Time flies! No, but really...

The sophomores in my high school had standardized testing this morning, so I ended up with a solid hour and a half to get work done this morning before second period began and I had to teach (they kept the rest of the students in their first period classes until testing was over).  So I used the time to plan the rest of my week for my two classes, Spanish 1 and Spanish 3.  And as I was planning, I realized that March starts this week.  I couldn’t believe it, I actually checked twice to make sure I was on the correct page in my planner.  Where did February go??

So of course I had to go back and count how long I’ve been here so far, and I’m three days into my fifth week in Florida.  Fifth!  Everyone told me that this time would fly but let’s be serious here, we hear that about everything.  “Enjoy high school because the time flies!”  “It seems like a long time for this assignment, but before you know it the deadline will be here so start it now!”  “Student teaching goes by so fast, just keep your head up!”  So we all nod and agree and convince ourselves that we have plenty of time and count down what seem like the endless days or minutes.

But oh man, this time really is flying!  I think part of what’s making it pass by so quickly is that I’m constantly going.  Throughout the week all I do is go to school, write lesson plans, and sleep, and then on the weekends my friends and I pack our time with all the touristy adventures and trips we want to make sure we get to before they leave in a few weeks (some interns are only spending half the semester in Florida for student teaching).  So the constant moving makes the time seem to go by even faster.

In other news, we also watched part of Shrek during first period to use up some of the 2 hours after the students finished their work.  Overall, I definitely didn’t mind standardized testing today; it definitely worked in my favor!

Sunday's train of thought

This past weekend, my host family took the other student teacher staying here and me with them to visit their two college-aged kids on Sunday at the University of Florida.  While we there, we hung out at their son's apartment and went to a girls’ lacrosse game (the Gators crushed the other team, by the way).  It was a blast; the weather was nice enough for me to get a little sunburned, the game was great, I loved hanging out with the other kids in the family and every time the Gators scored they did a free tee shirt toss!  But looking around, seeing all the UF colors and the boys hanging on the rail with their orange and blue wigs and body paint (no joke) made my friend and I realize how weird it is not to be on a college campus.  I mean, it’s basically like we’ve already graduated, which is both cool and strange at the same time.

It didn’t hit me until I was actually on a university campus, but I do miss the college atmosphere a little bit.  Don’t get me wrong, I love where I am now and am still so glad I did this program.  It’s just so different living with a family and going to a high school every day as opposed to being around all my peers in an apartment or in campus buildings.  Friends aren’t a 3 minute walk across a parking lot or through the student center, and I can’t exactly go to campus events like sports games and CAB events.  It's a completely different environment.  I don't feel like I'm missing out by being here or wish I was there (honestly, all that university togetherness probably would have driven me nuts!), but I also didn't realize how bizarre it felt not being on a college campus, since that's where I spent the last 3 and a half years of my life.  It makes me wonder if it will feel this strange when I graduate?  It's an interesting thought that I don't really have an answer to.  

Of course, while I'm here, I can distract myself from musings about my future and what-ifs with sun, endless writing of lesson plans, and weekend adventures, and it's all good from there!

How do I respond?

Do you remember that show, Kids say the darndest things?  Well they probably could have added a high school edition.  Over the last few days I’ve overheard some really interesting comments, or been asked things that seemed to come out of left field. 

For instance, my Spanish 1 kids are obsessed with knowing how old I am.  Every day there’s another question trying to get me to tell them my age (quite frankly I don’t care all that much if they know how old I am, but my mentor teacher is big on them knowing and respecting those questions you just don’t ask people older than you).  Two of them decided that I must be either eighteen years old and therefore way too young to be here, or thirty and trying to hide my age.  The latter comment was quickly followed by, “well, you can’t be thirty because you just look way too young, so you must be twenty or something.”  I finally told them I was a senior in college, and they didn’t believe me!  They are determined to get me to finally admit that I’m still a teenager regardless of how many times I’ve told them I’m older than that.  I’m pretty sure I’d have to show them my license for them to finally get it (although knowing them, they’d probably accuse me of having a fake ID).

