Keila's Blog

Last BLog

2007-03-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

The blog system we are on has updated itself and I am not going to remember how to get back on. I have started working on one of my life goals of writing a childrens book series. I am developing my characters and formulating story ideas. I also am trying to figure out what I want to do after teacher corps. This has been my safe haven for the past 2 years of my life. It seems like yesterday I was walking across the yard with my friends on my cell phone with Ben asking if I could still apply. It seems like yesterday I was with my parents and BEn eating at Newks, which was just the beginning of my journey. I have really grown since Summer 2005 and I thank Ben a lot for allowing me this opportunity. I am probably going to stay in the south and teach another year. I do miss MD, but I do not want to back track on life and fall into my old safe haven. I am growing here and do no want to stop it.

April Blog I

2007-03-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

This month seems short. Let me just break down my calendar for you
Week One: Calendar Math project and Wizdom teeth removal
Week two: Daddy having surgery and I am taking two days off of work
Week three: Math project
Week four: Mississippi state tested subjects and MTC class where portfolios will be due

This month will hopefully go by fast as to enter the final month of this school year. I am doing two projects so the kids can have a change of pace of math environment. I find that they are getting bored with just teaching and lecturing and I am getting bored as well. Prom was moved from APril 21 to the first week in May. I was going to chaperone but I plan on going out that Friday night. I REALLY wanted to go see my 10th graders from last year go to their first prom. I found out in March that one of my 9th grade students from last year who was pregnant and had her baby in July is pregnant again. WTW (what the world)??? How does this happen. Why does this happen? I asked her if she wanted it to happen and she replied, "No it just happened." This girl is 16, where is her momma???

March Blog II

2007-03-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

I am meeting some classmates in Jackson the last weekend of MArch so we can get started and motivate each other on our portfolios. Parent conferences are in March and so that is one day of no work. I plan on giving many quizzes and tests in the last 2 weeks of March because APril I will be out getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Then my dad is having surgery and I am going home for 2 days and then state tested subjects and I do not want get kids behind by doing work then. I have found through talking, that some of my older kids 16-17 who are behind still come to school because simply put, "there is nothing else to do". I find this fascinating because if I had nothing to do at that age I most certainly didn't want to hang out with younger people.

March Blog I

2007-03-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

My principal is the most lazy excuse for a man. I have asked to go on workshops this year and he never gets back to me. I write memos, email and ask in person and he forgets. I ask for items for my room and he also forgets. As a teacher this is really disheartening. This makes me not want to teach, not want to come to the school and if I do...again...NOT teach. I am getting tired of NPHS and tired of the environment and the atmosphere. I seem to be enjoying my kids more and more everday. I am so glad Spring is almost here because I am going to start working out again to keep my sanity and fit back into some of my clothes. Spring break is finally here and I am happy. One more 9-week to go until summertime fun!!!

Feb Blog II: SNOW DAY

2007-03-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

WE had a snow day on February 2nd. It was exciting!! I still woke up around 7am and drove to Batesville with 3 friends to eat breakfast. There was nothing on the road and we really could have gone to school, but we didn't. I was SUPPOSED to get work done this day but I got NOTHING done. WE went to Memphis to shop and on my way back I stopped at my school to get some papers to grade. Last year we had to come back the day after Memorial weekend to make up a snow day we had. I really hope that is not the case this year, because I have vacation plans already made. The flu is also going around my school and I Lysol my room everyday to keep germs away. I finally did catch something around the middle of February and it lasted 1.5 weeks and I was at work everyday. This is a great accomplishment for me.

Feb Blog I

2007-03-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

This year we did not have a Black History Program. I have always been told that "You don't know where you are going if you do not know where you have come from". These black kids in the Delta need to know their roots. They need to know about the heritage and they need the people they see for 8 hours a day to teach it to them. I really wanted to have one because I enjoy black history a whole lot. In fact, I should have majored in it and minored in math. I told my students we would watch some videos on it in class and I would tell them some facts daily and I did. They enjoyed this in the end and I did as well.

How do you feel about blogging?

2007-01-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

I think my attitude is the same towards blogging as it was when we first started in the summer of 2005. It gives you a chance to sit down and reflect and write out your thoughts so that others who are going to be in your position (i.e. teach or join the MTC) can get a feel for what you go through day to day. I do know that sometime I forget to do them at a specific deadline, but I do get them done during that month. MY internet does not work all the time at my apartment and I can not blog at school. I think the reason why some people have some apprehension towards blogging is because we have yet to see a grade for them since Mrs. Monroe's class. And the same people keep showing up in Ben's email...so we just let them continue to blog.

So Far this year....

2007-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

I feel unmovtived and it is always a struggle to get out of bed. I never make it to work on time and I am constantly feeling tired throughout the day. I feel like I am driving and get stuck in the same pothole daily until a truck comes and picks me up (the 3 o'clock bell) and carries me away. That is until I have to drive again. I am bored with teaching Pre-Algebra and would like to move to a higher math. A few of the staff members at my school gossip too much and are always running to me with "information". I choose not to be a part of this because I have WAY BETTER THINGS TO DO IN MY DAY AND TOO MANY THINGS ON MY AGENDA. I have not started working on my portfolio yet, but this weekend is my weekend of BEGINNINGS! I do like my kids and look forward to what the future has for me.

Lesson Plans

2006-12-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this is just an issue that I struggle with or not but I do not like do lesson plans. They just seem tedious and I feel like sometime they are a time wasted. A time wasted in the sense that they sometime take to long to do or I do not like really doing in the format that is given. At my school we have to do ours online and the computer program we use is very very detailed. Also you have those days when the lesson gets cut in half because of an emergency or the students are picking up on the topic very very slowly. So now you have to go back and change all these lesson plans that you spend hours on end working on to "become a better distributor of instruction" to your students. On the other hand, I do see why lesson plans are necessary. I have come up with a way of keeping up with what I do from day-to-day but writing it on my personal math calendar.

What are my plans for next year?

2006-12-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of this year I was gung-ho about staying a third year to teach and even become certified in Gifted Education. I wanted to stay to see the sophomores I had last year graduate and to get more experience, maybe move up a math level. As small tribulations have happened in my life this year, I have had a change of heart. YES...I love my sophomore class from last year (Transition to Algebra), but I am starting to get very homesick again and I do not particular like my administration this year. My District is some B.S. on so many levels and I am just glad my 2nd year here is almost up. I am probably going to go home for one year and teach at a Charter School in Baltimore or DC and then go and get my Phd. I have enjoyed the program and the experiences I have gotten this year and last year. I do like teaching...but maybe closer to home. I feel by myself down here even though I have meet many many people.

HOMESICK AND TIRED

2006-11-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

I have been very tired lately and longing to go HOME!!! I am very close to my parents and love my hometown area and my way of life at home. I am thinking about going back there after the program is over and taking that year to apply for my Phd. I am on the other hand falling in love with the south. The way of life, the church and the cost of living. I would like to bring my parents to the south and that would make my life complete, but they are VERY contempt in the North.
I need to pray about it and what till God gives me an answer that I can understand.

Did I ever think of quitting after the first year?

2006-11-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yes I thought of quitting my first year. My principal and I last year had a love-hate relationship. She made the beginning half of my school year miserable by putting me (a first year teacher) on the TST team, making me the Freshman council sponsor and giving me things at 3pm that she needed done or typed by tomorrow, but an item that could not leave the building. She made it hard for me to leave my class and warm up my lunch (because I was leaving my students unattended) and always always did random class room observations of me. About 2 weeks before Christmas break I wrote up the grandchild of one of the Board members and my principal came and talked to me personnally about the situation. We ended up having a verbal and heated argument and I walked out of her office eventually after this went on for about 30 minutes and and eventually sent the VP to come and get me to bring me back. That is when I realized that me and this woman were not going to work out and I was seriously considering leaving after the 2nd nine weeks. I did not. She ended making me an after school tutor starting in January and she was never really in the building that much, because she become the Asst Superintendent.

