Posted in Growth on Jan 19th, 2009 1 Comment »
Last week in my Equity and Diversity class there was a heated discussion about what factors influence students’ academic success most. Race/ethnicity? Money? Parent influence? It was interesting hearing my classmates talk so passionately about what they believed in.
But there was something going on that made me uncomfortable. Rather than listening and trying to learn [...]
Posted in Reflections, Shout Outs on Jan 19th, 2009 No Comments »
Being a teacher forces you to acquire a dual identity. There’s the you that’s existed since the beginning, and the new alter ego whose name typically begins with a Ms or Mr.
I’ve found it difficult to merge the two worlds together. I especially find it difficult to share teaching stories with my non-teaching friends. You [...]
Posted in Other Contributors, Other Teachers, Reflections on Jan 12th, 2009 1 Comment »
Mr. M, who’s appeared on supteach? in the past has agreed to share another one of his posts! He teaches 4th grade at Watts and provides perspective on what it’s like to teach & interact with students in an urban setting.
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This year, when compared to the previous three, has been trying for the simple fact [...]
Posted in Methods, Reflections, The Achievement Gap, The Urban Setting on Jan 9th, 2009 4 Comments »
There’s power behind infusing tidbits or randomness into the classroom. Connection to academic content is unnecessary. Simply spend 2-3 minutes each day on something completely irrelevant but appealing. Buy your students’ attention. Steal their interest. Give them a reason to show up to class. Give them something to talk about. Give them something to remember. [...]
Posted in Reflections on Jan 7th, 2009 No Comments »
After today’s department meeting, I head back to my classroom to be greeted by a young lady I’ve never seen before. Walking inside, I see another student, short with glasses. I look to the front and see several marks on my whiteboard. The two have been at work.
I sit down at my desk and become [...]
