Do Now: Name the 3 largest cities in the North in the 1800's.
What I thought would be a quick Do Now to get my 9th graders settle down and activate some prior knowledge from yesterday's lesson turned into a spontaneous 60 minute conversation ranging from the compass rose to the continental divide. It was one of the more interesting, exciting and enlightening periods I've had all year.
As he was working on the aforementioned Do Now, one student started calling out answers such as "Mexico" and "Georgia". Although this student can sometimes be a joker, his answers made me pause, so before we reviewed the Do Now I asked the class if, when they just guess apparently random answers, they are serious or not. When many responded they were serious (especially the student that guessed Mexico) I knew that I needed to slow things down and take the time to review some very basic information that I (wrongly) assumed that 9th graders would know.
I started by asking them to draw the compass rose in their notebook which most, but not all, got correct. We started to discuss the map of the United States, the compass rose and the geographical locations of major states and cities. We tied in our Essential Question for the unit ("How does where we live affect how we live?") by talking about how New Yorkers might view Maryland as being a Southern state, but those in Maryland don't. We were also able to touch on what I feel is the biggest historical understanding for them to take from my class: the seeds of the Civil War were sown with the geographical differences between the North and the South and the societies that were created as a result.
I learned a tremendous amount during first period today, including....
-My students know very little about basic geographical concepts, including directions and maps, a fact that is even worse to me since I use to spend the first month of my 6th grade class (and to a lesser extent my 7th grade) on geography.
-It's a lot of fun to just throw a lesson out and go with what the students are offering. It takes a little maneuvering but once you get the conversation going, the students natural curiosity will take over and all you have to do is jump in every so often to move the conversation along.
-Never assume students know anything. I've learned this lesson before but I obviously didn't learn it well enough. Tomorrow's lesson? Mapping the United States. Break out the atlases!
-Teaching is the best.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Remember the Good....
I have got to stop being surprised by the roller coaster of emotions that make up the life of a teacher.
One of my classes kicked the shit out of me today. Students talking, paper balls flying and a lesson that wasn't going anywhere made 4th period today one of the worst of my year. During the next period I had to have one of my advisees escorted out of class because she was ready to start a fight over a missing jacket. By lunch I was totally fried and the prospect of parent-teacher conferences later in the night wasn't making anything better. (My twitter feed from around this time reveals a lot about where I was mentally at the time)
I met with a number of parents tonight, but one in particular saved my day. I have a student who failed my class both first and second quarter. We were working on a project a few weeks back and it was starting to look like the third quarter would be more of the same. I pushed him to get to work and over the next few days, something clicked with him and he ended up doing his best work on the year. On the last day before Winter Break, I shared the good news with his adviser and later in the day he approached me (rather sheepishly) to ask if I would do the same with a phone call home to his mom. I left her a message that night and was able to meet her tonight at parent-teacher conferences. We discussed how much he has improved and that the past few weeks have marked a new beginning for him in my class. By the time we were done, his mother was in tears as she told him how proud she was of him. Her reaction, and the look of pride and accomplishment on his face absolutely made my day, one that had been pretty bad leading up to that point.
Teaching is really an amazing thing. There are times when the challenges of teaching can be completely overwhelming. During these times it's easy for a teacher to wonder if there's anything he or she can do to make things better, but then there are night's like tonight where you get to celebrate the joy of a successful student and a proud parent. It's important that we remember these times of joy when the tide rises against us.
One of my classes kicked the shit out of me today. Students talking, paper balls flying and a lesson that wasn't going anywhere made 4th period today one of the worst of my year. During the next period I had to have one of my advisees escorted out of class because she was ready to start a fight over a missing jacket. By lunch I was totally fried and the prospect of parent-teacher conferences later in the night wasn't making anything better. (My twitter feed from around this time reveals a lot about where I was mentally at the time)
I met with a number of parents tonight, but one in particular saved my day. I have a student who failed my class both first and second quarter. We were working on a project a few weeks back and it was starting to look like the third quarter would be more of the same. I pushed him to get to work and over the next few days, something clicked with him and he ended up doing his best work on the year. On the last day before Winter Break, I shared the good news with his adviser and later in the day he approached me (rather sheepishly) to ask if I would do the same with a phone call home to his mom. I left her a message that night and was able to meet her tonight at parent-teacher conferences. We discussed how much he has improved and that the past few weeks have marked a new beginning for him in my class. By the time we were done, his mother was in tears as she told him how proud she was of him. Her reaction, and the look of pride and accomplishment on his face absolutely made my day, one that had been pretty bad leading up to that point.
