Confidence Over Everything, Confidence On My mind.

For one, I am proud of myself for applying a Drake related theme to the title for the first time since the introduction post on this blog. I am anxiously awaiting his new album to release. Secondly, confidence has been on my mind all day and feel the need to go on a semi rant about the importance of confidence in the classroom. It’s been one of thoseeeeeeeeee days… the days where you question everything around you. Starring confused in consideration of life’s makeup has been my forte today (pun intended).

Happy Monday

That said, I’ve gotten myself back on track and have attempted to stay positive through positive reinforcement and being confident. Self confidence is not something that I have always had. In fact, no doubt in my mind, it’s fairly new to me. There was a time I was nearly 200 pounds of pure, unathletic flubber and completely in the dark to what my future would endure. No career goals and plans being shattered left and right. As I shed weight, found love, and centered my goals towards a career in education, I’ve felt as confident as ever about myself and what I can accomplish. This is essential.

In fact, it is more than essential. I firmly believe self confidence is of the utmost importance to teachers, especially young developing teachers. I think it is the trait that teachers need to have the most of as they plan to take on classrooms and work in environments where their biggest fans will be ready to be their biggest critics on the drop of their first bad grade.

I don’t believe that any teachers operating a classroom at a high school level or even middle school should be questioning whether they can run the show as they work towards their degree.

Students can sense when a teacher does not have confidence in themselves. Teachers who speak quietly, go back and forth with decisions or are shy in front of their classroom… How can this happen? How can a teacher with no confidence attempt to defend their choices with students who can and will question anything at their disposal? How can an education minor not be able to run a successful powerpoint presentation without their nerves standing out to everybody watching.

Teachers who lack confidence are more likely to be challenged. Teachers whom are challenged tend to become more frustrated with their jobs. Teachers who are more frustrated with their jobs… well.

Problems come. Frustration is going to happen but the question is how often will it happen and what can future educators do to prevent that? A good teacher will be able to stand in front of their class and be comfortable enough, not just with students but with themselves, to run a successful class. The reality is that the more confident a teacher is with who they are as a person, the more likely it is that students can relate to that teacher. This job is all about community and building towards a connection with students that allows for both learning and fun.

Some tips I believe are essential to building a confidence for your future classroom.

1) Big Shark in the Little Pond
At the end of the day, the students in the classroom are there to learn and you are there to lead. You are the leader and in charge.All that hard work to get to this point? You’ve done it. Tell yourself that until you recognize how great you really are. There’s no reason to be fearful of students who are supposed to learn what you have to offer. Mimic some great leaders and their charisma. Don Draper was never scared

2) Look Good, Feel Good.
Not every teacher is going to be a model and some days, it is natural to not feel like you’re looking at your all time best. Having said that, the famous “dress for the job you want, not the job you have quote,” always comes to mind for me. If you’re comfortable in the clothes you wear, makeup you have on or the weight you lost, that is the first step to feeling good in front of a classroom. An instructor of mine told me she wouldn’t be able to teach had she not had her makeup kit because she couldn’t have the confidence she had without it. There you have it. Dress for the job you want!

errr… maybe not.

3) Plan, plan, plan. 
Some future teachers I associate with believe the lesson plan format currently implemented is unnecessarily long and tedious. I don’t share that view point, of course, but I do know that the more you plan, the better. If you have prepared for the questions you may face in a class discussion, rehearse your lesson plan perhaps and can display true knowledge as to what is going on throughout your instructions, you’re destined to be more confident and the student’s will probably notice just how intelligent you may be.

4) Learn Your Students
The same way that we are all comfortable having discussions with our friends and peers as we get to know them, the same stays true for us as educators. Learn the students in your classroom on a personal basis to have a connection with them individually. The same way this works with building a comfort level to improve class participation, it also can make us teachers more comfortable with talking to these students for lord knows how many hours a semester.

5) Decorate Your Classroom
That Yoda poster Billy won’t stop starring at was put up because you love star wars. Maybe when you’re in a weak spot, you point to that poster and relate something in the lesson to that poster. Your decorations and choices are helpful in the sense that it makes the classroom more of a “homey” feel for yourself. Taking advantage of the chance to feel more comfortable in your class can help you feel more confident.

‘Scute

Those few tips can help to ensure teachers are confident. We covered the Hester Management Videos and we witnessed in those clips just how important being self confident can be towards growing. How do you feel about self confidence? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

The ups, downs, and all else of Unit Breakdowns and Book Rationales.