2006-10-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

So we have a new principal who seems like he is full of crap and is there for a paycheck. He is too happy-go-lucky and takes nothing seriously. The vice-principal has never even been a real teacher. If you wanna call study hall and drivers education real teaching. He seems illerate at speech and thought. The school seems like the kids are just taking over this year. He sucks at discipline. We are not striving for level 5, instead we are striving for level FUN and MAINTAINING. A lot of my old students are very unhappy with some of their new teachers who are not teaching anything!!! Just bookwork and a test of Friday. Yeah, I give bookwork sometime because the problems are in the book, but I teach at the beginning of class and walk around and help my students. I interact with them. I have been on football game duty for the lat 4 home games...WHAT???? Also shows who lazy the VP is....does not even know how to rotate duties. He also gives us our duty the Thursday before the game on Friday. This is not enough notice and it pitiful on his part. As a teacher, you do not know who to take your concern too- if you take it to the administration they think you are against them or a big complainer, if you take it to the superintedent or the board your administration will think you are trying to get them fired, if you take it to MTC they will just say "yeah that is how things are. Just deal with it". So I will just blog about it and do what I have to do...don't go to duty when I get 24 hour notice and strive as far as the other teachers are striving at my school, since it seems to be ok with the principal.

First Fight in my Class

2006-10-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Oct 4 I had the first fight in my class of the year. I little light-skin curly hair boy named C.W. (who thinks he is a thug but looks really really boysish and young) got into a fight in the cafeteria. I heard him talking "stuff" the entire morning in the hallway and when he got into my class 4th period he turned to a student and said he was going to whip his cousin's tail. The funny thing is C.W. is only 5'6 and 120 pds and has a dimple when he smiles. Well we get to lunch and about 15 minutes into lunch I see him stand up and start yelling at the boy and the boy came toward him and they started fighting and the VP and our "school security guard" broke it up 5 minutes later. My students of course got up and some edged them on and many of the girls ran to get out of the way of harm. I got up and told my students to dump their tray and walk out to the hall and get in line. They did and of course I was just thinking fast and moving fast because I didn't know what to do. I got back to the classroom to calm them down and give them their nine-week exam. Later on that day I found out that C.W. ran away from the school after they VP let go of him and that he also has been to jail before and is on probation. I don't know what is going to happen with him, but he is probably getting the attention and "street credit" he wants. It is very sad and I am getting sick of the whol situation at my school this year.

Motivating Students

2006-10-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Even as a second year teacher there are many things that I do not know. I still have not found my teaching style or know how to deal with kids who ultimately in the end will not graduate from college but are staying in school to eat breakfast and lunch and come for the social party. I don't know how to deal with or talk to administration or even how to get students to understand to bring paper and pencil to class. As far as motivation...last year I had a class (Transition to Algebra) of 12 sophomores who knew that they would pass my class for some reason and eventually go to Algebra I next year. It was very tough in the beginning because most of them had an I don't care attitude. Soon I started giving pop quizzes and REALLY averaging them into their grade. I also started bringing candy sometimes and during the spring we started walking around the school twice if they were good at lunch and did their work in class the day before. But this year (due to extra expenses...a car note) I am doing motivation through grades and walking outside (only for my smaller classes).

August Blog Two- School Impressions

2006-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

We have new Administration this year. The discipline seems a little more lacks than last year and we do not have ISS anymore. The principal has also informed us that there will not be a whole lot of suspensions because we have to raise or test scores and the students need to be in school all day everyday to learn. He informed us to try to deal with our kids as best as we knew how. The Algebra I scores were great this year, so the district is know longer going to have JBHM tutoring. I guess the extra money was good when it was good. I think I am getting bored on my job. I want to move on to teach higher level math next year or Gifted and Talented or something else. I am going to add some endoresments like Journalism to my certificate. The school hired a new Head Football Coach and like 4 new coaches in order to have a winning year and the season thus far is still a LOSING one (0-3). It also appears to me that coaches get it a little bit easier than other teachers and there is obvious favoritism going on. I really don't know if I like it or want to go back to it next year. I wanted to stay a third year to see my sophomore class I had last year (my favorite class) graduate from high school in 2008.

August Blog One- 1st week

2006-09-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

My first week this year was very easy going. I knew the rules of school and I knew how to handle the students better. I still don't really know what to do when we have down time. I teach freshman and they are sometime hard to manage. Last year I wasn't given the bell schedule until the day before school and I had no gradebook, no markers for my class, no intercom in my room and of course no computer!!! This year lunch was moved up one period to 4th which is at 10:3o instead of 11:30 and so now I have to take 25 kids to lunch instead of 12 kids. I still feel tired after school, but I am more prepared for my class lessons this time around.

My Principal and other things I need to work on

2006-06-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

This school year I believe I had many failures as a first time teacher trying everything and anything all at the same time. I had failures when it came to dealing with students and behavior. I had failures when it came to dealing with my gossiping with staff members. I had failures when it came to me dealing with parents. I had failures when it came to me getting to work on time at 7am every morning. I had failures when it came to me dealing with managing my time during my planning period and most of all I had the biggest failure when it came to me dealing with my principal.

My principal this year was not the principal that hired me. I found out 3 weeks before school that my principal quit to move back to Jackson and that they had hired a new principal. I first met her when I came to visit her school in the Delta with another one of my classmates who was to be teaching there. When I told her my name she told me that she did not remember seeing it on a paper of who her staff was to be. Of course I said nothing because I knew I had passed the Math Praxis and that either way I was in Teacher Corps and that I would have a job. She told me she wanted to meet with new teachers like that next Wednesday at 2pm. I arrived that next week and she did not show up until 2:45pm and then she told me that she still had not seen my name anywhere and told me to go over to the central office. I went and they explained to me that they had not received my Praxis scores yet. I had them on me and showed them to them and then was told to pick up my license in Jackson on that Friday in the afternoon.Once school started my new principal showed off her real principal personality. She was a dictator and wanted everything to be her way only. If you had an opinion it didn’t count and if you tried to give her your opinion she would embarrass you in front of not only staff, but students. She quoted rules and laws and never once gave a hard copy of these things to anybody

SUCCESS THIS YEAR!!!

2006-06-18T19:49:00.001-07:00

I have been so blessed to be part of such an excellent alternate route to teaching program, happy to be placed at the school with the kids I was given and lucky to have the best mentors a first year could have. Before I even came down to Mississippi, Yolanda Cox, who was a Chemistry teacher at my future high school and a 2004 member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps, contacted me. Every question and problem I had, she was willing to answer and go the extra mile by personally taking me to places I was unfamiliar with. Other mentors that I have to attribute my success to are 2004 corps member Monica Govan and 2005 corps member Torsheta Bowens. I consider myself to be successful because I have endured a year at my high school and will be returning back next year in my same position because I like what I do and I enjoy the school’s environment. Success is when I can come in after not being there the day before and a few students ask, “Ms. Foster, where were you yesterday? Did you miss us? Ms. Foster I know you missed us? Well let us know when you are going to be sick so we can bring you some orange juice.” You try to have your teacher face on, but you cannot not smile after those comments. I have learned after this year that the students are used to you and want to see you every day, so when you are not there it messes with them somehow. Success is when I have upperclassmen that will never have me as a teacher but come up to me and ask about my alma mater, Howard University, or see me in the Beauty Supply store and come up and ask if the jewelry they are buying matches their dress. Success is when a student sitting in from my room from another class I have to watch for that period say to me in the middle of working, “Ms. Foster the reason why I like you is because you are different. You just have a style I have never seen.” These kind of memories from my first year are what make me laugh and what makes me feel good about myself

