During my stress relieving workout tonight, I glanced at the clock and found that it was 9pm already. Then as I rushed to squeeze in those last few exercises, I realized that I said "already" to myself. With LSU students all around me, I recalled college when it would reach 1am and I'd be with my friends on a Tuesday. At around this time, we would consider whether to go to sleep or continue with on with our night. It wasn't until we were bored or remembered we had an "early" class the next morning. Now, I'm trying to get into bed by 10:30 in order to get sufficient rest, or else I'm doomed to a day of failed lessons.
Things have changed drastically and we've swung from a life of bliss and little care to a life responsible for the future and well=being of already underprivileged students. Yet as challenging as it has been, I'm actually liking it now. The boys I've inherited have engraved their labels and reputations at Rosenwald Elementary (and for that matter, other schools they were expelled from), and I find myself really liking the new setting. These boys who have been deemed the rotten apples of the bunch have been handed off to me, and I think they like the respect I show them. Ms. Oliver, the student counselor I work with, and I have shown these four (and counting) boys a sense of equality and zero hostility. Because of that, behavior in our classroom -- and throughout the school -- has improved. They aren't scolded by other teachers and students which leaves them in a position to outwardly defend themselves. They are no longer looking over their shoulders wondering who's looking at them or judging them. With us, they look relaxed and calm.
Tyrese Bennett asked me as I took him to his Art class at the Centre For The Arts if I would adopt him. Mike Johnson apologized to me (perhaps for the first time his entire life) and is addressing me as Sir. Trey Johnson simply smiles (and growls) when he sees me. And Travis Derosan is simply the man.
I'll be getting more of the same type of students (boys of course), and I can't wait for the great moments we'll be having together. Already, Tyrese has tried to run away through the fire exit window and cut his lip in the process. Trey cussed out Ms. Kara. Tyrese and Mike almost fought and I had to restrain Tyrese for 20 minutes until our resource officer came to help. I've spent countless minutes, perhaps hours, talking Mike into coming back to class. And now I'm in the process of preparing 3 boys who are around 3 or 4 grades levels behind and 1 who is 1 level behind.
It's a grind, but I mine as well try to have fun with it. I think I'll be buying a FlipIt for when students have their outbursts to show you and have something to remember my boys by. Things they say and do are too priceless to miss. Because I have this type of bunch, things that come out of their mouth carry the same absurdity. It's normal to me now, but if you came into my class and saw Trey growling at me while Tyrese flashes out, you'd agree it's picture perfect.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Damn has it really been two months?!
I would first like to say that I'm ashamed for neglecting this blog for so long. A lot has happened since I last updated this blog, and during that time, I've come across more and more systemic issues that have made this experience more challenging, ya, but also more determined to do something about it.
For the November unit, I finally got on my game and formulated Thanksgiving themed projects which formed a cross-curricular approach which teachers loved. Kindergarten to 2nd grade created Thanksgiving place mats with scaffolded complexities, but still challenged the students to learn about the Plymouth colony, the Mayflower, pilgrims, hexagons & pentagons, complex patterns, and acrostic poetry ALL in one project. Grades 3-5 created Thanksgiving colonies, which turned out to be a huge success. The students were taught about map scaling, horizontal and vertical lines, point plotting on a map, map legend, the Plymouth colony, the Mayflower, the first Thanksgiving, the Compass Rose, cardinal directions, and how to operate a ruler (yes, several of them didn't know how to differentiate inches and centimeters, or even tell that twelve inches are in one foot). But in the end, they were able to cut out 1/2 inch thick lines and tell me where everything is on a map using their map legend.
Christmas was a little more laid back, but it gave me the chance to add some spirit to the school. To cheer up the aura of the school, I made a huge Christmas tree in the hallway and had students create ornaments based on the project we undertake. Kindergarten made Rudolph ornaments, 1-2 made Grinch ornaments, and 3-5 made ornaments based on the country they read about with different Christmas traditions than Americans. Once again, it was still a learning experience, but no where near as rigorous.
So that brings me to the next big thing -- I'm no longer an Art teacher. Well, technically I have one more week in it, but after this week, I'll be the new Special Education teacher/Interventionist at Rosenwald. Not only that, I'll be instructing the emotionally disturbed students (mainly boys).
No this is not a joke, and yes, perhaps I'm a little nuts. But this goes back to the challenge I face of confronting these systemic problems within Louisiana's education system. As much as I was able to accomplish in Art, it wasn't gratifying, and didn't give me any personal bond with the students. The only way to simplify the situation is with an analogy.