If you guessed what I’ve been up to lately and looked at the title for ideas, you’re half correct. Yes, Book Rationales and Unit Breakdowns are part of the weekend at the Forte home. Making adjustments to one for one class, another for another have been nonstop. The other part has just been the relaxing reality of being at the half way point of a semester with endless distractions and beautiful weather. Procrastination time is indeed setting in.

All *5* days

 

Let’s write. 2 birds with one stone here because I get to think about the endless unit plans I have to write about while also fulfilling the blog requirements I have put up for myself. Nothing like setting higher standards for yourself, right?

For those who don’t know, a Unit Breakdown or plan  serve as the building blocks for an initial plan and can help a teacher to form a plan for what they truly want to accomplish in a specific time frame. The unit breakdown, often distributed for children’s parents or administration within a school, lists specific goals of a lesson, things that will be set out and accomplished during the unit. In a similar manner and what I often associate together is the book rationale which… rationalizes the decision for why a certain book is selected. Reasons why the book is important to teach, as well as what can be obtained through reading this book is what comes from a rationale. By intertwining the book rationale and plans for the unit together, it can be effective in broadcasting two very similar topics into a larger, efficient paper. Productive.

For this post, I would like to try and go a different route with a back and forth posting reasons I like Rationales/Plans and reasons why I simply don’t and they suck like Dan Orlovsky in his own endzone.  Changing things up here at letmeteachya!

Good: Defend Your Thoughts
What’s better than having a chance to defend your reasoning? I would think if a teacher is confident in the importance of the book they’ve selected or the plans they have for a unit, this is the format to push out the information to a viewer. This is the chance to stand on that mountain top and scream your value and your vision.

#JustReadIt

Bad: Lack of Interest
That administration? They may glance at your ideas and shrug them off if it’s a strict district. Play by their rules. Parents? Yeah… Tim’s parents couldn’t care any less if they tried. They laughed at your long letter. Har Har Har. Might feel like a waste of time if this will not help with self evaluation.

Good: Your Ideas, Your Format
You don’t have to write a long letter to people who aren’t as passionate as you. In terms of parents, it can be a simple bullet list format. It can be a checklist for them to see. Hell, it can be a long letter if that is your comfort level. Essentially, whatever way you think helps best present your ideas, shoot for it and work it.

Bad: Playing to the Audience
If you like writing letters, there’s a chance a parent may not want to read that letter. The administration may want to have a ton of detail you are lacking. You can never be 100% sure what exactly your audience will want and expect. Trying to make those adjustments for improvements can make this short letter into something terribly time consuming.

Good: Planning Ahead
The planning aspect of this allows teachers to make a system for success. In some cases, as they plan they can reflect back on the work they do to make sure that they are achieving the same expectations they originally planned on reaching when they made they chose the book to begin with.

Bad: Bringing Attention
Sometimes in making a case, you bring up a case. When trying to justify a book for students to read to parents, you basically ask someone to argue with it. The negative that was lack of interest, can actually be a good thing. Parents too invested and trying to make choices they aren’t qualified to make like book choices is not something any teacher wants to necessarily deal with.

“Is my daughter really prepared to read about Hester Prynne’s adultery? And who names their daughter Pearl anyways??”

The positives and negatives go back and forth. It’s time consuming and can lead to more problems with skeptics but being able to defend your choices as a teacher should never be a bad thing. What are your thoughts on book rationales? Comment below!

 

“Good” Teachers to High School Kids and Sunglasses

Ever thought about what makes kids in a high school setting think a certain teacher is “good” and another is “bad.” If you think it’s not assigning homework and grading easy, you’re on the right track. Probably not surprisingly.

Over the last few classes, teachers I’ve worked under have displayed letters from high school students that are written and directed to us, the students in a college setting. It is nothing short of hilarious to ask a student what they feel makes a good high school english teacher and what simply does not. As mentioned, the grades are of utmost importance. When a teacher gives students grades they don’t deserve in a negative connotation, the teacher is hated. When the teacher gives grades they don’t deserve in the other way… Oh lord how are they perceived.

One example of this is a teacher I had as a freshman in high school, way back when. My God… It’s actually been 9 years ago since I had him.

I am way too old for this. Is there a way I can stop aging but also never be back in high school again? Anywho, the teacher was friendly as all hell. Everyone did well in his class. Everyone also did nothing.

Not exaggerating. This was a Canadian geography class. We colored maps all day (which by the way, this is the most relate-able caption of all time for Canadians) We occasionally looked at an atlas. But overall, the class was notorious for being a breeze. Students begged to be in this specific teachers’ class. Reason for that was because he was much easier than other suggestions.

