~Jaina's+journey~

//February 28th//
===//As I watch my students work feverishly on Acheive 3000, an interactive website based on reading skills, I think how badly are we really needed? Acheive 3000 is an amazing program in which students are pre-tested to figure out what their lexile reading level is. Then, once the computer has figured out that the child's independent reading level, each student is given daily non-fiction articles that they read AT THEIR LEVEL. If you have 30 students in a class each student could be reading an article at their individual reading level, but all articles are on the same topic. For example today's topic is, "Where History Still Lives". Each leveled article talks about slavery and the old slave homes and what will happen to these cabins. And although the students are reading the same concept they are all written differently. This boosts the child's confidence because they do not realize that their neighbor could be reading something higher than them, because they are able to discuss the main key concepts together as a group. After reading the article students are given 10 questions. Each question has a specific focus skill and regardless of what level they're reading at each student is working on the same 10 skills. Although I love this program and think that it takes a lot of difficulties out of me tryiong to find leveled readers, I question how much these students actually learn from computer programs versus a teacher these days.//=== ===//With our ELL positions being cut last year, our school bought licenses for the website Imagine Learning that helps English Language Learner students read, respond, and even speak into a headphone. Again, this is a great program just hands off for the teacher. It scares me to think that we could possibly be headed in to an era where teachers could be replaced with computers or web based classes.//=== //Laurence Glenzer Comments:// //Last week we had a presentation from teh company that makes Achieve 3000 - to be implemented at our school at the high school level. I foudn your comments to be constructive and interesting. I agree the program has merits especially concerning lexiles, but I do see your concern with technology lead education. I believe society in general is in its infancy in regards to the use of technology to learn, I don't believe we are currently at a stage where web based instruction is that effective, especially when considering the theory of learning through experience. What kind of experience are students having when they sit in a computer lab staring at a screen. Technology is a powerful tool teachers can use that can be highly effective, but it just that, only a tool. Teachers can be much more than that. The human experience and social bond between teacher and student technology can never replace. Be optimistic and embrace the future! and post more!//

//February 14//
===//It's Valentine's Day. A day of love. A day of giving candy, flowers, and valentines to classmates. Then why, I ask myself, are 2 girls getting into a 'cat-fight' in the cafeteria at lunch today? Is it over a boy? Was one girl talking about another? Where the girls being just plain mean to each other? Or do these kids sometimes have anger issues and emotional problems that sometimes we just can't understand?//=== ===//Our school takes in kids from a local group home. These kids come in with experiences that no person should ever have to go through. Our school, kids, and community are all very compassionate, open minded, and caring when it comes to the students from this group home. However, when two girls are getting into a fist fight in the midst of 100 other innocent kids that aren't as exposed to the cruelties of life; it becomes concerning. Teachers are tired, administration is frustrated, and kids are becoming scared. I am daily trying to reach these students to help them cope with experiences that have left an emotional scar. This is when I begin to think about how we are not only teachers; but so much more.//=== ===//One of my girls (from this group home)came in a couple of weeks ago and with tears in her eyes, looked at me and said, "I just don't understand it. Why? Why, can't I wake up every day and say good morning to my mother? What did I do to deserve this life? It's just not fair." As I struggled with words to try to help this girl, it occurred to me that there was very little I could say. She is absolutely right. It isn't fair. Unfortunately in her life, and as a 6th grade student, this is a life lesson she is learning at 11. Life just isn't fair.//===

//February 11//
===//Friday. Sigh. I am ready for the weekend. Not because I have such an exciting life and huge plans, but simply to be able to sit and take a couple deep breaths. I've been reflecting alot this year on how my job has changed so much from when I started 11 years ago. So much more is demanded of me EVERY day. Every Monday I think to myself that I am ready to attack the week and I FINALLY have my head on straight and things are together. Every Friday I go home contemplating if I've even made a difference that week. Multi-tasking has become my middle name. The days of having a minute to sit, or even to take a quick bathroom break are gone. Between leveled reading groups, guided reading, fluency activities, word knowledge and monitoring behavior I never have a minute to even get a breath mint (my poor kids).//=== ===//Despite the daily feeling of being overwhelmed, I have come to a new philosophy. Regardless of how frustrated I am, how over worked I feel, or how much I feel like I am constantly sinking I have decided not to let it affect my teaching. I've been told many times by colleagues, students, administration, and even parents how my spirit as a a teacher is what makes me....well me. I can't let outside influences or daily life stresses, shape my ability to inspire my students daily. As hard as this is; this is my new goal. I'm going to close that classroom door, look into the faces of my smiling class and hopefully I'll chip away at this big mountain of stress that has been created, due to influences of politics, media and new educational reforms.//=== //5-5-2011: Larry's response - I feel overwhelmed all the time, with stresses in professional and social life constantly affecting my mood and the way i act, but I have learned quickly that students pick up on everything, so when i enter the classroom, I become an actor on stage. I don't feel its being fake, but I have to put on an intense act to not show the students what could be mental instabiity due to intense stressful happenings in my life at any given point. I can't let it affect my teaching. i have many hats i like to say, and the teacher hat goes on and off everyday when i goto work and when I come home. Students need stability, they need leadership, they need a mentor that is superman, or superwoman in your case :) I'll end with this//

