This comes to life in my classroom through the projector. Photos and clips. Photos and clips. They come off as random entertainment, but also serve as an intermission before our brains work math again.

The majority these tidbits are funny or entertaining. Youtube clips of ninja cats or babies biting fingers. Photos of new gizmos and gadgets to highlights of recent sporting events. 2-3 minutes a day – small sacrifice to pay for large impact. Kids’ look forward to my class. And they remember it. (As evident by SO MANY ex-students who can still recall… “have you shown your new classes ____ yet?”)

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Today I decided to do something different. Last night, riots occurred in Oakland demeaning what could’ve been a highly successful, highly meaningful nonviolent protest. Scoping the net during prep, I read over what broke out. I also viewed images. Why not take a break from silly intermissions to something more real? Why not show these images? Why not discuss? This is something current, relevant, AND engaging. I decided.

I’d preface the discussion to prevent it from degenerating into violent story time. This is about politics as personal. I’d set a 5 minute time limit & ground rules, and we’d do it. The goal: to provide a space for students to discuss issues of social justice, a space for students to be exposed to what’s going on in their own backyard, a space for students to voice and form opinions. I’d share my opinion to close, but would emphasize that this is our dialogue… not mine. They ultimately form the vision they’d like to see of the world, not me.

And so it went. And it went well! Each student highly engaged, listening intently to each others’ opinion, looking intently as each image sat on the screen (ordered from powerful & calm to unruly & violent). Of course, I’d interrupt at times and play moderator to students eager to offer disagreement. But it went, and I was happy with it.

What I did hope to impart: Protest and rallies for a meaningful cause are effective. It is our duty to push for progress, especially in a place like Oakland. However, action without organization is a formula for potential disaster. And what occurred last night weakened the message folks hoped to send.

And now, onto inscribed angle properties…

(Huge credits to MW for the guidance and suggestions on this one).

(Huge credits to dy/dan for showing me how to “buy” my students’ interest & attention).

Two weeks ago, I revealed the bad news to my 6th grade kids that they’re averaging at a 3rd grade reading level. But I also revealed the good news to them: our Big Goals!

We played a game and now they all memorize our Big Goals that we’ll be fighting for through the end of the year so that we can beat the war against the Achievement Gap.

Statistics:
The average 6th grader in the South Bronx reads at a 3rd grade level.
12 students in a class our size will graduate from high school.
5 students in a class our size will graduate from college.
Big Goals:
2 years growth in reading.
1.5 points growth in writing on the rubric.
80% average mastery of all state standards.

During our independent practice, I had my scholars answer the question: When you look at these numbers, how do you feel?

Many of them said, “It makes me feel disappointed in myself. It makes me angry. It makes me feel dumb. It makes me want to prove those numbers wrong.”

I was THIS CLOSE to bursting into tears just seeing how the injustices of the education system were affecting my kids. I told them that when I was in my junior year of high school, I found out I was writing at an 8th grade level. It broke my heart. So I asked them if they wanted to find out now how behind they are, rather than me keeping it from them and then finding out later in life.

As I was grading their reading and writing diagnostics, I straight up did burst into tears. Who let this happen to them? Whatever. It doesn’t matter now. It stops here.

“Miss, you ain’t gonna stay.”-student on day 1

“Miss, you should get with a Puerto Rican. You’d have sexy kids.”-female student

“Principal T asked us what we thought of you. Don’t worry, we all said you were good.”-student after school

Students say the darndest things!
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My students have not had the best experience in chemistry. I fear that they are losing (or have lost) faith in science and their science teachers. They are “repeating” chemistry with me because only one student passed the Regents exam last year. Their former chem teacher has been described as “shady” by many a colleague.

In comes me, a fresh faced science teacher eager to get them excited about chemistry. Can it be done? Can I prepare my students for the Regents? Will I have the strength to show my commitment to their success? Can I teach<span them?

