partner from the other class and a peer review sheet that they needed to fill out with their peer. After they were finished, they were able to leave.

Overall, I think it went well. The consultants and I had to definitely keep the students on track, make sure they were following directions, and guide them through when they got stuck, but they all left with basically a rubric filled out about their work.

10/22/08

So after some disappointing attendance for the Archives Field Trip, I was hoping today would be good. However, I need to learn that one bad day can sometimes lead to another not-so-good day.

Yet, even in these mediocre and slightly disappointing days, it is important to focus on the good things. Even though several students didn't show up for the Archives Field Trip, many of them did get my email and listened to the reminder at the Archives about having their rough drafts done for today. While they weren't very exciting (they were short and shallow), at least they had gotten started. I collected the drafts for credit and skimmed them over while the students wrote the Viewpoint about their experience at the Archives. I asked them what their opinion of it was, if they found anything good, what they didn't like and if they would return. Although our post-Viewpoint discussion was pretty bland, I got a few good responses.

I passed back the rough drafts and we talked about how they felt about writing the rough drafts. Again, they were pretty quiet, but a few people shared their feelings. I then handed them an example of what I want their articles to look like from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum's Museography magazine.

I then tried to engage my students in a short discussion and analysis of transition words. I had handed out a little sheet with transition words on it and asked the students to use those in this article to help it flow. However, after doing this, I realized that many of them may not know how to use them. So I had them pull the sheet out and we talked about how to use them, what they mean (definitions), and then pulled an example from one of the students papers to try to help her fix the flow. The example was challenging. The students didn't want to participate at first, but after some nudging, really started thinking and decided they didn't think we could fix the problem with just the two sentences.

Because I was running our of time, we decided to end our discussion by saying that we really need to work with all of the text in order for the words to be useful. I quickly had them brainstorm some ideas about issues they have with Western. After they talked with each other for a few moments, we listed their ideas on the board and talked about which ones would work (change could actually happen) and which ones were unreasonable.

Their homework was to go home and come up with a ranked list of things they wanted to complain about. They also had to continue their research and write their second draft for Project 3.

The only thing I wished I had planned better for and been more alert during was the mini-lesson on transition words. I think that I should have picked another example or had one picked before class. I did apoligize to the students the following Monday for the flop of a mini-lesson that it turned out to be and yet stressed to them the importance of these words. To my amazement, I actually had one of my students use the word moreover in his third draft!

After class time, Kate and I had a combined writing studio. Since many of her students didn't have drafts done, we just split them into groups and talked with them about their feelings, organizing their papers, and different strategies they can use when working on articles like the ones they were required to write. Pretty short studio, but at least we talked over a few things.

10/20/08

So I took my class to the archives in East Hall today for their WMU History Excavation Project. I had them meet me in the classroom at noon and we left at about 2 minutes after the hour and walked all the way up there. I had a few students complain, but we made it in about half an hour which gave us plenty of time to explore the archives and find the information they needed. Sharon, the lady who helped us coordinate this field trip, found a bunch of information for the kids before we got there and all they had to do was wait for us to bring it to them. Plus they were able to copy the information they wanted to use so that they could read more later and use some of the awesome pictures they found. It truly was a cool experience and many of my kids got really into it.

The only thing I realized that I should have done was to communicate better with Kate, my teaching partner, and Sharon, the lady at the archives. I had told them we would be there at 12:15 and we didn't arrive until 12:30.

10/15/08

Good indy consults are always a great way to end class and make me feel like I had a better class than I really may have had.

Today in class, I started out right away by going through the materials that they each needed to have in their folders. They had a checklist from Monday, but I had a lot of materials missing and added for Project 1, so I decided to do a quick check with all of them. They definitely need to get themselves a little more organized.

We finished up Project 2 with the in-class reflection. This time I had them tell me what they thought their grade should be and to make an argument for that grade. This seemed like a good prompt. Each one wrote as much or more than I asked in a short amount of time. I'm not sure if I'll agree with them all, but it should be interesting. When they were finished, I had them put it in their folder and hand them in. Only 2 were missing (1 from an absence, 1 from a student whose computer was stolen).

With Project 2 done, we jumped right back into project 3. I had the students give me their topics and a student volunteer wrote them on the board for me so I could keep my own record of the topics. A few students wanted to do the same topic, but I encouraged them to find another. Each one did and I think they were ok with that.