Holly Springs Summer Teaching

2006-06-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

This summer I was part of the first ever joint partnership between Holly Springs School District and MTC. When the idea was first presented to us in the spring, I was probably one of the few teacher corps that though it was actually a great idea. I figure I am still a novice teacher and I need all the help I can get and if there are going to be others in the classroom, I won’t be teaching the entire time anyway. Also, teaching summer school would give me another chance before starting the school year off again with my classroom management. It would be kind of a time to experiment with students you will never see again. When Ben finally gave us the final schedule, I was still excited to teach. I am teaching 7th grade math this summer with another guy in the program who teaches in the same kind of Delta school district that I teach in. We only have 8 kids in our class this summer and even though they all have different personalities, it gets boring sometime with such a small number. I enjoy the administration and the accessibility to materials at the school. My summer school classroom is way better looking than my regular school year classroom. I did experiment on my students with my new classroom management environment I want to implement in the fall and it works for me the periods that I teach. I overheard one student at lunch say, she didn’t want to sit directly next to me because she is scared of me. I was scared of my parents growing up because I knew they meant business, but I still knew that they loved me! I especially am enjoying the town of Holly Springs itself. I am learning a lot about the history of the town and the history of the school. I have even walked around the neighborhood where the school is to take in the small town environment. I would like to do more research on the town just to know about it for myself. I also have had the chance to watch some of the other 2nd year teachers to see how they teach. This summer has already been an awesome experience, EXCEPT for the waking up at the crack of dawn. The only thing that I am not pleased with is the whole “Lead Teacher” deal. Who is to say that one teacher is better than the other.

STARTING SCHOOL YEAR OFF DIFFERENTLY

2006-06-18T19:48:00.001-07:00

This school year has truly been a roller coaster year for me. LITERALLY!!!
I was a “fresh meat” teacher. The stacks that were against me were that I was young and a Yankee. The stacks that were for me were that I knew math, could relate to the students and had one prep (which would make it easier to devote more time to the students).
Throughout this school year I have thought of many different ways I want my classroom to run differently for the upcoming school year. There is one teacher I started to go observe during my planning period during the first week of school. She was the freshman Biology I teacher and had what I thought to be excellent classroom management. Her students were silent the entire time they were in class, even before the bell rang. Even during the end of class when there was nothing to do the last 6-7 minutes before the bell rang, they were totally silent. Mrs. Rudd and I would even talk in the back of class after she was done teaching and her kids didn’t even turn around or start talking to each other or stop working. I know that I do not like chaos and I do not want to continue to stand up around kids and constantly instill rules in them that I have already told them. I knew that one way I WANTED TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF DIFFERENTLY was to instill excellent classroom management at the beginning of the year so that I would scare the students to the point that they would not want to break the rules or try me at all. So I asked her to help me with my classroom management. She started out by explaining to me that these students are different students and that they are “country kids”. They don’t understand a calm voice and a finger to the mouth for “shhh”. She told me that is crazy to do that and that will get laughed at. You have to manage them like their parents and grandparents manage them. You need to be loud with them at the beginning and explain to them that this classroom is going to run one way and that is my way. She also said that she does not have a whole lot rules, black kids didn’t grow up with rules. She had procedures that she instilled in them and if they were not done right then she would instill her consequence of writing something a 100 or more times and if that was not turned in the next day, it would effect their grade. She also told me that she called on everybody in the class to participate and gave a lot of pop quizzes.

FAVORITE STUDENT

2006-06-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

I had a student this school year named Joe Fargo who I would consider one of my favorite students this year. Joe was in my 4th period Pre-Algebra class which was my biggest class this year. My 4th period had 26 kids in it at the beginning of the school year and 23 by time the school year ended. One dropped out at the age of 17 in the 10th grade and two transferred to other school districts (Quitman County and Lafayette County). Joe is 15 years old and in the 9th grade. He is one of approximately half of my students who is the correct age and in the right grade. He is about 5’7, dark skinned and skinny, has little muscles, his favorite color is green and favorite name brand is Fila©. He sits in the front row of class and answers EVERY SINGLE question I ask and participates in class lessons with enthusiasm daily. He is always interested in knowing about college and about my college and about Washington D.C. I also had other favorite (smart) students in that class but Joe stuck out because he was very personable. He always used to come in and speak to me and asked to run errands for me and came back during my planning period to get enrichment, not remediation because he loved math so much. One day in class we were talking about the grades the students had gotten for their first nine-weeks. I asked a few what their mothers said about their grades and when I got around to Joe, he said “my mother is dead. But my dad was very proud of my grades.” Right then and their Joe had a piece of my heart. I immediately went home after school to call my mom who is a school teacher and ask her whether or not any children have truly touched her and she said yes, but told me to never let them know that they have a place in my hear.

During the last week of October, Joe was in my class during 4th period and then the bell rang and I took my daily seat after teacher four classes in a row and waited for my 5th period class to come in. As they came in and did their daily routine of putting book bags down and going to wash their hands their was a loud raucous in the hallway. All of my 5th period class run down the hallway to see what happen. When they finally came back in, I asked them what the commotion was all about? They told me that Joe Fargo got in a fight with his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. I said, “Joe Fargo, are you sure? Not Joe. He has a girlfriend, who, what were they fighting over?” They told me that he had a girlfriend who was a junior and that he was fighting the boy because he was telling everyone in the school that he was the girls “first” and that Joe can not top him. Apparently he had been talking like this for a while and smiling at the couple as he passed them in the hallway and I believe Joe probably just got to his breaking point. I found out that Joe was suspended for 9 days. He told me that he had asked if he could come and see me before he left to get some math work to take home. I smiled.

When Joe came back he did not get in any trouble again and come to find out his girlfriend was pregnant and around the end of the school year he got a job at The Waffle House in the biggest town next to Sardis. I also believe I enjoyed Joe because he came in class daily asking what we were doing today and then when we stayed on a topic too long he would ask if we could please move on to something higher. I ended up giving him a Algebra I workbook to take home, but he opted to bring it to class daily to work in it if he was finished with his work early.

Interesting Math Article

2006-06-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article entitled, Why Do So Many Students Perform So Poorly in Higher-Level Mathematics, in the February 2003 issue of the NCTM- Mathematics Teacher Journal. This article encourages teachers and parents to make it clear to students that it must be understood that the college prep high school mathematics curriculum is not one intended for the average teenager. School administrators and teachers should warn average students enrolling in high-level mathematics courses that, unless the students are willing to approach these courses with appropriate drive and maturity, they are setting the stage for discouragement, disappointment and ultimately failure. When students fail, more often than not, that anger and frustration is directed at the teacher, when it is the parents who have enrolled their child in these courses and are not giving them the extra support that they need. Risher makes an excellent observation when she says that, “upper-level mathematics courses are not spectator sports. They require action and constant exercise.” She also goes on to explain that a teacher can model the exercises and demonstrate proper form and strategy, but the “fitness” of a student becoming stronger in math depends upon how much they want to swear through it. The exercise of ingraining math into a students head must be done daily.