Check out the reviews for this teacher. I had him in 2007. NONE of these comments were comments that weren’t said when I was in his class.

The comments only continued and kept this approach. Best teacher ever. Easiest class. Pass kids who smoked. Yes, everyone speculated he came to class high as a kite.

Thing is, high school students are flawed. Teachers are getting into a flawed system. Students at this age level would rather have an easy A than learn. I’m sure that relates to students even in college but at the same time, a disorganized teacher is less respected and if nothing is learned, it kinda sucks for people who pay $1000+ for a class. By the way, $1000 dollars PLUS per class.

As an older, more experienced and passionate student, I find myself experiencing a need to learn more that high school students tend not to. For me personally, the nice teachers aren’t my favorite. The teachers I finish with the best grades with aren’t necessarily “good.” It’s the teachers that get my mind going and are organized with what they want to do who I find to be great. It’s a major reason why this semester, I have tried to be as organized as possible. It’s a major reason why I started this blog; it helps me prepare and keep an organization.

Students at the high school level aren’t all of the same mold. Many will care about getting the grades, there really is no denying that. However, there are quite a few that care specifically about the learning experience. Be good in your own eyes for those very students.

That’s what I tell myself, anyways.

How do you feel students in high school analyze “good” teachers and “bad”? Do you agree? What do you think helps students to evaluate it in a different way. Chime in below!

Hester Classroom Management and Me, The Future: Part 5

After wrapping up the video portion of the Hester Management series, today we take a good, detailed look at this freakshow’s lesson plans and classroom guidelines. Thanks to his fantastic website, we are able to get a glimpse into how he operates a classroom, his efficiency in working with lesson plans and a general understanding of him as a teacher in terms of preparation. It’s pretty rad and a cool addition for us future teachers to base off of.

Having said that, even if you like Hester, prepare to laugh out loud at some of his rules and regulations in the classroom. The man is on a powertrip!

His classroom guidelines can be found my clicking on this link. Click there if you would like to look at it specifically  and in it’s full detail. It’s simple for download so it can also be of use to teachers who have to write classroom rules in their syllabus in the future.

That said, may need a tiny, tiny bit of editing in that process.

Rules about sharpening pencils.

*Warms up voice* WHATTTTTTTTTTTT ARE THOSEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The idea of students need to raise a hand and then touch their nose to gain permission to blow their nose….? A little over the line, one might say. I completely would say so, personally. We’ve covered time and time again that the students in this environment need a strict environment. I’m just not sure that  regulating when students can blow their nose is the right play. I mean… do you really want some students to raise their hand every 5 seconds or have the option of have snot cover the papers you will be grading? I say no.

Other rules are nothing special but rather just classroom regulations that are common and understood. Hester doesn’t overly exemplify or punish for cheating more than a regular teacher likely would. Obviously, as a student in Michigan, reading about rules and regulations for earthquakes was pretty interesting considering that’s not a threat. I also watched “San Andreas” the other day featuring my childhood hero, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, so the idea of earthquakes are relatively terrifying right now. I also realize that the movie had many scientific flaws. Let me be scared and leave me be.

Expanding on, we look at the details of his lesson plans. His lesson plans are… excessively long. They are detailed with the most precise information. I contemplated posting a picture of his lesson plan but realistically, it was just so long to include it would’ve taken up half the page and look ugly. Blogs are supposed to be gorgeous. Click here for the day one lesson plan.

A sample for those who won’t look. He times everything precisely and if you watch the videos, they add up relatively. He claims attendance will take up to 8 minutes and goes over exactly how and why it will. Every line he utters in the videos of that first day are included throughout the lesson plan. He takes an effective approach to teaching and having an exact plan. Hester is on top of this. Preparation is essential to have such a well managed class.

Nice job, Hester

Finally, it’s essential to look at this blog because Hester includes ideas and samples of his work for rewards. The ticket system he runs is included and able to be printed off for future teachers. Forms for behavior are included. These papers are awesome for future teachers looking for specific samples of how to operate certain guidelines and what they are utilized for. As a future teacher, I’m not sure why I wouldn’t include a system like the ticket situation Hester operates. The fun part of his work is that it is right there for us to use. One thing I can promise is that the tickets I use as a future educator will not be used in the same manner as his. “Big Hairy Audacious Goals????” What a weird guy.

… Pardon?