I then began to prepare them for the archives visit with a KWL. I handed out the worksheet so they could follow along and we talked about what a KWL is. Then we chose a topic for the class (Waldo Library which morphed into Waldo himself) and filled out the sheet on the board. This took a little prodding, but we came up with a long list of what we know and a some good things that we wanted to learn. With JB's help, we also were able to fill in a few things we learned. Overall, this went really well.

I then had them fill out the KWL for their topic. Each student had a fairly good list of things they knew and things they wanted to know. I then had them share with the people around them to see if they could get any more ideas. A few students didn't want to participate, but I think I got them to at least share with one person a few things.

Next, we looked at an MLA handout that Randall made for English 1000. It was to help students identify what information they needed to get when they find good information at the archives. I quickly went through the most common ones they would use and asked for any questions.

Our final activity of the day was a quick lesson on introductions. I tried to talk with students about them before, but we didn't get very far. Today I think we came up with some good ideas as a class. I had them pull out the examples of feature articles I had given them the last class and had a few students read the intros to their articles. We then talked about whether or not we thought the intros were effective and why. As always, it took some work for them to go deeper than "it's boring," but we eventually got there.

Here are a few of the things they came up with:
An interesting intro begins with an eye-catching picture, thought-provoking quote, engaging story (maybe even a story that has some missing information, like who the person in the story is), or a question. Intros should be easy to read (no long complicated research-filled sentences) and should include some good detail, but not too much. In contrast, they decided that a boring intro is one that jumps right into research and is hard to read.

I think I'll make a sheet with these characteristics on it for them to refer to as they work and for us to use when we look at each other's intros.

Finally, indy consults went well. We looked at their goals and tried to decide if we were on track with accomplishing them and were able to talk about any concerns or attendance issues.

10/13/08

I feel like the middle of the semester is always so-so. Everyone is tired, the weather gets dreary, and it doesn't seem to matter what day it is, it's just kinda blah...

Yet, even in all of this, good things still happen. Today in class, after attendance, a reminder about my new policy, and the announcement of our Field Trip to the Archives coming up, I handed out the checklist for Project 2, which is due Wednesday, and checked to make sure my students had their third draft so I could give them credit and they could do a mini peer-review. For the mini peer-review, I had each student put one thing that they were struggling with that they wanted their reader to look at. Then they exchanged papers with a partner that I chose for them. This seemed to go well and it really didn't take long. I think it was a good last step in the process.

We then transitioned into Project 3 again with the Viewpoint. Today they needed to tell me about some of the things that they've wondered about Western. I gave them the example of the "W" by Waldo Library. They came up with some really good other ones, like the flyer columns, the big cement blocks that have steam coming out of them, the train car by BC.

I then had them talk about the topics they came up with. We talked about what makes a topic good (depth, specificity, accessible for research) and then they each ranked their own topics (top 5). I think the ranking was good for them, but they didn't really want to participate in the discussion for this much (especially in any depth). I then collected these so I could give them credit and get an idea of the topics they had chosen.

Finally, I put them in groups (5 of them) so that we could look at the genre of a feature article. Kate had given me some great examples to use. Each group had a different article and was responsible for reading through it and then making a poster about what they think the genre of a feature article is. I gave them a list of questions to consider and then four key areas to touch on. This activity kinda seemed to flop a little bit. They refused to think beyond the context of the story and to really look at the genre. I definitely think we're going to need to talk about the genre some more.

Besides the students refusing to think beyond surface level, the only thing about today that I didn't like was that I really needed to rush through everything. I wish we would have had more time to reflect on the genre and their topics.

"You were so late you missed the late speech" - 10/8/08

I really felt like I went in to class today with a much better attitude than Monday and it really helped. I think the students knew it, too.

I began class today by handing back their viewpoints from the last two weeks and also the 7 rough drafts that were turned in the last class. Most of them were really good. I then gave a short speech on being late. I've had a problem with students walking in as late as 10 or 15 minutes. I also told them that I capped their absences at 6. I think I got the message accross in the right manner. I concluded this part of the class by collecting the second drafts so I could give the students credit for having them done.

