Diary of a roller coaster ride

by Bimsmile

Nov 16, 2006 12:43 PM

The best analogy that I’ve heard so far about what we do for a living is this: Teaching is like a roller coaster. This has been the story of my second year as a high school English teacher. It has been quite a ride and, for that reason, in a graduate course I am taking toward my master’s in education, I chose to focus on just what my ups and downs have been, what was causing them and how I could learn to understand them so I may become a better teacher.

But before I share my “roller coaster diary,” let me give you a sense of where my head has been at these first three months.

I began my second year of teaching with lofty dreams of class projects and life-changing trips; then I learned that I would have more than 30 students in each of my classes. Now I realize my dreams were not too lofty, just not feasible with 32 students. That was my first major downer.

But since then there have been many highs and lows. Here then is a glimpse of some of them. I’m sure you can relate.

MY DIARY
Teaching highs:

• Some students were excited about writing their own memoirs.
• Logistics of cross-age tutoring trip are coming together.
• A positive conversation with a former and somewhat troubled student.
• Student letters to pupils at a nearby elementary school were encouraging; they showed effort and excitement.
• Students are reading books at a much faster rate than last year.
• One student’s mother wrote me a note requesting a meeting. That same student asked me to call his mother to ensure that I was able to meet with her on parent-teacher conference days.
• Students were continually excited about writing their personal memoirs and attending our field trip to the elementary school.
• The principal and a visitor from the superintendent’s office witnessed what turned out to be a fairly creative lesson as I introduced a new story. I infused geography, technology and creative writing techniques and it worked!
• The students’ behavior was wonderful when the principal and AP unexpectedly came in to observe.
• During that observation, the kids virtually led their own discussion after finishing our class book. They respectfully responded to one another’s comments and pointed to specific incidents from the book to support their opinions.
• Old students came back to hang out and visit instead of leaving school to go home.
• A highly intelligent and motivated young woman in my Ramp-Up class came to school dressed up (business casual) just for our trip to visit the 1st-graders.

Teaching downs:

• Too many students lack any motivation to work in class or on their projects.
• First full week after a pair of four-day weeks and three-day weekends; the time off was great but getting back into a good flow in the classroom is very difficult!
• Students rowdy and too talkative.
• Difficult to obtain students’ attention for any extended period of time.
• I am so sick of repeating myself — “It is entirely too loud in here,” “Please quiet down and pay attention,” “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please,” “End the conversations and start reading” — will it ever end?
• Students continually lose or misplace permission slips and other necessary handouts.
• Lack of motivation from the prior two weeks continues.
• The principal and a visitor from the superintendent’s office unexpectedly came into my class.
• Permission slip screw-up: I need a signature by the principal for a class trip, and I didn’t realize it until the end of the day.
• The principal’s negative attitude and seeming refusal to assist in making the trip happen is disheartening.
• Taking full responsibility for forgetting to obtain the principal’s signature on trip permission slip.
• My feelings of guilt: one student was aggravated that she got up early to come in for the trip and it was cancelled, said she was sick and would have stayed home in bed had she known.

Like any experienced roller coaster rider, I am desperately trying to maintain balance on this wild ride and this research project, including the diary, has been helpful.

Bimsmile is the pseudonym for a second-year teacher. A version of this post first appeared on the UFT blog, edwize.org, where “New Teacher Diaries” is a regular feature. Newer teachers are invited to chronicle their experiences in the New York City schools on the blog. If you’re interested in contributing, send an e-mail to blog@uft.org.