Have you been impacted by poverty?

When I was in middle school my father became ill and could no longer work. My mother worked hard, but we did not have as much money as we used to. We never let this bring us down but poverty has been a part of our life ever since. It has made all of us work harder and appreciate what he have. I try to make my classroom a positive environment that the kids can feel safe in. I hope that my class will be a place that the kids can forget about any problems they have at home and simply love to learn.

This year, what has worked and what hasn't in your classroom? What will you do differently?

In regards to discipline, one of the things that did not work is writing the kids names on the board. High school kids find this silly and seem to get in more trouble. One of the things that worked is explicitly explaining the rules and procedures of the classroom and giving the kids plenty of time to practice. I also remained firm in my consequences and the class quickly learned what is expected of them.

Did yo experience bullying as a child, either as a victim, witness or bully? How did you survive that experience and what did you learn from it that is helping you as a teacher?

My brother and I experienced bullying as children because we were white. The other kids would call us names and beat us up. We kept our head up and fought back as best we could and eventually the other kids left us alone. Later in school many of the kids that picked on us apologized. I learned that the kids were insecure in themselves and they took it out on others. I remember this now as a teacher and I try to give all of my kids a positive and caring experience in school. Maybe if the kids feel better about themselves they won't pick on others.

Which of the strategies you have learned today will you implement tomorrow in your classroom? What kind of outcome do you think it will have?

I am going to implement the SIP strategy. I will look for opportunities to give specific feedback as soon as I recognize an opportunity. I will tell the student exactly what they did that was good. I will make this feedback positive to help the student feel good about their progress. I don't expect to see immediate outcomes but I believe over time the students will become aware of the positive things they are doing and strive to continue making progress. Many of my students feel bad about failing classes in the past and now they try to hide during classroom activities and discussions. I hope by implementing the SIP strategy I will be able to help this kids open up and feel good about themselves.

Have you witnessed staff acting in an unprofessional manner? If so, what can you do to avoid pitfalls associated with unprofessional behavior?

I am fortunate enough to work with a group of educators that are highly professional. I have yet to witness any behavior that is considered unprofessional. I can learn much from the educators I work with in order to avoid pitfalls associated with unprofessional behavior. I can always dress appropriately and keep my conversations with fellow staff limited to work conversations. I need to concentrate on my work at all times and remain professional so that the students get the best education possible.

What are 3 things that you want to improve or initiate within your classroom this semester.

The first thing I would like to improve is transition times between activities. I plan on doing this by carefully reviewing and altering my classroom procedures. I will also clearly define my expectations to my students in regards to the procedures. I hope with enough practice we can eliminate wasted time in the classroom.

Another thing I would like to improve is my classroom management so I can reduce the amount of wasted time on dealing with discipline issues. I plan on doing this by spending time at the beginning of the year fully explaining my expectations and consequences. I will also remain consistent throughout the year when dealing with behavior issues.

One thing I would like to initiate is doing more activities outdoors. My high school has a wonderful campus and the students enjoy working outside. I will find articles and stories that deal with the outdoors and develop lessons and activities that correspond with the reading material. I believe this will help the students learn that reading can and should take place in locations other than the classroom.