Suppose the students were like puppies and their primary teacher was their owner. Over a period of time, that respect and loyalty builds between the two, while, me, the Art teacher, is the guy who the puppies see now and again who gives them treats and pets them. Despite everything I can try to do for students in my 30 minutes per day, they would never see me as he nurturing figure who can play an integral role in the lives. For this reason, working as a special education teacher or interventionist will leave me with one small bunch who I can formulate a significant bond with.
So what if they're a little wild or angry, Papa Bear wants his group of cubs, and he's prepared for whatever they might try to pull. Rosenwald left me with little for Art, and I am leaving it with a replenished storage of supplies for the semester and beyond. I raised over $1150 during my time as an Art teacher, and I'm applying to earn $1500 more before I leave. Now as a substantial teacher, I'm ready for the next challenges and opportunities. Most of all, I look forward to finally having the opportunity to touch these kids' lives (something that few others have done for these boys).
For the November unit, I finally got on my game and formulated Thanksgiving themed projects which formed a cross-curricular approach which teachers loved. Kindergarten to 2nd grade created Thanksgiving place mats with scaffolded complexities, but still challenged the students to learn about the Plymouth colony, the Mayflower, pilgrims, hexagons & pentagons, complex patterns, and acrostic poetry ALL in one project. Grades 3-5 created Thanksgiving colonies, which turned out to be a huge success. The students were taught about map scaling, horizontal and vertical lines, point plotting on a map, map legend, the Plymouth colony, the Mayflower, the first Thanksgiving, the Compass Rose, cardinal directions, and how to operate a ruler (yes, several of them didn't know how to differentiate inches and centimeters, or even tell that twelve inches are in one foot). But in the end, they were able to cut out 1/2 inch thick lines and tell me where everything is on a map using their map legend.
Christmas was a little more laid back, but it gave me the chance to add some spirit to the school. To cheer up the aura of the school, I made a huge Christmas tree in the hallway and had students create ornaments based on the project we undertake. Kindergarten made Rudolph ornaments, 1-2 made Grinch ornaments, and 3-5 made ornaments based on the country they read about with different Christmas traditions than Americans. Once again, it was still a learning experience, but no where near as rigorous.
So that brings me to the next big thing -- I'm no longer an Art teacher. Well, technically I have one more week in it, but after this week, I'll be the new Special Education teacher/Interventionist at Rosenwald. Not only that, I'll be instructing the emotionally disturbed students (mainly boys).
No this is not a joke, and yes, perhaps I'm a little nuts. But this goes back to the challenge I face of confronting these systemic problems within Louisiana's education system. As much as I was able to accomplish in Art, it wasn't gratifying, and didn't give me any personal bond with the students. The only way to simplify the situation is with an analogy.
Suppose the students were like puppies and their primary teacher was their owner. Over a period of time, that respect and loyalty builds between the two, while, me, the Art teacher, is the guy who the puppies see now and again who gives them treats and pets them. Despite everything I can try to do for students in my 30 minutes per day, they would never see me as he nurturing figure who can play an integral role in the lives. For this reason, working as a special education teacher or interventionist will leave me with one small bunch who I can formulate a significant bond with.
So what if they're a little wild or angry, Papa Bear wants his group of cubs, and he's prepared for whatever they might try to pull. Rosenwald left me with little for Art, and I am leaving it with a replenished storage of supplies for the semester and beyond. I raised over $1150 during my time as an Art teacher, and I'm applying to earn $1500 more before I leave. Now as a substantial teacher, I'm ready for the next challenges and opportunities. Most of all, I look forward to finally having the opportunity to touch these kids' lives (something that few others have done for these boys).
Monday, November 1, 2010
Subtitute teaching is a dirty job: Part II
This one is silly.
The Friday before last I took off to plan my curriculum for the semester (fail). I gave the substitute enough to keep the kids plenty busy throughout each block. Granted, I didn't expect a great day, but I wasn't expecting what I walked into Monday morning.
When I got to my room, my door window was broken and door knob was completely broken to the point where it couldn't close. I immediately started interrogating students to find out which kid did it. Then I asked some students from down the hall, and they informed me that it wasn't any student -- it was the sub.
Out of a fit of rage, she apparently SLAMMED my door SO hard as the 9:00-9:30am 4th grade block left the room that it caused that damage! How she made it through the rest of the day, only God and the students following know...Poor thing. For the entire Monday, kids told me, "Man Mr. Ramirez, don't leave again. That lady was meeaan. YOU our art teacher."