Weird or not, Hester showed he has control over a classroom which is essential and difficult for future teachers and teachers across the board throughout the series. Learning how to operate from this perspective and managing success is too important in the process. Overall, I don’t think Hester operates the perfect classroom and many comments on the youtube page agree with that analysis. His classroom would scare off many students. The reality is though, the commentators on the page stating they wouldn’t hire Mr. Hester probably shouldn’t ever be in a position to hire teachers regardless. He’s successful and has skills that are essential to have. Not hiring a teacher of the year candidate is simply hilarious.

This likely brings the end to this series. If you have anything to add, comment below and ask questions. The more the better. This first series went well… at least, in my opinion… but what should be changed for future series?

 

Hester Classroom Management and Me, The Future: Part 4

So after a wild weekend where I was able to go to Chicago and spend time with some fantastic, very nice friends, I neglected my blog. I told my friends about my blog but I neglected it. For the 4 people who viewed my blog today, I apologize for the lack of content. Having said that, the view was amazing.

More importantly, we are back to wrap up the video portion of the Hester Classroom Management series that we started. The final class that was documented on the youtube channel centered around a different classroom. Here, he teaches the 4th period class rather than the 3rd and the connection I felt watching the students is just not there. Because of this, I lost interest in the series on the youtube site and decided not to invest a blog post into it. I swear, it’s not because it is an hour and a half. Click the link to watch.

Rather, I’d prefer talk about the interview segment where students reflected back on Hester as a teacher and his work. I find this video to be particularly more interesting because the teacher talks about his views specifically in teaching rather than just simply teaching while we watch. It’s a different perspective than the teaching system.

This video appeals to the emotions of the viewer immediately by displaying the Richmond area. He shows his own intelligence… not untypical as we discussed before. He could have had a PHD and not taught but rather, taught teachers how to teach without experience. He goes against that and “gets some skin” in the teaching game to truly relate and enjoy the field while experiencing it. With a degree from Stanford, the ceiling was unreachable and he could have became anything. He went to education because he believed it is the “civil rights issue of our generation.” An interesting perspective I’d love to jump into at another time. Remind me to do just that.

He expands into his classroom and community shortly later, discussing the reality that before he was the teacher, students currently with him had no interest in doing homework. Students claimed that now, two or three students don’t do homework regularly, but before that, those numbers were reversed. With increased expectations, the children begin to take his approach head on and embrace it. Fact is, these children need Mr. Hester’s class to have success elsewhere. These new expectations will help them and they believe them.

My problem with Hester from the initial blogs where I critqiued him for being rude and too strict haven’t altered. I’m not so sure that the strict level is that necessary. But, when the results are shown and are occurring with the rate Hester has them achieving, it’s hard to question. Student testimonials embrace his strict nature. The student he holds after class from the first day, says how they “need” that strict nature. I again, believe it relates to the nature of the environment.

Richmond, CA which is apparently has the most stereotypical bad neighborhood look from every movie about bad neighborhoods.

An element with this management nature is that passion may be as required as confidence. Students throughout the video comment on his passion, saying they don’t care if teachers don’t care. I think the idea of a non caring teacher is overplayed in student’s mind and a certain attitude conveys to student’s that some teachers care less or more. Reality is, it is apparent that this teaching style displays passion and faith in himself. Students will recognize that as caring about the profession itself and serves as motivation.

My favorite part of the video, biased as possible, comes from his admission that he was a bad teacher his first year. The idea of Hester not having control of a classroom, needing to call the dean and requiring help in management is fun. It is literally fun for me. Misery loves company? Perhaps. But I can see myself having certain struggles my first year. Being able to grow from those struggles into a teacher of Hester’s caliber is exciting and is something I absolutely intend on doing the same way he does.

And with that, the Hester video aspect is done and we have no more left to cover. However, I found through his website resources he uses to make a lesson plan and manage his classrooms. I plan on taking an extensive look at these and reviewing them as needed!

What about this video most impressed you? What changes would you make in the classroom and what critiques do you have? Comment below!

 

Hester Classroom Management and Me, The Future: Part 3

Back at it again with the classroom management clips! Today we take a look at the first full day of class for period 3 and how Hester manages a longer class and the challenges that come. Click here for the last post in the series why don’t ya?

One problem though… what challenges? The class breezes by and the students we’ve been told have had so many problems and need so much help, behave in the most excellent way. There is no breakout of students during silent work. Discussion during group work is centered and remains on task. Students don’t leave before dismissal. Nobody receives verbal warning. What is going on? Give us some complications!