Next, I had them do their viewpoint. Today they had to tell me either why they do their homework or why they don't, and then I had them tell me their feelings about turning in Project 2 on Monday because technically we were a day behind the entire project. I ended up handing back the late students work during this time and tried to hurridly mark who had their second draft done and who didn't. I was proud of them because they all had a second draft!!! Although their lateness did really annoy me...

After a brief few moments of sharing about the viewpoint - during which time one of my students said that she does her work for my class because she knows if she doesn't, then she has to catch up (that's just what I wanted to hear!) - I made the executive decision that they would turn in their final drafts on Wednesday so they could have adequate time to incorporate changes from peer review and gather all of their process materials.

I then handed out a sheet of brushstrokes that they could use in their papers to improve their sentence structure and also add more creativity into their papers. I quickly went through the sheet with them and then had them practice on the back. We quickly shared a few of those. Almost all of them were able to come up with three examples out of the four and every student had at least one.

Next, I split had them split up into "expert" groups. Each corner had a group: grammar gurus, format fiends, quizical questioners, and creatity catalysts. I then evened out the groups and then had them split into another group in which they had one expert from each section and do a mini, fast paced peer review in which they only focused on their area of expertise. This seemed to go well and I was able to speed them up a little during each round. (We did four rounds so that they would have comments from each expert).

For the final part of the class, I gave a brief description of Project 3 and then handed out the assignment that they needed to do along with revising their second drafts which was to brainstorm ideas for P3.

I ended the class with the late speech again and a reminder of my policy of 6 total. Then I made sure that those who were late picked up the handouts they missed and I chatted with the late students. (I made sure I shut the door during this time which was good because when my late students came in, the door squeaked loudly and made their presence known).

I then went straight to my consultation time. I decided to do individuals this round so that I could speak with each student about his or her work and behavior in class. This turned out really well because many of them had questions that they otherwise wouldn't have asked and also gave me a chance to praise them for the things that they are good at. For two of my boys, who typically do the bare minimum, I was able to tell them that they were improving their work a lot and really give them good feedback. They both left class with huge smiles on their faces and THAT is what I like to see!

Overall a great day. The only things I would have changed would have been to keep the late speech for later in the class so I didn't have to waste time by repeating myself and also I would have watched the time a little better.

10/6/08

I started class today by handing pack Project 1. The students didn't seem too thrilled to get it back nor did they have any questions except about what the letters meant. I hope that the feedback I gave them was sufficient and will be considered.

I then had them write. I asked them to tell me what I could help them with as they write this article. While none of them wrote a lot, many of them shared at least one or two things that they wanted help on. I had one student who said she didn't think she needed help on anything and I told her that I expected her paper to therefore be exceptionally good. : ) After they wrote, I had them share with me what they wrote. Many of them didn't want to answer, but I was able to get a few responses.

Next I gave them a quick reminder about being on time. I explained to them that it is frustrating to me to have to give directions two to four times because they are late. I think they understood...now I just hope they actually make a change.

I then passed out a sheet about punctuation that someone else who teaches English 1000 had come up with. It gave an example letter that had no punctuation and then two options after that for where the punctuation could go. As a class, I asked them to help me revise one of the examples so that it was not only more understandable, but also flowed better. This seemed like a challenging but helpful activity to them.

I then put up on the overhead words and phrases (editorial language) that should be used during peer review. I explained to them that they were too nice to each other during their peer review for project 1 and that we needed to step it up a notch and be more honest with each other. One student suggested that I keep the list on the overhead; I told her that is what I planned to do.

I then had those who had actually done their first draft pair up and fill out a peer review sheet for their partner. I gave them permission to write on each other's drafts, too, which they were really thrilled about. For those who didn't have a first draft, I had them look at the examples I had handed out last time and had them come up with the characteristics of a good introduction.

I concluded the class by having the one group share what they had learned about introductions and the other group share what they had learned from looking at each others papers. Finally, I gave them their homework, telling them that those who didn't do their first draft were still expected to have a second draft on Wednesday, with changes made from another person.

10/1/08

*Class today did not go as expected, but I keep reminding myself that good "stuff" still happened.