To that I said softly, "Aww thank you. Now raise your hand if you want to speak."
The Friday before last I took off to plan my curriculum for the semester (fail). I gave the substitute enough to keep the kids plenty busy throughout each block. Granted, I didn't expect a great day, but I wasn't expecting what I walked into Monday morning.
When I got to my room, my door window was broken and door knob was completely broken to the point where it couldn't close. I immediately started interrogating students to find out which kid did it. Then I asked some students from down the hall, and they informed me that it wasn't any student -- it was the sub.
Out of a fit of rage, she apparently SLAMMED my door SO hard as the 9:00-9:30am 4th grade block left the room that it caused that damage! How she made it through the rest of the day, only God and the students following know...Poor thing. For the entire Monday, kids told me, "Man Mr. Ramirez, don't leave again. That lady was meeaan. YOU our art teacher."
To that I said softly, "Aww thank you. Now raise your hand if you want to speak."
Substitute teaching is a dirty job
This one I completely forgot about until recently.
So before getting hired at Rosenwald, I took a few subbing jobs. Let me first just say that if you ever meet someone who chooses substitute teaching as a mode of income or job, shake their hand immediately. As it is, students I've encountered have a very different mentality than what I'm used to. Commonly, the respect from students is given to you on the first day and it is up to you whether you maintain it or not. Here, it's different. Kids aren't scared when they're written up, put out, or sent to the office. You have to respect them and be on their asses constantly until they feel the security of your structure and work ethic to start respecting you. In other words, you have to work to gain their respect...It's admirable in a way, but not always easy for the teacher.
So this one day I walk into class. Teachers typically leave lesson plans for you to teach with and basically know what the hell you're doing that day...This one didn't. She left me the daily schedule and the textbooks. So instead of listing what story they're working on, what literary skills are being taught, and what math concepts they're doing for the week, I had a schedule telling me Reading 9:00-10:00, Spelling 10:00-10:45, Lunch 10:45-11:20, etc.
At around 7:45 the students started trickling in and then the teacher who I was subbing for walked in. We made small talk, and then she pointed to the desks of the "bad ones". Then she left me with some shocking words:
"Now let me tell you I've been teachin' for 24 yeauhs. I've taught in Mississippi, Alabama, New Ohleans after Katrina, and now here. And these kids (pauses to point to just about every kid in the room)...these kids is crack babies." Mind you this was within clear earshot of the kids. And it doesn't stop there...
"So what I do to keep em in line is I tell them I'll call my brother who's a cop and if they act up, he's going to come over here and arrest them. Plus I have a boyfriend who BRPD...You should be fine though."
When she said that I maintained the crossed arms and calmly nodded my head with scrunched eyebrows to express my disdain to the unfortunate situation. On the inside, I screamed, "Get the f*** out?!?! She did NOT just say that in front of the kids! And what am I supposed to do?? I don't have a love interest in the Baton Rouge Police Department!! O and what a great way to introduce my to your class..." Then the morning bell rang.
For the rest of the day this teacher's words orbited my head like birdies when a cartoon character gets hit with a frying pan. Kids cried because I didn't let them do what they wanted. These first graders screamed at each other, tried to fight or hit one another, teased one another like no other, would NOT stop talking, and showed every sign that this teacher did not have management of her class.
I ended up choosing to sub for that teacher again the next day. It didn't go much better but Rylacia did leave a sweet note on the teacher's desk for me at the end of the day:
"You are a real real nice teacher."
So before getting hired at Rosenwald, I took a few subbing jobs. Let me first just say that if you ever meet someone who chooses substitute teaching as a mode of income or job, shake their hand immediately. As it is, students I've encountered have a very different mentality than what I'm used to. Commonly, the respect from students is given to you on the first day and it is up to you whether you maintain it or not. Here, it's different. Kids aren't scared when they're written up, put out, or sent to the office. You have to respect them and be on their asses constantly until they feel the security of your structure and work ethic to start respecting you. In other words, you have to work to gain their respect...It's admirable in a way, but not always easy for the teacher.
So this one day I walk into class. Teachers typically leave lesson plans for you to teach with and basically know what the hell you're doing that day...This one didn't. She left me the daily schedule and the textbooks. So instead of listing what story they're working on, what literary skills are being taught, and what math concepts they're doing for the week, I had a schedule telling me Reading 9:00-10:00, Spelling 10:00-10:45, Lunch 10:45-11:20, etc.
