One Down, Three to go!

Hey guys!

So I just finished calculating and inputting first quarter grades and I am taking a few minutes to share some of my "wins" and "opportunities." Maybe you are feeling the same . . .

WINS: I genuinely feel much more confident and comfortable in my third year at NPHS. I enjoy both the content and the kids that I am teaching. For the most part my students seem to respond to what is going on in my classroom and I thoroughly enjoy the academic discussions that take place on a daily basis. My students demonstrate their enthusiasm through their ability to facilitate their own class discussions between one another and it is amazing as a teacher to sit back and listen to the dialogue that transpires. Overall, my students are putting forth the necessary effort to do well and I have far fewer failing grades than years prior!

OPPORTUNITIES: Though great things are going on in my classroom, I still find myself frustrated with certain facets of daily operations. My students have a very hard time adhering to my deadlines, and I seem to have a very hard time following through with strict consequences. Though I deduct points on late assignments, I find I accept assignments way too long after they are due. I struggle with turning away an assignment that a kid completes, but why should I read the paper or correct the project weeks after it is due? I also suffer from extreme procrastination when it comes to correcting papers and I want to become more timely in getting assignments back to my students so that they can learn and grow from the feedback.

I first call out my own faults, but I think it is unfair to place all the blame on me. My students need to meet me half way. After much reflection, I have decided that I am tired of chasing students who are absent and fail to make up work. I sometimes think I care more than they do. Their absenteeism and lack of drive to seek me out for missed notes and assignments has prompted me to build a new contraption in my class that will hopefully organize both myself and my students. It may seem basic but I recently built a shelving unit that will file notes and handouts away for my students for the current week. Students are being instructed to go to the shelves if they are absent rather than calling out 15 minutes into the class period to inform me that they "don't have this outline." Again, I struggled with this method because I feel as though I am enabling the students to not have to report to coaching night to discuss work that is missed and owed. However, I cannot physically make them report to coaching so if this filing system exists, hopefully I will suffer fewer headaches from the students who stop my lesson at various points to catch them up with the handouts they missed but did not feel was important enough to check on upon return to school.

I am excited for the start of 2nd quarter because I feel as though I want to make my classroom run more efficiently. This shelving system is the first step. I plan to begin next week by having a heart-to-heart with my classes redefining my expectations and both of our roles in their success. I cannot do it alone, just as they are not expected to do it alone. Therefore, I hope we can come to an agreement to work on our "opportunities" and have a productive and successful remainder of the year!!