I began class as usual: taking attendance, collecting homework and putting up the viewpoint for the day. This week I focused their viewpoints on describing things. The viewpoint today: "You find an ancient, abandoned temple and inside there is a jewel encrusted box. Describe the temple, the box and its contents." After the students spent some time writing, I shared with them a few of the exceptional viewpoints from the last class that had exemplary (in the context of this class) descriptions. I then had them share the viewpoint for the day.

After this, we revisited our list of titles for the magazine we are currently working on. The previous list was long and we had voted on the titles we had come up with so far and decided to eliminate a few. I had asked them to come up with new ideas as homework and they didn't have any. No one wanted to talk, but after a little prodding, I finally had a few of them help eliminate further the ones we didn't want to use (least popular) and then decide what we would actually call our magazine. They decided that the magazine would be called the "Buckin' Bronco" and the tag line for the magazine would be "Saddle up and Survive" with the title of the issue being "Ways of Western." I was really proud of this...I hadn't anticipated all of the detail of the title, but I think they learned a lot about it and streched their idea of a title's importance.

To finish the class, I wanted them to look at different examples of National Geographic style articles and also survival guide articles. I had made copies of several examples and passed them out so the students would have them to use when they began their rough draft over the weekend. This is the part of class that didn't go very well. They pretty much refused to talk. I was able to get them to come up with the criteria for each style, but they wouldn't talk much after that.

One problem I need to address is tardiness. I've had one student come in over 10 minutes late the last two classes and several come in similarly late other classes. I asked this particular student to come talk to me and thought that she had forgotten when we finished with writing studio, but she ended up finding me. I asked her why she was late and she gave me lame excuses about problems with the buses. Kate said they were lame, too and that she was just playing me. Either way, Kate gave me some good ideas about how to deal with that. She said she always closes her door so that late comers are noticed because they cause a ruckus with the noise the door makes. I decided I would try that the next class.

One thing that was really cool today was that Kate and I combined our classes for writing studio. Kate and I participated as consultants and made sure that the students were in groups with other students who were writing about similar cultures. This seemed to go really well. The students had the chance to get ideas from one another and talk about any concerns they had. Plus it gave them a chance to get up and move around and get to know other students.

9/29/08

When I arrived at the classroom today, the same students who are always there early were waiting. They were quiet (it's Monday, so who wouldn't be). I got out what I needed for class and answered a few questions that came up right before the hour. At noon, I only had ten students out of my seventeen. A few trickled in as I talked and a few showed up much later....I don't know if I can take all of them showing up at such different times.

I started the class by asking them about their weekends. They seemed to like that. I always mean to do that, but usually forget because I want to get right into plans because we usually have a lot to do. I definitely want to keep asking them about life and give them a chance to let me know how they are.

I then gave them a little update on what happened with the email that I had showed them last week. They thought it was interesting and I could tell by their expressions that they understood why I share things like that with them. I definitely want to do more of that, too. They want to know how this stuff is relevant to their lives.

I then collected proposals and reminded them how important it is that they show up with their work done. I had at least two or three who came unprepared today. I told them they had to stay after and talk with me and they were accepting.

I then had them do the writing prompt. Today they had to write about discovering a new planet in which aliens had figured out how to live in peace and harmony with one another. I told them to describe what the planet looked like, what the aliens were like and what they missed about earth. When I asked them to share, I got a lot of sassy remarks and no volunteers. I called on a few people and they shared some interesting stuff. I wish they would have more fun with this. Hopefully I'll get some ideas. After reading through their responses after class, I realized that a lot of them had some fun stuff to share. I was laughing pretty hard with some of my fellow English 1000 instructors up in the office as I finished reading through them.

We then worked on coming up with a title for the magazine we will be making for our final product for Project 2. The students had forgotten to come up with titles, so we took a little time to brainstorm. I asked the students if they thought we should come up with a title today or if they wanted to wait. We decided to vote out the really bad ones and then come up with others for the upcoming class on Wednesday. I think the one that got the most votes was the "Bucking Bronco." There were a few other interesting ones. The students seemed to like the activity and I think I have some ideas for revisiting the topic on Wednesday...like giving them a little more direction on what a title should include so that the reader is captivated and knows what to expect.