At around 7:45 the students started trickling in and then the teacher who I was subbing for walked in. We made small talk, and then she pointed to the desks of the "bad ones". Then she left me with some shocking words:
"Now let me tell you I've been teachin' for 24 yeauhs. I've taught in Mississippi, Alabama, New Ohleans after Katrina, and now here. And these kids (pauses to point to just about every kid in the room)...these kids is crack babies." Mind you this was within clear earshot of the kids. And it doesn't stop there...
"So what I do to keep em in line is I tell them I'll call my brother who's a cop and if they act up, he's going to come over here and arrest them. Plus I have a boyfriend who BRPD...You should be fine though."
When she said that I maintained the crossed arms and calmly nodded my head with scrunched eyebrows to express my disdain to the unfortunate situation. On the inside, I screamed, "Get the f*** out?!?! She did NOT just say that in front of the kids! And what am I supposed to do?? I don't have a love interest in the Baton Rouge Police Department!! O and what a great way to introduce my to your class..." Then the morning bell rang.
For the rest of the day this teacher's words orbited my head like birdies when a cartoon character gets hit with a frying pan. Kids cried because I didn't let them do what they wanted. These first graders screamed at each other, tried to fight or hit one another, teased one another like no other, would NOT stop talking, and showed every sign that this teacher did not have management of her class.
I ended up choosing to sub for that teacher again the next day. It didn't go much better but Rylacia did leave a sweet note on the teacher's desk for me at the end of the day:
"You are a real real nice teacher."
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Lesson #18 from a veteran:
Miss Dixon, a Kindergarten teacher pushing 70 told me after a rough day,
"You gotta get ghetto on these kids!"
...Solid words of wisdom.
"You gotta get ghetto on these kids!"
...Solid words of wisdom.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The flash out
A slang term that kids say a lot here when they get upset is that they are "flashin out". It takes a lot for me not to laugh when I see kids in this state, but it has quickly gotten old from its daily frequency. Every. Single. Day, there is one student during my class who loses his or her temper with another one of the kids, and disrupts my entire lesson. Considering my time with each class lasts only 30 minutes, it's tough to teach an effective lesson, regardless of whether students cooperate or not. For the past two weeks, it's hard to say I've done a good job because I exhaust so much valuable energy into the students, and I wish there was a more simple approach to this situation. Granted, there are a lot of things I need to improve in my demeanor towards the students, but in just two weeks, the aggression of the students has affected me. Especially tonight.
Today began at 4:30am as usual, with a good breakfast (eggs, cereal and a protein shake), and I was out the door to pick up Emma (another first year corps member) by 5:40am. We got out to New Roads, LA by 6:45am and started school at 8. Between 8am-3pm, I had twelve 30-minutes blocks with kindergarten through 5th grade. Today (Thursday), my one planning block of one hour has now become cluster meeting time (meant to improve teacher effectiveness). As a result, there is literally no break until dismissal.
So between 8-3, I had:
- Second grade girl who knocked her leg really hard because she was sitting improperly in her seat and tipped over onto her knee (1st block).
- Kindergarten boy who couldn't hold back his words and blurted out "I love you" to me while we were making a Color Wheel and going over both primary and secondary colors (5th block).
- Kindergarten girl who couldn't stay on task because she has a severe learning disability and is already two years underdeveloped (she's only 5) (6th block).
- Cluster meeting for an hour followed by two minutes to prepare for my 3rd graders who need absolute structure and organization in order to stay engaged. This requires preparation and some time...ya it crashed and burned when I had students start drawing a still life of a pumpkin and my pencils hadn't been sharpened (7th block).
- Verna Dixon's 4th grade came in with a cocky attitude and I forced them to practice walking into my classroom correctly, which did not make them any happier. Austin and Cameron, the ringleaders, felt more courageous than usual, and tested all of my limits. Austin called me a "____ass", it was hard to tell what he said, and Cameron drummed with his pencil , sang in my face while I talked, and made ugly facial expressions (8th).
- The other 4th grade class (Mr. Ben's) wasn't allowed by the PE teacher to get water before my class, which forced me to use my time to rehydrate the kids after they were in the heat for over 30 minutes. So we didn't do too much...(9th block).
- Ms. Smith's 1st graders came in ready for school to end, which led a group of 3-4 boys to walk into my classroom already acting like animals (10th block).
After school, I had to take care of hiring paperwork and planning for my substitute (I'm taking Friday off to formulate a comprehensive unit and semester plan). Then I had a community dinner at Ms. Sternberg's house until 8:30 and got home at around 9 to find Evan, Sean and Brent watching Always Sunny.
