After completing my lesson plans at the beach on Sunday afternoon, I was ready to go for another week at school. We have started reviewing with the students for the exams they will be taking at the end of the month. I’m trying to come up with activities that help the students do the teaching because I believe you learn best by putting concepts into your own words and explaining them to someone else. My students love to come to the blackboard and they enjoy watching each other up there. I’m doing my best to ask open-ended questions which require them to rack their brains and produce the information that should already be there somewhere. Of course, if extra explanation or clarification is needed, then I step in, but so far they have been doing a great job.
At the end of the day on Monday, I took the risk of instructing a music lesson with the various musical instruments collecting dust in the back of the classroom. Using tambourines, maracas, wood blocks and bells, we were able to come up with a pretty cool beat in a short amount of time. I know that if I had tried this with the students two weeks ago when I was still new at the school, it would have been a disaster, but we are continuing to establish a greater relationship of respect and cooperation, so everything worked out well. The students left with smiles on their faces and it was a great way to end the day.
In keeping with the fun and excitement of Mathematics Month, the students have been having fun decorating the classroom. It looks so much better than the boring white walls that I walked in to see three weeks ago. The students even stay in at lunch time and after school to make signs, paper chains, mathematical designs and anything else they can think of. Math and decorating? . . . I can handle that!
After school on Wednesday, we hosted the first parent-teacher meeting of the school year. The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:30, but immediately after school I was back in the kitchen helping to make sandwiches, doughnuts and juice for refreshments. Now, they may not have the luxury of a Krispy Kreme “Hot Sign,” but these doughnuts were a sugary delight coming straight out of the pan! It was fun getting to know some of the teachers better since I don’t get much interaction with them on a daily basis. When they’re not scolding their students, they are hilarious women!
The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, but I was engrossed the whole time. The format reminded me of a town hall type of setting and there were a lot of parent comments and concerns addressed. The district counselor came in to talk for most of the time and spoke about topics such as physical, sexual and verbal abuse; being a good role model; and praising the students’ good behaviors. She was very thorough, but to the point and her whole talk helped me remember that so much of the students’ future behaviors depend on their upbringing and personal experiences which are happening right now as children. Since teachers are with their students for the majority of the waking day, we will inevitably leave an impression on our students. Statistics have shown that most students never forget their first five teachers, so at this level we were warned that every little thing we say or do may have an impact on future events in the lives of our students. Talk about pressure! The meeting concluded with a few final announcements and an open floor for the parents to make comments. Sitting on stage facing the parents, we were thanked for “dealing with [their] troublesome sons and daughters” and congratulated on doing a great job.
The students had the day off from school on Friday because the faculty and I attended a Professional Development workshop at a place called Stony Hill. A popular tourist attraction and even a hotspot for weddings, the mansion on the hill was quite elegant and the view of Monchy and Gros Islet that it offered was astounding. We were able to have the entire meeting in a tent outdoors which made for a comfortable and friendly atmosphere. Various speakers from the district were invited to enlighten us with facts and tips about effective test writing, teaching mathematics at various levels, and making the most of the school based assessments (SBA’s) which are required for all Grade 2 and Grade 4 students. A lot of the information in the first presentation was similar to ideas we had discussed in Dr. Greenlaw’s assessment course last year, and my knowledge from the Multicultural Mathematics course with Mrs. Berken allowed me to contribute to discussions during the second one. Not knowing much at all about the SBA’s (at least by that name), the final session was very informative. She discussed the benefits of in-class projects and other means of assessing student progress (other than tests) and stressed the fact that they allow students to be creative and show off their talents in their own way. Yes, they require more preparation and consume precious class time, but in the long run, are the things that students will remember doing the most. Instead of a test which is a one day, one shot measurement of a student’s comprehension of a particular subject, SBA’s are a learning process where the student is gaining knowledge throughout its completion. I took a lot of notes and kept all of the handouts and will do my best to implement the topics from today into my lessons for the remainder of my time here as well as back at home.
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