In all honesty, I have no idea; it’s only been a week. I hope and pray that the answer to my aforementioned questions is a big fat YES, but after reading Dr. Pedro Noguera’s City Schools and the American Dream: Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education I realize that I have to approach this mission with pragmatic optimism. This roller coaster ride can (will?) easily throw me for an emotional loop. Because I am hopeful at heart and my own worst critic (a dangerous combination) I have to become more pragmatically optimistic…or I may break.
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And now for my random teacher thoughts…

• I fear failing my students. (I don’t mean giving them an F)
  
• It’s all about COMFORTABLE SHOES.
• There’s a thin line between patience and leniency…I’m still trying to figure out this balance before I cross into dangerous territory.
• No student has accused me of being a first year teacher! (small victory!)
• EAT. BREATHE. SLEEP. TEACH. REPEAT.
• I’m working on my teacher look, and I’m not talking about my wardrobe.
• I do not want to lose my cool in front of my class; I’m trying to maintain composure at all times. Some students have picked up on my calm demeanor and seem eager to test me, to break my patience. I pray that I can keep my patience even in the face of a very very very annoying student.
• Do not be fooled, teaching is not an 8:30am-3:00pm kind of job.

Many of my geometry students were excited. A new year, a new book. Some were eager to leaf through the text to check out the names of chapters, new words, new pictures. What do we have in store this year?

A different aura was in the air as my algebra students picked up their textbooks. Many looked bitter as the librarian asked them for their id, as the librarian checked in w/ me to ascertain whether or not the student was in my class.

—

I am teaching 3 periods of algebra and 2 periods of geometry this year. But those 3 periods of algebra are not your typical periods of algebra. The way our high school operates is as follows: freshmen students enjoy the luxury of smaller math classes. They’re either placed in a small algebra class or a small geometry class. Last year, my freshmen geometry class had 25. This year, my freshmen geometry class has 20 students. After their freshmen year, students no longer receive that luxury. Class sizes balloon. The consequence is that all freshmen who fail algebra their freshmen year are left with no choice but to retake the class in a much different environment.

The class sizes of my algebra classes are 33, 38, and 39. Yesterday, during second period, I had to open up 2 extra desks I had set aside in storage so that everyone had a space to sit. Today, as my sixth period class completed an activity meant to help them learn HOW to use their textbook, I couldn’t take it anymore…

Me: “On your exit slip, please answer the following quesions: Have you had this same algebra 1 textbook before? And if so, how do you feel about getting it back today? Please turn that exit slip back to me as you walk out the door.”

Responses:

I had this book before and getting it back makes me feel dumb
Yes I’ve had this book before and it feels weird to be learning the same thing over again
I feel bad about it
I had it in 8th grade and I don’t like it
I hate this book for the 2nd time
I don’t care
I had this book since 8th grade and I feel like I’m not getting any smarter
I have had it already and I feel stupid
Yes I have. I don’t feel good.
Yes I have and I want a different one.
I had it last year. I feel bad and mad.

Over 90% of the class responded negatively to the prompt. Re-receiving a textbook they hated all last year must’ve felt like a slap in the face. It’s almost as if our school has given up on these students, mushing together all the ‘failures’ into huge classes to free up space in the other math classes. These students will be re-fed material they already hate. If you ask me, I’d rather take a 35+ class of freshmen geometry and a 20 class of repeating algebra students. These algebra students are the ones who need the most help, and it’s disheartening to know that this year will be an uphill struggle trying to provide every one of them the individual attention they deserve.

Articles like this ground me. Articles like this remind me precisely the reason why the work that we do is so important, so crucial. They remind me that this line of work has the potential to cause a ripple effect not only in the lives of students, but in communities, in society.

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It was originally believed that 13% of students in California who begin high school do not graduate. That’s more than 1 in 10. And that’s not only in urban areas, that’s everywhere. After devising a system to track dropouts, more accurate stats have been determined: 24% of students who begin high school do not graduate. Let me repeat for emphasis’ sake: In California, 24% of students who begin high school do not graduate.

The article breaks down the stats:

The new report shows that 42 percent of black students and 30 percent of Latinos quit high school last year- far more than the state average, and far more than state officials had thought.

They had estimated that 10,000 black students quit – but the real number was nearly twice as high: 19,440.

For Latinos, the estimate was that 37,716 had quit. The real number was a shocking 69,035.

Here are the dropout rates for other ethnic groups:

– Native Americans: 31% (1,440 students).

– Latinos: 30% (69,035 students).