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts"

-Larry

===//May 24 //=== ===//Breakfast in the classroom has really gotten a bad reputation. To be quite honest with you I don't mind it. An article I recently read that was posted in the New York Times stated that Chicago teachers complain about the mess, extra time, and the fact that the food is unhealthy anyways. These were all fears I had before we began. Then the first day, seeing 3 of my low-income students that come from single parent homes, rip into their breakfast was so heart-warming. I couldn't deny the benefits to this start of the day food for my students. Truth be spoken, I like breakfast in the classroom. I pick my students up 5 minutes early everyday (most of them are in my room anyways) and we beat the lines. Once we get upstairs we prepare ourselves for school, then I usually put on the news for 5 minutes, or watch student-created videos as we eat our breakfast. I have volunteers collecting trash & recycling, doing lunch count, checking the breakfast roster, and I am finishing up attendance. We are cleaned up and ready to head to our 9:10 special by 9:08. After reading this article from the NYT it made me think that sometimes teachers just like to hear themselves complain. I get very frustrated with the negative energy and connotation to everything in our field. We are impacting lives daily and we are the face they see most. We are the adult they look up to, so shouldn't we be a little more positive then constantly complaining about things? // ===

===//June 5th // === ===//Beldingpalooza. Our big Springfundraiser was Friday evening. Every year teachers are expected to donate a student created project that parents will bid on through a silent auction. It is the cause of such a large amount of stress for me. Ridiculous I know, but all the kids want to do something fun and unique and parents want to see the best. So this year (because they're tearing down our fieldhouse) I found an old bench and decided to restore it. We took pictures at the beach to place on the bench, sanded, painted and refinished the olden wooden broken bench. After about $100 of my money and complete exhaustion the stupid thing was ready. It looked great and I was so proud of it but I was annoyed. I admit it. THis is not what I wanted to be doing at the end of the year as the kids are nuts and our building feels like 100degrees. At the fundraiser there were about 4 families that kept fighting for it. Part of me wanted to outbid them because it really did turn out nice and I would've loved to have it in my classroom. I decided not to and thought I would let the parents duke it out. At the close of the fundraiser the four parents and myself were standing around and just chatting. All of a sudden I heard a student say Mrs. Fisher we have something for you. I turned to see the 4 students of the parents holding the bench up and out for ME!!! I couldn't believe it, I cried tears of joy and couldn't stop smiling. 3 of the 4 moms were crying too, and they all said, "that belongs in your classsroom and you deserve it!" Quite posibly one of the most touching moments I've had as a teacher in a long time. Bottom line, I love my school, I love my students & parents, and I really do love teaching! // === Jaina~ That was a truely awesome story! Thanks for sharing it with me... I will admit it brought a tear to my eye. I, like you and many of the other wonderful teachers that I have had the opportunity to work with, get to a point where you question yourself as a teacher. I believe that this is when we try to better ourselves or learn that there are other routes we need to take. We go through our days **without** being appreciated spending time yelling at students for missing homework, completing loads of grading to find out that students dont hand in their work, working with students in the morning or after school tutoring... and on top trying to get everything else done...so when it does happen, we can't help but feel complete gratitude and humble. To those families... you are great! CONGRAT & cant wait to see it! Stacy  Jaina, Hard work always pays off. Even though, it doesn't feel like it, it does. You put your all and money into a project that you had no intention on keeping and made it beautiful. You could've definitely been selfish and out bidded the families, but you didn't, you let peices fall where they may. The end result you have the bench and can look at knowing that you really deserved it. Job well done!-Daphne