So for the last few weeks I have been struggling to balance school, teaching and life and am finding that I am coming up short. As of yet, I haven't begun my new survey with my new set of students, but have been daily implementing a journal project where students write and share their thoughts, feelings, concerns and experiences. My goal in the journals is two-fold. First, it is to allow students to experience writing without judgment, correction or expectations. I want students to write without worrying about someone else reading them, and to be able to become comfortable sharing their thoughts and organizing them into words, sentences and understandable paragraphs. Second, I am implementing daily journaling in order to get to know my students better. It is a manner of formative assessment that provides me insight into the lives of my students so that I can better gear lessons to meet their needs. By reading and responding to their journals, they are also becoming acquainted with me as a teacher, finding similarities between us, and learning that I really do care about them and that I am not there merely to torture them with work.
Over these last two weeks, I have had a couple of big problems in my classroom. Since both of my ELD classes are new after Spring break, I have the 'new teacher' struggle all over again as students feel-out the playing field to see what they can get away with. In my 8th grade class I have a student who has a bitter relationship with his female writing teacher, and has seemed to associate the two of us with synonymous bitterness, being that we both teach writing skills. Therefore, since the beginning of class he has refused to do work, been creative in his excuses for being tardy to class, and has avoided any interaction with me as if his life depended upon it. Talking to him in person, his mentor teacher and using the journal as a means of communication from me to him has slowly encouraged him to participate and contribute to class again. Likewise, a 6th grade student who has been causing school-wide problems in school with refusal has blossomed through his journal writing and has given me a chance to get to know him outside of his poor reputation and attitude towards other required school work. Also, These journals have also been an opportunity for students to suggest improvement in the program, my teaching, the school, class scheduling, homework, etc.
Although I already knew this in theory, I have learned through the journaling process that students LOVE feedback. I collect the journals daily and respond to each journal entry weekly. This Monday students excitedly opened their journals and began reading over my notes. Some of them even responded to questions I wrote in reflection to their writing. They respond because they know I care about what they have to say because I take the time to really interact with them. I wish I could always do this, but I realize that as life gets busier in the future, I wont be able to respond each and every time so in depth. But, perhaps I will make this a prerogative at the beginning of every new teaching year in order to connect and delve into the lives of my students.
Most interestingly is that I have been very observant of students responses to journaling and have found that the students who appreciate the feedback write the most. Perhaps this is because I have fed their need for encouragement through the feedback? Perhaps they just are better with words and therefor appreciate them more?
Lastly, I have learned that students really care about what their teachers think of them. Sure, they play 'cool' and say that they don't care, but what and how we speak/comment on students' work is noticed and meaningful. In my math class I have taken the time to give feedback on student work to help direct them, probe them about their thinking, or applaud neat or thoughtful work. A student came up to me this week and thanked me for my comment. I almost said: "That's my job." But, instead I smiled in response, realizing that teaching is much more than a job, it's an opportunity to impact others.
Written words DO work wonders!
Next time I should have more hardcore data...the surveys begin again :)
-Amy
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