– Pacific Islanders were next: 28 % (964 students).

– Whites: 15 % (26,165 students).

– Filipinos: 12 percent (1,687 students).

– Asian Americans: 10 % (4,462 students).

– Others: 31 % (4,099 students.)

These stats are staggering. 30%? 42%!? One might look at that “smaller” 12% and think to themselves “well that ain’t that bad,” but rethink that for a second. Yes it is! It’s ridiculous to think THAT MANY people fail to complete their high school education. Education is a right. The system is doing a disservice to too many. Regardless of the circumstance or the situation, everyone should be able to earn a high school diploma…

I’d like to provide ‘a high school teacher’s perspective’ on this issue. What happens to these students? How do they act in the classroom? What are their attitudes? Where do they go once they leave? What’s going on in Oakland? But I think I’ll save that for my next post. Stay tuned.

More than one in every three students in the California Community Colleges enroll in basic skills classes.

I laid down the law in math class today. Laid down the freakin’ law.

Ryan is a smart kid. I’d say he’s the smartest kid in my class. But Ryan’s problem is that he has the attention span of a cockroach. He moves around a lot and always bothers the other kids. My theory is that he’s just bored with the material because it’s too easy for him. I think I’m going to give him a folder filled with really tough worksheets so that he has something to work on every time he finishes his work about 100 light years ahead of his classmates.

As usual, Ryan was wreaking havoc in his little corner on the rug.

But as soon I gave little Ryan a second warning and wrote his name under the “Warnings” list on the board, he sat on his bottom, zipped his mouth shut, locked it for 10 seconds, and threw away the key.

Man, it always surprises me how this stuff actually works.

Kids are so cute though! This experience has tremendously changed the way I look at kids. I used to think kids would be the bane of my existence; beings that I would never be able to comprehend. I used to be passive about kids, or just plain not notice them. But now, whether I’m on a playground, on the subway, or in a grocery store…I always notice the kids. I notice what they say, and what they’re doing. I’m able to appreciate how inquisitive they are, and how quickly they can make connections and retain information.

For example, I was at the Natural History Museum in Manhattan on the 4th of July, and I saw this kid climbing on the statue of President Teddy Roosevelt sitting on his horse. The statue is pretty tall, so I said to the kid, “Be careful, ok?” And the following hilarious conversation ensues:

kid: It’s ok. Did you know that kids can climb really good? Because we come from monkeys.
me: Oh? Do you mean that there is a connection between humans and monkeys?
kid: Yea.
me: Did you learn that in the museum?
kid: Yea, but they’re different because they can grab things with their feet.
me: Can you grab things with your feet?
kid: No. Well, yea. But I can just hold things in between my toes!

Mind you, this kid was VERY young! Can you imagine having a conversation like this with someone 2 and half feet tall? Haha…oh kids.

And yesterday, when I was teaching 2-digit subtraction, Angie raises her hand, and out of nowhere says, “Miss Sapida, your hair is really pretty today.”

…

How do I respond to something like that in the middle of my lesson?!

Caught totally off guard, all I could say was, “That’s very nice of you Angie, but let’s focus on subtraction now.”

Today, when we were learning about picture graphs, another kid named Julian took a thread from his sock and started flossing his teeth with it.

Unbelievably hilarious.

And no matter how much he wasn’t paying attention, I couldn’t get mad at him, because I’d ask him a question to test if he was listening, and he always got the answer right! He’d just blurt it out without even having to look up at the board or at me.

Julian is a very smart kid. Very smart. He just has trouble listening to me because he struggles with English. When it comes to numbers though, Julian eats it up like cake.

I was telling my friend today that I hope each of these kids has someone who takes advantage of their resilient ability to learn. They’re like empty vessels that soak up things like a sponge! It would be a shame to let that go to waste.

I’ve seen people let it go to waste. I’ve seen teachers underestimate their students, failing to challenge them. “Dumb it down for them. They’re 6.” No! I won’t “dumb it down.” They’re going to learn rigorously because they can. I’ve seen them do it.

In response to Mr. G’s post, this underestimation of students’ potential is another reason why it’s so difficult to close the achievement gap. You expect that the kids can’t learn, so they don’t. It’s not rock science.

Thanks for reading