We then looked at their proposals and what we thought they should include. Using that information, I handed out the worksheet that would be their homework that helps them prepare for doing interviews and conducting observations. I gave them examples of what I expected for how the sheet would be filled out and then an example of what they should do with the information once it was collected. Several will need a little more time because their cultures form on weekends, but overall I think we established the necessary communication about their individual needs. We also settled any issues on topics and I made sure that each student went home knowing whether or not their proposal was accepted and what they needed to do to make it work. I think they all have a good start.

That's basically how class went. I talked with the few students that needed help at the end of class (all of them stayed!) and we got everyones' situation figured out. I was really proud of them and excited to see that they are beginning to realize the need to work with me. Now I just need to get them to show up on time...

The Refreshing Day - 9/24/08

Today when I walked into class, several students were already there. Immediately they began asking me questions about a homework assignment that I had given them during the previous class. I was excited that they were trying, finally, to be on top of things. In my head I was thinking "It's about time!" I explained to them that they didn't need to freak out, but that I would explain my expectations when the rest of the class arrived.

Several students walked in late, but I got started right away even though some still weren't there because they have a tendency to be late. I would catch them up when they arrived.

I started class by putting an email up on the overhead that I had sent to one of my professors the previous day and wanted to show them because I thought it would be a great way to show them how our work in project 1 is relevant to other areas of our lives. The email had been sent to my SPED prof and was a mixture of a thank-you and a suggestion. I felt that it turned out well and read it to my students. Their eyes were glued on me as I read and I could see that this was a serious moment for them and one that they didn't want to miss. I explained my reasoning for sharing it with them and they seemed really grateful.

I then wanted to still their fears about project 1, so I handed out the checklist for process materials that I had them write down the class before and then I explained to them what the rubric would be like and how I would grade them. They seemed a little shocked that they wouldn't receive a grade, but accepted it nonetheless with no major issue.

Finally, we finished up project 1 with their reflection piece. I handed out the questions that I wanted them to answer on a sheet of paper and told them to write their responses there. Once they were finished, I had them put the reflection in the folder and collected project 1. One thing I wished I had done was to talk with them about their responses. We had a lot to accomplish and I forgot to talk about it. I think I may discuss it with them at another time or at least for project 2 reflection.

After the reflection, I gave them a little heads up about how important their attendance and preparation for class is. I wanted them to know that and to talk to me if they have any problems, either with organization or other.

We then transitioned into project 2. I had them divide into 2 groups: the men and the women. I then gave instructions to each group, asking them to come up with characteristics of the opposite sex. Immediately, they were having fun. I had a hard time keeping them quiet until we shared. I gave the guys the choice of whether or not they would go first. They decided to because they figured the girls would have a longer list. Right away the girls wanted to respond. I tried to keep their responses solely to giggles. I was impressed because the guys chose some really great works (like fickle). I then had the girls put their list on the board. The guys also wanted to respond, but I held them back as well. Once they were done writing, I asked them how they felt. Many of them said they didn't care, but I prodded them to go further. One girl said she wouldn't share this list with her boyfriend because it wasn't all true of him. We finally came to the conclusion that the words on the board were stereotypes.

I couldn't end the activity with that, so I asked them why I would have them talk about stereotypes. At first, they didn't know what to say. However, as we talked, they figured out that cultures and stereotypes often clash. What a moment. At that point they pulled out their homework and shared their ideas with one another. I had each student pick his or her top choice of culture to examine, gave a brief explanation of what project 2 would entail, and then had a student help me write the ideas on the board so that they wouldn't double up. We only had one issue and the students resolved it quickly.

I then handed out the proposal sheet, explained it, and then dismissed those who didn't have teacher consults.

Overall, the day went really well. I was excited to see their attentiveness to the way I started class and yet their enthusiasm for project 2. I wish that every class could be like today.

Teacher consults went well, too. The first group of 3 completed the goal sheet. They didn't want to share much, but were respectful with one another and each one came up with some good goals. Even my Japanese student had great responses and seemed confident to share. After completing the goal sheet, I asked them if they had any other things they wanted to talk about. One girl said she was struggling in math and another girl said she was in the same math class and had gotten a tutor to help her. I asked if she would help the other girl find a tutor and she agreed!

The second group was really honest in their sharing. This group consisted of one guys (who is very chatty) and two other girls (one outgoing, the other shy). They each had something different to say about their strengths, weaknesses, and values in writing and shared some of the same struggles. It was a very personal time, probably the most yet, but it was great to see how they each respected one another and me. I can't wait to see them all grow in the class.