How this article affects me and other educators?
The analogy that the author uses comparing learning and getting better at math too learning and getting better at a sport is explained well. How does one expect to get better at a sport or at playing an instrument or at dancing without practicing over and over again? How does one expect to get better at math without practicing problem over and over again?
While reading the article, I noticed that throughout the article while she was explaining that the “average teenager” should not take higher level math, she ultimately never explained the definition of an “average teenager”. Risher also explains that the argument posed by some educators—that students will endeavor to meet the higher expectations that teachers set—falls flat. I for one was forced to take higher level math per the request of my mom. At times I was a little bit slower than the other students with understanding the information, but at other times I was right on level with them. With a little bit of extra

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

2006-06-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

Growing up, if I misbehaved, talked backed or “didn’t mind” my parents, there was one warning and then the next thing coming was a butt whopping. This whopping could have been done by either my mom or dad with the first thing they could put their hands one: a belt, an extension cord, a stick from a tree, a shoe or a stapler. Never looking forward to this, I tried to abide by all the rules my parents set forth in THEIR household. If I went to grandma, aunt or uncle it was ok for them to give me a whopping as well. They did not even have to call my parents because permission was already given.

When I came down to Mississippi and heard the word corporal punishment, I had NO clue as to what that was. After it was explained to me and I called my dad (who is from Mississippi) to see if he believed in it, his answer being, “Yes, it was a part of my growing up in the public schools in Mississippi and it is still a very important part of the educational culture in Mississippi.” With that being said from my Dad, and knowing that the kids I would be teaching would be mostly “black” and that they would probably be receptive to corporal punishment because they grew up with it in their household, I had no problem accepting corporal punishment. After contacting my teacher corps mentor and finding out the history behind it and the fact that many people in the communities still believe in it, I again had no problem accepting it. I am an outsider (non- Mississippian) coming into a community I am not from, so who am I to say that their method of discipline does not work. When I started the school year, I can remember being in the office and seeing the door close and hearing the student getting paddled. I was never privileged to witness one, I don’t know why; it’s as if the administration didn’t want me (an outsider) to be a witness to it. After getting to know the administration a little better I think I finally convinced them that I was worthy of being a witness. So during my 7th period planning the vice-principal started making me a hold the kids hands down on the desk while he paddled them. I can only say that I will make myself available this upcoming school year for the same thing.

Finals moved up to May 15,16,17 last day of school May 26

2006-06-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

So at the first staff meeting of the month in MAy, we find out that the Principal had a grand idea to move up the finals earlier. Of course, nobody asked her why (you just don't ask my Principal questions). So I sat and thought about what they pros and cons would be of this. PROS- Stop teaching new lessons, review comes earlier, less work on me, maybe some of the kids who have lives will not come back to school after finals, I can get the kids who stay to help me grade and clean up my room, so again LESS WORK ON ME. CONS- We are forced to teach new subjects after finals, the kids are forced to come to school becuase of some attendance policy my principal makes up or fights happen everday. So the next staff mtg comes and a teacher (who was bold enough) asks the Principal what are we going to do after finals, she laughs and says "Maybe the kids won't show up, if they do just find something for them to do." From that comment, I could infere that she was looking at the PROS list I had made. So finals comes and most of the kids came back to school that Thursday and Friday, I just watched movies. The next week attendance started dwindling down. Below 60 the first day, then 50 the next day, then 40 the next day and the same on Thursday. On Friday a few more decided to show back up, I guess to just be here on Friday and see what they called "Tha Show". I had movies for my kids to watch on Monday and had to give the Library back its tv that afternoon. I had NO kids for the next 4 days because they said my room was boring, I had no entertainment. Of course that was part of my plan from the beginning to make it boring so they would not come. IT WORKED!!! They went to other teachers classes and stayed there for the day. My favorite students did come to my class sometime and they ate lunch with me. I was done packing up my room by Tuesday. I am beginning to like this school.

Teacher Awards Day

2006-06-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

The seniors had their Awards Day in School and during the program each class student council gave teachers awards. The award I received was "Natural Affair". What is funny, one of my favorite students in my fourth period who is on student council was sitting next to my desk and turned and ask me, "Miss. Foster, what does Natural Affair mean?". I said, "I don't know, why?". She said, "Just curious". When I walked up on stage and they explained the award, they said it was becuase I am the first teacher and for some people person that decided to not keep a perm in my hair (so keep it natural) and ACTUALLY walk around with it in public. And also everything I do and everyday in class is a different affair. They have had no other teacher like me. I laughed when they were explaining, I actually do like it. I have the award posted on my wall in my bedroom. I am trying to some how wiggle my way into becoming a Senior Homeroom teacher so I can get all the perks of being a senior advisor.

Exciting School Activities

2006-04-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

1) Prom was last night and I decided to be a chaperone for it. I wore the dress I wore to my last ball at Howard and all the students there loved it. It was very excciting to see the students dressed up and just excited to be ending one phase in their life and starting another phase soon. I don't teach upperclassmen and so they only ones that I knew there were the ones that speak to me in the hallway randomly. The prom was in Oxford and it was an outdoor venue.

2) There is going to be Awards Day in two weeks and the Activities coordinator is asking that all teachers give awards to their students. I am thinking about giving a high average award Gold, Silver and Bronze and then a Most Improved Award and then a Hardest Working Award.

3) Due to Katrina and us missing one day of school the students end school on May 26th and we have to go back to school for one more day...the Tuesday after Memorial Day. AHHHH....I was planning on taking a vacation from the Friday we get out until the night before we have to be back in class. Look like I have to spend another holiday in SLOOOOWWWW Mississippi.

Final Thoughts....

2006-04-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

I now have 4 more weeks of school left. State tests just finished and the students looked so relieved. They are ready for school to end as I am too. The principal decided to move finals up one week, so they are now the week before the last week of school. I don't know how the last week is going to turn out?? But I am anxious to see. My more advanced students are starting to ask for Algebra I work and of course since I really like math, I am making worksheets for them and teaching stuff to them on the side. I am done with my after school JBHM Tutoring and I do miss my students from those Tuesdays and Thursdays. I also am thinking about switching to another school district for next year. The Delta is very slow and I am ready for a change. I will let you know if I do.

8 more weeks

2006-04-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

We have 8 more weeks left of school this year, equivalent to two months (April and May). I am going to concentrate on polynomials and graphing for the rest of the year. I have had to buckle down on my students more and have been calling more parents because some just don't want to listen at all!!! I have also been having to enforce my consequences daily and in all of my classes. I also have let them stop doing partner/group work because most of them can not handle it. Since I teach freshman, if the class is good for the day I will give them the last 5-6 minutes to study thir Biology I notes. I have realized after this year that i enjoy my 5th period class the most, my Transition to Algebra (10th graders). I think freshman are in a transition state and very immature. Although I do have to say that I enjoy my 4th period class which is my biggest class wtih 23 kids and 3 repeater students. Out of the 20 freshman about 16 are accelerated and we usually fly through the work faster than my other Pre-Algebra classes and then they are always the only class that ask me about other problems in the textbook...usually the Critical Thinking problems. It amazes me sometime how the dynamic of this class is so much different than the rest of my classess.

T.I.M.E

2006-04-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

What is time??? The Item in My life that there is not Enough of...that is T.I.M.E. I work from 7-3:30 and get home by 4:30, depending on the time I leave school. I run a few (1-2) errands and then all of a sudden it is 10pm at night and time for me to go back to sleep so I can be fully rested for the next day. My students are starting to get a little bit restless. I think they would rather be outside instead of listening to ME teach. There have also been at least two fights each week at my school since we have gotten back from spring break. My tutoring gig is going GREAT...I am learning a lot myself about the kids as well as Algebra I state tested material. My first check came through for it...wHOA!!! I put it in my credit union account with ole miss. I am planning on investing in some c.d.s this summer to make my money grow. My T.I.M.E. is so valuable and I love all of it, I just have to figure out a way to put everything I need to do in it.