They also want to know my first name.  Now that I’m okay with them not knowing that, because that’s just part of that really important line between the teacher and the students.  But one student has made it his mission to find out my first name.  I didn’t point out that my visitor’s sticker (which I don’t wear anymore so I supposed it doesn’t matter) had my full name on it, nor did he seem to notice.  I finally told him that once they all manage to remember and call me by my last name, maybe I’ll tell them my first.  Maybe being the operative word.

I’ve also been asked:

“How much are they paying you to do this?” 

“Are you a dancer for Disney?  You look like one.”

“How do you know Spanish if you’re not Hispanic?”

(to other teachers) “Does she speak English?”
                                    “Does she speak Spanish?”

“Wait, so why are you here again?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Do you speak English?  Say something!  I want to hear you speak in English!!”

“Why would you learn Spanish if you already know English?”

“Are you married?”

“Will you bring me food every day?  I won’t do anything if you don’t bring me food every day.”

“Are you going to be boring?”

“So…are you going to be here every day?”

I have a feeling the questions are going to get better (or worse, depending on how you look at it) as time goes by and the students get more comfortable with my being here.  At least I know they’re going to keep me on my toes.

In other news, a girl accidentally stabbed herself in the thumb with a staple today.  A staple, might I add, that had originally been attached to her quiz.  Funny, I thought that kind of stuff stopped after middle school…

Want a nugget?

Today, I learned a new activity students do to make each other crazy; it seems as though "pantsing" and knocking a kid's books on the floor have been left behind for good.

Before first period one of my students was talking about "nuggeting."  I must have looked confused because he asked me if I knew what it meant (that was a big negative, all my classmates used to do was tell people that their socks were untied...).  Of course then they started talking amongst themselves about how maybe they should give me a little introduction to nuggeting.

Once they got distracted, my co-op explained to me that nuggeting is when a student takes everything out of another student's backpack, turns it inside out, and then puts everything back in.  Obviously when the bell rings the student then comes back to grab their things only to find this "nugget" of a bookbag.  Since they can't just pick it up now that the straps are inside, they're stuck hulking this big clunky sack around school until they get a chance to turn it right side out.

Now I have to admit, I did chuckle a little; the mental picture was just too funny.  But I guess students got really fast at it and it became a huge problem at the school.  It was bad enough where a student could walk across the room, come back 30 seconds later and they'd have a nugget.

Like every high school fad, this one eventually died down.  But I can't help but wonder what the students will come up with by the time I have a classroom!

My five minute soap box

I'm going to use this post to have an I'm an Idealistic College Student and This Is How I Think These Things Should Be moment.

One of the assignments I have in connection to this field experience is to interview two of my students.  We weren't given questions, only the very broad guideline that it should be 10-15 minutes long and that we'd have to write a reflection on it.  I gave fairly basic questions, but the answers I got were anything but simple.

Two of my questions involved the students' opinions about the school: "Do you feel that your teachers care about/support you?"  and "If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?"  And these questions led to comments indicating that many teachers these students have play favorites, don't seem to care about the education of their students (isn't that kind of the point??), blow students off, yell past the point of being constructive, and don't fairly enforce school rules.

One student's response was that she'd change the disciplinary system.  When I asked her to explain, she said that students tend to get away with big things (like being caught with drugs and being punished with a day of suspension) and little things being blown out of proportion.  She also alluded to the fact that students with money tend to have their disciplinary problems go away a lot more easily.  This is ridiculous to me; what are we teaching these students?  Basically that being responsible for your actions is something of the past, and that if you have a little money or are buddies with administration then consequences don't matter.

The other student named the way some teachers treat students as his change.  He told me that he hates his English class, not because of the content, but because the teacher doesn't seem to care and likes to yell and "get in students' faces" all the time.  He told me that he's had teachers tell him they were too busy or didn't have time to help him when he asked a question.  He then told me that his Spanish teacher (my mentor teacher) would stop grading or whatever she was doing to just have conversations with him in Spanish after school if he asked, and he spoke about this like it was the most monumental and amazing thing in the world.