I attribute this to being day 2 after a very strict and stable first day. Last class, being reprimanded for not completing the homework made the students aware. An hour of after school work on the second day of the semester? I would fill up my binder as well. Besides, the work due was far from grueling.

Kudos in order to Mr. Hester in that sense. He successfully manages to keep the expectations into the second class. He consistently reinforces how proud he is of his students as they silently work and “meet his expectations.” In some senses he sounds like a robot by constantly repeating the same drivel that allows students to know they are reaching the standards he has imposed for them.

And then he doesn’t. Blink of an eye, as he continues to run through his work day, he calls one male student “baby,” when making sure they are paying attention. Some may look at it as unprofessional, I personally saw it as him instilling his own personality and building a comfortable repertoire with his classroom. Whatever makes a teacher better at their job should be used at their disposal.  Why not make a better community within the classroom?

It is pretty evident Hester wants the community within the classroom to be built up. One way to do just that? How about some rad competition! The race to hand in papers from one side of the classroom to the other for collection continues today. They are still timed and told that the time from period 1 seems too good to be true and they likely will be unable to beat their record speed. They shatter it pretty easily and all is good for Period 3. The teacher jokingly toys with them, calling them hot stuff and saying perhaps they are getting too cocky. I chuckled.

Maybe the man who I boldly called arrogant and a prick in the last post is growing on me? Maybe the Jets won’t get rid of one of the team’s best players this offseason? Let’s hope.

The video continues and we are introduced to this ticket system. Check the video below around the 41 minute mark.

The school has a merit point system within itself but Hester runs a ticket system. “Cash money in Hester’s class,” as he puts it. 1 ticket is a glitter pound which is essentially a super dope dap handshake thing. No student seems interested because seriously who wants a weird super strict white teacher to smack your hand and glitter his fingers like a jazz performer. It was wack.

The glitterpound. #NotCool

2 tickets means a positive call or letter home. He encourages students to use these on Fridays when they want to go out or before a shopping trip. 3 tickets, students can buy something from the box in the classroom or a merit point. 4 tickets means 2 merit points from the school wide system OR he buys the students any book they want. 4 tickets shows Hester that “you have been a baller.” The personality continues to shine through now and the students are taking him in. Same here. If we ignore the whole glitter pound thing, Hester is potentially kind of cool.

The class ends with a principal, I assume, coming in and taking about school expectations and rules. He talks about the merit system which rewards good behavior. He continues on and the point that stands out to me the most is the “no red or blue” uniform policy the school operates. Immediately, gangs came to mind. As a teacher who will probably be focused in the midwest and not have to deal with the California street problem in the same sense, the color situation revealed to me exactly what I touched on in the first post; this was not a “good” school. The neighborhood was indeed a neighborhood where gangs were a problem. Sad to see it confirmed and see exactly what lengths schools have to go to to ensure they are protected and violence is not pushed to the forefront.

Overall, this video showcased a more friendly side of Hester than we see in the first video of day 1. The difference however is that the success remains the same. The students are focused and working hard. It’s a shame there are not more videos based on his work during the semester and featuring the classes as they dived more into depth of what occurs with the lesson plans and management of those situations. That said, this breakdown of the first 2 days, including the rules and his expectations, did show a sample of what we could likely expect for the remainder of the semester. It seemed apparent to me that this class would be under control consistently.

How does he do this? It comes from building a community within an environment that embraces what they are and strives for better. Hester is aware he is in a predominantly Spanish area.  He works with that, learns bits of the language for communication purposes and motivates the students through his effort. He enforces goals, provides positive feedback, promises love and compassion and works to keep everything in check along the way. Hester builds competition in the classroom with how he has students turn in papers and by rewarding positive behavior. This approach simply works through these first two classes of the new semester in a location where teachers are told it simply won’t. That’s pretty cool.

What other approaches work in your mind? Do you think the ticket system would work in a school district you teach or have studied at?  Let me know in the comment section!

 

 

 

Demons!? Student Behavior and Making FRIENDS!

I’ve decided today to step away from the Hester series in order to touch on something that I experienced today while working in a middle school after school program. I know for some this may be a little rough. The Hester and management series was getting fantastic reviews. My momma said she luved it.

Today while working with a Bright Futures after school program, I assisted a fellow university student facilitate a “Declamation” speech. This allowed students to work with a speech or a excerpt of a speech from famous moment. The particular student I was working with… Let’s call her Tina… worked with Obama’s victory speech from November 4th, 2008.

