I can't believe I haven't written anything since last November! I spent a few minutes today looking over past blogs, and I'm so thankful that I wrote about the things that I did! There is definitely value in reflecting and recording important thoughts and experiences.
This year has been going "too" well. I expected my students to be the same as those in Ankeny, but they are not. They aren't all perfect angels, but there is a different level of respect from nearly all of my students. I don't think this has anything to do with me. I think it has to do with clear expectations and clear consequences that are consistently and routinely enforced by teachers and administrators.
I've been trying to try new things this year, especially with technology. Every single student here has their own laptop that is theirs for the entire year. I remember trying to come up with lessons using the laptops last year and then hating the laptop cart even more after half of them wouldn't charge and the students would put the computers in backwards when they were done. It was such a hassle that I ended up avoiding using computers for lessons unless I had access to the computer lab.
This year, I have my own website that I actually keep updated. The students have used it enough in the last week, that they know exactly how to get to it. I keep a weekly schedule there along with class notes and links to things like the text book, syllabus, and random other stuff I need the kids to have access to.
I've been experimenting with Google Forms this year. It's awesome for formative assessment! At the end of class today, all students answered 5 questions on a Google Form, and I was able to see instantly which kids needed help with which aspects of adding and subtracting negative numbers. I was able to highlight the kids I need to touch base with tomorrow because their results showed up in an organized sortable spreadsheet.
I'm able to play games that require the computer! Kahoot is one of the easiest game websites ever to both create and play games with the students. I can have the kids play concentration without doing it as a large class and without dealing with the pain of the laptop cart.
Through it all, God has made his presence in my life more apparent than ever. I don't think I'll ever feel satisfied completely with the job I'm doing as a teacher, but this year I've talked more than I ever have before with God about my lessons and my students. I know it sounds cheesy, but I've desperately asked God to make me the teacher my students need and deserve. I'm getting compliments from other teachers and administration and students, and that feels great, but I know it's not because of me but because of God. I've received confirmation that God is helping me become a better teacher all the time. It terrifies me sometimes that if I'm doing well now, I'm going to mess up and my teaching will start to go down hill. I know the truth is that if I keep trusting God, I will be the teacher he wants me to be every single day. The only way I can fail is if I stop making him a part of my life at school. I start to worry that I'll get too busy and not talk to him or think about him often enough. I think that worry is coming from the Devil. I've been praying not only that God will continue to shape my teaching and me as a teacher, but also that he will keep me humble and that I will never forget that it is because of him that I am able.
This year has been going "too" well. I expected my students to be the same as those in Ankeny, but they are not. They aren't all perfect angels, but there is a different level of respect from nearly all of my students. I don't think this has anything to do with me. I think it has to do with clear expectations and clear consequences that are consistently and routinely enforced by teachers and administrators.
I've been trying to try new things this year, especially with technology. Every single student here has their own laptop that is theirs for the entire year. I remember trying to come up with lessons using the laptops last year and then hating the laptop cart even more after half of them wouldn't charge and the students would put the computers in backwards when they were done. It was such a hassle that I ended up avoiding using computers for lessons unless I had access to the computer lab.
This year, I have my own website that I actually keep updated. The students have used it enough in the last week, that they know exactly how to get to it. I keep a weekly schedule there along with class notes and links to things like the text book, syllabus, and random other stuff I need the kids to have access to.
I've been experimenting with Google Forms this year. It's awesome for formative assessment! At the end of class today, all students answered 5 questions on a Google Form, and I was able to see instantly which kids needed help with which aspects of adding and subtracting negative numbers. I was able to highlight the kids I need to touch base with tomorrow because their results showed up in an organized sortable spreadsheet.
I'm able to play games that require the computer! Kahoot is one of the easiest game websites ever to both create and play games with the students. I can have the kids play concentration without doing it as a large class and without dealing with the pain of the laptop cart.
Through it all, God has made his presence in my life more apparent than ever. I don't think I'll ever feel satisfied completely with the job I'm doing as a teacher, but this year I've talked more than I ever have before with God about my lessons and my students. I know it sounds cheesy, but I've desperately asked God to make me the teacher my students need and deserve. I'm getting compliments from other teachers and administration and students, and that feels great, but I know it's not because of me but because of God. I've received confirmation that God is helping me become a better teacher all the time. It terrifies me sometimes that if I'm doing well now, I'm going to mess up and my teaching will start to go down hill. I know the truth is that if I keep trusting God, I will be the teacher he wants me to be every single day. The only way I can fail is if I stop making him a part of my life at school. I start to worry that I'll get too busy and not talk to him or think about him often enough. I think that worry is coming from the Devil. I've been praying not only that God will continue to shape my teaching and me as a teacher, but also that he will keep me humble and that I will never forget that it is because of him that I am able.
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