This made me so sad.  A teacher taking time to talk to a student or answer a question should be the norn, not the exception.  I know that sometimes grading or meetings take priority, but the students should never feel like they are being blown off or ignored.  To me that's one of the main principles of teaching: investing our time in the education and betterment of our students.

And this is a good school.  Excellent ratings over the last several years, not hurting for money, with a very good variety of classes and extracurricular activities for the students.  Which makes me wonder how schools that aren't as well off are faring?

The tough stuff

Today, I read about a school shooting that took place in Chardon, Ohio.  Apparently (I apologize if my information is off, the articles are constantly being updated) someone who I'm assuming was a student stood up in the cafeteria and started shooting.  When I saw the reports this morning, 5 students had been injured, but as of now two have passed away as a result.  And to make it even more real, one of my friends at school is from that area; her brother is a senior at the affected school (he's alright by the way).

This is the type of situation that no one can prepare you for.  I read that two teachers chased the gunman out of the school, and I have no doubts that their reactions prevented more injuries/casualties.  I don't know what the other faculty did, but I'm sure each member of that school community tried to do what they could, whether it was keeping students safe in lock down or evacuating them to a nearby elementary school.

No matter what events have happened in the past, no one is ready to deal with a school shooting when it happens.  And even if the situation is dissolved with as little physical damage is possible, there's still the emotional scars that are left behind.  This is one of those events that scares me not only because it can happen anywhere, but because it's something that you can't predict no matter what you read, learn, or study in school.

I'm not saying that I'm afraid to teach because of what might happen; that's life.  But I can't help but wonder what could have happened to set this person off?

I honestly don't know who reads this blog, but I'm asking that anyone who does keep this community in your thoughts and prayers.

And the slacker award goes to...

Once again, I find myself apologizing for not posting in a while.  I'm torn between thinking that my schedule is really that hectic, or thinking that my time management needs tweaking.  Since this is a crazy semester for me, I'm going to say the former even though I'm sure it's a combination of the two.

Moving along, today is my first official day off from teaching!  It's Presidents' Day which means the High School is off today (us college kids didn't come out so well since we still had classes, but luckily I came out on the good side and didn't have any other classes today).  So although I most definitely can't use today to do nothing but catch up on napping and Youtube videos, it's infinitely better because the alarm wasn't going off at 5am.

I sincerely hope my students used their long weekend to sleep and blow off steam, however.  I don't know if I was oversensitive, stressed, or what when I taught on Friday, but a lot of the students were in fine form by way of giving the student teacher a hard time.  I had one try to tell me how to teach, another making a snide remark about my being a magician when I erased the SMARTBoard, and the rest either wanted to just sit and stare at me or not stop chatting for five seconds.  One little Judy Attitudy, upon my asking why he wasn't writing, told me that he didn't need to take notes; he memorized them.

I also gave them their grades on presentations I had them do.  They were out of 12 points, and if they followed my directions (they each had to say 3 commands for example), it would have been simple to get full credit.  I didn't even make them memorize it, all they had to do was read their papers (which I had given them time to work on the day before they presented).  And boy were they upset.  But the odd thing was, the students I expected to get mad (the ones who got 8 or less) didn't say anything and those who got 10 or 11 out of 12 were on me like rockets, demanding to know why they got points off.

And they were incredibly rude about it.

There were no, "can I ask you about my grade?" or "I don't understand why..."Nothing like that.  I was prepared after first period for the reactions but that first class took me by surprise.  One boy was so outraged that he stomped out of the room ripping up his rubric (he was also one of the boys who refused to work when I gave them the opportunity, blew off the presentation, and received the grade he had earned).  But my co-op did tell me later that grades like these are tough and the students almost always react this way, justified or not.  She also reminded me that these are the types of situations that I have to just roll off my back, since many students are still under the impression that doing little or no work should still warrant an A.