After School Tutor

2006-02-22T12:32:00.001-08:00

This is my second week of doing math tutoring after school. The principal has hired a company to train five teachers at our school to have effective tutoring twice a week. The principal picked one math teacher, three science teachers and one English teacher to do the tutoring. We tutor twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we do planning on Mondays. I get paid $75 a day for three times a week. I enjoy the students I am tutoring and I enjoy teaching math. But yet again I have put ANOTHER ITEM on my plate with not enough plate (time) to hold it. I want to do everything I can and learn all that I can while I am down here, but I need to learn how to manage my time better. There is a bus that takes the students home at 4:30 pm after school. Yesterday I rode the bus to see where some of my students live. It is what I expected. The farthest town, which is called Crenshaw, was a 30 minute drive and those students did not end up getting home until 6:05 pm. The bus driver and I got back to the high school around 6:35 pm.

Black History Program

2006-02-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

On Friday, February 10, 2006 I helped another Teacher Corps Teacher at my school (Yolanda Cox) with the Black History Program for that Friday. It was a program entitled “Get on The Bus”. She told me on Tuesday that she wanted me to talk about Fashion throughout the decades, and when I further pondered the topic or scope that my speech was going to go, I decided that just talking was going to be BORING. So I decided by 5th period that I was going have students model fashions from each decade and play background music from those eras while narrating. It turned out to be excellent, so excellent that even the principal complemented me. I started off with talking about the Liberation flag and then had teachers model African garments, including me. Next I did a church scene. Then I had a Black Panther Party meeting scene. Next was an 80’s scene with two other teachers and I wearing 80’s attire. I wore jeans with a long shirt and a belt, flat shoes, a side Mohawk with one long earring and one short earring and a purse with a long strap. We came out to Luther Vandross and then talked about how we were going to a RUN DMC and Janet Jackson concert. Then we danced to original rap and walked off the stage to Janet Jackson. It was tight!!! The next scene was the 90’s were we talked about cross colors, big cell phones, pagers, and musicians like Missy Elliott and Biggie Smalls. The last scene was the present where I had the boys come out with white tees on and then the girls come out with the styles they wear currently.

My First Fight

2006-01-30T12:21:00.000-08:00

My first fight happened in my room on Monday, Jan 23rd. I was starting 4th period when two of my students i am close with from 5th period came to my room and wanted to be there for the period since there teacher was not at work that day. I said fine...they do it all the time. As soon as the came in, I followed them to my desk and a student behind me said...."B**** who are you looking at" and the whole class got quite. My 5th period student dropped her items and said, "not you..so get your face out of my mouth", and some more words were exchanged and my 4th period student ran toward my desk to "Scrap" (as my students say) and I just moved out of the way b/c I wasnt getting involved in nothing that didn't have my name in it. I sent a student to the office and of course NO administrator showed up. I finally got the fight broke up (with the help of some students). By time the fight was over, they had rawled up the whole class, moved my desk and pulled the computer cord out of the socket and my NEW purple peacket was on the floor. The principal made me write them up and turn it in at the end of the day (which i didn't want to) and they got suspended for nine days and will return on Feb 6. There are of course a few things I see wrong with the situation: 1) NO administrator showed up 2)no security showed up 3) after the fight my administrator wanted the write-ups right then and there, not even thinking about the fact that I had 24 rowdy kids to settle down and start teaching after I had lost 20 minutes

Parent Conference

2006-01-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

On Friday was our second PArent Teacher Conference of the year. The number of parents who came to see me seemed to lessen this time around. I did have a "highlight" of the day. A parent came to me and asked, "ARe you Ms. Foster?" and I said "Yes". She came in and took a seat and said, "I would like to meet the teacher who finally has my child interested in math." Of course I thanked her and talked more with her about her daughter who has me first period (my best and quietest class). This woman just doesn't know how she made me smile the rest of the day. Comments like these are one of the reasons why I am glad I joined the MTCorps.

December Individual Blog

2006-01-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I had a previous engagment I registered for back in July for Dec 3, so I was not able to make it to the last class. I went home for Christmas and I never realized I would miss home so much until now. I do like Mississippi and do want to be in the south for a while, but I want to go back to the North one day. My semester exams went by smoothly for me. I did a little thinking about how I was going to go about executing them of course. I have a computer program to make tests on my computer at home so that part is easy. The program can make mutlitple versions and provide an answer key for each version. I ended up giving my 5th period (my class with 11 students) all the same test and telling them to seperate so there would be no cheating. I put a sheet of paper on top of their exam and told them to write their name on top. After they turned it in I wrote the number in my grade book that corresponds to their name on the back of the exam and then handed them all out to the class so we could grade them in class. I have a very good class so the plan worked well. I had 4 out of 6 classes exams graded before I left for break, which enabled me not to take any work home over break. I enjoyed my parents while home and my sister. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!! I am glad to be back and my students were happy to see me when they came back.

December: Final Fall Reflection

2006-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

My first semester as a teacher has been a uphill and downhill battle. I have to constantly be a teacher, mentor and disciplinarian all at the same time. I enjoy of job and I enjoy my students, I would of course like to get paid a LITTLE BIT MORE!!!! I enjoy the subject I teach and some of my students are starting to grow on me. Some of my main problems within the first few weeks of school were students who refused not to do any work in class, my principal and the lack of orientation for new teachers to a new environment. I have had to get used to the culture and the language of the students down here and have come to better understand them, which enables me to be a better teacher to them. My experience in Dr. McConnell's class this semester has been enjoyable for me. I did enjoy doing the extended STAI Lesson Plan which has helped me become better with lesson planning

Downhill from Here

2005-11-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

WHY???? Has the year gone by so fast thus far. Or is it just me? We have 16 days left in the semester and then a 2 week break. I feel like the next 5 months is going to go by at the same pace. I have yet to start working out after school, setting aside some me time. But I am just so tired when I come home from work and I do think I miss home so I think about that a lot. AHH....I need to grow up!!! I told my kids that I would bring them some cookies and drink before X-mas break as a treat for them. I really do think I am going to miss them those two weeks. Some of them just kinda grow on you. I enjoy my first period especially because I have 13 QUIET kids and of those two start talking during the end of class. I could keep them all day. Basketball season is here and I have duty coming up. Its on the weekday so I know I will be tired that next day. I'm so not ready.

Seasons Change- Summer vs. Fall

2005-11-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

The changes that I see in myself now that I have been in the classroom for a few months are that I am a little bitter tougher than my nice exterior from the team teaching course in July. This summer I smiled a lot and said "Goodmorning" and "students have a nice day". Now I say "sit down we have class to start and I am not repeating myself" or "I hope you have all the notes because you will be getting a pop quiz tomorrow". Some of the students are starting to effect me a little, like if I take a sick day they will ask, "Ms. Foster where you was? Did you miss us? I missed you!" You never think they really care or notice until you are not there and you come back. I have DEF changed my mind on my classroom mangement. I have also changed my mind on my teaching, being as though there I things beyond my control. Like...the copy machine being out of commission for now going on 7 weeks. WHAT THE H*** AM I SUPPOSED TO DO???? My principal wants miracles. And I am tired of trying to deliver them to please her. It is also getting colder outside which makes me sleep in a little longer and makes me and my kids in first period tired and sluggish. I have to gain energy to help them (energy from the sky). It is also getting darker early and so since I live 30 minutes from work, I try to leave by 3:30 to 4pm (sorry Ben, gotta be 3:05 sometime).