Teaching is really an amazing thing. There are times when the challenges of teaching can be completely overwhelming. During these times it's easy for a teacher to wonder if there's anything he or she can do to make things better, but then there are night's like tonight where you get to celebrate the joy of a successful student and a proud parent. It's important that we remember these times of joy when the tide rises against us.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
It Might Get Loud
During my third period class today my 9th graders were yelling at screaming.....
They got so loud that the principal came down to my room to check that everything was under control.
Ten minutes later one of the hallway staff also appeared at my door to make sure that everything was ok.
Each time these people peeked into my room today, they saw 32 9th graders yelling and screaming at each other.
They also saw a smiling teacher.
Today was day three of a Constitutional Convention simulation in my Government class. Each day we have used James Madison's diary to guide our debates, focusing on the major issues that divided the delegates in Philadelphia in 1787. The debates have gotten progressively better, with today's debate on representation in Congress being the absolute best. After a not so exciting beginning to the debate, in which almost every student thought each state should have the same number of votes (sounds like "socialism" to me) I pulled a student aside and asked him to make the case for "big" states. What followed was a twenty minute, student led debate over not only how states should be represented in Congress, but the legitimacy of counting slaves towards population. I did jump in twice to share the voice of the Southern slave owner in order to shake the hornet's nest even more but the large majority of this debate was student run. While this did lead to the class being loud, and even a little chaotic, it allowed my students to cover the content I wanted them to cover on their own terms.
I had an absolutely amazing experience with my student's today because of two realizations that I have come to over the past few years: 1)it's great when students are running the class instead of the teacher and 2)yelling and screaming kids are not always a bad thing. I truly believe that one of the biggest problems in classrooms is that there are too many teachers who either don't agree with these beliefs or are too scared to try. Don't get me wrong, there's a time for a teacher to be in the front of the room and for students to be silent, but it doesn't have to always be that way; in fact it should never always be that way. Student-centered learning empowers students in their educational experience while also increasing teacher/student relationship and decreasing teacher work load (if that doesn't sell teachers on it, I don't know what will!) Additionally, when you're teaching adolescent students, taking advantage of their desire to talk and argue with each other makes classroom management that much easier.
During my third period class today my 9th graders were yelling at screaming.... and it was great. It was great because instead talking and yelling about Call of Duty or the fight that almost happened in the hallway, they were talking and yelling about the issues surrounding the creation of our Constitution.
As a teacher, I couldn't ask for anything more.
They got so loud that the principal came down to my room to check that everything was under control.
Ten minutes later one of the hallway staff also appeared at my door to make sure that everything was ok.
Each time these people peeked into my room today, they saw 32 9th graders yelling and screaming at each other.
They also saw a smiling teacher.
Today was day three of a Constitutional Convention simulation in my Government class. Each day we have used James Madison's diary to guide our debates, focusing on the major issues that divided the delegates in Philadelphia in 1787. The debates have gotten progressively better, with today's debate on representation in Congress being the absolute best. After a not so exciting beginning to the debate, in which almost every student thought each state should have the same number of votes (sounds like "socialism" to me) I pulled a student aside and asked him to make the case for "big" states. What followed was a twenty minute, student led debate over not only how states should be represented in Congress, but the legitimacy of counting slaves towards population. I did jump in twice to share the voice of the Southern slave owner in order to shake the hornet's nest even more but the large majority of this debate was student run. While this did lead to the class being loud, and even a little chaotic, it allowed my students to cover the content I wanted them to cover on their own terms.
I had an absolutely amazing experience with my student's today because of two realizations that I have come to over the past few years: 1)it's great when students are running the class instead of the teacher and 2)yelling and screaming kids are not always a bad thing. I truly believe that one of the biggest problems in classrooms is that there are too many teachers who either don't agree with these beliefs or are too scared to try. Don't get me wrong, there's a time for a teacher to be in the front of the room and for students to be silent, but it doesn't have to always be that way; in fact it should never always be that way. Student-centered learning empowers students in their educational experience while also increasing teacher/student relationship and decreasing teacher work load (if that doesn't sell teachers on it, I don't know what will!) Additionally, when you're teaching adolescent students, taking advantage of their desire to talk and argue with each other makes classroom management that much easier.
