For me, this week started with tracking down students in oder to get them to make up all of their missing work because Friday was the end of the marking period. Not wanting to get calls from parents asking why their daughter/son did not have their work completed, I talked to as many students as I could giving them directions and deadlines for missing work. This worked great. Most of my students did make an effort to complete their work by coming to class after school or during a study hall. For others, no attempt was made to complete any assignment. The most valuable lesson I learned this week was to get and stay organized.
Since there were about twenty five students who needed to make up work, I began talking to as many as I could. Now, I know my organizational skills are okay, but not perfect. So, I had to do everything I could to match all of the missing work with the correct student while providing directions, page numbers, rubrics and expectations of each. Toward the end of the week, I continually reminded them of their missing assignments. As each student handed me their missing work, I graded and posted their grade immediately. It worked flawlessley.
Fortunately, I recognized the need to be organized in advance and I am glad I am not describing this as the part of the week I would like to change.
This week, however, was somewhat boring in both a good and bad way. My co-op left the room most of this week which made me feel trusted in both my content and teaching. Everything seemed to flow nicely. That was good. However, because I still am trying to be overly concious of everything I do and say, I have given myself little room just to be me. That was bad. We have been student teaching for about tweleve weeks and we know the routine to be a good teachers in our schools. The part of the week I would like to change would be to allow my personality to flourish more in the classroom. I sometimes feel like a robot making sure I cover all that I had planned instead of just being me teaching the lesson. As I noticed this toward the end of the week, I did try to add more of my personality to each lesson and it seemed to interest the students a little more.
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I know what you are talking about Rob when you have to stay on top of the students to hand in work. I tell students they owe work but I leave it up to them if they want to complete it or not, I only tell them once. My marking period is coming to and end this upcoming Friday, and boy, there is a lot the students owe.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are becomming more open in the classroom, my co-op wasnt in the room at all the past week and it is nice to finally be myself in the classroom, so I know what you are saying. See you at FBLA.
I know what you mean regarding having to get the students to turn in back work just before the end of a marking period. The end of the marking period for me was Thur. and I had students who I too had to remind all week long to get their make up work done. By Friday, I had only a couple of students who did not turn in everything and I too was able to keep on top things. It is alot of work trying to fit everything in at the end of a marking period. I am glad to hear that you did.
ReplyDeleteSee you at FBLA!
I know what you are talking about with the students making up work. For the most part in my classes most of the students complete their work on time and for those who dont, they probably are not going to. With our district the students only have ten days to make tests up and if they dont then they get a zero. I had to give one of my students a zero on a test, and I really did not want to but my coop said he knows the rules, it was his responsibility to make the test up. Being organized is the key with everything.
ReplyDeleteHaving students complete all their assignments by the end of the marking period is a situation that happens every marking period of every year you teach.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I can give is not to wait until the end of the marking period, but have students finish the assignments throughout the marking period. However you choose to do this is up to each teacher.
I would remind students of their work that needed to be done and give them two or three choices to finish it in three days - come into class before or after school, during their study halls, or during their lunch. They had to make a decision and write their name, assignment, when the due date was, and the date and time they were planning to come in and work on the assignment on a sign-up sheet. When they came in, I noted that on the same paper. When they handed the paper in to me completed, I documented this as well. In this way, you have the documentation to prove to students, parents, learning support staff, and administration of the proper controls you have put into place in your classroom to monitor, encourage, and work with students.
I also used the late work form at the high school level that I passed around the first class of Clinical Studies with a meeting between the student and myself about the late assignment.