We started our new unit in math this week and my kids are flying through it. We began with simple factorization and rules for divisibility and currently they're working on writing out the prime factorization. I'm lucky they're doing any work this week: the level of hyper is off the charts with the upcoming holidays!
We've started keeping tally on the board of how many mistakes Miss P and I make in a day while teaching. According to my students, their third grade teacher used to do this and they got a big kick out of it so I said we'd give it a shot. Yesterday, on the first day of keeping score, I make six mistakes. I have no idea where they came from! I misspelled words, wrote things that didn't make grammatical sense, and got confused halfway through writing. Not my finest moment!
Even teachers have off days I guess--maybe I should have cut mine a little more slack.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Why the Invites?
Sorry for the mass invite. I decided to make my blog private as I'm writing about work and even if I say only vague, nice, things I'm still very aware of the dangers of discussing my job on the internet.
Friday, December 11, 2009
By far my favourite part of my job is the tutoring I do on Wednesdays and Fridays. I have the sweetest girl in the world as my student. Let's call her Rosalie. I call her Miss Rosalie because that's what her mom calls her in all our meetings and it does suit her.
Miss Rosalie and I meet twice a week for 45 minutes and attempt to make sense of the mess that is pre-algebra and language arts in a gifted school. She has developmental issues that make the curriculum even more difficult than it is meant to be, but she works tirelessly to keep up. I have watched this child spend three hours on a homework that takes others 30 minutes and she's never complained to me about the amount she's given. I was told when I started working here that I would be taught by some of my students instead of the other way around, and though I scoff at the cliche of it all, no one has taught me more about effort and perseverance than this student. She is optimistic in the face of her own failures and I find that incredible in a 10 year old child.
Part of the reason I love tutoring her is because I get to use my psychology degree. One of the things we studied in school was how to access a child who does not learn in a conventional way. I particularly enjoyed my classes on the history and theories of child development, and an intro to human development and education. I've gotten several compliments from Rosalie's mother, and I owe my thanks to both my stubborn refusal to outgrow my imagination and my teachers in school (both high school and college).
Ive adopted a blend of styles. She seems to learn best when presented with a concrete image to hang on to. I guessed at this approach because I know children are still learning how to think in abstract terms at this age and pre-algebra is all about the abstract. You have to imagine why things work.
Now, Miss P is convinced I'm a complete kook based on my technique. And if it helps Rosalie for me to act the fool, then I will continue to make cat noises and purposely make mistakes in front of her until she is comfortable enough to learn (another thing learned in school--comfort is essential to learning well).
What might this kooky techniques be, you might ask?
In order to learn absolute value, I had to make the concept something she could picture. So, negative numbers are sad. They're low. They need a break from the pressures of school. What do I do when I'm sad? Why, I get in the elevator and push all the buttons! At the end of an elevator ride, my mood is...elevated hehe Anyway, the number comes out happy, or positive. It doesn't explain why this is true (and her mom probably won't thank me for an elevator ride that goes on forever) but I challenge you to tell me why absolute value signs work the way they do | |
Even my friend the applied math major didn't know.
Our next problem concerned rounding. Miss Rosalie could recognize the position of the number but didn't know where to go from there. So we turned the number to be rounded into a cat, and the number next to it a dog or a mouse depending on whether it's 5 or higher, or below 5. Cats get puffed up and bigger when they're scared of dogs (add a digit), and the dog runs away. Cats eat mice (yum) and the mouse disappears.
Maybe be strange but it works. On that test she managed to score a 90%! When your class average is just scraping a pass, that's not too shabby.
Even if her grades never improve, I know I make the learning somewhat more enjoyable so that's enough for me to act like an idiot. It comes naturally anyway.
Miss Rosalie and I meet twice a week for 45 minutes and attempt to make sense of the mess that is pre-algebra and language arts in a gifted school. She has developmental issues that make the curriculum even more difficult than it is meant to be, but she works tirelessly to keep up. I have watched this child spend three hours on a homework that takes others 30 minutes and she's never complained to me about the amount she's given. I was told when I started working here that I would be taught by some of my students instead of the other way around, and though I scoff at the cliche of it all, no one has taught me more about effort and perseverance than this student. She is optimistic in the face of her own failures and I find that incredible in a 10 year old child.
Part of the reason I love tutoring her is because I get to use my psychology degree. One of the things we studied in school was how to access a child who does not learn in a conventional way. I particularly enjoyed my classes on the history and theories of child development, and an intro to human development and education. I've gotten several compliments from Rosalie's mother, and I owe my thanks to both my stubborn refusal to outgrow my imagination and my teachers in school (both high school and college).
Ive adopted a blend of styles. She seems to learn best when presented with a concrete image to hang on to. I guessed at this approach because I know children are still learning how to think in abstract terms at this age and pre-algebra is all about the abstract. You have to imagine why things work.