That's when I did something out of character. I had to print out work for my sub to give students and when I tried to print, the paper was out. Now last time it happened, Evan exhausted my entire ink cartridge. This time was the paper. But how I reacted was something really shocking. I cursed at Evan, basically verbally attacked him for not having common courtesy, and flat out verbally antagonized him. I even got to the point of saying "Ya, welcome to Pointe Coupee."
...What the hell?...What had gotten into me?
After two weeks, I sounded exactly like one of students. The social immersion at Rosenwald Elem. got the best of me tonight, proving to me just how weak my backbone is. I feel terrible for what I did because, just like the kids do, it was a gross exaggeration of the severity of the matter. The truth is that now I'm sitting here a little embarrassed. I said things that didn't sound like me and weren't me. I felt the same hostility of my students and suddenly took on a whole other attitude.
For ten minutes today, I wasn't Marco Ramirez, the Art teacher. I was Tyrese. I was Austin and Cameron. I was the boys in Ms. Smith's 1st grade class.
...I was the negative force that hinders these kids.
Today began at 4:30am as usual, with a good breakfast (eggs, cereal and a protein shake), and I was out the door to pick up Emma (another first year corps member) by 5:40am. We got out to New Roads, LA by 6:45am and started school at 8. Between 8am-3pm, I had twelve 30-minutes blocks with kindergarten through 5th grade. Today (Thursday), my one planning block of one hour has now become cluster meeting time (meant to improve teacher effectiveness). As a result, there is literally no break until dismissal.
So between 8-3, I had:
- Second grade girl who knocked her leg really hard because she was sitting improperly in her seat and tipped over onto her knee (1st block).
- Kindergarten boy who couldn't hold back his words and blurted out "I love you" to me while we were making a Color Wheel and going over both primary and secondary colors (5th block).
- Kindergarten girl who couldn't stay on task because she has a severe learning disability and is already two years underdeveloped (she's only 5) (6th block).
- Cluster meeting for an hour followed by two minutes to prepare for my 3rd graders who need absolute structure and organization in order to stay engaged. This requires preparation and some time...ya it crashed and burned when I had students start drawing a still life of a pumpkin and my pencils hadn't been sharpened (7th block).
- Verna Dixon's 4th grade came in with a cocky attitude and I forced them to practice walking into my classroom correctly, which did not make them any happier. Austin and Cameron, the ringleaders, felt more courageous than usual, and tested all of my limits. Austin called me a "____ass", it was hard to tell what he said, and Cameron drummed with his pencil , sang in my face while I talked, and made ugly facial expressions (8th).
- The other 4th grade class (Mr. Ben's) wasn't allowed by the PE teacher to get water before my class, which forced me to use my time to rehydrate the kids after they were in the heat for over 30 minutes. So we didn't do too much...(9th block).
- Ms. Smith's 1st graders came in ready for school to end, which led a group of 3-4 boys to walk into my classroom already acting like animals (10th block).
After school, I had to take care of hiring paperwork and planning for my substitute (I'm taking Friday off to formulate a comprehensive unit and semester plan). Then I had a community dinner at Ms. Sternberg's house until 8:30 and got home at around 9 to find Evan, Sean and Brent watching Always Sunny.
That's when I did something out of character. I had to print out work for my sub to give students and when I tried to print, the paper was out. Now last time it happened, Evan exhausted my entire ink cartridge. This time was the paper. But how I reacted was something really shocking. I cursed at Evan, basically verbally attacked him for not having common courtesy, and flat out verbally antagonized him. I even got to the point of saying "Ya, welcome to Pointe Coupee."
...What the hell?...What had gotten into me?
After two weeks, I sounded exactly like one of students. The social immersion at Rosenwald Elem. got the best of me tonight, proving to me just how weak my backbone is. I feel terrible for what I did because, just like the kids do, it was a gross exaggeration of the severity of the matter. The truth is that now I'm sitting here a little embarrassed. I said things that didn't sound like me and weren't me. I felt the same hostility of my students and suddenly took on a whole other attitude.
For ten minutes today, I wasn't Marco Ramirez, the Art teacher. I was Tyrese. I was Austin and Cameron. I was the boys in Ms. Smith's 1st grade class.
...I was the negative force that hinders these kids.
Official day of hire -- September 27, 2010
I'm actually at the end of my second week, which says a lot about the start of my tenure. To be honest, I don't feel like talking about what has happened during that time because something happened tonight that I did not expect to happen to me...
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