Gabby- My Success

2005-10-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have a little girl student named Gabrielle. She is a freshman and I really didn't notice her until my second week of school. She sits in the desk right beside my desk and under the tv. My tv comes on everyday at 7:35am and sometimes I get over there to turn it on and sometimes it takes me 3-4 minutes. Gabby used to sing to herself randmonly and talk out loud a student across the room really quick and randmonly. I had to start reminding her of the rules I could sense an attitude in her and more attitude when I would turn the tv off..she claimed she couldnt work without noise. So I sat down at my desk one day and watched her work. I could see right through her...she just wanted attention and guidance. So I started giving her special OneONOne attention. She is in my 1st period with 12 people. when she had a question about something I would come take a seat next to her, let her take the attendance down, giving her lots of responsiblity in the classroom to make her feel important. She finally opened up to me, explaining that she was in ALS last year and had to get used to regular school this year. I said thats fine we will work on that together and when you need help with anything, asked to come see me. She said ok. She did get suspended for nine days the 7 day of school for cussing out a teacher. I was hurt and couldn't wait for her to get back (even though I now had 11 kids). When she got back I called her out in the hallway and said, "Gabbi where were you?" Suspended "For what?" cussin out ms. R "Well look if you wanna cuss me out, do it right now, right here while we are in the hallway. Because I do not want to suspended you. You need this class to move to the next grade mam." no mam, I would never cuss you out. "ok, well lets go back in and open your work and we will talk about your make-up work later." Of course she answers all questions, is smart and will help other students if I have a problem with them not answering a questions correctly. She even came to me to let me know that the principal picks on her and that she really is trying her best. I told her not to worry about it and that I would go talk to her for her. I told her NOT TO LET ANYBODY EVER GET YOU DOWN, BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO OTHER BUSINESS WILL MAKE IT THEIR BUSINESS TO MAKE YOU MISERABLE LIKE THEM.

MY classroom this far

2005-10-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Typically, the kind of teaching I am is very laid-back, yet will smile in your face while I discipline you. My kids will know the material when they leave, but they will also behave in my class. I have now instilled a "I am only warning you once for the rest of the year tone".."don't play with me and we are here to learn, not laugh and giggle". My kids for the most respect me, I have those 3-4 that test me on a DAILY basis!!! After assigning book work they have to still ask 3 times what page is it on....I have learned to shut them down with the quickness. I no longer come home stressed over my class (as Torsheta will know because I used to call her everyday my first two weeks of school). I now come home stressed sometimes over altercations/run-ins with my principal from WHERE? I beleive she finds things wrong with every once inch I do because when i have something to say, beleive ME, I will say it. She is the type of person who is always right and you are ALWAYS wrong. I think I can stay this year, but I don't know about one more year. I am a good teacher and I don't want a bad taste of teaching in my mouth. I enjoy my kids and thank the lord everyday that my 1st period is QUIET, SMALL and ALL FRESHMAN.

Ded Vs. Ind Teaching Strategies, Fall 2005

2005-09-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

I like both of the teaching strategies. A con that I see with Deductive is that you are just telling the kids the information and they are never critically thinking about what they are learning. A con that I see with Inductive is that what if you teach a child a topic that they honestly still do not understand after you have taught it three times or more using that same strategy. Some kids need to be told exactly what they are learning through Deductive in order to better understand the topic. Deductive is easier to teach when teaching lower level math (which I am teaching so I can only speak on that topic) because the students have not yet began to learn to think critically. They need the foundation of math and Algebra in order to learn in higher level subjects. I have used both strategies in my classroom thus far this year. I use Deductive everyday and I used Inductive when teaching Order of Operations this year. For my students and for me, the Deductive Strategy works best. As a first year math teacher I have not seen math in a while and there are some concepts that I still have to get used too again. In order for me not to be confused or for the students not to be confused, I am going to have teach it straight to them by using Deductive. Once I have mastered a topic or thought about it in depth before I teach then I will start using the Inductive teaching strategy for a few lessons.

One of my Favorite Math teachers

2005-09-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

ok....all these blogs are starting to run together! With that being said, I have liked all of my math teachers. My favorite one of all wasn't necessarily a teacher, but one of my math tutors. In 7th grade, I took pre-algebra and I just could not understand the Distributive Property (which I just finished teaching) and polynomials. So with all my friends understanding and me staying after school and still not grasping it, I took it upon myself to look in the phone book for my county, Howard County, and look up a tutor. I went to the 'tutor section' and ran across a woman who specialized in children with ADD and ADHD. At this point in my life, i had to come to grisps with that fact that I had ADHD, I wasn't afraid to tell nobody NO MORE!!! and so I told my mom about the tutor and we called and went. I hoped in the passenger side and my drove her red car. We made it their and I liked Mrs. Griffin. She had a son (white boy) who had ADHD, so she knew how to "treat kids like us". Well after going to her twice a week (one week day and weekend) my grades went up and so did my confidence in the beginning level of Algebra. She constantly gave me extra work to do while with her and took me further than where the class was so I could be ahead of the game. We would stay on a topic until I understood it FULLY. She let me take breaks and OF COURSE use the chalk board she had in her house, to make use of my hyperactivity. I went to her in 11th grade when I was taking the ACT to get tutorting for the math section as well. I called and told her about my acceptance in MTC and told her that one day I want to eventually open up a math tutoring business like her.

Katrina

2005-09-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

I would have never thought that I would have a "Day Off" or "snow day" in the North teaching down. But I did....early than expected....during my fourth week of teaching. Did I mention I miss home?!!!

Mental Day

2005-09-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have a right to one. Why did our principal give us our progress report forms YESTERDAY for TODAY!!!!

Classroom Managment Adjustments

2005-08-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

I woulnd't say that my classroom management plan is totally the same as the one I presented this summer, but it definetly has a few "MINOR" adjustments. I have kept the same rewards, all though I do not use them often because of time. I am so busy dealing with the day to day of still getting adjusted that I forget and my students don't remind me. I am going to start the week after Labor Day. My principal doesn't allow candy so I have yet to figure out how to change that reward aspect. My expectations, rules and classroom philosophy have stayed the same. I HAD to change my consequences. After talking to other teachers, they said there is no way I would have a chance to call parents and conference everytime I child got to their second check. I realized that would be more work on me and so I change my consquences to when they get to their first check (write 100 times) and when they get to their second check (write 200 times) and the third (GET OUT and don't come back until a parent/teacher conference), so I am putting it up to the parent to contact me after I have writtent their child up. Taking the advice of one of the teachers from this summers July course, I do not make my kids raise their hand. I might change that next year. It works in the fact that it gives them a little freedom in my room, but it doesn't in that when it is the most ANNOYING CHILD and they ask you a question constantly and just yell it out at the random time, Like WHAT???? My classroom philosophy works good in the sense that when a more advanced student is done, I let them help those who don't understand.

I Cried

2005-08-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so please don't think I am a big softy. But today I CRIED my first time as a teacher. Two of my students were in a fight this morning in the Auditorium where the students go before the bell rings. As I walked out my room to go to the office at the 7:30 am bell, I just heard commotion in the doorway. And of course"OH" and "WOW". So as I stood there, my heart started to beat and I say the male teachers run to break it up and bring the students out to the office. I saw them bring out 2 of my students and so I followed them to the office. As I started asking them what they fight was about and what is going on..The principal told me to stay in there with them. These boys were fighting over the town they were from. WHAT...I said "Boy if anything you need to fight over the seat you want in a classroom". After talking to them for the next 5 minutes to calm them down my principal told me to return back to my class. We had an assembly with a Police Officer at 9:00am and after 15 min I went to talk to a teacher in the hallway. I just broke down and said "It just really hurts when it is the students who bad things happen to that don't act up in your class and try their best. They tell you about all their problems and want you to help them and then they do this ONE thing." She said..I had a good heart and that it was ONLY THE BEGINNING. All the students are going to get suspended for 9 days and then Alternative School. I just have a lot of ideas running through my head right now and I enjoy this. I have been approached by three girls to talk about family issues and they just break down and cry and my heart melts even more and I am going to learn to break that mold but it will be hard.

