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A WEEK IN REVIEW

A STEM activity and student hands.  Ok, it may not be a TRUE STEM activity, but he is building a house that he is designing.  We get to talk about math concepts like balance, parallel and perpendicular lines, slope and intercepts.  We get to build a relationship and rapport.  He gets to ask for help and I get to give it.  It is fun and afer 15-20 minutes he is ready for Algebra 1.  A once reluctant learner, he is open to instruction and willing to try.   We may be behind the curriculum, but he is ahead of himself in new understandings!

A game for brain breaks.  I pull a category card and give each student 2 cards.  They pick their best fit and present it and someone else has to explain WHY it is a good fit.  We think outside of the box.  We put ourselves in someone else's place.  Eventually, we may laugh.  We come back ready to work on a challenging topic again.  This time with more energy.

This week I experienced a bit of silence in my classes.  Not because I did not teach, but because my students are not used to answering questions.  At a regular school, they told me, they sit in the back, hide, and just wait for the worksheet that they either will copy from someone else or not do.  I have seen their grades, so I am pretty sure it is true.  I have 5 to 10 students in a class.  A regular campus teacher has 25-30 students at one time.  Of course they can hide and be silent, there are too many voices already!  What question did they remain silent for?  "What did we do yesterday?"  No math, just what did we do.  So fearful of being incorrect, they sat in silence, waiting for me to answer.  "Can we use our notes?"   "No, silly ones.  Think!"  I even put up a Winnie-the-Pooh clip, you know the one.  He is in front of a mirror saying, "Think, think, think, think ..."  I did not answer, and slowly but surely they began to write, first on paper and then on the board.  I encouraged, WE clapped, I thanked, they smiled ... Please, please, please ... notice the silent students!

Oh, and I called parents.  Good calls, positive calls:  "Hello, my name is Ms. Wooten and I am your child's math teacher.  Don't worry, there is no problem.  I just want you to know how much I enjoy having your child in my class."  Let me tell you ... Participation sky rockets when you make a positive call.  It took me 2 days to make all the calls, so I cannot imaging a regular campus teacher calling every parent, every week.  But just ONE call, early in a grading period, could make the difference for a student.  My favorite comments from students were, "Miss, I didn't know you speak Spanish.  I thought you were white."  Surprise your students and build rapport!

I am not satisfied with the past week.  I feel like I am missing something, some key ingredient to reaching and teaching my students.  Maybe I just wanted to do more.  Maybe I missed something.  Whatever happened, it is my job to make this week better.
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