During my third period class today my 9th graders were yelling at screaming.... and it was great. It was great because instead talking and yelling about Call of Duty or the fight that almost happened in the hallway, they were talking and yelling about the issues surrounding the creation of our Constitution.
As a teacher, I couldn't ask for anything more.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The BLS SUNY Lock In-2011
From it's inception, my school has been committed to getting our students to college. Our Office of College Placement (OCP) does a tremendous amount of work to raise college awareness and help our students realize that college can be a reality for them. From trips for high achieving freshman and sophomores to college life classes for seniors. OCP does an amazing job for our students throughout the year, but for me the finest thing they do takes place early in the year: the SUNY Lock-In.
On a Thursday in October, OCP plans and executes a night in which seniors have the opportunity to complete their SUNY (State University of New York) and CUNY (City University of New York) applications, have essays read and edited by staff members and complete other forms they will need for the college process. This night speaks volumes about the commitment to getting our students into college as is evident by the fact that 98% of our senior class and 1/4 of our staff were still in the building at 8:00 on a Thursday night.
As a both a former college applicant and admission counselor, I know too well the daunting nature of the college application process. None of our students have the access to private counselors that some of their peers in New York City have, but the work of OCP make sure that this inequality does not affect their chance to go to college. The Lock-In is one more reason why I'm proud of my school.
Congrats to OCP for a wonderful night and a job well done. Attached below is the video from last year's Lock In. I'll be sure to post this year's video when it's ready.
On a Thursday in October, OCP plans and executes a night in which seniors have the opportunity to complete their SUNY (State University of New York) and CUNY (City University of New York) applications, have essays read and edited by staff members and complete other forms they will need for the college process. This night speaks volumes about the commitment to getting our students into college as is evident by the fact that 98% of our senior class and 1/4 of our staff were still in the building at 8:00 on a Thursday night.
As a both a former college applicant and admission counselor, I know too well the daunting nature of the college application process. None of our students have the access to private counselors that some of their peers in New York City have, but the work of OCP make sure that this inequality does not affect their chance to go to college. The Lock-In is one more reason why I'm proud of my school.
Congrats to OCP for a wonderful night and a job well done. Attached below is the video from last year's Lock In. I'll be sure to post this year's video when it's ready.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wanting to be better/Scared to fail
I tweeted the following tonight: (cheap plug to follow me @FJM718)
"I'm so impressed with the quality of teachers that I encounter on Twitter. I'm also worried and sad that I might not ever reach that level"
Over the past two nights I have spent time exploring the tweets, blogs and websites of different social studies teachers around the country; the experience has left me torn.
On one hand I am inspired when I see the work that others are doing. Student blogging, the use of digital media and the use of student centered learning are not only things that I want to do in my class but practices that I see as being keys to student learning in the 21st century. Reading about the amazing work my colleagues are doing makes me want to be a better teacher.
That's when I move from inspired to worried.
Can I be the teacher that I want to be? I tell my students everyday that putting the work and effort into any venture in life can lead to success, but here I am wondering if I can become a better teacher the same way that my students wonder if they can be better students. There are many days throughout the year in which I struggle with the management of my class, the rigor of my curriculum and the overall classroom experience of my students. Part of me knows that making some of the aforementioned changes would have an impact on some of my weaknesses as a teacher, but both making the leap to change and more importantly finding the time to develop and institute these changes leaves me stuck.
Now let me be clear, I don't think that I'm a bad teacher. I've worked with amazing coaches, mentors and administrators who have shared with me that I'm good at what I do. I'm at the start of my fourth year in the classroom and I've already become the chair of my department, possibly too soon, but I also believe that I've established myself as a leader on a relatively young, oft-changing staff; I'm on the right track but will I get to my destination?
So here I am.
I know that growth and knowledge come with years in the classroom, but there's still that part of me that worries I might not become the teacher I want to be. I guess the only way to find out to learn more, teach more, reflect and grow.
Luckily I get that chance tomorrow morning.