Things Just Been On My Mind

2005-07-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

ok so I am going to finally vent what has been on mind since I have been here. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO IF I DON'T PASS THE PRAXIS II? Like can I get an emergency certification...NO. If I go home..what will I tell my friends and family. What will I do...I am not ready to work in corporate America and the end of July would be to late to apply to grad school. I would be one year behind in life and I would have felt like I was letting my parents down...the expect a LOT of me. So when I got here I began studying EVERY dang day, because I have not seen this high level math since 11th grade of high school and freshman year of college. I want to thank Houng for ALWAYS keeping my mind off me passing the Praxis (lol) and I want to thank all the study session people who explained things to me and the second year teacher (forgot his name) who hosted the sessions. And last but not least I want to thank BEN GUEST. Who believed in my enough to accept me into the program conditonally and kept telling me everyday that I would pass the dang test. And after the day I took it I FINALLY went out...Beale ST of course and had fun on that light drizzle night. And I DID PASS. This is all for now because I am too blessed to be stressed!

Birthday Thanks

2005-07-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank all who came out to celebrate my 22nd birthday with me. Adryon, Mason, Lilly, Jess, Aaron, Mason, Evan, Lily, G & T, Huong, Amy, Ruth, Joel, Anderson, Tiffany, MEredith, Dave J, and the couple...Lee and KateIt really feels good to have new friends who might have not known for a while who care. MOST of my friends and ALL my family are in the North and I do feel homesick sometime, but when you have events like this it makes you feel like you have people outside of them who care about you. But um...I had a great time and the cake was good...I SWEAR everytime I swear off sweets more always come at me. Its cool, enjoyed the RED and WHITE cake Torsheta and Ginny thanks for the music. I thank A**** for my drink, it was my second one since graduation, the cosmoplitan at dinner was my first. Lily the card was a nice touch, it fits my personality :)

Jake and Group

2005-07-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

you will be a great english teacher. You are going to keep the class interested in the topics you bring to them. Shouts out to my group...the COOLEST student teaching group in the 2005 teacher corp.

Video Critique for July Student Teaching

2005-07-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am getting better at my teaching. I did however enjoy teaching "real kids" in June than teaching my peers in July for my taped presentation. It is the "real deal" that I got on the tape in June. I do enjoy the benefits of peer evaluation and stuff during the student teaching we did in July. As I watch my video I am also look at the evaluation that Mrs. Cornelius gave to me that day. I noticed on this warm-up that i had 8 problems, and she stated that this was too much. I agree with her from looking at the video, though I beleive since it was the begining of the school year I wanted to give them that many problems, because this was basically level Order of operations stuff that I wanted them to know 100% before we moved on in the class. After this lesson, I did change my warm-up to less problems. She also docked me for not restating my objectives, which I did DO after looking at my video. My class seems a little boring to me. I need to think of something to spice it up. I think the kids will do that, because my kids from this summer bought energy to the room. the room was just too quiet for me. I think during the school year like I did for the summer time, I am going to have kids individually come up to the board and work out a problem. It gets that out of their seat. My closure was good and I had good classroom management. Of course, like I will during the school year, I had a "special child" we will call Jake. He doesn't do his warm-up, yet still doesn't know why her understands it. He calls out all the problems loud and so I have to keep constant watch over him so he doesn't disrupt the class. I do see why Mrs. Cornelius wrote in my evalution that I "picked" on him to much. But I figured to keep him on task I was going to keep calling him to make him pay attention. The assessment I did this day was good and my closure was good. All in all I am pleased with that lesson, except I do need to bring some excitement to the classroom, but I guess the students will bring that.

MTC Reunion weekend

2005-07-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

For this to be the Mississippi Teacher Corps first reunion, it was actually organized really well. Even though there was a LOT of dead time, but I figured it was because it gives the people coming from out of town a chance to visit the schools in the Delta that they used to teach at.

Will I come back in 5 years for the next reunion in 2010? Probably.

The event that I enjoyed the most this weekend was the dinner on Saturday night with the former Governor of Mississippi Mr. William Winters. Everything he had to say was helpful and insightful. He kept my attention the entire time he was on the mic. He was first introduced by Dr. Andy Mullins. Gov Winters speech was awesome. He first talked about him being homeschooled by his mom who had no high school diploma and having to pick cotton during cotton picking season. He reinterated the fact that "Raise the income gap in Mississippi you have to rais the quality of education in the state of Mississippi"and that the only way out of poverty is education- this is something that my dad has instilled in me and something that his mom instilled in him. He said that MTC teachers are known for raising the standards of their students and that they give the students who feel like they have been forgotten about a feeling of hope. He told the story about a girl whose father had left her, her mother and her siblings at a young age and whose mother eventually ended up on drugs. They were homeless and living in a checken house and she sold drugs to make money, was eventually busted and sent to foster home (somewho I think it was probably The Lord watching over her want to help her turn her life around). She ended up at Jim Hill HS in Jackson and when asked by the Gov how she made it? She responded, "because I had ONE teacher that cared and say qualities in me that would make me successful oneday." She ended up going to Tougaloo College, Brown MEdical and is currently at Northwestern for her residency. She has plans to return to MS to open up her practice. The Gov also amazed me when he said he has had Myrlie Evers Williams (the wife of the late slain Medgar Evers a field rep for the NAACP) as a dinner guest at the governor's mansion. He told her that at the dinner all Mississippians over her for her husbands death because he set us all free!!! The current Morehouse College president, Dr. Walter Massey, has also been a guest at his governor's mansion. At the time of his visit he was VP of the University of Chicago. He is from Hattiesburg, MS and an internationally known Mathematician. When the Gov asked him the same question as he asked the girl who is now in her residency, he also replied, "because I had a teacher who convinced me I could do anything". He gave the new MTC teachers a charge...TO AT LEAST CHANGE THE LIVES OF ONE CHILD A YEAR WE TEACH WHILE IN MISSISSIPPI.

National Civil Rights Musuem

2005-07-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER- I love history, especially black history. I was raised between DC and Baltimore and there is a lot of Afro-centric influence in all aspects of life and education there. Festivals, education/schools and museums.

Even before coming down here I wanted to go to the National Civil Rights Museum. I knew about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. but then who doesn’t? But I wanted to know more, I wanted to see the exact place where his assassination happened. So I went on Saturday afternoon with my friend from Howard University who lives in Memphis. We went in at 2:14 pm and left at 5:27 pm and we talked about the museum and its exhibits all the way home. The museum was broken down into different sections that span Black and African-American history from Slavery to the Assassination of MLK, Jr. The exhibits that I especially liked were The Civil War, Migration, Jim Crow Laws, Booker T Washington, Little Rock Nine, Montgomery Bus Boycott (where we were able to sit on a simulation bus with Rosa Parks), Student Sit-Ins, Project C Birmingham, The March on Washington (of which I was fortunate to be in DC and attend the 40th Anniversary of the March in August 2003), The People of Memphis, Rooms 306 & 307 and the boarding house across the street from the Lorraine where his killer stayed and shot him from. When going through the exhibit of Rooms 306 & 307 where Dr. King stayed at in the Lorraine Hotel I almost cried. While reading the step by step chronology of what was going on leading up to his assassination I could do nothing but picture it and him actually there. To know that I was standing right there was a privilege. I even was able to look over the balcony where he stood and saw his car (I model of his car) SIDENOTE- I saw a paper that had all the motels that blacks could stay in during the Jim Crow Law time and the Lorraine Hotel was one of them. Like on this piece of paper, it had the name of the motel, the city, a phone number and the street address.

I know I will be going back in the near future. Anybody want to join me?

