My Mornings:
My mornings at the school start with my "before school post" which is currently in the computer lab. Now, I realize that I'm in California, but it does, in fact, get quite chilly here. The children could use somewhere to go during these chilly mornings besides the over-crowded cafeteria, so I spend about a half hour supervising the computer lab, where students can play educational games and stay out of the cold.
The main part of my morning is spent in a third grade classroom. (For confidentiality purposes, I will use all fake names when referring to school-related adventures. Also, there won't be much for pictures, so I apologize for the bland posts.) This school focuses pretty darn exclusively on reading and mathematics because it is a school with a struggling population, and the NCLB act effects it pretty heavily. Therefore, my entire morning is math. This has actually been pretty fun for me (go figure, given that I have a math education degree). I can't decide which I enjoy more, teaching the math lessons to the whole class (which I've been able to sneak my way into doing a few times) or pulling students out one at a time to focus on their abilities more individually.
The class tends to adopt a negative tone, so I've made quite an effort to spice it up a bit. First, I was able to get students up infront of the class more, by having students show their answers, and then call on the next person and so on. Also, I was able to incorporate hangman (the fun game where you try to guess a word or sentence) as a form of math review, where students can only guess a letter once they have answered a math question correctly. I've also made sure to have the class clap for each student who is brave enough to answer a question. Supporting each other is important, and I'm not sure it's focused on as much as it could be.
Recess is super fun, playing jump rope, red light-green light, and basketball. I played tag the first day, which was a huge hit with the students (probably because tag is against school policy...oops.) The school has a rule of "keeping your hands, feet, and objects to yourself." This rule is important because the students tend to get violent and out of hand if they play any sort of contact sport, including tag. To prove this point, four of the students in my afternoon class came back from third recess with ice-packs because they couldn't refrain from attacking each other.
My Afternoons:
After eating lunch with my morning class, I spend about 20 minutes getting some adult interaction in the teachers' lounge before heading over to my second class of the day. This class is a group of second graders. And it's a zoo!
This teacher organizes the day so that, once again, I am just in time for math class. The teacher has worked it out so that every day I take 4-5 students to the back of the room to get more individualized help and attention. This is VERY needed. I would say there are only about 5 students who don't desperately need extra help. However, there is only one of me, and there is only one actual teacaher, and there are only so many hours in a day.
I have a question that I could seriously use some advice on: how in the world do you explain what 20+1 is? Or how about what the next number after 27,28,29 is? Because I have one student who desperately thinks it's 90. No matter if it's the 20's you're counting through, or whether you're in the 50's. On a similar note, how do you teach how to read a clock? The hour hand point to the actual hour, but the when the minute hand points to 3 it actually means 15...and sometimes the hour hand is inbetween, and even though it might be closer to 4 it could still be something like 3:45... Oh my gosh. I have no idea how to make these ideas click for the students. It's frustrating and hilarious and absoultely mind-bending at times.
Anyway, this group of students is actually known throughout the entire school for how wild they are. They are absolutely precious and adorable, but discipline is not a word that they know. The teacher did find a fairly effective way of helping them calm down after lunch recess and third recess, however. He has the lights off, gentle music on, and has the students put their heads on their desk for about five minutes (or however long it takes to get them settled) before he starts class.
Then afterschool, there is a program called Masters that I help out with. I work in a room with my teammate Sara, and a Masters employee, with about 20 second and third graders. This works out pretty well since I have some of them in class, and know what is expected for their homework. I sit at the second grade table and work with four boys. And let me tell you, it is a BIG DEAL when one of them sits in each other's chair or touches someone else's pencil. I can't tell if my time there is used more for homework help, or interpersonal conflict resolution. Eitherway, they are some seriously adorable little boys!
Overall:
PT in the morning makes for some long days. And I have to say, time works differently here in AmericorpsLand: the days are long, but the weeks are quick!
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