"I'm so impressed with the quality of teachers that I encounter on Twitter. I'm also worried and sad that I might not ever reach that level"
Over the past two nights I have spent time exploring the tweets, blogs and websites of different social studies teachers around the country; the experience has left me torn.
On one hand I am inspired when I see the work that others are doing. Student blogging, the use of digital media and the use of student centered learning are not only things that I want to do in my class but practices that I see as being keys to student learning in the 21st century. Reading about the amazing work my colleagues are doing makes me want to be a better teacher.
That's when I move from inspired to worried.
Can I be the teacher that I want to be? I tell my students everyday that putting the work and effort into any venture in life can lead to success, but here I am wondering if I can become a better teacher the same way that my students wonder if they can be better students. There are many days throughout the year in which I struggle with the management of my class, the rigor of my curriculum and the overall classroom experience of my students. Part of me knows that making some of the aforementioned changes would have an impact on some of my weaknesses as a teacher, but both making the leap to change and more importantly finding the time to develop and institute these changes leaves me stuck.
Now let me be clear, I don't think that I'm a bad teacher. I've worked with amazing coaches, mentors and administrators who have shared with me that I'm good at what I do. I'm at the start of my fourth year in the classroom and I've already become the chair of my department, possibly too soon, but I also believe that I've established myself as a leader on a relatively young, oft-changing staff; I'm on the right track but will I get to my destination?
So here I am.
I know that growth and knowledge come with years in the classroom, but there's still that part of me that worries I might not become the teacher I want to be. I guess the only way to find out to learn more, teach more, reflect and grow.
Luckily I get that chance tomorrow morning.
Friday, September 30, 2011
A Change in My Practice: Reading For Understanding in My Class
This entry is also posted on the NYC Social Studies Critical Friends Group blog, a new project that I am thrilled to be a apart of.
I am beginning my fourth year teaching in New York City.
During the first two years of my career, I had the opportunity to work with highly skilled students at a school that I described as "suburban-urban." My students came from homes that not only valued education, but made sure that the students' learning carried well beyond the confines of the traditional school day. For these reasons and more, teaching reading skills was not a part of my practice, despite the fact that if you cannot read, you cannot "do" history.
Last year, I was presented the challenge of working with many students who had neither the skills nor the home life of the ones that I left in Queens. Soon after the year started, I realized I need to change what I was doing with my students. After meeting with my new ICT partner, we decided that reading skills would need to be an essential part of our class. Taking a suggestion from our principal, my partner had previously used reading symbols that had improved students' abilities to complete readings and answer accompanying questions. The basic concept had students "Marking Up" readings using symbols such as "*" (star) for information that is important, "?" for developing clarifying questions and "S" for areas of the reading that surprised them (there are three more advanced symbols that students will learn in the future) . My hope was that by interacting with text, students would be able to slow down their process and gain a better understanding of what they were reading. We focused on these symbols for the first month or two of the year, but after falling out of practice using them in class, we learned a cardinal rule of teaching: If you're not consistent with practice and clear with expectations, whatever you are doing will not work.
This year, I returned with a clear goal in mind:
Teach, and be consistent with the use of, the first three "Mark Up" symbols to ensure that my students master them by the end of the first semester in January.
While teaching these classes and skills can often be difficult (and dare I say boring) for both student and teacher, I am committed to this change (within a change) because I believe it can begin to address the greatest academic deficiency for my students. I look forward to gathering data and sharing my findings on this blog in the future.
I am beginning my fourth year teaching in New York City.
During the first two years of my career, I had the opportunity to work with highly skilled students at a school that I described as "suburban-urban." My students came from homes that not only valued education, but made sure that the students' learning carried well beyond the confines of the traditional school day. For these reasons and more, teaching reading skills was not a part of my practice, despite the fact that if you cannot read, you cannot "do" history.