Some background information on this day for ya’ll. This was my first time being associated with facilitating an event like this. Even though I’ve had interest in teaching for quite some time, this was my first time working with Bright Futures. In fact, this was my first time working with students outside of my own learning classroom in general.

That’s right, folks. I’m fresh as a whistle. Nada experience. You’re experiencing the full thing here. We’re doing it live. Get pumped fam!

 

After convincing Tina to be my partner by accurately informing her how alone I was, we got to work on the speech. Tina was extremely outgoing, jumpy and enthusiastic. She dabbed on me and informed me she had every intention of finishing her speech by dabbing on the audience and other students. I told her I had no problem with that. Yes, this is a “serious” speech. But also, this is an after school program. Let the kids have fun. If they’re going to have to get up in front of fellow classmates and give a class after school, at least let them have some chance to enjoy it. My logic, anyways.

So for the next half hour, I worked with exclusively with Tina. I told her the importance of standing tall, making as much eye contact as possible, not being over-frustrated if she stumbles with a word and to use hand gestures appropriately. We practiced and had fun. She performed and did relatively well, following instructions I provided. My classmates who have had more experience with Tina and Bright Futures told me afterwards they were surprised how well she did. First experience with a sole student… I’m happy.

But if that’s all there was to it, why the post? And what’s with the title? And why was Tina doing her speech such an accomplishment? The twist comes from Tina’s attitude while I worked with. Tina was quick to tell me she has “ADHD” and “always had to constantly fidget.” As someone who, admittedly, doesn’t have as much experience with students as I would like, I handled this with what I felt would be most appropriate. I told Tina that I too, had ADHD and fidgeted from time to time. By doing this, I helped her to relate to me and was able to keep her focused. When she saw I had the same problem that she said to have and I was working just fine, she felt more confident in herself.  When she started to look away or focus on other student’s in the classroom, I quickly told her to focus on what I was saying. If she did this while her and I reviewed the speech, I had her follow what I was reading with her fingers or read aloud. I found both techniques to work with great success. Tina was not difficult to manage in my opinion.

The problems came as we continued to have fun practicing and started getting to know one another. Tina started telling me about her “corrupted mind.” As she told me she wasn’t normal and had a lot of problems, I simply told her not to talk like that and that she was a very special girl. Then,

“I have demons in my head.”

Pardon? What? I’ve seen one too many paranormal activities. I realized that this was likely the end for me and the demons would be slamming cupboards in my home at 3am by next week. I ran away from Tina and helped with other students, leaving her to be alone with her and all the demons. I did not sign up for this.

Kidding!  I couldn’t leave. You could tell immediately that Tina was different and I was aware that I had made progress by working with her. She invested herself into her work and was really trying her best. She was, as she put, Barack. So I tried my best to shake the whole “demons” discussion. I told her she didn’t have them, to which she argued she indeed did. She then told me she locks up the demons in her head. She has had them locked for a long time. She only let’s them free at night time.

WTF have I gotten myself into? Seriously.

Honestly, all I did as she told me this was nod and try and relate it back to myself. “I have nightmares.” “I sleep walk sometime.” “It’s good to make sure they are locked up.” Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what I would or should do. By trying to shift the conversation— she did switch as we started to discuss sleep walking—  I ended what was not a pleasant discussion for myself. But should someone have been informed? I’m not sure what a teacher or a student teacher is allowed to do or what is the protocol for that situation. I felt somewhat unprepared and unsuccessful despite my role in allowing Tina to focus and complete her speech.

What would you have done in this situation? Where did I go wrong if at all? What advice do you have? Comment below in the comment section and let me know!

 

 

 

Hester Classroom Management and Me, The Future: Part 2

Day 2 begins of the blogging process here at letmeteachya. I’ve always heard that if you decide to come back to your blog the second day, the more likely you are to make millions of dollars off of it in the near future. I’m sure it was a wise man that told me that.

Today we jump back into the Hester classroom management series that I’ve decided to run. Click that beauty link right over there to read the intro as to why I want to analyze this specific class and management video. Hoping that this post will go into pretty deep depth on the first lesson, opening day for Hester’s 9th grade English class and his tactics.

Let’s start off with the class intro. Immediately, the students waltz into class, receive a handshake from their new teacher and work in absolute silence on filling out information for the class. Immediately, a student is given a called back to the entrance and given a verbal warning for not following the procedures. Immediately, I think Mr. Hester is “one of those teachers.”

Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for the strict mentality. I think young students need guidance and the sooner you can enforce it, the better. At the same time, I do believe there is an undeniable difference between being strict and giving a verbal warning to one a freshman in high school on his first day for asking where he should be sitting for these assigned seats. Watching this introduction immediately made me speculate on exactly what we as viewers were going to see. The ultra-confident bravado Hester portrayed was apparent to me from the getgo.

He continued with it. As an outside viewer, the words “arrogant” and “prick” were in mind as the video continued. Sure, I loved the confidence and believe it to be of utmost importance. But this was not just confidence and went beyond that. His jokes centered around enforcing this cockiness. “I’m better than you at baseball,” “I will school you in skating,” “I know I am a great teacher,” “You’ve never had a teacher like me,” were all stated within the introduction of the class. Pretty intimidating for day 1 of the first day of high school, eh (<Canadian dialogue comin’ atcha)? This attitude turned me off… I wondered how other students would react. Add this in to the classroom where students were working in complete silence and passing papers at timed speeds and I was sure this classroom would not work for me. Everything seemed over stressful. Was this a classroom or a modernized Hitler work camp. Why are students ripping papers apart and holding them up as if they are mindless zombies? What is going on? Helppppppppppppppppppppp!

Live depiction of what a terrified Anthony Forte would look like in Mr. Hester’s first class.

Here’s the thing though: it doesn’t matter if it would work for me. I was and am blessed to have grown up in a beautiful area and environment. Environment matters in how a school and classrooms need to be operated. We learn pretty early in the video that Richmond, California, the high school’s location, is pretty poor. More poor than we could probably understand through just watching this video. The class’ general makeup is very ethnic— Hester speaks spanish to show he can “understand when students are talking badly about him.” And then, as the powerpoint continues to introduce the new instructor and his goals for the semester, we see how it exactly it works for them and not for me.

An 11% growth followed by a 17% growth in reading the next year. Success=Rad!

Boom. Success. Squint with your tiny little eyes and enjoy the picture above! The students were reading at very low, unqualified levels in the past at this school. With Hester at the helm as an instructor, they were reaching literacy levels with much more efficiency. A 17% growth in reading literacy in a single year is stuff teachers dream about. Regular people dream of winning the lottery, for teachers… it’s 17% literacy improvement.

This is where environment ties in. Perhaps a more suburban area with students who need nurturing more so than strictness would struggle with a silent classroom that only allows communication when the instructor says. But in this area, students need to be pushed to learn and to do so, they need structure. A structured, more enforced learning center allows these students to do better. It’s clear, even if it may be a more stressful first day than others, that this teacher has it going on. He clearly knows how to work the rodeo.

I still struggled with this, however. I continued throughout the video to question what Hester would do as the semester rolled on and students began to become more frustrated with his tactics. By constantly having the students communicate and work in complete silence/without discussion for a semester, I figured it would irritate some students.

And then he answered me as the video ended and the class concluded. Following his interesting class conclusion where he stands on a chair signaling for students to pack up their work and then stand beside their own desk before allowing them to leave, he asks one student to stay after class and meet with him. Jump ahead to the 37 minute mark in the video below in the event that it doesn’t “autoload” there like it. Technology, right? :

He nips odd or poor attitude in the butt right away. No time for negativity with Hester. In the terms of modern youth all over the continental united states… “What a savage.” An absolutely awesome move to end the first class. By doing this in such an effective manner and so quickly, he makes it clear that 1) He is very in touch with what is going on in his classroom and 2) That poor attitude will not be tolerated. The student did not do anything overly dangerous, a sigh is a sigh after all. But by calling the student out in a manner that associates the action with a poor attitude, which she agrees with, he makes it clear that his expectations do not allow for this type of attitude. At the same time, he nurtures the student with “I love you,” and “You are awesome” adlibs. I highly doubt his love for this particular student should frighten us as viewers. Don’t call the cops, this isn’t one of those videos. His relaxed tone is refreshing from the strict demeanor during class.

With that, lesson one is over. Students have the homework of getting a binder for the next class, as well as finishing up a minor worksheet. Day one is in the books! How would you feel as a student in this intimidating classroom on day one? Thoughts on Mr. Hester as a professor? Anything else that stands out in the video that needs addressing? Comment below!

 

Hester Classroom Management And Me, The Future: Part 1

While enjoying a February spring break get-away to sunny Connecticut, I tried my hand at being productive. It worked decently. The trip, centered around visiting my long distance girlfriend, Steph, provided me with a lot of fun and enjoyment. It’s always great getting to spend an extended amount of time with her whenever I can and leaving is never fun. She is an engineer at a relatively massive company with a global headquarters in London and the brains to my brawn. These brains however, mean she was at work from 9-5 and, I was… alone. So, so alone. But with a shot of productivity! I could accomplish things! And by “things,”I mean, solo netflix and chill. Needless to say, no lawsuits were being filed during those days. By day 3, I searched for a different productivity.