I think you can now see why this day has a title...it truly was refreshing.

9/22/08

I was a little behind today getting myself prepared, so we started about a minute late. I began the class by showing the students the hand-in folder and having them write down the checklist of what they needed. I also added on to the project by having them send me their memo in an email with the flyer attached. I wanted to make sure they knew how to use their email and send attachments because I had a few of them that didn't know how to when I asked them to send me work that they "forgot" to bring to class.

We then made the rubric for project 1. I had them divided into 3 groups and they filled in a sheet of the top 5 things I should grade them on for the flyer and the memo. We then came together as a class and made the final decision for both and they all filled it in on their sheets. And thus ended project 1.

I then had them write for few minutes on what they thought culture was. We then formed our own definition of culture as a class and they all wrote it down. Next, they filled out a worksheet on what cultures they are a part of and we discussed their ideas. We then picked one as a class and talked about that culture more in depth. I had them answer a few questions that I had on an overhead. They chose to talk about the smokers on campus and thought it was pretty funny that I let them. We ended class with this discussion and I reminded them about homework.

They then got started in Writing Studio and I left.

Overall, I felt like the day went well. I should have printed out the checklist for project 1 materials, but forgot. Plus I need to remember to remind them about the homework before they leave. It is always on the board and I mention it once, but I need to remember to remind them at the end. I also think it would have been fun to show a clip of a movie or done an activity or something to get them engaged, however, I think I will do this for Wednesday.

9/17/08

Today I wasn't feeling very well (both physically and in preparedness for class), but a little chat with Kate helped me get my plans in order and gave me a chance to share some of my frustrations and concerns. Once again, we walked over to Dunbar together.

For the first time ever, my students didn't show up extremely early. I got the classroom setup and started class with a quick chat about how writing studio went. The students seemed really tired and didn't say a lot, but claimed it was helpful.

I then had them think about their writing processes. We came up with a short list as a class of what steps we could possibly have our writing processes. Then I had them list what steps they thought they took and then draw out their process. They were really self conscious about drawing, but I showed them my process and told them that they didn't need anything elaborate.

After that I had them close up our u-shape desk configuration into a circle and we did a cake-walk style peer review session. Basically, they had their original flyer and most recently revised flyer and memo. They put the three documents on their desks and then I had them stand up in front of the desk. I then passed around a sheet that had a section for praises, problems, and proposals that they had to set on their desk so others could leave them comments. Finally, I gave them a number and direction and then they would move to a new seat, sit down, and leave comments for their classmates.

We only were able to have three people look at each project, but the students had almost a full sheet of comments. We then had a quick discussion for the last five minutes on what really good things they saw in each others work, what problems they had, and what they could do to make their projects really good. They didn't have a lot to say, but what they did say was really good. As they left the class, I offered that I would review any of their work and only one student requested my help.

After the rest of the class left, I began my teacher consultations. I had them do the goal sheets like I did last week. They were a little less pumped about making goals than the group was last week, but they still worked with me and were honest about what they needed to work on. I am really proud of them for identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

9/15/08

Today I began class as usual. I stopped in Sprau to make copies and do last minute prep and then walked over to Dunbar. I got the classroom ready and myself ready.

I started class by handing back the Viewpoints from the last class that I had commented on and then had them begin on the next one, keeping in mind the comments I made on the one I just handed back. The prompt asked them to write a story using a set of random words, making sure that they included each word. Their responses were good, however they were reluctant to share.

We then moved on to more peer review. They were supposed to bring in their memos. I modeled the peer review with a student volunteer who acted as my partner in peer review. She read my memo and then she and her classmates told me how to fill in my peer review sheet. This worked pretty well, however I think that I should have had her bring up her memo and modeled the whole process, instead of just one side. I say this because they were all a little confused as to how to do the process when I had them get started.

After we were done doing the peer review, I had a few more minutes, so I asked if anyone still wanted help on their flyer revisions. I had only 2 students as for help. Together as a class, we gave the student tips. They seemed really appreciative.

I then ended my portion of class by reminding them of what the homework was and then introduced the writing studio consultants.