I'm hoping that, like me, the students just needed a day to breathe.  And maybe this means that they're more comfortable around me, since they're willing to come up to me now for pretty much anything instead of just wondering who I am and why I'm there every day.  Either way, I hope I figure it out soon...

They're having a substitute on Friday, and I'm teaching.

What they don't tell you in teacher school

So today in first period we had a really strong gas smell.  Not headache causing craziness, just enough to cause confusion.  The whole language wing of the school smelled like a broken Bunsen burner.  We kept teaching, but another teacher came in and asked if we smelled it too, while a student who showed up late mentioned that they were talking about it in the office.  It was enough where I half expected the school to send us outside, but they never did.  Later I found out that it was just our section of the school; a girl I know who also is doing her field there said they couldn't smell anything.  So we just opened the windows and moved on (after figuring out if it helped more to keep the door open or shut.  Turns out it didn't really matter).

It wasn't too bad though, other than the obvious annoyance of the smell.  Jokes were cracked and the kids seemed in good spirits.

The calm lasted about 10 minutes.

Then the whining started, along with the complaints of headaches, not being able to stand it anymore, and, my personal favorite, the Oh My Gosh If We Don't Get Out Of Here We're All Going To Die.  These were funny for about 3 seconds, but they got old really quickly.  It really wasn't that bad.  I wanted to tell the little sweethearts that no, you're not going to die, if you were we'd probably have left already.  But we just shushed them and moved on with our activity, which included some partner competition which magically seemed to make the headaches go away.

Since it wasn't a huge crisis, it wasn't terrible and it was a good experience to have.  However, I started wondering about what I would have done had I been there alone, along with thinking about all the other possible situations no one prepares you for.  My co-op contributed some stories of her own, so at least if I get a situation about highlighter attacks or tampon throwing (I kid you not), I'll know how someone else handled it.

But still, I'm a little anxious to see what they throw at me in the future...

Who needs a secret language?

So on Wednesday I finally started my junior field experience at a not so local high school (it's almost a 40 minute drive, which is super fun at 6 in the morning...), and I love it!  I see 3 Spanish II classes while I'm there, and while seeing the same lesson taught three times in a row isn't exactly fun, it's really going to give me the chance to compare the dynamics, students, and different working styles during the classes.  Even though I've only been there for a few days I'm already seeing how different the sets of students really are.

But that's not the reason I wanted to post.  I just wanted to share a quick little story about being bilingual reason number 472 why it's awesome to know another language.

My co-op (cooperating teacher, or mentor teacher) came up to me yesterday while the students were working in pairs to make signs for the upcoming market day and started speaking to me in Spanish.  I was a little confused since we always had spoken in English, but I went with it since I grab any chance I can to practice.  But then I realized why she did.  She was pointing out a pair of students to me and was making one of those "they're so going to get married when they're older" comments (which I completely agree with by the way, you could see it just by watching them interact for a couple minutes).  It's not like she hid it because she was saying anything bad, it was just not one of those things that you generally talk about within earshot of students.

And then I realized just how cool that moment really was.  Instead of having to stand in the corner and whisper or waiting until after class, we got to make our "aw how cute!" comments and move on all while keeping an eye on the students and talking at a normal volume.  There's so much freedom!

Now that's not to say that I think foreign language teachers (or anyone who speaks another language for that matter) should use their knowledge to talk about others while they're in the room.  But there are so many times this could be useful for teachers, from discussing tests to disaster drills; anything that would normally be kept to hushed discussions in the back of the room, emails, and those phone calls that are taken in the hallway behind the closed door (which we've all seen a teacher do at least once in our school careers).  The way I see it, you can still keep an eye on your class while taking less time to pass along semi-private information.  Sure you still get the nosy student questions like, "what did you talk about?" or "what's going on??" but when do those ever actually go away?

Who knows, maybe I'm just getting really excited over something little and seeing a big exciting revelation in a 30 second conversation.  Or maybe I just found another response to use when someone looks at me and says, "I just don't get the point of trying to learn a second language."

 And yes, I do get that comment.  Way more frequently than I would like to.