On that lonely 3rd day,  I decided to watch videos centered around classroom management. I will teach and I want to be good. Borderline really good. Maybe even better. My brother, also an education major and attending the same prestigious university as myself told me to take a look at some videos online of a “great teacher who knows what he is doing.” Binge watching comedy standups online finally took a backseat on this day and I began working on that productivity thing.

The videos centered around a teacher of the year working with a 9th grade English class and flaunting his skills. There was a set of 3 classes uploaded before the idea was potentially deserted? A shame, in my eyes. Working in Richmond, California with students in a poor economic and learning environment, Mr. Hester used his quirky ways to introduce the class to himself, his expectations and one another. With consistent silence that he had demanded from the beginning of the video, the students met his expectations. I was intrigued immediately. How could he have such success?

I’ve taken some notes I want to share over the next few days and posts about these classes on youtube and the style Hester utilizes in his classroom. He is unconventional and strict beyond belief which is something  I feel as though many future teachers I associate with to be afraid of enforcing. Why not analyze it and comment on it with my own thoughts?

I’m not sure this is my Making A Murderer…I had a helluva time with that show… But it is a series I’ll be starting and commenting on for next few posts. These videos convinced me to get back into the blogging world. “My opinion is important,” is what I told myself as I watched these videos and saw the comments section was blocked off. “I must tell the world how I feel,” was also murmured. So I will do just that! Be on the lookout and for those hoping to watch the video, I’ve provided a link below to the first class.

 

Cheers, ya’ll and enjoy!

 

The Ride Begins

You know who’s feeling mature today? This guy *thumbs pointed at chest.* I cooked, I cleaned, lifted some weights, went to class and…. yeah. Productive day! Let’s keep it going. I’m ready to start writing for the eyes of my nonexistent fanbase that will surely grow at a vast rate.

Let me introduce myself for the millions of readers who won’t know me. My name is Anthony Forte. As of this post, I’m a Post-Bac student at an ever prestigious, commuter centered school in Michigan. I will be an English teacher one day in a high school setting or wherever someone will feed me a job. The sooner the better! I have about a years worth of classes left before I am officially ready. I’ve always had an interest in teaching and I have always felt the importance of a teacher is under appreciated in today’s world. I hope to see that fixed and I want to be a teacher students love while also pushing them to new limits and achievements. I think I can do that and my education has only helped me with those thoughts.

Post-Bac? My first degree was in journalism, with a minor in criminology. I loved writing, specifically about sports, but I never channeled it into anything special in the journalism world. I don’t feel like my journalism degree was a waste, however. I hope to use my journalism experience to teach those classes at whatever high school allows me to do so. Plus, I learned so much about myself as a writer with that degree. My experience there helps me in knowing a thing or two about writing and I’d like to restart the whole “writing with a purpose,” concept I once had and used. What better time than now?

I want this blog to be a reader friendly look at the world of teaching and specifically, my life in general. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on teaching and would like to share them. But, believe it or not, I have interests beyond classrooms. I’m a die hard sports fan, unfortunately of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team and the New York Jets football team. I’m sure I  will be actively writing about those from time to time. I do believe sports are painful and they have admittedly taken a backseat in recent years when I realized epileptic-like shakes before the first game of a season aren’t healthy or all that fun… seriously. Fantasy football has taken more of my passion as of late from the sporting world and I fully intend on writing about that as the season comes along. Besides that, I also have a ridiculous passion for Drake’s music. No idea when it started becoming SUCH a massive part of my life but it is and here we are. The reality is, my favorite genre is Drake with very few other interests. My 180 song playlist of only his music is something I brag about extensively in my free time.

When Drizzy sees your playlist and questions your sanity.

Other things to note? I am Canadian, although now live in Michigan. Have for the past 8 years. Love both countries but am an extremely proud foreigner and will always shout to anyone with ears about my Canadian background and love for Timmy Hortons! I have a beautiful girlfriend I have somehow convinced to date me for the past two years and a loving family consisting of a brother, sister, and little yorkie poo named Zeke. Also #blessed with two amazingly considerate parents and my full set of 4 grandparents.

Let’s have some fun! The ride begins today! Jump onboard!