Overall, I felt like the class went well, other than my explanation of the peer review process. I definitely need to work on my modeling and make sure that I'm giving out clear directions.

9/10/08

I went in to class today, excited about my plans. I thought I had a great idea for peer review and had prepared some really helpful documents for memo writing, however nothing really went as planned. Several students came unprepared, no original flyer and no revised flyer. I think this is what threw me off. I ended up giving them a quick talk about my expectations and how my class isn't any different from any other class: any time anything is assigned, the work must be completed in full and brought into class the next day. I also emphasized that they must ask me questions when they are confused.

In spite of a few things going wrong, I felt like the day ended up going well. The students came up with good responses for the writing prompt (If you could eat a meal with any 3 people, alive or dead, what would you talk about and how would your guests respond to each other?) As I mentioned, they didn't do well with the peer review, but I know that each student that at least came prepared for class went home with a few comments with which they could revise their flyers. I also mentioned that the memo handouts weren't the best, but I know from walking around that almost every student left class with at least an idea of how to begin their memo and an example of format and a sheet with guidelines.

The most meaningful parts of the class for me were the times when a few students asked for help and clarification during class and also the discussions during teacher consultations. During class Nicole asked me how to drop and add a class and was really grateful for help. Another student asked me for help writing a paper for another class in response to a lecture. And my new student from Japan was really able to follow along today, despite being limited proficient in English and only had to clarify a few things.

What did I learn from today?
-I should have modeled the memo more. It would have been more effective than explaining the same thing three times, once to each small group.
-I should prepare explanations more so that I can communicate effectively.
-Keep creativity in mind when planning lessons (relevance and engagement).

New ideas:
-Have students write on the board, instead of always writing myself.
-Incorporate writing process into next consultations.

9/8/08

It's Monday and I'm excited to see the students again. Just like on the first day, many of them are really early and come in to chill until class starts, or at least that's what they think. I had them set the room up into groups and then I let them relax for a few minutes.

Today I began by having them fill out a flyer sheet for a bad flyer that I had from our planning week. The sheet asked them to identify the author, the audience, good and bad traits, etc. The students did well and identified both the really great things about the flyer and the horrible flaws that become apparent very quickly. I then had them review a packet of flyers that all advertised the same kinds of things and decide which flyer in the packet was really good and which flyer was really bad. They did really well with this, too. I even encouraged them to find bad traits in the good flyers so that they could see that even well thought-out flyers can still be better.

I used this activity to introduce them to the first project and had them look at their own flyers and decide, in a contest format, which flyers were the worst ever. The students seemed to enjoy this part of class, yet they struggled to come up with solid reasons and make decisions between two bad ones. I tried to support them in all of this.

First Day of Class - 9/3/08

I woke up this morning and wasn't feeling very well- not a great start to a first day of teaching, especially at college level. However, when I met Kate and some of the others in the office before class and made sure I had all of my copies and materials ready, not only was I feeling better, but I began to get really excited.

Kate and I walked over to Dunbar together and got our classrooms ready. I put the desks in a circle so that they would be ready for my icebreaker and put all of the necessary info on the board. The crazy thing was that I had students come in with me, ready for class, almost 20 minutes before class and once I was ready, it was just awkward to be in there with them - all of their faces fixed on me, waiting for instruction.

I started class by making sure the students knew what the CRN was for the class and having them all check to make sure they were in the right classroom. My plan was to take attendance with the icebreaker, but I ended up just doing it beforehand to put them all at ease. For the icebreaker, I had the students go around the circle, say their names, and something they liked or disliked that began with the same letter as their first name. Although it is kind of a lame activity, I prefaced it as that and explained that the purpose was for me to get to know all of their names right away. It worked well for me and I think the students were able to learn most of their classmates name too.

I then passed out the syllabus and highlighted some of the important information for them. I didn't want to read it to them, because they can read and I didn't want to bore them. Plus they can read it later to find out the info they need.

After that I had them get contact information from each other so they could contact each other with questions.

The writing prompt was the thing I was most excited about. I had the students choose one of two options:
1. Finish these thoughts: When I write, I ... I love to write when... Writing is a hassle if...
2. Share a writing memory, good or bad
I felt like a majority of the students were honest with me and with themselves, however they didn't go really deep. Some just took the chance to complain and gripe about me without even giving me a chance. I didn't let it bother me, though; I just laughed to myself.