Now, Miss P is convinced I'm a complete kook based on my technique. And if it helps Rosalie for me to act the fool, then I will continue to make cat noises and purposely make mistakes in front of her until she is comfortable enough to learn (another thing learned in school--comfort is essential to learning well).
What might this kooky techniques be, you might ask?
In order to learn absolute value, I had to make the concept something she could picture. So, negative numbers are sad. They're low. They need a break from the pressures of school. What do I do when I'm sad? Why, I get in the elevator and push all the buttons! At the end of an elevator ride, my mood is...elevated hehe Anyway, the number comes out happy, or positive. It doesn't explain why this is true (and her mom probably won't thank me for an elevator ride that goes on forever) but I challenge you to tell me why absolute value signs work the way they do | |
Even my friend the applied math major didn't know.
Our next problem concerned rounding. Miss Rosalie could recognize the position of the number but didn't know where to go from there. So we turned the number to be rounded into a cat, and the number next to it a dog or a mouse depending on whether it's 5 or higher, or below 5. Cats get puffed up and bigger when they're scared of dogs (add a digit), and the dog runs away. Cats eat mice (yum) and the mouse disappears.
Maybe be strange but it works. On that test she managed to score a 90%! When your class average is just scraping a pass, that's not too shabby.
Even if her grades never improve, I know I make the learning somewhat more enjoyable so that's enough for me to act like an idiot. It comes naturally anyway.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.
INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.
:) me^^
Maybe this is why I'm so attached to my students.
INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.
:) me^^
Maybe this is why I'm so attached to my students.
Sheep
I've come to the conclusion today that my students are sheep. One leads the way off a cliff and all follow. Is cheating okay? Certainly, because everyone else in my class says it is! Should I read the directions on this test? No, because everyone else is already busy writing!
I gave them a pop quiz in social studies. Before you condemn me for being cruel to fifth graders though, allow me to share with you the directions I put on the top.
*Answer each of the following questions completely. Make sure you consider you answers carefully and reread what you've written in order to check your answer. For questions that ask for examples, give one from the book. If you've read this far, sit quietly and look like you're working hard but don't actually answer the questions.
Once you have finished, you should turn the paper over on your desk and do something quietly.*
I gave that test to 17 of my students (one was absent yesterday). In the first five minutes, one of my students raises his hand and begins to ask why it says to not do any of the questions. I shush him, then make him see that it's a test on reading directions. The girl sitting next to him catches on. These are the ONLY TWO OUT OF SEVENTEEN that read the directions.
At the end of ten minutes, I collect the quizzes. Everyone else has done the work. And most have gotten them wrong anyway, which shows they didn't really read the chapter yesterday. Sigh.
I gave them a pop quiz in social studies. Before you condemn me for being cruel to fifth graders though, allow me to share with you the directions I put on the top.
*Answer each of the following questions completely. Make sure you consider you answers carefully and reread what you've written in order to check your answer. For questions that ask for examples, give one from the book. If you've read this far, sit quietly and look like you're working hard but don't actually answer the questions.
Once you have finished, you should turn the paper over on your desk and do something quietly.*
I gave that test to 17 of my students (one was absent yesterday). In the first five minutes, one of my students raises his hand and begins to ask why it says to not do any of the questions. I shush him, then make him see that it's a test on reading directions. The girl sitting next to him catches on. These are the ONLY TWO OUT OF SEVENTEEN that read the directions.
At the end of ten minutes, I collect the quizzes. Everyone else has done the work. And most have gotten them wrong anyway, which shows they didn't really read the chapter yesterday. Sigh.
The Cheating Curve
So I'm planning my social studies lesson when I start to catch a drift of the conversation going on during language arts. Miss P, my co-teacher, had them read a story on cheating students and then apparently asked them what they thought.
"It's okay to cheat if you were sick and missed the information!"
"It's okay to cheat if you have a fever and no one wants to come over and tell you the homework."
"If you know someone is going to be really upset about a bad grade, it's okay to help them cheat so they're not sad."
"I think cheat is a harsh word."
"Helping your friend study after you've seen the test isn't cheating!"
Here's the point where I jumped in and told them what would happen in high school or college if you cheat and try to use one of those excuses. And they laughed. Miss P and I are now experiencing stomach aches and back spasms.
My students are morally bankrupt. Clearly, I need a new system for giving tests.
"It's okay to cheat if you were sick and missed the information!"
"It's okay to cheat if you have a fever and no one wants to come over and tell you the homework."
"If you know someone is going to be really upset about a bad grade, it's okay to help them cheat so they're not sad."
"I think cheat is a harsh word."
"Helping your friend study after you've seen the test isn't cheating!"
Here's the point where I jumped in and told them what would happen in high school or college if you cheat and try to use one of those excuses. And they laughed. Miss P and I are now experiencing stomach aches and back spasms.
My students are morally bankrupt. Clearly, I need a new system for giving tests.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
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