Does it make me insane to say I am eager for school to start?
I'm enjoying my summer, but I'm anxious to play around with a new program they've given me for next year. I'll still be teaching my senior high kids, but for only four periods rather than the usual five. It's the new thing that has me itching to get back.
My school, like most, has had a tutoring program for a long while. To say it's been ineffective is an understatement. It needs some tweaking, and my boss has given me the green light to do just about anything I want to change things around.
He's given me the wee kids - I'll teach high school, but be in charge of the program that will be geared toward helping sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students have more success. I'm tickled pink at the opportunity to take on something new.
Here's how it's looking so far. If any of you read this, I'd really appreciate the feedback on it!
I have a group of students who are juniors (16-17 year olds) who will be given elective high school credit to work in this program as the tutor/mentors for the younger kids. My tutors were all asked, not assigned, to be a part of this program. They're great kids that I choose for their various strengths. Not only will it give them credit, but it will look fantastic on college and scholarship applications!
The kids that will be a part of my program will be kids that tend to fall through the cracks - they don't qualify for special education, but they need some extra help in various ways. Most of the kids will be those that have had difficulty with the state's standardized tests, those that have failed classes in the past, or are showing signs of struggling.
My tutors will work in teams of two; this enables me to make sure that a wider variety of strengths are in each team, plus ensuring someone will always be there to help if one of the tutors is absent. Each team will be assigned certain kids that need their help.
One of the things we've noticed over the years is that so many younger kids start to slide because they lack the organizational skills to stay on top of things. My tutors will be their personal organizers. They'll help them go through a checklist to make sure all of their ducks are in a row for each class. If there are things they are struggling with, the tutors will work on that with them. If they have projects due, we'll make sure they stay on top if things. If they need supplies (many of these kids will be from lower income families) we will be able to help them get the things they need.
As we are working with them in their current classes, we will also be working to help them gain the skills needed to be more successful with the state testing. I'm anxious to see the results of this next spring! We have a current baseline of their scores to compare the results to later. Cross your fingers that things go up!
My state's standardized tests are scored in a way that allows me to pull each student individually and see what areas they were successful with and which ones they need to improve. Within this program, I'll be able to concentrate in areas they had difficulty with when testing last spring.
We're working on building in field trips to use as rewards and incentives along the way. I'm hoping to be able to use games as a means of helping them build skills in math (our weakness in state testing). Little touches like that sound so small, but can actually make quite a difference. For instance, kids that play cribbage tend to score higher on math tests.
The atmosphere will be casual and fun. My classroom is usually energetic and somewhat zany; my plan is to continue that with these kids. For those who need quieter space, I've recruited the school's librarian and her space for us to use as well.
"Pizza Fridays" may happen every other week. It's another of those little touches that I'm hoping will keep the kids entertained and interested while I try to shove math, reading, science, history, etc. into their gray matter.
My hope is to help them gain the confidence and organizational skills at this level so they can be more successful as they reach high school. Needless to say, this is a huge challenge and has me bubbling with excitement to see how it goes.
Wooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooo! I do so love being pushed as a teacher!
Peace
I'm enjoying my summer, but I'm anxious to play around with a new program they've given me for next year. I'll still be teaching my senior high kids, but for only four periods rather than the usual five. It's the new thing that has me itching to get back.
My school, like most, has had a tutoring program for a long while. To say it's been ineffective is an understatement. It needs some tweaking, and my boss has given me the green light to do just about anything I want to change things around.
He's given me the wee kids - I'll teach high school, but be in charge of the program that will be geared toward helping sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students have more success. I'm tickled pink at the opportunity to take on something new.
Here's how it's looking so far. If any of you read this, I'd really appreciate the feedback on it!
I have a group of students who are juniors (16-17 year olds) who will be given elective high school credit to work in this program as the tutor/mentors for the younger kids. My tutors were all asked, not assigned, to be a part of this program. They're great kids that I choose for their various strengths. Not only will it give them credit, but it will look fantastic on college and scholarship applications!
The kids that will be a part of my program will be kids that tend to fall through the cracks - they don't qualify for special education, but they need some extra help in various ways. Most of the kids will be those that have had difficulty with the state's standardized tests, those that have failed classes in the past, or are showing signs of struggling.