The writing inventory was also one of the things I was excited about. We had done this as a staff in our meeting and I thought it was great. My students weren't quite as excited. At first, they were a little confused. This was a fault on my part. I didn't model for them very well what I meant. I noticed this quickly and tried to walk them through it a little. They ended up with a lot of good, but similar responses. I was surprised to find out many of them thought they were good at research papers and essays. The general concensus was that they were all good at communicating with technology...aka text messaging, facebook, email...

After filling out a student info sheet that was made to look like a facebook profile page, I ended the class. I felt pretty good about how the day went and hoped that I could really reach my students this semester. Each one seemed great to me. They were even a little chatty for the first day...which was good for me, because I wanted them to share and participate.

Planning Week

Going into Brown Hall the first day of our planning week, I couldn't believe I was actually going to be teaching college and I hoped that I was dressed appropriately and prepared, yet I knew that I was working for JB so I really didn't have to freak out.

When I got into our classroom, it was so refreshing and exciting to be reunited with my peers and fellow teachers. I knew right away that this would be the best teaching environment ever because I knew I would have a support team with me at all times.

As we got down to business, I still felt overwhelmed. I had a million things going on and now I had this to add on. However, the more we worked together, I realized yet again that I would always have the general plan given to me and I was free to do with it what I wanted.

On Friday, our last day of planning, we took time to reflect on the week and made goals for the semester. Here is my vision for the semester:

Already I’m overwhelmed. So much planning to do in the midst of preparing for my own semester of classes and trying to enjoy just a taste of Michigan summer (most of my summer was spent in Spain). Yet even in this overwhelming situation, I have joy and excitement. I have a great challenge ahead of me and I want to conquer it, bear through it, excel in it. I look forward to spending time with my laptop, some good music and a time of intense planning and prepping.

I see the freshmen in the plaza and I want to be ready to face them – not because I’m afraid of them, but because I want to get them excited for the journey ahead of them. I never thought I would like WMU so much, and I want them to go through the same experience of falling in love, not with a place, with a time of life – a time of newness, change, challenge.

I want to get them excited for life after college, too. I always wanted to grow up but dreaded the fact that I’d probably have to get a job and work hard, especially as I did get a job and then another – jobs I didn’t love and didn’t want to go to. However, being at Western has changed that for me. I have been preparing for a job I knew I wanted since I was little. A job that wove together all of the things I like to do and even a few I didn’t – but I’ve never been one to push away a challenge.

I want them to learn new things about themselves – things like their work ethic, their capabilities, the things they enjoy. For me, I learned that I could pursue learning Spanish, so much so that I would journey to another country and live there for a while. I learned that I could write, not just fix grammar – no, really write stuff that others would read and value, stuff that someday may work for change. I learned that I could understand more than I thought I could when I read – whether Spanish or English. Finally, I learned that I could balance school, life, friends, jobs, and not go crazy. Is it easy? Of course not! It’s hard and sometimes I want to scream, but it’s possible.

And I guess that’s what I’m trying to tell/remind myself of right now. Even in all of this craziness, I can succeed. I will need determination, focus, and to put in some hard work, but I can be a good, maybe even great, teacher to my students this fall, and I can do well in my own classes, while at the same time maintain my social life and have a little fun. Perfectionism may creep in, but I can shove it away because there is no such thing, only good work that is the result of hard work that comes from giving my best in a reasonable amount of time.

And what is that kind of work as far as English 1000 is considered? It is giving of myself and my time so that my students can grow and be challenged. It is taking time to listen to them talk and really read what they wrote. It is identifying struggles, offering solutions, and supporting them through the process. It is building trust that leads to friendship and community. It is reminding each student that he or she is valuable and capable. It is me being vulnerable with them so they can understand that none of us knows everything, can do everything, never messes up.

It is as the article, “Your Own Voice: Teaching Composition in an Age of Dissent” by Don Murray said, “The writer fails all the time, but he fails to succeed. He learns to shape the failure of his drafts into the successes of his final copy.”

This is my vision for this coming semester. Will it all happen? No. But can I strive for it? Yes. I must say I’m excited for the journey ahead; I only hope it doesn’t pass by too quickly.