Last year, I was presented the challenge of working with many students who had neither the skills nor the home life of the ones that I left in Queens. Soon after the year started, I realized I need to change what I was doing with my students. After meeting with my new ICT partner, we decided that reading skills would need to be an essential part of our class. Taking a suggestion from our principal, my partner had previously used reading symbols that had improved students' abilities to complete readings and answer accompanying questions. The basic concept had students "Marking Up" readings using symbols such as "*" (star) for information that is important, "?" for developing clarifying questions and "S" for areas of the reading that surprised them (there are three more advanced symbols that students will learn in the future) . My hope was that by interacting with text, students would be able to slow down their process and gain a better understanding of what they were reading. We focused on these symbols for the first month or two of the year, but after falling out of practice using them in class, we learned a cardinal rule of teaching: If you're not consistent with practice and clear with expectations, whatever you are doing will not work.
This year, I returned with a clear goal in mind:
Teach, and be consistent with the use of, the first three "Mark Up" symbols to ensure that my students master them by the end of the first semester in January.
While teaching these classes and skills can often be difficult (and dare I say boring) for both student and teacher, I am committed to this change (within a change) because I believe it can begin to address the greatest academic deficiency for my students. I look forward to gathering data and sharing my findings on this blog in the future.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Living in NYC: Coney Island, The Cyclone and My Cousin
(Oops! Wrong Coney Island picture)
(That's more like it!)
My father's end of my family is all encompassing. Nine aunts/uncles and thirty six first cousins are enough to make a McCaughey's head spin, forget the poor out-laws like my wife. My mom's side of the family is the complete opposite: one aunt and three cousins. Since my aunt is older than my mom, my cousins are significantly older than me which led me to view as uncles as much as cousins. Because of the major differences, when discussing these relations with friends, I would sometimes refer to them as my "other cousins," a moniker that may have been needed but definitely wasn't fair.
Out of the three (Michael, Thomas and Hank) the cousin that I have the most memories of is Hank. Every Thanksgiving dinner he would challenge me to an eating contest (in which he regularly trounced me up until I hit college) and for most of my childhood he tried to convince me that he was a red belt, the highest degree of martial arts belts that one could attain. "Isn't black belt the highest?" a gullible young Frank would inquire. "Nah," Hank replied, "not only is red belt the highest, but I killed Bruce Lee in order to win it." I kind of believed him for a while, but after finally conceding to my relentless demands to see the infamous belt, Hank produced a red bandanna and the tall tale was over.
As I've gotten older, there was one thing that Hank said that I always remembered. When talking about New York City, he explained that one of his favorite places was Coney Island and that every New Yorker should ride The Cyclone before they die. As someone who takes pride in living in New York City, the mystique and history of the Cyclone intrigued me. It's 84 year presence on the Coney Island Boardwalk serves as living history for the mid-20th century Brooklyn that I only know through old books and newspapers (one that had baseball!) For these reasons, I decided that when I finally made it out to Coney Island, I would ride The Cyclone. There was only one problem:
I don't really like roller coasters.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not as bad as the 8 year old version of me who threw a full blown fit while being forced onto the whitewater raft ride at Hershey Park(you know the one where the worst thing that happens is you.....get wet) but I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of climbing aboard a nearly 100 year old wooden roller coaster.
Regardless, Kate and I decided to spend today at Coney Island, walking the Boardwalk, having a Nathan's hot dog, and catching a Cyclones game. I knew that this was my chance to live up to to the promise I made to myself many years ago, so before we left I watched a video on You Tube of a first person POV Cyclone ride and even looked up some statistics on the coaster (bad idea: 60 miles an hour? 85 foot drop? Not good) We hopped on the F train, transferred to the D and 30 stops later we were in Coney Island (just like The Warriors!). Based on past theme park experience, I knew I had to head straight down Surf Avenue and conquer my fear before I had too much time to think about it, so I bought my ticket, jumped on and before I knew it I was 85 feet above the Boardwalk, pretty sure I was about to fall to my death.
Well, not only didn't I die but I actually enjoyed it. Sure it's basically getting knocked around at high speeds for two minutes (I had a headache for about an hour after getting off) but it's also gets the blood pumping and lets you scream like an idiot. I stepped out of the cart and proudly headed back to Kate on Surf Avenue, fully pleased with myself for my (rather mediocre) accomplishment. I proceeded to have an amazing day with my wife that will be definitely be a lasting memory of this summer.
Riding The Cyclone today was one of the best things I've done in a long time. Not only was I able to overcome a personal fear, but I was able to step back and remember my "other cousins" who I may not see that much any more but still provide great memories, both past and present.
Thanks, Hank.
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