My tutors will work in teams of two; this enables me to make sure that a wider variety of strengths are in each team, plus ensuring someone will always be there to help if one of the tutors is absent. Each team will be assigned certain kids that need their help.
One of the things we've noticed over the years is that so many younger kids start to slide because they lack the organizational skills to stay on top of things. My tutors will be their personal organizers. They'll help them go through a checklist to make sure all of their ducks are in a row for each class. If there are things they are struggling with, the tutors will work on that with them. If they have projects due, we'll make sure they stay on top if things. If they need supplies (many of these kids will be from lower income families) we will be able to help them get the things they need.
As we are working with them in their current classes, we will also be working to help them gain the skills needed to be more successful with the state testing. I'm anxious to see the results of this next spring! We have a current baseline of their scores to compare the results to later. Cross your fingers that things go up!
My state's standardized tests are scored in a way that allows me to pull each student individually and see what areas they were successful with and which ones they need to improve. Within this program, I'll be able to concentrate in areas they had difficulty with when testing last spring.
We're working on building in field trips to use as rewards and incentives along the way. I'm hoping to be able to use games as a means of helping them build skills in math (our weakness in state testing). Little touches like that sound so small, but can actually make quite a difference. For instance, kids that play cribbage tend to score higher on math tests.
The atmosphere will be casual and fun. My classroom is usually energetic and somewhat zany; my plan is to continue that with these kids. For those who need quieter space, I've recruited the school's librarian and her space for us to use as well.
"Pizza Fridays" may happen every other week. It's another of those little touches that I'm hoping will keep the kids entertained and interested while I try to shove math, reading, science, history, etc. into their gray matter.
My hope is to help them gain the confidence and organizational skills at this level so they can be more successful as they reach high school. Needless to say, this is a huge challenge and has me bubbling with excitement to see how it goes.
Wooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooo! I do so love being pushed as a teacher!
Peace
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12 comments:
I'm no teacher, but what you've described sounds like a great approach.
Involving other kids in it is brilliant IMO, and will go a long way in engaging the students who need tutoring, much more than simply having another teacher-student dynamic going on.
Good luck!
Moth - That's what I think. Plus, I'm not really going to be their "teacher". I'm pretty much just the adult/kid who is kind of directing everything. They don't get grades from me, I don't give assignments, it isn't a "class", etc. I'm soooooo excited for this!
That sounds like a perfect idea. Not only for the kids being tutored but also for the tutors. Teaching others is often a way to find out more about how things are done for yourself.
I'm happy for you that you love your work so much. I usually find that taking a new approach is immensely stimulating, and makes work feel like play. That is the way it should be done!
Congratulations. By the sounds of it, you're just the woman for the job!
Sounds to me like a good programme, and it's grea that you're so excited about it :)
Obviously, yes, you are insane for being eager for the holidays to end, but then, so am I. I'll see you in the nut-house 8-)
Thyme - Most times my job is always like that. Sure there are days that I simply want to stay home, but that's because I feel like being a bum - not because I don't like my job. There are so many times that I have to inwardly pinch myself to remind myself that I'm being paid to have so much fun! : )
Mr. E - I hope so! I've never done anything quite like this before. It's got me hooked and totally intrigued by the possibilities!
Bebbs - If they pull out straight jackets while we are in the nut-house, let's escape. I would hate to be so confined!
That sounds like a great approach to helping the students. I have worked in a high school for 25 years (admin)and have seen initiatives come and go, yours sounds like it could be a stayer.
Thanks for visiting me and taking the time to comment. I hope you'll call again. :)
Aw, but I've always wonder whether or not I could get out of one of those things... :(
Akelamalu - I'm hoping it is a stayer. Like you, I've seen a zillion programs come and go. I'm lucky to have an awesome boss who just turned me loose on this one and is backing me 100%. Thanks for stopping by my blog! Come back any time.
Bebbs - Mmmmmm me too. I think in the right situation, it might be kind of fun. *wicked grin*
Not exactly what I had in mind, but I'm game ;)
Bebbs - Game is good! Yup, I do like games! LOL
What i miss is something those kids to fall back on after they end this 'others hold or hands and guide us' thing.
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