Fourth of July Cookout

2005-07-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Monroe- The cookout was excellent! Your house is pretty and the food was good. Amy and I got lost on the way back to campus. Some how we ended up in ABBEVILLE!!!! Oh NO...NEVER again! Next time we will just get directions from your house back to campus.

My Reaction

2005-06-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Gary Rubenstein’s book “Reluctant Disciplinarian” is 141 pages of a fun read and gave some nice tips to teachers, especially if you are new, but I don’t think it will transform my way of teaching or my life

The Pros about the book was that they were entertaining, insightful, and left leeway for other viewpoints. Some of the Cons that I saw were that it was based on one teacher’s experience and was sometimes contradictory. Rubenstein tells us his own history of becoming a teacher, which was more by accident than planned, and this may have contributed to his initial difficulties in his classroom. He describes himself as a "Softy," who has had discipline issues since childhood. Both of these are directly opposite of what I want my approach to teaching and discipline to be.

I want to think of myself as an enthusiastic disciplinarian—but I do need some more pointers. There are four chapters that I found most entertaining as a future teacher: What Does NOT Work: stories about his own mistakes, things that you swear you'd never do, but once in front of a class, you end up doing anyway. Like yelling. And if you lose control once with a group of students, they're gonna try to break you again. Fun times for all. Rubinstein also includes many of the "tried and true" methods, like incremental consequences (school policy) and writing names on the board. He gives reasons and examples from his own life about what doesn't work--and some of them were his own errors, where some are errors in methods. Being a Real Teacher: Rubinstein gives a series of rules about what "real teachers" do...most of which I agree with. Things like "Real Teachers dress the part"...meaning they should be wearing slacks and a tie, not shorts and sandals. Things like "Real Teachers have a Rules Talk" at the beginning of the school year. A lot of these basic guidelines for teachers have loosened over the last 20 years...and many districts are tightening them up again. What DOES Work: He gives us a list of things that "DO work"...for him. Some of these seem to overlap with the "Don't" list, and some of them depend greatly on his personality and the students he has. But it's a good list. Things like "Master the Teacher Look" and "Start with Traditional Methods" are essential, and "Seek Advice" is essential.

Developing a Teacher Persona: this may be my favorite part of the book, since this is an area where I feel I want to become successful in with my students. I want to have a series person and even have a informational day every Friday- like talk about black history, talk about colleges and why education is important.Again, The Reluctant Disciplinarian was an entertaining and helpful read. I would recommend the book to young and old teachers.

My Video Taped Lesson

2005-06-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

As I finished watching my video taped lesson, I thought to myself, that children will do what you say if you treat them with respect. I had a perfect classroom, and did not need to use any classroom management rules consequences, because all my students were on their best behavior.

Some of my strengths were my set and that all the students enjoyed it, I wrote my objectives on the board and used different Bloom’s levels, I taught to my objectives and all my students understood what I was teaching, I used a modeling instruction type and an example instruction type, and I checked for understanding.

Some of the things I forgot to do were to state my objectives, review the previous day’s lesson in my set and to not hand out a worksheet in my closure.

Also, I would like to be re-evaluated because Dr. Sullivan did not take the time out of his schedule (a schedule he is getting paid for) to even put ONE comment under my 20 bullets for which I was getting evaluated for. I am NOT a mediocre student, and when you think I am, I want to know why. Thank you.

Mrs. Monroe

2005-06-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all your enouraging words and support!!!

I Am Drawing Names

2005-06-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 23rd, I taught my final lesson for the summer session- How to find the Volume of a 3-dimensional object. For this lesson I used the Qualters technique Cold Calling. Before starting my lesson, I had all the students write their names down on pieces of 3 x 5 paper I had cut up. I told them that during the lesson today I would select a name from the pile randomly and that person would have to answer the particular question that I asked at that time. At first they moaned and said, “No Miss Foster I am not going to be ready for that,” or “Is the lesson going to be hard, ‘cause if it is hard I can’t answer the question.” So of course I stated what I always say, “I am not going to give you anything that you haven’t already had.” And so I went on to do my Set- the students made a 3-dimensional cube from an outline I gave them and then they had to find the volume of it. I gave them the formula and they all found the volume. I picked a random name out of the cards and asked that student (Devontae) to tell me what they got for volume and how they found it? They answered the question and so as I used the method the rest of the class time, I heard no complaints. I have a pretty decent class and they are always willing to try new things. The Cold Calling technique worked out to be pretty useful in that I just wasn’t calling on a student because I knew they would or would not know the answer of a specific question, rather I was calling on a student at random, which made all the students stay on their P’s & Q’s. I liked this technique and I will use it during the school year.

Overall Summer School Reflection

2005-06-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

This summer so far has been a great learning experience for me. I went in the classroom for the first two days and just sat there so that I could get used to the kids and classroom and to see if any of the kids would warm up to me. After the first day I was used to the classroom and after the second day I was used to the kids and some of them even warmed up to me. Asking them was I from here? and when I replied No, they were like Well then were are you from? DC. WHOA!!! What do you do there? I went to Howard University. What is that? It is a school like Jackson State, just MUCH better. Oh ok. And then I stopped the conversation there and focused it back onto math. As the summer weeks went on, I tried to implement a few of the things I want to do in the fall with my class with my summer class. Game day, board work and students coming up with their own examples of problems for the class to do. It was good to see where my strengths and weaknesses were. I feel as though the time I got to teach this summer was beneficial to my confidence in teaching for the school year. I wish I could have had more informal evaluations, but hey. I feel like this summer I learned a lot in Mrs. Monroe's class that I applied to my class and it made my transition from college to student teaching easier. I feel like I did a good job this summer, there are just a few things I still need to perfect and polish.

My first day in Corps as Miss Foster

2005-06-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

Woke up cold, nose stuffed. I was not nervous, just curious as to how they were going to treat me when I walk in there and have to give them my teacher face. Would they laugh, smile, understand me or just blank out. What would I do if they totally did not understand the context I was trying to teach to them. So I arrived and followed all the steps I had just learned in class- write the date, write the objective, command their attention. I started the lesson by asking them what they learned yesterday and that today we would be learning how to turn a mixed fraction into an improper fraction and vice versa. After labeling the steps for each objective, I would have a student repeat it for the whole class. I made sure the students wrote down the steps in their notes, so that they would have it to refer to later. I did an exercise with 4 students holding up a peice of paper that had 1/4 written on each of them. This demonstration lead into my lesson on adding fractions with like denominators. More students wanted to come up and be fractions, but they couldn't, but I was glad they were having fun. All in all, my lesson went well and I am exhausted already! I'm ready for my next lesson.

DORM LIFE- Soon to be out

2005-06-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

Why have I been subjected to dorm life for the past 4 1/2 years. I hate it!!! It is cold and our bathroom ceiling is leaking and I NEVER get a shower that cascades water that is even remotely warm. I just wanna go home and take a bath or better yet, just get my own place. Mom, Dad...can you hear me?

Church Family

2005-06-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! I attended Clear Creek Missionary Baptist Church with my roommate and a new soror friend. The service, pastor and people were awesome. Today happened to be Communion Sunday so that was a blessing. To me this church felt like home and after a few more Sunday morning and maybe weekday visits I will make this my new church home while I make my home in Oxford, MS. The Pastor welcomed me and my roommate as visitors from the pulpit, but I know that today was just not the day to make the committment to join. The Lord has another time for me and I am praying and waiting for it patiently. I am going to get involved in the Young Womens Ministry as a way to open my senses up to the people in the church and the way this church teaches the word of the Lord. Hopefully, everyone will be as welcoming there as they were this Sunday morning. Its HOT in Mississippi!!! (just had to write that)